Issue Date: February 24, 2008
Is Brooke Shields on good terms with her mother? I remember a tiff at some point.
Nancy Lomnicki, Levittown, N.Y.
Shields, now in NBC's "Lipstick Jungle," and mom Teri are close. That closeness, Shields tells us, extends to her two daughters: "She's their hero." There were some "professional" issues between mother and daughter, but Shields credits Teri with making decisions that "protected" her from the trouble so many young actresses get into. Her mom was the one "who got in trouble, went over the edge," says Shields, 42. "She was an alcoholic. I didn't have to do it while she was doing it."
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Why did Miley Cyrus change her name from Destiny Hope?
Alexis Brooks, Medford, N.Y.
The star of Hannah Montana, 15, only recently changed her name legally from Destiny Hope to Miley Ray Cyrus. Ray is for her dad and Miley was her nickname, given because "as a baby, she always smiled," her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, tells us via e-mail. "Smiley evolved into Miley in baby slang." And how did they come up with her real name, Destiny Hope? "I had a vision it was her destiny to bring hope to the world," Cyrus replied.
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Ted Danson is hoping for a "Damages" comeback. Although his character was gunned down in the last episode, it's possible he survived. "It could have been a flesh wound," says Danson, 60. "It was a dream role ... I got to play a self-absorbed, narcissistic sociopath." Next is a small role in "The Human Contract," written and directed by Jada Pinkett Smith. "Certain people have total choice with their careers," he says. "I think I have more choice in TV. But I don't know that I want to lock myself down to a nine-month shooting schedule. My wife (Mary Steenburgen) has a career, and I like to hang out with her."
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I was shocked to see "The Apprentice" winner Bill Rancic as a co-host on "In the Loop" with iVillage. Did he quit after a year of working for Donald Trump, or was he fired?
Janet Lauer, Easton, Pa.
Rancic, 36, left Trump to pursue other interests, including TV and motivational speaking. Married to "E!" News anchor Giuliana DePandi (now Rancic), he says he will "give the male perspective as we tackle a lot of female issues" on the show, airing on the 10 NBC owned-and-operated stations. "I grew up with three older sisters, so I'm comfortable discussing these issues."
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I have never seen photos of Barack Obama's parents, nor do we know much about them. Also, does he have any siblings?
Hilary Jacobs, East Lansing, Mich.
Barack's mother, Ann Dunham, died in 1995 of ovarian cancer. His father, Barack Obama Sr., died in a car crash in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1982. The couple met as students at the University of Hawaii and were married briefly in the early 1960s. His mother and father both had other kids; a younger sister on his mother's side and an older sister on his father's side have campaigned for him.
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Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron say Sean Combs is the reason their movie version of the Broadway play "A Raisin in the Sun" will air on ABC Monday at 8 p.m. ET. "It would not have happened without Sean," Meron says. "He was the linchpin." They reunited the Broadway cast, including Combs, Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald. The producing duo is good at turning Broadway hits into movies; they did the big screen's "Chicago" and "Hairspray." They see "Raisin" as a classic, and Meron says it remains relevant. "What makes it universal is its theme of family," he says.
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BIRTHDAYS
February 24: Barry Bostwick, 63
February 25: Téa Leoni, 42
February 26: Erykah Badu, 37
February 27: Josh Groban, 27; Chelsea Clinton, 28; Michael Bolton, 54; Elizabeth Taylor, 76
February 28: John Turturro, 51; Mario Andretti, 68
February 29: Antonio Sabàto Jr., 36
March 1: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, 34; George Eads, 41; Tim Daly, 52; Ron Howard, 54
Contributing: Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills
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