DEAR STACY: I left the TV on after "Project Runway" the other night and got caught up in "Tabatha's Salon Takeover." Who is this Englishwoman with the white hair and too much (it looked to me) cosmetic surgery? I hated everyone's hair on the show. But I couldn't turn away. Actually I found her impressive. — Sharon D., Middlebury Hgts., Ohio

DEAR SHARON: You're speaking of 39-year-old Tabatha Coffey, the Surfers Paradise, Australia-born stylist who grabbed viewer attention, and the Fan Favorite prize, on season one of Bravo's "Shear Genius." The network found her enough of a standout to offer the smart, blunt, witty, no-nonsense stylist her own show. Coffey got her start in the beauty biz at the tender age of 14, working as an assistant in a hair salon in her home town. She went on to a styling apprenticeship and later continued her training in London. Her resume includes working as an editorial stylist for fashion and beauty magazines and serving as a platform artist for the Joico International beauty product line at hair shows in various countries. Today, the openly lesbian Coffey is the proprietor of Industrie Hair Gurus in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where she lives with her partner of a decade.

DEAR STACY: Is it true Sean Murray, who plays McGee on "NCIS," was Thackery Binx and the cat in the movie "Hocus Pocus"? How old was he? — Sue E., Manorville, N.Y.

DEAR SUE: It's true, and Sean, who is the stepson of "NCIS" creator Don Bellisario, was 15. He also played Danny Walden on Bellisario's "Jag" and has a long list of credits on other episodic shows.

DEAR STACY: What nationality is Adrian Pasdar? — Jason F., Torrance, Calif.

DEAR JASON: The "Heroes" actor and husband of Dixie Chick Natalie Maines was born in Pittsfield, Mass., to an Iranian immigrant father — Homayoon, a heart surgeon — and a German immigrant mom, Rosemarie, a nurse and English teacher.

DEAR STACY: Wondering what Masiela Lusha, who played Carmen on "George Lopez," has been doing? — Linda G., Islandia, N.Y.

DEAR LINDA: The 22-year-old actress plays the villainous Sharon in "Blood: the Last Vampire," the live action version of the 2000 Japanese anime cult hit, scheduled for release in March. Lusha — who moved from Tirana, Albania to Budapest, Hungary, to Vienna, Austria, to Michigan as a child — returned to her native land, and native language, to make the feature "The Time of the Comet," in which she plays St. Agnes. When she visited the Balkans during production of "Time of the Comet," she was so moved by the plight of orphans she encountered there, she started her Masiela Lusha Foundation to assist them

DEAR STACY: I absolutely love "Boston Legal." How are the ratings? Is it true this is the final season? Why? — Luis, Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR LUIS: "Boston Legal's" ratings have landed it in 51st, 48th and 41st place in the past three seasons. Yes, it's in its final season of 13 episodes, a decision made by show creator David E. Kelley, according to ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson. He told reporters that Kelley "felt like he had 13 episodes left in him."

DEAR STACY: Whatever happened to Fred Gwynne of "The Munsters"? Is he still around? — Andy W., Cleveland, Ohio

DEAR ANDY: The actor, also remembered from the vintage series "Car 54, Where Are You?" and the film "My Cousin Vinny," died of pancreatic cancer in 1993, at age 66. He was survived by his wife, Deborah, and four children.

DEAR STACY: We're going crazy trying to identify the very familiar voice in the Nissan commercials. Can you help? — Pat K., Mine Hill, N.J.

DEAR PAT: Screen Actors Guild President and husband of Marg Helgenberger, Alan Rosenberg ("L.A. Law," "Chicago Hope") provides his dulcet tones to the automobile spots.

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 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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