Patrick Fabian Has 'No Problems' Being Called Professor Lasky

You recognize Patrick Fabian from ... well everything.

The actor has appeared on 'Bones,' 'The Mentalist, 'Big Love,' 'CSI: NY' and much more on the big and small screens.

Oh, and don't forget 'Saved by the Bell: The College Years.'

"You know what, if I get in a bad car crash today, Variety will report that Professor Lasky from 'Saved by the Bell' has met his early demise," Fabian tells PopEater with a chuckle. "That 'Saved by the Bell' has been running nonstop for 15 years."

And if you see him on the street and address him as Lasky, he doesn't mind. "Anyone who recognizes the fact that I've been working and stuff like that. Rarely do I get, 'Hey Lasky, you're an a**hole.' It's usually people who are fondly remembering their own youth. So I have no problems with that whatsoever."

Fabian, who stars in CMT's new series 'Working Class,' chatted with us about his new gig, what it was like working with Ed Asner and one "smart little show" called 'Veronica Mars.'

Tell me about 'Working Class.'
[It's] a classic sitcom in the vein of 'Cheers' and 'Roseanne' and 'Everybody Loves Raymond.' It's funny for the whole family. It stars Melissa Peterman, the funniest girl in television, and TV legend Ed Asner and myself. It's a half-hour sitcom, telling the tale of Carli, who is played by Peterman, who is trying to make her life better for her and her kids. I play her boss, and I'm from the rich side of the tracks. Her and I find each other rather interesting -- sort of a Sam and Diane kind of relationship so far. We are not from the same ilk, but we like each other very much, so we'll see where the relationship goes.

So there may be a little bit of romance?
There might be some kissing, that's all I'm saying.

What drew you to the role?
I worked with Melissa before on an episode of 'Reba,' Reba McEntire's show, about four or five years ago. I played the role of Reverand Yummy Pants. So she had this show lined up and she called me up and thought I would be perfect for the role of her boss, which is a compliment anytime someone calls you up and says, "Hey, we need the role of a handsome rich guy." I was like, "All right, I'll play that if I can." And I got to get involved with CMT, and they are great people over there, and once Ed Asner was signed on, we had a really solid cast. I love sitcoms; sitcoms are funny. I love Melissa because she's funny. I got to work and work is a real hoot and holler, a really good time. I think that all comes off on-screen.

Speaking of Ed Asner, what was it like working with him?
A little intimidating at first; he's Ed Asner for Christ's sake. In the end, yes, he is intimidating because he's Ed Anser, but he's intimidating because he's so good. He knows what he's doing. He's a real pro. There's a reason that he's been lauded as much as he has. However, I will say this, and he'll punch me if he reads this, he's an absolute teddy bear. He's a total softie on the inside. He's very curmudgeony and he's got that whole thing down -- in the end, it comes from a big heart inside, that's what I think.

What has been your favorite experience working on this show?
We shot it in three days, which is the first time that episodes have been shot in three days. It makes the working conditions very frantic. If you don't have people that are good and good to get along with, it could be a hideous work situation. Instead, it was really fun. Melissa really set the tone of the show and made everybody laugh all the time. She had such a positive energy. She carried the weight of the show on her. It was kind of amazing. We had mud wrestling and karaoke nights during shooting. She kept it fun.

You had mud wrestling on the show -- or off the set?
There was a mud-wrestling episode. Actually, my wife played the woman who mud-wrestles Melissa. And afterward, Melissa mud-wrestled anybody for $20, which she donated to charity. She raised over $400 that night.

You've been in everything. Is there a role you're most recognized for?
You know what, if I get in a bad car crash today, Variety will report that Professor Lasky from 'Saved by the Bell' has met his early demise. I hope not, but without a doubt, that 'Saved by the Bell' has been running nonstop for 15 years since we did it. So there's a real base out there that knows me as Professor Lasky, especially. I tend to think that that's a show that hits kids in high school, when they are sitting with a bag of potato chips before and after school sort of doing nothing. So I get recognized for Professor Lasky a lot. Also with 'The Last Exorcism,' you know the movie that came out last year, I'm getting a lot more heat for that as well. And then weirdly enough, I did some stuff for Disney, and there's a whole sect of 8-to-12-year-old girls who know me as Thantos. I kind of cover the gamut.

