Alicia Witt's character in the Friday (4/18)-opening Al Pacino thriller, "88 Minutes," is that of a teacher's assistant who's completely gaga over her boss. To hear Alicia carry on about Pacino, her feelings of idolization must have been pretty easy to play.

"Al goes above and beyond the norm, especially for someone who's accomplished all he has," she lets us know. "He really wanted to rehearse, and for two weeks before we started shooting, he had people come over to his house to read scenes and work on them with him. During production, he'd have people get together for Italian dinners, and we'd sit there with our scripts and work on scenes some more."

Adds the actress/singer, "He's probably always been my favorite actor. Now I look up to him for his work ethic as well. He doesn't carry himself as someone to be idolized, which is really endearing. There's no grandiosity, no entourage. As soon as we shook hands, my nervousness went away."

Pacino plays a forensic psychiatrist/university professor who put a serial killer behind bars, and who gets told by an unidentified phone caller that he has 88 minutes to live in the flick. Witt says that given the ticking clock aspect, "There was the challenge of trying to define what these people are to each other, but not be absurd about it" — and the relationship had to be conveyed within glances and tones of voice.

MEANWHILE: Witt doesn't know what her future will be with "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," though she made it clear from the start of her tenure as Det. Nola Falacci on the series, she says, that she wasn't interested in a permanent job. "Julianne Nicholson is back from maternity leave, and the structure of the show is two detectives. They've asked me to do a few more, but it wouldn't be on a regular basis because that's not the nature of the part. I actually miss Falacci. She's a kick. I have one episode left to shoot on my current contract. I think we'll do that in June, and then we'll see."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Richard Jenkins' "The Visitor" doesn't open 'til tomorrow (4/18), but it's already become a critic's darling, with praises for the film — and especially Jenkins' performance — being sung from NPR to the New York Times, along with commentary about the mysteries of great acting.

"It's been an incredible experience and one I didn't think I would ever have," says Jenkins modestly. The one-time "Six Feet Under" ghost dad tells us that he and filmmaker Tom McCarthy ("The Station Agent"), who share the same agent, happened to be staying at the same hotel a while back, and after running into each other in the lobby one evening, went out for dinner.

"We talked about everything but the new movie. A year and a half later, he called and said, 'I wrote this part for you. Would you read it?'"

The part turned out to be that of a widowed economics professor whose empty life gets recharged — and then some — when he becomes friends with the Syrian drummer to whom his New York apartment has been rented by scammers.

"The first thing I said to Tom after reading it was, 'Nobody is going to give you the money for this with me in the lead.' But Michael London and Groundswell Productions stepped up, and it wasn't even an issue for them."

Jenkins' next two flicks have him back in the supporting actor range, but Jenkins isn't complaining. He says he had a blast making the Will Ferrell-John C. Reilly comedy "Step Brothers" — as Reilly's father, who falls for Will's mother (Mary Steenbergen), leading to a blended family of grown men who never quite managed to leave the nest. He also recently wrapped the Coen Bros. comedic drama "Burn After Reading" — with Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand.

COOKING ON ALL BURNERS: Food Network star Sandra Lee reports the four — count 'em — four cookbooks she's putting on the market this year are just a drop in the bucket. "I have done so much work in advance I have already laid out my next nine books through 2011," says the popular host of "Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee." In addition to cookbooks, she now has "a deal to do a book based on my Semi-Homemade philosophy for Better Homes and Gardens." First off the presses, is the just released "Semi-Homemade Grilling 2," "Grilling 1 was the No. 2 bestselling grill book ever when it was released," she notes proudly. "Then this fall I have 'Semi-Homemade Shortcut Meal Solutions' coming out on how to get the supermarket employees to do all your work for you, 'Sandra's Fast Fix Family,' the 300-recipe collection all about family meals and 'Semi-Homemade Desserts 2.'" Lee says she's expressed concern she might be glutting her own market, but "the buyers dictate what comes out, and they want these books. There's always room for another cookbook, and they're all under $20."

Lee will celebrate the 200th episode of "Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee" show on May 3, but says she's also way ahead of the game on that front. "I have three more shows to do, and I will have shot shows well into and through 2009." To commemorate the milestone, Lee and crew donated $10,000 to God's Love We Deliver, an organization that feeds people living with serious illnesses.

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and 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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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