Review of ‘The Vampire Diaries’ – A Few Good Men

Abandonment and rejection fuel the festering seeds of self-doubt and self-destruction

For a television series with so little regard about the necessity of parental figures in the lives of the teenagers roaming the countryside — without parental supervision, curfews or rules to live by — this week’s episode offered insight, reveals and even more questions about those missing parental figures. Typically, the famous question is “who’s your daddy?” But in Mystic Falls, it is much more important to know “who’s your mommy?”

This week it was all about the infamous missing mothers: the women who bore the heroes we know and love – and sometimes fear — and sometimes fear for. Now that the crypt has been opened, it is the mother-figures who are the catalyst of a new era of mystery. First and foremost, there is Katherine (Nina Dobrev), the figurative-mother of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) — and possibly Pearl (Kelly Hu), Anna (Malese Jow), and Harper (Sterling Sulieman). Then there is Isobel (Mia Kirshner), Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) birth mother and Alaric’s (Matt Davis) wife. She too figures prominently in the mysterious goings on in Mystic Falls. And last but not least, was the introduction of Kelly (Melinda Clarke), Matt (Zach Roerig) and Vicki’s (Kayla Ewell) wandering mother, who returned quite unexpectedly.

Like Damon who had diligently searched for a way to rescue his beloved Katherine, Elena too embarked on a journey to find her birth mother. While Damon sought to drown his sorrows over his abandonment and rejection by Katherine – after all she let him believe that she was dead for 145 years – Elena embraced the challenge of locating and learning more about Isobel.

What Worked

It was revealing when Damon referred to Elena by lazily asking Stefan, “Where did our girlfriend go?” Damon clearly resents Stefan’s protective mothering instincts, and finds ways to needle him whenever given the chance. It is to Stefan’s credit that he did not rise to the bait. His confidence that he has nothing to worry is very appealing. It also belies his true strength: he knows he has not been rejected by the woman he loves — but Damon was.

And Damon is clearly not dealing well with the revelation that Katherine was not in the tomb. He parties like there is no tomorrow, drowning his sorrows, claiming it is his way of dealing with his “loss.” What loss?! It was rejection and abandonment, plain and simple. Damon is obviously very angry over the fact that Katherine was not in the tomb waiting to be rescued by him. What kind of person is Katherine to have let him believe such a lie for nearly 150 years?! What kind of monster is she? For, as we have seen, even vampires have feelings. Katherine displays a deep level of moral depravity by toying with Damon’s affections and then to tossing him aside like his was trash. Katherine epitomizes what it means to exhibit callous disregard, remorseless and a depraved heart. It is thought-provoking wondering if Katherine’s actions reflect fear, rage or pure indifference. What is it about that tomb or Mystic Falls that terrifies her so much? Is it because that is where she let her guard down and opened her heart? Was it because she felt an inkling of humanity again and she rejected it so strongly that she had to run away?

Thus, when Damon dismissively said, “I spent the last 145 years with one goal: to get in that tomb. I succeeded – granted, Katherine wasn’t in there to be rescued. . . It is so liberating not having a master plan, because I can do whatever the hell I want,” we knew this was not how he truly felt. It was far more revealing when he quietly acknowledged, “Nothing is important anymore.” A broken-hearted, rejected and abandoned vampire is a dangerous thing. If anything, 145 years of planning, strategizing and manipulating has made Damon the worst kind of enemy for Katherine to have – for hell hath no fury like a spurned lover.

Seeing Damon in such obvious pain, Elena rationalized, “Maybe this heart-ache will be good for him. It will remind him he has one – even if it doesn’t beat.” But as Elena later found out, Damon is never quite what he appears to be. Upon discovering that he was the vampire who may have killed her mother, Elena angrily said, “Just when I was thinking there was something redeemable about you.” Damon was shocked by her accusation, and even more so, when Elena sneered, “Go ahead, reminisce about how you killed her,” and stalked off.

While Elena was ultimately wrong about her assumptions about what happened to Isobel, it was Alaric who took the brunt of the pain after hearing from Damon that Isobel had sought him out to be turned. Damon said, “She came to me – all pathetic, looking for vampires. . . I turned her because she begged me to — but I guess you knew that too.” Damon tried to cushion the pain by sharing, “This is a shame. We’re kindred spirits – abandoned by the women we love. Unrequited love sucks.” It was further revealing that, after Damon stabbed Alaric and watched him die, Damon looked thoughtful, remorseful, lonely and even a bit lost. It is not often that his past comes back to haunt him deep into his soul – and from the look on his face, he may still have one.

Later when Stefan came to deal with Damon’s mess and found Alaric still alive, they were both surprised. That was when Alaric recalled what Isobel had said when she gave him the ring, “Promise me you’ll always wear it. It will protect you from all the things that go bump in the night.” Isobel may not have been the best wife, but she left one last token of her love to protect Alaric even when she could not. That she felt the need to protect him and, possibly Elena, belies someone who cares much more than she wants anyone to know. For she had also carefully set in place a way to protect Elena as well, though it seemed so much more ominous as it played out.

It was very cool feeling the crackling suspense when Elena went to visit Trudie (Amanda Detmer) — both not knowing if the other was a vampire.  As they danced around the white elephant between them, it was intriguing to see Elena notice that Trudie not actually invited her in and that there was vervain in the tea.  The danger was palpable and spine-tingling.  It felt downright Hitchcockian – especially with the dark stranger lurking outside.

On a separate note, the addition of Melinda Clarke as Matt and Vicki’s mother was fantastic. While some viewers will best remember her playing the humorously flawed Julie Cooper on “The O.C.,” others may recall she played Lady Heather on “CSI.” With her grand entrance interrupting Matt and Caroline’s moment in flagrante and her boozy tendencies, one may mistake her character as a version of Julie Cooper, but it will be a delight to see if some of Lady Heather’s darker-side comes to the surface. It was also a huge plus that she was not brought in for just one episode just to be unceremoniously killed-off like so many other guest stars. It has been tiring with the revolving door of familiar faces used simply to quickly engage the viewers’ emotions. It would be nice if the guest stars were given a chance to grow a bit in their characters and serve more than a quick vampire-snack on the show.

It was also cool when Matt called his mom on her behavior towards Caroline (Candice Accola). When Kelly flippantly said, “So blonde’s the new flavor of the month? So sorry I scared her off,” Matt calmly replied, “She’s not a flavor. I like her.” And when Kelly asked, “So, she’s the one,” Matt admitted, “No, probably not, but maybe.” It is good to see Matt standing behind his own choices and acknowledging the possibility that there may be a future with Caroline. It was also nice that he remembered to ask about Vicki. It is reassuring that someone is still wondering where Vicki is. Plus, in addition to standing up for his relationship with Caroline and remembering Vicki, Matt had the gumption to press his mom about why she had returned to Mystic Falls. Then, when she admitted it was because she too had been rejected and abandoned and asked Matt to not leave her, Matt was quick to reassure her, “I’m not going anywhere.” Such decisiveness, ready support and concern for the women in his life makes Matt one of the more responsible and sexiest men on the show.

The growing tenderness between Jenna (Sara Canning) and Alaric is also very romantic. Such as the scene when Jenna was hanging up the most eligible bachelor raffle sign and she teased him, “In this town, fundraising is like indentured servitude. Besides, you’re a bachelor and you’re eligible — so there you go” and, before she could say anything more, Alaric bent down and softly kissed her. Even after Jenna had to break the unsettling news that his dead wife may be Elena’s birth mother, the tenderness between the two was palpable. Jenna’s quiet anguish as she said, “I can’t believe I’m going to do this . . . I’m totally going to ruin this moment,” followed by Alaric’s soft reply, “She never told me,” was deliciously touching. They are sharing more than mutual attraction. They are sharing in their mutual pain over being caught in a difficult situation. The lingering looks they later shared at the bar only made their star-crossed love feel that much more real.

It should also be noted that Damon’s wicked humor continues to delight as he quipped out lines like calling Stefan “Buzzkill Bob” or asking Sheriff Forbes (Marguerite MacIntyre), “Have you ever been so bent on someone – just to have your heart ripped out by them?” To which she replied, “You forget, I was married” and Damon merely smiled and said, “Right – gay husband.”

What Didn’t Work

Not sure what to think of the newest vamp, Harper. He was polite enough by apologizing to the hiker he attacked. But what kind of wild animal takes a person’s clothes after attacking them and then throws away the cellphone? Seemed very sloppy of Harper to have left the hiker in such an obvious state that screamed vampire-attack.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

‘A Few Good Men’ was written by Brian Young and directed by Joshua Butler. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ stars Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Katerina Graham, Michael Trevino, Zach Roerig, Sara Canning, Matthew Davis and Marguerite MacIntyre. ‘The Vampire Diaries’ airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.

From “Alien” to “District 9” – Does Cinematic Portrayals of Extraterrestrial Life Live Up to Our Expectations?

Throughout film and television, sci-fi writers and visionaries have struggled to portray intelligent extraterrestrial life. Having not yet seen any, we simply cannot envision what it would look like. We may guess, dream and fantasize, but in actuality we have no idea how non-humanoids would appear. So this article will illustrate several classic examples of extraterrestrials (a.k.a. “aliens”) and whether they lived up to our expectations.

Of all of the shows currently on television only 5 actually depict alien life: “V,” “Stargate Universe,” “Doctor Who,” “Torchwood” and “Smallville.” While “V” and “Smallville” are limited to depictions of a single non-human species (the reptilian Visitors and Kryptonians), “Stargate Universe,” “Doctor Who,” and “Torchwood” cover a larger array of alien life forms. (It is debatable whether any true alien life has been portrayed on “Caprica” yet, which mostly consists of humans inhabiting other planets and man-made machines and computer-generated avatars.)

Then, of the 2009 theatrical films, only “Avatar,” “District 9,” “Transformers,” “Star Trek,” “Race to Witch Mountain” and “Outlander” depicted non-terrestrial life forms. (Not including animated films.) “Avatar” had the Na’vi; “District 9” had the Prawns; “Transformers” had alien robots; “Star Trek” prominently featured the Vulcan and Romuluans; “Race to Witch Mountain” had a couple of kids from an unidentified planet; and “Outlander” had the monstrous Morween.

