Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Improv impresario Budd Friedman isn't happy with David Brenner's quotes about him in Richard Zoglin's new "Comedy at the Edge: How Stand-Up in the 1970s Changed America." "David Brenner calls me a Shylock … and says I'm still a b——-d. … We didn't get along too well. He wanted to be treated like Robert Klein, who was a big discovery. … If he shows up, I'll just laugh at him."

That's "showing up" as in Friedman's reception at L.A.'s Improv club tonight (March 5) for Zoglin, the Time magazine writer and senior editor whose book event is due to be attended by Richard Lewis, Albert Brooks, Bill Maher, Carol Leifer and other top comics. Friedman's recent party for Zoglin in New York lured the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Belzer and Klein.

Friedman is a primary figure in the fascinating tome, naturally. Reading it brought back memories, he says, and couldn't help but make him think about comedy then and now.

"The Internet is certainly having an effect, though I'm not smart enough to know which direction it will go in. When you have people getting 20 million hits on their video, you know the impact." Looking back on the 1970s, he adds with a laugh, "I always took credit for the comedy revolution — but it was The Improv and cable television. Cable made comedy accessible to the masses. Cable made it much easier for people to perform to the masses. Now it's the Internet."

Friedman adds, "We have a site we launched about a year ago — iJoke (http://iJoke.tv) — where people can send videos and get them seen. … We had some technical problems with it. We're relaunching it in about a week. I look at it as a window for people to get their jokes out there, not just comics but anyone. The office clown. … I could see someone developing into a performer through iJoke," he says — no doubt sending shivers down the spines of spouses all across the country.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Want to give reality TV show producer Mike Fleiss a good chuckle? Just mention the idea of him working on a reality show with cousin Heidi Fleiss, the former "Hollywood Madam" who was arrested as recently as last month for driving under the influence. "No, I would never do that," responds "The Bachelor" creator with a big laugh when asked about doing a show with his infamous cousin.

"I am doing a reality show with my cousin Jesse, who is Heidi's brother.

He works for me. But not with my cousin Heidi. She needs to get a couple of things sorted out first."

We caught up with the more-put-together Fleiss just 15 minutes before shooting the finale of the "Bachelor," which he dubs as "craziness." "It's the most insane season so far. Our bachelor is British, and he hadn't watched the show so he was sort of unfiltered. It was refreshing. So many times with these reality shows, people fall into behavior that they've seen on a previous show, so they're really not being themselves."

For now, Fleiss has his sights set on the new season of "High School Reunion," premiering tonight (March 5) on TV Land. "I was thrilled with this season. It's the first time we did a 20-year reunion, and I think the dynamics are even more intense than when we did it with a 10-year reunion," claims Fleiss of the 15 classmates who unleash their deep-seeded high school emotions during a two-week reunion in Hawaii. "One story is a love triangle. It's one of the most powerful stories I've ever seen on reality TV. It has its twists and turns and surprises, and ultimately you'll be surprised at how you react to the whole situation."

NASHVILLE CALLING: Carnie Wilson reports since her stint on CMT's reality show "Gone Country" that her whole family has, well, gone country. "We might be moving to Nashville," says Wilson, who has a 2-year-old with her husband, guitarist Rob Bonfiglio. "I'm just hooked on Nashville. I just can't get enough of it. There's something about that place that is really welcoming me, my daughter and my husband."

Wilson, who's already begun working on her own country album, adds, "It's almost like we need to be there, even if it's just for a certain part of our lives. I know we're going to be there because we have something to accomplish there. It's like a mission. It's a creative mission we need to be a part of right now, and it's a cool feeling."

RMMM RMMM: Subsidiary casting is underway for "The Fast and the Furious 4," which already has "Fast" movie buffs enthralled over its reuniting of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) with Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker). It'll take place five years after the first "Fast" movie's ending, with Dom still racing and Brian an FBI agent — coming together to go after a heroin trafficker. Jordana Brewster and John Ortiz costar.

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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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