Q and A: Week of March 25
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| Henry Cavill as Superman |
A: Funny you should mention “Man of Steel,” as that is the name of the first movie in the new “Superman” reboot. Our new Kryptonite-averse superhero will be played by the very good-looking — and very talented — Henry Cavill, who is perhaps best known to audiences as Charles Brandon in “The Tudors.”
This version of the popular tale also stars Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Clark Kent’s parents (Jonathan and Martha Kent), Michael Shannon as General Zod and Laurence Fishburne as Perry White. While there is no mention of Lex Luthor in the flick, rumors have been running rampant for almost a year now that Bradley Cooper will make a cameo as Superman’s arch-nemesis, as far as the movies go. We’ll know for sure come June 14, when “Man of Steel” makes its world premiere, promising to be one of summer’s biggest blockbusters.
Q: Can you give me any “Anchorman 2” scoops? I figure they are filming the movie now, because of pictures I’ve seen of Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd with horrible ’70s-style mustaches. — Jenni W., Madison, Wisc.
A: Yes, chalk up that unappealing facial hair to their roles of Ron Burgundy and Brian Fontana, respectively, in “Anchorman: The Legend Continues.” The latest news to come from the set is that Harrison Ford (!) is set to play a legendary newsman opposite Will’s Ron Burgundy, in the mold of staid and serious Tom Brokaw.
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| Kim Delaney |
A: Official word is that it was a mutual decision between the actress and the show for Claudia Joy’s time with her fellow wives to end. Ever since the extended version of season six, there had been rumblings that Kim was getting a bit antsy to leave and pursue other projects. Series star Catherine Bell tells the press that Kim is missed on the set, but “things happen and things change. It’s just part of our industry.” And I, for one, think Catherine is perfectly capable of carrying the show to continued success. Of course, time — and ratings — will tell.
Q: Will “Dog the Bounty Hunter” ever return to A and E? — Tamara L., via e-mail
A: Dog will be returning to TV, however, CMT is the bounty hunter’s new home, where he’ll star in “Dog and Beth: On the Hunt.” The new series — which premieres Sunday, April 21 at 8 p.m. ET/PT — features Dog and Beth, joined by their son Leland, as they step outside their headquarters in Hawaii to unite with bail bondsmen from around the country to hunt down some of America’s most dangerous criminals.
Q and A: Week of March 18
A: Since wowing her fans during two separate runs on “Dancing With the Stars,” Kirstie is taking that momentum to TV Land, where she’ll star in a new sitcom, “Kirstie’s New Show,” beginning this fall. According to the network, the show “revolves around Madison ’Maddie’ Banks (played by Kirstie), a renowned Broadway star who finds her life turned upside down when Arlo, the son she gave up at birth, suddenly appears hoping to connect after his adoptive parents have died.” The show co-stars Kirstie’s fellow “Cheers” alumnus, Rhea Perlman.
Q: I am so happy that my favorite reality/competition show, “Dancing With the Stars,” is back. But why hasn’t my favorite dancer, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, returned? — Hannah Y., via e-mail
A: Right after the season 16 cast was announced last month, the 33-year-old ballroom pro released a statement explaining his absence this season: “I just want to set the record straight to all of my amazing fans that I will, unfortunately, not be returning for this season of ’Dancing with the Stars,’ I’ve been a pro dancer on the show for about seven years now and am eager to explore other opportunities that have been made possible because of ’Dancing with the Stars.’ I’m going to take this time to dive into producing and acting, while fulfilling my sponsorship obligations.”
A representative for the show went on to explain why Maksim — as well as Anna Trebunskaya, Chelsie Hightower and Louis van Amstel — wouldn’t be returning: “We frequently rotate the professional dancers, so it is not unusual for them to rest a cycle. As we consider who will be matched up each season, there are a lot of factors that dictate which couples make the best pairings. We appreciate each of our dancers’ dedication to the show, so this is a very difficult decision.”
