McGinley Says 'Scrubs' Might Not Be Scrubbed After This Season/Blonsky Wants To Return For 'Hairspray' Sequel by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith on Creators.com

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McGinley Says 'Scrubs' Might Not Be Scrubbed After This Season/Blonsky Wants To Return For 'Hairspray' Sequel

"Scrubs" co-star John C. McGinley reports that when the stock of 18 episodes comprising the eighth season of the show were shot last year, "It was assumed that would be the end. But with the numbers we pulled this week, well, don't count us out. "

He adds, "You'd better believe that the show's creator, Bill Lawrence, is too smart to shut the door on different possibilities for the show."

He points out that even if Zach Braff leaves the series as planned, "There could be a change of hospital settings that wouldn't preclude his coming around once in a while. Or we could go ahead without him. Zach is a genius, but there have been precedents dealing with the replacement of an indispensable part of a show, like when George Clooney left 'E.R.'"

McGinley tips his hat to ABC "for doing a tremendous job of publicizing our debut on the network." As he puts it, "You know this town — success is like wildfire. If it happens, everything is golden, and everyone is patting you on the back. But if a movie has a weak opening weekend or a series pulls poor ratings, well, it's like over."

He is convinced that "Scrubs" is "far, far from over."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Nikki Blonsky tells us if the John Waters/Adam Shankman "Hairspray" sequel does become a reality, "I would love to be a part of it." Blonsky, who was plucked out of obscurity to portray Tracy Turnblad in the first film, notes, "Tracy's a character who shows that everybody is equal, and we should all have fun and just live and let live. I would love nothing more than to get out there and spread that message again."

In the meantime, Blonsky, who just wrapped the movie "Waiting for Forever" with Rachel Bilson, says she's trying to spread a similar message of her own. "You can measure the size of my hips, my legs and my waist, but you can't measure the size of someone's talent. That is irrefutable," notes the plus-sized actress. "If someone is talented and they've got what people need to play a part in a movie or TV show, then it shouldn't matter what size or shape you are," she adds.

"Luckily, things are changing. We've got a new president. It's going to be a good year."

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Kimberly Elise got an unexpected dividend playing Sonya Carson, mother of world-renowned neurosurgeon Ben Carson, in TNT's Feb. 7 "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story," starring Cuba Gooding Jr. The first part of the Johnson & Johnson Spotlight Presentation goes back to Carson's Detroit childhood, and Elise says she grew to love the juvenile actors who played her sons. "The kids are so great. I love them, and working with them was wonderful — they were well-mannered professional kids, but also kids, and my daughter was on the set also. They played together and hung out. It was really nice."

After Carson's father abandoned his family, it was Sonya, illiterate, with a third-grade education, little money and recurring bouts of depression, who somehow moved her two boys out of the inner city and made sure they got good educations. "I just thought she was extraordinary and that she was a character a lot of women could identify with," says Elise. "Feeling out there on their own, they really put a lot of faith in their children; they know the potential of their children. Sometimes a single mom can be that singular force that lights the direction of a child.

"Everyone felt honored to tell the story, and that filtered down from the top all the way to interns and extras," she adds. "It was fun and satisfying, a positive experience for me and for my daughter. It was magical every day going to work."

ON-SET FAN: Daren Kagasoff, who plays bad boy Ricky — a.k.a. Shailene Woodley's baby daddy — on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," says he still gets starstruck working with '80s idol Molly Ringwald. "The first time I saw her on set, I was like, 'Oh, my God! I'm on a series with Molly Ringwald!' I watch her work, and she's great. All the veterans on the show give us a lot to work with," says Daren of the hit series, now in its second season. "It's so cool to see, especially for me because I'm so new."

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 DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.