Looking at just these most recent examples, it is hard to say how we truly view extraterrestrial life. We clearly have not seen it yet and, as a result, our imaginations have run away with the unlimited possibilities. To help distinguish the categories we have come up with to depict alien life, here is a list: humanoid (Catpeople, Ewoks, Klingons, Kryptonians, Ood, Na’vi, Predators, Sontarans, Time Lords, Weevils, Wraith, and Wookies); insectoid/arachnid (Bugs like in “Starship Troopers”, Prawns like in “District 9”); reptilian/amphibian/aquatic (Draconians, Judoon, Predators, Slitheen, Silurians); parasites/symbiots (xenomorph like in “Aliens” and black oil like in “The X-Files”); robotic/mechanical (Borg, Cybermen, Cylon, Daleks, Replicators, Transformers); rodent (Tribbles); and ancient/primordial (the Ancients like in “Stargate”).

Looking back at the most influential sci-fi films of the past 40 years, the most glaring examples of alien encounters have been in: “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “The Abyss,” “Alien,” “Avatar,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “Contact,” “District 9,” “E.T.,” “War of the Worlds,” “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” “Independence Day,” “Men In Black,” “Predator,” “Species,” “Star Trek,” “Star Wars,” “Stargate,” “Starship Troopers,” “Superman,” and “Transformers.” This is not a comprehensive list, but these are the most easily recalled films that shaped our perception of how alien life-forms would appear. It is notable that several of these films simply chose to not show what aliens would look like, such as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “The Abyss,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Contact,” “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” “Star Trek,” “Stargate,” “Superman.” Instead, we only saw aliens appearing in human form or not shown at all. Utilizing this method of appearance tends to feel more realistic to viewers as we feel more comfortable being addressed or greeted by alien life in a familiar body or form.

Therefore, it is interesting that several other key sci-fi films actually chose to create alien races, such as: “Alien,” “Avatar,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “District 9,” “E.T.,” “War of the Worlds,” “Independence Day,” “Men In Black,” “Predator,” “Species,” “Star Wars,” “Starship Troopers,” and “Transformers.” These films did not wish to be constrained by the expectation of aliens looking just like us. They wanted to stretch the fabric of storytelling and paint a picture of new life forms – alien life from somewhere beyond Earth. In “Alien,” we were introduced to parasitic alien life, the kind that can inhabit a human host during gestation, which were subsequently reintroduced in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “Species.” In “Avatar,” there was the Na’vi, the 10 foot tall blue people. “District 9” introduced the Prawns, insectoid aliens. “E.T.” portrayed the
lovable little extraterrestrial befriended by a boy. In “War of the Worlds,” there were the gigantic robots inhabited by tiny aliens. “Independence Day” had alien creatures similar to those portrayed in “Predator.” “Men In Black” had all kinds of bizarre alien life. “Star Wars” had a vast array of aliens including Wookies and Ewoks. “Starship Troopers” had bugs. And “Transformers” had alien robots.

All in all, filmmakers and television creators have taken delight and liberty in envisioning what non-Earthlings would look like. For the most part, we as the audience sitting in a movie theater or watching a television show are open-minded to all the possibilities and artistic license. Particularly for those fully immersed in the sci-fi realm who are used to the parade of aliens throughout epic films and television series such as “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood.” Because sci-fi fans are also very accepting of the idea that not everyone feels comfortable trying to portray something not yet seen and that aliens may come to us in human appearance, we forgive the lazy or hesitant filmmaker. But are sci-fi fans as forgiving and understanding to filmmakers who dare to unveil their idea of what alien life looks like? From my own perspective, sci-fi fans are tolerant, but not always understanding.

One glaring example from television was the short-lived series “Defying Gravity.” I know I was extremely surprised when they finally revealed the entity known as Beta, as well as a bit shocked. The name alone should have been an indicator of what to expect, but in hindsight it was rather startling to find out that Beta was a square glowing cube approximately the size of a football, which looked more like a futuristic version of a Rubik’s cube than a form of advanced alien life. It was a clever idea that, in the entirety of the universe advanced beings, alien life could be made up of pure fractals; but, it sure made it hard to relate to when watching it on the television screen. It resembled an advanced computer more than an alien life form. It was also eerily reminiscent of “Battlestar Galactica’s” Cylon technology, which had ultimately evolved from integration of human cells surrounding Cylon computer interface. Was Beta truly anything like
an “alien,” or was it more computer-like?

So this led to the analysis of whether our expectation of what “aliens” should look like is reasonable: Should aliens appear in humanoid form, creature form or parasite form? Should alien life be confined to a body at all? Could it be more of an unseen collective consciousness? In reality, alien life could be all of these things – we simply do not know yet. But as far as portrayals in film and television, is it “alienating” to portray “aliens” so simplistically as a glowing cube?

When pulling back the curtain we have heightened expectations that aliens will be more intriguing and interesting than anything we have seen before. As a sci-fi fan, I love discovering new life and all its wondrous possibilities. When the first alien jumped out of the chest in “Alien,” I screamed with equal parts horror and delight. It was both disgusting and fascinating. Then in “Aliens” when we saw the mother alien, my blood ran colder. It was bone-chillingly awesome. Perhaps no other alien incarnation in film and television has been so persuasively foreign to everything we know and perhaps want to know. Even the Predator could not invoke such awe. Seeing the Prawns of “District 9,” while not as purely evil in appearance, still brought the wonder of what intelligent, foreign extraterrestrial life will look like when encountered.

Will sci-fi aliens of our future be humanoid like depicted in “Avatar,” insect-like like in “District 9,” or will they actually be more fractal-like as shown in “Defying Gravity”? Without actually encountering extraterrestrial life and seeing for ourselves, it remains perplexing and challenging to envision it. Let us all hope that one day, if and when we do have such an “alien encounter,” that it lives up to our heightened expectations.

An Evening with ‘Castle’ at the Paley Center (2010)

In celebration of the ABC television series Castle, the Paley Center hosted an evening recognizing the cast, writers and producers with a special screening and Q&A panel on March 16th at its Beverly Hills location. Attending the panel were cast members Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Molly Quinn, Susan Sullivan, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Tamala Jones, Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever, as well as creator and executive producer Andrew Marlow and executive producer Rob Bowman. Also in attendance was the evening’s moderator Tom Bergeron from Dancing With the Stars, who guest stars in the April 12th episode, “The Late Shaft.”

The evening started with a special screening of the March 22nd episode. The episode entitled “Bang, Bang” is the 1st half of a 2-part episode arc in which special guest star Dana Delany plays an FBI profiler brought in to assist when a Richard Castle fan exhibits a dangerous obsession with Detective Kate Beckett – mistaking her for her alter ego, Nikki Heat. (Fans may recognize Dana Delany as Nathan Fillion’s TV-wife on Desperate Housewives.) Here are your spoilers for that episode: be on the look-out for engraved bullets, pancakes and a taser gun.

When asked about the genesis of the show, creator/executive producer Andrew Marlowe said that he wanted to do a show about a mystery writer who gets involved with real crimes, both helping and hindering with the cases. He also knew from the start that the lead character Richard Castle had to be incredibly charming so that he could say things other people can’t and get away with it. So when Nathan Fillion came in to audition fresh off the set of Desperate Housewives wearing a polo shirt and boldly declared, “Stop looking – I’m this guy!” they were naturally a bit hesitant. But within minutes, they were charmed and absolutely certain that Nathan was Richard Castle. Andrew succinctly put it, “Castle is a guy who is incredibly charming — and that’s not something you can fake.” Executive producer Rob Bowman also noted that Nathan is a guy who you not only want to spend 80 hours a week working with, but who the audience will invite into their home to be a part of their family.

So once they cast Nathan, which was early on in the casting process, they then had a long, extensive search for the actress who could play the role of Kate Beckett. Rob Bowman said that they must have seen over 140 actresses, but once Stana Katic and Nathan tested together, they felt it – the magic ingredient. As Rob said, “Nathan was our tent pole to build around. . . but then [Stana] comes in and . . . it’s lightning in a bottle. . . She was throwing everything back at Nathan. She has a lot of moxie with tons of attitude . . . and we thought ‘we have a show!’” They felt the chills again while filming the pilot episode when, late one night, they saw Stana’s eyes watering as she did a scene. It was at that moment that Rob realized Stana was not just another pretty face and had a whole lot more going on under the surface. It also became obvious that once in the interrogation room, which is essentially Beckett’s room – emotionally, mentally, physically — that Stana owned the room. Stana does not even blink and can stare down more seasoned actors. So to sum up how Rob feels about the show, he gleefully crowed, “I’m actually giddy at the  remarkable coincidences that make up this show – writing, cast AND chemistry!”

From Stana’s perspective, she recalled first meeting Nathan and, when he asked her where she was from, she responded that she was born in Toronto; which prompted Nathan to happily exclaim, “Oh, the center of the universe!” (Nathan is Canadian too). So with that mutual bond from the start, Nathan and Stana have been great working partners ever since. Then, in addition to having the right onscreen partner, Stana acknowledged that a lot of the show’s success is credited to the writing for it allows for that specific “bounce back and forth” dialogue that amplifies the chemistry that draws in the audience.

Molly Quinn said that getting cast as Richard Castle’s daughter Alexis was a dream come true. She  remembered being initially drawn to the amazing script, which she thought was great “for television” (which got some laughs as she tried to blushingly back-track from her faux pas). She also recalled that, after meeting Nathan, she thought, “I just wanted to work with this guy!” She noted that when working with Nathan, “I don’t have to look for anything — it’s just there.” He has made it easy and fun; and, since her own father is back in Texas, working with Nathan is like having a second dad.

Susan Sullivan also chimed in that for her, she was desperate to get the role of Richard Castle’s flamboyant mother especially when a friend told her, “Every diva in New York and Hollywood was circling around that part.” She also recalled that she felt she clinched the audition during a scene with Nathan, when she stood up and Nathan remained sitting. In her mind, a gentleman should never remain sitting while a lady stands, so she immediately waved her arms at Nathan saying, “Up, up, up!” and that bit of impromptu motherly instruction probably showed that she could play Martha perfectly. As Ruben laughingly said about Susan’s performance, “She was very memorable!”

Responding to the question which actor was most like their character on the show, Molly smiled and impishly said, “Nathan is so much like Castle in real life — but less mature.” She also insisted that Susan is much more classy than her character on the show. Seamus tried to claim that he was the most like his character, prompting Jon Huertas to remark, “I like [Seamus] more than I like Ryan – he’s got my back!” With a broad smile, Seamus explained, “Jon and I are as close in real life as we are on the screen. . . I’m helping him install floors [in his house] next week.”

