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Blogs:
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Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
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Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
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Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
'Tecmo Bowl' recreation of Super Bowl XLIV
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Thursday, Sep 18, 2008
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
Q: I have missed seeing Maya Rudolph on ''Saturday Night Live'' and would like to know if she will be back. I have always felt that she is the most talented of the female ensemble performers. I hope she is just on maternity leave or something like that.
A: The very funny Rudolph departed the show late in 2007, reportedly because she was having a tough time working on a New York-based show while living on the West Coast with director Paul Thomas Anderson and their daughter. (Anderson, by the way, is the son of local broadcasting legend Ernie ''Ghoulardi'' Anderson.) Still, just as Tina Fey has returned to SNL (including for a hilarious recent turn as Sarah Palin), Rudolph might yet be back, at least on an occasional basis. Producer Lorne Michaels has said that he would like her to play Michelle Obama on the show.
Q: I hope you can find some information for me on an English actor, Nathaniel Parker, who stars in the Inspector Lynley mysteries on PBS.
A: You can find a great deal about him on his official home page, http://www.nathanielparker.com. But here is some info: He was born in London in 1962 and is a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is also a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. His movie and TV credits include The Bodyguard, Beverly Hills Ninja, Haunted Mansion, Stardust and Flawless. On TV, he has been in Bleak House, Trust, Vanity Fair and The Private Life of Samuel Pepys, which was directed by his older brother, Oliver. He has also worked in radio in Great Britain and given voice to several audio books. He is married to actress Anna Patrick. They have two daughters.
Q: Some years ago, maybe 20 or 25, there was a lady in Jacksonville, Fla., named Rosemary Furman. I don't know if she was a lawyer, but she would help people with their legal problems when they couldn't afford an attorney. Warner Bros. obtained movie rights to her story for TV, and Jean Stapleton was chosen to play her. Was the movie ever made? Is Ms. Furman still with us?
A: Rosemary Furman, who died in 1999, was a legal secretary who offered low-cost assistance with simple legal matters (such as filling out forms) to people who could not afford lawyers. The Florida Bar Association went after her, and she was convicted of practicing law without a license. Still, she was credited with helping to change some legal rules.
There were reports in 1989 that she would be the subject of a TV-movie starring Jean Stapleton. But I cannot find a record of the movie actually being made. There is a short documentary about her called Rosemary Furman — And Justice for All.
Q: My father, who is 90, has spoken of a TV show (late 50s early 60s) that came on once a week. It was about a charter boat fishing captain. Don't know where it took place or who the actors were but I believe it was called ''Crunch and Des.'' Could you please find any information on this?
A: According to the reference Total Television, Crunch and Des was a 1955 syndicated series set in the Bahamas and based on stories by Philip Wylie. Forrest Tucker starred as Crunch Adams, owner of a charter boat service, while Sandy Kenyon was his partner, Des (or ''Desperate'') Smith. I do not know of an authorized release on video, but you can find print copies of Wylie's stories.
Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, OH 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions.
Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag . . .
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