A No-Name No Longer

“Pearl Harbor� star Josh Hartnett played the victim of an obsessed dwarf in a dark indie short called “The Same� a few months before he officially became an It Boy by appearing on the cover of a recent Vanity Fair.

Alas, Hartnett’s rising star kept Palansky’s dwarf drama out of the DancesWithFilms competition, a West Hollywood film festival for “no-names.� Founders Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent disqualified Palansky when they saw Hartnett on the magazine cover.

In the Felliniesque film, the dwarf, played by Jason Acuna, amputates Hartnett’s legs then reattaches them to his own stunted limbs, all for the love of a beautiful woman played by Jacqui Maxwell.

Hartnett, 22, volunteered to act in the film after befriending filmmaker Mark Palansky, 24, who worked as director Michael Bay ‘s assistant during “Pearl Harbor.� He wanted to play the dwarf, Palansky said, “but we didn’t have that much money for effects.� So the part went to the more appropriately proportioned Acuna.

Hartnett made a special two-day trip to L.A. during the “Pearl Harbor� shoot in Hawaii for filming at the Ambassador Hotel. And he did it for free. “Technically, he was supposed to be paid a couple hundred bucks,� Palansky said. “But he said, ‘Don’t worry about it Mark. Just take me out for a beer.�’

Nups

We hear that Edward Burns and Christy Turlington have sent out “save the date� cards for a November wedding in the Bay Area. Word has it the toothsome twosome originally planned a romantic wedding in Italy, but then decided to tie the knot closer to home. Burns bought John F. Kennedy Jr.’s TriBeCa loft and has been living there since early spring.

Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith, who already have two kids together, finally make it official this weekend. They’re getting married in Ireland. According to “Entertainment Tonight,� Smith will wear a Richard Tyler gown at the 800-year-old Ballintubber Abbey. A reception follows at nearby Ashford castle, where the actor who plays James Bond will toast his bride with a glass of Guinness. The couple announced their engagement nearly two years ago, but the wedding was delayed when Brosnan’s 17-year-old son, Sean, was badly hurt in a car accident in Malibu.

She set fire to his house seven years ago, and still their passion burns: Yup, TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye� Lopes and former Atlanta Falcon wide receiver Andre Rison are back together and plan to marry, Lopes tells Jane magazine in its September issue. “There’s definitely been a lot of growth on both our parts,� Lopes said.

The Kennedy Watch

William Kennedy Smith, 40, toyed with the idea of running for Congress for about a nanosecond before opting out. He’d considered a run at the seat being vacated by Illinois Democrat Rep. Rod Blagojevich, but pundits opined that voters might have long memories. Smith, a physician and active opponent of land mines, was acquitted of rape 10 years ago following a televised trial in Palm Beach.

Meanwhile, environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. walked out of a federal detention center in Puerto Rico on Wednesday after serving a 30-day sentence for trespassing on Navy property to protest bombing exercises on Vieques Island. He returned to Vieques with his 7-year-old son to encourage continued civil disobedience as the Navy started another round of practice maneuvers on Thursday.

Bangles Redux

There’s a Bush in the White House, and if you need further proof we’re reliving the ‘80s, consider: Years after they broke up, the Bangles are back together and back on the pop charts--in England.

Young Londoners are lapping up the reunited girl group best known for “Manic Monday� and “Walk Like an Egyptian.� First, Atomic Kitten covered “Eternal Flame,� then Sony released a Bangles greatest hits record that entered the British pop charts at No. 17.

“We didn’t even know we had an album,� Bangles’ lead singer Suzanna Hoffs told us during a sit-down at the Argyle Hotel in West Hollywood. “But we’re alive and well in the U.K., which is awesome.�

Hoffs and guitarist Vicki Peterson arose before dawn Wednesday for a series of satellite interviews promoting an updated America Online photo-sharing service. AOL is soliciting photos depicting summers in their hometowns from its millions of members. Melanie Griffith, Peter Fonda and the aforementioned Burns contributed.

Scientology Glam

It’s prom weekend at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. This year, the center, commonly associated with Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley, Kirstie Alley and Isaac Hayes, is celebrating its 32nd anniversary with a nod to young Hollywood.

Expected among the 1,500 guests at the black-tie gala Saturday are TV’s Jenna Elfman of “Dharma & Greg�; Leah Remini of “The King of Queens�; Catherine Bell of “JAG�; Danny Masterson of “That ‘70s Show�; his brother, Christopher, of “Malcolm in the Middle�; and Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson.

Needles and Pins

Debbie Allen phoned Thursday from the airport in Dallas to fill us in on the fund-raiser she’s hosting Saturday for an alternative medicine program for low-income families. “I was introduced to Chinese medicine when my son was born,� said the busy dancer, actress, choreographer and documentary filmmaker, who’s a big fan of beneficiary Santa Monica’s Yo San University.

Allen said Chinese medicine cured a “serious back problem� that threatened her dancing. “Dr. Mao put a needle in my hand, wiggled it around, and told me to bend and stand up and suddenly I could do all these things.� Other fans include Britney Spears, and power couple Anjelica Huston and Robert Graham, who donated a $15,000 bronze sculpture for Saturday’s silent auction at a posh private home in Mount Washington.

Sightings

Kevin Costner, ordering a hot chocolate at the French Bulldog in Summerland. “I feel like a kid,� he said, according to our spy ... Mick Jagger and Elizabeth Hurley, enjoying two long lunches and each other at Ammo in Hollywood ... Troy Aikman, dining at Pancho’s Restaurant in Manhattan Beach ... Barbra Streisand and James Brolin (they’re everywhere these days!), strolling at the Getty Museum ... Jackie Chan, holding the door for other diners at Musso & Frank Grill ... Cher, taking in a movie at the Calabasas Commons ... Goldie Hawn, shopping for a bamboo and raffia mirror at Plantation.

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Times staff writers Louise Roug and Gina Piccalo contributed to this column. City of Angles runs Tuesday-Friday. E-mail: [email protected].