Death Threats Against Sinead

Pop singer Sinead O'Connor, who once ripped up a picture of the pope on "Saturday Night Live," is in another religious controversy. O'Connor has decided not to perform this weekend in Jerusalem after getting death threats. O'Connor was to have performed at a festival sponsored by Israeli and Palestinian women and called "Sharing Jerusalem: Two Capitals for Two States." "Sinead received death threats which said that if she comes under the headline 'two capitals for two states' they will shoot her," the festival organizer said. "She said she was afraid and decided not to come." Right-wing Jews say the festival undermines their claim on all of Jerusalem. O'Connor was born an Irish Catholic but has converted to Buddhism.

Supermodel Back at Work

Naomi Campbell was back at work in Paris today after getting emergency treatment in a hospital in the Canary Islands. The supermodel's lawyer and a spokesman for the Elite modeling agency deny that Campbell suffered a drug overdose yesterday. They say her problem was an allergic reaction to antibiotics. The Spanish media reported Campbell had taken sedatives. Campbell reportedly was in the Canary Islands with Joaquin Cortes, a flamenco dancer with whom she'd been romantically linked. Local media say Campbell had argued earlier with Cortes, who was in the Canaries on a tour of his "Gypsy Passion" dance show. Gossip magazines recently reported the Spaniard had broken up with Campbell, whose past boyfriends include boxer Mike Tyson and actor Robert de Niro.

Opera to Meet Pop

The king of pop is going to work with the king of opera. Luciano Pavarotti said today he's planning a record with Michael Jackson, as well as other artists. "We've started talking about it," the burly tenor told reporters in his northern Italian hometown of Modena, where he and Spanish opera singers Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo will perform tomorrow night. Jackson is expected to be in the audience to hear the "Three Tenors," whose regular concerts have helped broaden opera's appeal.

'Scream' Muffled in Japan

Japanese distributors have indefinitely postponed the release of "Scream," the American blockbuster slasher film, in the wake of the killing and beheading of an 11-year-old boy in the city of Kobe. "Scream" is about the serial murders of high school students and though the killing is not related to the film, the Asmik Corp. said it would be inappropriate to release "Scream" in Japan now.

New Addition to 'Scream' Cast

Actress Elise Neal, who starred in John Singleton's "Rosewood," has joined the cast of "Scream 2." Variety says Neal will play Neve Campbell's college roommate in the sequel. Filming already has begun on location in Atlanta. Courteney Cox, Jerry O'Connell, Liev Schrieber and Jada Pinkett are also to star for director Wes Craven. Neal has just wrapped the independent twentysomething drama "Restaurant," and will next star opposite Charlie Sheen and Chris Tucker in the summer comedy-action film "Money Talks."

Estefan Considers Screen Move

Pop diva Gloria Estefan may be entertaining thoughts of acting. Industry insiders tell Variety that Estefan's husband and manager, Emilio Estefan Jr., has been talking on and off with Universal Television for the past six months. The discussions are said to center on a first-look development deal that might also cover film, but no deal is yet on the table. If it comes off, Gloria Estefan wouldn't be the first chanteuse to ink a movie/TV development deal with Universal. The studio signed a pact with country queen Reba McEntire last year as part of the renegotiation of McEntire's MCA recording contract.

Selleck Sitcom Sweepstakes

Tom Selleck has officially parted company with "Coach" creator Barry Kemp on their planned Paramount situation comedy for CBS. A sweepstakes has emerged among studios bent on finding the sitcom script that lands him. CBS has been itching to get the former "Magnum, P.I." star onto its schedule as quickly as possible. The hope was to get him on the air this fall, but that was scotched when Selleck and Kemp found themselves at odds over the direction the show was taking. Selleck ascended to the top of network wish lists after his stint on NBC's "Friends" got him interested in doing a series again.

Actor's Last 'Journey'

The final film by late Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni has been picked up for U.S. distribution. Variety reports the film "Journey to the Beginning of the World" is to be released in the United States in early 1998. The story focuses on a French actor who, while on location in Portugal, decides to visit his dead father's hometown to meet his long-lost aunt. Marcus Hu, co-president of the Los Angeles-based distributor Strand Releasing, says the film parallels Mastroianni's life so closely it's heartbreaking. Mastroianni, a three-time Oscar nominee, appeared in 171 films, including "La Dolce Vita," "Divorce Italian Style" and "Dark Eyes." He died this year, after "Journey" was shot, and never saw the finished film.

Baldwin Bows Out

Stephen Baldwin has been replaced on the set of "Object of My Affection" after only a day of work, according to Variety. Baldwin was to portray a civil liberties lawyer and boyfriend to Jennifer Aniston's character in the comedy-drama about a relationship between a straight woman and a gay man. Baldwin and the filmmakers saw the role differently, sources said of the actor's exit. John Pankow, a regular on NBC's "Mad About You," will now step into the role. Paul Rudd, Alan Alda, Nigel Hawthorne and Tim Daly also star.

New Folks in Beverly Hills, 90210

Variety says Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei and Natasha Lyonne are taking up residency in "The Slums of Beverly Hills," a dark comedy about growing up poor in the exclusive 90210 ZIP code. The story is told through the eyes of a teen-age girl who lives a nomadic existence in the outskirts of Beverly Hills with her elderly father, two young brothers and her sexually liberated cousin. The script was refined through the Filmmakers Lab at Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. Redford will produce the Fox project, which starts filming July 21.

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