Q and A: Week of Nov. 4

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Q and A: Week of Nov. 4

Bruno Gunn as Brutus in
(courtesy Lionsgate, photographer Murray Close)

Q: I am beyond excited that “Catching Fire” will be in theaters soon. I am really intrigued by all the new Tributes that will be battling it out in this film. What can you tell me about the actor who plays Brutus, the scary and kick-butt Tribute from District 2? — Haley W., via email

A: Bruno Gunn plays the brawny and vicious “Career Tribute” from District 2. And while Bruno certainly is brawny, he is anything but vicious. The Canton, Ohio, native is one of the nicest people I’ve ever interviewed, and he’s just as thrilled to be in “Catching Fire” as you are to see him in it. Upon getting the news that he’d be playing Brutus, Bruno told me: “It was life-changing news. It’s life-changing information when you get something like this. I have been fortunate enough to be working for the past 15 years doing guest stars and small roles and independent films. And then something of this caliber comes along — I was thrilled. Absolutely thrilled. I mean, it’s one of those moments you’ll never forget the rest of your life, to say the least.”

And while the training was intense, Bruno had a blast filming this movie: “It was one of those things where everybody was really focused on doing their work bringing their A game. And at the same time, as focused and serious as everybody was, it was one of those sets that was a very relaxed, fun vibe. We all knew what we were doing with this massive film, but at the same time, it was fun. There was a fun vibe on set. We were all just having a great time making memories and friendships. We did about two to three months of training leading up to the movie, and that was a blast.”

Check back next week for my FULL interview with Bruno.

Q: When is “Dallas” coming back? — Karolyn, Lubbock, TX

A: “Dallas” will return to TNT for its third season in early 2014. I don’t have an exact date yet, but I will let you know when I do. In the meantime, I can tell you that my favorite “90210” alum, AnnaLynne McCord, will guest-star in several episodes when the hit nighttime drama returns for its 15-episode run. All of the Ewing family will return, as well as Mitch Pileggi and Judith Light.

Q: It seems like I’ve been waiting forever for “Teen Wolf” to return to MTV. When will they air the rest of season three? — Joshua B., via email

A: You still have a couple of more months to wait — until Monday, Jan. 6, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, to be exact. However, I do have some good news to share to help ease the pain of waiting: MTV announced that the hit series will return for a fourth season in 2014 with 12 new episodes. Additionally, the network will debut the new talk show, “Wolf Watch,” set to air weekly after each “Teen Wolf” episode.

John O'Hurley (and friends)

Q: Can you tell me what one of my favorite stars, John O’Hurley, has been up to? I’d love to see him in something soon. — Beatrice W., Omaha, Neb.

A: For starters, the talented actor/host/dancer/singer/author will be hosting the National Dog Show Presented by Purina on Thanksgiving Day, which airs at 12 p.m. ET/PT, for the 12th year in a row. Aside from all the cute doggy fun for the whole family that we’re used to with the dog show, this year sees the introduction of the Chinook, rat terrier and Portuguese podengo pequeno into the competition.

John also has a children’s book coming out Oct. 31 called “The Perfect Dog.” According to John: “It’s a Doctor Seuss-style poem that I wrote about (my son) Will’s question to me, which was, ’Is there a dog that is perfect?’ And so I go through all of the attributes of what I think the perfect dog would be, and I’m back and forth and back and forth. It ends with: ’The dog that is perfect is the one next to you.’”

You can catch John on the big screen this December, when he co-stars in the indie drama “A Remarkable Life.” And you can catch my full interview with John right here Thanksgiving week.

Q: One of my favorite shows is “Cold Justice.” Will it be back for another season? — Chris M., via email



A: TNT has ordered a second season of its hit real-life drama “Cold Justice,” where former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and former crime-scene investigator Yolanda McClary solve cold cases, their season-one efforts having brought many criminals to justice already. The first season, which wrapped up Oct. 22, so far has helped to bring about a guilty plea (from the Sept. 3 episode), three indictments (Sept. 10 episode) and a grand jury trial to bring about more indictments (Sept. 17 episode). Season two will have 10 more episodes and is scheduled to air in early 2014. As soon as I have an exact airdate and time, I’ll be sure to let you all know.

