REEL DEALS Meanwhile, Armitage is going to direct a version of the early Leonard novel ''The Big Bounce.'' The book was adapted once before, into a 1969 movie starring Ryan O'Neal.
SOUND BITES Wags are already dubbing it the ''Sans Halen'' tour, but David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar are calling their unlikely collaboration ''.'' Yesterday, at a Hollywood press conference, the two former Van Halen vocalists announced their monthlong co-headlining tour, which will start May 29 in Cleveland. Yesterday's event was only the second time they'd ever met, and tensions seemed evident. In the past, Roth has called his Van Halen successor ''a mediocre talent,'' ''a complete failure,'' ''a mindless little bridge-troll drone'' and ''my bitch.'' Of Roth, Hagar told Reuters yesterday, ''He's like an egomaniac -- in a positive sense, that he really, really thinks he's the greatest thing that ever walked on this planet.'' However, Roth predicted they'd get along fine, telling Reuters that the two singers have an affinity ''just by virtue of a common delight in an overly packed backstage dressing room.'' So, hello, Cleveland!
TUBE TALK As expected, when Bryant Gumbel leaves ''The Early Show'' later this spring, producer Steve Friedman is going with him. The morning-show veteran is credited with being the driving force behind CBS' efforts to compete with rivals ''Today'' and ''Good Morning America''; he's the one who urged CBS to build a $30 million sidewalk studio for ''Early'' three years ago, and the one who persuaded his old ''Today'' pal Gumbel, then host of a failed primetime newsmagazine on CBS, to return to morning news.
Replacing Friedman will be another ''Today'' alum, Michael Bass. Bass was the deputy to then-''Today'' producer Jeff Zucker and had seemed a likely successor (both men had similar résumés -- Harvard degree, a stint at NBC Sports producing Olympics coverage, then ''Today''), but when Zucker became president of NBC Entertainment two years ago, the network chose Jonathan Wald instead. So Bass could bring to ''Early'' a competitive grudge that could finally help it reach the kind of ratings ''Today'' and ''GMA'' enjoy. At least, that's what Friedman says. ''I'm sure he's going to want to get back at 'Today,''' he told the New York Times. ''That's what you want. You want someone with lust or hate in his heart.''
Bass was also behind NBC's abortive ''Later Today,'' a ''View''-like post-''Today'' hour with all female anchors, so his move to CBS only furthers speculation that Jane Clayson's partner on a revamped ''Early'' might be another woman, specifically ''The View'''s Meredith Vieira. However, Bass would only say that all options are still on the table.
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