Q

I heard Natalie Imbruglia’s next album is songs all previously recorded by men. Like who? —Melissa B., Akron, Ohio

A: Male, out this week from the Australian-born singer-actress, 40, includes her versions of tunes done

originally by Tom Petty, Pete Townshend, Damien

Rice, Neil Young, Cat Stevens and several other artists—all male. “When you hear a song by a man and then the same song by a woman, it’s a different interpretation, because we’re different emotionally,” says Imbruglia. Her cover of the song “Torn” was a Grammy-nominated

hit in 1998.

Q: Why doesn’t Joan Cusack make more movies? She is so fun to watch.

—Mark Parsons, Lincoln, Neb.

A: The Shameless TV star, 52, certainly knows comedy, but she takes her motherhood seriously. So she balances work against the needs of her two teenage sons, Dylan, 18, and Miles, 14. “My kids are my first priority always,” says the Emmy-nominated actress. She looks for jobs that jibe with their schedules, like her role as an author escort in The End of

the Tour, in theaters July 31, alongside Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg.

Q: I’m anxious to see Denis Leary in FX’s new

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll. Did he ever want to be a rock star?

—George S., Louisville, Ky.

A: Leary, who stars in the new TV series as Johnny Rock, a rocker who never made the big time, was a singer/songwriter when he was younger. But he later chose comedy and acting over music. “I love rock and roll,” says Leary, 57, who now writes some music for the show.