THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 21, 1994 TAG: 9409210035
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: CRAIG SHAPIRO
LENGTH: Long : 138 lines
GIVE ANNA NICOLE SMITH this much: She knows how to make an entrance.
The busty blonde, entourage in tow, showed up in a tight, cream-colored gown with a low-slung, scalloped halter top. Her perfect hair and makeup confirmed that she had spent the last couple of hours getting ready.
And this was for lunch!
Smith, the ex-Guess? Jeans model/Playmate of the Year, was in Las Vegas this summer to talk about ``Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult'' (1994, Paramount, PG-13 for innuendo), which is out today on video. It's her first movie, and she makes an impression in it as the curvy girlfriend of a terrorist trying to blow up the Academy Awards festivities. Standing in his way is Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin.
Acting, Smith said, was a lot different from modeling.
Besides all the waiting around, the hardest part was not being intimidated by the ``Naked Gun'' franchise. Nielsen was a big help: He loosened her up right off with a whoopee cushion that he springs on unsuspecting co-stars.
The ``Crying Game'' spoof near the end was tough, too. Smith lost count of the number of reshoots it took to get the shadow just right.
``They had a body double,'' she said, ``but I said, `My body is my career and she's not playing me.' I said I would do it. It shocked everybody.''
Smith wanted to talk about some other things too - like how she'd love to remake the Marilyn Monroe drama ``Don't Bother to Knock'' (``I could be psychotic''), how she and her 8-year-old son spend her days off watching movies (``something scary, then a comedy'') and her next project, ``Venus Rising.''
What's it about?
``I'm not really sure. I read the first 15 pages. A woman breaks out of prison, and I'm the bombshell friend. So I don't think it's a comedy.''
But those assembled at the Desert Inn mostly wanted to hear about Smith's marriage earlier this year to a well-heeled 89-year-old Texan. Even though her PR people said the subject was off limits, the actress was forthcoming.
``He's an older gentleman I've known for about four years,'' she said. ``He asked me to marry him so many times, but I wanted to establish myself first. His girlfriend had died and his wife had died right before that. He had no will to live. We started going out to dinner and he sparked up. To be honest, I saved his life.
``He's the only man who's ever been there for me. I love him. He loves me. And the age difference - I don't care what people think.''
With that, Smith outlined her goals for the next five years.
``I'll either be a very good, famous star or model, or I'll have a lot of kids. I've done my acting and I've done my modeling. I've done everything I wanted to do.''
LION KINGS: Simba and Mufasa are fine, but ``Lions of Darkness'' (Columbia TriStar, $19.95), a documentary by Emmy-winning film makers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, is the real deal. Shooting for National Geographic, the Jouberts, using special lighting equipment, followed a pride of lions from dusk to dawn for three years. It's out today.
JUST THE TICKET: This is cool. ``Bon Voyage: I Love Lucy Adventures in Europe'' strings together all 17 episodes of the Ricardo/Mertz overseas romp into one program. The three-tape set (CBS Video) runs $69.98 and comes with a ``Passport to Fun,'' a book of puzzles tying into the trip. Complete it, mail it in and who knows? You might go to London, Paris, Scotland, Rome and Monte Carlo - just like Lucy.
SUCH A DEAL: The new titles in MGM/UA's Western collection star all kinds of cowboys. ``Red River'' (John Wayne); ``A Fistful of Dollars,'' ``For a Few Dollars More'' and ``Hang 'em High'' (Clint Eastwood); ``Breakhart Pass'' (Charles Bronson); ``Vera Cruz'' (Gary Cooper); ``The Magnificent Seven'' (Yul Brynner); and ``The Unforgiven'' (John Huston) are $14.95 each.
``A Century of Women,'' the TNT three-part documentary, is priced to go: $19.95 per cassette, $49.98 for the whole deal. Turner also has ``Cats'' and ``Dogs'' ($14.98/$19.98 for both) and ``The Incredible Life and Times of Robert Ripley: Believe It or Not'' ($9.98).
