Honoring a pair of departed souls

When Malcolm Lee got the call over the weekend that Bernie Mac had died, the director says he was overcome by grief.

When he got a call the next day that Isaac Hayes also died, he began to question reality.

“It was surreal,” he says. “It had to be some sort of bad dream that these two giants would die on the same weekend, and both would be in my movie.”

Lee’s film, “Soul Men,” featuring Mac, Hayes and Samuel L. Jackson, tells the story of two estranged soul singers (Mac and Jackson) who reunite to honor their deceased band leader.

Mac, 50, died Saturday from complications relating to pneumonia; Hayes, 65, died Sunday from an apparent stroke.

Though no changes have been announced for the Nov. 14 film, Lee says he feels the pressure of creating a fitting farewell to the performers.

“This isn’t like ‘Dark Knight,’ where Heath Ledger died while editing was in its infancy,” Lee says. “Most of our editing is done.

“We’ll go back and see if there is anything we can do better. But (Mac) left us with an indelible performance. I think I got him at the top of his game.”

‘Dark Knight’ gets off light

Christian Bale, the Batman star of “The Dark Knight,” will not face charges relating to an alleged assault last month on his mother and sister, British prosecutors said Thursday.

Crown Prosecution Service said while it “treats all incidents which take place in a domestic context seriously, it is important that the views of complainants are also taken into account when making decisions in such cases.”

Bale said through his spokeswoman that he “hopes to put the matter firmly behind him.”

It was sink or swim

It was more than a little awkward for Kate Winslet to film sex scenes with former “Titanic” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio in front of husband Sam Mendes, who directed the pair in the upcoming drama “Revolutionary Road.”

“I just kept saying, ‘This is too … weird,’ ” she says. “And Leo was like, ‘Oh, get over it.’ ”

Says Mendes: “I will admit it was quite bizarre to direct my wife in how to make love. But it’s difficult whether you’re married to a person or not.”

A shot for Bobby, and for J.R.

Several “Dallas” alumni, including Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy, are getting back together at the Southfork Ranch on Nov. 8 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the prime-time soap.

Tickets cost between $100 and $1,000 for the event, which includes fireworks, a country music concert, a question-and-answer session with the cast and tours of the mansion.

“Larry and I will have a bowl of Mueslix and a small shot of prune juice and be in bed by 9 o’clock,” Duffy says. “We’ll let people file by the bed and watch us go to sleep.”

The birthday bunch

Actress Rose-Marie (“The Dick Van Dyke Show”) is 85. Actor Mike Connors (“Mannix”) is 83. Actress Pat Priest (“The Munsters”) is 72. Journalist Linda Ellerbee is 64. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 62. Actress Tess Harper is 58. Actress Debi Mazar is 44. Actress Debra Messing (“Will and Grace”) is 40. Actor Anthony Anderson is 38. Actor Ben Affleck is 36. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 34. Singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 19.