The poignant story of comedy duo Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen is coming out as a book next week — "Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White." And who knows, it could wind up a film.

Dreesen tells us that he was dining with Clint Eastwood in Beverly Hills the other night, and Eastwood pal, matinee idol Ryan Phillippe stopped by their table. "Clint says, 'Ryan, this is Tom Dreesen. He and Tim Reid were Tim & Tom, the first black and white comedy team.' He told Ryan about us, and Ryan said, 'I could play you.' And I said, 'To be honest, I was a whole lot better looking than you.'"

Ba-dum-bum.

Dreesen recalls that when he and Reid started their act in '68, "We were so naïve and idealistic. We thought that if we could all laugh together, we could live together." But the interracial act that poked fun at prejudice was met with not only laughs — but racism and violence. "The fourth time we went out, a guy smashed a cigarette in Tim's face," Dreesen recalls.

Such stresses took a toll over their nearly five years together — along with the fact that in spite of numerous close brushes with big time success, they wound up broke. "I had a wife and three kids. Tim had a wife and two kids. His wife was supportive; mine left me." The two went on to individual successes — Tim with series stardom ("WKRP in Cincinnati," "Frank's Place," "Sister, Sister" etc.) and filmmaking, Tom with nightclub and TV work.

Dreesen has wanted to tell their story for years, while Reid has been reluctant. "I have a tendency not to want to look back, but to keep moving forward," explains Reid, who says he was finally won over by Dreesen's passion for the project.

Tim & Tom will be out promo'ing their book this month, with appearances everywhere from Wrigley Field to the Letterman and Tavis Smiley shows. This time, they feel, they're no longer ahead of their time.

MAN ON THE MOVE: With his MyNetwork TV "The Tony Rock Project" sketch comedy/reality show due to debut Oct. 8, Tony Rock spent his summer on a breakneck schedule, jetting back and forth between show preps and standup gigs all over the country. But that was no problem for the six-years-younger brother of Chris Rock.

"I love being busy. I'm a workhorse," notes Tony, who also recently fit in a visit with his mom in South Carolina.

Is she as funny as she's cracked up to be? "My mom? She's hilarious," Tony says.

As far as Chris giving him any advice, he says, "Standup-wise, you have to find your own way. But he has as far as being a good person." Adds Tony candidly, "If someone says about me, 'He's a jerk, but he's funny' — that's not what I want. I'd rather be a good person."

As his packed schedule attests, he's also a good performer, having paid years of dues and winning over countless crowds. Now he's focusing on his TV "Project" that combines sketch comedy and reality, with hidden-camera segments and person-on-the-street interviews that expose everyday people's prejudices and eccentricities.

LANDED GENT: As Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing" winds down its second season this week, super real estate agent Madison Hildebrand — and hands down this season's most popular star — says that the program has been a boon to his professional life. "For some reason, television in America provides a certain amount of credibility. Some clients I have strictly because of the show. I'll randomly meet them in Malibu, and six months later I'm listing their house. That would have never happened without the show.'" The ultra-successful 27-year-old, who's opened up his "polyamorous" (his term) personal life as well as his professional life on the show, feels he's grown a lot — as a TV personality as well as a realtor.

"During the first season, I had only been doing reality about five months, and I was so focused on real estate that I wasn't focused on the camera as much. When I watched it for the first time, my blood started flowing really fast because you know what you said and you know what you did, but you don't know how it all comes together. I was like, 'Wow, I was so naive.' I didn't even know what I was doing in real estate through most of it, and there I had a camera following me around."

WHAT'S HOT: Filmmaker Tyler Perry has become the latest celeb to drop a pretty penny at the L.A. gallery of acclaimed painter Chaz Guest. Guest, who does evocative studies of African Americans, already has a celebrity clientele including Barack Obama, Josh Lucas, Denzel Washington, Vanessa Williams, Herbie Hancock and Oprah Winfrey.

Matt Towery served as the chairman of former Speaker Newt Gingrich's political organization from 1992 until Gingrich left Congress. He is a former Georgia state representative, the author of several books and currently heads the polling and political information firm InsiderAdvantage. To find out more about Matthew Towery and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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