Q and A: Week of August 23

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Q and A: Week of August 23

Q: I finally rented “The Cove” and was disgusted and heartbroken to witness the slaughter of those beautiful dolphins. Since the movie came out, have things gotten better over there in Japan? — Julia S., West Palm Beach, Fla.

A: I spoke with Ric O’Barry, longtime dolphin activist and subject of the award-winning documentary “The Cove.” He is sad to report that the slaughter and capture of wild dolphins still occurs, albeit on a “lesser” scale.


“The dolphin slaughter begins Sept. 1 and goes through March,” he said. “During that period last year in that the town of Taiji, the mayor and the city council implemented a no-kill policy. They were bringing dolphins in and capturing them for the dolphin swim program — the dolphin-captivity industry. But they let about 300 of them go. They still kill pilot whales, but they stopped killing bottle-nosed dolphins, probably thinking, ‘That will appease them.’ But we don’t know what’s going to happen come this Sept. 1.”

You can track Ric and his son, Lincoln’s, progress on this hot-button issue on Animal Planet’s “Blood Dolphins.” The premiere episode airs Aug. 27 (with an encore Sept. 3), and parts two and three air Sept. 10 and 17, respectively.

Q: Christopher Walken has always been a favorite of mine, and I wonder what is coming up in his future, project-wise? — Elva P., Fort Worth, Texas

A: The versatile 67-year-old actor has many big-screen movie projects in the works, including “The Irishman,” “Life’s a Beach,” “A Girl and a Gun” and “Wild Oats,” the latter of which just started filming and is a comedy co-starring Christina Ricci, Shirley MacLaine and Bill Pullman. While Christopher is an excellent dramatic actor, I love to see him cut-up in a comedy, so “Wild Oats” is one I’m especially looking forward to.

Q: I just saw Natasha Henstridge in the TV movie you recommended, “The Devil’s Teardrop,” and I really liked it. What are some other things I can see her in? — Lindsay D., via e-mail

A: Natasha told me that, while she is mulling over different projects at the moment, the next thing you can see her in is the Aug. 29 episode of Lifetime Television’s hit “Drop Dead Diva.” As Natasha explained: “I get to stir up some trouble. I play Claire Harrison, who is the partner of the law firm with J Parker — Parker & Harrison. So J Parker and Claire Harrison have some history, and I go over there and make some trouble, both businesswise and personally.”

Q: I recently watched a movie called “The Last of the Dogmen,” starring Tom Berenger, and it got me to wondering what he’s been up to lately. — Mary W., Southbury, Conn.

A: Tom can be seen on the big screen — and in 3-D — in the summer blockbuster “Inception.” (FYI: So far, this is my favorite movie of the summer.) His movie “Sinners and Saints” also is touring the festival circuit.

Q: One of my favorite reality shows is “The Real Housewives” series on Bravo. I especially love Bethenny Frankel on the New York series, and I wondered if that show and/or Bethenny would be back? — Michele M., Bel Air, Md.

A: I spoke with Bethenny recently, and she told me she has no plans to return to the “Real Housewives.” In her words: “I very highly doubt I will go back to ‘Housewives.’ I don’t see any reason or upside for that.” Besides, Bethenny is pretty busy these days as a new mom, a newlywed and promoting her “Body by Bethenny” workout DVD.

And if you are wondering how she shed all that baby weight, it’s simple: “[The weight] came off afterward, because I wasn’t extreme about dieting nor had I binged while pregnant. Just be balanced before, during and after, and treat your diet like a bank account, and you will have no issue.”

Q: I really love the addition of Lindsay Pulsipher on “True Blood,” but this makes me doubt the potential re-emergence of “FlashForward,” since Lindsay played teenaged Charlie in one of the final scenes’ flash-forwards. Should I give up on the dream of “FlashForward” being picked up by another network? — Fred J., via e-mail

A: I am sad to report that I think yes, the dream might be over. Many fans, including myself, were drawn into the exciting series and had hoped that maybe TNT or AMC would save it from extinction. When I asked Lindsay about the possibility, she wasn’t super hopeful of a “FlashForward” resurrection.


“There hasn’t been any talk of that, that I know of, unfortunately,” Lindsay tells me. “I know a lot of people really loved that show, and I think it had amazing potential to be really great next season. Unfortunately, I have not heard anything, but you never know — if another cable network wants to pick it up, that would be amazing!”

Q: What happened to the NBC drama series “Trauma”? One week it was on, the next it was gone. Will it be back? — Judy, Waverly, Ohio

A: “Trauma,” a medical drama that centers on a group of paramedics in San Francisco, was officially canceled by the network this past May due to low ratings.

