People

By Lev Grossman

Q&A ALBERT BROOKS BROOKS co-stars with Michael Douglas in The In-Laws, which opens Friday.

Had you ever done a movie with Michael Douglas before?

I only met him once before. But I'm friends with Rob Reiner, and he said, You'll love the guy. And he's right. I am deeply in love with Michael.

You had to do some pretty physical stunts for this movie. Was that a stretch for you?

Well, I do a treadmill every day, but if you're hanging from wires, those aren't muscles you would ever normally exercise. Muscles I had forgotten about since I was 25 started to hurt.

Did your brother [comedy stuntman Super Dave Osborne] give you any tips?

No [laughs uncomfortably]. Thank God that didn't happen. I would have really been in trouble.

You also star in Finding Nemo, which is coming out in two weeks.

Can you believe it? It's an Albert Brooks summer!

You own this summer!

I'm stunned. I have to go see Terminator 3, I might be in that.

WHAT IF GOD WERE ONE OF THEM?

In Bruce Almighty MORGAN FREEMAN plays God. As in the Almighty, the guy with the angels and the thunderbolts. (Which raises the question: If he doesn't win an Oscar, are we all going to Hell?) But he's not the first actor to take on the role of a lifetime--a really long, immortal lifetime...

GEORGE BURNS OH, GOD!

THEOLOGY Benevolent. Has the infinite patience to co-star with John Denver

DIVINE DIALOGUE "Trust me. Like it says on the money."

RALPH RICHARDSON TIME BANDITS

THEOLOGY Tough but fair. Employs dwarfs to do his bidding

DIVINE DIALOGUE "I am the Supreme Being--I'm not entirely dim."

VAL KILMER THE PRINCE OF EGYPT

THEOLOGY Strictly Old Testament: burning bush, Red Sea, the works

DIVINE DIALOGUE "Take this staff, and do my wonders."

ALANIS MORISSETTE DOGMA

THEOLOGY Strong, silent type. Kicks Ben Affleck's butt

DIVINE DIALOGUE None--she doesn't speak. Or sing, for that matter

THERE GOES HIS TIP

George Jacobs spent 15 years as FRANK SINATRA'S valet. And they were very good years. But they're over, and now he's spilling his guts in a new book, Mr. S. The highlights? Sinatra's affair with then underage Natalie Wood; third wife Mia Farrow's annoying him by talking to her deaf cat Malcolm in sign language; J.F.K.'s snorting coke with Peter Lawford; and the Chairman's donning special underwear--"a cross between a panty girdle and a jock strap"--to restrain his massive, uh, endowment. Guess there's such a thing as being too Frank.

BUT WILL IT LAST?

In the geek-chic union of the year, It-boy director STEVEN SODERBERGH (Traffic, Ocean's Eleven) married former E! spokes-hottie JULES ASNER

PROS

--Sure, she's better looking. But they're doing wonderful things with extreme makeovers these days --She wasn't going to meet Mr. Right on the set of Wild On! anyway --Their marriage is objective proof that Weird Science could really happen

CONS

--Constant presence of hunky single buddy George Clooney

--Romantic private screenings of Solaris

--Can she ever forget the chemistry she shared with E! News Daily co-anchor Steve Kmetko?

PREDICTION: Sure! If it doesn't work out, she can always beat him up and take his lunch money.