Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Sharon Gless is moving forward with a decidedly daring project that might end up with the "Cagney & Lacey," "Queer as Folk" and "Burn Notice" actress baring it all onstage. It's the theatrical adaptation of Jane Juska's "A Round-heeled Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance," about her experience as a semi-retired Berkeley teacher who "took out an ad in the New York Review of Books attempting to attract someone of her intellect. She said, 'Before I turn 67 — next March — I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like. If you want to talk first, Trollope works for me.'"

"Why would you subject yourself to this humiliation?" Gless asked of Juska. Juska's answer: "I'd not been touched in 30 years."

Gless thanks her producer, husband Barney Rosenzweig, for daring her to option the book. Then, she found, "we couldn't sell it in America. We tried to sell it as a series. … Before me, William Morris tried to sell it as feature. Barney sent it to friends in London whose works we respect."

Now, Gless has British producer Brian Eastman godfathering the project and a brand new script by Jane Prowse (Stephen King's "Misery"). Eastman suggested that "the piece is so American, it would be nice to open it in America first" and then bring it into London's West End. After going over a number of possibilities, they've decided on a trial run in San Francisco — date and place are still being determined. Subsequently, there's been fresh interest in a film version, Gless says. "But we have to take it one step at a time. I'm excited and nervous. The British are so much more advanced than we are in this area. It's the kind of piece you'd expect to find Judi Dench or Maggie Smith doing."

LIVING LONG AND PROSPERING: Former "Veronica Mars" regular Jason Dohring says he's learning to like playing an immortal in CBS's new "Moonlight" series debuting Sept. 28. Dohring stars as Josef, the 400-year-old vampire who doesn't look a day over the twenty-something hedge-fund trader he's currently passing as in the supernatural drama. "It's definitely different being more powerful than your average guy," notes Dohring. "I get to explore what its like to be around for so long, all the experiences … He's seen everything and history repeats itself, so he can anticipate that and use it to his advantage."

Fortunately, Dohring says the cast — the bloodsucking members, that is — won't have to spend hours in makeup for their transformations into vampires.

"We look like real people, then we'll morph into vampires, but not for your average casual drinking session," he quips. "When you get into a confrontation or fight, you get the eyes and teeth. We're not like a 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' show…all different and goblin-esque. It's more like Anne Rice's 'Interview with the Vampire.' We can go out into the sunlight and as long as it's not direct we don't burst into flames." Nor are they susceptible to garlic as has been historically noted of vampires. "We like to say it tastes good on pizza, but that's about it." And he says, "A stake through the heart paralyzes us, but doesn't kill us." Well, what's a good vampire killer to do? The way to get rid of these newfangled pesky varmints — er, vampires — says Dohring, is "with fire and dismemberment." Ouch!

TYING THE KNOT: Tyler Mane, who stars as Michael Myers in "Rob Zombie's Halloween," which grossed a whopping $31 million over the weekend, celebrated Monday by marrying his long-time love, Renae Geerlings, in a ceremony surrounded by family and friends. Unlike in the film, where he communicates with eyes and body language but has no dialogue, Mane got to say his vows out loud.

NEW AND DIFFERENT: Kelsey Grammer is headed back to television with the Fox sitcom "Back To You," premiering Sept. 19, but his co-star Josh Gad tells us not to expect even a glimpse of similarities to Grammer's most famous character, Frasier Crane. The same goes for the show's other star Patricia Heaton, who most know from "Everybody Loves Raymond."

"You do have certain expectations based on their television history, and I know that a lot of people think, 'We've got another 'Frasier' or 'Everybody Loves Raymond,' but these two characters are completely different," claims Gad, who was previously on Broadway in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." "As actors, they've taken on the challenge and really risen to the occasion. Kelsey is not as sophisticated playing Chuck Darling as he was playing Dr. Crane. Also, Patty is a little more assertive and on par with Chuck than she was with Ray. I think people are in for a surprise."

In fact, Gad believes the show about two squabbling news anchors could be a much-needed addition to TV, where sitcoms have become ever-more scarce. "I think the creators maybe feel there's something to prove — that traditional comedy is not dead. We definitely have the resources to make that happen," he says. "We really all feel like we're making something very special."

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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