UCI Success Stories Turn a Professor Into an Item Writer

In what has become an annual rite, UC Irvine drama department chairman Robert Cohen has turned gossip columnist to chronicle the doings of famous and not-so-famous former students.

His jottings, contained in a yellow-covered booklet entitled “UCI Drama Alumni News,” typically go like this: “Jon Lovitz again made it big . . . appropriately in ‘Big’ . . . the hit summer movie of 1988. . . . But our ‘thaaaat’s the ticket’ man’s newest and biggest film is ‘My Stepmother Is an Alien’ ”

From his home in Laguna Beach, where he was at work on next year’s issue, Cohen added that Lovitz was scheduled to share his “smarmy wisdom” with UCI students today but--in news that broke too late for his column--had to postpone it because he scored a Super Bowl commercial.

“He felt so bad about missing his lecture,” the professor said, “that he wanted to fly back from New York. He’ll be back in March instead.”

Yeah, that’s the ticket.

In any case, Cohen’s quips prove that UCLA and USC do not have a lock on Southern California’s post-graduation stars of stage and screen. Here’s an abbreviated sample of his alumni tips and tidbits:

“Ayre Gross plays a young Century City lawyer in ‘Tequila Sunrise’ (who is) ‘smart enough to be a lawyer but too stupid to be a drug dealer,’ according to the breezy script. . . . Bob Gunton was indeed Harold Hill in the NYC Opera revival of ‘The Music Man’ at Lincoln Center this year. . . . Jennifer Chatfield just into ‘Into the Woods’ (on Broadway). . . .

“Nicholas Walker survived cancellation of ‘Capitol’ (the TV soap) . . . and has begun playing Jason Monroe, a New York literary agent on ‘The Young and the Restless’ (the TV soap) . . . Brian Thompson was one of ‘a whole slew of terrifically talented actors’ in ‘Pass the Ammo,’ (said Pauline Kael). . . . One of UCI’s ‘Pippin’ performers, (Olympic diving champ) Greg Louganis, is now pursuing acting and comedy full time. . . . Larry Lott has been in and out of ‘Kvetch’ at the Odyssey Theatre. . . .”

And so on for 29 pages--yes, pages--of items.