Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Jay Thomas would like to correct the misconception out there in the media right now that he's just gotten together with the biological son he never knew he had: "Everybody's making like it was last Tuesday. I knew I had a son and that he was put up for adoption. The mother was a woman I didn't know very well. We were young. Every discussion was had … it was as gutwrenching as those things are."

And in fact, musician JT Harding, now 28, hooked up with the Emmy-winning actor/Sirius Satellite radio host years ago. It's just that JT's star is rising now, with his JTX band and his hot Next Plateau Records song, "I'm Gonna Party Like a Rockstar."

Which makes the story no less fascinating.

"I have been called JT, for John Thomas, my whole life. Larry and Kendra Harding — his wonderful parents — named him John Thomas, just coincidentally, and he's been called JT all his life," notes Jay. Raised in Grosse Pointe, Mich., Harding came West to make it in the music business as a teen, and wound up working at the Tower Records store half a mile from Jay's Hollywood home, "just coincidentally."

Coincidentally also, to Jay's mind, is the fact that JT happened to see him on television one night "about 2 in the morning, and after that there was an ad saying, 'You are entitled to know who your parents are'" — from an adoption search service. He contacted the service and soon found his birth mother, who eventually contacted Jay. Married with two younger sons, Jay had misgivings, but arranged for JT to come to his sitcom taping, and for his pal, comic Rodney Conover, to check him out. Rodney's verdict: "'He's you 20 years ago.'"

Jay and JT met over Fatburgers that night, and since then they've become part of each other's lives and families. JT's a big brother to the Thomas teens, his adoptive parents became good friends, and the Thomases spent a Christmas with the Hardings in Michigan, reports Jay — who spoke at Larry Harding's funeral last year.

JT, who's toured with Marilyn Manson and written and/or produced for other artists, shares Jay's drive to make the big time. Jay says, "We never sat down and said, 'You know, because I'm your biological father, it'll be good for your music career.' If we tried to do that, it wouldn't happen."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Expect NBC's new "Knight Rider" series this fall to be "less campy and darker" than either the original '80s hit show, or February's highly rated "Knight Rider" movie.

That's the word from the show's star, Justin Bruening, who also says that his character, Mike Tracer, will show an edge as well. However, he assures, "It's still funny. Directors, everybody just loves to come on our set. We just laugh. It's not 'ER.' We have a talking car, for crying out loud." Yep, KITT (Knight Industries Three Thousand) the car "continues to evolve, to learn like a child. It's like HAL from '2001: A Space Odyssey,' but not in the evil sense."

Bruening notes that "Knight Rider" will live up to the expectation that "the hero is going to win at the end of the day. Sometimes people need that kind of story. There's enough stories where the good guys don't win."

The former "All My Children" actor, who is married to his former costar Alexa Havins, says "Life is kind of 'Knight Rider' right now. It's a huge life change. The biggest challenge is trying to find that balance between life and 14-hour days of work. My wife was out on the set last week — it helped that we were shooting at the beach in Palos Verdes — and brought our dogs to work." That is, their Yorkshire terriers, the smallest one of which weighs in at 3 pounds. "Wouldn't you know, that's the one who likes me the most. The tiny dog with the tiny pink bow." Now there's a silly pet for an action hero. "A trained killer," laughs Bruening.

ALL ABOUT EVA: Jo De La Rosa, who rose to fame on "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and is now starring on Bravo's "Date My Ex," has often been touted as being in the same league as Eva Longoria, but the reality star claims she doesn't even come close. "She is beautiful. I'm a big fan of hers. I love her on 'Desperate Housewives,'" gushes Jo, who people saw as the real-life version of Longoria's character Gabrielle Solis. "I don't know why people compare us, but I get a little bashful about it. I'm very flattered and humbled that people would compare me to Eva Longoria, but really, there is no comparison."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Nothing against Uma Thurman, but it's going to be interesting to see how the storied beauty fares as Nanny in the next "Eloise" movie. She's taking over the role from Julie Andrews, who did Nanny duty in two successful telepics based on Kay Thompson's beloved 1950s books about a wild 'n' woolly little rich girl who lives at New York's Plaza Hotel. Julie decided the 2003 "Eloise at Christmastime" would be the end of the line for her. Nathan Lane tells us he'll be joining the feature production on "Eloise in Paris" right after Labor Day.

With reports by 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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