Ask the Answer B!tch

Jim Spellman/WireImage.com, Nick Harvey/WireImage.com

I don't want to sound jaded, but why is there a criminal investigation into Heath Ledger's death? Thousands of people overdose every year, but I don't see a federal case being made out of their deaths. What's up with that?
—T. Freckleton

Apparently, anyone who dies of a prescription-drug overdose attracts the attention of the Drug Enforcement Administration. When Heath Ledger first died in January, the DEA insisted it was "routine," in the words of a spokesperson, for them to look into possible illegal sales of the drugs involved—in light of doctor shopping and whatnot.

I normally wouldn't buy that line, especially given the number of agents who were apparently leaping like horny salmon all over Mary-Kate Olsen and anyone else who ever breathed the same air as Ledger. It all seemed way too eager and special.

But there is one piece of information that leads me to believe that the DEA is largely telling the truth. Find out more about what I know, after the jump.

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Sony Pictures

I'm wondering about straight-to-video releases. It has to be obvious to everyone involved during filming that the movie they had hoped would be "box-office magic" is actually a stinker, especially when the lead actors are terrible (hello, Jessica Simpson!). So why go through with something that not only has no hope of ever making any money but will eventually be an embarrassment for all?
—CJM

You obviously speak of the Simpson bomb Blonde Ambition. You should know that clunker was made for the nearly microscopic—in Hollywood terms—sum of somewhere between $10 million and $12 million. Not even a Woody Allen movie is that cheap. Obviously these producers thought if the movie was inexpensive enough, they would have to make at least a little profit. They, shall we say, miscalculated, though the movie did reach No. 1...in Ukraine.

However, you should know that some movies are made with the express intention of skipping theaters and going straight to disc. The big motivation: saving money, not losing it. Find out which actors and cult-hit franchises are benefiting from the flourishing straight-to-DVD market, after the jump.

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Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

I really like that M.I.A. single "Paper Planes." But I hear she supports terror. Is that true? Is she a terrorist?
—Mela, Los Angeles

Don't bother trying to catch M.I.A. at the border. Haven't you seen the Pineapple Express trailer? She's got papers in her name!

For the record, M.I.A., also known as Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam, is a Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil who spent much of her childhood in England. Her father is credited as a cofounder of a militant pro-Tamil group EROS, which, in turn, was once linked to the Tamil Tigers. The Tigers have been labeled a terrorist group by many countries, including the United States.

In a 2005 interview, M.I.A. was adamant that she doesn't support terror:

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INFdaily.com

With all the warnings and advisories on the hazards of smoking, why are so many of the younger celebs, like Katherine or Britney, seen with cigarettes just smoking away?
—Mij

Remember: People who quit smoking tend to gain weight. As nutritional psychologist Marc David recently told a London paper: "It's a choice, really. You are choosing possible lung cancer and death over treating your body with respect, all in an effort to be slim." Also consider: About 23 percent of men in the United States smoke. Same deal with women: Just over 20 percent. Why do all those other people smoke? You go ahead and start with the men, and I’ll wait over here and answer still more of your Burning Q's.

What is Lindsay Lohan's most-successful/highest-grossing movie to date?
—Rachel

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Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

Did Bernie Mac pass away today?
—David

No. And he did not pass away yesterday, either. He also is not likely likely to pass away tomorrow, just in case you were planning on asking again in another 24 hours. Perhaps you mistake Bernie for Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Russian literary lion who died this week. I mix up those two all the time. As for now, Mac's simply hospitalized with a bad case of pneumonia.

Onward, with more of your Burning Q's!

What's with the dozens of teenagers mobbing your building today? More importantly, are you trapped inside?
—Melly, Los Feliz

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Jesse Grant/WireImage.com

Is Joe Jonas dating anyone?
—Cinderella

If you believe Vanessa Hudgens—and, really, who doesn't?—then he may be dating Chelsea Staub. When Staub's name came up in a CosmoGirl interview that runs this weekend, Hudgens says, "Isn't she dating Joe [Jonas]?"

