We wanted some answers, and we got them -- if there were answers to be gotten.

There were questions posed in the past year, by film crews shooting in our area or announcements of grand developments to come or hirings and firings, then left hanging as we headed into 2009.

One question -- would we ever see an IMAX theater at the Waterfront in Homestead -- was answered in mid-December, when a banner hanging from the ceiling at the AMC-Loews theater announced, "Coming soon, experience it in IMAX." Auditorium 13 is expected to be converted into a digital IMAX theater with 3-D capability by the end of the month.

We cover a few more bases here:

When will the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's stalled Downtown development project get under way?

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's ambitious Downtown riverfront development plans were put on hold last May, making them yet another casualty of the credit and mortgage crisis.

In 2006, the Trust unveiled the plans for RiverParc -- a mix of 700 housing units, plus art venues, shops and restaurants along Fort Duquesne Boulevard and the Allegheny River.

Last spring, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust president and chief executive officer Kevin McMahon said that plans would move forward if and when the credit markets rebound.

As 2009 dawns, he maintains that cautious attitude: "Until we see where the economy is heading, we're going to continue to have a wait-and-see approach on that project."

But while McMahon says there's no definite timeline, he says it will happen. "It is eventually going to move forward. It's too important a location and development opportunity. We have no doubt it will eventually be a great new neighborhood Downtown."

While the Trust looks ahead to future Downtown transformation, it's also looking back on what it has accomplished in its 25-year history -- turning the once-seedy Penn and Liberty avenue corridors into a vibrant cultural center.

In 2009, the Trust will mark its 25th anniversary milestone with special events and a "program season that is very rich, exciting and diverse," McMahon says, citing the ongoing "Jersey Boys" and the upcoming Pittsburgh Dance Council presentation of Israel's Batsheva Dance Company. This year, the Three Rivers Arts Festival also becomes part of the Trust's programming.

-- Adrian McCoy, Post-Gazette staff writer

When will the City of Pittsburgh get Verizon's FiOS TV?

Last month Verizon spokesman Lee Gierczynski said the company hoped to have a license agreement to expand its FiOS TV service into the City of Pittsburgh by the end of 2008, but early 2009 was looking more likely.

Howard A. Stern, director of information technology and chief information officer for the city, said conversations between the city and Verizon continue.

"Verizon has just one negotiations team and they've been focusing on Philadelphia and getting an agreement there," Stern said. "There are still issues to be discussed but we've had a lot of dialogue and we hope to get something in place early [in 2009]. I know the public wants it and we want the public to have it, but we have to make sure the city's interests are protected, and if those are protected, then ultimately the taxpayers' interests are protected."

-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

When will the PSO ever purchase a high-quality pipe organ at Heinz Hall?

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been limping along with shoddy electronic organs for a long time now, leading to failures that have compromised rehearsal time and led to some out-of-tune performances. There was once behind-the-scenes talk about purchasing a nice composite organ (one with a movable consol and a mix of real pipes and digital sound), since Heinz Hall is multi-purpose. But that talk has fallen off, and the PSO recently said the current capital campaign will not fund the purchase of an organ.

Yes, good pipe organs are expensive and the PSO has other important issues to address (like its roof and stage rigging), but many of its big peer orchestras have spectacular, permanent pipe organs. Hopefully, someday the PSO can at least obtain a high-quality movable one.

-- Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette classical music critic

Where do Point Park University's Downtown development plans stand?

Point Park University also has big Downtown development plans: the $210 million Academic Village at Point Park, which will include relocating the Pittsburgh Playhouse from Oakland, and a new basketball/volleyball arena.

The university hasn't officially launched its fundraising campaign, but it has already received a $2 million grant from the Heinz Endowments. The Heinz grant enables the university to move ahead to the next step -- the architectural design phase of the project and the hiring of an architect to oversee the initiative. (A.M.)

Where is Lynn Cullen, and where's a liberal talk radio listener supposed to turn in her absence?

In her words, Cullen is "hell-bent on getting back on radio"-- and locally. Future projects are still in the talking stages, but the economy and weak radio ad revenues have been keeping her in limbo for now.

Cullen, a k a The Lone Liberal, was last heard in August on the former WPTT-AM (1360), which switched to a business-and-money talk format. The move left listeners high and dry for the last two months of the presidential campaign in a talk radio market dominated by conservative points of view. (A.M.)