Issue date: May 30, 1999
Is actor Billy Bob Thornton as colorful a character as he seems from the offbeat movies he makes?
Tracy White, Cherryville, N.C.
"I like movies where regular people get into weird situations," says Thornton, 43, who snapped filmgoers to attention with '96's Sling Blade. And he does get into his parts. To play a thrill-seeking air-traffic controller in Pushing Tin, he dropped 20 pounds, to 138, and says he flirted with anorexia in that he was afraid to eat. Arkansas-born and -reared, he's a four-time divorcé, father of two and steady beau to actress Laura Dern, 32. "I can't say I like fame," says Thornton, "but I like getting the work I want with people I want to work with."
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert was sworn in months ago and I still know nothing about him.
Beth Day, Abilene, Texas
An ex-high school wrestling coach and teacher, Hastert, 57, is no Newt Gingrich. The 6-foot, 220-pound Illinois Republican renews his Midwestern values with frequent trips home to Yorkville; he hangs out at a diner, eating his favorite breakfast of apple crepes, eggs and ham. Says the owner: "People tell him how proud they are. ... But he can still come in without a lot of fanfare."
I'm a great admirer of the legendary actor Ossie Davis, but I haven't seen him perform since his regular role on the old sitcom Evening Shade. Do you know what he's up to?
M.A. Smith, Clinton Township, Mich.
He'll again host the annual Memorial Day concert in Washington, to air this Sunday night on PBS. For Davis, a World War II vet, it's no day to celebrate. "I accept Veteran's Day and July Fourth as high points of patriotism," he tells us in his courtly baritone. "Memorial Day is when we remember that we pay the costs for the stupidness of war." Of NATO's action in Kosovo, Davis, who opposed the Vietnam War, says: "The necessary wars are as much hell as those that are unnecessary. I watch most closely the faces of the refugees, particularly the children, so I understand why we are there."
Veteran Davis hosts Memorial Day concert.
Monica Potter, Robin Williams' co-star in the winter hit Patch Adams, must be related to Julia Roberts. They look enough alike to be sisters.
Donna Wilkinson, San Leandro, Calif.
Potter, who grew up with three sisters in Cleveland, says she gets the Julia comparison often but she's no relation. The 27-year-old actress, who once worked as a Burger King fry cook, is a rising star whose life is quite different from that other pretty woman's. For one thing, Potter has two kids (she recently split from their father), which sets her apart from Roberts, 31, and many other young show-biz peers. She's done well for her few years in Hollywood, already having acted with Robin Williams and Nicolas Cage. Next leading man: Joseph Fiennes.
Angel, one of the most popular characters on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, gets little screen time. What can you tell me about the actor who plays him, David Boreanaz?
Leslie Ghisletta Sacramento
His second-banana days are over. Buffy's beau, son of a TV weatherman, gets his own show next year. Boreanaz, 28, one of People magazine's latest 50 Most Beautiful, grew up in Philadelphia, went to Ithaca College in New York and now lives in L.A. with wife Ingrid Quinn, a social worker. He once told Entertainment Weekly, "It's trippy; every time I go somewhere it's like, 'Is this guy going to be a vampire?' "
As a fan of intelligent, down-to-earth Paula Zahn, I'm glad she's happy at Fox but surprised CBS didn't make better use of her.
Norma Davis, Port Charlotte, Fla.
"I wanted to get back to being part of a daily broadcast," Zahn says. With growing clout on a respected news team, she may yet nab her dream interview: Saddam Hussein. "No journalist's had an interview where they've been able to challenge him." Zahn, 43, tells us the new job helps home life with her three kids and husband, a real-estate developer: "This is the first time I've had a Monday-through-Friday job. My kids are more thrilled than I am."
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BIRTHDAYS
May 30: Wynonna Judd 35
May 31: Brooke Shields, 34; Chris Elliott, 39; Clint Eastwood, 69
June 1: Alanis Morissette, 25; Ron Wood, 52; Morgan Freeman, 62; Pat Boone, 65
June 2: Dana Carvey, 44; Jerry Mathers, 51
June 3: Curtis Mayfield, 57; Tony Curtis, 74;
June 4: Noah Wyle, 28; Scott Wolf, 31;
June 5: Chad Allen, 25; Mark Wahlberg, 28; Kenny G, 43
Contributing: Bart Mills, L. Pohl, Jeanne Wright
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