Pop culture Q&A

November 14, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. I was wondering whether all three contestants on “Jeopardy!” get to keep their actual amount of game winnings?

A. They do not. In the early years of the show, contestants could keep however much they won. But that discouraged folks from gambling big on Final Jeopardy, since they would rather keep what they had than risk losing it with a big final wager.

Now the winner keeps his or her final total, but the other two contestants receive a fixed amount; in recent years that has been $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third.

Q. When will “Big Love” return? And will there be more episodes of “Sister Wives”?

A. Since you’re writing about a polygamy show, I guess I can accept more than one question! “Big Love,” the HBO drama, will begin its fifth season Jan. 16, but that will reportedly be the series’ last.

TLC’s “Sister Wives” has been renewed for a second season, which is expected in March. A “Sister Wives Honeymoon Special” is due Nov. 28. In that show, according to Variety, “Kody and Robyn Brown spend time together as husband and wife while the three other sister wives go on a camping trip with the 16 children.”

Q. On “Bones,” the cup that Seeley drinks from in his office is a Pittsburgh Steeler mug. Is he a fan — or is his character a fan (which would be surprising, since he is supposed to be in Washington, D.C.)?

A. According to a Fox representative, Seeley Booth — the FBI agent played by David Boreanaz — is “a Steelers fan, even though he’s from Philadelphia.” That’s a case of art imitating life: Boreanaz spent much of his youth in Philadelphia but is a fan of the Steelers — as well as the Eagles. In several interviews, he has noted he was a ball boy for the Steelers when he was younger.

Q. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of a movie made in the 1980s. The time of the movie, I believe, was during World War II in England. I remember a group of young boys messing around in an abandoned house taking a hammer, a nail and a bullet to make it go off. The last part of the movie was when the grandfather of one of the boys took him to school, and the school had been bombed by the Germans, and kids were yelling, “No more school.” Thanks for any of your help.

A. That was “Hope and Glory,” a 1987 movie written and directed by John Boorman, and based on his childhood experiences. It’s a very good movie, and available on DVD.

Q. I’ve been trying to find a couple of made-for-TV movies from the ’80s. One is “Melanie” with Glynnis O’Connor and the singer from the Guess Who, Burton Cummings. The other is “Desperate Intruder” with Meg Foster and Nick Mancuso. Do you know if they are available on VHS or DVD?

A. I have seen VHS copies of 1982’s “Melanie” for sale on Amazon.com. I do not know of an authorized release of 1983’s “Desperate Intruder” in any format.

Q. I have been looking for the rec-ords or CDs for Bill Cosby’s “Right” and “I Started Out as a Child.” Any ideas? P.S. I’m kind of old (62) and don’t have a computer.

A. “I Started Out as Child,” “Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow: Right” and other classics from the comedian have been released on CD. If your local CD retailer cannot get them for you, have a friend order them from an online retailer.

And 62 does not sound at all old to me.