Ask American Profile

Rosa Blasi, White Christmas, Pink Panther, Margaret Carlson and Tucker Carlson

I would like to know if Rosa Blasi from Strong Medicine and Lisa Vidal from The Division are the same person?
—Patsy Urrea, Safford, Ariz.

No, Vidal, 40, hails from New York City, while Blasi, 32, was born in Chicago. Blasi’s Strong Medicine is in its fifth season on the Lifetime network and she is very proud of her work as Dr. Luisa "Lu" Delgado. "The best part about doing this show is the effect of getting good karma by doing important issues," Blasi says. "I get fan mail from people who might have gotten a mammogram because they saw the show and it made them think." Last year, Blasi married football player Jim Finn of the New York Giants, and they divide their time between Los Angeles and New Jersey. Lately, she’s been dabbling in stand-up comedy.

In your recent cover story on Christmas Classics, you say White Christmas was a remake of Holiday Inn. White Christmas is a totally different movie featuring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney.
—M. Morton, Orono, Maine

Indeed, Holiday Inn (1942) and White Christmas (1954) were different movies. Yet, White Christmas was so heavily inspired by Holiday Inn that it often is considered a "semi-remake" by movie critics—but perhaps the term "recycle" might be more appropriate. Both films took the same central idea of a team of song-and-dance men (Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire in Holiday Inn, Crosby and Danny Kaye in White Christmas) hoofing it up in New England (the "inn" of the title in the first movie, a Connecticut resort in the other), and both featured Crosby crooning the holiday classic "White Christmas."

I saw an ad several months ago for Steve Martin’s new Pink Panther movie, and I’m still waiting. When will it be released?
—Jo Lea Parker, Shingle Springs, Calif.

The Pink Panther, in which comedian Steve Martin revives the role of bumbling French inspector Clouseau made famous by the late Peter Sellers, will be released to theaters Feb. 10. The movie also stars Kevin Kline as chief inspector Dryfus, Jean Reno as Clouseau’s new sidekick and pop star Beyonce Knowles as a singer named Xania.

Are reporters Margaret Carlson and Tucker Carlson related?
—C. Lorenz, Limestone, Fla.

No, CNN commentator Margaret and MSNBC’s Tucker are not related, but they’re good friends—even though they have opposing political views. "I love Margaret," says Tucker, the conservative of the pair. "I just had lunch with her the other day. I’ve known her for a long time." San Francisco-born Tucker, 36, followed his father’s lead into the business, ultimately working for CNN for seven years before heading to MSNBC last year. He once famously promised to eat his own shoe if Hillary Clinton’s Living History memoir sold a million copies. When it did, Clinton presented him with a cake in the shape of a shoe—a "right-wingtip." Tucker lives just outside of New York City with his wife of 14 years and their four children.

Upload Your Own Stories, Photos and Videos

Every week, American Profile magazine brings you stories that celebrate the people and places that make America great. Now we want to hear your stories and see your photos, videos and even audio.

 Start Uploading Now!

 

Discuss this Article