#Middlebury
Q: Who sang the song that introduced the Oct. 30 episode of “NCIS”? It sounded quite good. – L.M.
A: The song is “Rockin’ Zombie,” originally released in 1960 by the doo-wop band The Crewnecks. Apparently they were on several of Dick Clark’s touring shows, but later broke up due to military obligations.
Mark Harmon (Kevin Lynch/CBS photo)
It’s hard to believe that “NCIS” is now in its 16th season. Mark Harmon is still starring in the crime series, but co-stars Cote de Pablo, Pauley Perrette and Michael Weatherly all have departed. Weatherly now headlines the CBS series “Bull,” which many will be surprised to learn is based on Dr. Phil’s (McGraw) career as a trial consultant before he was discovered by Oprah and eventually landed his own talk show.
Q: Where has Margaret Brennan been on “Face the Nation”? I get the show mixed up with “Meet the Press,” so it might be that show. Either way, she hasn’t been on in a while. – D.B.
A: You’re correct. Margaret Brennan is the host of CBS’s “Face the Nation,” but she was gone for two months on maternity leave. She recently returned to the set and filmed three back-to-back interviews with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, newly re-elected Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and longtime South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Q: I wanted to add to the conversation about remakes. I watched the remake of “The Sound of Music” on PBS recently. I didn’t have a problem with the recasting, but I felt that in order to shorten it, they left out a lot in the development of the characters and their relationships. In the original, there were subtle changes which, to me, made it much more meaningful and realistic. They also left out two songs in the remake. I especially missed the one where the children put on a puppet show. – Joyce G.
A: I think it’s very difficult to improve on the original production of a beloved movie or TV show because, no matter how good the performances are now, nothing is going to recapture the way we felt when we saw the original. As a child, “Grease” and “The Wizard of Oz” were two movies that are forever carved in my memory as The Best, and no matter who wears Sandy’s black pedal pushers or Dorothy’s dress, even if they sing like an angel, to me it’s just not going to be the same as the original.
Before PBS broadcast its version of “The Sound of Music” this year, NBC aired “The Sound of Music Live!” in 2015 starring Carrie Underwood. It ran 135 minutes and scored very high ratings, prompting NBC and other networks to greenlight more live musicals. According to “People” magazine though, the one that impressed viewers and critics the most was FOX’s live version of my favorite “Grease.”
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© 2018 King Features Synd. Inc.
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