CNN - The Hollywood Minute

The Hollywood Minute

May 31, 1996
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. EDT

From Correspondent Dennis Michael

Angela Lansbury leaves Cabot Cove for the North Pole in her next project. The Hollywood Reporter E-mail column reports Lansbury will star in a new musical for CBS called "Mrs. Santa Claus," playing Santa's neglected wife who sneaks off to New York in 1910.

NBC has bought the rights to "Twister" and now ABC has a new blockbuster as well. Daily Variety reports the network has purchased the first broadcast rights to "Mission: Impossible". They'll be showing it in November of 1998.

ABC

Robin Williams will take on a new but familiar role. Williams will play the Fred McMurray role in a remake of "The Absent Minded Professor." Daily Variety reports the science fiction comedy will begin shooting in October.

Garth Brooks is now the best-selling solo musical artist of all time with sales of 60 million albums. The figures from the Recording Industry Association of America put him ahead of Billy Joel's 57 million, established in 1995. The all-time group record is still held by the Beatles.

Candace Bergen is buying a house formerly owned by no other than Bond ... James Bond. The four-bedroom Beverly Hills home was formerly owned by ex-Bond Roger Moore and has a price tag of $3.2 million. For a house formerly owned by 007, it's surprisingly low-tech. It's not even air conditioned. Moore spent his summers in the south of France.

The Fugees come in strong on the charts this week. The band's album "The Score" remains number one on the Soundscan album chart for the third week in a row. Soundgarden's new album, "Down on the Upside," comes in at number two.

The Fugees

Keanu Reeve's hospital stay is now over. The actor suffered a broken ankle in a motorcycle accident over the weekend. He is now burdened with a cast for a while.

Elton John will team up with Luciano Pavarotti at a charity concert in Italy next month and the pianist has written a special song just for the occasion. "Horses" will be heard at the "War Child" benefit to raise money for young victims of the Bosnian conflict. If you can't make it to Modena, Italy, for the concert on June 20, listen for the song from the concert album or on Elton's coming disc.

Michael Jackson's "History" tour will circle the world, but won't stop in the United States. The tour will kick off in the Czech Republic in September and follow with stops in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

HIStory

Previous Hollywood Minutes

May 30: Tina Turner to appear in hosiery ads
May 29: Carl Perkins performs with the Beatles
May 28: Mission: Impossible crushes boxoffice competition
May 27: Reeve set to direct HBO movie
May 24: Tom Selleck is making a television comeback
May 23: Garth Brooks reaches yet another huge milestone
May 22: Jim Carrey knows how to bring in a crowd
May 21: Dr. Frog, I presume?
May 21: Will Rodney Dangerfield finally get respect
May 18: Oliver Stone bows out of 'Men and Fire'
May 15: "The Birdcage" soars over the competition in international markets
May 14: Actor Bruce Willis takes to the skies
May 13: Pamela Anderson Lee "Giftwrapped"
May 10: Bruce Willis moonlighting as an honorary doctor
May 9: "Tommy" closes Frankfurt run after disappointing sales
May 8: "Absolute Power" to corrupt Gene Hackman, Clint Eastwood, Ed Harris and Scott Glenn
May 7: Meatloaf kicks off tour

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