You really have. You've got adults, teens, tweens and horror fanatics.
It's funny because in aiports and fast food joints, it's almost always 'Saved by the Bell' because that's that pocket of kids, working those jobs, who all of the sudden look at me and they go "Hey." I'm like, "Right. I kissed Kelly Kapowski. You're gosh darn right."

Is it annoying at all? Do people call you Professor Lasky?
They do, absolutely, because that's how they know me. They're like, "Hey Lasky," and I'm like, "All right, whatever." No, it's a real compliment, are you kidding me? Anyone who recognizes the fact that I've been working and stuff like that. Rarely do I get, "Hey Lasky, you're an a**hole." It's usually people who are fondly remembering their own youth. So I have no problems with that whatsoever.

I have to say, I really liked you in 'Veronica Mars,' too.
You know? That's that other thing. I know it wasn't a giant hit, but it certainly has a fanbase. And that was really fun to work on as well. Kristen Bell was totally cool. What I loved about her, as a pretty, smart, intelligent girl, she was willing to play kind of a dick. You know? That was the great thing about her. She was pretty and smart, and she was kind of a dick to people on the show, character-wise. That was really nice. That was true to form. That was a smart little show.

It was great. I'm sorry it's gone.
I am too. There was talk of making a movie of it at some point, but I think the further those things move away, the harder it is.

Cheryl Burke Reveals Trauma of Being Called Fat

'Dancing with the Stars' pro Cheryl Burke recently made headlines revealing she was molested as a child. But now the famous figure is opening up about her own self image issues.

In the summer of 2008, a tabloid published photos of Burke looking heavier. "One night I was supposed to go out with my friends but I couldn't do it," she told PEOPLE. "Every time someone looked at me I was like, 'That person thinks I'm fat.'"

Burke estimated she gained 5 to 10 lbs while on hiatus from the show, and the 5'4" dancing star fought back when tabloids called her fat, saying, "You don't have to be anorexic to be beautiful."

The 26-year-old two-time 'Dancing With the Stars' champ confesses she was devastated by the public scrutiny, and tried everything from staving herself to diet pills.

The weight came off gradually, as a result of her rigorous dancing regimen and eating plenty of vegetables. "I love carbs and I love chips," she says. "I'm not going to deprive myself---but instead of eating potato chips I'll eat Triscuits or low-fat Cheez-Its."

Now the lifelong dancer says she feels good about her body. "There are moments when I'm like, 'Ugh- the camera adds 10 lbs,'" she admits. "But as long as I work up a sweat and eat clean I feel great about my body."

Bristol Palin Loves Being 3,600 Miles From Her Mom

It's not always easy leaving home and starting a new life for yourself, but now that Bristol Palin has traded freezing Alaska for the dry heat of Arizona, friends tell me she has zero intention of ever returning to her mom way, way up north in Wasilla.

"Bristol loves her mom and family, but it was time for her to start her own life with her son," a friend of Bristol's tells me. "'Dancing With the Stars' changed her life. She had never left home before, and it gave her the confidence to know she can survive and finally step out of her mom's shadow."

Being a whopping 3,600 miles away from home has let Bristol make her own decisions, rather than letting her mom influence her every move.

She bought a property in Maricopa, Ariz., last year with the money she earned from 'Dancing,' and she has even met with the management at Mix 96.9 FM in Phoenix to discuss a job in radio.

"Bristol was always a shy girl," her friend tells me. "She thought she would be working in an office for the rest of her life. She thought she would always be the governor's daughter who was never as pretty or as talented as her mom. But now that has all changed."

