Love tap or angry slap?

Love tap or angry slap?
NEW YORK -- Burt Reynolds apparently slapped a CBS-TV assistant producer in the face at a New York screening of his new film, "The Longest Yard." The producer, who works for CBS News PATH, approached Reynolds on the red carpet outside a Chelsea theater Tuesday night. When he asked Reynolds to tell him about the film, the actor seemed annoyed. "You don't know anything about the movie?" Reynolds replied. The producer acknowledged he hadn't seen the movie or the original 1974 film. Reynolds then seemed to slap the producer. "What ... kinda of guy are you?" he asked. CBS aired footage of the incident on "The Early Show" Wednesday morning. Jeff Lane, a spokesman for Reynolds, said in a statement that Reynolds "playfully tapped [the producer] on the cheek, as if to say, 'Well, that's not very nice.' He was kidding." CBS News PATH provides video footage to affiliate stations.
Lowe heads to Lifetime
LOS ANGELES -- So it's come to this. After leaving "The West Wing" and seeing his star vehicle "The Lyon's Den" fail, Rob Lowe finds himself at Lifetime. Lowe and Julia Ormond will star in the cabler's "Beach Girls," a six-hour mini-series premiering July 31. It's based on the Luanne Rice novel about a group of teen girls who grow apart, but who, in the words of Publishers Weekly, re-experience "the near mystical persistence of female bonds."
'Sopranos' star to crossover into 'L & amp;W: Intent'
NEW YORK -- Annabella Sciorra is the latest "Sopranos" star to cross police lines to "Law & amp; Order." The 41-year-old actress, who played Tony Soprano's mistress on the HBO mafia drama, will join the cast of NBC's "Law & amp; Order: Criminal Intent," it was announced Tuesday. Sciorra will play police detective Carolyn Barek, the partner of detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth). Earlier this year, she guest-starred on "Law & amp; Order: Trial by Jury." "Annabella is an extremely talented and versatile actress, who has that rare combination of beauty, sex appeal, power and humor," said creator/executive producer Dick Wolf in a statement. "I also anticipate she will have terrific chemistry with Chris." Sciorra, whose films include "Cop Land" and "Jungle Fever," was nominated for an Emmy for her role as Gloria Trillo on "The Sopranos." Other stars of "The Sopranos" to try the other side of the law: Michael Imperioli was a guest star on "Law & amp; Order" earlier this year; in March, Lorraine Bracco appeared on "Law & amp; Order: Trial by Jury"; and Edie Falco played a defense lawyer on "Law & amp; Order" before taking the role of Mrs. Soprano.
O'Donnell set for stinton 'Queer as Folk'
NEW YORK -- Rosie O'Donnell hasn't been doing many acting gigs lately, but she'll appear on Showtime's "Queer as Folk" for three episodes. O'Donnell, long a fan of the gay-theme drama, called the show's producers to request a role on the show, the cable channel said Tuesday. Her first episode will air Sunday (10 p.m. ET). The former talk-show host plays an abused woman who works at the local diner and falls for her mentor, played by Sharon Gless. As one of the few TV programs to give gay issues the spotlight, "Queer as Folk" is clearly near to O'Donnell's heart. She and Kelli Carpenter O'Donnell, who were married in a civil ceremony Feb. 26 in San Francisco, are raising four children together and are strong advocates of gay marriage and adoption. O'Donnell, 43, has been busy writing a blog and running a cruise business. She backs the R Family Vacations cruise line, billed as the first to cater to gay and lesbian families.
Mraz returns to roots
MECHANICSVILLE, Va. -- Jason Mraz returned to his old high school, but it wasn't for a reunion: He presented the school choir with a copy of a song they recorded for his upcoming album. Mraz chatted with members of the Lee-Davis High School choir, posed for pictures and signed autographs upon his return Monday. Mraz went to the school in October to record "Song for a Friend" with the 24-member choir. The song will appear on his sophomore album, "MR. A-Z," slated for release July 26. "We were recording the album in both New York and San Diego," said Mraz, a 1995 graduate of the Mechanicsville, Va., school. "There's choirs in both New York and San Diego ... so we had all those options. And I said it would really mean the most to me if I could come to Mechanicsville. I know the room, I know what the students are capable of." The 27-year-old singer released "Waiting for My Rocket to Come" in 2002 and shot to fame the following year on the success of his hit song "Remedy." "MR. A-Z" is bit more musically diverse and grown-up than "Rocket," Mraz said.
Notable deaths
NAPLES, N.Y. -- Katy Abraham, a gardening expert who teamed with her husband, George "Doc" Abraham, on one of the longest-running shows on American radio with the same hosts, died Tuesday. She was 83. The half-hour, call-in show first went on the air in 1952, offering practical advice on flowers, fruit bugs and lawn care mixed with his down-home humor and her poetry recitations. The couple's chemistry -- her sweet nature a foil to his gregariousness -- drew a loyal following on Rochester's WHAM. The couple wrapped up the last edition of "The Green Thumb" on Dec. 14, 2002.
LONDON -- Filmmaker Ismail Merchant, who with partner James Ivory became synonymous with classy costume drama in films such as "A Room With A View" and "Howards End," died Wednesday. He was 68. Merchant died surrounded by family and friends at a hospital in London, Merchant Ivory Productions said. Merchant, who was born in Bombay but spent most of his life in the West, had been ill for some time and recently underwent surgery for abdominal ulcers, according to Indian television reports. Merchant and Ivory, an American, made some 40 films together and won six Oscars since forming their famous partnership in 1961 with German-born screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Their hits -- especially E.M. Forster adaptations like "A Room With a View" (1985) and "Howards End" (1992) that won three Oscars apiece -- helped revive the public's taste for well-made, emotional period drama. Merchant was unmarried.
Today's birthdays
Actor James Arness is 82. Actor Alec McCowen is 80. Sportscaster Brent Musberger is 66. Rock singer-musician Levon Helm (The Band) is 65. Country musician Gates Nichols (Confederate Railroad) is 61. Rock musician Garry Peterson (Guess Who) is 60. Singer Stevie Nicks is 57. Actress Pam Grier is 56. Actor Philip Michael Thomas is 56. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 56. Former astronaut Sally K. Ride is 54. Actress Margaret Colin is 48. Country singer-songwriter Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 46. Actor Doug Hutchison is 45. Actress Genie Francis is 43. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 43. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 41. Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 39. Rock musician Phillip Rhodes is 37. Actor Joseph Fiennes is 35. Rhythm-and-blues singer Joey Kibble (Take 6) is 34. Actor-producer-writer Matt Stone is 34.