Issue Date: Sept. 1, 2002
Q: What are Kim Delaney's plans since ABC canceled her underappreciated and short-lived drama, "Philly"?
Ronni Holland, Portland, Ore.
Delaney goes to Miami this month for "CSI: Miami," CBS' "Crime Scene Investigation" spinoff. She's a late addition to a cast that includes another "NYPD Blue" alum, David Caruso (who presumably will stay put if it becomes a hit). Delaney, 40, who had an Emmy-winning, five-year spin on "Blue," must have been a bit bruised after "Philly," considering she grew up in that city with four brothers in a tight blue-collar Irish-Catholic family (dad Jack is a retired autoworkers union man; mom Joan, a housewife). Delaney now shares a Malibu, Calif., beach home with her fiance, TV producer Alan Barnette, and her son, Jack, 12.
Go to top
"Days of Our Lives" star Lisa Rinna is multi-tasking -- driving, talking to me on her cellphone and trying to find Sears so she can pick up a microwave to replace the one that died that morning. Wife of former "L.A. Law" actor Harry Hamlin and mother of two girls, 4 and 1, Rinna, 37, is multitasking on the career front, too. She's back on "Days" as Billie Reed after a seven-year break (in which she starred for two seasons on prime-time drama "Melrose Place"), and she's co-host of "SoapTalk," a SOAPnet chat show about daytime actors. Rinna says she was attracted to "SoapTalk" after trying out as Regis Philbin's morning show sidekick after Kathie Lee Gifford left. What's so appealing? "I loved being able to be myself," Rinna says. "I loved to be spontaneous ... and I loved talking about people other than myself."
Q: Was country singer Kenny Chesney once engaged to be married? With whom is he involved now?
Danielle Mettler, Embarrass, Minn.
Chesney's engagement -- he won't say to whom -- fell apart nearly three years ago, and he's been mostly solo since. The Nashville-based singer, 34, says his latest CD, "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," which debuted at No. 1 on the "Billboard" pop and country charts, reflects his soul-searching mood after the breakup -- especially the song "A Lot of Things Different." "The one thing you must do in a relationship is make someone feel secure, and in my profession it's even more so. I didn't understand that, and I didn't do it. I regret that." He tours most of the year and can rarely see his home (and its dark green kitchen, which was neighbor Faith Hill's idea), much less a girlfriend. And with his little free time? "I head down to the Caribbean, have a few beers and read a book."
Q: Part of the fun of The Learning Channel's "Trading Spaces" is seeing each homeowner's reaction when a job is done. What happens when the owner hates the new room and leaves sobbing?
Donna Robin, Lafayette, La.
They can change the room back -- at their own cost, says "Spaces" host Paige Davis, who's back for a new season starting next Saturday. "A major element of our show is change and adapting to change," she says. "The idea is not to just get what you want, but to put yourself in a situation where you should be exposed to something new." Davis tells us most folks say the same things, whether they love or hate what is done with the help of "Trading Spaces" designers: It's either "Wow!" or "Oh, my God!" So would Davis submit to having her Manhattan apartment redone? She says she'd like to think she would be that brave.
Q: The cast of NBC's "Just Shoot Me" doesn't get attention like those of "Friends" and "Frasier," but I think they're just as good. Tell me more about Enrico Colantoni.
Samantha Johnson, Chicago
He's been in plays and movies and guest-starred on many TV shows, but his "Just Shoot Me" role as staff photographer Elliott DiMauro is his first long-term series gig. And Colantoni, 39, loves the consistency. The show's seventh season debuts later this month, and the Yale drama grad tells us there will be a new character, played by Rena Sofer ("Traffic," "Ed"). Colantoni is in Steven Soderbergh's latest movie, "Full Frontal," but when he's not working, the married father likes to "wrestle" with his son, 5, and daughter, 2.
Go to top
Actor LeVar Burton, 45, has been hosting PBS' hit children's series "Reading Rainbow" for 18 years -- almost as long as he's been a parent. So he knows how to talk to kids. As his show returns for its 19th season Tuesday, starting with four episodes dedicated to the Sept. 11 anniversary, the "Roots" star hopes to help parents handle the tough topic. "There's going to be an awful lot of media coverage," says Burton, who lives in L.A. and has two kids, 8 and 22. "No. 1 is to be aware of how much your children absorb and in what context. Then, don't be afraid to talk, and listen." In one show, Burton speaks with kids at a school just yards from Ground Zero. Their positive tone is amazing, he says. "They are so resilient. They're dealing with the tragedy a lot better than the adults in the school community." Have kids gotten tougher over the years? "When we started the show, we didn't have child abductions on what seems a weekly basis. There are awarenesses in our kids that weren't part of our consciousness then. It's a fact of life."
With Frappa Stout. Contributing: John Griffiths, Patty Rhule
Go to top
BIRTHDAYS
Sept. 1: Tim Hardaway, 36; Gloria Estefan, 45; Lily Tomlin, 63.
Sept. 2: Salma Hayek, 36; Keanu Reeves, 38; Terry Bradshaw, 54.
Sept. 3: Damon Stoudamire, 29; Charlie Sheen, 37.
Sept. 4: Beyonce Knowles, 21; Wes Bentley, 24; Mike Piazza, 34; Damon Wayans, 42.
Sept. 5: Dweezil Zappa, 33; Raquel Welch, 62; Bob Newhart, 73.
Sept. 6: Foxy Brown, 24; Macy Gray, 33; Rosie Perez, 38.
Sept. 7: Tom Everett Scott, 32.
Also:
 Last week's Who's News
Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
|
