Natalie to appear in Star Wars
A:<$> She’ll be in the third and final episode of the Star Wars saga, of course; it’s due for release alter this month. And she’s got a lot of other projects coming up: A mystery called Domino One<$> and a drama set in Israel - where she was born - called Free Zone are due for release. She’s currently filming a French romance called Paris, je t’aime<$>, followed by the sci-fi thriller V for Vendetta<$> and the romantic comedy The Smoker<$>, with Owen Wilson. Then this fall she’s set to co-star with Spanish star Javier Bardem in Goya’s Ghosts, the story of artist Francisco Goya.
Q:<$> I was wondering about comedienne Brett Butler. I know she had a drinking problem, but I wondered if she ever came back. — P.L.
A: Yes, she did have a drinking problem, but she has come back and has continued to work. She’s currently providing one of the voices for the animated film Firedog, alongside Tom Arnold and Lauren Bacall.
Q:<$> What is actor John Cusack doing? I haven’t seen him in anything in a while. — G.E.
A:<$> He’s been filming the comedy Ice Harvest, with Billy Bob Thornton; it’s now due for release. He’s currently in production on the romantic comedy Must Love Dogs<$>, with Diane Lane; and he’s set to star with Amanda Peet and his sister Joan in a drama called The Martian Child; a thriller called The Contract<$>, with Morgan Freeman; and a new production of the Henrik Ibsen classic A Doll’s House<$>, directed by actress Liv Ullman and costarring Kate Winslet.
Q:<$> Whatever happened to actor Keith Carradine? I thought he was so cute, but he’s basically disappeared. — C.A.
A:<$> He’s worked steadily, although not always in the highest-profile projects. Look for him next in a film called Our Very Own<$>, opposite Allison Janney and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s<$> Cheryl Hines. He also goes onstage in Los Angeles later this month in a British play called Stuff Happens, playing George W. Bush.
Q:<$> Please tell me what actress Lucy Liu is doing. — A.W.
A: She’s been busy making movies, all of which are awaiting release: the thriller Lucky Number Slevin, with Josh Hartnett and Morgan Freeman; the drama 3 Needles, with Stockard Channing; and the thriller Domino<$>, with Keira Knightley. She’s also set to start shooting Rise<$>, about a reporter killed by vampires who sets out to avenge her death.
Q:<$> I recently saw the movie Unfaithful<$> again and thought Olivier Martinez was just so handsome. Is he making any new movies? — J.P.
A:<$> Yes, he’s currently shooting a British film called The Snow Goose<$>, with Billy Connolly, and is set to star in a film called Blood and Chocolate, about a teenage girl trying to hide the fact that she’s a werewolf.
Q:<$> Why were there no episodes of Everwood<$> for so long? Is the show being cancelled? — K.R.
A:<$> The WB series, which recently began airing new episodes after a two-month break, was doing what other series do — spreading out its new episodes through a season and clustering them, in particular, during the February and May sweeps months (in which TV ratings are measured). It’s not an ideal system for viewers, however, who want to stay abreast of the plot. But the remaining six new episodes of this season will now air uninterrupted.
Q:<$> I miss The Sopranos<$>. When is it coming back? And is this the last season? — P.H.
A:<$> Filming recently began on what will be the show’s sixth season; air dates haven’t been scheduled yet, but most observers guess that the show will return to HBO in either January or March of next year. And creator David Chase has always insisted that this will be the last season, but he has been waffling lately. Stay tuned, as they say.
