Penelope Spheeris

This week Universal Studios released "The Little Rascals," a multimillion-dollar remake of the scruffy kid series that has charmed the world since its birth in 1922. This "Rascals" is remarkably faithful to the Hal Roach originals, right down to Alfalfa's cowlick, Darla's feminine mystique, Froggy's croak and the circle around Petey's eye. Even some of the original locations have been used, with filming in Burbank neighborhoods unchanged since the '20s and '30s.

"The Kid & I" stars Tom Arnold as an actor so failed that he's planning his suicide when he gets a job offer from his agent (Henry Winkler), who heretofore has refused all his calls for at least two years. It seems zillionaire Davis Roman (Joe Mantegna) wants Arnold's Bill Williams to write and costar in a movie.

For a director like Penelope Spheeris, a prison drama is a picnic. "This is an easy show for me to do because it is people talking," Spheeris said. "You know, I am used to blowing up cars, killing people and having buildings crash in. So, this to me is a pleasure." With her punkish red hair and black spandex outfit, Spheeris doesn't look like the stereotypical film director.

Director Penelope Spheeris' film "Senseless" opens Friday. Offbeat Dining: I love to go to dinner with my boyfriend, Sin, at India's Oven, Mexica or Lumpy Gravy on Beverly Boulevard. After dinner, we go to Bar Deluxe on Las Palmas, where a lot of people from the original punk rock days hang out. Cleaning Out the Garage: Saturdays, I like to check out the Hancock Park garage sales. I'm a freak for antique mirrors, lamps and ceramics, and my house is full of them.

"CUT. . . . AAAAAHHHHH!" director Penelope Spheeris yells into a bullhorn on "The Little Rascals" set on Stage One of the Universal lot. It's nearing the end of the 58-day shoot--and working with an American bulldog, a pair of Capuchin monkeys and two-dozen children ages 4 to 9 is taking its toll.

A giant papier-mache skeleton drapes the back of the Universal Amphitheatre stage, the artificial smoke curling around its base tinted with lime-green lights. Alice Cooper, middle-aged icon of the heavy-metal scene, steps through the chest cavity, a riding crop in his hand, ghoulish eye makeup visible to the back row, and launches into a growling performance of something called "Feed My Frankenstein": Feed my Frankenstein I'm hungry for love, and it's feeding time Feed my libido .

Head for the Hills: Penelope Spheeris, who directed "Wayne's World" for Paramount, has been signed by 20th Century Fox to direct a big-screen version of the 1960s TV comedy series, "The Beverly Hillbillies." Production is to begin in January. No release date or casting was announced.

Having made movies about teen killers and punk misfits and two documentaries called "The Decline of Western Civilization," Penelope Spheeris isn't exactly a shrinking-violet filmmaker. Still, after directing a video portrait of 2 Live Crew, she was amazed at how quickly she got caught up in the notorious rappers' mind set. "I know it sounds weird, but the lyrics really stay with you," said Spheeris, who spent a week on the road with the controversial rap outfit last month.

A.K. Allen, "The Ladies Club" (New Line); Laurie . Anderson, "Home of the Brave" (Cinecom); Ronee Blakley, "I Played It for You" (AUC Films); Lizzie Borden, "Working Girls" (no distributor); Zane Buzby, "Last Resort" (Concorde); Joyce Chopra, "Smooth Talk" (Spectrafilm); Joan Darling, "The Check Is in the Mail" (Ascot); Donna Deitch, "Desert Hearts" (Goldwyn); Sara Driver, "Sleepwalk" (no distributor); Linda Feferman, "Seven Minutes in Heaven" (Warner Bros.

Don't expect to see Sammy Hagar scheduling a duet with George Michael anytime soon. The Van Halen crooner recently surveyed Michael thusly: "The guy looks like he walked into a beauty parlor and said, 'Make me look rough and tough like I hadn't slept for four days--but I have really.' ". . . Just how short was that Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks title fight? KRTH-FM morning deejay Steve Morris offered the most imaginative illustration of the spectacle's stunning brevity.

Who will fry the eggs in "The Decline of Western Civilization III"? Film director Penelope Spheeris doesn't know yet--she isn't even sure what bands will be featured in the third installment of her documentaries chronicling the L.A. rock scene. She's certain, though, that there are personalities out there as striking as punker Darby Crash and metal-man Ozzy Osbourne.

This week Universal Studios released "The Little Rascals," a multimillion-dollar remake of the scruffy kid series that has charmed the world since its birth in 1922. This "Rascals" is remarkably faithful to the Hal Roach originals, right down to Alfalfa's cowlick, Darla's feminine mystique, Froggy's croak and the circle around Petey's eye. Even some of the original locations have been used, with filming in Burbank neighborhoods unchanged since the '20s and '30s.

"CUT. . . . AAAAAHHHHH!" director Penelope Spheeris yells into a bullhorn on "The Little Rascals" set on Stage One of the Universal lot. It's nearing the end of the 58-day shoot--and working with an American bulldog, a pair of Capuchin monkeys and two-dozen children ages 4 to 9 is taking its toll.

"I want to welcome Jim Varney into a very exclusive club," says Buddy Ebsen of his sincerest flatterer, as seen in the new film "The Beverly Hillbillies." "That's the Uncle Jed Club. There are hundreds of actors that have played Hamlet, but only two have played Jed Clampett."

Head for the Hills: Penelope Spheeris, who directed "Wayne's World" for Paramount, has been signed by 20th Century Fox to direct a big-screen version of the 1960s TV comedy series, "The Beverly Hillbillies." Production is to begin in January. No release date or casting was announced.

Director Penelope Spheeris--who currently has her first smash hit with "Wayne's World," expected to top $45 million in grosses this weekend and counting--was described in one recent article as "pure counterculture." On the set, at least, she tends to fit in with the youth milieu of her movies, typically dressing in leather or denim, quickly recognizable for her striking magenta hair.

Here is a question Hilary de Vries, typically astute Times journalist, put to cover subject Cher in the Nov. 3 Calendar (which also contained an extensive article about director Penelope Spheeris): "You've said that Hollywood is not about women and by all accounts it doesn't seem to be getting any friendlier." A select accounting of credits culled from movie ads in your paper in only the last few weeks shows 23 women producers, eight executive producers, six writers and five directors.

Director Penelope Spheeris' film "Senseless" opens Friday. Offbeat Dining: I love to go to dinner with my boyfriend, Sin, at India's Oven, Mexica or Lumpy Gravy on Beverly Boulevard. After dinner, we go to Bar Deluxe on Las Palmas, where a lot of people from the original punk rock days hang out. Cleaning Out the Garage: Saturdays, I like to check out the Hancock Park garage sales. I'm a freak for antique mirrors, lamps and ceramics, and my house is full of them.

Here is a question Hilary de Vries, typically astute Times journalist, put to cover subject Cher in the Nov. 3 Calendar (which also contained an extensive article about director Penelope Spheeris): "You've said that Hollywood is not about women and by all accounts it doesn't seem to be getting any friendlier." A select accounting of credits culled from movie ads in your paper in only the last few weeks shows 23 women producers, eight executive producers, six writers and five directors.

A giant papier-mache skeleton drapes the back of the Universal Amphitheatre stage, the artificial smoke curling around its base tinted with lime-green lights. Alice Cooper, middle-aged icon of the heavy-metal scene, steps through the chest cavity, a riding crop in his hand, ghoulish eye makeup visible to the back row, and launches into a growling performance of something called "Feed My Frankenstein": Feed my Frankenstein I'm hungry for love, and it's feeding time Feed my libido .