Who's News: Ricky Martin, Anita Van Buren, birthdays and more!

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"I'm pretty far away from these dark characters," Michelle Forbes assures us when we ask about her turns as "True Blood"'s Maryann and, now, "Durham County"'s troubled protagonist, forensic psychologist Pen Verrity. "She's a woman who's really hanging on by her fingertips," says Forbes, 45. "Durham County" airs Sundays on Ion Television. Director Terry Gilliam asked Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to take over some of Heath Ledger's scenes in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" after the actor's death in January 2008. "Johnny and Colin have a kind of energy that's closer to Heath -- slightly more wired," Gilliam, 69, says. "Jude has the kind of solidity that Heath had -- a straightforward, generous nature."

Is "Law & Order"'s Lt. Anita Van Buren suffering from cancer because actress S. Epatha Merkerson wants to leave the show?

Barb Tamietti, Great Falls, Mont.

No, it's just a plotline. After 17 seasons, the producers and Merkerson, 57, wanted to try something new, executive producer Rene Balcer tells us. "She's such a terrific actor, a great resource we weren't using," he says. Together, they decided on cervical cancer -- to examine parts of Van Buren's life and to educate viewers about the disease.

I know Ricky Martin is busy with his twin sons, but is he planning any new music soon?

Lee Graap, Janesville, Wis.

"Expect the unexpected. I'm in the studio taking lots of risks," Martin tells us about his album, which is due this spring. Martin, 38, says his 17-month-old twin sons, Valentino and Matteo, born via a gestational surrogate, "join us in our sessions every day. They ask me to sit them on the piano, and they seem to really enjoy it."

We love "The Doctors." Tell us more.

Teresa Reardon, Lawrence, N.Y.

Having four diverse doctors -- a pediatrician, an ER doc, an OB-GYN and a plastic surgeon -- is the show's best asset, says Jim Sears, the pediatrician. People "think of us as their second doctor," he says.

I miss ABC's "Women's Murder Club," especially Angie Harmon. What's she up to?

Penny Burns, Lansing, Mich.

Harmon, 37, is working on a new series, TNT's "Rizzoli", based on the homicide detective character featured in Tess Gerritsen's books. She's also mother to three daughters: Finley, 6; Avery, 4; and Emery, 1.