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Here's my wish list. What's on your wish list?
Friday, October 30, 2009
WB Gifts This Season
It's the holiday season and soon enough, you will be buying gifts online or in stores for your family and friends...so here are a few gift ideas from The WB that I wanted to share.
Here's my wish list. What's on your wish list?
Here's my wish list. What's on your wish list?
DVD Review: Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs
On October 27th, Fox Home Entertainment released Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs on DVD & Blu-ray!
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Rating: PG
In the third film in the outrageously popular Ice Age franchise, the sub-zero heroes return for another wild and fun adventure. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut (while maybe finding true love); Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth; Diego the saber-toothed tiger wonders if he’s growing too “soft” hanging with his pals and Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna, run amuck, and meet a relentless, one-eyed dino-hunting weasel named Buck. Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs features hilarious performances from Ice Age veterans Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), John Leguizamo (The Happening), Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”), Queen Latifah (The Secret Life of Bees), Seann William Scott (Planet 51) and Josh Peck (“Drake & Josh”), along with newcomers Bill Hader (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Kristen Wiig (“Saturday Night Live”), Jane Lynch (“Glee") and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead).
Ice Age 3 opens with what we all have seen in theaters before (acorn chase) and continues with the comedy all throughout. If you thought there wasn't enough funny to bring to another installment of Ice Age, watch this film! Adults will find just as much humor in the film as children will, since there definitely are a few double meanings behind certain jokes. There is some major conflict when a dinosaur picks up Sid and the gang has to search for him while Ellie is pregnant. The scene when she gives birth is full of high energy not only because of the birth, but everyone else is fighting off enemies and saving Sid, bringing him back to safety. There is a very entertaining ending that all will all but even better, there are a number of special features!
“Scrat Pack” Double DVD Pack Special Features:
• Filmmaker Commentary - The commentary is conducted by the director, Carlos Saldanha, co-director, Mike Thurmeier, producers, John Donkin & Lori Forte, art director, Mike Knapp, character designer, Peter DeSève, and supervising animator, Galen Chu. With all of these crew members on board for the commentary, viewers just might be overwhelmed with the incredible amount of information shared. Some of the information is beneficial for those interested in any of these professions above, while other information is just exciting to learn - either way you will not be disappointed.
• Two Scrat Shorts - If you enjoy comedy shorts or need to keep the kids occupied for a short moment, you will enjoy "Gone Nutty – Scrat’s Missing Adventure" and "No Time For Nuts."
• The Sabre-Toothed Squirrel: Natures Nutty Buddy - This short feature teaches kids about squirrels, the sabre-toothed squirrel in particular with fun animation and a narrator that will keep your attention.
• Scrat: From Head To Toe – This is a tutorial for those who want to learn how to draw Scrat. The tutorial involves an introductory interviews with Christopher M, the executive producer. Character designer, Peter DeSève teaches the tutorial, which is very basic and very beneficial. The tutorial doesn't end there, as viewers see the 3D process, animation, and voice recording.
• Scrat: “Breaking Story” & Scrat: “News Report” - These shorts involving actors on the screen and not just as voices could have been left out of the special features since they do not connect with the film enough.
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making A Scene - This lengthy feature is a more in depth look into many scenes, including the flower sequence and this feature has the cast and crew members talk about many scenes. We even see some of the actors in the recording studio.
• Falling for Scratte - The crew talks about the creation of this character and why people love the character so much. It was quite fun to watch and see how he developed over the 3 films.
• Buck…Easel to Weasel - This is just like the previous feature, so it really depends on which character you enjoy more to determine which feature you will enjoy more.
• Unearthing the Lost World - The cast and crew discuss the creation of the third installment of Ice Age 3 and this is probably the most interesting feature on the DVD.
• Walk The Dinosaur Music Video - This feature speaks for itself but definitely check it out to see Ice Age in all its musical glory.
• Activities - There are 3 activities, Scrat Pinball, Eggshell, and Bubble Trouble that will be fun for the kids and are enjoyable even after playing one time.
The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs Standard DVD is available and The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs Three-Disc release includes the BD, DVD and Digital Copy and provides hours of extra fun for the entire family! Additionally, The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs “Scrat Pack” Double DVD Pack is available for a limited time only featuring an overload of special features focusing on the determined squirrel including three “Scrat” games exclusive to the disc.
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Rating: PG
In the third film in the outrageously popular Ice Age franchise, the sub-zero heroes return for another wild and fun adventure. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut (while maybe finding true love); Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth; Diego the saber-toothed tiger wonders if he’s growing too “soft” hanging with his pals and Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna, run amuck, and meet a relentless, one-eyed dino-hunting weasel named Buck. Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs features hilarious performances from Ice Age veterans Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), John Leguizamo (The Happening), Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”), Queen Latifah (The Secret Life of Bees), Seann William Scott (Planet 51) and Josh Peck (“Drake & Josh”), along with newcomers Bill Hader (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Kristen Wiig (“Saturday Night Live”), Jane Lynch (“Glee") and Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead).
Ice Age 3 opens with what we all have seen in theaters before (acorn chase) and continues with the comedy all throughout. If you thought there wasn't enough funny to bring to another installment of Ice Age, watch this film! Adults will find just as much humor in the film as children will, since there definitely are a few double meanings behind certain jokes. There is some major conflict when a dinosaur picks up Sid and the gang has to search for him while Ellie is pregnant. The scene when she gives birth is full of high energy not only because of the birth, but everyone else is fighting off enemies and saving Sid, bringing him back to safety. There is a very entertaining ending that all will all but even better, there are a number of special features!
“Scrat Pack” Double DVD Pack Special Features:
• Filmmaker Commentary - The commentary is conducted by the director, Carlos Saldanha, co-director, Mike Thurmeier, producers, John Donkin & Lori Forte, art director, Mike Knapp, character designer, Peter DeSève, and supervising animator, Galen Chu. With all of these crew members on board for the commentary, viewers just might be overwhelmed with the incredible amount of information shared. Some of the information is beneficial for those interested in any of these professions above, while other information is just exciting to learn - either way you will not be disappointed.
• Two Scrat Shorts - If you enjoy comedy shorts or need to keep the kids occupied for a short moment, you will enjoy "Gone Nutty – Scrat’s Missing Adventure" and "No Time For Nuts."
• The Sabre-Toothed Squirrel: Natures Nutty Buddy - This short feature teaches kids about squirrels, the sabre-toothed squirrel in particular with fun animation and a narrator that will keep your attention.
• Scrat: From Head To Toe – This is a tutorial for those who want to learn how to draw Scrat. The tutorial involves an introductory interviews with Christopher M, the executive producer. Character designer, Peter DeSève teaches the tutorial, which is very basic and very beneficial. The tutorial doesn't end there, as viewers see the 3D process, animation, and voice recording.
• Scrat: “Breaking Story” & Scrat: “News Report” - These shorts involving actors on the screen and not just as voices could have been left out of the special features since they do not connect with the film enough.
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Making A Scene - This lengthy feature is a more in depth look into many scenes, including the flower sequence and this feature has the cast and crew members talk about many scenes. We even see some of the actors in the recording studio.
• Falling for Scratte - The crew talks about the creation of this character and why people love the character so much. It was quite fun to watch and see how he developed over the 3 films.
• Buck…Easel to Weasel - This is just like the previous feature, so it really depends on which character you enjoy more to determine which feature you will enjoy more.
• Unearthing the Lost World - The cast and crew discuss the creation of the third installment of Ice Age 3 and this is probably the most interesting feature on the DVD.
• Walk The Dinosaur Music Video - This feature speaks for itself but definitely check it out to see Ice Age in all its musical glory.
• Activities - There are 3 activities, Scrat Pinball, Eggshell, and Bubble Trouble that will be fun for the kids and are enjoyable even after playing one time.
The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs Standard DVD is available and The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs Three-Disc release includes the BD, DVD and Digital Copy and provides hours of extra fun for the entire family! Additionally, The Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs “Scrat Pack” Double DVD Pack is available for a limited time only featuring an overload of special features focusing on the determined squirrel including three “Scrat” games exclusive to the disc.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Office: Subtle Sexuality Webisodes
The first 3 episodes of the new webisode for The Office premiered online today! Episodes 1, 2, and 3 are now online!
Starring Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms, B.J. Novak, and Ellie Kemper, "Subtle Sexuality” melds the webisode format with a music video. Kelly (Kaling) sets out to realize her celebrity dreams – and stick it to her on-again, off-again boyfriend Ryan (Novak) – by starting a girl group and making a video.
Is Kelly the new Beyonce? Will Ryan get his comeuppance? Can Andy finally find an audience for his acapella skills? Find out now at SubtleSexuality.
Also, check out the making of the webisodes below! Enjoy!
Starring Mindy Kaling, Ed Helms, B.J. Novak, and Ellie Kemper, "Subtle Sexuality” melds the webisode format with a music video. Kelly (Kaling) sets out to realize her celebrity dreams – and stick it to her on-again, off-again boyfriend Ryan (Novak) – by starting a girl group and making a video.
Is Kelly the new Beyonce? Will Ryan get his comeuppance? Can Andy finally find an audience for his acapella skills? Find out now at SubtleSexuality.
Also, check out the making of the webisodes below! Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Selena Gomez on UStream
Selena Gomez is going live on Ustream at 4p Pacific Time/7p Eastern Time on Thursday, Oct. 29, to chat with fans about the Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF Campaign.
Selena, with the support of her fans, is trying to reach a fundraising goal of $1 million by the end of 2009 for UNICEF. During the webchat, Selena will talk about her recent trip to Ghana on behalf of UNICEF, and ways her fans can help the cause to bring better health and education to children in third-world countries.
Selena will be offering the top three fundraisers as of Nov. 30 a personal phone call, an autographed picture, and an official UNICEF certificate of appreciation.
Make sure to watch and/or interact!!!
Selena, with the support of her fans, is trying to reach a fundraising goal of $1 million by the end of 2009 for UNICEF. During the webchat, Selena will talk about her recent trip to Ghana on behalf of UNICEF, and ways her fans can help the cause to bring better health and education to children in third-world countries.
Selena will be offering the top three fundraisers as of Nov. 30 a personal phone call, an autographed picture, and an official UNICEF certificate of appreciation.
