Ask American Profile 3/30/2008

Q Joan Lunden is my all-time-favorite TV hostess. What’s she doing nowadays?
—Celia Johannson, Pella, Iowa

Lunden, 57, who co-hosted Good Morning America from 1980 to 1997, remains busy and involved with a variety of projects both in and out of the spotlight. The New York-based mother of seven travels as a motivational speaker, works for Michael Bolton Charities to protect women and children, and has been a spokeswoman for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, the American Lung Association and the American Red Cross. Last year, she launched Reveille, a women’s health-and-wellness summer camp in Maine, and she also hosts Hometown Heroes, a new series on DirecTV’s satellite channel The 101.

Q I just watched the All in the Family episode where Archie takes care of Edith’s niece, played by Danielle Brisebois. She was such a talented and loveable child. Is she still acting?
—Mary Marshall, Hastings, Neb.

For the most part, Brisebois stopped acting when she was 18 and turned her focus to songwriting, going on to pen tunes for Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken and Mandy Moore. She also wrote the Natasha Bedingfield hit “Unwritten,” which is the theme song for the smash-hit MTV series The Hills. “I don’t believe you have to only do one thing in your life,” says Brisebois, 38, who lives in Los Angeles and plans to marry her longtime boyfriend, rock guitarist Nick Lashley, later this year.

Q What’s up with former American Idol winner Ruben Studdard?
—Tanya Cole, Denton, Texas

Currently appearing on the second season of the syndicated recap series American Idol Rewind, the 30-year-old singer, who won the TV competition in 2003, is hard at work on a new album. Recently slimmed down by nearly 100 pounds, he’ll take on the role of Fats Waller later this year in a nationally touring production of the Broadway smash Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Q What is the famous exercise man Jack LaLanne doing today?
—Elhert Jones, Stevensville, Md.

At 93, LaLanne—the man credited with starting America’s “fitness craze” in the 1930s—exercises two hours a day, seven days a week. “I hate it, but I like the results,” he says. “Exercise is king, nutrition is queen. Together you have a kingdom.” Based in California, LaLanne continues to give lectures and conduct fitness seminars, traveling with his wife of 54 years, Elaine, with whom he has three children.

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