Ledger Pop Journal - Celebrity News & Sports

Vanessa Williams is on a breakneck schedule as she races back and forth between her children in New York and Los Angeles shooting of her upcoming ABC "Ugly Betty" series.

She's happy that the network is accommodating her responsibilities as a single mother to a brood of four by allowing her to work only three days a week on the Hollywood version of the wildly popular Colombian show, in which she's playing a manipulative magazine editor.

But she's anything but thrilled that she's been thrust into the position of being a bicoastal mom.

"I live in New York," she says. "My kids are in school in New York. And I was under the impression the series would shoot in New York. I don't go out for shows that shoot in Los Angeles. But that's the way things have turned out. You just make the best of what you have. I love the show. We're all getting along great and, well, I commute home each week."

When she's not at home, there's a nanny Vanessa has known for 17 years caring for the children, plus, "My mother is five minutes away, and the father of my three eldest children (Williams' ex-husband Ramon Hervey) is only a half mile away." Vanessa's most recent ex, basketball star Rick Fox, is the father of the baby of the clan, 5-year-old Sasha. Fox headquarters in Los Angeles.

Williams, who has several hit albums to her credit, does find time to squeeze in occasional singing engagements.

"I play Las Vegas in November," she says, "and I've got dates with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and The Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra next month."

ON THE PERSONAL SIDE:

Rhea Perlman, Danny DeVito and their two daughters and son are back from a recent trek to Bali -- togetherness time that's especially precious to the actress with her offspring hitting ages 23, 22 and 19 this year, and the youngest, son Jake, just off to college.

"The five of us try to go somewhere two or three times a year. We only got to do it once this year. It's the most bonding thing a family can do together -- just go away. It's hard to be together at home. There are too many other influences," she notes. "Jake and his sisters, Lucy and Grace, get along great. It's a great dynamic."

Professionally speaking, the former "Cheers" barmaid has too full a plate to spend much time thinking about her empty nest. Next week, her "Otto Undercover No. 4: Toxic Taffy Takeover" is getting released by HarperCollins. She started writing her books for kids -- which are full of word puzzles, palindromes, song breaks, and ultra short chapters -- as her own children got busier with their own lives. On the acting side, she has the drama "Old Love" -- drawn from three Isaac Bashevis Singer stories, in the can.

CHEW ON THIS:

If anybody could get criminals to listen, it would be Ozzy Osbourne, claims Duane "Dog" Chapman. With the fourth season of his reality show, "Dog the Bounty Hunter," already in production, Dog says he'd like to see the famous musician accompany him on his next bounty hunt.

"We're doing a celebrity ride along very soon. He wrote our theme song so he's one of the people we're thinking about," says Dog about Osbourne. However, no final decisions have been made. "I'd love to have Ozzy and Sharon there, but we've got several names. I want to take a girl, too." As for why he wants to have a celebrity with him? "I'm not doing it for the ratings, believe me," he claims. "I want to have a guy with me when I arrest somebody so I can tell them, "Listen, the day that you meet Ozzy Osbourne, you can change your life and quit doing that stuff.' If they meet someone famous like that, then maybe that will help them out."

INSPIRED BY REAL LIFE:

Donnie Wahlberg reports that the show he has in development that is loosely based on his upbringing in Boston and his music career is no longer under the Warner Bros. shingle. "We just did a deal with The CW," says the former New Kids on the Block member, who has The CW's "Runaway" debuting Sept. 25. "We're going to start writing the scripts, and hopefully next year I'll be an exec producer and that'll be that." He says the plan is to stay completely behind the scenes on that project, but he'll be keeping it all in the family. "My nephew rides the same subways I rode growing up, and he's been working on his acting."