'Hall' of fame

Every once in a while the cinematic planets line up. An actress gets cast in a certain role. The movie comes out, and -- just like that, as if by magic -- everyone falls in love with her. You can almost hear the collective intake of breath. Such occasions, and they're extremely rare, are more than just a part of screen history. They're a kind of cultural kismet.

Think of Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not ," Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday," Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman ," or Diane Keaton in "Annie Hall " (right).

It's not as if Keaton hasn't had a rich career (can she really be 61?). As Kay , she was the moral conscience of the "Godfather" pictures. She more than held her own against Warren Beatty in "Reds " and Jack Nicholson in "Something's Gotta Give ." Come to think of it, she more than held her own against Nicholson in "Reds," too. "Mrs. Soffel " and "The Little Drummer Girl " showed her dramatic range. She's also directed and been a photographer.

All that will surely be cited Monday night in New York when the Film Society of Lincoln Center honors Keaton with its annual Gala Tribute.

And so will "Annie Hall," of course. How could it not be? It's Keaton's touchstone. Her unique persona, with its combination of intelligence and naivete, strength and vulnerability, unaffectedness and whimsy, receives supreme expression there.

Only if you were around back then can you fully appreciate what a total breath of fresh air Keaton's gloriously retro fashion sense and refrain of "lah-di-da, lah-di-da" were amid the polyester ecstasies of post-Watergate America. Thirty years later, her performance retains its luminosity and enchantment. Has anyone ever swung a tennis racket more adorably -- or sung "Seems Like Old Times " more affectingly? Not that Keaton does either at all well, of course, but that's not the point. Once the planets have lined up what matters isn't how but who.

MARK FEENEY

Two diaries kept by Anna Nicole Smith in the early 1990s reveal a troubled young woman professing to be deeply in love with octogenarian oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, and often depressed and concerned about her weight and eating habits. "I've been really stressed out lately and depressed and I can't quit eating. I feel like a pig," the former Playboy Playmate, who died Feb. 8 in a Florida hotel from a drug overdose, wrote in an entry dated Aug. 16, 1992. The starlet's journals, made available to the Associated Press yesterday, are among several pieces of Smith memorabilia (including a Texas I.D. card, inset) going up for public auction in a few weeks by Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas. An autopsy report showed Smith died at age 39 from an accidental overdose of at least nine prescription drugs, including a powerful sleep aid. (AP)

More than 1,100 Jackson family items are set for auction in Las Vegas next month, but a representative for Michael Jackson says the pop star is considering legal action to stop the sale. "Mr. Jackson was not aware and he is extremely upset that his memorabilia was included amongst the memorabilia that is being auctioned off," said spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain. The Jacksons Auction is scheduled May 30-31 at the Hard Rock hotel resort. Guernsey's auction house said items include Michael Jackson's gold record for his "Thriller" album, handwritten lyrics for The Jackson Five hit "ABC," and a "Victory Tour" program signed by Jackson family members. (AP)

Did Scarlett Johansson have a fling with Justin Timberlake? She's not saying. "We live in a world today where if two people are single -- and one's a guy and one's a girl and they're both famous -- you're going to be linked with somebody," the 22-year-old actress tells Seventeen magazine's May issue, on newsstands Tuesday. "If it's somebody one week, it's going to be somebody else the next week. It's either me or Jessica Biel," Johansson says with a laugh. (AP)