So we asked him something different: How about John Rich for president?

“I wouldn’t rule it out at some point in my life,” says the multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter-producer. “But I wouldn’t think anytime soon. That is such an immensely powerful and responsible position, I would have to educate myself on every level. But I could run — any American can run for president. And I do think people should discuss politics and debate it.”

Debate is the main reason conservative-leaning Rich cites for his view that Trump’s decision to stay out of the presidential race is something of a missed opportunity.

“I think he would be an interesting guy to hear debate if he’d have run. I’d have liked to have heard him go toe to toe with other people.”

Rich has shown admirable tenacity, smarts and poise throughout the “Celebrity Apprentice” competition he’s playing to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In fact, he and fellow finalist Marlee Matlin have shown exemplary behavior all down the line, unlike many of their fussin’, feudin’, freaking fellow contestants.

He admits Sunday night’s (5/22) finale “is a little nerve-wracking — live TV with 20 million people watching.” He reports that he’s going to sing his “For the Kids” song from that same-titled album (proceeds from which are going to the charity) on the show.

“I’m going to sing that live, acoustically, and Marlee is going to sit next to me and sign the lyrics as I’m singing them. I think it’s going to be a really powerful moment.”

His “Rich Rocks” album contains “You Had Me From Hell No,” a tune he recorded last year with his pal Lil Jon. At the time, neither he nor the hip-hop star with whom he’s been friends for six years (they hit it off at an awards show) had any inkling they’d be doing “Celebrity Apprentice” together. They kept their friendship under wraps all season, figuring a secret alliance would be to their mutual benefit — which it was.

Rich says that when fans started clamoring for a collaboration between him and Lil Jon via his website and Twitter, he thought of “You Had Me From Hell No,’ which was “just sitting in my stereo.” He phoned Warner Records and said, “Let’s let the world have access to it.”

You know the company was happy about that call — just as St. Jude’s was thrilled to learn Rich had put together a full six-pack album for the charity’s benefit. Come Sunday, he’ll find out whether the final quarter-million-dollar win will go to his charity or Matlin’s, the Starkey Hearing Foundation. They’re definitely both winners already.

VISUALLY STRIKING: Now that reports have Soulja Boy lined up to take on the role of rap icon Tupac Shakur in Antoine Fuqua’s big-screen biopic, casting forces on the film are turning their attention to the question of who’ll play Suge Knight. The role calls for an actor in his late 20s to early 30s, “6-foot-2 to 6-foot-4, 275 pounds — an enormous, menacing presence who is surprisingly soft-spoken.” Shooting is now planned for mid- to late summer, in L.A. and Atlanta.

Casting is also under way for “a handsome albino man in his twenties or thirties” to play a guest star and recurring role in “An American Horror Story” for FX, starring Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott, Jessica Lange and Denis O’Hare. “An American Horror Story” is from “Glee” co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and will be directed by Murphy.

Asked how it is to do the show compared to how she thought it would be, Remini admits in her charmingly convoluted style, “What I thought at first about what it was, it was going to be not as hard. It is hard to do a live show every day. I thought I’d be able to just walk in and go, ‘Hi, what are we talking about?’ ‘Let’s go home now.’ There is much more mental work in preparing than I expected.”

Yes, she’s felt burnout. “Holly and I sit in her room and go, ‘Wow, man.’ You’re just drained. But the next day, we’re good again,” she adds. “We’re talking about something fun, or something in the news we have a take on, or something we really want to share with people — and we’re re-energized by that.”

She’s enjoying the company of her “Talk” show mates and their fun chemistry — a big plus. She feels their celebrity interviews “are still missing something” — a small minus.

“I can’t put my finger on it. I’m glad that we always get something more, something different, from them besides whatever the thing is they’re there to promote,” she says.

Remini acknowledges it’s not easy juggling the show’s demands and her family life with 6-year-old daughter Sofia and husband Angelo Pagan. Sofia has come to the set, and will come when Justin Bieber guests.

“I think I’m just going to call the school and tell the truth. I can’t make her stay away when she has a chance to meet him.”

Remini’s “The Talk” deal called for a new sitcom to be developed for her at the network, but there’ve been hitches. Obviously, working eight hours per day on “The Talk” doesn’t leave much time for other professional pursuits.

“I’m up at 5:30 to be at work by 7:30. It’s not an easy day, but when I’m finished, the sun is still out. There is time for another show,” she says. “But maybe I don’t want to be a series regular. Maybe I want to be a recurring character on another show. I need to have some time with my daughter.”

The actress lets us know her maternal duties now include being “a chauffeur and a chef. When my daughter’s home from school, it’s like, ‘Where is my play date?’ It’s only going to get worse from here on. She’ll get to be a teenager and say, ‘Mom, I don’t want to hang out with you,’” Remini predicts.

