Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Petite IndyCar racing star Danica Patrick has garnered supersized attention with her cheesecake photos and pulls-no-punches charisma, so it's no surprise she's been getting inquiries from various Hollywood entities about stepping in front of the camera when she's not behind the steering wheel. But don't expect her to put pedal to the metal in any show business pursuits any time soon.

"That's great if it's something you want to do," she says. However, "I have a job. That's what takes up my time. I enjoy dabbling in Hollywood sometimes, but my passion is racing." Still, she allows, "Where my future will take me and what opportunities will present themselves, time will tell."

Right now, Patrick is in her final few races of the 2008 season. "We finish pretty much right before football starts. It's going good," says the 26-year-old, who in April became the first woman to win an IndyCar race.

Her show biz dabbling so far has included hosting shows on Spike TV, chatting it up with David Letterman (she raced for Rahall Letterman before moving on to the Andretti Green team), appearing in commercials, a Jay-Z video — and a couple of high traffic YouTube clips of her arguments with fellow drivers Dan Wheldon and, especially, pretty Venezuelan Milka Duno.

She does have one non-racing gig planned that means a lot to her — the upcoming "Stand Up to Cancer" television fundraising event, an hour of prime time simultaneously airing on ABC, CBS and NBC on Sept. 5. Other notables on the roster of dozens of stars for the unprecedented live show include Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, Christina Applegate, Meryl Streep, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Charlize Theron, Forest Whitaker, Masi Oka, Christina Ricci and Hilary Swank.

Using the power of celebrity for good is "almost a duty, you know?" she observes. "To bring awareness and money to a cause like this — it's not that large a task for an end result that you can be proud of."

THE INSIDE TRACK: Things have been relatively quiet for awhile in the career of pop star/actress Brandy — but that is bound to change with the release of her fifth studio album, to hear producer RedOne tell it.

He recently finished recording "a big ballad that is going to break people's hearts" with Brandy. "She's really coming hard," he says, "going really, really good now. From what I hear, Rodney Jerkins is doing his thing and doing some great things with her and the timing is perfect." Brandy, who was badly shaken by the fatal car crash in which she was involved at the end of 2006, dropped out of serving as a judge on "America's Got Talent" in 2007.

MULTITASK MASTER: "The 2008 model of a musician should be a good businessman as well as a performer. The days of the tortured artist are over. Frankly, that's boring to me anyway." So says bodaciously sexy pop singer/songwriter Josh Kelley, also known as the husband of "Grey's Anatomy's" Katherine Heigl.

Kelley not only produces his own albums and puts them out on his own indie label, he produces and/or distributes recordings for other artists as well, including Alexa Wilkinson, White Buffalo, Tyler Hilton, Lady Antebellum and Tony Lucca. He's touring with Rod Stewart this summer. He's producing a web series/reality show tentatively titled "In the Pop Game" about trying to break into the music industry. He's working on more albums of his own. And he has his "Live at Bonefish Grill" concert show on Ovation TV Thursday night (8/14) with repeat airings into September.

Of wearing so many different hats, he opines, "Usually, if someone is good at music, they're good at other things as well. I don't feel like I have to force these things, they all go hand in hand."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Comparisons are bound to fly between the Jeff Bridges-Maggie Gyllenhaal "Crazy Heart" feature that's cranking up in Santa Fe, New Mexico this month, and 1983's beloved "Tender Mercies." The new flick has Bridges playing an alcoholic, down-on-his-luck country singer whose life changes for the better when he gets together with a young music reporter. The old flick, of course, has Robert Duvall in an Oscar-winning performance as an alcoholic, down-on-his-luck country star who finds redemption after getting together with a young widow (Tess Harper). So how does Duvall feel about that? Just great, no doubt. Duvall's company is producing "Crazy Heart" — and he's also starring in it.

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and 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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