Make sure to watch and/or interact!!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Album Review: Switchfoot - Hello Hurricane
November 10, 2009 is a big day for Switchfoot fans, as the band's much anticipated seventh album, Hello Hurricane will be released! If you can't wait to find out what's on the new album, continue reading for an advanced album review.
Hello Hurricane is an album full of heartfelt vocals and lyrics, as the songwriting is as honest and open as it can get. The transition between songs could not be any better and there is a perfect balance of alternative rock songs and ballads which closes out the album. The theme, or anthem of this album is heard loud and clear with the track, The Sound. This is the song that the crowds will go wild at during concerts because the energy is so incredibly high and the message is so inspirational. While inspiration is present in every track, most notably the edgy “Mess of Me” which declares independence, there is not one song in particular that stands out like "Only Hope" or "I Dare You to Move" have from previous albums. Every track is catchy, especially the album opener, Needle and Haystack, which sets the tone of the album beautifully. The lyrics in the more subdued tracks, ballads, Sing It Out and Your Love is a Song will grab you, leaving you singing these songs for days. Enough To Let Me Go and Free are the most relatable and thought provoking tracks on the album that many will probably cover on YouTube. Whether you are a Switchfoot fan from the early days or a new Switchfoot fan, you will enjoy all 12 tracks, which are all crowd pleasers! You are lucky if you see the band play this album live.
_______________________________________
Switchfoot is currently on tour. Check here for dates.
Hello Hurricane will release on November 10, 2009. Pre-order the album now.
Hello Hurricane is an album full of heartfelt vocals and lyrics, as the songwriting is as honest and open as it can get. The transition between songs could not be any better and there is a perfect balance of alternative rock songs and ballads which closes out the album. The theme, or anthem of this album is heard loud and clear with the track, The Sound. This is the song that the crowds will go wild at during concerts because the energy is so incredibly high and the message is so inspirational. While inspiration is present in every track, most notably the edgy “Mess of Me” which declares independence, there is not one song in particular that stands out like "Only Hope" or "I Dare You to Move" have from previous albums. Every track is catchy, especially the album opener, Needle and Haystack, which sets the tone of the album beautifully. The lyrics in the more subdued tracks, ballads, Sing It Out and Your Love is a Song will grab you, leaving you singing these songs for days. Enough To Let Me Go and Free are the most relatable and thought provoking tracks on the album that many will probably cover on YouTube. Whether you are a Switchfoot fan from the early days or a new Switchfoot fan, you will enjoy all 12 tracks, which are all crowd pleasers! You are lucky if you see the band play this album live.
_______________________________________
Switchfoot is currently on tour. Check here for dates.
Hello Hurricane will release on November 10, 2009. Pre-order the album now.
Chasing Pirates Music Video Premiere
Today, VH1 presents the world premiere of the music video for Norah Jones’ “Chasing Pirates,” which will also begin to air on VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown at 9AM ET on Saturday, October 31. “Chasing Pirates” is the lead single from Jones’ highly anticipated upcoming album The Fall, which will be released on November 17th.
The video, which was shot in Jones’ hometown of New York City, was directed by Rich Lee, who has worked on the visual effects for all three of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Lee has also directed music videos by everyone from Fergie (“Clumsy”) to Michael Buble (“Haven’t Met You Yet”).
Jones has also announced a first run of TV appearances around the release of The Fall. The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter will be appearing on CBS Late Show With David Letterman (November 11), Comedy Central The Colbert Report (November 18), and ABC Good Morning America (November 16) and The View (November 23).
Pre-order the album now.
Find Norah Jones on Facebook and Myspace.
The video, which was shot in Jones’ hometown of New York City, was directed by Rich Lee, who has worked on the visual effects for all three of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Lee has also directed music videos by everyone from Fergie (“Clumsy”) to Michael Buble (“Haven’t Met You Yet”).
Jones has also announced a first run of TV appearances around the release of The Fall. The multiple Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter will be appearing on CBS Late Show With David Letterman (November 11), Comedy Central The Colbert Report (November 18), and ABC Good Morning America (November 16) and The View (November 23).
Pre-order the album now.
Find Norah Jones on Facebook and Myspace.
Scream Awards Tonight
Spike TV’s 4th annual Scream Awards, the ultimate celebration of all things sci-fi, fantasy, horror and comic books will premiere tonight at 10 PM, ET/PT.
The two hour event featured awards presented in 16 different categories. “Star Trek” won six awards, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” won five awards, and “True Blood” and “Twilight” won four awards. Twilight star, Taylor Lautner was on hand to unveil world premiere footage from the forthcoming “Twilight Saga: New Moon.”
Spike TV also debuted world premiere and exclusive never-before-seen footage from highly anticipated theatrical releases, including the upcoming Martin Scorsese directed “Shutter Island,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” starring Johnny Depp, and the upcoming “Star Trek” sequel. Also presented was an extensive preview of the forthcoming ABC series, “V.”
The cast of the “Big Bang Theory” introduced a tribute to one of the decade’s most influential science fiction series, “Battlestar Galactica” as the cast came together for a moving reunion.
There was much more excitement that you can catch tonight on Spike TV!
The two hour event featured awards presented in 16 different categories. “Star Trek” won six awards, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” won five awards, and “True Blood” and “Twilight” won four awards. Twilight star, Taylor Lautner was on hand to unveil world premiere footage from the forthcoming “Twilight Saga: New Moon.”
Spike TV also debuted world premiere and exclusive never-before-seen footage from highly anticipated theatrical releases, including the upcoming Martin Scorsese directed “Shutter Island,” which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” starring Johnny Depp, and the upcoming “Star Trek” sequel. Also presented was an extensive preview of the forthcoming ABC series, “V.”
The cast of the “Big Bang Theory” introduced a tribute to one of the decade’s most influential science fiction series, “Battlestar Galactica” as the cast came together for a moving reunion.
There was much more excitement that you can catch tonight on Spike TV!
Monday, October 26, 2009
TV Week In Review
*Reviews May Contain Spoilers*
Desperate Housewives - The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues
Lynette: A man just gave me a credit card because of my boobs. That must make me feel less like a hooker.
This is an episode that reminds me why I love this show so much! What a revelation to find out from Andrew accidentally that Julie quit med school to become a waitress since she did not know what she wanted to do with her life and she was dating a married man! What a surprise it was to learn this and that the man she is dating is Dominic, Daniel's dad. Pervert! I wonder if this piece of gossip will be spread by either in the relationship or Dominic's son who put the pieces to the puzzle together. I have a feeling Dominic's wife is not so innocent either and it is mutual. As for her bribing Porter to throw her son, Danny a party so that he could be more social in the midst of this Julie conflict...that was quite funny. I laughed so hard when Porter said, "Anything for my good friend, Danny." There was such a great balance of drama and comedy in this episode. It was quite comedic to see Gabby all flustered about John and her niece, Anna together. I wasn't expecting John to tell Gabby that he still wanted her, nor was I expecting Anna to be so understanding towards Gabby. Someone who is not understanding is Katherine. Bree trying to help Katherine come to her senses about Mike never being with her again almost worked until she saw the wedding cake that she made for her and Mike go to another couple. Thankfully, Bree let Katherine go so she could come to her senses in due time. Hopefully Katherine does not torture Bree or Susan. Someone who is doing the exact opposite is Lynette. She is spreading goodness everywhere she goes with her new twins. Lynette and Carlos talking about the twins, Lynette about her babies and Carlos about chest was hilarious! Lynette playing into it was entertaining however, she has to tell Carlos she is pregnant at some point. At this point, every story line is as interesting as the last and they all intertwine beautifully and I cannot wait to see what else happens and how certain things unfold. Great job writers, I am loving every moment.
Heroes - Tabula Rasa
Hiro: There are no bad powers, Emma. You just have to understand them. And when you do, you will learn to use your power to do good things in the world.
What a very captivating episode. I enjoyed every moment. Peter goes to HRG & Claire for help in saving Hiro which leads Peter & HRG to finding a boy who is a healer that HRG once studied with the company. Although once they get to the boy, Jeremy, they find out that his power progressed and he can not only heal but do the reverse. Although to prevent a less painful death, he carried a gun and ended up shooting Peter. Thankfully, Jeremy dug deep into his healing side and healed Peter as Peter gained his healing power and went off to save Hiro. However by the time Peter got back to the hospital, Hiro had already went off to right his wrong with Charlie at the Burn Toast Diner in Texas. What will it take for Hiro to understand that no matter how he spins certain things, those certain events are meant to happen? While it will feel great to see Charlie again, in the end this will only hurt him more. He should just stick with mentoring new heroes, like the deaf woman. Someone who is in need of serious guidance as Nathan and not as Sylar is Sylar although unfortunately Damien is brought in to show Sylar is true memories. Sylar sees that he is responsible for killing his mother and so many others making him incredibly overwhelmed with what he has seen. Shortly after, the detective in search of Sylar comes to the circus and is supposed to be killed by Sylar but it is done by the sword guy whose name escapes me. Once the detective is safe, according to the circus he is safe now and then becomes part of their family. The circus has no idea what they are about to create. I'd say the Nathan - Sylar days, the days where Sylar is in Matt's head...I would say those days are pretty much over now. We missed a few characters in this episode but the only one I really cared about that was missing was Matt. So much happened in this episode and I am anticipating watching everything progress next week.
One Tree Hill - Deep Ocean Vast Sea
Nathan: Haley, if I'm guilty of this, not only am I the kind of guy that would cheat on you...I'm the kind of guy that would father a child and then turn his back. I'm Dan Scott. If you think I'm capable of that, you do what you have to do but I guarantee you, if you've lost faith in me...all the money in the world isn't going to fix it.
