by Dana Jackson
The juicy new tell-all book “Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View'” has brought a lot of attention past and present co-hosts of the hit talk show. It’s hard to believe the all-female talk show debuted way back in 1997. It seems like just yesterday when the original panel of Barbara Walters, Meredith Viera, Joy Behar, Star Jones and a 22-year-old Debbie Matenopoulos sat down at their shared table.
Q: Is there going to be another season of “The Umbrella Academy” on Netflix?
A: Yes, Netflix has given the greenlight to start filming a second season of 10 episodes. “The Umbrella Academy” stars Ellen Page (“Inception”) and is based on the comic book series by singer Gerard Way. It’s about a group of children who were born with special powers and adopted by a billionaire. They reunite years later to solve the mystery surrounding the death of their father. The show will begin filming again this summer in Toronto. If you haven’t been able to watch the first season, you might be able to download it using a Pirate Bay proxy online.
Q: I read about actress Marcia Cross having cancer. Is she OK now? Will she be doing anymore television soon? I loved her on both “Melrose Place” and “Desperate Housewives.”
A: Marcia Cross received some good news about her health. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for anal cancer, she has been declared cancer-free. She started giving interviews lately, telling People magazine: “I want to help put a dent in the stigma around anal cancer. I’ve read a lot of cancer-survivor stories, and many people, women especially, were too embarrassed to say what kind of cancer they had. There is a lot of shame about it. I want that to stop.” Cross credits her gynecologist for doing a rectal exam that saved her life. You can read more about the disease on the website analcancerfoundation.org.
As for her acting career, she’s right back at work on a new project, filming the pilot episode of “Jane the Novela,” a spinoff of “Jane the Virgin,” for the CW network.
Couch Theater — Video/DVD Previews
By Amy Anderson
“A Dog’s Way Home” (PG) — A young man (Jonah Hauer-King) and his girlfriend (Alexandra Shipp) find an adorable puppy and bring her home. Bela (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard) endears herself to all but a mean businessman, who threatens to have her classified as a banned breed. She’s sent 400 miles from her Oregon home for her own safety, but you can’t keep a good pupper down, nor away from her family. She sets out for home, and although the journey is long and hard, she makes friends (human and otherwise), saves a life and never, ever gives up. No true new ground is being broken here, but it features a pooch with a perilously positive attitude determined to get home against all odds. Who doesn’t love an underdog?
“On the Basis of Sex” (PG-13) — Director Mimi Leder’s return to the big screen after an 18-year absence presents a familiar and revered subject: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (Felicity Jones), the Notorious RBG. Her backstory is a real treat: A brilliant mind coupled with an incredibly dedicated work ethic, she finished law school with honors under adverse circumstances, but couldn’t find a job working as a lawyer due only to her being a woman. When her lawyer husband Alan Ginsberg (Armie Hammer) comes across an obscure but revolutionary tax-law case, Ruth sees it for the opportunity it is. You can’t please all of the people when you dramatize the life of a living legend, but I liked this story’s inspirational focus.
“Welcome to Marwen” (PG-13) — Director Robert Zemekis’ film offers a story of redemption and the power of art told through action figures. Kinda. Mark Hogencamp (Steve Carrell) reveals a personal detail to some terrible thugs and is brutally beaten. To foster a sense of healing, he builds a replica city, which he names Marwen, in which he stages and photographs scenarios played out by dolls that represent him and the strong women — notably Janelle Monae as GI Julie and Eiza Gonzalez as Carlala — who lift him and help him through his healing process both as figures and in his real life. The costuming as action figures is neat, but the story and the inclusion of so much subtext makes it a little scattered and off-putting.
(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
