Issue date: August 13, 2000
Tell us more about
Frankie Muniz, the very cool star of Fox's Malcolm in the Middle.
I hear he has a movie coming out.
Sarah Lawson, Seattle
The coolest thing we found out about Frankie is that he might
have played Harry Potter. Steven Spielberg asked Frankie, 14, to
read for him with that in mind. Unfortunately for Frankie, Spielberg
later passed on the film; so much for the role of a lifetime. That
brush with Harry is all Frankie knows about the boy wizard's spell
over the world's kids; he hasn't read a Potter book. Frankie, who's
schooled on the Malcolm set, tells us he envisions adult
life as a geographer: "I'd buy a Learjet, travel the world writing
geography books. With acting, you never know if you're going to
have a job." For now, that's no problem. His acclaimed movie My
Dog Skip is out on video, and he recently wrapped up Deuces
Wild, an action drama due in 2001.
Movie previews that
show the best scenes are so irritating. Why can't movie studios
do a better job editing?
Cathy Ziegaus, Oak Ridge, Tenn.
"We try to show just enough" to hook people, says MGM exec Seth
Gaven. And while it's true that previews (or "trailers") often show
the best bits, Gaven says they're the scenes moviegoers want. How
does he know? They test previews on real audiences. These days,
previews are out way ahead of time. MGM's Hannibal, for example,
is showing now but won't open until 2001. Says Gaven: "It's all
about getting the title out."
Helen Hunt won several
Emmys for Mad About You and an Academy Award for Best Actress,
then disappeared. Why?
Ken Waldron, Bridgeport, Conn.
Actually, she's worked steadily since that 1998 Oscar for As
Good As It Gets. Come fall she's in four films with Hollywood's
top leading men. Dr. T and His Women, a comedy with Richard
Gere, is due Oct. 13; a week later it's Pay It Forward, a
drama with Kevin Spacey. In December you'll see her with Mel Gibson
in a romantic comedy, What Women Want, then with Tom Hanks
in an adventure story, Cast Away.
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Politics
and celebrity: A potent mix in the City of Angels
Democrats open their
party convention Monday in Los Angeles. Expect plenty of stars,
and not just the political kind.
A look at some who'll make and shape the week's news:
Karenna
Gore Schiff, eldest of the four Gore kids and adviser
on "youth" issues. So, why pay attention to youth? "Because we have
a crisis of faith in self-government among young Americans," Schiff
tells us. "It's tragic that a lot of the most idealistic young people
don't vote." She says Gen Xers care about education -- "there's
a real conscientiousness about the gap in opportunity" -- and the
environment. What lessons has she learned from Dad? "To have a strong
sense of self and not let that be undermined by what other people
say." And? "To be kind. He's a very kind person. He's always looking
around to see if other people are comfortable." Schiff will be in
the comfort of family and powerful friends in L.A. Among them: her
hard-working mother, Tipper
Gore, siblings Kristin,
Sarah and Albert,
the president
and Hillary
Clinton (both speak Monday night) and perhaps first daughter
Chelsea. Also Caroline
Kennedy Schlossberg, whose father was nominated in Los
Angeles 40 years ago.
Political activist and actor Christopher
Reeve, 47. Does private life matter? "Presidents have
always been fallible human beings who sometimes become intoxicated
with the luxuries of their office. In the late 20th century, we
became fascinated by the personal behavior of anyone in the public
eye. One really bad side effect is that many qualified individuals
won't run for public office." What's the most important issue today?
"Global overpopulation," he tells us. "Any problem you can think
of stems from it."
Democratic activist and singer extraordinaire Barbra
Streisand, 58. Tickets for her Thursday Gore fund-raiser
(host: Whoopi
Goldberg) are going for $50,000 a couple. That should
get you a night in the Lincoln Bedroom ... Look for actors Ben
Affleck, Patricia Arquette, Billy Baldwin, Richard Dreyfuss, Ted
Danson, Woody Harrelson and Connie Britton there with
the non-partisan Creative Coalition.
ABC reporter Michel
(McQueen) Martin, 41. Why should we tune in? "Because
whoever wins [the election] will be leader of the free world. People
say, 'I'm not into politics,' but politics is going to happen to
them. At the end of the day, who the president is does matter."
Should the press stick to issues only? "Issues often change, and
that's why we have to attend to questions of character and quality
of decision-making."
MSNBC Hardball player and former politico Chris
Matthews, 54. Expecting a dull race? No way. "There's
extreme drama in the choice" between Gore and George W. Bush, Matthews
says. "The election is going to be wickedly close. I can imagine
a situation where the popular vote may be different than the electoral
vote. That close."
-- Reported by Evelyn Poitevent
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BIRTHDAYS
August 13: Dan Fogelberg, 49
August 14: Halle Berry, 31; Magic Johnson, 41; David Crosby, 59
August 15: Ben Affleck, 28; Debra Messing, 32; Princess Anne, 50; Julia Child, 88
August 16: Timothy Hutton, 40; Angela Bassett, 42; Madonna, 42; James Cameron, 46; Kathie Lee Gifford, 47, Frank Gifford, 70
August 17: Jim Courier, 30; Christian Laettner, 31; Sean Penn, 40; Belinda Carlisle, 42; Robert De Niro, 57
August 18: Jada Pinkett Smith, 29; Edward Norton, 31; Patrick Swayze, 48; Robert Redford, 63
August 19: Matthew Perry, 31; Tipper Gore, 52; Bill Clinton, 54
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