Marcia Cross Set to Marry, No Longer Desperate

Comedic writer/actor Bruce Vilanch toured with Cher to write jokes, and now he's losing weight with her daughter -- competing with Chastity Bono and various other celebrities in "Celebrity Fit Club 3," which debuts Jan. 1.
 
"With Chastity, there are far fewer clothes to worry about -- not as many costume changes," jokes Vilanch. "I've known her since she was a baby so it's interesting to watch her evolution. She's a born leader, like both her parents." Chastity is his team captain on the show.
 
When asked what made him want to participate in the weight loss challenge, the wild-haired comic responds, "I've tried everything else, but I've never been paid to lose weight before, so I thought, 'Jeez, this is motivating.'"
 
Vilanch wasn't too concerned either about being associated with reality television. "I've been a public personality, so I thought whatever's out there is out there. It's kind of late in the game to be worried about image." So far he's lost 20 pounds. "I didn't realize how much better I would feel with 20 pounds off. It's less to carry around. I notice that when I climb up the stairs I'm not going hand over hand on the rail."
 
NOT DESPERATE NOW:

"Desperate Housewives'" Marcia Cross, who is set to marry money manager Tom Mahoney this coming summer, admits, "I feel like I'm 40 years old and I've just been asked to the prom.

SUMMER WEDDING

You say to yourself, 'Wasn't I supposed to do this a long time ago?

I never thought I would get married, so it's really weird. Now I'm really excited at the thought of commitment," she adds.
 
The 43-year-old actress opens up about her matters of the heart in the 2006 winter issue of InStyle Weddings, due on stands next week.

She also says, "I've never been happier. Being single is really hard for me. I think we're social creatures that aren't meant to be alone all the time." Marcia also makes it clear that she and Tom "definitely want a family. I think it'll depend on our ages and how much time there is."
 
A PILLOW IN HIS STOCKING:

Former "Six Feet Under" regular Freddy Rodriguez says all he wants for Christmas is a much-needed rest. "I'm pretty tired," says Rodriguez, who's on a roll with such upcoming feature films as "Poseidon," M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water" and the currently shooting indie film, "Bobby." "'Bobby's my sixth film in a row," says the actor, who juggled the entire last season of "Six Feet Under" with several big-screen projects including "Havoc," the gritty drama he co-starred with Anne Hathaway in that was recently released on DVD. "If you look take a look at each of these films, how could I say no?"
 
Rodriguez is teamed with Josh Lucas, Andre Braugher, Richard Dreyfuss and Kurt Russell in "Poseidon," Wolfgang Petersen's redux of the 1972 disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure." "Wait till you see this one. Wolfgang ("The Perfect Storm," "Das Boot") is a vet at doing this type of film, and with all the new technology this one will blow that old one out of the water," he declares, no pun intended. In "Bobby," a tale centered around Robert F. Kennedy's assassination at L.A.'s famed Ambassador Hotel written and directed by Emilio Estevez, Rodriguez is joined by an all-star cast that includes Anthony Hopkins (who's also exec producing), Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Lindsay Lohan, Ashton Kutcher and Laurence Fishburne.
 
TIME TO LOAD UP:

Despite talk earlier this year that John Travolta was the most likely suspect to play the well-upholstered Edna Turnblad in the film version of John Waters' hit Broadway musical of "Hairspray," other star names are now being sought for the movie. And you know what that means: Potential Ednas now have the ideal excuse to wolf down as much eggnog and cookies as they want to over the holidays. Harvey Fierstein, you'll recall, won a Tony for playing Edna, a role essayed later by gents including Mr. Vilanch, above. Things look pretty wide open for casting of Tracy Turnblad as well -- that's the 1962 optimistic fat Baltimore teen part that won a Tony for Marissa Jaret Winokur onstage. In fact, they'll be casting for all the characters after the New Year with plans for rehearsal to begin in late spring, and shooting to commence in summer on the New Line Cinema film.

(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)
 
The Beck/Smith syndicated newspaper column includes exclusive in-depth, behind-the-scenes reports on the stars, on the business of television and movie-making, and on the recording, publishing and media beats.

©2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc.