Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

DEAR STACY: The late Paul Lynde was one of the funniest performers ever. He died at a fairly young age, didn't he? When did he die and what was the cause? I've heard different things, such as that he died of AIDS. — Noah J., Westchester, N.Y.

DEAR NOAH: The prolific funnyman of "Hollywood Squares," "Bewitched" and "Bye Bye Birdie" fame was 55 when he was found dead by a friend in his Beverly Hills home in 1982. The coroner ruled his death a heart attack, though his alcoholism certainly contributed to his poor condition. The extensively researched biography "Center Square: The Paul Lynde Story" by Steve Wilson and Joe Florenski has the details of Lynde's death as well as his successful-yet-unhappy life.

DEAR STACY: I am an 83-year-old woman who just loves "Fear Factor." Could you tell me if it will ever come back on TV? — Gwen L., Dominguez Hills, Calif.

DEAR GWEN: Well, reruns are showing on FX, but NBC has no plans to bring the show back to life anytime soon. It was cancelled last year due to a significant ratings decline. If you go traveling, you might see one of numerous international versions of "Fear Factor," in the UK, the Middle East, Poland, Australia, India, Mexico, on and on.

DEAR STACY: We watched a DVD of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" the other day and it got us wondering about Melinda Dillon. What has she been up to? Any new films? — Rod B., Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR ROD: She's in Adam Sandler's March 23 release, "Reign Over Me," in which the comedic actor plays it serious as a guy who lost his family in the Sept. 11 attacks, and finds comfort in renewing his friendship with an old college roommate (Don Cheadle). Dillon, who was Oscar-nominated not only for "Close Encounters" but for her work in "Absence of Malice," has kept a lower profile in recent years, but has been guesting on such series as "Law & Order: SVU" and "Judging Amy," in addition to occasional films, including the 2005 comedy "Adam & Steve."

DEAR STACY: The actor who plays Gray Anderson on "Jericho" looks familiar. Can you please help me place him? Other shows, movies? — Nancy A., Cleveland

DEAR NANCY: Michael Gaston, who plays Gray Anderson on the hit CBS drama series, was a regular as Lt.

Gary Fisk on "Blind Justice," and put in multiple appearances on shows including "Prison Break" (as Agent Quinn), "Brotherhood" (Mr. Speaker), "JAG" (Col. Atwater) and "Ed" (as Frank Kerwin). He also memorably played a compulsive gambler in big trouble with Tony Soprano in the pilot of "The Sopranos," and he's done single episodes of a long list of other shows.

DEAR STACY: What is the relation between Tony Rock, who plays Dirk Black on "All of Us," and Chris Rock? They do share a resemblance. — Sherry S., Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR SHERRY: Tony is one of Chris' younger siblings — the comic is the eldest in a family of seven boys and one girl.

DEAR STACY: What's become of "American Dreams" actress Brittany Snow? She seems to have disappeared since the show went off the air. — Kelly B., Staten Island, N.Y.

DEAR KELLY: Snow was in last year's big-screen comedy "John Tucker Must Die" and an episode of "Law & Order: SVU." Next up, she'll be seen as Amber von Tussle in the feature film version of the musical "Hairspray" with John Travolta, Nicole Blonsky, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes and Zac Efron. That's due July 20.

DEAR STACY: We've become avid watchers of ABC's "Supernanny," and were wondering about nanny Jo — is she married? Kids of her own? — Haley T., Cleveland

DEAR HALEY: London-born Jo Frost, aka "The Supernanny," is single and has no children. She says being exposed to so many out-of-control kiddies has not made her rule out parenthood, however: "It hasn't put me off at all, not at all." But she also says she's not being bothered by the ticking of the biological clock at age 36. If she winds up not having kids of her own, she'll be all right with it. She finds great fulfillment as a nanny. She had 15 years of on-the-job experience prior to succeeding over numerous other candidates in a casting call for the U.K. version of the show, which became an instant hit in 2004.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS to Stacy Jenel Smith at Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Due to the large volume of mail, personal replies cannot be given. To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2007 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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