Q. So much has been written about Ashton Kutcher of That ’70s Show that the star of the series, Topher Grace, is overlooked. He has such great comedic timing that he reminds me of Bob Newhart. Can you give us some background on him? — R.A., DeBary
A. If Grace were dating Demi Moore, he would be getting as much attention as Kutcher. Grace, who is from the New York City area, has a success story that reads like a Hollywood invention. With no professional background, he was cast as Eric on the Fox series because producers Bonnie and Terry Turner were impressed when they saw him in a play at their daughter’s high school. His full first name is Christopher but he disliked being called Chris, so he started going by the second half of his name.
Q. Regarding your comment that you don’t recall seeing characters taking bathroom breaks on TV, watch just about any episode of Ally McBeal. The unisex bathroom (and what people did there) was a major component in the stories. — J.M., e-mail
A. By the letter of the law, you got me, as did other readers pointing out the frequent bathroom scenes in NYPD Blue. But the spirit of the question was how Jack Bauer of 24 can go all day without needing to go. The restroom interludes on Ally McBeal and NYPD Blue are more a matter of expanding the set than answering an urgent call of nature.
Q. I can’t believe what I saw while watching Santa Claus Is Coming to Town on the ABC Family channel with my 5-year-old son. I left the room for a second and, when I came back, there was an advertisement for something called the “Natural Bra.” Why my 5-year-old was subjected to half-naked women, enticing music, fake boobs, etc., is beyond me. An ad like this is more appropriate for the E! channel after 11 p.m. — S.S., Coral Springs
A. A kids’ holiday special isn’t the ideal place for a lingerie ad, but I think you are seriously overreacting. If it were a spot for condoms or remedies for a sexually transmitted disease, which might cause a child to ask questions whose answers are better reserved for when he is more mature, I could understand your ire. But underwear ads are so commonplace on TV as well as in newspapers and magazines, I’ll bet your son didn’t even give the bra spot a second thought, unless you made a big deal of it. Parents have much more of a right to get upset over promos for racy shows that pop up in places such as daytime sporting events, which are watched by a lot of youthful viewers.
Q. Are Chris Noth of Sex and the City and Mark Harmon of Navy NCIS related? — R.R., Boca Raton
A. Other than being two of the most handsome, self-assured mature actors on TV, no.
Q. We love The O.C. but wonder what happened to the storyline that had Jimmy Cooper facing prison for fraud. He was going to have to either sell his family’s house to make restitution or go to jail. He is not in prison and his wife still lives in the house. Did the writers think we wouldn’t notice? — M.T., Coconut Creek
A. What show are you watching? This story line has not only been fully developed, it is a key part of the ongoing angst. Jimmy put the house up for sale, to his chagrin of his gold-digging wife Julie. The man who bought it was Kirsten’s filthy rich and loathsome father, who is now sleeping with Julie. So her old home is now her love shack, courtesy of her sugar daddy. This means the woman who was Kirsten’s next-door neighbor and best friend theoretically could become her stepmother. To carry the goofiness further, if Sandy and Kirsten officially adopted Ryan and he married his girlfriend, Julie’s daughter Marissa, his mother-in-law would also be his step-grandmother. Aren’t prime-time soaps fun?
Q. Why was it necessary to kill Lt. Col. Henry Blake on M*A*S*H? — F.M., e-mail
A. McLean Stevenson went on a star trip, thinking he had become too big for the show. Since he wanted to leave, killing Col. Blake was a dramatically rich device to remind the audience that people die in war. Stevenson wound up in the short-lived Hello, Larry, one of the dumbest sitcoms ever. From there, his career crashed and burned like Col. Blake’s plane. Hence, you might occasionally see a TV writer refer to an actor who walks out on a hit series, to the detriment of his career, as a candidate for a McLean Stevenson Award.
Q. Why did Pernell Roberts, who played Adam Cartwright, leave Bonanza? How many seasons was he on? I never understood why the characters perpetually wore the same outfits. — M.G., e-mail
A. Pernell Roberts was a McLean Stevenson Award winner before people heard of McLean Stevenson. Roberts played Adam from 1959-65. The Cartwrights probably wore the same clothes because there was no Gap on the Ponderosa and, you might recall, any woman who hung around long enough to sew some new duds inevitably wound up getting killed.
Send your questions about local television, the networks or cable to Tom Jicha, TV/Radio Writer, Sun-Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293. Personal replies are not possible; please do not send self-addressed envelopes.
