#Middlebury
Q: Whatever happened to the actress who played Xena on TV? Is she still acting? – D.Z.
A: Actress Lucy Lawless has actually had a busy career since her days as the raven-haired “Xena: Warrior Princess” in the hit syndicated series in the late 1990s. Her credits are too numerous to list here, but in addition to guest-starring on numerous prime-time shows, she played D’Anna Biers on TV’s “Battlestar Galactica,” Lucretia on “Spartacus” and Ron Swanson’s girlfriend Diane on “Parks and Recreation.”
Lucy Lawless (Depositphotos photo)
Now, the New Zealand native is set to star in the new mystery series “My Life Is Murder” on the streaming service Acorn TV. The Aussie series, which is set in Melbourne, will be available to American viewers beginning Monday, Aug. 5. Lawless plays Alexa Crowe, “a fearless private investigator and ex-homicide detective who solves the most baffling crimes as well as coping with the frustrations of everyday life.”
To learn more about this and other programs on Acorn, visit https://acorn.tv.
Q: Who is Halle Bailey, the actress who will star in “The Little Mermaid”? I had never heard of her before, and to be honest, when I first read her name I misread it as Halle Berry. – C.D.
A: Halle Bailey is a young actress and singer originally from Atlanta. She stars on the Freeform channel series “Grown-ish” along with her real-life sister Chloe. The siblings also make up the singing duo of Chloe x Halle.
Halle just landed the role of Ariel in the live-action plus CGI feature film remake of “The Little Mermaid,” which is being directed by Rob Marshall, who recently directed “Mary Poppins Returns.” Alan Menken, the animated film’s original composer, will be writing new music for this installment, with producer Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”) providing the lyrics.
As for Oscar-winner Halle Berry, she congratulated the 19-year-old Halle via social media on landing the role of Ariel. Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”) is in talks to play villainess Ursula, and Awkwafina (“Crazy Rich Asians”) has just been cast as Scuttle the seagull.
Q: When is the movie about Judy Garland coming out, and will it be in theaters or on TV? – G.P.
A: “Judy” will arrive in theaters Sept. 27. Renee Zellweger plays Judy Garland and does her own singing for the film. It has “Oscar” written all over it, so hopefully the quality will live up to the hype. “Judy” also stars Finn Wittrock as her last husband, Mickey Deans, and Gemma-Leah Devereux as daughter Liza Minnelli.
The film takes place in 1968, when Garland was performing shows in London amid her deteriorating health. She died the next year of an accidental overdose at age 47. Reportedly, daughter Liza does not approve of the making of the film, but perhaps she’ll change her mind after she sees it … if she sees it.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com!
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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