Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Multi Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rob Thomas reports he and his Matchbox 20 mates have just gone in the studio to work on the band's first album in five years.

"We'll be in L.A. for a month," says Thomas, who went solo in 2005. "It's been 10 years since our first album so we're doing a greatest hits CD, but we've got six or seven new songs, too."

He adds that the new CD marks a departure for the band that includes drummer Paul Doucette, guitarist/vocalist Kyle Cook and bassist Brian Yale. "For the first time, we're all writing as a band," says Thomas, explaining that "usually I would write all the songs and bring them to the band and the guys would write all their parts. Now it's a band in the hand. Now we all fight it out … we fight over melodies and lyrics. I feel like it's completely unique from anything we've ever done before."

Thomas, who kicks off PBS' fifth season of the groundbreaking primetime concert series "Soundstage" tomorrow night (6/14), says the E.T.A. on the new Matchbox 20 album is October. "Then we'll start our tour here in the states in January and go to Australia in February."

On the new season of "Soundstage," which includes upcoming performances from Macy Gray, Jewel and Dashboard Confessional, Thomas plays Matchbox 20 hits along with his solo work at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Isaiah Washington is out. T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl are in. And Chandra Wilson — also in — tells us she got so burnt out on all the talk about "Grey's Anatomy's" off-camera drama and trauma this past season, she had to stop reading the reports about her show.

"I don't check the Internet anymore. I tell people not to send me any stories. It's amazing how the story machine works. That's been the most fascinating thing to watch happen this year — not whatever has happened with us, but all the peripheral stuff," she says.

"Where are these stories coming from? Who is this infamous source? I hope they're getting paid. That would just be a big ole waste if someone wasn't getting a new pair of tires or something with all these stories."

MEANWHILE: Wilson's been busy preparing to host SOAPnet's live two-hour special from the Daytime Emmy red carpet on Friday (6/15).

She tells us that soap operas "are a part of my daily routine. I just want to share how much I appreciate them being a part of my day." Wilson says she hopes to get some inside scoop, but she doesn't want to know too much. "I'm one of those fans who don't want to know what's going to happen — unless somebody's coming and going. I like to know so I can prepare for that." Hmmm … sounds awfully familiar.

RUM AND POP: Rock legend Iggy Pop may have discovered a new career as a voice artist, as he is playing the voice of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in "Lil' Bush: Resident of the United States," premiering on Comedy Central tonight (6/13). Executive producer/writer Donick Cary says the two have a lot more in common than people think. "There is some crossover between Iggy and Rumsfeld — some kindred spirit. They have the same swagger and are not afraid of anything, and are ready to start a fight with anybody, diving in head first no matter what the consequences are," claims Cary, whose show follows the misadventures of Lil' George Bush and his precocious pals Lil' Condi, Lil' Rummy and the unintelligible, foulmouthed wisecracker Lil' Cheney. "Every week there's some new scandal or topic that comes up, so there's just endless fodder from reality that we can use."

On top of having Pop on board, the Lil' gang has a rock band, which has allowed Cary to enlist some of his favorite rock stars. "We've got Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters, as well as Anthony Kiedis and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers," he tells us. "The hardest part has actually been getting them to sing on the show, because there are all sorts of record company rules. They can do voices easily, but no singing." And just to throw in another twist, Cary adds, "Boy George is supposed to be playing Tony Blair, but he's been a little flaky, so we'll see if that actually happens."

HOLDING OUT FOR SOME: With all the talk about new heroes showing up on "Heroes" in the coming season — which, by the way, starts shooting next week — it's especially interesting that the show is casting for several possibly recurring characters. Per casting sources, they include: a pretty and kind elementary school teacher, a hippie-ish high school chemistry teacher, a Kinko's store manager, a small-time Irish mobster and a California high school girl who isn't especially athletic. Save the klutz, save the world?

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 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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