Q: When will we see more “Bates Motel”? I love that show. — Linda, Kenosha, Wis.

A: I can’t wait for the 10-episode second season to start, which will be in January on A and E. Joining Freddie Highmore (Norman Bates) and Vera Farmiga (Norma Bates) this season are Michael Vartan as a love interest for Norma (watch your back, Michael!), Kathleen Robertson and Michael O’Neill as Miss Watson’s father.

Q: Seeing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler present at the Emmy’s this year made me wonder if they’d be back to host the Golden Globes? I loved them as co-hosts! — Gina F., via email

A: Tina and Amy have signed on to host the Golden Globe Awards for the next two years. Insiders are saying the deal is a coup for the Golden Globes, but I say it’s a coup for the viewers, as we’ll be treated to the comedic dynamic duo for at least two more ceremonies.

Q: Now that “Breaking Bad” is over, what’s next for Bryan Cranston? — Donald F., via e-mail

A: The in-demand actor has loaned his voice to the H2 original series “Big History.” H2 — an offshoot of the History Channel — which premiered the 10-hour series on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 10 p.m. ET. “Big History” will dare to reveal one grand unified theory for how every event throughout history is connected.

Each episode will begin with an iconic topic from the pages of traditional history, such as the Great Pyramids, Titanic or the American Revolution, but then will spin into surprising journeys through other fields, weaving together insights and evidence from various disciplines such as astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, anthropology, history and economics. “Big History” will pull together the puzzle pieces from all 16 half-hour episodes into an epic two-hour finale, revealing the unifying link among all events.

“I was asked to be the voice of 13.7 billion years of history,” said Bryan Cranston, “Sure, I’ve got the time — give or take a billion years. As I read the material, I realized that this new series gives a surprising and unique look at our world. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

Jennie Garth

Q: I was surprised to see Peter Facinelli guest-starring on “Glee” a few weeks back. It got me to wondering what his ex-wife, Jennie Garth, is up to now? — Holly U., Tampa, Fla.

A: Jennie is in talks to co-star in a new sitcom for ABC Family with former “Beverly Hills, 90210” co-star Tori Spelling. The pilot is called “Mystery Girls,” and it’s based on a story that Tori co-wrote with screenwriter Shepard Boucher. According to Us Weekly magazine: “‘Mystery Girls’ is a comedy about a former starlet (Tori) who starts solving crimes with her former mystery-TV-show co-star (Jennie) after a witness to a crime refuses to talk to anyone except the infamous Mystery Girls.” And although I think “Us” meant to use the word “notorious” and not “infamous,” I think you get the idea of what the sitcom is about.

Q: What’s next for Christian Bale? — Barry T., Minneapolis

A: Of Christian’s current projects, the one I am most eager to see is the gritty thriller called “Out of the Furnace,” which opens Dec. 6. Boasting an all-star cast of Christian, Woody Harrelson, Forest Whitaker, Casey Affleck, Willem Dafoe, Zoe Saldana and Sam Shepard, the story centers on Russell Baze (Christian), whose younger brother, Rodney (Casey), mysteriously disappears. When law enforcement fails to (or is too afraid to) follow through, Russell decides to search for justice himself.

Q: I was wondering if you have any news on “Body of Proof”? Is it coming back? — Robin W., via email

A: I’m sorry to report that the Dana Delany-starring medical drama was canceled by ABC after three seasons. All three seasons are available on DVD, if that is any consolation.

Interview: John O'Hurley Goes to the Dogs

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BY Unknown 17:04 0

Interview: John O'Hurley Goes to the Dogs

To most television viewers, John O’Hurley (photo credit, Virginia Sherwood/NBC) is best known for his role of J. Peterman on “Seinfeld,” or his nearly 12-year daytime-television career on shows including “The Young and the Restless,” “All My Children,” “Loving,” “Santa Barbara” and “The Edge of Night,” or being crowned the ultimate champion on the very first season of “Dancing With the Stars.” However, this is the time of year when John goes to the dogs — literally.

