Q and A: Week of Jan. 27
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| Paul Walker |
A: Production on “Fast and Furious 7” had been shut down for some time after Paul’s death, with 60 percent of the movie having been shot. It wasn’t clear what they would do. Would they cancel the movie? Use CGI for some of his remaining scenes? Cut him out all together? Just before Christmas, Universal released this official statement about “FF7,” along with a release date: “Continuing the global exploits in the franchise built on speed, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead the returning cast of ‘Fast and Furious 7,’ which will be released by Universal Pictures on April 10, 2015. James Wan directs this chapter of the hugely successful series, and Neal H. Moritz and Vin Diesel return as producers.” It has also been verified that they won’t kill off Paul’s character in this installment of the series. So, Paul will be in the movie, and you can bet millions of people can’t wait to see him in his final role.
Q: Can you tell me if or when “The Americans” will return for another season? — Ginnie F., via email
A: FX recently announced that the spy drama — which centers on the Cold War era of the ’80s, and stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys — will return for 13 episodes beginning Feb. 26. I can’t wait!
Q: A few months back, you mentioned that a “Veronica Mars” movie is in the making. Can you tell me when it’ll be released? — Stacy W., via email
A: “Veronica Mars” hits theaters on March 14, and it stars Kristen Bell, Krysten Ritter, Gaby Hoffman, Justin Long, James Franco, Ken Marino, and many more. There’s even a cameo by Kristen’s real-life husband, Dax Shepard. In more “Veronica” news, if your cable provider offers the Pivot channel, you can see reruns Monday through Friday from 10 p.m. to midnight of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” followed by “Veronica Mars.”
Q: I haven’t seen Kevin Costner in anything in a while. Can you tell me what I can see him in next? — Gina R., Allentown, Pa.
A: In what critics are calling the “Field of Dreams” for football fans, Kevin’s latest project is called “Draft Day,” which comes to theaters April 11. Kevin stars as Sonny Weaver Jr., the general manager for the Cleveland Browns. Sonny’s career is on the line as he has to bring the Browns out of a serious slump by picking the best players at NFL drafts. The film also stars Jennifer Garner, Tom Welling, Frank Langella, Sam Elliott, Rosanna Arquette and Ellen Burstyn.
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| James DuMont, of Dallas Buyers Club |
A: The actor you are thinking of is character actor James DuMont, who’s been on tons of TV shows like “American Horror Story,” “Treme,” “Nashville,” and “Bonnie and Clyde,” and on the big screen in “The Butler,” “Ocean’s Thirteen,” “War of the Worlds,” and “Along Came Polly,” to name only a few. James was thrilled to be in “Dallas Buyers Club,” which centers on Ron Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey), who works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease. James plays the estranged father of Jared Leto’s character, Rayon, who’s transgender and HIV positive.
When I spoke with James recently, he told me about working with Jared: “It’s a really powerful scene we share. Jared does powerful work in this; as soon as we finished our scene, I tweeted that Jared would get an Oscar nomination for this role. And he seems to be the front-runner at this point. I’ve worked with Oscar winners, and I can see and identify Oscar-caliber work. I get tweets and emails from all over the world where people tell me that our scene is so powerful, poignant and heartbreaking. It’s nice to have a little breakout scene like this after doing so many projects. It’s tough for a character actor.”
Check back later this week for my full interview with this talented actor.
Q: Over this past summer, I got involved with a series called “Mistresses.” Can you tell me if it is going to return, or was it just something they put on for the summer? — Liz R., via email
A: ABC has renewed “Mistresses” for a 13-episode second season, which is scheduled to air in summer 2014. The show, which is based on the British series of the same name, stars Alyssa Milano, Rochelle Aytes, Jes Macallan and Yunjin Kim. The show centers on the lives of four female friends, and their involvement in an array of illicit and complex relationships.
Q: I really enjoy “The Glades,” but I think I read someplace that it is being canceled. I truly hope this is not so. Can you please find out its status? — Diane, via email
A: The A and E network decided this past fall to cancel “The Glades” after four seasons. The police procedural broke records for the network when it debuted, but slowly and steadily lost more than one-third of its viewers throughout the series, so the network canceled it.
Q: Can you tell me if and when “Cedar Cove” will return for another season? — Richard O., Summerfield, Fla.
