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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 12, 2018 4 By Kat Mulligan TV Media A s you select the perfect invitations and the song for your first dance, or slice into that beautifully over- priced wedding cake, you're likely not pondering the "D" word. Surrounded by love and happiness, the wedding day goes by so quickly that it can be a challenge to remember how you got there in the first place. As the years pass, it can be harder still to remember why you've stayed. No one likes to talk about it, but marriages do end, and sel- dom do things go smoothly. Perhaps this is why "Divorce," with season 2 premiering Sun- day, Jan. 14, on HBO, resonates deeply with so many of its viewers. The series first aired on Oct. 9, 2016, and its pilot episode quickly jumped into the often hush-hush topic of divorce with a generous touch of dry humor. Frances Dufresne (Sar- ah Jessica Parker, "Sex and the City") and her husband, Robert (Thomas Haden Church, "Side- ways," 2004), have spent sev- eral years together, but Frances has grown to realize that their marriage isn't working and that she has fallen out of love with him. She wants a divorce. What follows, after the ini- tial shock (and vomiting), is all too relatable for those who have experienced this life-al- tering event. Accusations fly, discussions of affairs, both emotional and physical, abound, property is destroyed or discarded, and their children are caught somewhere in be- tween. When mediation isn't enough, Frances and Robert both acquire their own lawyers to ease the process, though it seems that they, along with well-meaning family and friends, further expand the di- vide between husband and wife, creating reluctant ene- mies out of once friends. A unique trait of the series is the willingness to put divorce front and center — to have a subject often confined to whis- pered conversations and out of the public sphere thrust out into the open. For Parker, this was the series' great appeal. While discussing "Divorce" during AOL's Build Series, Park- er reflected that while "there [are] lots of television shows about families and marriages" that are "very buoyant" and often "really cozy," there was a lack of shows willing to tackle divorce. Parker was interested in portraying this other, less joyous but equally familiar as- pect of modern life, as "all of us know somebody who has con- templated divorce, been di- vorced, survived divorce ... di- vorce was their undoing." The need to have a show that would explore this, both dramatically and with a dash of necessary wit, was key for Parker, and why she had long championed the series, work- ing toward seeing it realized for nearly four years prior to the start of its production. The season 1 finale of "Di- vorce" exemplified the petti- ness that the process brings out in both parties. A decision by Frances and her lawyer, Elaine (J. Smith-Cameron, "Margaret," 2011), to freeze Robert's access to funds halts his ability to move forward with his own business pursuits, all while Frances celebrates the opening of her own dream: the Hudson River Contemporary Gallery. Robert makes it up to her, however, by initially agree- ing to let Frances take their children — Tom (Charlie Kilg- ore, "Moonrise Kingdom," 2012) and Lila (Sterling Jerins, "World War Z," 2013) — ski- ing during his weekend with them, only to call the police on her, ending the potential bliss of a getaway. It's no surprise then that season 2 establishes that the divorce has been made legal right from the start. The trailers emphasize the possibilities that lie ahead once the legal process has been finalized. Dis- cussions of freedom and being able to pursue new relation- ships and experiences abound, but it isn't surprising for either Frances or Robert to realize that life isn't any less compli- cated. Trying to juggle being good parents while navigating the world of dating and learn- ing to accept the changes in their own ways of relating with each other will provide much depth, insight and even hilarity as the season progresses. It's a poignant moment in the lives of the now divorced Dufresnes, a moment dreamed of in season 1 but now being actualized in season 2. Parker also discussed this during her AOL Build talk, noting the piv- otal words spoken by Frances in the series' pilot episode that are essentially a "fulcrum for the show." When speaking with Robert, Frances says: "I want to save my life while I still care about it" — a sentiment that Parker believes speaks to all of us, as "we can all under- stand what it means to see a future and not know if you're going to be able to capture any of it." Season 2 of "Divorce" is all about Frances and Robert getting a chance to realize their possible futures in the most individual of senses. Their lives and the potential to realize dreams they may have suppressed or compro- mised on for the sake of their marriage now have a chance to become reality. coverstory Thomas Haden Church stars in "Divorce" Alone together Life after marriage starts with season 2 of 'Divorce' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Dylan Dreyer of the "Today" show never wears the same outfit twice. Does she have an affliction or is she just plain rich? A: It's not because she's rich — I don't actually know if she's rich or not, but she's on the "Today" show, so she's probably doing all right for herself — but you might be on to something with the affliction thing. "Today" show meteorol- ogist Dylan Dreyer is afflicted with being on the "Today" show, and judging by the rest of the show's regulars, one of the symptoms is a compulsion to constantly change your outfit. Indeed, there's a whole section of the show's website de- voted to letting you know what the stars and guests wore that day, aptly called "What I Wore Today." This little site feature gives a clue about why Dreyer changes her outfits so often, and why it has nothing to do with her own wealth — their outfits are in-show advertise- ments. For example, the latest entry on the "What I Wore Today" page talks about the striped dress worn by Jenna Bush Hag- er, and says not only where she got hers, but where you can get other, similar looks. In all, there are 11 ads for striped dresses on that one post alone — and there are dozens of others on the site. And that's just on Today.com. There's a whole cottage in- dustry of other sites that tell audiences where to buy the fashions their favorite TV stars wear, and so the designers benefit from being worn by notable faces like Dreyer. Q: Did Anna Kendrick actually write the song "Cups" that gained her so much popularity? A: No, and it never used to be called "Cups" either. The wildly popular hit from the "Pitch Perfect" soundtrack, performed in the film a capella by star Anna Kendrick using only a plastic cup for accompaniment, began life all the way back in 1931 as "When I'm Gone," by the Carter Family. The Carter Family was a groundbreaking bluegrass/gospel act, and their original version didn't feature any cups at all, just the three Carter Family singers (Sara Carter, her husband A.P. Carter and A.P.'s sister-in-law, Maybelle) accompanied by Sara's acoustic guitar. Not only did Kendrick not write the song, she didn't even add the cups. That transformation came in 2009 via Lulu and the Lampshades, who made a cheap video of themselves do- ing it in what appears to be their living room. The video went viral, viewed on YouTube millions of times. It's basically their version that Kendrick performs in the 2012 sleeper-hit film "Pitch Perfect," about an all-girls a capella group. But Kendrick is likely the one to have made the most mon- ey from it (or, more accurately, her managers and producers did). The song was released as a single from the soundtrack, and hit No. 6 on the Billboard chart, achieving platinum certi- fication in the U.S. and Australia and gold status in New Zea- land (the presence of Australian star Rebel Wilson in the film's cast made it a particular phenomenon down that way). Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A

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