LI Celebrity Alert: John Cleese

Every fanatical Monty Python enthusiast knows that the family surname of John Cleese was changed from "Cheese" when his father went off to fight in WWI. A good thing, to be sure. Who would believe a comic actor by the name of John Cheese? And if he did have that name, would he have dared emphasize it in his work? The world might have lost the Cheese Shop sketch, a member of the pantheon of comedy.

So it's ironic on several levels that John Cleese is himself lactose intolerant, as revealed in this interview with Kerry Lengel of The Arizona Republic.

I love a little chocolate, but unfortunately, as I am lactose-intolerant, I have to get dark chocolate, and so much of that ends up having milk fat in it, too. I also have a problem with gluten, so it's amazing how little I can eat these days. Or rather, how careful I have to be.

John, Mr. Cleese, that's good advice on dark chocolate. But don't worry yourself with milk fat as in ingredient. It is essentially lactose-free.

LI Celebrity Alert: Scott Burns

You may know Scott Burns as a producer of the Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Sharp-eyed credits-watchers will remember him as a co-writer of the screenplay of The Bourne Ultimatum.

But he has a greater claim to fame - or possibly infamy - than either of those. As Neil Justin writes in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in English, he went into advertising, a career his father had dabbled in. He made an impression, first in Chicago and then across the country, helping Major League Baseball revitalize its image after the 1994 strike, hiring local musician Leo Kottke to provide voiceovers for a series of Washington Post ads and, most notably, contributing to the team that came up with "Got Milk?" campaign for the California Milk Advisory Board.

That was not Burns' proudest moment. First off, he doesn't believe that milk is all that healthy for adults. Secondly, he's lactose intolerant.

Fortunately, he's kicked the advertising habit for the world of movies.

A film he directed, "PU-239," will debut on Sunday on HBO.

LI Celebrity Alert: Karl Mixworthy

Karl Mixworthy. Who?

That's the character played by Joshua Malina on ABC's new fall show, "Big Shots."

The lines between boardroom and bedroom blur in Big Shots, the story of four friends who are at the top of their game... until the women in their lives enter the room. These competitive but dysfunctional New York CEOs take refuge in their friendship, discussing business, confiding secrets, seeking advice and supporting one another through life's twists and turns.

Karl Mixworthy (Joshua Malina, The West Wing) is the sweet yet always nervous CEO of a large pharmaceutical company. He has a loving wife - and a cunning mistress who is beginning to monopolize whatever free time he can muster.

Here's Karl on the show, talking about his mistress:

Look at her. She’s an interior designer by trade. But you know what her real skill is? Making an undersized, insecure, lactose-intolerant man feel like a porn star.

The critics have been merciless and the audience is tuning out in droves, with the ratings plunging halfway through last week's episode. Tune in now: this show won't be around long.

Thanks a lot, Hollywood.

LI Celebrity Alert: Terence Stamp

Veteran British actor Terence Stamp not only has intolerances to wheat and dairy, he's done something about it.



He and Elizabeth Buxton have written a cookbook, The Stamp Collection Cookbook, available from Amazon.com.





UK readers might want to get it under the original title The Wheat and Dairy Free Cookbook, available from Amazon.co.uk.




The two of them also started The Stamp Collection, a line of wheat- and dairy-free breads in the UK.

THE STAMP COLLECTION™

Actor, writer Terence Stamp and Elizabeth Buxton launched the STAMP COLLECTION™ range of products in 1994.

Their aim was to bring delicious, wheat-free and dairy-free products to people who, like Terence, have an intolerance to wheat and dairy products made from cow’s milk.

We produce a variety of award-winning organic products which are suitable for vegetarians and are free from GMOs.

LI Celebrity Alert: Victoria Rowell

My, the PR people at Lactaid have been busy lately. First they conscript Angélica Vale for a Lactaid milk ad campaign, and now they announce that "Victoria Rowell joins LACTAID® Milk to educate lactose intolerant African-Americans about the importance of calcium and Vitamin D."

From the press release:

Today, an estimated 40% of African-American women in the U.S. over age 50 have either low bone mass or osteoporosis², where bones become increasingly brittle and painful. Consuming calcium-rich foods and beverages daily can help reduce the risk for these conditions, however there are limited options available for people who are lactose intolerant and experience stomach discomfort after consuming dairy-based products. Today, actress, author and philanthropist Victoria Rowell joins LACTAID® Milk, the nation's #1 lactose-free milk brand, to educate lactose intolerant African-Americans about the importance of calcium and Vitamin D and the products available to help manage symptoms easily and effectively.


