May 20, 2004

BY MICHAEL SNEED SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Actress Bo Derek did it!

State Sen. John Cullerton, who revived the anti-horse slaughter bill, gives Derek credit for not only turning heads . . . but turning the votes of senators who voted it out of the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday afternoon.

Watch for Cullerton not to waste time and place the bill for a vote in the Senate today.

"She gets the credit," said Cullerton, who dined with the actress at the prestigious Sangamo Club Tuesday night along with state Sen. Jim DeLeo and state Rep. Bob Molaro, the original sponsor of the bill.

Derek told the three Dem amigos that her parents were born in Benton and Alton, Ill. Her father was a coal miner and union organizer at the Little Egypt Mine. The actress, who was married for 27 years to actor John Derek -- who was a scandalous 30 years older than she -- is now dating a much younger actor, John Corbett, who starred in ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' and was a regular on ''Sex and the City'' as Sarah Jessica Parker's sometime boyfriend.

''She charmed state Senate leader Emil Jones,'' said Cullerton. ''She's not just beautiful. She is very bright and very articulate and was able to make people really listen to why horses shouldn't be slaughtered for human consumption.''

The slaughterhouse . . .

Please note that the Cavel International slaughterhouse in DeKalb, which would become the third such facility to kill horses for consumption overseas, has not started doing so yet. They were to begin this week, but are awaiting legislative word.

''We heard testimony that horses transported to slaughterhouses are injured before they get there and their heads are not sufficiently held down before they're killed, which makes it a very painful death,'' said Cullerton.

Keep those e-mails flooding your legislators, folks. It's not over yet.

Pssst!

Sneed hears rumbles Bill ''The Apprentice'' Rancic is remodeling a house in Chicago's East Village. Stay tuned.

Eatsville . . .

Whoopee! Mayor Daley and his brother, Bill, the new Midwest chairman of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., celebrated Bill landing once again in Chicago at the posh RL eatery, where they dined with Hizzoner's good pal, attorney/P.J. Clarke's owner Terry Newman.

Dugout dirt . . .

The ''Foul Ball,'' formerly known as the ''Bartman Ball,'' is mainstream Americana now.

*Translation: A contestant on Tuesday night's ''Super Millionaire'' show won $25,000 when he correctly answered Regis Philbin's question about the famous foul ball disintegrated by Harry Caray's Grant DePorter.

*The question: ''Which team blew up a baseball to end the curse?'' The Cubs, of course.

Arrest 'em . . .

Ald. Dorothy ''The Hat'' Tillman (3rd) must be tipping her chapeau to the Chicago cops.

Sneed hears they arrested a man in Tillman's backyard late Tuesday night for unlawful use of a weapon. The culprit wound up in Tillman's yard following a foot chase, which resulted in him tossing an illegal gun, which the cops recovered.

*The upshot: Tillman was happy to learn the department's Targeted Response Unit, which targets high crime areas, was working in her neighborhood. Whew!

Movie mania . . .

Watch for Michael Caine to hit town in June to shoot scenes for the next ''Batman'' film. He plays Alfred the butler.

Sneedlings . . .

It should come as no surprise that real estate guru Oscar DeAngelo, an opera lover, and his wife are on a 10-day opera tour of Russia.... Credit students at Glenbrook North High School, who suffered a share of bad hazing publicity, for raising money for the Cancer Wellness Center in Northbrook by holding a Lift-A-Thon from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today at the school. Football head coach Bob Pieper and his team, including football co-captain Ryan Dishman, should get a big smooch.... Today's birthdays: Cher, 58; Joe Cocker, 60; Bronson Pinchot, 45; Tony Goldwyn, 44; Busta Rhymes, 32, and Richard "Red" Ellis, 92.