Who's News: Erika Christensen, Venus Williams, Brad Pitt and more!

Who's hot in Hollywood

Venus Williams plays in the BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup on Monday, and although at age 29 she's inching closer to the end of her competitive career, she says she's not entertaining thoughts of retirement. “I'm not there yet,” Williams says. “I understand the game better now than before. I have a better perspective and can handle adversity and make adjustments better.” At the same time, she continues to branch out in her off-court passions — designing clothing, and working with the March of Dimes and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). “I can't expect everything to be as awesome as tennis,” she says. “But I'm really enjoying myself right now. I'm excited to see how my life will unfold.”

Is American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert working on a second album yet?

J. Kelly, Fremont, Calif.

“Adam is so not even in the mind-set of thinking of a next album,” his publicist, Roger Widynowski, tells us. “We just launched this record [in November], and that is going to carry us for the next two years.” Lambert, 28, will be touring and performing this year to support his debut album, For Your Entertainment.

Was the scar on Brad Pitt's neck in Inglourious Basterds his or his charact

Gerri Schroff, Corvallis, Ore.

The rope burn scar represents the magic of makeup. Special-effects makeup artist Greg Nicotero created the mark with a two-piece prosthetic, which took about 20 minutes to apply to Pitt's neck every day. Although the scar never is explained in the movie, Nicotero says it was director Quentin Tarantino's “homage” to the film Hang 'Em High, in which Clint Eastwood plays a rancher who is hanged but survives.

What can you tell us about Flo, the adorable spokeswoman on the Progressive Insurance TV commercials?

Thomas Hughes, Watertown, N.Y.

Well, for starters, her name's not really “Flo.” That's actually Stephanie Courtney, a comic and actress who has appeared on Mad Men and United States of Tara. Courtney tells us that she's not really as perky as Flo. “Nobody is naturally that perky! They'd strain something,” she says. “I'd say at times Flo is like my mom when she's at her most chipper.”

What is actress Erika Christensen doing now? Is she in any new movies? I've liked everything she has done.

Cindy Valyasek, Westland, Mich.

You can catch the star of Swimfan and Traffic on the small screen starting Tuesday, when the dramedy Parenthood, based on the 1989 movie, premieres on NBC. The show, which also stars Craig T. Nelson and Lauren Graham, gives Christensen, 27, her first chance to play a corporate lawyer/wife/mom. The actress doesn't have kids, but, she says: “Whether you're a parent or not, you're not particularly prepared for it, from what I understand. It has contributed to what one might call the biological clock ticking.”