Interview: Nicollette Sheridan's Honeymoon
You can’t mention Nicollette Sheridan without thinking of her most recent alter ego, Edie Britt of “Desperate Housewives.” However, when you watch Nicollette in her new Hallmark Channel movie, “Honeymoon for One” — which premieres Saturday, Aug. 13 at 9/8c — Edie will be the furthest thing from your mind. In “Honeymoon,” Nicollette plays Eve Parker, a woman scorned who decides to travel to Ireland on what would have been her honeymoon. Along the way, she discovers love in the form of the breathtaking countryside, a sweet preteen named Kathleen, and a handsome (and irksome) outdoorsman named Sean. Celebrity Extra: What brought you to the Hallmark Channel, and to this movie in particular, “Honeymoon for One”?
Nicollette Sheridan: First of all, I really liked the character and I liked the movie. Hallmark is making beautiful movies that everyone can watch. And at times, they are dealing with slightly edgy material, so Hallmark has come a long way. And I do love that their movies are something the whole family can watch.
CE: Tell me about your character, Eve.
NS: Eve is hiding from herself and her intimate relationship by immersing herself in her work. I think a lot of people are guilty of that, and when something traumatic happens, she is forced to look at her life and make huge changes. And as we know, your career doesn’t wrap itself around you at night, and keep you safe and sound. Being present and being aware, and having a life filled with love, friendship and trust does. When you reach outside yourself and you do for others, it enriches many more lives, including your own. And that’s what I really liked about her journey.
CE: What were some of the aspects of her character that you could relate to or that you were really proud of?
NS: Well, she’s a very kind person, and she means well. Then again, she really needs to pull her head out of the sand and see what’s going on around her. And she’s a strong character. I like that she’s not a victim. It’s very difficult to go through a relationship breakup. Especially when somebody cheats on you, and though these things are very painful in her life, the outcome is a much better path.
CE: It’s very exciting and brave of her to go off on her own to a foreign country to clear her head and decide what she wants to do with her life.
NS: And it’s very out of character for her to do something like that, but her friends urge her to go. When she does, it’s very awkward at first, but she transcends all of that.
CE: What was Greg Wise, who played Sean, like to work with?
NS: Greg is a fantastic actor, and he’s very playful. We had a lot of fun shooting this film.
CE: And the location was just gorgeous! Where did you film, and what was the actual filming like?
NS: It was just stunning. We were in the most beautiful places. And I’d never been to Ireland, and coming from England myself, you have that expansive countryside, but it’s a much wilder feel in Ireland. I loved it over there. And of course I’ve been riding since I was a tiny little thing, and so for me to be out there and belting across the countryside on that white horse was heaven for me. It was just breathtaking over there. People are so nice and warm and friendly, and I’m looking forward to going back when I don’t have to work so I can really explore the country.
CE: A movie of yours that I absolutely loved you in was “Noises Off!” Do you hope to do some slapstick comedy like that again? Everyone in that movie was absolutely brilliant and I know you’re good at comedy. You’re good at the romance and the drama, but I just loved you in the slapstick, physical comedy. NS: Thank you. That was a very special movie. It had an incredible cast, and we would all convene at a roundtable in the morning, and everybody would tell stories and just share in a way that I’d never experienced on a set before. Basically we rehearsed it as a play. And then when we were ready to start shooting, we would shoot eight pages at a time, all in one shot. It was pretty demanding, physically, because as you remember, we were up and down the stairs and all the backstage business. The outtakes from that film were hilarious. I do love physical comedy as well as drama, so hopefully there will be a bit of everything to come.
CE: What are your thoughts on all these remakes that seem to be happening? I know TNT is doing a remake of “Dallas.”
NS: I know! I just saw an ad for it. It looked exciting. There was a nostalgia that came with seeing the ad for the show, and I think the music and those faces that are so familiar to so many people … I think there is something comforting about it. And it looks exciting! You’ve got all those colorful characters, and I’m sure they are all going to do an incredible job with it.
Larry Hagman looked great and Patrick Duffy, and I noticed that Brenda Strong, who was Mary Alice on “Housewives,” is in it. I’m thrilled for her, because she’s a beautiful actress and one of the loveliest human beings that I know.
