Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

DEAR STACY: I would like to know more about Isla Fisher from "Confessions of a Shopaholic." Is she related to Eddie Fisher? How old is she, and where is she from? She acted so well with Hugh Dancy in the movie; are they dating? — Patricia Ann M., Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR PATRICIA ANN: Fisher, 33, who moved with her parents from Scotland to Perth, Australia at age 6, is not related to Eddie Fisher. She lives with her fiance, Sacha Baron Cohen, and their 2-year-old daughter, Olive, in London and Los Angeles. (Dancy wed Claire Danes last year.) An achiever from early on, she published two teen novels while a teen herself. She appeared on the popular Australian soap "Home and Away" from 1994 to 1997. Her first Hollywood film was 2002's "Scooby Doo." Other credits include "Wedding Crashers" and "Definitely, Maybe." Next up for her is John Landis' "Burke and Hare" black comedy about a pair of 19th-century grave robbers, starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis, with Tom Wilkinson and John Cleese.

DEAR STACY: Whatever happened to John Melendez, Jay Leno's former announcer on "The Tonight Show"? — Ronald I., Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR RONALD: Although Leno stopped using Melendez as an announcer, preferring to do his on-camera interplay with bandleader Kevin Eubanks, he employed Melendez as a writer on the failed "Jay Leno Show" and will keep him on as he returns to "The Tonight Show"

DEAR STACY: My favorite actress on "Secret Life of the American Teenager" is India Eisley, the girl who plays Ashley. She can really deliver those funny, sarcastic quips, but then turn around and make you cry. Can you tell about her, please? — Brenda W., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

DEAR BRENDA: The daughter of Olivia Hussey ("Romeo and Juliet," "Jesus of Nazareth") and her husband, actor-musician David Glen Eisley (Dirty White Boy), India is 16 years old and hails from L.A. Her earliest roles were in European indie films. In 2005, she was in the movie "Headspace" with her mother. The beautiful young talent tells me that although she isn't like her gruff character in real life, she does relate to Ashley in some ways, and she's learned a lot about expressing herself by way of playing her.

DEAR STACY: I just saw a rerun of Paul Winfield's guest appearance on "Family Matters" as Harriette and Rachel's father. Whatever happened to him? Who was he married to? — Jessica K., Valencia, Calif.

DEAR JESSICA: The distinguished actor, remembered for his portrayal of Dr.

Martin Luther King in the miniseries "King," his work in "Roots" and the big-screen "Sounder," died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in 2004, after years of battling diabetes and obesity. That was two years after he lost his domestic partner of 30 years, architect Charles Gillan Jr.

DEAR STACY: Can you please tell me whatever happened to the actor who played Bruce Leroy Green from the 1980s movie "The Last Dragon"? — S.J., Queens, N.Y.

DEAR S.J.: Taimak — nee Taimak Guarriello — stays busy on several fronts. As an actor, he's guest starred on several TV shows such as "Third Watch" and "A Different World," and done plays including the 2004 stage version of Patrick Swayze's "Roadhouse," in which he starred, and "Last Life," which wrapped its run at Brooklyn's Brick Theatre last month. As a martial arts coordinator, he worked with the group Bush on their "Chemical Between Us" video and on Madonna's Drowned World tour. The Manhattan-born seventh-degree black belt, 45, has a fitness DVD out. He has a coaching program for at-risk youth — Taimak's Unfolding Dream — and does inspirational talks for school kids. He also has a couple of film projects in the pipeline, including a remake of "The Last Dragon."

DEAR STACY: The pretty blond actress on "Past Life" looks familiar. What other shows has she been on? — L.I., Canton, Ohio

DEAR L.I.: Twenty-nine-year-old Kelli Giddish is remembered by daytime TV viewers as "All My Children's" Diana Henry, a role she played from 2005-2007. On a completely different front, she's known to Web watchers as Courtney of the weekly online series "The Burg." The Cumming, Ga. native, a graduate of the University of Evansville in Indiana, is also a veteran guest star, with episodes of such shows as "Damages" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" under her belt.

DEAR STACY: What happened to Vanity? She used to be so hot back in the day, mostly known for dancing around in her underwear. She had something to do with Prince. It seems every girl who got mixed up with Prince ended up in her underwear, then you never hear about these girls again. They dance with the devil for a while, these Prince girls, then they run to God for forgiveness. — Aldo, Long Island, N.Y.

DEAR ALDO: Denise Matthews, the evangelist formerly known as Vanity, has been a born-again Christian for about 17 years. After years of addiction to crack cocaine and winding up hospitalized with kidney failure, she had a conversion experience she says saved her life, severed her ties to show business and quit the Vanity persona. Her memoir, "Blame it on Vanity," came out in 2006 but is now out of print.

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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