Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Talk about a change of pace. Debra Messing traded in the lifestyle of an established sitcom star for the most demanding assignment of her career, leading the cast of the USA Network's six-hour miniseries "The Starter Wife."

"It challenged my endurance in a way I had never been challenged before. I worked approximately 16-18 hours every day over the four-month shoot, and I had one day off," reports the Emmy-winning former "Will & Grace" star of the production in Australia. She plays the title character in the adaptation of Gigi Levangie Grazer's best-selling novel about the quest of a divorced woman to redefine herself after years of marriage to a Hollywood studio mogul.

The hardest part of the Jon Avnet-directed project, which also stars Joe Mantegna, Judy Davis and Miranda Otto, was "that we shot it out of order like a feature film. When you're doing a feature that's an hour and half long, it can be daunting, but to have six hours and me be literally in every scene, the challenge was felt tenfold. I'd be doing a scene from hour six, then a scene from hour one, then a scene from hour four. Keeping all the ups and downs plot-wise so that the emotional journey of the character is straight — it really taxed the imagination. And I felt I had a huge responsibility to everyone who worked so hard … I'm so glad they wanted me to do it. I came through the other side, and I proved something for myself. I feel very empowered and very proud."

Debra had her 3-year-old son, Roman, "on the set daily. We had a magnificent time. It was a great adventure for both of us. And my husband (actor/screenwriter Daniel Zelman) was able to come and spend some time in Sydney."

Now that "The Starter Wife," which debuts May 31, is in post-production, Messing says, "I'm going to take a few months off and just sort of recover from the marathon the last four months have been."

THE INSIDE TRACK: The 20-million-album-selling British duo Erasure — Andy Bell and Vince Clarke — will be touring North America, the U.K. and elsewhere this year in support of their May 22 release "Light at the End of the World" album, which is completely irresistible if you're into synth pop. That's an arduous trek, particularly considering Bell's HIV-positive status. The singer is, however, is taking it in stride. "I feel good. I take care of myself and eat healthily.

I'm going back to the gym to get ready for the tour. I can't go out partying all the time, but that has to do with age more than anything else," he says. "You know you can't be naughty, you have to be focused to perform all the time. I wish I could be as disciplined as Madonna, but I'm not that type of person."

Bell admits that since going public with his ailment in December 2004, "Sometimes I feel like, 'Oh, God. What have I done?'" He does, however, feel good about fans thanking him for being open about being HIV-positive and leading as full a life as ever — sentiments he hears very often.

GOLDBERG OPPORTUNITY: Former pro wrestler Bill Goldberg acknowledges that many fans miss seeing him in the ring, but he says there are plenty of chances to see him in action elsewhere. "I do car shows around the country, I'm hosting a car show coming out March 13 on Spike TV, I was on 'Law & Order' the other week, I'm a commentator for mixed martial arts for Showtime, I'm involved with movies, I've got my website. If my fans can't find me, they ain't looking," notes Goldberg, whose main focus has become hosting. "I'm getting offers to do TV shows right and left, but I want this thing on Spike, 'Bullrun,' to work so badly that I've put everything else off 'til I can see the success in this thing," he adds.

"Having a show with over 200 vehicles involved, production-wise — that's a big undertaking. Nobody's done anything like this, and I believe we did it as good as humanly possible," claims Goldberg about "Bullrun," which follows 12 teams of two drivers in a car rally across America. For Goldberg, who owns 21 cars, working on the show was a little slice of motor heaven. "When I'm around cars, it's always a good day. My dad was a Jaguar guy, and my brothers were guys who wrecked Jaguars and then learned how to fix them before they got home — being a gearhead kind of runs in my family. I've always had an aspiration to own as many fast cars as humanly possible."

WHAT'S UP, DOC?: Gregory Harrison, who counts Dr. "Gonzo" Gates of "Trapper John, M.D." and Dr. Rand Kilner of "Strong Medicine" among his many credits, is getting back into doctor gear — this time as a reserved and judgmental hospital chief of staff in the prospective Fox one-hour dramedy "Nurses." Katheryn Winnick of "Failure to Launch" plays his daughter, a nurse who has a history of less-than-successful relationships at work and otherwise. Sara Rue is also among the stars of the pilot about the lives and loves of several nurses.

(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 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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