Alex being serious about her screenplay was great to see but she still needs to learn how to think before she talks because Millie is not a plus size model. Even though Brooke has fired her (took long enough), I want Julian to still work on Alex's screenplay because she was starting to take things seriously and only more good can come out of that for her. Julian will help make Alex a more respectable person at least business wise. As for Brooke...all I have to say is that my heart broke when I saw the picture of Brooke & Peyton from their high school days. I miss Peyton & Lucas! Ugh. Moving on so as not to dwell on it so much, Dan coming to the woman who is pregnant with Nathan's child to spread the news on his show is ridiculous. Rachel is no better. In fact, if it weren't for her, I'm sure Dan wouldn't have done many things he did since they have been together. Please let there be an alternative positive motive for Dan doing what he is doing because this is so unnecessary otherwise. Also unnecessary was Haley paying the woman, Renee so thankfully she didn't. As for Mouth & Millie while I am rooting for them, it seems as though their relationship is coming to an end...they are just so distant, so hopefully we can see their relationship come back together and work or hurry up and end. Also, no diet pills Millie! No! Last and least, Clay is such a great guy, respecting Nathan's wishes and not talking to Quinn but Clay can do better than Quinn when you really think about it. She doesn't know what she wants or at least doesn't appreciate what she has when she has it.
Gossip Girl - Enough About Eve
Chuck: Do you really think I've never kissed a guy before.
It was nice to see Vanessa reach out to her mother about the toast but it seemed like she did it too soon since Olivia was actually chosen for the freshman toast, which was a surprise. Although Vanessa lying to Dan saying that Olivia was freaking out about meeting his parents so that he could change the date with Olivia and she would make the speech was wrong. She also is wrong for lying to Olivia. Some friend she is. She was smart for how she got Blair out of the way but really, the speech is not that important and she could have called her mother to let her know that they chose a celebrity instead. As for Blair, it was cruel for Blair to try to speak at the freshman toast just for popularity while Vanessa would speak from the heart. Phases 1 & 2 of her plans worked well, phase 2 with the help of Chuck. However Blair playing Chuck out in Phase 3 was not only wrong in general but especially wrong to Chuck. In the end, they both lost and deservedly so. Speaking of Olivia earlier, it was nice to see her meet the family in the end. Speaking of the new family...Serena came home last, leaving behind the Nate-Carter conflict. She helped Carter in the end but she couldn't help Nate from his boring, predictable storyline. This episode overall was very interesting as it showed everyone's true colors but I have a feeling this is only the beginning of that. Gina Torres cast as Vanessa's mom was a great choice and hopefully this isn't the last we will see of her.
90210 - Unmasked
Deb: No, Listen to me. She likes you. That's why she's confiding in you. And you need to stop being so obtuse and face what's going on. I'm going to yoga. I need to calm down.
Naomi trying to get into school by using that boy for college but crushing on his room mate was quite comedic. Great storyline in this episode. Naomi is always entertaining. Which I can't say for Annie at all this season. There is absolutely no furthering along in Annie's storyline. As far as her brother goes, I knew Dixon would break up with his girlfriend because of her making him choose her over his friends. Although I didn't know she would pull the "I'm pregnant" line to stay in the relationship. On one hand, I highly doubt she is pregnant she just is hurt by the breakup but on the other hand, if she is pregnant, how long ago did she find out? Anyway, as for an even older crowd...Kelly never denied having feelings for Harry so it looks like this will cause more problems if she does (which it looks like) and tells the truth. Kelly just has issues with seeing other people happy and/or doing something with their lives. She needs not be jealous of Harry & Debbie's relationship and she needs to let Silver be content caring for their sick mother. Everyone being sympathetic because of Silver's mom is exactly what Silver needs at this time, support.
Melrose Place - Windsor
David: My dad's not the miracle worker that you and your med school buddies put on a pedestal, I'm sorry.
Lauren: Well you know what David, no father's perfect.
David: He never had an interest in being my father Laur.
David offering to loan Lauren the money for the program without letting their friendship become complicated was a great gesture but Lauren quickly became more invested in David and found out about his stealing. Will David continue to steal? I'm sure he will...Lauren doesn't seem like she will stop being a prostitute. Somehow more interesting though was Daphne Zuniga who came back to her MP roots in this episode. She photographed Riley but wasn't loving Riley as a model (even though Ella was) and Riley wasn't enjoying it either - which was expected. Although Riley talking to Auggie when she got home was the real damper of Riley's night as she will most likely find out about Jonah going to see the business woman that is offering to help make Jonah's film a feature film. Violet was just an odd distraction in this episode, her story line quite forgettable in this episode. Overall, there was nothing fascinating about this episode, which was somewhat disappointing. However, seeing Daphne Zuniga made up for that.
Glee
Listen to the latest episode of Gleek Squad Podcast.
Flash Forward - Gimme Some Truth
Jana: This isn't a me, you thing Maya. This is a me thing.
While this episode did not contain much action, except for the ending, it was still exciting to get more information about the President and Agent Janis. I am very interested to see what the President's future holds, what exactly happened that the guard was going to tell him in his flash forward. The woman who saw herself as President obviously has to tie in with whatever the guard was telling the President. So seeing what is happening on a politics level really makes the viewers more connected to everyone having the flash forwards and how it effects everyone. As for Janis, it was quite revealing to find out that Janis is a lesbian and dating Maya (Navi Rawat, The OC) because it makes it even more of a mystery as to who the father is to the baby she is pregnant with in her flash forward. Hopefully it is safe to say that the one gunshot wound in the shoot out at the end did not kill her...otherwise she would not have gotten a flash forward. Right? The shoot out at the end with Janis, Mark, Stanford, and Demetri was terrible. It was the most exciting part of the episode though! Perhaps these were the same people who end up killing Demetri. Overall, this episode was heavily filled with more furthering of 2 story lines with little action as opposed to furthering along many story lines, so that was disappointing and yet still a decent episode.
The Office - The Lover
Oscar: You have no sense of boundaries Michael.
It is a wonder how Michael Scott is still the boss. His crazy antics makes me laugh yes, but I continue to think the same thing every week that in reality, his craziness would never last in the office. The blind man role, wow. Pam finding out Michael is sleeping with Pam's mom made me just as upset as she was. It was so upsetting to see Pam so upset. Having the entire office find out and being on Pam's side first and then Michael's side...hmmm. Pam is completely right for being upsetting and acting out the way that she did for the record. Angela's face when Pam said that Michael could still sleep with Oscar's mom (even though Oscar's mom is in a wheelchair) to try to get her point across, even though she took it back, Angela's face was hysterical! Seeing Pam so upset that she cursed on screen, wow. That's a first. Michael really has no friends but that still doesn't make it right for Michael as a boss to be dating relatives of the employees. This was a great episode! It had a few funny moments but it was very tense given the situation Pam was put in because of Michael. I wonder what the tension will be like next week.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The World Series Defense
Mac: Bro, I can do way more push ups than you and that is like 16 different muscle groups.
Dennis: That is beyond retarded what you are saying right now. I can do way more push ups than you, even though I was just hit by a car.
The introduction made me shake my head and laugh out loud but even funnier was Charlie throughout the entire episode. Charlie stole the show last week and he did again this week. Everything he said and did was incredibly hilarious. It was great to see him in his green man suit! It's been awhile since he whipped it out. Although it was more entertaining to see everything that happened that day. Having the gang narrate their world series story in court and watching it happen was quite entertaining, especially the gang throwing in extra bits to make sure the judge was paying attention. Obviously there are no boundaries for the gang as they threw themselves in front of cars to get tickets to the game. It would have been something else to see how the gang survived 6 days in the linen room! What a very chaotic and amusing episode!
Ugly Betty - Blue On Blue
Amanda: I guess I was stupid to think that you actually wanted to hear what I had to say.
Amanda was right on the money when she said, "They are so in love, it's disgusting" about Matt & Betty. Soon enough they will get back together. Although thanks to Marc knowing about Betty's business meeting, his plan was key to bringing her down at this moment in time. Marc was clever for having Matt & Amanda on a business date at Frankie's while Betty was doing the same. It brought her down. Although it is tough seeing Betty in sticky situations like this because it feels like after all of this time at Mode, she would know better how to conduct herself, she would be able to see through Marc and more. Amanda and Betty had to put the pieces to the puzzle together and he thankfully Marc had to pay for it a bit with both of them putting him in the doghouse. Betty is right, Marc needs to act his age. Anyway, as for the other story lines...Wilhelmina trying to get to Connor to get her money was one thing but were you expecting Connor to tell her that he was waiting for her when she was ready to come back to him? It makes sense but it was still shocking for some reason. As for shock, I did not know that Jamie Lynn Sigler was going to appear on the show and wonder if this guest appearance is for this episode alone or multiple episodes. Regardless, her character worked into Daniel's story line for a moment is helping Daniel heal, so that is good. Overall, this was a great episode, more drama less comedy but it works because it shows that this season is really furthering character development. Looking forward to next week.
Dollhouse - Belonging
Priya: This secret we have, can you keep it?
Topher: I can keep it. But I don't know if I can live with it.
Priya: I know I can't. But I don't have to.
Finally seeing Sierra's story of how she came to the dollhouse was amazing! Nolan wanted her and he got her but in the end, he found out the hard way that he can't keep Sierra as his prisoner. Nolan threatening Adele with letting Sierra go upset Topher more than it upset Adele and Topher had good reason to be highly upset. Topher imprinting who Sierra really is, Priya was a move I probably would have made in Topher's place too. Although after Priya killed Nolan, I did not expect Boyd to come and help clean up the the mess that was made and bring Priya back to the dollhouse with this secret between Topher. Is this a one time thing or do Topher & Boyd have other secrets and will Boyd tell Topher what he knows about Echo? I don't like Boyd finding out what Echo does to remember what's really going on but in a sense, I enjoy seeing it because it hints at what is to come. I wish it would hurry up and come already (having seen the 13th episode of Season 1, I am itching for more). Anyway, in this episode, we have learned that Victor & Echo were dolls before Sierra. By the way, Victor's Italian accent was enjoyable to hear. We also learned that Sierra was a paranoid schizophrenic before joining the dollhouse and has since been in the dollhouse for a year. I wonder how long Victor has been in the dollhouse. Speaking of the lovebirds, Victor and Sierra in the shower was interesting because Sierra said Victor was like an Indian chief, he said he was jokingly, and then there's a memory of fighting as a soldier. What was that all about? What they say they are is willed into them temporarily or was that a memory? What a powerful back story coming to the forefront for an episode.
Desperate Housewives - The God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues
Lynette: A man just gave me a credit card because of my boobs. That must make me feel less like a hooker.
