Q and A: Week of Aug. 13

Beth Riesgraf

Q: I am so happy that “Leverage” has started a new season. Can you tell me what to look for this season? — Geoff F., via e-mail

A: I recently spoke with Beth Riesgraf, who plays Parker, the Leverage team’s resident thief, cat burglar, pickpocket and safecracker extraordinaire. Like you, Beth is excited for the action/dramedy’s fifth season, telling me: “All I can say is that there is a reason that we are in Portland, and there will be a payoff to that toward the end of the season.

“For Parker personally, she’s in a good place. Now she’s able to be a part of something bigger, and she’s able to socialize. No one’s going to (mess) with her because she’s still got her edge, and she’s smart as a whip. I think she’s opened up socially and emotionally. Some of those boundaries have been let down and she kind of understands how to get along in society.”

Q: I haven’t heard much about the upcoming movie “The Lone Ranger,” starring my favorite actor, Johnny Depp. Please tell me that the movie is still being made and will be released! — Pauli A., Colchester, Vt.

A: The big-screen version of the small-screen classic — starring Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger — is on track for a July 3, 2013, release. The movie, which also stars Johnny’s “Sweeney Todd” co-star Helena Bonham Carter, ran into some delays earlier on due to rewrites, and more recently because of budgetary concerns.

Connor Jessup

Q: I really like the actor who plays Ben on TNT’s “Falling Skies.” Can you tell me more about him? — Leanne W., Salem, Mass.

A: Toronto native Connor Jessup — who plays the middle son of Noah Wylie’s character, Tom Mason — started acting at the age of 11 and counts among his loves directing, writing and producing along with acting. The 18-year-old stars in the big-screen drama “Blackbird,” which premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, where he will be presented with the Toronto Rising Star Award (along with three or four other recipients).

Connor is thrilled to be chosen as a Rising Star, and he told me: “TIFF means a lot to me. It’s a big part of my life. It was probably a main factor in influencing my love of movies and my discovery of film. I’m very honored to be chosen, especially since it’s my hometown, home festival. I’m looking forward to it.”

Q: I love the new “Dallas” — it’s just what I’ve been missing from my regular TV lineup. Will it be back for another season? — Gail W., via e-mail

A: I wholeheartedly agree with you. I got chills as I watched the premiere episode and those familiar strains of the “Dallas” theme started up. TNT has indeed renewed the hit series. The network has ordered 15 episodes for its second season, which is scheduled to air in 2013.

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Q and A: Week of June 25

Timothy Hutton

Q: When will my favorite show, “Leverage,” be back with new episodes? — Paul T., via e-mail

A: The premiere of season five of the hit TNT show will be Sunday, July 15, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. This year brings 10 all-new episodes starring your favorite gang of thieves, grifters and con artists led by Academy Award-winner Timothy Hutton, along with Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge. This season promises to deliver high action and intrigue — and maybe some more romance — as well as big-name guest stars, such as Cary Elwes and Treat Williams.

Q: Is it true that Matthew McConaughey finally tied the knot? — Tina R., via e-mail

A: Lustful ladies all over the world had to give up the dream of becoming Mrs. M. in early June, when Matthew married longtime girlfriend — and mother of son Levi, 3, and daughter Vida, 2 — Camilla Alves in an intimate ceremony at the couple’s home in Austin, Texas.

Q: What’s next for the beautiful Andie MacDowell? It seems I see her only on hair color/make-up commercials anymore, and I really miss seeing her in movies. — Britta, Fairview, Mich.

A: Andie just started production in mid-June on the new Hallmark Channel original series “Cedar Cove,” which is based on the best-selling book series of the same name by Debbie Macomber. Andie will star as Judge Olivia Lockhart, whose Cedar Cove Municipal Court is the professional milieu and social microcosm of issues the judge will face in her own day-to-day life with family and friends. The series kicks off with a two-hour pilot, scheduled to air at the end of the year, with a weekly one-hour series to follow in early 2013.

