HBO GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO GREAT MINISERIES

Alexander the Great may have wept because there were no more lands to conquer, but apparently there isn't much of a limit on the time and cash HBO is willing to expend on a miniseries based on the life of the Macedonian king. Last week the network gave the go-ahead on Alexander the Great, a ten-part series to be produced by Icon Productions, Mel Gibson's production outfit. ?We feel like at this point it's a wonderful form for his life and adventure,? said Anne Thomopoulos, HBO SVP-original programming, West Coast, in a statement. ?Even though it's ancient history, his appetite and ambition to unify cultures is really very timely.? The production is reported to cost $120 million ? roughly the same amount HBO spent on Band of Brothers ? and is expected to appear in 2004. Other projects about Alexander the Great are being developed by directors Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott.

GEORGE LUCAS ON OXYGEN

If Carrie Fisher hadn't won the role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, the part would've gone to Terri Nunn, the lead singer of Berlin, best known for the '80s hit ballad ?Take My Breath Away.? George Lucas proffers that bit of information and shows Fisher's original screen test in an episode of Conversations From the Edge, Fisher's celebrity-chat show on Oxygen. The interview with Lucas will air on Jan. 30. Upcoming guests include Melanie Griffith and Courtney Love.

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