January 25, 2000

Ex-Clinton honcho linked to ex-'Cheers' costar

By ROGER ANDERSON Scripps Howard News Service

CELEBRITY ROMANCE: Did we mention the rumor that former White House aide George Stephanopoulos and Bebe Neuwirth, star of TV and Broadway, are supposed to be an item? Now a source characterized by People mag as "an ABC insider" (keep in mind that ABC is the network that currently pays George's head to talk on the small screen) confirms said gossip, going so far as to say that the pair is "hot and heavy." Scanty as this information is, it's still far more than we need to know.

CELEBRITY ROMANCE, CONTINUED: And did we mention rumors that Jack Nicholson and Lara Flynn Boyle (of TV's "The Practice"), previously an acknowledged couple, had decided to go their separate ways? Yet now the New York Daily News reports that the two showed up arm in arm at "an L.A. dinner party hosted by Douglas Wick, producer of Nicholson's “Wolf.'" (Your own invitation to Doug's party probably got delayed in the mall, as did ours.)

A Daily News "spy": "They were all over each other." Again, this exceeds our need-to-know requirements.

CELEBRITY MOOLAH: Wouldn't you know it? Some jealous person has been going around saying that Donald Trump - the real-estate billionaire who's mulling a run for the White House - has a much smaller fortune than the one he is forever bragging about.

"It's pretty irrelevant," Donald tells the New York Post, "whether I'm worth $2 billion or $5 billion."

It's not irrelevant to someone you owe $4 billion to, though.

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, TAKE NOTE: "I'm doing great right now," Donald continues, as usual paying us no heed. "I have many assets that haven't even been reported because they are private."

CELEBRITY MOOLAH, CONTINUED: Now we have USA Today going with a report that Mel Gibson was paid 425 million to appear in a movie titled "The Patriot," due in plexes June 30.

Mel himself, reached for comment, says his policy is never to discuss salary specifics in public.

"That's someone else's job," he explains.

And how much is that person paid?

MORE ON THE SAME TOPIC: Undeterred, the USA Today folks contact "Patriot" producer Dean Devlin and solicit his two cents on the matter.

"It's justified," Dean says of the gigantic emoluments typically earned by stars of Mel's caliber, "because they usually bring that kind of money, especially worldwide. To me, a guy like Mel or Harrison Ford or Torn Cruise is a wash as far as the money goes." We infer that being "a wash” is a good thing, in this context, at least.

BIG CELEBRITIES, BIG PLANS: Speaking of Tom Cruise, here's Steven Spielberg answering a reporter's queries about his own possible plans to make a motion pic out of the very popular Harry Potter books for kids.

"Right now, 'Minority Report' is next," Steve says, with reference to a project based on the paranoid ravings of the late Philip K. Dick. "Tom Cruise spent three hours at my house today talking with me about the movie. Of course, with movies, you never know what can happen to bring about a delay. If a delay were to happen, then I would do 'Harry Potter' next. But right now, it's 'Minority Report,' then 'Harry."

Whereupon Tom butts in with his own thoughts and reflections.

"This is a dream," Nicole Kidman's husband observes, "to be able to work with Steven. I can't wait to get on the set with him just to see how he does it. He is such a visionary." Thanks, Tom, but don't lay it on too thick.

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN: The general feeling seems to be that Brad Pitt's spell as the biggest male motion picture star in the world came to an end back when gals started salivating over Leonardo DiCaprlo instead. Tending to substantiate this perception is the fact that Brad's flack actually gets back to a reporter who's heard that Brad wants to portray Jack the Ripper in a film called "From Hell."

"It's something he has talked about," Brad's PR person says, "but it's nowhere near a deal." Have Brad give us a call when he makes his mind up, OK?

LITERARY INSIGHTS: And then there's Anthony Minghella, director of "The English Patient" and, more recently, "The Talented Mr. Ripley," who's fixing to create a movie based on Charles Frazier's Civil War novel, "Cold Mountain."

"It's an amazing story," Tony says. "One friend of mine was so upset by the ending of the book that he told me he literally threw the book across the room when he was finished." That's certainly our test of a stimulating read. "I'll be writing the screenplay soon." But will you throw it against the wall when you're finished?

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

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