Holy days for Carteris

GOOD MORNING: Jerusalem is the Christmas location for "Beverly Hills, 90210 's" Gabrielle Carteris, who plays Andrea Zuckerman, the "moral conscience" of Aaron Spelling's series. Celebrating Chanukah in Tel Aviv yesterday, her second day in Israel, Carteris was emotional talking to us on the phone about her first visit to the Holy Land--especially at this time of year. Coincidentally, the series is an enormous hit over there. "It's shown three times a day here," she enthused. While the world's press headlines the turmoil of the Israeli-Palestinian problems, she reported the throngs of young people greeting her didn't discuss either their politics or that of the U.S. "They are extremely polite and hospitable," she reported. Carteris is in Israel with her husband, stockbroker Charles Isaacs, and her manager Jean Fox and her husband, Ray Fox, who produced the docu "Freedom to Hate" about anti-Semitism in Russia. Carteris told me she plans to produce/star in four specials during the "BevHills 90210" hiatus. The first is "Hate-ism," to be followed by "Imagine Young People." She hopes one seg of next season's shows will deal with anti-Semitism. Her "90210" role will involve "controversy. And controversy is good," she added. P.S. Her character, which has been a role model, will also be involved in "a questionable relationship," she adds. But right now, she is putting showbiz aside as she readies for Christmas eve in Jerusalem, the Sabbath in Tel Aviv and treks to Tiberius, Masada, the Dead Sea.

A PROMISE FROM JAMIE LEE CURTIS: "This movie will start controversies." She's co-starring in CBS/Miramax's "Mother's Boys," which Curtis describes as a movie about "the American nightmare--divorce and the way children are used in it. It shows the really horrible side of it." She reminds, "I'm the product of a lot of divorces. But at the time(s) I was not old enough and was never used (in the divorce proceedings). I don't have any frame of reference from that." These days , everything is warm between Jamie, her mom, Janet (Leigh Brandt), and her father, Tony (Curtis). Jamie Lee and her husband, Christopher Guest (directing 'The Attack of the 50-Foot Woman"), just celebrated their eighth wedding anni. Peter Gallagher plays Jamie's husband in "Mother's" and Vanessa Redgrave is her mother. Jamie, now on the bigscreen in "Forever Young," regrets that her TV series "Anything But Love" was canceled and admits, "I'd do another (series) in a second." Jamie adds she misses series co-star Richard Lewis. "He is a very funny man who needs to find a series tailored for him."... Jamie is writing a children's book "When I Was Little" (A 4-Year-Old's Memoirs of Her Youth") for Harper & Row, illustrated by Laura Cornell ... Yours truly joins the New Year's Day Rose Parade (grand marshal'd by Angela Lansbury), themed "Entertainment on Parade," aboard the "Awards Night" float entered by the Bank of America. The float features six classic movie monsters driving to the Awards and I'll be "interviewing" them along with confreres Stan Chambers of KTLA, Linda Nunez of KNX and Janet Lubin of Smith Williams PR, with whom we've worked a few dozen Awards. But never ata starting time of 5:30 ayem New Year's Day! I'm told the float is being fueled with clean-burning natural gas provided by the Southern Calif. Gas Co. Can some of it be used to heat those of us on board?

HOLIDAY GREETINGS always bring back fond memories and the winner this year is from Kirk Douglas--a copy of a touching letter he wrote to Gary Cooper shortly before Coop's passing in 1961. It was written during the making of "Lonely Are the Brave," screenplayed by Dalton Trumbo and based on Edward Abbey's novel--"The Brave Cowboy." In his afterword note, Douglas acknowledges, "I've learned that the only way to attain peace is to care about others." Over the years, Kirk Douglas and his wife, Anne, have demonstrated their care about others by their deeds--and by their generous contributions for the less fortunate ... Via Patricia Shelhamer's Family Assistance Program, producer-manager George Shapiro gave a family of five the means for a new life yesterday. Lila Greene (Renta Yenta) gathered the varied items contributed by Shapiro ... Casanova Ace heads to hurricane-torn Florida with toys gathered at Michael Bass' "Toyskies for Totskies"... Diane Ladd gathers a group of friends to serve meals at the L.A. Mission Christmas Eve ... Publicist Pete Latsis and wife Lillian celebrate their 49th wedding anni Saturday ... On Jan. 1, AMC theaters start screening "Connections," a 90-second pro-environment p.s.a. developed by the entertainment industry environmental action group Earth Communications Office. Linda Hunt narrates. It was produced by Apple Computer's team at BBDO/LA ... Reserve Jan. 9 for a noon meet (free) at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Van Nuys, when Stan Freberg's the special guest of SPERDVAC (the Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy) ... Denzel Washington's talking Dale Wasserman's 'The African" ("Hannibal") with producer Zev Braun ... We'll be back Jan. 5--Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.