C.J.: Her face isn't frozen with Botox

Valerie Bertinelli's good looks are very unHollywooden.

Instead of a face that's as stiff as a board, Bertinelli was actually able to make facial expressions during her Barnes & Noble book-signing of "Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life without Opening the Fridge" at Bloomington's megamall.

Lots of celebrities, and regular folks too, are tweaking and Botoxing their faces to look younger. They may look more youthful, but often they cease to resemble themselves. (Case in point: Marlo Thomas on "Today" last week wearing what didn't appear to be the naturally time-lapsed face of "That Girl.")

We apparently don't have to worry about Bertinelli messing with her lovely visage. "I'm scared," she said in a silly voice, as you can see at startribune.com/video. "I don't like needles."

Bravo.

This doesn't surprise Jason Barker, to whom Bertinelli called out in the crowd as she sat down to sign books. A waiter at Melting Pot, Barker said he was a truck driver for eight years on "Touched by an Angel," the TV show Bertinelli did many years after "One Day at a Time." (Barker moved to Minnesota a year ago because his girlfriend, Jill Hudson, told him it's not that cold here.)

Having met many, many celebrities on the "Touched" set, Barker said Bertinelli is "the most natural, wonderful famous person I've ever met."

Gov. Tim Pawlenty won't be preparing a dish from "B. Smith Cooks Southern Style" for former Gov. Sarah Palin when her book tour stops at the MOA on Dec. 7. But he did plan to get to cooking soon with one of those Southern recipes.

Pawlenty came over to meet B. Smith when he happened upon her recent book-signing at the megamall. He left with an autographed cookbook she gave him. "One of my mid-life hobbies is cooking," Pawlenty told Smith. "So this will be very helpful."

The book contains Smith's own twists on Southern cuisine. With many of Smith's recipes being lighter, more healthful versions of famous dishes, it wouldn't be hard for Pawlenty to find something that would satisfy the health-conscious Palin. Palin and Pawlenty are fitness buffs who may be positioning themselves to take a run at the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination and, therefore, at each other.

But their paths won't cross when Palin is scheduled to be on Minnesota soil. "I'll be out of town," Pawlenty told me.

He also told me that last Sunday he was planning to tackle one of the most popular dishes from Smith's restaurant menu: Swamp Thang. Smith said giving up the Swamp Thang recipe was a biggie for her because diners who have had it at her three restaurants have long wanted to know how it was prepared.

"It's not 'Swamp Thing.' It's 'Swamp Thang,'" Pawlenty playfully stressed, referring to the seafood dish that is poured over greens. Pawlenty said he'd be making a food substitution because a family member is allergic to shellfish.

Somebody is apparently enjoying continued success in hacking into the Facebook.com account of Fox 9 anchor Robyne Robinson and posting bondage videos.

"Listen everyone. Do you honestly think I would send a porn video? I've changed passwords twice. Don't open anything from me, period, unless it's a private message," Robinson wrote to her Facebook friends.

While some of Robinson's Facebook friends posted suggestions on how to fix the problem, Christopher Hopkins wrote: "Beautiful photo ... and you're awesome in that bondage movie." Hopkins, owner of ReVamp SalonSpa, confirmed to me that he is the Robinson Facebook friend who posted the cheeky comment. Hey, Christopher, that's not funny. The situation is mortifying. I sent word to Robinson that she needs to get Facebook administrators to work on this nonsense.

Wayne Wilderson had a funny bit on "The Wanda Sykes Show" last weekend. He did a report about a town that wants to contain enemy combatants.

While it was great to see the Minnesota actor who has portrayed the "Purple Grape" in the Fruit of the Loom commercials, I don't know about Sykes' show. Sykes is dependably funny and biting, but some reviewers can't say the same about those who surround her. Sykes really needs to Chelsea-up (that's Chelsea as in Handler, on E!TV) that comic roundtable, which goes on too long considering how little it adds.

In media interviews, Sykes has said she brought her friend, comedian Keith Robinson, on the show -- he's kind of a sidekick -- because she was tired of him hanging out at her kitchen sink being funny. Maybe Sykes needs to install a sink on the TV set for Robinson?

C.J. is at 612.332.TIPS or cj@startribune.com. E-mailers, please state a subject -- "Hello" doesn't count. Attachments are not opened, so don't even try. More of her attitude can be seen on Fox 9 Thursday mornings.