Q and A: Week of June 25
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| Timothy Hutton |
A: The premiere of season five of the hit TNT show will be Sunday, July 15, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. This year brings 10 all-new episodes starring your favorite gang of thieves, grifters and con artists led by Academy Award-winner Timothy Hutton, along with Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge. This season promises to deliver high action and intrigue — and maybe some more romance — as well as big-name guest stars, such as Cary Elwes and Treat Williams.
Q: Is it true that Matthew McConaughey finally tied the knot? — Tina R., via e-mail
A: Lustful ladies all over the world had to give up the dream of becoming Mrs. M. in early June, when Matthew married longtime girlfriend — and mother of son Levi, 3, and daughter Vida, 2 — Camilla Alves in an intimate ceremony at the couple’s home in Austin, Texas.
Q: What’s next for the beautiful Andie MacDowell? It seems I see her only on hair color/make-up commercials anymore, and I really miss seeing her in movies. — Britta, Fairview, Mich.
A: Andie just started production in mid-June on the new Hallmark Channel original series “Cedar Cove,” which is based on the best-selling book series of the same name by Debbie Macomber. Andie will star as Judge Olivia Lockhart, whose Cedar Cove Municipal Court is the professional milieu and social microcosm of issues the judge will face in her own day-to-day life with family and friends. The series kicks off with a two-hour pilot, scheduled to air at the end of the year, with a weekly one-hour series to follow in early 2013.
Readers: For your summertime reading pleasure, I want to give one lucky reader a copy of Rebecca Bloom’s “Eat, Drink, and Be Married.” Simply e-mail me at letters@cindyelavsky.com by July 31, and tell me your favorite beach read. This contest isn’t just for the ladies, although many beach books are classified as “chick lit.” I asked Rebecca if it bothered her to have books pigeonholed as “chick lit.” She told me: “I was offended by it before, but because I thought, ‘Why does it have to be classified?’ But now I’m much more of a realist than when I started writing, and you have to do whatever you can to market your book. It’s a way to classify and sell, and ultimately, that’s what any writer should want. So, I’m not as against it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating women with your writing. ‘The Help’ was awesome, and that was a chick flick and chick lit, so if my book is classified as chick lit, that’s fine with me.”
Interview: Will Patton on Saving the World
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| Will Patton (photo by James Dittiger) |
[*Note: This interview contains minor spoilers for those who haven't seen the two-hour premiere episode that aired this past Sunday.]
Celebrity Extra: Talk to me about Capt. Weaver: What are some of his qualities that you admire or that you can relate to?
Will Patton: It’s very interesting when you think about what it would be like to have to command in a situation like this. What you would have to do is maybe not what you would think, and being fair is not necessarily what we would normally think it would be. I think it requires not allowing people to see certain things about you. The greatest commanders had to find ways to wear masks, which was the greatness of their command. That’s what’s interesting about Weaver: When that mask comes down a little bit, it’s powerful. That’s intriguing to me about people, because I think we all, in order to survive, have to pretend sometimes to be something that we’re not.
CE: What can you tell me about the fate of the 2nd Mass and what they are going to face?
WP: We’re all working toward a common goal, with some dissension. Many of us have bonded in a new way. I think those of us who can step up to the plate and have a solidity are becoming more solid. For those who aren’t, it’s becoming clearer that they’re not, and it becomes a little more troublesome. I think we’re going to go through hell, that’s what I can tell you, but there are moments of blue sky. I think there are probably more moments of blue sky in this season than there were last season, but there’s a great deal of dark danger, too.
CE: One of the things I like about the show is there’s a really good balance of action scenes versus human-interaction scenes.
WP: I think so, too. It’s what interests me — it’s kind of like a weird metaphor, which I think a lot of people are feeling, like: “Is this world going to completely fall apart? And if it does, how will I really behave?”
CE: In the second episode of this season, when Tom returns from the alien ship and they discover he has that tracker thing in his eye, and Anne has to remove it ...
WP: Ew! That’s one of the craziest scenes! That scene was one of the craziest scenes I’ve ever been involved with in my whole life, and I actually really liked it because it was so far-out. I remember when we were shooting it, we were just like our minds were blown by the situation.
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| Will Patton (with Noah Wylie, photo by Ken Woroner) |
CE: Can you take me through, say, a day in the life on the Falling Skies set?