Also, “I feel a real loyalty to ‘King of Queens,’ to Doug and Carrie. When I read the scripts they send, I go, ‘I can’t be married to this guy.’ It’s weird, right? I feel like I’m actually married to Doug,” she says, referring to Kevin James’ character. She ends up saying, “‘Oh, I know who’d be good for that,’ and I pitch them ideas for other girls.”

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Andrea Anders, who plays Matthew Perry’s love interest, Alice, on his new “Mr. Sunshine” sitcom, enjoys the fact that the show’s setting, a San Diego arena, opens the way for all kinds of top-name guest stars.

“There’s like a character every week that is coming through, and we have some big names,” she says, referring to guests the likes of James Taylor, Jimmy Connors and last week’s celeb, Nick Jonas. “I always enjoy that, their limelight personality. To get to work with them is fun.”

But as for the most fun she had while filming the first batch of “Mr. Sunshine” installments, well, it was in an upcoming episode which Alice gets schnockered.

“That was a lot of fun to do. I kick over a big bowl of popcorn. I’m not sure when that will air,” says the beautiful blonde, who is the real-life girlfriend of Matt LeBlanc. “I actually got to do that on ‘Better Off Ted’ and got drunk on ‘Joey.’ I don’t necessarily want to be a drunk, but it’s great to play.”

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: With James Denton telling “Access Hollywood” last week that negotiations are “tenuous” for “Desperate Housewives’” stars to renew their contracts for next season, you just have to know that creator Marc Cherry is enjoying working on his “Hallelujah” series pilot all the more. Cherry has no less than director Michael Apted at the helm of the production, slated to go in March with Jesse L. Martin as star. The prospective new series deals with the forces of good and evil battling it out in a small town, and major roles include the upstanding diner owner; the unscrupulous, bullying millionaire; and the mysterious newcomer. All guys.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

Lorre’s used to unappreciative stars, to say the least. Consider: The esteemed writer/producer first whetted his sitcom chops working on “Roseanne” back in the early ’90s. Behind-the-scenes fights on that show became an everyday part of the job, as the star wrested more and more control out of creator Matt Williams’ hands and launched a frenzy of frequent firings. Before it was all over, tales of screaming tyrannical behavior emanated from the set regularly, and Roseanne Barr let it be known that she suffered from multiple personality disorder.

But that show was likely a better experience for Lorre than the first show he personally created — the 1993-1998 “Grace Under Fire,” starring Brett Butler. The comedian, once thought to be the female answer to Lenny Bruce, exhibited demonical diva ways including verbal abuse and sexual harassment, according to Lorre’s suit over profits from the sitcom. Her nastiness led staff, including writer Alan Ball, to talk about the show using terms such as “the gulag.” Lorre left. Butler confessed to painkiller addiction, and the production became subject to her rehabs and relapses — but due to high ratings, the team carried on (sound familiar?) until at last ABC got fed up with Butler missing tapings and abruptly pulled the plug.

Then there was Cybill Shepherd, a decided improvement. Nevertheless, she was accused of megalomania during production of her “Cybill” show of 1995-1998. Whoever did what to whom, clearly, it wasn’t fun. Lorre was fired after five episodes despite creating the show. (A phalanx of other writers quit or were fired as well.) First, though, Shepherd had Lorre banned from the set, reportedly because she hated it when he and another producer, Jay Daniel, sat watching her performances on the monitor and critiquing them. Imagine producers doing such a thing!

Small wonder that in 2008, Lorre relished the assignment of co-writing a “CSI” episode entitled “Death of a Sitcom Diva.” As “CSI’s” Robert David Hall put it, “I think Chuck is working off his aggression in this script.”

By then, “Two and a Half Men” was already a long-standing hit, and it looked like taking a gamble on seemingly reformed hellion Charlie Sheen was a good idea. Considering the show’s long-running success, it still looks that way. But as every reader of pop psych tomes and women’s magazines knows, if you keep getting into the same kind of toxic relationships over and over again, you have to recognize that it’s your responsibility and make changes. Lorre’s apparently harmonious “Big Bang Theory” and gratitude-infused “Mike and Molly” casts suggest he’s found the healthy truth: There are talented, funny, creative people out there who manage to do terrific work without all the pain and suffering. Goodbye, Charlie Sheen. Ahh.

IT’S ALL IN THE DEMOGRAPHIC: Disney XD’s “Zeke and Luther,” which is now launching its third season, has made stars out of 18-year-olds Hutch Dano and Adam Hicks. At least, it has with a certain segment of the population. The affable Dano tells us that getting recognized “depends on where I go. I have a little sister. I went to her science fair at school last week, and I got recognized there a lot. But if I go to see an R-rated movie, adults don’t look twice.”

