Pop culture Q&A

September 5, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. I recently saw a movie called “Revolutionary Road” starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. How did it fare in the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes?

A. The movie was nominated for three Oscars: supporting actor (Michael Shannon), art direction and costume design. It won none. Winslet won the best-actress Oscar but for “The Reader.” She was very good in that, but it was a supporting, not lead, performance. The Golden Globes, for all their flaws, at least gave Winslet a “Reader” award as best supporting actress in a drama.

As for “Revolutionary Road,” it was nominated for four Golden Globes — best actress (Winslet), actor (DiCaprio) and movie, all in the drama category, and best director (Sam Mendes). Winslet, adding to her trophies that night, was the sole winner.

Q. As kids, we enjoyed watching Hop Sing on “Bonanza.” Did he appear in any other shows?

A. Victor Sen Yung began working in movies in the 1930s and played a son of detective Charlie Chan in 18 of the Chan films, both with Sidney Toler and Roland Winters as Chan. (Yung was Jimmy Chan in some films, Tommy Chan in others.) In addition to other film work, he often appeared on television, and not only on Bonanza. He was also author of “Victor Sen Yung’s Great Wok Cookbook” and at the time of his death was operating a mail-order pottery business. He was 65 when he died in 1980 as a result of accidental asphyxiation from a gas leak in his home.

Q. Could you update me on an “American Idol” contestant of a few years ago, Melinda Doolittle?

A. In 2009, Doolittle — who finished third on “Idol” in 2007 — released the CD “Coming Back to You.” Earlier this year she could be found on bookshelves with “Beyond Me: Finding Your Way to Life’s Next Level.” You can read more about her at http://melindadoolittle.com.

Q. Do you know when the series “Dark Shadows” will be released on DVD? It was a series in the ’60s.

A. The daytime drama, notable for the vampire Barnabas Collins played by Jonathan Frid, originally aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. A prime-time version with Ben Cross as Barnabas aired briefly in 1991. Beginning in 2002, MPI Home Video released a series of collections of episodes of the original series. The 1991 series also is on DVD.

Q. Was “Raising the Bar” on TNT canceled and if so, why?

A. The series ended after two seasons. TNT said “ratings for ‘Raising the Bar’s’ second season did not reach the levels required for TNT to renew the series.” The two seasons that were made have been released on DVD.

Q. What I believe was one of the last episodes of “Criminal Minds” titled “Night Stalker” ended in such a way that I thought it would be continued in the next episode. Was there a follow-up?

A. Although an online clip from the episode is called “Night Stalker,” the “Criminal Minds” episode in question was called “Our Darkest Hour.” It was the fifth-season finale, and a cliffhanger. The sixth season is set to start Sept. 22.

Q. You said there are six “Jesse Stone” movies on DVD. Could you list the DVD titles?

A. The first is “Stone Cold,” sometimes listed as “Jesse Stone: Stone Cold” to distinguish it from a Brian Bosworth movie called “Stone Cold.” The other DVDs are “Jesse Stone: Night Passage”; “Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise”; “Jesse Stone: Sea Change”; “Jesse Stone: Thin Ice” and “Jesse Stone: No Remorse.”