Jan 5, 2013 4 min read

Q. With the success of the new version of “Dallas,” has there been thought of giving the same treatment to “Knots Landing”? – Emily Stone, Buffalo, N.Y.

A. Undoubtedly there’s been thought of it, but it hasn’t gotten to a stage where it’s been talked about as a real possibility. The talk is likely to be amped up before long, since Ted Shackelford and Joan Van Ark will reprise their “Knots” roles as Gary and Valene as the new “Dallas” deals with the death of J.R. Whether that will spark a bigger cry for a similar update of “Knots” remains to be seen.

Q. Will there be another “All-Stars” edition of “Dancing With the Stars”? – John Merritt, Columbus, Ohio

A. That’s a good question, and one that has no definite answer at the moment. The ratings for the competition’s past season were OK, but ABC expected them to be higher, given that past favorites from the show were being brought back. An executive at the network recently said the lesson learned was that viewers “don’t want to see people who can dance. They want to see people who can’t dance.”

The point is well taken, since much of the program’s appeal stems from the learning curve of celebrities who come into the show relatively unskilled in dancing. That said, Season 14 contenders Katherine Jenkins and Maria Menounos – who were exempt from the first “All-Stars” since their “Dancing” stints had been so recent – have told us that if such a round is attempted again, they’d be interested.

Q. I’ve been enjoying Jay Pharoah’s impersonation of President Obama on “Saturday Night Live” this season. Where did he come from? – Kristin Lang, Chicago

A. Now in his third season as a cast member on the NBC late-night staple, the Virginia native worked comedy clubs for many years, but – aptly enough – it was a YouTube video of his Obama impersonation that did much to gain him wider notice.

Q. Talking about children on sitcoms this season, are Hope on “Raising Hope” and Maddie on “Ben & Kate” sisters? They sure look a lot alike. – Connie Johnson, Milwaukee

A. They aren’t, but the actress who plays Maddie, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, has two sisters, Mary-Charles Jones and Lillian Ellen Jones, who played trick-or-treaters in the Halloween Eve episode of Fox’s “Ben & Kate.” On the same network’s “Raising Hope,” the title role is shared by twins Baylie and Rylie Cregut.

Q. Can you please tell me what ever happened to the actress who played Harriet Oleson on “Little House on the Prairie”? – Don Brown, Annapolis, Md.

A. Katherine MacGregor, also known by the nickname Scottie, left television after playing that famously snoopy, self-promoting character. She then returned to her stage roots by focusing her abilities, also including writing and directing, for the children’s theater group known as the Wee Hollywood Vedanta Players.

Q.What happened to “Shark”? Is it coming back? – Barbara Peters, West Palm Beach, Fla.

A.Since “Shark Tank” already has been airing (usually on Fridays) on ABC this season, we’ll assume that you truly are referring to the CBS series “Shark” that starred James Woods. That program last aired in May 2008, so this long after, it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s not coming back.

After two seasons of the drama that featured Woods as a defense attorney-turned-prosecutor, the network canceled it. If you’re a Woods fan, he’ll be seen next in the action movie “White House Down,” slated to be released in June and reuniting him with fellow “Any Given Sunday” co-star Jamie Foxx.

Q.In the Wendy’s television ads, is the redhead either Dave Thomas’ daughter or granddaughter? – Tim Anderson, Plantation, Fla.

A.In many – if not most – of those commercials, she refers to “my dad, Dave Thomas.”