It may not come as a surprise to hear from insiders that Sarah can be a touch overbearing at times with her kids, and I'm told she didn't exactly encourage Bristol to flee the nest at the ripe age of 20.

"All this was Bristol's doing," her friend tells me. "She wants to make it on her own and hasn't taken a penny from her now-multimillionaire mother."

Bristol has yet to comment on whether she will accept the radio job or not, but even if she doesn't, something tells me everything is going to work out fine for this ambitious young lady.

Kristen Stewart Being Courted To Play ‘Snow White’?

Kristen Stewart has battled vampires and hung out with werewolves on the big screen – but is she any match for an Evil Queen and her poison apple?

According to Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, the “Twilight Saga” star is in talks to play Snow White in the Rupert Sanders-directed “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

According to THR, a slew young Hollywood stars, including Riley Keough, Felicity Jones, Alicia Vikander and Emily Browning, have screen tested for the role of the “fairest of them all.”

AH Nation Poll: Would Kristen Stewart make a good ‘Snow White’? VOTE HERE!

Viggo Mortensen is reportedly in talks to play the Huntsman and Charlize Theron is also reportedly in talks to play the Evil Queen.

The 2012-due movie is a re-telling of the famous story, where the huntsman sent to kill the Evil Queen (?) actually becomes her mentor.

“Snow White and the Huntsman” isn’t the only fair project in the land of Hollywood. Relativity Media has “The Brothers Grimm: Snow White” in the works.

Universal, the studio producing the other fantasy film, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Access Hollywood.

Piers Morgan Grills Condoleezza Rice for Being Single

Sounding off on topics like the Iraq war, Sarah Palin and President Obama is nothing new for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice -- the diplomat has remained an authority on government and policy since leaving the White House in 2009.

But during Rice's hour-long interview with Piers Morgan on 'Piers Morgan Tonight' on Wednesday, an unexpected topic came into play and was for some reason discussed at length -- Rice's marital status.

"You are and remain one of the most eligible women in Washington," Morgan said. "How have you avoided being snared in the marital trap?"

"Well actually I live in California now," Rice answered. "But I always said that I expected to grow up and get married like any nice Southern girl, but the fact is that you don't get married in the abstract. You find someone you'd like to be married to." See Piers continue grilling Condoleezza after the jump.

Morgan continued questionioning Rice, who is the current director of Standford University's Graduate School of Business' Global Center for Business and the Economy, about how what kind of wife she'd be and how he could "woo" her.

"How close have you come [to being married]?" Morgan asked.

"I've come close," Rice said.

"How many times?" Morgan continued.

"I'm not going there," Rice said. "The fact is I've just never found anybody I was going to spend my life with. But I think it's a wonderful thing, marriage. But who knows, maybe someday."

"Do you hold out hope?" Morgan said.

"Sure, why not?" Rice answered.

Jezebel, a website aimed at women, expressed anger toward Morgan's inquiry into Rice's personal life. "We get 'humanizing' questions. We get 'human interest' questions. But then there are insulting questions that we can't imagine [Morgan] would direct at, say, Warren Christopher. Questions like, 'Are you high-maintenance?'"

Morgan debuted 'Piers Morgan Tonight' Monday on CNN, taking over the timeslot previously occupied by 'Larry King Live.' Watch the clip:

Evgeni Malkin Finally Being Utilized Properly with Penguins Under Dan Bylsma

So here I was last week watching Wednesday night’s matchup between Pittsburgh and Tampa, a blowout that began with Evgeni Malkin scoring a neck-snapping goal seven seconds into the game.

In the third period three Penguins players happened to be in the penalty box simultaneously, and for a second I thought former head coach Michel Therrien was behind the bench at the time.

Why? Because Evgeni Malkin was penalty killing.

Now some may write this instance off as a necessity, having to use a star player more noted for his offensive prowess rather than any grinder the Penguins seem to have a plethora of.

