DEAR STACY: I found "Mockingbird Lane" with Eddie Izzard, Portia De Rossi and Jerry O'Connell really different and kinda irresistible. Is there a chance of their coming back with a regular series? I thought this was a pilot. -- Shea F., Oceanside, Calif.
DEAR SHEA: I'm afraid you're in the minority as far as finding the awkward blend of sitcom and real horror irresistible. The Halloween special cost a hefty $10 million, and didn't elicit enough interest to bring it back (5.4 million total viewers), and it was officially declared dead last month.
DEAR STACY: After seeing Daniel Craig in "Skyfall" we started wondering whether any James Bond film has ever won an Oscar. Can you give us the rundown? -- Jim T., Austin, Texas
DEAR JIM: "Goldfinger"(1964) and "Thunderball" (1965) won for Best Sound Effects and Best Visual Effects, respectively. Other nominations in the crafts and music categories (e.g. a Best Song nom for "For Your Eyes Only" in 1982) have been bestowed on 007 through the years but never a top prize.
DEAR STACY: I think Aziz Ansari is incredibly funny. I would like some information about his background. Is he married? Age? Height? Is he originally from India? -- Raelynn R., Sparks, Nev.
DEAR RAELYNN: Nope. The 5'6" "Parks and Recreation" actor, 29, is originally from South Carolina -- Bennettsville, S.C., to be exact.
His father is a gastroenterologist, and his mother worked in his medical office. Ansari is a graduate of NYU's Stern School of Business, where he majored in marketing, but he was already doing stand-up at New York comedy clubs before finishing school. After graduating, he began hosting "Crash Test," a weekly stand-up comedy show at the Upright Citizens Brigade. His stand-up brought him great attention, including a mention on Rolling Stone's Hot List of new comics to watch in 2005 and the Jury Award for Best Standup at HBO's 2006 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
DEAR STACY: Is country singer Gretchen Wilson related to the Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart? -- M.I., Danville, Ill.
DEAR M.I.: They are not. The Wilson sisters grew up moving place to place as the daughters of a Marine Corps colonel, eventually settling in Bellevue, Washington. Gretchen Wilson's upbringing couldn't have been much more different. The Pocahontas, Ill.-born singer's mom was only 16 when she gave birth to her, and she grew up in meager financial straits in trailer parks and quit school in 9th grade. Credit her tenacity and talent for her rise as a multi-platinum-selling, Grammy-winning artist.
To find out more about Stacy Jenel Smith and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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