Settling for Security

Patience has never been a virtue in the entertainment business. But in these strange times of X-rayed mail and bomb-sniffing dogs at studio gates, Hollywood’s hot heads are being forced to Zen out.

It feels as if the anthrax villain is hitting a new media outlet every day. NBC anchor Tom Brokaw has declared “In Cipro we trust.” Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is gaining a reputation for being the Fort Knox of movie studios. At Universal, guards use mirror-tipped sticks to check cars for bombs. Long lines at the Paramount gates force traffic to back up around the block. Yet, the movie folks--a group famous for melodramatic fits--aren’t complaining. There are no cell-phone throwing tantrums or “You’ll never work in this town again!” threats. At least not on the record. A Warners spokeswoman said there have been no complaints about any security delays. “People are not looking at it like that.” As one studio employee put it: “Thank God for the security guards. I want to give them cookies every day.”

Good Taste Outbreak

It’s safe to say that the Sept. 11 attacks have thrown the entertainment industry into an unprecedented crisis of good taste. Movie trailers, ad campaigns and record covers are being scrutinized as never before. New York’s hot new rock band, the Strokes, pulled from their album a song called “NYC Cops,” a ditty bashing the men and women in blue. Punk foursome Jimmy Eat World has changed its album name from “Bleed American” to “Jimmy Eat World.” And the hip-hop group the Coup redesigned its upcoming album, “Party Music,” which had featured a picture of the World Trade Center exploding and one of the group’s members holding a detonator. When the record is released Nov. 6, the album will show a picture of a cocktail glass on fire instead.

The marketing folks at Epic Records considered, then rejected, revamping the Tenacious D album--a musical satire act featuring actor Jack Black--because the back of the record featured a picture of two naked infants chained to a winged satanic monster. The album entered the charts at No. 33 and has sold 100,000 copies since its release late last month. The band, which appeared in John Cusack’s film “High Fidelity,” also has sold out every date of its national tour, which stops at the Wiltern Theatre next Wednesday and ends in San Francisco on Halloween.

Marilyn, Before and After

Never-exhibited photos of Marilyn Monroe--including her first baby picture and before and after shots of her cosmetic surgery--are on display at USC thanks to Emmy-winning documentarian David L. Wolper.

Wolper, the famed producer of “Roots” and “L.A. Confidential,” rediscovered more than 100 photos in 1997 after they had been stored for 33 years. He had collected the pictures from Monroe’s foster parents and friends during the making of his 1964 documentary “The Legend of Marilyn Monroe.”

At the time, Wolper said, Monroe hadn’t reached icon status, and few people realized how valuable a shot of the 3-month-old Norma Jean Baker, her adoption papers and early modeling shots would become.

“She was a better actress than she was appreciated for,” said Wolper. “But when you’re a sex symbol, it’s hard to be a successful actress, too. Sophia Loren got away with it later in her life, but most sex symbols find it difficult.”

As for the plastic surgery (which is why you’re reading this, right?), Wolper tells us that, in addition to a nose job, she had her hairline lowered and her chin shortened. But, he assured us, “no breast surgery.”

The pictures will be exhibited at USC’s David L. Wolper Center for the Study of the Documentary through Nov. 28.

Vroom Vroom for Charity

Jay Leno is doing his part: Wednesday, he sold a slightly used Harley-Davidson motorcycle for $360,200 on EBay to help victims of the terror attacks. The new, undisclosed owner got a slightly used black bike with a custom black leather seat. The bike has been autographed by Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others. We asked Leno if he had any advice for the new owner. “No wheelies,” he replied.

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City of Angles runs Tuesday through Friday. Email: angles@latimes.com.