FLASHES

ON THE GUMP: As Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks finds himself in the company of such U.S. Presidents as John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson-and it's not that far- fetched. In real life, the Oscar-winning Hanks has shaken hands with his share of Commanders in Chief. ''I met George Bush at a big kind of dinner and said 'Howdy-do,''' says Hanks. ''Then I met Bill Clinton during a tour of the White House.'' But Hanks' most presidential moment came at yet another meeting with Clinton. ''After a screening of Philadelphia, I was invited to spend the night (at the White House). We stayed in the Queen's Bedroom, and I must say, it's the best bed-and-breakfast in the United States of America.'' -Dan Bennett ARMY LIFE: Speed's Keanu Reeves isn't the only awesome dude who shaved his head and got totally buff for a summer movie. Pauly Shore did the same for In the Army Now, his comic take on barracks life that's due out Aug. 5. And Shore went a step further: He suffered a wound. The mishap occurred during a battle scene where Shore and his fellow warriors were firing machine guns. ''Even with blanks, the brass cartridges still fly out,'' explains director Dan Petrie Jr. ''When they come out, they're red-hot. And one landed on his neck.'' Shore didn't scream until the cameras stopped rolling. ''I kept with it,'' says Shore, apparently hardened by military experience. ''It hurt, but who gives a s -- -?'' -Jeff Gordinier

TEXAS TEASE: While in Austin filming Texas Justice, an ABC miniseries, Melrose Place's Heather Locklear has become the dweebish obsession of Austin's KLBJ morning deejay Bob Fonseca. Fonseca and cohost Dale Dudley recently offered to donate $500 to a listener's favorite charity if he or she could arrange an in- studio encounter with the star. ''If anybody should get a radio shot at her Heatherness, it should be us,'' says Fonseca, who's been a fan since 1989's The Return of Swamp Thing. ''We've spent the year driving Austin's male Melrose fans out of the closet.'' Listeners working as extras on the Justice set broached the subject with Locklear, but her only response was to call the offer ''sweet.'' Asked if the actress will make Fonseca's decade, Locklear's spokeswoman had no comment. -Andy Langer

MUSCLE-MAN BOUND: Dana Carvey still wants to pump you up. He and cowriters, including Conan O'Brien and Kevin Nealon, have completed a script for a big- screen version of Hans and Franz-Saturday Night Live's bodybuilders-that finds the two in search of their idol, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The twist? ''It's a musical,'' says Carvey. The catch? Arnold hasn't agreed to costar. ''We're trying to get him,'' says Carvey, ''but he's a busy man.'' Especially since he'll need to take singing lessons before filming begins. ''We want him to do the movie's theme song, 'No One Knows What a Muscle Man Feels,''' says Carvey. -Cindy Pearlman

ETC.: Is Northern Exposure's Rob Morrow going south? It's been rumored- although denied by his spokeswoman-that he'll appear in only 13 of 22 shows next season. Morrow, who has made no secret of his desire for a big-screen career, is getting positive buzz for his role in Robert Redford's Quiz Show, due this fall. Fans of Elvis Presley paid a king's ransom for his artifacts at a Las Vegas auction last month, which netted $2.5 million. Among the prices: $23,000 for a pair of designer sunglasses; $36,000 for Elvis' American Express card; and, oddest of all, $650 for a tree limb that ''mysteriously'' fell during an argument at Elvis' funeral.