Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Elisabeth Moss, nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Emmy honors for her work in "Mad Men," has a lot to celebrate in her personal life as well as her professional one. She tells us she and fiance Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live" are busy planning their wedding and "it's really fun. I love wedding planning. It's a great experience for us."

She notes, "We're not saying when, but it's not too far. We're pretty much not talking about any of the details, but all of our close friends and family are going to be there. It's going to be a really special day."

Fred — who is in the Emmy running as well, as part of the "SNL" team — "woke me up and told me the news. It was the best person I could possibly hear from," notes the actress, who's brilliant as the naive-yet-ambitious young career girl, Peggy Olson, on the show set in the 1960s world of advertising in Manhattan.

Moss tells us that they've finished the first eight episodes of "Mad Men's" third season so far. When the AMC series (up for a total of 16 Emmys, the most of any drama) returns to the tube Aug. 16, viewers will finally get answers to the cliffhangers they've been left with since October. In Moss' case, her character confessed to ex-lover Pete (Vincent Kartheiser) that she'd had their baby and given it up for adoption — and that she had loved him but now didn't care anymore. And Pete was last seen sitting alone in his office with a rifle in his lap. So what's next? Moss is mum.

"For sure, people definitely want to know what's going to happen in Season 3," she notes with a laugh. "I know some, but not all. But I do know enough to believe this season is even better than last season."

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: "Regardless of what people think of things getting handed to us, we work really, really hard," says Vanessa Simmons — whose dad is Run-DMC's Rev Run, and uncle is music mogul Russell Simmons. She, along with her sister Angela, have ventured out onto their own to star in the MTV reality series "Daddy's Girls," whose second season premieres Aug. 11. "Your parents can't hand you success. You have to work for it. They can hand you connections, and we're thankful they were able to do that, but me and Angela have worked so hard for the things we are accomplishing right now.

Not only have they become reality TV stars, but they also created the popular fashion line Pastry. Luckily for them, they were able to pick up a few pointers from their uncle, Russell, who created the hugely successful clothing line Phat Farm. "We've had the best examples in life. We got to see them building their business our whole life and the choices they made," says Angela of her entrepreneurial family. "Even with Kimora [Lee-Simmons], I got to watch her start Baby Phat from the beginning. Just from watching all of that, I've learned so much."

While parts of their business will be shown, Vanessa says fans can expect more laughs than anything. "We have so much fun, and we have a lot of new friends on board," she reveals. "I actually for once have my boyfriend on the show," adds Vanessa. The personality, who's been linked to recording star Bow Wow in the past, chooses to not officially reveal his name. "I've just never been the kind of person who's wanted to put my relationship out there, and finally I was like, 'OK, you guys can meet him. He did a good job, and he's really funny, so people will like him."

GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS: Nia Vardalos has had some big success in Hollywood, but she tells us she's most proud of the kind of friends she's accumulated over the years. They are the people who keep her grounded, and she is certain she wouldn't have survived this cutthroat business without them.

"My husband and I have managed to stay sane here because we have the same friends as we did before any success. I have had the same friends since kindergarten. I tend to collect people who I continue to work with," says Vardalos who recently worked with her "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" co-star John Corbett and longtime pal Rachel Dratch. "I am where I am because my friends have stayed with me." In fact, Vardalos tells us despite the competitive nature of the business, she and her friends continue to root each other on. "There wasn't any jealousy or any pettiness from when things hit for me before they hit for them. I have friends who are still handing out flyers for their own one-woman shows, but we're all in this together."

WE'VE HEARD OF PRECOCIOUS. BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS: Interesting casting notice for the feature "Life As We Know It." They've been looking for a 10-14-month-old to play the role of Sophie, described as "a cute toddler with an engaging personality." The producers specify, "on-set experience preferred."

With reports by Emily-Fortune 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 2009 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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