Gena Rowlands, whose illustrious movie work is being celebrated with her Lifetime Achievement honors at next month's Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival, tells us she's in no hurry to get back in front of the camera. Does that mean the end of her career?

"I don't see a lot of pictures I want to do right now. It's just a different era and different interest in stuff like special effects and animation," notes the actress, whose long list of credits includes movies such as "A Woman Under the Influence" and "The Notebook." "I think I've been particularly fortunate in my career because I've had a lot of really good parts. I've had a very happy career, and if something comes along, then I'll be there. I don't ever plan to retire."

When not working with her son Nick Cassavetes or daughter Zoe, who have taken after their late father John and become directors, Rowlands tells us she spends most of her time now on the road.

"My husband (she wed longtime beau Robert Forrest last year) and I travel a lot. One thing about being older is, you've met so many people and you have so many friends by the end of your life, but they're all over the world. We go out, and we let everyone else entertain us for a while."

She'll be on hand for her honors at the Temecula fest, which will include screening of over 100 films and showcase 10 music artists, and run from Sept. 17-21. "

I think it means I'm about 150 years old," says the septuagenarian Rowlands with a laugh. "No, I'm very happy. I like this whole group because they've been really supportive of independent films. The thing about independent pictures that was so hard is that you scrape all of your money together to make the picture, but then you can't afford to advertise it, so how do you get people to see it? As these festivals have come in, these wonderful independent movies have more of a chance to be seen."

A FAMILY SORROW: Nick Hogan, 18-year-old son of famed wrestler Hulk Hogan, is serving his eight-month jail sentence in Florida for the DUI-involved car accident that left his best friend, John Graziano, disabled — yet drama has continued to follow him behind bars. Controversial tapes of him talking to his parents were released a few months ago, and his sister Brooke says she often wonders, why him?

"It's hard now because everything is reported to the public so I can't even talk to him on the phone," says Brooke about keeping in touch with her beloved sibling. "What I don't understand is, Paris Hilton has been in jail, Nicole Richie has been in jail — all these people, who I know the press would love to get a hold of their tapes, how come they didn't get a hold of them? Why are they allowed to get a hold of ours? Even if it is public knowledge, how are they protected and we're not?"

While what's done is done as far as the tapes, Brooke, who is starring on VH1's "Brooke Knows Best," says she and her family, who are going through their own divorce dramas, are choosing to focus on the good that has come out of such an unfortunate situation. "Nick had taken professional driving courses. He knows how to handle the roads and their conditions as best as he can. I didn't see this coming, but it can happen to anybody," she points out. "Now a lot of people think twice about driving home after having a drink, and a lot of people that I know have changed their lifestyle, so Nick and John [Graziano] are a testament to safety and cars."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Susan Sarandon describes Michael Lander's forthcoming "Peacock" film as "a very strange little piece — kind of ominous." It stars Cillian Murphy as a mild-mannered bank clerk whose secret alter ego, as a woman, is revealed when a train crashes into his back yard. Susan, Bill Pullman, Josh Lucas and Ellen Page of "Juno" renown round out the cast. Notes the Oscar-winning actress, "I love Cillian — love his work and to work with him." And Ellen is "exactly like you'd expect: serious, thoughtful, funny, smart and beautiful." The film was shot earlier this year in Iowa. "I'd never really spent much time there before. It was one of those states I drove through. It was interesting," Sarandon notes, "and the people were really great for me."

NOTE-WORTHY: Former "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" star Alfonso Ribeiro has been spotted many times getting his karaoke on in Los Angeles. He even won the reality show "Celebrity Duets." But the actor tells us the music business is not for him. Probably. Well, maybe. "Right now I don't have any plans to do anything with music," says Ribeiro, who started his career dancing. "I obviously love doing it, and I've loved it for a long time, but in terms of an album, I don't know if that's ever going to happen. But you never know."

With reports by Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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