Hollywood on the Thames
Looking to change gears—or reboot careers—U.S. actors descend on the West End

FOCUS

They may not have the theatrical heft of Olivier, Gielgud or Redgrave. But most American celebs acting on the British stage this year—including Daryl Hannah, Macaulay Culkin, Jason Priestley and Kathleen Turner—have done quite well at the box office, thank you, and appear to be gaining newfound critical respect.

"Theater is cool now for actors who've done most of their work in movies and TV," says New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley. "It gives them more artistic credence. For actors who have reached a dead end in their careers, the theater is a place to be reborn."

It's nothing new. In the '60s Richard Chamberlain, then riding high as television's Dr. Kildare, listened to British actor Sir Cedric Hardwicke's advice to "get your basic training" as an actor now that he was a star. Chamberlain hied himself to the British stage, much as Kathleen Turner did earlier this year for The Graduate and Macaulay Culkin is doing now in Madame Melville. The press loved them—Britain's The Daily Telegraph called Culkin's performance a "beautiful and unexpected fruit."

Melville producer Gregory Mosher says the stage can be a rite of passage: "There aren't any editors, cutting or soundtracks. It's just you and 800 people looking at you. It takes guts and real skill to pull it off." And not all famous American names succeed. Model Jerry Hall followed Turner in The Graduate, only to have one critic write, "[She] speaks her lines as if someone were pulling a string in her back."

West End producers say recruiting Hollywood talent is simply good business. "We cast American stars because the audience likes to see them," says Tom Kinninmont, producer of The Seven Year Itch starring Daryl Hannah. And there's no shortage of willing players: Calista Flockhart, Jessica Lange and Brendan Fraser are also looking to try their luck. Why not? Says Matt Wolf, London theater critic for Variety. "If you do badly, you just go back to the States and no one is any the wiser."

Sell Me Your Ears

Among the beautiful artwork being auctioned at Christie's this month: Chinese ceramics from the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 220), 17th-century old masters—and Mr. Spock's rubber ears (mid-20th century) from the Star Trek TV show. The ears are expected to fetch at least $1,500; the molds to make the right ear, $15,000. "They were refined instead of ghoulish," recalls actor Leonard Nimoy, who keeps another pair he wore as Spock enshrined in a case in his study. "They're very meaningful to me."

The late Star Trek makeup artist Fred B. Phillips created the originals. "The entire family helped," says his daughter Nina Coleman, who is selling the items. "We mixed the latex and foam rubber in our blender, poured them in the molds and baked them underneath the pot roast at 350 degrees. For years our food tasted like rubber."

Sayonara, Seraphim?
Of all the high-tech tricks displayed in Charlie's Angels, the most curious may be Bill (Bosley) Murray's vanishing act. The actor snubbed the New York City and Los Angeles premieres. He's not expected at the Nov. 22 opening in London either, fueling reports that he has had a nasty riff with his costar, Ally McBeal ice queen Lucy Liu. Murray did, however, show at an Oct. 30 soiree for Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Grill in Manhattan. Asked which Angel was his favorite, Murray replied elusively, "Kate Jackson."

Fighting Words

Director James Cameron's new sci-fi heroine, Dark Angel's Max (played by willowy Jessica Alba), is only the latest strong, take-no-prisoners woman to pop up on TV, joining the likes of Greek-god-battling Xena and of course Buffy, sworn enemy of the undead. So who's the toughest of them all? To find out, Scoop asked an expert—World Wrestling Federation wonder woman Chyna.

First things first. "I'm absolutely tougher than all of them," says the sculpted, 5'10", 180-lb. grappler. But what about Buffy? "I could definitely beat her up." Max? "No weapons, no superpowers, and she's crushed." Xena? She's tall. "Yeah, and...tall and what?"

So is there a woman in television who commands Chyna's respect? just one: "Barbara Walters," she says. "Because she's a tough interview and has lived this fife in a journalist's world, which is typically a man's world. She seems to be a very tough cookie." And could Chyna beat Barbara? "Maybe not in her arena, but in my arena, certainly."

