Post-’Buffy,’ she has a stake in lightening up

After seven seasons playing Cordelia Chase on the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” she’s ready to walk on the lighter side. It comes with the ABC movie “See Jane Date” (Aug. 22). And there’s more dating in Carpenter’s future. The actress is at work on “Miss Match,” the new Darren Star series that will premiere on NBC this fall starring Alicia Silverstone as a professional matchmaker.

Week’s end

That’s my time to go to a movie at the Grove, maybe to dinner with friends. Of course, when I have guests from out of town we have to go out and hang out. But that’s another story. The average Friday night, if we don’t go out to see a movie we’ll rent one. My favorite type of movie is a romantic comedy, [but] I saw “The Pianist” and that was so strong -- and the very last movie I saw was “Bruce Almighty.”

Rocky Road

Now, if we’re eating out, I love the Farm -- I love their salad, their tuna and their amazing hamburgers that come with the greatest skinny fries. After that, what else? Dessert! I go to Baskin-Robbins over on 3rd Street and have a scoop of Rocky Road. It’s sooooo good.

Some Saturdays we’ll go to Mel’s, but I really love going to Urth Caffe and having cafe mocha granita coffee blend. I hook up with my sister-in-law and their baby and we may have a play day with the kids.

Or we might just shop. We go to Oliver Peoples Sunglasses on Sunset, Tracey Ross, the Nike store in the Grove, to Tower Records on Sunset, and I might go to Beverly Hills Nail Design. After all of that I’ve worked up an appetite.

We’ll eat at Chin Chin -- I’ll get the traditional salad with chicken or the chicken with snow peas. If you stay away from the kung pao chicken and the orange chicken, you can eat fairly light there.

Then there’s Mirabelle on Sunset -- I used to work there -- they make a mean hamburger and feature pasta, nice fish, nice steak. We’ve gone to Benihana’s too. And last, we head for a friend’s pool, just south of the Laemmle. It’s this beautiful old-fashioned building, but it’s a bear to park there on the weekends.

Dogs, kid, joe

Sundays I like to just take it easy. Stroll around the neighborhood -- I have four dogs: two small, a Yorkie and a Maltese, and two big ones, a pair of golden retrievers.

I take my baby, put the two small dogs in the carrier underneath the stroller and head for the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf every morning. It’s a ritual -- ultimate vanilla blended with soy milk, no sugar, no whip.

On a lazier day, we’ll grocery shop, run the reservoir with the baby or hike Runyon Canyon.

Life’s dance

In a week or two I’m going to take out-of-town visitors dancing. I’m recruiting a friend to find the hottest places to go.

I know about Le Deux cafe and the Deep. By the house, Harry Dean Stanton’s playing, good Irish bands are always playing at the Mint on Pico. I like big concerts sometimes; the 40 Licks tour with the Rolling Stones was good. This year we’re going to see White Stripes at the Greek and Radiohead at the Hollywood Bowl.

After a concert like that we try to make it out of the parking lot alive.

And, we’ll probably go to La Poubelle for French food.

-- Carolyn Patricia Scott