Martin Short (as Jiminy Glick) with Nathan Lane.

Photo by Al Levine

The shows have yet to be shot, but will air sometime in the series' next season — dates to be determined.

Alexander and Short are set to star in the Los Angeles staging of Brooks' The Producers, for an eight month sitdown at the Pantages Theatre, beginning spring 2003.

"Primetime Glick" is a talk show hosted by Short's alter ego, Jiminy Glick, a 300-pound Hollywood legend backed by harp-playing bandleader Adrien Van Voorhees (played by Michael McKean). The portly host interviews A-list celebrities without doing any background research and often eats during the chat and spouts off about his life with wife Dixie (played by Jan Hooks). Past guests have included Billy Crystal, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Dennis Miller, Bill Maher, Regis Philbin, Molly Shannon, Nathan Lane, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Ben Stiller, Rebecca Romijn Stamos, Jeff Goldblum, Rosie O'Donnell, Julia Louis Dreyfus and David Duchovny.

The Producers casting of Short, known for neurotic, quirky characters in film and TV, has been a longtime dream for Brooks. Alexander, known for his blustery characters and solid singing voice, is an obvious right type to play bigger-than-life producer Max Bialystock. Both bring huge marquee value to the West Coast staging, which will be the supporting cast and physical staging of the current national tour.

Martin Short won the Tony Award for Little Me and was nominated for The Goodbye Girl. Alexander won the Tony for Jerome Robbins' Broadway.

— by Ernio Hernandez
and Kenneth Jones