His and Hicks’ skateboarder characters continue to mature this season, he notes — beginning with their season opener, in which Zeke takes a fall that threatens his future.

“One of the coolest things about the show is that every season, you see the main characters step up more and more and become better and better friends as the season progresses,” believes Dano. “Every season, you want to bring something new to your character. For me, Zeke is a little more serious, he’s a leader, he’s older — but you also want to be able to let him let loose a little more. We do that. We have spit takes, we have those moments when we’re jumping all over the place … It’s a tough balance to find, even working with the writers.”

Dano, who had his own “Den Brother” Disney Channel movie last year, and co-starred as Henry Huggins in the big-screen “Ramona and Beezus,” wouldn’t mind “Zeke and Luther” going on into a fourth season, or more.

“I love the show. I love the cast and crew. I’d definitely be open to continuing on whatever happens with the show.”

CASTING ABOUT: Kevin James has been keeping the storyline of his “Here Comes the Boom” feature under wraps, but casting notices provide a few scintillating hints. They include an Ethiopian lady and a Dutchman — the actor who plays him must speak Dutch.

ABC is planning an hour-long drama about a new FBI unit specializing in identity theft, titled “Identity.” It might not seem like much action would be in store with a bunch of agents staring at computer screens, but, wouldn’t you know it? One of the characters is a guy who not only knows his way around the web, but has yet to give up his old-fashioned investigative methods — or his big secret. That is, that he’s never given up his undercover identity. An identity within an identity story, see? Another character is a funny, witty, odd young woman who’s a computer wizard. Sounds like another in the Mary Lynn Rajskub “24″ and Pauley Perrette “NCIS” mold.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

“I’m really looking forward to it. I haven’t done a long tour in a long time,” he tells us. “I think you have to get yourself in the right frame of mind for it. You have to remind yourself, OK, Ben E., you have to eat well, sleep well. All the party days, you know, are over now. You have to be sensitive at your age,’” says the 77-year-old with a laugh.

To say that King has seen a lot of changes in the record business since he got his first hit in 1959 (“There Goes My Baby” with the Drifters) is a vast understatement. Today, “The record industry is in the strangest world I’ve ever seen it in, not barring the fact that the record stores are all gone. If you want to sell records, you have to do it at places like Starbucks and Target. The good thing is, we know that the music is still alive.”

King’s latest contribution to the record world is a collection of standards (on his own CanAm label) including “When I Fall in Love” and “My Funny Valentine.” He notes, “You make sure you do things that aren’t going to embarrass yourself and the industry. Make sure you don’t do things that should be left to the 18-year-olds, you know? After being out there for a certain amount of time, you have a certain slot, and you belong there. I learned from watching cats like Duke Ellington and Billy Eckstine — if you stay there with dignity and class, you’ll be OK.”

Choosing the tunes out of the great American songbook wasn’t easy. “We really did have an overload. We kind of narrowed it down to ones we thought weren’t overdone,” he says. And then, he did fresh treatments of the songs.

“When you surround yourself with great musicians, things happen, you know? Someone will say, ‘Why don’t you try this or that? Why don’t you try it in another key?’”

For instance, on “The Touch of Your Lips,” King explains, “We were thinking about doing it very ballad-y, slowing it down. Then we thought, ‘No, let’s not go that way,’ and we tried a little up-tempo. All those little things came together.”

ANOTHER RABBIT HEARD FROM: Tom Kenny (aka the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants) says he’s been having a lot of fun voicing the role of Rabbit in Disney’s new, classic-style Winnie the Pooh movie that comes out July 15.

Rabbit is such a bossy, anal-retentive type, he couldn’t be much further from the screwball SpongeBob.

“Yes, he’s very much a fussbudget and stresses out about everything. He’s the closest thing the Hundred Acre Wood has to a Squidward,” Kenny points out, referring to “SpongeBob SquarePants’” resident long-suffering octopus, Squidward Tentacles (Rodger Bumpass).

Kenny has been dividing his time the last few days between working on the next “Transformers” movie and the animated “Spider-Man.” He’ll be heard in a new SpongeBob special — “Legends of Bikini Bottom” — on Nickelodeon Jan. 28.

REALITY GAVE THEM A ROLE: Bravo is plotting “What If…” a reality show about women who reconnect with men from their pasts in hopes of making things work out the second time (or third or fourth time) around. And good luck with that. Actually, the show is from Reveille productions, which gave us “The Office,” “The Biggest Loser” and “Tabitha’s Salon Takeover” among other shows (founder Ben Silverman used to be the head honcho of NBC-Universal, you may recall), so maybe they can find success with warmed-over romances. At least, maybe they can do better than most human beings.

