Issue Date: July 27, 2003
Who's the handsome young man who plays Sam Walker on NBC's "American Dreams"?
Sarah Carvalho, Merrimack, N.H.
He's Arlen Escarpeta, and along with handsome, he's funny and insightful. Born in Belize and raised in Los Angeles, Escarpeta, 22, first was seen three years ago in a guest role on Fox's "Boston Public"; "Dreams" is, well, his dream. "I'm having so much fun I didn't even want to go on break in mid-May like everyone else," says Escarpeta, who still lives with his mom, stepdad and four sisters (his father died when he was 3). Set in '60s Philadelphia, the drama focuses heavily on the racial tensions and unrest of the time, with Escarpeta's character at the center of the action. "I've never dealt with racism or discrimination," he says, "so it was eerie to play that." Like Sam, Escarpeta loves sports. He also collects spiders and is a cartoon fan ("even the girlie ones, like 'Care Bears' and 'Rainbow Brite'"). And yes, he has a girlfriend, his high school sweetheart, who's studying journalism.
Are contestants on CBS' reality show "Survivor" paid for the time they're in remote locations?
Dennis Aschbrenner, Jacksonville, N.C.
If you consider their winnings a paycheck for time away, then yes, they all get paid. Of course, top survivors such as student and swimsuit model Jenna Morasca, who won "Survivor: The Amazon", get $1 million, and the runner-up pockets $100,000. Even the first contestant eliminated gets $2,500. All others are paid something in between, based on a sliding scale the network won't reveal.
What's the background on MSNBC anchor Lester Holt? He did a great job during the Iraq war and would be an excellent replacement for Tom Brokaw when he retires.
Ann Grove, York, Pa.
Brian Williams has Brokaw's job wrapped up, and that's fine with Holt, 44. He's been anchoring "Weekend Today" on NBC since David Bloom's death in Iraq and is heir apparent to that job. "I love the breaking news story," says Holt, who's married and the father of two teens. A military and aviation buff who grew up on Air Force bases in California and Alaska (his dad was a sergeant and aviation mechanic), Holt worked as a country DJ during high school and thought he might pursue a radio career. In college, however, he got a reporting job with a local TV station: "I was chasing cops and firemen. It was just so fun, I realized all I wanted to do was news."
Go to top
Pop singer Mandy Moore is poised to go where Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera have not yet been: movie stardom. Although she hasn't set singing aside -- her next album, "Coverage", is due in September -- Moore has been working non-stop in movies since her successful debut in "The Princess Diaries" two years ago. Her latest, the coming-of-age film "How to Deal", is playing to her teen fans; they'll see her next in a high school drama, "Saved". At the moment, Moore is in Europe shooting an untitled romance in which she plays the president's daughter. "I've found a lot more in common with this character," Moore says. "She goes on this journey through Europe by herself. ... It's kind of 'Roman Holiday'-esque." By choice, Moore, 19, lives with her parents and two brothers: "Moving out would signify independence, but I'm not ready. I still want someone to do my laundry. I sleep with my bathroom light on." Moore says she's no superstar but sees the pitfalls of fame with her boyfriend, tennis heartthrob Andy Roddick (with her above). "Teenage girls are falling all over themselves to shake his hand or say hello," she says. She's not jealous. "I like teenage girls. They're confident. They'll come up and say 'Hi' in a heartbeat. Teen guys are lurking in the background, trying to be cool and inconspicuous."
Is that really James Earl Jones break-dancing in one of Verizon's latest TV commercials?
Georgia Megginson, Lynchburg, Va.
"We ask James Earl Jones to do a lot of things," a Verizon spokesman tells us, "but one thing we don't ask him to do is break-dance." A body double and some clever film editing make it seem that Jones, 72, is bustin' those moves. Of course, the actor's rich, resonant voice (familiar to "Star Wars" fans as Darth Vader) has been a staple of telecommunications advertising since he began promoting the Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages in 1989.
Go to top
Just when the global SARS scare has died down and you thought it was safe to travel again comes a fresh book with more frightening info: "The New Killer Diseases". Authored by immunity expert Elinor Levy and science writer Mark Fischetti, "Killer Diseases" underscores the notion that severe acute respiratory syndrome, which originated in China and had epidemiologists perplexed and concerned all spring, is only the latest deadly scourge. "You never know what's going to be next," says Levy, 61, an immunologist of 20 years who still worries about SARS. West Nile virus, mad cow disease, Lyme disease, virulent new strains of the flu -- all are among the killer diseases we've learned about in the past few years. Levy and Fischetti also address a trio of "ticking time bombs," the chronic infections hepatitis C, herpes and AIDS, that they say have "evolved diabolical tricks that allow them to destroy us silently without our even knowing they've invaded."
With Frappa Stout
Contributing: Devin Zatorski, Jeanne Wright, Nancy Mills, Tameka Hicks
Go to top
BIRTHDAYS
July 27: Alex Rodriguez, 28; Maya Rudolph, 31
July 28: Bill Bradley, 60
July 29: Martina McBride, 37; Peter Jennings, 65
July 30: Hilary Swank, 29; Vivica A. Fox, 39; Lisa Kudrow, 40; Arnold Schwarzenegger, 56
July 31: J.K. Rowling, 38; Wesley Snipes, 41
August 1: Coolio, 40; Dom DeLuise, 70
August 2: Kevin Smith, 33; Wes Craven, 64
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
|
