Q and A: Week of May 28
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| Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, photo by Matthew Rolston |
A: Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander will return for their third season as Det. Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles, respectively, on Tuesday, June 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The highly rated TNT series will air 15 all-new episodes. And if you need to catch up on seasons one and two — or just refresh your memory — both are now available on DVD for your viewing pleasure.
Q: I signed that petition you mentioned in a previous column to help keep “A Gifted Man” on the air, and I was wondering if it helped? Will CBS renew it? —Bonnie A., Norfolk, Va.
A: Sometimes online petitions work (“Friday Night Lights,” “Jericho” and “Chuck” were saved from early cancelation by rabid Internet campaigns), and sometimes they don’t. In the case of “A Gifted Man,” it didn’t; CBS decided not to renew the drama for a second season. Also on CBS’s chopping block: “CSI: Miami,” “Rob,” “Unforgettable” and “NYC 22.”
Q: Can you tell me what Ving Rhames is doing now? I haven’t seen him in anything in a while. — Derek L., via e-mail
A: Ving is all set to star in the new David E. Kelley medical drama that is slated to premiere on TNT in summer 2013. The series, called “Monday Mornings,” is based on the book by neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanja Gupta, M.D. The show is set in the fictional Chelsea General Hospital in Portland, Ore., and Ving plays the hospital’s trauma chief. It also stars Alfred Molina, Jennifer Finnegan and Bill Irwin.
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| (L-R: Busy Phillips, Christa Miller, Josh Hopkins, Courteney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Robert Clendenin, Ian Gomez; photo by Eric McCandless, ABC) |
A: While it’s true that ABC has opted not to renew “Cougar Town” for a fourth season, Courteney Cox and gang will indeed be back for a new season — TBS has picked up the series and will begin airing new episodes in early 2013. As of now, it’s assumed that all cast members will be making the move with the show to TBS. However, Dan Byrd had already booked a role on the new untitled Louis CK sitcom pilot, and Josh Hopkins was set to star in NBC’s “Lady Friends.” Both shows will have to recast now that “Cougar Town” is going forward.
(Note: Don't miss tonight's season finale. The show wraps up the season with two back-to-back episodes starting at 8/7c. In "Your World," Part 2, fed up with the lack of privacy, Grayson convinces Jules to elope to Napa ... but then the cul-de-sac crew happily tags along. In this episode, David Arquette guest stars as a hotel concierge who'll go to great (and possibly illegal) lengths to help the wine wedding go off without a hitch.)
“Cougar Town” is the latest project to join TBS’s growing slate of original series. In July, TBS will launch “Sullivan and Son,” a new sitcom starring comedian Steve Byrne and executive-produced by Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley and Rob Long. This year also will include the debut of “Wedding Band,” a new scripted comedy series starring Brian Austin Green, Harold Perrineau, Peter Cambor, Derek Miller, Melora Hardin, Jenny Wade and Kathryn Fiore.
Q and A: Week of May 21
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| Scott Aukerman |
A: You heard right! Writer/comedian Scott Aukerman — who is best known for his work with “Mr. Show with Bob and David” and for co-creating “Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis” — will indeed be bringing his hilarious podcast to the small screen. IFC has picked up “Comedy Bang! Bang!” which premieres Friday, June 8, at 10 p.m.
To gear up for the show — which will feature such big-name stars as Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler, Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks — go to ifc.com/fix/2012/05/reggie-watts-makes-music to see Jon Hamm show off his freestyle skills on an improvised jam about the classic TV show “Taxi.” And check the website often, as new webisodes will air throughout the season.
Q: I can barely stand the wait — when will “Pretty Little Liars” be back? — Sissy R., via e-mail
A: The third season of the hit ABC Family series “Pretty Little Liars” will be back and raring to go on Tuesday, June 5, at 8 p.m. The series picks up with Aria, Emily, Spencer and Hanna dealing with the fact that Mona is the mysterious “A” who’s been blackmailing them. While the character died in the book series on which the TV series is based, actress Janel Parrish, who plays Mona, has been upgraded to a series regular and will play a bigger role in the upcoming season. However, just because Mona’s been outed as “A,” it doesn’t mean she murdered Allison — that culprit is still on the loose.
Q: My family has been waiting anxiously for the season-three episodes of the “Downton Abbey” series to be aired. Our relatives in Europe have already seen the latest continuing episodes of the popular British series. Can you tell us when we can expect season-three episodes to start here in the U.S.? — Tom S., Hartford County, Conn.
