Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

James Belushi, who'll be back on the air with a fresh batch of his ABC "According to Jim" segments on Dec. 2, has informed his series troupe that there's no hope for another renewal of the eight-year-old sitcom.

"I'm directing the last of 182 episodes — and that'll be it, says the genial comic. "In the past I've always told the cast and crew, 'Never give up. Circumstances change, and we may still be in the race.' And it always worked out that way. But now it's different. We had an eight-year contract. We're completing the 18 final episodes now. We've done our jobs, fulfilled our commitment. Family sitcoms like ours are out of style now, and, well, it feels like we've come full circle and it's time to move on — with no regrets. Actually, we're having lots of fun — without having to worry about a pickup."

He adds, "It's been a great experience. All the things I've learned ... writing, producing, editing. But enough's enough. I don't think even the Beatles hung around so long."

Belushi will have plenty to keep him busy without "According to Jim."

According to Jim, even with the series in production, he manages to do about 40 concerts a year (approximately half with Dan Aykroyd in an updated version of The Blues Brothers) and expects to do even more next year.

In the works are also three series in which he's to star and serve as executive producer. And, he says, "I'm putting together three movies, including a comedy and a baseball drama that would star my handsome 28-year-old son Robert."

THIN LINE BETWEEN ILLUSION AND REALITY: Penn Jillette plays himself in a story involving a Magic Castle-like magicians' club on tomorrow night's (11/7) "Numb3rs." As Penn, the character, he's an admirer of "Numb3rs" resident math genius, Charlie (David Krumholtz). "It's very much like things that have actually happened to me," he says. "I know three guys who are Charlies in real life. I know a guy who graduated Stanford at 14 and worked on the Hubble [space telescope] at 16."

In the episode, he tells Charlie, "'I'm a huge fan. I've read all your papers. I was good friends with Richard Feynman.'" That last line, referring to the late Nobel Prize-winning physicist, caused a certain amount of consternation, according to Penn. "The writers told me that their fact checkers didn't think it was plausible — a magician would not have known Richard Feynman, one of the greatest scientists of our lifetimes.

Would Criss Angel be palling around with Stephen Hawking? Except, I did know Feynman. We hung out a lot," says Jillette, who claims that "Numb3rs" is the only TV show he's watched consistently since "The Monkees."

He adds, "What I find phenomenal is, when you're in a scene with people who are really good actors, like David and Peter (MacNicol), it's amazing, the feeling you get that things are really happening all around you. Lesser actors, you get to stand 2 feet from them, you have the words memorized, and you're ready to say them at the right time. That's different from world-class actors, when you get this shift of reality. I did an audition once with Robert De Niro, and even though we were standing there with scripts in our hands, and in the script he was supposed to get mad at me, when he got mad at me I wanted to stop the scene."

MISSING MOM & DAD: With Beau Bridges working on Alyssa Milano's midseason replacement "Single With Parents" series, and Nancy Lenehan doing "Worst Week," their "My Name is Earl" roles as the parents of Earl Hickey (Jason Lee) have been put on hold. Mom and Dad are "on a cruise" for the foreseeable future, and "I don't know what we're going to do with them," says Lee. "I love working with Beau and Nancy. They're really great people, but I don't know if we're ever going to see them again unless something happens with their other shows. Maybe they'll be able to come back for a couple of days here and there. It can't be the end." Actually, in the case of Lenehan, considering the grim outlook for "Worst Week," the wait might not be that long.

THAT VOICE YOU HEAR: "Suite Life on Deck" star Brenda Song says she loved the change of pace of doing voice work for NBC's Dec. 10 animated "Little Spirit: Christmas in New York." "It's so much fun. You could actually go to work in your pajamas, and no one would care," laughs the pretty 20-year-old, whose togetherness time with Joe Jonas has sparked a wave of "Are They Dating?" stories. The holiday special has Danny DeVito as "this cab driver who has this amazing story about people who have lost the spirit of Christmas, and how they find it again. They realize Christmas isn't about buying things, it's about people," says Brenda. Lucy Liu, Freddy Rodriguez and NBC anchorman Brian Williams are also among the stellar cast.

With reports by 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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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