Hollywood mobsters helping mom-and-pop theaters

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Some of Hollywood's big-name mobsters are helping save small-town theaters.

Stars from "The Sopranos" and "Goodfellas" are joining forces with Save America's Cinemas -- a Florida-based non-profit fundraising group -- on Friday in Miami Beach for a PowerBall-like drawing to see which theater will receive the first digital transfer.

Walter T. Shaw, a notorious jewel thief from the 1960s and 1970s started the group to help mom-and-pop theaters. The switch from 35 mm film to digital has forced many small theaters to close, while others have taken out loans to cover the cost of new equipment -- an average of $70,000 per screen.

Among the celebrities expected to attend are Tony Sirico and Vincent Pastore of "The Sopranos" and Mike Starr and Debi Mazar from "Goodfellas."

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