Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Kim Raver's Work, Family Life a 'Rubik's Cube of Scheduling'/Kyle Chandler Tight-Lipped Re: Tight Best Actor in a Drama Race

Kim Raver thought she'd be spending her "Grey's Anatomy" hiatus soaking up family time with her husband and two sons — but says she found the lure of Lifetime's "Bond of Silence' movie irresistible.

"It's tricky. I only have a short amount of time to spend with my family," notes the actress, who plays real-life author Katy Hutchison in the telepic, airing tonight (8/23). "But when I read Katy's book, I was just so intrigued by the way she handled this tragedy in her life. It was so unlike the norm, I wanted to play her."

Hutchison's husband was murdered when he tried to quiet down a wild teen party in their neighborhood — a case that took her five years and endless persistence to untangle.

"There was also this mystery of how her husband was killed and how this tight-knit community where they lived responded — how part of that community turned against her," adds Raver of the case that is well known in Squamish, British Columbia, where it took place. The telefilm is set in Washington State and the names have been changed.

The actress, who's been wed to French filmmaker Manu Boyer for eight years, considers it essential that their 7-year-old and 2-year-old sons spend time with their French relatives each year. They're growing up bilingual, and "it's really important they see my husband's family in France," she says. She's happy that even with "Bond of Silence" production, they were able to get to Europe for three weeks during her hiatus.

"My life is a Rubik's Cube of scheduling," she says.

Meanwhile, with "Grey's Anatomy" production moving right along into episode five for the coming season, Raver's Dr. Teddy Altman is well into a new romance with James Tupper's character.

Speaking of series creator Shonda Rhimes and the relentlessly intense episode that ended last season — with a crazed gunman on a shooting rampage against hospital personnel he held responsible for his wife's death — Raver says, "I think it was a genius move by Shonda and her team of writers, what they did with that finale. It took all these characters that viewers know and love over six years and gave them somewhat of a rebirth."

Raver feels that the writers have been able to retain the core elements of the show that appeal to fans, yet make it fresh as the beleaguered medical team moves forward.

"To be able to find a way to do that in an interesting way is really rare," she says.

EMMY TALK: Kyle Chandler won't name the nominee he considers his toughest competition as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in this Sunday's (8/29) Emmy race — maybe because it's among the most hotly contested categories of the year. The "Friday Night Lights" star is in the mix with Bryan Cranston, who won the award last year and the year before for "Breaking Bad," plus Matthew Fox of "Lost," Michael C. Hall of "Dexter," Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" and Hugh Laurie of "House."

"It's amazing competition. I'm very happy to be mixed in with that group. I won't say one over all the other fantastic actors, all of whose bodies of work are impressive," says Chandler, who's been playing high school football coach Eric Taylor for the past five years on the acclaimed show, which recently wrapped production for good.

As far as he's concerned, his on-screen relationship with series wife Connie Britton "was pivotal, the cornerstone of everything. I was happy to be nominated, but even happier when I heard she'd gotten a nomination, too. She was fantastic to work with. I never enjoyed working with anyone more. We're dear friends now."

MUSICALLY SPEAKING: Matthew "Mdot" Finley of "Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam" has an album that's been three years in the making he hopes to get out later this year. "It's going to be the best R&B/pop album out there without a parental advisory sticker," he tells us. So, keeping it clean is important to him? "It's very important. I grew up in a Christian home and school my whole life, but that's not what it's about. It's about putting out an album that everybody can listen to — parents and kids — and have a good time."

LOOKING OUT: Supermodel-turned-supermogul Kathy Ireland, who has some 15,000 household items now on the market racking up a stunning $1.5 billion — with a B — in sales each year, is now adding windows to her design roster. Her Kathy Ireland Worldwide has signed a deal with Window World for a line of custom-design window colors and grids.

They're launching the venture with a $40 million — with an M — marketing and promotion campaign. Of course, this means curtains. Not in the tough-guy Cagney and Bogart sense, but in Ireland's. Her line of curtain designs — or "soft window coverings" as they say in the trade — are already among the most successful in the country.

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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