Entertainment news for August 23, 1991
TV
Saturday Night Live executive producer Lorne Michaels reports
that in addition to the Wayne's World feature film based on SNL's
awesome dude duo, another spin-off project is in the works: A
half-hour special starring Toonces (that cat who can drive a car),
written by Toonces' creator, Jack Handey. Michaels also says that
Wayne's World, which started shooting this month, will star not only
Mike Meyers as Wayne and Dana Carvey as Garth, but Rob Lowe as
Benjamin, a ruthless TV executive. Lowe was picked, says Michaels,
''because he was really funny when he was a guest host on the show
last year.'' SNL, meanwhile, debuts with Michael Jordan as guest host
on September 28, in what seems like a Jordan TV jubilee. Also next
month: an NBC special honoring the hoopster and an animated kids show
featuring a Jordan character.
Books
William Morrow has just signed Hong Kong writer Li Pik-Wah,
one of the most popular contemporary Chinese-language novelists, to a
three-book deal. Her work will be published under the name Lillian
Lee. Morrow will translate The Last Princess of Manchuria in August
1992, followed by Rouge and Farewell to My Concubine. Sandollar
Productions has just picked up the movie rights to Rouge and handed
the story to screenwriters Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands)
and Larry Wilson; Thompson will also direct.
Video
Michael Jackson buddy Macaulay Culkin will appear in a
music video for ''Black and White,'' which the 10-year-old describes as
a ''rock song mixed with rap,'' off Jackson's new album, Dangerous, due
out by year's end. The message, according to the Home Alone star:
''You can be my brother, it doesn't matter if we're black or white.''
On another Culkin front, director John Hughes has been unable to keep
word from leaking out on Home Alone 2. Scheduled to begin shooting in
October, the movie will take young Culkin on a frantic New York City
shopping spree with screen mom Catherine O'Hara — and yes, the
original's now-vengeful robbers Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern will
return to dog him.
Movies
Director Garry Marshall certainly knew how to set the
scene while making the upcoming feature Frankie and Johnny, a sweet
and sour love story starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. When
Pacino as Johnny, an ex-con trying to carve out a new life, hears
someone in his apartment, he's supposed to knock down the door and
find an ex-con buddy with a girlfriend inside. But with Star Trek VIshooting right across the Los Angeles soundstage, Marshall had a
better idea. ''Garry asked Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner, in their
full Star Trek regalia, to stand in the set,'' recounts executive
producer Alex Rose. ''So Al bursts open the door, expecting to see
this actor and actress, and instead there were these two Trekkies
standing there! He was totally astonished.''
Written by: Tina Jordan, Leonard Klady, Melina Gerosa
