Issue Date: November 17, 2002
I recently rented the 2001 comedy Bubble Boy and would like to know more about the actor who plays the lead. Wasn't he just in The Good Girl?
Crystal Shepherd, Marion, Ohio
He's Jake Gyllenhaal (JILL-en-hall), 21, son of showbiz parents Stephen, a director, and screenwriter Naomi ("Losing Isaiah"). Also recently seen in "Moonlight Mile", Gyllenhaal says he wants work to mimic his life, which is why until now he has been drawn to drama (as is his sister, Maggie, 25, who stars in the mad-love film "Secretary"). "In my next film, "The Day After Tomorrow", I'll be active," he says. "[The character is] an action hero, so there's hope."
l was totally taken with Colin Farrell in Minority Report. Is he here to stay?
Lisa Myers, Boca Raton, Fla.
Hollywood is as smitten as you are, so yes, I think he's a keeper. At 26, he reportedly makes $8 million a movie; he has three in the works and three ready to go. "Phone Booth" was to open this weekend but, at press time, remained delayed because the story about a sniper was too close to last month's real events around Washington, D.C.
Would you agree that Kevin Kline could pass for '40s movie star Errol Flynn?
Bill Johnson, Denton, Texas
Certainly, especially when he's sporting a mustache, as he did in 1983's "The Pirates of Penzance". But Kline's swashbuckling style was more comedic than that of the late, great matinee idol, and Kline's private life -- he's married to actress Phoebe Cates and has two kids -- is more respectable. Flynn was a notorious womanizer who drank too much and died at 50. See Kline, 55, next as a sedate schoolteacher in "The Emperor's Club", opening Friday.
What's the mountain in the Paramount Pictures logo?
Betty Bausum, Davidsonville, Md.
Even the suits at Paramount aren't sure, but Utah residents believe it's 9,712-foot Mount Ben Lomond, in the Wasatch Range of the Rockies, near Ogden. William Wadsworth Hodkinson, who founded Paramount in 1912, was from Ogden. During a business meeting, he sketched a mountain, circled in stars. The logo, adopted in 1914, is basically still the same today.
Why does Sandra Bullock often go unappreciated, while Julia Roberts gets so much attention?
Barbara Griggs, Pottsboro, Texas
Timing, mostly. Roberts, 35, was already Hollywood's "It" girl when Bullock, 38, arrived in 1994's "Speed". When Roberts hit a three-year slump with films like "Mary Reilly", Bullock was picking dud scripts of her own. By the time Bullock delivered the moderate hit "Miss Congeniality" in 2000, Roberts was back on top. Bullock tends to do romantic comedies that play up her charm but don't challenge her range. Example: next month's "Two Weeks Notice", with Hugh Grant.
Why is Catherine Zeta-Jones doing T-Mobile phone commercials? Is she not getting enough movie work?
Sharon Salony, Gardnerville, Nev.
Her people won't talk, but let's face it: Few actors don't do ads. At least Zeta-Jones, 33, now pregnant with baby No. 2, isn't hiding from U.S. fans by doing them in Japan like other stars do. As for work, she has plenty, starting with "Chicago", out Dec. 27.
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Readers also want to know what's up with ...
Nicole Kidman's citizenship. The actress was born in Hawaii but raised in Australia by Australian parents. She has dual citizenship.
Steven Spielberg and "Memoirs of a Geisha". Spielberg will produce a movie version of the best-selling book, but Spike Jonze ("Being John Malkovich") will direct. Filming hasn't begun.
Drew Barrymore and "Charlie's Angels 2". She's in the sequel, titled "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and now with Demi Moore, hitting theaters next June. See Barrymore first in next month's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind".
Holly Hunter's latest. The petite actress has two films in 2003: "Levity", with Billy Bob Thornton, and teen drama "Thirteen".
The handsome Fiennes brothers and the women in their lives. Joseph, 32 ("Shakespeare in Love"), bought a house with makeup-artist girlfriend Fiona Jolly in London's Notting Hill. He's now in Asia finishing "The Great Raid" with Benjamin Bratt. Ralph, 39 ("Red Dragon"), is still involved with British stage actress Francesca Annis, 18 years his senior. He's got "Maid in Manhattan" coming Dec. 13, with Jennifer Lopez as co-star.
Ashley Judd's heritage. She's not Hispanic, as some suggest. Her mother, singer Naomi Judd, is a deep-rooted Kentuckian, and Dad Michael Ciminella, a sports producer, is of Italian heritage.
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LORRIE'S LIST
Holiday movies I must see
SOLARIS (Nov. 27)
WHY: Two words --George Clooney.
ANALYZE THAT (Dec. 6)
WHY: Loved the prequel; really love De Niro funny.
PINOCCHIO (Dec. 25)
WHY: Italian Oscar winner Roberto Benigni is the puppet. Will life be beautiful?
ABOUT SCHMIDT (Dec. 13; Jan. 3 nationwide)
WHY: Jack Nicholson stars; Oscar buzz is beginning.
THE HOURS (Dec. 27; January nationwide)
WHY: Four of today's best actresses must make for one heckuva chick flick.
CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (Dec. 27; Jan. 10 nationwide)
WHY: Three words -- director George Clooney.
With: Frappa Stout. Contributing: Bridget Byrne, Evelyn Poitevent.
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BIRTHDAYS
November 17 Danny DeVito, 58; Lauren Hutton, 59; Martin Scorsese, 60
November 18 Duncan Sheik, 33;
November 19 Jodie Foster, 40; Meg Ryan, 41; Ted Turner, 64; Larry King, 69
November 20 Bo Derek, 46
November 21 Ken Griffey Jr., 33; Troy Aikman, 36; Björk, 37; Goldie Hawn, 57
November 22 Jamie Lee Curtis, 44
November 23 Steve Harvey, 46
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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