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.

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Q and A: Week of Dec. 10

Mark Deklin, photo by Angelo Kritikos

Q: Ever since “GCB” was canceled, I’ve scoured the networks to find some of my favorite actors on other series. I haven’t seen Mark Deklin on anything recently, so I wondered if you could tell me what he is up to. – Gigi W., via email

A: Mark recently filmed a guest spot on “Castle” (it is episode 10, which is set to air in early January), where he plays a man whose girlfriend is found dead. Later in 2013 (an exact date has not been set yet), you can see Mark on the big screen in a live-action version of “Tarzan.”

Mark told me about the film and his character, John Greystoke: “It’s not the Victorian ’Tarzan’ that we all grew up with. It’s a modern take on it. My character is almost like a Richard Branson type — a wealthy but well-intentioned adventurer and entrepreneur. He discovers there’s a serious energy source — a sort of meteorite, which crashed in Africa — and he wants to find it.

“He brings his family with him, which of course is a stupid decision, but I suppose in the moment it doesn’t seem stupid because he doesn’t go thinking he’s going to die. He ends up unleashing a mystical force that he never could have anticipated, and everything goes south.”

Q: When will “Merlin” return to Syfy? — Felix S., via e-mail

A: Season five of the popular fantasy series, which premieres Friday, Jan. 4, at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy, will be the final season of the show. Executive producers (Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy) promise fans that “Merlin” is “leading to a spectacular finale that draws on the best-known elements of this much-loved story, and brings to a conclusion the battle for Camelot.”

Q: I just rented “The Queen of Versailles” and was mesmerized by the story of David Siegel, his wife, Jackie, his family, and his struggle to save his time-share/real-estate business. Do you have any updates on how he is doing now? — George F., Naples, Fla.

A: David recently made national news when he sent a memo to his employees encouraging them to vote for Mitt Romney in the recent presidential elections. But, politics aside, David was quoted in a Reuters interview this past summer: “We’re the most profitable we’ve ever been.” He also is continuing work on his family’s new home, which is modeled on the Palace of Versailles in France. In fact, just before the movie’s premiere, David filed a defamation suit over the film’s portrayal of his business as failing, asserting that some of the film’s scenes were staged or exaggerated.

Q: Will there be an “Avengers” sequel? — Paul G., Tulsa, Okla.

A: After “The Avengers” smashed all sorts of box-office records this summer, you can bet there will be a sequel. “The Avengers 2” is set to premiere May 1, 2015, with the original cast, as well as some new faces.

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Q and A: Week of April 23

Wladimir Klitschko

Q: My friends and I watched the Wladimir Klitschko heavyweight-title bout against Jean-Marc Mormeck at our local bar, and were happy to see Wladimir retain his heavyweight title. One of my friends mentioned he heard that Wladimir intends to start up an acting career when he’s done with boxing. Is that true? — John R., Indianapolis

A: While it is true that the handsome Ukrainian has dipped his foot in the Hollywood pool a bit — the documentary “Klitschko,” which centers on his and his older brother Vitali’s rise in the boxing world, has been making quite an impression on festival-goers since premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival last year — Wladimir is keeping his eye firmly on his boxing career.


I spoke with him recently about the acting rumors, and he told me: “While I am asked often about being in movies — usually it’s a Russian mob character — it’s always the same thing. I did play myself in ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ and I did two German comedies. But right now I’m playing the role called the Heavyweight Champion of the World, and it takes all of my time. I really like to play it, and I have to stay focused. So there’s no nonsense with any wannabe Hollywood stuff. If I lose my focus, then I’m going to lose the titles, and I don’t want to do that.” 

You can watch Wladimir defend his title July 7 against Tony Thompson, and read my entire engaging interview with the charming heavyweight right here later this week.

Q: I am so excited to see “The Avengers,” starring all of my favorite comic-book heroes, especially Captain America. Because of “The Avengers,” does that mean there won’t be a “Captain America: The First Avenger” sequel for a while? — Fred D., via e-mail

A: Walt Disney Studios recently announced that Chris Evans will once again suit up in red, white and blue to save the world from the bad guys. You can expect the sequel to last summer’s blockbuster hit to arrive in theaters on April 4, 2014. While it’s still too early to camp out for tickets, at least there’s a release date in sight.

Q: I’m really sad about this being the final season of “Desperate Housewives.” How are the ladies of Wisteria Lane taking it? — Nina R., via e-mail

A: If one of Marcia Cross’ latest tweets is any indication, they are as sad as you are. Marcia recently lamented via Twitter: “How do you handle goodbyes? Me, not so well ... already feel so sad and vulnerable ... [I] will miss my ‘Desperate Housewives’ family terribly.”

Readers: Here’s an update on release dates of various HBO projects that have been mentioned in past columns. First, season five “True Blood” premieres on June 10 at 9 p.m. with 12 all-new episodes. Also, “Newsroom” — the Aaron Sorkin drama starring Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterson — premieres its 10-episode first season on June 24 at 10 p.m.

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