Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

ABC's "V" returns to the lineup March 30 — with lots and lots of needed changes.

Reports Scott Wolf, who stars in the updated remake of the hit 1983 miniseries about advanced aliens who come to Earth, "The people who saw the first four episodes of the show that debuted in November are really going to be surprised when they see the next eight segments that complete the season. It felt like the original team was not capitalizing on the story, and so new writers were brought in and Scott Rosenbaum came aboard as show runner. He's a tremendous talent."

Insists Wolf, "It was a vote of confidence by the network and Warner Bros.: When things are not 100 percent, don't let it drift. Make the changes that will let the show be as great as it can be."

He adds, "It's hard for a studio to make costly changes in time and money. Also, a lot of shows don't want to give away too much to soon. We're not falling into that trap. You'll see with the next episodes of "V" that we're just letting it rip and telling a fast-paced story."

The veteran of "Party of Five," "Everwood" and the short-lived "The Nine" notes that "TV is a tough business. Most of the time, it doesn't work — and there are a lot more examples of that lately because of how costly shows have become."

In "V's" favor is the fact that it will be on the lineup with "Lost" as its lead-in — with his one-time "Party of Five" co-star Matthew Fox.

"There should be a lot of added interest in 'Lost' with this being its final season," says Wolf. "That's got to bode well for "V."

LET 'ER RIP!: Larry the Cable Guy is gearing up for the premiere of his Comedy Central special "Larry the Cable Guy: Tailgate Party," which was filmed in his home state of Nebraska, and he says anybody who's expecting him to be politically correct can change the channel. "I've never been into the politically correct stuff. I think people are sick and tired of that crap," claims the popular comedian. "My daddy was a preacher and I grew up in a very religious household, but I know a joke's a joke. Grow some cojones and have a sense of humor. It's not like I'm running around beating people up. I just go on stage and if I find it funny, I find it funny. Anybody who gets offended easily isn't coming to my show anyway."

Clearly, there aren't a lot of people who have a problem with his sense of humor, as the show attracted over 50,000 people. "When they told me they were going to do a stadium, I was like, 'Yeah, good luck with that.' Then it sold out in two-and-a-half days.

My stomach started hurting; my jaw was locking up — I was really nervous — but once I got that first joke out, I was all set. It was one of the smoothest shows I've ever done," he says of the show airing Sunday, Jan. 31. "We figured since we were doing it on the Fourth of July, we'd sell tickets for $4 apiece and do something nobody's ever done before. It's when all the stories of the economy were coming out and people were pretty depressed. People have been good to me so I wanted to do something for them," he explains. "It's the biggest special ever taped. I'm sure somebody will come along and do it again, but at least I was the first one."

SOMETHING DIFFERENT: James Remar of "Dexter" pops up in the new Bruce Willis-Morgan Freeman "Red" action comedy — along with a cast that boasts Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss, John Malkovich, Ernest Borgnine and Mary-Louise Parker. He plays a wartime pilot, "a rakish, devil-may-care fellow. It's a cameo, but a nice little scene," he tells us. "It's always a nice change of pace when I get to switch things up a little bit, do things people don't think of me for. It affirms my craft as an actor. I'm not really a jet pilot. I'm not really a cop who is the adoptive father of a serial killer."

GRACE NOTES: Drummer extraordinaire Kenny Aronoff will be among the musicians playing their hearts out on Neil Young songs out at tonight's (1/29) MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to Young at the L.A. Convention Center. The bill includes Jack Black; Jackson Browne; T-Bone Burnett; Crosby, Stills & Nash; Sheryl Crow; Everest, Patty Griffin; Josh Groban; Emmylou Harris; Elton John; Norah Jones; Lady Antebellum; k.d. lang; Dave Matthews; John Mellencamp; Ozomatli; Red Hot Chili Peppers; Leon Russell; and James Taylor.

It's a busy period of charitable activity for Aronoff, who's been asked to participate in a recording for Haiti relief by the Children of War organization, in addition to his local activities on behalf of Safe Harbor. "What that is, is, kids who are in foster homes — the government will provide food and shelter for them, and then when they're 19, they're let loose. They need to be educated in how to support themselves in the proper way, to take care of themselves. Safe Harbor teaches kids those skills," he says, "so they won't get messed up with illegal activities when they get out on the street. You deal with them now, or you're going to have to deal with them later, you know what I mean?"

Fresh off a string of gigs that included The Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Bruce Springsteen, Aronoff will be setting off on tour with John Fogerty later this year. Right now, he can be heard on the Mix Me In iPhone App.

With reports by 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.

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