Q: I really loved Jane Seymour’s raunchy turn as BJ’s mom on Fox’s “Ben and Kate.” Since that hilarious show has unfortunately been canceled, will we see Jane on anything else soon? I sure do hope so! — Harold W., Roanoke, Va.
A: The gorgeous and talented Brit has signed on to co-star in a yet-untitled pilot for NBC. The show revolves around a character named Karey, “the clean-nosed black sheep in a family of petty thieves, drug addicts and narcissists.” Jane will play Dotty, Karey’s mother, who’s described as “self-centered, theatrical and often inappropriate.”
Q: I have been hearing for a while about a new Aaron Eckhart movie called “Erased.” It is supposed to be in theaters, but I can’t find it anywhere. — Danni R., via e-mail
A: The action thriller was released in Europe at the end of 2012, and will finally be making its way to American theaters come May 10. However, you can see it beginning April 5 on Video on Demand if you can’t wait until May.
Interview: Kevin Sorbo — Greek Hero, Starship Captain, Barbarian Conqueror, Old West Cowboy
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| Kevin Sorbo as Ray Eastman in Hallmark Movie Channel's Shadow on the Mesa |
I spoke with Kevin recently about his new movie, which premieres Saturday, March 23 at 8/7c, and also stars Wes Brown (“Deception”), Gail O’Grady (“NYPD: Blue”) and Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”).
Celebrity Extra: First off, tell me what it was about “Shadow on the Mesa” that made you want to be a part of the movie.
Kevin Sorbo: There were a number of reasons. It starts with Hallmark as a whole. They’ve been great to me. I love doing Hallmark movies. I’m a believer in family-friendly entertainment. There’s not enough of it in Hollywood. And I’m a big fan of David Cass, who directed it. We’ve done a couple of other Westerns together as well. One called “Avenging Angel,” and the other one is called “Prairie Fever.” They are wonderful, wonderful Westerns. I’m just a fan of Westerns as a whole. I’ve got about three more we’re trying to get money for right now. I’ve got Ann-Margret and Dwight Yoakam attached to one of them, so I don’t see why we won’t be able to do that one with that star power behind it.
But back to your question: I like the character of Ray Eastman — he’s interesting to me. This is the first Western I’ve shot that I didn’t ever have to be on a horse, which is weird, but my character is on crutches throughout. The back story is he got flipped off a horse and broke his leg. But he’s a fair man, and he’s a tough man. It’s pretty much a how-the-West-was-won kind of deal with this guy. He finds out his wife has not only been cheating on him, but she’s been cheating with the guy who’s pretty much a mortal enemy to Ray. He also discovers he’s got a son that he never knew about. There are some very emotional, touching scenes in there. Dramatically, it’s a very well-written script.
CE: Wes Brown plays your son, Wes Rawlins. Tell me about him, and the interaction between your characters.
KS: All his life, Wes has lived with this hatred for a man he’s never met. He never knew the whole story behind everything with who Ray was. So, he comes in basically wanting to assassinate me. He soon learns that everything he thought he knew about me was completely wrong. He’s a tough character to crack in terms of his youth and his anger. He’s very much a loner type of character; he’s soft spoken and sort of has a Clint Eastwood thing going on with him. My character has been around the block. He doesn’t have time for crap. He cuts right to the chase.
So we’ve got two different personalities that meet up, but I think I can relate to Wes, because at one time in my life, I was that young, fine buck as well.
KS: I like his straightforwardness. He’s a man who is true to his word, and if you screw him over, he’s not real happy about it. I like his character a lot. He’s just a tough guy who doesn’t suffer fools. But he’s also a very loving man who has a hard time showing it in one way, but he says it in a very direct way.
CE: So, is this the kind of movie where you can pop some popcorn, grab the kids and sit in front of the TV for a few hours for some good, wholesome entertainment?