Readers: For your summertime reading pleasure, I want to give one lucky reader a copy of Rebecca Bloom’s “Eat, Drink, and Be Married.” Simply e-mail me at letters@cindyelavsky.com by July 31, and tell me your favorite beach read. This contest isn’t just for the ladies, although many beach books are classified as “chick lit.”


I asked Rebecca if it bothered her to have books pigeonholed as “chick lit.” She told me: “I was offended by it before, but because I thought, ‘Why does it have to be classified?’ But now I’m much more of a realist than when I started writing, and you have to do whatever you can to market your book. It’s a way to classify and sell, and ultimately, that’s what any writer should want. So, I’m not as against it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating women with your writing. ‘The Help’ was awesome, and that was a chick flick and chick lit, so if my book is classified as chick lit, that’s fine with me.”

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Interview: Timothy Hutton and the Leverage Team Are Back

"Leverage" is back on TNT this Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET/PT for its fourth and most exciting season yet. I know, I know — everyone always says that. However, having seen the season-premiere episode in all its epic, snow-bound glory, I can vouch for that claim of viewer excitement. The season opener has our favorite con-artist team trekking to a winter wonderland to help a woman whose husband (guest star Eric Stolz) has disappeared and who might be a victim of foul play.

I spoke with series star Timothy Hutton about the show's new season, and he is just as excited as I am for fans to see what the Leverage team has been up to, and where they are going from here.

Celebrity Extra: After watching the season four opener, I am freezing just thinking about it! What was the filming like for that episode?

Timothy Hutton: It was an amazing experience. Everybody arrived from their different places: Dean Devlin from L.A. along with Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge, and Christian Kane from Nashville, and Gina Bellman from London, and myself from New York — everyone arrived in the Portland, Oregon, area. Then we all got on the shuttle buses and arrived in Mount Hood, and that’s where we started the year — filming for three days during a blizzard up on Mount Hood. Between a lot of snowball fights, we managed to get some filming in.



CE: "Leverage" episodes in general are adventures, but this one really is epic. Were you excited when you read the script and found out what it would entail?

TH: Yeah, like you just said, I really feel the same way, that each episode is quite the adventure. We’re in the fourth season now and we’ve done, I think we just passed the 50th episode, 51 or 52 episodes I think we’ve completed. Every one of those scripts we still, to this day, get excited when the writers give us the draft of the next episode. We get to read a new "Leverage" script. We love reading them, and we love bringing the scripts to life. It’s just a lot of fun.

CE: And that shows, because they are a lot of fun to watch.

TH: Absolutely, and for people who haven’t seen the show, it’s a very easy show to come in on. It’s not like you have to go back and see it from the beginning. It’s a fun show to kind of catch on to even if you haven’t seen it before.

CE: When you were approached with the role of Nathan Ford back in 2008, what made you decide to accept the role?

TH: I thought it was an interesting challenge, because of where the character started out. He started with next to nothing. He lost his son, his wife, his job and couldn’t be really much worse off — he certainly could, but he was in pretty bad shape — and he gets involved in this job putting together this Leverage team. It starts to become a climb back, a way to get his life back and find himself, find his own center. I thought that was a great way to start. They wouldn’t give a lot of restrictions, because he was so dysfunctional and in such dire straits.


There weren’t a lot of restrictions about how the character could be played, how he would react to certain situations. It was wide open. He was so messed up that situations that were serious, he might find amusing. And situations that were amusing, he might be the one that found it serious. So there were endless possibilities how to play a character like that, because the character was so lost. How the guy gets back to surviving on a day-to-day level, and I think that the other characters, the other people in Leverage, become kind of his family almost, and he finds a way to be able to get his life back in order in some ways. I also felt like I never wanted him to get it together too much, because then we wouldn’t have a character. We wouldn’t have a show.
 

