For a reason no one can fathom, The Weinstein Company has bought the rights to The Nutty Professor, and are planning an animated film "based on the original." So, basically, it's another remake. Apart from Jerry Lewis, who seems to sell the movie's rights off every time they revert to him, who thinks this is a good idea?

According to a story that originated in The Hollywood Reporter, Lewis himself will voice at least two characters in the feature, which will go straight to video (that's something at least). And, get this: To make the movie appealing to kids, the story will focus on Professor Kelp/Buddy Love's college-age grandson, who is just as big a nerd as his grandpa. And, you guessed it, the kid "takes the same formula his grandfather took and unleashes an ultracool but comically destructive alter ego." For this, people, they've hired a new screenwriter: Straight-to-video specialist Evan Spiliotopoulos, whose resume includes work on The Lion King 1½ and The Jungle Book 2. What, Jerry wasn't available to paste the words "internet" and "MySpace" into his 1963 script?

Between hosting his cheesy but, you know, really helpful telethon (Theater employees actually used to collect for Jerry's Kids before movies in Cape Cod. Do they still do that now anywhere?) and appearing on Larry King Live, Jerry Lewis has announced that he will be directing a stage production of The Nutty Professor. The play, starring singer-comedian-egomaniac Michael Andrew, is expected to debut in San Diego next January with an eye to hitting Broadway in the fall of 2008.

What's great about this project is Lewis' total honesty about his involvement -- basically, he's never been particularly interested in doing a stage version of this movie (people have asked, apparently), and only agreed to give it a shot when this Andrew guy came along with a huge pile of money and said "Hey, kids! Let's put on a show!" That, said Lewis, changed his attitude right around. "I saw this kid perform, and he wanted very much to do [The Nutty Professor], and he had money. ... I said, 'With those pockets, we'll give it a shot.'" Go Jerry. I mean, just imagine how much nicer things would be if people in Hollywood were that honest about the power of money!