SOMETHING SCARY: Casting of subsidiary roles is under way for “Meeting Evil,” the Chris Fisher chiller based on a novel by Thomas Berger, in which Luke Wilson will play an everyday suburbanite recently fired from his real estate office job, whose life gets turned upside down when he unsuspectingly asks whether he can help out a stranger with car trouble. That stranger — Samuel L. Jackson — turns out to be a hit man who forces Wilson’s character into a murder spree. They will be shooting in New Orleans, which is turning into a bit an ever-busier film locale what with local tax incentives — and local color, of course.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

“That’s kind of the rule of thumb. We’re all here to look out for each other. Look, we know we’re in the presence of a national treasure here, but she’s a strong one. She’s a tough broad, I have to tell you,” Malick says.

“She’s got some kind of constitution. The woman lives on hot dogs and French fries. I was trying to get her to eat salad with grilled salmon, and my husband said, ‘Will you stop? Whatever she’s been doing is obviously working.’ Maybe red licorice is the secret to a long life.”

The hit status of “Hot in Cleveland” is a welcome surprise to the series team. “We all knew it would be a long shot because there were so few pieces about mature women. But you had to know at some point something would have to work because there are so many baby boomer women out there who are reinventing ourselves, who are starting new chapters of life.”

With a guest star roster including Mary Tyler Moore, Bonnie Franklin, Carl Reiner, Tim Conway, Melanie Griffith, Peri Gilpin, Joe Jonas and Jon Lovitz, the hitcom also has a few twists on the way. Among them: Malick’s character, ex-soap star Victoria Chase, is headed for a stint on daytime’s “All My Children” toward the end of the month in a first-of-its-kind exchange between a prime-time show and a daytime show on different networks.

“It is so confusing,” says Malick — who requested being billed as Victoria Chase in “OLTL” credits, rather than as Wendie Malick. “We’re having trouble keeping track. OK, this is a show within a show. Now I’m playing a character who is playing a character.”

She doesn’t know what the soap writers have in mind for her as yet. “I’m completely putting myself at their mercy. It will be interesting to see what they come up with, knowing the dynamic between Victoria and Susan Lucci. She did a cameo on our show in the season finale, where she accepted an Emmy on my behalf” — thus filling Victoria with chagrin — reminds Malick.

She’ll be shooting “Hot in Cleveland” and “One Life to Live” at the same time, “double teaming a little. I know they’ll try to shoot all my things at once. I’ll rehearse a few hours on my show, then shoot a few hours with them.”

It’s a time squeeze most actors would love to have. “Oh, yes,” acknowledges Malick. “You really want to be a little too busy.”

IF YOU ASK US: The trend toward film and TV producers figuratively wiping their feet on other people’s sensibilities with crude and profane titles needs to stop. “Dinner for Schmucks” caused widespread flinching not only because it was a terrible movie, but because its coarse title was splattered all over billboards, bus stops and other places that were in our faces. The audience doesn’t get to flip the channel on those, folks. When “(Bleep) My Dad Says” became a CBS series, the fact the offending word was masked in alternate keyboard symbols did not keep it from being a new low in network pandering. Now Paul Weitz is getting ready to make a film with Robert De Niro and Paul Dano based on Nick Flynn’s best-selling memoir, “Another Bull—— Night in Suck City.” Here’s hoping they opt for a title change. When adults pay to watch a movie, it’s one thing. But putting rude, crude and vulgar words before a mass, multi-media audience where, yes, there are children watching just shows a lack of respect.

A NICE SEGUE: Phylicia Rashad, who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for “A Raisin in the Sun” in 2004 — and an Image Award for reprising her role on TV in ’08 — is now getting ready to direct a production of the beloved Lorraine Hansberry work in L.A., for the Ebony Repertory Theatre company at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center. It opens in March. The one-time Mrs. Huxtable of “Cosby Show” fame, who did fine work in Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls” last year, just seems to rise to loftier heights as the years go by.

HELLO, GORGEOUS: Considering the sexy makeover being planned for “Charlie’s Angels’” go-to guy Bosley in the upcoming series reboot, there’s either going to be a major change in the chemistry between him and the Angels, or perhaps they’re planning to make him gay? As casting notices have it, rather than the avuncular Bosley played by the late David Doyle in the 1970s, today’s Bosley will come complete with a “Peter Pan smile and GQ looks” — including six-pack abs. He’s “charming, funny and knows how to dress to impress.”

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

There’s also the launch of her “True You” book dealing with diet, exercise, self-image and self-esteem to contend with. The tome hits stores Feb. 8.

