#Middlebury
Q: I’m really enjoying the new comedy “Hacks” on HBO Max. It’s yet another brilliant performance by Jean Smart, whom I’ve watched since her “Designing Women” days. Has she ever won an Emmy or Oscar? She certainly deserves one. – P.W.
A: Jean Smart, who will turn 70 this year, was best known for playing Charlene on the hit sitcom “Designing Women” in the late 1980s. Shortly after it ended, she took a big dramatic leap and wowed critics in the TV biopic “Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story.” Adept at both comedy and drama, she easily switched genres, most notably as a Mrs. Robinson type in “The Brady Bunch Movie” and later as the head of a crime syndicate in the TV series “Fargo.”
Jean Smart in “Hacks” (Jake Giles Netter/HBO Max photo)
In “Hacks,” Smart plays a struggling comic who reluctantly hires a young writer, played by newcomer Hannah Einbinder, to spice up her act. Einbinder is the daughter of “Saturday Night Live” alum Laraine Newman. As for Smart’s fireplace mantle at home, it has room for some more Emmys after previous wins as Outstanding Guest Actress on the sitcom “Frasier” and Outstanding Supporting Actress in the comedy series “Samantha Who?,” which starred Christina Applegate. “Hacks” is a real showcase for her talent, so don’t be surprised if her agent is already telling her to prepare her acceptance speech.
Q: I’m excited about the “reboot” of the series “Dexter.” It had such an unsatisfying finale, so hopefully they’ll rectify that. I would love it if Dexter’s wife Rita could come back, but I guess that’s not possible. – G.T.
A: Even though it’s been over a decade since Julie Benz, who played Rita, departed “Dexter,” she says fans still approach her about her angelic character, and jokes that in real life, she’s not that nice. She also said in an interview with TVLine.com that even though “Dexter has moved way past Rita,” she would reprise the character “in a heartbeat if they asked.”
Her latest role was a meaty one and the polar opposite of Rita. She starred in the recent Lifetime movie “Secrets of a Gold Digger Killer,” which was based on the true-crime tale of Celeste Beard. “Dexter” returns to Showtime this fall with Michael C. Hall and Clancy Brown (“SpongeBob SquarePants”). It reportedly will be set in upstate New York instead of Miami.
Q: I was really sad to read that Ned Beatty died. Had he acted in recent years? – T.T.
A: Ned Beatty started out as a theater actor, but his first film role was a memorable one, in “Deliverance.” A few years later he was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for “Network.” His television career was just as impressive with notable parts on classics like “The Rockford Files,” “Highway to Heaven” and “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He also endeared himself to both children and adults as the purple bear Lotso in “Toy Story 3.”
Beatty passed peacefully in his sleep at home at the age of 83.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com, or write me at KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.
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