This is an episode that reminds me why I love this show so much! What a revelation to find out from Andrew accidentally that Julie quit med school to become a waitress since she did not know what she wanted to do with her life and she was dating a married man! What a surprise it was to learn this and that the man she is dating is Dominic, Daniel's dad. Pervert! I wonder if this piece of gossip will be spread by either in the relationship or Dominic's son who put the pieces to the puzzle together. I have a feeling Dominic's wife is not so innocent either and it is mutual. As for her bribing Porter to throw her son, Danny a party so that he could be more social in the midst of this Julie conflict...that was quite funny. I laughed so hard when Porter said, "Anything for my good friend, Danny." There was such a great balance of drama and comedy in this episode. It was quite comedic to see Gabby all flustered about John and her niece, Anna together. I wasn't expecting John to tell Gabby that he still wanted her, nor was I expecting Anna to be so understanding towards Gabby. Someone who is not understanding is Katherine. Bree trying to help Katherine come to her senses about Mike never being with her again almost worked until she saw the wedding cake that she made for her and Mike go to another couple. Thankfully, Bree let Katherine go so she could come to her senses in due time. Hopefully Katherine does not torture Bree or Susan. Someone who is doing the exact opposite is Lynette. She is spreading goodness everywhere she goes with her new twins. Lynette and Carlos talking about the twins, Lynette about her babies and Carlos about chest was hilarious! Lynette playing into it was entertaining however, she has to tell Carlos she is pregnant at some point. At this point, every story line is as interesting as the last and they all intertwine beautifully and I cannot wait to see what else happens and how certain things unfold. Great job writers, I am loving every moment.
Heroes - Tabula Rasa
Hiro: There are no bad powers, Emma. You just have to understand them. And when you do, you will learn to use your power to do good things in the world.
What a very captivating episode. I enjoyed every moment. Peter goes to HRG & Claire for help in saving Hiro which leads Peter & HRG to finding a boy who is a healer that HRG once studied with the company. Although once they get to the boy, Jeremy, they find out that his power progressed and he can not only heal but do the reverse. Although to prevent a less painful death, he carried a gun and ended up shooting Peter. Thankfully, Jeremy dug deep into his healing side and healed Peter as Peter gained his healing power and went off to save Hiro. However by the time Peter got back to the hospital, Hiro had already went off to right his wrong with Charlie at the Burn Toast Diner in Texas. What will it take for Hiro to understand that no matter how he spins certain things, those certain events are meant to happen? While it will feel great to see Charlie again, in the end this will only hurt him more. He should just stick with mentoring new heroes, like the deaf woman. Someone who is in need of serious guidance as Nathan and not as Sylar is Sylar although unfortunately Damien is brought in to show Sylar is true memories. Sylar sees that he is responsible for killing his mother and so many others making him incredibly overwhelmed with what he has seen. Shortly after, the detective in search of Sylar comes to the circus and is supposed to be killed by Sylar but it is done by the sword guy whose name escapes me. Once the detective is safe, according to the circus he is safe now and then becomes part of their family. The circus has no idea what they are about to create. I'd say the Nathan - Sylar days, the days where Sylar is in Matt's head...I would say those days are pretty much over now. We missed a few characters in this episode but the only one I really cared about that was missing was Matt. So much happened in this episode and I am anticipating watching everything progress next week.
One Tree Hill - Deep Ocean Vast Sea
Nathan: Haley, if I'm guilty of this, not only am I the kind of guy that would cheat on you...I'm the kind of guy that would father a child and then turn his back. I'm Dan Scott. If you think I'm capable of that, you do what you have to do but I guarantee you, if you've lost faith in me...all the money in the world isn't going to fix it.
Alex being serious about her screenplay was great to see but she still needs to learn how to think before she talks because Millie is not a plus size model. Even though Brooke has fired her (took long enough), I want Julian to still work on Alex's screenplay because she was starting to take things seriously and only more good can come out of that for her. Julian will help make Alex a more respectable person at least business wise. As for Brooke...all I have to say is that my heart broke when I saw the picture of Brooke & Peyton from their high school days. I miss Peyton & Lucas! Ugh. Moving on so as not to dwell on it so much, Dan coming to the woman who is pregnant with Nathan's child to spread the news on his show is ridiculous. Rachel is no better. In fact, if it weren't for her, I'm sure Dan wouldn't have done many things he did since they have been together. Please let there be an alternative positive motive for Dan doing what he is doing because this is so unnecessary otherwise. Also unnecessary was Haley paying the woman, Renee so thankfully she didn't. As for Mouth & Millie while I am rooting for them, it seems as though their relationship is coming to an end...they are just so distant, so hopefully we can see their relationship come back together and work or hurry up and end. Also, no diet pills Millie! No! Last and least, Clay is such a great guy, respecting Nathan's wishes and not talking to Quinn but Clay can do better than Quinn when you really think about it. She doesn't know what she wants or at least doesn't appreciate what she has when she has it.
Gossip Girl - Enough About Eve
Chuck: Do you really think I've never kissed a guy before.
It was nice to see Vanessa reach out to her mother about the toast but it seemed like she did it too soon since Olivia was actually chosen for the freshman toast, which was a surprise. Although Vanessa lying to Dan saying that Olivia was freaking out about meeting his parents so that he could change the date with Olivia and she would make the speech was wrong. She also is wrong for lying to Olivia. Some friend she is. She was smart for how she got Blair out of the way but really, the speech is not that important and she could have called her mother to let her know that they chose a celebrity instead. As for Blair, it was cruel for Blair to try to speak at the freshman toast just for popularity while Vanessa would speak from the heart. Phases 1 & 2 of her plans worked well, phase 2 with the help of Chuck. However Blair playing Chuck out in Phase 3 was not only wrong in general but especially wrong to Chuck. In the end, they both lost and deservedly so. Speaking of Olivia earlier, it was nice to see her meet the family in the end. Speaking of the new family...Serena came home last, leaving behind the Nate-Carter conflict. She helped Carter in the end but she couldn't help Nate from his boring, predictable storyline. This episode overall was very interesting as it showed everyone's true colors but I have a feeling this is only the beginning of that. Gina Torres cast as Vanessa's mom was a great choice and hopefully this isn't the last we will see of her.
90210 - Unmasked
Deb: No, Listen to me. She likes you. That's why she's confiding in you. And you need to stop being so obtuse and face what's going on. I'm going to yoga. I need to calm down.
Naomi trying to get into school by using that boy for college but crushing on his room mate was quite comedic. Great storyline in this episode. Naomi is always entertaining. Which I can't say for Annie at all this season. There is absolutely no furthering along in Annie's storyline. As far as her brother goes, I knew Dixon would break up with his girlfriend because of her making him choose her over his friends. Although I didn't know she would pull the "I'm pregnant" line to stay in the relationship. On one hand, I highly doubt she is pregnant she just is hurt by the breakup but on the other hand, if she is pregnant, how long ago did she find out? Anyway, as for an even older crowd...Kelly never denied having feelings for Harry so it looks like this will cause more problems if she does (which it looks like) and tells the truth. Kelly just has issues with seeing other people happy and/or doing something with their lives. She needs not be jealous of Harry & Debbie's relationship and she needs to let Silver be content caring for their sick mother. Everyone being sympathetic because of Silver's mom is exactly what Silver needs at this time, support.
Melrose Place - Windsor
David: My dad's not the miracle worker that you and your med school buddies put on a pedestal, I'm sorry.
Lauren: Well you know what David, no father's perfect.
David: He never had an interest in being my father Laur.
David offering to loan Lauren the money for the program without letting their friendship become complicated was a great gesture but Lauren quickly became more invested in David and found out about his stealing. Will David continue to steal? I'm sure he will...Lauren doesn't seem like she will stop being a prostitute. Somehow more interesting though was Daphne Zuniga who came back to her MP roots in this episode. She photographed Riley but wasn't loving Riley as a model (even though Ella was) and Riley wasn't enjoying it either - which was expected. Although Riley talking to Auggie when she got home was the real damper of Riley's night as she will most likely find out about Jonah going to see the business woman that is offering to help make Jonah's film a feature film. Violet was just an odd distraction in this episode, her story line quite forgettable in this episode. Overall, there was nothing fascinating about this episode, which was somewhat disappointing. However, seeing Daphne Zuniga made up for that.
Glee
Listen to the latest episode of Gleek Squad Podcast.
Flash Forward - Gimme Some Truth
Jana: This isn't a me, you thing Maya. This is a me thing.
While this episode did not contain much action, except for the ending, it was still exciting to get more information about the President and Agent Janis. I am very interested to see what the President's future holds, what exactly happened that the guard was going to tell him in his flash forward. The woman who saw herself as President obviously has to tie in with whatever the guard was telling the President. So seeing what is happening on a politics level really makes the viewers more connected to everyone having the flash forwards and how it effects everyone. As for Janis, it was quite revealing to find out that Janis is a lesbian and dating Maya (Navi Rawat, The OC) because it makes it even more of a mystery as to who the father is to the baby she is pregnant with in her flash forward. Hopefully it is safe to say that the one gunshot wound in the shoot out at the end did not kill her...otherwise she would not have gotten a flash forward. Right? The shoot out at the end with Janis, Mark, Stanford, and Demetri was terrible. It was the most exciting part of the episode though! Perhaps these were the same people who end up killing Demetri. Overall, this episode was heavily filled with more furthering of 2 story lines with little action as opposed to furthering along many story lines, so that was disappointing and yet still a decent episode.
The Office - The Lover
Oscar: You have no sense of boundaries Michael.
It is a wonder how Michael Scott is still the boss. His crazy antics makes me laugh yes, but I continue to think the same thing every week that in reality, his craziness would never last in the office. The blind man role, wow. Pam finding out Michael is sleeping with Pam's mom made me just as upset as she was. It was so upsetting to see Pam so upset. Having the entire office find out and being on Pam's side first and then Michael's side...hmmm. Pam is completely right for being upsetting and acting out the way that she did for the record. Angela's face when Pam said that Michael could still sleep with Oscar's mom (even though Oscar's mom is in a wheelchair) to try to get her point across, even though she took it back, Angela's face was hysterical! Seeing Pam so upset that she cursed on screen, wow. That's a first. Michael really has no friends but that still doesn't make it right for Michael as a boss to be dating relatives of the employees. This was a great episode! It had a few funny moments but it was very tense given the situation Pam was put in because of Michael. I wonder what the tension will be like next week.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The World Series Defense
Mac: Bro, I can do way more push ups than you and that is like 16 different muscle groups.
