Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

'Teen Wolf' Pack To Howl at MTV Awards/Poignant Note to Travolta-Conaway Longtime Friendship

Brace yourselves for a lot of exposure to the latest in teen-wolf sagas if you happen to watch this Sunday's (6/5) MTV Movie Awards. The network's "Teen Wolf" debuts right after the awards, and they'll be taking full advantage of the giant numbers of viewers tuning into the event, not only as a lead-in, but as a place to plant promos.

"From what I hear, there will be a couple of trailers playing. We'll all be there," says Tyler Hoechlin, the one-time "7th Heaven" heartthrob who'll be seen as the big brother-esque werewolf in the new show starring Tyler Posey.

For the "Teen Wolf" stars, the launch of their show has been a long time coming.

"We made the pilot a year and a half ago," Hoechlin notes. "I think this is just the kind of date MTV had its eye on. It's perfect."

Hoechlin, who played college-level baseball and at one time seriously thought of pursuing a major-league career, says his werewolf role required "a lot of makeup and a lot of physicality, which I enjoy. With my baseball background and involvement in gymnastics, I'm always a great fan of parts that give me an opportunity to participate in stunts. The biggest challenge was definitely the makeup. It was always a couple of hours in the chair, hours that went by faster if Tyler Posey was sitting next to me" — joking and singing.

Days when Hoechlin was in were-wardrobe were "I'll just say, a much longer day than others. The deal was, once they put the claws on, doing things like going to the bathroom are a problem."

Hoechlin is careful to point out that while "Teen Wolf" has its title and origin in common with the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie, "We have such a different tone. That was a comedy. Clearly, ours is much darker. I empathize with people who don't want to see a remake of an amazing classic film, but ours is a drama.

Also, admits the hunky Hoechlin, "My family has always joked that at some point, I'd play a werewolf."

In fact, now he's part of a teen werewolf fraternity that includes "Twilight's" Taylor Lautner, right?

Hoechlin laughs. "Well, I know wolves are very much into pack-like behavior. So maybe we'll run into each other at the movie awards and we'll see."

NO GIVING UP: Word that John Travolta was standing by ready and eager to pay for a stint in rehab for Jeff Conaway prior to the 60-year-old actor's May 11 collapse and death last week adds another poignant note to the story of their friendship, which began when Travolta played Danny and Conaway played Kenickie in the 1978 movie "Grease." Back at the beginning of 2009, when Conaway happily declared himself free of the pain-pill addiction that began decades earlier with a back injury — and, sadly, turned out not to be over — it was Conaway who was feeling sympathy for Travolta. Speaking of the passing of Travolta's son Jett, he said, "It really depressed me...I felt like I lost a member of my family. It was so heartbreaking, and I know how much John loved Jett. I think of him every day, and I send a prayer his way. When we get a chance, we'll get together and give each other a hug."

CAN'T KEEP A GOOD NONAGENARIAN DOWN: Ernest Borgnine, who is 94 years old, has signed up to make "The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez." The storyline has to do with a retirement-home resident who leads his people in an uprising against the cruel establishment there. The title comes from the fact he's known to have once shaken the hand of a Mexican singing legend.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Now it's "Celebrity Kids" that are apparently soon going to be in the reality show spotlight, as casting forces are scouting about for "the privileged offspring of celebrities" or the famously wealthy, to star in a forthcoming series.

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.

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