Tom Welling's career is moving faster than a speeding bullet.

A year ago, he was auditioning for commercials in New York. Then he decided to try his luck in Los Angeles, where he quickly landed a six-episode part on Judging Amy as the judge's boy toy, Karate Rob. Now he's a teen dream on the verge, thanks to his starring gig as a pre-Man of Steel Clark Kent on the WB's Smallville.

In this incarnation of the Superman legend, high schooler Clark is less interested in his newly discovered superpowers than in scoring a date with the prettiest girl in school, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk). Just wait till he discovers X-ray vision.

Which superpower do you want the most?
His invincibility, the fact that he can't get hurt physically. I play basketball with my friends, and I've been known to go out for a jog once in a while, but if I was invincible, maybe I would take up some extreme sports.

At only 19, Kristin Kreuk is set to star in a WB series pegged to be the next cult hit. Who could've predicted? Okay, that's a trick question. Kreuk recently opened a letter she wrote to herself during an 8th grade social studies class that said, "Kristin, I hope you're an actress right now." She doesn't remember making the prediction, but she's pretty sure her 13-year-old self would approve.

Vancouver-based Kreuk was struggling with college applications when her high school drama teacher sent her out on her first audition. She landed the lead in a Fox Family Channel series called Edgemont. Next came a role as everyone's favorite poisoned princess, Snow White, in an ABC movie airing this fall. Then, on her first visit to Los Angeles, she landed the part of Lana Lang, Clark Kent's high school crush in the new WB series Smallville, premiering October 16.

While college might no longer be in the cards, Kreuk's education isn't over. Smallville's producers wanted her to be well versed in the man-of-steel mythology, so they sent Kreuk a textbook filled with details about the caped crusader to bring her up to speed.

Which got us wondering...

Since she's an expert now, how could Lois Lane never tell the difference between Clark and Superman? "We have to suspend our disbelief. Clark Kent was so dorky it was hard for her to put together that this dork could also be this person she was madly in love with. Your mind can do lots of things when it wants to."

Who would she go for--the mild-mannered reporter or the studly superhero? "Oh, that's hard. I would probably like Lex, because he's so evil."

Is she a bad girl in the making? "No, Lex is just so interesting and always charming. But I don't think you'd want to stay with him long-term."

This doesn't seem to be the same old Superman series, but did she know that when she was auditioning? "I live in Vancouver, where they were casting, and what you get is a breakdown. It tells you about the characters they're auditioning. There's a little blurb about each and a tiny paragraph about the show. All it basically said was that it was about a young Superman, and the character I was trying out for was a popular girl who's a cheerleader dating the star quarterback, Clark loves her, blah, blah, blah.

She's from Vancouver, she goes to Hollywood, then gets sent straight back to Vancouver. Is she bummed not to be shooting Smallville in L.A.? "I'm so happy I'm in Vancouver. I really don't want to go to L.A. I live with my parents here. I'm sort of looking for a place, but I've never lived on my own, so moving out would be kind of difficult while I'm working on this show. I'm going to wait till I have a nice break and then find a place."

Have her friends dropped by the set? "I hate having people on set. I just don't like it. I've never actually had anyone come and hang out. It makes me uncomfortable. Our studio is out [of the way], none of my friends have cars, and neither do I. It's just a pain. Plus, they're going to school and I'm working, and they don't want to hang out on set. It's boring."

Yeah, kissing that Tom Welling must be a real chore.

In comic-book terms, the WB's Smallville is readying for some serious Pow! Boom! Wow! In TV speak, the super series is about to get Heather Locklear'd. In plain English: Here comes Kelly Brook.

The 22-year-old beauty isn't exactly a novice when it comes to making audiences go gaga. She has already conquered the British boob tube, taken over magazine stands and, well, just type her name in your search engine, and you'll see--Brook rules the Internet.

The Rochester, England, native has been commanding attention in the UK since the age of 16, when she first showed up on the pages of glossies, quickly becoming a top lingerie model. Then in 1999, Brook won a coveted hosting gig on the popular British morning show The Big Breakfast. However, being a little too sassy for the early-to-rise crowd, Brook moved over to MTV Europe, where she counted down the hits on Select, "basically ripping off Carson Daly and TRL," she says. No matter.

Last year while in Los Angeles for the premiere of Snatch (her longtime boyfriend, actor Jason Statham appears in it), Brook caught the eye of Hollywood execs, and now, well, she's the one who's totally requested.

First up, Brook makes her American television debut as Lex Luthor's sexy ex. Trust us, you'll know her when you see her. But in case you don't, she's the one macking with the bald tycoon in her very first scene on the show.

Which got us wondering...

