Hollywood Q&A

Q: I just finished watching “Notting Hill” again and I’m wondering what book Hugh Grant was reading in the final scene? Is it significant?

A: It’s not significant to the plot, but the choice of book for Hugh Grant to read to Julia Roberts in their characters’ happily-ever-after scene was significant to the producers.

The book was “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” by Louis de Bernières, and though it was a bestseller at the time the film came out (1999), and so was the sort of book their characters might well have been reading, it also happened to be the next film project that “Notting Hill’s” production company, Working Title, was making.

It was supposed to be director Roger Michell’s next project as well, which pretty much solidifies the connection as more than mere chance. However, Michell had a heart attack before he could start on “Corelli,” so it went to another director.

Q: I’m trying to remember a TV show about an average Joe sheriff in a town of geniuses. Can you help me figure out what it’s called?

A: I’ll avoid the obvious joke here and say instead, hooray, I found it. The show you’re looking for is called “Eureka.”

It aired on Syfy (back when it was still called Sci-Fi) for six years — almost to the day, in fact, from July 18, 2006, to July 16, 2012. The cult-favorite sciencefiction comedy series was set in the fictional town of Eureka, Oregon (though there is a Eureka in California, a little bit south of the Oregon border). It was, as you say, about a regular cop (a U.S. Marshal at the beginning of the show) who becomes sheriff of the isolated town, which is home to a bunch of scientists doing secret government research. That premise could result in an “X-Files”-style paranoid drama, except that the research often goes comically wrong.

Its 77-episode run left it about a season short of the 100 episodes usually required for broadcast syndication, but fortunately these are new times. The show’s devoted fanbase and its relatively high

Q: Why do they play the background music in movies and TV shows so loud? Many times you miss a lot of conversation due to this irritating music.

A: This is a question we receive fairly regularly, but every so often when the volume of questions rises (see what I did there?) we revisit it.

Unfortunately, there’s not just one answer, nor is the problem likely to go away.

One of the reasons experts point to is show producers feel that a dramatic contrast between music and dialogue is exciting and “cinematic.”

The BBC in the U.K. caused a minor controversy a few years ago when it responded to this criticism of one of its shows, “Wonders of the Universe,” featuring celebrity scientist Brian Cox. It stated publicly that it would release a remix of the show with the music turned down. Cox criticized the decision, saying, “It should be a cinematic experience — it’s a piece of film on television, not a lecture.” However, there are a number of other factors feeding in as well. That “cinematic” ideal may only work when you’re working on cinematic timelines, and with a movie theater’s sound system.

Some experts point out that the volume problem on TV is the result of the hasty editing that often occurs in the TV biz, which works on much shorter deadlines than film. They also point out that our ability to distinguish different types of sounds depends on the audio system we’re using. If a show’s sound editor mixes it for a high-end home sound system (let alone for a “cinematic” experience), the result won’t work as well on the speakers of your average television.

Unfortunately, it also depends on the ears we’re using. Some people, particularly older ones or those who have experienced hearing damage, have more trouble picking up some sounds.

Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town.