Comparing Nathan to his role as Malcolm Reynolds in Firefly, several of the cast agreed that Nathan is a lot more fun than his Firefly counterpart. Seamus even said, “I think Castle is more like Nathan. He’s not a hard-ass.” Having baited the hook so perfectly, Nathan, unable to resist temptation, naughtily added, “He’s not a hard-ass … with a hard ass!” As everyone laughed, Tamala mischievously admitted, “I have a habit of grabbing Nathan’s butt!” Given the level of laughter this brought, it may be true. Clearly, this cast is a bundle of laughs and hijinks.

Discussing the difference with working with Joss Whedon versus the writers of Castle, Nathan commented that Joss is very word-specific and does not allow for any deviations or changes, but that the writers of Castle are much more flexible. Susan also noted she felt the same difference from her days working on Dharma & Greg, adding, “[Castle ] is right up my alley.” When working an average of 16 grueling hours a day, the cast needs to feel comfortable approaching the writing staff with their ideas and suggestions. And while the writers and producers are open to suggestions, they are free to incorporate or ignore them. Nathan admitted with a broad smile, “I pitch 50 a day!” But for the most part, the writing process is very open-minded and collaborative. Andrew and Rob shared that they typically walk through the story for each episode with the writers, trying to get as much input as possible, and then they all discuss where the characters are in the season and how to best service all the characters. Rob, wanting to acknowledge the writing staff, said “They do a terrific job and deserve a lot of recognition.” And Andrew took a moment to acknowledge the writers present at the panel, including Jose Molina, Moira Kirland, David Grae, Alexi Hawley and Terence Winter. Nathan chimed in, “They come up with the GREATEST ideas!”

The Easter-egg moments that can be found in each episode, like Richard Castle’s Halloween costume which was a nod to Nathan’s role on Firefly, are all credited to the writers who embed them specifically for the fans. Nathan cheekily observed, “We know you guys love it!”

As for the retro-feel of the show, Andrew noted that from his viewpoint, “There’s a lot of shows where you can’t connect with the characters and a lot of darkness.” And in fact, initially, Rob had told him, “If this show is not fun, I’m not interested.” So their primary goal is to have fun. That being said, they have created the kind of cop show that shoots 55 pages in 42 minutes, whereas most shows are only a page a minute. So in order to squeeze it all in, the cast has to talk really fast to make up for it. Or as Rob explained, “In order to jam 55 pages into 42 minutes, they never stop talking!” Because of the tight time constraints, the writers have to know and understand the rhythm of the show, as well as the velocity of it. Ruben then gave shout-outs to Andrew and Rob by observing, “When someone has that vision and then someone executes it – it breeds success in a big way.”

Talking more about the challenges of the fast-pace of their rigorous filming schedule, which can go as long as 16 hours a day for 8 days straight, Nathan explained that he and Stana both employ sneaky ways to aid with their lines. Nathan admitted that sometimes when Richard Castle looks deep in thought towards the ceiling that is where he has taped a sheet of paper with his lines on it, and he teased that there is a reason that Stana’s character Kate Beckett carries so many folders. With the intense pressures to memorize voluminous amounts of lines for each day, these little tricks help them through the long hours. But Andrew was quick to praise Stana who carries the brunt of the heavy dialogue by saying, “Kudos to Stana who has big scenes and always comes prepared.”

Tamala, who plays the medical examiner Lanie, also shared that she too has a bit of difficulty memorizing all the techno-babble required. She was having such a problem one day, that when she finally mastered it, both Stana and Nathan applauded. She ruefully said, “You know why they applauded? Because I always mess up!” But being the supportive team that they are, Stana and Nathan have a lot of patience with her as they understand that every word Tamala says must sound completely authentic. Otherwise, the audience won’t believe it. So despite the shenanigans, it is all about convincing the audience that this world is real and that they get to be a part of it. Which includes Nathan’s willingness to scream like a girl on cue as he happily shared that he likes to “kick the ‘cool’ in the nuts and turn the hero into the goober.” He is game for anything to make the character more believable and endearing.

Upcoming episodes will reveal further character back-stories, including a medical mystery episode for Tamala. Ruben said that, while he is not chomping at the bit for a backstory, he would be happy to step up to be showcased as well. Turning to Ruben, Tamala shared, “He’s so silly. He’s way funnier [than his character].” Which prompted Ruben to smile and teasingly say, “If you look real close, I always have a twinkle in my eye” referring to his scenes on the show.

As to whether they will address Kate Beckett’s life before the death of her mother and her “bad boy” phase, Stana admitted that she would enjoy the challenge and said, “It’s so wonderful to play that side of the character – a softer side.” For Castle, the mystery of who his father is will remain just that for now: a mystery; despite Nathan’s lobbying for Christopher Walken to play the part. As Andrew noted, “Living with the mystery is more interesting.” Which may include Martha’s new boyfriend, Chet — but Susan was optimistic and said she thought we would be meeting Chet soon. Nathan also expressed his desire to see Richard Castle driving the car for once instead of being hauled around by Beckett and he is itching to demonstrate his race-track driving skills in a police cruiser.

When asked why on the DVD commentary for the first season it was noted that some of the scenes for the pilot were filmed in New York, whereas others were filmed in Los Angeles, Andrew explained that they were only allowed to shoot a portion of the pilot before it was picked-up as a series. So they stripped the pilot down to about 30 minutes and it was only after they were green-lit to series that they then added another 12 minutes – and by then, they were in Los Angeles, so they had to make do. Amazingly, Rob is a genius at adding in reverse shots, so they were able to incorporate the newer scenes pretty much seamlessly – though they did admit that there was not much they could do with the noticeable differences between the two police precincts and the differences in the Richard Castle’s lofts. So for those fans who could tell the difference — that explains that mystery.

Finally, commenting on whether there will be a relief in sight for the building sexual tension on the show, Tamala was quick to throw-out, “You mean like between Ryan and Esposito?!” As the laughter died-down, she did note that Jon Huertas was constantly vying for a romance between Lanie and Esposito and had even petitioned his Twitter fans for their support. To which, Jon simply smiled and said, “I think it’s a great idea!” He also confessed about his own Twitter-addiction, “Nathan got me started on Twitter.” Tamala also shared, “I love Twitter! It’s like a direct connection with your fans.” Ruben simply stared incredulously at them and said, “I don’t know how people have time for it.” To which Nathan smugly revealed, “Castle twitters — and he follows ME!” (Stana is also on Twitter.)

But as far as the unresolved sexual tension between Beckett and Castle, Rob explained, “Some bridges once you cross them, can’t be uncrossed. . . .It’s a delicate dance.” He also explained that as far as the characters are concerned, Beckett is simply more sophisticated in the “girl meets boy” chase. Beckett plays Castle the whole time, like in the recent episode involving the S&M club. But the root of the show is that the chase must go on and it’s Beckett who wants to control the pace and the distance of the chase – and from a television standpoint, they need the relationship to develop slowly over 5 years. Even Nathan admitted, “Caution is the word – not too far – too fast.” And Stana observed that for her, “There is nothing sexier than swordplay,” which prompted Nathan to turn and stare in amazement saying, “Wow!” Andrew further noted that “[Beckett and Castle’s] relationship, like any relationship, will be prone to complications.” He also observed that “The engine [of the show] is the tension.” Without it, the show would be just another crime procedural. And as any fan of the show knows, the secret of its success is the sexual tension between Castle and Beckett. No one wants to pop that balloon before its time. (NOTE: For those fans seeking a little wish fulfillment, the 2nd Richard Castle book “Naked Heat” will be released early next fall.)

Rob then said, “The really great thing is everyone’s got each other’s backs. . . and we aim to make the best entertainment possible!” And this is exactly what they have done – Castle is one of the most refreshingly fun detective shows on television that brings entertainment to a whole new level with its sassy attitude, quick quips and ready banter. It has made Monday night television appointment television for a whole new generation of mystery fans.

“Castle” airs Monday nights on ABC at 10/9c.

LINK:  “Comic-Con 2011: Fun candid pictures and video interviews from the CASTLE press room”

Where to find this article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/22/an-evening-with-%e2%80%98castle%e2%80%99-at-the-paley-center/

An Evening with ‘FlashForward’ at the Paley Festival (2010)

For fans of the television show FlashForward, it comes as no surprise to hear the show described as ambitious and addictive. From the very start, the show landed on the television landscape with a “shock and awe” campaign with the premise of a worldwide blackout during which each person saw a vision of their future. It is a show that challenged the viewer to think about the complex struggle of free will versus destiny.

So in recognition of FlashForward, the cast and creators were invited to share an evening of celebration at the Paley Festival on March 11th. Attending the panel were cast members: Joseph Fiennes, Sonya Walger, Jack Davenport, Dominic Monaghan, John Cho, Gabrielle Union, Courtney B. Vance, Christine Woods, Zachary Knighton, Peyton List and Michael Ealy, as well as executive producer Jessika Borsiczky and creator Brannon Braga; and moderating the panel was Craig Tomashoff of TV Guide. (Brian F. O’Byrne was not able to attend as he was filming that evening.)

As a special treat for the audience, 20 minutes of the upcoming 2-hour return premiere of FlashForward which airs March 18th on ABC was shown. The episode “Revelation Zero” did a wonderful job re-introducing the characters and the doomsday-clock counting down to April 29th when each character’s flashforward visions may come true. Revealed in that episode was the significance and value of “future forecasting” which is akin to printing money as would be a priceless resource. Also making cool appearances in the upcoming episode are Gil Bellows (who faithful Ally McBeal viewers may recognize), a window washer given a new chance at life, and Neil Jackson (best known as Sasha Beloff to Make It or Break It fans). As a heads-up to viewers, it should be noted that there was one scene that may upset a few people as it depicts a burning Bible. But trust me when I say the upcoming 2-hour return premiere is a wild, adrenaline-pumping ride and you will not want to miss it.