It seems to me that many have forgotten or perhaps never even knew that Malkin was considered among the elite of the elite two-way forwards in the game.

Let us rewind back to before Geno was in the NHL.

Many scouts were of the opinion that Malkin could easily be ranked as the No. 2 two-way forward in Russia, not simply among players playing in Russia at the time but among all Russian players worldwide. I recall reading one scouting report assessment (years ago, mind you) that made a convincing argument that Malkin was second to Pavel Datsyuk from a two-way standpoint with Geno having far more offensive upside.

I would even go so far to say that the comparisons that could be made between Evgeni Malkin and Mario Lemieux are vast and under-noted. I will take that a step further and say that Malkin is a 70-30 hybrid of Lemieux and Jari Kurri. In contemporary terms he would be most comparable to Datsyuk as a center and Marian Hossa as a winger.

During last Thursday night’s game in Montreal, one in which Sidney Crosby had to sit out due to injury, head coach Dan Bylsma decided to dress seven defensemen and double-shift Malkin. Typically Malkin would start out with Craig Adams and Mike Rupp; later Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy would replace those two while Geno was still buzzing around the ice. Shades of 2008 under Michel Therrien if you ask me!

Now I know this occurred because Captain Crosby was out, and it is unlikely to happen on a regular basis upon his return, but hear me out for a second...

Looking back over his career, there have been two reasons why Geno has truly shined on a consistent basis. The first would be when Crosby was out of the lineup; the other included times when Malkin was given more responsibility and time on ice (often one instance would coincide with the other).

I remember when Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury were both out with high ankle sprains in early 2008; Malkin and Ty Conklin stepped in and stepped up their respective games to a level that we had never seen from either during the regular season.

I believe much of that was caused by the system Michel Therrien implemented; mind you, though, that while I think Coach Therrien got the most out of Geno, I also believe he gave him too much of a workload. Therrien would play Malkin in ALL situations, and while he could and did get everything out of Geno, it seems that Geno was worn out by the time the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals rolled around.

What is the best way to get Geno to perform?

Fast-forward to a year after that. Evgeni Malkin has the Art Ross Trophy in his back pocket and would be rewarded with the Conn Smythe Trophy after putting up points in the playoffs like no one had since the aforementioned Mario Lemieux. I think the incredible turnaround came because of new head coach Dan Bylsma, who relaxed Malkin and found the balance he needed so that his responsibilities were better-rounded.

Since then, however, it seems that Bylsma had changed the previous formula that won the Penguins a Stanley Cup up until having tweaked it over the last few months. I don’t want to go into the 2009-2010 season because we all know that Geno was playing with nagging injuries all season long. Suffice it to say that this was a trial period for Bylsma to relearn how to properly use him after the 2009 Cup run.

Evgeni Malkin got off to a slow start in this current season and sustained a knee injury within the past two months. We are just starting to get a hint of that juggernaut that has been slumbering since summer 2009.

The biggest thing is finding chemistry with certain linemates and keeping them together as any game situation calls for. Malkin as a center plays best with Arron Asham, Max Talbot and Chris Kunitz. As a winger you have to put Geno with Staal or Crosby; maybe an up-and-coming skill center like Mark Letestu could fit the bill as well.

Here is my key to keeping Malkin at his current standard of play: Keep giving Malkin more responsibility outside of playing offense—a Geno that plays more seems to be a Geno that plays better all around. The thing is to find that perfect balance so that he is not overworked.

I would recommend double shifting him more often like was done in the game last week against the Habs, even when Crosby is in the lineup. Also get him some penalty killing time when feasible—by that I mean when we have a decent lead or when there is a parade to the penalty box.

I truly believe that Geno wants to show off his seemingly endless skill set in all situations. He is a backchecking terror who can generate takeaways like the Hamburglar.