A: Your European relatives might be confusing season two with season three, as season three is still in production. While Europe will get to see the third season before us — it’s scheduled to air on ITV in England in September, and here in America on PBS in January 2013 — I can guarantee you that, as of now, they haven’t seen any more than you have.
Q: In my opinion, the fourth season of “Southland” was the best yet. Please tell me it’s been renewed for another season! — Matt F., Sacramento, Calif.
A: It would seem that the powers that be at TNT agree with your assessment of “Southland,” as they have renewed the hit cop series for a 10-episode fifth season, which is scheduled to begin airing in February 2013. As the date gets closer, I’ll be sure to fill my readers in on all the details.
Interview: Crystal Allen on Lacrosse, Superman and Storms
Crystal Allen has had to deal with her share of dangerous snakes. As the star of “Anaconda III” and “Anacondas: Trail of Blood,” she battled literal snakes, and as a featured guest star on “Desperate Housewives” a few years back, she had to handle snakes of a different sort. But with her current project, Crystal leaves all that danger behind. In “Crooked Arrows” — which also stars Brandon Routh and hits the big screen this weekend (check your local listings) — Crystal is a teacher at a school for Native American children, and Brandon comes on board as the lacrosse coach. I spoke with Crystal recently, and she told me all about the movie and what it was like working with the Man of Steel.Celebrity Extra: Looking at your resume, it seems you’re always working. Do you have time for fun, or is your work part of your fun?
Crystal Allen: It really is — I love working. It’s so fun. When I’m working, I’m so happy. When I’m on location, I wake up every morning and I’m like, “Ah. I’m on set.” That’s a good feeling. But then you work a lot and then you’re like, “OK, I need a break.” You enjoy the time off too.
It was great working on “Crooked Arrows.” We filmed it outside Boston. We filmed it around the prep schools there because it’s about lacrosse. I learned a little bit about lacrosse. The first couple of weeks was all about filming the lacrosse sequences, and then the last three weeks were pretty much our time to really get in there and film the movie, do the acting part of it. It was fun just to be with kids who have never been on a set before. They hired the best lacrosse players in the world to portray the players in the movie.
CE: Can you tell me a little about the movie?
CA: It’s about a guy, Joe Logan, played by Brandon Routh. He’s half Native American, and he is into opening casinos and making money. His father convinces him that he needs to get back to his roots. They ask him to coach at this lacrosse prep school of Native American kids. He takes the opportunity but is sort of not really into it at first. He’s kind of busy with other things, and his heart’s not in it. As the movie progresses, these kids change his outlook about getting back to his roots, and he really tries to help them win the championship. It’s kind of like “Bad News Bears” meets “The Mighty Ducks.”
It’s cute, but it’s not just a kid’s movie. And there hasn’t been a story about lacrosse — there’ve been movies about football and baseball, but not lacrosse.
CE: What is the connection between your character, Julie Gifford, and Brandon’s Joe?
CA: We were kind of high-school sweethearts. I work at the school as a teacher, and we reconnect there, but I give him a hard time. I challenge him throughout the movie. I think people are really going to enjoy it. It’s a spiritual movie. I felt it when I was working on it. It was a great opportunity to be on a movie I feel really strongly and spiritually about.
CE: What was it like working with Superman?
CA: He’s very professional. He’s worked hard to get where he’s gotten to be. He’s such a nice guy, and he’s got such a presence on film. I was watching some of the takes, and he just really shines and he’s really moving. I’m excited for him to have this role, because his character really grows, and he was great to work with. We had great chemistry on screen, and he’s just a fun guy.
CE: Backing up a bit, tell me how you got your start. Had you always wanted to be an actress, or was it something that just sort of evolved?
CA: I actually started out as a dancer. I was in ballet and jazz as a kid, I competed, and I went to ballet school — the Joffrey Ballet School (in New York). I guess it wasn’t until I started working as a professional dancer and traveling — I think I was either modeling or doing an interview or something, and somebody had asked me to test for a part. I just kind of fell into it. Then I started going to school at Lee Strasberg in New York and studying theater.
