‘Di Palma Forum’ to tackle death penalty, cloning

Tuesday, April 2, 2002 | 8:19 a.m.

Celebrity panelists will discuss the death penalty and human cloning on "The Di Palma Forum at UNLV," airing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on KLVX Channel 10 (PBS).

Guests include actor Bo Svenson, actresses Leigh Taylor Young and Monique Van Vooren and community activist Jane Greenspun Gale.

Svenson is best known for his starring roles in "Walking Tall, Part II" (1975) and "Final Chapter -- Walking Tall" (1977). Young starred in "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas" (1968) and "Soylent Green" (1973). Van Vooren was in "Tarzan and the She-Devil" (1953) and "Andy Warhol's Frankenstein" (1974).

"The Di Palma Forum" is an open discussion by celebrities on a variety of topics. The program, which debuted in 1997, is sponsored by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and by attorney Joseph Di Palma, who divides his time between Las Vegas and New York.

The show is hosted by Di Palma's wife, Joycelyn Engle, a TV celebrity talk show host, casting director, author, actress, publicist and speech and image consultant.

"We try to present a panel that is evenly divided between conservatives, liberals and moderates," Di Palma said. "The host brings them back to the center, in case the discussion is weighted to heavily to one side or the other."

Di Palma is also an investor. He is executive director of The Di Palma Family Holdings, consisting of securities and real estate, and also heads The Di Palma Position Papers, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit editorial think tank with offices in New York.

The think tank examines trends that impact economic and social issues, particularly those affecting the gaming and entertainment industries. It also sponsors the "Nightly Business Report" on PBS (seen on Channel 10).

"The Di Palma Forum" is an outgrowth of The Di Palma Position Papers. Panels meet two or three times each year.

Past guests have included actor Elliott Gould, actress Shirley Jones and her husband, comedian Marty Ingels (whom Jones is divorcing).

Jeff Koep, dean of the UNLV College of Fine Arts, said Di Palma started the forum as a catalyst to open discussions in the community about important issues.

"He wanted something a little beyond the normal talk show," Koep said.

Celebrities help focus public attention on the issues.

The programs are taped in June and aired quarterly.

Koep said there are only two or three discussions a year due to budget constraints and the availability of the Channel 10 studio.

Originally, the idea was to kick off the forum on PBS and find sponsors that would enable it to move to network television.

"But for now, we still partner with Channel 10," Koep said.