You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Can you please tell me what happened to Michaela on HLN? She was just a wonderful reporter and her voice was so pleasant.
A: Back in October, HLN (formerly Headline News) decided to drop shows hosted by Michaela Pereira, Carol Costello and Ashleigh Banfield, bidding farewell to the hosts, too. According to the Hollywood Reporter, a top HLN executive said, "The current cable news landscape is dominated by politics. Our live news shows have not benefitted from this trend ... In today's news environment, every network has to focus on its strengths." Asked in late October where she was headed next, Pereira tweeted, "#onward&upward."
Q: It's been over a year since HBO announced it was producing a miniseries about the Eighth Air Force, from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Is there any release date? I am a big World War II fan and would love to see this.
A: It was 2013 that HBO announced the project, a companion to its "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific." Since then, news has been spotty. So I contacted Donald L. Miller, whose book "Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany" is the basis for the new production. He said, "All I am authorized to say at this point is that things are going well and that you will be seeing some news on the project within the next month, I suspect."
Q: I'm rewatching "St. Elsewhere" on Hulu after many years of it being unavailable. I loved it as a kid/college student and love it even more as an adult. Any thoughts on the show in general or why it's largely forgotten?
A: I wouldn't call it forgotten, at least among lovers of great television. My friends Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz included it in "TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time," both for its effective drama and for its bending of TV reality _ especially in its now legendary series finale. I was devoted to the show during its original 1982-88 run on NBC, and it won Emmys at times for acting, writing and directing. But it never had a big audience by the standards of the time. It seemed always to be in the shadow of "Hill Street Blues" when it came to prestigious programs in the '80s. And, as you observed, for a long time it was hard to find; I mentioned last year that ownership changes and corporate stubbornness have long kept most of it off DVD.
Q: On the TV commercial for headphones with Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, what is the song that he is listening to and who is the artist?
A: When Rodgers shuts out the noise around him with his headphones in the ad, it's to hear "Catch Me I'm Falling" by Kelly Finnigan.
