Paying His Respects

NEW 'SCHOOL' Let Cedric entertain you

Cedric the Entertainer toured as one of the ''Original Kings of Comedy,'' although ''original'' might not be the ideal word to decribe some of his recent movie roles. The comic actor, who plays a Chevy Chase-like patriarch in the current hit ''Johnson Family Vacation,'' and who will play the Jackie Gleason role in the upcoming movie version of ''The Honeymooners,'' is also about to take on a role made famous by Rodney Dangerfield. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Cedric will star in the remake of ''Back to School,'' the 1986 hit that Dangerfield cowrote and starred in, playing an undereducated tycoon who enrolls in college alongside his dejected son in order to give him moral support. The film would be part of Cedric's production deal with MGM, the studio behind the ''Barbershop'' movies that featured scene-stealing performances by Cedric. He's currently shooting ''Be Cool,'' the ''Get Shorty'' sequel that stars John Travolta and Uma Thurman, also for MGM. Next thing you know, the Lion will announce that Cedric is replacing Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.