Q: I admit I haven't seen it in a while, but is it true John Travolta was in "Carrie"?
Just before his back-to-back star-making turns (in 1977's "Saturday Night Fever" and then "Grease" the following year), Travolta did indeed play minor villain Billy Nolan in the horror classic "Carrie" (1976).
It was his second big-screen role (the first was even more obscure -- a small part in the even smaller 1975 horror film "The Devil's Rain"), but he was already starting to establish himself as a TV star at the time.
Magnum P.I., on CBS
Former Navy SEAL Magnum (Jay Hernandez) uses his military skills as he investigates cases for clients in this modern take on the classic series. He also works as a security consultant under the direction of disavowed MI:6 agent Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks).
White Christmas, on AMC
Music, dance and holiday magic combine to create a winter wonderland in this 1954 masterpiece. Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star as two army buddies who put on a hit musical act to help a failing hotel recover from financial trouble.
Q: Is Chris O'Dowd ever going to do TV again? I like him in movies, but he's never been better than he was on "The IT Crowd."
Actually, Chris O'Dowd has been doing TV all along, but there are some reasons why you may not have known that.
A lot of his TV work has been using his voice only. He narrated the animated kids' series "Puffin Rock," and voiced Dr. Cockroach in the short-lived DreamWorks cartoon "Monsters vs. Aliens" (based on the movie of the same name).
Survivor: Island of the Idols, on CBS
Take a trip to the volcanic Mamanuca Islands in Fiji with host Jeff Probst and castaway mentors "Boston Rob" Mariano and Sandra Diaz as contestants survive in harsh conditions and challenges in the 39th season of this longest-running reality show ever.
24/7 Kelly Slater, on HBO
Follow "King of the Waves" Kelly Slater as he prepares for the 2019 World Surf League’s Pipe Masters in Hawaii. You won’t want to miss this inspiring look into the life of the man touted as the Michael Jordan of surfing, only better.
24/7 Kelly Slater, on HBO
Follow "King of the Waves" Kelly Slater as he prepares for the 2019 World Surf League’s Pipe Masters in Hawaii. You won’t want to miss this inspiring look into the life of the man touted as the Michael Jordan of surfing, only better.
The Great Christmas Light Fight, on ABC
In this extravaganza of lights, music and mechanics, hosted by Carter Oosterhouse and Taniya Nayak, families across the country compete to win $50,000. The show stopping Christmas décor these families display would make even Santa Claus himself proud.
Q: Did Richard Gere do his own tap dancing in "Chicago"?
Richard Gere admitted in a 2003 interview that the tap dancing sequences in "Chicago" were "humbling," but what you see on screen is all him.
Gere played the prototypical sleazy lawyer Billy Flynn in the 2002 film version of the hit stage musical -- a role that came with the requisite singing numbers but also featured one that was just dance.
New Releases for the week of December 1 - 7
The Goldfinch
At the age of 13, Theodore Decker's (Fegley) life is changed forever while attending the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City. While attending an exhibit, the museum is attacked by terrorists, and Theodore's mother is killed. In the chaos of the bombing and its aftermath, Theodore takes a painting entitled "The Goldfinch," by Dutch painter Carel Fabritius. Having no other relatives, Theo is placed with the family of an estranged friend, whose mother, Samantha (Kidman), encourages his interest in art and antiques. After returning to New York City as an adult, Theo (Elgort) continues to process the trauma of his loss that began many years ago.
Director: John Crowley. Stars: Oakes Fegley, Ansel Elgort, Nicole Kidman, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Wilson, Sarah Paulson, Willa Fitzgerald, Finn Wolfhard, Aneurin Barnard. 2019. 149 mins. Drama.
Ready or Not
Estranged for many years, Alex Le Domas (O'Brien) begrudgingly returns to his family's homestead with his future wife, Grace (Weaving), for their impending nuptials. After the ceremony, the family's attitude towards Grace shifts, as she is asked to perform one last ritual before she can officially join the family. Instructed to pick one card from a mysterious wooden box, Grace reveals a card reading "hide and seek." Believing the game to be harmless, Grace innocently takes refuge in a dumbwaiter. Unbeknownst to Grace, while she is hiding, the Le Domas family is arming themselves with various antique weaponry to fulfill a generations-long tradition. When a Le Domas maid is accidently killed with a shotgun, newlywed Grace must escape the Le Domas mansion, and her in-laws.
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett. Stars: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell, Melanie Scrofano, Kristian Bruun. 2019. 95 mins. Comedy.
Killerman
When Moe Diamond (Hemsworth) and his partner in crime, Bobby "Skunk" Santos (Cohen), are left holding on to $2 million after a gig is put on hold, Bobby convinces Moe to make an arrangement to finance a drug deal. When the drug deal falls apart and leads to a high-speed car crash, Moe is left with amnesia. Without his memories, Moe's moral compass is tested, and he begins to second guess his illicit lifestyle.