"Dancing with the Stars" is inching closer to its finale and the show's youngest competitor, Cody Linley, tells us the competition is heating up amongst the remaining celebrities. The one thing he says they didn't expect was for 82-year-old Cloris Leachman to be such a strong contender.

"The past two dances that Cloris has done, I was really surprised. At first I just thought she was really funny and crazy, but honestly I wasn't sure if she'd be able to stay around too long. Her dance moves were kind of weird. That's just being honest," he notes. "But the past two dances she's really been on point."

At this point, though, it's anybody's game. "It almost feels like a new competition. At the beginning, none of us had danced before and we were all nervous, but now we know more of what we're doing so the competition has really risen."

This season has certainly seen its share of surprises and one has been Linley's transition from a boy into a young man. "My body has changed a lot since I've been on the show. I've been dancing every day and lifting weights so I've gained 10 pounds of muscle in just two months. That's like a big deal for me," says the young star known as the on-again, off-again beau of Miley Cyrus on "Hannah Montana." "I'm like, 'Heck, yeah!' I'm trying to win this thing so the stronger I can be, the better."

However, don't think he's not hurting too. "People are like, 'You're only 18. You're not as in much pain as the other dancers, right?' I don't know how they're feeling but my whole body is sore. Just because I'm 18 and energetic doesn't mean the physical strains of the competition don't come down on me too. It's totally worth it, though."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: Scott Porter is looking to leave his youth behind him. The actor, who rose to fame playing paralyzed former football star Jason Street on NBC's "Friday Night Lights," tells us he's in the market "for a couple of older roles. I've grown up with Jason, and it's been a great opportunity. But I've been playing a high school kid for so long, and I'm getting older personally — and also old enough to understand what it is to be a man."

Even though "FNL" is now a done deal for the 29-year-old actor — Jason Street's swan song will air next month — the actor couldn't be much busier. Right now, he's making Lasse Hallstrom's big screen adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "Dear John" novel — playing the rival of soldier Channing Tatum. He has the musical "Bandslam" with Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Michalka and Gaelan Connell in the can, as well as the indie feature "The Good Guy." The latter, a romantic comedy, has him playing a Wall Street hot shot with a hot girlfriend (Alexis Bledel).

Porter says he hasn't had a break between projects in three years — including rushing from his last day of shooting on "Friday Night Lights" into his first day of "Dear John" with only travel time in between. But he's not complaining.

He's certainly been experiencing a range of directing styles, going from his role in the Wachowski Brothers' "Speed Racer," to "FNL" to "Dear John."

"The Wachowski Brothers are extremely focused and slightly possessive," he says. "'Friday Night Lights' creator Peter Berg is extremely manic, off the page — 'Let's make the magic right now.' Lasse is so laid back, but he gets it — which sounds like a crazy thing to say. He's such a genius, he lets the actors do what he wants them to do and it all falls into place."

BREATHER: "High School Musical 3's" Olesya Rulin tells us, "Right now I'm going to just take a step back for a bit and decide what I want to do next. Things have been so busy, it's been almost like a roller coaster." Indeed, the petite 22-year-old Moscow-born beauty already has her next two movies in the can — "Major Movie Star" with Jessica Simpson, and "Flying By" with Billy Ray Cyrus.

WHO IS TACKIEST OF ALL: It's that time of year again when we begin to consider the plethora of celebrity tackiness for Beck/Smith Hollywood's annual Tacky Taste Awards. And what a crop this year: Miley Cyrus' suggestive Vanity Fair bed spread ... Britney Spears' mother writing a supposedly "inspirational" book that dished details of the singer's personal life and problems ... How about that team of reality show hosts (Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst and Ryan Seacrest) who couldn't do better than explaining that they had no ideas they could agree on as a show opener for the 50th Annual Emmy Awards? Were they tacky, or just inexcusably unprofessional? Or is your idea of tackiness personified by "The Hills" villain Spencer Pratt and his bad influence on girlfriend Heidi Montag? Or is your selection one of the many other tacky exploits there isn't room enough here to name?

In the time-honored tradition, we will be turning this space over to you, our readers, to dish about the show business celebrities you found most tacky this year. Send us your votes and be sure to Tell Us Why your candidate deserves this oh-so-special recognition — by email: BeckSmithTacky08@cs.com, or USPS: Beck Smith Hollywood, P.O. Box 572530, Tarzana, CA 91357. We'll present the results and selected comments on Thanksgiving eve, Nov. 26.

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily 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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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