COLE FACING BARE FACTS ABOUT FIRST MAJOR LOVE SCENE.

Byline: Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Natalie Cole has been getting quite a workout for ``Freak City,'' the Showtime drama for which she shot her first major love scene this week.

``She and I are sort of boyfriend and girlfriend, and we've got to get naked and all that stuff,'' reports Jonathan Silverman, who co-stars with the singer-actress in the production that's shooting in Toronto. He says that to prepare for the scene, both he and Natalie have been buffing up at the gym ``every day.''

To ease Natalie's nervousness about the love sequence, he says, ``We discussed it in great detail. I told her it's just like doing any other scene, only with a lot less clothing.''

In the drama, they play patients in an institution for the mentally and physically handicapped. His character is blind. Natalie, he says, plays ``a woman who suffered a brain trauma in a horrible car accident. She can't make sentences, everything comes out gobbledygook, yet she can still sing beautifully because she's using different brain waves. It's moving and captivating.''

Silverman's real-life lady love, country singer Annalee, is with him in Toronto, but wasn't on the set during shooting of the love scene. ``Thankfully, she's working on her new album here,'' he explains.

Moss gathering, but no Stones

The wedding of Keith Richards' and Anita Pallenberg's daughter, Angela, to Dominick Jennings this week in London went off sans Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts - for the same reason the Rolling Stones had to cancel concert dates in England recently. Taxes. If Mick or Charlie set foot in England at this time, it could end up costing them millions. Still, the Stones' Ron Wood, Jerry Hall and the Jagger children, Marianne Faithfull, Kate Moss, on and on, were on hand. We're told Angela walked down the aisle to the Stones' haunting tune ``Angie.'' Understandable, given the name, but it's hard to forget that the melancholy song has lyrics that refer to dissatisfaction, a lack of love and dreams going up in smoke.

The old wave

The original ``Love Boat'' cast joins the ``Love Boat: The Next Wave'' troupe next week to tape an episode of the UPN version of the series that's aimed for airing in the November sweeps. We'll learn that the former captain of ``The Love Boat,'' Gavin MacLeod, is now a head honcho with the cruise line. He doesn't much appreciate the captaining job Bob Urich is doing. For that matter, the boat's original bartender, doctor, purser and so on also aren't in love with their ``New Wave'' replacements.

Home girls

British beauty Claire Forlani, who co-stars with Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt in the upcoming ``Meet Joe Black,'' is setting down roots on our shores. She's purchased a home in Pacific Palisades. Forlani's just signed to join Hank Azaria, William H. Macy and Janeane Garofolo in Universal's ``Mystery Man.'' As for the state of her personal life now that she's split from John Cusack, she simply says, ``Right now, I'm unpacking, fixing my house and reading scripts.''

Veteran actress Holland Taylor happily reports she just bought her very first home - in Hollywood's Beachwood Canyon area. However, she admits, ``I'm still wondering what the hell I've done. I've always been a happy gypsy.'' The former ``Naked Truth'' regular, who recently wrapped the ABC TV movie ``Mail to the Chief'' with Randy Quaid, actually felt comfortable making such a major purchase because ``the past two years have just been great. I've done about six or seven films'' - including megahits ``The Truman Show'' and ``George of the Jungle.''

Taylor can also be seen in Miramax's ``Next Stop Wonderland,'' opening today. It's the sophomore project from director Brad Anderson, who also happens to be her nephew. She says the advice she gave him when he first told her he wanted to direct was that he had to move from Boston to New York or L.A. ``Well,'' she says, ``he made both movies in Boston, and I told him, `The latest advice from your aunt is, ``Don't take my advice.' ''

With reports by Stephanie DuBois.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1) Natalie Cole

Nervousness easing

(2) Jonathan Silverman

Character is blind

(3) Keith Richards

Father of the bride