Akron Beacon-Journal

Looking toward the fall, I am already heartened by the NBC series “Go On.” I laughed even more when I watched the premiere a second time than I did the first. And, while the series does not officially premiere until Sept. 11, you can get a look at it next week.

Once upon a time, if a network had a big viewing event like the Olympics to bring in viewers, you would use that opportunity to promote the daylights out of your upcoming shows, hoping that the audience would return to see them post-Olympics. And that can still be effective; my avidly Olympics-watching wife has been intrigued by the promos for “Chicago Fire” and “Revolution.”

Q: I was watching a show called “Life With Elizabeth” with Betty White when she had black hair. When was the show made?

A: The “Hot in Cleveland” star began work on the comedy with live, local telecasts in Los Angeles in 1952. White, already a TV veteran, co-starred with Del Moore; each episode had three different segments about a couple, because — White says in her memoir “Here We Go Again” — when you tell friends a funny anecdote, it only takes a few minutes and “if you try to stretch that anecdote into a half-hour, the joke wears thin.” (She notes how wrong TV history has proved her.)

Q: In the movie “Kindergarten Daycare” with Eddie Murphy, one of the little boys was named Max. He looks like a younger version of the actor in “Parenthood” named Max. Are they the same?

A: Actor Max Burkholder indeed played a kid named Max in Eddie Murphy’s “Daddy Daycare” and currently plays Max on the NBC drama series “Parenthood.” That series, by the way, is scheduled to start its new season on Sept. 11.

Q: Is Ducky dead on "NCIS"?

A: Thank you for thinking that one of TV's most popular shows would tell little ol' me the resolution of its big, season-ending cliffhanger. After all, it included an explosion that could have hit several characters. And Donald "Ducky" Mallard (played by David McCallum), who was not at the explosion scene, had a heart attack just after getting a call and saying, "It's imperative that no one touch any of the deceased."

Q: On the May 6 episode of "Harry's Law," one of the people they were defending was a very nice-looking, tall, "English" man. He looked so familiar, but I couldn't place him. Who was he and what have I seen him on?

A: That was actor Steve Valentine. You may remember him as Dr. Nigel Townsend on "Crossing Jordan," the 2001-07 NBC drama starring Jill Hennessy. His extensive credits also include acting in the series "I'm in the Band" and hosting the reality show "Estate of Panic." Born in Scotland, he has also worked as a DJ, standup comic and magician.

Q: A few years ago on a cruise, I saw a film short done maybe in the 1940s or early 1950s as a collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. It was animated. The name of it is "Destino." At the time, information said it would soon be released for sale. I would love to have it but, so far, I know it has been delayed and I don't see it for sale anywhere. Do you know if and when it will be for sale? I would also like to know who sang the song that is this short film's soundtrack.

CLEVELAND -- Luke Walton's career with the Cavaliers could have started much sooner than it did. When Walton was entering the NBA in 2003, the team called him to request a private workout the day before the draft. He was exhausted, but agreed to come to Cleveland for one final workout.