Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Cicely Tyson, "American Idol's" Fantasia, Billy Dee Williams and gospel star Karen Clark are among the talents Aretha Franklin aims to line up for "From These Roots," the Broadway-bound play based on her best-selling autobiography of the same title.

"I've just laid the groundwork for the play. We're going to start here in Detroit and take it to a number of major cities, then on to New York," says the multi-Grammy-winning legend, who is again in the awards spotlight for performing "Never Gonna Break My Faith." The Bryan Adams, Eliot Kennedy and Andrea Remanda song, from the motion picture "Bobby," is currently up for Golden Globe Best Song honors.

Aretha says now, "I'm casting the key people, who would be myself, my dad and family. I'm interested in Cicely Tyson playing my grandmother. I'd like to have Fantasia possibly play me as a young woman, and there are others I have in mind. There will be someone playing me at three ages, and I will probably make an appearance at the end of the play."

So far, she says, "the hardest person for me to cast in my mind was my dad" — the late Reverend C.L. Franklin — "and this may sound far-fetched to you, but I came up with Billy Dee Williams. My father was a very good-looking man. Billy has the build, and he's a dresser just like my dad, very classy." She says auditions for other key roles "start May 1-3 at the Hawthorn Suites Hotels in Southfield, Mich. We'll look at anyone submitting resumes and portfolios."

Franklin, who has a new album, "Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love," set to hit stores next month, says she was blown away when she got the news of "Never Gonna Break My Faith's" Golden Globe nomination. "I did sing at the memorial service for Bobby Kennedy," she recalls. "He was very, very deep … had a lot of substance. And I've had the opportunity to meet the other Kennedys. They are a very unassuming, kind people."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Tony winner Kathleen Marshall, director/choreographer and a judge of NBC's hot, new "Grease: You're the One That I Want" series, has mixed emotions about the television competition from which a new Danny and Sandy will be selected in March for a Broadway revival of the musical debuting in June.

"It's going to be hard to say goodbye to them," says Marshall of the losers-to-be.

"You start to fall in love with them. You've been working night and day with them, and then it's out of your hands — and up to the audience who calls in and votes."

Though the TV audience is still watching scores of contestants vying for a winning slot, in real time the competition has actually already been pared down to some 50 wannabe Broadway stars, whose acting, dancing and singing skills have been rigorously honed for a week at what they've dubbed "The Grease Academy." Come Jan. 28, the final, live competition begins.

At this point Kathleen isn't offering an opinion about which of the contestants she considers most talented, but does say, "It's no different than on Broadway, where some who audition have no chance." She adds that she is relieved "The people I've seen for 'Grease' are as great as they are … I'll tell you this: Regardless of the results, this experience will profoundly change the lives of the finalists, who'll all become very visible."

Perhaps some even as visible as Jennifer Hudson, the reject from "American Idol" who has become the runaway success story of "Dreamgirls."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: "24" actor Roger Cross is bullish about the "great new cast members" joining the Keifer Sutherland thriller that kicks off its new season Sunday (1/14) — and what a gang it is, including Chad Lowe, Regina King, Powers Boothe, Alexander Siddig, James Cromwell, Peter MacNicol and Rick Schroder. However, Cross does say that some of the new actors have had quite a time trying to adjust to the pace of the intense drama. "The CTU speech — we talk very quickly. It's sometimes very technical, but you have to get it out, so the pace is very, very quick. New actors, when they come on, they're like, 'How do you do this?' Some of them have had some difficulties getting up to speed."

In the meantime, Cross says he hopes to use this season as a chance to help his character evolve. "I want to give Curtis as many layers as I can but still stay in character."

FUNNY BUSINESS: Having been a writer on "Saturday Night Live" for 15 years, Al Franken tells us the one thing he still gets asked the most is how to get on the coveted late-night sketch show. "People ask all the time. I tell them to get into comedy," says Franken of his answer, which seems all too obvious. However, much of America didn't seem to get that memo. "The oddest thing is that most of the people who ask me how to get involved with the show aren't actually doing comedy. Their friends tell them that they're funny."

(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)

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 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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