Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Sean Astin tells us he had nightmares for a week after finishing Luke Moran's upcoming big-screen drama, "The Boys of Abu Ghraib."

The nice guy, who played "Rudy" and "Lord of the Rings'" Hobbit Samwise Gamgee, as an Abu Ghraib prison guard?

"I'm someone who's really fixated on politics," comments Sean, who has actively campaigned for candidates, including Hilary Clinton. "I've also done military-themed movies. I did some work for the U.S. Army. The fact I was offered the chance to do this — it had to happen. I think it's a patriotic gesture to play the part."

It's been a hectic — and extremely eclectic — time for Astin lately. He just wrapped work on his first Christian film, "Amazing Love," with Erin Bethea ("Fireproof"), and says the experience meant so much to him. He adds that he's "mourning the loss" of having to move on finishing production. He's playing a youth pastor in the movie he says is about "fidelity and unconditional love" that's divided between scenes of today and scenes of the Bible story of Hosea and Gomer. Astin has one scene with a very familiar cast mate: his mother, Patty Duke.

In another change-up, Oct. 28 marks the beginning of the roll-out release of Astin's "And They're Off" horse racing movie spoof. He reports that the toughest part about playing the sad-sack horse trainer in the comedy was keeping a straight face. "We laughed the whole time," he says of the film, which also stars Cheri Oteri, Mo Collins, Gigi Rice, Martin Mull, Alex Rocco and other funny people. "Sitting across from Kevin Nealon talking about taxidermy, I had to put my face in my hands to keep from laughing out loud," Sean claims.

"This kind of film is something I've always wanted to do. I love 'Waiting for Guffman' and all those movies. That it's set in the world of horse racing is awesome."

Astin says that "And They're Off" writer/producer Alan Grossbard is a track aficionado who infused the movie with accurate bits of color. "You know who's going to love it is horse racing geeks. There's enough stuff in there. They're going find it very familiar."

Come Nov. 5, Sean will be seen with JoBeth Williams, Charles Shaughnessy and Ernest Borgnine in "Love's Christmas Journey," the latest installment of the Hallmark Channel's hugely popular "Love Comes Softly" series of telefilms based on Janette Oke's book series of a 19th century frontier family.

Actors love diverse roles, but Sean admits, "I don't know that I intentionally set out to do that.

I just want to work." And as far as playing bad, he adds, "I played an ax-murdering voodoo cult cannibal in a movie once. I got it because my attorney was friends with the producer. There was nothing socially redeeming about it at all."

THE BIO IS THE THING: With preproduction proceeding on Lifetime's planned "The Fame Monster" biopic of Lady Gaga, they're now getting to the toughest part: finding a young actress who can play Stefani Germanotta, from her days as a teenage school girl through her transformation into a pop-legend-in-the-making. Casting notices describe the character as a "dark-haired, offbeat, very intelligent teenager from an Upper West Side Italian family." After feeling disappointed with her college experience at NYU, she drops out and moves to the Lower East Side, setting out to prove she's more than a talented young girl.

The role could be a career-starter for the right unknown.

THAT'S DIFFERENT: For those who like genre mashups, there's something to look forward to in the soon-to-shoot "Billy the Kid." Yes, we're talking about the Wild West outlaw, but in this movie, he staggers into a mostly deserted town only to be stalked by ... flesh-eating aliens!

HE'S EVERYWHERE, MAN: What celebrity is on hand for both Occupy Wall Street and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, coming up on CBS Nov. 29? Give up? It's Kanye West, who, as we know, knows a thing or two about telling people what they don't deserve.

A SPOONFUL OF NANNIES: Nannies must be "in" again. We have the Disney Channel show, "Jessie," starring Debby Ryan as a nanny; it's starting off strong in the ratings for the younger set.

And we have two nanny-themed reality shows in the works: "Beverly Hills Nanny," which is currently casting for 18-to-30-year-old practitioners of Mary Poppins' trade. (Wanted are nannies who "currently work for wealthy Los Angeles families ... with dynamic energy, who think that being a nanny for a rich family is the best job in the world.") And then there's an as-yet-untitled in-the-works reality show whose creators are looking for dynamic, upscale families with children — infants to late teens — who have a nanny or are looking for a nanny.

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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