Tattle: That Dakota Fanning 'rape movie' is delayed again

THE MOVIE "Hounddog" was supposed to open in town today but has been pushed back again. It may open Oct. 3.

Don't hold your breath.

For those of you unfamiliar with "Hounddog," it's also known as "The Dakota Fanning Rape Movie," and has been pilloried by watchdog groups since it started filming in North Carolina.

Just Tuesday, we got an e-mail from North Carolina's Concerned Women for America, which is calling "all citizens to take action to stop the distribution of 'Hounddog,' a film depicting child rape."

The group goes on to call the movie "child porn."

Fanning, who's 14 now and as intelligent and well-adjusted a teen as you'd want to meet, was asked at the Toronto International Film Festival about the film and she said, "the controversy was blown out of proportion."

The film, she said, is "very personal. I think people need to step back and watch it for themselves."

So that's what we did.

While we admit that we'd rather sit through almost anything than a small, coming-of-age story set in the rural South, the notion that "Hounddog" is "child porn" is insane - by any definition of the word "porn." Yes, the scene of Fanning's character's rape by an older boy is difficult to watch because of the anguish the young actress expresses, but you also wince when she lashes out at her father (played by David Morse). The movie is about pain, not porn.

"Hounddog" is a flawed, but serious movie. It has only the briefest nudity (Morse, not Fanning), there's little bad language and the rape scene is brief and shot in a tight close-up of Fanning's face.

That anyone could label the film pornographic belittles both filmmaking and child pornography.

Tattbits

* The Concerned Women of

America are probably also concerned with gay marriage.

So is Brad Pitt.

Brad has donated $100,000 to fight California's November ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

"Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8," Pitt said.

* Correction: Tickets to Neil

Young's Spectrum swan-song show Dec. 12 go on sale at 10 this morning, not tomorrow.

* Denzel Washington, Jackie

Joyner-Kersee, Martin Sheen, Wesley Clark and Shaquille O'Neal, who attended the Boys & Girls Clubs of America as kids, have lent their childhood photos to the organization for a national advertising campaign.

* Before its Blu-Ray release, a

new, restored edition of "The Godfather" gets a big-screen re-release at the Showcase at the Ritz in Voorhees starting today. It may be your last chance to see one of the best films ever in a theater.

* The Hollywood Reporter says

Jada Pinkett Smith is returning to TV in TNT's "Time Heals," about a director of nursing who always puts others first.

* Thomas Jane ("The Mist")

has pleaded no contest to drunken driving after he was clocked doing 120 mph in a Maserati.

You've got to watch those Maseratis.

* Anne Hathaway, receiving

raves for the upcoming "Rachel Getting Married," needs a new place to live now that her no-goodnik ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri, is headed for the slammer.

In Touch Weekly reports that in

addition to turning over thousands of dollars in Follieri jewels and gifts to the FBI, she's vacated their $37,500-a-month duplex.

Where to go? In Style says Annie has moved in with her parents, Kate and Gerard, who went to college together at La Salle.

* Life & Style Weekly reports Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon spents three nights - and $18,000 - at the Plaza Hotel during NYC Fashion Week.

As Mariah already has a posh pad in Manhattan, we guess this is her version of a stay-cation. *

Kevin Bevan and Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

E-mail gensleh@phillynews.com