Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Don't expect John Rich to rest on his laurels now that not only has he won "Celebrity Apprentice" but broken the show's fundraising records with $1.3 million donated to his charity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

He and his pal and partner, "Big Kenny" Alphin, and Gretchen Wilson have a brand-new video on the way — and they've got their Big & Rich tour to keep them busy all summer long.

"I'm really excited to be back on the road with Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson and Cowboy Troy — the nucleus of the Music Mafia back together again," he says. "We've got great reports from fans around the country who are all pumped up to see us." Their "Xtreme Muzik" tour starts June 18.

The new song/video is "Fake ID," which, he says, "is actually going to be featured in the new 'Footloose' movie with Julianne Hough. It's a huge choreographed dance number. I've seen a sneak peek, and it's awesome," he tells us of the feature due in October.

It's been a busy three years since Big & Rich have been out touring together. Rich explains, "Big Kenny kind of became a world traveler there for a while, shooting documentaries. I've been working with JaneDear and on 'Shuttin' Detroit Down,' 'Gone Country' and 'Celebrity Apprentice,'" he notes, ticking off some of his producing, solo recording and TV activities.

"We had that breather, and then Kenny reached out to me and said, 'Hey, man, I'm going to be back in town. You want to do something?' And I said, 'Dude, I've been waiting on that call.'"

ACROSS THE BURNING SANDS: We're used to stories of tough productions, but Academy Award-nominated documentarian Greg MacGillivray takes discomfort to a whole different level, having already taken IMAX cameras to the top of Mount Everest and the bottom of the ocean.

MacGillivray's new "Arabia 3D," narrated by Helen Mirren, offered its own sort of brutal challenges, including "filming in 120-degree heat, wind blowing, dust on the camera, dust in the lenses, sand everywhere," as MacGillivray recalls it.

He came away with visually stunning pieces including a trek to the ruins of the Madain Saleh, "two cities carved out of limestone," he says.

"A second visual highlight is diving in the shipwrecks off of Jeddah in the Red Sea. It's a beautiful environment. The water is like 85 degrees, there are coral reefs and it's super clear with all kinds of fish and different animals. And a third would be the Hajj — the tribute to faith that happens once a year, when 3 million pilgrims come to Mecca to celebrate their faith and commune together."

Although he wasn't permitted in the main mosque, "My camera team was Muslim and were able to take the camera in. We also had helicopters and a view of everything from an adjoining high-rise building. It's an amazing thing to witness."

The idea for "Arabia 3D" was hatched after the 9/11 attacks nearly 10 years ago. Not by MacGillivray, but by "a group of Arab businesspeople who were educated in the U.S. and have homes over here, who love the U.S. and who love Arabia," who came to him with the idea. "They were completely shocked by that event, and they completely understand the reaction of everyone toward Arabs after that event, but they decided that, well, the U.S. population isn't getting the full picture of what it is to be an Arab. We don't know much about it, and what we do know is not very good. We've gotten a lesson in the bad stuff over the last 10 years. They thought, 'Maybe if we make an IMAX film to show around the world, it will give a full picture.'"

He maintains that his mandate required filming "not in a propaganda-ish way, no 'rah rah, we're great' kind of thing" — just real.

By now, having shot his film during nine trips over four years of time, he says, "I really loved the people that we met — hundreds and hundreds of really amazing people."

Next up for MacGillivray: chilling out in a giant way. He's now working on an IMAX film of the Arctic.

BLITZEDKRIEG: Casting is under way for "21 and Over," a comedy about two best friends from high school who reunite as college guys to celebrate one of their birthdays — and get into potentially dangerous shenanigans when they get soused out of their minds. Even worse, it's the birthday boy's big med school interview the next morning. Sounds kinda like "The Hangover" and "The Hangover Part II" with a little "Dude, Where's My Car?" thrown in. Hey, it's not a rip-off; it's a genre!

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 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM