Issue Date: August 17, 2003
With Hollywood's rekindled interest in musicals, has Savion Glover been asked to bring his tap-dance magic to the screen?
Sharon Zenz, Sparks, Nev.
You'd think he would be, yet we're told he has no offers just now. Still, Glover, 29, who was tapping on Broadway at age 12, has no trouble finding work, and there's plenty of respect for his talent. The magazine The Nation has called him "the greatest tap dancer who ever breathed." In June, Glover concluded a tour of the United States and Japan with his Tony-winning production of "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk". It was the first time Glover, who choreographed that show, went on the road with it.
What is the relationship between Paul Shaffer and Felicia Collins, who are in David Letterman's "Late Show" band?
Evan Rayl, Bridgewater, Iowa
Purely professional. Band leader Shaffer, 53 -- who with wife Cathy has kids Victoria, 10, and William, 4 -- recruited lead guitarist Collins, 39, when Letterman left NBC for CBS in 1993. Shaffer's call came when Collins was finishing a tour with Cyndi Lauper. She's also worked with Madonna, Vonda Shepard, George Clinton and Al Jarreau.
Will Ana Gasteyer ever return as a regular to "Saturday Night Live"?
Pat Koepke, Fond du Lac, Wis.
Don't count on it. The first cast member to appear on "SNL" while expecting, Gasteyer, 36, and mother of Frances, 1, kept her pregnancy a secret for 5 1/2 months because she wasn't sure how it would play at work. And she has said producer Lorne Michaels discussed with her the difficulty of balancing the show and motherhood. Lately Gasteyer has been working in theater, but she doesn't rule out an "SNL" appearance as one of her memorable characters -- say, Celine Dion, Martha Stewart or middle school music teacher Bobbi Moughan-Culp.
"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell says some of the most outrageous things to contestants. I often wonder if it's just an act to get high ratings. Also, I hear he's engaged. I hope he doesn't treat his love the same way he treats "Idol" wannabes.
Mickey Helmel, Moline, Ill.
Some say Cowell, 43, is actually nicer off camera. But whether it's an act or the real deal, his brutal insults have become the show's trademark, and he'll be back for another season. His girlfriend (not fiancée), "Extra" correspondent Terri Seymour, usually is seen smiling when on Cowell's arm -- an indication, we hope, that he speaks nicely to her. Regardless, his blunt talk is paying off. He got a $2 million advance to write "I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But ..." .
Should we expect to see Martha Stewart on TV with ideas on how to brighten up a jail cell?Lance Yoshihara, Stockton, Calif.
I know you jest, Lance, but some pretty funny photos of her alleged cell makeovers are floating around the Web. And a spoof on "National Lampoon"'s site has her teaching inmates how to craft cigarette gift baskets for prison guards. The federal indictment charging Stewart, 61, with five criminal counts, including conspiracy, securities fraud and obstruction of justice, had enough impact on her business that she stepped down as CEO (although she still calls the shots). Her trial is set for Jan. 12.
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Maura Moynihan, daughter of the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, is frustrated. As she's interviewed, she is trying to assemble shelving to hold 40 boxes of her father's books, recently retrieved from storage. There's "everything from 'Essential Works of Socialism' to 'Candide' to the collected works of Evelyn Waugh, plus dictionaries in German, French, Italian," says Moynihan, 45. "These books are precious to me, and these junky shelves just collapsed and sent them showering down on my head." Her dad's love of the written word made Moynihan want to be a writer. So she's thinking of him as her first book, Yoga Hotel, hits U.S. stores. Inspired by her life in India, where she moved at 15 when her father became ambassador there, the collection of short stories drew praise when published in India in 2000. Moynihan now divides her time among New York, Nepal and New Delhi. What does she miss most about her father? "Just sitting around the table talking and laughing," she says. "His legacy was knowledge and leadership, but he was also a really funny man."
Chris Harrison, host of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" on ABC, has an amiable empathy with the candidates. Could he be a "Bachelor" candidate?
Suzanne Sumner, Wilmette, Ill.
Harrison isn't "Bachelor" material. He's been married to his college sweetheart for nearly 10 years; they have one son and another child on the way. Even if he were eligible, Harrison, 32, says he couldn't make out on camera. "I'm too shy for that stuff," he tells us. As for those who do engage in televised love sessions: "They do whatever they want to do, and we let them. If they do it in front of the cameras, so be it." Harrison says the proliferation of reality TV has led to a dearth of original ideas. So what sets his shows apart? "We tell a great love story."
With: Frappa Stout Contributing: Bob Makela, Mark Miller, Jeanne Wright
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BIRTHDAYS
August 17: Sean Penn, 43; Robert De Niro, 60
August 18: Edward Norton, 34; Christian Slater, 34; Patrick Swayze, 51; Robert Redford, 67
August 19: Matthew Perry, 34; Bill Clinton, 57
August 20: Al Roker, 49; Isaac Hayes, 61
August 21: Carrie-Anne Moss, 36; Kim Cattrall, 47
August 22: Tori Amos, 40
August 23: Kobe Bryant, 25; Jay Mohr, 33
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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