Talking a little about what to expect for the 2nd half of the season for FlashForward, executive producer Jessika Borsiczky shared that they had already started thinking about ways to adapt the show as it went along, particularly with so many characters and so many layers. So, while they stuck to their overall plan, they have had to adjust to fine-tune the show a bit. Accordingly, coming up in the next 12 episodes (which includes 2-hour return premiere and the 2-hour finale) they aim to have big answers in every episode and to delve deeper into the characters. They will also be accelerating the pacing to help keep their audience engaged. Jessika noted that the show is intended to be a mirror for life in a lot of ways and that the characters are always going to be struggling to find answers and look for meanings behind things. But it will never be completely simple. She also cautioned that for those who think they know the ending because they have read the book, they are in for a surprise. (Michael Ealy, who joined the series later than the rest of the cast, was completely surprised that the show was even based on a book!)

When asked about whether they are worried about having a serialized television show at this particular time, creator/producer Brannon Braga responded, “You can’t go into a show thinking like that.” Jessika also added, “There’s only so much you can control… You can control how big the show is, you can control the vision for the show and getting to work with the people you want to work with. You can’t really go into someone’s house and force them to turn on the TV.” Which prompted Brannon to half-jokingly plead, “Please watch the show and tell all your friends — we are begging you!”

While FlashForward” was originally developed for HBO, ABC was the most passionate about it and vied strongly for it. However, ABC’s tenacity has been a mixed blessing for ABC immediately had heightened expectations that it would become as successful as Lost. So, as Brannon noted, “It’s a double-edged sword. It’s amazing to have ABC’s [strong support] … On the other hand, it’s better to be the ‘come-from-behind underdog.’” He also conceded, “There were a lot of expectations for the show to do extremely well.” Because the show was spotlighted as the next big thing, the advertising was everywhere. However, for those working on the show, they are so deeply involved with filming that it was hard to take notice of the rising tide of total saturation and overwhelming expectations. Sonya Walger did note that she sensed a specialness about show when she was working on the pilot and that she could instinctively feel that it just had the right mix of ingredients. She also shared, “It has that ‘it’ factor … It also has spectacularly great writing.”

Michael Ealy piped in to add that he felt the show was something special when he saw the final scene at the end of the pilot with Suspect Zero was walking around the stadium. And John Cho said he knew that the show was something special once he found out that they were able to get the music rights to the song “Like a Rolling Stone” – for it showed that people were actually backing the show and its vision. Jack Davenport noted that for him, “I love how the concept is huge, but it doesn’t overwhelm everything.” For the show at its core is about the characters who bring it to life.

When asked whether the actors themselves ever stop to consider the weighty themes of the show, most responded that they are too busy learning their lines and working to really think about it. But Dominic Monaghan humorously said, “Those questions are heavy. I don’t know if I want to talk about my belief in God in front of a whole bunch of very charming strangers … I might get ousted — I might never work in this town again!”

As far as casting the show, because FlashForward was the first pilot filmed last year, all the actors were the producer’s first choices. Though Brannon did clarify with a bit of a smile, “Every person we cast was our first choice – except two.” “Well, really one,” Jessika said looking pointedly at Dominic. While Dominic merely grinned broadly, Brannon explained, “We had to beg Dominic to do the show.” To which Dominic happily exclaimed, “Yep!” Dominic also noted that he was pitched an entirely different story for the show, and once he agreed to be on the show, it was a completely rewritten! However, gauging from the beaming expression on his face, he was not very upset about it. Brannon and Jessika both said that, in the end, they just knew that this particular group of actors would work great together. “But the love affair between Courtney and Jack is new!” Jessika teasingly added, making a playful reference to
Courtney B. Vance and Jack Davenport’s outrageous attempts to hijack the panel by slowly rubbing each other’s legs in an attempt to show how much the cast “loves” each other.

When queried how much they actors themselves know about their characters and the show, the actors ruefully admitted that they typically only read their scenes. Additionally, the producers/writers do not want the actors to know too much about their characters as it helps keep the scenes real. As a result, the actors are never sure if they will be around for the next episode and are constantly checking with the writers whether they will still be alive. One good example was Joe saying that when he read the script about his character being the one to murder John Cho’s character, he immediately thought, “I shouldn’t have read that!” Jack Davenport also admitted that once he found out that the pilot script was completely different than the book, in which his character was the main character and that he would only be appearing in 5 seconds of the pilot, he kept rewinding and rewatching that tiny bit just to remind himself that he was actually a part of the show.

When asked what finally persuaded him to take a role in television, Joe said he had always been interested in working in television, and more particularly after he had done a pilot with Ryan Murphy, which unfortunately did not get picked up. But it was at that point he began actively looking into television roles. And once he read the script for FlashForward, he jumped at the chance because he thought it was an audacious premise and just loved the writing. For him, it is all about the writing. He explained that, from his perspective, theatrical film work is entirely too predictable and thus one of the major attractions of television is that the storylines and characters are much more flexible and unpredictable as the writers are free to accentuate a story or character and then pull back as necessary. John Cho also noted that the distance between film and television has become shorter and shorter as the level and quality of writing talent has become higher.

As to whether he is finding it difficult to juggle both a major film career and a television series, John said, “There’s two jobs that I care about and two stories that I care about.” He is clearly delighted to be working on both FlashForward and the Star Trek sequel. He quipped, “It’s so much money…[I’m] trying to jam all the boxes into my car!”

When asked about the differences in filming Lost versus FlashForward, Dominic Monaghan noted that one distinct difference is that one is filmed on an island and he also noted that the characters he plays are vastly different. He felt the character Charlie on Lost was very reactionary and frantic; whereas, Simon on FlashForward just pushes through with his ideas, while using very specific words and physicality. He also noted, “I tend to base the characters I play on animals — and Charlie is kind of a monkey — Simon is a praying mantis — and those animals are very, very different. Whatever job I’m in is kind of where my focus is… [it’s hard] to jump back into something else, which I have done recently with Lost and then to come back into FlashForward.” Sonya Walger also shared that she feels like the character Penny on Lost and Olivia on FlashForward are practically the same — except that Penny is British, which posed a slightly awkward moment when she recently returned to film on Lost. For it was only after she filmed an entire scene that she was told, “You remember Penny’s English, right?” Sonya was pretty mortified, but had to laugh over such a blatant oversight on her part.

During the panel each cast member was asked to either analyze or give some advice to their character on the show, so Courtney assessed that his character Stanford Wedeck is so in-control that he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Jack noted that Lloyd Simcoe is less overwhelmed by the “why’s and wherefore’s” but is entirely guilt-racked and conflicted.

Then Dominic analyzed Simon Campos as arrogant with a one-track mind, who feels no guilt, and who does not feel responsible even if he ultimately were responsible for the black-out. He also noted that even though Simon has lots of issues; therapy would be wasted on him. Dominic shared that his character Simon is so dark that he really struggles to get rid of that feeling at the end of the work day. It is an overwhelmingly dark persona that is hard to shed.

Christine said that she would urge her character Janis Hawk to open up because Janis is too cold and work driven.

Gabrielle said that her character Zoe Adata is like a bad Bridezilla and that she could see Zoe pulling a Weekend at Bernie’s and dragging Demetri’s corpse to their wedding. Gabrielle said she feels that Zoe needs to focus more on the man and not the event. Adding to the comedic revelry of the evening, Gabrielle leaned over to hug her co-star John Cho while impishly saying, “Our characters have formed a love bond.” To which John slyly added, “You know what I’m saying, it’s a sexual bridge!”

As far as his character, John noted that Demetri Noh only sees people as good and bad and that he really needs to learn that there are other categories. Then Joe noted that Mark Benford needs to lighten up and have a drink. (He was just kidding of course!) Michael shared that as to his character, Marshall Vogel, a therapist would only strive to be more like Marshall because Marshall is so fundamentally good at his core. Sonya then commented that Olivia Benford needs a big cry and that is really all she needs. Zach said as far as Bryce, he has a problem simply because his name is “Bryce Varley” and that Bryce needs to hear that there is more to life than girls and to chill out. Finally, Peyton said of her character Nicole Kirby that she needs to live it up because she may not be here forever and life is short.

Returning to the structure of the series, one of the burning questions everyone seemed to want to know about was what was the significance of the April 29th date – the date that everyone saw in their flashforwards – which creator/producer Brannon Braga sheepishly admitted that he chose at random because it sounded cool. Also, in the novel, he explained the flashforwards were set 20 years later and that would not have fit within the time limitations of television.

Then when asked what it was like to work with the kangaroo in the pilot and in the Halloween episode “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps,” Joe said he felt like he wanted to put on a set of boxing gloves and go a round or two with it, but he was not allowed near it. Which prompted Brannon to explain that the kangaroo was actually quite aggressive and they had to keep it on a tight leash so it would not attack Joe. But, mysteriously, the 2nd time they worked with it, the kangaroo was super mellow — so they suspect it was a different kangaroo.

As far as how different it is to film the “flashforwards” versus the regular scenes, Jessika explained that “each flash forward is filmed differently … but in the language of the show.” For example, in Joe’s flashforward, they actually used a different type of camera to create the drunk and disoriented effect. They also used a different vernacular and language so that those scenes are visually different and individualized. Then for Olivia’s vision, they used flares so that the vision was not entirely in focus, making it appear a bit more unusual and soft. Gabrielle also shared that she had not been told that in her flashforward it was a funeral and not a wedding, so when she first filmed the scene she was all happy and hand-waving like a happy bride. It was not until afterwards that they told her that it was actually a funeral and they had to reshoot the entire scene. As for Jack, he is delighted to not have to do anymore flashforward scenes. He laughingly explained, “Shirtless is a two syllable word to the writers — to me it is like 9,000 sit-ups!”

As to what to look for when the series returns, there will be additional appearances by Ricky Jay, Shohreh Aghdashloo, and Seth McFarlane. Jessika cryptically explained, “Ricky Jay plays a big part on the show and I don’t want to say too much about it but he has a really cool part… We’ve now dangled a pretty big mystery about [Shohreh’s character]… I can’t say when or whether it will be this season, but she’s on our come back list.”

Then responding to a fan question about why they elected to use a different building to film the scene in which Agent Gough jumped from the top of the FBI building, they explained that the DWP building they normally use was simply not tall enough for the stuntman, so they had to use another building. But they quickly added that they love filming at the DWP building because it is so beautiful architecturally.

When asked if they read or check-out fan-sites, the actors all said that they don’t, but the producers said that they do, but they watch out for chat-rooms because there is too much conflicting information. Mostly, they just love the immediacy of seeing the fans’ reaction while the show is airing. They had no idea that the show would turn into such a phenomenon. It is not just a show, it is a fan obsession. Additionally, Jessika noted, “It’s fantastic to see that our show triggers a creative impulse in other people.”