I think I just do it because I’ve always chosen the most competitive and most difficult careers — that’s kind of all I know. Being a dancer is the same thing. You’re auditioning. You’re working really hard to achieve that goal as an artist. With modeling, you’re auditioning. You’re putting yourself out there. So acting was just another venue, but the most difficult one to actually achieve and to actually work because it’s much more cutthroat. But I was used to it because I had already been auditioning through dance and modeling so I knew that aspect of it.
CE: You have a nice working relationship with the Syfy channel. You've done a couple of "Anaconda" movies, and you have another original Syfy movie called "Ghost Storm." Tell me about that movie.
CA: "Ghost Storm" is an action movie — and since I’d done a couple of them, I knew the formula. I play a doctor, a meteorologist, and she discovers these strange phenomena going on. It’s a supernatural energy that isn’t connected with the storm and it starts killing people. It’s one of those kind of sci-fi kind of crazy films. I saw some of the CGI for it, and it looks really good. I’ve done a couple, and the CGI wasn’t as good as this one.
Carlos Bernard was great in it. I play Carlos’ ex-wife, and we merge back together throughout the movie as we chase the storm with our daughter. It’s an action film, so we were running and running and chasing and punching. It was fun. It was definitely a fun movie, and being up in Canada and filming in Vancouver was so gorgeous. I just love being home and being around the lakes and the mountains. It’s really beautifully shot, filmed just outside Vancouver.
CE: And I think it's great that you get to portray all of these strong women characters; those must be fun for you to play.
CA: You're right — those characters are fun to play and they are strong, and I seem to get those kind of roles a lot I guess because I’m tough. I’m just tough after being in this movie.
CE: And every day you're probably getting quite a workout, filming all of those action sequences.
CA: Oh yeah. And that’s where the dancing comes in, because dancing is very similar to fighting — the chorography part of it — so I was able to pick up. I did all my own stunts. The kickboxing stuff and the choreography of the fights were really fun. I love filming that kind of stuff. It makes me keep myself in better shape and eat better when I'm filming those kinds of movies.
CE: So when you're not on a movie set where you are kicking serious butt, how do you stay in such great shape?
CA: I don’t crazy-exercise every day — I hike, and I go to kickboxing classes. I like going to classes, but I’m not like ridiculous about it. I meditate, and I like to walk a lot. I like to walk around town. I live in an area where I can walk everywhere. I take care of my skin. I try to stay out of the sun, and I clean my face every night. My mother taught me to do that since I was a little girl. And I get plenty of sleep.
I also make sure I have time for hobbies. I love cooking, and I do a lot of dinner parties for, like, 20 people. I’ll start cooking for two days, and I won’t stop, and then I’ll have this big dinner party and have all my friends over for dinner. It will be an elaborate scene, like Indian night or Greek night or something. I’ve got that foodie following on Twitter as well (twitter.com/ItsCrystalAllen).
Q and A: Week of May 14
Q: My husband said he read somewhere that Breckin Meyer is leaving “Franklin & Bash” because he has a new comedy on TBS. Please tell me that isn’t true. — Kellie K., via e-mailA: The only part that is true is that Breckin does indeed have a new comedy called “Men at Work” on TBS, which premieres Thursday, May 25, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The multicamera comedy, which Breckin created, writes and executive produces, stars Danny Masterson, James Lesure, Michael Cassidy and Adam Busch. Breckin told me a bit about his new show when we spoke the other day: “Honestly, it’s a show based on my life and the embarrassing relationships I’ve had. It’s about four guys who are all at different stages of their lives relationship-wise, and they have each other’s backs. It’s based on me and my friends.”
As for Breckin making a cameo, he played coy: “I don’t know — we’ll see. There might be an Alfred Hitchcock-like walkthrough. Hopefully we’ll have some better guest stars than just me.”
Speaking of guest stars, as “Franklin & Bash” gears up for its second season — premiering Tuesday, June 5, on TNT — Breckin revealed: “We have an unbelievable line of guest stars this season. Sean Astin plays a superhero. Seth Green and Eric Mabius come on as the ‘Bizarro’ Franklin and Bash. Cybill Shepherd guest-stars. And we actually get to meet Mark Paul Gosselaar’s mom this time around, who’s played by Jane Seymour.”
Check back next week for my full interview with Breckin about the new season of "Franklin & Bash" and his new show, "Men at Work."
Q: When will my favorite show, “Rookie Blue,” be returning for another season? Please say it hasn’t been canceled! — Olaf D., St. Paul, Minn.