If I may quote one of my favorite samurai, Date Masamune, "Rectitude carried to excess hardens into stiffness; benevolence indulged beyond measure sinks into weakness." I assess that the first line could relate to Geno under Therrien and the second relates to Geno under Bylsma. Give Malkin too much and you burn him out; give him too little and he becomes complacent.

For what it's worth, I am of the opinion that Dan Bylsma is doing what is best for Evgeni at this time. I, for one, like what I’ve been seeing since his return from the knee injury, and I have faith that we’ll see a return to true excellence from Evgeni Malkin on a regular basis, like we had prior to the 2009-2010 season.

'Fela!' is Being Readied for the Big Screen

The sumptuous Afro-beat rhythms of "Fela!" may have died down on Broadway, but his beat goes on elsewhere.

The frenetic musical biography of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti will be broadcast across the globe this week from London, the first in a series of curated vinyl box sets of his music that is due out Feb. 1, and there's an international tour set for late spring that could even bring the show to the birthplace of the musician.

"I think the man's story still has a lot of power. It has the power to inspire people and to turn some people off," says Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones, the director and choreographer of "Fela!"

The show earned three Tonys as well as nominations for best musical and best actor before closing Jan. 2 at Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre following a 14-month run. A version of the musical began running in London's West End in November.

Now it prepares for a close-up: National Theatre Live is to broadcast Thursday's performance by satellite from the West End's Olivier Theatre to over 360 locations in more than 20 places, including Australia, South Africa, across western Europe, Canada and about 100 screens in the U.S.

The show puts Fela at center stage. It's true to his strident messages of human rights, anti-corruption and individual empowerment, as well as his often complicated, raunchy and chauvinistic sides.

Jones, who will be on hand in London for a rehearsal and for the live broadcast, says he wasn't about to hand over his baby to another set of producers without making certain it was in the right hands.

"I wanted to make sure that they understood that they're not only dealing with a product, but they're dealing with something that represents a lot to a lot of people," he says.

The live broadcast will offer moviegoers entertainment at a fraction of the price for a live Broadway ticket. (In some places it will be taped and shown later where the time zone difference is dramatic or theater schedules don't mesh.)

"This is one of the great live, theatrical spectacles and performance pieces that have come by," says Stephen Hendel, who co-conceived and produced the show. "It's got amazing music and dance and colors and costumes and performance and visuals. It is a very, very stimulating show. It will translate beautifully in the cinema."

The London cast will be unchanged and includes Sahr Ngaujah, who earned a Tony nomination in the title role on Broadway and is reprising his part in England. Nine cameras will capture the show, which spills into the wings and the audience.

"Everybody should be prepared that day to ignore the camera if they can or play to the camera as they would to a person," says Jones. "They're going to be swept up in a learning curve as well."

The broadcast of "Fela!" is part of The National Theatre Live's second season, which will continue in February with the Donmar Warehouse's production of "King Lear," directed by Michael Grandage and starring Derek Jacobi. Organizers say some 250,000 people have seen a National Theatre Live broadcast this season.

Fela's music is also being rereleased at a frantic pace. Last year, 34 of his albums came out and a final set of seven CDs is due this month. The Roots' ?uestlove also has picked out a vinyl box set of six albums that is available next month from Knitting Factory Records.

And plans are under way to tour "Fela!" elsewhere as well, even taking it to Lagos, Nigeria, the birthplace of Fela, who was one of the staunchest critics of the nation's business elite and military rulers until his death in 1997. Producers say details are still being discussed.

"Fela!" originally opened off-Broadway and won raves for its energetic dancing and infectious music — a fusion of jazz, R&B, rock and soul music — all culled from Kuti's catalog. The Broadway show, co-produced by Jay-Z and Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, attracted the likes of Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Madonna.

Jones, who won a Tony for choreographing "Spring Awakening" and another for "Fela!" acknowledges he's a little nervous as he helps ready the show for a live broadcast that will capture his creation on film.

"We just have to be really ready for that digital eye to freeze us in history," he says. "It's out of my hands now. It's in the hands of the digital God."