October 27, 2000
Web posted at: 2:14 p.m. EDT (1814 GMT)

DETROIT, Michigan -- Baseball is making a comeback at historic Tiger Stadium, courtesy of Keanu Reeves.

The actor is in the Motor City this week to film scenes for his upcoming movie, "Hardball," due to be released next year. It's based on the book, "Hardball: A Season in the Projects," by Daniel Coyle. Reeves plays a coach for a Little League team amid the violence of Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing project.

The Detroit scenes feature Reeves' character taking his team to see a Major League Baseball game.

It's not the first time the venerable old stadium has been called out of retirement. In August, Billy Crystal used the ballpark as a stand-in for Yankee Stadium in his movie, "61."

"You Can Count on Me" stars Matthew Broderick and Laura Linney

LOS ANGELES, California -- Writer-director Keith Lonergan went home with two top awards at the American Film Institute Festival Thursday. The reward? A year's supply of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

His film, "You Can Count on Me," won the best film prize, and Lonergan was awarded the best new writer award. He also took home cash and travel prizes, in addition to the doughnut jackpot.

In the international competition, the grand jury prize for best feature went to "Blackboards," directed by Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf.

Rob Morrow won a special jury mention as the director for "Maze," and the Audience Award for best feature went to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's, "Amores Perros" ("Love's A Bitch").

HOLLYWOOD, California -- John Cleese isn't going to have to use his head very much for his next movie role.

Cleese, who celebrates his 61st birthday Friday, has signed on to play Nearly-Headless Nick in the film version of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," currently shooting in Britain.

His character, also known as Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington, got his moniker after someone failed to completely behead him. Nick is a friend of Harry's and the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.

MORE SHOWBUZZ