Pop culture Q&A

March 27, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. Do you know the name of the actor who does the voiceover for the 21st Century Insurance ads with a man in white coveralls and a red safety helmet? The voice sounds so familiar but I just can’t match it to a name.

A. That’s Thom Sharp, an actor who has been seen onscreen in movies and TV, including as Tim Taylor’s brother on “Home Improvement.” But he has been a bigger presence as a commercial voice; a Calgary Herald profile a couple of years ago mentioned work for Buick, General Electric, Ziploc and CompUSA. A 21st Century spokesman said Sharp has been part of the company’s current ad campaign since it launched in May 2010.

Q. I have the first season of “Doc” with Billy Ray Cyrus on DVD but cannot find any other. Are they going to put the rest of the series on DVD? And how many seasons are there? I always liked the show.

A. “Doc,” starring Cyrus as a country doctor working in New York City, consisted of 88 episodes spread across five seasons in 2001-04. The 11-episode first season was released on DVD in 2004, but the DVD distributor went out of business. The makers of the show are trying to get the “Doc” video rights so they can release the rest of the show, but there’s nothing definite yet.

Q. My mother-in-law recalls a show with Redd Foxx and Della Reese but not the name of the show. Something Royale? It was when Redd Foxx died.

A. “The Royal Family” aired on CBS for a single season in 1991-92. Foxx played Al Royal, a mailman whose life changed when his daughter (Mariann Alda) and her three children moved back home. Reese played Al’s wife, Victoria.

As “The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows” notes, Foxx died of a heart attack in October 1991, not long after the show’s premiere. Al was killed off on the series, and Jackee joined the show as Victoria’s half sister. During a long hiatus, Jackee’s character was redefined as Victoria’s older daughter. But none of this helped get the show a second season.

Q. We missed the ending of “Live to Dance.” Who won?

A. D’Angelo Castro and Amanda Carbajales, age 9 and 10 respectively, won the show’s $500,000 top prize for its first — and apparently only — season. The other performers in the top three were White Tree Fine Art and Kendall Glover.

Q. Why does the network keep trying to cram “Friday Night Lights” down our throats?

A. Because in its run on DirecTV and NBC, the series has done some of the best writing, directing and acting to be found on TV. But you won’t have to complain about it too much longer. The fifth season, which already has aired on DirecTV and will be televised by NBC beginning April 15, also is the show’s last.

Q. My husband and I love “Black Sheep Squadron” starring Robert Conrad. We have the first season on DVD. How many episodes were made? And are they available on DVD? I have looked for them and can’t find them.

A. The World War II series originally aired on NBC during two seasons in 1976-78, the first as “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” the second as “Black Sheep Squadron.” The first season contained 24 episodes (counting the two-hour pilot as two episodes). The second had 13. From what I can find, only the first season has had an authorized DVD release, in two separate sets labeled “Baa Baa Black Sheep Volume 1” and “Volume 2.” There may be unauthorized releases of later episodes, but I do not recommend them.

2011, Akron Beacon Journal

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