Birthday Buzz
January 3: Eli Manning, 29; Mel Gibson, 54
January 4: Julia Ormond, 45; Patty Loveless, 53
January 5: Marilyn Manson, 41; Diane Keaton, 64; Robert Duvall, 79
January 6: John Singleton, 42; Rowan Atkinson, 55
January 7: Nicolas Cage, 46; Katie Couric, 53; David Caruso, 54
January 8: R. Kelly, 43; David Bowie, 63; Stephen Hawking, 68
January 9: Dave Matthews, 43
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On the ABC show "Castle," Nathan Fillion plays fictional mystery writer Richard Castle, and he plays poker with a group of real mystery writers. Who are they?
Betty Powers, Greeley, Colo.
In the show’s first season, Fillion’s Castle played poker with James Patterson (the Alex Cross series) and Stephen J. Cannell (the Shane Scully series). This season, the poker game has been with Cannell and best seller Michael Connelly (the Harry Bosch series).
Anyone noticed the hot Laurence Fox on PBS "Mystery"'s Inspector Lewis?
Megan Antonucci, Winthrop, Maine
You’re not the only one who has noticed his British good looks: Fox, 31, married English actress Billie Piper two years ago, and the couple’s first child, Winston, turned 1 in October.
Could you give some background on Holly Maples, who guest-stars as Eleanor Prince on "In Plain Sight?"
Jenny Hughes, Rockwell, N.C.
“I’m actually a mom who occasionally acts rather than an actress who’s also a mom,” Maples tells us. “When we had our kids, everything else — including acting — became a little less compelling.” The “we” includes her husband, "In Plain Sight" creator David Maples; they have two children: Joely, 8, and Will, 5. The actress, who doubts Prince will be back for another season, spent her youth ensconced in plays and musicals and says she’d love to “tackle Elphaba in "Wicked," although I think my daughter might give me a run for my money.”
Anika Noni Rose was on the cover of USA WEEKEND recently, and I could not believe that she was the same girl who was on "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." Now I know what she's up to, but what is her co-star Jill Scott doing?
Paula Gadulka, Bellevue, Mich.
Although HBO has yet to decide whether the Botswana-set drama will be back for another season, actress/singer Jill Scott says she doesn’t see the hiatus as an opportunity to slow down. While the Philadelphia native, 37, is “waiting for the bigwigs to say yay or nay,” she is filming the sequel to Tyler Perry’s "Why Did I Get Married?" and playing a recovering alcoholic in Lifetime’s "Sins of the Mother."
Who's hot in Hollywood
Sophia Loren, who plays Daniel Day-Lewis’ mother in the new musical film "Nine," is one of the most famous women on the planet. But most people under 40 may not know her Oscar-winning performance in the 1960 Italian classic "Two Women" or dozens of other films, such as "El Cid" and "Arabesque." Instead, they might recognize her best opposite Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the 1995 comedy "Grumpier Old Men." Loren, 75, laughs when she hears this. “I made that movie for the pleasure of acting with those two beautiful, great comedians,” she says. Although she has always been described as a great beauty, she says: “I never based my career on my beauty. I always looked forward instead to doing something artistically valid. If you don’t, after five or 10 years, your beauty is gone and you disappear.” On the other hand, she says, her looks have helped her career. “I think people like beauty,” she says. “It’s a question of not relying only on beauty. It’s the whole thing together. It worked for me — and how!”
Contributing: Bhavna Batra, Gayle Jo Carter, Nancy Mills, Ashley Joy Parker, Brian Truitt
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