A: The Hallmark Channel has renewed the phenomenally successful series, which is based on the book series of the same name by Debbie Macomber, for a second season. The show’s first season made Hallmark Channel the No. 1 cable channel for Saturday nights during the 8 to 9 time slot. With internationally renowned actress Andie MacDowell leading the cast — which includes Dylan Neal, Teryl Rothery, Bruce Boxleitner, Barbara Niven and Brennan Elliott — season two of “Cedar Cover” promises more of the same drama, romance and fun. There is no word on the premiere date yet, but I’d start looking for it this summer. And of course, I’ll let you know as soon as I know exactly when it will return.
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| (courtesy Fox) |
A: I did report on this about six months ago, but since this is such a hot subject — I get tons of letters from readers asking me the same question — I’ll write about it again, with some new information to pass along. Fox is indeed airing a new version of “24,” which is called “24: Live Another Day.” This go ’round, it will be a 12-part series but will still cover the requisite 24 hours. Kiefer will return, as will Mary Lynn Rajskub, William Devane and Kim Raver.
Kiefer recently told the press that the series will take place in London, stating: “‘24’ has always had such a global sensibility, but to be able to tell this intense ‘24’-style story with the beauty of Europe’s history and architecture as the backdrop is going to be fascinating.” Fox’s entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly teased reporters that the show’s pickup intrigued many industry stars. “A lot of who’s who in Hollywood wanted to participate in this,” he revealed. Be on the lookout for “24: Live Another Day” on Fox this May.
Q: Please tell me that Animal Planet will be airing another “Puppy Bowl” this Super Bowl Sunday! — Tina W., Portland, Maine
A: The most anticipated — and cutest — sporting event of the season is about to get even bigger when “Puppy Bowl” returns to Animal Planet on Feb. 2 (first airing is from 3 to 5 p.m. ET/PT) for it’s 10th-anniversary edition. Starting at 3, the show will repeat all day, with new content every hour. With each airing, fans vote in real time for which puppy will take home the coveted title of MVP (Most Valuable Puppy), there will be a Kitty Half-Time Show, penguin cheerleaders, and viewers can participate in the Fantasy Puppy League (go to animalplanet.com/puppybowl to draft your team). This is definitely a can’t-miss event!
Readers: I told you I’d let you know when I had an exact date for the season-two premiere of “Vikings,” and I’m a woman of my word. “Vikings” returns to the History channel on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. So don’t forget to tune in!
Puppy Bowl X!!
(Animal Planet press release)
THE PUPPIES ARE COMING! ANIMAL PLANET’S PUP-CULTURE PHENOMENON CELEBRATES 10 YEARS WITH “PUPPY BOWL X”
10th Anniversary Edition Features Brand New Kitty Halftime Show, Celebrity Cats “Keyboard Cat” and “Lil BUB,” Interactive MVP Voting, Cheerleading Penguins, Live Viewer Instagram Submissions, and New Content Every Hour Hitting the Turf on February 2nd
AnimalPlanet.com Launches First Ever Puppy Fantasy League Later This Month
Animal Planet Teams Up with the ASPCA® to Host Free Weeklong Celebration
at Discovery Times Square in New York Beginning January 27th
(New York, New York, January 2, 2014) – Let the tailgating begin! The most anticipated – and cutest – sporting event of the season is about to get even bigger. PUPPY BOWL returns to Animal Planet to celebrate a very special anniversary in a championship battle for cuteness and barking rights on Super Bowl™ Sunday, February 2, from 3 - 5 PM (ET/PT) and repeating all day and night with exciting new content every hour. And this year, all six airings of PUPPY BOWL X will surprise viewers at the end of the game as fans vote in real time for which puppy will take home the coveted title of MVP (Most Valuable Puppy). With 12.4 million viewers last season, Animal Planet has upped the ante with all new features and guest stars to make PUPPY BOWL X the biggest game ever! And on game day, 66 rambunctious pups itching to score and show off their signature moves and chews in the end zone will duke it out for their chance at glory.
To commemorate this PUPPY BOWL milestone, viewers will be treated to new in-game segments and features including the following:
- Fantasy Puppy League – Later this month at AnimalPlanet.com/PuppyBowl, the network will launch its first-ever fantasy draft, where fans can view profiles of 11 all-star players and create their team of fierce and fuzzy competitors in advance of the big game. Then on the big day, fantasy leaguers can keep track of how their athletic fur balls are doing with live stat updates on screen and a leaderboard online.
- Penguin Cheerleaders – Every PUPPY BOWL deserves its silly cheerleaders, and this year a parade of penguins will waddle and cheer from the sidelines.
