Entire Douglas clan will attend Oscars

GOOD MORNING AND GOOD LUCK OSCAR NOMINEES: Don't worry if you don't see Kirk Douglas coming down the red carpet at the Oscars tonight. He will be on hand in time to receive his very special Oscar on stage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Anne (Mrs. Kirk) Douglas will be escorted by Michael, Joel, Peter and Eric D., and the quintet will make the full celeb arrival ..."The show will be different this year," promises Jeff Margolis, director of the TV show. "A new producer wants it to be a different, better show. And I am enjoying his (Quincy Jones') pushing the envelope." Quincy in turn promises the show will be "smokin', " and Margolis adds, "a monster. It will be a good, solid, clean show, and all from the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion." This is Margolis' eighth year, and he admits "it is my favorite time of year, my favorite show. I work on it for three months and it's in my blood." He will be adding new camera equipment this year, permitting more freedom of movement to be captured for the billion home viewers. ... Mel Gibson was feeling strong enough to be fitted with his tuxedo at Giorgio Armani on Rodeo Drive Thursday. And he'll be wearing a very special vest made from his family tartan with his three-button single breasted tux. However, the recently appendectomied Gibson had to hold on tight to the vest when someone made him laugh! ... Armani's was the place to see Oscar celebs the past coupla days as they got their final fittings. Among those there: Emma Thompson, who'll wear a cream beaded cardigan with a cream silk floor-length skirt. Another nominee fitting there, Mira Sorvino, wears Armani's silver-beaded bustier. She'll be with dad Paul Sorvino, also in an Armani tux. Kevin Spacey chose a white, single-breasted tux with matching vest and black pants; fellow nominee Ed Harris chose Armani's black tux with a white vest. Quincy Jones chose a knee-length, six-button jacket with velvet lapels and buttons. ... Two-time winner Tom Hanks wears Armani's double-breasted black, while wife Rita Wilson wears a black organza gown with cream and silver beaded starburst pattern. Pierce Brosnan wears a six-button double breasted tux, while g.f. Keely Shaye Smith wears white beaded floor-length gown.

IF "IL POSTINO" DOES NOT WIN the Oscar, an American version, set above San Francisco, will be made by Dino Conte; if "Postino" does win, Conte says he will not do a remake. He will be arriving at the Oscars with Anna Gross, VP and production exec of the "Il Postino" production company. Pic's producer Vittorio Cecchi Gori will arrive with his wife, Rita Cecchi Gori -- she is producer of "The Star Maker," Italy's nominee as foreign-language film. Who knows -- it could be an Italian night! ... Acad president Arthur Hiller says the pressure to cut down on speeches was even put on him. "They asked me to cut from a minute and a quarter to one minute!" he laughed. Hiller was among dais members at the Publicists Guild lunch at the BevHilton Friday, with Oscar nominees in attendance including Anthony Hopkins, Sharon Stone, Mira Sorvino and James Cromwell. The always affable Hopkins said this was his sixth time with the praisers: "I love these kind of events," he volunteered. How refreshing! Hopkins went from the tough "Nixon" to an equally challenging "Picasso," but now has time off until Sept.'s start of "Bookworm." Meanwhile "August," which he also directed, is released in April. He also did the music for it with a 40-piece orch. Music, he admits, is his first love -- above acting -- and he would like to make writing music another full career ... David Kelley, recipient of the praisers' TV Showmanship Award, pilots another series today: "The Practice," about an always-challenged one-man law firm, starring Dylan McDermott ("In the Line of Fire"). While lunching there at the BevHilton, Kelley asided to me that Merv Griffin had bid $5,000 at a charity for a walk-on in "Chicago Hope"; however, Kelley wants Griffin to do a "roll-on" into the hospital! ... Also at the lunch, Brooke Shields gave a touching remembrance of George Burns. She was sporting a sparkler from fiance Andre Agassi, but said the wedding's delayed until spring '97 because of their respective heavy schedules.

"THE NANNY" MAKES FOR A CHANGE in the cast of "The Bermuda Triangle"at the Canon theater, April 14-21. Co-star Renee Taylor, who plays Fran Drescher's mom in the sitcom, goes to the Caribbean aboard the Celebrity Cruises. In the TV seg , Fran is lured by a psychic to a suitor on board. (This is TV, folks.) "And Fran wants me to go," said Taylor. So she will be replaced on the legiter for a week by Mitzi McCall. McCall's husband, Charlie Brill, will be Joe Bologna's standby -- but Joe remains in L.A. in the show. What does playwright-costar-husband Bologna think of Renee's cruise-away? "As a playwright , I think it's good to see how someone else can play the part. And so does Renee"... The Shuberts and Nederlanders are coming out to ogle the play for B'way. But Joe and Renee aren't anxious to leave home.