What is Madonna doing now besides expecting a baby? Anything in the way of a new album?
Kevin Ciapetta, Independence, Fla.

Yes. She's given it the catchy title Music and says it's "a collection of personal love songs." And though there's been some bootleg Internet play of one cut-in-progress, expect the real thing in September, the same month the singer expects to deliver her second child, rumored to be a boy. All summer Madonna's been in London, home of her baby's father, director Guy Ritchie, working on Music, buying a new home and premiering The Next Big Thing (her movie with Rupert Everett that bombed in America). Madonna, 42 next month, isn't saying where she'll raise the baby but did tell the Brits: "I love the countryside, I love a nice glass of stout and I love my boyfriend." She must love her new digs, too: six bedrooms, pool and gym.

How did Vince Gill and Amy Grant get together? I like Gill, but I'm also a fan of Grant's ex-husband, Gary Chapman.
Darlene Beyer, Cecil, Wis.

Country-singing newlyweds Grant and Gill "had been collaborating since 1994," says Mark Bego, author of a Gill bio. "With Amy he found a camaraderie he didn't have with [first wife] Janis." Bego says Gill's first marriage was like A Star Is Born in reverse. "In the '80s, Janis [of Sweethearts of the Rodeo] was the one with the big career. Then the '90s come and he's the star." Bego tells us he believes the Gill-Grant relationship was platonic till both had divorced. Chapman remarried July 1.

I heard recently that actress Sharon Stone had a baby. Were earlier pregnancy reports true?
Faith Hydie, Palo Alto, Calif.

She had a couple of miscarriages, so it's nice to see her cradling adopted son Roan, 2 months. Stone, 42, once told us her husband, San Francisco Examiner executive editor Phil Bronstein, is "a special person" who could take whatever comes with kids and not "disappear." She wasn't worried about trying for a baby at age 40 because she's always been "healthful-minded."

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Newsmakers and shakers jump-start the presidential race

The hoopla in Philadelphia gets going Monday. It won't be gavel to gavel, but all the networks and cable news stations plan coverage. A few of the interesting faces you'll see:

A sexy George P. Bush, recently named one of People magazine's "100 Most Eligible Bachelors." The 24-year-old "P" (as his uncle George W. Bush and the rest of the family calls him) is the convention's youth chairman. So what do young people care about? Surprisingly, Social Security. Bush tells us his uncle's plan to let workers invest some of their Social Security taxes in the stock market "is going to resonate in an age where you have 15- and 16-year-olds taking their savings and trading online."

Young voters should ask the candidates: "What kind of country are we going to be living in when we become the power holders of society?" If he could tell Uncle George just one thing, it would be ...? "Remember that the most important things in life are right there next to you at home." Speaking of home, look for former president and first lady George and Barbara Bush; George P's parents, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and wife Columba; and George W's teenage twins, Jenna and Barbara.

"True-blue Democrat" and President Clinton's former press secretary, Mike McCurry. What's he doing at a Republican party? "Analyzing" for CNN, of course. It's his first convention as an outsider. We ask the ex-insider what makes a good president. "The vision thing," he tells us. "To understand the presidency is about the future, not the past." And let's not forget "values -- truthfulness, integrity and character, courage." What should Americans tell the press they want in convention coverage? Says McCurry, 45: "Don't give up on substance. We can handle it. Don't think we're stupid."

A fresh face in the talking-head camp, Michele Mitchell, 30. The CNN Headline News correspondent and political analyst wrote A New Kind of Party Animal and became an expert on her generation's interest, or lack thereof, in politics. What does she hear from Gen X? " 'Does it really make a difference if a Democrat or Republican is elected?' That's what I'm going to try to find out." Might this be the breakthrough year for a female Republican running mate? "No way. It's not time yet. There are some incredibly qualified women -- everybody mentions Elizabeth Dole -- but do you really think the Republican Party is going to have a Bush-Dole ticket? The two names that lost the last two times around?" Good point.

Activist-actor William Baldwin, 37, who learned to talk politics at the family dinner table. President of the non-partisan entertainment-industry group Creative Coalition, he'll be with the Republicans in Philly and the Dems next month in L.A., with other stars in tow. Does celeb backing help? "It can't hurt. You get a bigger story. There's more impact; it raises more awareness. [Star involvement] gets the candidate more [TV] time, and they're critically important if you want the support of the media,the support of Congress, the support of the American people."

-- Reported by Evelyn Poitevent

Go to the 2000 GOP Convention report