Dennis: That is beyond retarded what you are saying right now. I can do way more push ups than you, even though I was just hit by a car.
The introduction made me shake my head and laugh out loud but even funnier was Charlie throughout the entire episode. Charlie stole the show last week and he did again this week. Everything he said and did was incredibly hilarious. It was great to see him in his green man suit! It's been awhile since he whipped it out. Although it was more entertaining to see everything that happened that day. Having the gang narrate their world series story in court and watching it happen was quite entertaining, especially the gang throwing in extra bits to make sure the judge was paying attention. Obviously there are no boundaries for the gang as they threw themselves in front of cars to get tickets to the game. It would have been something else to see how the gang survived 6 days in the linen room! What a very chaotic and amusing episode!
Ugly Betty - Blue On Blue
Amanda: I guess I was stupid to think that you actually wanted to hear what I had to say.
Amanda was right on the money when she said, "They are so in love, it's disgusting" about Matt & Betty. Soon enough they will get back together. Although thanks to Marc knowing about Betty's business meeting, his plan was key to bringing her down at this moment in time. Marc was clever for having Matt & Amanda on a business date at Frankie's while Betty was doing the same. It brought her down. Although it is tough seeing Betty in sticky situations like this because it feels like after all of this time at Mode, she would know better how to conduct herself, she would be able to see through Marc and more. Amanda and Betty had to put the pieces to the puzzle together and he thankfully Marc had to pay for it a bit with both of them putting him in the doghouse. Betty is right, Marc needs to act his age. Anyway, as for the other story lines...Wilhelmina trying to get to Connor to get her money was one thing but were you expecting Connor to tell her that he was waiting for her when she was ready to come back to him? It makes sense but it was still shocking for some reason. As for shock, I did not know that Jamie Lynn Sigler was going to appear on the show and wonder if this guest appearance is for this episode alone or multiple episodes. Regardless, her character worked into Daniel's story line for a moment is helping Daniel heal, so that is good. Overall, this was a great episode, more drama less comedy but it works because it shows that this season is really furthering character development. Looking forward to next week.
Dollhouse - Belonging
Priya: This secret we have, can you keep it?
Topher: I can keep it. But I don't know if I can live with it.
Priya: I know I can't. But I don't have to.
Finally seeing Sierra's story of how she came to the dollhouse was amazing! Nolan wanted her and he got her but in the end, he found out the hard way that he can't keep Sierra as his prisoner. Nolan threatening Adele with letting Sierra go upset Topher more than it upset Adele and Topher had good reason to be highly upset. Topher imprinting who Sierra really is, Priya was a move I probably would have made in Topher's place too. Although after Priya killed Nolan, I did not expect Boyd to come and help clean up the the mess that was made and bring Priya back to the dollhouse with this secret between Topher. Is this a one time thing or do Topher & Boyd have other secrets and will Boyd tell Topher what he knows about Echo? I don't like Boyd finding out what Echo does to remember what's really going on but in a sense, I enjoy seeing it because it hints at what is to come. I wish it would hurry up and come already (having seen the 13th episode of Season 1, I am itching for more). Anyway, in this episode, we have learned that Victor & Echo were dolls before Sierra. By the way, Victor's Italian accent was enjoyable to hear. We also learned that Sierra was a paranoid schizophrenic before joining the dollhouse and has since been in the dollhouse for a year. I wonder how long Victor has been in the dollhouse. Speaking of the lovebirds, Victor and Sierra in the shower was interesting because Sierra said Victor was like an Indian chief, he said he was jokingly, and then there's a memory of fighting as a soldier. What was that all about? What they say they are is willed into them temporarily or was that a memory? What a powerful back story coming to the forefront for an episode.
This is It Premiere
Michael Jackson's This is It will be making its worldwide premiere this Wednesday, October 28, 2009 and fans around the world will have a chance to interact with a live red carpet webcast for the movie's premiere at 4:30p PT on Tuesday, Oct. 27 live from Los Angeles on Ustream and Facebook.
Don't miss it!
DVD Review: Orphan
Orphan had a successful theater release in July 2009, making over $12 million its opening weekend and this week, the film should have very successful DVD sales as the film releases nationwide tomorrow!
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Rating: R, Bonus Features Not Rated
Run time: 123 minutes
Tragedy seems to follow nine-year-old Esther. She was orphaned in her native Russia. Her last adoptive family perished in a fire Esther barely escaped. But now the Coleman family has adopted her, and life is good. Until a classmate takes a serious fall from a slide. Until an orphanage nun is battered to death. And until Esther?s new mom wonders if that tragic fire was an accident. From Dark Castle Productions comes Orphan, bringing stunning new twists to the psychological thriller and locking audiences in a tightening vise of mystery, suspicion and terror. You?ll never forget Esther. So sweet. So intelligent. So creative. So disturbed.
Orphan was quite entertaining! This thriller definitely deserved its R rating for its graphic violence but aside from that, this was much more psychological and very character driven as every character is complex in their own unique way. Isabelle Fuhrman portrays the creepy psychopath, Esther incredibly well. All of the child actors in the film give remarkable performances that will blow you away. The Coleman children are manipulated by Esther into keeping secrets of Esther’s evil deeds, which is horrifying to see and yet it reels the viewers in, rooting for the children to break out of Esther’s manipulation. The adults also portray very moving performances, as viewers will be rooting for Kate (Vera Farmiga) and screaming at John (Peter Sarsgaard) for his lack of trust in Kate and disconnect with everything that is going on around him. The setting of the story was perfect and the shots of winter were beautiful. While a few moments are fairly predictable and a few moments might come off as more comedic than terrifying, overall the screenplay is written very well and the story moves along at a fair pace even though the running time is just over two hours. Orphan is a film that you will better enjoy when you watch with a group of people, however either way, this is one entertaining film.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes - In the first deleted scene, the family is at the dinner table fooling around, so I am glad that it was deleted because it did not further the storyline in any way. In the second deleted scene, Esther and her adopted mother, Kate are at the supermarket and see the lady who was flirting with Kate's husband, John. After the lady leaves, Esther tells Kate that she was flirting with John. That scene was a great scene because it holds a certain purpose at that time and then when you find out the ending, you realize that in this moment Esther was really looking out for herself, getting that lady out of the way. I really enjoyed this scene. In the third deleted scene, Esther was hiding and a homeless man almost saw her. I am unsure where this scene fits into the film. In the fourth deleted scene, Daniel tells his father that he saw Esther and Max in the tree house but John shows him that he has the keys to the tree house but after Daniel leaves, John checks his safe to make sure his gun is secure. This definitely needed to be deleted since it would have completely changed the level of trust the father showed for Esther.
Alternate Ending - In the alternate ending, Esther is doing her makeup in her bedroom while singing as the police are surrounding the inside of the house. She then walks down the stairs to say, "Hello, my name is Esther" and because she looks like an innocent child to the police, they take her aside to safety. Thankfully, this was not the ending. For those who want to see Esther win in the end, this is the ending to watch.
Get Orphan on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand & Digital Download October 27, 2009.
Release Date: October 27, 2009
Rating: R, Bonus Features Not Rated
Run time: 123 minutes
Tragedy seems to follow nine-year-old Esther. She was orphaned in her native Russia. Her last adoptive family perished in a fire Esther barely escaped. But now the Coleman family has adopted her, and life is good. Until a classmate takes a serious fall from a slide. Until an orphanage nun is battered to death. And until Esther?s new mom wonders if that tragic fire was an accident. From Dark Castle Productions comes Orphan, bringing stunning new twists to the psychological thriller and locking audiences in a tightening vise of mystery, suspicion and terror. You?ll never forget Esther. So sweet. So intelligent. So creative. So disturbed.
Orphan was quite entertaining! This thriller definitely deserved its R rating for its graphic violence but aside from that, this was much more psychological and very character driven as every character is complex in their own unique way. Isabelle Fuhrman portrays the creepy psychopath, Esther incredibly well. All of the child actors in the film give remarkable performances that will blow you away. The Coleman children are manipulated by Esther into keeping secrets of Esther’s evil deeds, which is horrifying to see and yet it reels the viewers in, rooting for the children to break out of Esther’s manipulation. The adults also portray very moving performances, as viewers will be rooting for Kate (Vera Farmiga) and screaming at John (Peter Sarsgaard) for his lack of trust in Kate and disconnect with everything that is going on around him. The setting of the story was perfect and the shots of winter were beautiful. While a few moments are fairly predictable and a few moments might come off as more comedic than terrifying, overall the screenplay is written very well and the story moves along at a fair pace even though the running time is just over two hours. Orphan is a film that you will better enjoy when you watch with a group of people, however either way, this is one entertaining film.
Special Features:
Deleted Scenes - In the first deleted scene, the family is at the dinner table fooling around, so I am glad that it was deleted because it did not further the storyline in any way. In the second deleted scene, Esther and her adopted mother, Kate are at the supermarket and see the lady who was flirting with Kate's husband, John. After the lady leaves, Esther tells Kate that she was flirting with John. That scene was a great scene because it holds a certain purpose at that time and then when you find out the ending, you realize that in this moment Esther was really looking out for herself, getting that lady out of the way. I really enjoyed this scene. In the third deleted scene, Esther was hiding and a homeless man almost saw her. I am unsure where this scene fits into the film. In the fourth deleted scene, Daniel tells his father that he saw Esther and Max in the tree house but John shows him that he has the keys to the tree house but after Daniel leaves, John checks his safe to make sure his gun is secure. This definitely needed to be deleted since it would have completely changed the level of trust the father showed for Esther.
Alternate Ending - In the alternate ending, Esther is doing her makeup in her bedroom while singing as the police are surrounding the inside of the house. She then walks down the stairs to say, "Hello, my name is Esther" and because she looks like an innocent child to the police, they take her aside to safety. Thankfully, this was not the ending. For those who want to see Esther win in the end, this is the ending to watch.
