Dear Ken: What’s Dan Aykroyd done lately? I haven’t seen him in a movie in ages.
Aykroyd, 58, has only made about three films in the past five years: “I Now Pronounce You Larry & Chuck,” “War, Inc.” and “Yogi Bear,” opening Dec. 17, in which he provides the voice of Yogi. 

However, he has appeared in several episodes of the TV show “According to Jim,” which stars James Belushi, and he will be doing the voice of the Scarecrow in a 2012 animated version of “The Wizard of Oz.” Belushi will do the Cowardly Lion, Kelsey Grammer the Tin Man and Lea Michele will speak for Dorothy.

The best news is that Danny boy, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis will be making “Ghostbusters III” for a 2012 release. 

Dear Ken: Were Bert & Ernie on “Sesame Street” named after the characters of Bert and Ernie from “It’s a Wonderful Life”?
It’s highly unlikely that they were and over the years many of the folks who worked for Jim Henson on “Sesame Street” have stated it was simply a coincidence. The creators-writers probably selected the names because they fit the characters and sounded good. As for the characters in the classic Jimmy Stewart movie, Bert the cop was played by Ward Bond, and Ernie the cab driver was played by Frank Faylen.

Dear Ken: Tell us something about Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam the receptionist on the TV series “The Office.” I love the show. My husband hates it.
Fischer, 36, was born in Fort Wayne, Ind., and grew up in St. Louis. She studied theatre arts at Truman State University in Missouri and reportedly has worked as a receptionist in several offices (she types 80 words per minute). Married, she made her movie debut in 1998’s “Born Champion.” Before her hit gig she was a guest on the TV shows “Spin City,” “What I Like About You,” “Strong Medicine,” “Cold Case,” “That ’70s Show” and “Six Feet Under.” Crazy about cats, Fischer has served as host for several Kitten Rescue fundraisers in Los Angeles.

Dear Ken: What ever happened to Jimmy Lydon, who starred in the movies as Henry Aldrich?
Lydon, 87, who made nine Henry Aldrich films in the 1940s, went to make dozens of other movies and appeared in loads of TV shows over the decades. His last appearance was in a 1987 episode of “St. Elsewhere.” He lives in Bonita, Calif., with his wife and has two daughters. His 1950 flick, “Hot Rod,” is now on DVD, and is lots of fun if you like those old teenage films of that era. The plot: a teen turns his old jalopy into a hot rod, and guess who’s dad is a hot rod-hating judge?

If you have a trivia question about actors, singers, movies, TV shows or pop culture, e-mail your query to Ken Beck at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it