GOLDWYN GETS CLOSER TO REMAKE OF `SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY'.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Producer Sam Goldwyn expects to start his remake of James Thurber's ``The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' in mid-1997. Right now, Goldwyn's trying to find the actor to take over where the late Danny Kaye left off in the original work and notes, ``It's definitely a star vehicle. I know a number of stars who would be great - Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks. And then there's always the hope that magic will happen and you'll create a new comedy star.''

Goldwyn feels that Penny Marshall has created magic directing Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington in ``The Preacher's Wife,'' which opens Dec. 20. He recalls the years he attempted to put together the remake of the 1948 ``The Bishop's Wife,'' which starred Cary Grant, David Niven and Loretta Young. And then, says Goldwyn, ``Denzel phoned and said he had always wanted to do a Cary Grant part - and wanted to do the picture. Everything moved fast from there.''

What about the reports that production was marked by ego clashes? Well, he says, ``Penny has a very deliberate way of directing. She is demanding of actors - more demanding probably than anyone Whitney has worked with. The result is that Whitney turned in a wonderful performance.''

Bosson-style blues: ``Murder One'' co-star Barbara Bosson, who garnered an Emmy nomination for the ABC drama, is in a quandary about what to wear to the Emmy Awards telecast. ``Every year, everybody's so glamorous and I'm so not,'' Bosson says. ``I want to somehow stand out, but my inclinations always are to wear brown. ... I'm comfortable in sort of dark, plain clothes.''

It's the sixth Emmy nomination for the wife of ``Murder One's'' creator, Steven Bochco. (She received five for her work on his ``Hill Street Blues.'') She recalls, with a laugh, the year ``I went totally crazy and went to a rental place and wore one of the most outrageous dresses you ever saw in your life. I made the tabloids under the heading of `Worst Dressed at the Emmys.' They said I looked like I needed a flaming baton ... and it's true. I seem to have to go too far one way or the other.''

She jokes that if she had her druthers, on Emmy night she'd wear ``this old pair of overalls I have - with a satin blouse.''

On that score: ``It was a huge challenge,'' reports award-winning composer Elliott Goldenthal (``A Time to Kill,'' ``Batman Forever'') of his scoring of the upcoming big-screen ``Michael Collins,'' starring Liam Neeson as the Irish revolutionary. ``At one point, we were pushing for the score to be very, very Irish, but Neil (Jordan, the director) wasn't comfortable with that. He wanted it to be documentary-like.

``To the Irish, Michael Collins is an equivalent to Malcolm X. He was somebody who was extremely pivotal and controversial, whose ramifications are felt as we speak. There's not one person in Ireland whose father didn't know Michael Collins and the story about Michael Collins. So it was a challenge to find a balance between the music having a strong Irish national flavor and being personal and honest in terms of how the drama was unfolding. I wrote some of the music; there's some indigenous Irish instrumentation - and a lot isn't Irish, it's Gaelic. I have Sinead O'Connor singing some of my stuff.''

Goldenthal predicts ``Michael Collins'' ``is going to create a lot of political thunder. The movie is epic in proportion, with millions of extras and explosives and brilliant performances by Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman.''

The videoland view: UPN's ``Moesha,'' which stars teen-age singing sensation Brandy, is adding another hot young name from the music world to its cast. Fredro Starr of the popular rap group Onyx is coming aboard the series to play a recurring character called Q, who'll clash with Moesha in Tuesday's season opener. Expect them to begin looking upon each other more kindly later in the season.

The inside track: Popular jazz guitarist Doc Powell's latest disc, ``Laid Back,'' is dedicated to his sister and a best friend, both of whom passed away while he was working on the album. ``The reality of what was going on at the time was a bit too much. ... It was hard sometimes to continue working, but you've got to deal with emotions so you can move on,'' says Powell, whose disc features such stellar artists as Kirk Whalum, Stanley Clarke and Gerald Albright.

``I moved on through my faith in God,'' Powell adds. ``I prayed for the strength and ability to move on regardless of how painful it might be.''

MEMO: The Celebrities column appears Monday through Friday.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Steven Bochco and wife Barbara Bosson share t he success of ``Murder One.'' They also worked together on ``Hill Street Blues.''

(2) Rapper Fredro Starr takes a recurring role on ``Moesha.''