Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Promos for the Oct. 6-debuting "Harry Loves Lisa" reality show starring couple about town Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna feature a priceless moment in which the feisty Rinna is answering a question about cosmetic surgery, saying, "It's silicone," puts her hand on Kathie Lee Gifford's knee and then says, "YOU know!"

Gifford looks as if she's been shot by a stun gun. She is not amused.

Now Hamlin says that they'll be revisiting that moment when he and Rinna guest on the "Today" show the morning of Oct. 6. "We love Kathie Lee," he says.

"Today" is but one of many places you can expect to see the couple over the next couple of weeks. They're hitting the promotional trail hard right now, not only for the soon-due TV Land series, but also their respective books. He has his humorous memoir, "Full Frontal Nudity: The Making of an Accidental Actor." And she has "Starlit," a novel that takes place — where else? — in Hollywood.

According to Hamlin, they each have separate promotional routes and book signings ahead — with a few big joint appearances including stores in New York's Columbus Circle and Los Angeles' the Grove.

You have to give the Hamlins credit — they work hard. What drives them?

"We're creative beings. It's hard for us to be still," says Harry, who also owns a boutique with his wife.

Also, "We have kids in school. We have to pay their tuition," he says of their daughters, who appear on "Harry Loves Lisa." In fact, he says, "They would like it to be the Delilah and Amelia show, but we try to keep them as marginally involved as possible."

Hamlin, turned off by reality TV he defines as having "lots of blood on the walls, dysfunction — a cluster you-know-what" envisioned a show that's "the polar opposite of that. I wanted to do a 21st-century version of 'Leave it to Beaver,' 'Ozzie & Harriet,' 'I Love Lucy,' 'Father Knows Best' — about a couple working in Los Angeles and also trying to run a retail business."

As far as he is concerned "Harry Loves Lisa" comes close to his vision. "We don't drink, we don't smoke, we don't do drugs. We don't throw stuff at each other." Except a few zingers and quips.

THE INDUSTRY EYE: Earlier this year, "Hurt Locker" filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow made history as the first female to win an Oscar as Best Director — in addition to being the first so honored by the Directors Guild of America and winning numerous other accolades. Now, there are at least three woman-directed movies bound to be in the mix through this coming awards season: Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" that just won top honors at the Venice Film Festival, Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are All Right" and Julie Taymor's "The Tempest" starring Helen Mirren in the now-female lead role of Prospera.

The latter, unveiled as the closing film (not in competition) in Venice, drew a huge ovation and reviews at polar extremes — not unusual for the visionary Taymor.

So, women are making progress in the filmmaking world, right? Unfortunately, statistics from Martha M. Lauzen's most recent "The Celluloid Ceiling" annual study tell a different story. Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, found that there was actually a smaller percentage of women directors of 2009 films than 2001 — with a mere 7 percent, down 3 percent, in fact. The stats for cinematographers were worse; only 2 percent of the top 250 films of last year were lensed by females.

THEM THAT GETS: Casting forces for an Italian talent competition show put out an APB this week for "a celebrity needed as soon as possible" to replace another who had to drop out of appearing on the show due to an emergency. This particular program boasts past judges including Bruce Willis, Andy Garcia and Sylvester Stallone. Not bad. Pay is a quick $100,000.

THE INSIDE TRACK: Rising hip hop/pop artist Tony Enos, who made a splash earlier this year with his "Did It Rite" song, is getting right back into the studio next month to make the record it's taken his life to create. Literally.

"This album is kind of cathartic for me. I deal with the really toxic, abusive relationship that I grew up having with my father. I deal with embracing my sexuality. It's me, unapologetically being myself. I deal with the first time I got cheated on, how stupid that whole situation is."

He says that writing the leadoff song, "The Champ," was what made him decide, "This album cannot wait. I have to do it now."

"'The Champ' is about coming through all these things," he explains. "Remember, failure isn't in the falling; it's in the not getting up."

The openly gay Enos also has a string of concert dates here and abroad coming up. But he's finding time to serve as spokesman and board member for the GLBTQ online school, geared toward giving gay and lesbian students a virtual classroom option — a welcome opportunity for many who've been bullied or derided in traditional schools. He also appears at a myriad of HIV/AIDS-related charitable events.

Not surprisingly, he's amassed a following in the gay community — and quite a bit of fan mail. Particularly moving, he says, was a note from a kid "about 15 or 16, I think he was, who said that listening to me gave him the courage to come out to his mom. That blew me away, especially when I had only considered my music appealing to the adult demographic. I'm not here to be a role model. My loyalty is toward my art. But if kids find something that helps them, I welcome them with open arms.

"The other letter I'll never forget was from a gentleman in the service who is gay, who said he listens to my music every day, and that it kept him going when he was in Iraq. Imagining this man, fighting a war, well, I called my mom and read it to her, and we were just sobbing to each other."

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 2010 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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