hollywood q&a
By Adam Thomlison
TV Media
Q: Any news on what Heidi
Klum and Tim Gunn are do-
ing post-”Project Runway”?
A: Fans have been waiting
with varying levels of patience
for this news for nearly a year,
since supermodel Heidi Klum
and fashion designer Tim Gunn
shocked the reality TV world
by announcing their exit from
the long-running hit “Project
Runway.”
They said at the time they’d
be launching a new series on
Amazon Prime’s web stream-
ing service, but nothing more
was known about it — until
recently.
Amazon announced a few
weeks ago that the show would
be called “Making the Cut” and
is slated to premiere in 2020
(they weren’t generous with
details).
The first season will feature
“12 talented entrepreneurs
and designers from around the
globe who are competing to
take their fledgling brands to
the next level in becoming the
next big global phenomenon.”
If that sounds comfortingly
“Project Runway”-esque, you’ll
be further comforted by the fact
that Amazon shared photos
from an episode that include a
“runway challenge” in front of
the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Gunn and Klum won’t have
to do all the celebrity work on
their own, either. The first sea-
son will feature judges includ-
ing supermodel Naomi Camp-
bell and former reality star (and
now a fashion designer in her
own right) Nicole Richie.
Q: Many, many fans in
discussion groups regarding
“Father Brown” are wanting
to know the manufacturer
and pattern name of that
beautiful tea set used in the
kitchen scenes. It’s turquoise
and white, trimmed in gold.
Any help is greatly appreci-
ated.
A: The internet is indeed full
of speculation about this burn-
ing (or maybe boiling) question,
so I went to the man himself
for the final word — not the
constantly curious clergyman
Father Brown, of course, as he’s
a fictional character. Instead, I
12 | Screentime
found the next best thing, but
you’re not going to like what
he said.
“There are no markings
anywhere on the set,” said Iain
Downes, props buyer on the
most recent season of “Father
Brown.” He actually pulled the
set out to check for a maker’s
mark, just to be sure. “I presume
it’s from a company ‘inspired’
by a more famous brand.”
That inspiration seems to be
the Wedgwood Ulander Powder
Turquoise tea set. Wedgwood is
a famous brand indeed — it’s a
luxury china company founded
in England in 1759, so the loca-
tion is certainly right. However
many of the details aren’t.
The Wedgwood tea pot has
turquoise and gold on the lid
and handles, while the “Father
Brown” set has a white lid and
handles. And in some of the
scenes I looked at, it appears
the actors are using pieces from
different, mismatched sets,
and in some scenes — gasp
— they’re using coffee cups
instead of tea cups.
While all of this may make
anglophiles and tea purists a lit-
tle faint, it might actually speak
to the show’s attempts — in-
deed, Downes’ attempts — at a
different sort of authenticity.
Remember that the set
in question is the one in the
residence of a poor, country
clergyman in the years after
World War II. With that in mind,
owning a knockoff set would
be likely, and it would in fact be
unlikely that the rectory would
have a complete set of anything
— breakages happen, pieces
get lost and so on. It would
make sense for the father, or
his helpful Mrs. McCarthy, to
replace them with a piece as
similar-looking as could be
found in the parish.
I apologize in advance to
lovers of the set. I told Downes
about the lengths that dedi-
cated viewers such as yourself
had gone to in search of an
answer, and he joked that he
might retire the set from the
show to avoid “driv[ing] fans
over the edge.”
Have a question? Email us
at questions@tvtabloid.com.
Please include your name and
town. Personal replies will not
be provided.
July 24, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
(“Sexy Beast,” 2000), Michael K. Williams (“The Wire”), Michiel Huis-
man (“Game of Thrones”) and Greg Kinnear (“Little Miss Sunshine,”
2006), the film is based on the non-fiction book “Mossad Exodus,”
by Gad Shimron, who was one of the agents who participated in the
mass removal of Jewish Ethiopians from Sudan in the early 1980s.
When the Israeli prime minister ordered Mossad to save thousands
of refugees in the Sudan and deliver them to Israel, agents set up
a secret base in a holiday village to facilitate the smuggling of the
refugees. This true story is compelling and will keep you at the edge of
your seat.
WHAT’S NEW ON HULU
“Four Weddings and a Funeral”
Whitney Cummings headlines “Whitney Cummings: Can
I Touch It?”
