Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

"Cold Case" heroine Kathryn Morris expects to spend Valentine's Day with her guy, producer/director David Barrett, at a Supercross competition. It's a sport to which she was introduced by Barrett, who was a professional motocross racer as a teen.

However, Morris doesn't care that much how they observe Cupid's special day. The way she sees it, "When you really love someone, every day is Valentine's Day. For some couples a box of candy and dinner at a nice restaurant might do the trick, but my philosophy is that if you really care about a person, everything, big and small, adds up to a lot of love."

In their case, it also adds up to a lot of work. Barrett is not only a producer/director on her CBS series, he's a partner in her Hotplate production company that Morris describes as "my greatest adventure." She and David have had, she says, "tremendous support from CBS and Warner Bros." And, she adds, "For a company that's just a year old, well, we've made progress that some people don't make in a lifetime.

"We're partnering with Warners on four projects, including films that are in development. And there's the 'Crosshairs' series — a cross between Steve McQueen and 'Magnum P.I.' — that CBS has bought, plus 'The Fixer,' a funny hour-long dramedy, about a hired con man, we're doing for Fox. We're talking to two major names now."

Much as Morris loves the production side of the business, she says, "I'll continue to act at least for the next 30 years" — and she'd be happy if quite a few of those years continue to be dominated by "Cold Case." The show, she says, has improved now that her character "has broken out of her shackles. She was kind of on the edge last season with personal problems, but that's now past, and there's new life and excitement in the series."

WOMAN OF MANY TALENTS: It'll be a mother and son reunion — of sorts — when Rita Moreno plays L.A.'s Conga Room nightery Feb. 19, doing the show she's perfected in such New York clubs as The Carlyle and Feinstein's. The Conga Room is co-owned by Moreno's former "Cane" cast mate, Jimmy Smits, who's promised to be there. "Of course!" she tells us. "He's my son." The eclectic show runs from Rita's rendering of "Sunset Boulevard" scenes to her singing of hot Latin tunes — to a Peggy Lee tribute that "gets naughty ... There's nothing like a 77-year-old woman being naughty on top of a piano," she says with a laugh.

But seriously, Moreno — the only female to have won Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy awards — says that in these times she's especially glad "I do lots of different things, my cabaret show, my music, my lecturing.

There is such a dearth of acting roles now. My actor friends, some who are well-known — talk about how there's hardly anything out there these days." Except reality TV? "Never. Not for me," says Rita.

THE INSIDE TRACK: Sir Paul McCartney loves the freedom of disappearing into a different identity in order to find new musical creativity, and such is the case with his Fireman duo. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, in an interview on stands tomorrow (2/6), McCartney explains how he linked up with Youth, his partner in the new Fireman album "Electric Arguments": "He was recommended to mix one of my tracks, and he and I became friends. We [started to] go into the studio. At first it was just a hobby, so it was very underground. We just made [music] and enjoyed it, had a lot of fun ... but last year when we got together, it became different. The fireman found his voice, so to speak, and there were real songs. It's liberating using a different identity. Like Sgt. Pepper. We kept the [Beatles] name, but it was a freedom, you know?"

McCartney also talks about the upcoming special Beatles edition of the Rock Band game, noting that "It will feature different periods of the band — you get early days, Liverpool, then psychedelic, and on from there. It's very cool. And I like the idea that the game introduces kids to music."

But as far as finding the Beatles on iTunes anytime soon, he admits, "It's a bit of a sticky issue. We want it to happen. There is a gridlock of sorts, though I am not part of the negotiations, thank goodness."

RISK BIG, WIN BIG: Chris Dane Owens made his mark in the reality TV producing world with such shows as "Instant Beauty Pageant" and "Who Gets the Dog?" — and then he traded reality for un-reality, in a big way. Owens took a gamble on his first love and passion, his music career, and produced the ultra-lavish, romantic, fantastical video for his "Shine on Me" song — the first part of a planned trilogy featuring the same characters and setting, which he's dubbed "Arra of the Third Kingdom." Launched late last year, the video boasts viewership in the hundreds of thousands. Owens, whose father is funnyman and broadcasting icon Gary Owens, has a vast and interested audience primed for his forthcoming album. He's already popular in Japan. And he has been greeted with endless YouTube user comments ranging from remarks about his long, flowing blond tresses, to "The Most Epic 4 Minutes of My Life."

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

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