Issue Date: March 30, 2008
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are together again on the album "Magic." Can you tell me what their musical ventures will be in 2008?
Jo-Ann Polinske, Surprise, Ariz.
"Magic," Springsteen's 15th album and his first with the E Street Band in five years, has sold more than 1 million copies at home. But the band's main musical mission is the current 54-date tour in the United States and Europe. After the "Magic" act wraps in July, the Boss, 58, and band will highlight Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary festival in Milwaukee on Aug. 30. That's the last musical venture the band has planned for now.
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I can't figure out if MTV's "reality shows" "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" are scripted shows or unscripted.
Christina Gutierrez, St. Paul
Both series are unscripted, and MTV tells us the events and situations happen without manipulation. Except, of course, when they don't. Producers admit that they must ask cast members about their weekly schedules in order to follow the more pressing events in their lives. They also ask them to dine or hang out in locations where the show has authorization to film. Judge the authenticity for yourself in the 10 new episodes of "The Hills" airing now.
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Tracey Gold has dealt with an eating disorder and a drunken driving arrest since her days on "Growing Pains." So it's nice to see her as a happy mom of three (a fourth was on the way at press time) and host of TLC's reality show, "The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom," on Mondays. The show lets full-time moms experience life in their dream jobs. "To me, hosting this show was the perfect fit," says Gold, 38. "I felt that I could relate to these women a lot -- I go through similar situations and struggles."
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"Access Hollywood's" Billy Bush has so many expressions in common with and similarities to President Bush. Are they related?
Lisa Ryan, Toms River, N.J.
Shh. Don't tell Billy I told you so because he doesn't like to trade on the relationship, but he is, indeed, a first cousin of President Bush.
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One of Hollywood's most colorful actors, William Hurt isn't meek or mild. He says what he thinks and is still in demand. Hurt, 58, who recently played the U.S. president in "Vantage Point," describes acting as "my joy, my ecstasy." In "The Incredible Hulk," opening June 13, he plays Hulk nemesis Gen. Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross. "He's not a villain," Hurt says. "He's conflicted. He wants Hulk's power, but he's humiliated by Hulk's conscience." Next is a role in The Countess, to be directed by Julie Delpy. "Everyone in the feudal ages was basically bad," he says of his character. After that, Hurt hopes to make a movie in South Africa about freeing Nelson Mandela.
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Alex Ferrer, 46, never thought he'd be on TV. He became one of Florida's youngest police officers when he joined the force at 19, then earned his law degree before becoming a circuit court judge at 34. When he stepped down from that bench to host his courtroom show, Judge Alex, he went from presiding over murder cases to arbitrating disputes over things like a mysteriously impregnated dog. But that doesn't mean the cases matter less, Ferrer says: "There was a couple who hired a wedding photographer, and he showed up with a bag full of disposable cameras. To them, that's the biggest injustice they've faced. Their wedding was ruined."
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When Ashley Jensen came to America, she felt like a fish out of water. But, Scottish-born and reared as she may be, Jensen, 38, settled into L.A. as nicely as she settled into ABC's "Ugly Betty," where she plays America Ferrera's one true friend in the snake pit that is "Mode" magazine. Before "Betty," Jensen lived in London, where she was the workplace friend of another comedic star, Ricky Gervais, on the BBC/HBO comedy "Extras," out on DVD since January. Although she loves and misses London (Jensen and her husband keep a flat there), she's now singing the praises of L.A. "I must admit, I found it deeply challenging in the beginning," Jensen tells me. Now, however, "I have found people and places I really like."
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BIRTHDAYS
March 30: Celine Dion, 40; Eric Clapton, 63; Warren Beatty, 71
March 31: Ewan McGregor, 37; Rhea Perlman, 60; Al Gore, 60
April 1: Debbie Reynolds, 76
April 2: Christopher Meloni, 47; Emmylou Harris, 61
April 3: Amanda Bynes, 22; Alec Baldwin, 50; Wayne Newton, 66; Doris Day, 84
April 4: Robert Downey Jr., 43
April 5: Paula Cole, 40
Contributing: Nancy Mills, Kathy Rowings, Jon Tollestrup
 Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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