Entertainment Today: Showbiz News

CANTONESE ACTOR CHEUNG COMMITS SUICIDE

Acclaimed Cantonese actor Leslie Cheung, 46, ended his life Tuesday by jumping from a Hong Kong hotel.

Best-known for his performances in "Farewell My Concubine" (1993) and "Happy Together" (1997,) Cheung committed suicide by leaping from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

Police in Hong Kong released a statement saying Cheung left a suicide note and was declared dead at a local hospital.

Born in Hong Kong, Cheung attended college in England before returning to his home country in 1976, where he entered an Asian music contest and won second place. A singing career and roles in teen films followed, but his career hit high speed with John Woo's 1986 film "A Better Tomorrow," co-starring Chow Yun-Fat.

MEWES SENT TO REHAB

Jason Mewes, best-known as Jay to Kevin Smith's Silent Bob, has been ordered to complete drug rehab or face jail time.

A warrant was issued for Mewes' arrest in December 2001 after the 28-year-old New Jersey native failed to report for a court hearing stemming from a 1999 heroin conviction. He surrendered Tuesday and pleaded guilty to probation violation charges. He also admitted failing to report to his probation officer, to take drug tests or to undergo counseling, as well as acknowledging he left the state without permission and lied to his probation officer.

Superior Court Judge Michael D. Farren ordered Mewes to begin treatment within 10 days at Discovery House, a rehabilitation center in Marlboro. If he violates his parole again, he faces up to five years in prison, Farren said.

Filmmaker Smith has used his long-time friend Mewes in almost all of his movies -- among the best-known being the comedies "Clerks," "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma."

Together, they made up the inseparable, on-screen slacker duo, Jay and Silent Bob. While Smith's character rarely speaks, Jay's foul-mouthed alter ego talks incessantly -- usually about sex and drugs.

PLAY ROTATES MYSTERY GUESTS

One of the best parts of Broadway's clever new comedy, "The Play What I Wrote," is figuring out who is the surprise guest star.

In London during two sold-out, nine-month engagements at The Wyndham's Theatre, Ralph Fiennes, Sir Ian McKellen, Roger Moore, Jerry Hall, Sting and Ewan McGregor were a few of the scene-stealing personalities to enjoy a featured spot in the West End's hottest ticket.

So far in New York, guest stars have been Roger Moore, Nathan Lane, Liam Neeson, Zoe Caldwell and Kevin Kline, but reps for the show are mum about who else might pop up. They did offer one clue. The "guest star" usually appears on a national talk show right around the time they are about to do the play. Moore, for instance, was on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" Tuesday night.

Winner of the 2002 Olivier Award, "The Play What I Wrote" is directed by Kenneth Branagh. It opened on Sunday and was celebrated by The New York Times as "Ecstatic Idiocy!" The New York Post called it: "A manic masterpiece. The funniest show on Broadway" and Vogue Magazine said it was "a delicious hybrid of Marx Brothers comedy, Hope and Crosby Road picture and musical hall burlesque -- with a little Monty Python and Samuel Beckett thrown in for good measure."

'WILL & GRACE' NEWS

Madonna's upcoming guest shot on "Will & Grace" reportedly will feature a smooch with Grace's sharp-tongued receptionist, Karen.

New York magazine quotes "a spy on the set" as saying several endings of the episode were taped, one of which includes a kiss between Karen (Megan Mullally) and her new roommate, Liz (Madonna).

The magazine also reports past "W&G" guest star Sandra Bernhard visited her former best friend Madonna on the set and even offered advice on her performance.

"Their kids play together at the Kabbalah Centre," the source says, "so they've been hanging out a lot together."

In other "W&G" news from New York magazine... It seems Eric McCormack (Will) is trying to decide whether to make his Broadway return in "The Producers" and "Chicago" during the show's hiatus.