The AnswerBank Articles

What goes into making an episode of The Simpsons

What we see is a seamless 22 minutes (count 'em!) of animated magic, followed by 'the credits' - scores of names scrolling through at breakneck speed. 300 episodes oldTo mark the 300th episode00:00 Mon 23rd Dec 2002

I remember when early evening TV meant 'Nationwide'

Nationwide was first broadcast on Tuesday 9 September, 1969. Early evenings would never be the same again, as the BBC followed the Early Evening News with an hour of, well, pretty much everything.00:00 Tue 03rd Sep 2002

Doctor Who is back - but this time he's online

Colin BakerYes, the good Time Lord is about to launch his second series of online adventures at the BBC's Cult website - Death Comes To Time was so popular it quickly became one of the most00:00 Wed 24th Jul 2002

On the opening of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You

The most popular movie of the year could just turn out to be based on an old TV series. Good old Hollywood, always ready to surprise us with something new. Scooby-Doo, Why Are You Most of the00:00 Thu 11th Jul 2002

Coming soon to a TV near you

You can't escape the Internet anymore just by switching off your computer. As well as a new generation of wired objects around the house (see article on the online fridge) ideas that first took off on00:00 Fri 28th Jun 2002

A Monster's What

Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry in Monster's Ball Halle Berry won her Best Actress Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball, recently released to widespread acclaim in the UK. It is a dark00:00 Fri 07th Jun 2002

Who is really switched on

A question from Beenee: How do television channels arrive at viewing figures for their programmes Why doesn't British television do 'ratings' as done in The States The short answer is: 'they do'.00:00 Wed 08th May 2002

For once, Hollywood imitates art

Q: In the movie Moulin Rouge, Toulouse-Lautrec had a small role. Just how involved was he in the seedier side of Parisian nightlife. A: For a mere 575,000 you can find out. A complete set of his00:00 Mon 29th Apr 2002

Will America make a film of the Enron scandal

A. A bidding war has started between studios to make the first film on the affair. After all, it has all the ingredients Hollywood looks for in a blockbuster - drama, corruption, heroes and villains,00:00 Mon 22nd Apr 2002

Which early Hollywood movie has sparked rumours of murder and mystery, involving Charlie Chaplin

A. A new film, The Cat's Meow, revisits one of the most celebrated early Hollywood scandals - the death of movie producer Thomas Ince on his yacht Oneida, owned by William Randolph Hearst, on a00:00 Mon 22nd Apr 2002

What kind of roles have big actors turned down - and missed out on

A. Hugh Grant is the latest actor to turn down a role which could be an enormous hit. He has decided not to star alongside Julia Roberts in the film adaptation of journalist Toby Young's00:00 Mon 22nd Apr 2002

Do actors get a share in the film's profits

A. A six-month dispute which threatened to cost the British film industry millions of pounds has just ended after producers agreed film actors a greater share in the profits. The actors' union00:00 Mon 15th Apr 2002

Who is responsible for the renaissance in Mexican cinema

A. Think of Mexican cinema and most people recall films of the great Luis Bunuel, who was not Mexican but worked there, or stars like Carmen Miranda or Pedro Armendariz, who left Mexico to find00:00 Mon 15th Apr 2002

Is the Free Willy whale now free

A. Keiko, the killer whale, is still resisting attempts to be introduced to fellow orcas in the wild. More than $15 million has been spent trying to coax the five-tonne hero of the 1993 hit movie,00:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

Where did the cast of E.T. end up

A. It was one of the biggest films of the 1980s and the remake version of E.T. attracted huge crowds over the Easter break, but what happened to the cast The film made icons of the stars, but it00:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

How did a Bosnian director manage to win an Oscar this year

A. Danis Tanovic's Oscar for Best Foreign Film has taken on a significance that exceeds the importance of the award itself. When the news was announced in Los Angeles last month, the presidency of00:00 Mon 08th Apr 2002

Who was the brains behind Dallas

A. Dallas started almost by accident. Lorimar Television had had the actress Linda Evans under contract for some time, and an untitled project to use her in some way was gathering dust. It was passed00:00 Mon 15th Apr 2002

What's all this fuss about Aboriginal movies

A. It used to be received wisdom in Australia is that no one really wanted films about the country's Aboriginal population. Too controversial - after all, they used to own the place! But three young00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

What's the link between modern movie sets and historical art

A. Today's movies with digital technology and hand-held cameras is the closest we have ever come to cinema that walks and talks (and pretty soon, smells). Mainstream film-makers strive to make00:00 Mon 01st Apr 2002

Who were this year's Oscar winners

A. This year's Academy Awards will be remembered as the year Hollywood honoured its African American actors. The biggest cheers of the 74th Academy Awards were reserved for Woody Allen and Sidney00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002