Q and A: Week of Sept. 10

SHARES

BY Unknown 08:43 0

Q and A: Week of Sept. 10

Brian Austin Green

Q: I’ve been following Brian Austin Green’s career since “Beverly Hills, 90210.” I especially loved him in “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” which was on Fox a few years back, as well as his guest appearances on “Smallville.” What does he have coming next? — Deanna R., Jackson, Miss.

A: Aside from pending fatherhood (as of this writing, his wife, actress Megan Fox, is due to give birth to the couples’ daughter any day now), Brian also has a new show to look forward to. He stars in TBS’s “Wedding Band” — along with Melora Hardin (Jan from “The Office”), Peter Cambor, Derek Miller and Harold Perrineau. The shows centers on the friendship of four young men in a band who, in a very “Wedding Crashers” way, play at weddings, reunions and bar mitzvahs, and use said celebrations to pick up women. “Wedding Band” premieres Saturday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Q: One of my favorite shows was “Big Love,” and I especially loved Chloe Sevigny in it. What does she have coming up that I can catch her in? — Tallulah G., via e-mail

A: Beginning this January, you can see Chloe in a multiple-episode story arc on IFC’s hit comedy “Portlandia,” which stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. Season three is currently in production on 10 all-new episodes. Chloe will play Fred and Carrie’s roommate, Alexandra. And don’t you worry, Kyle MacLachlan fans: He will return as Portland’s mayor, and many more guest stars will make appearances throughout the season.

Q: When will “How the States Got Their Shapes” be back with a new season? It’s such an interesting show! — Greg D., Bangor, Maine

A: “How the States Got Their Shapes” will be return to H2 for a second season with back-to-back 30-minute episodes on Saturday, Sept. 29, at 10 p.m ET/PT. Hosted by journalist and former “Daily Show” correspondent Brian Unger, the show has an added twist this season: Brian will be quizzing Americans about what unites us and what really divides the states — and exposing some of our country’s most stubborn regional rivalries. Competitors can earn cash prizes and show their state pride by proving just how well they know their United States. This season, Brian will travel to Pittsburgh, Miami, Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis and Nashville, Tenn.

Q: I read that Alan Ball stepping down as show runner/head writer for season six of “True Blood.” What plans does he have post-”True Blood”? — Keith W., via e-mail

A: Alan, who also brought us the brilliant “Six Feet Under” and “American Beauty,” is hard at work on a new Cinemax show called “Banshee,” which is slated to begin airing sometime next year. His production company has several other projects in development at HBO — both series and movies — and he has three screenplays in various stages of development. Alan also says that he has not ruled out writing a season-six episode or two.

Q: I’ve been hearing rumors that Michael J. Fox is returning to series television. Is it true? — Jessica B., Miami

A: Rumors had been floating around for weeks, and NBC recently confirmed that Michael will coming back to series TV more than a decade after he left to concentrate on fighting Parkinson’s disease. His new comedy series, which will be loosely based on his life, will premiere in fall 2013 and has a 22-episode commitment from the network. Michael will play a husband and father of three from New York City who is dealing with family, career and challenges that include Parkinson’s.

Trisha Goddard

Q: I loved watching Trisha Goddard when she guest-hosted for Maury Povich, and I recently saw a commercial for her own talk show. Can you tell me a bit about it? — Deena W., via e-mail

A: I had the chance to speak with the lovely Brit recently, and she gave me the scoop on what her new show will be about.

“My topics are all of life’s dramas,” Trisha explained. “You know, happy, sad, humor too — the whole gamut of relationships. On my show in England, we had on older people who wanted to find out, ‘Is this my sister, my cousin?’ or ‘Is it really my parent?’ as an adult. And obviously there’s a lot invested in that if you’ve been brought up to believe that somebody was your parent and isn’t. We’ll also cover the universal issues that everyone has: trust, betrayal, happiness, joy and identity.”

And when celebrities appear on the show, it won’t be as window dressing, or to promote their new movie. “A celebrity will be there for what they’re going through and what experience they can bring to the show rather than for the celebrity’s sake. Again, that’s what I did on my show in England. It catches on with the celebrities who are interested in being real.”

Q: When will “Glee” be back? — Tommy H., Charlotte, N.C.

A: “Glee” returns to Fox for its 22-epsiode fourth season on Sept. 13 at 9/8c, and it promises some big-name guest stars to get the show rolling. Sarah Jessica Parker plays the kooky online editor for “Vogue” and mentor for Chris Colfer’s Kurt, and Kate Hudson will play a nemesis of sorts for Lea Michele’s Rachel.

Q: Will I ever get to see Amanda Bynes on anything other than a police blotter? It seems she’s always in the news for things other than acting. — Darren D., via e-mail

A: The young starlet is hopefully not following in the self-destructive footprints of Lindsay Lohan, but so far, it’s not looking good. Amanda was recently in her fourth car accident of the past six months — add that to her recent DUI and hit-and-runs, and her flight from a cop who pulled her over for talking on her cell phone. Here’s hoping the “Easy A” actress gets her head on straight soon.