Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Even as Australian actor Andy Whitfield deals with a recurrence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a casting notice has gone out to replace him as the title star of Starz's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand." Whitfield departed the series last month, issuing a statement that he was deeply disappointed to have to step aside, and it was subsequently announced that a six-episode prequel, focusing on co-stars Lucy Lawless and John Hannah, would be aired in January. Tough business.

HIGH-FLYING: While Pink's forthcoming "Raise Your Glass" video celebrating gay marriage is bringing even more attention to the issue — her frequent collaborator, aerialist Dreya Weber, is getting ready to launch a film she hopes will add to the clamor against the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for gays in the military.

Weber's "A Marine Story" drama opens in New York and L.A. next month. The drama has already been shown in more than a dozen festivals, including Outfest, where it won both the Audience and Grand Jury awards. It was written and directed by Weber's husband, Ned Farr. She tells us they have decidedly mixed emotions about the ever-hotter controversy surrounding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

"We're thrilled with the attention for the sake of the film, but we're not thrilled that the policy is still in place. When Obama came in, we wanted it to be overturned instantly," she explains. Weber plays a career officer who leaves the service when her sexuality is brought under scrutiny.

"The movie is very pro-service, very supportive of people who choose to serve in military — but against wasting our precious human resources."

Meanwhile, with Pink's "Raise Your Glass" single newly in release and her "Greatest Hits...So Far!" album on the way next month, can news of live performance dates be far behind? Whenever the daring pop star goes back onstage, Weber is looking forward to plotting death-defying feats with her again.

"She, of everyone I've worked with, is the most brave, the most willing to take the biggest risks," says Weber, whose credits include aerial choreography, direction and performance in tours with Madonna, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Leona Lewis and three with Pink — including this year's Funhouse tour. That's in addition to helping her plan and performing with her in her breathtaking Grammy number earlier this year.

"The apparatus we used for her number had never been seen before.

It was something I just pictured in my head. I told her about it, and I told her, 'You're going to get wet,' and she was for it. She said, OK, cool.' If Pink thinks something is interesting, she'll say, 'Let's do it.' She doesn't care about her hair. She's there for you. It's fantastic."

Pink met Weber after she caught her doing her thing in a Cher concert. "She has the same manager, and she told him, 'I want to do that. I can do that.' She was a gymnast as a kid, so she does have an aptitude for it, and she's strong. But most of all, she's got the determination. The first tour we did, she basically learned everything she needed to learn within eight hours. I've told her since then, 'Just because you're fast, that's not necessarily the best way.' It is a life-threatening proposition, and you've got to be meticulous and cover every possible scenario including equipment failure, power failures..."

Pink did take a fall in Germany this past July, but came away unharmed. Cher is currently "doing an aerial entrance on an apparatus I dreamed up for her Las Vegas show. That took seven years of a relationship for everyone to trust that it would work," Weber says. "She's never been a gymnast, she's not a kid, so it's very serious."

No wonder Weber says that her work with celebs — "with any human being you put in the air" — sometimes leads to sleepless nights.

"I never forget the risk," says Weber, who is currently performing in Teatro ZinZanni's "Hail Caesar" in San Francisco — while gearing up for the release of her "A Marine Story" film. "I never forget the reality of how dangerous it is. But, knock wood, no one's ever gotten hurt on my shows."

THE INDUSTRY EYE: Just in time for Mischief Night (the night before Halloween), they're looking for the actress who'll play the central character of a teenage baby sitter in the soon-to-shoot chiller "Mischief Night." The feature, starring Malcolm McDowell and Erik Palladino, covers the familiar territory of a young woman being stalked by a masked killer — except in this instance, romance blooms between the girl and the homicidal maniac. The role requires implied nudity.

Jason Segel's highly anticipated "The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time" is finally headed into production next month at Disney, in case you didn't know, and now, in addition to the lineup of star cameos, they're casting small parts such as that of an elderly Chinese man. Word has already leaked that Miss Piggy has gotten inspired by Lady Gaga for the flick.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM