Issue date: Nov 28, 1999
No one believes
in a mind-body connection more than Oprah Winfrey, especially when
it comes to weight. She looks a little heavy again. What's up?
Rose Colombo, Wilmington, Del.
She admitted last month that she's out of shape, but she still
ran a 5K for breast-cancer awareness in 31 minutes. And she's always
said she must be vigilant about food; if she isn't, the pounds slide
right back. "I can pick up three pounds in a weekend," she once
told us. "Three leads to five, leads to seven; 12 is on the way,
and it's over." She says she'll always be fighting 20 pounds. The
difference between current and previous battles: "It used to be
70." With new irons in the fire -- a second talk show on the cable
channel Oxygen, a new magazine due in the spring -- Winfrey's focus
these days is on business.
Richard
Dean Anderson's action series, MacGyver, was the best thing
on TV a decade ago. Where is he now?
Gilbert Egan, Warren, Mich.
Searching space for ways to save Earth from destruction in Showtime's
Friday-night Stargate, SG-1. Anderson's life is quieter than
in his MacGyver heyday, when he dated high- profile actresses
such as Teri Hatcher and Sela Ward. He tells us he's "done everything
[I] have needed to do." And more. "Now it is time for this new adventure":
raising his year-old daughter, Wylie. What does he want for his
future? Possibly marriage to Wylie's mother, Apryl, who he says
has a great sense of humor and shares his cynicism. And possibly
more kids. He loves fatherhood. "It's frustrating to have to go
to work."
The Dixie
Chicks are country music's biggest story this year, with a No. 1
album and lots of honors at various awards shows. I need to know
more about who they are and how they got together.
Christopher Jordan, Dearborn Heights, Mich.
A country band with bluegrass roots and crossover written all
over them, the Chicks are young, hip and happening. It wasn't always
so. Music-minded sisters Emily Robison and Martie Seidel were Dallas
high school kids dressing like cowgirls when they formed the Chicks
in 1989; they spent years with various lead singers courting Texas
fans while praying for a national break. That didn't happen until
another Texas kid, Natalie Maines, joined them four years ago, telling
the sisters she dug their music but wouldn't wear any silly cowgirl
outfits.
Are any
of the Clintons fluent in a language other than English?
Bill True, Utica, N.Y.
President Clinton speaks a little German, but not enough to be
called conversational, let alone fluent; the first lady speaks English
only. As for Chelsea, the White House won't say. (Interestingly,
language study among college students is up in the past four years,
after a downward trend.) When the president or first lady travels
to a non-English-speaking country, an interpreter for that country's
language generally goes along. For a recent U.N. meeting, Clinton
had six interpreters ready.
That wonderful
best seller by Rebecca Wells, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya
Sisterhood, has a cult following and a built-in movie audience.
Bette Midler has the rights. What's the status?
Nancy Lee Johnson, Reno
Midler's people tell us that her All Girl Productions is in the
early stages of getting it together -- no cast yet. We can only
hope Midler sees herself as Vivi, the queen Ya-Ya and prima donna
of a mama. For now, the Divine Miss M, 54 this Wednesday, is busy
wrapping up the century with a tour that's winning raves and ends
in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve.
My daughter
and I are equally drawn to the tall, dark and handsome British actor
Colin Firth. Why isn't he a superstar?
Anne Coll, Livermore, Calif.
Women on both sides of the Atlantic have been swooning over Firth
since his appearance as Mr. Darcy in the BBC's Pride and Prejudice.
But he says, "I get the jitters if too much attention is focused
on me. And I wouldn't do something just for a big paycheck." To
the happily married Firth, 39, whose roles in The English Patient
and Shakespeare in Love were scene stealers, "a character
who's straight down the line with no twists or quirks is boring.
You've got to have something to play. I like to watch stories where
you're sure of what you're seeing, and then you're not."
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THIS WEEK'S
BIRTHDAYS
Nov 28: Anna Nicole Smith, 32; Judd Nelson, 40; Ed Harris,
49.
Nov 29: Kim Delaney, 37; Andrew McCarthy, 37.
Nov 30: Ben Stiller, 34; Billy Idol, 44; Dick Clark, 70.
Dec 1: Richard Pryor, 59; Woody Allen, 64.
Dec 2: Britney Spears, 18; Monica Seles, 26.
Dec 3: Brendan Fraser, 32; Katarina Witt, 34; Julianne Moore,
39; Ozzy Osbourne, 51.
Dec 4: Tyra Banks, 26; Marisa Tomei, 35; Jeff Bridges, 50.
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