As far as the longevity of the show, it really depends on whether the viewers return when the show does. Right now the network is standing strongly behind the show — which is demonstrated by the one-hour clip show which will air Tuesday, March 16th and the 2-hour return premiere episode on Thursday, March 18th. Both episodes do a great job at re-introducing the characters and the story to the television audience. Plus, the remaining 12 episodes (14 hours worth) will build towards a satisfying ending in which most, if not all, the questions will be answered. As for the resolution of this current season, Jessika was quick to reassure that there is a satisfying ending to the first season and concluded with, “We’re anticipating getting to do this for a long time.”

And on that last final positive note, it remains to be seen where the show will go from here or how much longer we will have a chance to enjoy the mysteries it has in store. Be sure to tune in tonight, Thursday, March 18th for the return of FlashForward on ABC.

Where to find this article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/18/an-evening-with-flashforward-at-the-paley-festival/

Christine Woods and Gabrielle Union - (c) Photo by Jennifer Schadel

Spotlight On: ‘Psych’s’ Maggie Lawson

Working steadily since landing her first television appearance in the mid-1990’s, Maggie Lawson has been slyly scene-stealing for the past 15 years. After a string of guest appearances in shows like “Unhappily Ever After,” “Step by Step,” Cybill,” “Boy Meets World,” and “Home Improvement,” she began testing the feature film waters with appearances in the films “I’ve Been Waiting for You” with Sarah Chalke and Markie Post and “Pleasantville” with Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon.

Working around some top notch comedians and drama film stars only continued to shape Maggie into the engaging actress she is today. With a few more quick stops to appear in the cult favorite “Felicity” and the dramatic juggernaut “ER,” Maggie next landed a seven episode arc on the series “Party of Five” starring Matthew Fox (“Lost”) and Scott Wolf (“V”), as well as a role alongside Justin Timberlake in the film “Model Behavior.” With an eye for cool leading men, Maggie continued her lightening streak working on the television series “Inside Schwartz” with Breckin Meyer and a brief appearance in the series “Smallville” with Tom Welling.

Then, in 2002, after landing the lead role in the film “Nancy Drew,” Maggie went on to star in the films “Winter Break” with Milo Ventimiglia, “Spellbound” with Dave Annable and “Love Rules” with Joey Lawrence. She also managed to score the leading role on the comedy series “It’s All Relative.” Then, once it ended, she appeared briefly on the cult series “Tru Calling” which starred Eliza Dushku (“Dollhouse”) and Matt Bomer (“White Collar”), and the series “Crumbs” which starred Fred Savage and Eddie McClintock (“Warehouse 13”).

After her role on “Crumbs” wrapped, Maggie’s career hit the jackpot when she was cast as Detective Juliet O’Hara in the comedy series “Psych” alongside James Roday and Dule Hill. On “Psych,” Maggie constantly walks a tight-rope of playing both straight-guy to James Roday and Dule Hill’s hysterical antics and funny-guy to Omundson’s by-the-book Detective Carlton Lassiter. But it is a role she clearly relishes and plays with aplomb and humor. With “Psych” entering its 5th season, the show continues to dabble with the back stories of the characters and the slow dance to see if Shawn and Juliet will end up together.

In the meantime, Maggie has taken the opportunity to use her hiatus breaks to pursue a few film projects and starred in the 2-part Lifetime film series “Killer Hair” and “Hostile Makeover” based on the “Crime of Fashion” mystery books by Ellen Byerrum. Playing fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian with a nose for rooting out murder, Maggie stepped outside the shadow of her comedic co-stars on “Psych” and has shown once again that she can light up the screen with both charm and witty repartee. Maggie is a rare gem that makes any television show or film for which she graces with her presence much more fun and fascinating to watch.

To see more of the amazing Maggie Lawson, tune in for “Psych” Wednesday nights on USA Television at 10:00 p.m. (“Psych” also returns for its 5th season next summer.)

Related article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/10/spotlight-on-psychs-maggie-lawson/

An Evening With “Cougar Town” at the Paley Festival (2010)

After a clip from “The Lucy Show” from the Paley Center’s archives and a quick introduction by Bill Lawrence, the lights dimmed for a preview of an upcoming episode of “Cougar Town,” much to the audience’s delight.  Not wanting to spoil the episode, suffice it to say, it caused much laughter with references to blumpy blankets, cat fish, gay-traps, and provided a very funny take on whether men and woman can be friends.

Attending the “Cougar Town” panel were cast members:  Courteney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez, Christa Miller, as well a co-creator/writer Bill Lawrence, co-creator/writer Kevin Biegel, and moderator John Griffiths of US Weekly.  Explaining the absence of Busy Philipps, Bill Lawrence humorously said, “It’s a spoiler – but Busy’s been let go!”  But before there could be a roar of outrage from the audience, he hastily added that Busy was actually in Hawaii on vacation. Imagine the chaos that would have caused!

As the evening’s moderator John Griffith’s noted, “Cougar Town” is credited with reinvigorating the story of a single mom raising a teenager – in spite of the show’s outrageous and somewhat misleading name.  In an attempt to clarify how the show fits into the television landscape, Kevin Biegel explained that “Cougar Town” is actually an “adult family show.”  It is a successful blend of both family issues and provocative adult situation comedy.

Explaining the genesis of the show and how its lead Courteney Cox came to be involved, Bill Lawrence shared, “The one thing we were afraid about was the show would only work if you can buy into it being completely self-deprecating and have no vanity whatsoever — you will let people see you in your most embarrassing situations right from the start — and I think [Courteney] is the one actress at her level in Hollywood that was immediately like, ‘Yeah, who gives a sh*t.’”  She was the perfect choice to cast for the lead of the series as they needed someone who had no vanity and yet had vulnerability.  They really wanted Courteney because as Bill noted, “It starts from the top, [Courteney] has allowed the writers to make fun and jokes about anything.” Despite an initial hesitation to tell her the name of the show, it was Courteney’s fearless attitude about portraying a single mom in her 40’s, daring to embrace life to the fullest and on her own terms without regard to what anyone else would think, that was crucial in making the show the success that it is.

As to how they decided to select the venue of the show, because both Bill and Kevin were from Florida they felt it brought a distinct and refreshing venue to portray and explore.  Trying to tie in her own southern roots, Courteney volunteered, “My family lives in Florida, but I’m from Alabama,” which prompted Brian Van Holt to happily toss out his own southern ancestry, “I’m from the south as well — Southern California!”

Turning back to the inspiration of the show, because the message of the show is to have fun and make no apologies, Bill admitted that he took the opening scene of the pilot episode right out of his own life after he caught his wife, Christa, who had just had their 3^rd child standing in front of the bathroom mirror, opening her robe and then exclaiming with a profane expletive.  He also emphasized that they did not use a body double for that scene in the pilot.  It was all 100% Courteney Cox.  He noted that because Courteney is so brave and fearless – she is not just a star, but a true leader of the ensemble.  When asked about what it was like to play a woman in her 40’s on television, Courteney optimistically said, “I don’t have that many more good years, but the ones I have I’m pretty psyched about!”

As far as other sources of inspiration, Bill Lawrence apparently has the memory of an elephant and can remember conversations nearly verbatim, which frequently turns up as the inspiration for or storyline fodder in future episodes.  For example, Josh shared that one day he was playing his guitar outside of his trailer when Bill was driving by in his golf cart, which promptly came to a screeching halt, and Bill told him, “You know, that’s going to be in the next episode!” and next thing Josh knew, in the very next episode Grayson was playing a guitar.  When asked if she contributes to the writing on the show, Christa quickly pointed out, “I don’t come up with ideas, I think that’s why our marriage works.” To which Bill smirked and happily said “I’m so glad you said our marriage works!”

Commenting on whether or not either Christa or Courteney are anything like their characters, Bill said that, while Courteney is nicer than her character, Christa is slightly meaner than her character.  To which Christa immediately exclaimed, “I am!” and everyone laughed – though it is not certain whether she was being facetious or not.  This was obviously in a spirit of fun and got laughter all around, also prompting Ian to tell Bill that he is welcome to his couch for the night if he needs it!  Commenting further about Christa’s friendship with Courteney, Bill said, “The coolest thing is the way that these two have developed a relationship in real life that we can all kind of feed off of and steal from.”

Turning back to the show which has a rather brash sense of humor, Bill acknowledged that it was a balance of naughtiness with family matters mixed in. He also noted that because it is on at the 9:30 p.m. timeslot they have a bit more freedom. Kevin also added that because of that they could write more freely with the dialogue and that they were “blessed to talk how people actually talk.” Kevin then sheepishly admitted that there has been a bit more Standards & Practices scrutiny because they follow “Modern Family.” But clarifying that Bill noted, “I love ‘Modern Family’ Fantastic show. I’m a fan, I watch it — but they can have … two guys’ butts touching, but our show is so policed now because it’s ‘Cougar Town.’” From his viewpoint it was absurd that anything on “Cougar Town” was any more risqué than what was already being shown on “Modern Family” and he felt that the name “Cougar Town” tends to garner more strict scrutiny than the show really warrants.

Bill also emphasized that in creating “Cougar Town” he felt it was important for the audience to have an “emotional connection” with the characters. He shared how when he called his parents to see if they were going to watch the show, his dad’s response was, “If I’m gonna spend a half an hour watching TV, I want to care about someone.” Thus, in his mind, this is the most important element because if the audience cares about the characters, they will want to spend time with them. Bill also explained, “I see people really responding to characters that they care about. The biggest lie in television comedy is that ‘Seinfeld’ was a show about nothing, because the reason some people wanted the finale to be different is because they loved all those people.” Therefore, the show must offer characters the viewers will tune in for and will want to spend time with. He also noted that he is always tickled when people say they are touched by the show because it is both sweet and tart.

Bill’s own background was working on “Friends” and “Scrubs,” two of the most cherished comedies in recent memory. He shared a funny story about how he first met Courteney Cox: “She walked up to me and she said, ‘You know I know this show is really working right now, and that’s just a great thing for everybody. But I’m one of the first people to tell everybody it’s about the writing first, and I just wanted to tell you it’s a joy to work on this show and thanks so much for your hard work — Chris.’” Chris?! Who was Chris? Courteney tried to defend herself by explaining, “I thought [Bill] was Marta [Kauffman]’s assistant!” Apparently they worked out this embarrassing gaff for after “Friends,” Courteney appeared on Bill’s new show “Scrubs.”

