By TERRY MORROW, Scripps Howard News Service

A smiling Ryan Murphy has a spring in his step these days -- and folks who work with him are wondering what that's all about.
"People are saying, 'We don't recognize you. You seem a lot more smiley. What's happening?' " he deadpans.

Despite whatever form his new show may take, Jay Leno just doesn't want to label it as a "variety" hour.
"I'm not going to use the word 'variety' because that would be the kiss of death," he joked in a recent interview.

"Lost" is wrapping up its penultimate season in amazingly fine form.
Sure, most of the season has been a chronological nightmare. The characters and the island have flashed through time. Viewers had to pay attention in each episode to where or when the scene was taking place.

Just because Carnie Wilson is the host of "The Newlywed Game" doesn't mean her marriage is perfect.

Squeaky-clean Andrew Lawrence has been walking on the dark side lately.

After 13 seasons and near-cancellation once again, "King of the Hill" has reached its 250th episode.
Getting to the milestone hasn't been easy.
"We have been completely canceled and all different degrees of canceled," says creator Mike Judge.

Kristin Chenoweth dresses in character while working on the new animated comedy "Sit Down, Shut Up."
Sure, she knows no one will see her actually wearing that floral dress as she sits in a voiceover booth. But dressing up as the pretty, light and petite Miracle Grohe, a high-school science teacher, gets her in the mood for the series (debuting 8:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, Fox).

When Jessica Lange walks down the busy streets of Manhattan, she keeps an eye out for the more colorful characters shuffling by.
"You never know when you might need them," says the 59-year-old Oscar-winning actress. "It's good to keep a mental notebook of the people you see. You can draw on them sometimes for roles."

Drew Barrymore had something to prove to herself with the HBO movie "Grey Gardens."

Occasionally, sweet-looking Amber Tamblyn is packing heat and blowing away targets.
"I just like to remind myself of the power I can have," she says, "and how dangerous it can be."