Branagh Loves Too Well, If Not Always Too Wisely

You’d never suspect it, but Kenneth Branagh acts as if the name Shakespeare were a profanity.

That may be an exaggeration, but the fact is that the British actor-director has made a specialty out of adapting the Bard to the big screen. He’s directed both “Henry V” and “Much Ado About Nothing” and is now starring in Oliver Parker’s “Othello.”

And so he know what sells, and what doesn’t. Sex does, and Elizabethan tragedy does not.

“It’s a story about love gone bad,” Branagh says of “Othello.” “It’s also about what happens when your girlfriend’s dad doesn’t like you. It’s gripping, it’s cathartic, it’s thrilling. It’s a tragic love story. If you’ve ever been in love, you should see this movie. Just don’t think about the word Shakespeare.”

Loose talk

Dr. Ruth Westheimer on what advice she would give Princess Diana: “I would ask her to come and talk to me privately, and none of you would ever know. I do have some advice, but I can’t tell you.” E.T. sends his regards from across the galaxy

Steven Spielberg turns 48 today.

And how many of them still do it their way?

Frank Sinatra is 80 now, and he’s also one. As in No. 1. As in the No. 1 singer in America. That’s according to a Harris poll, which filled out the remaining top 10 with such names as the Statler Brothers, Reba McEntire, Whitney Houston Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Barbra Streisand, the Beatles, Alan Jackson and Michael Jackson.

And on Saturday nights, Marla works the tables

You have to admit that Joseph Visconti has a point. He says he was promised a lot for the $25,000 he paid to join Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Not only did the club open 10 months late, but when it did open there was no promised tennis court, spa, beach-front pool and 18-hole golf course. And no celebrities of note. But Trump won’t refund Visconti’s money, so he’s suing. By the way, Lee Majors was one of Trump’s celebrity guests to attend last week’s gala opening.

In their movie, we see Meg Ryan and Wesley Snipes

Though she has been under a lot of scrutiny lately, Britain’s Princess Diana has managed to keep a sense of humor about her. During a recent dinner in New York, she began a speech with “Ladies, gentlemen, cousin Colin and God.” She was jokingly referring to Colin Powell, who is said to be her distant cousin.

Occasionally, he hummed ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’

During his recent hospitalization, Michael Jackson had posters of Shirley Temple, Mickey Mouse and Topo Gigio pinned up in his room. This was supposed to make him happy.

Maybe she can at least get a part in his movies

Coupling news: Shannen Doherty is said to have accepted the proposal of marriage from film director Rob Weiss (“Amongst Friends”).

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by staff writer Dan Webster