ASK STACY by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith on Creators.com

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Ask Stacy -- Week of February 18 DEAR STACY: I'm addicted to "Once Upon a Time"! Please give some background about that wonderfully wicked queen/mayor, Lana Parrilla. She looks familiar. — Elise T., Riverside, Calif. DEAR ELISE: Brooklyn, N.Y., native Parrilla, 34, …Read more. Weintraub Talks Prequel To Bruce Lee's ‘Enter the Dragon'/‘Putin's Oil' to Depict Saga of Former Russian Multibillionaire As martial arts film fanboys and girls are aware, there's been talk of a sequel to or remake of Bruce Lee's iconic 1973 "Enter the Dragon" for five years — at least. Now, producer Fred Weintraub tells us that he expects "Awaken …Read more. Ridiculous and Sublime, Beautiful and Awful Response to Whitney Houston Death in Keeping With Her Life of Extremes As Whitney Houston's loved ones prepare to lay her to rest, the circus that has been surrounding the pop music icon's death shows little sign of abating. It's become a show unto itself. For instance, among the hundreds of beautiful and thoughtful …Read more. Enough With Celebrity Splits; Let's Look at Valentine's Day Love Among the Stars Recent months have been hell for stories of celebrity splits, from Heidi and Seal to Katy and Russell, Demi and Ashton to Johnny and Vanessa and more. But today being Valentine's Day, let us take a moment to shine some light on love in the celebrity …Read more.

ASK STACY

DEAR STACY: Can you tell me if it is true that Rusty Hamer, who played Danny Thomas' son on the old "Make Room for Daddy" series, died of suicide? — Tricia N., Canton, Ohio

DEAR TRICIA: Hamer died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 42 in 1990. Once a household face across America with a gift for comic timing, Hamer lived a troubled life after the series, unable to find fulfillment and suffering from depression and alcoholism. His brother John was quoted saying that he'd found he wasn't qualified to do anything after his acting career ended, and "at 18, he was a has-been with a star on Hollywood Boulevard." It was his death that inspired Paul Petersen of "The Donna Reed Show" fame to launch his A Minor Consideration support group for juvenile actors.

DEAR STACY: What are the people that played Bernie Mac's wife and his sister's children doing now? — Cathy E., Belmar, N.J.

DEAR CATHY: The late comedian's series co-stars continue to act. Camille Winbush, aka niece Vanessa, is on ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" as busybody Lauren. Jeremy Suarez, who played nephew Jordan, is in the 2008 sketch comedy feature "Extreme Movie" with Michael Cera and Jamie Kennedy, and he did voice work in several episodes of "King of the Hill." Dee Dee Davis, remembered as little Bryana, was on an episode of "ER." And Kellita Smith, who played Mac's wife, Wanda, has done indie films including "Conspiracy X."

DEAR STACY: Countess Vaughn had a good singing voice. Why didn't she pursue a singing career after "The Parkers" went off the air? Her voice was better than Brandy's. — S.D. of the Bronx

DEAR S.D.: The performer, whose powerhouse singing made her a "Star Search" winner in 1988 at age 10 — the same year she debuted on the "227" series — has pursued and continues to pursue the musical side of her career, but hits have eluded her. Her first album, the 1992 "Countess," sold poorly but continues to be available on Amazon.com and other outlets. More recent recordings have yet to see wide release, but fans can sample a listen of her tune "It's Only Us" on her MySpace page. Vaughn competed on MTV's "Celebrity Rap Superstar" in 2007.

DEAR STACY: Are they going to bring back "United States of Tara"? Toni Collette is amazing.

— Noelle W., Spokane, Wash.

DEAR NOELLE: "Tara" and her alternate personalities are due back on Showtime March 22.

DEAR STACY: My husband and I have been going crazy trying to identify the actor who narrates the "I am Ram" commercials for Dodge. He says Tom Selleck, but I disagree. It's not Dan Rather, is it? — Naomi R., Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR NAOMI: No. The spot entitled "Manifesto," part of a campaign created by the Dallas ad firm Richards Group, reportedly has agency founder Stan Richards doing the voiceover.

DEAR STACY: I would like to know if Sabra, Twitch, Josh and Brandon, first- and second-place winners from "So You Think You Can Dance," have gone on to successful careers. — Sunny, Westchester, N.Y.

DEAR SUNNY: They're certainly busy, and time will tell how successful they become. Joshua Allen has toured with other "SYTYCD" performers and has a comedy dance flick called "Freak Dance" on the way. Stephen "tWitch" Boss has been busy filming "Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming" in Atlanta this fall, in addition to writing commentary on "So You Think You Can Dance" that can be seen on People.com. Sabra Johnson has turned up performing at numerous events, such as the 2008 Dance Times Square Showcase benefit, and has traveled to such locales as Iceland, Australia and South Africa for appearances with other "SYTYCD" personalities. She's also spent a great deal of time teaching. Brandon Bryant has been kicking up his heels on this year's "So You Think You Can Dance" tour.

DEAR STACY: I would like to know how James Arness is doing these days. I was a big "Gunsmoke" fan. — John G., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

DEAR JOHN: The former "Gunsmoke" star retired in his 70s. He is now 86. He answers fan letters occasionally on his jamesarness.com website, where he recently wrote: "I am thankful first for my wife and best friend, Janet, and second for my good health. I am particularly lucky to have all my great fans. When I started 'Gunsmoke' I had no idea it would go as long as it did and have the impact on so many people over the last 52 years. We sometimes forget during these difficult times what is really important. The many emails I receive let me know that people have faith in the future which is very uplifting."

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.

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