DEAR STACY: A friend told me there's going to be a movie version of "Welcome Back, Kotter" with Ice Cube. What can you tell about it? Also, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs was my favorite on the old show, playing Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington. I saw him on "Girlfriends" awhile back. What is he up to nowadays? — E.F., Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR E.F.: The plan is for Ice Cube to star in the title role formerly played by Gabe Kaplan — the teacher who returns to his inner-city alma mater and takes on a new generation of kids. They're hoping for a fall production start on the Dimension Films project Ice Cube is also producing. Hilton-Jacobs keeps an eclectic professional life. He directed a series pilot earlier this year. He's been working on the screen adaptation of Levy Lee Simon's play "The Bow Wow Club." He's been acting in indie films including the dark comedy "Otis" (set for home video release in October), the drama "Strawberries for the Homeless" and the comedy "Tamales and Gumbo." His TV guest roles of recent years include "Raven" and a recurring part on "Gilmore Girls." He's done time on the road as well, doing plays and gospel musicals. And, as a composer, keyboardist and singer, he has a whole musical dimension to his career.

Dear Stacy: Is Jerry Ferrera, who plays Turtle on HBO's "Entourage" series related to "Ugly Betty's" America Ferrera? — M.O., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR M.O.: No, Jerry spells his last name Ferrara, not Ferrera. He's an Italian-American born in Brooklyn, New York. America Ferrera was born in the San Fernando Valley in L.A. County to Honduran parents.

DEAR STACY: I watched "Kid Galahad" with Elvis Presley and Charles Bronson, and it looked like they were eyeball-to-eyeball — the same height. I know Bronson was short. How tall was Elvis? — David D., New York, N.Y.

DEAR DAVID: Elvis' height is usually listed as 6 feet or just a shade under, while there's considerable debate over Bronson's height. Though it was officially 5' 11", it's been reported as 5' 7" by Men's Health, as 5' 7" and 5' 9" by other publications. I remember standing with him, and 5'9" seems about right. Chalk up "Kid Galahad" to movie magic, or lifts.

DEAR STACY: Love "Dr. Who" on the Sci Fi! We're going crazy trying to remember where we have seen lead actor David Tennant before. Please tell a little about him. — Jamie P., Newark, N.J.

DEAR JAMIE: Perhaps the 37-year-old Scotsman's appearance as extremely bad guy Barty Crouch, Jr. in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" comes to mind for you. Tennant, who changed his name to avoid confusion with another actor, is the youngest of three children born to Rev. Alexander and Helen McDonald. He studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama — and gained experience with the Scottish political comedy group 7:84 Theatre Company. Tennant has been seen in a number of BBC dramas, and has the BBC-HBO co-production "Einstein and Eddington" coming up, playing scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington to Andy Serkis' Albert Einstein. Tennant is single, though he's been linked to actresses Anne-Marie Duff and Sophia Myles.

DEAR STACY: Please give some information about Mark Valley of "Boston Legal" and "Keen Eddie." What a handsome man. — Rachel R., Queens, N.Y.

DEAR RACHEL: Valley's playing an FBI agent in Fox's August-debuting "Fringe." The fourth series created by J.J. Abrams ("Felicity," "Alias," "Lost"), it's highly buzzed with a $10 million, two-hour pilot. Sounds like a nice move for the actor who's been talked up to play Captain America on the big screen. Born in Ogdensburg, NY, some 43 years ago, Valley is a 1987 West Point graduate with a degree in math. He served in Operation Desert Storm (as did his "Legal" counterpart) in 1991 and was stationed in Berlin when a talent agent noticed him. He was in his last year with the Army when he landed a small role in John Schlesinger's 1993 film "The Innocent" with Anthony Hopkins. Valley's also remembered by "Days of Our Lives" fans for his four-year run on that show as Jack Deveraux.

DEAR STACY: We just watched the new DVD of the old Disney film "The Sword in the Stone," and my young daughter noticed that "Wart," the young Arthur, sounded different from scene to scene. We wondered whether it was the same boy, whose voice changed, or even different boys? The credits just list voice talents. — Shawna S., Torrance, Calif.

DEAR SHAWNA: That character was actually played by three different young actors: Rickie Sorensen and two of long-time Disney animation director Wolfgang Reitherman's sons — Richard and Robert Reitherman. A third Reitherman son, Bruce, provided the voices of "Winnie the Pooh's" Christopher Robin and "The Jungle Book's" Mowgli.

DEAR STACY: Someone told me that Jim Carrey saved Jennifer Aniston's life when they were making "Bruce Almighty." Is that so? Details? — Lee H., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR LEE: It's an old — untrue — story that had Carrey pulling Aniston out of danger as a crane toppled over on a location set. In fact, there was an incident in which a tree fell, but neither star was on the set when it happened. Nevertheless, the tale of Jim's supposed heroic deed spread from the tabloids to radio and beyond. His publicist declared, "It's a great story. It's too bad it's not true."

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

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.