Mena Suvari assures that fans of Ernest Hemingway will not be disappointed with her upcoming big-screen adaptation of the Nobel Prize-winning author's "Garden of Eden."

"There's a lot of preparation in bringing a book into a movie, and I feel like we did a really good job of it," says the actress, who costars in the film with British actor Jack Huston and Matthew Modine.

"It's a wonderful Hemingway novel all about transformations and relationships, published posthumously and very close to Hemingway's own life. It was pretty much a personal account, which not a lot of people know. What we shot was really close to it."

Suvari also admits that "Garden of Eden" was a "very emotional piece to tackle. It's a very sexual film about a woman who starts to question herself and her marriage."

The "American Beauty" actress, who is currently on the big screen playing a young woman who waits for her accident victim to die in "Stuck," continues to prove she's not one to shy away from those intense roles. Up next for her is the Lifetime original movie called "'Sex and Lies in Sin City.' It's based on the book 'Murder in Sin City: The Death of a Las Vegas Casino Boss,' about the Ted Binion murder," she says. "I play Sandy Murphy, his girlfriend." That would be the notorious girlfriend who in 1998, conspired with her new lover, Rick Tabish, to murder Binion, the mega-wealthy, colorful, eccentric heroin addict who was heir and executive of the Binions Horseshoe casino fortune. The cable movie also costars Modine.

HELLO AGAIN: Alfonso Ribeiro admits he isn't a fan of being recognized solely for his work on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air." He's hoping his latest projects, including a new gig on the Game Show Network (GSN), will keep people from continuously associating him with Carlton. "It's something that I did 13, 14 years ago, so I'm very much over it, but other people are not. I think it's more popular now than it was when we were doing it just from it being in syndication," he notes. "Part of me wishes, 'Let's have something new, let's not focus on the old,' but people still recognize that we made a great product, so I enjoy that."

It certainly hasn't kept him from teaming up once again with former co-star-turned-mega star Will Smith. "I'm developing a TV series at Overbrook Productions, so I'm in close contact with Will," Ribeiro tells us, referring to Smith's production company. "He was involved with the initial creation of it, but then he moved it over to his people, who have continued the process. We're in the creative side of it. It's still in its infant stage, but we'll see what happens."

Meanwhile, Ribeiro wants fans to tune into GSN to see him hosting "Catch 21," premiering July 21. It's their new, fast-action series blending pop trivia with the classic card game 21. While Riberio is enjoying the new venture, he admits it hasn't come without its challenges. "It was actually much harder than I expected. With a game show, what's different is you have to really be a master of the game. You have to know every possible combination of circumstances and exactly what to do in all of those circumstances," he explains. "Before I started the show, I probably played the game about 1,000 times. I've gotten pretty good."

NUMBERED DAYS?: Will CGI — computer generated imagery — eventually supplant the need for real actors? Niecy Nash, who provides one of the voices in Jerry Bruckheimer's upcoming big-screen comedy, "G Force," seems to think so. "They're not gonna need any of us," quips the "Reno: 911!" regular, who joins such stars as Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz and Steve Buscemi in the film due out next year. "Between that and reality TV we can go somewhere and sit down."

Nash says "G Force" is "a delicious film that marries a little animation to live action. It's about some animals used as secret spies for the government, and it's super cute. I play a woman named Rosalita, who owns the pet store where all the pets live. I'm live. But the CGI? I promise you … they make it seem like the animals can really talk, it's all so lifelike."

UNSEEN BEAUTY: Former supermodel-turned-judge on "America's Next Top Model," Paulina Porizkova admits she feels bad for today's models because it's not the industry she once was a part of. "It has changed a lot, and not for the better. I definitely lucked out to have had a career when I did," claims Porizkova, who settled down to have children with Ric Ocasek of "The Cars." "I feel quite sorry for the girls who are working at it today because there's a lot less money and fame involved. There are no supermodels anymore. When was the last time you saw a model on a cover or on a major ad campaign? It's all actresses."

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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