Celebrity Extra: Patricia Heaton
By Dana Jackson
Q: Whatever happened to Patricia Heaton? She had two very successful sitcoms, but I haven't seen her in anything since. Is she retiring from acting? -- L.A.
A: The talented Patrica Heaton has been blessed to star in not only one but two hit sitcoms in her life. She played exhausted wives on both "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "The Middle" for nine seasons each and then starred in "Carol's Second Act," but it was canceled after just one season.
Now she's bouncing back with another sitcom, which is yet to be named, with veteran comedy writers Carol Leifer ("Seinfeld") and Andy Gordon ("Modern Family"). According to Deadline.com, Heaton will play "the host of an upscale lifestyle show sent to prison for embezzlement and tax evasion. She gets out after two years, forgotten and broke, and moves to Tennessee to live with her estranged sister."
The show will be filmed in Nashville, where Heaton has a residence, and will air on Fox. The only thing stopping it is the potential of a writers strike if negotiations with the Writers Guild of America come to a halt when their contract is up for renewal in May.
While there aren't as many network sitcoms as there used to be, the few that have premiered in recent years have generated quite a loyal audience. "Abbott Elementary," "Ghosts" and "Night Court" all have already been renewed for another season before their current one has been completed.
Patricia Heaton ("The Middle" and "Everybody Loves Raymond"). Photo Credit: Depositphotos
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Q: I remember when Chrishell Stause was a soap opera actress, but now she's on a reality show. Is she ever going to act again? -- N.S.
A: Chrishell Stause, who hails from Kentucky, made her acting debut on the ABC soap "All My Children" back in 2005. She went on to play Jordan on "Days of Our Lives" and Bethany on "The Young and the Restless," the latter soap in which she starred with her husband at the time, Justin Hartley. She supplemented her acting revenue by getting her real estate license and joined the Oppenheim Group, selling mansions in Hollywood and being featured on Netflix's "Selling Sunset."
Justin Hartley became a household name with the hit drama "This Is Us," but he broke Stause's heart when he left her for another former "Y&R" star, Sofia Pernas. Stause was chosen to compete on "Dancing With the Stars" and is five seasons into "Selling Sunset," but she hasn't given up acting -- she recently starred in the Lifetime movie "A Rose for her Grave: The Randy Roth Story."
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Q: Is it true that "Titanic" is returning to theaters? Is it a remake? Who will play the leads? -- S.M.
A: No remake is on the horizon, but the original "Titanic" has been remastered and made its way to theaters this February. James Cameron, director of the Oscar-nominated blockbuster "Avatar: The Way of Water," has redelivered "Titanic" to the big screen for its 25th anniversary with stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The running time is 3 hours and 15 minutes, which was an anomaly back in 1997.
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