WP: (Laughs) Because we’re shooting outside in Vancouver in winter, mostly at night, it’s freezing. Every actor got sick at one point or another, so in that way, there is a certain amount of survival that’s required. It’s like you’re shooting a whole action movie in eight days. Everyone on this crew has a really great work ethic. And every day is different, so there’s not an average day on this show. You never know what you’re going to be doing. One day you’re fighting skitters, and the next day you’re in a really intense emotional situation with another character, or you’re exploring something that you never thought about before that has to do with your life and your love. But really, a day for me is just coming in and deciding how to best make sure that I command 2nd Mass properly.
CE: Now, aside from Falling Skies, I see you’re keeping really busy with other roles. Tell me about The Girl, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this spring.
WP: It was a beautiful script, which we shot in Mexico last summer. I have high hopes for it. I think it’s quite a beautiful story. I really liked the director, David Riker, and Abbie Cornish (who stars) is great. The little Mexican girl who’s in it — Maritza Santiago Hernandez, about 8 years old — was just beautiful.
CE: And you were just out of town filming another movie. What movie was that, and what can you tell me about it?
WP: I finished filming it in Seattle just last week. It’s called You Can’t Win with Michael Pitt, which is a pretty interesting movie. It’s sort of a true narrative about bums and thieves in the late 1800s. It’s based on the book written by a guy named Jack Black — but not the Jack Black we know. It was a memoir based on his life and published in the early part of the 1900s. It was William S. Burroughs’ favorite book. It’s an interesting script, so I’m excited to see how that turns out.
CE: Aside from all your work in feature films, TV movies and TV series, I had no idea that you were so prolific in audiobook narration — about 40 books so far, including Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Al Gore’s The Assault on Reason, Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon and many more. You’ve also won numerous awards for your recordings. How did you get into that?
WP: When I was a kid, I always sort of lived inside books. There’s nothing more exciting than being able to sort of live a beautiful piece of literature by reading it aloud. It’s a great thing for actors to do, you know? It’s just you with a microphone, kind of doing a little play. I’d think any real actor would be excited by it. It’s hard to do, because it’s really important you don’t try to show how well you can act, and you make sure you’re staying out of the author’s way. You need to keep it as interesting as it really is without saying, “Here’s how good I’m reading it.” It’s a tricky little thing, and it’s a constant challenge. I find it to be very exciting work for an actor — as long as the book’s good.
Q and A: Week of June 18
Q: I watched the most wonderful documentary on PBS the other night on the life of Johnny Carson. He is and always will be the best late-night talk show host, and I was very interested to learn about this usually private man. Will it air again soon? If not, can I buy it on DVD? — Paul F., Altoona, Pa. A: I know the documentary you are talking about, because I watched it too and absolutely loved it. In the late ’80s and early ’90s — when I was finally allowed to stay up late — I watched “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” religiously, so I was thrilled to sneak a peek into this talented man’s life. You can stream “American Masters Johnny Carson: King of Late Night” on your computer at pbs.org/americanmasters. However, if you can wait until July 17, you can purchase the DVD (or Blu-ray) of the film, which will include outtakes and bonus material, through PBS Distribution.
Q: I can’t find new episodes of “Army Wives” on the TV schedule. Is it done for the season? — Genie D., via e-mail
A: Don’t worry — there will be 10 new episodes of Lifetime’s “Army Wives” starting Sunday, June 24, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Note the new time slot, as “Wives” will now follow “Drop Dead Diva.” Upon the show’s return, Susan Lucci will be back in her guest-starring role.
Q: My wife and I loved the show “Cold Case,” and still watch the reruns. We wonder whatever happened to Kathryn Morris, who played Det. Lilly Rush. We have seen all the other lead characters on other shows, but not her. — Ron C., Roanoke, Va.
A: The gorgeous 43-year-old just finished the short film “Sunday’s Mother,” and most recently co-starred with Denise Richards and Jim Belushi in the direct-to-DVD movie “Cougars, Inc.” She also played a small role in last year’s Oscar-nominated film “Moneyball”; however, her part ended up on the cutting-room floor. I haven’t seen the DVD extras yet, but hopefully we can watch her there. I think your wife and you will agree that we need to see Kathryn in a leading role on another hit series stat!
Q: My two favorite new shows of this past season were both on Fox: “Touch” and “Alcatraz.” Will they be back for another season? — Sienna F., via e-mail
A: I’ve got good news and bad news. Want the bad news first? Fox has opted not to pick up “Alcatraz” for a second season. While it debuted pretty strong in the ratings, each week saw a steady decline in viewers, and it lost more than half its initial viewers by season’s end. “Touch,” however will be back for a second season. And, in case you were wondering, “American Dad,” “Bones,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Fringe,” “Glee,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” “New Girl,” “Raising Hope” and “The Simpsons” will all be back for new seasons come fall.