And on top of that, Jackson could easily find herself in this year’s Academy Awards running come Jan. 25. Her hit “Nothing” (written and produced by her in association with Johnta Austin, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri) from Tyler Perry’s “Why Did I Get Married Too?” is being buzzed by Oscar prognosticators everywhere as a good bet for a Best Song nomination.

Jackson has been balancing moving on with her life and dealing with the aftermath of Michael’s death for more than a year and a half now. You may recall that “Why Did I Get Married Too?” briefly shuttered production after his passing, while Jackson flew to join family in L.A. for the funeral. When she returned to the movie location, her friends on the production “decided, in unison, to give her space and respect whatever feelings she was feeling,” as Jill Scott recalled it to this column. “If she wanted to be quiet, we’d step back. If she wanted to talk, we’d be there for her. I think she did find escape in her work. She definitely did.”

Jackson’s tour will definitely keep her busy — if all goes according to plan — with 35 global destinations involved including Singapore on Feb. 7, Hong Kong on Feb. 14 and Taipei on Feb. 19. She’s taking the unusual step of having fans determine her route by voting on her janetjackson.com web site. In each of the 35 cities, she will dedicate one of her No. 1 songs to the city, and she will also recognize 20 young people whose lives and work have enriched their communities in a major way.

A HYPHENATE’S HYPHENATE: Daniel Stern has just finished an episode of NBC’s forthcoming midseason “The Paul Reiser Show” — as director — and tells us the quasi-autobiographical comedy “is really, really funny. People are going to like it.”

Stern’s life these days couldn’t be much more eclectic. When not acting or directing, he’s often engaged with his career as a sculptor who works in bronze. “I just did an 8-foot tall guy for the San Diego harbor,” informs the multi-talent, who adds that his work is viewable on danielsternart.com. “I have a couple of commissions I’m working on now. I like to stay busy with my art stuff, you know.”

And if not that, “I live on a cattle ranch half the year, so I have a lot of chores to do, stalls to sweep out,” he says. He got inspired to get into the ranch life after “City Slickers,” about 10 years ago, and bought a spread near Porterville in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

“We’ve got olive trees and citrus. We’re running cattle, goats and horses. It’s a real respite from the Los Angeles scene,” he declares. According to Stern, not long after he got the ranch, “I went out, and there were cows out there, and I accidentally started a small stampede. It was such a ‘City Slickers’ moment.”

He did learn what he was doing, though, to the extent that his cattleman gifted him with a real cowboy hat.

“When one thing isn’t happening the way I want it to, I go to another one,” notes Stern, who is also a playwright. “When I need to take a break from writing a script, I can go talk to my cattle guy or I can go to work in my sculpture studio. I know how hard it is for everybody out there, and I appreciate the fact I’m just the luckiest guy I know, I really am. I earned a little bit of money, and I bought my freedom,” says Stern.

Most of all, he adds, “My kids are all happy in their worlds, and my wife and I are about to celebrate our 30th anniversary.”

LAID BACK: Taio Cruz spent much of last year on the road performing and promoting his music, including No. 1 hits “Break Your Heart” and “Dynamite.” To chill out, he says, “I normally bring video games — PS3 in a bag — plus, I’m into TV. I can escape for a few minutes that way. My favorite thing to do is watch comedies. ‘Megamind’ was really funny.” This month, Cruz is snagging a couple of hard-earned weeks off.

A PIECE OF THE ACTION: With the upcoming events and promotion pegged to the centennial birthday of Ronald Reagan coming up Feb. 6, do you think for a moment Hollywood would fail to take advantage of the hoopla over the late 40th president’s special year? Not at all. Warner Home Video is issuing eight of the Gipper’s flicks in commemorative editions come Jan. 25: “Dark Victory,” “Knute Rockne All-American,” “Kings Row,” “Desperate Journey,” Irving Berlin’s “This Is the Army,” “The Hasty Heart,” “Storm Warning” and “The Winning Team.” He’s teamed with Bogie, Bette, Errol and other Golden Era film greats in the package that will enable the public to decide all over again if his acting warranted better than the B-movie roles he usually landed in — before taking off for political green pastures.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

In fact, Barker’s tireless activities on behalf of animal rights have now earned him the designation of honorary fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.

“It’s an absolutely breathtaking experience,” he says. “I received an announcement from Dr. Andrew Linzey, the founder and director. Among people involved in animal rights, he is a most respected man. He has written 15-20 books that have been very helpful in the effort to help animals, and he is also a theology professor at Oxford.”

Barker has been informed that there have only been six other honorary fellows named by the centre and they include Nobel laureates, philanthropists and academicians. “I was the first one in the entertainment field,” he states.