CE: I love the chemistry between you and the actors on your team – you actually seem like you are having fun. What is the mood on the set and how is it to work together?

TH: The mood is very light on the set, and we’re always playing jokes on each other. When the day starts and everybody’s arriving at work at 6 a.m., you can just tell that everybody as a person is happy to be there. Monday through Friday, every morning, people are greeting each other and asking if they had a good night the night before, and how are they today. It’s just a very pleasant work environment. As I said, we just kind of keep things light, and I think it shows in the episodes.

CE: You guys have had some great recurring and guest stars, like Eric Stolz, Jeri Ryan, Wil Wheaton and Goran Visnjic – any guest stars for season four you can give me the scoop on?

TH: Well, we’ve been very fortunate to have some amazing actors come in to the show. Like when Eric Stoltz came and did the first episode, everyone was very excited. You feel kind of honored to have somebody who’s work you’ve admired coming to do the show. Even if you’re not working that particular scene, everyone comes to the set to watch. That’s nice to be in the fourth season and to have that kind of spirit, that kind of camaraderie, it's quite nice.


We had just done an episode with Danny Glover, and people that had days off came to the set just to be able to watch him work, and say hello to him and welcome him to the set. It just lifts everybody’s spirits every day when you have these amazing people. I must say that the actors who live in and around the Portland, Oregon, area are just incredible. There’s a talent pool there, and we’re just scratching the surface. There are amazing, amazing actors there.

CE: What can you tell me about season four and how the characters’ personal relationships will develop?

TH: Well, there’s certainly going to be developments with the Nate/Sophie relationship. Them trying to figure out who they are together and what they want with or from each other. That’s certainly something that’s explored in season 4, as well as the Parker/Hardison relationship. There are interesting twists and turns that happen there.


The other thing about this season that the Leverage team is being watched very closely. They are being hunted by certain people who would like them to stop doing what they are doing. So they’re a little bit on the run, and they’re being watched, and they realize they are being watched. It adds a nice element of danger to season four, where they’re not just independent free agents who can move about freely and take down bad guys. They do that, but they’re doing it at quite big risks, because they know that someone is out to get them.

CE: As you look back on the first three seasons, what have been some favorite moments or episodes for you?

TH: There was one we did — it wasn’t last year, but the year before last — it was, I think, "The Two Live Crew Job," and it was one that had Wil Wheaton and Griffin Dunne in it. That was a lot of fun. Another one, the season 2 finale, which had Richard Kind. It took place on a big freighter, and it’s the one that ends with Nate Ford saying, “My name’s Nate Ford, and I’m a thief.” Then last year there were a bunch of them. It’s hard to kind of single any out, because each one really has been such a blast to film.

CE: One of the things I like about this crop of dramas on these cable stations, especially TNT, is you guys can do more and explore more than dramas on the basic networks can. Is that a quality that attracted you to the project in the first place?

TH: Yes, definitely. I felt that TNT had a really great track record with "Saving Grace" and "The Closer." The way those shows, they just seemed to have an interesting way in which the stories were told, and they seemed to be not formulaic, and I especially liked the way that those shows were supported. You could tell that the network really got behind the programming and presented those shows in a really wonderful way.


So there was that, and combined with the script of "Leverage" and the character of Nate Ford, and then added to that John Rogers being the main writer and Dean Devlin being the producer and the one who was going to direct the pilot, and it all added up to having everything in place for it to be a great show. I can’t believe we are in the fourth year already. It has flown by.

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Q and A: Week of June 13

Q: I can’t wait for my favorite show, “Leverage,” to come back for its fourth season. When will that be, and can you give me any scoop about the new season? — Kimberly F., St. Louis

A: “Leverage” will be back Sunday, June 26, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on TNT. Timothy Hutton and crew kick off the new season with a snow-bound adventure. Eric Stoltz guest-stars as the Leverage team must recover lost evidence high up on a mountain. I spoke with Timothy about the new season, and he gave me a sneak peek: “There’s certainly going to be developments with the Nate/Sophie relationship, with them trying to figure out who they are together and what they want with or from each other.”


