Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

"Duplicity," with Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Wilkinson, is due to begin production next month with Tony Gilroy at the helm — which has meant double duty for the double Oscar-nominated "Michael Clayton" writer-director. He's been in intense preproduction in between attending awards functions.

It is, not surprisingly, a challenge he welcomes. "I've had to miss a couple of things because of schedule conflicts, which is a drag. And up 'til a couple weeks ago, I was coming in from walking the picket line to do preproduction," he says.

Gilroy figures his second outing as a director "has to be simpler" than his first. "Almost everyone on the crew is a repeat from 'Michael Clayton.' I don't have to learn everybody's working style." On the other hand, "The second time out, you also have a better idea of what to be afraid of," he admits with a smile. "Ignorance is bliss, you know. This movie has many more moving pieces than 'Clayton.'"

On the other hand again, he also has a much more substantial budget to work with on the "Duplicity" thriller, about corporate spies who attempt to pull off a monumental con job, than he did on the estimated $25 million-budgeted "Clayton."

George Clooney agreed to take on "Michael Clayton" — thereby giving Gilroy his directorial shot — after a reported eight-hour conversation between the star and the ultra-successful screen writer of "Bourne" movie fame. What in the world did they talk about? "Kind of everything," says Gilroy. "In that amount of time, you can cover life, your family, politics. It was a pretty fundamental, far-reaching conversation."

And it led to not only seven Oscar nominations for "Michael Clayton," including Clooney's Best Actor nod, but also to Julia Roberts signing on for "Duplicity" after phoning up buddy George to get the lowdown on Gilroy.

A FRESH PAGE: Paige Davis, who was given the boot from TLC after helping make "Trading Spaces" a hit, says she feels vindicated since returning to the show last month. "It was relatively brutal, but I think in the end a lot of it had to do with TLC trying any which way they could to keep the show fresh and new," recalls Davis of her departure. "It came out of the blue, and I didn't really know what was going on. It was kind of a sad time. I had this amazing journey with this amazing show that completely changed my life and it ended on this very sour note, so it sort of tainted things for me."

Responding to overwhelming viewer demand and a slump in ratings, Davis was asked back — a move she thought was a joke at first.

"I was a little confused who was asking because I don't think this would have happened had it been the same people I was working for. When I realized that it was a new group of people running TLC, then it made a little more sense. They were trying to reverse a decision their predecessors had made," she explains.

Davis, who used her time to star in the touring Broadway productions of "Chicago" and "Sweet Charity," says it feels good to be back to the TV show she knew and loved. "It feels very healing, actually — like I get to rewrite the whole end of a book and keep the story going instead of having it be a sad ending of 'We don't want you anymore.'"

MOVING UP: As the sad story of Britney Spears' downspiral and ongoing struggles continues to occupy celeb sites and tabloids, 20-year-old Australian singer Samantha Jade of "Step Up" soundtrack fame appears ready to, well, step up. Jade has been described as Jive Records' planned replacement for Britney — rightly or wrongly — since December, when reports broke that she was nearly given the chance to take over a video shoot intended for the troubled star, who reportedly kept a crew waiting 12 hours before showing up. So what does Samantha have to say about this?

"I think it's such an incredible comparison because Britney has had such a big long career. She had a great run," she says. "That comparison is great. Obviously I looked up to Britney. When I was 13, every girl wanted to be her."

Hm.

"Of course, we're on the same label, we work with the same people. I would love to be a pop princess. I've definitely worked very hard."

The Perth-born singer, who has the single "Turn Around" currently in release, has her debut "My Name is Samantha Jade" album due March 11 — with help from a stellar list of producers including Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, and Soulshock and Karlin. She's also looking forward to doing a concert tour and is taking acting classes and going to auditions. "The more you do, the better," she says.

ADVICE TO THE LOVELORN: With Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow, the not-so-lucky-in-love crowd might benefit from some advice on how to deal with a broken heart. "Surround yourself with friends and go on a date with someone really attractive," recommends Erin Cummings of "Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins." She explains, "Even if it's never going to turn into something, there's nothing more healing than going out with someone who is way better looking than you are. You're thinking, 'This will never end up being serious, I know you can't talk and that you have the brain power of an eraser, but you look great. Let's go.' You'll feel better."

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.

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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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