BAKER GOING TO D.C. WITH `NOT IN THIS TOWN'.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Plans are in the works for Kathy Baker to visit the White House - with a tape of ``Not in This Town,'' the USA Network movie based on the story of Tammie Schnitzer, who fought to save her family and hometown from tactics of a racist hate group.

``Hillary Clinton has been following the work of Tammie Schnitzer,'' relates the Emmy-winning actress, ``and I'm told the first lady wants to screen `Not in This Town' and use it as a jumping-off point for a campaign against hate crimes.''

Baker describes the drama as ``emotional, moving - and difficult to make.''

True blues

After what has seemed like the development and scrapping of umpteen films about the 1920s blues great Bessie Smith, it looks like one might finally get into production. Finally. Maybe. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, is reportedly set to play the title role in ``Empress of the Blues: The Bessie Smith Story'' and, according to producer Suzanne Marcus Fletcher, Keith David will star as the male lead and Haskell Wexler will be in charge of cinematography.

However, Fletcher says she's still finalizing distribution and financing. If all goes as planned, the film will shoot this summer.

The Oscar odds

Las Vegas oddsmakers are not allowed, under rules of the Nevada Gaming Commission, to accept wagers on the Academy Awards. But they're posting odds on the Oscars anyway - and those odds are being used as a guide for lots of quiet, big-money betting taking place there, here, most everywhere. Geoffrey Rush (``Shine'') and Billy Bob Thornton (``Sling Blade'') are reportedly the front-runners in the Best Actor race, in a dead heat at even-money stakes.

The inside track

Robbie Robertson of the Band is deep, deep, deep into an album that brings to light an array of little-known forms of American Indian music. His exploration is already exciting music historians, and he's being documented by a PBS team while he works.

Robertson, who spent the summers of his childhood on the Six Nation Indian Reservation above Lake Erie - his mother is of Mohawk descent - says PBS is ``talking about releasing its documentary coverage of the project around Columbus Day. That would be kind of ironic.''

His album includes material ranging from peyote priests' healing music to ``throat singing'' by a group of young women. Of the latter, he says, ``It's wicked, guttural, raw and exciting.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) Kathy Baker

Visiting the White House

(2) Geoffrey Rush

Will Oscar applaud?

(3) Billy Bob Thornton

Odds are good