Issue Date: August 3, 2003
Alyson Hannigan, 29, is getting married -- both in real life and in this weekend's "American Wedding". The gross-out humor seen in this third and final American Pie film is not exactly what Hannigan expects to encounter during her very own trip down the aisle with actor Alexis Denisof. The former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" castmates got engaged in December and hope for a fall wedding. "We're trying to do it sooner than later," she says. "I'm just excited about the actual marriage part." Now that Buffy's dead and the "American Pie" players have grown up, Hannigan is focusing on more mature film roles and, of course, planning her wedding. She'll have her dress made but has no idea what the color scheme will be. "I keep threatening my best friend she's going to be wearing polka dots and stripes together," says the actress, who picked up a tip from the movie: Let everyone else plan the event, then just show up on the day.
A recent magazine article praised such stars as Kate Winslet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry for being "full-figured" and "curvy." How does that translate into specific dress sizes?
Georgia Wong, Corte Madera, Calif.
Smaller than the words suggest. Most of Hollywood's "curvy" women don't wear above a size 4. "The average woman makes my clients look like toothpicks," says stylist Phillip Bloch, who works with stars such as Berry, Beyoncé Knowles, and Salma Hayek. Of the women he dresses, just Jennifer Tilly and Faye Dunaway wear a 6 or 8, he reveals. But he says his clients have "the things that make girls girls." Stylists actually prefer full-figured gals, even though Hollywood designers encourage women to squeeze it all into size 2 and 4 samples. "The old-school girls like Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Dorothy Dandridge were curvy," Bloch says. "These new girls, like Reese, Gwyneth and Brittany Murphy, aren't so curvy. If you ask any man, he'll say curvy women will never go out of style."
President Bush wears exquisite suits. Does he have a personal tailor?
Jennifer Lanew, Peoria, Ariz.
Like every president since Lyndon Johnson, Bush uses Georges de Paris, a French tailor whose shop is two blocks from the White House. The unofficial tailor to the presidents reportedly is summoned to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. regularly. De Paris crafted the dark blue cashmere suit Bush wore at his 2001 inauguration and the gray-blue wool suit he wore for this year's State of the Union address. De Paris has gone on record praising W's friendly personality and taste in clothes, along with Ronald Reagan's. But he was no fan of Bill Clinton, whom he has called "very demanding" and "cold."
I am a big fan of the British pop group BBMak but haven't heard much about them lately. What are they up to? Did Mark Barry ever get married?
Alexandra Torres, Marysville, Wash.
Figuring out what's up with BBMak is difficult at best. Even publicists for the group, which first hit the U.S. top 40 in 2000 with the single "Back Here", have little idea what they're doing or when we'll hear from them again. A band spokesperson says they spent so much time touring America that they're now refocusing on Europe. Although there's no new CD on the way, they are working "individually and together to write new music." As for Barry's engagement, it's still on, but there's no date on the table.
Are Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz still seeing each other? They don't seem to be courting the cameras, and some tabloids say they've split.
Debbie Cortez, Casa Grande, Ariz.
They're definitely still a couple, we're told. However, sometimes, even for celebs, work takes precedence over romance. Both stars have been busy, often at opposite ends of the Earth, so they've had little time to appear together (as they could when they co-starred in "Vanilla Sky"). Cruise, 41, wasn't able to escort his lady to the Cannes Film Festival premiere of her "Fanfan la Tulipe", a swashbuckling tale that the critics hated. The Spanish actress, 29, is now in Canada completing work on a ghost thriller, "Gothika". Cruise has wrapped up "The Last Samurai" in New Zealand and soon will go to Japan to start the promotional rounds for that historical adventure, which premieres Dec. 5.
Why don't we see more of Ed Harris, an actor with incredible range who is too often overlooked by Oscar? Why does he accept supporting roles in movies like "The Hours" and "Stepmom" when his talent dictates he should be cast in lead roles?
Lori Komorek, Farmington Hills, Mich.
Actually, Harris, 52, has substantial roles in the just-out "Buffalo Soldiers" with Joaquin Phoenix, next month's "The Human Stain" with Nicole Kidman and Thanksgiving's "Radio" with Cuba Gooding Jr. Plus, he's reviewing new scripts, and we're told he'll choose a lead role if it "captures his imagination." That was the case with 2000's "Pollock", which earned Harris an Oscar nod for best actor. He also has been nominated three other times (including a supporting actor nod for "The Hours"), so he's hardly overlooked. Harris is what's known as an actor's actor, meaning he'd rather work with good people and stretch his talents than be a "star."
With Frappa Stout. Contributing: Bridget Byrne, Tameka L. Hicks, Evelyn Poitevent, Devin Zatorski.
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BIRTHDAYS
August 3: John C. McGinley, 44; Martha Stewart, 62; Martin Sheen, 63
August 4: Jeff Gordon, 32; Roger Clemens, 41
August 5: Patrick Ewing, 41; Neil Armstrong, 73
August 6: M. Night Shyamalan, 33; Michelle Yeoh, 41
August 7: Charlize Theron, 28; David Duchovny, 43
August 8: J.C. Chasez, 27; Scott Stapp, 30; Dustin Hoffman, 66
August 9: Gillian Anderson, 35; Eric Bana, 35; Deion Sanders, 36; Whitney Houston, 40; Melanie Griffith, 46
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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