Issue date: Dec. 25-27, 1998

In this article:
Birthdays

You've written before that actor Val Kilmer has a reputation for being difficult with colleagues. But I'm a fan and want to know what I'll see him in next.

Lori Bennett, Cape Coral, Fla.

He was easy to get along with and had fun playing Moses in The Prince of Egypt: just him and a microphone, and he got to talk to God. Of course, Kilmer, who turns 39 Thursday, is only heard in that animated movie, which his two young kids may love as much as they did his Batman (the third in the series). In February's At First Sight, he appears in the flesh as a blind man who regains his sight.

I never hear about Michael Jackson anymore. Is it because he's a father now? Where does he live? What's he up to?

Charles Salas, Nampa, Idaho

Jackson, 40, is as eccentric as ever. He was seen at a Three Stooges Convention last summer veiled, robed and surrounded by security. We're told he's at work on a new album; his latest business interest is building theme parks "for the child inside" everyone. Because he feels more accepted in Europe, he leases a house in France. Neverland, his California ranch, is up for sale, though he, son Prince, 22 months, and daughter Paris, 8 months, stay there when in the States.

Remember when Nancy Kerrigan, fresh from winning a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics, complained that riding in a parade with Mickey Mouse was "the corniest thing I've ever done"? What ever happened between her and Disney?

Peter Mitros, Hernando, Fla.

She apologized for that PR disaster, but Kerrigan and Disney got out of business together fast. Now she's playing Sandy in a national tour of Grease on Ice. Her agent-husband, Jerry Solomon, tells us Kerrigan, 31, finds Grease rehearsals more demanding than Olympic practice, but she's happy to be part of an ensemble, not solo. "That's part of the attraction and fun for her."

The impeachment proceedings got me thinking about the financial stakes for Bill Clinton. What happens to the pension of any president removed from office? Would he be better off resigning?

Howard Gofstein, Oak Park, Mich.

Absolutely. Thanks to a 1956 act of Congress, a president removed from office loses his pension (now $151,800 a year) and other post-presidency benefits: free health care, Secret Service protection, and office and travel costs (an average $546,000 a year for the four living ex-presidents). If he resigns or weathers impeachment, he keeps it all.

I'm inspired by Roma Downey in Touched by an Angel and happy for her that her career is going well. How are things on the personal front since her divorce?

John Smith Travelers Rest, S.C.

The 38-year-old actress, who lives and works in Salt Lake City, says she has found solace in her TV family: "Della Reese is like a mother to me." She has learned to cope with single motherhood (daughter Reilly Marie is 212), but "I've known some challenges, shall we say." Downey says she strives for harmony: "I don't enjoy crises. But it was better for myself and my child to get out of [her marriage] and re-create life." She'd like to have more kids, but "I've got to find me a fellow. I really believe if there's someone for me, I'll find him."

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