Issue Date: March 28, 2004
I know singer Lionel Richie is the father of Paris Hilton's sidekick, Nicole Richie. Who is her mother?
S. Dillard, Westland, Mich.
Nicole Richie, 22, star of Fox's reality show "The Simple Life," is the adopted daughter of Richie and his ex-wife, singer-songwriter Brenda Harvey Richie. Michael Jackson (yes, that one) is her godfather.
What happened to "The Singing Detective," the movie Mel Gibson made before "The Passion of the Christ?" I don't think it ever came to a theater near me.
Cindy Ekberg, Andover, Minn.
Perhaps not. It was in a few theaters for about a minute and a half. Gibson's friend Robert Downey Jr. stars, and his performance was praised; otherwise, reviewers were not kind. You should have no problem renting a copy this weekend, its first in video stores.
What is going on with actor Chazz Palminteri's career? Any movies in his future?
Mary Ann Kutschmende Boynton Beach, Fla.
Palminteri is always up for a good role, but he's busy working behind the scenes editing his directorial debut, "Noel," and writing a new script he hopes to direct, about the legendary music group Dion and the Belmonts. "Noel," about cynical Manhattanites moved by the magic of Christmas, is due at the holidays.
Enough about Hilary Duff! What's going on with another "Lizzie McGuire" star, the lovely Lalaine?
Florence Munoz, Kapolei, Hawaii
Like Duff, who has a hit CD, Lalaine wants a big recording career, and she's working on an album to come out later this year. The 16-year-old actress, who was best friend Miranda Sanchez to Duff's Lizzie, also is active in numerous charities; "Teen People" named her one of 20 teenagers who will change the world. U2's Bono and actress Angelina Jolie are her good-works role models.
Why isn't Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hughes skating anymore? I see her former coach Robin Wagner is now with Sasha Cohen.
Ellie Kriebel, Denison, Texas
Hughes, 18, was ready to be a "normal kid." She stopped competing about a year ago and is now a freshman at Yale, where she lives in a suite with five roommates, has a full schedule of classes and apparently loves her relative anonymity. That said, Hughes has not officially retired, nor has she ruled out a return for the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy. And yes, Wagner teamed up with Cohen, 19, in December, just two weeks before the U.S. championships, where Cohen placed second behind Michelle Kwan.
Joe Mantegna is in every episode of CBS' "Joan of Arcadia" as the title character's father. Will he have time for any movie work?
Marie Warne, Honolulu
You'll find both Mantegna and his 13-year-old daughter, Gina, in her upcoming film debut, "Uncle Nino." Like "Joan," a drama about a teen who talks to God, "Nino" is family-friendly. Of course, Mantegna, 56, is happy with the hit show, on which he is dad to three, and points to at least one reason for its success: "If you're not looking for spirituality now," he asks, "when are you? [On 9/11,] everyone's mortality got thrown in their face." If God showed up at his door, Mantegna says, "I hope I'd be smart enough to let him in."
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Erin Daniels is making a splash with her first regular TV role. After guest spots on shows like "Boomtown" and "Law & Order," and small parts in movies, the St. Louis-born actress stars in Showtime's edgy Sunday drama The L Word, about six L.A. lesbians. "If you combined 'Sex and the City' and 'Queer as Folk,' that's what it's like," says Daniels, 30, who is straight but has played a lesbian before and doesn't worry that the roles will hurt her career. Rather, she thinks a show like "The L Word" could run on an NBC or CBS. "I like to think the networks underestimate the public," says Daniels, who also supports gay marriage. "But with everything going on in politics right now, I could be wrong." Daniels says her grandma "has to change the channel when I kiss a girl."
The Oscar show was tame, but liberal celebs tend to be vocal in public forums. Why do Hollywood conservatives seem so silent?
Terry Shimmins, Beloit, Wis.
First, they give less. The Washington, D.C., political newspaper "The Hill" says Hollywood types give $7 to Democrats for every $3 they give Republicans. Second, the vocal GOP'ers are mostly Old Guard, like Charlton Heston. The Democrats' supporters are younger attention-getters like Ashton Kutcher, who hosted a fund-raiser last fall.
Did I hear correctly that Anita Baker is touring? Does this mean we can expect new material from her this year?
Eric Pointer, Detroit
She's not touring, but it's likely we'll hear new work from Baker by year's end. The multiple-Grammy winner, 46, signed this month with red-hot label Blue Note Records, the jazz masters behind both of Norah Jones' No. 1 CDs, to produce at least two long-overdue new albums.
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BIRTHDAYS
March 28: Julia Stiles, 23, Vince Vaughn, 34, Reba McEntire, 49
March 29: Jennifer Capriati, 28
March 30: Norah Jones, 25, Celine Dion, 36, Eric Clapton, 59, Warren Beatty, 67
March 31: Ewan McGregor, 33, Al Gore, 56, Christopher Walken, 61
April 1: Debbie Reynolds, 72
April 2: Christopher Meloni, 43
April 3: Amanda Bynes, 18, Jennie Garth, 32, Eddie Murphy, 43, David Hyde Pierce, 45, Alec Baldwin, 46, Marlon Brando, 80
Contributing: Katie Aberbach, Gayle Jo Carter, Alanna Miller, Evelyn Poitevent, Frappa Stout
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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