Ask American Profile

What’s going on with Matchbox Twenty?
—Shawn T., New Hampshire

The pop/rock band just saw the release of its concert DVD, Show—A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty, in May. Lead singer/songwriter Rob Thomas is working on a solo album, but the group itself is on hiatus. “We’ve been together for a long time and we’ve all been really close, and we all got really sick of each other,” the married Thomas says, laughing. “After about 10 years on a bus, it’s good to just have a couple years where you only talk on the phone.”

Could you give us an update on Sheilah Kast, an anchor with Peter Jennings on ABC?
—Larry G., Indiana

You can find her weekends on PBS, anchoring the PBS/NPR Newsbrief, which are hourly 30-second reports produced by National Public Radio for public television. The Indianapolis native became interested in journalism in high school. “The big attraction was the reporting more than the writing,” she says. “Reporting gives you a license to walk up to anyone and ask them a question—what a gift for someone who’s shy!” Kast has worked in newspapers and on television, joining ABC News in 1991, and hosting This Week in Business on public television starting in 1997. She spent two years in Romania when her husband, John Rosapepe, served as U.S. Ambassador to that country. After returning in 2001, Kast worked as a reporter for CNN. “I’ve been a newspaper reporter, an editor, a television correspondent and an anchor. It’s that sense of mission that makes it fun to go to work each day,” Kast says.

What can you tell me about the composer and singer of It’s a Jungle Out There, the theme song from the TV show Monk?
—Frank P., New Mexico

The man behind the song is Randy Newman, a multiple Grammy winner known for his sly and twisted wit as a lyricist as much as for his soundtrack credits and hit songs. He recorded a few mainstream hits, including Short People, I Love L.A. and You’ve Got A Friend In Me (from the movie Toy Story), but his most consistent success is as a songwriter. A Los Angeles native from a musical family, Newman started writing songs at 17. Three Dog Night had a hit with his Mama Told Me Not To Come, and Joe Cocker scored with You Can Leave Your Hat On. He wrote the scores for films such as Ragtime, The Natural, Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Avalon, receiving 16 Oscar nominations for his work.

Can you please tell me about Little Jimmy Dickens and how we can order some of his records?
—Betty D., Florida

Born in Bolt, W.Va., on Dec. 19, 1920, James Cecil Dickens stands only 4 feet 11 inches tall, but he’s looked up to by generations of country music fans. Known for novelty numbers such as Take an Old Cold ‘Tater (And Wait), Dickens joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1948 and still performs there today. He admits he’s sentimental: A miniature covered wagon given to him by Elvis Presley in 1957 still sits in his den. “I treasure it,” he says. “That thrilled me to death.” You can order his records from the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, P.O. Box 500, Nashville, Tenn., 37202 or by calling (615) 255-7503.

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