Archive for the 'Q&A Forum' Category

Minding Our Q’s And A’s

Parker Posey

Welcome to our occasional post in which we answer some of your burning questions about TV. If you’ve got a query, send it to me by using the “Comments” prompt or e-mailing it to cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Q: Shelly Pozzi, a big fan of “Gilmore Girls,” wonders: Have you heard any word on Amy Sherman-Palladino? Does she have any shows in the works?
A: Amy does indeed have a new show in the works. It’s a Fox sitcom called “The Return of Jezebel James.” It stars Parker Posey (See above photo) as a successful children’s book editor who reconnects with her estranged and free-spirited younger sister, played by Lauren Ambrose (”Six Feet Under”). It is scheduled to premiere on March 7.

Q: Bruce Greenlee of Richmond asks: The actress who plays the woman with Jack on the research boat in “Men In Trees” looks very familiar. Who is she and what other TV show was she in?
A: She’s Kelli Williams and she played Lindsay on “The Practice” for many years.

Q: Harry Coleman wonders: I read your list of holiday TV specials and movies in the Tribune and I didn’t see “A Christmas Carol’ with Alastair Sims or ‘Scrooged’ with Bill Murray. Are these movies considered too dated or adult?
A: No, they’re not too dated or adult. But be aware that our list was not comprehensive. There is just too much holiday programming to get our arms around (ABC Family, alone, is airing holiday-themed shows every day in Decemeber). So, if your favorite program wasn’t mentioned, you should consult your listings. That said, I have run down at least five versions of “A Christmas Carol” airing on TV in December, but the Sims version isn’t among them. As for “Scrooged,” it will air several times this month on HBO.

Q: Joy Rosenberg asks: I read your column in which you mentioned watching TV shows on your computer (and iPhone). Isn’t it just plain uncomfortable to watch a whole show on the small computer or laptop screen?
A: Well, Joy, for the longest time I just couldn’t imagine watching TV on my computer. We have a 62-inch flat screen HDTV in our living room, after all, and a computer screen is a huge come-down from that. But I’ve recently changed my way of thinking. I’ve been watching plenty of TV on my PC when its convenient. It has also helped tremendously when it comes to catching up with episodes I missed and/or forgot to record. We’ve even had a couple times when the family has gathered in our home office to watch. We just spread some chairs out, turn off the lights and click a mouse. As, for my iPhone/iPod, it came in very handy on a recent trip back East, enabling me to catch up with shows on the long plane trip.

Q: And last, but not certainly least, James Porter wants to know: When will “One Tree Hill” be back?
A: The show is scheduled to return to The CW on Jan. 8.

Posted on Monday, December 3rd, 2007
Under: Q&A Forum | 2 Comments »

Tackling Your Questions

Time to get to more questions from our readers. Remember, if you have a question, either post it via the “Comments” prompt, or e-mail me at cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Q: Denny Hollenbeck says, “Hi Chuck we read your column all the time, but we never saw anything in regards to what happened to Samantha Moore, the meteoroligist on Channel 5. Do you have any knowledge of the situation?
A: Samantha left the station shortly after Roberta Gonzales was appointed to be Channel 5’s evening weather person. Samantha was reassigned to the mornings. But apparently wanted no part of that gig. Last we heard, she had moved to Atlanta.

Q: Judy Craft, a longtime Pleasant Hill resident, now living in Oak Harbor, Wa. and still reading the Times, asks, “Can you tell me what night “Law and Order” (the original series) will be on in the fall? Has it been cancelled or is this something to do with Fred Thompson running for President?
A: “Law & Order” is scheduled to return to the NBC lineup on Sunday nights after the NFL football season ends. And, no, it doesn’t have to do anything with Thompson. It was scheduled that way long before he decided to run.

Q: Ryan Franco wants to know, “When does Season 3 of “Battlestar Galactica” come out on DVD? And when does the new season start?
A: No DVD release date, as far as I know, has been set for Season 3. Much of the immediate focus in the “BSG” world is on a new film called “Razor” (about the legacy of the Pegasus), which will air on Sci-Fi Nov. 24 and then debut on DVD on Dec. 4. As far as the season goes, again, no specific dates. All the Sci-Fi people have said is “early 2008” (possibly February). Meanwhile, they have given some thought to breaking up the final 20-episode season into two parts like HBO did with “The Sopranos.” This has stirred a great furor among the fans.

Q: The Great Carrie K. wants to know, “How is “Damages” doing in the ratings? Any chance FX will renew it?”
A: “Damages” started off very impressively and has waned just a bit. Still, it is a prestige show for FX and its cumlative ratings appear to fall in the network’s average parameters. So there is reason for optimism. FX probably won’t make a renewal decision until after the show concludes its Season 1 run on Oct. 23.

Q: TV Fan wonders, “I had thought I heard that ABC was working on an American version of “Footballers’ Wives.” But I see no sign of it on the fall schedule. Did I hear wrong?
A: No, you heard right. ABC did develop a pilot of “FW,” but decided not to order a series. The project appears dead now.

Posted on Sunday, September 23rd, 2007
Under: Q&A Forum | No Comments »

TV Freak: Minding Our Q’s and A’s

All right, as promised, we’re going to try to post a weekly TV Q&A session here at the Freak House. I want to hear from you. If you’ve got burning questions, please leave them in the “Comments” bin or e-mail me at cbarney@bayareanewsgroup.com. Here we go with this week’s topics:

Q: Michele C. wants to know: “When will the new seasons of “ER” and “Medium” start?
A: “ER” kicks off its season on NBC on Sept. 27; “Medium” returns after the NFL season ends.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted on Thursday, September 13th, 2007
Under: Q&A Forum | 2 Comments »