Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Nancy Grace Showing a Different Side in New 'Swift Justice'/'L Word' Couple Surprised by Lesbian Criticism

It will be interesting to see how her supporters and — especially — her detractors respond to legal lightning rod Nancy Grace's "Swift Justice" show that debuts Monday (9/13) in daytime syndication. The show trades in the standard faux courtroom for a glowing Lucite-appointed set that could be the envy of a starship captain and utilizes cutting-edge techno whiz-bangery — like gigantic monitors to bring in witnesses, experts and litigants from afar via Skype-like "polycoms."

But the biggest deal is Grace herself.

Referring to her "Nancy Grace" show on Headline News, she tells us she's been asked, "'Why don't you smile more? Why aren't you more lighthearted?' Well, talking about missing children and homicides, I don't feel like turning on a big fake smile," she says. "One of the things I like about 'Swift' is there's something for me to laugh about every day."

Also, "This is a whole different arena for me. I've always dealt with criminal justice — homicides, kidnappings. These cases are civil," notes the former prosecutor. They run the gamut of not-so-civil civil disagreements, from wedding reception ruiners to compulsive gamblers to a showbiz flimflammer out to get money from gullible seniors and teens — with Grace meting out swift justice as she sees fit.

If all goes as she hopes, she'll continue to do both her HLN show and "Swift Justice." That's despite the fact that she and her husband of three years, investment banker David Linch, have 2-year-old twins Lucy and John at home. How does she manage?

"I'm on my way to the HLN show right now, soaking wet because I just bathed the twins," she reports by phone with a laugh. She also says that when "Swift Justice" is filming, her parents come and stay at her home to help out.

"I enjoy it so much, I don't really want a break. The way the producers have it have configured it for me, I get to be with my twins and work. I grew up with a mom who was a working mom, and so was hers. My grandma that helped raise me, she worked. They had it hard, really, really hard — where they wouldn't get home until late in the evening. My dad worked the night shift. And I grew up seeing them working very hard.

I was proud my mom worked," she says, "and I want my son and daughter to be proud of me, too."

COURTING CONTROVERSY: Engaged couple Nikki Weiss and Jill Goldstein of Showtime's "The Real L Word" aren't surprised that the series — Season 1 comes out on DVD Oct. 19 — has been the subject of controversy. What has surprised them is "The lesbian community has been the most critical of us. That was amazing to me. I was shocked. I joked in one of the episodes that Jill and I don't define ourselves by our sexuality; it's part of who we are, along with being aunts and daughters and the rest of the things we are. That comment sparked hatred. People were very vocal on our fan page," Weiss says.

On the other hand, fans have written in thanking them for making their lives easier and making other comments "that are so rewarding for us."

"It would be a pretty tall order to expect us to represent everyone in the lesbian community," says Weiss. "With only six of us on the show, how could we possibly do that?"

Asked how they feel about sex on the show and in its promotion, says Weiss, speaking of "The Real L Word's" Whitney Mixter, "She crossed some boundaries, they captured it and used it. It keeps the conversation going. It's better to be talked about than not."

"It is premium cable; it is Showtime," adds Goldstein. "I guess it is my hope that if a couple of scenes crossed lines that it's not the only thing people take away from the show."

BLOODY GOOD SHOW: "True Blood" actress Lindsey Haun, who has been focusing on the musical side of her career this summer with her "The Haun Solo Project" album, is considering making a concert swing abroad. "I did a film, an Irish film called 'Shrooms,'" she says of the international hit horror thriller about a hapless group of three couples who go looking for magic mushrooms in the woods in order to get high — and end up getting something else. "It did really well in Europe — top 10 everywhere, so I'm pretty familiar with that fan base, that audience," she says. "I also lived for two months in Ireland. And I have some friends and some pretty established fans in London so I'm excited about the idea of doing that (touring) too."

MOUTHS THAT ROAR: Casting has been going on for "outspoken female personalities" — celebrities only, thank you — for a new, yet-to-be-titled lifestyle reality show. Besides being outspoken, they have to look like they're between 20 and 40 years old.

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.

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