Get Orphan on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand & Digital Download October 27, 2009.
Friday, October 23, 2009
White Collar Premiere Week: Matt Bomer & Tim DeKay Interviews
White Collar Premiere Week continues as USA's brand new series premieres tonight at 10/9c! Everyday this week, I have presented interviews with the cast and crew of White Collar, and today's post is the joint interview with Actors, Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay.
On Filming in New York:
Matt: New York can’t be replicated. The energy of it, the architecture, the cabs honking and cursing you out right before they call “action.” It just can’t be replicated anywhere else and I think it’s so inherently a character in any film or TV show that takes place there. So, it’s just an unbelievable blessing to get to work here and feed off that energy. It just informs the show so much and the characters so much and the rhythm so much.
What did you think about your character initially?
Matt: Well, what I loved about him from the get go, was that he was flawed. He wasn’t—I mean, he had this—he has this veneer of the charming, hyper-intelligent, eloquent, sly mastermind, but underneath, he was really a kind of diehard romantic who would go to any lengths to find the love of his life. Not only was that his motivating force, but it was also kind of his Achilles heel, because then it ends up getting him caught and—but I liked the fact that, even though the fun he puts on is so suave and debonair, underneath there’s somebody who is also—has a hard time—has always really relied on himself and doesn’t really trust a lot of people.
Are there elements of your character that match up with your own personality?
Matt: I don’t want to say zero, because I mean, I guess we all like to think of ourselves as romantics. But, I like to think of myself as romantic and I guess I understood that part of him and that’s—that to me, has always been the driving force. I mean, his compliance with the FBI and all that stuff, ultimately is really so he can get closer to Kate and find her.
So, to me, that’s the core of the character and that’s the part that I relate to the most. The suave and debonair stuff is, you know, really fun to get to play, but I would say that I fall short of the Neal Caffrey bar in terms of that.
Neal lies with ease and sort of breezes through life but what do you think, besides romanticism, are his redeeming qualities?
Matt: I want people to—I don’t want people to think he’s the perfect guy. I want his flaws to come out, because that’s what it means to be a human being. Human beings are good, they have shadow, every single one of us has redeeming qualities and every single one of us has qualities that people can hold against us. That’s what makes us human.
I’m not interested in playing characters who are perfect or who are, you know—I think the fact that he does try to create that life for himself, is what makes him human and is his redeeming quality. Because he’s trying to cover up for ultimately a life before that that was really, as a kid, probably really unfulfilling. And, he—that’s his way of controlling and controlling his environment, controlling his life, having some sense of control. And, you know, I think he’s some—but he—I don’t think he’s somebody, he is somebody who wants to have fun in any given circumstances.
So, if he has the option of $700 a month getting him a flat in the ghetto, or an amazing house with Diahann Carroll as my landlady, that’s what I’m going to choose. He finds that. He has—he—I mean, he just puts that in his circle, that’s what he finds, he finds a way to live life to the fullest on whatever he’s given. Because I think when he was younger, he did not have any of those things. I think he’s somebody who from a very early age, had to fend for himself.
As the season goes on are we going to see more of his back story? Like, where did he learn it all and how did he go from a guy who’s just trying to make his girlfriend happy, to...?
Matt: You know, I hope, honestly, that that can come out in certain moments through my performance. I want the character to maintain mystery. I want him to—if I had my way, I would hope that by the end of—if we were blessed enough that by the end of the last episode of the seventh season, you still wouldn’t know everything about Neal Caffrey and you still wouldn’t know if he was playing you or if he was telling you the truth.
But, you know, his profession, I don’t like to think of it as a con artist, I think of it as a social engineer. I think he’s probably somebody who from a very early age, had to find out a way to get himself to school and probably first learned how to lie to people as a kid, to get his bus fare, you know, and it only grew from there.
On Research:
Matt: Well, I don’t want to give away all of the secrets of the research I did, but what I can tell you is I read a lot of books. Everything from, you know, obviously Frank Avengale’s memoir, Catch Me If You Can, to a lot of just books about social engineering. Most of them written by people who were in the same circumstances. A guy named Kevin Mitnick, who wrote a book called The Art of Deception that was very informative to me and he was a social engineer who them became—he, you know, does some kind of high tec computer software engineering. Because from a very early age, he had to fend for himself and he learned how to break into all the computers before they had any kind of security that could defend against it. So now he develops that kind of software.
I also tried to get some inspiration from films of the same ilk and the same genre. Everything from, you know, Danny Ocean in Oceans 11, to Cary Grant’s character in To Catch a Thief, with even a little bit of Ferris Bueller thrown in there.
What are some elements of White Collar that help it stand apart from other crime dramas that we see on TV?
Matt: The signature of USA Network is, characters welcome. So, first and foremost, you’re gong to get all the great procedural stuff. It’s really intelligently written. I’m no fool, I know this is a writer’s medium. You can put the biggest stars on the TV screen, but if the writing’s not there, the shows aren’t going to last and we’re so blessed to have Jeff Easton at the helm. Because these scripts are really smart and fun and unique. The White Collar world is unique, hasn’t really been completely explored yet and so you’re going to get all the fun procedural stuff, but at the same time, there’s going to be a lot of character elements that come into play as well. That keep it light and fun and sometimes serious.
So, you do get more back story elements and a lot of interplay, fun interplay between characters that you might not get on a show that’s straight procedural.
Do you think Neal is a good guy or should be liked?
Matt: As an actor, you can never judge the character you’re playing. If you approach a character from a place of judgment, you’re really digging yourself a hole as an actor. So, what I try to focus on is who he is and what motivates him and play the truth of it. I really can’t concern myself whether people like him or don’t like him or think he’s a good guy or a bad guy. I can only play what’s written in the given circumstances.
On Audition Process:
Matt: I’m sure they had probably a pretty big list of actors. I came in and did the initial read and then I tested once, they still weren’t sure if they wanted me for the part and then I tested again and then got the part. And then—is it okay for me to say all that stuff? [laughs] Somebody might get mad at me in the network. But, what’s great about the network, is they really take their time to find the people they really believe in and you really got to win them over. And, that was really, ultimately, a very rewarding process for me.
I had had the part for a little bit and then we went to find Peter and from the minute Tim stepped in the room and the first word that came out of his mouth, I was, like, I said, this is our guy, you know, he’s amazing. Tim’s such a wonderful actor and such an amazing human being and a real blessing to get to work with every day. He has this Midwestern quality about him, this sort of wholesome quality that you can’t teach anybody. You either have it or you don’t and it plays so intrinsically into the character, because as gruff as he is and as hard as he is, you also believe that his heart is soft enough that he would ultimately empathize with somebody like Neal.
So, I think that’s what I recognized right away and just his playfulness and he got what was funny about the character. He got what was interesting about the character. He got what made their interplay interesting and I feel really lucky to get to work with him.
Are you having fun wearing all the different costumes?
Matt: I have to say, I think the wardrobe really informs the character greatly. I mean, you know, when I put on one of those suits, like, you feel like one of the Rat Pack guys, you feel that kind of—yeah, and the fedora especially, when you get it down over one eye and you feel like maybe you can trust me, maybe you can’t. There’s something about that that really helped me kind of get into the skin of the character.
Do you watch Dollhouse?
Matt: I watch it whenever I can to support Eliza, yeah, but she’s fantastic on it. Gorgeous and hot and all the stuff she should be on that show. It’s really cool, I mean, I think Joss is obviously an amazing mind. So, the stuff they’re kind of unfolding on that show has been really interesting and cool.
You both have had a lot of experience working with a lot of different television networks. How is working with USA? They very strongly support their dramas. You know in thirteen episodes, you’re not going to come in to work and find out some show is already canceled.
Matt: It doesn’t stop. That is a great feeling, artistically, it’s a great feeling to know that you’ve got—you know, go do thirteen, go do a bunch, as opposed to oh, we got four and they didn’t kill us yet, we got four more, they didn’t kill us yet. So, you feel, there’s a comfort there and I think they stay true to their logo, characters welcome. They—as opposed to some other networks I’ve worked on, namely HBO, it was more—HBO, interesting, they shot all of their episodes before they aired the first one.
So, they were much more concerned about the art of the entire season and—but it feels like USA is more concerned about the characters. I think that’s what drives their shows. So it’s fun, as an actor, it’s great.
Tim: I really believe Bonnie Hammer is one of the best minds working in the entertainment industry today and I think the network, you know, it all bleeds down from the top. And, I think they really take their time with material, with casting, this—you know, this was not something that—where we were cast, we’re shooting the next day.
They really believe, only pick a handful of things to do and really believe in them when they do. And, then support them when they’re there. I don’t feel like I’m on a network where there are seven pilots that have been picked up that I have to compete with for the network’s attention. They have been so hands on, they’ve been so supportive from the get go and just having that feeling to kind of bolster your confidence as an actor and knowing that they believe in you, it really does help on the set.
Neal and Pete have such a—like, a married personality and they almost have a bromance. How will that play out as the series progresses?
Tim: There’s an odd respect that we both enjoy and we know that each other enjoys solving something. Now Peter looks at it different, solving something than Neal does and Peter is aware of that. So, he can have Neal perhaps do something that shouldn’t really be done, but he does it. And, I think that out of that, they deep, deep, deep down inside, like each other.
Peter hunted, for lack of a better term, for years before he actually caught him four years before the pilot took place. Yet it seemed as though he really kind of agreed very quickly to team up with him. Why do you think Peter agreed to that as quickly as he did?
Tim: I think he agreed because we only had that prison location for two days. [laughs] I asked myself that same thing. My wife helps me with that, but there is—in addition to solving the cases, and in addition to liking each other and having a very close bond, there’s another element here and that’s Kate.
That was a factor when Elizabeth tells Peter. Peter’s saying, there’s more to this than just some lost love thing. And, she asks him, “Really? You think so? You wouldn’t do this for me?”
And now that he's with me, I can ask him all these questions that I’ve been dying to ask and even though I envy his lifestyle, to a degree...this is kind of neat. I mean, Batman now can have the Joker, the Riddler, whomever you want to be with him.
