I saw all the episodes but the final one of Farmer Wants a Wife. Will the CW rerun it? If not, who did Matt pick? — L.R., Delray Beach

It came down to Brooke and Christa and Matt opted for Brooke. It's rare for any reality series of this nature to be rerun, because those who care know the outcome. Maybe it will show up some day on the Fox Reality Channel.



I enjoyed watching Eli Stone. Is there any chance it might return in the fall? It was such a good, wholesome program, one we rarely see on TV anymore. — T.M., e-mail

You are not alone. Eli Stone performed well enough during its spring trial run to be picked up for next season. It will air at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays.



Is the bill in Congress allowing cable subscribers to pick their own stations still viable or is it dead? — D.P., Fort Lauderdale

The bill is still kicking around but its passage remains a longshot. Although a la carte makes sense — when you go to the store for milk, they can't force you to also buy pickled herring — a big reason it is not going to happen is black and Hispanic advocates and religious broadcasters are strongly against it. They claim it would diminish diversity since not enough subscribers would pay for their channels. In a free market, this would be laughed out. In an era of political correctness, it carries weight. Few lawmakers are willing to run the risk of being branded anti-black, anti-Latin or anti-religion.



I watched the entire Firefly series on DVD. It was pretty amazing stuff: good writing, endearing characters, especially the "companion." I actually had never heard of the show. I've been told it got canceled due to Fox's promotional and scheduling mismanagement. You would usually simply say that not enough people watched. Because I enjoyed it so much, I would like to know the real story of cancellation. — V.H., Pompano Beach

The reasons you cited were only partly to blame forFirefly failing miserably. Because it was creator Joss Whedon's follow-up to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it arrived with great anticipation. But Whedon and Fox had different ideas about what the show should emphasize. He envisioned a somewhat cerebral adventure, basically a western in a futuristic environment. Fox would have had no problem with that, as long as there was plenty of action. Fox so disliked Whedon's two-hour pilot, it shelved it and put on, as I recall, the fifth episode as the premiere. Viewers were lost. When this happens, they are generally lost forever, as was the case with Firefly. Throw in scheduling it on Friday, a night when Fox has never had noteworthy success, and the deck was too steeply stacked against Firefly.



Could you give me any insights into the authenticity of A Haunting on the Discovery Channel? The show claims to dramatize real life occurrences without giving the locations or the real names of the people. — J.L., Plantation

The series claims the events depicted actually took place but what you see are mostly re-enactments. Bizarre stuff happens all the time, but I would not take seriously everything you see on this series. Actually, I would not take anything seriously, but that's just me. Put it this way: If these spooky events had any validity, isn't it logical you would have heard about them somewhere other than during low traffic hours on one of the least watched networks on cable?



Can you tell me why Denise Austin's Daily Workout went off Lifetime? When will it return or will she be on another network in the fall? — J.C., Plantation

"Denise Austin is no longer on our air," a Lifetime representative said. He would not elaborate. I have not heard of any pickups. If I do, I'll definitely write about it on my blog and in the newspaper.

Write to Tom ...

Send your questions to Tom Jicha, TV/Radio Writer, SunSentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293 or tjicha@SunSentinel.com. Personal replies are not possible. Please do not send self-addressed stamped envelopes.

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