Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

To hear "Raising Hope" star Martha Plimpton tell it, Sunday's (Sept. 18) Emmy Awards show will mark a rare night out on the LA scene for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Emmy nominee.

"I'm so busy working, I don't have much time for other things," she lets us know. "The days are long, and they're going to stay as they are. But, fortunately, the vibe is good on the set. I feel like we've become really good friends. We love working together and we really enjoy each other's company."

And, Plimpton says, they've been having a lot of fun with the new season of their zany Fox show that's centered on the trashy but loving Chance family — including baby Hope, and inept, young baby-daddy Jimmy (Lucas Neff).

So what can viewers expect after the show returns Tuesday (Sept. 20)? Plimpton says, "We have a family trip to Vegas coming up. Amy Sedaris is coming back for that episode." Sedaris plays her cousin — the cousin who has the hots for her husband, Burt (Garret Dillahunt). "We're going to meet Burt's parents," Plimpton adds. "You're going to see a lot of us in our younger years. We're going to do a lot of flashbacks.

"Originally, we had these two younger actors playing us. We're going to play ourselves younger more often, I think, this season."

When Plimpton does get a longer work break, she usually heads east. "I still live in New York. When we shoot, I'm out here and I rent a furnished place. I guess technically I'm bicoastal, but New York is still my home."

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: Life is a whirl — and then some — for Disney Channel stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya, who are ages 13 and 15, respectively. Their "Shake It Up" series, which has its second season premiere Sunday (Sept. 18), is at the top with kids and tweens. There are clothing and shoe lines fashioned after their CeCe and Rocky characters on the dance-themed comedy. CeCe and Rocky dolls are in the works. And the two have a Disney Channel movie called "Frenemies" on the way as well.

"I'm still shocked about it," Bella tells us. "To go into Target and see these clothes — it amazes me every day."

And Zendaya says that seeing her doll for the first time was "a surreal feeling.

I felt a whole bunch of emotions. I felt excitement, and I also had a little tear in my eye. I had to kind of absorb the moment and realize what is happening. Little girls are going to be playing with me. I just remember that feeling, when I was playing with dolls."

Bella says that interacting with their young fans is her favorite part of the job. "When the little kids come up to you, it's so cute. We were at Disneyland, and this one little girl was crying, because she didn't know we were real," recounts the young talent. "That's why we do what we do — to make them laugh and make them smile. They come to the show and they're so excited. It warms our hearts to hear them laughing in the audience."

Between learning new dances and lines every day, doing promotional chores and keeping up with their schooling, there's not much downtime for the girls. Have they learned to pace themselves?

"Not really," admits Bella. "But it's not like I'm being held away from my friends and stuff. They come to the set, and we eat dinner after the show."

As far as vacation time, "That's usually the time we travel or do promo stuff," Zendaya reports. "But either way, I'm with Bella, and we're having fun. As long as it's fun, it's okay."

Still, she says, "I think the most challenging aspect of doing this is being able to balance school and work and still be a regular girl. That's the most important thing, and the hardest thing to deal with." In the interests of regular girl time, "I have my friends visit all the time. They always come here, because it's really hard for me to visit them. We'll do simple things like go to the movies.

"I just had my birthday party, and it was the best experience," she adds. "I had friends from home and friends from out here that I've met and had a big, fun celebration at my auntie's house on the beach. We had henna tattoos and glitter tattoos, and (we) played volleyball."

TOO CLOSE: The wildfires that spread across southwest Texas last week caused many anxious hours for Nancy McKeon, whose land was in the fire zone. So was her father's. McKean had to cut short her help in promoting tomorrow's (Sept. 17) "Love Begins" Hallmark Channel Original Movie to tend to things at home as the fires drew near — but fortunately, she came through unscathed. The movie for television, by the way, is a prequel to the hugely popular "Love Comes Softly" series.

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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