By Cindy Elavsky
Q: I am so happy “Hardcore Pawn” has returned for a fourth season. Will it be back for a fifth, or is it too early to tell? — Dirk S., via e-mail
A: TruTV’s breakout hit, which centers on one of the world’s largest pawn shops, had such terrific premiere ratings for Season Four that the network has already renewed it for another 13-episode season, which is slated to begin later this year.
* * *
Q: I was sad when Thad Luckinbill left “The Young and The Restless” last year, so you can imagine how happy I was to see him on the CW’s “Nikita.” Will his character be back for Season Two? — Charlene, via e-mail
A: Thad, who you also can see this month in Hallmark Channel’s “Keeping Up With the Randalls,” gave me the scoop: “I think that’s yet to be determined. They were honest about it and told me that they weren’t sure exactly what to do with it, so that is why they left it open. It’s like anything, I think if the story’s right and it matches up to bring him back, then that would be great. I would love it. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.
“I think it would be a good twist if they decided to bring him back. It was really a fun group to work with and a really cool show. I love how stylized that show is. I think that was what I was most impressed with. Not just the way they shoot, but the way it looks. It’s just a really pretty show.”
* * *
Q: I recently found out that Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz were dating, and now I hear they’ve married! Is that true? — Hannah D., Detroit
A: That sound you just heard was the collective sigh of millions of women worldwide who wouldn’t have minded becoming Mrs. James Bond themselves one day. It is true: Daniel and Rachel married in a super-secret ceremony (befitting a superspy and his lady love) in New York on June 22. A source close to the couple told “News of the World”: “They are madly in love, and couldn’t wait to be husband and wife — but they wanted minimum fuss. They had a couple of friends as witnesses and their children from previous relationships, and that was it.”
* * *
Q: I can’t wait for Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” to hit the theaters, especially after seeing some first-look pictures in “Entertainment Weekly.” Can you tell me which actors from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy will be back for “The Hobbit”? — Patrick L., Akron, Ohio
A: So far, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian McKellan, Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm and Hugo Weaving are set to return to Middle Earth. Liv Tyler, who played Arwen in the trilogy, is keen to make a cameo in the latest films, however, as of this writing, there are no plans to resurrect her character.
Write to Cindy at King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475; or e-mail her at [email protected]
© 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.