Matt: And, there’s the opposite too, sorry to interrupt you. There’s the opposite too in that I am—I envy and find fascinating his family—his domestic family life. I’m fascinated by what’s it like to have a real family and a life where you can just settle down and you have breakfast together in the morning and all this. Because I don’t think I ever understood those kind of things.
It seemed like the chemistry between the two characters though was that aspect of, you were his nemesis and he spent so long chasing you, that he came to know you and to respect you. You had to put so much effort into finding him and he had to put so much effort into evading you, that it was almost a relationship built in that aspect. And, now suddenly it’s, like, what’s he really like?
Tim: You’re right, we kind of knew each other. He sent me birthday presents. And, then the other element that’s great, that’s written in this, is that there’s no—the whole element of violence is not in it. You know, so it’s—so that sense of being together could—is he going to pull a knife on me? Pull a gun—that’s just not in there. So, it’s not that—
Matt: It’s also not Neal’s nature either. He’s not a gun guy, he’s not a knife guy, he’s a mind guy.
Obviously as an actor, any previous role you have on your resume, kind of helps you get the next job. We saw a few kind of hints of Bryce, that very kind of suave—like, now I’m here, now I’m not, kind of thing going. Do you think other than just the fact that it was something on your resume, do you think that role kind of helped you get this role?
Matt: Oh, I don’t think I ever could have played Neal Caffrey if I hadn’t placed Bryce Larkin because he helped me understand sort of the espionage aspect of—he showed—helped me understand the smoother—yeah, the more espionage aspects of the character and when he has to go undercover and things like that. And, sort of he’s cool under pressure and those kind of things and just maneuvering in that world and never really knowing who he can trust or if you can trust him either. So, it was definitely very helpful.
Were you surprised when Bryce came back for the first time?
Matt: Well, Chris had said something to me when we were filming the pilot and he’d said something kind of off the cuff and very surreptitious about it. But, he said something about, you know, “You know he’s not dead, right?” I said, “Oh, okay.” And so, you know, that’s one of those things that you file away and go okay, and then—I knew I was coming back in flashbacks and then when they called to tell me that I was coming back to life. [laughs] I was being reanimated, I was just really pleasantly surprised and really thankful.
Do you have a favorite scene or stand out moment?
Matt: I know there’s too many to choose from right now. I really like—we have a stake out scene in one of the first episodes, it’s really, really fun. A lot of this stuff, when we go undercover together and we have to—and I, of course, get us into trouble and Peter has to bail us out or we have to use—any of that stuff where we’re just kind of given free rein to be silly and fun and playful and—we just understand the dynamics inherently, all that stuff is just criminally fun to film. No pun intended. Well, I should let Tim answer.
Tim: No, I’d have to agree, I was going to say that one. There—you know, what? If I could say one scene, probably that one. I think what’s really fun are the—between Matt and myself, I feel it’s just little moments here and there. Just—and not necessarily in one particular scene, just—
Matt: And sometimes it’s not planned, we don’t even know they’re there and—
Tim: Yeah, they just, boom, they’re there. Those are the ones that you really look forward to.
Neal seems almost as invested in Peter’s relationship with his wife as Peter is. We saw the aspect in the Pilot of Neal helping Peter discover his romantic side and learn more about her. Does that continue? Is there, like, a Cyrano de Bergerac thing going on here?
Tim: Yeah, it does continue.
Matt: Sometimes, yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s a steady theme in every episode, but it definitely happens and my—certainly my fascination with what it is to have this picket fence life, is alive.
As for Neal, once he’s done doing what he needs to do. Do you think that he’ll try to change his life and be a, you know, a good guy? Or do you think that he’ll just revert back to being this criminal?
Matt: I would hope he’d always maintain some of his mystery and that you’d never really a hundred percent feel like—he’d always be a little slippery. But, I would love, as the series progresses, down the road, for him to really understand, I think he’s starting to, to understand the rewards of doing what he’s doing and helping out and how he can use certain skills that he taught himself, to—for a better purpose. I think that’s the better moral story to tell, but I’m excited. I trust Jeff Easton a hundred and fifty percent and wherever he wants to take the character, I’m happy to go.
On Audition Process:
Tim: I had just come off of Tell Me You Love Me from HBO and some scripts were being sent and I read this one. I was reading and was not offered, so I’ve got to be clear on this, but there was some interest for the show The Middle with Patty Heaton and it was right at the same time and then I got this and I was shooting New Adventures of Old Christine when I auditioned for this. And, I went in, there was a chemistry read and there were about, I don’t know, a dozen of us in the waiting room. And I won’t say any names, but you’d recognize all these guys. After that, I went in and I read with Matt and right away, oh, oh, oh, this is mine! And, it just kept going. So I read with Matt and then I was cast and then we read with, I don’t know, twenty or thirty women to play my wife.
On Favorite Moment in Pilot:
Tim: There were a couple of moments. All of the moments with Matt, listen, the show to me —it’s not me, it’s not Matt, it’s that energy in between Matt and me. So there were just a lot of fun moments where we were talking and what have you. There was that, specifically I couldn’t think of one. But, I do have to say, the other fun moment for me, was when I bust through the door and all the FBI agents are coming in, it’s this long dolly track. And, it’s just one of those moments where you played it out a thousand times in your backyard.
Have the writers explored or have you thought about why Peter became an FBI agent?
Tim: Yeah, I talked to Jeff Easton about this and he has a very specific back story about it, which I agreed with a hundred percent. But, there’s another part of Peter. I think that Peter came from a very working class background, but was incredibly smart. I say that Peter and Neal both scored exceedingly high on their SATs. I think Neal shared it with quite a few people. Peter was embarrassed to tell people, because where he lived, it just wasn’t cool.
So, there is that and because Peter has that sensitivity, I think he grew up watching people and watching behavior. So, combined with his intelligence and just cerebrally, he’s also intuitive to people. Like, when he asks the question, I think—I hope you see it, I ask a question, and it really doesn’t matter what the answer is, it’s that second right after you ask it. So, you stay with somebody and then it doesn’t matter what they say, it’s their initial reaction and I think Peter kind of grew up that way.
Plus he was really good at math and I went to school with a lot of guys who were accounting majors and then the FBI said, “Hey, do you want to help us solve white collar crimes?” But, not the glamorous, sexy ones that we solve, the ones where, you know, somebody’s embezzled some money. And a lot of those guys were ex-jocks too and I think Peter’s an ex-jock.
Which one of Peter's character traits were you best able to personally relate to?
Tim: He loves to solve a good case. I love that. I used to watch Columbo with my dad and used to try to be ahead of it. You know, it’s always fun to be ahead of—I love any espionage movie, any spy movie. Like, oh, no, why did they—why did they cut to that guy? Oh, he shouldn’t have told her that. He said that because he really means this and—I love that. And, I think there’s a joy that Peter has in solving the crimes. That’s why he works late, because he loves it.
Did you get to talk to real life FBI agents?
Tim: I did, I did. They give you some inside scoop and—the guy that I talked to, he said he would get Christmas cards from people that were in prison, that he had put in prison. And, there were times where he’d have to go to somebody’s house and arrest them and he’d knock on the door and the wife would answer and he knew the wife, because he got to know them and he said he remembers a moment where he comes in, knocks on the door, the wife answers. She says, “Oh, no.” He said, “Yeah.” He said, “You know, —I’ll give you guys a few minutes, but I’ll be outside.” It’s that fine line between, you know, where you cross it all the time between the good guy and the bad guy.
Do you think that Peter will eventually truly trust Neal in not have any distractions, like finding Kate or anything else?
Tim: I don’t know...that’s up to the writers. I don’t know if Peter will every truly trust Neal, I don’t know. We’ll have to see, but it’s interesting you mention Kate, because I think that is the key to that. I don’t know, I don’t know. Right now, right now, I think Peter thinks, I’ll never trust that guy completely, I’ll never trust him, never trust him. And, I also think, as an actor, I need to feel that way because that keeps the tension.
You seem to have a pretty good relationship or you have really good chemistry with Tiffani. What’s it like kind of working with her and was that chemistry pretty much inherent from the first time?
Tim: It was, the second we met, it was there. The casting director we both knew very well. And, so I think the cast—and the casting director said nice things about ourselves to the other person and it was just there. It was there and she’s a pro. She knows her work and does it well and she’s married, I’m married, there’s a nice comfort there. In my past show, it was intense, the relationship stuff that I had to do in Tell Me You Love Me. So, I really enjoy doing this, it’s not nearly as intense as that.
How much leeway do you have with scripts or with input that you and maybe Matt have on your characters?
Tim: We’ve got quite a bit of input. There’s an open door there with the other writers, but by the time it comes to us, they’ve spent a lot of time on it. So, it’s up to us to make those words work and if they really can’t, then you make a call and say hmm, this isn’t working. But they always give us leeway to improv in between and to snap back and forth with each other.
So you’re more than halfway through filming, how does violence come into play or not come into play as the season goes on?
Tim: If there is a murder, you will see it after the fact. You will not have seen it happen and you’ll never flashback to have seen it happen. And if there is blood, somebody on the show will not like it, will not like to see the blood.
And, the other thing is, I have to say, is that you’ll see—like in the pilot, you’ll see a gorgeous part of New York. You will not see somebody killed on a stoop and then, you know, two guys in raincoats coming up and talking about it and then going and investigating.
You’re originally from Up State New York, is it good to be back in NY?
Tim: It’s fantastic. I love California, I love LA, I love my family and friends that I have out there, but I miss the seasons that the east offers. Because no matter how your life is going, no matter what is going on, who knows what the wind and leaves changing will bring you? I mean, I always feel that way, it’s like—something else is going to happen and you don’t kind of get that in LA. It’s just nice.
Let’s say a few seasons from now, Jeff approaches you and says, do you want to be a producer or direct? Would you be open to that?
Tim: Completely, completely, I would love to direct. I think that it makes some sense because the characters drive this show. Yeah, I would love to.
Peter and Elizabeth seem really happy, but is that going to change at all? Are they going to have-
Tim: No, I don’t think so. I think it’s important that they stay grounded and happy. There is this fun episode, Peter has to go undercover and kind of flirt with somebody, yeah, and he does—he’s not good at it.