“The other thing about this season is that the Leverage team is being watched very closely,” he said. “They are being hunted by certain people who would like them to stop doing what they are doing, so they’re a little bit on the run.


“It adds a nice element of danger to season four, where they’re not just independent agents who can move about freely and take down bad guys. They still do that, but they’re doing it at quite big risks, because they know that someone is out to get them.”



Q: Is it true there are plans to remake “Total Recall”? — Jerry W., via e-mail

A: That’s the news spreading around town. Len Wiseman of “Underworld” fame is on board to direct, with Colin Farrell and Kate Beckinsale (who also happens to be Len’s wife and favorite go-to leading lady) set to star. Bill Nighy, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Biehl, Ethan Hawke and John Cho also have signed on for the remake of the 1990 film, which is based on a Philip K. Dick story, “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.” The tentative release date is Aug. 3, 2012.

Q: I heard that “United States of Tara” had been canceled, and I am worried that the same fate is planned for “Nurse Jackie,” as well as Showtime’s other dark comedies like “Weeds” and “The Big C”! — Dean D., via e-mail

A: Don’t worry, Dean. “Nurse Jackie” will be back on Showtime for a fourth season, most likely in spring 2012. In the meantime, “Weeds” and “The Big C” both make their season premieres on Monday, June 27.

Q: I have seen previews for a new movie called “Meet Monica Velour,” and I couldn’t believe that the main character was the usually glamorous Kim Cattrall! She looked like a completely different person. Why did she decide to take it on? — Trina R., via email

A: I talked with Kim recently and asked her what most appealed to her about the role. Kim said she was attracted to the part of Monica Velour because it was so against-type for her.


“It was an uncompromising, multidimensional role, and not a hooker with a heart of gold, which I was just so sick of,” she said. “Where do these women go when they are done, and they’re not so pretty anymore and not so perky? The same thing happens in Hollywood. It’s just a bigger version, a dramatized version, of what happens to women — not just in show business, but many businesses.


“This woman is in the gutter, and I wanted to get inside of that, because I always play such a strong, powerful woman. What about a woman who doesn’t have any of those choices or any of those opportunities? Where does she go? I’ve never been given a role like that. Until now, I had never fought for a role like that.”

Q: Will “Blue Bloods” on CBS be back for a second season? I really hope so, because it’s one of my favorite shows of the season. — George F., Sacramento

A: The Tom Selleck-starring police drama will be back for a second season on CBS this fall. In fact, you can see the entire CBS line-up, as well as many other networks’ shows, at celebrityextraonline.com. Just click “Fall 2011 Network Line-Ups” for the scoop on the new and renewed shows that will be back this fall.

Q: Is it true that Gwyneth Paltrow is pursuing a music career? — Barbara W., via email

A: Since her roles in “Country Strong” and “Glee,” Gwyneth certainly has been veering in that direction. Her representative told the New York Post, “[Gwyneth] still has not decided if she wants to record an album … [it] is still something she is considering.”

READERS: Congratulations to Virginia C. of Virginia, Cindy E. of Vermont and Peggy C. of Texas, all of whom have won autographed copies of Michelle Young’s books “Dragonstone” and “The Dragon’s Heart.” To learn more about the series and the author, and to read my review of the books, go to here. If you want to purchase the books yourself, go to michelleyoung.org — and check out the Dragonstone jewelry!

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Q and A: Week of May 9

Q: I read somewhere that my all-time favorite band, KISS, is back in the studio working on a new album. Is that true? If so, when can we expect some new material from them? — Rodney G., via e-mail

A: It’s true: KISS is working on a new studio album. The band began recording in April, and lead singer/songwriter Paul Stanley told me that they expect to release the album in late fall or early 2012, depending on how things go. He said: “So far, it sounds phenomenal. It’ll be worth the wait, I promise.”


