Pecking Order

Who’s marching on the front lines of the strike, and who’s walking right past picketers? Plus, how Kristen Bell and Rebecca Romijn stay svelte during the holiday season and why Carmen Electra’s fan club is dwindling!

Writers' strike gab heard round town: Over at Prospect Studios, where Grey’s Anatomy is filmed, do you know things are actually snitty ‘n’ snobby out on the picket line? Yes, stars such as Sandra Oh, Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl, as well as other less notable types who toil on programs shot at the Silverlake-area studio, are debating who goes to which gate? Apparently, some gates are chicer than others. Also, the east entrance is far less visible and less utilized than the main one.

“Can you believe we’re doing this?,” asked one actor, embarrassed at his ‘fession ‘bout the gate snobbery. Dunno, really. Kinda makes sense. ‘Cause if you’re a name, and your name is going to help the cause—once your famous puss is on the news—supporting the writers who are basically getting effed right now, it’s all for a good cause, right? We get it. Go where the cameras are. Just like Paris! (What the hell is that woman doing globe-trotting right now, anyway? Think maybe she’ll stay away?)

Of the gab-show types, must say the writer types we’ve been polling are most upset with Ellen DeGeneres, what with her sympathetic toss to the striking pros who help sass up her puss. “If she’s so concerned, why is she still taping the show?” bitched, rhetorically, one peeved scribe.

Oh, Ellen, first Iggy, now this. Do something, quick! You’re becoming the next nuclear lesbian, right after Rosie! Or is that the point?

Guess which show runner is enjoying some not so subtle jabs at his not so secret lusting over certain worker bees, now that said show toilers are busy twiddling their thumbs and drinking a great deal, waiting for the strike to be resolved? Merde, hell hath no fury like an out-of-work sex object.

If you’re anything like us Awful-ites, this is the time of year when it becomes almost impossible to resist the never-ending supply of fudge sitting around the office, that extra piece of pumpkin pie or filling yourself silly with turkey stuffing—and we don’t just mean Katie having a photo-feasting on Tom, necessarily.

But since the camera adds 10 pounds, stars can’t go putting on some extra padding like the rest of us can. So, what’s a celeb to do? Here’s what some of your fave boob-tube babes had to say about keeping their figures fab during the holidays:

“I don’t stay away from food,” Heroes’ Kristen Bell dished. “I don’t have really good will power, and I also don’t believe in depriving yourself. You should treat yourself—plus, working it off is so good for your body."

Working it off how, Ms. B?

So, while Ms. Gossip Girl and Veronica Mars ups her treadmill (or mattress) time, Rebecca Romijn said she never hits the bashes on an empty stomach. “Have a healthy meal before going to parties,” she advises us press peeps. “And eat in moderation.”

Interestingly enough, though, R.R. skipped outta the L.A. Confidential lunch last Wednesday without even having a piece of her own B-day cake. Now, that’s diet discipline. Wonder if having Victoria Beckham on the Ugly Betty set gave her such caloric self-control?

Probably friggin’ scared her into it, actually.

• Remember that Dane Cook item we ran a while back, about how some poor souls who have far too much time on their hands had created a Website about how much they despise Cook? Well pretend you remember, darlings, because we had simply no idea how many other folks out there really do not care for Dane-doll:

First there were the random emails. Then our very own Desk Dee Cee seethed, electronically, ‘course. Now, DDC hangs with the White House set. She may have her moral issues, but trust, she’s a very high up broad (truly). We usually only see Desk D get all hot ‘n’ bothered over Hillary Clinton and such. But as soon as we ran that Cook item, our Potomac pooper-scooper chimed right in:

“He's so common, unfunny and milquetoast, and yet he's making money hand over fist,” our eastern source complained, quite loudly, about Dane. “He’s just another cog in the machinery of the dumbing down of America.  He is to college students what Sherri Shepherd is to women who watch The View.”

Oh, Dane, babe. So sorry to report all this vitriolic biz, but trust, we know how it feels. Nasty-butt folks write in, regularly, to tell us that we write a goss column about as well as Jessica Simpson chooses boyfriends and movies. Hey, if some folks don’t hate ya, you ain’t doin’ your job.

• Oh, gosh. Do hope our fave curvy do-me bomb, Carmen Electra, doesn’t hate us, too, after this li'l baby: Some heart-crushed souls who met Ms. E. when she attended a recent benefit were most put off by Dave Navarro’s ex. See, they claimed Carmen-love allows no commoners to approach her; all requests—such as drink orders, bartender chitchat—are verboten at Camp Carmen and must be put to Ms. E. only by her assistant. Makes such sense, though, know why?

Carm-hon became famous dating Prince, right? That would be a oui, mes chers. And no one, Michael Jackson, included (and that’s certainly sayin’ somethin’), disses the help more than Princess Prince. You never even look at the musical genius, you are clearly instructed, when in his His Royal Lowness’ presence. This is a freakish factoid we know of firsthand.

Oh, Carm-doll, why? You ain’t Prince, please don’t adopt his affectations, or you’re gonna be off our fave femme list pronto. Come back to the commoner’s five and dime, Carmen Electra, Carmen Electra!

Mickey Rourke, catchin’ a fashion show before getting popped for a DUI Thursday night. The oddball dude was spotted at the C. Madeleine fashion show at the Forge in South Beach, Ef-Hell-Ay. “He was seated at a corner table and not front and center,” snickered one snitty fashion type (our kinda chic chap). Mickey kept his shades on during the entire show and jetted off on his Vespa right after it ended, natch, to infamous desultory end. Movers and shaky shakers elsewhere included...

Cloris Leachman, headin’ down to Dallas from Hell-Ay. Cloris was spotted sitting coach on a American Airlines flight early Friday ayem. The legendary boob-tube gal was dressed-down in tan pants and a black-and-white striped top and was traveling with an unknown dude. Seat spies report she was “very nice” (damn) and that a flight attendant moved a passenger sitting next to her so C.L. could stretch out. More harried in Hell-Ay was...

Joely Fisher, having sushi with a ton o’ tykes. Joely was spotted lookin’ cute but frazzled at Imai Sushi on Wilshire Tuesday night. The actress had her infant on her lap as she ate, and there were several more kiddies seated at the table among the adults. Joely was casual in a collared shirt, blue jeans and her hair in a ponytail, and she ended up taking food to go, how sensible. Less fam friendly back east was...

RuPaul, bumping into playwright Iris Bahr in the Sirius Radio studios. The fab queer queen had just finished doing Howard Stern’s show (how very girlie chatty it all must have been) and got invited to Iris’ new one-woman play, DAI, where she plays 11 different characters, including a dude or two. RuPaul was dressed as a dude on this par-tick day, in all beige, a funky hat and an overcoat. Was a diva drag showdown, fer sure.