Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

For Nancy O'Dell, Christmas No Calm Before January Career Storm/Alison Sweeney Takes 'Biggest Loser' Tips Home

It'll be a big family Christmas in California for Nancy O'Dell. "My husband and I were like, 'So much going on in January; let's just stay put,'" reports the vivacious beauty, who'll host Fox's giant, music star-filled "New Year's Eve Live" special from Las Vegas — then jump into work as a special correspondent on "Entertainment Tonight," as well as co-hosting chores on the new TV talk-show competition reality skein "Your OWN Show: Oprah's Search for the Next TV Star" with Carson Kressley for the Oprah Winfrey Network.

Still, Christmas sounds like anything but the calm before her upcoming career storm: "I said to my family, 'Can you guys all come out?' So they're all coming to our house for Christmas. My dad is coming out from South Carolina. He'll come to Vegas for New Year's Eve with my husband and me, and then stay with us a couple of weeks. My parent-in-laws are coming, my husband's three brothers. I'm trying to convince my sister and her family to come out as well. It's going to be busy. We have three kids in the house as it is."

The former "Access Hollywood" hostess, who'll take over for Mary Hart on "ET" when Hart retires from the show at season's end, is certainly no stranger to working a super-heated schedule.

"After I left 'Access,' the great thing was a lot of different opportunities came in," she says. But the chance to co-host "ET" sounds like it was a no-brainer.

"I remember when 'ET' premiered, and I was watching back home in South Carolina. I thought, 'That would be such a neat show to work for' — but I never dreamed I'd end up doing it. It's definitely the king of the entertainment shows; it's classy, and it's held true to its format. It's the gold standard," she says.

As far as taking on the demands of "ET," O'Dell notes that she and her husband, TV executive Keith Zubchevich, sat down and discussed it. "I know the schedule. It is a very similar schedule to what 'Access Hollywood' was. We're used to that schedule, and we've been able to manage it in the past. It just felt like the right thing to do. This is what I've done for a living for so long."

NEVER TOO YOUNG FOR FITNESS: To hear "The Biggest Loser" hostess Alison Sweeney tell it, her 5-year-old son and her daughter, who turns 2 next month, are already reaping the benefits of the health and nutrition information she's gleaned from her popular show.

"It has definitely changed my life for the better — not just in how fulfilling it is to be part of such a positive part of the entertainment industry, but all the lessons I've learned too," she says. "Starting with the calorie counting — I can't ever look at those big bakery cupcakes without a pretty good idea of exactly how many reasons (calories) I shouldn't eat it! It's also taught me a lot about how to raise my kids to be healthy eaters."

With her "Biggest Loser" and "Days of Our Lives" schedules, she makes it clear she appreciates the support she gets from her husband, California Highway Patrolman Dave Sanov.

"It's exhausting, I'm not going to lie. I don't get a lot of sleep ... My husband has my back, always helping me keep stuff organized or bringing the kids to visit me if I'm stuck on set at night. We also plan fun family days on the weekends — nothing fancy, just time when we can be together, which is really what it's all about, right?!"

This season's "Biggest Loser" finale airs Dec. 14.

THE INDUSTRY EYE: Thanks to Angelina Jolie and Milla Jovovich, female action thrillers are hot. Now Lionsgate has "Art of the Heist" in the works — with a central character who's a beautiful woman cop. She's present as a guest at a luxurious castle on the grounds of a winery — just in time to square off against a gang of thieves that breaks into the place.

HERE 'N' THERE: Cynthia Gibb is getting ready to step before the cameras in a romantic comedy called "My Dog's Christmas Miracle" — and, unusually enough, they plan to shoot it in the winter time, rather than the heat of summer like most Christmas movies. The leading man is being cast. The tale — tail? — has to do with "a series of misunderstandings and complications at Christmas time" that threaten to keep apart two canines in love named Cinnamon and Toast, who were obviously made for each other. This holiday confection is being made as a feature.

Preteen cutie Jadagrace Berry of "Terminator: Salvation" fame is prepping for a pilot in which she will play herself — as a girl who posted a homemade video on YouTube and wound up with her own show. Sounds downright Justin Bieberish.

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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