Red Hot

Things are finally beginning to happen for Oleg Vidov, the Russian matinee idol (he did 36 films at home), who defected to this country in 1985.

Vidov, seen briefly in the summer’s “Red Heat” (as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Russkie police partner; he got popped right off), will star in a comedy, “Russian Dressing”--”a light-hearted glasnost adventure.” Frank Capra Jr. is exec producing, from the script by Vidov and co-producer Joan Borsten. Peter O’Fallon, who does TV commercials, will make his feature debut.

Filming is expected to begin in April in South America.

Meanwhile, Vidov will appear in a Tony Bill-directed commercial (to air during the Super Bowl). And, he’s post-producing a short children’s film that marks his directorial debut. “The Legend of the Emerald Princess” is based on a story Vidov was told by his grandmother.

Filmed in one week at a cost of $31,000, “Emerald” was financed by members of L.A.’s Russian-Jewish community.