Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe SPREADING HIS WINGS Tom Shadyac made his bones as a Hollywood director with over-the-top comedies ("Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Nutty Professor," "Liar Liar") but he did all right when he tried his had at something different -- the supernatural thriller "Dragonfly," starring Kevin Costner as a doctor who senses his dead wife is trying to contact him through his patients' near death experiences. Advertisement Speaking with reporters to promote the movie's release on home video, Shadyac said he learned from Ron Howard -- the Oscar-winning director or "A Beautiful Mind," "Apollo 13" and "Splash" -- that the fundamentals of directing are pretty much the same whether you're doing a comedy or a tense drama. "Ron Howard told me that the essential elements, the steps of making someone laugh and making someone jump in their seat are the same," said Shadyac. "It's set-up, set-up, punch. With comedy you're cutting to the banana peel. With scary you're cutting to the thing that moves in the shadows." Advertisement Shadyac's next project reunites him with his "Ace Ventura" and "Liar Liar" star, Jim Carrey. "Bruce Almighty" is a comedy about a man who complains incessantly about God, but finds out how hard it is to run everything when he is given almighty power for 24 hours. AALIYAH PILOT HAD DRUGS IN SYSTEM Investigators have concluded that cocaine and alcohol were present in the system of the pilot of the small plane in which singer-actress Aaliyah died last year, and are trying to determine if the drugs and alcohol played any role in the crash. Aaliyah, pilot Luis Antonio Morales Blanes and seven others were killed when the Cessna 402-B crashed during takeoff from the Bahamas last August. Aaliyah had just finished shooting a video and was returning to the United States. The Bahamas Department of Civil Aviation said Tuesday the autopsy on the pilot showed cocaine in his urine and traces of alcohol in his stomach. The pilot had been sentenced to three years probation in a crack cocaine possession case 12 days before the crash. Officials also said that there were indications that "routine maintenance was not being performed" on the plane, which was overloaded by at least 700 pounds when it crashed. Advertisement TUNING IN TO ROBIN WILLIAMS Robin Williams' live comedy special was a hit for HBO Sunday, but it didn't set any records. An estimated 5.7 million viewers tuned into "Robin Williams: Live on Broadway." It was the third-biggest audience for an HBO comedy special -- trailing only Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock specials. The Williams special is getting lots of replays, both on HBO and HBO comedy. BOB BARKER ON THE MEND Bob Barker, who underwent prostate surgery last Wednesday in Washington, D.C., returned to his Los Angeles home Tuesday. A publicist for the 13-time Emmy Award-winning game show host said Barker will convalesce at home until taping begins Aug. 19 on the 30th season of "The Price Is Right." Henri Bollinger said the surgery at George Washington University Hospital went well and the 78-year-old Barker is expected to make a full recovery. SHARON STONE'S LATEST On top of news that Sharon Stone is considering two new film projects, there is word that a third project has also caught her attention. Stone is reportedly in talks to co-star with Dennis Quaid in "Cold Creek Manor," a Disney thriller about a family who moves from the city to a farmhouse -- only to find that the former occupant of their dream home, an ex-con, will do anything to get the place back. Advertisement Stone has reportedly been in talks to co-star with Rupert Everett ("The Importance of Being Earnest," "My Best Friend's Wedding") in "A Different Loyalty," the true story of Eleanor and Harold "Kim" Philby. Kim Philby, a legendary Cold War double agent, infiltrated British intelligence for the Soviet Union before defecting to Moscow in 1963. She has also reportedly been negotiating to star in "Liar's Club," described as the story of a dysfunctional family that splits apart and then gets back together twice. PRIMETIME FOR HOOVER? The Hollywood Reporter says CBS will join forces with Ridley and Tony Scott to develop a TV movie about the life of J. Edgar Hoover, based on Curt Gentry's book "J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets." Hoover ruled the FBI with an iron hand for 48 years until his death in 1972. After that, he came in for posthumous ridicule over allegations of cross-dressing and a homosexual relationship with long-time companion and assistant FBI Director Clyde Tolson. Scott Abbott ("Winchell," "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge") will write the screenplay.