CHEECH DRIVING BUS TO MOVIES.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Move over, Barney. Cheech Marin is signing a deal with Warner Bros. for a feature based on his popular ``Cheech, the School Bus Driver'' children's recordings.

Cheech is writing the film, in which he will star, while he works his way through the third season of his ``Nash Bridges'' series - and tub-thumps for the Sept. 23 Sony Wonder CD and cassette release of ``My Name Is Cheech, the School Bus Driver'' in both Spanish and English.

He's also getting ready to start the DreamWorks SKG film ``Polly the Parrot,'' a ``beautiful family picture in which I play a Nicaraguan guy who runs a lunch wagon and takes in this parrot that's been lost.''

As if that weren't enough, Cheech is working on his autobiography. It will detail, he says, ``How I went from being a very straight altar boy on his way to the seminary - until I encountered a strange light on the way out of the forest and became a counterculture, dope-smoking, anti-establishmentarian icon.''

He is currently preparing a presentation of the book ``that will go to a select group of literary houses. I'll be very choosy about which one I choose,'' he says. ``In other words, the one that pays me the most.''

Waiting for Truman

Looks like it'll be an early 1998 release for Jim Carrey's ``The Truman Show'' - the surreal Peter Weir picture about a fellow who discovers he's just a character on TV. Of course, some will read Paramount's decision to release the movie in the traditionally bleak, dead-of-winter period as a bad sign. Others, however, will point to features that are said to have benefited by being held back from the crowded holiday release schedule - like the John Travolta and Christian Slater's ``Broken Arrow.'' Whatever. Carrey's agenda is unusually light at the moment. Although there have been several possibilities talked up for him - including a remake of ``The Incredible Mr. Limpet'' - the funnyman has no confirmed assignments until he teams up with Ron Howard to remake ``The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,'' likely in spring.

At long last lust

They're still shopping for a U.S. distributor for the new ``Lolita,'' but plans for the Jeremy Irons starrer are set for overseas. It opens in Italy on Sept. 26, in Spain on Oct. 3 and in early January will be unfurled in the rest of Europe and the Far East.

The celebrity scene

Barbra Streisand and James Brolin joined the REALLY big crowd at Santa Monica's NuWilshire Theatre to catch Fox Searchlight's ``The Full Monty'' the other night, but didn't have to stand in line. They were whisked inside. Did you expect anything else?

Kevin Sorbo, whose Universal ``Kull the Conqueror'' opens next week, has clipped 5 inches off his hair for shooting of the big-screen thriller ``Black Dog.'' What's he going to do without his trademark lanky locks when he goes back to ``Hercules'' series shooting? Same thing he did at the beginning of ``Hercules,'' he says. ``Hair extensions.''

Some take high road

With ``Touched by an Angel'' and other shows proving there's a public appetite for spiritual and otherworldly material, TV production slates have been loaded with such fare this year. Now we have ``The Staircase'' on its way at CBS. The telepic has Barbara Hershey as star, and will be directed by Karen Arthur.

Set in 1878, it has Hershey as a character named Sister Madeline who is intent on building a chapel to glorify God. The building is done, but there's a mistake; they've forgotten to include a staircase to the choir loft. A mysterious carpenter comes with plans for an amazing spiral staircase - and gradually it becomes evident the stranger is no ordinary craftsman. He's there to restore the faith of those around him.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Cheech Marin

Steering career

(2) Jim Carrey

``Truman'' detained