Stuart's Titanic Oscar-Night Jewel Was A Diamond

Q: Was the necklace worn by Celine Dion at the Oscars the one from the movie "Titanic"? My mom thinks Gloria Stuart wore the necklace that night.

A: Dion, who sang the best original song winner "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic," wore a $2.2 million blue sapphire Asprey replica of the movie's Heart of the Ocean necklace. Best supporting actress nominee Stuart ("Titanic") arrived wearing a Harry Winston diamond pendant worth $20 million. She lost the Oscar to Kim Basinger ("L.A. Confidential").

Q: Recently I saw Phillip Casnoff in a repeat of "Sinatra." He did a very good job with Frank's life. Please tell me what Casnoff is doing, or about to do, now. He also did a good job in the miniseries "`Zoya."

A: Casnoff's most recent project was last month's ABC movie of the week "Blood on Her Hands" with Susan Lucci. Since his "Sinatra" turn in 1992, Casnoff has starred in several TV moves and the series "Under Suspicion."

But he won't be reprising his Sinatra role in HBO's new Rat Pack movie. That part's gone to "Wiseguy's" Ray Liotta, with Don Cheadle as Sammy Davis Jr. and Joe Mantegna as Dean Martin.

Q: Ben Affleck has become well known since the release of "Good Will Hunting." But wasn't he in a TV series called "Against the Grain"? I've seen several interviews but it's never mentioned.

A: The series was so short-lived, perhaps this year's Oscar co-winner for best original story ("Good Will Hunting," with partner Matt Damon) figured most people wouldn't remember "Against the Grain." The ABC series lasted a half-season in 1993.

Affleck played Joe Willie Clemons, the 16-year-old son of a Texas high-school football coach. Also in the cast were Stephen Tobolowsky and "Seinfeld's" Wayne Knight. But that wasn't Affleck's first TV series. When he was 8, he starred in the PBS children's series "The Voyage of the Mimi" (1984).

Q: I have watched Jennifer Jason Leigh from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" to "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle," and I think she is not only beautiful but one of the better talents in the profession. To settle an ongoing dispute, is there any connection between her and Vivien Leigh of "Gone With the Wind" fame?

A: Leigh's given name is Jennifer Lee Morrow. She's the daughter of "Combat" star Vic Morrow, killed in 1983 during the filming of "Twilight Zone: The Movie," and screenwriter Barbara Turner. To create her stage name, Leigh dropped her surname, changed the spelling of Lee and added Jason, borrowed from family friend Jason Robards. Next, Leigh stars in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut," with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Film legend Vivien Leigh, by the way, started out as Vivien Hartley.

Q: Please tell me the name of the actor who plays Mel Harris' husband in "Something So Right." This comic starred in an earlier sitcom with Judd Hirsch.

A: That would be Jere Burns, who co-starred in "Dear John" back in 1988-92. He also played Betty White's son in "Bob," Bob Newhart's third comedy series. Now he's teamed with "thirtysomething's" Mel Harris in "Something So Right." The series was canceled by NBC but picked up by ABC for a second season this spring.

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