Issue Date: August 18, 2002
Q: Cate Blanchett knocked my socks off with her solo cooking scene in "Bandits." I guess I'm late to the party, but who is she?
Richard Garland, Auburn, Calif.
You are a little late to the playful Blanchett, whom some critics hail as the second coming of Meryl Streep. Like Streep, the Melbourne, Australia-born Blanchett has, at 33, built a reputation for putting on various accents and hair colors; she was a redhead in "Bandits" and wore long blond locks in "Lord of the Rings," and for the upcoming "Heaven," she actually shaved her head. I guess you also missed Blanchett's Oscar nomination (and Golden Globe win) for her virginal Queen Elizabeth I in 1998's "Elizabeth." Now, she and her screenwriter husband, Andrew Upton, live in London and have a son, Dashiell, who was born last December (named for the couple's favorite writer, Dashiell Hammett). And, much like the domestic-minded Streep, Blanchett is a self-described list-making, kitchen-cleaning mom who promotes children's causes and favors wearing tweeds and cardigans.
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"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is summer's sleeper hit. A word-of-mouth movie that satisfies many tastes, it may even be spun into a midseason CBS series. Producer Rita Wilson, 43, knows big fat Greek weddings and tells hilarious tales of her own nuptials to Tom Hanks. "We took over a two-story restaurant in L.A.," she recalls. "We had a Greek band and a rock band, and whenever the Greek band was on, we danced around those two stories in a chain. People were drenched. Tom actually took a square table in his teeth, balanced it in his mouth and danced while holding this table. He transformed into a Greek. Everyone was smashing plates and throwing money at him. It was totally great."
Q: Do famous people get called for jury duty? If so, do they serve, or do they have their agents get them out of it?
Rick Hassler, El Paso
Jury duty, which I get like clockwork every two years, is a great equalizer, and, yes, stars get called. Like the rest of us who are at least 18 and U.S. citizens, celebs looking for an out must meet the criteria that allow for dismissal. In New York recently, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs was excused after he told a judge he could not be impartial. Louis Rukeyser, host of his CNBC "Wall Street" show, was a potential juror in the recent Michael Skakel murder trial; he was dismissed because of work commitments and legal issues of his own.
Q: Wouldn't Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum mysteries make great movies? Whom do you see playing Plum and her two love interests?
Linda Malecki, Wheaton, Ill.
I'm with Evanovich, who tells me she sees Sandra Bullock as Stephanie: "I used to think Marisa Tomei, but then I saw Miss Congeniality." As for the men, she likes Ben Bratt as Joe Morelli (I see Ben Affleck) and, as Ranger, The Rock (I like Benicio Del Toro). Not that any of this will happen. Evanovich sold TriStar rights to her first book, "One for the Money," and though many writers have tried, there's no movie yet. Evanovich, 59, would love a crack at the screenplay, but no one's asked. I guess these moviemakers don't read best-seller lists, where her newest, "Hard Eight," landed this summer. A holiday Plum adventure, "Visions of Sugar Plums," is due in November.
Q: Is Hilary Duff, the teen actress from the Disney Channel show "Lizzie McGuire," dating anyone in particular?
Florence Munoz, Kapolei, Hawaii
Duff tells me she isn't dating anyone, but she remains friendly with ex-boyfriend Aaron Carter. She spent much of the summer acting opposite Frankie Muniz in a secret-agent movie for release next year. Muniz, 16, was making Duff crazy because he can drive and she can't even get a learner's permit until she turns 15 next month. "I feel like my life is passing me by while I can't drive!" she cries. Actually, she has a very cool life and no regrets about missing out on typical teenage trials such as drinking and sex. "I'm so far from that," she says.
Q: Matt Williams of the Arizona Diamondbacks has one of the most attractive wives in baseball. Who is she?
Frankie Gee, Elmhurst, N.Y
Had, Frankie. Past tense. Williams' 3 1/2-year marriage to actress Michelle Johnson looks to be over. Friends were stunned last month when Johnson, 36, who made her debut in 1984's "Blame It on Rio" and appeared in the 2000 football movie "The Replacements," filed for divorce. It was just last November when the couple, along with Williams' three school-aged children from his first marriage, celebrated the Diamondbacks' World Series championship, acting like newlyweds. Williams, 36, even picked Johnson up in his arms in front of TV cameras, screaming, "I love you!"
Q: George Clooney is hot onscreen, but in interviews he seems to be knowledgeable about much more than movies. What did he do before acting?
Angela Cole, Sanford, Mich.
Clooney, 41, single-mindedly pursued show business, despite -- as his dad, Nick, once told me -- family urgings to complete a degree in broadcasting so he'd have something to "fall back on." Instead, he headed to Hollywood at barely 20 and lived with his aunt, the late Rosemary Clooney, while he did odd jobs and looked for acting work. You're right that he's smart; not only does he star in big films, but he's now a producer and director, too (his debut, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," is due in January). He's also thoughtful, loyal and fun, traits that have served him well.
With Frappa Stout. Contributing: Jason Farmand, John Griffiths, Nancy Mills, Bob Nightengale.
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BIRTHDAYS
August 18: Edward Norton, 33; Patrick Swayze, 50;
Robert Redford, 66.
August 19: Matthew Perry, 33;
Lee Ann Womack, 36;
Tipper Gore, 54;
Bill Clinton, 56.
August 20: Al Roker, 48;
Connie Chung, 56;
Isaac Hayes, 60.
August 21: Kim Cattrall, 46.
August 22: Tori Amos, 39
August 23: Kobe Bryant, 24;
Jay Mohr, 32.
August 24: Marlee Matlin, 37;
Reggie Miller, 37;
Craig Kilborn, 40;
Cal Ripken Jr., 42.
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