CE: If they decided to do a “Knots Landing” remake, would you be on board, or would you say, “Good luck, but my time on ‘Knots Landing’ has passed”?
NS: I haven’t heard about anyone speaking of doing that. I think that “Dallas” was a lot flashier than “Knots Landing.” “Knots Landing” was really the down-home, simpler, more-pained version. Just very real people going through real situations, but I haven’t heard if they are interested in remaking that.
CE: I know you’re involved with a lot of charities, especially animal charities. Can you tell me a bit about them?
NS: It’s always wonderful to place animals in homes, because there are so many unwanted furry friends that need a beautiful family to go to. So, that’s something that I like to help with. Also, I got involved with Guide Dogs for the Blind. It is such a wonderful gift to be able to pair up somebody in need with a set of eyes and a companion. That was a very fulfilling thing to be a part of.
Recently, there is this charity called Ride On that is with horses. It’s for the disabled — both physically and mentally, adults and children — and just through the love that you get through working with and riding horses. It’s an incredibly healing experience and gives them a sense of accomplishment to be able to ride and to be able to bond in that fashion. I’m going to have a little bit more free time coming up, so I’m actually going to get to be more hands-on with the people and the horses. Animals are such a gift.
Paul Stanley and Wife Erin Welcome Baby Girl
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| Paul, Erin, Evan, Colin and Sarah |
August 9, 2011 – A star (child) has been born to Paul Stanley, the iconic front-man and founder of the legendary band KISS, and his wife Erin, a successful Los Angeles attorney. Emily Grace Stanley, who weighed 7lb. and 10 oz., was born August 9, 2011, in Los Angeles.
The new princess of the KISS Army will join sister Sarah Brianna, 2, and brothers Colin Michael, 4, and Evan Shane, 17.
“Erin and I are once again blessed with the addition of Emily Grace to our family,” Stanley said. “I’m not sure she can sing but her first screams let me know she’s definitely Daddy’s Girl.”
Q and A: Week of Aug. 8
CORRECTION: It was recently reported in this column (as well as many other entertainment columns) that Mariska Hargitay would be in only 13 episodes of this coming season’s “Law and Order: SVU.” Well, I am happy to amend that report with news from the Big Guy himself: Showrunner and executive producer Warren Leight contacted me to dispel the rumor. He told me: “Mariska will be in all 22 ‘SVU’ episodes this season. Rumor she is leaving at 13 just wrong.” With Christopher Meloni’s Detective Stabler leaving, it’s a relief to learn Mariska’s Detective Benson will be sticking around.Q: It seems like every other year, there is a rumor that “Jurassic Park 4″ is going to made. But so far, no movie. Will it ever happen? — Paul G., Miami
A: All signs point to “yes.” Producer/director Steven Spielberg told a crowd of enthusiastic sci-fi fans at last month’s San Diego Comic-Con fan convention that there will be another “Jurassic Park,” and it might be only two to three years away. Steven said that he has a story and a screenwriter ready to go for the fourth movie of the dinosaur-clone series, and Steven himself will serve as producer.
Q: I really love MTV’s new teen comedy, “Awkward.” The actor who plays Matty looks really familiar. Can you tell me what else I might have seen him in recently? — Cara D., via e-mail
A: Beau Mirchoff, 21, plays Matty, the nice-guy jock with a heart — and it appears he also has a thing for our heroine, Jenna. You might remember Beau from “Heartland,” or from his turn as Drea de Matteo’s son on “Desperate Housewives.”
Of his year on “DH,” Beau told me: “I learned so much from all the people on that set. They are pros, and they know what they’re doing. I learned a lot from Jeffrey Nordling, who played my father, and Drea de Matteo, who was my mother. I had a big crush on Drea. I hope it didn’t read on camera. That would have been creepy.”
Playing a teen on “Awkward.” has Beau remembering his own awkward time in high school: “Everything seems like such a dire situation. Like it’s the last time you’ll be able to do something. Or it’s the end of the world if you can’t go out with that girl. But it’s really not, and it’s so insignificant looking back. But you’re growing up and you’re figuring things out.”
