Flashes

Catch a Wave Runner
Say you're making a fast-paced Hollywood action flick: How do you film a splashy, split-second getaway scene these days? Answer: Get a PW. Boatniks know that's short for personal watercraft — sporty jet-powered aquatic vehicles, like the sleek Polaris Christian Slater rides in the flood flick Hard Rain, or the Bombardier Sea-Doo Treat Williams powers in the thriller Deep Rising. Mariah Carey even hops on a Yamaha WaveRunner in her 007-ish "Honey" video. What makes these water hogs suddenly so see-worthy? "They were used [to a great extent]in Waterworld," says John Donaldson, executive director of the Personal Watercraft Industry Association, "and there's cachet in the entertainment industry with building off what has gone before." The on-screen trend also reflects the vehicles' surging offscreen popularity. "One out of every three boats sold is a personal watercraft," notes Donaldson. ''It has an appeal [in movies] because people say, 'Hey, I ride one of those. That's exciting.'" — JD

Now Ear This
A question from the Hollywood SATs: Waiting tables is to acting as acting is to (a) great sex; (b) unimaginable wealth; (c) playing in a rock band. If you guessed (c), you've got your finger on the pulse of the dreams of a growing number of young actors. Joining the likes of rockin' thespians Keanu Reeves and Kevin Bacon is Scream 2's David Arquette, whose Ear 2000 band has a tune, "The Race," on the horror hit's soundtrack, and an almost-completed full-length album in the works. Arquette, who sings and cowrites lyrics for the trio (which includes ex-Lode guitarist Gabe Cowan and drummer Sam Music), says the group was formed about a year ago, when he approached childhood buddy Music about going into the studio to work up some songs. "We're a different-sounding band," boasts Arquette. "We've put together an organic conglomeration of styles from rock to rap." Why do so many actors get the rock bug? Says Arquette: "As an actor, I'm always playing another character, so it's intriguing for me to be myself. I can play different roles, but [the band] is more about me." Now, that's a scream. — TS

Ad Nauseam
MTV has shown more than its share of scantily clad women, so you wouldn't think the music network would get worked up over another bikinied babe. But it turns out that the network's new glass-enclosed studio in New York's Times Square — from which MTV Live is broadcast — sits smack in front of a towering Jockey International ad, which currently features a woman in black cotton undies. According to a source, staffers at the network are rolling their eyes at the in-your-face backdrop and were hoping to find a way to get the ad down. MTV has no official comment, but according to Chris Carr, a general manager with Outdoor Systems Advertising, the company that rents the space, there'll be no changing of the underwear anytime soon. "Jockey has a long-term contract," says Carr. Besides, he notes, "the bra and underwear were there first." — Ann Borden