Celebrities
Stacy: What's Up With Eric Stoltz, TNT's 'The Closer?'
By Stacy Jenel
Nov 13, 2005

DEAR STACY: What is Eric Stoltz up to lately? -- Leigh B., Newark, N.J.

DEAR LEIGH: Eric will be seen next month in the Sci-Fi Channel's six-hour drama "The Triangle." He and former "Jag" actress Catherine Bell play professionals called together to investigate the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle.

DEAR STACY: My daughter's favorite movie is "Ever After," which airs often on the Family Channel. Can you please tell us about Dougray Scott, who plays the prince in the movie? I don't recall ever seeing him in anything else. -- S.B., Palmer, Mass.

DEAR S.B.: The Scottish actor, who turns 40 Nov. 25, actually has a very long list of credits, including such films as "Dark Water" and
"Mission: Impossible 2" -- and ABC's upcoming, not-so-reverential miniseries of "The Ten Commandments" in which he stars with Omar Sharif, and "Lost" star Naveen Andrews. The 6-foot-tall actor trained at the Welsh College of Music and Drama and began his career in regional theater and the UK series "Soldier, Soldier." He and wife of five years, Sarah Trevis, are the parents of twins, a son and a daughter. He's also a close friend of Ewan McGregor, who served as best man at his wedding.

DEAR STACY: I am a fan of TNT's "The Closer." Can you tell me who plays Agent Fritz Howard and a little about him? Also, when does the new season begin? -- A.B., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

DEAR A.B.: Jon Tenney plays Agent Howard in the Kyra Sedgwick hit series. Though he's been acting for the last 20 years, most remember him as Teri Hatcher's ex-hubby. The two were married for eight years before getting divorced in 2003, and they now share custody of their 8-year-old daughter Emerson Rose. As for Tenney's background, the 43-year-old actor grew up in Princeton, N.J. He graduated from Vassar College and went on to study at Julliard in New York. Although the premiere date for season two hasn't been set, it could be earlier than this year's June launch of the show -- since they're doing 15 episodes as opposed to this year's 13. The company goes back to work in February.

DEAR STACY: I would like to know more about the beautiful NBC news reporter and anchor Hoda Kotb. -- Mike H., Youngstown, Ohio

DEAR MIKE: Hoda Kotb has been a "Dateline" NBC correspondent since April 1998. She began her career after graduating from Virginia Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism. Her first job was with "CBS News" as a news assistant in Cairo, Egypt. She went on to anchor for CBS affiliates in Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana before finding a home with NBC. In August, she and her boyfriend of 10 years, University of New Orleans tennis coach Burzis Kanga, finally got engaged. A December wedding is in the works.

DEAR STACY: Is Gene Barry of "Bat Masterson" series fame still around? An update, please. -- Jesse R., Austin, Texas

DEAR JESSE: At age 84, Barry still works occasionally. He was seen in last summer's Tom Cruise "War of the Worlds" playing the grandfather -- 52 years after he was among the stars of the 1953 movie of the H.G. Wells story. His long and impressive list of credits includes the series "Burke's Law" and "The Name of the Game, and Broadway's "La Cage aux Folles," for which he won a Tony nomination in the '70s.

DEAR STACY: Regarding "That '70s Show," the character Donna was an only child, then one day she had a sister, then she was an only child again. Why was this? It still bugs me. -- Harvey C., Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR HARVEY: Donna actually has two sisters. Does that help or make things worse? The younger one, Tina, has appeared in one episode. The elder sister, Valerie, is also mentioned, but the two have never been seen or mentioned again since early on in the show's run. This is often referred to as the Chuck Cunningham syndrome, in which a main character or a character otherwise important to the show's plot is removed without explanation. It's derived from "Happy Days" when the oldest of the three children in the Cunningham family was said to have gone off to college and then never mentioned again.

DEAR STACY: I would like to know about James Lafferty, who plays Nathan on "One Tree Hill." His date of birth, background? -- P.G., Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR P.G.: Lafferty was born on July 25, 1985, in Hemet, Calif., where his parents owned a construction business. At age 6, he and his younger brother Stuart were encouraged by their mother to start acting as a hobby. A few years later, Lafferty began to land roles on series like "Emeril," "Once and Again," and "Boston Public." However, he was able to live a normal life by attending public school where he played basketball and earned the team's MVP award. After graduating high school in 2003, he enrolled at Cal State Long Beach, but it wasn't long before he was offered the part of Nathan on the WB's "One Tree Hill." He now lives in Wilmington, N.C., where the show is filmed, but tries to visit home when he can.

Stacy Jenel Smith is a frequent guest on television and radio programs, Smith served as a regular correspondent on E! Entertainment Television's "The Gossip Show" for five years.

  ©2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc.