Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti expects to complete recording of his next album this week, and reveals that not only is he going back to his Italian roots with the record — he's pairing with a late, legendary singing icon from his motherland.

"I'm Italian and I used to live in Italy, and the new album is called 'Italia,'" reports Botti, proudly adding the new disc includes a duet with the late, great Dean Martin. "They called up and said, 'We're doing a duets record. Do you want to do a duet with Dean Martin?' And I said, 'Uh … yes, actually!!' So we did 'I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face.'"

Botti, who's in the first leg of an extensive duet tour with Diana Krall, describes the album as "kind of romantic, orchestral jazz music with Italian classics and pop songs. There's a new song that Andrea Bocelli is going to sing and a couple of Ennio Morricone pieces similar to 'Cinema Paradiso.'"

It's a change of pace from what Botti's fans have come to expect, but the sexy music man, who wowed the crowd last weekend at the 29th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival, says he's looking forward to performing it live.

"Oddly enough, a lot of the stuff on this album is so much more playable live than the kind of things we do, probably more than any of my other CDs. It comes out great live … especially with orchestras."

KEEP ON TREKKING: "Star Trek's" George Takei says it's hard to believe that after 40 years fans are still "trekking" right alongside him and his colleagues from the show, but the phenomenon is still going strong. Now they're finding even more ways to continue the legacy as they're currently offering fans the chance to participate in a studio-sanctioned, online storytelling event at http://StarTrek.FanLib.com.

"'Star Trek' fans have always been very creative, from painting portraits of actors, to writing short stories about the show, to putting together some of the most unique alien costumes," points out Takei. "This is taking advantage of another Sci-Fi device that didn't exist back then called the Internet. The theme of the story we're proposing is Kirk vs.

Picard. They're separated by generations, but we're seeing what clever notions fans can come up with to bring the two generations together, so they can either be adversaries or compatriots."

Besides still being heavily involved with "Star Trek," Takei tells us he's soon to start shooting episodes of "Heroes," continuing the role of Hiro's father. He's also got several movies on the way. "I was in New Orleans for two weeks filming a coming-of-age comedy called 'American Summer,' and I've got another film, a comic adventure movie, called 'Ninja Cheerleaders.'" Of course he'll be making some time for his beloved Howard Stern radio show. "Next month I thought I'd party with Howard again. It's a hoot," he adds. "His parties begin very early in the morning. That's the downside. Most parties begin in the evening."

NO NUDES IS GOOD NEWS: MTV's Lauren Conrad had her reputation on the line earlier this year when rumor spread that she and ex-boyfriend Jason Wahler, who can't seem to stay out of trouble, had a sex tape on the loose, but Lauren tells us she's relieved to have that story be a thing of the past. "It was just a rumor. Nothing came out of it obviously because it wasn't true. So, I think that it's kind of gone away," says Lauren, who is currently filming the third season of her show, "The Hills." Though some young starlets love being the talk of the tabloids, no matter if it's good or bad, this is one girl who doesn't believe in the benefits of bad publicity. "I think if you're looking for 15 minutes, any publicity is good publicity, but if you're trying to maintain an image, that publicity doesn't help you out."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Looks like the Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett-produced "On the Lot" reality series hasn't come close to living up to its expectations. Still, despite poor ratings, the show hasn't been pulled from Fox's scheduling. Host Adrianna Costa, who has also been slammed by viewers and critics alike as a second-rate Ryan Seacrest, insists that in spite of any reports, mega producer Burnett is working as hard as ever. "It's like, 'When do you sleep?' I don't think the man has a bed. I think he just works straight through," she says. It will take more than that to make this show a success.

(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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