“When I read the complimentary things that Dr. Linzey had said about my accomplishments on behalf of animals, I was actually on the verge of tears,” Barker adds.

Linzey, the sometimes-controversial Anglican priest, theologian and animal activist, cited Barker’s key role in propelling animal rights from “being a marginal issue into the academic mainstream, which he called ‘a colossal achievement.’”

While Barker’s fans are certainly aware of his devotion to animal causes, the extent of his commitment may come as a surprise. Barker reveals that he has set up endowments for the study of animal law at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Northwestern, Georgetown, Columbia, Duke and the University of Virginia — in addition to establishing the Dorothy Jo Barker chair for the Study of Animal Rights, named for his late wife, at Drury University in Springfield, Mo., their alma mater. With his new Oxford ties, there’s a strong possibility that he’ll be adding the ancient British institution to his list of endowment recipients.

As for when he’ll — ahem — come on down to visit Linzey and his colleagues in the U.K., Barker says he has no current plans to cross the pond, but might go at some point this year.

By the way, Barker says he still tunes in to “The Price Is Right” on occasion. “I certainly did turn it on when I learned that Drew Carey had lost 90 pounds. He was slim and wearing a very sharp suit and bowtie and looked great.”

WINNING AND LOSING: With Jillian Michaels having announced that she plans to leave “The Biggest Loser” to pursue motherhood, and two new trainers debuting on the NBC show’s 11th season, premiering tonight (1/4), where does that leave “The Biggest Loser’s” Bob Harper? After 10 seasons of the show, “It just feels really good to continue to help people. I don’t lack the motivation; I don’t lack the drive.”

Besides, he certainly hasn’t had to refrain from developing other projects while helping “BL” contestants drop the pounds. There are his “Inside Out Method” DVDs and videos on his “My Trainer Bob” website. There’s his spokesman role for Quaker oatmeal. There’s his activism against factory farming.

And when we asked him about running out of steam, his response was: “I don’t even think about it.”

INDUSTRY BITS: Capitol Filmworks is getting ready to go into production with its Chandra Levy TV movie, to shoot in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. Casting has been under way for the doomed Washington intern, for Gary Condit, the congressman whose relationship with her was under scrutiny after her disappearance (though cleared of any involvement, the cloud of suspicion that had surrounded him cost him re-election), and for her parents. Undocumented Salvadoran immigrant Ingmar Guandique was convicted of Levy’s slaying in November. We hear that a Levy docu-reality series is also in the works.

“High School Musical’s” Olesya Rulin will get a chance to take center stage soon, as she is teaming up with Kristin Chenoweth and Joey King in “Family Weekend,” a big-screen comedy about a teenage girl who’s fed up with her dysfunctional family and takes drastic steps to get her parents’ attention.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

>> New “American Idol” judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez will show the public how enormously watchable they can be when talking as themselves, and will give the show an injection of fresh life. Each has given us memorable interviews through the years. Unlike Ellen DeGeneres (sorry, Ellen), they know their stuff musically. And early indications are that Tyler is in top witty and wise form on the “AI” panel.

>> The success of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” will make zombies as fashionable as vampires. Just wait for Halloween, when that embalmed and hungry look will be everywhere.

>> Speaking of which, Hugh Hefner, 84, and his 24-year-old fiancee, Playboy model Crystal Harris, will announce that a new little bunny is on the way, thanks to the wonders of modern science. You don’t want to know.

>> Sylvester Stallone will attempt to repeat the success of “The Expendables” (of course) with a sequel starring all the overage action stars he can round up, “The Dependsables” — er, make that “Dependables.”

>> Donald Trump will get rid of his rickety comb-over at long last and begin wearing Bret Michaels-style bandanas that match his neckties — a new badass business look.

>> “Dancing With the Stars,” the great salvager of faded and ruined careers, where personalities can trade shame for fame, will serve as a springboard back into public acceptance for a star whose last few years have been fraught with trauma, drama and savage headlines — Arnold Schwarzenegger.

>> Lindsay Lohan, meanwhile, will star on “Celebrity Rehab.” Obviously, Dr. Drew Pinsky has been dying to treat the wayward actress because with her every arrest, probation violation and embarrassing paparazzi shot, he’s front and center with comments to the press about her.

>> Maria Shriver will go into politics herself at last. Maybe foreign-born Arnold can’t run for president, but his wife is a Kennedy.

>> Many celebrities are serious amateur chefs — Daniel Craig, Matthew Modine, Dominic Monaghan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kellie Martin, Michael Pare, Josh Brolin, Tobey Maguire, James Spader and Christopher Walken, to name a few — so it’s only a matter of time before “Iron Chef: Celebrity Edition” comes to pass.

