Shannen Doherty says she shares "a lot of very personal stuff that I haven't ever talked about before" in her November release book, "Badass: A Hard-Earned Guide to Living Life with Style and (the Right) Attitude." Don't expect any of that sharing to lead to conciliatory talks with ex-friends or boyfriends.

"I don't have any hatchets to bury. There's no one for me to apologize to," says the actress, who caused lots of tabloid page-turning during her "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed" days.

She goes on, "If someone dislikes me, that's their issue. It has nothing to do with me. That's what the book is about — why sit there and worry about someone who's got an issue with you personally? As long as you know you didn't do anything wrong, as long as you've held yourself to a certain standard, then just keep on going forward through your life."

The actress, who stars in the Hallmark Channel's charming "Growing the Big One" romantic comedy this Saturday (10/23), also lets us know, "You can't take on anybody else's problems; you have to deal with your own problems. You have to be strong within yourself."

One of the chapters is titled "How to Turn Around a Bad Reputation." So, how does one do that?

"This chapter is very tongue-in-cheek. The section about how to turn your reputation around has advice from people and, apparently, these things have worked for them," she wryly replies. "They're not anything I've personally tried. The book is meant for people looking for something funny and interesting, something they can relate to. You know, we all go through friendships that are negative or destructive, relationships that are disruptive. You need to recognize that, draw a line and move forward."

Doherty shows off her lighter side in "Growing the Big One" — and that's just the way she wanted it. The star says she liked the idea of doing something different, and playing the "Big One" radio talk-show host — who finds herself trying to win a giant pumpkin-growing contest in order to save the family farm — filled the bill. "The whole energy on the set was relaxed and fun. It wasn't a job where I had to stay emotionally detached for some reason, or stay into my character, so it was thoroughly enjoyable. The cast was so nice and so funny," she says of the telepic, in which handsome Kavan Smith of "Stargate: Atlantis" plays her next-door neighbor.

Also, she says, there are her brother's seven children to think about. "It's nice for his kids to be able to see their aunt in something and then call me and talk about it," she says. "I think Hallmark does great family movies that are original and fun."

BITTER WITH THE SWEET: "Dancing With the Stars" pro Louis

Van Amstel weighs in on the current flap over whether the show's judges — especially Bruno Tonioli — have been, well, too darn mean this season. "They have been on a roll before. I don't really see it as a problem," says the Dutch ballroom champ, who was paired with Margaret Cho this season. "We're stepping into a competition that's about judges judging you — so you have to be ready for whatever they say." On the other hand, "Sometimes they're rude and forget these celebrities are not dancers. They're people who come in and work so hard, and put their hearts on the line. So, yeah, they could be more human about it." Van Amstel, who's already been eliminated from this season's competition, is focusing on his varied other activities, including "announcing my website for my dance program (dancingwithlouis.com), which is now selling worldwide."

COMING UP: Of course Spike TV chose now to announce its latest series collaboration with reality-show king Thom Beers — "Coal," starring miners in West Virginia. Spike and Beers look like geniuses for tapping into the newfound interest in the underground job, considering the worldwide celebration over the safe return of all 33 Chilean miners this week after they spent 69 days trapped a half-mile below the earth's surface. When Beers first told this column about "Coal" last August, however, it was a different story. The pilot was being readied even as news reports covered the San Jose mine cave-in Aug. 5, and prospects looked grim for their return.

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.