Something (soon to be) wicked this way comes...Michael Rosenbaum gives you the lowdown on all things Smallville--everything from on-set hijinks and screwups to the future of Lex Luther. He even reveals a longtime crush and says "yes" to one very lucky lady.

From Lindsay, NJ: Do you shave your head for Smallville? In Sorority Boys, you had either a wig or a hat on the whole time!
Michael: I shave my head every darn day. In the movie, it was a wig, and I didn't like it, so I started wearing the hat. I was, like, "Is this the best you guys can do?" And they said, "Yeah." And I said, "Well, then I'm wearing a hat." You sweat a little underneath the wig. It's just kind of a drag--pun intended!

From Samantha, London: Who was your childhood superhero idol?
There was a show called The Greatest American Hero--William Katt. And that song, yeah! "Believe it or not, I'm walking on air..." I used to play that on my jam box when I was, like, eight or nine years old. When girls walked by, I'd play it every time...over and over. I thought I was the coolest guy ever. I had a pair of Vuarnet shorts and an Ocean Pacific tank top and string beans for arms, which I still do. But William Katt, he was this goofy superhero. The show had a lot of heart and soul...that's why I liked it.

From Kimberly, Chicago: What direction will Lex take next season? Darker? Sexier? (Though I'm not sure that's possible.)
I don't know about sexier. Maybe a little less sexy. [Laughs.] Maybe I'll start wearing sweatpants and be more casual. I'm kidding. It'll be a slow, gradual process. I don't want him to turn too quickly, and neither does anyone else, including the creators. There'll be steps along the way that give you reasons for understanding when he turns evil. And you'll say, "Oh, that's why he changed." It'll take a while, but it'll be well worth the wait.

From Jean, Wisconsin: I'm a huge fan! Since it's a pretty serious show, what do you do on the set for fun?
Well, I had a karaoke machine in my trailer awhile. Usually, I sing by myself. Sometimes, I open the door and start singing. Finally, someone opens their door, either Tom Welling or Allison Mack, and they look at me and go, "What are you doing?!" I'm, like, "I'm singing, man, come on!" Every now and then I get Tom to sing with me, or maybe Allison...or Steve in wardrobe. We keep it entertaining.

From Wanda: Sounds like you're a big goofball.
I'm always goofing off on set. The crew is like family to me, and Tom and I have a ball. There was a scene yesterday in the Talon, the café, and we literally could not stop laughing. They had to do, like, ten takes because we were laughing so hard. We do impressions, so we're going along, and Tom says, "Hey, do your Christopher Walken while I'm doing my close-up," and I say, "Okay." The director says, "Could we have some focus, please?" I say, "Look, buddy, this is our show; you just chill out!" [Laughs.] When you do ten months a year on a TV show, you have to keep it interesting.

From Rachem_chul: What do you think about a hookup between Lex and Lana?
I think she's absolutely extraordinarily beautiful and smart and nice. I'm speaking about Kristin Kreuk, here. As for the characters, I don't think Lex would do anything, because it would interfere with his and Clark's friendship. And that's not something he wants. It's not worth it to him.

From From Loz213, England: What's the movie you're filming?
The working title is In the House. It costars Steve Martin, Queen Latifah and Eugene Levy. I started filming last week. I play this cocky young lawyer who is very ambitious and will do anything to further himself. Steve Martin is the opposite. He plays the guy who's older and who has been there. The guy who wants to be young again and show the firm he can still do it.

From Lisa, Vancouver: In the episode "Zero," you had to act hanging upside down. What was that like?
Hey! Vancouver! That's where I am. Merry Christmas! Hanging upside down was absolute misery. I was a good sport. I'm a little claustrophobic, but I got over it quickly--being in a straitjacket. I broke capillaries in my head, and my eyes were bleeding a little bit from being upside down for so long. It took me a good week to recover. It wasn't easy, but when I watched the show, I thought it was worth it. I was up and down all day, no longer than, like, four minutes at a time, but it was very taxing on my body. If you watch the show again, you can see the veins in my head. It looked like I was about to explode.

From HoYay! Girl: What's your reaction to the large group that watches the show for the possibly unintentional gay subtext?
You know, that's what being an audience is all about. I think people have their own ideas and perceptions of what Smallville is, and if that's what makes them happy, then so be it. Everybody has their own reason to tune in. And I don't want to spoil those reasons. So, whatever it is that makes you watch the show, that's cool. Just keep watching.

From Long Live Lex!: What do you think is the best part of playing Lex? (P.S.: Marry me.)
Oh, okay, I'll marry you. The best part of playing Lex is living in a castle and driving really expensive cars and wearing really expensive suits. I also box and fence...a lot.

