Rick Fox had a blast shooting tonight's (1/20) episode of "Big Bang Theory" on which the preternaturally hot-looking former NBA star cum actor is playing a college professor who is an expert on global warming. He's also the former boyfriend of Bernadette (Melissa Rauch), which — of course — makes her boyfriend, Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg), massively insecure.

The story is open-ended for a reappearance by the tall, dark and handsome professor, according to Fox. And he'd love to return.

"I love the process of starting out with the table read, putting the show on its feet, trying things, making different choices, getting new pages, seeing how the humor gets sharper and tighter throughout the week, and then doing it live in front of a studio audience. There is nothing like that energy," Fox says.

According to him, his "Big Bang" character comes with his insecurities — about being able to compete with his peers intellectually.

"The only way he can compete with them is through the women in their lives," Fox explains. "The one intellect that actually 'got' him, Bernadette, was also the one woman who got away."

With his recurring characters on "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" and "The Game," an ongoing "Big Bang" relationship would make Fox a three-series man.

"I'm fortunate to be on some really good shows. I'm looking to improve and, hopefully, to developing my own comedy," says the likeable performer. "I think of Latifah, LL Cool J and Will Smith — all of whom came from different disciplines and found success on television and films." And that's what he'd like to do.

For those of us who believe that Fox was robbed on "Dancing With the Stars" (how could he have lost his slot in favor of Bristol Palin?), he admits that such sentiments are "definitely something I've heard more than when we've lost championships. I appreciate everyone's support and their following the show. The sad part is, when you play professional sports, you get next season to try again. 'Dancing With the Stars' doesn't have that."

THE INSIDE TRACK: Jazz singer-songwriter Rondi Charleston will be heading out on a nation-wide spring concert tour in support of her exquisite new "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" album in coming weeks.

When she plays New York, she'll very likely be seen by Diane Sawyer — her one-time boss. The remarkable Charleston entered Juilliard at 16 and earned BM and MM degrees, then went on to earn a master's degree in journalism at NYU. Her job as a producer on Sawyer's "Primetime Live" followed. Charleston began moonlighting in jazz clubs while continuing to work on the Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning program.

"I started writing when I was working for Diane Sawyer," she recounts. "She would constantly remind me, 'Just tell the story ... Tell the story. Don't get sidetracked.' Those are words to live by whether it's journalism or lyric poetry.

"We're still friends. It's wonderful. We're still very much in touch. She is such a great lady, one of my role models. Not only is she a brilliant journalist, she's also very kind and supportive," adds Charleston. "She actually came to see me at a little jazz club in the village a couple of times. She sat right in the first row and sang along. She loves to sing. The next day at work, she said, 'I came to the show because I like you, and I like working with you. You didn't tell me that you could really do this. I don't want to lose you, but you could really do this.'"

Sawyer knew what she was talking about, as evidenced by Charleston's latest album — original songs and covers that, according to her, "have a collective theme about time." They range from the familiar title track to Charleston's inventive treatment of Bobby McFerrin's "Freedom is a Voice" (she had the lyrics translated into Zulu), to her own "Land of Galilee." The latter was inspired by her family's witnessing of an extremely rare snowfall in Jerusalem that brought out children and parents, Jews and Arabs alike, to play with abandon in the snow.

"If I can remind people of the preciousness of time," says Charleston, "if I can lift people's spirits in times of sorrow and distress, I'll have done my job."

I LIKE YOU FOR YOURSELF: Celebrities have always had to deal with questions about people in their inner circle and their motives for wanting to be pals. Reality TV has upped the ante exponentially, providing even bigger motivation for capitalizing on relationships with the famed, for everyone from stars' assistants to former spouses — Camille Grammer being the latest. And the trend is getting bigger. Casting notices went out last week for yet another major cable network's "docu soap" about affluent celebrity women in the L.A. area. Being sought are women married to celebs or previously married to celebs, or living with celebs.

INDUSTRY BITS: Gabrielle Anwar is about to start shooting Lifetime's latest Nora Roberts novel adaptation, "Carnal Innocence," in which she'll play a concert violinist who takes a break from her hectic life and cheating boyfriend to spend some time with her grandparents in a town called Innocence, Miss. But alas, a serial killer is on the loose there. Wouldn't you know? And what's the deal with the womanizing wealthy young aristocrat Anwar's character gets the hots for? He's being cast now.

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.