Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Whether or not J.R. Martinez wins the Mirror Ball trophy on "Dancing With the Stars," he's already accomplished something that no contestant has before: a spectacular rise from comparative unknown to America's Celebrity Sweetheart practically overnight. Last week alone, the Iraq War veteran, who overcame devastating burns incurred in a land mine explosion, got a People Magazine cover; endorsements from Justin Bieber and David Arquette; and designation as the 2012 Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade.

How different things look now from the beginning of the season in September, when all the talk was about Chaz Bono and there was speculation that J.R. might turn into the sacrificial lamb, i.e., he who gets axed from the show in the first week so the better-known stars can avoid that humiliation. (Remember Mike Catherwood in Season 12? You don't? Case closed.)

As Sugar Ray Robinson once said, "To be a champion, you have to believe in yourself when no one else will." Well, when we spoke to J.R. prior to his first week of competition, he was full of praise for his rivals — including Chaz — and confident in himself, too. Even though he was keeping an overcrowded schedule of dance rehearsals and speaking engagements, J.R. was full of smiles and easy charm. He wouldn't think of canceling his commitments without enough time in advance, he said.

"Motivational speaking is very important to me. I want to help a lot of people and reach as many as I can." He also good-naturedly tackled questions about being the least-famous competitor: "I've got a lot of people rooting for me. Burn survivors, military personnel. I feel like I've got great chances.

"I know when people find out who I am and get a whiff of who I am, people are going to gravitate toward me and relate to me," J.R. added presciently. "I know one thing: I'm committed. I don't know if the others are working as hard as I am."

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: Wendi McLendon-Covey does a 180-degree turn from her recent string of way-out-there characters in the upcoming "What to Expect When You're Expecting" comedy with Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Anna Kendrick and Elizabeth Banks. She tells us, "I play a very harried mom who is Jennifer Lopez' friend — who hires her, and then has to lay her off just as she's adopting."

The role reunited her with her former "Reno 911" cast mate, Thomas Lennon, "who plays my husband.

We're very preppy, very stereotypical parents — which is very out-of-the-ordinary for me," she notes. "I have no kids. I have no idea what to do with a child."

However, McLendon-Covey also plays a mother in Jennifer Love Hewitt's "White Trash Christmas Carol," which begins shooting this month in Canada. The comedy has Hewitt taking a lowlife turn as a self-centered, unemployed, whiskey-drinking, Cheez Whiz-eating mother who is about to lose her three children unless she makes some big changes. McLendon-Covey plays "a very reserved character, an uptight mom who doesn't respond well to Jennifer's freewheeling ways."

The "Bridesmaids" and "Rules of Engagement" actress also has the big-screen "Sleeping Around," described as a screwball sex comedy, coming out next year. She heads a cast including Jesse Bradford and Michael McKean. "I'm playing a British author — very J.K. Rowling. Yes, I do the accent, so that might be unintentionally funny," she says.

The funny lady attributes all this action to the heat from her "Bridesmaids" success. "I think because of that, I've gotten to do a lot of stuff. It's been overwhelming but really, really fun and very diverse. I like that I'm not doing the same thing over and over. That would be hellish."

INSIDE ASIDE: A lot of actors talk about their dislike of having to dispense expository dialogue, but "Unforgettable" leading man Dylan Walsh tackles the task as a challenge.

"Trying to find a way to bring something to the procedural aspect of the show — that, for me, is the hardest part," he says. "That's the part that reminds you of other shows, or potentially could remind you — when you have to stand there and say these very dry lines and still sound like a human being." He's found some actors excel at this particular skill, while others don't.

"Christopher Meloni of 'Law & Order: SVU,' who had to do the same thing, always found a way to bring something to it. But you can't force it. There are times when you kind of have to stay out of the way of it. You have to know when your job is just to convey information, cleanly and well, and move along with it."

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 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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