From Amanda, Bridgeport: Which Lex Luthor would win in a fight: you, Gene Hackman or John Shea?
I'd have to say I would win. I'm younger, more ambitious and I'd put up more of a fight. And I really shave my head; I don't know if the other guys did.

From Sam: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would be the Invisible Man. You can check out things, and nobody knows you're there. You can go to rock concerts. Eddie Vedder could be jamming on the guitar, and you could be at his feet looking up at him, going, You're awesome, and he'd never know.

From Celeste: Do you have any movies coming out?
Besides the one I mentioned earlier, there's also Buffalo Junkies. I play a shark...a pool hustler. My brother, who has been hustling for a long time, tries to keep me out of it and wants me to focus on my music. It costars Chazz Palminteri, Christopher Walken and Rick Schroder. It's a nice little independent film.

From Maggie, Wisconsin: Just one question I'm sure the female population is dying to know: Single?
I'm single. And I'm waiting for Gwyneth Paltrow to call. But if she doesn't, I'm all game. I have a big crush on her. I actually had a dream about her the other night. I don't know what it is--for years, I've been dreaming about her. In fact, with my ex-girlfriend years ago, I used to always talk about Gwyneth, and she'd be like, "Well, why don't you date her?!" And I was, like, "Um, I can't. She's dating Brad Pitt or somebody."

From Ashley, Atlanta: Do you or any of the other cast members play pranks on the show?
When someone's talking or telling a story, we nod off and pretend we're asleep. We start snoring. So, one day, they called me onto the set, and I was talking to the director, and all of a sudden, I heard snores. Real loud snoring! I turned around, and the whole cast and crew were asleep. They got me back. I laughed my ass off.

From Alax, Houston: What's the craziest thing a "Rosebud" [fan] has done to get your attention?
At a hockey game, they had some signs and T-shirts that said, "I love Michael Rosenbaum" or "I'm a Rosebud." I can't remember exactly what. I was at the Staples Center for a charity all-star hockey game. I really got a kick out of it. I think somebody also showed up on set one day who was a Rosebud. Please, fans, I'm flattered, but take it easy on coming to the set! Although I love bumping into people who like the show.

From Shannen, Ohio: What sort of things--other than hockey--do you like to do in your downtime?
I play the guitar, and I write, and there are so many things I want to do. I just have to focus on one thing at a time. I've written two scripts, and one of them I want to produce. It takes place where I grew up in Newberg, Indiana. I want to shoot there next year or the year after. I have a lot of time because it rains every day in Vancouver--so, why the hell not?

From Deena, Montreal: What part of your own personality do you bring to Lex?
I think I'm a good judge of character. I've always been good at that. People compliment me on my friends and how great they are and how they all get along. I think Lex means well, and he sees the goodness in people, although they don't see the same in him. He tends to play against the stereotype of who Lex Luthor is. I can relate to that. And I think he laughs on the inside a lot. People never know what I'm thinking. He doesn't like to take things too seriously, and neither do I.

From Shannen, Ohio: Since funny boys are my weakness, I have to ask: What would be your ideal comic role?
Arthur in the movie Arthur, with Dudley Moore. If that movie came out and they were trying to cast people for it, I'd make a run to the director and beg him to please let me play that role. I think Dudley Moore was a genius, and God rest his soul. There are some people who are trying find me the right vehicle to get me to the next level so I can start doing the movies I want to make. I'd like to play a young Han Solo.

From Beccy, Wiltshire, England: You get to drive so many plush cars as Lex. Which sweet motor has been the best? I personally like the Astin Martin. Pure class.
The Astin Martin was awesome. It truly was a treat. I've driven all of them. I liked the white Ferrari--the gear shifters were on the steering wheel. I had a police officer in front of me and behind me, and they let me go as fast as I wanted. It was protected, nobody in the streets. I was going 130, 140 mph. The guy in the car said, "Please, slow down!" I didn't realize how fast I was going. It was, like, zero to 140 in three seconds.

From Rob, Detroit: How has it been working with John Glover? You have such great chemistry.
John Glover is such a rare breed. It's easy to have chemistry with someone who is so talented and so driven. The creativity never stops. It's really a treat working with such a veteran actor. In the finale, there was a moment when I got sort of stuck. We had to move, and we were supposed to be really loud, and all this stuff was going on. I can't really tell you what happens, but he just gave me that veteran insight that sent me to the next level. I owe him for that.

From Wanda: Will John be back next season?
Absolutely. I think so. Well...unless something happens in the finale that I'm not telling you!

From Shelley, Baltimore: Will Lex start to turn evil in the season finale?
I can't really answer that, but I can tease you and say that this will be another step toward the dark side--a nice, big baby step for Lex Luthor. There's something that happens that could trigger Lex to take a gander at evil.