Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

"Monk" star and exec producer Tony Shalhoub says the sixth season of the Emmy-winning USA Network show returning July 13 could be the last for the beloved obsessive-compulsive detective.

"My contract is up in November, and we're going to have to see how it all plays out," says Shalhoub, who's won three Emmys, a Golden Globe and two SAG Awards for his portrayal. "I do love the people and I love the part, but it's a question. There's a lot of stiff competition, especially with so much more programming on basic cable. The field has really become quite full." If he does continue with the character, Shalhoub says he's definitely not interested in signing another long-term contract. "I will have to take them one year at a time."

If this does turn out to be "Monk's" last season, Shalhoub promises some unforgettable segments. "We have some great things coming down the pike," says Shalhoub. In the Friday (7/13) episode, controversial comedienne Sarah Silverman returns in a role she played three years ago, the stalker of a TV star. "But now she's become this very, very aggressive and fanatical devotee of Monk's. Over time he gets sort of seduced into the fact that she worships him." The second episode is "Mr. Monk and the Rapper, with Snoop Dogg as the special guest star. "Talk about two worlds colliding," says Shalhoub with a laugh. "In the beginning there's a fictitious rapper called Extra Large who's killed by a car bomb. Snoop Dogg plays his rival rapper, MurdeRuss, who comes to hire Monk because he knows all fingers will be pointing at him."

Shalhoub says it was the first time he'd ever met Snoop Dogg — "Our paths for some reason have never crossed," he quips — but adds, "He's a friend now. He was terrific. It's a lovely episode." He says we won't be seeing Monk break out in any rhymes in the episode, but once he solves the crime "Snoop raps the summation. Monk is trying to do the summation to a crowd that's not listening to him, so he comes in and helps Monk."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Controversy is unavoidable for anyone making a film involving two men who fall in love while in a Christian therapy program that attempts to make gay men go straight. However, Judith Light tells us, when it comes to "Save Me" — on which she served as a producer as well as playedhe program director — "The Christian community has been so open, acknowledging and welcoming to us.

"We all believed it was essential not to vilify these people in any way, and we worked to find the balance," adds the "Ugly Betty" and "Law & Order SVU" actress of the film, which opens L.A.'s Outfest film festival Thursday (7/12), and also stars Chad Allen with Stephen Lang and Robert Gant.

Light notes that originally, Craig Chester wrote "Save Me" as a comedy, but "we just felt we wanted it to have a different bent." Her husband, Robert Desiderio, wrote the screenplay, along with Chester and Alan Hines. "The whole process took 11 years."

MEANWHILE: Light was a special honoree for her activism on behalf of AIDS awareness and gay rights at the 10th Annual Ribbon of Hope Celebration — which will be available for online viewing via the here network beginning Friday (7/13), at www.heretv.com. The event brought out a roster of stellar names including Bill Clinton, Angela Lansbury, Peter Gallagher, Marlee Matlin and Bruce Vilanch, with musical performances by Deborah Gibson and Dave Koz.

"When the AIDS pandemic was at its height, the government wasn't helping, and the society that says, 'We are compassionate, we care about everyone,' was looking the other way. Many of our friends were dying. In show business there is a huge gay community who's been there for me, loved me," declares Light passionately. "And then a kind of magic happened. This community that was getting virtually nothing did not become victims. They used their anger to create organizations to help — AmFar, Project Angel Food, APLA. … We will feed our friends. We will have hospices for our friends. I saw what they were doing, and even though I'm straight, I thought, 'I want to be part of that. They're teaching lessons we all need to learn.'"

MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Critic and Hollywood documentarian Richard Schickel has "Spielberg on Spielberg" premiering tonight (7/9) on Turner Classic Movies, with movie master Steven Spielberg providing his own highly entertaining play-by-play on his films and life as a director from his childhood 'til now. Schickel, who's already done similar documentaries on Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese, has had inquiries from other filmmakers who'd just love to get the treatment, too. However, he tells us his next project will be a multi-part documentary on Warner Bros. Studios — where there's certainly been no shortage of amazing, colorful characters on screen and off.

(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

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.