Interview: Lindsay Pulsipher Mingles With Vampires

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Interview: Lindsay Pulsipher Mingles With Vampires

True Blood, which airs Sunday nights at 9 on HBO, has had everyone talking since the show began in 2008. The Emmy-nominated show, based on the series of best-selling books by Charlaine Harris, is known for its solid pedigree of featured stars and guest stars. New to the show this season is Lindsay Pulsipher (pictured left, photo credit JSquared Photography), who previously co-starred in The Beast with the late Patrick Swayze. Lindsay plays new-girl-in-town Crystal, and she just happens to stir up some trouble.

Celebrity Extra: When you came aboard True Blood, it was already a bona fide hit with a solid fan base. Was that intimidating for you, or did it get you excited to tackle this role?

Lindsay Pulsipher: I was over-the-moon excited. I was screaming at the top of my lungs when I got the news I’d been cast. Then once all that settled in, I realized the caliber of the show. I knew I was coming into a huge, huge show with a huge fan base and a big following. So there was a little bit of — panic sets in and then you think, “Oh man, can I pull this off and make people excited about this role?” So I hope that I’ve pulled through.

CE: Had you read any of the books before getting the part?

LP: You know when I got the part; I had not read the books. I made a conscious decision to hold off reading them, because I wanted to look at Crystal through the writers’ eyes on the show. And then once I kind of got a feeling for the character and I kind of knew where they were taking her and everything, I decided to start reading the books. I’m on the third book now, and it’s so good. I can see why people are so into it.

CE: What can you tell me about Crystal?

LP: Well, Crystal is just a really strong and spirited character. And I think that it’s every actor’s dream to kind of play a role that has a little meat to it. And there’s a lot for me to play with, with Crystal. She’s multilayered and she’s complex, and she’s got a lot of issues in her life right now. And she’s a little bit manic and it’s fun to be able to explore all those avenues and she’s definitely not one dimensional which is fun.

CE: What’s the overall atmosphere of the show; how is everyone to work with?

LP: It’s a very light and friendly set. Everybody has an amazing time and you can tell everybody just loves their job. And everybody is so happy to be there, which makes for such a pleasant environment. And that being said though, everybody is very professional and takes their job very seriously. And all the actors on the show are really dedicated to their characters, and they know their characters very well.

CE: Can you give me a tease about what going to come up in the next few episodes?

LP: I can definitely tell you that Crystal causes rifts in BT [Bon Temps], but it’s not just for Jason. She causes some problems for some of the other characters and gets herself into some trouble.

CE: Now, can you tell me if your character will be back in Season 4, or might that give something away?

LP: It’s probably best if I don’t answer that. It could potentially give away some spoilers. So I should probably stay away from that question (laughs).

CE: FlashForward was one of my favorite new shows of last season, and I was surprised to see you pop up in the last moments of the final episode as Teenaged Charlie. Have you heard anything about any possible chance of it being brought back, even if it's to another network?

LP: You know, there hasn’t been any talk of that that I know of unfortunately. I know that a lot of people really loved that show, and I think that it had amazing potential to be really great next season. But unfortunately I have not heard anything. But, that would be really cool if it did because I would really love to work on that show again.

CE: Yeah, I want to start a campaign for TNT to bring it back, or AMC, or any of those cutting-edge cable networks.

LP: Yeah, I know. I have a lot of friends who feel that same way. It had a lot of potential, and it was really different and interesting. I’m kind of sad that it’s not going to come back. But you never know, and if another cable network wants to pick it up, that would be amazing!

CE: Prior to this, you co-starred in The Beast with Patrick Swayze. Can you tell me what he was like as a person, and how he was to work with?

LP: Patrick is — was — such an amazing person and I can’t say enough things about him. He was sweet, kind, generous and had an amazingly dirty sense of humor. He was such a jokester. You know, always joking and making things so pleasant and light. Oh, he was such an inspiration. I can’t say enough good things about him. [Going through cancer treatment while shooting the show] really put things into perspective for me. Like if I was kind of tired or my call time was at an ungodly hour, it made me think twice of even complaining inside my head because I knew what he was going through. Never once did he come to work unprepared. He was always in top-notch form. And it was so inspiring to see.

CE: Tell me about the feature film you star in, The Oregonian.

LP: The film is amazing. It’s kind of an art horror film, if you will. My character is this girl who’s leaving home and, without giving too much away, she’s gets into a car accident. And she kind of wakes up and doesn’t know if she’s alive or dead or in purgatory somewhere. And it’s her journey discovering that. And she encounters a lot crazy things along the way, and it’s really different. I’ve never done anything like it. It’s really different and bizarre, and I’m really excited about it.