Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

With Mike Myers's "The Love Guru" coming out tomorrow (6/20), next he'll turn his attention to "Austin Powers 4" — NOT!! Turns out that the next installment of the far-out franchise is "not as fast-tracked as has been reported recently," reports director Jay Roach. He tells us, "Mike has always wanted to do it, and I've always said, 'When you're ready, sure.' I think he's thinking more about it than he was, but there's no script, no schedule, nothing but good intentions right now."

Roach is, however, getting ready to produce Sacha Baron Cohen's untitled "Bruno" project. The "Borat" producer adds of that venture, "I don't know how he does what he does. I just facilitate."

And then there is Roach's non-comedic filmmaking identity — so different, one might well wonder whether there are two Jay Roaches in Hollywood. His critically admired HBO "Recount" telefilm about the 2000 presidential election, with Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern and an all-star cast, has not only led to Emmy talk, it's also moving Roach further into his alternate universe.

He's planning to direct "the story of Mark Felt — 'Deep Throat' from Watergate. Playtone has the rights," he says, referring to Tom Hanks's production company. "They're determined to get it done. It's a fascinating story, the question of why this guy, who was the No. 2 guy in the FBI, would help Woodward and Bernstein and then keep it a secret for his entire life. I'm also intrigued by this whole attempt to manipulate the political environment with propaganda and dirty tricks."

Like "Recount," the film will illuminate a chain of events that changed history. Roach, who was planning a career in law and politics when he discovered his love for moviemaking at USC, calls that aspect "so fulfilling. Everyone involved in 'Recount' recognized that it was an important story to tell. It sounds so patriotic and idealistic to say, but it's true: Our system of government depends on people believing that their votes will matter."

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: "Last Comic Standing" host Bill Bellamy reports he'll be heading out on a standup comedy tour "as soon as I finish taping all these shows." The comic, who also hosts the comedy competition show "Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes?" on TV One, says the plan is to "take some of these real hot comics with me that I've been working with from one show or both of them."

Bellamy says he's taking full advantage of being in the spotlight now. "This is my time, my season. People are seeing more of me again, so I'm happy to be where I am.

I'm developing a TV show for myself at NBC, and I'm trying to do some positive things with movies at the same time."

KNIGHT LITE: "The Dark Knight" is hitting theaters in July, but the original Batman, Adam West, isn't very excited about it. He certainly has no ill will toward the movie franchise, but admits it's a very different story nowadays. "I've only seen bits and pieces of them," he tells us. "There's an enormous amount of effort and time and money that goes into the making of them, but it's a different generation. They're a different kind of thing than ours was. They're dark, gothic, sinister, full of explosions. We didn't approach it that way at all."

West was used to a much more lighthearted portrayal of the characters during their 1960s TV series. "It was silly and funny. With the villains, especially, it was almost Shakespearian because of the bizarre costuming and makeup," he recalls. "In those days we didn't rely on special effects as much so everyone was challenged to use their imaginations. I don't remember any case in which somebody didn't really enjoy the creation of it. If it wasn't that kind of open environment, then I felt like I was a failure because I tried to go on the stage every day and create that kind of atmosphere."

In 1966, the cast also filmed "Batman: The Movie," which is coming out on Blu-ray disc July 1. However, it remains to be seen if the television series will ever become available for home viewing. "I get that question all the time. People want it, but I can't do anything about it. They only thing I've heard is that for some time they've been trying to cut a deal as far as ownership and return — basically who gets what slice of the pie. When that is worked out, then I guess you'll be able to get it."

THE INSIDE TRACK: Popular singer/songwriter Marilyn Scott says fulfilling her dream of recording her critically acclaimed new jazz CD, "Every Time We Say Goodbye," the old school way — with all the players in the studio at once — definitely had its pros and cons.

"It's historically the best way to find improvisation and free thinking," notes the vocalist, who's been compared to everyone from Michael Franks to the late Lou Rawls. "But usually there's a lot more that goes into recording. You come back and redo the vocals, do some sweetening or add some background vocals — and you take your time. You don't record six or seven tunes in a day. I hadn't even met the musicians yet, so basically it was a meet and greet, and we just went ahead and started making music."

Scott says she chose all the jazz standards she covers on the CD. "Every song on this album is about going somewhere — 'Do You Know the Way to San Jose?,' 'Autumn in New York,' 'I Love Paris …' I always like to have kind of a theme so each song kind of has a connection to the other."

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.