Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
HOLLYWOOD Q&A
Q: On “Yellowstone,” they didn’t use the plot about the bomb planted on the plane, so what happened to the bomb?
A: Welcome to the thriving community of fans who are driven nuts by this apparent plot hole.
[Alert: What follows is a rundown of some of the plot of “Yellowstone” Season 2.] Kayce Dutton (played by Luke Grimes, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” 2015) does indeed plant a bomb in the tank of a plane owned by the rival Becks in the second-last episode of the second season. However, the Duttons end up gunning down the Becks before they can ever get on the plane, so the bomb wasn’t necessary.
Except, you know, it was still there, maybe blowing up the Becks’ heirs or some unwitting sucker who bought the plane at an auction or — well, something.
But the show never referred to it again. A lot of fans have taken to the internet to complain about this plot hole (or else to argue that it’s not a “hole” so much as a loose thread they may pick up later), along with some of the show’s other supposed oversights.
For example, also in Season 2, Tate Dutton (Brecken Merrill, “This Is Us”) is given a horse named Lucky. The episode is written in a way that suggests this horse will be significant and maybe even a metaphor for events to come. But instead, he’s never referred to again.
Of course, in an intricately plotted show like “Yellowstone,” one that’s now in its fifth season, it’s to be expected that some story points just go astray.
Indeed, it may be a marker of greatness. Having a plot hole or two puts “Yellowstone” alongside classics such as “Friends” (which never explained why Ross and Rachel acted like strangers in the first season but were later said to have known each other since high school) and “Miami Vice” (why did the vice squad spend so much time investigating non-vice crimes?), just to name a couple.
Q: Is Tyra Banks married?
A: Not as far as anyone else knows, but it would be hard to tell with the famously private model turned mogul.
Tyra Banks (“Dancing With the Stars”) was in a long-term relationship with Norwegian photographer Erik Asla, but that ended in late 2017.
Asla appeared onscreen, in his role as a photographer, in a few episodes of Banks’ show “America’s Next Top Model,” and he served as a judge on a Norwegian spinoff.
The pair have a baby together, York, born in 2016, and they reportedly parted on good terms.
And that’s about all we know about Banks’ love life.
We know a good deal more about her business achievements, which is, of course, as it should be. And there’s a lot to know — she’s a supermodel, of course, as well as a host, author, actress — the list goes on.
Q: Who’s the actor who played Gallagher in the Weird Al movie that just came out?
A: “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” (2022) is a who’s who of today’s comedy stars playing a who’s who of ‘70s and ‘80s comedy (and other pop culture) stars. But one portrayal has a little more weight now, given the timing: that of legendary standup comedian Gallagher, a man famous for smashing watermelons as part of his prop-comedy routine.
“Weird” was released on Nov. 4 last year, one week to the day before Gallagher died at the age of 76.
Of course, the film’s writer/director, Erik Appel (“Son of Zorn”), didn’t know about this when he wrote the appearance.
And stand-up comedian, voice actor and podcaster Paul F. Tompkins couldn’t have known about it when he played the role.
But fortunately, Tompkins turned in a pretty respectful performance anyway — albeit one that, like the others in the film, had little to do with reality. The film really just offered fanciful ideas of what Gallagher and his fellow stars might have had to do with song parodist Weird Al’s rise to fame.
Tompkins is probably best known for hosting the longrunning VH1 comedy talk show “Best Week Ever” in the 2000s, or as one of the stars of the ensemble sitcom “Bajillion Dollar Properties.”
But he’s since developed into a leading voice in comedy podcasting, creating and starring on shows such as “Spontaneanation,” “Threedom” and the aptly named “Pod F. Tompkast.”
He’s also a prolific that-guy actor, thanks to his long string of guest appearances on network TV shows, including “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and, oddly, “Criminal Minds.”
You may also just recognize his voice. Tompkins is an in-demand comedic voice actor, with long-running stints on shows such as “Bojack Horseman” (playing multiple roles, including Mr. Peanutbutter). He also voiced Short Thug in the 2010 Disney film “Tangled” and reprised the role in multiple spinoff shows and shorts.