Hector Elizondo reports joining the new season of "Monk" has taken the sting out of the cancellation of "Cane," the CBS drama about a well-to-do Latino family in Florida in which he starred with Jimmy Smits and Rita Moreno.

"After smarting from that experience I wasn't looking forward to getting back up on the horse," admits Elizondo, who'll be seen as obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk's new therapist when the show returns July 18. "That broke our hearts. We were the victim of unfortunate circumstances … the strike killed our show, and we were just devastated. So it was not in my radar screen to jump back in TV."

What changed his mind, says Elizondo, was "the fact that ('Monk' star/exec producer) Tony Shalhoub is involved. That turned the corner for me. He picked up a phone and called me and wanted to make it all happen. Tony is a fine professional and one of the most respected people in the business. He's also a social activist. He has a great conscience, and I particularly admire that."

Elizondo also couldn't be a much bigger admirer of Shalhoub's work. "He's a great listener, which is the first thing you have to have in an actor. He likes to parse moments very clearly. And he's totally committed to that character. He reminds me of Peter Falk when he did 'Columbo,'" adds the actor. "I worked with Peter Falk back in the '70s, and I saw how assiduously he worked on that character … years after he'd done it for I don't know how many episodes. It's nice. It's more than nice, I don't like that word. Scratch nice, that's a flabby word. It's heartening to see someone take his work with such genuine seriousness."

According to Elizondo, his introductory scene with Shalhoub is "quite funny. Adrian doesn't trust me, doesn't even want me after the initial visit as his psychiatrist, but I change that around."

UNCERTAIN TIMES: "Weeds" star Justin Kirk tells us the mood on set has been one of nervousness ever since talk began of a possible actor's strike. "We were afraid that we were possibly not going to make it to the end because the contract's up," says Kirk of the Showtime series, which is currently airing its fourth season. "The latest is, even if there is a strike, it wouldn't happen until the end of the month. I certainly hope there isn't. I don't know that the city can take it. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best."

The unsteadiness of the entertainment industry has led Kirk to appreciate his day job, which he feels has a good chance of returning for a fifth season. "Being on a television series is about as solid as employment gets — although, it isn't really at all because maybe the show doesn't come back, or you get a call one day that you're not on the show anymore. You can never be too sure," he notes. "That's the nature of the game. It's a pretty great life, but that's one of the bummers about it that you have to accept."

As for a new season? "I would guess that the next season is a fairly solid bet," claims Kirk. "Once you get to five seasons, then it becomes a question of how long do you want to go or how much story is there left to tell. We don't have a choice in the matter. We're all signed on as long as they want us to come back, but I think we all know that we have a pretty special situation."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Adam Pascal plays a character far afield from his rock starness in the upcoming indie "American Primitive." "It's about a man and his two teenage daughters. He moves his family to Cape Cod after his wife dies. I play his business partner, but not only are they partners, they're lovers," he says. "The daughters find out, and it's all about how the daughters react. It's based on a true story and the writer/director, Gwen Wynne, was one of the daughters in real life. I think it's a really good film."

WEIGHTY MATTERS: Wonder how this will go down with the industry: Weight control specialist Dr. Martin Schiff is calling for an "O" film rating — that's "O" as in Obesity — to designate movies that include "potentially injurious eating scenes." The good doctor, who is listed in "Who's Who in America" as well as "Who's Who in Medicine and Health" among other accolades, recently retired to his home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., after decades of advocating a healthy psychological and emotional approach to eating — controlling weight without artificial supplements or dieting. Now he's here to tell us, "Hollywood must share the blame for the world obesity epidemic." He goes on, "Not all in the film industry are to blame, but every day we see examples of overeating, gorging, food play and general disregard (for healthy eating)." Those scenes have an impact, especially on impressionable young people. Well, it's food for thought, anyway.

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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