"Northern Lights": Can You See LeAnn Cheatin'?

Tomorrow night at 9, Lifetime premieres the first in the Nora Roberts' Collection of films "Northern Lights."

You may have heard that it stars country singer LeAnn Rimes and "Ugly Betty" actor Eddie Cibrian and that US Weekly insists that they began an affair on the set. There evidence: grainy video of the two smooching at a restaurant, LeAnn carrying a copy of "For Better Or For Worse," a book with the subtitle "Divorce reconsidered," and their signature evidence, while she was carrying the book, she wasn't wearing a wedding band.

LeAnn hasn't helped herself with her non-denial denial: "not everything in our lives is always black and white." (Did she mean this?) Also-married Cibrian adamantly denied the affair. I do remember on one award show LeAnn sayng from the stage how she been married to one man and never been arrested, as evidence of how she wasn't one of those young stars that lost their minds.

Karma is a female dog, ain't it?

Anyway, all this isn't hurting Lifetime, which has not one but two ads promoting the movie on the US Weekly web site.

So how's the movie? Delicious.

Cibrian's just been hired as the new chief of the Lunacy, Alaska police force. Almost no one is happy to see the outside with a murky past get the job. Among those happy, the man-eating owner of the local inn, played by Rosanna Arquette. But the new chief can't stop looking at Rimes' character, a tough, sexy pilot we first see in a red halter at a New Year's Eve party. Turns out Rimes and Arquette are mother and daughter.

The plot hinges on a murder that leds to another murder, and the outsider's left to solve it, of course. The dialogue is dry and snappy, the sex steamy without moving toward porno.

A great Saturday night romp. Can't wait for next week's Nora film.

P.S. I do remember on one award show LeAnn sayng from the stage how she been married to one man and never been arrested, as evidence of how she wasn't one of those young stars that lost their minds. Karma is a b*&$#@!, ain't it?