Pop culture Q&A

September 2, 2012 at 12:00a.m.

By Rich Heldenfels

Q. Is that William R. Moses’ voice in the Aleve commercials? And this might sound loopy, but could that be Julia Roberts’ voice in the Nationwide Insurance commercials?

A. Yes to both questions. Moses, of “Falcon Crest” and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” was chosen for “his smooth, soothing vocal qualities, which align well with the message being conveyed in the advertising,” an Aleve representative told the New York Times last year.

Roberts is the voice of Nationwide’s “Join the Nation” campaign. “When we were considering how to bring our message to life, we were looking for a familiar voice that would bring our brand attributes to life,” a Nationwide executive said in Advertising Age. “Julia Roberts’ voice brings an assuring, confident tone to the campaign that resonates well with our target audience.”

Q. I see no mention of my two favorite shows, “Parenthood” and “Switched at Birth,” coming back on TV this fall. Have they been taken off the air?

A. No. “Parenthood” begins a new season on NBC on Sept. 11. “Switched at Birth” starts airing new episodes on ABC Family on Monday.

Q. Please tell me what happened to Erica Hill on “CBS This Morning.” I have always enjoyed her work.

A. Hill seemed to have settled into the early-news hours when she went from CBS’ old “Early Show” to its revision, “CBS This Morning.” But in late July, the network announced that Norah O’Donnell, the network’s chief White House correspondent, was joining the early program and Hill was “in discussions regarding a new role” at CBS. I have not yet seen an announcement of that role; her CBS bio simply begins with the statement that she “was” a co-host of “CBS This Morning.”

Q. Years ago, I saw a truly wonderful film called “The Lighthorsemen.” The film was either British or Australian. I believe it was a remake of the 1940s’ “Charge of the Light Brigade.” Can you help in finding this movie?

A. There is a 1987 Australian film called “The Lighthorsemen,” directed by Simon Wincer (“Phar Lap,” “Free Willy,” TV’s “Lonesome Dove”), But it is not about 1854’s disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade; it is about an Australian Light Horse brigade in Palestine during World War I. I could not find an authorized release of that film on DVD; Amazon.com sells a DVD of it, but it appears to be an import, and its technical quality is much criticized in the customer comments. There are, of course, a couple of famous movies called “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” the 1936 production with Errol Flynn, and a 1968 movie with Trevor Howard and others. Both of those have been released on DVD.

Q. Does Tom Berenger have any upcoming TV or movie appearances? Is that his real name? What is his nationality? Age?

A. It appears that Berenger is relishing the attention given the “Hatfields & McCoys” miniseries, where he played Jim Vance and received a supporting-actor Emmy nomination for his work. (The Emmy ceremony will be Sept. 23.) That production is now on DVD and Blu-ray and is getting a replay on A&E, which began Saturday. Berenger also recently co-starred in the movie “Brake,” which was released on DVD and Blu-ray in late July, and is available on streaming video on Amazon.com. Of course, in Northeast Ohio he will always be known for his work in the “Major League” movies. The 63-year-old actor was born in Chicago as Thomas Michael Moore and has more recently resided in South Carolina.

2012 Akron Beacon Journal

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