Just because Head of State (opening tomorrow) is an escapist comedy, don't underestimate the political savvy of its star, co-writer and first-time director Chris Rock. The idea to poke fun at the presidential campaign process has been germinating in his mind since long before his Saturday Night Live days, back when he was just your typical, New York Daily News-readin' tyke.

"My dad drove a newspaper truck when I was a kid," Rock explains to TV Guide Online. "So, I just read the paper a lot, as a young, 6-year-old boy. I knew all about Watergate.

"The first time I got this idea [for the movie] was [when] Geraldine Ferraro [ran for vice president in 1984]," continues the 37-year-old comedian, who plays an alderman tapped to run for commander-in-chief when the original candidate is killed in a plane crash. "The whole scenario of 'Hmm, we're gonna probably lose here, so let's try something that may help us down the line.'"

Though Rock has no interest in entering the political arena in real life, he did have to do some heavy campaigning to sit in State's director's chair. "A couple of studios were like, 'We'll make the movie, but we don't want you to direct,'" he recalls, "which is like saying, 'We think you're funny but we don't think you're competent.'"

Ty Pennington — the hot handyman from TLC's Trading Spaces — calls himself "a blend of Martha Stewart and MacGyver." But it's not easy. Sometimes the show's tight time constraints, limited funds and diva-ish designers make Ty wanna drive a nail through his skull!

"We all have our little clash of personalities," the 37-year-old admits to TV Guide Online. "It's like Real World meets This Old House. It's kind of fun because you never know what's going to happen."

Who's been the toughest to work with? "I'm not going to mention any names," he teases. "But there are definitely some [projects] I have been involved in that I didn't even know if I wanted my name associated with. There have been several projects where I'm like, 'This is wrong. Not only does it look wrong, it doesn't even work, and there are safety issues.' We put two automobiles in a kid's room for Chrissake!"

Pennington will share his how-to dos and don'ts in an upcoming book of home improvement advice. In addition to writing that and starring on Spaces — which airs Saturdays at 9 pm/ET — he runs his own company, Furniture Unlimited, and serves as a spokesperson for Claritin allergy medicine.

Okay, Gilmore Girls fans. So you already know Jared Padalecki and Milo Ventimiglia — the cuties who play Rory's suitors, Dean and Jess — will likely leave the fictitious Stars Hollow, Conn., for other TV towns this year. Jared is the WB's new Young MacGyver; Milo's Jess gets a spin-off series co-starring Rob Estes as his dad. That means a showdown between romantic rivals is brewing!

As actress Keiko Agena — she's Rory's best pal, Lane Kim — tells TV Guide Online: "Dean and Jess get into a huge fist-fight brawl over Rory at a party [in the April 15 episode]. I think Jared got hurt. I heard that it looks great on-screen, but the blows are pretty close. One of the punches landed! I think Jared needed to put an ice pack on his eye."

Agena says she'll miss Rory's men when they're gone. "I'm a little nervous because a lot of things will change next season," she shares. "Lorelai and Sookie start their own inn, Sookie's having a baby, and the young people are all going to different colleges. But I'm always surprised and happy when the scripts come in. I'm never disappointed."

Speaking of college, GG will have to keep Rory and Lane at Connecticut schools to be near their TV moms, right? "This isn't confirmed," Agena teases, "but in the last episode we just shot, my character agreed out of Korean mother guilt to go to a Seventh Day Adventist college and live at home. I'm thinking that keeps me and my mom involved in Stars Hollow. I'm pretty sure Rory's going to Yale — and if she doesn't live at home, she'll be close to home."

But back to boys. In coming weeks, the guys vying for Lane's heart may also come to blows! "Her fake Korean boyfriend, Young Chui, actually falls for Lane," Agena chuckles. "Our original deal was Young Chui and I would go on three dates, and he'd break up with me. They agreed to that because both wanted to conceal from their parents that they were secretly dating non-Koreans.