NEWS LITE : HOLLYWOOD AGENTS CAST ABOUT FOR RIGHT ACTOR TO BOMB IN MOVIE.

Hollywood is buzzing about the Unabomber. Namely, which movie star gets to portray the shadowy loner who stumped the FBI for years.

``Some actors probably wouldn't want to be associated with such a horrible human being as the Unabomber,'' casting agent Billy Hopkins said in Sunday's New York Daily News. ``But John Malkovich is who I'd cast.''

``Or Kevin Spacey. Brilliant but off-center,'' said Hopkins, who has cast several Oliver Stone films.

Fellow casting agent Bonnie Timmerman favored an actor known for his thoughtful, understated style. ``A character like this is somebody as complicated a human being as Bill Hurt is.''

For a TV movie, casting agent Jonathan Shorr likes veteran Bruce Dern.

Dave's mom cooks up homey touch for recipe book When she was first approached last year by Pocket Books about writing a cookbook, David Letterman's mother, Dorothy Mengering, hesitated.

``When I thought about the hundreds of cookbooks on bookstore shelves, I wondered what I have to offer that's not already there,'' she said from her home in Indianapolis the other day. ``Then I thought, maybe this will work if I give little vignettes with each recipe and collect recipes from the staff of `Late Show,' from bed and breakfasts I've stayed at, and from friends.''

This week, she goes on the personal appearance circuit to talk about ``Home Cookin' With Dave's Mom.'' The idea was proposed by Sue Carswell, her editor, who said, ``I always read that Dorothy would send him pies, and I thought that anyone who would do that must be a great home-style cooker.''

Fans of Anne prevail in poll; Britons chuck Charles as monarch choice

More Britons would like to see Princess Anne as their monarch than her older brother Prince Charles, according to a poll published Sunday.

Princess Anne - eighth in line to the throne and once the least popular of Queen Elizabeth II's four children - led the poll, with 33 percent of respondents choosing her from a list of heirs and other public figures.

Heir-apparent Charles came second, backed by 26 percent of respondents in the Mori poll, commissioned by Independent Television.

Only 47 percent thought Charles would make a good king, compared with 82 percent in a 1991 poll. His reputation has suffered following his 1992 separation from Princess Diana, and subsequent confession of adultery.

Their son Prince William, after Charles in the succession, came in third place with 12 percent. Diana, 34, scored 7 percent, but she is not in line for the throne.

According to constitutional law, only Charles can succeed his mother, unless he steps aside. Diana has hinted he should do that in favor of William, who turns 14 this year.

Tarantula-nappers caught in law's web

A Pensacola, Fla., teen-ager claims he and a partner were acting as environmental Robin Hoods by trying to return a large spider - taken from a pet store - to the jungles of South America.

However, theft charges are being considered against the pair.

The $150 tarantula, also known as a yellow flame knee spider, a native of the Brazilian rain forest, was taken from a pet shop April 6. The animal's bite can cause an allergic reaction in humans.

A security camera recorded the heist, said Petland store owner Ty Russell.

David Atkinson, 15, said he and his 14-year-old friend didn't think the spider should have been taken from the jungle.

``I thought they were stealing from Mother Nature to make money. I just thought it was cruel,'' he said Friday.

He added: ``But I did it the wrong way. We should have bought it and then sent it home.''

The spider was shipped to a brother of one of the boys in Atlanta, who was supposed to release it during a planned trip to Venezuela, authorities said.

Police intercepted the spider in Atlanta and returned it to Russell.

Russell said his decision on whether to press charges will depend partly on how well the spider recovers.

``She's a little dehydrated,'' he said.

David's father, Mike Atkinson, said his son recently emptied his bank account to rescue a python.

``Neither one of them are saints,'' the elder Atkinson said. ``But their intentions were not evil.''

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2 Photos

PHOTO (1) John Malkovich

Evil edge?

(2) Honest Abes: Ger ald Bestrom, left, of Hastings, Mich., greets Lincoln Presenter James Boatright of Mascoutah, Ill., next to Bestrom's motor home, painted like a cabin. The men were in Springfield, Ill., for the Association of Lincoln Presenters meeting.

Associated Press