Issue Date: September 29, 2002
Eva Amurri, now appearing with her mom, Susan Sarandon, in "The Banger Sisters", wasn't into acting until her mid-teens. "I was convinced I wanted to be a farmer, and then an astronaut," says the 17-year-old, whose father is Italian director Franco Amurri. She changed her mind after playing small roles in Sarandon's films "Dead Man Walking" and "Anywhere but Here". And although she now seems poised for a career of her own, Amurri knows the business can be harsh, so she'll apply to Vassar, Brown and Yale next year to study languages and creative writing. She lives in New York with Sarandon, Tim Robbins and their sons but splits school breaks between her mom and her dad, who lives in Rome. We know her mother (who turns 56 next Friday) plays an ex-groupie in "Sisters", but was she ever one in reality? "She dated David Bowie," Amurri says, "but I think that's the closest she ever came."
I'm impressed by the actress who plays the love interest of character Josh Lyman on "The West Wing". Who is she?
Albert Gal, New York City
You're talking about Mary-Louise Parker, 38, best known for films like "Fried Green Tomatoes" and "Boys on the Side" and her Tony-winning performance in Broadway's "Proof". This season Parker joins "The West Wing" as a regular -- a sign that the romance between her character, lobbyist Amy Gardner, and Bradley Whitford's Josh Lyman will continue. She also appears in next month's "Red Dragon", the "Silence of the Lambs" prequel with Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton and Anthony Hopkins.
David Morse was in one of my favorite TV shows, "St. Elsewhere", in the '80s. Now I see he has a new show. What happened to him in between?
Kathleen Chaney, Cottonwood, Ariz.
Several movies, a little New York theater and a move to Pennsylvania. He's back on TV in CBS' "Hack", a job he took once he knew it could be filmed entirely in Philadelphia. The intensely private 48-year-old doesn't like jobs that take him away from wife Susan and their daughter and twin sons. (The family left L.A. after their home was destroyed in the 1994 earthquake.) Mike Olshansky, the crime-fighting cabby Morse plays, is a character "I could really live with," he says. "And then to realize I could actually go home every day and see my kids -- that's a great thing."
Gretchen Mol, who was in "Rounders" and "Sweet and Lowdown", seemed on the verge of a big film career a few years ago, but nothing happened. What can you tell me about her?
Roger Creel, Charleston, W.Va.
She's a single 28-year-old from Deep River, Conn., with a TV series, David E. Kelley's "Girls Club", debuting next month. At press time, Kelley hadn't given critics a look, but his scripts have made small-screen stars out of actors like Calista Flockhart ("Ally McBeal") and Dylan McDermott ("The Practice"), so Mol's move for the show, from New York to L.A., seems wise.
It's been a long time since I've heard Oprah Winfrey mention her boyfriend, Stedman Graham, on her show. Are they still an item?
Emilie Stone, Glendale, Ariz.
Yes, but don't look for a wedding any time soon. Even though they got engaged 10 years ago, they've never set a date, and increasingly it seems they never will. The best explanation I've heard for Oprah's unwillingness to wed is the one she shared with me in an interview four years ago. "Stedman is a very traditional man," she said, "and 'wife' would mean more to him. He would think I have to behave like one." Oprah is many things, but a traditional wife she's not.
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You may not know Mark Feuerstein by name, but you probably know his face. You've seen it on "Sex and the City" and "Ally McBeal" and in movies such as Mel Gibson's "What Women Want". Now that he's the lead in NBC's new "Good Morning Miami", Feuerstein (FOY-er-steen) is ready to be a household name. "Bring it on," laughs the New York native, 31. He plays a hotshot TV producer who takes a job at the nation's worst morning show after instantly falling for its hairstylist. Does the L.A.-based bachelor believe in love at first sight? "Yes. It happens to me every day," he deadpans, then confesses, "I do, but I haven't been hit by that thunderbolt yet."
With: Frappa Stout. Contributing: Bridget Byrne, Patty Rhule.
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BIRTHDAYS
September 29: Bryant Gumbel, 54
September 30: Martina Hingis, 22; Eric Stoltz, 41
October 1: Mark McGwire, 39; Jimmy Carter, 78
October 2: Kelly Ripa, 32; Lorraine Bracco, 48; Sting, 51
October 3: India Arie, 27; Kevin Richardson, 30; Gwen Stefani, 33
October 4: Anne Rice, 61; Charlton Heston, 78
October 5: Kate Winslet, 27; Grant Hill, 30
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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