Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Last year, Megyn Price of "Rules of Engagement" told us, "(The show's writer-producers) keep tossing around this idea I'm going to have a baby on the show. Patrick (Warburton) and I keep saying, 'No, not a baby! Having a baby ruins every sitcom where it's been done.'"

Now, as fans of the CBS series are aware, at least one baby is on the way, courtesy of the surrogate being played by Sara Rue. So what does Price have to say? "It's turned out to be so incredibly fun, and I think Sara Rue is such a great addition. She's sweet and then funny then acerbic. Patrick and I are definitely on board."

Future installments of "Rules" will hint at multiple birth possibilities, she lets us know, but we'll have to wait and see on that. We can tell you that "Rules" wrapped its seasonal production last week without any baby on the set as yet. Also, this year, unlike other years in its bumpy history, the 5-year-old "Rules" is a shoo-in for return in the fall.

Price is well aware of the fact that the show is enjoying possibly its most critically admired season to date, even as it faces off against "American Idol."

"We really are The Little Engine That Could," she says. "Our little show has been chugging along under the radar for so long. The writing is better, sharper and more clever this year, with jokes so specific to each character. We're not a setup-punch line show. I have no trepidation anymore when I open a script; it's an absolute joy."

MEANWHILE: With the season wrapped, Price has turned her attention to directing. She's wanted to become a director "forever," she tells us. "I think I finally got over my thought that I could only do one thing at a time." She's been on the Warner Bros. studio lot this week, observing as pilots are being directed by James Burrows and Kelsey Grammer. "It's really interesting to see the different styles, how they run the room," she says of the TV directing legend and the star-turned-producer-director, the latter of whom is helming Michael Chiklis' "Vince Uncensored" pilot. "It's really funny," she says. "Kelsey, of course, is highly entertaining."

As for what she'd like to direct, Price says TV comedy feels like her home. "It feels so natural," she says, having acted in more than 250 series episodes so far. She also is looking forward to some day in the future when her acting talents might not be so much in demand. "I have a wild aversion to plastic surgery. I'm not really interested in trying to look 25 all my life," she declares. Her husband is a physician, and she acknowledges, "Maybe that's why I'm not likely to electively have a surgery, thank you very much. I'm a chicken."

THEY SEE DEAD PEOPLE: In case you haven't noticed, there's an abundance of actors playing coroners on TV these days, with Dana Delany and her "Body of Proof" the latest on an ever-growing roster of medical examiners — all of whom seem to be quirky, wacky or full of attitude.

Robert David Hall, who plays Doc Robbins on "CSI," has noticed that he has a lot of counterparts out there on the tube, and he says he wishes Dana and all the others well, starting with his "CSI" stablemate Robert Joy of "CSI: NY." "I laugh at David McCallum and enjoy him," he says of the actor who plays Ducky Mallard on "NCIS." Tamara Tunie of "Law & Order: SVU" has his attention with her "take-charge kind of a thing." But his favorite TV coroners are the real ones, such as Michael M. Baden, "who had that series 'Autopsy' on HBO years ago. He's a famous expert witness. I admire his thoroughness. His show was on just before 'CSI' started."

Hall doesn't feel that Doc Robbins is unduly odd, but he says, "Occasionally, my guy gets cranky. I really strive to represent the people I have met who do this for a living."

His real-life counselors started with Los Angeles County coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran. "I asked Billy Petersen, 'Could you help me meet him?' And then he was so generous with his time. I modeled a lot of Dr. Robbins after him. Yes, it's a grisly job, but you find a lot of dignity in it. He called his subjects 'decedents' and insisted on treating the recently departed with respect, which is part of his religion but also part of his makeup."

He's also a fan of Dr. Gary Telgenhoff, the real Las Vegas coroner, who, when he's not examining dead bodies, "plays guitar in a heavy metal band." And Iowa's Gregory Schmunk, "a brilliant scientist," he says. "These people are not just cutters. They're scientists, chemists, M.D.s. And just as in any other field in life, there are those who are calm and professional" — and those who are quirky, as there are on TV.

COPYCATS: Casting forces are on the lookout for a juvenile actor who can play the 13-year-old version of Adam Sandler's character in Sandler's forthcoming "I Hate You, Dad." It's a significant role, seeing that the storyline has the middle schooler impregnating his 27-year-old teacher — and then facing the task of raising their son, Han Solo, alone when she heads off to prison. The story picks up with the boy all grown up, having changed his name to Todd, and so full of hate toward his parents he tells everyone they're dead. Then, of course, his father appears, needing his help. Andy Samberg and James Caan are in it, and Vanilla Ice plays himself.

We've seen photos of Ryan Reynolds' admirable six-pack, so it's especially interesting that casting forces were seeking a body double for the star earlier this week — an "extremely toned, not bulky 6-foot-2" body double. The super-hot Reynolds is filming his "Safe House" thriller with Denzel Washington, and of course, he has "The Green Lantern" coming out June 17.

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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