October 5, 1999

DIRECTOR INSISTS HARRISON FORD IS NOT A BRAINLESS HULK

By ROGER ANDERSON Scripps Howard News Service

WE THINK HARRISON FORD SHOULD JUST DO ACTION PICTURES: Sydney Pollack, who just got done directing Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas in "Random Hearts," is pretty pleased with how the project turned out. He's especially thrilled with Harrison's performance.

"There's always three or four things going on all the time in a scene," Sydney tells USA Today, "and he does it beautifully. It always makes me crazy when somebody says, 'Well, I think Harrison Ford should just do action pictures.'" Cops, sorry.

ANYONE KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE 'HILFIGER'? Not long ago, the San Francisco Chronicle quoted ace designer Tommy Hilfiger as follows:

"My children don't wear my clothes. I don't want them wearing my clothes. I like my son dressed well, as opposed to baggy jeans and sweatshirts."

Apparently finding this statement both provocative and surprising, the New York Post gets an unnamed "rep for the all-American designer" to issue this disclaimer.

"What he said was that his kids don't wear the designs that have his name emblazoned on them," says "the rep." "And they don't wear his clothes to school, because they wear uniforms. Somehow, it got all mixed up. But certainly, the kids wear his clothes. Why wouldn't they?" Because his clothes look dumb?

ANOTHER ITEM ABOUT YOUNG PERSONS: Speaking of conflicting accounts of public behavior, here we have a whole stew of reports saying that songstress Britney Spears is going steady with Robbie Carrico of Boyz n' Girlz Unlimited, some kind of heart-throb group, just because the two of them were photographed recently cheek by jowl at a New York premiere.

"Absolutely not true," objects Britney's spokeswoman, whose name is Sonia Muckle. "That's her friend. She's been hanging out with him lately."

But then what about the state of Britney’s relations with Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync, whom she was also said to be dating?
"She's not dating him, either," Sonia says. "She's not dating anyone right now."

ELECTORAL KOOKINESS: Absolutely anyone can simply report that Cybill Shepherd is thinking about running for president, but it takes a columnist of Cindy Adams' caliber fearlessly to go in and get a quote from Cybill herself.

"Well, I didn't exactly make an announcement," the ex-star of "Cybill" explains, "but, yes, I am absolutely serious. The only woman running is anti-choice. I am an advocate for women's health. There are issues that must be addressed and I want to serve the American public. Where it's going to go next, what actually might be my next step, I don't know. I only know I am committed, deadly serious. Right now, all I can say is I'll wait to see what I must do." But are operators standing by?

WHAT'S HIS MOTIVATION? Another thing that happened recently is the premiere of a movie titled "Mystery, Alaska," which stars, among other people, Burt Reynolds. Yet Burt apparently left the screening before any images had actually been projected on the screen. Why, one wonders?

"Burt never sits and watches his own movies," his "rep" tells a New York Daily News columnist. "It makes him really uncomfortable." He's not alone.

EX-MARITAL NEWS: Did you know that Geraldo Rivera and his most recent wife, C.C. Dyer, have broken up? Well, they have - and here's Geraldo telling a journalist how he feels about it.

"This has been a very upsetting time for the both of us," the "newsman" remarks. "And it's especially difficult for someone as decisive as me to be in a position of not knowing how all this is going to turn out." In the game of love, it’s a truism that decisive people have two strikes against them.

EX-MARITAL NEWS IN A DIFFERENT VEIN: Maybe Geraldo and C.C. should take a leaf from Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall's book of post-connubial relations. In the continuing wake of news that the superannuated rocker and his ex-model wife are getting divorced come yet more indications that the entire matter is almost unbelievably amicable.

"They get along terrifically," an unnamed "friend" tells a reporter. "There's no bitterness involved - they're even staying in the same townhouse, and he'll sneak down to her room in the middle of the night." Then what?

Roger Anderson is arts and entertainment editor at Scripps Howard News Service.

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