By PATRICIA SHERIDAN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Jesse James, first came to the public's attention on the Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage." Since then he has created a workingman's empire, starting with his West Coast Chopper specializing in custom-built motorcycles.

He's done it all -- the good, the bad, the sad and the really funny.
That's probably what comes to mind when people think of John Lithgow. The award-winning actor starred in the television series "Third Rock From the Sun" as a leader of an alien band studying Earth. Now his followers are on Twitter, and they continue to fill the seats for his stage performances.

She is a singer, a songwriter, a producer and an actor, but Jada Pinkett Smith is also known as the wife of actor Will Smith. A real red-carpet power couple, they have something rare in Hollywood: a marriage that has lasted more than a decade -- 11 years and counting. They have a son, Jaden, 10, and a daughter, Willow, 8.

Musician-comedian Jimmy Fallon left "Saturday Night Live," his dream job, for what turned out to be a mediocre movie career. But he has landed in the hot seat, replacing Conan O'Brien in March as the host of NBC's "Late Night." He previewed some of his comic bits and his angst on the Web, which proved very popular with younger viewers.

His name is not so recognizable, but Canadian-born actor Bruce Greenwood's face is a familiar one, with a long list of box-office favorites under his belt. He's currently on the big screen playing Capt.

It took just nine episodes of "Seinfeld" for actor Patrick Warburton to become typecast. He played Puddy (the stoic boyfriend of Elaine) so successfully that he is still identified with that character. The son of a surgeon, Warburton, 44, ended up following his mother's footsteps into acting.

He broke the sound barrier, battled Germans and has been honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a special peacetime Congressional Silver Medal of Honor. At 86, Chuck Yeager (www.chuckyeager.com), retired major general in the Air Force, continues to fly and make personal appearances.

In a world of West Elm simplicity and Crate and Barrel conformity, legendary designer Carleton Varney really rocks a room with his pattern, color and confidence.

In his seventh season on "Saturday Night Live," comic-writer-actor Will Forte is branching out once again in the new Fox animated comedy about teachers and students called "Sit Down, Shut Up." He does the voice for the assistant principal. Forte grew up in California and earned his comedy chops with the Groundlings, an improvisational comedy troupe in Los Angeles.

It's not the economy that is going to keep people home this summer. It's the stylish sanctuaries they can create in their back yard that will have them hesitating to hit the road.
This year, great design, comfort and durability have made the annual migration from showrooms to living rooms to great outdoor rooms.