Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Kyle Chandler reports he's been shooting episodes one, two and three simultaneously for the fourth season of "Friday Night Lights" — and that it's a challenge.

All three episodes are set at night, "And shooting at night can be demanding," he observes and then explains, "Devastating things can happen to the human body when it's faced with sleep deprivation. It's like jet lag — one gets thrown off of schedule, especially when one gets up at six in the morning, as I do. That's when my wife and I start fixing breakfast for our daughters, and even if I wanted to sleep in, well, the noise from pots and pans would wake me up."

He's not complaining, mind you. Even though, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, he asks us to believe, "If I had known how much work is involved with raising a family, I would have stayed single."

He says he and wife Katherine "make breakfast together, make sure our daughters, Sydney and Sawyer, ages 8 and 13, are getting dressed, take turns driving the kids to school. Yep, if I had known about all this work, I would have stayed single."

He goes on, "I look at those celebrity magazines and I'm jealous. There are pictures of late-night partying at nightclubs and I wonder who's taking care of the kids. I'm boring compared to those people."

But the fact is, Chandler admits, "I wouldn't trade anything for what I've got right now. I appreciate everything in my life. Every time I turn on TV and see how difficult things are for some people, I'm just grateful for what I've got. I wouldn't trade my life for anyone's."

SHE'S GOT THE LOOK: "Mad Men" actress Abigail Spencer is tight-lipped as to what's in store for her teacher character on the acclaimed series, such as her response when we ask what it's like to do a love scene with Jon Hamm: "You'll have to ask his girlfriend, Jennifer Westfeldt." She laughs. But seriously, "Jon's a wonderful actor, so in any capacity to work with Jon, it's a wonderful experience, period. Exclamation point."

What the 28-year-old actress will say about her character is that because of her, costumer Janie Bryant is exploring an aspect the early 1960s that's a far cry from glossy Madison Avenue style. "What we are going to find is that this character is not like anyone you've seen on the show. She's going to provide a peek into where the '60s are going to go — not necessarily in terms of feminism or Woodstock.

She's a single woman, very simple in her lifestyle, definitely someone who would want to be a part of the Peace Corps and be for changing the world because of her heart. What I've heard from Janie are things like, in terms of materials, 'Oh, no. That's too expensive for her.' She's someone who made a lot of her own clothing, wore hand-me-downs, probably only had one coat that she would constantly wear — as much a flower child as she could be in 1963."

THE INSIDE TRACK: David Gray, known for his smash hit "Babylon," took a break from singing for a few years and has recently returned with a new album, "Draw the Line." The English singer-songwriter, who is currently on tour in the U.S., tells us he needed that time off to gain a fresh perspective. "You have to live a bit to have something to write about. I try to find a balance. There's no balance now — for the next two years, I'll be giving my heart and soul to this. I'll hardly see my family. I've taken the last few years to get to know them again," says Gray. "The whole promotional schedule is a lot more involved now. It takes a lot out of you. The time I spent slowing down was time well spent. I've got a renewed appetite for everything so that's what speaks volumes."

While it will be hard to match the success of his album "White Ladder," Gray is equally as proud of his latest work and isn't worried about how many copies he sells. "Music is more important than it ever was. It can be magical, but it seems to have lost its price completely, which is usually a result of gross stupidity of the industry. It's just up to me to do my thing, and I'll let my business people worry about how we put it out there," he says. "Doing this album was like starting all over again really but with the knowledge we've amassed. I think it's got a different feel to it. It's a little bit more direct. It's like I've kicked the door down like some photographer taking snapshots of everything. It allowed me to get a lot of stuff off my chest that I'd been waiting to say for a long time."

WRITE AND WRONG: Famed wrestler Mick Foley has already written three memoirs in the last 10 years — all of which have been hugely popular. While he enjoyed getting the chance to tell his story, he's not sure if another autobiographical book is in his near future. "I might do another book. I hope the next few years are interesting enough to write about. It may be that three memoirs are enough," says Foley with a laugh. "As much as I'd like to write another novel, I'd really have to feel strongly about it because it takes up so many hours of time and as a father of four, it's tough to find that time."

With reports by Emily-Fortune Feimster

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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