Q and A: Week of March 26

Jim Caviezel as Reese; photo courtesy CBS

Q: Could you give some information on the two actors who play Finch and Reese on “Person of Interest”? I don’t recall seeing either of them before, but I like them both and find the show exciting. — Karen V., Roanoke, Va.

A: Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel play Harold Finch and John Reese, respectively. Many will remember Michael, 57, from “Lost,” where he played Ben. He’s also made the rounds on the cops-and-lawyers shows like “The Practice,” “The X-Files,” “Without a Trace,” “Law and Order: SVU,” etc. Prior to “Person of Interest,” Jim, 43, was best known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” You can see Jim on the big screen later this year in “Savannah” and “Bliss!” and next year in “The Tomb” with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Q: I heard that there is going to be another singing-competition show airing this summer, I think on ABC? Can you tell me about it? — Clark F., via e-mail

A: “Duets” is the latest vocal-competition show to hit the small screen, and it is indeed airing on ABC. Currently looking for contestants (abc.com/casting), this show stars Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, Lionel Richie and Robin Thicke, who will travel the country looking for undiscovered talent to be their proteges, as well as duet partners.

Virginia Williams

Q: I am so happy that USA Network’s “Fairly Legal” is finally back for another season. Can you give me any scoop for season two? — Violet F., via e-mail

A: I spoke with “Fairly Legal” co-star Virginia Williams, who plays Lauren Reed on the hit legal drama, and she gave me some spoilers.


“We get to see more facets of Lauren this year, which is great,” Virginia said. “We get to see her at home, for example. Everything still revolves around Reed & Reed, but we do see glimpses of Lauren at home: coming back from a jog, going on a date, having some sort of a life outside work. We get to see her with her hair down, literally and figuratively. She’s still quite guarded and protective and exacting and stylish and brilliant, but she’s a lot more comfortable with her position now.
“Last season was all about Lauren proving to everyone else that she was capable and that she wasn’t just a trophy wife,” she said. “She could get the job done and could lead the firm. This season we see that she not only is extremely capable, but the firm ends up being better off than it was even before Teddy died.”

Q: I still miss seeing Leah Remini on “The Talk.” Any chance she’ll return? — Hazel D., Akron, Ohio

A: Not if Sharon Osbourne has any say, and it appears she does. Leah told fans on Twitter that “Sharon thought me and Holly [Robinson Peete] were ‘ghetto’ (her words), we were not funny, awkward and didn’t know ourselves … She had us fired.”

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Q and A: Week of Nov. 14

Q: I really like “Prime Suspect,” especially the actor who plays Detective Blando. Can you tell me a little about him? He looks so familiar. — Gennifer F., Allentown, Pa.

A: Tim Griffin, 42, has starred and guest-starred in countless TV series and big-screen movies, including “Party of Five,” “Charmed,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” “24,” “Iron Man,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” and most recently, “Super 8″ and “Abduction.”


I spoke with Tim about his role in the American version of the British cop drama and asked if he had any qualms about trying to “remake” such a popular series. Tim told me: “It wasn’t really until we started doing the initial press work that I realized, ‘OK, this is a sacred institution,’ because I was a huge fan of the British series too. It’s almost like a trial by fire that you have to go through. Can it be envisioned, reimagined with an American voice?


“Our partners are the original producers of the original ‘Prime Suspect,’ Tim said. “So we have that entire cannon of scripts at our disposal, and we have Peter Berg as the executive producer and director. It’s like its own new animal.”

Q: I am loving the new fall season so far — lots of good shows and only a few stinkers in the bunch. Which shows are you digging so far? — Clyde R., via e-mail

A: In the drama category, far and away my favorite show has to be ABC’s “Revenge,” which has injected a much-needed shot of campy, soapy, sexy drama into my Wednesday nights. (If you are on Twitter, you can follow my live-tweeting feeds at twitter.com/celebrity_extra every Wednesday starting at 10 p.m. ET, where all of us “Revenge” fans whoop and holler together.) I haven’t had this much fun watching a nighttime drama — nor have I talked to the TV screen so much — since “Melrose Place.”

On the comedy side, it’s a tie between Zooey Deschanel’s “New Girl” on Fox and ABC’s “Suburgatory,” whose ensemble cast of Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, Cheryl Hines, Alan Tudyk and Ana Gasteyer has me wiping tears of laughter from my face every episode.


Q: I love watching “The Talk” every afternoon. What happened to two of the original hostesses, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini? — Joanne M., Fairport, N.Y.

A: Holly’s and Leah’s contracts were not renewed by CBS after the first season. As of Sept. 6 and Oct. 23, respectively, CBS officially replaced them with Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler.

Q: I read somewhere that James Van Der Beek’s wife recently had another baby. Didn’t they just have a daughter? — Barb D., via e-mail

A: You are halfway correct, Barb. James and wife Kimberly have a daughter, Olivia, who recently turned 1, and are expecting their second child next year. James tweeted: “Just when we thought we couldn’t feel any more blessed, it seems the universe has plans to give our daughter a sibling.”

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