Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Looks like another casualty of the Hollywood writers' strike will be a "Scrubs" farewell show, wrapping the final season as the series team would have liked.

That's the word from Judy Reyes, who plays the take-no-prisoners Nurse Carla Espinosa on the long-running NBC sitcom. "We were anticipating this kind of being like our senior year in high school. Now I feel like we got our GED, which is good because we definitely accomplished something big. But we didn't really get to go to the prom or get our diplomas and say, 'Ma, we did it,' you know?" On the other hand, Reyes acknowledges, "We've had an incredible run, and there are much bigger things at stake (from the writers' strike) than us getting to go out in a blaze of glory."

Be that as it may, she promises the episodes they have in the can — 12 out of their 18-episode order — represent "some of our best work. JD (Zach Braff) is dealing with new fatherhood, Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla have been delving in their roles as parents, Elliot (Sarah Chalke) is coming to terms with not wanting to marry her partner, and JD and Elliot are still toying with the idea of being or not being in love with each other."

Reyes says aside from the writers' strike, a sense of sadness had pervaded the "Scrubs" set since the troupe returned for the final season. "In the beginning of the season, we were like, 'This is the first of the last time the whole cast is going to be together.' We were naming the first of the last and the last of the last. And then there was the bittersweetness of having to shoot the last scene because it was the last one written. … I miss the show and going to work and seeing everybody's faces. It was like going to a playground every day."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who rose to fame with her Oscar nomination for "The House of Sand and Fog," may not be in "The Kite Runner," but she tells us she's doing what she can to make sure people go see the feature that opens in limited release today (Dec. 14). "Paramount was kind enough to lend us one of their theaters, and I invited 285 of my friends to come see it. Most of them were Iranian, of course. They were so thankful for being invited, and they just loved it, which I knew would happen.

It's such a beautiful film," claims the actress of the movie, which has been adapted from Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel about an Afghan family.

"I feel very close to it. It's one of those humanitarian films where you get to see real people and feel for them," she continues. "Each and every one of the actors in the film has done a great job by not acting but by allowing themselves to turn into their characters. I hope it inspires more filmmakers to make more films in this genre next year."

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS: "Wizards of Waverly Place" regular Maria Canals-Barrera says having her family back together is the greatest gift she could have this Christmas. "My husband, David Barrera, has been doing an HBO miniseries called 'Generation Kill' in Africa for six months," says Canals-Barrera, who has two daughters, ages 4 and 2. "He's been able to visit a few times, but it's been tough. He's a very hands-on dad, and he's terrific with them. While we were taping 'Wizards,' I missed having him there because he would come with the girls." She says thanks to Internet technology, her husband "got to see the changes in the girls that happen every month. We have Skype, so we could see each other and talk with each other. I'll take the laptop and put it in the backyard where the girls are in the little pool, and he's, like, right there with them. It is completely cool."

BLESSED TO RECEIVE: Commenting on favorite gifts she's ever received, "ER's" Maura Tierney cites "the bike that the cast gave me last year for my birthday. It's a Beach Cruiser, a very sexy low rider — one of my favorite, favorite presents ever."

Tom Bosley, who has the Hallmark Channel's "Charlie & Me" movie coming up Jan. 5, says his favorite gift arrived on his doorstep this past Thanksgiving — a surprise visit by family members who live out of town, arranged by his wife.

And then there's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" star Chris Noth. He tells us, "I remember my mom, when I was a little kid, took me to see 'Hair' for my birthday, and I loved it." That's "Hair" as in the Broadway musical, with onstage nudity? How old was he? "I was 7 or something," says Chris.

Gee, some of us were taken to see "Hansel & Gretel" at that age.

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Fortune 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

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