Pop culture Q&A

December 23, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

Q. Did the young actress who played Cindy Lou Who in the Grinch movie continue with acting? The hair and makeup for the Whoville residents were amazing.

A. Fans of the screen adaptations of Dr. Seuss’ work know there are two versions of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” the animated TV special from 1966 and the big-screen, live-action rendition with Jim Carrey. In the latter, Cindy Lou Who was played by Taylor Momsen, then 7 years old; she continued acting after that film, most recently as Jenny Humphrey on the CW soap “Gossip Girl.” But she also has worked as a model and a musician with the band Pretty Reckless.

“I didn’t choose acting or modeling; I got thrown into it,” Momsen said on the band’s website. “I liked it, so that wasn’t a problem, but music and songwriting are what I’ve always really wanted to do. I’ve been working with producers and hanging out in recording studios since I was 5.”

Q. I am a big fan of the program “House.” But I missed the final show and wondered if you could tell me how it ended.

A. Before I tell you, note that the show’s eighth and final season is on DVD and Blu-ray, so you could see the conclusion. So before you read the next paragraph, consider this a SPOILER ALERT.

So, you know in the final season that Gregory House, the character played by Hugh Laurie, is facing prison and that his best friend, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), is dying. After a series of conversations between House and several other characters (some of them already dead), it appeared that he died during a building fire. At his memorial service, after several other people paid tribute to House, Wilson was offering a eulogy when he received a text message saying, “Shut up you idiot.”

House had faked his own death and wants to spend Wilson’s last months with him. As Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart for Awhile” plays, we see what happens to some other people, including that Chase (Jesse Spencer) gets House’s job, Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) finds love and motherhood — and Foreman (Omar Epps) figures out that House is still alive. Then House and Wilson rev up their motorcycles and hit the road to Louis Prima’s “Enjoy Yourself [It’s Later Than You Think].”

Q. Right at the end of “Hell on Wheels” they had a song that I liked very much. I would like to know who wrote it, who the singer was and if it is for sale.

A. That’s “Devil’s Waitin’,” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. It was included on its CD “Howl,” from 2005.

Q. On the series “Monk,” did Monk ever find out who killed his wife and why?

A. Yes. (And, once again, for those of you just catching up on the series, what follows may be a big SPOILER.)

In the series finale in 2009, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) found a videotape made by his wife, Trudy (Melora Hardin), before she died. In it she said she had an affair long ago with her law professor, Ethan Rickover (Craig T. Nelson); she became pregnant and had a child who, Trudy believed, had died the same day she was born.

Rickover, determined to hide his actions as his career advanced, killed the midwife and arranged several other murders, including that of Trudy, as well as trying to have Monk killed. Instead, Monk solved the case, which led to Rickover committing suicide; he then learned that Trudy’s daughter was alive and met her.

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2012 Akron Beacon Journal

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