Belushi Will Finally Get Hollywood Star

Bluto Gets a Star | Jacko's Bentley | Grammy Update

He's been dead 22 years, but John Belushi is finally scheduled to get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Another Hollywood legend, Bernie Brillstein, a great friend of Belushi who worked with him as a manager and producer, told me yesterday that the deal has been done.

"It's March 18th," Brillstein told me on the set of "The Wayne Brady Show." "Jim Belushi and I put it together. Danny Aykroyd will be here and Judy, John's widow, too."

It's unclear why it's taken so long to get Belushi something he obviously deserves, but late is better than never, as they say. The "Saturday Night Live" star was in several hit movies, including "Animal House" and "Continental Divide."

Brillstein broke the news to me as "Soul Man" Sam Moore wound up a memorably raucous three-song set on the Brady show with a hot band fronted by Pete Escovedo, brother of Sheila E. and biological father of girl-about-town Nicole Richie.

Brillstein was so moved by Moore's performance that he left his office — he's the producer of the show — to come down and greet Moore personally.

"I haven't been this happy in a long time," he said, hugging Moore and grinning from ear to ear.

I was also happy to run into the sublimely beautiful Jennifer Beals, now starring in "The L Word" on Showtime. Jennifer showed me pictures she took on the red carpet at the Golden Globes last week, and inscribed one she snapped of yours truly in my usual chaotic red-carpet state.

And no, Beals was not aware of the fact that many newspapers were calling Janet Jackson's stunt at the Super Bowl a "Flashdance." There's only one Flashdancer, thank you very much, and that is Jennifer herself.

As for Brady, don't fret that his talk show is going off the air. They're still shooting new episodes every day through the end of May. And then, well, the word is that Brillstein has a lot of irons in the fire for him, including a much-deserved singing career.

Jacko's Bentley Off the Auction Block

You may recall a story from mid-November about Michael Jackson auctioning off his Bentley for charity. The auction was scheduled for late January. As you may surmise, this did not happen.

I spoke with Tim McGrane of Barrett-Jackson auctions last night. He still has the Bentley in his storage facility, but conceded that the charity Jackson's then-managers, Dieter Wiesner and Ronald Konitzer, hoped to form never materialized.

"On the Thursday before the auction, the car was withdrawn from the event," said McGrane. "It is hoped that it will be auctioned in the future. We've put a lot into this, so we hope it will work out in the long run."

Wiesner and Konitzer are said to have been the parties responsible for pulling the plug.

The Bentley Arnage Red Label Turbo could have sold in the range of $50,000 to $200,000, depending on curiosity seekers. There was minor interest in the car, according to McGrane, but few inquiries. Of course, it could also be evidence in the Jackson case, although so far the Santa Barbara County District Attorney has shown no interest in it.

Grammys: Warner Party Still Planned

The record business may be in a tailspin, but that hasn't stopped Sunday night's Grammy Award party planners.

Already on the top of everyone's list is a soiree for likely Album of the Year winner OutKast. Even though the group is on Arista, which is part of BMG — a company planning its own celebration — OutKast has enlisted Polaroid and Levi's to underwrite their post-post-show affair.

Also from the Arista stable, Jermaine Dupri — producer extraordinaire and boyfriend of Janet Jackson — is doing his own partying at a club called Deep.

Of course, the major labels all have parties too — Capitol/EMI at the Los Angeles County Art Museum on the roof, Sony Music is doing something said to be quieter, the William Morris Agency is planning a get-together, and Warner Bros. (or, that is, Bronfman/Cohen Music Group) — is cooking up a plan to invite anyone left on their roster or in their offices after the impending massive layoff to come have a glass of Champagne.

In the middle of all this, Tisha Fine is coordinating the talent for the Grammy show with extreme precision and grace, as usual. She learned from the best, you know.

Her father, Irving Fine, still cooking with gas at 92 years old, was the manager of both Jack Benny and George Burns and a much-revered studio publicist before that.

Of course, Irving never had to deal with someone named Big Boi, but even today he could whip OutKast in a game of tennis!