Ask Stacy by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith on Creators.com

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Ask Stacy -- Week of May 26, 2012 DEAR STACY: Whatever happened to the cute child actress who did all the Pepsi ads with the grown-up men's voices, and was in the movie "Paulie"? — Brandi R., Binghamton, N.Y. DEAR BRANDI: Hallie Kate Eisenberg — a sister of …Read more. Newhart Finds the Old New Again With 'The Bob Newhart Show;' 'The Client List's Alicia Lagano Prefers to Play Dirty Newhart Finds the Old New Again With 'The Bob Newhart Show;' 'The Client List's Alicia Lagano Prefers to Play Dirty The Hallmark Channel is running a 12-hour "The Bob Newhart Show" marathon this Sunday (5/27) — in honor of the …Read more. Ron Perlman Surprised by Survival of His Brutal Clay on 'SOA;' 'Falling Skies' Drew Roy Likes the Action Despite the Bruises Ron Perlman is back to work on the set of "Sons of Anarchy" this week — and admits he's surprised to be there. As followers of FX's acclaimed series about an outlaw motorcycle club are aware, his character, the group's ex-president …Read more. Noah Wyle Enjoys Daddy Duty After 'Falling Skies' Production; Kim Kardashian Gains Actor Cred With Castmate April Bowlby Noah Wyle says he's been enjoying a little down time of late, doing daddy duty and decompressing after wrapping four and a half months' worth of production of his TNT "Falling Skies" series' second season. Sounds like he needed it. After …Read more.

Ask Stacy

DEAR STACY: Watching reruns of "CSI: Miami" on A&E, I realized how much I miss Rory Cochrane and how good he was. Why did he leave and what has he been doing? — M.B., Hurley, N.Y.

DEAR M.B.: The notoriously long hours of shooting an hour-long drama got to Cochrane, and he decided to leave his role of Tim Speedle in 2004. As he put it: "The grind was a lot. It's nice being on a hit show, and the viewers are very supportive, but I couldn't really take it anymore." He stays busy. He was in this year's big screen "A Scanner Darkly" rotoscope-style animation mystery sci-fi thriller with Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Wynona Ryder. And he's among the cast of the upcoming six-hour TNT "The Company" miniseries spanning the history of the CIA, with Michael Keaton, Chris O'Donnell and Alfred Molina, with Ridley Scott producing.

DEAR STACY: Where did the name Five For Fighting come from? — Kahlell, Torrance, Calif.

DEAR KAHLELL: According to Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik, the name doesn't advocate violence. The rather peaceful Ondrasik says he was inspired by the five-minute ice hockey penalty for fighting.

DEAR STACY: On several shows, including the "Without a Trace" episode played on Nov. 21 on channel 3, they play a song called "Hallelujah." Who is the artist, and is it available? — Aileen K., Bayside, N.Y.

DEAR AILEEN: You are referring to the haunting, evocative song "Hallelujah," written by Leonard Cohen and used often on big and small screen. The version heard on that repeat episode of "Without a Trace" you're talking about is the one recorded by Jeff Buckley that appears on the 1994 album "Grace." The song has been covered by a wide range of artists, including Rufus Wainwright (whose version is used in "Shrek)," as well as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and Bono.

DEAR STACY: Please settle a question for us. The dog in "As Good As It Gets," is it a Yorkshire Terrier mix, and what kind? — Candy E., Cleveland

DEAR CANDY: No, it's a Brussels Griffon.

Actually, six of that breed shared the role. Moviemakers need to use purebreds so that they can interchange look-alike dogs as needed while shooting. Another example: In the movie "Because of Winn-Dixie," the goofy-looking mutt is actually no mutt at all, but a Picardy Shepherd — make that two different dogs of the rare French breed.

DEAR STACY: How long ago did Charles Bronson pass away? And what was the cause? — Mike M., Austin, Texas

DEAR MIKE: The actor, who rose from extreme poverty to stardom in such films as "Death Wish" and "The Valachi Papers," died at age 81 in August 2003, after a four-week battle with pneumonia.

DEAR STACY: What is the name of Reba's friend on Reba McIntire's show — the one who used to be on "Empty Nest"? Parker? They never show her name. — M.O., New York, N.Y.

DEAR M.O.: Park Overall had a recurring role as Lori Ann on "Reba," which is now in repeats on Lifetime as well as in original episodes on the CW. She played Laverne on "Empty Nest."

DEAR STACY: Hosea Chanchez, who plays Malik on "The Game" seems so familiar. What shows has he been on before? — Lee B., Bronx, N.Y.

DEAR LEE: Before suiting up to play NFL quarterback/ladies' man Malik Wright on the CW series, handsome, Mobile, Ala.-born Hosea, 25, amassed a long list of TV credits. They include roles on "Robbery Homicide Division" (on which he played Travis Holms in the 2002-2003 season), "N.C.I.S.," "The Guardian," "The Shield," "Everwood," "Close to Home," "Jack & Bobby" and "For Your Love." Wright, incidentally, never played football in real life. He has said that his grandparents didn't approve of his getting into contact sports. But he did play basketball and softball.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS to Stacy Jenel Smith at Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Due to the large volume of mail, personal replies cannot be given. To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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