Q: I was so sad to hear about the passing of singer Amy Winehouse. Do authorities know what caused her death? — Grant D., via e-mail
A: Toxicology reports will probably take weeks to get back, so it might be a while before we know what killed the troubled songstress, who was only 27 when she passed away on July 23. Amy had publicly battled addiction, but police say there were no signs of drug or paraphernalia in her home at the time of her death.
Interview: Russell Ferguson Wants to Change How We See Dancing
Russell Ferguson captured America's heart, as well as the sixth season's "So You Can Think You Can Dance" trophy, when he burst onto the scene in 2009. I caught up with Russell recently to discuss life after "SYTYCD," as well as the fact that now you can see Russell and his co-competitors competing on the dance-contest show all over again on Ovation beginning tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT. (Check ovationtv.com for a complete schedule.) Celebrity Extra: Have you wanted to dance for as long as you can remember, or is there a moment when you realized, "Hey, I want to be a dancer."
Russell Ferguson: Good question. That has always stuck with me from the beginning. The furthest I can remember back, I was like 3. I remember my mother asking me in the kitchen what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I had always said an artist and a dancer. And it’s just stuck with me ever since. I think I was born into it honestly. I remember dancing all my life, whether it was just in the street or in a dance class.
CE: When did you start training?
RF: I started when I was 5. I was in a nonprofit dance company called Boston City Lights. Inner-city kids would just go there and learn how to do choreography, and then you would join the company after you got a certain amount of training. We would do shows around Boston. I guess I was always in that kind of setting, so I always had experience picking up different professional techniques and stuff like that.
CE: What made you decide to even audition for "SYTYCD"?
RF: Honestly, it was my mother. I was in college. I was doing a year at the University for the Arts, and it was basically get a degree in that or be a part of a dance company, where you would be set but you wouldn’t really make a name for yourself, and you would be part of a company. I wasn’t really a big fan of school — but I DO encourage kids to stay in school. But I was much more focused on dancing.
Once the auditions came to Boston, my mother said, “Hey, this is your time.“ She just felt it. She called me and said: “I’ve got the papers, and I really think you should audition. Even if you don’t make it, I really feel like you should just go. I feel like if you make it, you’re gonna win. This is your time.”
And I was like: “I don’t know. I don’t know about the whole Hollywood thing. But then I just though, Why not? If I get in, I get in. If I don’t, I don’t.”
CE: The whole process must have been excruciating — I figure you are constantly rehearsing, learning, dancing, all that.
RF: You could easily be fooled that it’s all just lots of fun by watching it on TV. But if you don’t know how to discipline yourself during certain situations or if you don’t know how to be professional during certain situations, it’s hard to get past certain things. And a reality show could really break you, a competition like that, because 24/7 you’re under pressure. Cameras are in your face, and when you’re just used to performing for the love of it, it’s hard to be on stage and focus on things like, "OK, this camera is going to be shooting your face up close at this time."
It’s hard to focus on things like that when you’re trying to please the crowd. So, things like that could really take away from the love of it. But, if you know why you’re there and you’ve got your head on straight, then you know you can make it through anything. You’ve just got to have faith in whatever you believe in.
CE: Sounds like it's really stressful!
RF: Oh, man! It’s definitely a stressful process. Friends are going home and friends are crying. Everybody is wondering, “Is it gonna be me next?” You just never know. Some of the best people were getting kicked off, and we were just like, “Wow!”
All that was going through my head was, “As long as you do everything that you need to do perfectly, there’s nothing that can go wrong. And if you do go wrong, hey, then you know you’ve done your best.” I wasn’t focused on trying to go home like that. My whole thing was, “I’m not saying I’m gonna beat everybody, but I am gonna say that I’m not going home.” Which is pretty much the same thing, but it’s more humble of a mentality.
CE: That's an optimistic, half-glass-full way to look at competing with friends. What else did you take away from the competition?
RF: I really learned that no matter how my body is feeling, my spirit takes over. Another reason that I did this competition was to prove to myself that I was as good of a dancer as a felt I was. And I was like, “This is gonna prove that.” It almost felt like one big battle.
CE: What kind of doors did this open for you and your dancing career?
