`Soul Train' Has Long History In Syndication

Q: I'm a huge fan of "It's Showtime at the Apollo" and "Soul Train." When did each show debut?

A: Don Cornelius created "Soul Train" in 1970 as a local dance show in Chicago. It's been syndicated since 1971. "Apollo," taped at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theatre, has been on the air since 1987.

Q: I recently saw a heartwarming movie on television called "Doing Time on Maple Drive." I recognized Jim Carrey but who was the guy who played Matt? He looked so familiar.

A: Ken Olin directed the 1992 Fox TV movie about a seemingly happy but dysfunctional family. It was one of Carrey's first dramatic roles, coming in the middle of his run on Fox's "In Living Color." William McNamara played younger brother Matt; Lori Loughlin his fiancee.

Q:. I recently caught A&E's "Biography" on Steve Rubell of Studio 54 fame and found it totally absorbing. Are there any books available on Rubell's life?

A: A quick search of the on-line book store Amazon (www.amazon.com) brought up two titles dealing with Rubell's famed New York disco: "Studio 54: the Legend," by Anthony Haden-Guest, and "The Last Party - Studio 54, Disco, and the Culture of the Night," by Bobby Miller.

Q: What is the story on the show "Earth: Final Conflict." I keep seeing reruns. Is there going to be another season, or are the network "twits" going to leave us hanging like they have so many times before?

A: Season 2 of the Gene Roddenberry-conceived sci-fi action series began earlier this month. "Earth: Final Conflict" was a bona-fide hit in its first season, winning two technical Emmy nominations and ranking as the most-watched new first-run drama in national syndication. New for this season is the addition of actor Robert Leeshock ("Beverly Hills, 90210") in the role of hero Liam Kincaid.

Q: I'm really glad the Pax network is showing reruns of "Eight Is Enough." Unfortunately the episodes aren't being shown in order and I'm confused. How far into the show did the original mom die?

A: Actress Diana Hyland was the original "Eight Is Enough" mom. She appeared in only four episodes of the show before becoming too ill with cancer to perform and died in the spring of 1977. For the remainder of the first season, it was explained her character was away. At the start of the second season, Tom Bradford had become a widower. Broadway star Betty Buckley joined the show then as Abby, Tom's new love interest and, later, wife.

Q: I enjoyed A&E's version of Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" and was extremely impressed with the portrayal of Angel by Oliver Milburn. Can you tell me about him?

A: The 25-year-old actor is a graduate of Eton, but shrugged off college or drama school to spend five years on the popular British soap "Families." He's a well-known actor in Britain, having in appeared in several TV shows and movies there, including the remake of "The Browning Version" with Albert Finney and "The Choir," seen on American television as a "Masterpiece Theatre" presentation. He says he prepared for his role as Angel by dying his dark hair blond and taking milking lessons.

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