HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept.

By Gregg Goldstein NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter)

By Peter Kiefer ROME (Hollywood Reporter) - The distaff ensemble drama "Nine Lives," the sole American movie in competition at the Locarno International Film Festival, was the big winner at the Swiss event Saturday, nabbing the prizes for best film and best actress, which was collectively awarded to the cast.

WASHINGTON - Still sporting pigtails, 18-year-old Muriel Cincotta became the first woman to work at the Bendix Aeronautics factory in Lodi, N.J., during World War II. It was hot, noisy and scary. "Things blew up.

The Kennedy Center - usually home to opera, symphony and theater - got on the good foot Sunday night, as stars from the R&B charts paid tribute to "Godfather of Soul" James Brown.