Question: Where else have I seen the woman who plays Ann, the woman the president has been seeing, on "24"? I know that face from somewhere.
Answer: That is Wendy Crewson, who you might remember from about 150 different projects, because she is one busy actress. She played Tim Allen's ex-wife in the two "Santa Clause" movies. She played Harrison Ford's wife in "Air Force One." She also appeared in "What Lies Beneath" and "Bicentennial Man," among many others. She's appeared in such TV movies as "The Beast," "The Last Bricklayer in America" and "The Matthew Shepard Story." And she plays detective Joanne Kilbourne in a series of "Criminal Instinct" TV movies that are produced in Canada.
Question: I can't help noticing a similarity between Raven, star of "That's So Raven" on the Disney channel, and the little girl who played Cliff Huxtable's granddaughter on "The Cosby Show." Is this the same girl?
Answer: Yep. Raven-Symone, as she is known, played Olivia Kendall on "Cosby" from 1989 until 1992. Then she played Nicole on the ABC sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper" from 1993 until '97. She also provides the voice of Monique on the Disney series "Kim Possible" and has been in several TV movies on the Disney channel, which leads us to say, "Sit down already!"
Question: Is Amber Tamblyn of "Joan of Arcadia" the daughter of Russ Tamblyn, who played the leader of the Jets in the film version of "West Side Story"?
Answer: Yep. To one generation, Tamblyn is Riff of "West Side Story," and to another he is Dr. Jacoby from "Twin Peaks." Amber Tamblyn, of course, played Katie in the movie "The Ring" and Emily Quartermaine on the ABC soaps "General Hospital" and "Port Charles."
Question: Recently on "Judging Amy," Amy was sitting at the dining room table returning wedding presents. There was a CD playing of a man singing opera. I looked at the end of the program but didn't find the singer's name. Could you tell me the name?
Answer: You mean the episode "Long Goodbye," which aired Nov. 11? The singer is Andrea Bocelli. The song "Con Te Partiro." The CD is "Romanza."
Question: As a long-time viewer of "Murder, She Wrote," I have been curious about the actor Keith Mitchell, who appeared frequently as insurance investigator Dennis Stanton. The show consistently used "old-timers," most of whom I remember from films or old TV series. However, I have no recollection of ever having seen Mitchell in any movie or series before. This can mean one of two things — either my mind is going, as my wife insists, or he didn't have much of a career. Which is the case?
Answer: Well, let's put it this way. Neither. Michell (note — no "t") is a pretty well-known actor but more so in England and his native Australia than in the states. His best-known role was as the lead in the 1971 miniseries "The Six Wives of Henry VIII." It was produced in England but aired here as well, and Michell won an Emmy for his portrayal. His other film credits include "Cross Creek" as well as the TV movies "The Tenth Month, "The Day Christ Died" and "The Miracle."
Question: I just finished reading "I Just Keep Hoping" by Gloria Stuart, who played the old Rose in "Titanic." I know she has done a number of TV appearances in addition to a long movie career — and I am curious if she ever played on an episode of "Seinfeld." There is an episode in which J. Peterman's mother dies, but before she dies, she raises up in bed and hollers "Bosco!!" George Costanza had been sitting with her, and since he's eager to share his ATM code with someone he figures she is safe, since she is unconscious. But she regains consciousness long enough to shout out the code word. It's all pretty funny — and I'm wondering if the old woman is Gloria Stuart. She sure looks like her.
Answer: See, the reason that "Seinfeld" will live forever is because all you need to do is read a plot description, like the one above, and you smile. Actually, you can just think of episode titles and smile: "The Red Dot," "The Soup Nazi," "The Fusilli Jerry," "The Contest," "The Serenity Now." So. No, it's not Stuart. Ellen Albertini Dow, who also played the crazy old lady in the Adam Sandler movie "The Wedding Singer," is the woman in that 1995 episode, "The Secret Code."
Question: Was William Petersen of "CSI" a child star? Please outline his career.
Answer: The William Petersen story is one of twists and turns, of ups and downs, of backs and forths, of tos and fros. But his film and TV career didn't begin until 1981, when he played a bartender in the Michael Mann film "Thief." He was 28. His other credits include the films "To Live and Die in L.A.," "Cousins," "Mulholland Falls" and "The Contender." He's also appeared in such TV movies and miniseries as "The Kennedys of Massachusetts," "Return to Lonesome Dove," "The Rat Pack," "The Beast" and "The Staircase."