Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance will be launching their "Friends: A Love Story" book on Valentine's Day, with a tour kicking off in New York at month's end that will keep the show business power couple busy into summer.

It almost didn't happen.

"It turned out to be a much larger story than Hollywood romantic love," says Vance of the Harlequin Enterprises offering. "It's a story of courage, commitment, the power to change — the transforming power of love. Our love has turned around both our families."

The Vances met at Yale drama school, have been wed 10 years, have 1-year-old twins and armloads of awards and nominations (an Oscar for her, two Tonys for him) between them. They "expected a bidding war" among publishers for their he-said/she-said-style tome. It didn't happen, he candidly admits.

"Most of them want the 'He slapped her, he has five kids outside the relationship, she walked out' kind of story.'" Bassett and Vance are hoping the public is interested in something "more positive and inspiring," dealing with "that mystery of how two people become one." We'll see.

Meanwhile, Vance is proud to serve as narrator for tonight's (2/6) "Forgotten Genius" two-hour PBS NOVA special pegged to Black History Month. Ruben Santiago-Hudson portrays scientist Percy Julian, whose achievements helped change the face of modern medicine — even though he had to cope with racism all along the way. He's remained an obscure figure until now. "This gentleman refused to take no for an answer. He just kept coming and coming and coming. There are so many stories like these of forgotten contributions among black people, Latinos, American Indians — the main thing is they start to filter into our consciousness."

HARSH REALITY: Emmy-winning actor Armand Assante is making a guest appearance tonight (2/6) on "Navy NCIS" as an international arms dealer — a role that hits a little more close to home than some would think. "I've never played an international arms dealer, but I've read a lot on the subject matter because I was working on my own documentary for a long time on the global landmine crisis. I've done a lot of homework in terms of weapons manufacturer[s], where they're located, and how they work," explains Assante, who did attend a French language school to prepare for the part. However, he knew he wouldn't be getting any ideas for his character from real dealers. "I won't even entertain the idea of trying to get close to someone in that world because too many doors close. It's a very profitable business, so very few people want to discuss that.

In fact, Assante tells us he was never able to finish his own documentary on the subject matter because it was too difficult to get information and too expensive. "I was in Croatia, Angola, and set to go to Cambodia and Vietnam, but I lost so much money in Africa that I couldn't afford to keep going," he says. "I was actually kind of blackmailed in Africa. Because I would need protection to go into certain areas, they blackmailed me for money to get into those areas. When you lose that much money in one week, you think, 'Pull it in. That's it. Back to acting.'"

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Oscar contenders David Friendly (one of the producers of the Best Picture nominee "Little Miss Sunshine") and Eddie Murphy ("Dreamgirls'" Best Supporting Actor prospect) don't have to wonder about what their next project will be. They're due to join forces in early March to shoot "Starship Dave," in which Eddie is to play a vehicle from which tiny aliens emerge — seriously. The always-busy Murphy actually has a gaggle of projects to which he's been attached for the future — but now that he's getting such kudos for showing serious actor chops, we hear on good authority, he's doing some serious rethinking of some of those projects.

Obviously, this did not happen before he made the Friday (2/9)-opening "Norbit."

NOT WAITING TO DO GOOD: Liana Liberato isn't a star yet; her first film, Fox Faith's "The Last Sin Eater," doesn't debut until Friday (2/9). Plus, she's only 11 years old. But the lovely Galveston, Texas native isn't waiting to put her celebrity to charitable use. Liana says she was drawn to acting because she's so impressed by the good works many actors do — as in Bono and Leonardo DiCaprio and Oprah Winfrey addressing medical and educational problems in Africa, Angelina Jolie and her work on behalf of refugees, on and on.

Maybe Liana got a little extra help. She got an audition her second day in Hollywood — and was signed by one of the world's leading studios. As soon as she finished her "Last Sin Eater" role, she found that a demanding publicity schedule lay ahead of her — and looked for the right cause to benefit from the attention she would be getting. She chose the AmberWatch Foundation, which distributes to at-risk American kids those watches that can sound a piercing alarm when the child is in danger of abduction or molestation. She has been serving on the AmberWatch Foundation's children's board and is excited by her work in getting tens of thousands of the protective watches to children whose parents cannot afford them. "To be part of a program that actually teaches Be Safe information across the country and offers the best protective device available, if that's what being an actor is like, I chose the right profession," she says.

(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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