Flashes: November 19, 1993

Baby Talk?
Should we take another look at those heatedly denied rumors about Julia Roberts being pregnant? After adding $10 million to her coffers by agreeing to star in Mary Reilly, the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale told from the chamber maid's point of view, Roberts went on a shopping blitz one recent Saturday at L.A.'s Beverly Center. Along with husband Lyle Lovett, she bought candles (white beeswax), potpourri (peach), a set of Williams Sonoma pots and pans (hunter green), Ralph Lauren sheets (light blue, king-size) — and two baby rompers (pink) from Bullocks. So, gravid or not? "Please, she's starting Mary Reilly in early May," says a Roberts spokeswoman, "and she's doing a cameo for Robert Altman's Pret-a-Porter in March, so she can't be pregnant."

Chanel Chopping
What's on every model's must-have list? Judging from the recent fall fashion shows in New York and Paris, it's your own camera crew. Cindy Crawford was on the beat for House of Style, Claudia Schiffer covered the scene for Entertainment Tonight ("Zis is what iz like backstage at Cha-nel umm, oops " Take 2: "Zis is what is backstage, I mean"), and Christy Turlington struck a pose for Lifetime, which filmed her strutting down the runways for a one-hour special to air in February. "I'm starting to feel a bit like a director," says Turlington. "When I see something great, I call the director over and tell him that he's missing something." Talk about a fashion faux pas.

Home Wreckers
A San Francisco attorney is threatening to put a damper on the holiday release of Robin Williams' Mrs. Doubtfire. Lawyer Richard Julien rented his century-old Victorian house to the Twentieth Century Fox production last spring but claims the movie trashed the place. "It looked like the invasion of the Day of the Locusts," alleges Julien, who estimates $35,000 in damages, including the removal of trees that shaded the ground floor of his three-story home. Fox, which paid Julien $27,000, has agreed to pay $10,000 in damages, but the attorney is still holding out for the remaining $25,000. Despite the disagreement, Julien wishes the movie well. "Do I have a dispute with Robin Williams?" says Julien. "I certainly hope not. It's going to be a great film." Fox refused comment. -Andrew Meier

Chilly Dog
CHILLY DOG: Shooting Beethoven's 2nd was anything but a warm and fuzzy experience for Charles Grodin and company. While making the sequel to the $57 million-grossing sleeper, director Rod Daniel turned the thermostat on the set down to a brisk 60 degrees to keep the pooch from slobbering all over. "He's a 120-pound dog," Daniel says of his climate- sensitive star, whose real name is Kris. "If it gets any hotter, he becomes this canine drooling machine and poops out. We're talking about an animal heavy on body fat and fur." The cast took the deep freeze in stride. "Some of the actors complained," says Daniel. "I told them to put on a sweater."

Shoot 'Em Down
Disney's Tombstone is rumored to be getting mixed reviews from its own star. A source says Kurt Russell "went ballistic" when he saw a rough cut of the Western late last month. "He started screaming that he's been acting for a long time — ever since he was a child — and this is the worst piece of s--- he's ever acted in," says the source. Russell allegedly berated the film's director, George Cosmatos (Cobra), who was hired a month into the shoot to salvage the troubled production, and vowed not to do any publicity for the scheduled Christmas release. Russell's spokeswoman, Susan Geller, denies the blowup, and says the husky-voiced actor has agreed to do two days of press interviews. As for the charge that he hates the movie, Geller says, "He's only seen a few reels, but he loved it."