Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Brendan Fraser lets us know we can expect the third installment of his "Mummy" franchise — "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" — to be even more of a spectacle than the first two blockbuster big-screen adventures.

"There were only three years, I think, between the first two films, and the technology had quadrupled by the second one. Now it's been seven years between the second and third one, and it's all that much more amazing," notes Fraser. "That's not to say technology makes a film better on its own. But it does mean that Rob Cohen, who is no stranger to moving things around and doing big-set pieces, is taking full advantage of the toys now at our disposal." He adds, "I'm very pleased with what I've seen so far."

"Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," directed by Cohen and costarring Jet Li, comes out Aug. 1. It's one of a string of Fraser flicks big and small on the way this year, including "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D" and the fantasy "Inkheart." First up is "The Air I Breathe," which opens Friday (Jan. 25), in which Brendan plays a man who gets brief psychic visions of the future — until he falls in "very dangerous" love with Sarah Michelle Gellar's character.

"I wanted it because it's such a departure from anything I've done before, and I found the material very moving," Brendan says of filmmaker Jieho Lee's multi-story thriller. It was inspired by a Chinese proverb's four pillars of emotion: love, sorrow, pleasure and happiness. The movie also stars Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Julie Delpy, Emile Hirsch — and Andy Garcia as a merciless crime boss named Fingers, known for cutting off the digits of those who owe him money.

"I think it was Sarah who went in and said, 'Fingers is going to get you if you don't hire Brendan,'" says Fraser with a laugh.

HE STILL HAS IT: "It's Stallone at his best," claims actress Julie Benz of Sylvester Stallone's performance in his latest movie, "Rambo," hitting theaters Jan. 25. "He's in amazing physical shape."

Yes, even at the age of 61, Sly is kicking some serious booty on-screen says Benz, who plays opposite him, adding that everyone else was scrambling to keep up. "The role itself didn't require much training, but I figured since I was the only chick in this movie, then I would need to be pretty tough.

I kind of felt they were underestimating my physical capabilities, so I wanted to go in and prove I was a lot tougher than I appear," explains Benz, who tells us she put herself through an intense workout routine to prepare herself for the part. "They said I was going to have to do a lot of running, and I thought, 'I'm a runner, and I can run pretty fast. There's going to be a scene where I have to run with the big guys, and I'm going to outrun them all.' We did that at one point, and Stallone kicked my a—. He's fast, and he doesn't even run!"

NAKED TRUTH: "The Naked Brothers Band" Nickelodeon series returns tonight (Jan. 21) with a telepic titled "Sidekicks" starring Nat and Alex Wolff — a.k.a. the very popular 13- and 10-year-old musician/songwriter/actor brothers that the kids' channel must be especially grateful to have in house now that pregnant "Zoey 101" star Jamie Lynn Spears has left the building.

"I think we're more relaxed now," says Nat. "I think from doing season one, we learned that it is possible to do all the work and still have fun. That's one of the greatest parts of the show, that there is genuine fun going on between the kids."

In the new season, their rock-star TV alter egos will be seen going on a concert tour of the country — something both brothers say they'd love to do for real. "We shot two concert episodes, and we got to play three sets at this amusement park, Playland (in Rye, N.Y.). It was so awesome doing a concert at night," Nat tells us.

"It was so much fun. There were a lot of kids there," adds Alex. "It gave me a lot of energy."

THEM THAT'S GOT: Producers of a forthcoming reality TV show called "Indulgent Escapes," inspired by American Airlines' American Way magazine (yes, really), are signing up travelers for luxurious trips to Bermuda, the Mexican Riviera, the Cayman Islands and other dream locales. The show has a 13-episode commitment. The catch: You have to be a celebrity.

AND THEM THAT'S NOT: And, though much of Hollywood is in limbo due to the writers' strike, work does go on in some quarters. There've been several casting notices out in recent times for webisodes that are Screen Actors Guild approved. Nudity is often required. And if you think that means the quality level of product available for viewing these days keeps getting shoddier and more salacious, well, we think you're right.

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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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