Issue Date: December 12, 2004
Is Julia Roberts expecting twin boys or girls?
Natalie Curran, Valrico, Fla.
One of each. And the pretty woman, 37, who was truly glowing last month on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," had fun chatting about her four new "projects": the babies and her two new movies, Closer and "Ocean's Twelve." Although Roberts said she felt great -- and looked it, too -- soon afterward she was prescribed bed rest because she had early contractions.
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It's a good thing "Boston Legal's" Sally Heep is the kind of character who "wears her heart on her sleeve, falls down all the time and is learning as she goes" -- or else Lake Bell, 25, might not have landed the plum role on one of ABC's new hits. "I completely bombed the audition," she tells us. "I was insecure, stopping and starting. I went to the bathroom and cried." Bell adores co-star William Shatner: "He's the kind of person you want to be related to. So cool for being in his 70s." In her off time, she indulges in painting and writing. "You have to keep hobbies in L.A. Otherwise, it's sad."
Is Isabella Rossellini working on anything new? Also, is her twin in show business?
Jeannie Castellani-Mothersell, Okemos, Mich.
Fraternal twin Ingrid teaches Italian literature at Columbia University in New York. Isabella, 52, is next in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries "Earthsea," Monday and Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. "Even if I didn't have children [Elettra, 21, and Roberto, 10], it's best not to always do X-rated, R-rated movies," Rossellini tells us. "Hopefully, they tell their friends that they can see their mom on TV to give a sense of what I do."
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Chris Evans, hunky star of the fall action thriller "Cellular," doesn't want to be Ben Affleck -- not that there's anything wrong with Ben. "I think [his] personal life overshadowed his professional life," says fellow Bostonian Evans, 23, who's quietly dating Jessica Biel ("7th Heaven"). "It was more about who he was dating than what he was making." Evans will be seen early next year in "Fierce People," with Diane Lane, and come summer he'll be on fire, truly: He's been filming "Fantastic Four," for 2005 release, in which he's the Human Torch, a comic book character who catches on fire and can fly.
Woody Harrelson, 43, is back with "After the Sunset" and three more movies coming soon. But ask how he spent his down time and you'll hear about how, at home in Hawaii, he acts like a big kid with daughters Deni, 11, and Zoe, 8. "We climb trees and play hide-and-seek," he says. "We run up mountains and jump in pools. I let them do exactly what they want. I'm not a disciplinarian. The beauty of that is that if they cross the line, it takes very little from me -- maybe one word -- for them to know it's a serious thing."
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I remember a TV commercial for Pepsi in which Beyoncé sang classical music. Did she have classical training?
Robert A. Selwa, St. Clair Shores, Mich.
The commercial you remember evoked the opera "Carmen," fitting because Beyoncé, 23 -- who has a new CD, "Destiny Fulfilled," out with Destiny's Child -- did have opera training while attending the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. And, like many other Grammy winners before her, Beyoncé got plenty of experience singing in her church choir.
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Five things you probably didn't know about Alan Alda
1. He's back in a big way. This month the politically liberal actor is playing a Republican senator in both the movie "The Aviator" and on NBC's "The West Wing."
2. Life is all about his grandkids. He has seven, ages 5 to 12, and "I tend to schedule myself around their schedules. Sometimes I have to remember to act like an adult, not just wait for a play date."
3. As a babysitter, he rocks. "I taught [the grandchildren] to play poker. And pool. It's important to know poker. Sometimes we just get into the car and get lost so we have to find our way back."
4. He's a 68-year-old computer geek. "I do tech support for all of my family. Been doing it for 20 years or more. I did commercials then for Atari, IBM. I find it fascinating."
5. He knows winning isn't everything. For tennis, "I hired a guy to beat me. I play because I love it and know I can't beat the guy I play with. I like getting better at things. This gives me pleasure."
Where is "Trading Spaces" designer Vern Yip?
Janet Sibbalds, Bucyrus, Ohio
Look for Yip on NBC's upcoming "Home Intervention," in which he and his team complete a homeowner's unfinished project. Yip tells us that, unlike at TLC's "Trading Spaces," "we're not removing the homeowners; we're looking to empower them." So, what about those of us who can't seem to get a project started? Yip, 36, says: "Take your time and make your space a physical manifestation of you. In my home, I can pick up any object and tell the story behind it."
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BIRTHDAYS
December 12: Jennifer Connelly, 34
December 13: Jamie Foxx, 37; Steve Buscemi, 47
December 14: Patty Duke, 58
December 15: Adam Brody, 25; Don Johnson, 55
December 16: Benjamin Bratt, 41
December 17: Milla Jovovich, 29; Giovanni Ribisi, 30
December 18: Christina Aguilera, 24; Katie Holmes, 26; Brad Pitt, 41; Ray Liotta, 50; Steven Spielberg, 58
Contributing: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills
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