Tattle: Jessica Biel went from stripper to 'Doll'

IT'S NOT like anyone's been clamoring for Jessica Biel to morph into Ethel Merman, but Biel marked her major musical-theater debut this weekend, as the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented a three-night run of a concert version of Frank Loesser's terrific "Guys and Dolls" at the Hollywood Bowl.

"I haven't really done anything like this," Biel said, following a dress rehearsal Friday. "In college, I did a concert version of 'Tommy' . . . But, other than that . . . "

For "Guys and Dolls," Biel took on the role of saintly Sarah Brown, the Manhattan missionary at odds with a gang of gamblers - and eventually in love with one of them. It's a far cry from her recent role as a stressed-out stripper in the straight-to-DVD "Powder Blue."

"No, definitely not what you would think to go from (that) into this," Biel said, with a smile. "But that's the fun of this world. That's what I love about this job. You get to do something like that and then you go completely extreme to the other side of it, and terrify yourself in some other way. It's really about terrorizing myself."

As for a possible turn on Broadway (might we recommend "Chicago" fishnets or maybe a "Little Mermaid" outfit), Biel said, "Literally, that is one of my 8-year-old dreams. That's like my little 8-year-old inside me is cartwheeling around, thinking about that idea."

* In Israel, poet/musician Leonard Cohen is a rock star.

With sales commonly seen in the U.S. from stadium acts like Springsteen, U2 or Elton John/Billy Joel, 47,000 tickets for a Cohen concert to benefit Palestinian and Israeli peace groups sold out in less than a day, an Israeli ticket agent said yesterday.

The Sept. 24 concert will be held at a stadium near Tel Aviv, ticket agent Avi Messing told Israel's Channel 2.

"All of Israel is coming to watch Leonard Cohen. It's really great," Messing said.

Gee, it is a small country.

Prices ranged from $90 to $315.

Cohen entertained Israeli troops during the 1973 Mideast war but last performed in Israel in 1975, fueling pent-up demand.

Adding Israel to his world tour brought complaints from Palestinian sympathizers, and British fans posted a plea on Facebook asking him to cancel the date in response to Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip in December and January.

Cohen's manager, Robert Kory, said the gravelly-voiced singer instead decided to make the concert a fundraiser for Palestinian and Israeli groups working for reconciliation.

Tattbits

* Yesterday at Franklin Mills Mall, while the masses waited anxiously to squeal for Vanessa Hudgens ("Bandslam," opening Aug. 14), they were entertained by New York-based rock band, Man on Earth.

Although the band's music may have skewed a bit older than what the kids on line usually listened to, lead singer Steven Nathan thought the brief show was great.

"You can play gigs at a bar for a couple people drinking," Nathan said, or you can try to get a younger audience to get to know you. "At this age, good music is good music, and hopefully we can inspire some kid to play one real instrument instead of just push buttons on a console."

Nathan made his comments in front of a display hyping the upcoming release of "The Beatles Rock Band."

Man on Earth's new album, available on iTunes, is "The Time Spent Wondering." First single is "All We Want."

* Steven Spielberg will direct a remake of the James Stewart classic "Harvey," the story of a big-hearted eccentric who's branded a crackpot for claiming to have a 6-foot invisible rabbit as his best buddy.

Casting is just getting started - Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks, Tom Hanks - with production expected to begin early next year.

The new version will be a contemporary update of the 1950 film, which was based on Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

* Mark Wahlberg and his longtime girlfriend, model Rhea Durham, have finally married.

People magazine reports the "Boogie Nights" star tied the knot Saturday in front of about a dozen friends and family at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills.

Wahlberg, 38, walked the aisle in a dark suit and Durham, 31, wore a white strapless dress with silver embroidery.

The pair have been a pair since 2001 and have three children.

* Michael Moore has more big plans for his adopted northern Michigan hometown of Traverse City, where he's already established a film festival.

Moore said Saturday that he and comedian Jeff Garlin ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") will organize the Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival. It will run over a weekend and feature movies, stand-up and sketch comedy and other entertainment. A date has not been chosen yet for next year's kickoff event.

"We've actually talked to some great people - I don't want to mention any names right now - who are going to come to Traverse City for this first comedy festival," the Michigan native said. "I think you'll be very pleased."

* While Tattle was up in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria Saturday to speak with Rachel McAdams and director Robert Schwentke of "The Time Traveler's Wife" (opening Aug. 14), another movie doing press at the Waldorf was "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (opening Aug. 7).

That film had taken over part of the hotel's 18th floor, with the other part being used for an event with the president of the Philippines.

It led to quite the bizarre visual as the Filipino secret service filling the hallway had to part for handtrucks filled with "G.I. Joe" action figures.

Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

Send e-mail to gensleh@phillynews.com.