Vincent D'Onofrio's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" contract is coming up for renewal, but producer Dick Wolf need have no concern that the actor will be leaving his role as the series' Det. Robert Goren.

"I have no plans to go anywhere," says the actor whose "Criminal Intent" role was made more manageable in 2004 — after he was hospitalized with exhaustion.

"I'm working 13-hour days," he says, "a breeze compared to the 15-16 hours a day I used to put in."

He only hopes there's a show to return to.

This is "Criminal Intent's" seventh season, "which is a long run for a dramatic series," the actor points out. "This year is kind of funky, because of the recent writers' strike and the threatening actors' strike," he says

"The world of TV is very fickle," he points out, "and particularly now, you don't know what's going on — when we'll wrap for the season and when or if we'll resume. It's all kind of messed up."

He's hoping he'll have time between "Criminal Intent" seasons to accept a big-screen assignment — and notes he's meeting with a couple of directors, "Trying to figure something out for summer," in the event he has the summer free.

He'd also like a do a stint on stage and points out, "There are a lot of good parts for guys my age — and I used to do plenty of plays between seasons of the series and movie work, but now things are pretty much up in the air, and I've had to come to grips with that. I figure I'll have plenty of time for such work — eventually."

When there's no "Criminal Intent" to come home to.

THINKING SMALL: "Supernanny" Jo Frost had no time off between completing season four production of her ABC reality show and heading to New York and the start of her media blitz for her new "Jo Frost's Confident Baby Care" book this week. The popular real-life Mary Poppins expects to do signings and other promo chores cross-country. "Then I'll take a break, see my own family, then begin filming season five in the UK, then I'll be back here in America" — where she'll begin shooting her next season of the U.S. version of the show that's seen in 47 countries. Though the schedule looks intimidating, Frost has no intention of slowing down. She's a woman on a mission.

Notes Frost, "It's so important to me — I want dads not to feel on the sidelines with babies. In Europe, dads take time off when babies are born. My dad was a hands-on father, you know, and I believe in hands-on fathers. There are a lot more of them today than in the past, a lot more equality of the gender roles of what moms and dads do. I wanted to do a book that supports that," she says.

She also says, "I got really tired of hearing all these negative comments about having a newborn: 'Oh, you won't sleep, forget the sex, you'll be fighting.' Not to say I'm not a realist, but it shouldn't be about coping. Having a baby is more than a lifestyle, it's a stage in your life, and you need to appreciate the miracle of it. If your mindset is coping, you're going to be in a pickle."

FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: "NCIS" regular Brian Dietzen says he and co-star David McCallum have developed "a mentor/student relationship" on and off-set. "It's like life imitating art," says Dietzen, who plays Jimmy Palmer, Dr. Mallard's (McCallum) assistant on the CBS crime drama. "He is wonderful. On the show he's teaching me how to be a medical examiner, and he's teaching me a ton behind the scenes. He and I both come from a theater background, and when I say, 'Let me pick your brain on this or that,' he's always up for talking about his process. It's been really fun."

Dietzen adds he's only gradually become aware of just how big a star McCallum was in his heyday as Russian agent Illya Kuryakin(cq) on the '60s series "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." with Robert Vaughn. "He's sometimes a bit modest about it, but I talked to some other people who knew him, and he was like a rock star back then. Sounds like he was living the life of a Beatle, getting mobbed by people."

DOING THE WRITE THING: John Leguizamo, who has written for television in the past, has put all of his focus into performing in recent years, but he tells us one of his next big goals is to get behind the camera and work in a more creative capacity. "I'd love to write a movie, hopefully a comedy, and try to do something great with it," says Leguizamo. "I don't know if I could do it, but we'll see. I've tried, and it's not easy to do an 'Annie Hall' or the original 'Producers.' It's something to live up to."

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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