What's happening in Hollywood

A STAR IS REBORN?

Fame may be fleeting, but Fox TV is working on a chance to give formerly famous performers another shot at the big time, with a series tentatively titled "Second Chance."

It's the brainchild of Mike Darnell -- the guy who came up with "American Idol" for the network. It's being contemplated as a summer show for next year.

SPEAKING OF SECOND CHANCES

Howard Stern and his new movie production company have acquired the remake rights to a couple of teen comedies -- "Porky's" (1981) and "Rock 'n' Roll High School" (1979).

"Porky's" -- which grossed more than $100 million -- was written and directed by Bob Clark, who went on to write and direct "A Christmas Story" (1983) and "Baby Geniuses" (1999).

It followed a group of adolescent boys who are preoccupied with sex.

"Rock 'n' Roll High School" was about a principal brought in to restore order at a high school where students' love of rock 'n' roll led several principals to have nervous breakdowns. The soundtrack featured The Ramones, Alice Cooper, Devo and Chuck Berry.

ANOTHER SHOT FOR COLIN QUINN

Comedy Central plans to give a two-week trial run to a new satire half-hour starring comedian Colin Quinn, featuring comedy treatment of the news.

Daily Variety reported the show is envisioned as a companion piece to the cable channel's popular nightly show, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." The two-week test is scheduled to begin Dec. 9.

It's a homecoming of sorts for Quinn, who served as announcer and sidekick in the 1980s on "Remote Control." Since then, his highest-profile gig has been on "Saturday Night Live," where he anchored "Weekend Update" from 1998 to 2000.

Earlier this year, Quinn starred in a short-lived sketch comedy series on NBC, "The Colin Quinn show."

BOX-OFFICE PREVIEW

Eddie Murphy and Tim Allen are the big attractions at the U.S. box office this weekend, but critics don't think much of Murphy's new movie -- in which the star of "Dr. Dolittle" and "The Nutty Professor" teams up with Owen Wilson for a remake of the '60s TV series "I Spy."

Studio executives, however, said that young males responded positively to "I Spy" at test screenings.

Critics have been a bit kinder to "The Santa Claus 2," the sequel to Allen's 1994 hit comedy.

Box-office analysts expect that last week's No. 1 attraction, "Jackass: The Movie," will experience a significant falloff in its second weekend in release.

"The Ring," a thriller heading into its third weekend, is expected to continue to show strong appeal. Last week, the movie pulled off a rare trick -- grossing more money in its second weekend than it had in its opening weekend.

Look for the box office to pick up steam between now and Christmas. The next three weekends will see the release of the new Eminem movie "8 Mile," followed by "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" on Nov. 15, with the new James Bond movie, "Die Another Day," due in theaters on Nov. 22.

SPIELBERG TO CUBA

Steven Spielberg plans to travel to Cuba next week, to attend a festival featuring eight of his movies -- including "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Schindler's List."

Spielberg is going to Cuba at the invitation of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Arts and Industry. Plans call for him to meet with Cuban filmmakers and visit the International School of Film and Television, where film students from around the world study filmmaking.

A spokesman for Spielberg said the Oscar-winning director also plans to visit Havana's main synagogue and meet with leading members of Cuba's Jewish community and to attend a reception with U.S. diplomats in Havana.

DUBYA COMING TO BIG SCREEN?

A Hollywood production company has taken out an option on feature film rights to "Journeys with George" -- the behind-the-scenes documentary shot by journalist Alexandra Pelosi as she traveled with the 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush.

The documentary will premiere on HBO next Tuesday, Election Night.

Pelosi -- the daughter of House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. -- was a producer for NBC News when she shot the Bush campaign footage on her camcorder.

Plans call for Out of the Blue Entertainment ("Mr. Deeds," "Big Daddy") to turn the documentary into a fictional feature about a journalist traveling with a presidential campaign.

As in Pelosi's case, the protagonist holds political views that are diametrically opposed to the candidate's.