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Issue date:
February 25, 2001
William
Petersen makes CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
must-see TV for me. Where did he come from? And what's he
like?
Susan Sears, Etna, N.Y.
He keeps a home in Chicago, where he has family, but lives
in L.A. because he's a workaholic who not only stars in the
top-rated drama but also produces it. Which makes this single
guy lousy date material, he tells us. "I don't have any time.
When I retire, I may go out." That may be a while. At 47,
Petersen, who has had a solid but low-key film career, is
now finding a wider audience. His Gil Grissom character is
the center of the show. Is he ever creeped out by Grissom's
ghoulish work? "I'm fascinated. I'm becoming really interested
in bugs, maggots and tarantulas" -- which still doesn't make
him good date material.
How
much of the top prize do winners on ABC's "Who Wants
to Be a Millionaire" actually receive after taxes?
Marguerite English, Seneca, S.C.
As little as half. A contestant from Montana (the state with
the highest income tax, 11%) already earning over $297,000
(putting him or her in the top federal tax bracket) would
fork over the most: $506,000, says H&R Block. The least
a new millionaire would owe is $372,974.90; that would be
someone with no other income who lives in one of nine states
with no income tax. At press time, the show had awarded $1
million only six times.
The
people in Oprah Winfrey's audience always look so polished.
I have to ask: Does she handpick them?
Joycelyn Thomas, Galveston, Texas
No. Oprah and staff agree that they have one of TV's best-dressed
audiences, but we're told they do it all on their own. In
fact, the only prerequisite for those who come to watch the
daytime diva on her 300-seat Chicago set is patience. The
reservation line (312-591-9222) is relentlessly busy, especially
right after a broadcast. The secret: Call between 1 and 3
p.m. Central time weekdays. Be prepared to wait at least a
month for tickets. Then keep your fingers crossed that Winfrey
will take audience questions after the taping. Some of these
"after shows" are seen at Oprah.com.
Is Crystal Gayle, who hit it big in the '70s with "Don't
It Make My Brown Eyes Blue", still singing?
Barbara Martin, Selma, Ala.
She's back at it. Having released her first album for kids,
"In My Arms", late last year, Gayle soon will finish
Sisters with big sister Loretta Lynn. Then she'll start a
CD of her own. Her family -- husband of 29 years Bill Gatzimos,
Catherine, 17, and Chris, 14 -- runs Crystal's for Fine Gifts
and Jewelry, a Nashville shop she opened 12 years ago because
"I love to give crystal as presents but could never find anything
I liked." As for the current crop of country stars, Gayle
loves Faith Hill and Garth Brooks, even though they do "crossover"
music, like her own "Brown Eyes Blue". "There is
real country out there," she says. "You just have to dig a
little deeper."
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Except
for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush,we've seen little of our president's
siblings. What can you tell us about them?
Sandy Rose, Vineland, N.J.
George W. Bush's three brothers and one sister are no strangers
to Washington, D.C. Two remained in the area after their father's
presidency ended in 1992, and the others jetted in for their
eldest brother's inauguration. They're all middle-aged now,
busy with career and family. The update:
John Ellis Bush, or "Jeb," 48, was the son the family
expected to run for president someday -- till W. won Texas'
governorship and the GOP's favor. Jeb and his Mexican-born
wife, Columba, 47, live in the Florida governor's mansion
now, as their three children -- handsome George Prescott,
24 ( "P." to the family), Noelle, 23, and Jebby, 17 -- begin
lives of their own.
Neil Bush, 46, is a management consultant in Houston.
As a director of Denver's Silverado Savings & Loan, he
was linked to the 1988 S&L crash that cost taxpayers $1
billion; he paid a $50,000 fine. He and wife Sharon, 48, have
kept a low profile since, but daughter Lauren, 16, is turning
heads as a fashion model. Their two other kids are Pierce,
14, and Ashley, 12.
Marvin Bush, 44, lives in Alexandria, Va., just across
the Potomac from Washington, with wife Margaret, 41, and kids
Marshall, 14, and Charles Walker, 11. A successful venture
capitalist, Marvin helped both his dad and brother on the
campaign trail and with fund-raising.
Dorothy Koch, 41, is the baby of the family and the
only surviving daughter. (In 1953, another daughter, Robin,
died at age 3 of leukemia.) "Doro" raises funds for charities
and lives in the D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Md., with her lobbyist
husband, Robert, 40. Their 1992 marriage shocked the family
because he's a staunch Democrat. They have four kids: Sam
and Ellie LeBlond, 16 and 14, from Doro's previous marriage,
and Robert and Gigi Koch, 7 and 5.
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THIS
WEEKÕS BIRTHDAYS
February 25: Charlotte
Church, 15; Téa Leoni, 35; George Harrison, 58
February 26: Oksana Baiul,
24
February 27: Chelsea Clinton,
21; Ralph Nader, 67; Elizabeth Taylor, 69
February 28: Eric Lindros,
28; John Turturro, 44; Mario Andretti, 61
March 1: Chris Webber,
28; Ron Howard, 47; Harry Belafonte, 74
March 2: Jon Bon Jovi,
39; John Irving, 59; Lou Reed, 59; Mikhail Gorbachev, 70
March 3: Jessica Biel,
19; Jackie Joyner-Kersee, 40
Contributing: Patty Rhule, Frappa Stout
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