Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Platinum-selling singer/songwriter John Ondrasik — a.k.a. Five for Fighting — is calling on tech-savvy fans and other nascent filmmakers to make a difference.

Ondrasik is about to release "World," the second single off his latest Aware/Columbia CD, "Two Lights." And, he says, "We're building a charity website where people will be able to make their own videos to the song." The recording artist says the idea was inspired by the fact that he's received hundreds of unsolicited homemade videos for his hit singles, "Superman (It Ain't Easy)," which became a Grammy-nominated post-911 anthem, and "100 Years."

"People always seem to take these songs and make them their own, and I thought, 'Well, how can we take that to the next level and maybe try to do a little good with the money along the way?' With today's technology, everybody is a filmmaker." According to the plan, "If we put your video on, anytime someone clicks on your video and watches it, 50 cents will go to these five various charities we've chosen. Hopefully, it will take off and raise a lot of money for these good causes." For further info, check out www.fiveforfighting.com

Meanwhile, Five for Fighting joins such acts as All-American Rejects, Smash Mouth and Rockstar: Supernova with Tommy Lee in Las Vegas for America's Party, the annual New Year's Eve celebration that will be broadcast live from the Vegas Strip on DirecTV's popular "CD USA" music program. Despite the hard-rockin' time expected to be had by all, Ondrasik predicts the town will still be standing New Year's Day. "They've seen pretty much everything imaginable, if anybody can survive. Las Vegas is the best at that."

The music man, who is married with two children, adds, however, "For me, being a family man, I'm not the kid I used to be. But my wife is excited about the two-day getaway, and it'll be a nice way to close the year."

MORE AWFUL: Carrie Fisher tells us the adaptation of her 2004 "The Best Awful" book — the sequel to her best-selling "Postcards from the Edge" — is being prepared as a six-hour cable offering.

She also notes that, "I've got the first four hours written." The miniseries is being produced by Bruce Cohen. "Star Wars'" one-time Princess Leia, who's also made her mark as a brilliant author and humorist, tells us it's been hectic for her, working on the script even as she's been doing "Wishful Drinking," her one-woman show at L.A.'s Geffen Playhouse that just finished its premiere run last week.

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: "Saturday Night Live" executive producer Lorne Michaels says he doesn't mind the prime time shows based on his late-night comedy creation, especially if they're making him look good. "I'm a big fan of '30 Rock,' and everybody seems happy with 'Studio 60,'" Michaels points out. "It's very flattering that a writer of Aaron Sorkin's talent has chosen this subject to write about. I'm sure that doctors feel the same way about medical shows. It's like, 'Hey, they're making us look pretty good.'"

BAD GIRL: "America's Next Top Model" acting coach Tasha Smith reports she got to go all out in Tyler Perry's upcoming "Daddy's Little Girls." "I am the devil of the script," declares Smith with a laugh. "I'm the ex-woman of Idris Elba's character and his baby's mama who's raising hell! Honey, I got to sink my teeth into that role, and it was so much fun. This character is so full, so mean, so manipulative and vindictive and just out of her mind! It was a role that's a little more complex to play as an actor, but at the same time is so rewarding."

Smith says Perry — who's become a cottage industry all his own with such popular Christian-themed movies as "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" and "Madea's Family Reunion" — "wrote this role for me." The actress, who teaches her own acting workshops, says the way it came about, "We met through a mutual friend, started talking about the Lord, and he said, 'I'm coming to your class.' After the class he said, 'Oh, my God, I've got a role for you,' which was such a blessing."

(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 2006 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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