Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Holly Robinson Peete is glad to be back on daytime TV — even if it is just for one day — as she's guest-co-hosting on "The Nate Berkus Show" today (Nov. 14).

"If they'll have me, I will definitely return," she says. "Nate is just such a cool guy, the funnest friend to have."

It wasn't so long ago, of course, that Holly was a daytime regular as part of the team on "The Talk" before her surprise axing from that show. As followers of Holly's know, she's rebounded with a new recurring role on "Mike & Molly."

"Just when you think you've kind of figured this stuff out, something happens and you realize you're still learning things you thought you already knew," points out the actress, who is also remembered for coming in a close second to Bret Michaels on "Celebrity Apprentice."

"My kids are like, 'If you did your job and did everything you're supposed to do, don't you get to keep your job?' They saw me working nights, preparing for the show. They saw my total dedication," relates the mother of four. "This is a great life lesson about picking yourself up."

There are also fans watching, she's aware. "It's a total bigger picture. There are lots of people losing their jobs through no fault of their own these days, and it's tough. It gets harder and harder to be patient, to say something better might happen, when you're having to deal with the day-to-day realities of life. That's when your resolve has to get even steelier, if that's a word.

"I'm still hustling and grinding trying to figure out the best thing to do next. I learned to do live daytime TV and that I'm pretty good at it."

Holly says she learned resilience and perseverance from watching her own mother. "We could start when she gets divorced and has no money, basically, $500, and is on her own — and she makes a trip from Philadelphia to Malibu (Calif.), of all places, in a beat-up Volvo. She was like the black 'Alice,' this mom driving across the country, thinking she could break ceilings as a talent manager when she had all the chips stacked against her and knew, like, one and a half people in Los Angeles."

Holly was 9 years old at the time, and saw her mother — well-known Hollywood dealmaker Dolores Robinson — find her way into the business and build a client roster including the likes of LeVar Burton and Michael Clarke Duncan.

Recalls Holly, regarding her mother: "I saw her get knocked down, but I always saw her get back up, and rebound in ways that she could say, 'Thank God that happened.' I didn't know I was learning lessons as a child, but I was."

Holly — a.k.a. the wife of former pro quarterback Rodney Peete — tells us that she and Nate will be doing a football challenge on the show, and there'll also be a bedroom makeover at the home of a family with an autistic child. Holly's No. 1 mission is to help kids with autism. Son Rodney Jr. has the condition.

TACKY IS HERE: This is the final week to submit your votes for Tackiest Celebrity of the Year in Beck/Smith Hollywood's annual Tacky Taste Awards!

Sure enough, last-minute contenders have arisen, including Kim Kardashian, with her very brief yet highly remunerative marriage to Kris Humphries; almost-Oscars producer Brett Ratner with his stupid, tacky gay slur; and more. You've read the headlines. You know who they are. Will anyone overtake early leader Arnold Schwarzenegger?

The winner and runners up will be announced in this column next week, so hurry and write to Stacy@BeckSmithHollywood.com, and tell us who deserves this designation and why.

REBOOTIES: ABC Family has a new series in the works called "Baby Daddy." It's about a single bartender enjoying his life in the big city when he finds a baby girl on his doorstep. Even though family members want him to put the wee one up for adoption, he won't turn his back on her and decides to raise her himself. His brother and his childhood frenemy are on hand to help. Sounds like a "Three Men and a Baby" redux, except that the frenemy is female. Casting forces have been seeking out 5- to 6-month-old twins or triplets to play the title infant.

MORE TALENT: Interesting casting call out a few days ago for "Q'Viva: The Chosen," the Jennifer Lopez/Marc Anthony/Simon Fuller-produced Latin talent competition show. It was expected to shoot starting last month and continue into January. Now it appears they're still looking for "original performers" in "the kinds of acts that become viral on You Tube" — singers, novelty acts, musicians and more. The show, being filmed in Spanish, Portuguese and English, is expected to air in some 21 countries beginning in the first quarter of 2012.

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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