Valerie Gibson

Can America handle Valerie Gibson? The Sun's resident sex columnist is featured tonight on the ABC newsmagazine Primetime Live. Seems Cougar power is sweeping the U.S. Who better to explain it all to the God-fearing Red States than the woman who wrote the book, Cougar: A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger Men.

Just out in paperback, Gibson's saucy tome first titillated Canadians almost a dozen years ago. The recent updated paperback edition has helped the Cougar phenomenon cross the border.

Then there's that tabloid-fueled frenzy over Demi Moore, 42, and Ashton Kutcher, 27, Hollywood's most celebrated Cougar/Boy Toy pairing. Other power babes, such as Sandra Bullock (dating Monster Garage outlaw Jesse James) and Sheryl Crowe (paired with younger cycle phenom Lance Armstrong) have helped frisky up the plus-40 female scene.

Gibson's book suggests older babes are more sophisticated today and crave sex without cohabitation, kids and other commitments. The idea "seems to be just taking off in America," says Gibson, whose fiery red hair and fabulous body turn heads at the Sun.

Sitting across from her in her office, with her crisp tailored suit and well-mannered English accent, it is hard not to think of her as your kid's grade school principal rather than somebody who trolls for Boy Toys or swings from stripper poles (as she does on tonight's Primetime Live). Just as I start to wonder if she wears thongs or briefs, a chilling realization comes over me -- I'm way too old for her!

Gibson herself would have none of that narrow thinking. A remark about boy crazy teacher Mary Kay LeTourneau (set to marry her student lover after seven years in the slammer) draws a mildly disapproving nod from Gibson, but you can tell she's still open to love blooming just about anywhere.

It is that open attitude that has endeared her to readers, who, if you'll excuse the expression, jam her inbox with hundreds of sex salvos a day.

An appearance earlier this year with bullying TV shrink Dr. Phil helped raise her U.S. profile. Last week, she flew to New York to chat with ABC's Cynthia McFadden for tonight's May sweeps broadcast.

"We went out at night with four younger men and partied at a couple of night clubs," says Gibson. "Unfortunately, the places they took us were not where Cougars hang out -- we prefer more upscale -- but I didn't care. I was too busy guzzling French champagne."

That's when the incident with the pole took place. "They've got stripper poles in night clubs now," says Gibson, who gave one a whirl. "I enjoy anything that's fun."

Among Gibson's stud posse was one of her biggest fans, urbancougar.com dude Jeremy. On his site, he categorizes older babes into "species' (anything from Rolls-Royce to Trans Am to Taurus, "they're everywhere") to Canadian-born Maple Leafs ("warning -- she probably likes Rush!").

Jeremy, 28, reports that Gibson's impromptu pole dance was "nothing short of spectacular." She completely lived up to her reputation as the original Cougar and is "extremely sexy," he adds.

She's also suddenly a one-woman TV industry. Besides regular calls to appear as a sexpert on various local shows, she's taping three more specials for the Discovery network and this week shoots a pilot for her own new sex-themed reality series on W.

"I'm excited because it's the first time I'll be the host," she says, describing the show as "helpful, not humiliating."

She must have picked up a few reality pointers from her pal Jeff Probst, host of Survivor. He's a big fan of her book and tried to partner up with her on a TV project two or three years ago. Gibson got e-mails for six months from Probst who would type between takes from Africa, the Aussie Outback or wherever else he happened to be surviving those days.

That project fell through, but a Hollywood movie producer stepped up around the same time with a pitch to turn Gibson's book into a big-screen epic. There were meetings and back-and-forth plane trips, but that too went south -- literally.

Still, you can't keep a good Cougar down. Gibson says the ABC Primetime Live experience was first class and fun. With new Cougar reality TV projects coming from the likes of Ivana Trump and Jerry Hall, she's set to stake out her end of the jungle.

TONIGHT: Speaking of Dr. Phil, the surly Texan will hand hold with reformed drunk and phone-sex sleazeball Pat O'Brien today at 5 p.m. (CTV) before O'Brien makes his shameless return to The Insider (CH, 7 p.m.). Bottoms up!