DEAR STACY: Hasan Minhaj nailed it at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. I see that he's on "The Daily Show." How about some background? — 10ccNat
DEAR10ccNat: At 31, Minhaj is clearly a comedic force to be reckoned with. He hails from Davis, California, where he attended University of California, Davis, as a political science major. Inspired by a Chris Rock comedy special, he tried doing standup in San Francisco, soon making a name for himself. He's opened for Katt Williams and Gabriel Iglesias, appeared on shows including "Disaster Date" and "Arrested Development." He wrote and performed his 2015 one-man off-Broadway theater show, Homecoming King, about life as a first-generation Indian American." He began his stint on "The Daily Show" in 2014. Hasan is married to his college sweetheart, Beena.
DEAR STACY: Whatever happened to the drive to get a Hollywood Walk of Fame star for the late Bill Bixby? I grew up watching "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and I thought he was just wonderful. — E.J., Tyler, Texas
DEAR E.J.: Despite having been a TV headliner for decades Bixby still does not have a star. Brandon Cruz, who played his son on that long-ago series, has been working to rectify that for years. "Bill Bixby had an amazing body of work, not only 'Courtship of Eddie's Father,' but 'My Favorite Martian,' 'The Magician,' 'The Incredible Hulk' and so many other things, as an actor, as a director — and he never got an Emmy. He's never been recognized posthumously by the Academy. And he doesn't have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That is criminal," Cruz told me a couple years ago. "There are people who have stars that, not to be blunt, but I wouldn't bother spitting on their stars. Bill's talent would take a couple of blocks of stars compared to them. It really demeans the whole thing that Bill is not included." Cruz has a GoFundMe page dedicated to raising $35,000 for a Bill Bixby Walk of Fame Star. Most times, studios or other production entities pay for star installations for the public relations value. If Cruz manages to get the money together in small donations, Bixby's star will truly be a fan enterprise. He's got $11,797 as of this writing. https://www.gofundme.com/billbixbystarfund
DEAR STACY: How is Bob Harper doing? — PhitnessPhreak
DEAR PhitnessPhreak: The "Biggest Loser" trainer is recovering well from his near-fatal heart attack in February. He reported on "Dr. Oz" that it was caused by an inherited blood condition, Lipoprotein(a), that exercise cannot change. He admits it was a tough adjustment having to slow down (for a while) but he's learned to embrace it, and feels lucky every day.
DEAR STACY: What's happened to Madonna's daughter? — Tim H., Huntington Beach, California
DEAR TIM: Lourdes Leon is a student at the University of Michigan and also a model. Her credits include modeling Stella McCartney's line — two music superstars' offspring collaborating in a whole different realm.
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