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 emailA: 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!
