Pop culture Q&A

April 25, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. I miss George Stephanopoulos on “This Week” and wondered why ABC would move such a fine political interviewer to such a diminished role on “Good Morning America.” Did the recent shuffling of the ABC newscasters cause a demotion for him?

A. “Good Morning America” hardly qualifies as a demotion. Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer both worked on the program before becoming ABC’s top anchors; for that matter, Katie Couric got the big job at CBS after making her bones on NBC’s “Today.” The Los Angeles Times recently noted that “GMA” is ABC News’ top revenue generator, and it gives Stephanopoulos access to far more air time than the Sunday show offered. Nor has he abandoned news reporting, since he is also ABC’s chief political correspondent.

As for “This Week,” let’s see how it looks in August, when new host Christiane Amanpour arrives from CNN.

Q. I say that one of the new male resident doctors that joined the Seattle Grace Hospital cast this season was also one of the basketball players in the movie “Hoosiers.” I don’t know his name but I am convinced that it is the same person. He is tall with darker eyebrows. Can you check on this and verify one way or the other?

A. Robert Baker, the actor who plays Dr. Charles Percy on “Grey’s Anatomy,” was not in “Hoosiers.” It’s easy to think of things as having been made around the same time when they’re jammed up against each other on TV. But when “Hoosiers” premiered in 1986, Baker was about 7.

Q. I love the movie “Mask,” about Rocky Dennis and his mom, Rusty. Through her and her son’s story, I’ve learned a lot about life. How is Rusty doing these days? My husband says she died; I hope not.

A. Unfortunately, Florence “Rusty” Tullis (formerly Dennis) died in 2006. The Los Angeles Times reported that the cause was an infection coming about a month after she was injured in a motorcycle accident. She was 70 and had had a life full of struggle. At the time of her death, she was reportedly separated from her third husband, had seen both her sons die and, according to the Times, “had a number of run-ins with the law over her drug use over the years.” But the movie, with Eric Stolz as Rocky and Cher as Rusty, continues to inspire.

Q. I’ve been watching reruns of “Law & Order” on the USA and TNT channels for some time, but I know little about the history of the series. When did it start? When did the “Special Victims Unit” and “Criminal Intent” spinoffs begin? Who were the major actors/actresses over the years?

A. “Law & Order” premiered on NBC on Sept. 13, 1990. “Special Victims Unit” followed Sept. 20, 1999, and “Criminal Intent” on Sept. 30, 2001. You may also recall “Deadline,” about the people at the New York Ledger (the newspaper most often read on “Law & Order”), which came and went in 2000, and “Law & Order: Trial by Jury,” which did likewise in 2005.

The cast changes are considerable. “Law & Order” alone began with Chris Noth and George Dzundza as the detectives, and Dann Florek as their boss; their successors have included Paul Sorvino, Jerry Orbach, Dennis Farina, Jeremy Sisto, Benjamin Bratt, Jesse L. Martin, Anthony Anderson and S. Epatha Merkerson, who is leaving at the end of this season.

The first prosecutors were Richard Brooks and Michael Moriarty, with Steven Hill as their boss. Since then we have had Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon, Elisabeth Rohm, Annie Parisse, Milena Govich, Alana De La Garza, Linus Roache and Sam Waterston, who is now the boss following Hill, Dianne Wiest and Fred Dalton Thompson.