Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Production on the Jan. 18-premiering final season of "The L Word" wrapped months ago, but Pam Grier makes it clear she continues to consider herself part of the trailblazing series about a community of lesbians. For one thing, she expects to help publicize the show and "drop more seeds of tolerance, loving, caring and understanding" abroad.

"England, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand — so many countries are starting to see 'The L Word.' I'm happy to be a part of that historical significance," says the actress who rose to fame as the '70s blaxploitation movie queen of "Foxy Brown" and "Coffy."

"In the black community — I can't really say 'black community' anymore because it's so fragmented — there's some taboo on homosexuality. It might come from the church; I don't know. I would like to see more acceptance, of course. If people watch 'The L Word' because of me, if I'm the impetus of that, then I'm glad. You never know what influence you have."

Grier admits she's received "quite hostile" emails since she started playing Kit Porter on the show in 2004 — but has also amassed a collection of emotional thank-you notes. "Those little golden moments mean everything to me — a validation. I can't begin to tell you," she says.

Currently in a long-standing relationship with a businessman she prefers to leave unnamed, her past pairings with men including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the late Richard Pryor well known, Grier has been asked about her own sexuality many times, she acknowledges. "My biological predisposition is heterosexuality, but you never know. Maybe I haven't met the right woman yet. I'm enough woman for me every day."

These days she's dividing her time between her beloved Colorado ranch — where she trains therapy horses for impaired children — and acting assignments (she has a string of indie films in the pipeline) 'til the next "L Word" call comes. "I would do anything they wanted me to do," she says.

BIG LOVE INDEED: Douglas Smith, who plays Ben, the eldest son of Bill Paxton's "Big Love" family on the HBO show that also returns Jan. 18, has a dual career going as an up-and-coming musician, with a band that goes under the moniker of "his orchestra." They've been featured on Lifetime's "Rita Rocks" and supply theme music for ABC Family's forthcoming "Roommates." It's not easy juggling his lives, admits Smith — whose older brother is Gregory Smith of "Everwood" fame — but he says his TV kin couldn't be more helpful.

"My band was playing at the Troubadour one night when we were shooting this big scene that was going to take the whole day," he recalls, referring to the famed L.A.

club. "Everyone knew I had to leave the set by 7, and all day Jeanne Tripplehorn was like, 'Let's get going … Seven, remember? … He's got to leave by 7," recalls Smith of the actress who plays his mom.

And he got a sisterly assist from Amanda Seyfried. "She drove me all the way." Bill Paxton "is so supportive of my music. He says, 'Burn me another CD to play in my car' — he drives a long way to work. And Grace Zabriskie, who plays Lois, she comes to more of my rock shows than anybody. She plays my grandmother. She comes with her boyfriend. She's a cool old lady. She's given me a lot of Leonard Cohen and other music that's really shaped my musical tastes."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Up and comer Zoe Kazan got the chance to play Leonardo DiCaprio's mistress in the movie "Revolutionary Road," and while she was nervous about being so intimate with one of the world's biggest actors, she tells us DiCaprio went out of his way to make her feel comfortable. "It was a little scary the first day of rehearsal, and I was sitting on my hands like a schoolgirl, but he's such a great guy and put me at ease right away," says Kazan. While some didn't like that her character took his attention away from Kate Winslet's character, Kazan is understandably sympathetic. She says she likes to think of her character "as the seduced, not the kind that is out to steal your man."

AND: Young actor Christopher Carley, whose role as a priest in Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino" is garnering attention, tells us his next movie didn't exactly call upon him to reach to the depths of his dramatic capabilities. "I'm definitely the punchline," he says of his small role in the upcoming comedy "Miss Nobody." "I'm in these flashback scenes as the love interest of Leslie Bibb's character." As for what he'll do now, Carley says, "I've had a bunch of meetings and that kind of stuff. I'm getting close" to making a deal for his follow-up assignment.

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.