KS: No question about it — that’s what Hallmark is known for. There certainly is a target audience with the ladies, but they definitely want to appeal to men as well. I think that’s why they’re one of the few television outlets that still puts out Westerns every year, which is great. Trust me, all actors, male or female, want to do a Western. They’re lying if they say they don’t want to. We all want to.
CE: I have to admit, it does look like a lot of fun, with the sets, costumes, gorgeous scenery, etc. Just from talking with you, I can tell how much you enjoy it.
KS: It’s great. They’ve got these sets they’ve built, and you’ve got the outfits, and you’re walking around on the sets in your costumes, and it’s so cool. You sort of get into that period. At one time, back in the ’50s and ’60s, all the Westerns dominated television. From “Bonanza” to “The Big Valley” to “Gunsmoke” — which ran for about 27 years or something. Isn’t that ridiculous?
But in reality, that was a hard time to live in. These are hard men and women who crossed these mountain ranges to get to the West. And there was so much violence, and just imagine how stinky they must have been. But there’s an aura of romanticism there when we think about that time period because of how hard and tough these people were. And we complain about if our remote control stops working we have to physically walk up to the television to turn the channel. These people left Boston in July, and half of them died nine months later trying to cross all these terrains of America. Today we complain about five-hour flights from L.A. to New York.
CE: And don’t even get me started on smartphones attached to everyone’s hands.
KS: We don’t even talk to each other anymore. We sit at a table with six of our friends, and we text each other at the table. We don’t even talk to them.
CE: I loved your guest appearance in “Don’t Trust the B____ in Apt. 23” a few months back.
KS: Oh, that was fun. That was a lot of fun.
CE: It was hilarious. And you did such a great job. Would you like to do more sitcom work?
KS: I would love to. I’ve done a lot of guest spots, like “Dharma and Greg,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Just Shoot Me.” I did my own sitcom back in 2005. “Hercules” ran seven years, and “Andromeda” ran five years, and then after that I sold a series to ABC. It was a half-hour comedy called “Bobby Cannon,” where I played an end-of-the-year quarterback for the Chicago Bears. It was like “Coach” meets “Cheers” in a way. It tested No. 1 for ABC, but the then-president of ABC decided not to pick it up. To this day we are shocked. And they bought it from us because they didn’t want us taking it somewhere else and it becoming successful elsewhere. We’d be in our eighth season right now, there’s no doubt in my mind. It was a very funny show, but, you know, when shows fail, it’s the actor who gets the blame for it. Go figure that out. Welcome to the business of Hollywood.
CE: But if the right opportunity came around again, would you give it another try? I love seeing you in comedies.
KS: Well, “Hercules” had a lot of comedy in it, a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. I’ve got a movie out right now called “Pool Boy,” and it’s a very funny comedy. It’s very reverential, sophomoric humor that’s “Naked Gun” meets “Airplane,” and it’s just all over the place making fun of current topics in America. I love doing that kind of stuff. It’s a blast.
Q and A: Week of March 11
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| Eric McCormack |
A: The multifaceted actor can next be seen on the Lifetime Original Movie “Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story,” which airs Saturday, March 23 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It’s inspired by the true story of a handsome young college student who became the prime suspect in the shocking murder of his father and disfigurement of his mother in a savage ax attack. Eric portrays Detective Joe Sullivan, the lead investigator on the case, who goes on a mission to prove Chris’ guilt.
In “Perception” news, Scott Wolf, of “Party of Five” and “V” fame, has signed on to be a recurring character as an assistant U.S. attorney. He has a hidden agenda that involves his soon-to-be ex-wife, Kate, played by Rachel Leigh Cook. Look for 13 new episodes of “Perception” to begin airing this summer.
Q: I am absolutely gutted by the ending of season three of “Downton Abbey,” and I can’t wait for season four. Can you recommend anything for me in the meantime? — Jen S. in California
A: Well, if you’re looking for another high-quality period piece to take your mind of the heartbreaking fate of Matthew Crawley, then may I recommend another Masterpiece series? “Mr. Selfridge,” which premieres March 31, stars Jeremy Piven as a wheeling, dealing, womanizing American who teaches early-1900s Londoners how to shop. The eight-part series centers on the real-life story of the flamboyant and visionary founder of the London department store Selfridge’s.