The CosmoGirl reporter then notes that Vanessa "catch[es] herself, as if realizing she'd broken some celeb code of secrecy."

"I mean, she's been seen with him," Hudgens then grins to the reporter.

As if that weren't fascinating enough, I now proceed to more of your Burning Q's!

Is Hannah Montana the show really ending after this season?
—Adorable

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ABC/Karen Neal

Rebecca Romijn is the latest star to be pregnant with twins. Is there something in the water in Hollywood?
—Molly, Dayton, Ohio

The compounded pregnantitis, it be spreading. Brangelina, Julia Roberts and now Rebecca Romijn. Or perhaps you speak perhaps of Marcia Cross, who had her twins at age 44. No mystery on that last one. She has said she had in vitro fertilization before conceiving her girls. And some other celebumoms may have had help as well.

"There's a reasonably good chance that some of these women had twins because of in vitro fertilization," says physician Judy Albert of Reproductive Health Specialists in Pittsburgh.

Why that conclusion? Find out after the jump.

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ZumaPress.com

Miley? She remains zit-free through the pure power of her all-American virginity and the love of the sweet baby Jesus! Plus, weekly wraps in the American flag. I hear those do wonders for acne.

In all seriousness, dear, many of those kids get zits. Though the Los Angeles Times last year described the then-teenage actor Zac Efron as "pimple-free," a New York Times headline declared "It's Pimples, Not Pregnancy, for Miley Cyrus."

Find out how teen stars get rid of their zits super-quick—unless you're squeamish—after the jump.

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ABC

Is it just me, or does Ashlee Dupree look like Elisabeth Hasselbeck?
—No Name Given

I agree that the two share a general bridge-and-tunnel vibe, but beyond that, meh. Unless I'm wrong. Go ahead and let me know in the comments section. I, meanwhile, will move on and answer more of your Burning Q's!

Is the cast of Friends ever going to reunite for a movie?
—Mems

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Steinberg/Turgeon/INFGoff.com

How do stars get fabulous jewelry and dresses for the awards shows? Do they have to beg for them, or do people come to them?
—Sarah, Toronto

People don't just "come to" stars. The designers and their publicists pay the stars. To wear their stuff. Tens of thousands of dollars. To wear a dress or a diamond necklace for a few hours. Like, Hilary Swank and Charlize Theron both reportedly earned $100,000 to wear diamonds from Chopard at the Golden Globes a few years ago.

Stars: They're just like us! Now, let's tackle more of your Burning Q's.

How old is Ali Lohan?
—X.O.

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FAME

How have The Dark Knight's record-setting profits been influenced by people seeing it in IMAX theaters, which might charge more?
—Megan, San Fernando Valley, Calif.

Let's put it this way: IMAX allowed the movie to reach its $300 million record, like, a day earlier than it would have otherwise.

Of the movie's estimated 10-day, $314 million gross, IMAX counts for about $16.3 million, according to Paul Dergerabedian of Media By Numbers. "It's not that IMAX is fueling all this," he tells me, "but it's icing on the cake."

Tell us a bit more about Christopher Ciccone's tell-all Madonna book.
—Joshua

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Edward Opinaldo/PacificCoastNews.com

What's with celebs wearing shoes that are way too small? I saw Jessica Simpson's toes sticking out a good half-inch beyond the end of a shoe.
—Jessica, Dayton, Pa.

Celebrity stylists clucked and sputtered when I asked whether Jess may have actually sported a missized shoe on a red carpet. Nonsense, they said. And how dare anyone even imply that Jessica Simpson would do such a thing, because she has her own shoe line, blah blah blah.

The shoes were probably the correct size, the stylists mused, but then the weather likely grew rude or inappropriate, causing Jess to sweat. Seriously. See what I mean, after the jump.

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