In this article: Birthdays Last week's Who's News

Why is Joe Lieberman, Al Gore's running mate, often called the conscience of the U.S. Senate?
Howard Miller, Oakland, Calif.

Mostly because it's clear he has one. As Lieberman, the first Jewish nominee on a major presidential ticket, told us all on the day he became Gore's choice, "My faith is part of me. it's been at the center of who I"ve been all my life." And that includes public life in his home state of Connecticut and in Washington, D.C. But his talk about God, ethics, integrity and responsibility doesn"t sit well with every audience. And some of the same hot-button issues that earned Lieberman (with wife Hadassah, above) his rep as the Senate's conscience -- vulgar song lyrics and TV violence, for example -- make for difficult politics. He's ruffled some feathers in Hollywood, where it's been suggested that his objections mean he favors censorship.

Heath Ledger quickly became one of my top five faves after I saw him in 10 Things I Hate About You. Then I saw his fabulous work in The Patriot. What's he doing next?
Jessie Ray, Franklin, Tenn.

Ledger jumped from The Patriot right into two more costume dramas due in 2001: A Knight's Tale, in which he's in full armor, and The Four Feathers, yet another remake of the 1939 British classic in which a young soldier must prove his courage. The actor, 21, grew up in Australia but now lives out of suitcases; he likes to keep moving on. He says he doesn"t want to act forever, but as the buzz on him grows, he may find it hard to choose differently.

I'm eager to see the beautiful Thandie Newton, Tom Cruise's MI:2 love interest, in any new movie. How long must I wait?
Bill Botinelly, Denver

At least until next year. Newton, 27, has no plans to work until she adjusts to new motherhood; at press time, she and her screenwriter husband, Oliver Parker, were home in London awaiting the birth of their first baby. For a fix, rent Newton's early work, like Beloved, or Interview With the Vampire, where she met Cruise.

Finally, Fresh TV

You've seen the promos and read the hype. Now you want to know who's hot (or not) this TV season. Predicting hits and misses is a little like guessing what Cher might wear to the Oscars -- risky business. But this we know: Movie stars are taking to the tube. Who'll survive? You'll decide.

Sally Field Moviegoers may have really liked her, but Field, 53, found a potentially juicy part on NBC's Thursday drama, ER. In six episodes, she'll play the estranged mother of Maura Tierney's doc-in-training. Field could be a needed shot in ER's creative arm.

Gabriel Byrne He's best known for his movies (Stigmata, Man in the Iron Mask) here in the States, but small-screen stardom isn"t new to the 50-year-old Irishman. He had a hit show in England in the early 1980s. ABC, having dumped its TGIF lineup, hopes Byrne's Madigan Men will bring new viewers to Friday night. Byrne, who stars as an Irish architect in Manhattan living with his father and teenage son, wants it to "explore the emotional complexity of men's lives." Did we mention it's a sitcom?

Bette Midler "You mean, what happened to my movie career?" the straight-shooting Divine Miss M answers those who dare ask, "Why TV?" A master of the stage, Midler, 53, has had an inconsistent movie career. But any past failure (wasn't Isn't She Great? great?) is now material for her CBS sitcom, Bette, loosely based on the singer's life.

Geena Davis At least Midler's character, "an incomparable superstar," is called Bette. Davis" Tuesday-night ABC show bears her name, but her character, a Sex and the City sort who moves in with a fiancˇ (Peter Horton) and gets instant stepmomhood, is called Teddie. Maybe the rest will make sense.

Oliver Platt OK, so he's not a huge star. But his rˇsumˇ reads movies (Bullworth, Dr. Doolittle). Now his new drama for NBC, Deadline -- created by Law & Order's Dick Wolf -- looks as if it could be a post-Internet Lou Grant-like quality show. Platt, 40, is a New York newspaper columnist who has a college teaching job as well. His students aid his reporting of "nothing but the truth."

BIRTHDAYS

October 1: Mark McGwire, 37; Julie Andrews, 65
October 2: Sting, 49
October 3: Neve Campbell, 27; Kevin Richardson, 28; Gwen Stefani, 31; Fred Couples, 41
October 4: Alicia Silverstone, 24; Susan Sarandon, 54; Jackie Collins, 59; Charlton Heston, 76
October 5: Kate Winslet, 25; Grant Hill, 28
October 6: Rebecca Lobo, 27
October 7: Yo-Yo Ma, 45; John Mellencamp, 49; Oliver North, 57