If it's Thursday, this must be the mailbag...

Q: What was the first movie labeled science fiction?
A: I'm a little leery of this question, since almost anything about science fiction can start an argument among fans. Still, one consensus pick for the first sci-fi film is 1902's Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon), a short movie by French master filmmaker George Melies.

It has been released on DVD, including in the collection Landmarks of Early Film, Vol. 1.
Q: Some years ago my husband and I went on a tour of Italy, Spain and Portugal with a group of about 30 people.

Soon after our return, we saw a movie titled ``If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' that let us relive the trip all over. I have made a number of inquiries at video stores and on the Web and have been unsuccessful finding this movie. Any suggestions where I might obtain a copy?

A: I have a soft spot for the movie, too. Well, at least for the title.
I did not find a DVD version.

It was released on VHS in 2000, and copies are still floating around, though at a premium. Amazon.com has new and used copies starting at about $50.

If you just want to revisit the movie, you may want to see if your local library has a for example, the Akron-Summit County Public Library lists it.
Q: For years and years I have been trying to locate a copy of this old movie ``Love in the Afternoon'' with Jill Ireland, set mostly in an old Victorian home that looks like the Fain Ranch home in what is now Prescott Valley, Ariz. There is another movie with the same name and different actors and plot.

Help!
A: From what I can find, there were two movies called Love in the Afternoon, one with Gary Cooper from 1957 and a short Cuban film from 2000, as well as a French film called L'Amour l'apres-midi, sometimes known in English as Love in the Afternoon. None stars Jill Ireland.

I am guessing that you are looking for From Noon Till Three, a 1976 movie starring Ireland and her husband Charles Bronson. It was released on VHS in 1998, and you can find copies for sale -- again, at a price.
Q: What happened to the ABC series ``The Nine''?

A: ABC put it on hiatus due to disappointing ratings. According to recent reports, it is not canceled, but neither does it have a new air date scheduled.
Q: On ``CSI'' there is Louise Lombard, On ``Numb3rs,'' there is Diane Farr.

Are they sisters? Twin sisters? Or the same girl after makeup?

A: None of the above. Two different actresses, two different families.
Q: Will ``The Shield'' be returning to FX?

A: Yes. About 10 new episodes will air beginning in March or April, with the focus on the characters' reactions to the death of Lem (Kenneth Johnson). I saw the first of those episodes in July, and it was so good that many of the critics in the audience began agonizing over the long wait for more.

In 2008, 13 more episodes will air; those are expected to be the show's last.
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