Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Jeff Foxworthy takes exception to claims in the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times that "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" is a flagrant example of the dumbing down of today's quiz shows.

"I only get about 40 percent of the questions right — and I notice that's about average," says the comic who's serving as host of Fox's new ratings sensation. "In my case, it helps if there's a question I've covered helping my kids with their homework, but otherwise, well, I learned calculus at Georgia Tech, but I'll tell you, if I were a contestant on the show, I wouldn't be going home with much money." Money is one thing the high-grossing comedian doesn't have to worry about.

As for what he'll be doing next, he reports that the fledgling game show, in which contestants are asked to answer questions that come from 5th graders' texts, has been picked up for an additional 13 episodes that will be shot around his daughters' spring break schedules from school.

"The people at Fox were real nice about it," says Jeff, who lives with his wife and two teenage daughters in Atlanta, Ga., and resists any work that will keep him away from his family for more than a few days. "We'll tape half the new segments — we can do two or three a day — in late March, then we'll break, and I'll vacation with the family in Puerto Rico — and then I'll fly back to L.A. for the show."

And then he'll be finishing up his two latest books. He's writing the children's book "Dirt on My Shirt," for publication next year, and he's got the third volume of his "Redneck Dictionary" scheduled to hit shops this fall. The first two "Rednecks," he reminds, "were on the New York Times best seller list — and there's likely someone spinning in his grave over that."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Gorgeous former supermodel and actress Paulina Porizkova is among the names getting ready to test their terpsichorean mettle tonight (3/19) in the new season of "Dancing With the Stars" — the hit show that's put a fresh charge into the careers of such alumni as Mario Lopez and Lisa Rinna. She's not holding out hope, however, that it'll revive her flagging acting career.

"The last movie I did was three or four years ago," says Porizkova, who's been featured in such films as "Female Perversions" and "Her Alibi." "Since then I called my agent and said, 'Forget it!' At some point I have to face the fact I am now officially too old to try to be an actress."

The 41-year-old Czech native, who's married to former The Cars' frontman, Ric Ocasek and has two boys, adds, "I've done 14-15 films, and I am at the point where I'm really sick of being rejected.

It was always something — 'You're too young, too pretty, too thin, too foreign … ' It was really great for my ego when I thought I was a big model because it kept me humble. But at some point I got so humble there was no further down to go. I thought, 'I need to climb out of this hole and think of myself in a positive manner.'" She adds, however, "If one of my favorite shows called, I would be more than happy to do it, but I'm not hungry for it anymore."

Porizkova says her only motivation for doing "Dancing with the Stars" is this girl just wants to have fun. "I'm an avid fan and have watched it from show one," says Porizkova, adding she just wishes she'd been able to get in shape before she got the call to join the competition. "I have no dance training. I'm not athletic, never have been. I don't exercise on a regular basis. But I think my strongest attribute is my enthusiasm to humiliate myself on public TV. Somebody needs to be bad on the show, and I'll be happy to provide that — with enthusiasm!"

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Mark Wahlberg, who has "Shooter" opening Friday (3/23) with Danny Glover and hot newcomer Kate Mara, reports that the actors had to cozy up fast when shooting a pivotal scene atop a frozen glacier for five days: "We had to take a helicopter up, and if there were clouds, the temperature would drop to 30 degrees." According to him, "We had one little tent to house camera equipment, and no trailers, so we would all snuggle in there in between takes because we had nowhere else to go. Once the clouds rolled in, the helicopters couldn't reach us, and we'd get stuck up there, or have to hike down." Makes for a close-knit cast.

NEW DIMENSION: Ron Perlman is getting ready to try his hand at directing, with "Wooden Lake," a dramatic feature film. "That's the first thing I'm going to do after I finish 'Hellboy 2: The Golden Army," he reveals. Perlman — whose animated "Hellboy: Blood and Iron" show just debuted on Cartoon Network's Toonami — tells us "Wooden Lake" is nothing like the Guillermo del Toro comic book adaptation for which he's become known. "It's a very simple, human, elegant piece of writing that will not require the same kind of pyrotechnics Guillermo will bring to 'Hellboy 2.'"

(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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