HOLLYWOOD

By Jeffrey Ressner

Fax and copy machines are working overtime in Hollywood with galleys of Killer Instinct, a forthcoming tell-all tome that chronicles the making of Natural Born Killers. Written by one of the film's producers, JANE HAMSHER, the gossipy book is filled with wicked wit, mostly skewering screenwriter QUENTIN TARANTINO and director OLIVER STONE. Though stories of Stone's bacchanalian ways and Tarantino's saucy self-confidence are nothing new, Hamsher's gonzo take on NBK's evolution offers an insider's view of show-biz egos. Among the choice bits: details about Stone's stoned-out mushroom trip in the desert and Tarantino's close connection with Miramax, the company that released his hits Pulp Fiction and From Dusk till Dawn. Writes Hamsher: "Quentin had been running his mouth off for months, telling people that he made all the decisions at Miramax, and that when he snapped his fingers, HARVEY WEINSTEIN jumped." A spokesperson for Tarantino says he has read some of the book, and many of the anecdotes are inaccurate. Stone's rep says he has "skimmed" the volume, and is more concerned about his own novel coming out this fall.

--By Jeffrey Ressner