The Coney Heads
Longtime Californian David Schwimmer was born in Queens and plays a New Yorker on Friends, so it's only fitting that he spent the summer in the Big Apple. Shooting The Pallbearer, about a man who agrees to give the eulogy for a high school classmate he can't recall, Schwimmer and costar Gwyneth Paltrow hung out at such Brooklyn landmarks as Coney Island's Cyclone roller coaster. ''My mom and dad met at Brooklyn Law School, so I feel a little nostalgic here,'' he says. ''But it's really for no other reason, because I didn't grow up here.'' The one downside to working on the East Coast: Schwimmer was the only Friend to miss Lisa Kudrow's Malibu wedding.
A Mug With a Mug"
John Goodman has time for just four questions between rehearsals at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre: (1) What lured him to play Shakespeare's Falstaff this summer? ''It was the hard work with no money,'' says the actor, who's starring in a production that combines Henry IV, Parts I and II. (2) Has Goodman ever tackled Falstaff before? ''No. But I drank Falstaff before.'' (3) Does he see any similarities between Falstaff and Dan on Roseanne? ''Yeah. They're both great big, fat guys.'' (4) How's it going? ''It's not like falling off a bicycle. It's like trying to drag a bicycle up Mount McKinley. I'm doing what I can to ruin the reputation of the Bard of Avon.''
She's Hot to Trot
''Is that what it's called?'' asks Laura Leighton when questioned about her Fox TV movie, In the Name of Love: A Texas
Tragedy, airing in September. Her surprise comes as no surprise; this fictional tale of doomed romance has already gone through a couple of titles: After Laurette (the name of Leighton's gold digger character) and Texas Heat. ''Oh my God, I immediately gagged!'' says Leighton of the last title, an obvious rip-off of Melrose costar Heather Locklear's Texas Justice, the hit ABC movie with a suspiciously similar plot. While shooting in the Lone Star State, Leighton honed her equestrian skills. ''I had great fun,'' she says. ''I can't wait to do a Western!''
A Role to Dive For
''Kelsey Grammer is perfect for it,'' says Picket Fences' Lauren Holly of the Frasier star's role as a rebellious submarine commander in the big-screen comedy Down Periscope, due to arrive in theaters late this year. ''There's just something nautical about him.'' Grammer agrees: ''I love boats, and I thought this would be a wonderful way to get Frasier out of people's minds.'' So what sets Lieut. Cmdr. Tom Dodge apart from the pretentious Frasier Crane? ''This is a man who's capable in all situations,'' says Grammer. ''Although Frasier is fairly capable, he usually gets hoisted with his own petard.'' Spoken like a true Crane.
Good-Humor Woman
Sure, Brett Butler had film offers this summer, but she turned them all down. ''I'm staying away from the blond-with-a-gun movies,'' says the Grace Under Fire star. ''Someone actually offered me a movie where I'd be Mrs. Santa Claus. I said, 'Nice meetin' ya.''' Instead she turned to her first love: stand-up comedy. ''It's my real job, is how I look at it.'' Butler tried out material on a six-city tour — but don't look for the gigs to show up on TV. ''I'm in a growth phase, and I don't want a camera around. I'm camera'd to death.''