>> Many celebrities are unfaithful, so it’s only a matter of time before “Cheaters: Celebrity Edition” arrives. This year alone, the show could have included an exciting lineup of famous cheats, re-cheats and near-cheats: Jesse James, David Arquette, Tony Parker, Ashton Kutcher and Brett Favre, to name a few.

>> With the success of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska,” the caribou hunter and former governor will realize that she’s having such fun as a reality TV star, that’s really where her future belongs, not in politics. Oh, wait. We take it back. These are predictions, not Bill Maher’s wish list.

>> 2011 will continue Cher’s latest career surge, as Andy Fickman brings the Cher Broadway musical to stage. As the prolific producer-writer-director observed, “She’s a fairly phenomenal character, Cher — as a human being, I think she’s one of the great icons of all time, a force to be reckoned with. The phenomenal way she looked coming out on stage at the MTV Music Video Awards, well, it’s one for the books.”

>> Annette Bening will win an Oscar.

>> Taylor Swift will win multiple Grammys.

>> Lady Gaga will shock the public by (fill in blank), while Madonna and Courtney Love watch jealously from the sidelines.

>> Miley Cyrus will shock the public by (fill in blank), while new Disney Channel darlings such as Bella Thorne and Zendaya Coleman take her place as tween faves.

>> “The Hobbit” will be the most talked-about movie of the year.

>> The new FFBF Awards — Famous for Being Famous — will be inaugurated, hosted by Paris Hilton, with the competition fierce in year one between the Kardashian sisters and Kate Gosselin.

>> George Clooney will be named a 2012 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient for his philanthropy.

And here’s to a happy, better new year for one and all.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

“I’m bringing my husband with me, and my father,” says the soon-to-be “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent, whose dad came to stay with her and her husband, stepsons and daughter for Christmas. “The kids will stay back in L.A., I think. My baby girl is 3 1/2, but knowing her, she’ll stay wide awake. She can count to 40 or so, and she’s been practicing counting backwards, so maybe I’ll have her count down to ‘Happy New Year.’”

Even if little Ashby’s New Year’s countdown doesn’t make it to TV, O’Dell says she’ll cherish the video. “I have a million and one videos of her. I’m a mamarazzi,” she tells us.

For O’Dell, who’ll preside over the Fox New Year’s Eve show featuring Travie McCoy and David Archuleta, the gig is particularly special. “I’ve always wanted to do a New Year’s Eve show, so now I get to check that off my bucket list.”

A GOOD STEP: Saturday (1/1) not only marks the beginning of a brand-new year — it also marks the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of celebrities besieged by paparazzi. This is the day a new law intended to curb dangerous excesses by hounding photographers goes into effect, thanks to the tireless efforts of Paparazzi Reform Initiative Founder and CEO Sean Burke and former California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass.

“We feel this newest law will make a difference — it increases penalties on reckless driving when someone is in pursuit of a photograph for commercial sale,” Burke tells us. “In short — paparazzi chasing celebrities by car, when they run lights and otherwise drive recklessly, can be arrested for a misdemeanor (instead of a simple traffic infraction) and can be put in jail for up to a year if the car they were chasing had a minor in it and if that minor was put in any kind of danger as a result of the chase. We are already getting indications that the paparazzi won’t be chasing like they have in the past. And with that, the general public (as well as the celebrity and their children) are safer.”

Burke also notes, “To help ensure this is the case, we are designing a video system with an automotive audio/video installation company that celebrities can install in their car to shoot video out the back to capture footage of any paparazzi chasing them. Likewise, we have been coordinating with the L.A. County DA’s office and L.A. City Attorney’s office on exactly what they will need to prosecute offenders of the new law.”

The bill — supported by celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon — passed months ago. You may recall a first paparazzi reform bill — which imposes fines on photogs who violate famous persons’ right to privacy, and the media outlets that buy them — being signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009. That, too, was a result of former celebrity security man Burke’s work. More information can be found at his organization’s website, www.paparazzi-reform.org.

Media organizations have complained about these laws potentially interfering with First Amendment rights, but we sincerely disbelieve that amendment was intended to make camera mob harassment legal. Perhaps if the energy being put into those complaints went into efforts toward self-regulation instead, it would be more productive. Meanwhile, here’s hoping that if California can manage to enforce reasonable safe practices, it will serve as a model for other states and countries.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: With the USA Network’s “Psych” having been renewed for a sixth season, how long can the popular James Roday-Dule Hill fake psychic crime caper comedy-ish show go on?

According to Roday, “We don’t want people talking about it having held on for too long.”

He notes, “As long as we either maintain the level or go to a higher level than we’ve been doing in the past, it makes sense to keep doing the show. As soon as we’re not feeling that, it’s time to walk away — and walk away feeling good and at the top of our game. At the end of the season, we all get together and honestly assess the work we’ve done, what we still need to do, what the potential is.”