As to how he became involved with the show, Brian Van Holt said that he got the part because he had previously worked with Bill on “Spin City.” Brian had since been doing a lot of dramatic work and really wanted to take a break from it and decided to pursue comedy roles. So when he ran into Bill and Christa at a charity event, he made sure to let them know that he would love to work with him again, and low and behold, Bill called him the very next day! He ruefully admitted that he had the worst on-camera audition for the part of Grayson, but then luckily he nailed the part of Bobby. He is clearly fond of his television family as he happily shared, “I think we’re a functioning, dysfunctional crew and band of people.” When asked why Bobby lives on a land-boat, Bill explained, “I thought we were making a joke when we decided to have Brian’s character live in a land boat – but my uncle Bob, who is a great fishing guy, sent me an e-mail saying here are 5 pictures of my friends living in their land boats.” And apparently this little bit of comedy actually touched a nerve of authenticity.

Dan, who plays Courteney and Brian’s son on the show, is the straight man to the crazy antics of the adults on the show and, as Travis, is oftentimes the most sane in an insane world. “Dan as an actor never seems like a victim. Sometimes he seems like the smartest character on the show,” Bill observed prompting Van Holt to proudly shout-out, “that’s my boy!” Dan was also noted to have a kind of “Tom Hanks” kind of vibe with a “Running With Scissors” kind of twist, but with an undercurrent of love and, throughout the zaniness of all these adults rediscovering their youth, it is actually Dan’s character that is the heart of the show.

Also referring to the familial atmosphere, Ian Gomez shared that, “It’s like we’re a bunch of kids.” He also commented that one of things he loves about he and Christa’s characters, “I’m not just a hen pecked husband and she’s not just a raging bitch” and he feels drawn to the deeper aspects of the relationship between his and Christa’s characters. Ian said, “I like the fact that we have really a sexy relationship on the show –” prompting Christa yell out, “ — and in real life!” Which prompted a funny mock expression by Ian and a bunch of laughs from the audience. Clearly Ian and Christa have a lot of fun playing their characters and they performed a funny skit on how they get ready for “make out” scenes by pretending to not be able to check with their respective spouses due to various technical difficulties with their email and cell phones. After that humorous re-enactment, Bill noted that Ellie and Andy actually do have the sweetest relationship on the show which is something they purposely cultivate and highlight.

Kevin Biegel, whose background included writing for “South Park” and “Grounded For Life,” admitted he has learned a lot from Bill while working with him on both “Cougar Town” and “Scrubs.” He described it like a father-son relations – or he hastily amended, an older-brother/younger-brother kind of relationship after he saw Bill’s look of mock-horror. Kevin also shared a funny story about how when he first interviewed with Bill he knew that Bill was a basketball freak, so he naturally told Bill that he could play basketball, but in truth Kevin is the most uncoordinated person – which fortunately, Bill did not find out until after he hired him.

As for the direction of the show, Courteney reiterated that she is game for anything. Bill, however, unequivocally stated that unlike many popular television shows, they will not be dragging out the “will they or wont they” storylines. So as to the future of Jules-Grayson relationship, Bill explained, “I think most shows set up expectations – will they or won’t they, and stuff like that and drag them on forever. I like blowing that stuff up immediately. . . . and so we’re not going to drag that stuff out. So the end of this year it gets naughty and fun for Courteney and Josh.”

As for Josh, it was noted that after Travis’ fake coming-out to Grayson that it seemed like Grayson had become more a part of the family. Bill noted it was by sheer force of Jules’ will that Grayson has become a part of the family. He personally loved the scene which highlighted Grayson’s’ capitulation and acceptance when Jules threw her arms around Grayson in a bear-hug and refused to let go until he relaxed into it and agreed to come to dinner. Just watching Josh initially freeze up and then melt into her arms was relatable to Bill who confided that he hates to be touched and unfortunately Courteney is a toucher. So for him that scene was the epitome of one of Courteney’s key characteristics which he incorporated into Jules.

Finally, when it was his turn to share a bit about his role on the show Josh caught a glimpse of himself on the big screen behind him and exclaimed, “God, I’m good looking! Why didn’t you tell me?” Christa then sweetly said, “But Josh, you make us tell you every single day!” Despite this comedic exchange, Josh was quick to compliment his co-star by saying of Courteney, “It’s like working with a comedy ninja. She’s so good– and quick and funny!”

In summing up, Bill was also generous in noting that, “Great actors in television take possession of their characters quickly” and they “make C+ material A+ material.” And after watching how verbally quick each of them were on stage, it is clear this cast not only has fun working together, they bring their A-game to the show and it shows.

“Cougar Town” airs on Wednesday nights at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.

Where to find this article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/10/an-evening-with-%e2%80%98cougar-town%e2%80%99-at-the-paley-festival/

Everything you need to know about ‘FlashForward’ which returns March 18th– what answers we have gotten and what questions remain?

When “FlashForward” first aired last September, it was heralded as the next big sci-fi sensation. However, as the episodes unveiled, the series proved to be a bit more difficult to track than originally anticipated. So the intricate storylines and heavy sci-fi basis (alternate realities) quickly left the viewers confused. Added to the fact that the series has been on hiatus since early December, many viewers may not really remember that the series is actually returning on March 18, 2010. Fortunately, ABC believes strongly in the show and has granted it not only a 1 hour clip-show to refresher viewers on Tuesday, March 16th, it also granted a 2 hour premiere to help re-introduce the characters and story to the returning fans as it rolls out the remaining 14 episodes starting on March 18th. Thus, this article aims to be a helpful primer on what has happened so far: where our characters left off and what will the show (hopefully) be addressing as it
enters the back stretch of its freshman year.

ORIGINAL PREMISE

“FlashForward” is based on the premise that the entire world came to a screeching halt for over two minutes during which time there was a global black-out and nearly every person experienced some kind of cosmic phenomenon where they were able to glimpse where they would be and what they would be doing 6 months into the future – a “flashforward,” if you will. For some, this preview of their lives was terrifying and, for some, it was miraculous. The question of “what did you see?” followed by the hope and/or fear of whether those visions will come true has captivated the entire planet. People are no longer living for today and the future they make; they are living for the future that they saw in their visions.

With the rest of the world preoccupied, world leaders and government agencies struggle to figure out what caused the black-out and whether there is a sinister purpose behind it. Fueled by vital clues provided by piecing together the bits and pieces of what people saw in their visions, the FBI began tracking the individuals who were behind the black-out, what their ultimate motive was for it and whether it will happen again. The FBI’s Mosaic Investigation had begun to yield fruit once they discovered that this was not the first time such a black-out had occurred — though it remains to be seen whether the “flashforward” visions had ever occurred before as well.

Racing against the clock as the flashforwards begin to come true, the story follows our heroes who are struggling against the dual-pull of fate versus their visions.

THE HEROES

At the heart of the show is a family: the Benfords, which consists of Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Olivia (Sonya Walger) and their daughter, Charlie (Lennon Wynn). Mark is an FBI agent whose flashforward vision gave him the initial clues he needed to set up the Mosaic Investigation. However, Mark is also a recovering alcoholic who fears what he saw in his vision: he was drunk and there were armed men searching to kill him. In turn, Olivia is a doctor and her vision was equally disturbing: she saw herself involved with another man – who she later found out was Lloyd Simcoe, the father of one of her patients. As for their daughter Charlie, who is 6 years old, all she could only say about her vision was that “there are no more good days” and that “D. Gibbons is a bad man.”

Another family whose fate is intertwined with the Benfords is the Simcoes: Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport) and his son Dylan (Ryan Wynott). Lloyd is a physicist who believes he is responsible for causing the black-out. Plus, in his vision he saw himself talking on the phone – he did not see Olivia, though he has since found out about it when he recognized the Benford’s home while searching for his son Dylan (who went missing from the hospital, ending up at the Benford home). Dylan is Lloyd’s autistic son whose mother was killed during the black-out and, significantly, Dylan’s vision showed him being in the Benford house where he saw Charlie.

The third family deeply involved is the Starks: Aaron Stark (Brian F. O’Bryne) and his daughter Tracy (Genevieve Cortese). Aaron is Mark’s AA sponsor and in his vision he saw his daughter recovering from injuries in Afghanistan – a daughter whose funeral he had attended a few years before. Tracy miraculously appears several episodes into the series and appeared to be on the run from a mercenary group who she witnessed committing war crimes in Afghanistan.

Then closely associated with Lloyd Simcoe is Simon Campos (Dominic Monaghan), a genius quantum physicist and Lloyd’s shady business partner who may be more deeply involved in the conspiracy than he has let on. In a particularly creepy vision, Simon saw himself strangling someone in his flashforward.

Also crucial to the story is Mark’s FBI partner, Demetri Noh (John Cho) and Demetri’s fiancée Zoe (Gabrielle Union). Demetri did not have a flashforward and has since found out that he will be murdered on March 15, 2010. Demetri’s fiancée Zoe initially believed that in her vision she was at their wedding on the beach, but later, to her horror, found out that she was actually attending Demetri’s funeral.

Then at Olivia’s work, there is Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton), a fellow doctor working at the hospital. Bryce was on the verge of shooting himself when his flashforward occurred which revealed that in 6 months he would be sitting in a restaurant awaiting the woman of his dreams. This revelation has revitalized Bryce and given him a new purpose in his life, despite the fact that he is dying from cancer.

Other key players are FBI agent Janis Hawk (Christine Woods) and her partner FBI agent Al Gough (Lee Thompson Young). In Janis’ flashforward she saw herself nearly 4 months pregnant – which seemed impossible as she does not date men. As for the doomed Al Gough, his flashforward haunted him so much (even more than Demetri’s) that he took drastic measures to ensure that his vision did not come true and stepped off the top of a building. Al wanted to remind them that they all have free-will – and he proved that the future is not set in stone and can be changed.

Last, but not least, is the Benford’s babysitter, Nicole Kirby (Peyton List). Nicole’s vision was also very disturbing and she too is desperate to prevent it from becoming a reality — she saw herself being strangled in her flashforward. But, in an effort to take back her life, she embraced life and took a job working part-time at the hospital with Olivia and Bryce.

An interesting side-effect of the flashforwards is that all these individuals’ lives have become even more entangled than they could have ever imagined.

