Notes from Hollywood

•Christian Bale (Batman) was born in Wales, grew up in England and Portugal, and then came to the United States.

•How about this for a combo? Nic Cage and Will Smith? The two are teaming in “Time Share,” a comedy about two fathers who find their families have been booked into the same time-share unit at the same time. What was to have been a dream vacation turns into a nightmare. Should be fun.

•Meanwhile Nic has “The Wicker Man” and “The Weather Man” coming up. As to their own private lives, both actors seem to be rocking along in happy marriages at the moment.

•Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfus and Emmy Rossum are set to star in a remake of “The Poseidon Adventure.” This about the survivors of a capsized ship who must work their way to the surface of the upside-down vessel. Dreyfus plays a gay man whose relationship terminates just before the cruise, and Russell and Rossum are father and daughter. The original film starred Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Roddy McDowall and Stella Stevens.

•And speaking of cruises, Gena Rowlands back from one telling about how lovely it was. She, Pat Neal and Kitty Carlisle entertained the passengers. Gena reading “Love Letters” with Cliff Robertson, Pat Neal telling how she overcame all her difficulties, and Kitty belting out delightful songs. Now Gena, one of the finest actresses around today, is looking forward to the release of “Skeleton Key.” Word is she does a magnificent piece of work in this story set in the Deep South.

•Aside to Rosemund F. of Taos, N.M. Uh-uh. You’re wrong. Dame E. Taylor had SEVEN husbands, not six. You forgot John Warner. So, to refresh everyone’s memory, there was Nicholas Hilton, Michael Wilding, Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton, John Warner and Larry Fortensky. She divorced them all except Todd, who was killed in a plane crash. She had seven husbands, but was married EIGHT times, because she wed Burton twice. Let’s hope that solves that.

•Marilyn Monroe was known to be sexy, beautiful, a capable actress, and she could sing somewhat, but no one seemed to know that she could also paint a bit. Now, I see where a watercolor by the sexpot herself was found and put up at auction, along with her personal phone book listing the numbers of many celebrities. The painting and the phonebook went for $150,000.

•Aside to Roberta H. of Del City, Okla. Yes, Zsa Zsa Gabor is still with us, although I understand she is confined to a wheelchair after her car accident. And I think we have discussed this before. Yes. She was Mrs. Conrad Hilton, but she only had one child: Francesca Hilton. So whatever relation she is to Paris, it would be step.