So far, so good.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

That’s the word from the series’ Scott Bakula, who says of Romano and his co-creator, Mike Royce, “It was never their intention to have it become a nine-year-old show, to keep it going and going. Their intention is to move the stories along relatively quickly.”

Thus, “Ray’s character is moving forward in his relationships. His gambling story takes a crazy turn this year,” says Bakula, speaking of Romano’s character’s apparent betting addiction. The third member of their triumvirate of buddies, played by Andre Braugher, will be seen “taking over his father’s car dealership with his wife. His dad has stepped away — but not stepped away.”

And as for Bakula’s character, ne’er-do-well actor Terry, “The good news about him was he had so many places to go. My character turns 50 this season, and when you’re an almost 50-year-old and as much of a Peter Pan kind of guy as Terry is, there’s all kinds of potential. His car dealership job sticks for a while, and Terry gets involved in a 9-to-5 lifestyle, which he’s never had to deal with before. That’s a maturing step for him. He has a responsibility because his friend has bailed him out and gotten him a job. Because of his commitment to his friend, he can’t just bail out this time.”

Bakula makes it clear that as far as he is concerned, “The cohesiveness of the writing on this show is what brings it all together. It’s not predictable; that’s kind of the wild card. These guys, their styles are so jarringly different, nobody’s on the same page. It’s amazing they all ended up in the same show. Do you buy that these guys are good friends and buddies? If you do, then we can do almost anything.”

Ironically, considering how convincingly he, Romano and Braugher portray longtime bosom pals, they were near strangers when they began. “We didn’t hang out that much before the show started. I think I’d met Ray twice before the auditions. We would cross paths at golf tournaments, fundraisers and that kind of thing. We had a day of rehearsal or so together before we started shooting. That was it,” says Bakula.

And during the hiatus between seasons, they also didn’t have a chance to pal around offstage “because Andre lives on the East Coast, he jumped on a plane even before the wrap party. We all have kids. Ray has a hugely busy life.”

THE PLAYLIST IS THE THING: Give former “Lost” star Jorge Garcia credit for eclectic musical tastes. The big guy is spotlighted in Entertainment Weekly’s On My iPod feature in the issue due on stands tomorrow (12/3), revealing his picks for tunes he’d take to a desert island. For instance, there’s Tenpole Tudor’s “Swords of a Thousand Men.” According to Garcia, “They’re one of those Clash rip-offs from the ’80s … The ‘Hoorah-hoorah-hoorahhey!’ is just so catchy. I was like, ‘I know that song from being a kid, but I couldn’t tell you any other part of it.’ It made me hunt it down.”

Then there’s the Real McKenzies’ “Loch Lomond.” “In looking for ‘Swords of a Thousand Men’ I discovered the Real McKenzies,” he tells EW. “I’m a huge fan of the Pogues and other Irish folk rock & roll bands. The Real McKenzies are like that, although they’re technically Canadian. It’s that ‘You take the high road/And I’ll take the low road’ song. It rocks.”

But just when you think you see a pattern, Garcia throws in Bobby Darin doing “Mack the Knife.” Says he: “One day, when I worked in a record store, we decided to find all the versions of ‘Mack the Knife’ in the store and play them back to back. Bobby Darin is still the standard for me.” Too true.

And Weezer’s “Trainwrecks” is on his list, too. “I met Rivers Cuomo and had taken a picture with him when we were both doing the George Lopez show. Two months later, I got an e-mail saying they wanted me for the cover (of “Hurley”). How can you not be flattered by that?” Honestly.

THE MORE THE MUSICAL: Casting is getting into full swing for Disney’s forthcoming “Madison High” series, which is being termed a successor to the “High School Musical” movies — not “Glee,” OK? Despite those cynical remarks from in and outside of the industry, “Madison High” will have all-original music, unlike the hit Fox show. However it turns out, it sounds like producers Lester Lewis (“Jonas L.A.”) and Paul Hoen and their team will soon be up to their eyebrows in an avalanche of submissions from Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale wannabes, ages 13-15. They’ve asked for “Madison High” hopefuls to submit videos of themselves performing, including a minute of a Broadway song and 45 seconds of dancing.

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTENT: The untitled Fox Network Affion Crockett project is looking for someone who does a good Suze Orman impression. That’s different.

And they need a Ben Stiller sound-alike for the big-screen “Ben.” Casting notices stipulate that “You must sound exactly like Ben Stiller, be in the same age range, have lip synch and ADR experience.” Don’t call us. Candidates are encouraged to call them, and “Speak slowly.”

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2010 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM