Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

DEAR STACY: I'm curious about Mike Rowe of "Dirty Jobs." Is he married? How did he get his job? A little background, please. — Hannah A., Cedar Rapids, Iowa

DEAR HANNAH: The single, 47-year-old Rowe hails from Baltimore and now is based in San Francisco. He created and is an executive producer of "Dirty Jobs," so he gave himself the assignment of participating in those icky, sludgy, sometimes-scary jobs all over the country. Rowe's adventurous life has included attaining his Eagle Scout designation and singing with the Baltimore Opera, with, he has said, no formal training. He went cold into an audition to become a QVC pitchman and landed the job, learning about TV production as he hawked products. It was while hosting "Evening Magazine" in San Francisco that Rowe started doing a segment called "Somebody's Gotta Do It," featuring unpleasant occupations. That grew into "Dirty Jobs." Along the way, he amassed lots of credits both on camera and as a voice talent. He's heard all over the Discovery Channel ("Ghost Hunters," "Deadliest Catch"), and he's a pitchman for Ford Motor Company, among other gigs.

DEAR STACY: On "Cougar Town," the actor who plays Courteney Cox Arquette's ne'er-do-well ex-husband looks very familiar. Can you tell me about him? What's he been on before? — Robin S., Flushing, N.Y.

DEAR ROBIN: Brian Van Holt, 40, is a native of Waukegan, Ill., who moved with his family to California as a youngster and became a devoted surfer — eventually competing in national surfing championships — a skill that served him well when he played druggie surfer dude Butchie in David Milch's "John from Cincinnati." Egged on by his friends to enter a modeling contest as a teen, (because, he says, they wanted the free food and the chance to meet the female contestants), he won over some 200 other entrants. With that, he was signed by an agent. He put himself through UCLA by doing commercials, earning a degree in Sociology. Modeling led to acting. His TV credits include his regular role in "Threshold," playing himself in a couple episodes of "Entourage," and parts in "Sex and the City," and "Beverly Hills, 90210." He's also in such features as "House of Wax," "Black Hawk Down" and "Basic." Unmarried, he's been linked with actresses including Amanda Peet in the past.

DEAR STACY: Watching episodes of "Nip/Tuck," I saw the actor Bruno Campos, who plays Quentin Costa.

Wasn't he on a sitcom years ago, and also, what is he doing now? — Gina H., Chattanooga, Tenn.

DEAR GINA: Campos, who played Diego on Christina Applegate's 1998-2000 NBC comedy, "Jesse," is the voice of Prince Naveen in Disney's animated "Princess and the Frog," which is coming out Wednesday (11/25). His latest live-action role is a recurring part on the USA Network's "Royal Pains."

DEAR STACY: Will Whoopi Goldberg return to her role as P.K. on "The Cleaner" next season? — Joy R., Paterson, N.J.

DEAR JOY: No, because the show was canceled in September. Despite enthusiastic acclaim for its depiction of what it takes to get addicts off drugs and alcohol, the Benjamin Bratt series dipped in its ratings, rather than building, in its second season, causing A&E not to go forward with a third.

DEAR STACY: What happened to Dennis Franz from "NYPD Blue"? Is Franz acting anymore and how old is he? I am so begging you for an answer. — M.M., Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR M.M.: Franz, 65, is enjoying an active retirement including traveling, golf and family time with wife Joanie. With a long list of TV, film and theater credits behind him — and four Emmys for his portrayal of Andy Sipowicz — he assured me he wasn't interested in pursuing more acting assignments after "NYPD Blue" finished its 12-season run in 2005.

DEAR STACY: I heard that Eddie Murphy's brother is also in show business. What's his name and has he been in movies or TV shows? — Candi P., Dallas

DEAR CANDI: You're referring to Charlie, Eddie's two-years-older brother. The former Navy man is familiar to fans of "Chappelle's Show" as a recurring performer, and he has his own web show on Crackle, "Charlie Murphy's Crash Comedy," in addition to doing voice work and other TV appearances.

DEAR STACY: What became of Tracy Nelson? — Rae M., Brooklyn, N.Y.

DEAR RAE: The actress daughter of the late Ricky Nelson continues to work, though not frequently as in her younger days, when she was in "Square Pegs" and "The Father Dowling Mysteries." At 46, Nelson's most recent credits include last year's "Polar Opposites" movie with Charles Shaughnessy and Beth Grant on the gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender here! cable channel, and the Hallmark Channel's "A Grandpa for Christmas" with Ernest Borgnine. Her daughter, Remington, from her former marriage to William Moses, is now 17 and her son, Elijah, with director Chris Clark, is 8 years old.

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 2009 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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