I've been an Elizabeth Taylor fan since I was old enough to say her name, so I could listen to Gianni Bozzacchi all day. Taylor's chosen photographer for eight years during her career zenith -- we're talking the bawdy, dripping-with-diamonds Liz-&-Dick jet-set years -- Bozzacchi had a close relationship with the star, and his new book, "Elizabeth Taylor: The Queen and I," is an affectionate tribute to her. Bozzacchi says Taylor granted intimate access, despite her desire to control her image, "because I had sex appeal when I was doing it, and sex appeal appeals to her. Also, there was trust. I would tell her, 'Let me do it; don't worry.' After two or three months, she didn't care." Bozzacchi says there was just one photo in his archive that Taylor asked him not to use in his book, because she wanted it for a book of her own. So, will she write an autobiography someday? Don't hold your breath: She once told me that's something she'd never do, because "I'd have to relive it to write it."

Q: I always enjoy Janel Moloney on "The West Wing." Is she new to acting or has she been around in lesser-known roles?
Jim Urban, Freehold, N.J

"West Wing" is her first big role, but "I busted my [butt] for seven years trying to get work," says Moloney, 33, who grew up near Hollywood and wanted to be an actress from age 4. "I remember asking my dad, 'How do those people get on TV?' " Her father knew a bit about show business, because his parents had been in burlesque. "My grandmother was a stripper," says Moloney, who's in Showtime's "Bang Bang You're Dead" this Sunday. "I think she really wanted to be an actress. She was a great dancer -- kind of outlandish."

Q: I've read that Meg Ryan goes to church. With what faith is she affiliated?
Pat Farren, Sequim, Wash.

Ryan, 40, was raised a Roman Catholic in Fairfield, Conn., and went to Catholic school through eighth grade. She's still affiliated with the church -- rumors flew two years ago that she and then-beau Russell Crowe would marry in a Catholic church -- but the single mother has broadened her horizons recently: She's into Eastern religious studies, yoga and meditation.

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Who knew an aardvark could be so compelling? Author-illustrator Marc Brown did. Twenty-six years ago he created a lovable hero in Arthur, the bespectacled aardvark of his children's book series, later adapted for television. Monday, PBS' "Arthur" celebrates its 100th episode. The show premiered in October 1996 and within a year was the network's top-rated kids' program. As Arthur toasts its latest milestone, we wonder if the star has let fame go to his head:

Q: Now that you've reached your 100th episode, will you ask for a bigger trailer?
A bigger trailer? Gosh, I'd settle for a new bike! You've never worked at PBS, have you?

Q: What are your food demands on the set?
Some aardvarks live on a steady diet of live ants. Me? I've never eaten a bug. Just give me anything with peanut butter in it and I'm happy.

Q: What's the first thing you bought when you started doing the show?
Moon boots. The package said you could jump as high as the moon, but it turned out you could only jump as high as my little sister's knees. And then you'd fall over.

Q: What do people say when they recognize you on the street?
"Your ears look even bigger in person."

Q: What would people be surprised to know about you?
I wear Bionic Bunny underwear. I won't say whether they're boxers or briefs.

Q: What's the coolest thing you've ever done?
Getting interviewed by Larry King on his TV show. He gave me a pair of autographed suspenders.

Q: We never hear about Sen. Ted Kennedy's wife. What does she do? Does she have children?
Rita Bhatia, Roseville, Calif.

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, daughter of longtime Kennedy family friends and political allies, has a daughter and son. In 1992, when her marriage to the senator, now 70, was new and she was sharing custody of her kids, I would see them coming and going, because her ex-husband lived on my street in Washington, D.C. A native of Louisiana, Mrs. Kennedy, 48, is a lawyer (Tulane, 1979), although she isn't practicing, and she has been a steadying force in her husband's life, which was seriously troubled before they met.

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BIRTHDAYS
October 13: Ashanti, 22; Tisha Campbell-Martin, 34; Kelly Preston, 40; Jerry Rice, 40.
October 14: Usher, 24; Ralph Lauren, 63.
October 15: Penny Marshall, 60.
October 16: Kellie Martin, 27; Tim Robbins, 44; Suzanne Somers, 56; Angela Lansbury, 77.
October 17: Eminem, 30; Chris Kirkpatrick, 31; Wyclef Jean, 30; Alan Jackson, 4.
October 18: Martina Navratilova, 46; Peter Boyle, 67; Chuck Berry, 76.
October 19: Chris Kattan, 32; Evander Holyfield, 40; John Lithgow, 57.

With: Frappa Stout. Contributing: Nancy Mills, Evelyn Poitevent.

Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!