Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Drew Carey wants us to know, "I am hardly distraught" that CBS decided last week to pull his "Power of 10" from the prime time lineup.

"Boo ho," he says. "Now I've only got one show on the air. Feel sorry for me."

He's kidding. He feels that being host of "The Price is Right" has made him one of the luckiest men in show business -- and is delighted there will soon be double doses of the venerable show with CBS greenlighting six hour-long episodes of the series to air Fridays at 8 p.m. starting Feb. 22.

He wants us to know he considers "Price," "one of the blessings of my life. It's a great positive environment. There's a lot of love in that room where we tape the show. It's really one has to experience to appreciate it."

He reveals, "I was semi-retired when I was offered 'The Power of 10' and "The Price is Right' within a few months of each other and I don't want to put in those kind of hours again."

He is finding time for his annual gig at Las Vegas' MGM Grand over Super Bowl weekend from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, and reports, "All the shows are close to sold out." Beyond that, the daily "Price" shoots three days a week, with every fourth week off -- which gives him plenty of time to spend with his fiancee, Nicole Jaracz, and her 2-and-a-half-year-old son.

LOOK AWAY: Dita Von Teese, who has been dubbed the modern "Queen of Burlesque," has become a fan favorite of opinionated celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, but the entertainer tells us she's not comfortable having people discuss her on the Internet.

"I don't really read it just because I have a little bit of dread when someone says you're on Perez Hilton today. I know it's an open forum where people can criticize. It's like throwing you to the lions. I have better things to do than read what everyone's opinion is on how I look or what I do," claims Von Teese, who people also know from her former marriage to rocker Marilyn Manson.

As for Perez's opinions, she continues, "I feel very fortunate that Perez has very nice things about me, but I also know if I do something stupid, then he's going to call me out on it. I'm happy for his success, but it's not like I want to go on there and read what everybody has to say."

Von Teese has other things she'd rather talk about -- like sex. That is, in terms of her involvement with the mini-series "Indie Sex," which was recently released on DVD.

The series explores how independent films have provided a forum to discover society's deepest sexual fantasies played out on the big screen.

"It was really great to actually watch it and to learn about some of these films. I most definitely kept a piece of paper next to me and wrote down titles of films that I wanted to see that seemed unusual or racy," she says of "Indie Sex," which also included commentary from John Waters, Tatum O'Neal, Ally Sheedy, Peter Sarsgaard and Rosanna Arquette. "It definitely increases your film knowledge savvy to impress your friends."

FAMILY FIRST: Comedian Caroline Rhea says her career choices are determined more and more by family these days.

"It's not like at this point in my career my agents are like, 'This will be good for you,'" says Rhea of her current gig as the voice of the mom on the Disney Channel's new animated series "Phineas and Ferb," debuting Feb. 1. "But it's so fun because I have three young nephews and it's like, 'What will they enjoy watching?"

"Phineas and Ferb" stars the voices of Vincent Martella, Thomas Sangster, Mitchel Musso and Ashley Tisdale in the show about two stepbrothers and their wacky backyard adventures.

"My nephews totally love it," says Rhea. "And it's a complete pleasure for me to do. The show is apparently for children, but I've watched a few episodes and I so enjoy because it's the most beautiful, vibrant animation and the cleverest writing."

The former host of "The Biggest Loser" says of her diminutive character on "Phineas and Ferb," "I love being half a centimeter wide. That's like my favorite part. I love that she has a little bit of an edge and was briefly a one-hit wonder rock star in her day. I also love that it's a stepfamily, which is much more modern. One of the boys is her stepson and she loves him."

She adds, "I even play the feisty grandmother. It's really fun when they let you play extra voices, but you get these strange directions in animation like, 'farther, sleepier, taller …' I'm like, 'How do you do taller?'"

IT'S THAT TIME: With the Super Bowl just around the corner, "Everybody Hates Chris'" Terry Crews laments, "My least favorite thing about the Super Bowl is the minute it's over, there is no more football. All the money you've spent on parties, memorabilia and a flat-screen TV is gone. God forbid you actually try to GO to the game. The harsh reality really set in that there are no games next week. Guys everywhere are in mourning the following Sunday."

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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