Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

With Kevin Spacey and Colin Firth already on board his adaptation of George Orwell's "Catalonia," esteemed filmmaker Hugh Hudson reports, "We're looking for the lady — the woman between the two men" in the story that takes place during the Spanish Civil War. Considering the names involved as well as the material, you have to know that top actresses' reps have been lined up for weeks.

If all goes as is hoped, "We'll shoot in the spring of next year," adds Hudson. Filming is planned for England, Spain and South American locales — Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Uruguay. "There are places in South America that look more like Barcelona did in the '30s. Also, it's cheaper," notes the filmmaker of "Chariots of Fire" and "I Dreamed of Africa" renown.

MEANWHILE: Hudson has been balancing his "Catalonia" work with the re-launch of his 1985 "Revolution" — "Revolution: Revisited," being released on DVD today (5/26) By Warner Home Video. When the film with Al Pacino as a Scottish trapper drawn into the American Revolutionary conflict came out, it was hit with a vicious volley of critical cannonballs. Pacino didn't make another movie for four years. Hudson didn't for five.

"Revolution" was released before it was ready, in Hudson's view, at the insistence of the production company behind it. Also, "The ending was imposed by the financiers. We were told we had to have an ending where Pacino meets Nastassja Kinski, or they wouldn't give us the money. But it was false, a false conclusion." The new release — which Hudson says he and Pacino have been trying to make happen for 22 years — restores the originally intended ending and adds narration to the film. It's already received positive response. In fact, despite its flaws, many have questioned why a film that clearly has so much going for it in terms of emotional resonance and historical value was met with such downright scorn.

Hudson and Pacino hypothesize that 1985 wasn't the right time for a story that de-glamorized the American Revolution. "It was the Reagan years. The period was a different kind of period. America is having a rebirth under Obama, so we're thinking the time may be right now."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Brody Jenner found himself involved in a love spat on this season of "The Hills" when he got a little too cozy with co-star Audrina Patridge, but the L.A. socialite tells us he doesn't like getting caught up in drama. Well, he's certainly on the wrong show!

"In Hollywood you run into a lot people who are just in it for an opportunity and not to be a real friend.

I think I avoid that kind of stuff because if the person is like that, I can see it coming. I've met so many fake people in this business that it's become so easy to spot," says Jenner, who is anticipating the show's May 31 finale along with the rest of the cast. "I choose to stay out of things a lot. I don't get involved in other people's drama. I try not to get involved in friendships where I think it's going to have a bad outcome." 

In fact, Jenner claims to be a lot more laid back than some might assume. "I grew up in Malibu. My friends are all a bunch of surfer kids. That's kind of how I grew up," he tells us. "Those are my true friends. I'll go back to Malibu, and they'll mess with me about doing the TV shows. I don't know, I just love down-to-earth people who are easy to hang out with. Those are the people I click with — the people who aren't searching to be the next big this or that."

SHE DOES: Wedding planner to the stars Diann Valentine has a new role starring in Mark Burnett's latest reality offering, the June-debuting "Wedding Day," in which everyday couples get to have their dream nuptials. "It's an incredible opportunity to do the things I do for the rich and famous for everyday people. The rich and famous — they're used to saying what they want. They're used to opulence. But a regular girl from Saginaw, Mich., might not know where to start," observes the aptly named businesswoman, who confesses to being "a huge sucker for love."

She stresses, "'Wedding Day' is about more than just an opulent, expensive wedding — it's about changing people's lives, helping these couples with their plans and dreams or to get a fresh start. We had one couple who postponed their wedding because their baby needed a kidney transplant. We were able to give them a dream wedding, and we found a partner to give him a full four-year scholarship to go back to college and finish his degree."

Another couple, both Army captains, wanted to wed at a 1920s church in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., that had been the site of one of their parents' wedding. "They were literally both in combat in Iraq, living on the battlefield in tents, ditches and holes. When I asked her her goals in life, she said, 'There's nothing I'd rather be doing than waking up each morning serving my country and making it safer.' It was a fresh perspective for me," says Diann, who says it took weeks of phone calls to coordinate their wedding leaves. "It was an emotional, emotional experience." And yep, she does cry at weddings. "I often find myself shedding a tear or two, and it's not an embarrassing thing for me at all."

With reports by 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 2009 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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