Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Robert Duvall wants to set the record straight. He says we can forget reports that he is set to team with Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman in "Bit Players," a big-screen crime drama about a trio of retirees in pursuit of a Wall Street shark who swindled them of their money.

"I'm close friends with Dustin and Gene," says Duvall. "I even roomed with Dustin when we were young. But I'm not making this movie with them. I don't know what happened to the project. They hired big, big writers, paid them a lot, but that was the end as far as I'm concerned."

"Bit Players" is just one of a long list of movie projects to which Duvall's name is attached. But the fact is, he says, "I'm not involved in any of them. I don't know for sure what I'll be doing next."

Chances are the legendary actor — up for an Emmy for AMC's epic "Broken Trail" western — will make a western series for the cable network. "It's about the pony express," he says. "The pony express only lasted for 18 months, and what a wild period it was. They put up signs (that said) 'Horseback riders wanted. Under 21. Orphans preferred.'"

Nothing is set yet, he says, but plans call for him to serve as a producer and as a supporting player.

ELSEWHERE: Robert Duvall, a descendent of Robert E. Lee and a homeowner of an estate in rural Virginia, where Civil War skirmishes were staged, is fighting plans for power towers to be placed throughout the historic battlefields. He reports, "I'm gathering people to help the fight. Last week, my wife and I had a picnic on our farm and hosted several hundred people for the sole purpose of spreading awareness about the situation. We had music, dancing, carriage rides. It was fun — and helpful, I hope."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Wanda De Jesus credits writer/director Franc Reyes with creating a Latina mother who kicks butt with amazing grace in the upcoming indie film "Illegal Tender." "It could have been a caricature," says the former "CSI: Miami" regular, who plays Millie DeLeon, a woman forced to take a stand with her son (played by Rick Gonzalez) after the gangsters who killed her husband come to settle a score in the movie, due out Aug.

"Here are the Latina types we've seen … it's either we're ghetto or we're solely sexual beings. Millie is still sexually viable, and she can kick a— if she wants to, but she's a self-empowered Latina," notes the woman also known as Jimmy Smits' real-life leading lady. "This is a well-educated, upper-middle-class, Latin family, and the sins of the father come back to haunt them.

"In the very beginning I said to Franc, 'This could easily be an exploitative, Lara Croft in Suburbia film, and I have that capability." However, De Jesus, who does know her way around handling weapons, points out that her character "is not a gangster. She's more like your average American who likes to go to the gun range, and she's picked up a little skill. She is, in a sense, the modern-day woman who can be resourceful, and at the end of the day, you really see she turns out to be the true heroine of this film because of her valor, courage, smarts and conviction. It is not histrionic."

HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU: Dr. Will Kirby, venerated by reality-show devotees as among "Big Brother's" greatest contestants ever, operates anew on the new season of E! Entertainment's "Dr. 90210" starting July 30. As a Beverly Hills dermatologist, he's certainly on top of trends for fans of medically enhanced beauty. For instance, he notes that these days, where he lives, "getting Botox is the equivalent to putting on makeup. We used to use a ton of Botox — forty-to-sixty units every three or four months — and it would freeze people's faces. Now we use smaller amounts much more frequently — microdoplets, one-to-ten units every three or four weeks, and maintain a very natural expression. People use it preventatively." As for how much this maintenance costs, Dr. Kirby says it's in the $200-$300 range for two or three months.

Although his patients are "seventy-five percent female, we do get more males every day. Their biggest fear is getting frozen out of their careers because of a perception that they've aged. Any society is ageist, but it's ten times worse in Beverly Hills. The industry worships the youngest songwriter, the newest actress."

His clients' biggest turn-off? "Everyone says, 'I don't want duck lips.' But the fact is, you don't see that effect when augmentation is done properly. You just see people who have beautiful, full lips."

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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