ONE JUDD DISMAYED WHEN ANOTHER DISROBES ON SCREEN.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Naomi Judd is not at all happy about daughter Ashley's nude scene in the May 18 HBO ``Norma Jean & Marilyn'' telepic.

``I wish Ashley hadn't done it,'' said the often brutally honest Judd. ``I don't like explicit sexual scenes, I don't like four-letter words, I don't like violence, and I refuse to go see those kinds of movies.''

The country music heroine - who gave up a career as one-half of the popular Judds duo when she contracted chronic hepatitis in 1990 - said she and husband Larry Strickland read about the scene before Ashley had a chance to break the news to them.

``We told her it was really an unpleasant shock. But she said `Mom, I'm playing Marilyn Monroe - this is what she was about!' Ashley's so passionate about her craft ... that's why she did it.''

The issue has been resolved, said Naomi, but she wants us to know, ``My mind is not changed. Ashley's just so extraordinary a woman. She has such personal integrity; she's so bright and has such personal depth to her. I certainly don't want her to get stereotyped.''

She added that, like it or not, she does intend to watch the TV movie.

``The bottom line is we're family. We stick together and we're always going to be there for each other.''

Ironically, Ashley (who's currently shooting ``Kiss the Girls'' with Morgan Freeman) initially turned down a small role in the 1992 Christian Slater film ``Kuffs'' because of the required nudity - and ended up getting the role anyway. But times do change.

The big-screen scene: Filmmaker James Foley, in the final stretch of lensing ``The Chamber'' in Mississippi, said we'll be seeing Chris O'Donnell display his acting capabilities as never before in the adaptation of the John Grisham best seller.

``I've liked Chris in all his films, but he doesn't get to demonstrate the range of his talent. With this, he's getting into a lot of levels,'' said Foley, speaking of the drama in which O'Donnell plays a lawyer trying to get his white supremacist grandfather (Gene Hackman) off Death Row.

The director also reported that off-camera, the hot young actor, best known as Robin the Boy Wonder of ``Batman Forever,'' keeps things light. ``He's so quick-witted. He does ad libs that have everyone laughing.'' At least one of those moments might wind up in ``The Chamber,'' in a scene between O'Donnell and Lela Rochon in a bar. In the one line that's been added in reference to her race, Rochon notes that, as an African-American woman, she understands feeling like an outsider. ``Chris looked at her,'' recalled Foley, ``and deadpanned, `You're black?' ''

Bases loaded: Two years ago this week, the ``L.A. Law'' troupe rested its final case. Former ``Law'' man Blair Underwood now admits, ``You feel so blessed to be part of a show like that, you can't help wondering if you'll ever do anything as good - or even whether you'll work again.''

He's hardly stopped working. Saturday finds Underwood premiering as baseball legend Jackie Robinson in HBO's moving drama of the old Negro Leagues, ``Soul of the Game.'' He's just finished the cable movie ``Mistrial,'' and before that he lensed New Line's fall release, ``Set It Off,'' co-starring Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett.

Come July, Underwood will join Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke in Columbia's ``The Eighth Day'' sci-fier, in which he'll play a genetic scientist in a world divided among perfect and imperfect human beings.

Thunder down under: ``Murder One's'' Daniel Benzali is getting ready to join girlfriend Kim Cattrall in New Zealand, where Kim's lensing a CBS telepic called ``Every Woman's Dream'' with Jeff Fahey.

The trip won't be all for fun. Benzali's also going to hit the promo trail for ``Murder One'' in New Zealand and Australia, where the drama is just about to be launched. It's unlikely Benzali will be hanging around that part of the globe long; he's due to return here for meetings on several prospective film projects.

Benzali, incidentally, was the object of major fan attention at the recent Deaf Theater West festival at the Malibu castle estate owned by director Joe Sargent and his wife Caroline. The actor, surprised by the compliments from nonhearing audience members, immediately found someone to teach him how to sign ``thank you.''

What's in a name: Bruce Davison and wife Lisa Pelikan named their newborn son Ethan - not just because they like the name, but because it's in Bruce's family. One of his ancestors is Revolutionary War figure Ethan Allen.

MEMO: The Celebrities Column appears Monday through Friday.

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2 Photos

Photo: (1) Ashley Judd

In the buff on HBO

(2) Chris O'Do nnell

Likes to ad lib