Cat Deeley Lovin' the Return of 'My Babies' on 'SYTYCD' by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith on Creators.com

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Cat Deeley Lovin' the Return of 'My Babies' on 'SYTYCD'

Cat Deeley Lovin' the Return of 'My Babies' on 'SYTYCD'/Louis Gossett Jr. Gratified by Response to His Memoir

"So You Think You Can Dance" host Cat Deeley is psyched up over the changes and additions on this season of the hot Fox summer show. She's especially happy about the addition of "all stars" — top competitors from seasons past, the likes of Lauren Gottlieb, Stephen "Twitch" Boss and Comfort Fedoke — coming aboard to partner with the newbies and help them do their best.

"It's lovely to see them back — they're my babies," declares the effervescent Brit. "I've been following their careers, seeing who is in what movies, who is going out on tour. It's like they've been out of college and now they're coming back."

She adds, "It's really going to be beneficial for our top 10. Their friends, their families, the judges — nobody can quite understand the pressure cooker that is this show as well as those who've been through what they're going through." Of the newcomers, she says, "I keep reminding them to keep enjoying themselves. Yes, it's a competition. Yes, there's one winner. But it's also about having an amazing life experience and friendships that could last the rest of their lives."

Deeley remains super enthusiastic about her role. "I love my job, I just love it! I absolutely love this show. It gets better every season. The changes refresh and reinvigorate it. I love going live, seeing what's going to happen. There will be 'must see' moments and, undoubtedly, moments that go off track that will make for water-cooler conversation the next day."

Her delight in doing live TV began in England, where she honed her skills doing a morning show where she put in "three hours live, 52 weeks a year for six years." Now it seems Deeley could pop up anywhere — like guest-hosting Simon Cowell's "X-Factor" when that British hit competition show makes its way to these shores.

Indeed, some pundits have all but signed her up for "X-Factor" duty. But she says, "At the moment, it is actually a case of crystal ball time" as to whether she could turn up on that show.

"It's not coming on this year, not even next year, but the year after that," she reminds. "Of course, it was a massive success in the U.K. It's a brilliant show. I'm sure it will be equally as triumphant here."

READING ROOM: Louis Gossett Jr., whose awards include the Oscar, two Emmys and two Golden Globes, received the perfect birthday gift the other day — his autobiography, "An Actor and a Gentleman," leaped onto the best-seller lists in its first week at 18th.

"The reaction to this book, not just sales but conversations at book-signings ... is the best award I've ever received," says Gossett, who of course won his Academy Award for his unforgettable portrayal of the drill sergeant in the 1982 "An Officer and a Gentleman" — a role he won despite its not having been written for an African-American actor, an unusual circumstance in that time

According to him, "The people seem more interested in my work to eradicate differences between races than they are in Hollywood inside stuff. They care about the inside stuff each of us is made of."

"An Actor and a Gentleman" is the top-selling book in African-American communities, but we're told it's hot across the boards, another example of Gossett's breaking down racial divisions.

THE INDUSTRY EYE: John Schneider has jumped aboard the Web series train with "10,000 Days," a post-apocalyptic tale about survivors of a meteor strike that wiped out most of the earth's inhabitants 27 years earlier, who now live in clans in what used to be Colorado. Sounds pretty elaborate for an Internet show.

Casting of subsidiary roles is now being completed on Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's "Things Fall Apart" — the film for which the rapper lost 54 pounds! He's also among the producers of the feature, being directed by Mario Van Peebles — with Ray Liotta, Lynn Whitfield and Van Peebles also among the cast. It has Jackson as an all-star college running back who gets diagnosed with cancer during his senior year. Having scored in "Home of the Brave," it's clear he's gunning for a big acting career, and this is the kind of tour de force role that could put him on a new level.

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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