She's here to help

Do Actors Smoke Real Cigarettes on Mad Men?

Sat., Nov. 8, 2008 6:01 AM PST by Leslie Gornstein

AMC

On set, are actors actually smoking real cigarettes? I can imagine the entire cast and crew of Mad Men have lung cancer by now.
—Patrick

Fake. On the AMC show, the actors smoke Ecstacy herbal cigarettes, which are tobacco- and nicotine-free. "You don't want actors smoking real cigarettes," show creator Matthew Weiner recently told The New York Times. "They get agitated and nervous. I've been on sets where people throw up, they've smoked so much."

What's with Mariah Carey and the high notes? Can she still hit them like she did during her "Emotions" days? BTW, love your podcast here in South Africa.
—Caleb

Apparently, she can still sing them. Earlier this month a New Yorker reporter got an earful of a live Mariah Carey set, including, per the resulting article, "the high notes of 'Hero.' "

How often do the ladies of Hollywood dye their locks? I've never seen one with faded color. I find that if I color my hair dark or red, as opposed to going blond, the color barely lasts two weeks! Is dying it every 10 days the secret?
—Deep Roots

"The secret is not how often you dye it, it's how you dye it, it's in the application," says Rick Wellman, colorist for Petra Nemkova and Mariska Hargitay. "I have some clients who come in 10 to 14 days, but I only touch up the roots. The other secret is sealing with a glaze, which locks in the color."

What are the three seashells in the bathroom to replace toilet paper in the movie Demolition Man?
—Azaraff

Per Sylvester Stallone himself, who was interviewed on this very subject by Ain't It Cool News, the three shells were an actual substitute for bath tissue. "OK, this may be bordering on the grotesque," Stallone said, "but the way it was explained to me by the writer is you hold two seashells like chopsticks, pull gently and scrape what's left with the third. You asked for it. Be careful what you ask for, sorry."

Hey! How about a question about Brenda Song?

Got a question about Hollywood? ASK IT: answerbitch@eonline.com

Oh, and subscribe to my free podcast, 'kay?