Getting a read on Miss Cleo not in the cards.(Brief Article)

She's almost inescapable with an often parodied Jamaican accent and ubiquitous TV commercials urging viewers to "call me now for a free three-minute reading." In September, she gets a pay-per-view special.

Possibilities of a book are murmured.

In another sense, however, hardly anyone knows Miss Cleo's background and full name.

Attorney generals in two states have challenged the advertising of Access Resource, the Fort Lauderdale company that promotes Miss Cleo, but it doesn't know her full name either.

"I don't think we've run across that information yet," said jack Cardetti, spokesman at the Missouri attorney general's office. "Our litigation is against the company, not against the actress. We've had several [journalists] ask that, but I guess they are in the same boat as you are."

"My guess is she is an actress, but my guess is an actress for many years who claims she has psychic ability." said Bob Buchner, an assistant attorney general in Fort Lauderdale.

Another psychic in South Florida, where Miss Cleo reportedly lives, said she wonders who she is.

"A lot of people have asked me that question. Why are people so interested in that and why can't anybody found out who she is?" said Poochie Uwanawitz, who gives readings under the name Mrs. David in Fort Lauderdale. "I was asked this question several times before. There are a lot of people who want to know."

Even someone who took calls for Miss Cleo wonders about her.

In a June 7 article for the Nashville Scene (available via a search for "crystal ball" at www.nashvillescene.com), Richard Daverman talked about his $12-an-hour stint taking psychic calls generated by Miss Cleo's ads. He paints a picture of a well-organized business where calls were routed to the psychic with the most average time spent with clients. The room for advancement was becoming a psychic trainer with a $3 an hour override commission.

"Where is Miss Cleo in all of this? Several bureaucratic layers away …