Odds and ends: ``Scrooge'' (FoxVideo, $14.98), ``Sliver'' (Paramount, $19.95), ``Last Action Hero'' and ``Cliffhanger'' (Columbia TriStar, $19.95)
TOP TAPES (in this week's Billboard):
Sales: ``Beethoven's 2nd,'' ``D2: The Mighty Ducks,'' ``Thumbelina,'' ``Playboy Celebrity Centerfold: LaToya Jackson,'' ``The 3 Tenors in Concert 1994''
Rentals: ``Schindler's List,'' ``Four Weddings and a Funeral,'' ``Philadelphia,'' ``On Deadly Ground,'' ``Grumpy Old Men'' THE COUCH REPORT
``Farewell My Concubine'' (1993, Touchstone). This lauded import deserves every bit of its acclaim and more. In telling the tragedy of two lifelong friends, members of the Peking Opera, against 50 turbulent years in Chinese history, director Chen Kaige pulls off an impossible juggling act: His film is an awesome sweep of color and detail that doesn't overwhelm the central story. The performances are first-class, and the emotional impact lasts long after the credits. (In Chinese with English subtitles.)
(CAST: Leslie Cheung, Zhang Fengyi, Gong Li. RATED: R for language, violence, themes)
``3 Ninjas Kick Back'' (1994, Columbia TriStar). With hefty helpings of slapstick humor, colorful ninja action and positive values like restraint and unity, this fun sequel has something for viewers of every age. Rocky, Colt and Tum Tum go to Japan to help their grandfather return a ceremonial dagger.
(CAST: Sean Fox, Max Elliott Slade, Evan Bonifant. RATED: PG for very mild violence)
``The Snapper'' (1994, Miramax). Part 2 of Roddy Doyle's Barrytown trilogy (``The Commitments'' was the first) looks at the consequences when the oldest daughter in a hard-working Irish family announces she's pregnant - and won't name the father. It's a rich and funny slice of life, with a lot to say about the strength of family. Colm Meaney is wonderful as the patriarch.
(CAST: Colm Meaney, Tina Kellegher, Ruth McCabe. RATED: R for language, themes, situations)
``Lush Life'' (1994, Columbia TriStar). Jeff Goldblum and Forest Whitaker eat up their roles as jazz musicians getting by in New York. The film is full of detail, and the soundtrack cooks, but what lasts is the way it gently plays on the only riffs in life that really matter: love and friendship.
(CAST: Jeff Goldblum, Forest Whitaker, Kathy Baker. RATED: R for language, themes, situations)
``Orson Welles' Ghost Story'' (1994, MPI Home Video). Welles made this short, about a motorist and two eerie female passengers, in Dublin while on a break from filming ``Othello.'' Out of circulation for 40 years, it was up for an Oscar in 1953 as best two-reel short subject. The historical interest is genuine. The willies are for real, too.
(CAST: Orson Welles, Michael Laurence. Not rated, but it's a PG)
``Sleeping With Strangers'' (1994, Paramount). Don't let the package fool you. This little comedy - set in competing hotels in picturesque British Columbia - takes a well-aimed jab at love in the '90s. It ties up a bit too neatly, but a cast of likable unknowns keeps things moving.
(CAST: Neil Duncan, Adrienne Shelly, Kymberley Huffman, Scott McNeil. RATED: R for language, innuendo)
``Fatal Past'' (1994, Paramount). Don't let the package fool you. This stinker goes in the dairy case with the cheese. The plot is ludicrous - a gun moll and a gunman relive a tragedy from feudal Japan. The psycho-babble cures insomnia. And everyone is soooooo serious. Fatal indeed.
(CAST: Costas Mandylor, Kasia Figura. RATED: R for violence, language, nudity)
Also: ``Midnight Cowboy,'' the 25th-anniversary edition of one of the all-time great films (R), and ``The Evil Within,'' ``quart for quart, the bloodiest movie of the year'' (R).
Next Wednesday: ``Bad Girls,'' ``Being Human,'' ``Surviving the Game,'' ``Two Small Bodies,'' ``China Moon,'' ``Past Tense,'' ``The Wedding Banquet,'' ``Attack of 50-Foot Woman,'' ``Trading Mom,'' ``Dancing With Danger''
Sept. 30: ``Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas,'' ``The Who's Tommy, the Amazing Journey'' by CNB