Putting Road Life on Ice
He's not hanging up his skates. But 1984 Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton does plan to leave his "Stars On Ice" tour—a steady gig since 1986—next April. "I'm just shifting gears to start something new," he says. That something is a Broadway stage show (on ice, of course) that he hopes to produce and star in. "It's my fantasy," says Hamilton, who will finally be able to settle down and get a dog. "It's going to be a Great Dane," jokes the slight skater. "I want a dog that weighs five pounds more than I do."

Norris, Texas Negotiator
Further proof we're all living in Hollyworld, a bizarre amalgamation of showbiz and the real world: In Texas, Chuck Norris intervened in a six-month standoff between Collin County law-enforcement officers and John Joe Gray, an antigovernment militant who allegedly assaulted two highway patrolmen. Gray, holed up at home with his family, has said he'll shoot anyone who tries to arrest him. On Oct. 18, at deputy constable John Cullins's request, Norris and his wife, Gena, visited the Grays and even offered to hire them a lawyer. Although at press time Gray hadn't budged, police are hopeful. "There's two people that that family looks up to," Cullins told The Dallas Morning News. "Mel Gibson and Chuck."

POP QUIZ

with George Michael

George Michael recently paid $2.1 million at an auction for the upright Steinway piano that John Lennon used to compose "Imagine." (It had been on display in Liverpool's Beatles Story Museum.) Scoop asked Michael, 37, about his motivation.

What prompted your purchase?
It is so symbolic of the best elements of the '60s and '70s youth culture, great music and a desire to change things for the better. As a songwriter, it's such an amazing thing to own, and as far as paying the $2.1 million, it's worth every penny.

What will you do with it?
Even though I now own the piano personally, I don't see any good reason for not leaving it with the people of Liverpool. It's something that should be looked at, marveled at. So it will be back in the museum there soon. But first I want to write something on it.

What do the Beatles mean to you?
I wish I could say that I grew up with them, but I was too young, and my parents' only Beatles record was "Let It Be." But like so many others, I found them for myself many years later. They remain the strongest force in popular music simply because they were the first and—more important—the best.

What's best about Lennon's music?
Pure quality. Simplicity and heart. That is really all that great pop music needs. Of course those three elements in combination are not too easy to find these days, which is why generation after generation come back to the Beatles and look to them for inspiration.

Is there some of Lennon's influence in any of your songs?
Oh, definitely. That's an easy one. "Praying for Time" from 1990. It's meant as a tribute to him, and incidentally I think it's probably my best lyric. I think John would have liked it. Who knows?

Have any other treasures from rock stars?
No, this is the first piece of rock history I have ever wanted. It will probably be the last. When I was a kid I would keep my ticket stubs and concert programs. I know I still have the ticket for my first-ever Elton John show. I was 13. I went with a friend, and of course our mums waited outside.

Any Michael artifacts worth saving?
Probably my cross earring and my old BSA [motorcycle] jacket and, if I am honest, the "Choose Life" T-shirt [worn by Wham, his former pop duo].

Bothered that some rock memorabilia ends up in cheesy restaurant chains?
Not at all. People get to see it that way. As long as it is being preserved, who cares?

ON THE BLOCK

CRYSTAL PALACE
Since charming audiences as waitress Helen Chappel on NBC's hit airport sitcom Wings (1990-97), Crystal Bernard has landed in the world of television movies (including last year's To Love, Honor and Betray and The Secret Path). Now she's leaving her home of the past five years, putting the sprawling 10,000-sq-ft. Mediterranean villa on the market for $5.5 million. The Beverly Hills mansion boasts 9 bathrooms, 7 bedrooms, 5 fireplaces and a pool overlooking the lights of L.A. Next in line for takeoff: Bernard costars with Daryl Hannah and Adam Baldwin in Jackpot, a film due out next summer.

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