Issue Date: December 17, 2006
Did Adrian Pasdar, of NBC's "Heroes," play David McClaren on the former CBS drama "Judging Amy?"
Kathy Thayer, Salem, Ore.
He did, indeed. Pasdar, married to Dixie Chick Natalie Maines, has lots of TV credits, including the short-lived 1990s series "Profit." In fact, he tells me he had auditioned for another of NBC's new season dramas, the now-canceled "Kidnapped," and he was disappointed when he didn't get that job. Then "Heroes" came along. "It's always a good time for heroes," says Pasdar, 41, who plays a character who can fly. He sometimes will take his two sons to the set, and he recounts his 2-year-old's reaction to one of Pasdar's flying scenes: "He said, 'Daddy, I know why you have those wires on you -- to keep you from flying away.' "
I enjoy watching Sara Ramirez on "Grey's Anatomy," but why did she leave her Tony Award-winning role as Lady of the Lake in "Spamalot?" I saw her twice. She stole the show.
Joan Sattinger, East Brunswick, N.J.
Ramirez, a Juilliard grad, tells us that "when the 'Grey's' opportunity came along, I couldn't refuse. It's my favorite show." She moved to San Diego from her native Mexico when she was 8, so she likes being back on the West Coast. And after turning 30 in August 2005, "I was wanting to nest and relax," she says. "I wanted a yard. I missed the beach [and] that kind of lifestyle where you have a little more space."
Go to top
The Food Network's Chris Cognac, aka "The Hungry Detective," is, in fact, a real detective in L.A. Culinary concoction and crime investigation don't go hand in hand, but Cognac has been doing both for years. When not tracking suspects, he can be found writing for "The Daily Breeze" in Torrance, Calif., or interviewing star chefs for our own Who's News. On his new show, Cognac uncovers great eats in cities like New York and my own, Washington, D.C. Says Cognac: "I look for places that serve great food by people who didn't go to culinary school."
Go to top
Donald Trump is famous for telling people they're fired, but in his new book, "Trump 101: The Way to Success," he wants to help people get hired. "I've always enjoyed writing," Trump, 60, tells us. "It's something I can do in my private time, and since I don't sleep much, it's a great diversion." And you thought it might be that new baby keeping him up at night. "In Trump 101," the businessman strings together his pearls of wisdom and hangs them on different motivational themes, such as trusting your instincts and not being motivated by money. "One of my strongest pieces of advice is for people to do what they love doing," Trump tells us in an e-mail. "I don't need to be cutthroat. That's a lowlife approach. Business is tough, and so am I, butI don't need to be vicious."
Who is Jerry Bruckheimer, and how many TV shows has he created? His name is everywhere.
June Ludwig, Lacey, Wash.
Bruckheimer, 61, has been a prolific producer since the '80s, when, with partner Don Simpson (who died in 1996), he made hits like "Top Gun." He still produces movies but now has eight TV shows, among them three "CSIs," "The Amazing Race" and "Cold Case." "I saw the good work that Dick Wolf ['Law & Order'], John Wells ['ER'], David E. Kelley ['Ally McBeal'] and ['Steven'] Bochco ['NYPD Blue'] were doing, and I thought we should take a shot," he says. He has six more shows for next season, but he wouldn't spill details. He would predict that comic book heroes will be the most copied genre.
Is Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts' handsome quarterback, married?
Gail Rushing, Vidalia, La.
Yes. An all-American boy, Manning, 30, married his college sweetheart, Ashley Thompson, in Memphis on March 17, 2001. The couple, who don't have children yet, met in 1994 at a University of Tennessee fraternity party, although she's a University of Virginia grad.
Is Tina Majorino, on HBO's "Big Love," the same actress who played the daughter of Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan in "When a Man Loves a Woman?"
Walter Brzeski, Chicago
Yes. Majorino, 21, also was in "Napoleon Dynamite," among other films. Now she's making the second season of "Big Love," and she's playing the computer-savvy sidekick Mac on CW's "Veronica Mars." On Mac's MySpace page, "Napoleon Dynamite" is listed as a favorite film. "That just goes to show you how funny the staff writers are," Majorino says. She's also an English major at Skidmore College but tells us, "I can only take a couple of classes a semester ... I don't know when I'll be done."
At the end of comic Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show he often says, "My apologies to Matt Damon; we ran out of time." What's the story?
Barb Ericksen, Livonia, Mich.
It's a joke, started after Kimmel had a run of B-list guests. He thought it'd be funny to say he bumped a superstar for them. "It's amusing when the lesser-name guests believe it," says Kimmel, 39. Why Damon? "His name just popped into my head." Eventually, Damon went on the show. The two planned for Kimmel to run out of time as Damon sat down and for Damon to curse him. Kimmel says people thought their act was real. Kimmel continues the bit because it still gets a laugh, and "that was the deal. [Damon] didn't want me to stop."
Go to top
BIRTHDAYS
December 17: Milla Jovovich, 31; Chris Matthews, 61
December 18: Christina Aguilera, 26; Katie Holmes, 28; Brad Pitt, 43; Steven Spielberg, 60
December 19: Jake Gyllenhaal, 26; Cecily Tyson, 73
December 20: Chris Robinson, 40
December 21: Kiefer Sutherland, 40; Samuel L. Jackson, 58
December 22: Ralph Fiennes, 44; Diane Sawyer, 61
December 23: Estella Warren, 28
Contributing: Gayle Jo Carter, Jon Tollestrup
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
|
