People: We read her loud and clear
Heather Mills competed with a prosthetic leg on “Dancing With the Stars.”
Next up: a woman who can’t hear the music.
Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin (“Children of a Lesser God”) is one of 12 celebrity contestants for the next round of ABC’s hit ballroom dance show.
Mills “really made an impression,” says Matlin, 42, who has severely limited hearing. “She really raised awareness of what someone with a physical disability can do.”
As for her own challenge, Matlin says: “Seeing as I haven’t let it affect my acting, I don’t think I’ll have more difficulty than other cast members. You try to imagine what it’s like when you can’t hear the music. I’ll let my partner be my music.”
Other contestants for the new season, starting March 17, include Priscilla Presley; figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi; comedian Adam Carolla; actresses Shannon Elizabeth and Marissa Jaret Winokur; actors Steve Guttenberg and Cristian De La Fuente; tennis champion Monica Seles; magician Penn Jillette; R&B singer Mario; and Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor.
‘Big Brother,’ small mind
The Autism United advocacy group is demanding an apology from CBS over a disparaging remark made on “Big Brother.”
A contestant named Adam, who claims to work for an autism foundation, said he would spend his winnings on a hair salon “so retards can get it together and get their hair done.”
The network issued a statement condemning the comment, and pointing out it was immediately challenged by another contestant.
Remember – be nice
Alzheimer’s Association officials are hoping that no insensitive remarks about the disease come up during Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Two movies dealing with Alzheimer’s and dementia – “Away From Her” and “The Savages” – are up for Oscars.
When she won best actress for “Away From Her” at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Julie Christie ended her acceptance speech by saying: “And if I’ve forgotten anybody, well, it’s just that I’m still in character.”
Two thumbs up
A Las Vegas man today plans to unveil a photo of Marilyn Monroe as a nude hitchhiker.
Lawrence Nicastro says the picture was in the trunk of a car abandoned at his Bronx service station in 1962. It’s believed to have been taken in Nevada in 1960, where Monroe was filming “The Misfits.”
Some like it hot
In the new New York magazine, Lindsay Lohan re-creates Marilyn Monroe‘s famed nude photo shoot shortly before her death in 1962.
The same photographer, Bert Stern, took the pictures at the same location, the Hotel Bel-Air.
Says Lohan: “I didn’t have to put much thought into it. I mean, Bert Stern? Doing a Marilyn shoot? When is that ever going to come up? It’s really an honor.”
The birthday bunch
Actor Sidney Poitier is 81. Singer Nancy Wilson is 71. Actress Brenda Blethyn is 62. Actor French Stewart is 44. Model Cindy Crawford is 42. Actor Andrew Shue is 41. Actress Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”) is 30. Singer Rihanna is 20.