Issue Date: December 28, 2003
Enough about Justin Timberlake. What's going on with another lovable 'N Sync member, Joey Fatone?
Kristi Nelson, Staten Island, N.Y.
Look for Fatone as a lounge singer in the current crime drama "The Cooler," though it may shake up your image of him. "It's pretty racy," Fatone, 26, tells us. "That's what made me want to do it." He wants to continue acting -- he's the wolf in an upcoming "Red Riding Hood" movie -- and he's working on an album of song parodies: "I do one called 'Buy Me a Liver,' after Justin's 'Cry Me a River.'" Speaking of Justin, 'N Sync will reunite early next year to start a new CD. Expect that next fall.
What ever happened to Kathie Lee Gifford? She used to be a favorite of mine.
Juanita Lenahan, Vincennes, Ind.
More than three years after leaving Regis Philbin and their show, Gifford, 50, lives a quieter life in Connecticut with husband Frank and their children. (Can you believe Cody is 13 and Cassidy is 10?) Career-wise, she's productive. She turned down a sitcom offer from the WB, focusing instead on a new Christian gospel album; she sings occasionally in New York venues, appears in local plays and has co-written two musicals, which Broadway producers are eyeing.
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Samantha Morton feels especially at home in her new movie, "In America," which opened nationwide last week. It's based on writer-director Jim Sheridan's tumultuous move from Ireland to New York in 1982, a move that Morton, 26, made from London when she was 19. For her, it was all positive. "I fell in love with the lights and the people and the atmosphere and the possibilities of anything happening," says Morton, who lives in London again with daughter Esmé, 3. In New York, "you can be homeless one day, but your luck can change." It did for her: Previously a TV actress, Morton was Oscar-nominated for her first major American film, 1999's "Sweet and Lowdown."
Is Amber Tamblyn, the title character of CBS' "Joan of Arcadia," the daughter of Russ Tamblyn of "West Side Story" fame?
E. Ross, Middleton, N.J.
Yes. The 20-year-old star of the season's nicest family show began acting when she was 10, then landed the role of Emily Quartermaine on "General Hospital," much to her dad's concern. The elder Tamblyn (69 on Tuesday), who played Riff in the classic 1961 musical, wanted his daughter to have a "normal" childhood, but wife Bonnie, her mom, stepped in. Seven years on the soap led to TV guest roles and some film credits, including 2002's creepy "The Ring" (she was the first to die). As Joan, Tamblyn plays a moody teen who is visited by the Almighty in various creative personas.
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Everything's gotta give at Diane Keaton's house. Son Duke, 2, and daughter Dexter, 7, are always No. 1. "They have to be," she says. "They truly put you in your place, and I love them for that." The star of "Something's Gotta Give," in which both Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves lust after her, is a late-blooming adoptive mother who says that, for her, romance is "finished. I'm not out there." This from a funny, sexy, intelligent woman who counts Woody Allen, Warren Beatty and Al Pacino among her longtime lovers? "My children have taught me the value of intimacy," she says. In adult relationships, intimacy "was difficult for me."
I notice movie critic Roger Ebert doesn't look as robust as he once did. Is he OK?
Judy Bergquist-Devoe, Pasadena, Calif.
"I feel fine, and ironically I'm in the best shape of my life," Ebert, 61, tells us, after two years of fighting cancer of the thyroid and salivary glands. He's 65 pounds lighter than he was last year, but it has nothing to do with cancer, he says. Just strict diet and exercise.
Is most of "CSI: Miami" actually filmed in California? Are other city-titled programs made out of town?
Jim Gillies, Eustis, Fla.
"CSI: Miami" is shot mainly at an L.A.-area studio, as are "Boston Public;" "NYPD Blue;" "Good Morning, Miami;" and at least one show named not after a city but a pretty specific place, "The West Wing." Why? Production costs are higher outside of Hollywood. Most of these shows film some scenes on location, usually around famous landmarks, for authenticity.
Please tell me about Raoul Bova, who played Diane Lane's love in "Under the Tuscan Sun." He is so handsome; surely he's going to be a big star.
Yvonne Sangiacomo, San Francisco
He already is -- in Italy. U.S. audiences got their first real look at the up-and-comer in "Tuscan Sun," and he seems to have connected. A former professional swimmer and occasional model, Bova, 32, who lives in Rome with his wife and two sons, is making an American action thriller, "Alien vs. Predator," for 2004 release.
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The Buzz
Britney. 50 Cent. J.Lo. Just a few of the names Yahoo! searchers made tops on the Internet site's Buzz Index.
The 2003 top 10 list, compiled for USA WEEKEND, shows Web surfers love music stars more than anyone else.
1. Britney Spears
2. 50 Cent
3. Eminem
4. Jennifer Lopez
5. Christina Aguilera
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6. Pamela Anderson
7. Orlando Bloom
8. Justin Timberlake
9. Ashanti
10. Nelly
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BIRTHDAYS
December 28: Denzel Washington, 49
December 29: Jude Law, 31; Ted Danson, 56; Jon Voight, 65; Mary Tyler Moore, 67
December 30: LeBron James, 19; Kristen Kreuk, 21; Tyrese, 25; Tiger Woods, 28; Tracey Ullman, 44; Matt Lauer, 46; Meredith Vieira, 48
December 31: Val Kilmer, 44; Anthony Hopkins, 66
January 1: Verne Troyer, 35
January 2: Kate Bosworth, 21; Taye Diggs, 33; Cuba Gooding Jr., 36
January 3: Mel Gibson, 48
Contributing: Bart Mills, Evelyn Poitevent, Andrew Smith, Frappa Stout, Jennifer Vishnevsky
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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