Pop culture Q&A

May 8, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

McClatchy Newspapers

Q. I know this is on a lot of people’s minds, and they are wondering the same thing. Why is the background music so loud on TV programs? You can’t make out what the stars are saying and actually miss important parts of the show, especially at the end. April 19, “Body of Proof” — could not make out the end. “Grey’s Anatomy” is another bad one for the music; so is “Castle,” and the list goes on.

A. This question is one of the mailbag perennials, and one I have answered from time to time for at least seven years. Since it has been a while since the last time I answered, let’s look at it once more:

A lot of TV broadcasts employ more- sophisticated audio than in the past, to sound better on home-theater systems. An older TV set, even one with stereo, may not be able to handle the elaborate mix, so some sounds get buried.

In addition, some shows mix the music high because they want the songs to be heard. Sometimes that’s to make a dramatic point. Or the show has paid handsomely for the song, wants to showcase it, and sometimes will identify the song in the credits or online, so people can buy or download it.

And sometimes the mixing has to be done quickly to meet TV production deadlines, so it’s not as good an audio mix as it should be.

Finally, there’s a generational issue here. Younger viewers are more accustomed to loud music in shows, while older viewers find it distracting. And the people making television as a rule care less about older viewers than they do about the young.

One solution I have used at home: If you have some kind of home-theater sound, switch it from multichannel to stereo. That seems to make the dialogue more audible, at least for my old ears.

Q. I watched the “Bones” episode titled “Finder” and noticed that they seemed to feature the guest stars and gave more-than-usual info into their backgrounds. This made me wonder if a spinoff is planned.

A. That episode was what’s called a back-door pilot, in which new characters are introduced on an existing show with the hope of spinning them into another series. “NCIS,” for example, was first seen as a back-door pilot on “JAG.” In this case, Geoff Stults, Michael Clarke Duncan and Saffron Burrows appeared as a trio helping the “Bones” gang by having special skills at finding things. We’ll see if Fox thinks people find it interesting enough to be a series.

Q. I would like to know if my favorite show is coming back to NBC. The show “Life” was the best-acted and written show I’ve seen in a long time. It starred Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin and Donal Logue.

A. The series ended in 2009 after two seasons. I would not expect to see it back.

Q. In one episode of “Supernatural,” the stars played themselves in real life and were portrayed as not speaking to one another off the set. What is the relationship between Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles off screen? Are they friends?

A. Well, Ackles was a groomsman at Padalecki’s wedding to actress Genevieve Cortese in 2010, so that should tell you something. Also, Padalecki called Ackles “one of my best friends” in a Zap2it.com interview last year. And, in a recent interview with TV Squad’s Maureen Ryan, they spoke of a camaraderie akin to that of San Antonio Spurs teammates Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

Do you have a question or comment about movies, TV and other popular culture? Write to rheldenfelsthebeaconjournal.com or the Akron Beacon Journal, 44 E. Exchange St., Akron, Ohio 44309. Please mark the note for Mailbag and do not phone in questions. Letters may be edited. Individual replies cannot be guaranteed.

2011, Akron Beacon Journal

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