Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Lori Loughlin admits her daughters, ages 10 and 11, have seen episodes of her old "Full House" series, but "They're not big fans." Her current show, the CW's "90210," is more of interest. And then there's "Summerland," the show that Loughlin produced and co-created, which marked the series debut of Zac Efron. So mom had a big part in the rise of Efron's career, and how cool is that?

"Isn't it amazing? When I met Zac, he was just 14 years old, a sweet kid with a gap between his teeth," Loughlin recalls. "I have to say, an old friend of mine, publicist Jeff Ballard, met Zac and immediately said, 'That kid is going to be a huge star.' I said, 'How do you know it?' And he said, 'I just know it.' He's got a really good eye. The only other one he ever said that about was Johnny Depp."

Loughlin says she's thinking about doing more writing and producing. "At first, after 'Summerland' was over, I thought, 'Oh, I'll never do that again.' But after some time has gone by, it seems more possible."

Not that she has any time for it at the moment. Loughlin is already juggling her "90210" duties and promoting her forthcoming "Meet My Mom" Hallmark Channel movie about a single mother whose son's school project — writing letters to a soldier overseas — leads to a hunky sergeant showing up at their door. And then there's her family life with her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, and their offspring, Isabella and Olivia.

She's proud that, especially having gotten off to a bumpy start, "90210" was granted an early renewal by the CW. "The show is looking really, really good. I think it's become its own show. It stands on its own. You never know when you take something that familiar and reinvent it how it's going to go," she says. She credits exec producer Rebecca Sinclair for making "90210" go well. "She's done a great job."

SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES: Mayim Bialik may have made a successful transition into adult actor, but she still can't seem to escape her "Blossom" roots. The actress isn't complaining, though. "There will be sort of a 'Blossom' reunion on my episode of ''Til Death' on May 2," reports Bialik, who is busy acting again after taking a long break to attend graduate school and start a family. "People still ask me about 'Blossom' all the time, especially what I think about Joey's (Joey Lawrence) hair, so I think it's very exciting.

The Fox show isn't the only project that has reunited Bialik with some of her "Blossom" buddies. She has returned for another season on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." "Brenda Hampton, who created the show, was a writer on 'Blossom,' so she's been writing for me since I was a teenager. It's fun to work with people who know exactly what it's going to sound like coming out of my mouth. When I get a script, I don't even have to ask any questions because I know exactly what they want," she says. "It's a good fit. I like playing quirky characters, and I like being the comedy relief on a show that is otherwise not high comedy."

The actress tells us she's just relieved to have been able to find her place again in the business. "I wasn't sure if the industry would be interested in hiring me as an adult. I do a little bit of teaching on the side so I thought if acting doesn't work out, then I'd just teach more. Luckily, I've been working enough to keep things going."

FUNNY STUFF: With TV Guide having pronounced Jay Leno's return to No. 1 in the ratings for four consecutive weeks, back in his old "Tonight Show" home, as "nothing short of miraculous," perhaps the squawking about Leno taking back the show will quiet down. The fact is that NBC based its decision on ratings, and now it's been proven. He pulled off an instant ratings recuperation — all the more impressive considering that viewership had fallen by almost 50 percent during Conan O'Brien's tenure. Fans may have noticed, Leno's added a few fresh touches like his "cold opening" — before the show's introduction — comedy skits.

Matt Walsh, who co-founded the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York along with Amy Poehler and a few other friends, tells us their branch in Los Angeles is really starting to take off. Having a few famous buddies stop by from time to time certainly doesn't hurt. "There's a lot of talented people in L.A. who are bored when not doing their TV show so we'll have people like Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt and Zach Galifianakis stop by. They keep the shows interesting. And nobody gets paid," he adds. "They do it for the love of it. You can come see a great show for like $5 or $8 so it's gotten a nice following." Walsh notes, "We're really fortunate that there's a real population of people who want to learn how to improvise. There's been a big boom. It's a tribute to a lot of talented people who found us. They're the ones who maintain the theater."

With reports by Emily-Fortune 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.

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