On Thanksgiving Day, from noon to 2 p.m. in all time zones (directly following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade), John will be hosting the ninth annual “National Dog Show Presented by Purina” on NBC. And believe me, they didn’t have to twist his arm to get him to return to his hosting duties!

Celebrity Extra: I know you’re a dog lover, but what are some particular aspects about “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina” that keep you coming back?

John O’Hurley: Well, I think for us it’s the happiest day of the year. We go there, and we are surrounded by 2,000 dogs. Our favorite time is not really what’s going on in the ring there, but rather when my wife and I take a walk backstage and see all the breeders and all the dogs, and walking up and down the aisles. It’s pretty spectacular to see 165 different breeds.



CE: Now, I know you already know quite a bit about dogs, being a dog owner and all, but you must learn a lot more about them just through your hosting duties.

JO: Well, thank goodness I have David Frei with me, who is the most knowledgeable man in the world of dogs, and there’s nothing he does not know about them. So a little of that has rubbed off on me in a good way.

CE: I’m excited that this year they are introducing a bunch of new dog breeds. Especially the Cane Corso, which is a mammoth but is the sweetest dog in the world, and also the Bluetick Coonhound. What are you excited about?

JO: Definitely that! We did our photo session, and David and I — you want to talk about never working with kids or animals! — we had to work with all six of them. To try to get one photo together, it took nearly four hours. It is exciting to introduce that many new breeds, and they are all beautiful dogs.

CE: What part of the actual hosting duties do you look forward to most when you do this?

JO: My favorite part is when the Irish Setter comes into the ring. It represents to me what a beautiful dog should look like. The way the hair is cut — it’s such an athletic movement when the dog comes in, and it’s just beautiful to me. So I always look for the Irish Setter.

CE: This show always has such a huge audience. We’re pushing 20 million viewers. To what do you attribute its great success?

JO: Well, I think it’s an extraordinary piece of programming. This is a great show on a family day. If you put this show on any other time of the week, I don’t think it would do near as well. It just happens to be sitting there on the perfect family day and gives something that everybody wants to watch. Rather than football, which is regional and certainly male-oriented. But this is a show that the family can watch.

CE: You had told me in one of our previous interviews that your son, William, loves to accompany you, loves to be involved backstage. Will we see him again this year?

JO: Yep, he’ll be there. He’s very excited. He loves going to the show.

CE: It’s like a kid in a candy store, except with dogs.

JO: It really is. Since this is a benched show — and I think you know what that means — it means they all have to stay there through the entire show. It’s one of the great events for parents to bring children to. If you go backstage, you’ll see a lot of the attending audiences are parents and kids. It’s just a wonderful idea to bring them up and down so they can see all the different breeds. They can talk to the breeders and get some tips if they are in the market for a pet. Then they’ll get the right answers about whether this dog actually parallels their lifestyle, which is really the message we try to get out every year.

CE: On another subject, I personally would like to start a campaign now for you, as a song-and-dance man with a wicked sense of humor, that you need to guest-star on “Glee.”

JO: Well, isn’t that funny. They’ve been talking about it, as kind of a family member or love interest for Sue (Sylvester, played by Jane Lynch). And I think between the two of us, we would actually corner the market on arrogance and pomposity.

CE: Well, I’m going to help forward that campaign. I think that would be wonderful. I thought that was my original idea, but I’m glad to see that other people are thinking the same way!

JO: Actually, a dear friend of mine had dinner with two of the producers and they said they had already reached that idea.

CE: I know that Steve Harvey is doing a bang-up job hosting “Family Feud” now, but I still get tons of letters from my readers telling me that they still miss having you as the host.

JO: Oh, how sweet.

CE: What do you miss most about the show, and what could you say to my readers who miss you?

