Entertainment news for April 30, 1993

BACK-BURNERED ‘BLUES’
Director Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho) is lassoing ex-cowgirl k.d. lang to do the soundtrack for his film version of Tom Robbins‘ cheerfully homoerotic 1977 novel, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. But lang won’t be crooning anytime soon: The release date of the movie, starring Uma Thurman and John Hurt, has been pushed from July to October. According to Ira Deutchman, president of Fine Line Features, the film’s distributor, ”We were racing to finish for the Cannes Film Festival in May, but then Gus and k.d. started talking, and we decided to do the film right.” Van Sant’s publicist has a different take: ”They pushed it back because the director and producer didn’t want to go up against the summer’s heavy hitters. It’s a very personal film.” —Rebecca Ascher-Walsh

THE LYONS’ DIN
The trouble began when PBS’ Sneak Previews critic Jeffrey Lyons arrived unannounced at a packed New York City movie screening for Kenneth Branagh‘s Much Ado About Nothing. ”Jeffrey! You didn’t RSVP,” said the publicist, checking her list, ”and we already have people waiting for seats.” Lyons replied, ”If I RSVP’d to everything I get invited to, I wouldn’t have time for anything else.” The publicist responded, ”I’m sure we’ll manage to get you in if you just wait.” Roared Lyons, ”I can’t believe you’re not letting me in.” With that, the livid critic grabbed a packet of publicity material and stalked out, muttering for all to hear, ”This is the first time this has ever been done to me before.” Much ado, indeed. —Mitchell Vinicor

$IGN OF THE TIMES
Star salaries may be rising fast, but even the rich and famous have become cost conscious. Among the celebs spotted shopping at IKEA, a Swedish-based discount home-decor store located minutes from Walt Disney, Universal, and NBC studios in Burbank: Kevin Costner (seen browsing in furniture, alone), Whoopi Goldberg (purchased a sofa), Farrah Fawcett (gave an employee an autographed photo in an IKEA frame), and Tom Hanks, who, IKEA employees say, lived up to his Big persona, ”running and jumping and rolling the shopping carts just like a little kid.” What next? Coupon clipping and grocery shopping at the Price Club? —Malissa Thompson

‘BRIDE’ REVISITED
Here comes the mother-to-be. Disney is working on a follow-up to its 1991, $89 million smash hit, Father of the Bride, and this time Daddy’s little girl is pregnant. Kimberly Williams, now in Disney’s Indian Summer, will reprise her role as Annie Banks, with Steve Martin back as her put-upon dad. The script will be loosely based on Father’s Little Dividend, the 1951 sequel to the vintage Bride, which starred Liz Taylor and Spencer Tracy. Williams, for one, is looking forward to playing pregnant: ”At least I won’t have to work out before shooting starts.” —Cindy Pearlman

NIGHT AND DAY
CBS is trying to build on the sleeper success of its top-rated Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. The network has asked Joe Lando — who plays a mountain man on the Jane Seymour Western — to spend his summer hiatus appearing on CBS’ foundering soap, Guiding Light. ”The demographics are similar,” says Lando, who’ll play a character a lot less mopey than Sully. ”Hopefully, people from Medicine Woman will watch the daytime show, and Guiding Light watchers will check out Medicine Woman.” The double duty means Lando won’t have a vacation until Woman goes on hiatus in 1994, but he says he doesn’t mind: ”I’ve had plenty of years of not getting work as an actor.” —Frank Spotnitz

Rodney Dangerous
In his never-ending quest to get some respect, Rodney Dangerfield will play a sadistic thug in Oliver Stone‘s Natural Born Killers, starring Woody Harrelson, Robert Downey Jr., and Juliette Lewis. ”It’s a heavy dramatic role for me,” says Dangerfield, who played a ”mean guy” before, in the 1971 cult film The Projectionist. But Dangerfield insists the Stone project ”is even more violent.” Adds the director: ”This is a wild and unusual film for Rodney. It’s going to reshuffle the deck in the way people will see him.” The movie begins filming in May.