"Lost" regular Naveen Andrews went to the dark side this hiatus -- playing a malicious, abusive husband in the upcoming indie film "Provoked" -- and he's glad to be back.

"I've always thought there was something slightly psychotic about me anyway, so it was good to sort of get the chance to release that in a positive way," says Andrews. "The film is based on a true story about Kiranjit, the lady who ended up burning her husband after being abused by him throughout the marriage.

She was jailed for life and was released after two years inside because she was provoked. She put up with it (the abuse) for almost 10 years." He says the beleaguered housewife finally snapped after "an act of violence that was particularly savage, that also involved rape. It was just one step too far, and she took action."

The actor, who plays the former Iraqi soldier Sayid on "Lost" says, "It was great to do a completely different character. It was something I've never done before, but strangely enough, it wasn't that hard to summon up at all. I found it quite easy to go there, as it were, and I thought there's something disturbing about that."

However, he adds, it was worth going to that dark place if it sheds any light at all on spousal abuse. "You know, without wanting to offend everybody on the continent," says the British native of Indian descent, "India is a country where women are second-class citizens, and wife beating seems to be the national pastime. And, of course, domestic violence affects all societies -- in the west and in the east."

Andrews -- who also shot the upcoming ABC miniseries "The Ten Commandments" this hiatus -- says he's glad to be back amidst the more familiar sturm and drang of "Lost." "It was great to get into something as dramatically different as 'Provoked' for a short period of time then to come back to 'Lost.'"

SPICING THINGS UP:

Christopher Gorham, who plays one of the grown children of Stockard Channing and Henry Winkler in CBS new series, "Out of Practice," says the casting of Jennifer Tilly as Winkler's girlfriend, Crystal, on the show premiering Sept. 19 has added some interesting spice. "Jennifer just brings an amazing color and life to the show." He explains that "after the pilot, they decided they wanted to make the character of Crystal bigger than originally planned, so we just re-shot the scenes (another actress had filmed) a few weeks ago. It was a real coup for us that she decided to come aboard." He adds that now the character "is less a bimbo and more of an adorably flighty secretary."

Gorham, who starred in last season's "Medical Investigations" drama, says because "Out of Practice" is his first comedy, "I had to work for it. They were nervous that I'd never done a comedy before and I would be playing the central character," says the actor, who plays a psychologist in a family of medical doctors in the sitcom. "So it took some convincing. I made phone calls, read two or three times, and I was pulling out every bit of comedy that I'd ever done … Getting tapes of funny stuff I did on 'Popular' and 'Jake 2.0.' From the first time I read the script I knew I could do it, so I just went for it."

KIDS TODAY:

British import Jo Frost, aka 'The Supernanny' says being exposed to so many out-of-control children has not made her rule out parenthood. "It hasn't put me off at all, not at all." And, she adds, she most certainly would hire her own nanny. "But she would have to be on the same page as me. The most important thing when a family hires a nanny is that they have a fantastic rapport with the children. They're leaving their most precious possession with somebody else to nurture and develop." She says families should realize "there's a big difference between a nanny and a baby sitter. A baby sitter just comes in and looks after your kid. But being a nanny is not just about changing diapers. It's about seeing the potential in a child and delivering that. You do not want to be hiring the wrong person for the needs of your family because it can cause a lot of complications."

When ABC's American version of "The Supernanny" -- which returns on Sept. 23 -- debuted in January, it became an even bigger hit than in England, where the show originated. Frost says the last few months have been "truly amazing. I knew it would touch a raw nerve when this program came out because everybody loves their children, but I had no idea it would escalate to the extent it has. It's shown in 34 countries now." And she says, her best-selling companion book to the series, "Supernanny: How to Get the Best from Your Children," has now "been translated in Hebrew and Japanese."

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH THIS:

"Will & Grace's" Rosario -- actress Shelley Morrison -- is taking her Hurricane Katrina relief effort to the street, for real. She's deep into preparations for an Oct. 2 yard sale in her Los Angeles neighborhood near Carthay Circle. A really big yard sale. Twelve apartment buildings' worth of people on her block, plus nearby business owners, are contributing to the effort, with funds earmarked for the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the Humane Society. Morrison's putting out the word in hopes that people in other communities will get inspired to do the same.

Of course, many already have, and kudos to them.

(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.