- Xtraordinary KITTY HALF-TIME SHOW – Super Bowl™ half time has nothing on PUPPY BOWL as Internet sensation Keyboard Cat lends a paw and performs his rock rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven.” Thirty kitten all stars, representing the pride of the feline world, pull out all the stops to put the fans on their feet with an epic domino topple and one little daredevil, which makes a grand entrance by parachuting onto the field.
- Xtra Special Guests – Keyboard Cat isn’t the only celebrity fascinated by all the action. Animalist’s Lil BUB checks in throughout the game from her Chicago studio, and furry first responders representing police dogs across the New York region take to the field for the National Anthem.
- Adoption Updates – Stay tuned until the end of the game to find out where your favorite pooches are now. Over the last nine seasons, hundreds of orphan puppies have appeared in PUPPY BOWL and have all since found their fur-ever homes! Dog Years: Life After Puppy Bowl takes a look at some of those lucky pooches and their new adult lives. And in Pup Close and Personal, follow select players home for an inside look on their journey to the grand gridiron.
For fans who miss any of the action or want a double or triple dose of cuddly play, PUPPY BOWL X repeats five times over the course of the day. Even diehard fans of that other game will want to check back to see fresh repeats, surprise endings with new puppy in-game segments, and features every hour including the following:
- MVP Interactive Voting – Visit AnimalPlanet.com/PuppyBowlMVP on game day to vote for the top pups having the most impact on the field. At 3 PM (ET), the poll goes live, and viewers will directly affect a new ending of each broadcast by helping crown the MVP.
- Top X Lists – Many pups have made their mark over the last decade of this animal cute fest. Enjoy new endearing highlights and action-packed plays every hour from PUPPY BOWL’s I-IX as we count down the best of the best and most memorable moments captured over the years in lists including Top 10 Puppies and Top 10 Goofiest Plays.
- Instagram Your Photos – All those PUPPY BOWL parties just got 10 times more fun! For the first time ever, viewers will submit their own photos (of themselves or their pets or both) via Instagram using #puppybowl all night long for a chance to see themselves and their best friends on TV in real time.
It wouldn’t be PUPPY BOWL without America’s favorite referee, Dan Schachner, who returns to call the puppy penalties for his third year as “The Ref.” Sideline reporter “Meep the Bird” is back on his perch to tweet live updates and commentary throughout the big game. Fans can follow @MeepTheBird to catch the latest news, puppy drama and locker room moments from inside the stadium. After an electrical malfunction at that other game last year, “Meep the Bird” reminded viewers that the lights never go out at PUPPY BOWL. And this year, hamsters are working their wheels below the stadium to keep the lights on and the turbines running. Viewers won’t miss a second of the action with PUPPY BOWL favorites such as the water bowl cam, slow motion “Too Cute” cam, kiss-cam and an aerial view of the field provided by a blimp and its hamster pilots, capturing every furry fumble, touchdown and penalty. Outside the stadium, canine fans without tickets will claim their spots in the parking lot at a brand new tailgate party.
Off the field, in honor of the 10th anniversary of PUPPY BOWL, Animal Planet in collaboration with the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), is bringing the PUPPY BOWL EXPERIENCE live to New York City! Fans can join the celebration for the whole week leading up to the big game at Discovery Times Square, located in the heart of New York’s Times Square on 44th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. The event will be held daily from Monday, January 27th to Saturday, February 1st. Please visit AnimalPlanet.com/PuppyBowl later this month for the daily schedule. Open to the public free of charge, visitors will get a chance to learn about the history of PUPPY BOWL during a walk through the Hall of Fame; enjoy live puppy action on the replica field featuring rescued pups from the ASPCA; and visit interactive booths including a tail-gate area with games and face painting, a “kissing booth” for a smooch from a lovable pooch, a chance to step into the press box to call a game, and much more. Guests will also get the chance to meet and snuggle some furry friends and even find a new family member at on-site adoption events hosted by the ASPCA with the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals daily between 4 – 7 PM. Please visit Discovery Times Square’s website for the most up-to-date information including venue hours of operation at www.DiscoveryTSX.com.
All of the puppies and kittens featured in PUPPY BOWL X come from shelters and rescue groups across the United States and even Puerto Rico. This year’s team includes players from Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA (California), Florida Little Dog Rescue, Colorado Animal Welfare League, Last Hope Animal Rescue (Iowa) and Scottsville Veterinary Hospital and Adoptions (New York). Animal Care & Control of NYC provided kittens for the KITTY HALF-TIME SHOW. Viewers interested in learning more about the organizations that participated in PUPPY BOWL X can visit AnimalPlanet.com for more information.
