Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Dean Cain Talks Slapstick, Humor and Paris Hilton/Joan Lunden Recalls Her Mom's Care Crisis

Dean Cain, who showed off his slapstick capabilities as a bumbling burglar in last year's "The Dog Who Saved Christmas," says he wasn't surprised when ABC Family decided to make a sequel to the comedy that features the voice of Cain's buddy Mario Lopez as a yellow Labrador.

"It's such a simple concept and so much fun to shoot, why not make another?" he says of this Sunday's (11/28) "The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation" — which also features the voice of Paris Hilton as a French poodle. Cain's 10-year-old son, Christopher, was on hand for both shoots, he lets us know. "He's a big reason I wanted to do this. He and his schoolmates can watch it. ... Very few things get bigger laughs in my household than me falling on my tail."

Cain says he didn't learn about Hilton's involvement in the movie until after wrapping his role. The fact she chose to play a poodle, he feels, shows "her sense of humor. That's the whole thing. It kind of tells you she understands the whole deal. Like when I played Superman — you have to be in on the joke."

Jeff Schenk, the executive producer of "The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation," chalks up Hilton's casting to fast work and some serendipity. "She travels nonstop, and we happened to catch her at a time she had just gotten back to L.A. With her, you get the feeling there are a lot of people coordinating things for her. We said, 'Any time in July' and her agent — her agent is really the one who pushed it through — said, 'Next week.' So we had to be ready for her in just five days."

As for why she said yes, well, Hilton talks about her beloved grandmother's French poodle being her inspiration. Schenk also believes, "People see this fun-loving blonde, they don't realize that she is an incredibly astute businesswoman. She certainly knows all about branding herself. We have this family brand. We had the track record with the first movie; you can see it and see user reviews of people who enjoyed it. She took all that into account." Then, "She came in prepared and did her work. I wish I could say that about everyone I work with."

ON THE PERSONAL SIDE: Joan Lunden is putting on a Thanksgiving feast of "four tables for 43 people. I married a man with a very, very large extended family," says the author-speaker-broadcaster and former "Good Morning America" host. "They are so lucky he married me. I love to have our home be the center for every celebration, and I approach them the way I approach everything.

I prepare ahead of time, when I can, so I don't have to do everything at the last minute."

Lunden carries her think-ahead philosophy into more serious realms on her four-day "Taking Care With Joan Lunden" series, launching today (11/22) on Retirement Living TV, the online/syndicated TV offering being carried by numerous Comcast stations. A primer for caregivers, the series offers information ranging from making homes user-friendly for people in wheelchairs, to assisted living options and resources, to financial considerations. Having faced a crisis with her own mother's living situation, Lunden says she jumped at the chance to do a show that would raise viewers' awareness and help them prepare so as not to be caught off guard when a loved one can no longer live independently.

"My mom is actually enjoying good health for a 91-year-old; she doesn't have any chronic illness," she says. "The last 20 years, I took care of my mom and brother financially. My brother had Type 2 diabetes that over the course of his lifetime ravaged his body to the point he wasn't able to be employed. They shared a condo and great companionship until a few years ago, when he passed away suddenly. I flew out to California to be with my mother and figure out what to do. We had nobody to ask questions of. This is what happens to American families. This is like the elephant sitting in the middle of the living room. I'm so glad this series is on Thanksgiving week when families are together. I want to be in anyone's face saying, 'If you do not discuss this, it will end up in your lap, and it will be much more difficult to put a plan in place.' This is the next big health care crisis."

Lunden says her mother, Gladyce, chose to continue living in California instead of moving east with her. "It's for the best. I have young kids running around, and I'm often away traveling," she says, referring to her and husband Jeff Konigsberg's 5-year-old and 7-year-old sets of twins. Gladyce has needed increasing amounts of assistance "as her dementia has increased and her sense of balance has gotten worse. She's gone from senior living to assisted living, to memory care, to a small care private home — where, as I wrote on my blog, she's the reigning bingo champion. She's had a boost of vitality since (her friend) Joe moved in. A healthy dose of companionship is worth bottles of medicine."

A SPECTACLE OF HERSELF: Sherri Shepherd of "The View" and "Newlywed Game" fame admits her vision might be just a tad foggy close up. However, "I can't do the reading glasses; I haven't got my husband yet," she quipped at the WE tv and Ladies' Home Journal's first annual WE Do Good Awards in New York the other night. "I went to Jay-Z's club, and it's just not sexy when you're dropping it like it's hot and your reading glasses fall out." Perish the thought. Shepherd, who was nursing a cold, still made it out in the pouring rain to host the event.

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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