Sabrina Bryan tells us she's beginning the process of doing a solo album — but she assures fans it doesn't mean the end of her popular all-girl group "The Cheetah Girls."

"It's not like we're going to leave and go our separate ways, but we definitely do want to pursue our own individual interests. That's the great thing about 'The Cheetah Girls.' Just because we want to pursue other things, we don't always have to have the same dreams to stay friends," says Bryan of band mates Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams.

"Plus, it's important for young girls to support one another and be proud of each other's accomplishments. They were both at a lot of my performances at 'Dancing with the Stars,' and they hosted the party for my book release. There might be projects that we'll do without each other, but luckily we've created a family here, so nothing will pull us away for very long. Even when we go on vacation, we'll call each other within a few hours and be like, 'What are you doing?'"

Despite any future projects apart, for now all of the girls are focused on their "One World" concert tour. "We've worked so hard on this tour. It's bigger and better than we've ever had as far as staging and production value," Bryan tells us. "We were so nervous during the first few shows because we never feel quite prepared, but halfway through it we were going, 'Wow! This is going really well!'"

SETTING AN EXAMPLE: Pop star Jordan Pruitt, who has opened for the likes of The Cheetah Girls, Vanessa Hudgens, and the cast of "High School Musical," tells us she hopes to follow in the footsteps of another big-time act she's toured with, the Jonas Brothers.

"I'm so happy for their success. It's been really cool to see how much they've grown musically. They've also gotten so much older since last time I saw them," notes the 17-year-old singer, who is currently giving the U.S. women's gymnastics team a boost on their 36-city "U.S. Gymnastics Superstars/Disney Pop Stars Tour."

Pruitt admits it's not easy focusing on singing when she's enjoying their gymnastic feats just as much as the audience. "It's definitely distracting because they're basically doing these humungous routines while I'm singing. It's just magical," boasts Pruitt, who was named one of the "10 Fastest Rising Young Stars in America" by TV Guide. "I have a hard time with it. I'm like, 'Play with the crowd a little bit. Quit watching the routines!'"

Pruitt, whose latest album "Permission to Fly" is soon to be available nationwide, says the experience has proven to be a great one for her career, and she's even making some new friends in the process. "All the girls on the team are my really good friends now. I hang out with Nastia Liukin all the time. Plus the experience has definitely broadened my fan base. I even have older fans now, but I always want to have my Disney fans."

THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: The Oscar buzz for Sean Penn is running at high volume with the assortment of raves he's collecting for "Milk" — which doesn't start its limited release 'til Nov. 26, going wide Dec. 5. Victor Garber understands the excitement. He tells us he can hardly wait for moviegoers to see Penn in action as the late San Francisco Supervisor and gay icon Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant's feature. "He's fantastic. People are going to be amazed," says the esteemed actor, who plays San Francisco Mayor George Moscone — who was assassinated along with Milk in 1978 — in the feature.

"The production was the beginning of summer, and it really was a great experience," adds Garber, who segued from the feature back into production of "Eli Stone." He adds, "I'm just so glad to be part of it. It was such a stunning, dramatic point in our history, and it's good this film will help people remember it."

DIFFERENT INDEED: The much-anticipated movie "Twilight," based on the popular novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, hits theatres Nov. 21, and for actor Cam Gigandet it was an opportunity to do something he's never done before. "I loved the chance to get into a different character physically with the wigs, makeup and costumes," says Gigandet, who plays the leader of the ruthless nomadic vampires. "What's different about my character is he just has a one-track mind. The only thing on his mind is to hurt or satisfy his needs in terms of Bella, which is played by Kristen Stewart, so throughout the entire movie my goal is to kill her."

With reports by 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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