The Hollywood Exclusive

 

Marlee Matlin so busy she wishes she could double herself

BY MARILYN BECK and STACY JENEL SMITH

With her current stint on “Dancing With the Stars,” her “Sweet Nothing in My Ear” CBS telefilm debuting April 20, her ongoing activities as an author, the prospect of more “The L Word” segments looming – plus four kids and a husband – Marlee Matlin doesn’t mind admitting, “Sometimes I wish I was Samantha Stevens, where I could twist my nose and split into two people, one going in one direction and the other staying home. “But I’m more like Alice, the maid on ‘The Brady Bunch,’” she goes on with her vintage TV series allusions. “I’m always running around taking care of little crises around the house. But I love it all!”

Matlin makes it clear she’s having a blast on the dance competition show on which she’s made a giant splash as its first deaf competitor. Luckily, she says,”I have a very good husband, a supportive family and a very detailed date book! And I make sure to be around home as much as I can and take jobs that don't take me out of town – much.” In “Sweet Nothing in My Ear,” she plays the mother of a child who could have his hearing restored with a cochlear implant – something she, as a deaf woman, is against, but her hearing husband (Jeff Daniels) most definitely is for. “Though there have been many episodes of TV shows dealing with the cochlear implant issue, I don't think any of them have looked at it so closely and with so much detail as ‘Sweet Nothing in My Ear,’” comments the actress, answering our questions in writing. “But what's also great about the film is that it makes it all relatable…It's about love across cultural divides and perceptions of disability.”

Would Marlee have such an implant? “I’m not an appropriate candidate for a cochlear implant,” she replies. “In order for the implant to work, all of my residual hearing that I've depended on to hear some of sounds I'm able to hear would have to be removed and replaced by an electronic processor. That's not an option I'm willing to choose.”

WE’VE GOT NEWS FOR YOU: Flame-tressed actress on the rise Tanna Frederick collected a bundle of film festival awards and critical kudos for her “Hollywood Dreams” portrayal of Margie, an aspiring actress so hungry for fame she’ll do anything – anything – to make it. Now she tells us Jaglom’s going back for more with a sequel to the indie darling. And this time, Noah Wyle is aboard as her love interest, “a low-life Hollywood reporter who writes tell-all pieces about stars, who had dreams of being a great novelist.

You see where the trouble starts when they get involved with each other.” Adds Frederick, “A lot of people have been asking what happens to Margie after she sells her soul to the devil and has three big commercial hits...what happens after Cinderella gets the money, the big house, the hot guy.”

Of course, she’ll be moving right along the Hollywood trail with addiction problems, being under house arrest, etc. “She’s just trying to find herself,” says Tanna. Frederick and Jaglom will be on hand at next month’s Iowa Independent Film Festival shooting her in character, she says. “We’re going to take a camera crew there and film basically me going back as Margie and seeing family members and friends in her home town. Henry always capitalizes on these great situations. The rest will be shot this summer.”




HE NAILED IT: Former “Ed” star Tom Cavanaugh reports he got high marks from where it counts most for playing Detective-cum-Congressman David Reichert in the Lifetime Movie Network’s first mini series, "The Capture of the Green River Killer," set to debut Sunday and Monday (3/30 and 31). “We had a screening in Washington and Congressman Reichert was there,” says Cavanaugh, who stars with Amy Davidson in the mini based on Reichert’s book about the true story of the 20-year-hunt for Gary Ridgeway, the most notorious serial killer in U.S. history. “I didn’t talk to him until we actually finished the thing, but he had really kind things to say, which I took with a mixture of happiness and relief. And his children came up to me and said ‘You nailed it,’ so that’s great.” He adds the politico crowd viewing the miniseries “really seemed to like it, but more than anything they really appreciated David Reichert’s dedication to bringing this man to justice. Nineteen years is a long time.”

CYBERHOPPERS: Proving you're never to young to surf the 'net, "Bunnytown" creator/producer David Rudman says the show's interactive website at PlayhouseDisney.com has become almost as popular with pre-schoolers as the morning TV series. "It's amazing," says Rudman, who's also the puppeteer and director. "Even my youngest was into the computer when she was four. It's kind of second nature to these kids. And the interactive games are easy to follow. Some they can play themselves or with parents or older kids, some even three-year-olds can do." "Bunnytown," which just started airing daily on the Disney Channel described as a "Laugh-In" for pre-schoolers. "It's more like a variety show with a lot of comedy segments, great music, interactive moments, running gags and all kinds of craziness," says Rudman, a "Sesame Street" alumnus who still does the voices of Cookie Monster and Baby Bear on that long-running show.
With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.
Photos by Charley Gallay, David Livingston and Stephen Lovekin, from Getty Images