Prison proves popular film venue

Joliet, Ill. — It was featured in movie classics such as “The Sting” and “The Blues Brothers,” and now another major motion picture will film scenes at the former Joliet Correctional Center.

Portions of “Derailed,” a thriller starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston, are scheduled to be filmed this fall in Joliet, about 40 miles south of Chicago. The movie is about an advertising executive whose life turns upside down after he misses his train to work.

Owen, who recently starred in “King Arthur,” will be in town when a prison sequence is filmed, said Joe Amari, senior location scout for the Illinois Film Office.

It is unlikely Aniston — of TV’s “Friends” — will be in Joliet, Amari said.

The Joliet prison closed in 2002 after 144 years. Film officials say having the vacant prison close to Chicago could be a good draw for other movies, since many other empty jails are either too decrepit or remote to be practical.

Apparel line combines Texas, sex

New York — Anna Nicole Smith is launching her own clothing line in a style she calls “Tex-Sex.”

The apparel line, Anna Nicole, includes jeans, T-shirts, tops and skirts, all combining the former Playboy Playmate’s Texas roots and her sex-symbol style. The clothes are designed by both the 36-year-old and professional designers of Southern California-based apparel company Von Dutch.

Smith’s new clothing line will be unveiled Monday at the Magic Marketplace, a fashion showcase, in Las Vegas.

Nelson crazy about new singer

Nashville, Tenn. — It’s one thing to cover a country classic, and quite another to sing it with the legend who wrote it.

But that’s what happened to country newcomer Carly Goodwin after Willie Nelson heard her sing “Crazy,” the song he wrote and Patsy Cline made famous in 1961.

Nelson heard Goodwin’s rendition on a demo tape a mutual friend had brought him.

He was impressed enough to invite Goodwin, 23, to perform it with him in Los Angeles in May.

Last week, Nelson and Goodwin recorded “Crazy” as a duet for Goodwin’s debut album, to be released in October. And they’ll sing it together at the annual Farm Aid concert on Sept. 18 near Seattle.

“Many females have sung ‘Crazy,’ but Carly’s right up there with Patsy,” Nelson said.

Grammer expecting new baby

New York — “Frasier” star Kelsey Grammer and his wife, former Playboy model Camille Donatacci, are expecting a baby through a surrogate mother later this month, People magazine reports.

The couple’s daughter, Mason, was born to a surrogate mother in October 2001.

Grammer, 49, won three Emmy Awards for his role as Dr. Frasier Crane on the popular NBC sitcom.