Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Debbie Allen is laying plans for what she terms a national initiative for 2008 to bring music and dance productions that can involve student performers, along with professionals, into some 10-20 cities.

"I am really concerned about growing the young theater audiences," says the esteemed dancer/choreographer/writer/producer/teacher and all-around creative force. "It's so important to have young people have the opportunity to be exposed to the arts and to use the creative sides of their brains. That will inform their humanity whether they go into theater, computer technology or politics."

As Allen, who has her "Alex in Wonderland" musical opening tonight (Dec. 12) for a limited run at UCLA's Freud Playhouse, has proven already that when she wants to do something, she usually gets it done.

She created, choreographed and directed "Alex in Wonderland," which won raves in its Washington, D.C., run earlier this year. "It was inspired by my son, Norman Nixon Jr. — affectionately called Thump — a student who revolted over his English homework back when he was in middle school, asking, 'How is this relevant to life today?'" she recalls. That led to Debbie immersing herself in the history and lore of fairy tales — originally told for adults, it turns out — and led her to create the "Alex" musical that has a boy falling asleep and taking a journey that has him encountering everything from a character named Rap Punzel to a stage full of tap-dancing white rabbits.

"This year, we're actually going to put it on PBS, in the springtime," she reports. "And then we'll offer a DVD."

MEANWHILE: Allen — who's also busy running her thriving Dance Academy and serving as a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities — has her "Bayou Legend" musical on track for a Chicago production in '08 and a prospective Broadway bow. And she's still planning to direct a new production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway. The show was pushed back due to lack of theater availability (Danny Glover and Debbie's sister, Phylicia Rashad, were reported as interested back when it looked like a fall 2007 run). "I'm really excited about doing that. It's totally different from what I'm doing with this show," she says.

THE INSIDE TRACK: Rick Springfield admits that when he first went to American Gold Star Mothers to ask bereaved parents "for photos of their sons or daughters who died over there" — there meaning Iraq — "they were a little unsure of my motives." However, his touching "Christmas with You" video has led to "a lot of great, really heart-wrenching e-mails from people who were moved by seeing their child.

I'm really proud of that video. It really brings it all home when you see their faces — the guy with little babies … the girl next door … "

The Australian-born rocker-actor decided to dedicate proceeds from "Christmas with You" to the Gold Star organization because "I was kind of sick of people just moaning about what was going on over there, and I wanted to do something non-political to support the families. My dad was a lifer in the Army," he adds. "Our keyboard player — his dad was in the Air Force."

Springfield's been touring on behalf of "Christmas with You," which contains his renditions of holiday classics like "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" and "The First Noel." He's also "writing for a new rock record that'll be out the middle of next year."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: The writers' strike is certainly affecting most TV shows, but ABC's "Notes from the Underbelly," which just returned for a second season, has an advantage. "It's weird because the episodes airing now are episodes we shot last year. We had some left over from last season," notes star Peter Cambor, who tells us they were able to shoot 10 of their 13-episode order before the writers went on strike. "With the five left over from last year, we have 15 total this season. All these other shows are going to stop having original content coming out, and we're going to be one of the only shows on the air with original stuff."

Luckily for them, and for the many TV viewers looking for shows to watch, Cambor claims the material is just getting better. "The episodes keep getting funnier. I think as the season gets further along, you'll start to see a lot more of a polished show — not that it isn't now, but people get into their groove a little more," he says of the comedy about a husband and wife preparing for their first child. "As the baby is born, I think in a lot of ways, that's where the show begins. It becomes a show about people raising a family."

THE NEXT STEP: Sabrina Bryan may have been robbed of a longer stint on "Dancing with the Stars" — lots of the Cheetah Girls' fans believe she was bounced off the show way too early and, in fact, was actually the best celebrity dancer this past season — but she certainly isn't complaining. Because of the show, she says, "I feel like I have the opportunity to really step out and take hold of new opportunities and get my solo career going." Yes, she says, she's been looking at movie scripts — though her dance card is quite full at the moment. She's slated to begin "Dancing with The Stars — The Tour" with dance partner and real-life beau Mark Ballas Dec. 21. And after it's over in mid-January, she'll start work on the third "Cheetah Girls" Disney Channel flick.

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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