Q: What has “Lost” star Josh Holloway been up to? Will he be on another series soon? — Nora S., Savannah, Ga.
A: Josh was cast as the lead in a pilot for CBS called “Intelligence.” The action takes place at U.S. Cyber Command, and focuses on a unit that has been created around one agent (Gabriel Black, played by Josh) with a very special gift: A microchip has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
Josh also co-stars in the dramatic thriller “Paranoia,” which also stars Harrison Ford, Liam Hemsworth and Gary Oldman. It will be released in October. Also, in January 2014, look for Josh in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action movie “Ten,” which also stars Sam Worthington and Joe Manganiello.
Q: My husband and I recently watched a new series called “Do No Harm” on NBC; however, we haven’t been able to find it on the TV schedule. Has it been canceled? — Laura K., via e-mail
A: The medical drama, which premiered Feb. 1, was indeed canceled after two episodes. “Do No Harm” was the lowest-rated, in-season broadcast scripted series debut in modern history. The second episode declined even further, sealing the show’s fate.
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| Kevin Sorbo |
A: On March 23 at 8/7c, you can catch Kevin in the Hallmark Movie Channel’s “Shadow on the Mesa,” which also stars Wes Brown (“Deception”), Gail O’Grady (“NYPD Blue”) and Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”). The movie takes place in the Old West, and Kevin plays rancher Ray Eastman, who is trying to protect his property from a land grab by a corrupt neighbor.
I asked Kevin if he’d like to do another comedy, and he told me: “I would love to. I’ve done a lot of guest spots ‘Dharma and Greg,’ ‘Two and a Half Men,’ ‘Just Shoot Me’ … all those different things. I did have my own sitcom back in 2005. It was a half-hour comedy called ‘Bobby Cannon,’ where I played an end-of-the-year quarterback for the Chicago Bears.
“It tested No. 1 for ABC, but then the then-president of ABC decided not to pick it up. To this day we are shocked. There’s no doubt in my mind we’d be in our eighth season right now. Oh well … welcome to the business of Hollywood.” Read my full interview with this charming and talented man here.
Q: Isn’t it about time for a new “Dancing With the Stars”? — Gina W., Columbus, Ohio
A: It sure is, Gina. And this year has your usual crop of actors, singers and athletes, all of whom are ready to heat up the dance floor beginning Saturday, March 16, at 8 p.m. EDT with a two-hour premiere. The 16th season of the hit dancing-competition show stars country singer Wynonna Judd, gymnast Aly Raisman, skater Dorothy Hamill, boxer Victor Ortiz, football player Jacoby Jones, reality star Lisa Vanderpump, country singer Kellie Pickler, comedian D.L. Hugley, comedian Andy Dick, soap-opera star Ingo Rademacher and Disney star Zendaya Coleman. **This just in: "Bachelor" star Sean Lowe will also be competing for the coveted disco-ball trophy.**
Q: Has CBS canceled “Vegas”? Visually and stylistically, it’s different from the usual cop programs on TV, and it’s a joy to watch. — Marcia A. in New York
A: While CBS hasn’t canceled the Dennis Quaid/Michael Chiklis drama as of this writing, things aren’t looking good for it. The ratings aren’t as high as CBS expects from its dramas, especially one that’s so expensive to produce, and CBS downgraded its episode order from 22 to 21. “Vegas” returns with new episodes on Tuesday, March 19, after a month-long hiatus.
Q: Did you ever find out if “The Witches of East End” is going to be a regular series on Lifetime? — Callie D., via e-mail
A: Lifetime recently announced that it did indeed pick up “Witches” for a 10-episode run to launch later this year. The drama stars Julia Ormond, Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Rachel Boston. As soon as I get a firm date, I’ll let you know.
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