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TV Media Weekly | September 16 - 22, 2017 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Who plays Brianna in "Grace and Frankie"? I love that show, and I love her in it. A: Grace's daughter Brianna in "Grace and Frankie" is played by longtime sketch comedy star June Diane Raphael. Being a female comic making a successful transi- tion from sketch to sitcom puts her on a path blazed partly by her "Grace and Frankie" co-star, the great Lily Tomlin. Tomlin became famous as a cast member in the sketch comedy classic "Laugh-In" in the late '60s and early '70s. Raphael's background is a little less landmark filled, but no less successful. She first came to prominence in the mid-2000s for her stage shows at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in her native New York. However, she soon found in- creasingly large roles in TV and film. She had her first regular TV gig in the short-lived 2010 sitcom "Players" on Spike TV, but real success came the next year with the Cartoon Network cop-show parody "NTSF:SD:SUV," appear- ing alongside her husband, Paul Scheer. Q: I have heard that ABC may not continue with "Last Man Standing," which has to be one of its highest rated shows. Why would they cancel it? Is it a political thing? A: ABC has explicitly denied that it canceled "Last Man Standing," a conservative- themed sitcom, because of poli- tics. Of course, the fact that it had to deny it is news in itself — as you know, networks rarely give reasons for their cancella- tion decisions. That said, this one was particu- larly surprising, because "Last Man Standing" still had fairly strong ratings. They weren't ex- cellent or anything, but they were still better than many shows that don't get the ax. Indeed, the show's star, Tim Al- len, said on Twitter that he was "stunned and blindsided" by the decision. Things got political af- terward, with many fans arguing the network canceled it for its conservative values (or for Allen's conservative values), and at one point they called for a boycott of the network. But ABC Entertainment presi- dent Channing Dungey denied it was a political decision, saying instead it was a matter of sched- uling. "Once we made the deci- sion not to continue with comedy on Friday, it was just kind of that's where we landed," she said. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media I f you want to see what suc- cess looks like, look no further than Valerie Bertinelli. She's best known for her career as a TV actress, having starred in "One Day at a Time," "Touched by an Angel" and "Hot in Cleveland," but those varied shows are just a fraction of her claim to fame. She's earned two Golden Globes for her acting, is a New York Times bestselling author and is a well-known advocate for healthy weight loss and lifestyles. She's also an accomplished cook, and she loves to share her recipes, techniques and expertise in "Valerie's Home Cooking" — a new season of her culinary series premiered just last weekend. Now airing Saturdays on Food Network, in the series she invites viewers at home to join her as she interacts with her friends, family and neighbors and shares the tried-and-true recipes that she loves most, along with some ex- citing new ones that she comes up with along the way. In this week's episode, airing Saturday, Sept. 23, Valerie shares some of her sources of culinary inspiration. Like any cooking en- thusiast, she finds inspiration al- most everywhere she looks, in- cluding her local farm stand. She heads on down there this week to see what fresh local produce is available, and she doesn't leave disappointed. Once she's home, she gets to work coming up with recipes us- ing the ingredients she found at the stand. On the menu are a plum slab pie, a gratin made with the freshest summer vegetables, and a spicy cucumber salad with spiced yogurt sauce. The summer heat calls for a cold drink, of course, and Valerie has something to fill that need, too: a boozy frozen espresso that's sure to get any coffee lov- er's mouth watering. And that's really what "Valer- ie's Home Cooking" is all about: just a food-loving home cook who happens to be famous, pre- paring recipes that can find a home on any family's menu. Last week, she helped her Cub Scout nephew earn his cooking badge by working with him to prepare some kid-friendly recipes, and the rest of the season finds the ac- tress doing what she loves best: cooking for her loved ones. "Valerie's Home Cooking" airs Saturday mornings on Food Network. Award-winning actress Valerie Bertinelli shares her favorite recipes 10 | Cooking this week Sunspot 2 x 2" Vicker's Graphics 2 x 1.5" Tech Repairadise 2 x 1.5" Valerie Bertinelli hosts "Valerie's Home Cooking"

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