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-mailA: 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.
