A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : ISN’T HOLLYWOOD FUNNY? : Hey, All You Players Out There . . . Listen Up! It’s <i> Mister</i> Tim Robbins to You

Tim Robbins is, hands-down, Hollywood’s Man of the Hour--not only the recipient of the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for “The Player” but the director, writer and star of “Bob Roberts”--a biting pseudo-documentary about a right-wing folksinger running for political office that has the town abuzz long in advance of its September release. In a unique deal brokered by ICM chief Jeff Berg, the picture will be jointly distributed in the United States and Canada by Paramount and Miramax.

Barring any last-minute hitches in the negotiations, the 33-year-old Robbins will next surface in Joel and Ethan Coen’s “The Hudsucker Proxy,” scheduled to start shooting in November for Warner Bros. under Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures banner. Described by one executive as a cross between “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Meet John Doe,” the movie revolves around Norville Barnes, a seemingly incompetent mail-room clerk appointed to the post of CEO by a greedy board of directors after the corporate chief jumps out the window. Selecting an “innocent,” they figure, would depress the value of the stock so they could buy the company and prevent a takeover. (Guess who turns out to have all the smarts?)

Jack Nicholson, initially unavailable to play the role of Sid Mussburger--one of directors of the conglomerate--is back in discussions with the Coen Brothers now that “Wolf,” to be directed for Columbia by Mike Nichols, has been pushed back. Among the actresses lining up for “Hudsucker’s” much sought-after female lead: Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, Robin Wright, Laura Dern, Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Robbins has fielded offers to star in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Buddha,” the Paramount project “The Lady Takes an Ace” and Castle Rock’s “Damages” in addition to the Coen Brothers film. He was also a top candidate for the lead in Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme’s AIDS-related drama “Probable Cause.”