Q: I had heard years ago that Barbra Streisand had bought the movie rights to the "Sunset Boulevard" musical. Do you know if she or anyone has plans to produce this project? I think the time should be now as Streisand is more than age-appropriate for playing Norma Desmond. Let's campaign to make this happen before it's too late.
A: Streisand, 81, has gotten attention lately thanks to her much-praised memoir "My Name Is Barbra." She has performed songs from the "Sunset Boulevard" musical based on the 1950 movie. And onstage the musical has enjoyed many revivals, with Nicole Scherzinger starring in a recent one.
But it's Glenn Close, 76, who remains "absolutely dogged" in trying to get the movie made, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has said. She first played Norma 30 years ago, won her third Tony Award for the role and is set to be both producer and star if the movie finally gets made. Keep in mind that this project has been a long struggle; attempts date back almost 20 years.
Bure moved on
Q: I was wondering if Candace Cameron Bure has parted ways with Hallmark Channel movies. She did not appear in any of the 2022 Christmas movies on Hallmark.
A: Bure departed Hallmark early in 2022 to join the Great American Family as both a star and as chief content officer. GAF is run by Bill Abbott, a Hallmark executive who has seemed to establish GAF as a more conservative alternative to Hallmark. Bure added to that perception by saying that GAF would "keep traditional marriage at its core." Backlash ensued, and in an interview with Variety this year, Abbott said Bure did not speak for the network. But neither did he commit to LGBTQ+ content in the company's films: "We're not seeking to do anything or not do anything, and we take every day as it comes. We're just looking to celebrate great stories."
On a related note
Q: How long has Andrew Walker been doing Hallmark movies and shows? Also, how old is he?
A: Canadian actor Walker, 44, has been acting on screen for close to 30 years and made his Hallmark debut in 2012 in "A Bride for Christmas." He's been in more than two dozen Hallmark productions, some of which don't even involve Christmas. His latest is 2023's "Christmas Island."
End of the line
Q: I binge-watched the Netflix series "Sex Education." Any chance there will be new episodes?
A: The British drama has ended after four seasons and 32 total episodes. Series creator Laurie Nunn told Harper's Bazaar magazine that the decision to end "happened very organically. ... Something just started to happen through the writing process where I realized that by the time we arrived at that final episode, there weren't any cliff-hangers, and everything had just resolved itself."
No longer 'Standing'
Q: Is the sitcom "Still Standing" starring Mark Addy and Jami Gertz available in any format?
A: The 2002-2006 family comedy about a working-class couple and their kids is not rerunning anywhere I know of, nor is there an authorized DVD. There are episodes on YouTube.
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