Reincarnation

Jimmy's III? Jimmy's II has closed. This not a case of deja vu, and we are not making this up. Just after owner Jimmy Murphy spent "about a million bucks" remodeling the place at 201 Moreno Drive in Beverly Hills, and his children Sean, Jamie and Geraldine had begun running the reincarnated restaurant (which opened in October), the owners of the building sold the property.

The man who was once the most powerful politician in Arizona now spends his time cleaning, chopping and pounding food for $8.50 an hour. Former Arizona Gov. Fife Symington, whose political world crumbled around him when he was forced from office two years after his conviction on bank and wire-fraud charges, has chosen to reinvent himself as a wannabe chef--and he loves it.

In the world of Tibetan Buddhism, the top two spots belong to the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, both of whom are believed to be living gods worthy of worship, and who are reincarnated over and over again. The Panchen Lama's lineage dates back to the 17th century. The original Panchen Lama was tutor to the fifth Dalai Lama, who gave his teacher the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse in gratitude. Panchen Lamas have served as abbots of the monastery for centuries.

When American Cinematheque officials went to James Cameron asking permission to stage a retrospective of his films to launch their 1999 programming at the newly refurbished Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, the director of the Oscar-winning "Titanic" seemed surprised. Cameron, they recalled, was on the set of the all-time box-office blockbuster at the time, wearing hip waders as he filmed flooding sequences below deck with stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

"I'm back . . . I'm back . . . I'm back. . . ." That's the opening of a famous James Brown theme song, but it's also appropriate for Fred Burrell, O.C.'s king of barbecue. At one time, this outgoing native of Hickory, N.C., had three restaurants in the county, now all gone, but Burrell is back stoking the pits at his original Santa Ana location on Hesperian Street, a red stucco shack no bigger than your basic garage.

Merv Swings: Swing dancing and supper clubs are super-hot, so Merv Griffin has created an updated version of the old Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel, where he used to sing with Freddie Martin's orchestra. The new Coconut Club ("coconut" being spelled dictionary-fashion this time around) will feature the music of Jack Sheldon and his big band. The club is set up in the old grand ballroom of the Beverly Hilton, behind the water wall in the lobby.

The Doors, the Velvet Underground, the Supremes: Rock history is littered with the remnants of great bands that have fallen apart after trying to carry on without a key member. So when singer Natalie Merchant bailed out of 10,000 Maniacs to pursue a solo career in 1993, it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume that the Jamestown, N.Y. folk-rock band would do the big El Foldo in no time flat. It hasn't happened.

Perhaps the only thing more unusual than someone tackling a full-fledged musical for television these days is the way the producers of Disney's new production of "Cinderella" have cast it. The title character in Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II's adaptation of the famous fairy tale is pop singer Brandy, an African American. The prince with whom she dances until the clock strikes midnight is Paolo Montalban, a 24-year-old Filipino.

Although the landmark tobacco settlement announced last week requires the industry to abolish its controversial lobbying arm--the Tobacco Institute--the mood at the institute's office here on Monday was anything but grim. "All we're going to do is change the name on the door," said institute vice president Walker Merryman, noting that the deal--with some stipulations--allows the formation of a new industry trade association after the old one has been dismantled.