Q and A: Week of June 11
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| Eric Winter, photo by Gabriel Goldberg |
A: I’m not sure if we can save the show — if you read my column regularly, then you know I LOVE this show! — but we sure can try. First, there is a website set up where you can sign a petition: SaveGCB.com. I spoke with two of the series stars about its cancelation, and they are just as sad as we are. Eric Winter, who plays Luke Lourd, told me that “GCB” deserved to be saved because “the ‘GCB’ fans are the real deal. They’re passionate and they love their show. This is an extremely creative and smart show that just needs more of a chance to take off and run.”
Mark Deklin, who plays Blake Reilly, echoed Eric’s sentiments, telling me: “What’s really touched me the most is the way the fans have embraced Blake and Cricket. The outpouring of love and loyalty across all the social media has been astounding. So my gratitude to the fans is huge, as is my admiration and affection for my colleagues. On the night we got the news that we weren’t being renewed for a second season, I got a text from Miriam (Shor, who plays Cricket) that said, ‘I will miss you most of all, Scarecrow.’ If there was a moment in which I got a little choked up, it was probably the moment when I read that text. I’ve become incredibly fond of the Caruth-Reillys.”
Q: Can you tell me if my favorite show, “Harry’s Law,” will return next season? — Laurie B., Canton, Mich.
A: This is the part of my job that I hate: Telling good readers like you when a network has canceled their favorite show. “Harry’s Law” really struggled with ratings its second season — my guess is fans didn’t/couldn’t keep up with all the day and time changes that NBC kept dealing it.
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| Larry Hagman (J.R. Ewing, Dallas) |
A: Don’t you worry: “Dallas” returns to TV for 10 episodes on TNT beginning Wednesday, June 13, at 9/8c with a two-hour season premiere. You’re not the only one who’s excited. Personally, I can’t wait to see what the new generation of Ewings has in store for us — and Larry Hagman as J.R. will be up to no good, for sure.
Readers: I have had dozens of people write in to ask about the fate of NBC’s “Community,” and I am thrilled to report that the offbeat comedy has been renewed for a 13-episode fourth season. While it might be shorter than normal, let’s just be glad we even got another season with this talented group!
Q: I know this is the final season of “The Closer,” but it hasn’t been on in months, and I am afraid I missed the finale! — Delia D., via e-mail
A: “The Closer” returns to TNT after a six-month hiatus to air its final six episodes. So tune in Monday, July 9, at 9 p.m. ET/PT as Kyra Sedgwick and company bring seven years of this groundbreaking and record-breaking show to an end.
Q: I really like this season of “Single Ladies” on VH1. Can you tell me more about Ricky Whittle? He plays Charles on the show. — Candice W., Columbus, Ohio A: The hunky U.K. native got his start in sports, which segued into modeling, and now he’s poised to take Hollywood and the acting world by storm. I asked Ricky recently about how he got his start in acting and he told me simply: to meet girls. “At the time, I’d loved to have said I did it because I wanted to be recognized as a great actor, but I was shallow. I was young. I’ll be honest — at that time I was at university, and I was in the library six days a week reading books. I thought, ‘Do I want to stay in the library, or do I want to be on TV and get lots of girls?’”
Aside from his gig on “Single Ladies,” you can catch him soon on the big screen in “Austenland,” which is about an American woman (played by Keri Russell) who goes to England for a fantasy vacation where you interact with people from Jane Austen books. Ricky told me: “I play Capt. George East. Basically, Jane Seymour is running a brothel, and we’re paid to romance the women who come to the resort. My character is Caribbean. He doesn’t really fit into the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ time. But you’ve got your Mr. Darcys there, and your other Austen characters. He’s a former soap actor, and he thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread. It was very fun to play.”
Q: Can you tell me what one of my favorite actresses, Thandie Newton, has coming up? — Pete W., Omaha, Neb.
A: Thandie is set to star in the DIRECTV original suspense-drama called “Rogue,” which begins production in August and will air summer 2013 for a 10-episode run. Thandie plays a morally and emotionally conflicted cop named Grace, who is tormented by the possibility that her own actions contributed to her son’s death. Grace’s search for the truth is further complicated by her forbidden relationship with the crime boss who may have had a hand in the death.
Q: Is Josh Lucas from “The Firm” married? Does he have children? — Ann N., Fairport, N.Y.
A: The handsome 40-year-old — whose show “The Firm” was recently canceled by NBC — married his girlfriend, Jessica, in early March. The two also are expecting their first child together.
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