Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Before she went into labor, Tori Spelling was wondering whether she'd bitten off a little more than she could chew — juggling her TV commitments and the impending birth of her son. Turns out she was right.

Spelling and hubby, Dean McDermott, have been filming their Tuesday (3/20)-debuting reality show, "Tori and Dean: Inn Love," and trying to beat the baby clock.

"I don't know what they're going to do if the baby comes early," she told us. By her indications, they were a little over a week away from being wrapped when she entered Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles Monday after her water broke.

She also said, "It's been tough because there are a few things happening at once. We're doing the reality show, but then we're doing the B&B in real life but filming it for the reality show. And the B&B has all these renovations to do, so it's kind of like doing all these jobs at the same time. The idea was to acquire the B&B, go through the renovation process, get it up and running, then open our doors to our guests in the last two episodes."

Though already "really tired," Spelling said she appreciated "the work because it kept me from focusing on the aches and what's uncomfortable … I'm overly paranoid. I've been very worried through the pregnancy about everything. I stayed away when the painting was going on and peeked through the doors."

Tori wasn't planning to take a complete work hiatus. She planned to get back to work writing the humorous, self-deprecating memoir she's been penning for Simon Spotlight Entertainment. "That will take a front burner," she said. "It's due the end of August. So I'm going to do that. We'll have lots of down time to spend in the house with the baby." Oh, really? Maybe there's another reality show in the making here.

HELLO AGAIN: Former "That '70s Show" star Laura Prepon says joining ABC's "October Road," debuting tonight (3/15), was an offer she absolutely could not refuse. "I'd just finished one of the best jobs in TV, a dream job," says Prepon, who plays Hannah Daniels, a single mother and the ex-girlfriend of a successful author (Bryan Greenberg) who returns home to the people he left behind and wrote about in his book. "The whole process of ''70s' was so dear to me I thought nothing would ever beat it.

Then when I read the script for 'October Road,' it was written like an independent film. I fell in love with it."

Prepon says doing a one-hour drama has taken some getting used to: "It is totally different. It's just so creatively stimulating to me in a different way than ''70s' was, using all these acting muscles I don't normally get to work on a sitcom."

But she doesn't mind the long hours at all. "It's like a movie some days … When it's 3 in the morning and you've already been shooting for like 17 hours, you're exhausted and you're giddy, and everything makes you laugh. At the end of the day you feel so productive." She adds, "I love my job so much … on Mondays most people are like 'Cr—, I gotta go to work.' I can't wait to get there."

BIG WHEEL: Apparently having the uber famous Jessica and Ashlee Simpson as daughters (and clients) is working out well for dear old dad, Joe, who was recently spotted cruising around Hollywood in a black convertible Ferrari. Oh the perks of exploiting your family!

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: "The Dresden Files" star, Paul Blackthorne, says playing a wizard can be dangerous to your health. "These damned heroic characters, they do get themselves in a pickle quite a lot, so I find myself thrown around all over the place," quips the handsome, charming British native, who plays Harry Dresden on the Sci-Fi Channel show. He adds, "My wonderful stunt double takes the brunt of it, of course, but I find myself on the chiropractic table about once a month sorting out my back. But all that stuff is a lot of fun to do." The former "24" actor says in upcoming "DF" episodes his character "is being monitored very closely by the (wizards) governing council because of some very dark deeds committed by him in the past, and those issues are being explored further later in the season. And, he's dealing with his own issues, having to forgive himself more than anything, for the things in the past he regrets. It's all good neurotic stuff."

Blackthorne says he's had a couple of "strange experiences" with the paranormal in real life he'd rather not talk about, but they left him "realizing you can't discount anything. I think it's foolish to suggest that all there is what we can perceive with our five senses." Blackthorne's growing legion of female fans will be glad to know the Sci-Fi Channel is planning to run a "Dresden Files" marathon on March 23.

(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and 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 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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