What now for ‘Chicago Fire’ alum Kara Killmer?
Q: What will Kara Killmer be doing, now that she has left “Chicago Fire”? – Janice Kennedy, via e-mail
A: As of this writing, no definite plans for (or by) her had been announced, though she made mention that she had an audition for a part just before her final episode of the NBC drama aired. For the 10 years she was on the show, “Chicago Fire” was pretty much her exclusive job, though she also starred in the 2017 Lifetime movie “My Husband’s Secret Life” (also known as “Sleeper”). Killmer also appeared in the 2015 feature film “Beyond the Mask,” a historical action-adventure tale, and she later married the movie’s male lead, Andrew Cheney. She has said that she is “wide open” to different kinds of projects now, and in any medium, be it television, theatrical movies or theater. However, she added that she’s also open to bringing her Sylvie Brett back to “Chicago Fire” on a guest-star basis if the given situation lends itself to that.
Q: I’ve found the new version of “Shogun” interesting. When was the first version originally on? – Matt Cramer, Covington, Ga.
A: The first TV miniseries based on James Clavell’s best seller aired on NBC over five consecutive nights in September 1980, with Richard Chamberlain starring as John Blackthorne, the English navigator taken prisoner when his trading ship landed in feudal Japan in the early 17th century. The saga won two Primetime Emmys, three Golden Globes and a Peabody Award.
Though Chamberlain was the unofficial “king of the miniseries” during that era, given his successes in that genre, Sean Connery reportedly was sought to play Blackthorne — as was one of his James Bond successors, Roger Moore. However, the notion of Connery agreeing to film a project on location in Japan was pretty much a pipe dream at that point, since he had been quite vocal about his displeasure with making the 1967 Bond movie “You Only Live Twice” there.
Q: I see that Jimmy Fallon will celebrate his 10th anniversary as the host of “The Tonight Show” in May. Since Seth Meyers had his “Late Night” 10th-anniversary show in February, did he really start his current job before Fallon did? – Joe Wills, via e-mail
A: Actually, Fallon began first, taking over NBC’S “Tonight Show” from Jay Leno (who suggested a February transition to take advantage of that year’s Winter Olympics coverage by the network) on Feb. 17, 2014. Meyers then started his NBC gig a week later on Feb. 24, succeeding previous “Late Night” host Fallon.
A big reason for Fallon’s 10-year celebration being slated for May is to give it a two-hour prime-time slot in a month that still has big ratings significance. The special’s May 14 date is a Tuesday, so the regular “Tonight Show” slot that night could be filled by an overrun of the prime-time show; the plan for that hour hadn’t been specified yet at the time of this writing.
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