In the meantime, Paul also is working with the House Research Institute to help bring awareness to teen hearing loss. Having been born deaf in one ear as well as being a mega rock star, Paul knows all about protecting his hearing, and he wants to help spread the word any way he can. “Hearing loss affects kids, it affects teens, and it affects adults. I tell people, ‘If you won’t listen to somebody in a white coat, maybe you’ll listen to somebody in black leather.’”

For more info on how you can protect your hearing, go to earbud.org, and to learn more about Sound Rules! visit soundrules.org. Go here for my full interview with Paul.

Q: Will “Memphis Beat” and “Rizzoli and Isles” be back on TV? I’m already getting tired of all the summer reality shows! — Glenda F., via e-mail

A: “Memphis” and “Rizzoli” will be back this summer on TNT, starting June 14 and July 11, respectively. In fact, TNT recently announced its all-new summer programming slate, which includes two new series, “Franklin and Bash” with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer, and “Falling Skies” with Noah Wylie. Other returning series include “Men of a Certain Age” on June 1, “HawthoRNe” on June 14, “Leverage” on June 26 and “The Closer” on July 11. So get ready for some summertime drama, because TNT is filled to the brim with it!

Q: The Season 1 cliffhanger for Syfy’s “Being Human” had me on the edge of my seat. Please tell me it has been renewed for another season — I can’t wait to see what they come up with next! — Jackie H. in Montana

A: The vampire/werewolf/ghost fantasy-drama has been renewed for a second season by the Syfy network. In fact, the Season 1 finale shattered ratings records for the network. Although no official Season 2 premiere date has been given, I would assume to look for it come January 2012.

Q: I was happy to read in your column that “In Plain Sight” would be back on USA for a fourth and fifth season, but I read that star Mary McCormack is pregnant in real life. How will they handle it on the show? — Colleen V., Las Vegas

A: Mary and hubby Michael Morris are expecting their third child together. Mary told People magazine that her pregnancy will be written into the show, so it will be interesting to see what this means for her character, Mary Shannon.

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TNT Announces Its Summer Programming Schedule

New Series:

Franklin & Bash – Series premiere Wednesday, June 1, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 1: 10 episodes

Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue) and Breckin Meyer (Road Trip) star in this light-hearted legal drama as two fly-by-the seat-of-their-pants lawyers working for a button-down law firm. Malcom McDowell (Heroes, Entourage) also stars as the head of their firm.

Falling Skies – Two-hour series premiere Sunday, June 19, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT); regular timeslot Sundays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 1: 10 episodes

Noah Wyle (ER) stars in this gripping drama series from DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg about the aftermath of an alien invasion and the resistance movement formed by the survivors.

Returning Series:

Men of a Certain Age – Premiere: Wednesday, June 1, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 2 continues: Six summer episodes

Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap) and Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street) star in this acclaimed drama series about three men facing the challenges of midlife.

Memphis Beat – Premiere: Tuesday, June 14, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 2: 10 episodes

Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl) stars as a Memphis police detective with an intimate connection to the city, a passion for its music and a very demanding boss. Alfre Woodard (True Blood) and DJ Qualls (Hustle & Flow) also star.

HawthoRNe – Premiere: Tuesday, June 14, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 3: 10 episodes

This powerful drama series stars Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix trilogy) as Christina Hawthorne, the impassioned Chief Nursing Officer at James River Hospital, with Michael Vartan (Alias) and new cast member Marc Anthony (El Cantate) also starring.

Leverage – Premiere: Sunday, June 26, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 4: 10 summer episodes

Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) stars as the head of television’s coolest gang of thieves, grifters and con artists out to help everyday people get even against the big shots who have destroyed their lives.