THE VILLAINS

With only 10 episodes having aired so far, there has been surprisingly little information about the villains on the show. To date, only two have been revealed and not a single one has an identifiable face. Those are: Suspect Zero and D. Gibbons.

Suspect Zero was caught on videotape as he was seen strolling through a football stadium while everyone else had collapsed during the black-out. So far, he is the only human known to be conscious during those mysterious two minutes. It is believed that he knew in advance about the black-out and was not affected by it. It is also suspected that he is the one ultimately responsible for the black-out for some nefarious purpose not yet revealed.

As for D. Gibbons, Mark Benford saw the name “D. Gibbons” on a card in his flashforward and subsequent investigation led to a woman named Didi Gibbons whose identity had been stolen by a D. Gibbons. In tracking the unknown D. Gibbons, the FBI stumbled across a warehouse filled with dolls, which exploded before any further useful information could be gleaned.

Finally, prior to going on Winter hiatus, a group known as the Blue Hand Group surfaced as having potentially evil intentions and knowledge of what caused the black-out, though it is not yet clear if they are actually part of the larger conspiracy or are merely a group of suicidal people who did not have flashforwards – self-proclaimed “already ghosts.” There are indications that some of the people behind the black-out may be using this group as a front to cloak their true activities.

THE INVESTIGATION

Even after 10 episodes, the Mosaic Investigation seems to be slowly peeling away layer by layer what happened and who was involved, all the while the doomsday-clock is ticking down to April 29, 2010 – the date everyone saw in their flashforwards.

One of the key witnesses may be Nhadra Udaya (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who Mark and Demetri tried to extract from Hong Kong after she revealed that Mark is the one who will murder his partner. When Mark asked her how she knew this for a fact when it had not yet happened, Nhadra provided him with the number A561984 – the serial number off of Mark’s gun. But Nhadra is protected by some truly powerful people as the CIA intervened on her behalf to prevent Mark and Demetri from bringing her back to the United States.

Another person-of-interest is Alda Hertzog (Rachel Roberts), who was actually in FBI custody at the time of the black-out and who seems to have a lot of knowledge about who was behind it. Alda has let it slip that she may be connected to those responsible and knows more than she has shared about what is really going on. But getting her or anyone else associated with Suspect Zero or D. Gibbons to share what they know has proven difficult.

Also game-changing was the discovery that a smaller version of the black-out had occurred in 1991, 18 years earlier in Somalia. Referred to as the Ganwar Incident, this precursor black-out may hold the key as to who is behind the black-out and why.

THE SURPRISES

One of the biggest surprises was when Al Gough proved that he can change the future by sacrificing himself. Due to his death, whatever he saw in his vision will now not happen and there are bound to be ripple-effects from his death. Especially since there are perhaps things that Al was supposed to do that he will now not do and those ripples will affect what may happen to everyone else.

Another shocking surprise was learning that it was Mark who would murder his partner Demetri. But closer analysis of what Nhadra actually said is that it was Mark’s gun that would be used to murder Demetri. Thus, it is not known whether Mark is the one who actually pulls the trigger.

And despite everyone’s best efforts to prevent the more horrific flashforward visions from coming true, the visions appear to have some element of being self-fulfilling prophecies. In which case, how can they possibly avoid them from coming true?

REMAINING QUESTIONS

Besides the obvious questions of: who is responsible for the black-out and why, there remain a number of questions to be answered, such as:

Will each person’s flashforward come true? Can they prevent their visions from occurring? Will Demetri still be murdered? Can Demetri and Nicole be saved from being killed? Will Olivia still leave Mark for Lloyd? Will that be what ultimately pushes Mark back into being a full-blown alcoholic? What persuades Aaron and Tracy to go to Afghanistan? What exactly are those tall silos in Somalia? Are they transmitters or gas emission devices? Or are they specialized pulse lasers for a plasma afterburner like Simon asserted? Why was there a similar black-out in 1991? What is the significance of the dead crows found in Somalia other than it marks when a black-out has occurred? Did Al’s gift to Celia by taking his own life to spare hers and actually make a difference, or will she die some other way? Will Mark be the one who shoots and kills Demetri? Will Senator Joyce Clemente (Barbara Williams) actually become President by April 29, 2010? What is up with the rings in the suitcase and why were there supposed to be 7 of them? What happened to the 7th ring? Is it the same ring that Suspect Zero was wearing during the black-out? Why was Lloyd kidnapped? And what happens on April 29, 2010 that makes that date so significant? Who is the FBI mole? What were the mercenaries up to in Afghanistan that has Tracy so terrified? Is Demetri actually a bad-guy and that is why Mark shoots him? Is Demetri the mole? If Mark has been relieved of his duties with the FBI and stripped of his badge and gun, does that mean someone else uses his gun to kill Demetri? How was D. Gibbons able to invent Simon’s invention a year before he invented it? Is it actually possible for two simultaneous versions of reality to exist in the time-space continuum?

THE FUTURE

As “FlashForward” returns, we are hopeful that it will answer most if not all the lingering questions during the next 14 episodes. Without a firm commitment from ABC for a 2nd season, it would behoove the writers to have a cheatsheet of their own of the questions remaining and work on answering them rapidly. As for the show itself, if all these questions are answered and by some miracle the ratings come back strong, then a 2nd season is foreseeable. In which case, what mysteries will there be to address for a 2nd season? Will there be another black-out with more visions of another alternate future? Will that be the reset-button for the next season? Clearly, there are a lot questions looming on the horizon both within the show concerning the fates of the character and outside of the show concerning its own fate. Let us hope that both are resolved satisfactorily, if not spectacularly. It is after all a show worthy of going out with as much a bang as it arrived on the television landscape.

Spotlight on Ana Ortiz

Seemingly coming out of nowhere in the early 2000’s, Ana Ortiz was soon outshining her bigger name co-stars, Kristin Chenoweth (“Pushing Daisies”) and Jon Tenny (“The Closer”) in the television series “Kristin.” It was quickly apparent that the theatrically trained starlet was bound and determined to make a name for herself in television, particularly after her initial attempts to make an entrance only landed a few nameless roles in shows such as “Condition Red” and “Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.” So when the opportunity arose to demonstrate her comedic chops and screen presence, Ana rose to the occasion. While the role on “Kristin” was short-lived because the series lasted only 11 episodes, Ana was off and running, and quickly moved on to a series of guest appearances on shows like “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Greetings from Tucson,” “NYPD Blue” “Strong Medicine,” “ER,” “A.U.S.A.,” “North Shore,” “Blind Justice,” and “Freddie.” Along the way she also took the time to appear in the films “Mr. St. Nick” with Kelsey Grammer and “Carolina” with Julia Stiles and Shirley MacLaine.

Finally after four years of persistence, Ana’s unique ability to bring a light comedic touch to dramatic roles landed her a seven episode arc on the Iraq war drama “Over There” alongside Sprague Grayden (known for her roles in cult favorites “John Doe” and “Jericho”) and Luke MacFarlane (who now plays Scotty on “Brothers & Sisters”). Once her story arc concluded, Ana quickly snagged a plum guest appearance role as a tenacious ADA on the David E. Kelley legal drama, “Boston Legal.”

But these were but stepping stones to the role of a lifetime as immediately afterwards Ana landed the role of Hilda Suarez, Betty’s sister in the ABC fashion sensation “Ugly Betty.” Playing a young mother struggling to provide for her precocious son, Ana’s natural grace and razor-sharp delivery of side-splitting one-liners was captivating. She managed to bring warmth and poignancy to a role that could have easily been a caricature. Instead she brought to life a character that many young women could identify with and even aspire to.

Astoundingly, during “Ugly Betty’s” four year run, Ana also found the time to work on a few film projects as well, such as “Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story” with A. Martinez and “Labor Pains” with Lindsay Lohan. Clearly, Ana is not one to sit still and moves with apparent effortless ease between comedy and drama.

It has been a privilege to watch Ana blossom into the captivating actress she is today and we can only hope to see her in other such unique and inspiring roles in the future.

“Ugly Betty” airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on ABC.

Related article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/03/spotlight-on-ana-ortiz/

An Evening with “Modern Family” at the Paley Festival (2010)

 

As one would expect attending an evening with one of the most ridiculously talented bunch of comedians currently on television, the Paley Festival presentation in honor of “Modern Family” was filled with laughter.  Riding high off of their recent wins for Best Episodic Comedy and Best New Series from the Writer’s Guild and for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series from the Director’s Guild, as well as nominations for Outstanding Performance by Ensemble in a Comedy Series by the Screen Actors Guild, Best Television Series – Comedy by the Golden Globes, and Best Comedy by the Writer’s Guild, “Modern Family” has lived up to its reputation as the best new show on television.  Critically lauded as the “must watch” show of the fall season, “Modern Family” has consistently won its time-slot with viewers and only continues to garner more and more attention, not to mention rave reviews.

Chosen by the Paley Center to helm its annual two week Paley Festival, “Modern Family” lived up to the high expectations and brought the house down with laughter and raised it again with the jubilant spirits of the cast, creators and writers who beamed across the stage.

Watching a clip from the pilot episode of “Married . . . With Children,” the show credited with launching a yet unknown comedy actor at that time, Ed O’Neill, it was startling to see how young he looked.  But it was also clear where he had perfected his comedic skills in his career.  So with that blast from the past setting up the evening and after quick introductions by co-creator Steven Levitan, those of us in attendance were lucky enough to see a yet unaired episode of “Modern Family” entitled, “Fears.”  Without spoiling too much, suffice it to say that the fears addressed included:  buried treasure, roller coasters and a driving test. Trust me when I say, this will all make sense once you have seen the show! As a fan of show, this was a wonderful treat.  It was also perhaps the best episode to date and the entire auditorium was soon holding their sides with laughter.

Once the episode ended and the laughter died down, introductions were made and the cast was brought out.  Moderating the Q&A portion of the event was Billy Bush from “Access Hollywood.”  Understanding that we were all anxious to see the real stars of the show, he quickly introduced Steven Levitan, Jason Winer, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet.  It should be noted that, besides being one of the co-creators of the show, Steven Levitan also wrote the episode “Fears,” and Jason Winer is one of the series’ directors.  Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet make up the adult cast members on the show, but, sadly, the younger cast could not attend and were sorely missed.

