In this article: Birthdays "Austin Powers" star Michael York Last week's Who's News Also this week: Halle Berry interview William Petersen of CSI Q&A with Shane West Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!

Q: White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer seems so personable when he's on TV briefing the press. What is he like? What's his background?
JoAnn Pochciol, Ligonier, Pa.

Working with the West Wing press corps isn't the easiest of jobs, but Fleischer, a former student government president who has been in the office one year, makes it look like fun even when it's not. Reporters say they can't help but like Fleischer, which is high praise from an often cynical and unruly bunch. They respect his cool head and good sense of humor in the hot seat. President Bush just calls him "smart." Most of the questions I get on the 41-year-old Fleischer are from women who wonder about his marital status; he's single and says he would like to get married but has no time to date. Friends say he was "born with the lectern in front of him," and although he does look comfortable when he steps behind the big box, the truth is he just happened into a career as a spokesman after graduating with a political science degree from Vermont's Middlebury College in 1982.

Q: I'm curious about actress Uma Thurman in part because of her unusual name. Is it a stage name? Also, does she have any children?
Carlton Wooten, Paradise, Calif.

Thurman's parents, Nena and Robert, were practicing Buddhists who named their children for Buddhist gods. (Her three brothers are Dechen, Ganden and Mipam.) Her name is said to mean "bestower of blessings," but it didn't always make her feel blessed. When she was a teen she would sometimes try out more conventional names, such as Kelly or Linda. The 31-year-old actress was, at press time, expecting a second child any day with husband Ethan Hawke; they already have a daughter, Maya, 3. Come March, Thurman reunites with "Pulp Fiction" director Quentin Tarantino, a good friend she calls a "mad genius," to make "Kill Bill," about a woman's revenge.

Q: Why does Russian figure skater Yevgeny Plushenko -- a contender for a gold medal at the Olympics in Salt Lake City next month -- always wear gloves when he performs?
Joyce Harris, Travelers Rest, S.C.

They serve no purpose but to add pizazz to the costume, and Plushenko is not known for a modest sense of style. He's worn yellow leather and silver-sequined gloves, the latter as part of a routine set to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." It's Plushenko's athleticism -- he was coached up until five years ago by a Russian bodybuilder -- that snagged him the gold at last March's World Championships in Canada. The 19-year-old platinum blond started practicing at age 4; he won the Russian national title at 16 and the European Championships the following year. Salt Lake City will be his first Olympic Games, but, as part of a new elite class of skaters who perform the near-impossible quadruple jump with ease, Plushenko just may beat the field next month.

Q: Cheri Oteri was one of the most talented performers ever on "Saturday Night Live." Why did she leave, and where did she go?
Marty Lauzon, Hollywood, Fla.

Oteri left "SNL" and New York at the end of the 2000 season to seek prime-time stardom, which remains elusive. She has a multimillion-dollar deal with CBS to develop a series, but the pilot she gave the network for this season (she played an ambitious local news star) wasn't picked up. Oteri has guest-starred on a few high-profile shows, though; even before she left SNL, she was Emmy-nominated for a 1999 episode of "Just Shoot Me". Now the Philadelphia native, who's in her 30s, is settling in on the West Coast. She bought a house in L.A. and has her first dog, a mutt named Ricky.

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Few people would liken Shakespeare to Austin Powers, but British actor Michael York has the credentials to get away with it. "Shakespeare would have loved Austin Powers; he had an even bawdier imagination," says York, 59, who plays Basil Exposition in the Mike Myers movies. It's important to remember Shakespeare wrote for the masses, says York, who co-authored a book out last year, "A Shakespearean Actor Prepares." Shakespeare "wrote 'box-office' plays. He wrote for people across the board." Of course, none of that stops strangers from asking York, who recently began filming his third Powers movie: "How can you demean yourself?" Luckily, he doesn't take himself too seriously. He has a new book out this month, "Dispatches From Armageddon: Making the Movie Megiddo ... A Devilish Diary." It started as a tale about the making of one movie -- the sequel, now in limited release, to the surprise 1999 hit "The Omega Code" -- but "became about movies in general." York isn't the only artist in the family; his wife of 33 years, Pat, is a photographer who shows her work around the world. And they love travel. "When I'm asked to go to a film festival, I'll always go to the improbable ones," he confesses, "like those in Macedonia."

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BIRTHDAYS

Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!