Movie Notes: King 'Shrek'

May 30, 2001 -- Watch out, Lion King: There's a green ogre rattling your throne.

Shrek, Dreamworks' animated feature about a slovenly monster with a heart of gold, is on pace to out-gross The Lion King and become the cartoon box-office champ.

The Lion King made a staggering $313 million. To date, Shrek has grossed a healthy $111 million. Moreover, it actually made more cash in its second week than its debut, a rarity in the here today, on video tomorrow world of cinema.

Cameron Diaz, who lends her voice to the project, along with Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, says she still can't get over the similarities she shared with her cartoon character. "It was this person that didn't look anything like me, but it shared the same gestures and movements and voice, and sort of the essence," she says.

Birthday Bob

Bob Hope celebrated his 98th birthday at home with friends Tuesday, which Los Angeles declared "Bob Hope Day."

"When you get over 95," he said, "every day is your day."

Ward Grant, Hope's publicist, said there were so many candles on the cake that they "laugh that you better keep the fire extinguisher standing by when you light them."

Hope has had some health scars in recent years. Last summer, he entered a hospital for gastrointestinal bleeding, but recovered.

Hope last visited soldiers in 1990 at the ripe old age of 87, when he stopped in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm.

Bakley Sings

After any artist dies, there's renewed interest in his or her work. That's true for Bonny Lee Bakley, too.

Robert Blake's wife, who was shot to death May 4, recorded some songs back in the 1970s. A man claiming he was the engineer and bass player is selling her 45-rpm record on eBay.

One of the tunes, "Just a Fan," features such eerie lyrics as "I'm chasing a celebrity … There's no future in it I can see."

Bidding begins at $1,000.

Moreover

Two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson will take a year off to travel around Africa with her family and raise AIDS awareness, according to Britain's Daily Mail. … Gary K. Wolf, the creator of Roger Rabbit, is suing Walt Disney, claiming the studio has denied him access to bookkeeping records that could show that he is owed royalties. … Jack Lemmon, who had surgery recently to remove his gall bladder, continues to improve. His publicist says the actor should be out of UCLA Medical Center "in a day or two."

ABCNEWS Radio and ABCNEWS.com's Buck Wolf and Nancy Chandross contributed to this report.