JILL JACKSON’S HOLLYWOOD

HOLLYWOOD … It wouldn’t surprise me one little bit if one of these days Oprah runs for president of the United States. Each day her name gets bigger and bigger, both in show business and just plain business. So now all we do is sit back, enjoy her shows and wait to see what happens next. Interesting that we don’t see more of, and hear more about, Stedman Graham. I’m certain he is watching from the sidelines, although I’m not sure of where.

And how’s this for a name? Chiara Mastroianni. She is the daughter of actors Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni, and quite a fine young actress. In August she receives the Excellence award for outstanding international actors at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. Some of her films are “Pret-a-Porter,” “My Favorite Season” and “A Christmas Tale.”

You may be seeing ex-hobbit Elijah Wood in a TV series if the pilot he made sells. It is titled “Wilfred” and is about a guy, the girl next door and a mixed-breed dog. Meanwhile, young Mr. Wood has been busy. He is in “The Romantics” with Katie Holmes and Anna Paquin, and is doing voiceovers for several projects. As for his private life, I don’t have any “skinny” on that.

Meryl Streep is looking at “The Iron Lady,” a biopic about longtime British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent is considering taking on the role of her husband. The film is set in 1982 and tracks Thatcher as she tries to save her career during the 17 days preceding the Falklands War. As we have said before, Streep is considered the best femme actress in the business, so this saga of Thatcher is sure to be a winner.

David Duchovny makes his New York stage debut in a play titled “The Break of Noon.” He is looking forward to life on Broadway, and Broadway is looking forward to having him there. So, if you’re in The Big Apple in the fall, have a look-in.

To digress a bit from daily happenings, it gets me how the British name their chosen ones who are not born to royalty, such as kings and queens. For instance, there is Dame Helen Mirren and Lady So-and-So, while those born royally are Queen and Princess. Actually this has nil to do with Hollywood news. However, there once was a TV show titled “Queen For a Day,” and the chosen lady lived like royalty (for a day).
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BITS ‘N’ PIECES: Didya know Fred Astaire broke more than a dozen canes while filming “Top Hat” in 1935. … A reader wrote that she would like to see Susan Sarandon play Bette Davis in a film bio. The question is, “Would Susan like to portray Bette in a film?” … And believe it: Mickey Rourke said he would prefer the word “Animal” on his passport rather than the word “Actor.” So much for loving your profession.