Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Revealing Sherman Bros. Story Could Be a Show in Itself/'Glory Daze' Frat Boys Kinda Like the Real Thing for Blatz

Songwriting greats Robert and Richard Sherman are in their '80s, but their music continues to be heard constantly — what with "Mary Poppins" on Broadway, touring companies around the globe presenting musicals of their "Jungle Book" and "Winnie the Pooh" songs, "It's a Small World After All" playing on endless loops at the Disney theme parks, and solid prospects for their "Over Here" and "Busker Alley" shows to be revived on the Great White Way.

There's also been talk of turning "The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story" into a musical.

It's too soon to discuss, Richard stresses. Still, one can easily see the possibilities for a show based on the documentary unveiled earlier this year, which is getting a special showing at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival on Monday (11/15) at Laemmle's Music Hall.

Those who sit down to watch expecting a slick, run-of-the-mill feel-good documentary are in for a surprise. Instead, filmmakers Jeffrey and Gregory Sherman — sons of Robert and Richard — weave a saga of brothers who, yes, created magic together, but who were different as day and night, did not get along and suffered such a deep schism their families didn't even speak to one another for decades.

"When my son and my nephew started it, I said, 'This is ridiculous. There is nothing to talk about," admits Richard, who chats away with an energy that belies his age. As for his reaction to the revealing film, he says, "On the whole, I think it's very good, very honest. It's kind of touching — two brothers who didn't jell as buddy-buddies. But we certainly stuck together, didn't double-cross each other, nothing like that."

Older brother Robert, who was literally scarred for life by his wartime experiences — helping liberate the Dachau concentration camp, almost dying after being shot — is the introspective, sardonic half of the team. He lives in London, and according to Richard, "As a more private individual, he's not as happy with having his personal life out there. I say good for the boys — good for Greg and Jeff; they had a chance to show their talent, and they did. That was my great motivation for doing it," he says of the film that also features names from Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke to Angela Lansbury, John Lasseter and Alan Menken.

Indefatigable Richard has a new album out, "Forgotten Dreams." "The Boys," meanwhile, will be out on DVD in a few weeks.

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: "Aaron Stone" cutie pie Kelly Blatz is finding a welcome dividend in making TBS's Nov.

16-debuting "Glory Daze" series about a group of fraternity pledges in the 1980s. The 23-year-old actor notes, "I backed out of college before I even went, and even though I visited friends in fraternities a few times, I kind of felt like maybe I missed out. Pledging this fraternity with these guys, I get to have all the fun and camaraderie without having to do the school work."

Blatz is part of an ensemble including Tim Meadows and Drew Seeley (with interesting guest stars like Kevin Nealon, Teri Polo and Fred Willard). He reports that the show's creators, Walt Becker and Michael LeSieur, informed them "They didn't want to hit anyone over the head with the '80s thing — this is inspired by their own college experiences — but they did give us a packet of things to work with. We do riff a lot, improvise, and we wanted to have a grasp of who the celebrities were at the time, the big athletes, the supermodels, so we'd say the right things. We wanted to use the right slang, and not talk about cell phones and things like that."

He adds, "I'm so used to my wardrobe now, it feels like what I'd actually wear. I'm always wanting to tuck in my shirt."

Then there's the music aspect, of vital importance to college students of any generation, of course. The producers supplied their guys with "like, 12 full CD mixes — R&B, pop, rock. I definitely have a huge catalog of '80s music in my brain now," Blatz says.

As it happens, he's working on his own music while finishing up the last few episodes of the first season's worth of "Glory Daze." He and his band, Capra, have been developing a sound of their own for the last four years, he lets us know, and are now recording an album for Hollywood Records, to debut in 2011.

"When you hear it you'll understand," he says. "It's a fun, funky hip-hop and rock."

REAL DEALS: "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan is getting ready to launch a spinoff series featuring his pal, animal behaviorist Cheri Lucas. The pilot episode will have a celebrity — being cast now — who has a problem pooch, heading to the dog training and rehab ranch Cheri shares with her NBA Hall-of-Famer hubby, Jerry Lucas. During an overnight stay there, they'll get to the bottom of the doggie's behavior issue. For this, by the way, the celeb gets not only the top-of-the-line dog training for free, but a quick $2,500.

The producers behind "Project Runway" and "Undercover Boss" now have a docu-reality show in the works that focuses on nurses, and they're currently casting both nurses and student nurses with "vibrant personalities" for whom "being a nurse is a way of life."

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.

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