A: “Rookie Blue” will indeed be back for its third season on Thursday, May 24, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Now entering their third year on the job, our five rookie cops have learned to overcome the sophomore curse — knowing a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Having seen the premiere episode, I can tell you that it is indeed one that fans won’t want to miss!
Q: I love everything that the talented Sarah Chalke does. When will she get her own show? — Jason R., via e-mail
A: Sarah is slated to star in the new ABC comedy called “How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life,” in which Brad Garrett and Elizabeth Perkins play the aforementioned parents. Sarah plays Polly, a recently divorced single mom who moves in with her eccentric parents, Elaine and Max. The show is set to premiere this fall.
Q: I am hooked on “Once Upon a Time.” Will it be back for a second season? — David T., St. Louis
A: While the official word will come from ABC tomorrow, you can bet the farm that the top-rated drama series, which has smashed viewing records each week, definitely will be back for another season.
Interview: Tony Goldwyn's Scandalous New Gig
In its bid to take over network-television dramas completely, a few weeks ago ABC debuted yet another new kick-ass series (joining the likes of "Revenge" and "GCB") called "Scandal," which airs Thursday nights at 10/9c. In case you are unfamiliar with the show, it centers on a "fixer" named Olivia Pope (played by the exquisite Kerry Washington), who has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the nation's elite and keeping those secrets under wraps. One of those elite just happens to be the President of the United States, Fitzgerald Grant, played by Tony Goldwyn. I recently had the chance to speak to the Prez about his latest role, one that was able to coax him back to series television. Celebrity Extra: "Scandal" is definitely at the top of my favorites list for new shows this year, and I can certainly understand why you'd want to be a member of this creative team. For you, what were some deciding factors that made you want to be a part of this show?
Tony Goldwyn: Well, a couple of things. Number one was Shonda Rhimes. I’d worked with Shonda as a director on "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Private Practice," and have so much admiration for her and know what great rich characters she writes, so that was number one. The second part was Kerry Washington, who is one of my favorite actresses. I think that she’s one of our best young film actresses, and every time I see Kerry in a movie, I am just knocked out by it, so that excited me a lot.
And turning down the President of the United States is difficult. That’s going to be an interesting character anyway, but particularly I knew that Shonda Rhimes writing a president, he’d be a pretty interesting president. Then there was the script, which just a great recipe for really good storytelling.
CE: You know it's going to be good with Shonda involved, and looking at "Grey's" and "Private Practice" ...
TG: Yeah, that’s the whole thing. I was constantly surprised in the best way as the scripts kept coming in. [The character of Fitz] just keeps getting better and better and better as these scripts go along, and more complicated and interesting. As an actor, I feel like these gifts keep being dropped in my lap. I’m really grateful to Shonda for involving me, because it’s just literally every episode, I can’t believe the stuff that I am getting to do. By the end of the season it gets really interesting. It’s just been a really, really exciting thing to be a part of.
CE: What do you like best about playing Fitz?
TG: Well, there are two things really. Fitz is a guy — for better or for worse — who leads with his heart, and in a very committed way he does that. Sometimes that gets him into terrible situations, but it ultimately gives him a sense of purpose, and I think maybe I’m biased, but a goodness because he leads really with his humanity. I think it’s what gives him great strength as a leader because he’s ultimately uncompromising in that way. Sometimes his heart gets him into real messes as well. But he’s an open-hearted man in a very dangerous world, and he has the courage to be that way. I find that a really admirable quality. All of his feelings admit it.
CE: And even though the president definitely has his faults, he's not a "bad guy," because he has redeeming qualities and you can see where he is coming from.
TG: I think that’s right. Maybe that’s why I love playing villains, because I like to find the humanity in villainous characters. Shonda has this ability to find actors who have an intuitive understanding of what lies beneath that actor, like what their potential and complexities are. You’ll see as you get to know the characters better that Shonda digs things out of actors that are just amazing. There are people that she’ll hire not knowing how much they are going to be in the series, and she’ll just sense something about them and start to write for that person, unearthing aspects that that actor has to offer that a lot of them have never seen before.
Shonda just has this instinct about people. It’s a beautiful thing as an actor to feel that you’re seen by a writer. That’s a very rare thing. I don’t know that I’ve ever experienced it. I’ve been cast in roles that I was very right for, but one of the great things about television is the writing continues constantly, so Shonda intuits things and then she writes to the show. So many decisions won’t be made until she sees what’s happening on screen, and then she’ll start to write to that. We were constantly surprised by where the show was going. Every week we had no idea what was going to happen, and neither did Shonda sometimes. I’d say, “What’s up with Amanda Tanner?” and she’s like, “I don’t know yet!” It was great.
