CELEBRITIES : COSTNER SHANGHAIED INTO MEDAVOY-INSPIRED PIC.

Byline: Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

If things go as planned, Kevin Costner will be suiting up as a U.S. Marine in love with a Chinese woman in a big-screen drama set in Shanghai from 1936 to 1948.

Mike Medavoy, who has the saga in development by his Phoenix Pictures company, was born in Shanghai in January 1941 and tells this column the drama is partly inspired by his family's story in that corner of the world - where some 18,000 Jews fled to escape the Nazi juggernaut during World War II. But beyond that, he says, ``It's the story of the French and the Americans and the Germans and the Chinese - all the people who lived in what was a freewheeling international community that was in some ways like Berlin in the '30s and some ways as brutal as World War II could be.''

Medavoy and Costner are waiting to see the second draft of the script - so are several big-name directors. The movie mogul anticipates a production start in mid-'98 in Shanghai for the drama/love story he describes as `` `Dr. Zhivago' and `Casablanca' put together.''

Listen to them

Alec, Stephen, William and Daniel Baldwin - went before the cameras late last week to tape promotional spots for ``Say It, Fight It, Cure It,'' Lee Grant's

Oct. 5 Lifetime prime-time breast cancer documentary.

``They really wanted to help,'' says the Oscar-winning actress and director about the four brothers. ``Their mother is a seven-year breast cancer survivor.'' This week, Lee is taking her ``Say It, Fight It, Cure It'' cameras to the Long Island, N.Y., neighborhood where Rosie O'Donnell was raised - and where, at age 10, she lost her mother to breast cancer. Rosie, who will be featured in an in-depth interview on the Lifetime show, recalls that two other women - and a dog - also became victims of breast cancer on the block. According to Grant, Long Island and Marin County, Calif., have the highest incident of breast cancer in the world - and studies are taking place in an attempt to learn why.

New chapters

``Beverly Hills, 90210's'' Ian Ziering, who married Nikki Shigler over the Fourth of July weekend, makes his Los Angeles stage debut at The Court Theatre Aug. 2 in ``What Is Art?'' Nikki makes her debut as a Playboy cover girl in the August issue of the magazine.

Here we go again

Filmmaker Paul Maslansky, in Vancouver, British Columbia, making the syndicated TV series version of his seven ``Police Academy'' movies, reports they've just finished shooting the 10th episode of the show - and it's already been sold ``in 90 percent of North America and in virtually every significant foreign territory.'' He says that Fox has picked it up for airing on its stations and that Turner has made a deal to air it with a two-week delay. The hourlong comedy has Matt Borlengi playing the central character originated by Steve Guttenberg, but Maslansky says his intent is to get Guttenberg back for a guest spot, ``as well as Janet Jones, Bubba Smith, Leslie Easterbrook - all the members of the original cast.''

The industry eye

John Ritter steps before the cameras Aug. 18 to start the CBS movie ``Chance of a Lifetime.'' He'll play a free-lance magazine writer who suffers a back injury - and whose reserved, slightly overweight lady editor (not cast yet) marries him so he can get health insurance coverage for a needed operation. Sounds sort of like ``Green Card,'' except with a Blue Cross card.

They're casting about for a very verbal 18-month-old to play Theo, Detective Andy Sipowicz's son on ``NYPD Blue.'' We hope the wee babe isn't verbal with the kind of ``NYPD'' blue language we hear from his on-camera pappy, Dennis Franz.

Another generation heard from

Leigh Taylor-Young has just completed taping a guest spot on ``Seventh Heaven.'' Heaven only knows she's got plenty of work. She writes and produces meditation tapes, is putting up a Web site to better communicate with her fans, has a recurring role on the UPN series ``The Sentinel'' and is a regular on Aaron Spelling's soaper ``Sunset Beach.'' She's also a first-time grandmother-to-be - courtesy of her son Patrick O'Neal (by Ryan O'Neal) and actress Rebecca DeMornay. ``I'm so excited,'' she says. ``I think Rebecca is a simply wonderful person.'' Is there going to be a wedding? ``I'll wait for them to tell me,'' she says.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) Kevin Costner

Will play WWII Marine

(2) Rosie O'Donnell

Speaks on breast cancer

(3) John Ritter

Painful role