Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

The often tough-talking Leah Remini tells us she's become quite emotional now that the cast and crew of the long-running "The King of Queens" is in its last stretch.

"We're not celebrating. We're all pretty sad about it. It's very hard to see the end," claims Remini. She's found herself crying a lot more during rehearsals of the show in which she and Kevin James have been playing husband and wife since 1998.

"Everything is the last time — the last time we're going to see the bedroom sets, and so on. You just never see the end, and then all of a sudden it's there, and you're like, 'What?' What's the point of ending it? I would have gone back another year. I would have gone back another five years if I could."

Remini says she "absolutely" intends to stay in touch with her TV family. "That's never been the question. It's just that we're not going to see each other in this way anymore. Your relationship evolves into something else. I'm forced to see Kevin every day, whether or not he likes me or not, and vice versa. Now we have to see each other by choice. It's just not the same."

Though letting go will be hard, Remini says she just hopes their fans will be satisfied with the finale episodes. "I know some shows ended with people cheating on each other and all that kind of thing, and I don't think people want to see that. I want to see Doug and Carrie intact."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW, TOO: "Scrubs" is headed toward the end of its sixth season, which has star Judy Reyes speculating about a possible end to the show.

"I'm thinking that season seven might be the last," says Reyes, who plays the sassy Carla Espinosa. "I think we'll see every season from now on as the possible end. Every time we come back it's always stunning. The way we were moved around, it's incredible that we're still here," she notes.

Though six years is a long time in TV, Reyes tells us that she and her cast mates are not ready to move on. "At the very beginning of the season, the entire cast met with the creator, Bill Lawrence, and we said, 'Listen, if this show is coming back, I'm in.' I'm still having fun doing it. As long as it feels fresh and as long as we laugh while we're doing it and are having a good time, then we're in. It's all of us or none of us."

Especially with "Scrubs" in syndication, the show won't be disappearing any time soon.

Reyes applauds Comedy Central for showing the episodes without chopping them down, including "the commitment to bits that fall flat. I've had people say, 'You know what? I was watching this episode on 'Scrubs' and, eww, that bit didn't work.' I'm like, 'I know!' But for all the bits that don't work, there are so many that do. At the end of the day, that's classic television, in my opinion."

BOW WOW WOW: Drew Barrymore may be unattached at present, but she does gush unabashedly about one of the loves of her life. "I know my dog Vivian understands everything I say," she lets us know. "I think she's pretty human and she's got very human eyes."

Barrymore was one of the animal-loving celebrities — including Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, and Jack Black — on hand for the premiere of Paramount Vantage's "Year of the Dog," which hits theaters in New York and L.A. Friday (4/13).

"I came out for Molly Shannon and Mike White," she said of the movie's star and director. "I love both of them. I think they're geniuses, and I'm so excited about the theme of this movie because I'm a dog freak myself."

HOT AND FRESH: If you've heard the newly released album by Starbucks' employees — "Off the Clock Vol. 1: New Music from Up & Coming Starbucks Artists" — you probably wouldn't be surprised to learn that the eclectic blend of smooth jazz, pop, soft rock and other types of music from all over the country has sparked interest in more traditional record industry quarters.

"I'm not sure I want to comment on those kinds of discussions right now," says Geoff Cottrill (CQ), Starbucks' marketing and product management/music and entertainment veep. "They're independent artists, and those conversations would be taking place between them and whoever wants to work with them." He doesn't seem fazed by the idea of employees — "partners," in Starbucks' company parlance — forsaking the java for musical fame and fortune, however. "I've never been more excited about anything I've worked on than this CD. We couldn't be happier with the results, and we're hoping to do one every year," he says. The "Off the Clock" album began as a contest for employees, and Cottrill says the coffee purveying company was surprised to get more than 800 submissions from aspiring singer songwriters within its ranks. He and the rest of the content team "listened to every submission over about three or four weeks. There's a lot of great talent out there." No plans for a tour — at least, not yet.

(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 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.