Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Since female raunchfest "Bridesmaids" became a runaway hit, can "Bridesmaids 2" be far behind? "I know there's talk of it, and I know people would like to see that," says funny lady Wendi McLendon-Covey. "But I think Kristen (Wiig) and Annie (Mumolo), the writers, don't want to do it just to do it. They don't want to grab the money and run. If they do it, they want it to be amazing."

As far as imitators now in the works? "I'm sure there's a rush to put out all kinds of things," McLendon-Covey says of the coming onslaught of female gross-out humor. "But something 'Bridesmaids' had going for it was the casting. People have called it the female 'Hangover,' but I see it more like the female 'Swingers,'" she says, referring to the 1996 film with real-life friends Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston and Patrick Van Horn. "Putting them all together was like a dream situation. And that's how I feel 'Bridesmaids' was. It wasn't all about the disgusting bridal show scene. It was the cast that was lightning in a bottle. Something clicked." The "Bridesmaids" company was full of former members of the Groundlings improv troupe who were friends — including McLendon-Covey, Wiig, Mumolo, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy.

McLendon-Covey is at the forefront of "Rules of Engagement" viewers' minds right now, with her Liz character having wound up as the unwanted wife of Russell (David Spade). "Their being together is just so wrong, it's right," opines the actress, who's doing the first five "Rules" episodes of the season and then heading to Canada to film "White Trash Christmas" with Jennifer Love Hewitt. After that, McLendon-Covey will likely return to "Rules." The schedule's being worked out now, she says.

As for what will happen to Russell and Liz, "I only know a little bit of it. He is just begging for an annulment and I want nothing to do with it. Then, a situation arises where it really is for the best that we do part — but I don't know if we do it. Maybe it will end up like, okay, we're divorced but we can't stop seeing each other. I don't know." McLendon-Covey does know this: "I just had the best time working with (Spade), and I'm so proud of this. It's laugh-out-loud, disgustingly funny."

She also knows that she wants to keep the painting, seen in last week's episode, in which Liz is naked except for strategically placed cats.

But surely such a gem should go to the Smithsonian, right? "It's too good for the Smithsonian," McLendon-Covey retorts. "It belongs on my bathroom wall or maybe in my closet."

ACTING, ADVANCED CLASS: "Walking Dead" leading lady Sarah Wayne Callies doesn't want to talk about creator Frank Darabont's unhappy departure from the hit AMC show. "To be honest, I feel it's family business and I'm not prepared to discuss it. It shattered my heart in a thousand pieces when he left," says the actress, who plays zombie-apocalypse survivor Lori Grimes.

However, Callies has no problem going on at length about the actors who play the primary men in Lori's life: her husband, Rick (Andrew Lincoln), and his best friend, Shane (Jon Bernthal). "We surprise each other, scare each other, feel danger, feel unexpected emotion. You think you know what a scene is about, and then you get with them and, oh God, you could go in directions you never expected," gushes Callies.

Asked for an example, she recalls her first scene with Lincoln — the reunion of the couple they portray after their long time apart, during which the apocalypse occurred and she thought he was dead. "We hadn't acted together before, and it was a very intimate scene. I say, 'When you were in the hospital, I never thought I'd see you again,' and he silences me. In one take, he put tabs on my mouth and in one look at his best friend and his wife — he knows You could see it in his eyes: he knows, and he doesn't want her to talk about it. In another take, he's oblivious. In another, he's angry.

"This is the joy of acting — to have someone come in who you can never be 100 percent sure what they're going to do." As much as she's pleased by the series' record-breaking numbers and fan appreciation, she says, "No question about it, my favorite part is the part between 'Action,' and 'Cut.'"

AND FOR THEIR NEXT TRICK: What will feisty AMC come up with next? The network has a new series in the works called "How to Cheat on Your Wife," from the provocative-title school of pilot-naming, no doubt. It's described as four guys who reunite in mid-life crisis — "think 'Significant Others' meets 'Fight Club.'" That's different.

And don't go assuming just because its title is "Beethoven 5" that a movie has anything to do with a composer or a very large St. Bernard. The aforementioned indie feature that's now en route to production is calling for an actress between the ages of 25 and 35 who is fearless and "can access her inner dark side easily," and a male Latino who is "comfortable with nudity and simulated sex."

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 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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