Jim Morrison

Though rock icon Jim Morrison died in 1971, his fame and following seem to grow each passing year. But even a hard-core Morrison fan will probably find little appealing about "Desperate Land," Rich Jacobs' one-act at Stage of Grace in Hollywood. The play is set in 1980 in Paris' famed Pere-Lachaise cemetery, where five of the Morrison faithful have camped beside the singer's grave to celebrate his birthday and indulge in some sexual and alcoholic excess. The quintet includes nerdy Tim (Rene L.

In response to David Ehrenstein's review of "Playland" by John Gregory Dunn (Aug. 14): If a Hollywood novel that could top Nathanael West's "The Day of the Locust" could be written, it would be interesting. I personally don't think it can be done--the only thing that outranks that novel are the true stories of those stars such as Frances Farmer, Jean Harlow and Judy Garland, in West's day, and later Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Jim Morrison. West's book is so visionary and most others seem trite and banal in comparison to it. It's "The Heart of Darkness" of Hollywood novels.

They're baaaack! The adolescent twentysomethings are making kids laugh but not quite as hard as they did for the original, which reached near cult status as a video. "I liked One better," said Amanda Stampley, 13. "The second one, it was good, but it was mostly the same sort of thing." In the world of Wayne and Garth, that means their enthusiastic signature phrases such as: "We're not worthy!" (while groveling before rock stars), "Schwing!" (with a pelvic tilt whenever a pretty girl walks by)

Jim Morrison would have been 50 on Dec. 8, and while the surviving members of the Doors plan only a low-key observation (they'll be at KCET-TV studios hosting a pledge-drive showing of a film about the band), there will be a big celebration of the Lizard King in Paris. A gathering is planned at the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, where Morrison is buried, moving later to the Beau Treillis restaurant (he was a regular there before he died on July 3, 1971).

In a place known for its shimmering excesses and nonstop partying, Mario Maglieri is an anomaly--a silver-haired father figure who, at 70, maintains order amid the chaos of the Sunset Strip. Known simply as "Gramps," Maglieri works from sunset to sunrise, keeping watch in West Hollywood over his glittery corner of the famous boulevard.

The joke at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony was that there was more chance of the late Jim Morrison showing up than the reclusive Van Morrison. So, let's finally put those recurring "Jim Morrison is still alive" rumors to rest.

Standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower, holding on for dear life to my friend Debby, I looked out at Paris and suddenly realized . . . I was in France. This was the trip I had been waiting a year for, and Paris was its culmination. Despite what it took to reach the top of La Tour Eiffel , this was just one of many exciting parts of our trip. We saw striking truckers, had our train blocked by protesting farmers, visited historical monuments and sunbathed on a Mediterranean beach.

Which is the real Jim Morrison? At your video store, you're offered two very different perspectives of the late lead singer/songwriter of the '60s psychedelic group the Doors. In LIVE's "The Doors," director Oliver Stone's feature film about Morrison's rise and fall, the rock star is portrayed by Val Kilmer as arrogant, selfish, self-destructive and thoroughly unlikable. The documentary "The Doors: Soft Parade--a Retrospective," on MCA/Universal at $19.95, presents an opposite view.