Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Bittersweet Time for Last of the 'Little Women' O'Brien/'Celebrity Apprentice' Contestant Says Never Again

"Now I'm the last of the 'Little Women,' so it's sort of a strange time for me right now," says Margaret O'Brien, the former child star who lost her screen sister and pal of 60 years, Elizabeth Taylor, last week. Taylor, as movie buffs everywhere know, played Amy March in the 1949 adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," and O'Brien played Beth, with the late Janet Leigh and June Allyson as Meg and Jo.

"Elizabeth gave such a wonderful performance as Amy. We were all very close at the time, like sisters," O'Brien recalls. "And we stayed close friends after the movie. So it's a sad time."

The 74-year-old actress and dancer has another one of her classic films returning to the spotlight right now, with the Warner Archive Collection release of her "Unfinished Dance" on DVD today (3/29). The movie, in which Cyd Charisse plays a ballerina who loses out on the lead in "Swan Lake" to another dancer, was compared to Natalie Portman's "Black Swan" during awards season, so Warners is making the restored 1946 feature available (www.wbshop.com) in time to capitalize on "Black Swan's" home video release.

Busy O'Brien, who recently finished shooting a role in the big-screen "Lodestar Sagas," loved "Black Swan" and Portman's performance.

"It reminded me so much of my ballet days. A dancer's life is way is way too hard," adds the performer, whose mother was a famous Flamenco dancer. "In reviews about 'Black Swan,' they talked about how movies about the ballet, like 'The Red Shoes,' are always a little dark because of what you have to go through."

With that in mind, she lends support to dancers' charities and is looking forward to attending a Professional Dancers Society fundraiser with friend Mitzi Gaynor.

"I am happy to see 'The Unfinished Dance' being brought out again. Being able to dance with Cyd Charisse back then was wonderful. She was a beautiful dancer and a beautiful lady.

"I wore out many toe shoes," adds O'Brien. "I didn't keep a lot of memorabilia from my childhood: one dress from 'Little Women,' the red coat from 'Meet Me in St. Louis' and my toe shoes from "The Unfinished Dance.' That was all."

WHERE THERE'S HOPE: Hope Dworaczyk, better known as the 2010 Playmate of the Year, who is now being seen as a contestant on "Celebrity Apprentice," is very clear when it comes to her future in the genre: "I don't want to do another reality show like 'Celebrity Apprentice.'"

She befriended Niki Taylor as the contest got under way, and "When she left, I was so sad I actually cried — because I knew who I was left with," she says.

Sure enough, battling between Star Jones and "Real Housewives of Atlanta's" NeNe Leakes soon broke out.

"I think the person you had to get along with in order to stay on the show was Star," Dworaczyk opines. "Everybody seems to follow what Star does. When Star didn't like Lisa Rinna, nobody went to Lisa's defense because nobody could argue with that woman."

Notes Dworaczyk, "Fortunately, Star sort of took me under wing. I think she felt I was not a threat."

The 26-year-old brunette runway model says that besides Taylor, she especially enjoyed working with Marlee Matlin. "But I was friends with all the girls. I got along with everybody."

Since the show started to air, she's been surprised by the number of times she's approached by women she meets while out and about.

"They'll come up and say, 'Oh, I love you on the show!' Or, 'Oh, where did you get the coat your were wearing in the last episode?' It's amazing to me that they're aware of everything about the show."

But men do not approach her. "Nothing has changed with the guys. I tell people all the time, I do not get hit on. Maybe it's because of the places I go or don't go. I'm not into bar hopping."

Presently, she is into developing other TV projects for herself, one she says she can't talk about as yet, another that would be a U.S. version of her Toronto-based "Inside Fashion" weekly beauty and fashion program. And she hopes to do more acting work — as in the July release "Without Men," in which her cast mates include Eva Longoria and Christian Slater.

"It's kind of a Western comedy, where all the men in this town leave, and the women are left to fend for themselves and start to find out they don't need the men."

TURNING HEADS: Wayne Rogers still gets together for lunch occasionally with his one-time "M.A.S.H" compadre, Alan Alda, the former Trapper John tells Florida chat show host Taris Savell. Now dividing his time between homes in Birmingham, Ala., and Northwest Florida, the actor-cum-financial-whiz has been out tub-thumping his book, "Make Your Own Rules," which he claims is a "renegade guide to unconventional success."

The popularity of culinary competition shows and other foodie faves is inspiring all kinds of activity, as evidenced by a casting breakdown calling for a celebrity chef — to give a demonstration at a private party in Malibu. He or she will be expected to engage a crowd of power people at the swanky affair for 30 minutes. They'll take a pastry chef, by the way. Casting for high-end entertainment for a party — perhaps this will start a trend.

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 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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