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Bumped into Regina King the other day on the terrace of the Beverly Hilton hotel looking quite fetching in a black-and-white strapless dress. King was attending a cocktail reception for the nation's television critics to help promote her new lifetime movie "Living Proof" in which she plays a thirtysomething cancer victim. The film, which is produced by King's "Jerry Maguire" castmate Renee Zellweger along with Craig Zadon and Neil Meron, will air in October, breast cancer awareness month.\r
King is currently working on the all-black version of "The Big Chill," a film she will produce and star in. The L.A. native said that she's finally hired some writers and hopes to start rolling ASAP. King says that one thing she loves about producing is being in control. She doesn't, however, like "being the bad guy."\r
The producing side of things is very interesting," she said. "It's a whole different world. And with us being on a possible strike and me being a producer and an actor, it's really interesting. Which side am I on? I'm on both sides! I'm playing the fence!"\r
The original "Big Chill," which came out in 1983, starred Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Mary Kay Place, JoBeth Williams and Meg Tilly. King will be going for the who's who, too, when she casts her version.\r
Oh my God, we're going for the biggies," she said. "We're going after Will (Smith), Jamie Foxx. We're going for the big dogs first and then we will work our way down."\r
If King needs some puppies she might not have to look further than her own home. Her son, Ian, 12, has apparently been bitten by the acting bug. He's currently studying the craft at Wendy Raquel Robinson's Amazing Grace Conservatory, a theater program for kids.\r
I was watching him the other day and he was really hitting it," King said. "It was kind of amazing to watch."