Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Cybill Shepherd feels a sense of vindication in getting her sexy "Cybill" show out on DVD next week. "It took 10 years to talk them into it," says the actress, whose 1995-1998 series scored solid ratings and critical acclaim throughout its run, but was abruptly cancelled by CBS. The plug was pulled in the wake of behind-the-scenes strife (writer Alan Ball has called it "torture" to work on the show, for example) and clashes with network censors.

"There was never really an ending for the show. People were surprised it had gone off the air. It was never syndicated," Cybill says. "It was very disappointing to me and the fans who loved the show."

The disappearance was so complete, "There was footage I wanted to get of a musical number we'd done for the last episode, and I was told it was in a salt mine in Utah. I thought my career had gone into a salt mine in Utah," recalls the actress with a laugh.

Eventually, the series did turn up on the Oxygen network. Cybill was able to obtain copies for her personal archives.

"My daughter Ariel had just returned from college and saw these books filled with DVDs of the 'Cybill' show,' and we sat down and watched them. She encouraged me that another generation would really appreciate them."

Shepherd is quick to acknowledge pushing the envelope of what was then considered acceptable on TV — and then some. "We broke a lot of rules. We had two menopause episodes …The censor said no to our using the word 'vagina,' so we said, 'How about vulva?,' and he said all right, because he didn't know what it was. After it aired, the network said, 'Thank you for the ratings, but never do that again.' From that point on they watched us like hawks," she says.

Shepherd's been hurrying from one assignment to the next with roles on "The L Word," "Psych" and, come Oct. 6, a guesting on "Samantha Who" — in addition to making a string of independent movies. She'll head to Greenwich, Conn., later this month to make a yet-untitled drama with Shirley Knight.

She lets us know, "I play a really horrible sociopathic mother, but I don't murder anybody."

ENCOURAGING WORDS: Britney Spears, who earlier this year was considered a train wreck, seems to be getting her life back on track. She's lost weight, has been spending more time with her kids and has stayed out of the tabloids. She even picked up three awards at the recent VMAs. Fellow mega singer Chris Brown tells us he's rooting for her. "Yeah, I'm definitely a Britney fan. We're on the same label," notes Brown.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Jay Mohr, who plays a newly divorced man with two teenage children in CBS's new "Gary Unmarried," wonders what will happen to those teens — and the show's storylines — if the series is a hit. He says he looks at Ryan Malgarini, the 16-year-old who plays his son, and Laura Marano, 12, who handles the role of the daughter, and asks himself, "What will the scripts be like for the kids in say, three seasons?' But then I'll tell myself, 'Worry about it in three years."" He figures it actually will be "a high wire act the writers will have to contend with," As far as I'm concerned, let the show continue for five years, and we'll send the kids to college, and in season 10 they can come back as doctors. '" Whatever, he sees big things ahead for Ryan, regardless of the vehicle. "He's exceptionally funny. He'll walk out in front of the audience and hit a home run with his lines," says dear old TV Dad.

WHERE THERE'S A WILL: The team behind the Disney Channel's new live-action series "Imagination Movers" deserves credit for gutting out more than its share of setbacks. Or, as producer Sascha Penn puts it, "The history of this show has been one of starts and stops." A show in the tradition of "The Monkees" — but for preschoolers — it stars the New Orleans band, Imagination Movers. It was dealt a nearly knockout blow by Hurricane Katrina, which cost three of the band members their houses and threw plans for shooting "into total disarray," says Penn.

Still, "There was always a strong inclination to shoot the show in New Orleans. When my business partner (Skot Bright) and I went down there in May after the hurricane, the city was still living in the shadow of the storm. It was hard not to become emotionally invested in rebuilding New Orleans. Our crew is 90-95 percent local. The band is from there, obviously … It's different from any other part of the country, with its own aesthetic and atmosphere. We were determined to shoot there. And by the way, so was Playhouse Disney. They couldn't have been more supportive."

To shoot in post-Katrina New Orleans required "things like occasionally having to bring in props and wardrobe from other places — things that had always been available there before. Whole sets had been destroyed."

Once shooting got underway at last, the troupe was stopped again — for three months — by the writers' strike.

And earlier this month, a big premiere planned to launch "Imagination Movers" had to be scotched due to the threat of Hurricane Gustav.

"We kept going because we believe in it. We feel like it isn't just a fun show, but that it has real educational value," says Penn.

With reports by 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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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