Ask American Profile
Brooks and Dunn, Lance Burton, Kate Mulgrew.
—Lynn K., Kansas
Though the mega-successful country duo seem as if they’ve always been singing together, the truth is that each was pursuing a solo career before they met. In fact, each of the men had charted singles on their own in 1983. They were introduced by record label president Tim DuBois, who thought they might make a good team. Kix Brooks, 47, and Ronnie Dunn, 49, have since admitted that they didn’t get along right away because they had such different approaches to performing. Anyone who’s seen the pair onstage knows that’s true. Dunn stands in front of his microphone and sings while Brooks runs around the stage with near-frantic energy. They worked it out though, and their styles now complement each other. Since teaming up, they’ve sold millions of albums and can’t seem to stop winning awards. They write most of their own material together, and it’s likely that each of them would agree that, in their case, two heads are better than one.
Can you give me some information about master magician Lance Burton? Is he married and does he have children?
—Cindy H., California
Lance Burton discovered magic as a 5-year-old in Lousiville, Ky., when he attended a Christmas party that had a magician on hand for entertainment. Lance was amazed by all the tricks and immediately volunteered when the tuxedo-clad performer asked for help from someone in the audience. He started studying magic soon after, mastering all the tricks he could find in kids’ magic kits and books. The interest became an obsession, and as a teenager he began studying in earnest, with that same local magician who wowed him at the Christmas party. By age 20, Burton won the Gold Medal for Excellence from the International Brotherhood of Magicians, a highly prestigious award in the world of magic. Before long he was appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, delighting the magic-loving host with his sleight-of-hand. He’s had his own TV specials and traveled around the world astounding audiences with his magic. Today, he performs regularly in Las Vegas at the Lance Burton room of the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino. He’s not married —saying that he is married to his work— and has a 21-year-old son.
I loved Kate Mulgrew as Capt. Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager. But since Voyager I haven’t seen her in anything else. What gives?
—Chelsa H., Utah
You can catch Kate Mulgrew in Star Trek: Nemesis, where she has a cameo role as Adm. Kathryn Janeway. Mulgrew made television history as the first featured woman captain in the Star Trek franchise. She spent much of last year campaigning for her husband, Tim Hagan, in his losing his race for governor of Ohio. Mulgrew’s father, Tom Mulgrew, is a former Iowa Democratic Party chairman. Kate, 48, is an Iowa native who now lives in Cleveland, starring in a one-woman play that opens in March at the Promenade Theater in New York City. The play, Tea at Five, is based on the life of Katharine Hepburn. Mulgrew, who has two sons and a daughter, is best known for her television appearances. Besides her role as a starship captain, she appeared on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope and in Kate Columbo.
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