Q and A: Week of Aug. 5

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Q and A: Week of Aug. 5

Q: I am just heartbroken over the death of Cory Monteith; I still find it difficult believe. Do you know what will come of “Glee” in the wake of his death? — Diana P., via e-mail

A: Fox has decided to delay the fall premiere of season five of “Glee” from Sept. 19 to Sept. 26. The show’s creator, Ryan Murphy, has said: “When you’re faced with something so sad and so shocking, what do you do?”

He said that a big part of the decision to go forth with the show’s production came from talking with the show’s star, and Cory’s real-life girlfriend, Lea Michele, saying that Lea felt “the best thing for the cast and crew was to get back to work and be together every day and talk about our memories of him. So we decided to do that with Lea’s blessing, and we’re going to go back to work and have grief counselors on the set for two weeks because people are really hurting.”

“Glee”’s first two episodes already have been planned out as a Beatles’ tribute, and that is still the plan but, of course, they will have to make a few changes. The third episode will be a tribute episode for Cory, and then after that, the show will go on hiatus for a while to regroup.

Ryan revealed there are no plans to recast the role of Finn, saying: “The right thing to do for the show, at least at this point, is to have that character pass. When we do the tribute episode to that character, we’ll have to do it in a way where the cast members will not have to re-create [their own] feelings of grief, but do it in an upbeat way.”

Q: Will Masterpiece Classic’s “Mr. Selfridge” return for another season? — Janet R., Rochester, N.Y.

A: Following its ratings success earlier this year, Masterpiece and PBS have announced that there will indeed be a second season of “Mr. Selfridge” — which stars Jeremy Piven as the flamboyant American entrepreneur who founded the famous Selfridge’s department store — with plans to air in 2014.

Q: Will Jeremy Renner be in the new “Avengers” movie? — James H., via email

A: Director and writer Joss Whedon told convention-goers at Comic-Con that he is looking forward to writing the character of Hawkeye for the sequel, “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Joss said: “He did get possessed pretty early by a bad guy and had to walk around scowl-y for most of the last movie. Now it’s nice to actually have the character there and really see him interact with the other guys.”

Q: Did Penelope Cruz have her baby yet? — Leila W., St. Louis, Mo.

A: Penelope and husband Javier Bardem — who celebrated their third wedding anniversary last month — welcomed a daughter on July 22 in Madrid. She joins big brother Leonardo, who turns 3 in January. The day of her daughter's birth was particularly fortuitous for the notoriously private couple, as a certain prince was born that day as well, which took up all the media's attention.

Q and A: Week of July 22

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Q and A: Week of July 22

Q: I’ve been rewatching one of my favorite shows, Masterpiece Mystery’s “Sherlock,” and I’m hoping you’ll tell me that it’ll be back for a third series. With Benedict Cumberbatch’s and Martin Freeman’s big-screen careers really taking off, I’m worried they won’t have time for this delightful PBS show. — Darlene W., via e-mail

A: Benedict and Martin are both on board for the third installment of the hit British mystery series — as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, respectively — with “Sherlock” scheduled to begin airing new episodes in early 2014. You also can see them both together on the big screen (again) in the second and third installments of “The Hobbit” trilogy — as the Necromancer and Bilbo Baggins, respectively — when “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” hits theaters on Dec. 13, 2013, and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” on Dec. 17, 2014. 

If you want to see them earlier than this, then I suggest watching (or rewatching) Benedict's outstanding performance in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," alongside the all-star cast of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and John Hurt. And my all-time favorite Martin project has to be the U.K. version of "The Office." The writing is sharp and witty, the acting is aces, and the chemistry between Martin and series star (and creator) Ricky Gervais is phenomenal.

Q: Is it true that a new “Chucky” horror movie is going to be made? — Freddie H. in Idaho

A: “The Curse of Chucky,” which premiered at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival earlier this month, will be heading to DVD on Oct. 8. Brad Dourif once again provides the voice for the homicidal doll, while his real-life daughter, Fiona, stars in this sixth movie of the horror franchise.

Q: “Falling Skies” is really outdoing itself this season. Please tell me that it will return next summer with a new season. — Gary T., via e-mail

A: TNT’s execs and fans of the apocalyptic Earth-saving, alien-battling show feel the same way you do. The Noah Wyle-starring series, which wraps up its third season Aug. 4, has been renewed for a 10-episode fourth season to air summer 2014.