Television Q&A: Has Peter Alexander set anchor with different TV news outlet?
Published in Entertainment News
You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Can you tell me what has happened to veteran NBC journalist Peter Alexander? It has been weeks since I have seen him on any of the news broadcasts.
A: Some time back NBC News and MSNBC split as part of larger corporate changes, and that meant news people also split up. Alexander left NBC after 22 years to become an anchor at the former MSNBC, now known as MS NOW (which stands for My Source for News, Opinion and the World). His duties there include hosting “State of Play with Peter Alexander” weekdays at 11 a.m. Eastern time.
Q: I enjoyed the first season of “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” on The CW. Will Season 2 be available on The CW and if, so when?
A: The second season of the Canadian addition to the “Law & Order” universe begins on The CW on Oct. 5. According to the network, the series features “Toronto’s brightest detective duo, Detective Sergeants Henry Graff (Aden Young) and Frankie Bateman (Kathleen Munroe), who see clues others may have missed and always solve even the toughest of cases using their own unique set of investigative skills.” It’s a reworking of the original U.S. “Criminal Intent" (2001-2011) which had several different casts, most memorably with Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe. There are also French and Russian versions.
Q: Back in the early 1960s there used to be a half-hour series called “One Step Beyond” hosted by John Newland. It was like “The Twilight Zone” but more about the paranormal, supernatural or unexplained phenomena than science fiction. Why isn't this series shown on TV channels such as MeTV?
A: First known as “Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond,” then simply as “One Step Beyond” in syndication, this collection of eerie tales first aired on ABC from 1959 to 1961. It won praise not only for its stories but for the hosting by Newland (who also directed the show), with one critic saying, “You could tell that the guy liked giving you the creeps.” While you did not see it it on MeTV, it is still available for viewing, including on Tubi, Plex and YouTube. There are also DVD collections.
Q: I have been looking for a movie from the ‘60s for a very long time because I only have a few details. It was about a man who had a beef with a department store and made a deal with the devil to have it completely cleaned out of goods before Christmas so they would have nothing to sell. The devil upheld his end of the deal by having other people who had made deals come in and move everything out. The man changed his mind, deciding not to spoil everyone's holiday and had the devil move everything back.
A: Although some details are different, we figured out that you remembered “Poor Devil,” a TV movie from 1973 starring Sammy Davis Jr.; it was the pilot for a TV series, but the series did not happen. According to Lee Goldberg’s book “Unsold Television Pilots,” Davis played “an inept disciple of the devil (Christopher Lee) who constantly fails to win over souls.” The movie’s cast also included Jack Klugman and Adam West. And you can still see it, though not in great form, on YouTube.
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