To start the moderated Q&A portion of the evening, Billy threw out a softball question by asking the cast if any of them do not like seeing themselves on screen.  To get things rolling, Ty Burrell volunteered, “I don’t ever like to see my Franken-brow.” His candor and willingness to poke fun at himself earned a round of laughter and chuckles and, with the ice broken, it became an evening where they tried to one up one another and played to the audience for laughs.

In response to the comment that “Modern Family” has been called the savior of sitcom, Steven Levitan merely grinned and modestly said that, while a high compliment, he simply had no idea when he was creating the show that it was going to be as big a hit as it is.  He added that, while there was simply no way to gauge what is going to be the next big hit, he is extremely honored by the warm reception and hopes they can live up to the bar now set for themselves.  As he said, “This is so far one of those rare cases where it just felt right as soon as we started bringing these people together.  It just felt good pretty immediately.  And you can’t predict this.  It’s impossible. . . .We’re just happy to be happy – we’re so thrilled – we’re so happy to be even in the game that we’re just embracing every minute of it.”

When asked about the genesis of the series, Steven shared that, after their prior television series had been cancelled, “Modern Family” was born out of a sit-down meeting he had with co-creator Christopher Lloyd.  They had been sitting around brainstorming ideas for a television show when they discovered that all they wanted to talk about were the funny things going on in their lives –and it was those funny stories that laid the foundation for “Modern Family.”  Steven summed it up with, “I think when you start from a place like that, which is real and honest, good things tend to happen.” And because of all the astounding success, Steven admitted that he just keeps pinching himself and now he’s black and blue all over. “We walk around hugging each other, then we’re terrified we can’t keep it up.” But looking at how successful the show has been already that is not really a fear they need to worry about.

Turning to casting, each cast member shared a bit about how they came to be involved with the show.  Ed O’Neill shared that initially he had no intention of ever doing another half-hour comedy after the monumental success and long run of “Married . . . With Children,” but after seeing the script for “Modern Family,” he immediately thought, “Oh my God, I’ve gotta go back to work.” Plus, he tossed out with aplomb that there was the added bonus of being cast to play the husband of Sofia Vergara.  He also shared that, “Then when I started to work with these guys, I thought ‘my god, where did these find these people – I mean it was just joy – it is, I have to pinch myself.”

According to Eric Stonestreet, who plays one half of the married gay couple on the show, he said that this was his dream show with a dream cast and a dream writer.  As far as playing a gay character, while he himself is not, he humorously clarified, “I’m appreciative of all my fans, no matter how much hair they have on their back.” Though in his personal life, he admitted, “I have a little bit of a hole to dig myself out of with the ladies.” He also confirmed that, as perhaps a tribute to his own wonderful mother, he incorporates some of his mother’s characteristics when playing Cameron.  He explained that, “She’s very passionate. She’s a real person — she’s just excitable.” Eric also shared a bit about the now famous “moon landing” scene and how a friend of his actually flew in to watch the filming just so that he could witness Eric film the “moon landing” with Ed O’Neill. So, as Eric nonchalantly said, “You know, work hard, believe in yourself — and maybe one day you too can touch asses with a television icon.”

 

The other half of the Cameron-Mitchell couple is played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson who shared from his own personal experience what it was like trying out for the role of Mitchell on “Modern Family.”  While auditioning, Jesse never thought he would actually get the part, but it was in the forefront of his mind that he wanted this role badly.  For as he shared, “I got this script and it was just one of those things where it just falls in your lap and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing!’” So when he and Eric tested together for the studio to see if they had any chemistry, he threw himself into it with determination and gusto. So much so in fact that he was completely oblivious to the fact that when he and Eric had set up to meet at a nearby coffee shop for a script read through that it was Valentine’s Day.  It was a funny moment like their characters would have had and it immediately set the tone for them working together as their characters.  Jesse also shared that he loves working with the darling baby who plays Lily, Cam and Mitchell’s adopted daughter – despite the fact it is nearly impossible to make her cry which meant they had to bring in a teenager on the studio lot with the wildest hair just to get her to cry.  But other than having a baby that likes to smile more than she likes to cry, Jesse was clearly ecstatic to be a part of both his fictional and real-life studio families.

 

No less delighted to be working on the show, Sofia Vergara was beaming with pride and happiness as well.  When asked what drew her to the show, Sofia slyly announced, “I never thought I would be married to Al Bundy!” Stemming from her deeply rooted admiration for Ed, Sofia also loves working with him because they have the same work ethic and tend to work the same way.  Their motto is, “Let’s do this fast and then go home.” While they love working together, they also value their time with their families. Sofia also commented that as far as the relationship between Gloria and Jay, “You start understanding perfectly why they are perfect for each other because they do get something out of each other — I mean, it’s obvious what he gets from me!” Then as if that comment was not outrageous enough, Ed shared a story how on the Ellen Show when Sofia was asked the question with a mischievous glint in her eye, Sofia very sweetly responded that the question of when she learned she was beautiful with, “I always knew it!” Sofia summed with, that for her, “I love the character.  It’s fantastic.  . . I have so much fun on the set. . . It’s a pleasure.  I love everybody on the show and we really like each other, so I think it is like a dream come true to be part of something that everybody loves.”

Next, sharing from his own experience, Ty Burrell said as far as his character Phil is concerned it is like he is playing a happy puppy dog and it feels like a nice vacation from his own neurotic life.  For Phil is one of those people who wears you down with his relentless, militant positive attitude. He explained that Phil may not appeal to people who meet him just once, but those kind of people will eventually worm their way into your good graces. “They annoy the crap out of you, but they wear you down.” Plus, as Steven pointed out, he based Phil upon himself and, as a result, “I have a warm place in my heart for the dorky dad who scores a hot wife.” (Steven made sure to point out his own very lovely wife as he said this and he is clearly a very happily married man who scored his own hot wife!)  When asked about what it is like to now be recognized everywhere he goes, Ty shared an anecdotal story about a homeless guy in Central Park who stopped him to talk to him about the show — clearly, you know you have made it when the homeless have seen your show! He also said it is the biggest compliment when people stop to tell him that they love to watch the show as a family.

 

As for Julie Bowen, she was simply astonished to hear that during this current pilot season she is the most requested type during auditions, for apparently all the casting directors want a “Julie Bowen” for their show.  But, as for how she came to be attached to “Modern Family,” she shared that for her the primary appeal was the fact that the show was a half-hour comedy.  Coming off of working on hour long dramas like “Ed” and “Boston Legal,” she was ready for an easier work day – particularly as at the time they filmed the pilot episode, she was nine months pregnant.  In fact, in order to hide her pregnancy, they worked really hard to use all the kids to the best strategic advantage and that the actor who plays Claire’s son, Luke, was just the right height to help conceal her baby-bump.  Another key factor for Julie is that in working on a fast-paced show makes her performance fresher and more interesting, “You don’t get to the end of the day feeling you’ve beaten the scene to death, looking for the jokes over and over again. . . [Whereas on “Modern Family”] we just find it very quickly and we’re done. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had.” So Julie likes both the freedom and refreshing change of pace. Then, responding to the question as to why women are not perceived as funny and before Julie could respond, Sofia laughed and said, “I think it’s important not to be afraid to look like a fool,” prompting Julie to look at her incredulously and retort, “When do mean ‘you look like a fool?’ Does ‘fool’ in English mean the same thing in Spanish? [Mimicking Sofia’s accent] ‘Fool’ is a beautiful lady!” As the laughter subsided, Julie Bowen also let it slip that in one of the upcoming episodes her character has an all-out brawl with a security guard, which she had enormous fun filming.  It was a chance to just go all out and she just loved it.  Shedding some light on the character Claire, Steven noted that Claire needs Phil to balance out her wild-side.  As for the kids on the show, Julie shared that they are constantly full of surprises and are a delight to them all, for the kids are a very “gifty” bunch and are constantly making gifts for everyone.  Thus, it is especially fun to have them all together, which is rare, like at table reads.  Because they are so happy to see each other and because of the familial atmosphere, it makes it such a joy to be there.

 

When asked how much of the show really is based on experiences in his own life, Steven shared that like in a prior episode, he one day came home to find the television remote in a million pieces by the front door and that one time he walked into his daughter’s room in his underwear while she was on a videoconference with friends on her computer.  He also shared that Barkley the Dog Butler has been relocated into their writing offices and it is constantly scaring or startling people who are not aware that it is there or who have forgotten about it.  He also sheepishly confessed to writing the lyrics to the infamous “I just want to do you” song that the character Dylan sang on the show.  He explained that he felt the lyrics needed to be shocking yet believable as it had to be something that Dylan felt was okay in his mind.  He also noted that Reed, who plays Dylan, wrote the music for the song.

Steven also made sure to emphasize that all the jokes in each episode are actually written into each script. “It’s 100% the script. We start with nice solid script and then we start playing with it and fortunately we’ve cast people who are very smart and very funny.  Your worst nightmare as a writer is ‘let’s improv a little bit’ and then you watch what they do and then it’s ‘let’s go back to the script.’  Instead, what we have here are people making things funnier and quite often we get in a situation where that doesn’t quite work, we’ll just start playing, and they do – and they make it better and we discover moments – and I think we have a lot of fun doing it.” Jason Winer said that, while they do have some improvisation, he feels that greater improv comes from knowing the characters better, particularly as the show is still so new.  However, they did like the one scene in which Jay apologized for running his model airplane into Phil’s face and Julie Bowen instinctively kissed Ed on the top of the head at the end of the episode and said, “Thanks, Dad,” which surprised Ed greatly as it was not in the script.  But it felt so natural.  One reasons the show is written with such a fast pace is to keep the scenes moving quickly so that everyone is not so exhausted and helps keep the viewer engaged.

 

Steven also clarified that “Modern Family” is a family show told documentary-style, rather than a show that is pretending to be a real documentary.  Levitan said, “The simple reason is that I love these characters. I’m very protective of these characters and, if these characters allowed cameras into their homes and into their children’s rooms and into their bathroom, I wouldn’t like them.” As for the role of the camera on “Modern Family,” Ty Burrell said “I like that we don’t explain it.” He noted that only the family typically acknowledges the camera, so this is like inviting the audience to be a family member – more intimate that way.  And what a marvelous family it is to be a part of – it shines like a beacon on Wednesday nights and it is a joy to tune-in and share in their exuberant antics for awhile.

“Modern Family” airs on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. on ABC.

Related article:

http://nicegirlstv.com/2010/03/03/an-evening-with-%e2%80%9cmodern-family%e2%80%9d-at-the-paley-festival/