JO: Well, I had a wonderful time with that. But they wanted to move the show to Orlando, and with my child responsibilities here, that just wasn’t going to happen. So, I have to look at it as four phenomenal years, and I miss the show dearly, but it frees me up to do so many other things. I’m back on Broadway and will be heading back to Broadway again, and those are things that I just couldn’t do as freely when I was committed to “Family Feud.”

CE: What are you going to be doing on Broadway? Is it finalized yet?

JO: I just finished “Chicago,” and I probably will head back over the holidays to do another stint in “Chicago.” And then I have another tentative long-term offer to do another show there, but that one I can’t talk about just yet.

CE: Like most of America, I’m a huge “Dancing With the Stars” fan, and I was mortified by Bruno’s comments to your friend Michael Bolton. I was just wondering what your reaction was to that?

JO: I love Bruno. And I think his color on the show helps the show along a lot. I mean he really should be outrageous. However, my concern is when your comments become mean-spirited like that. And I think it was a mean-spirited comment. I think if he had to do it over again, he probably would have put the words back in his mouth. But my concern is that agents who protect their clients, and especially high-profile clients, will think twice now about allowing their clients to do the show. That’s my concern. That show lives and breathes on the back and the sweat of the people doing the show. It doesn’t live on the comments of the judges. So I think they need to remember that every time they make a comment like that. If they want to continue to get high-profile people — which is really what drives that show — encourage, don’t discourage.

CE: I agree. You can be critical with your comments, but they need to be constructive and affirming.

JO: Absolutely — the judges are there to help, not belittle. Michael worked really, really hard. That weekend Michael was doing the show, he was also flying around doing concerts and doing his charity golf tournament, all at the exact same time. And he was still able to fit the rehearsals in during all of that. I mean, he was just like triple-tasking that week. And I don’t think the comments were really indicative of the work that Michael put in. I just think they were wrong.

Q and A: Week of Nov. 15

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Q and A: Week of Nov. 15

Q: I love watching “Family Feud” and think Steve Harvey is doing great, but what happened with John O’Hurley? Why did he leave? He was a terrific host! — Gina T. in Texas

A: I spoke with John (pictured left, photo credit Virginia Sherwood/NBC) recently to talk about his other hosting duties, that of the ninth-annual National Dog Show presented by Purina (which airs on Thanksgiving Day after the Macy’s Parade), and he told me the reason behind his departure: “I had a wonderful time hosting ‘Family Feud.’ They wanted to move the show to Orlando, but with my child responsibilities here that just wasn’t going to happen. So, I just have to look at it as four phenomenal years. I miss the show dearly, but it frees me up to do so many other things. I’m back on Broadway, and will be heading back to Broadway again, and those are things that I just couldn’t do as freely when I was committed to ‘Family Feud.’” John is very grateful that you enjoyed him on the show, as well as the MANY other readers who wrote in to me to tell me that they missed him.



Q: I remember awhile back you reported that “Avatar” star CCH Pounder told you that there would be a sequel. Is that still in the works, or was it just wishful thinking? — Travis G., via e-mail

A: Would I, or CCH Pounder, ever steer you wrong? There are actually TWO “Avatar” sequels in the works. 20th Century Fox hopes to have the first of the as-of-now-untitled sequels in theaters by December 2014, with the third movie released the following December 2015. Director/visionary James Cameron released this statement: “In the second and third films, which will be self-contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of ‘Avatar’s’ visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world.”

Q: When is HBO’s “Big Love” coming back for its fifth season? — Justine D., via e-mail

A: The hit drama series about a Salt Lake City businessman (played by Bill Paxton) and his three wives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin) will return for its fifth and final season on Jan. 16.

Q: I read that they were making a sequel to “Napoleon Dynamite.” Is that true? — Flint M., Akron, Ohio

A: It’s not exactly a sequel. Fox has ordered six episodes of an animated version of the 2004 cult hit, which starred Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez (as Napoleon and his friend Pedro). Efren told me that one episode is already in the can and that everyone is thrilled with it. He told me that “it appeals to everybody, and it’s funny. It’s got all of the original cast and the original writers. And it’s Fox, and as you know, Fox does a great job with animated series.”