Ledger Pop Journal - Celebrity News & Sports

With "Cold Case" shooting its first episode of the fall season and approaching production of episode 100, star Kathryn Morris sounds like she's gunning for a shakeup of her four-year-old series: "One of my not-favorite things about the show is that it's so top secret, it's been holding us in by the reins. I think it held us back when the show was really premiering in a strong way, and it's become even more secretive as the years have gone on, and that's been a disappointment to me," she says.

Kathryn Morris Gunning for "Cold Case" Shakeup?

"I was left on a gurney at the end of last season. I didn't know until the day before the new season started whether I was going to be found in a coma, or become a lieutenant in the police force, or whether I'd have an epiphany and try to get on 'Project Runway,'" she jokes. "It's that overly precious secrecy."

She also points out, "Even though we've been a regular hit, we've been under the radar -- with no nominations." Speaking about her character, who was shot the same day her mother died at the end of last season, she notes, "I feel like Lilly has gotten bogged down in the last few years. I started to worry whether she's going to make it. … I'd like her to be more than this feminist icon, more like real women I know. She needs to go to the movies, have a friend. … Lilly became more of a bitch on board in the third season, and that's kind of a drag."

The beautiful blond actress, who has the big-screen "Resurrecting the Champ" with Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett due in theaters Aug. 24, says, "What I hope is that we can push the envelope, go out further, be sexier, take chances. I look at shows like 'The Sopranos,' 'Sex and the City,' 'The Wire' -- it doesn't have to be on cable. There's a reason 'Grey's Anatomy' has blown up. We have the potential to be a water-cooler show, too."

FRICTION ATTRACTION: MTV's "The Hills" is set to return for its third season on Aug. 13, but star Heidi Montag is leaving it open as to whether she and her former roommate/best friend Lauren Conrad have managed to make up. "Obviously we walk the red carpet a little bit differently," she responds of questions about their friendship, which hit a big bump in the road when Heidi began dating Hollywood bad boy Spencer Pratt. However, Heidi still seems to hold a special place for her "Laguna Beach" friend. "We're friends, and we always will be," she claims. Um-hm. Maybe when the TV cameras aren't around. After all, drama sells stories. Why else would people still be talking about the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears?

MIXING HIS MEDIA: Patrick Warburton reports that when his CBS sitcom, "Rules of Engagement," returns for its sophomore season this fall, "we'll be trying to have a baby, but I told the producers if we do have that baby, I'm walking." He's just kidding, of course. It's just that the actor -- who plays half of the long-married couple on "Rules," alongside Megyn Price -- has less than fond memories of shooting the upcoming big-screen "Underdog." "You know what they say about working with children and animals, well, I spent a few months working with children, pets and special effects in 'Underdog,'" says Warburton. He plays Cad, the henchman of villain Simon Barsinister (Patrick Dinklage), in the big-screen adaptation of the '70s TV cartoon series about a canine superhero, opening Friday, Aug. 3.

Warburton will be all over the big screen in coming months. Also due out in August is "I'll Believe in You," which co-stars Chris Elliot and Fred Willard. "It's about a guy who's got a late-night radio show and starts getting all these bizarre calls when everybody sees something in this little town." Warburton is also a featured voice performer in Jerry Seinfeld's upcoming animated film, "The Bee Movie," and proudly announces his critically acclaimed indie film, "The Civilization of Maxwell Bright," with Eric Roberts and Jennifer Tilly, is finally going to see the light of day. "It's getting a limited theatrical release in September," says Warburton, who plays a colossal boor changed by his Asian mail-order bride and having to face terminal cancer in the flick. "It's a gritty little piece, and I'm very proud of it."

GETTING LOST: "Lost" has had at least eight of its actors become more familiar with the Hawaiian police due to various traffic incidents. Former castmate Michelle Rodriguez even spent time behind bars. However, Michael Emerson, who was recently nominated for an Emmy, tells us he plans on staying out of trouble when the show returns from hiatus. "I don't know that there's any evidence to suggest there's a connection between your character being killed and you getting in trouble with the law, but that's not a principle I'd like to test," says Emerson. "When you're employed by ABC/Disney, you kind of do want to walk the straight and narrow, I think."