Dancing With the Stars Marlee Matlin Looking to Double Down
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
Mar 28, 2008
With her current stint on "Dancing With the Stars," her "Sweet Nothing in My Ear" CBS telefilm debuting April 20, her ongoing activities as an author, the prospect of more "The L Word" segments looming -- plus four kids and a husband -- Marlee Matlin doesn't mind admitting, "Sometimes I wish I was Samantha Stevens, where I could twist my nose and split into two people, one going in one direction and the other staying home.
Dancing With the Stars Marlee Matlin Looking to Double Down (Image: Wenn)
"But I'm more like Alice, the maid on 'The Brady Bunch,'" she goes on with her vintage TV series allusions. "I'm always running around taking care of little crises around the house. But I love it all!"
Matlin makes it clear she's having a blast on the dance competition show on which she's made a giant splash as its first deaf competitor. Luckily, she says, "I have a very good husband, a supportive family and a very detailed date book! And I make sure to be around home as much as I can and take jobs that don't take me out of town -- much."
In "Sweet Nothing in My Ear," she plays the mother of a child who could have his hearing restored with a cochlear implant -- something she, as a deaf woman, is against, but her hearing husband (Jeff Daniels) most definitely is for.
"Though there have been many episodes of TV shows dealing with the cochlear implant issue, I don't think any of them have looked at it so closely and with so much detail as 'Sweet Nothing in My Ear,'" comments the actress, answering our questions in writing. "But what's also great about the film is that it makes it all relatable … It's about love across cultural divides and perceptions of disability."
Would Marlee have such an implant?
"I'm not an appropriate candidate for a cochlear implant," she replies. "In order for the implant to work, all of my residual hearing that I've depended on to hear some of sounds I'm able to hear would have to be removed and replaced by an electronic processor. That's not an option I'm willing to choose."
GETTING INTO THE ACTION: While former "E.R." star Erik Palladino had a good time learning how to steal cars for the Spike TV movie "Crash & Burn," airing Sunday (3/30), the actor says he's not so sure he's up for being an action movie actor. "It's kind of like the same character all the time. That's the only problem sometimes with the action movies. I guess that can get a little boring with people ... but I enjoyed doing this one," claims Palladino of the movie about an ex-con working undercover for the FBI to expose a car theft ring.
"What I liked about this movie a lot is that it's kind of like an old-school '70s 'Starsky & Hutch' type film. I feel like you could take this movie and put it into 1978, and it would work perfectly."
Up next for Palladino is the Kevin Costner flick "The New Daughter," which they are currently shooting in South Carolina for a targeted June release. "It's kind of a psychological/ family drama/thriller film," he tells us. Palladino, who describes himself as a "blue-collar" actor, says he's certainly taking notes while working with the "Dances with Wolves" veteran. "He's very good at working with other actors. The first day of work he really put me at ease," says Palladino about Costner. "It's cool because he loves acting, and when you work with him in a scene, you can tell that."
HE NAILED IT: Former "Ed" star Tom Cavanaugh reports he got high marks from where it counts most for playing detective-cum-congressman David Reichert in the Lifetime Movie Network's first miniseries, "The Capture of the Green River Killer," set to debut Sunday and Monday (3/30 and 31). "We had a screening in Washington, and Congressman Reichert was there," says Cavanaugh, who stars with Amy Davidson in the mini based on Reichert's book. It's about the true story of the 20-year-hunt for Gary Ridgeway, the most notorious serial killer in U.S. history. "I didn't talk to him until we actually finished the thing, but he had really kind things to say, which I took with a mixture of happiness and relief. And his children came up to me and said, 'You nailed it,' so that's great." He adds the politico crowd viewing the miniseries "really seemed to like it, but more than anything, they really appreciated David Reichert's dedication to bringing this man to justice. Nineteen years is a long time."
CYBERHOPPERS: Proving you're never too young to surf the Net, "Bunnytown" creator/producer David Rudman says the show's interactive website at Playhouse Disney.com has become almost as popular with pre-schoolers as the morning TV series. "It's amazing," says Rudman, who's also the puppeteer and director. "Even my youngest was into the computer when she was 4. It's kind of second nature to these kids. And the interactive games are easy to follow. Some they can play themselves or with parents or older kids, some even 3-year-olds can do."
"Bunnytown," which just started airing daily on the Disney Channel, is described as a "Laugh-In" for pre-schoolers. "It's more like a variety show with a lot of comedy segments, great music, interactive moments, running gags and all kinds of craziness," says Rudman, a "Sesame Street" alumnus who still does the voices of Cookie Monster and Baby Bear on that long-running show.
With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.
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