Actor Don Cheadle, who plays a cold-eyed ex-con opposite George Clooney in the crime drama Out of Sight, finds some new cronies as Sammy Davis Jr. in the HBO movie The Rat Pack, airing Aug. 22. "The physical aspects of the role were daunting," says Cheadle, 33. "I sing, tap and play the drums. I had to rehearse and rehearse. I watched all the old Rat Pack routines and all the movies." Performing didn't present the only physical challenges. "I did the processed hair wig and I had a prosthetic piece on my eye," says Cheadle. "But we weren't trying to go for an impersonation. It's difficult, because Sammy was such a caricature all the time. Even when he was just talking to you, he was on."
The cringe factor
"I wanted to change my name to Doris or Maggie growing up," says Chinese-American actress Ming-Na Wen (The Joy Luck Club), 34, voice of the Chinese heroine of Disney's Mulan. "The only role model I had was that embarrassing Calgon lady who said, 'Ancient Chinese Secret.' I would dive for the remote control when she came on TV." Her mother may have felt the same urge when she saw Wen onscreen last year. "I did One Night Stand with Wesley Snipes, and it has several hot love scenes. My mother was horrified," she says. "But after seeing Mulan, my mom said, 'Honey, I like this movie much better.' "
No hard feelings
Jenny McCarthy, who's hoping for a big-screen breakthrough in BASEketball, has never been one to shrink from the spotlight. "When I was little I would dress up like a Hollywood icon," says McCarthy, 25. "I had my mom's dress on, the heels, the hair and the makeup. I would announce, 'I'm Jenny McCarthy and I'm a movie star.' " Now that she's actually on the cusp of being one, some people see her as a natural rival of fellow blonde bombshell Pamela Anderson Lee. No way, says McCarthy: "I was friends with her when my boyfriend Ray [Manzella] was managing her. Now I can't hate her, especially when I look at her life. Now Pam is like, 'Hi, I have two kids, and my husband is in prison.' My heart goes out to this girl."
Nick at night
Playing a rogue cop in the thriller Snake Eyes, due Aug. 7, Oscar winner Nicolas Cage discovered he is still wild at heart. "I had just played the angel in City of Angels, so I felt liberated," says Cage, 34. "I thought, 'Yeah, I could have a little fun with this guy.' I got in the rust-colored suit and the Hawaiian shirt, and my friends said, 'Well, it's the old Nick again.' " Did the fallen angel go casino-hopping while filming in Atlantic City? "Mostly I stayed in the hotel," says Cage. "I liked the boardwalk. But I didn't gamble at all. I gamble too much in my work."
Intimidating presence
Natasha Richardson, who costars in the movie remake of The Parent Trap, suffered an attack of stage fright recently during her Tony-winning turn as Sally Bowles in the Broadway revival of Cabaret. The reason: Liza Minnelli, who won an Oscar for her performance in the same role in the 1972 film, turned up to see the show. "Liza made an entrance, and the whole audience stood to applaud," says Richardson, 35. "I said, 'I want to go home. I can't do this tonight. They're going to hate me.' " A couple of deep breaths later, Richardson was bravely belting it out, and the next day she received two dozen red roses with a note: "From your biggest fan in the world. Liza."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
