Buttons has Clinton in stitches

GOOD MORNING: "I've waited 50 years to do this," Red Buttons told President Clinton at the White House. Buttons then broke into his terrif Jimmy Cagney imitation from "Yankee Doodle Dandy" as Cagney, playing George M. Cohan, told President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you -- and I thank you -- etc." The President, who had taken a brief break from national and international worries, broke into a wide grin as Buttons brightened his day, and then Clinton, also doing a Cagney imitation, said to Red, "I know, I know -- you dirty rat!" The roomful of White House toppers, including V.P. Al Gore, guffawed again. Buttons was in D.C. to entertain Robert Strauss at his 75th birthday and had also completed his N.Y. role in "Cop Gives Waitress $ 2 Mil Tip." Red returned home to L.A. and joined the crowd of over 1,100 on the Universal "Spartacus" site, where Wolfgang Puck and pals from 26 eateries and 72 wineries helped raise $ 330,000 for Meals on Wheels. In keeping with this year's theme, Puck's wife Barbara Lazaroff was garbed as Cleopatra and son Cameron (4) was toga'd as little Caesar as they drew raffle prizes. Today, Puck's Spago caters a VIP dinner for 750 at Universal's City Walk (shut from 3-8 p.m.) in advance of the AIDS Project-L.A.-Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation gala fashion show from Bullock's Passport at U's Amphi. Celeb models and visual magic make up the benefit show ... Francesca Hilton and Joseph Piche, who wed Oct. 2 in Las Vegas, were partied Oct. 8 at her mom Zsa Zsa's Bel Air home, with aunts Eva and Magda on hand. The newlyweds visited her grandmother Jolie Gabor in Palm Springs over the weekend ..."The Commish" star Michael Chiklis and wife Michelle welcomed their first, daughter Autumn Isabella, Oct. 9 in Vancouver, where the series is filmed ... Bill Cosby and Barbara Hale this week tape their hostint of NBC's Oct. 22 "The Defense Rests: A Tribute to Raymond Burr" in Denver, where Burr filmed "Perry Mason."

WHILE IN N.Y., I met up with Tom Bosley at the Regency Hotel, Bosley's h.q. as he rehearses "Beauty and the Beast." Disney's legit musical show previews Nov. 30 in Houston. Bosley said it will take a five-week break after the Texas shakeout and then make it back to B'way's Palace April 7. Disney's Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg were expected to look at the company rehearsing in the former Michael Bennett rehearsal hall, reported Bosley. He says there are five new tunes (mebbe more) by Alan Menken, the late Howard Ashman and Tim Rice in the $ 10 million show. Tom plays Maurice, the father of Belle (played by Susan Egan), with Terence Mann as the Beast. Robert Roth directs. Bosley sez the show will be "a spectacle with incredible special effects and pyrotechnics"... I spent an exciting evening in the theater watching Lynn Redgrave in "Shakespeare for My Father." What a magnificent achievement by Lynn and also a tribute to the Redgraves. She told me her mom, brother and sister Vanessa will catch her at the Helen Hayes next month. Lynn, you recall, was supposed to play only six weeks -- she's now passed six months and gets a standing ovation each night. I suggested she tape the show as a permanent tribute. She's nixed offers. "People get lazy," Redgrave claimed, "if they can sit home and turn it on rather than go to the theater." Besides, she plans to tour with her show in England and Australia ..."Kiss of the Spider Woman" will have a national company out no sooner than June and no later than Sept. '94 but the B'way run continues open end and strong. And Chita Rivera shows no sign of tiring -- she brings audiences to their feet each performance. Jeff Hyslop has taken over as Molina -- the role in which he starred in the London company -- and he is nothing short of magnificent , as is Anthony Crivello, who won a Tony for his performance as Valentin.

ALSO IN N.Y., I peeked into Warner Bros.' under-construction American flagship store on 57th Street and 5th Ave. -- across from Tiffany, Bulgari and Bergdorf! The WB store, three floors of interactive elements, displays, animation art gallery -- and, of course, merchandise -- will open Oct. 26 with a party benefitting the Pediatric AIDS Foundation; Liza Minnelli is the special guest of honor at the evening hosted by Bob Daly and Terry Semel ... Prince Albert of Monaco will present the Princess Grace Foundation-USA Awards in "A Tribute to the Arts" Nov. 4 at the Regency Hotel, with Celeste Holm and Maria Tallchief Paschen among those making presentations in categories including theater, dance and film. Joe Cates produces ... Faith Stewart-Gordon's book, "The Russian Tea Room: A Tasting," hits the stalls later this month. It's loaded with the famous 57th Street eatery's celeb stories -- and recipes.