CE: Speaking of casting, the chemistry between you and Kerry is just sizzling. I love Fitz and Olivia when they are in the same room together.
TG: It’s like it’s magical. As I mentioned, I have so much respect for Kerry as an actress — we knew each other socially and we’re both really involved politically, so we have always kind of hit it off personally. I just have tremendous respect for her on many different fronts, and she’s a stunningly beautiful woman. So, I don’t know, chemistry is such a funny thing. There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s either there or it’s not. Our acting styles seem to mesh, you know, our way of working, and I think we have a mutual respect for each other. Then there’s physical chemistry, which is something, like I said, you can’t manufacture. We find that we work really well together, and it’s easy to fall in love with her.
CE: And you really feel bad for Fitz, still being in love with Olivia, even though he's married and it's really not something he should be feeling.
TG: It’s impossible. It’s an impossible situation, and that’s what makes it great and that’s what people will have to see. One of the great things about it is Shonda puts us in extreme conflict with one another. So, you have those two opposite forces constantly battling each other, and there’s so much that happens. All Fitz wants to do is have Olivia talk to him and be able to have her see him and understand the truth of his situation, and her unwillingness to do that and the assumptions that she makes make it really, really difficult. That thing — that opposition and that undeniable kind of magnet that thing that they have together — just constantly plays out in different ways, and creates more and more problems.
CE: As we get into the home stretch of this first season, can you give me any hints or spoilers?
TG: I don’t want to give anything away but I can say that, in my opinion, every episode gets better than the last one. Whatever you think you know, you’re wrong. It gets really complicated. The last couple of episodes, particularly, just rock. They’re like a roller-coaster ride. It’s really fun.
Q and A: Week of May 7
Q: I am so hooked on “Scandal,” the new midseason show on ABC, and I am especially glad to see Tony Goldwyn in a strong supporting role. How is he liking his new role as president of the United States? — Tina W., AtlantaA: Like you, I love “Scandal,” so I jumped at the opportunity to speak with Tony about his new role. He told me: “First of all, turning down the role of the president of the United States is difficult. That’s going to be an interesting character, but particularly I knew that with Shonda Rhimes writing a president that he’d be a pretty interesting president. The script was really well written and just a great recipe for really good storytelling.
“As an actor, I felt like these gifts kept being dropped in my lap. I’m really grateful to Shonda for involving me; each episode, I couldn’t believe the stuff that I was getting to do. By the end of the season, it gets really interesting.” Check back here later today to read my entire interview with Tony, where he gives inside info about what to expect by season’s end.
Q: One of my favorite screen actors of all time is Anthony Hopkins. What can I see him in next? — Jared G., via e-mail
A: Presently, Anthony is filming “Hitchcock,” a movie about “Psycho,” “Rear Window” and “Birds” director Alfred Hitchcock. Unless you want to wait until 2013 for the movie, Google “Anthony Hopkins Hitchcock” to see the eerily true-to-life transformation of the enigmatic actor to the horror auteur through the magic of makeup and prosthetics. The film also stars Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Beal, and definitely on my must-see list for 2013.
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| Crystal Allen |
A: Brandon has a new movie coming out May 18, which is quite a departure from portraying the Man of Steel. Brandon stars in “Crooked Arrows,” about a reluctant coach who takes on a Native American lacrosse team. I spoke with Crystal Allen, who plays Brandon’s love interest in the film, and she told me: “Brandon’s character, Joe, and I were high-school sweethearts. I give him a hard time. I challenge him throughout the movie. Brandon is such a nice guy, and he’s got such a presence on film. He just really shines and he’s really moving. He was great to work with.” Read our entire chat right here next week.
Q: How is Guiliana Rancic doing after beating breast cancer last year? — Audrey T., via e-mail
A: Guiliana, who beat breast cancer after undergoing a successful double mastectomy last year, is expecting a baby — via surrogate — with husband Bill. The baby, who is due later this year, is genetically Guiliana and Bill’s; however, due to Guiliana’s health issues, they decided to go with a surrogate to make sure the baby has a greater chance to be carried to full term.
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