By Shona Dustan
TV Media
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX
“Whitney Cummings: Can I Touch It?”
You may be surprised at how prolific comedian Whitney Cummings
is. She created and wrote both hit comedy series “2 Broke Girls” and
“Whitney,” produced the revival of “Roseanne” (which, sadly, im-
ploded after its star made a controversial tweet and was condemned
as racist), and is currently creating a series called “Good People” with
Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) and Oscar nominee Lee Daniels (“Empire”).
On top of all that, her sixth comedy special premieres Tuesday, July
30, on Netflix. Filmed in Washington, D.C., Cummings’ hometown,
the standup special features a broad range of topics, from women’s
issues (so many hilarious women’s issues!) to politics and more. What
topics will she “touch”? You’ll have to watch to find out.
“The Letdown” Season 2
This Australian comedy follows Audrey (Alison Bell, “Tomorrow, When
the War Began”), a new mom struggling with new-mom things. She’s
determined not to let motherhood define her completely, but her
often hilarious efforts to get out and live her life tend to fail miser-
ably. Complicating her crazy life is a narcissistic mother (Sarah Peirse,
“Offspring”), a workaholic husband (Duncan Fellows, “Secret City”),
and a best friend who has no idea what it’s like to be as tied down
as Audrey is. As she navigates the ups and downs of parenthood and
struggles with her disappearing identity — some serious, difficult
subject matter — Audrey keeps us in stitches with visits to her wacky
mom’s group, attempts to get her baby to sleep (night driving, any-
one?) and more. Season 1 of “The Letdown” was released last year,
and you can stream Season 2 starting Wednesday, July 31.
If you were sentient in the ‘90s, I’m willing to bet you remember the
1994 film that introduced the world to Hugh Grant’s charmingly be-
fuddled screen persona, which would serve him well in romcoms for
years to come. Richard Curtis wrote the screenplay, and he’s on board
as executive producer for this new miniseries premiering Wednesday,
July 31. The series was adapted for TV by Mindy Kaling and her fellow
writer/producer for “The Mindy Project,” Matt Warburton, and fol-
lows the young-adult ups and downs of Maya (Nathalie Emmanuel,
“Game of Thrones”), Ainsley (Rebecca Rittenhouse, “Blood & Oil”),
Craig (Brandon Mychal Smith, “Gridiron Gang,” 2006) and Duffy
(John Reynolds, “Stranger Things”) — four old friends who reunite for
a wedding in London. When a bombshell is dropped at the altar, what
follows is a year of love, laughs, heartbreak, drama and self-reflection.
And, presumably, four weddings and a funeral.
WHAT’S NEW ON AMAZON PRIME
“This Is Football”
It may seem odd to those of us who can’t muster up a shred of inter-
est in soccer (yeah, that football), but the fact is, it’s the most popular
sport in the world. It’s played by 250 million people in more than
200 countries, and I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the World Cup
is kind of a big deal. This six-part documentary series streams Friday,
Aug. 2, and examines the effect the sport has had on players and fans,
from individuals to whole countries, and the stories, emotions and
triumphs of those who pursue it with a passion. It features interviews
and insight from legendary players and figures in the sport and deliv-
ers a look at it as a worldwide phenomenon, with filming taking place
in the United States, Argentina, China, Spain, Rwanda and Iceland.
“Dear White People” Season 3
This critically acclaimed series sprung from a 2014 film of the same
name and is now kicking off its third season. The show follows a
group of students at Winchester University, a predominantly white
school. Each episode follows characters like Samantha White (Logan
Browning, “Powers”), a black student trying to wake up her peers to
the struggles that people of color face in today’s society. It’s a series
that will make you feel all the feelings. It swings from poignant to
cheeky, heartbreaking to hilarious — it’s refreshing to watch a show
that not only tackles big issues such as discrimination and privilege,
but also little issues that we each face daily, the things that are impor-
tant to us, even though they won’t change the world. It’s a wonderful
combination that works, and if you’re not a fan already, it won’t take
long for you to get sucked in. The first and second seasons of the show
are streaming now, and the third season lands Friday, Aug. 2.
“The Red Sea Diving Resort” (2019)
On Wednesday, July 31, you can watch this action-packed film. Star-
ring Chris Evans (“The Avengers: End Game,” 2019), Sir Ben Kingsley
Logan Browning stars in “Dear White People”