"Lactose intolerance is a common condition for African-Americans. I am also lactose intolerant and used to avoid dairy because I did not want the stomach discomfort that followed," said Rowell. "Over the years, I have realized that avoiding dairy can put me at risk for osteoporosis. Products like LACTAID® Milk and LACTAID® Fast Act Dietary Supplements help me manage my lactose intolerance without eliminating dairy from my diet, putting my mind at ease about my bone health now and in the future. I also love that I can still enjoy my favorite foods with family and friends."

People who are lactose intolerant -- a condition where the body is deficient in the lactase enzyme which breaks down lactose, the milk sugar in dairy foods and beverages -- often avoid dairy products altogether. According to the National Institutes of Health, African-American women consume only half of the recommended daily amount of calcium³. As a result, these women run a higher risk of nutrient deficiencies that may affect bone health and lead to related conditions, like osteoporosis, later in life.

(2) National Osteoporosis Foundation, Fast Facts

(3) National Institutes of Health, Osteoporosis and African American Women, May 2006

For more information on lactose intolerance and LACTAID® Brand products, visit Lactaid.com.

LI Celebrity Alert: Angelica Vale

Angélica Vale gained fame in the telenovela La fea más bella, one of the Spanish Language precursors to the ABC show Ugly Betty.



She's now appearing in ads for Lactaid milk.

As the press release says:

“Like the majority of Hispanics, I am lactose intolerant and used to avoid dairy because I did not want the stomach discomfort that followed,” said Vale. “Over the years, I realized that avoiding dairy can put me at risk for osteoporosis. Products like LACTAID® Milk and LACTAID® Fast Act Dietary Supplements help me manage my lactose intolerance without eliminating dairy from my diet, putting my mind at ease about my bone health now and in the future. I also love that I can still enjoy my favorite foods with family and friends.”

The reminder is an important one, since nearly 60% of Hispanic women in the U.S. over age 50 have either low bone mass or osteoporosis where bones become increasingly brittle and painful, they say, quoting the National Osteoporosis Foundation. And, according to the National Institutes of Health, Hispanic women consume less calcium than the recommended daily amount across all age groups. As a result, these women run a higher risk of nutrient deficiencies that may affect bone health and lead to related conditions, like osteoporosis, later in life.

LI Celeb? Alert: Chris Watters

Does anyone remember Who Wants to be a Superhero? Anyone? I mean even octogenarian Stan Lee, its creator, probably doesn't. Stan "The Man" Lee created the Marvel Age of comics back in the 1960s with the Fantastic Four and has never seen a movie camera that he didn't want to stand in front of. He's made cameos in all the movies made from his superheroes and he hosted WWTBASH, a reality show to find a "real-life" "superhero."

That show flicked out of public awareness like an American Idol loser, but wonder of wonders, it's being picked up in Britain.

And an article on InTheNews.co.uk reminds up that Chris Watters "won" the American show.

So just what are Major Victory's powers?

"Here's the full story: I was involved in a speaker cabinet factory incident; it blew up. Through the years I gained my powers, my powers are I can jump 375 yards in the air, I can manipulate sound and I can levitate. In fact I'm levitating right now because I'm just so happy!

"And my kryptonite is that I'm lactose intolerant. But what I've found is that when I do have a little bit of milk I can jump just a little bit higher.

"And my hair: It's not really a super power; I kind of do that every morning. It's just super. I've always had good hair, that's just genetics."

He jokes that the initial thinking behind his own costume – the original designs of which were the contestants' own work – was "can I get into it".

"I like the shiny pants. [Pings underwear] That has a resonance that is just amazing. Plus now I have a cape and I cut the ends of my gloves off so you can see my phalanges," Major Victory adds.

LI Celebrity Alert: Jessica Simpson

A syndicated article from Bang Showbiz reveals the single fact about Jessica Simpson's life that hasn't already been beaten to death by the celebrity mags.

Jessica Simpson has revealed dairy products give her terrible wind.

The 'Dukes of Hazzard' star - who is getting in shape for her new movie in which her character joins the Marines - has to watch her diet because her lactose intolerance causes her to omit gas from "all ends."

Jessica told US TV show 'Extra,' "I am going to be all ripped. But it's tough, I'm not good on sugar. Or dairy - you'll hear it come out of all ends!"

That may be why she's in that "Who? Me?" pose.