– With her weekday talk show doing well, will Rachael Ray continue on Food Network? — Sue McKay, Chicago
Count on it. The kitchen and lifestyle expert just signed a deal for 60 new episodes of “30-Minute Meals” per year, plus she has started another Food Network series, “Rachael’s Vacation.” Even without those programs, she’d still maintain a link to Food Network, which is among the production entities involved in her “Rachael Ray” show.
– I’ve read that Laura Harris of “Women’s Murder Club” was on “24.” Whom did she play? — Brian Taylor, Gary, Ind.
During the Fox show’s second season, she portrayed Marie Warner, a young woman whose sister (Sarah Wynter, later of “Windfall”) feared Marie’s fiance was linked to terrorism. There was a big twist, but we’ll refrain from detailing it here, for the benefit of those who haven’t seen those episodes.
– For those of us who have been in withdrawal since the series ended, can you tell us if “Mad Men” will be or is in production again? — Kat Duke, Raleigh, N.C.
Yes. The second season of AMC’s praised drama about 1960s advertisers is slated to start in June.
– Please settle an argument. I say “The Flying Nun” was Sally Field’s first television series. My friend says it wasn’t. Who’s right? — Margaret Donnelly, Wichita, Kan.
Your friend. Two seasons earlier, Field had the title role in “Gidget,” a 1965-66 ABC spinoff of the movies about a spirited teen with big affection for the beach and surfboards. The actress reportedly had enrolled in an acting workshop just for the fun of it; she grabbed the attention of those who were assembling “Gidget,” and the rest is a history that has earned her Oscars and Emmys — and her current starring role on ABC’s “Brothers & Sisters.”
– I’ve seen reporter Lee Cowan on NBC News lately. Didn’t he used to be on another network? — Steve Mays, West Bend, Wis.
Before joining NBC last summer, as a correspondent based in the Chicago bureau, Cowan worked out of New York and Dallas for CBS News. Prior to becoming a regular “CBS Evening News” face, he reported for CBS Newspath, the operation that supplies stories to the network’s affiliated stations for use as each one wishes.
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