Barry Watson's decade of serving as the eldest sibling on "7th Heaven" has convinced him of one thing: He will stoutly steer his two young sons from engaging in juvenile acting careers.

The current costar of Christina Applegate's "Samantha Who" was 21 when he started playing a 17-year-old on "Heaven." And, as an adult, he says, "I'd talk to the kids and try to encourage them to act like kids when they could. I'd tell them that when they were away from work, to be goofy when they could, to get in trouble if it wasn't serious, to act like goofy kids when they had the chance."

Some of the juvenile cast, he points out, started on the show when they were "very young. "Mackenzie Rosman (Ruthie) was only 6, I think, and I don't know if she really knew what was going on — she probably would have rather just been off riding her horse. It was easier on Jessica (Biel as Mary), who was into sports and was as normal as one could be. She also went to a regular school much of the time, where(as) most of the other kids on the show were home-schooled or taught on the set. It helped that the youngsters on the series had each other, but all in all, show business can be tough on an adult, so you can imagine what it is (like) for a kid."

He continues, "I wish I could say that all the kids on the show had a chance to be kids all the time, but I would be lying. I won't name names, but some people do better jobs than others as parents."

Through it all, Barry stresses that, as "cheesy as it might sound," he and the rest of the "7th" cast "became a family" and he remains in touch with many members of the cast.

SHE'S GOT THE MUSIC: Lucy Walsh, daughter of Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, tells us she's grateful for her time touring with friend Ashlee Simpson, despite any lip-synching scandals, because it has prepared her to take center stage for MTV's newest reality competition, "Rock the Cradle."

"Watching Ashlee go through everything she went through really taught me a lot about what to do and what not to do," she says. She also says playing keyboard and singing backup for Ashlee gave her the chance to get used to performing in front of large audiences without the pressure of being the center of attention.

Walsh and her fellow competitors, who are all the children of famous musicians, will have no choice but to be the center of attention, singing live as they go through the process of weekly eliminations.

So far, the competition is friendly, claims Walsh, who says it's been fun swapping stories of growing up with famous parents. When asked how dad Joe feels about her new venture, she explains, "He's a little nervous about me doing it. My dad comes from a different time in music, so he's a little uncomfortable with the whole reality TV thing. He doesn't really like having all of the cameras around."

Despite Dad's discomforts, Walsh couldn't be more excited for the opportunity. "The reason I wanted to do this show was because of the mass exposure. This is going to get me in every living room in America, and I think Lucy Walsh should be a household name!"

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: Superhot nascent country artist Luke Bryan — nominated for Top New Male Vocalist at the upcoming 43rd Annual American Country Music Awards, to be held May 18 in Las Vegas at the MGM — says the whirlwind he's been on since his 2007 debut album, "I'll Stay Me," hit "can get overwhelming at times. It's pretty amazing to think about how big a deal it is to be nominated for an ACM Award. It's something I couldn't have imagined would happen to me this quick in my career. I'm trying to catch my breath."

And, his sleep. The singer, who's been on tour with Kenny Chesney, Trace Adkins and Dierks Bentley, is the proud father of a brand-new baby boy. "I had about two weeks off, now I'm going out to do a few more dates with Dierks Bentley, then a few more dates with Kenny Chesney this summer."

Bryan just released "Country Man," the latest single from his Capitol Records CD. He's also featured on "Clover Country: Songs from Famous 4-H Alumni." The National 4-H Council and EMI Records collaboration showcases the benefits of 4-H through such famed 4-H alums as Sugarland, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Vince Gill and Johnny Cash. Proceeds from each CD will go to support 4-H programs across America. It's available at Amazon.com and www.4-hmall.org.

XXX-CEPTIONAL: "Something I learned making the movie is that the gross national product of porn is three times the gross national product of other movies." So says Christopher McDonald, speaking of the upcoming feature comedy "Deep in the Valley" — in which Chris Pratt and Brendan Hines play a hapless pair of oversexed youths who get "zapped back in time to when my guy was the king of porn in the '70s," as McDonald puts it. The "porn stars" in the flick include Scott Caan as Rod Cannon, Denise Richards as Autumn Bliss, Kim Kardashian as Summa Eve and Tracy Morgan as Busta Nut. "Tracy is hysterical. He really takes that ball and runs with it," says McDonald.

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and 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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