The Closer – Premiere: Monday, July 11, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 7: 10 summer episodes

TNT’s record-breaking series returns this summer with 2010 Emmy winner Kyra Sedgwick as Los Angeles Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson.

Rizzoli & Isles – Premiere: Monday, July 11, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT) – Season 2: 10 summer episodes

Last summer, Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander proved two heads are better than one in this drama series based on the crime novels by best-selling author Tess Gerritsen. As Boston detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles, the pair share a quirky chemistry and put away some of Boston’s most notorious criminals.

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Q and A: Week of August 9

Q: Can you tell me if Timothy Hutton (pictured left, photo credit Darren Michaels, TNT) is the son of Jim Hutton of the “Ellery Queen” TV mystery series of old? — Rae S., via e-mail

A: Film and television star Jim Hutton is indeed the father of “Leverage” star Timothy Hutton. Jim gained fame on projects such as “The Green Berets,” “Hellfighters,” “Walk, Don’t Run” and “Bachelor in Paradise.” In 1975, Jim landed the role he is perhaps best-known for, that of the titular character in “Ellery Queen.” He passed away of liver cancer in 1979 at the age of 45.

Q: I just finished reading the book “One Day” by David Nicholls and absolutely loved it. Is it being made into a movie? — Darla E., via e-mail

A: I loved the book as well and am happy to report that the movie adaptation is currently filming in England. Anne Hathaway stars as Emma, and Jim Sturgess is Dexter. The film will follow the story of Dex and Em, two university classmates who meet on graduation night in 1988, and fall in and out of each other’s life over the next two decades. In a clever storytelling convention, each chapter lets the reader explore the protagonists’ lives on July 15 of each year, beginning on that fateful day after graduation.

Q: Dustin Hoffman has always been one of my favorite actors. What does he have coming up? — Julie F., Denver

A: HBO landed the award-winning actor for its new series, “Luck,” which is about the horse-racing world: the owners, jockeys and gamblers. Filming begins this fall, and the show co-stars Dennis Farina and Nick Nolte. The pilot episode will be directed by Michael Mann, of “Miami Vice,” “Heat” and “Public Enemies” fame.

Q: I have a question that I have been wondering about for two years. Why was “Boston Legal” canceled? I have heard it was due to low ratings, which I have a hard time believing since so many people watched and enjoyed it. I have to wonder if some of the storylines were too controversial and ruffled some feathers? – Monnie F., via e-mail

A: Writer and creator David E. Kelley told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in December 2008: “ABC didn’t want us back. We had to fight to get back on with 13 [episodes]. It’s not a product they care to market. Five years into the show, if anyone has ever seen the show at ABC, they’ve yet to bring it to my attention,” he said.


David speculated the lack of promotion had to do with the fact that 20th Century Fox produced the show, not ABC itself, so ABC didn’t share in the profits. “Even though our numbers are solid, not huge, I think the conventional wisdom at ABC, and I don’t know this, but I’m guessing they continue to believe they can develop their own product and get that [rating] number, and then also share in the profits.”

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TNT Orders New Seasons of The Closer, Rizzoli and Isles, and Leverage

(press release)

TNT has ordered new seasons of three of the network’s hit series. The Closer, which continues to rank as ad-supported cable’s #1 series of all time, will return for its seventh season. Rizzoli and Isles (pictured left), which currently ranks as cable’s #1 new series for the year-to-date, will return for a second season. Leverage, which is performing exceptionally well in its new Sunday timeslot, will be back for a fourth season. TNT has ordered 15 episodes each of The Closer and Leverage, along with 13 episodes of Rizzoli and Isles, with all three slated to start their new seasons in 2011.

“TNT has enjoyed tremendous success on Sunday and Monday nights with Leverage, The Closer and Rizzoli and Isles,” said Michael Wright, executive vice president and head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “All three shows feature terrific casts, sharp writing and top-notch production teams. We look forward to continued success with new seasons in 2011.”

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