Jordana Brewster will be rushing from promo chores on TNT's new "Dallas" series into production of "Fast and Furious 6" and then back into "Dallas" production in September — if the show goes on to a Season 2. That's a safe bet, given how Executive Producer-Writer Cynthia Cidre and the rest of the team have recaptured the Ewing family magic with a blend of the hot new generation and still-fightin' originals Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman, bringing back his classic Texas-sized villain, J.R.

"I was super aware of the show when I first got the script, and I was really relieved we weren't trying to remake it, which would have been a huge mistake," says the gorgeous, Yale-educated Brewster. "'Dallas' is such an iconic show, such a part of the culture. Having Larry, Linda and Patrick be part of it is essential to its success."

Her character, Elena (a.k.a. the Ewing's cook's daughter) is certainly key to the new show's intrigue — as she loves, and is loved by, both J.R.'s son John Ross (Josh Henderson) and Bobby's adopted son Christopher (Jesse Metcalfe).

"She's a strong woman who is ambitious," notes Jordana. And, "She's really conflicted. ... It is really fun to play. I think everyone can relate to both of her attractions. John Ross — the bad boy, who is so ambitious. I think deep down he believes he's good and doing the right thing. But he's manipulative, which makes him interesting and very attractive. And Christopher, who is really her first love, who has the soul and the good heart, and who was taken away from her, unfortunately, in a tragic way."

Jordana had to take herself away from her man in real life — filmmaker husband Andrew Form — to head to Dallas for the shooting of the first 10 episodes, although she says he did visit her during production. And, she says, the cast grew close.

"Josh," she informs, "is actually a really good singer. He'll kill me for saying this, but he makes popular songs dirty, and country songs dirty. He'll take a little jingle and play around with it. We have long hours, and we have a lot of high stakes, high drama scenes. And in between, there's a lot of joking around," she says. "There's so much fun and such high spirits, it's a really good way to have fun and keep the energy going."

AND: Julie Gonzalo — who plays Christopher's bride, Rebecca, on the show — agrees. "Sometimes the hardest challenge is keeping a straight face," she tells us.

The two Latin beauties (Jordana spent part of her youth in her mother's native Brazil, and Julie hails from Buenos Aires) and have become close pals. Of Jordana, Julie says, "She's an amazing, lovely, lovely girl — and Josh and Jesse are great."

Julie is looking forward to "a really busy month ahead, doing publicity stuff, and then the premiere in Dallas" — leading up to the series launch June 13. "I'm kind of enjoying being part of such a press moment, traveling around the country." As for whether she feels prepared for the onslaught of attention about to come her way, the "Veronica Mars" series veteran says she's talked about "Dallas" fandom with Larry, Linda and Patrick, but still, "I don't know what to expect, to be honest. This is a beast of its own."

ANOTHER ROUND: Don't be surprised if "Think Like a Man" yields a sequel. "Rumor is, there's going to be a Part 2," says Gary Owen, who plays Bennett in the big-screen ensemble comedy that's exceeded expectations at the box office. He would certainly be game. "We had such a good time on the set," he notes. Owen enjoys the fact that "Think Like a Man" is a movie of color, and the characters "are just regular working people going through life" — and the perils and promises of romance, of course.

THE VIDEOLAND VIEW: Here's a reality show that might be worth checking out. Now in works is something called "Show Biz Court," from one of the producers of "The Jerry Springer Show." They've been looking for a judge, age 28-50, who speaks fluent Spanish. One who is "qualified would be preferable, but not necessary," according to casting notices.

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.