Issue Date: July 28, 2002
I am such a fan of the Boston Red Sox's Manny Ramirez that when I lived in Cleveland and he was with the Indians I went to all home games just to see him. I think he's a great player and an attractive guy.
Sheri Cantwell, Des Moines
He's also no longer one of baseball's most eligible bachelors. In October Ramirez married a Brazilian woman, Juliana Monterio, who was a hostess at a restaurant in Boston. During baseball season, they live in a $6 million penthouse at the Ritz-Carlton; they have a three-bedroom winter home in Weston, Fla., too. They'll need all that space for a baby: Friends say Juliana is expecting. (Ramirez also has a 7-year-old son.) Even with an eight-year, $160 million contract, Ramirez isn't always a big spender. He once waited 2 1/2 months to cash five paychecks from the Indians.
Any truth to the rumors that country music superstars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are getting married?
Kathie Riffle, Willoughby, Ohio
Their individual reps won't confirm wedding plans (or another rumor that a baby is on the way), but the stars' recent public displays of affection signal readiness to be out of the couple closet. It's about time: Country music followers long have thought that the duo, the best of friends since they met as Nashville demo singers in the late '80s, really were in love despite the fact that each was married to someone else. They fixed that: Yearwood, 37, divorced husband No. 2 in 1999; Brooks, 40, who has three daughters, ended his 15-year marriage in December after one brief try at reconciliation.
What will Susanna Thompson do now that ABC has canceled her family drama, "Once and Again"?
Lois Gangell, Bremerton, Wash.
She's looking for work, but it's "gotta be the right thing," says Thompson, a San Diego native and Navy brat who has lived all over the world. Since the show ended in April, Thompson has spent time with family and friends. Skilled in the martial art aikido, she's also big on yoga, meditation, nature hikes and losing herself in books like Mark Salzman's "Lying Awake" (the tale of a cloistered nun). "I try to have some quiet time."
Former president Bill Clinton has been hired to be a "roving ambassador" for two investment funds. How will trade secrets to which he was privy be protected as he enters into such business arrangements?
Robert Evans, San Francisco
Conflicts of interest are unlikely in Clinton's role as rainmaker for the two L.A.-based funds specializing in lower-income communities. "Issues dealt with in an administration don't involve knowing what's going on internally at different businesses," says Leon Panetta, Clinton's former chief of staff, "and he won't be dealing with anything secretive." It would be different if Clinton, who has made a reported $9 million from lecturing, worked in the defense industry: "Then he'd have to be careful not to reveal any classified information on a particular weapons system or technology."
I'm appalled by the rudeness of many TV news-talk show hosts. Particularly irksome is their habit of interrupting guests. When did such behavior become OK?
Ray Phillips, Levittown, Pa.
Blame it on Jerry Springer, right, says Deborah Tannen, author of "The Argument Culture" (among other pop books on communication). His talk show, which debuted in 1991, was among the first to showcase incivility, and there's no end in sight, says Tannen, who believes "our entire democratic way of life is at risk, and I'm not the first to say this." Shout shows like Chris Matthews' "Hardball" "only attract guests with extreme, polarizing views. Those with thoughtful opinions don't get invited." Nor do they want to be. "It turns people off," Tannen says. Except for the viewers.
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Enron. Arthur Andersen. WorldCom. Their failures make even the monied class nervous. But multimillionaire Alex Spanos, whose book "Sharing the Wealth: My Story" was an instant best seller, says the best strategy in these shaky times is to "move toward the goals you set forth. Your planning should be long range, anyway." Spanos, who owns the San Diego Chargers, tells us he also believes in taking risks. In 1951, he left steady work at his father's bakery to start a sandwich business. Five years later he was a millionaire and began investing in real estate. At 78, career still drives this father of four, who has 15 grandchildren. "Vacations?" he asks. "It's beyond me. I'd rather work."
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Daisy Fuentes knows a little something about being a good host. The former MTV VJ and host of "America's Funniest Home Videos" says the secret is "be yourself." That sounds easy enough to pull off at my next dinner party, but when the cameras are in your face and the hot studio lights are making you sweat, it takes a cool personality to put on a good show. "Tom Bergeron is great," Fuentes says when I ask who she thinks are pros. "And Oprah ..." Well, need we say more? The fact is, Fuentes, 35, is no slouch herself, which is why she said yes to hosting the Women's Entertainment channel's "StyleWorld". Guided by Fuentes, viewers see the culture, design and shopping found around the world. Fuentes knows something about style, too, but she's not one to judge. "I think everyone has style," she says. "Some good, some bad."
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BIRTHDAYS
July 27: Bill Bradley, 59
July 29: Martina McBride, 36; Peter Jennings, 64
July 30: Hilary Swank, 28; Vivica A. Fox, 38; Lisa Kudrow, 39; Laurence Fishburne, 41; Arnold Schwarzenegger, 55
July 31: J.K. Rowling, 37; Wesley Snipes, 40
August 1: Coolio, 39; Dom DeLuise, 69
August 2: Kevin Smith, 32; Wes Craven, 63
August 3: John C. McGinley, 43; Martha Stewart, 61; Martin Sheen, 62; Tony Bennett, 76
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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