Her story was told on the big screen. And now Bethany Hamilton may be heading to the small screen. The one-armed surfing champ — whose comeback from a devastating shark attack to global recognition as a mighty source of inspiration was chronicled in last year's "Soul Surfer" — reveals she has more than one reality show prospect in the works. One is being pitched by producers now, and the 22-year-old says, "I'm also teaming with my brother on a couple of things. It's a hard world to get going in and conquer."

Hamilton's world now is pro surfing. She just returned from back-to-back competitions in Australia, in fact. Still, she says, "I definitely think about my future and stuff — what five things I'm really passionate about."

One of them is surfing. A second is "encouraging people who are going through rough times." Hamilton's efforts as an encourager have made her into a public speaker, albeit a somewhat reluctant one. She says with a laugh, "(Sometimes) it's like you have to practically drag me up there on a leash, but once I'm talking to people, I like it."

A third area of passion: "health and being able to encourage people to have a healthy lifestyle," says Hamilton, who recently taught contestants to surf on an episode of "The Biggest Loser." She's also become a spokes-athlete for Zico pure coconut water — part of their Team Zico, along with such names as NBA all-star Kevin Garnett and Olympic decathlon champ Bryan Clay. "I'm glad to be promoting something healthy, keeping it natural. I drink it every day," she declares.

And the other two things on the devout Christian's list of passions — faith and family. "God is so good to me, getting me through the hard times I've had in the past. And if in the future there are hard times, I'll be all right. God is my strength," she says.

Hamilton does still stay in touch with AnnaSophia Robb, her big-screen alter ego. She notes that the actress is "really busy right now, getting ready to graduate high school, and she has a new role on a TV show." For those who haven't heard, Robb is playing the pre-"Sex and the City" Carrie Bradshaw in the CW's fall-debuting "The Carrie Diaries," which is certainly a world away from "Soul Surfer."

SPEAKING OF INSPIRATIONAL: "Dancing With the Stars" winner J.R. Martinez received the American Red Cross Spirit of Inspiration Award the other night in Santa Monica, Calif., adding to the military man-turned-actor-speaker-dancer-author's many accolades. Between traveling to speaking engagements and putting the finishing touches on his book, "Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength and Spirit" — due out in November — Martinez hasn't had much time for dancing. And considering he and his beloved Diana Jones are expecting their baby daughter's arrival next month, he soon will have even less time. Martinez gives a moving account of how faith and love brought him through his harrowing Iraq War experience and journey to stardom as the May cover subject of Guideposts magazine.

THE BIG-SCREEN SCENE: "The Giant Mechanical Man" has been winning hearts at the Tribeca Film Festival, where the Jenna Fischer/Chris Messina romantic comedy has been hailed as a small gem. It also features Topher Grace — playing an obnoxiously self-centered author to the entertaining hilt — Malin Akerman and Bob Odenkirk, among others.

"Jenna was attached first. She developed the property with Lee, (whom) she wound up marrying," recalls Michael Nardelli, who is among the film's producers, speaking of writer-director Lee Kirk. "That's the coolest story of the whole thing. She sparked the idea, and they wound up falling in love. They got married, and they had a baby seven months ago. Their big joke is that it's easier to fall in love, get married and have a baby than it is to get a movie made."

Their movie, about a silver-outfitted street performer and a girl who works at the zoo, has its whimsical qualities, but as Nardelli points out, it's actually more down-to-earth than many rom-coms, in which the characters all seem to lead rich and/or famous lifestyles: "The appeal is, to me, that it's just real," he says.

Nardelli tells us that the production took place over "18 grueling days in the cold in Detroit in December." He adds: "We were all in the same hotel in the suburbs of Detroit, and everybody got along really well. It was totally a family atmosphere. Everybody was really hustling to get the movie made on time and under budget."

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.