RF: God has just been blessing me! Right after that, I got to perform at the Academy Awards. I’ve been teaching pretty much everywhere around the country — from Virginia to Utah to Washington to Cali. And I’m in an upcoming film called “Battlefield America” that’s gonna be coming out pretty soon, probably at the end of next year. It’s definitely like the next big dance movie coming out. It has a lot of youth in it, and it basically revolves around the youth and how they get down. It’s gonna be real big.
CE: Now that you know the outcome of your season of "SYTYCD," are you excited about getting the chance to watch them all again?
RF: I haven’t even watched every episode myself, so to watch that would definitely be an experience. I am looking forward to it.
CE: Tell me about your dance company, Side Street.
RF: Side Street is a company that I came up with. We’re trying to grab some youth and make positive things. We’ve got different projects. We’re seeking to teach and establish a program where we can go around and perform everywhere, and get it on Broadway, hopefully. That’s what we’re really striving for. The opportunity that "SYTYCD" gave me, I’m trying to take advantage of it.
CE: What are your long-term goals and plans for yourself and your career?
RF: Right now I’m trying to be like a spider. I’m trying to be everywhere. I definitely want to kick hard into the movie industry, because that has always been a passion of mine. One of my goals is to do what Michael Jackson did and put dancing on film — the way it should be, the way it used to be. There are not really a lot of people out there with those kinds of motives. They’ve kind of just conformed to everything that’s going on, because they know it’s going to get that kind of hype.
I feel like stuff that’s on YouTube should be on TV. There should be sitcoms with dancing in it! I feel like the Disney Channel and "Glee" are cool, but let’s get even more in depth with the dancing. I just feel that dance is at a point right now where it’s evolved tremendously, and it has to be seen in the light that a lot of other arts are seen. That’s my goal. I know, it’s real big!
Q and A: Week of Aug. 1
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| Noah Wyle, photo by Ken Woroner |
A: You can bet your sweet bippy that TNT has renewed cable’s No. 1 new series for another season. The alien-invasion saga, which airs Sundays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), also stars Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton and Drew Roy, and is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg. TNT has ordered 10 episodes for the second season, which will air summer 2012.
Q: I just saw a preview for the remake of “Dallas,” which excites me to no end. I was wondering if any of the other older nighttime soaps have plans for a remake, like “Falcon Crest” or “Knots Landing”? — Diedre D., via e-mail
A: So far, no plans are in the works, but of course, you can never say never. I spoke with Nicollette Sheridan recently, who co-starred as Paige Matheson in the sudster “Dallas” spinoff, and she told me: “I haven’t heard of anyone speaking about doing that. I think ‘Dallas’ was always flashier than ‘Knots Landing.’
“‘Knots Landing’ was a down-home, simpler, more-pained version. Very real people going through very real situations. But so far, no, I haven’t heard of any plans for doing that.” For now, you can catch Nicollette in the Hallmark Channel original movie, “Honeymoon for One,” which premieres Saturday, Aug. 13.
Q: I’ve seen commercials for a new police drama on Lifetime, but I didn’t catch the name of the show. Could tell me about it? — Derek F., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A: You’re thinking of “Against the Wall,” which is part police procedural, part family drama. It centers on a family of Chicago police officers, and stars Rachael Carpani, Brandon Quinn, Treat Williams and Kathy Baker. The show airs Sundays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT).
I spoke with Brandon Quinn, who plays Richie Kowalski, about the show: “The folks at Lifetime are really trying to re-identify themselves, and this show is definitely unlike anything else they have right now. It’s going to put them on the map. I’m really proud of this show. I would stack it up against any other show on network television right now.”
Q: I absolutely love the series “Bored to Death.” I read somewhere that Ted Danson is leaving the show to star in another show. Please tell me this isn’t true! — Hadley F., via e-mail
A: What you heard is only half-true. Ted is indeed going to star in another show; however, he won’t leave “Bored to Death.” He will remain a series regular on the HBO comedy that also stars Zach Galifianakis and Jason Schwartzman, and is slated to return for its third season this fall. Ted also has joined the cast of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” where he’ll play the new supervisor for the Las Vegas CSI team. “CSI” returns for its 12th season Sept. 21.
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