Ledger Pop Journal - Celebrity News & Sports

Kyra Sedgwick expects to be working with her hubby, Kevin Bacon, on her TNT "The Closer" series, which returns to the tube June 18 -- but only off-screen. He'll keep his involvement behind the camera, as director, she says. Nevertheless, she says there's "sort of a family theme" emerging in this year's installments of the hit drama, in which she plays crackerjack interrogator Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.

Kyra Sedgwick Working With Hubby Kevin Bacon on "The Closer"

"There's the family of the squad, the big family of LAPD" -- and there's the family her character and FBI agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney) became last season when he moved in with her. "Brenda's going to maybe move into a different house with Fritz," Sedgwick reports. "It's her pad, and he's sort of saying, 'I can't just fit into your life. You need to fit into mine, too.' She also faces some difficulties at work … more red tape, budget cuts. It's really going to be interesting for people to watch what that means to the group because I think there are so many people facing downsizing."

One of "The Closer's" co-producers, Sedgwick says she also wants to explore this season "women getting older and what that means in the world and personally. So there are some health issues that come up for Brenda. We're going to talk about something that I don't think any other show has spoken about -- but I'm not going to tell you what it is!"

HIS BIGGEST FAN: Debra Messing declares that after working with actor/writer/director Ed Burns on the upcoming romantic comedy "Purple Violets," "I would work with him anytime, anywhere. Just call me … I'll carry coffee in the background. Eddie is an extraordinary talent."

The multi-Emmy-winning former "Will & Grace' star plays Burns' character's old girlfriend in the film he wrote and directed, which also stars Selma Blair and Patrick Wilson. "I really responded to the script. It's about four friends who were students at NYU," says Messing, who notes she's a NYU alumnus herself. "We meet up with them 12 years later and see the successes and failures each one is contending with. It really explores the themes of what it is to be an artist, the choices you make and the consequences of those choices."

Meanwhile, Messing stars in the USA Network's "The Starter Wife" miniseries, debuting Thursday (5/31), based on Gigi Levangie Grazer's best-selling tale of the ex-wife of a Hollywood studio mogul regaining herself. "People are very curious about this world of Hollywood powerbrokers, but the thing that surprised me was how universal the themes were within that world … starting over at 40, being the support system for someone, then being discarded, being on the inside, then on the outside … Then to decide what your identity is, what you are allowed to wish for yourself and what friendship means."

LAW ENFARCEMENT: Season four of "Reno 911!" has concluded, so what's next for the wacky comedy? "It remains to be seen," responds Kerri Kenney-Silver, who plays Deputy Trudy Weigel. "We're editing season five now, and I don't believe it will be airing until next year … After that, we don't know. We're not sure if there will be more seasons or more movies."

One thing we can expect is a lot of recognizable guest stars on the Comedy Central show. "George Lopez is coming on in season five for a few pieces. He did Tom [Lennon] and Ben's [Garrant's] movie 'Balls of Fury' recently." Kerri is referring to her co-stars' upcoming movie, which stars Christopher Walken. "We have Seth Green. We met him at the Video Game Awards, and he wanted to do the show. We have Christina Applegate coming on," she continues. "Hollywood's a really small town. Word gets out that it's a pretty fun, easy gig. You show up here, we throw a wife beater on you, throw you into the scene, and you're out in an hour because it's all improv. Not a lot of places you get to come and do whatever you want."

TURNS OF PHRASE: "Yo Momma's" new co-host Destiny Lightsy says she knew she'd aced the audition for Wilmer Valderrama's trash-talking MTV competition show when she was asked to ad-lib a catch phrase to encourage the contestants coming up with humiliating put-downs on the spur of the moment. "I said, 'Put some stank on it!' and Wilmer jumped up and ran over to the wall," recalls Lightsy, recalling her audition in front of Valderrama, and all the show's producers. "They were rolling. I thought 'What did I say?' I didn't get the joke, and I wasn't quite sure what was going on, then they said, 'Oh, say it again, say it again!' and I said, 'Put some stank on it!' and Wilmer was like 'That's it! We love it!'" Despite Valderrama's enthusiasm, Lightsy says the higher-ups at MTV "didn't OK that phrase so we chose 'Make it hot.'"

(With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster)