August 17, 1999

SPURNED BY PITT, REDFORD PAYS COURT TO DAMON

By ROGER ANDERSON Scripps Howard News Service

CASTING NOTES FROM ALL OVER: Ordinary people like the ones who read this column probably think there's nothing simpler than to come up with an idea for a movie, decide on the appropriate actors, shoot the darn thing and get it into plexes.

That's why Robert Redford's current experience with a film project based on a golfing book titled "The Legend of Bagger Vance" is instructive.

According to the New York Daily News, Robert's original idea was that he himself would play the tale's central duffer. Then, belatedly realizing that he's far too old for the part, the resourceful Sundancer got his people to approach Brad Pitt's people about the role. There ensued a number of weeks during which Brad's people kept Robert's people hanging, finally to decline any involvement in the project.

Next Robert sent out feelers to Matt Damon. As of this writing, Matt hasn't given the project the nod one way or the other.
"We're hoping to go forward with Matt," a Redford rep says, with touching hopefulness. "Right now it's all a matter of scheduling."

ROMANTIC NOTES FROM ALL OVER: Jerry Hall, having disembarrassed herself of philandering rocker husband Mick Jagger, reportedly has gone on a yachting trip with Microsoft multibillionaire Paul Allen.

BABBLING BROOKE: Once again we are indebted to Brooke Shields for giving the lie to the idea that a celebrity's personal business is none of ours. This time she's telling Mirabella mag all kinds of intimate stuff, such as the following remark about her views on single motherhood.

"'I don't have a moral issue with doing it on my own, if I have to," she observes. "I grew up with a single parent, and though it's not my ultimate goal, I would definitely do it alone."

Nor is this the extent of Brooke's candor.

"Every time I go to the doctor," the "Suddenly Susan" star continues, "I say, 'Can I still make a baby, can I still make a baby? How much time do I have? What am I going to do, find a sire?"

THE TRAVOLTA TIMES: Here's word that John Travolta has raised the hackles of some of his Maine neighbors by allegedly flying his jet far too low and too close to their domiciles.

"He was not 500 feet from my windows," neighbor Agatha Cabaniss tells a reporter. "Everyone's entitled to make some noise once in a while, but this was egregious."

THE TRAVOLTA TIMES, CONTINUED: Equally if not more egregious is the unfortunate fact that John had a spot of bother on the set of his new sci-fi movie, "Battlefield Earth," not long ago. According to a report, he began laughing about something and proceeded to topple over on the futuristic 2-foot-high platform shoes the scenario calls upon him to wear.

"He just started laughing hysterically and stumbled in his boots," Travolta spokeswoman Pamela Godrey admits. "He didn't hurt himself, and he's fine." Tell him he shouldn't fly so low, though.

THE NEWS, MERCIFULLY, IN BRIEF: Meantime, rocker Sting tells Esquire mag why he finds it advantageous to stay faithful to his wife: "It just makes you more attractive to women if you're not necessarily open game." But then, what's the point?

TRENCHANT POLITICAL ANALYSIS: Far be it from the New York Post to miss an opportunity to point out that Al Gore won't necessarily have the Hollywood vote in the bag when election time rolls around next year. Indeed, the rag is rather gleeful about opining that actor-producer-director Warren Beatty might well throw his hat in the ring, thereby draining a good deal of Tinseltown support away from our current veep.

"It doesn't look like Gore has a lock on Hollywood at all," the Post gets political analyst Holly Bailey to surmise. "Everyone looks at Hollywood as Clinton-Gore country, but it's really always been more Clinton country than Gore country."

WHERE'S A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER WHEN YOU NEED ONE? Perhaps our favorite reason of all time for shutting down a production company comes from Michelle Pfeiffer, who gives Premiere mag the following rationale for shutting down hers: "I just don't want to be that busy." Neither do we. Can we, stop writing now?

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

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