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

Clear something up for me, please: Will Antonio Banderas star in the new Phantom of the Opera movie or not? And why is it taking so long to get it made?
Renay Banko, Bethlehem, Pa.

The sexy Spaniard will be the Phantom, over the objections of stage Phantom Michael Crawford's fans. Banderas, 40 -- whose wife, actress Melanie Griffith, is in well-publicized recovery from addiction to prescription pain and sleeping pills -- cinched the part when he sang Phantom songs at Andrew Lloyd Webber's birthday party two years ago. The movie now is a tiny step closer to reality. Lloyd Webber has chosen a director: Shekhar Kapur, who made Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett. At press time, they were looking for a "stunning girl" to play Christine.

Al Pacino is so gifted, but we never hear about his family. Does he have a wife? Kids?
Betty Boisvert, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

The actor, 60, never married, but he has a daughter, 11, with an ex-girlfriend and is about to have twins with actress Beverly D'Angelo, 48. Though he's always been press-shy, he agreed to stand in the spotlight at January's Golden Globes: He'll receive the Cecil B. DeMille Career Achievement Award for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field." So true: Almost all his 34 films were critical favorites, big moneymakers or both.

Is Hillary Clinton the first president's wife to seek elected office?
Lillie Greenway, Conway, Ark.

Yes, although Eleanor Roosevelt served in two appointed posts. The historic impact of Clinton's November win means she, and we, are living history, says Carl Sferrazza Anthony, whose book America's First Families is just out. When Clinton is sworn in Jan. 5, it will be the first time a U.S. senator is married to a sitting president -- a situation that will last two weeks and one day. On Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, Clinton's double roles will be most evident, as the new senator takes the traditional place of the outgoing first lady, welcoming the new first family and riding to the Capitol with the incoming first lady.

I'm so taken with the actress who plays Ray Romano's mom on Everybody Loves Raymond. What do you know about her background?
Judy Maxton, Telford, Pa.

Character actress Doris Roberts, 75, had a long stage career before taking to TV. Getting her Raymond role was a coup. She tells us that "160 women read for this part, many of them my friends." In real life, Roberts has one son; he's her manager, but they aren't in each other's house every day. She didn't take home the best supporting actress Emmy she was nominated for this year but hopes her turn will come. She already has one Emmy, for a dramatic turn on St. Elsewhere. She'd really like another for comedy. "That's all I want," she says with a chuckle. "To complete the circle."

Are TV political commentators Tucker Carlson and Margaret Carlson related?
Barbara Bashore St. Johns, Mich.

No. And while CNN's bow-tied Tucker Carlson is the commentator to watch, his first love is writing -- which he does for magazines Talk and The Weekly Standard. "TV can't compare," he tells us. "I wouldn't want to do TV and not print." At home, he keeps the TV turned off so politics doesn't invade his life with wife Susie and kids Lillie, 6, Buckley, 3, and Hopie, 1. "If they grew up to be apolitical, that wouldn't be a bad thing." The "highly caffeinated" 31-year-old, who works at home and reads 50 magazines a month, dreams of interviewing the late George Orwell. "I'd love to run the buzzwords off of him. He was extraordinarily gifted as to seeing through verbal camouflage." And those ties? He's worn them since his school days in Newport, R.I. "They're considered freakish, but I like them. I don't plan my entire wardrobe on other people."

We're wild about Harry Potter at our house, but surprised to hear Home Alone's Chris Columbus was chosen to direct the movie. Will it be as charming as the book, or will we be stuck with his trademark slapstick?
Barbour Family, Boise, Idaho

Author J.K. Rowling is as nervous about the Hollywoodization of Harry as you are. But there's good news: She likes the script and says Columbus couldn't have picked a better Harry than English newcomer Daniel Radcliffe, 11. Columbus, who started shooting the holiday 2001 movie last month, chose a behind-the-scenes crew full of Oscar nominees and winners. That doesn't guarantee charm, but Rowling has the right attitude: Good books, she says, survive bad movies.

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS

December 24: Eddie Pope, 27; Ricky Martin, 29; Mary Higgins Clark, 73
December 25: Rickey Henderson, 42; Jimmy Buffett, 54
December 26: Jared Leto, 29
December 27: Cokie Roberts, 57; John Amos, 60
December 28: Denzel Washington, 46
December 29: Ted Danson, 53; Jon Voight, 62; Mary Tyler Moore, 63
December 30: Tiger Woods, 25; Tracey Ullman, 41; Matt Lauer, 43

Contributing: Tameka Hicks, Stanimira Stefanova