Q and A: Week of Jan. 6
A: Don’t worry, my little Gladiator, “Scandal” will be back with all-new episodes beginning Feb. 27. The show that’s been on in the meantime is an eight-part miniseries called “The Assets,” which is based on the real-life events of CIA counterintelligence officer Sandy Grimes (played by Jodie Whittaker). The miniseries is set in 1985 and takes a look inside the true, personal stories of the conclusion of the Cold War as told by the CIA.
Q: I know that KISS has been nominated again for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Did they make it this year? It’s long overdue, in my opinion.— Brad L., Pittsburgh, Pa.
A: The makeup-wearing hard-rock quartet did indeed make it into the Hall this go-’round. Kiss, along with Nirvana, Hall and Oates, Peter Gabriel, Linda Ronstadt and Cat Stevens will be the 29th class inducted into the Hall of Fame on April 10. The ceremony will air on HBO in May. And I think now is a good time for me to start a petition to get Def Leppard their HOF nomination. Having sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, spawning numerous hits — as well as scores of copycats — the boys from Sheffield sell out arenas to this day.
Q: When I went to see “Catching Fire” at the theater, they showed a preview for a movie called “Divergent,” and it looked pretty good. What can you tell me about it? — Elizabeth F., via email
A: Like “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent” is also based on a trilogy of young-adult books (these are authored by Veronica Roth). The other two books, “Insurgent” and “Allegiant,” round out the “Divergent” trilogy. The sci-fi adventure film, which comes to theaters March 21, is set in Chicago sometime in the near future, when people are divided into factions according to their personality. If you don’t fit into any one faction, you are known as Divergent, which our heroine, Beatrice Prior is classified as. She soon discovers a sinister plot brewing in her seemingly perfect society. The movie stars Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Zoë Kravitz (and yes, she is the daughter of rocker Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet).
Q: I was sad to hear that Joan Fontaine had passed away. Did she and her sister, Olivia de Havilland, ever make up? — Paisley T., via email
A: The sisters had been feuding since 1941, when Joan won the Academy Award over sister Olivia (although sources say the animosity started all the way back to their childhood). They never did mend fences; however, Olivia issued a statement through her publicist that she was “shocked and saddened” by her sister’s death, and grateful for “the many kind expressions of sympathies.”
Q and A: Week of Jan. 1
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| Sting, pictured with superfan Josh Romaine (picture courtesy Josh Romaine) |
A: Well, Nina, I’m sure you already know that Sting’s most recent album, “The Last Ship,” was released this past September. But did you know that on Feb. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS, you can catch Sting on Thirteen’s “Great Performances”? The concert was filmed this past year on Sting’s birthday (Oct. 2) at a special fan-club performance during a 10-night run of a benefit concert where Sting performed songs from his new album. My friend’s husband (see pic) was fortunate enough to attend this event, so I can tell you with certainty that it’s a concert that should not be missed.
Q: Can you tell me when “American Idol” will be back? I’m so excited that Jennifer Lopez has returned for this next season. — Kendra W., via email
A: The singing competition that started it all returns for its 13th season on Fox beginning Jan. 15 at 8/7c. Along with Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban returns to lend his expertise to the judging panel, Ryan Seacrest will continue to be our fearless host, and Harry Connick Jr. upgrades his season-12 mentor status to become a season-13 judge. Former judge Randy Jackson will return for a few episodes as an in-house mentor.
Q: It seems like forever since “Vikings” ended its first season. When will it be back? — Danny J., via email
A: “Vikings” will return for a 10-episode second season on the History Channel on Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and you can count on plenty more drama, gore, sex and political intrigue. According to “Vikings” creator Michael Hirst: “The first episode of the new season will be absolutely gobsmacking. There are huge dangers at the personal level [for Ragnar]. Certain things are resolved in conflict and certain things continue. The scale will be bigger. He’s gone into business now with a king. So, he can raid with bigger parties. He can be more ambitious.
“There is going to be a new big, big character who is the King of Wessex. Wessex is a much larger kingdom than Northumbria, with a much more powerful king and also a cleverer king, a king who spent half of his young life at the court of Emperor Charlemagne. Ragnar is going to be up against a very formidable foe in the King of Wessex.”
Q: I need my “Portlandia”! — Susanna Y., Chicago
A: On Thursday, Feb. 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, you’ll get your “Portlandia”! IFC’s original hit comedy returns for its fourth season with 10 all-new episodes. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein play host to a number of fun guest stars this go ’round, including Ed Begley Jr., Steve Buscemi, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Goldblum, k.d. lang, Kyle MacLachlan, Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde.
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