Question: I just wanted to tell you that you are my hero. I was thisclose to giving up hope regarding the American Dreams alternate ending, and then you go and raise my spirits with last week's big update. I love you.
Answer: Well, if you think you love me now, just wait until you hear what I have in the works. (Still can't discuss as nothing is official.) In the meantime, as I promised last week, here are some tidbits about what would have happened to your faves had Dreams seen a fourth season:
J.J. and Beth: "I was going to send J.J. to Berkeley to get his sister back and, while there, get exposed to a lot of the antiwar stuff," says series cr
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Question: Wow, knowing that you're a USC alum makes me a bigger fan of yours. Go Trojans! Anyway, I can't wait to find out more about the American Dreams alterna-finale, like you promised in last week's AA. Please tell me that Chris disappears from Meg's life and she ultimately ends up with her true love Sam!
Answer: Well, the first half of your wish came true, LJ. Chris is definitely out of Meg's life. And I know this because — brace yourselves, Dreamers, — I've seen the elusive epilogue! Jonathan Prince sent a DVD copy to me via armored vehicle late last week and all I can say is it more than lived up to the hype. Now, before I present you with the highlights, let me assure you that, come hell or high water, you will see the ending, too. Worse case scenario: You'll have to wait for the Season 2 and 3 boxed D
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Question: Any word on NBC's American Dreams finale redo?
Answer: It's officially DOA. In a statement released exclusively to Ask Ausiello, an NBC rep says, "Unfortunately, due to postproduction issues, NBC will not be able to broadcast the 12-minute alternative ending of last year's American Dreams finale." And as easy as it would be to pin the blame squarely on Jeff Zucker's shoulders, I hear the guy tried his best to make it happen. Not only were there music-clearance issues — apparently Jonathan Prince packed enough classics in those 12 minutes to bankrupt a third-world country — but sponsors were unwilling to get behind a show that had already been canceled. There's still a glimmer of hope, though: The alterna-capper could be included on Dreams' third-season DVD, whenever the hell that comes out.
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Question: In the late '70s or early to mid-'80s there was a television show called Merlin. The lead character was Merlin, played by Barnard Hughes. Who played the part of Arthur? Thank you.
Answer: Actually, the show was called Mr. Merlin and there wasn't an Arthur in sight. There was, however, a Zac (Clark Brandon), who, one could argue, filled the Arthur role (provided you forget all about Arthur wielding a legendary sword, being cuckolded by his best pal, sending his friends on a disastrous quest etc.).
Max Merlin (Blossom's Hughes) was the ancient magician, who by the early '80s had moved from grand castles and sorcery to a San Francisco garage and fixing cars. The fun began when he decided to teach Zac the wonders of sorcery, whereupon the new apprentice launched into the usual problems with spells gone awry and the troubles of keeping hi
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Question: I remember a show from the '80s called Throb. It was about a mother who goes to work for a record company. I don't remember the star of the show, but I do recall a young Jane Leeves as a character called Blue. Am I nuts or was this a show? It may have been syndicated. Thanks.
Answer: It was indeed syndicated, Melissa. Throb, 48 episodes of which were produced from 1986-88, starred Diana Canova, veteran of Soap and I'm a Big Girl Now (a short-lived sitcom in which she played Danny Thomas' daughter).
The sitcom, the title of which sounds more like the setup for a South Park episode than an actual series, revolved around Canova's single-mom character Sandy, who took a new job at Manhattan-based Throb Records as the series began. Her boss was the libidinous Zach (J
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