KEEPING ON: Life after "Malcolm in the Middle" is strange, says Justin Berfield, but there's nothing like working with Jessica Simpson to help ease the pain. Berfield is busy as a producer, with his J2 Pictures company filming the movie "Blonde Ambition," starring Simpson and Luke Wilson.

"It's a romantic comedy about this young woman who travels up the corporate ladder in an unconventional way," he says. Though it sounds a lot like "Legally Blonde," Berfieldassures it has its own style. "It's an idea that my company came up with. Joe Simpson heard about it, and he had Jessica read it, and she fell in love with the script. The character is from the South, so her coming from the South allows her to bring her own normal flavor to it."

When not shooting, Berfield says he's doing his best to keep in touch with his former castmates. "It is a little sad because we were so close for so long. I went to visit Jane Kaczmarek on the set of her new show, 'Help Me Help You,' and the cool thing is that half the crew from 'Malcolm' is working on that show, so she's in good company. I spoke to Bryan Cranston a few months ago, and I speak to Erik (Per Sullivan) at least once a week, so we're all trying to keep in contact," he tells us.