On No Love Triangle:
Tim: No, that’d be too easy as well. No, no triangle. No, what are you doing in my house? You’re a criminal that has an anklet device there, what are you doing here? The other thing about it, Peter’s not worried at all. He knows that there’s a good thing going there, for a number of reasons.
Who do you think is smarter?
Tim: I think we both we both scored the exact same number on our SAT scores, but Neal did better—maybe now it’s different, but back when I took SATs, there was verbal and math. I think Neal scored better on the verbal and Peter scored better on the math. But together, they had the exact same.
You’ve done a lot of stage work, would you like to return to that at some point?
Tim: I’d love to, I’d love to. It’s great because on stage, you’re in control of the story. It is yours.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
On Filming in New York:
Matt: New York can’t be replicated. The energy of it, the architecture, the cabs honking and cursing you out right before they call “action.” It just can’t be replicated anywhere else and I think it’s so inherently a character in any film or TV show that takes place there. So, it’s just an unbelievable blessing to get to work here and feed off that energy. It just informs the show so much and the characters so much and the rhythm so much.
What did you think about your character initially?
Matt: Well, what I loved about him from the get go, was that he was flawed. He wasn’t—I mean, he had this—he has this veneer of the charming, hyper-intelligent, eloquent, sly mastermind, but underneath, he was really a kind of diehard romantic who would go to any lengths to find the love of his life. Not only was that his motivating force, but it was also kind of his Achilles heel, because then it ends up getting him caught and—but I liked the fact that, even though the fun he puts on is so suave and debonair, underneath there’s somebody who is also—has a hard time—has always really relied on himself and doesn’t really trust a lot of people.
Are there elements of your character that match up with your own personality?
Matt: I don’t want to say zero, because I mean, I guess we all like to think of ourselves as romantics. But, I like to think of myself as romantic and I guess I understood that part of him and that’s—that to me, has always been the driving force. I mean, his compliance with the FBI and all that stuff, ultimately is really so he can get closer to Kate and find her.
So, to me, that’s the core of the character and that’s the part that I relate to the most. The suave and debonair stuff is, you know, really fun to get to play, but I would say that I fall short of the Neal Caffrey bar in terms of that.
Neal lies with ease and sort of breezes through life but what do you think, besides romanticism, are his redeeming qualities?
Matt: I want people to—I don’t want people to think he’s the perfect guy. I want his flaws to come out, because that’s what it means to be a human being. Human beings are good, they have shadow, every single one of us has redeeming qualities and every single one of us has qualities that people can hold against us. That’s what makes us human.
I’m not interested in playing characters who are perfect or who are, you know—I think the fact that he does try to create that life for himself, is what makes him human and is his redeeming quality. Because he’s trying to cover up for ultimately a life before that that was really, as a kid, probably really unfulfilling. And, he—that’s his way of controlling and controlling his environment, controlling his life, having some sense of control. And, you know, I think he’s some—but he—I don’t think he’s somebody, he is somebody who wants to have fun in any given circumstances.
So, if he has the option of $700 a month getting him a flat in the ghetto, or an amazing house with Diahann Carroll as my landlady, that’s what I’m going to choose. He finds that. He has—he—I mean, he just puts that in his circle, that’s what he finds, he finds a way to live life to the fullest on whatever he’s given. Because I think when he was younger, he did not have any of those things. I think he’s somebody who from a very early age, had to fend for himself.
As the season goes on are we going to see more of his back story? Like, where did he learn it all and how did he go from a guy who’s just trying to make his girlfriend happy, to...?
Matt: You know, I hope, honestly, that that can come out in certain moments through my performance. I want the character to maintain mystery. I want him to—if I had my way, I would hope that by the end of—if we were blessed enough that by the end of the last episode of the seventh season, you still wouldn’t know everything about Neal Caffrey and you still wouldn’t know if he was playing you or if he was telling you the truth.
But, you know, his profession, I don’t like to think of it as a con artist, I think of it as a social engineer. I think he’s probably somebody who from a very early age, had to find out a way to get himself to school and probably first learned how to lie to people as a kid, to get his bus fare, you know, and it only grew from there.
On Research:
Matt: Well, I don’t want to give away all of the secrets of the research I did, but what I can tell you is I read a lot of books. Everything from, you know, obviously Frank Avengale’s memoir, Catch Me If You Can, to a lot of just books about social engineering. Most of them written by people who were in the same circumstances. A guy named Kevin Mitnick, who wrote a book called The Art of Deception that was very informative to me and he was a social engineer who them became—he, you know, does some kind of high tec computer software engineering. Because from a very early age, he had to fend for himself and he learned how to break into all the computers before they had any kind of security that could defend against it. So now he develops that kind of software.
I also tried to get some inspiration from films of the same ilk and the same genre. Everything from, you know, Danny Ocean in Oceans 11, to Cary Grant’s character in To Catch a Thief, with even a little bit of Ferris Bueller thrown in there.
What are some elements of White Collar that help it stand apart from other crime dramas that we see on TV?
Matt: The signature of USA Network is, characters welcome. So, first and foremost, you’re gong to get all the great procedural stuff. It’s really intelligently written. I’m no fool, I know this is a writer’s medium. You can put the biggest stars on the TV screen, but if the writing’s not there, the shows aren’t going to last and we’re so blessed to have Jeff Easton at the helm. Because these scripts are really smart and fun and unique. The White Collar world is unique, hasn’t really been completely explored yet and so you’re going to get all the fun procedural stuff, but at the same time, there’s going to be a lot of character elements that come into play as well. That keep it light and fun and sometimes serious.
So, you do get more back story elements and a lot of interplay, fun interplay between characters that you might not get on a show that’s straight procedural.
Do you think Neal is a good guy or should be liked?
Matt: As an actor, you can never judge the character you’re playing. If you approach a character from a place of judgment, you’re really digging yourself a hole as an actor. So, what I try to focus on is who he is and what motivates him and play the truth of it. I really can’t concern myself whether people like him or don’t like him or think he’s a good guy or a bad guy. I can only play what’s written in the given circumstances.
On Audition Process:
Matt: I’m sure they had probably a pretty big list of actors. I came in and did the initial read and then I tested once, they still weren’t sure if they wanted me for the part and then I tested again and then got the part. And then—is it okay for me to say all that stuff? [laughs] Somebody might get mad at me in the network. But, what’s great about the network, is they really take their time to find the people they really believe in and you really got to win them over. And, that was really, ultimately, a very rewarding process for me.
I had had the part for a little bit and then we went to find Peter and from the minute Tim stepped in the room and the first word that came out of his mouth, I was, like, I said, this is our guy, you know, he’s amazing. Tim’s such a wonderful actor and such an amazing human being and a real blessing to get to work with every day. He has this Midwestern quality about him, this sort of wholesome quality that you can’t teach anybody. You either have it or you don’t and it plays so intrinsically into the character, because as gruff as he is and as hard as he is, you also believe that his heart is soft enough that he would ultimately empathize with somebody like Neal.
So, I think that’s what I recognized right away and just his playfulness and he got what was funny about the character. He got what was interesting about the character. He got what made their interplay interesting and I feel really lucky to get to work with him.
Are you having fun wearing all the different costumes?
Matt: I have to say, I think the wardrobe really informs the character greatly. I mean, you know, when I put on one of those suits, like, you feel like one of the Rat Pack guys, you feel that kind of—yeah, and the fedora especially, when you get it down over one eye and you feel like maybe you can trust me, maybe you can’t. There’s something about that that really helped me kind of get into the skin of the character.
Do you watch Dollhouse?
Matt: I watch it whenever I can to support Eliza, yeah, but she’s fantastic on it. Gorgeous and hot and all the stuff she should be on that show. It’s really cool, I mean, I think Joss is obviously an amazing mind. So, the stuff they’re kind of unfolding on that show has been really interesting and cool.
You both have had a lot of experience working with a lot of different television networks. How is working with USA? They very strongly support their dramas. You know in thirteen episodes, you’re not going to come in to work and find out some show is already canceled.
Matt: It doesn’t stop. That is a great feeling, artistically, it’s a great feeling to know that you’ve got—you know, go do thirteen, go do a bunch, as opposed to oh, we got four and they didn’t kill us yet, we got four more, they didn’t kill us yet. So, you feel, there’s a comfort there and I think they stay true to their logo, characters welcome. They—as opposed to some other networks I’ve worked on, namely HBO, it was more—HBO, interesting, they shot all of their episodes before they aired the first one.
So, they were much more concerned about the art of the entire season and—but it feels like USA is more concerned about the characters. I think that’s what drives their shows. So it’s fun, as an actor, it’s great.
Tim: I really believe Bonnie Hammer is one of the best minds working in the entertainment industry today and I think the network, you know, it all bleeds down from the top. And, I think they really take their time with material, with casting, this—you know, this was not something that—where we were cast, we’re shooting the next day.
They really believe, only pick a handful of things to do and really believe in them when they do. And, then support them when they’re there. I don’t feel like I’m on a network where there are seven pilots that have been picked up that I have to compete with for the network’s attention. They have been so hands on, they’ve been so supportive from the get go and just having that feeling to kind of bolster your confidence as an actor and knowing that they believe in you, it really does help on the set.
Neal and Pete have such a—like, a married personality and they almost have a bromance. How will that play out as the series progresses?
Tim: There’s an odd respect that we both enjoy and we know that each other enjoys solving something. Now Peter looks at it different, solving something than Neal does and Peter is aware of that. So, he can have Neal perhaps do something that shouldn’t really be done, but he does it. And, I think that out of that, they deep, deep, deep down inside, like each other.
Peter hunted, for lack of a better term, for years before he actually caught him four years before the pilot took place. Yet it seemed as though he really kind of agreed very quickly to team up with him. Why do you think Peter agreed to that as quickly as he did?
Tim: I think he agreed because we only had that prison location for two days. [laughs] I asked myself that same thing. My wife helps me with that, but there is—in addition to solving the cases, and in addition to liking each other and having a very close bond, there’s another element here and that’s Kate.
That was a factor when Elizabeth tells Peter. Peter’s saying, there’s more to this than just some lost love thing. And, she asks him, “Really? You think so? You wouldn’t do this for me?”
And now that he's with me, I can ask him all these questions that I’ve been dying to ask and even though I envy his lifestyle, to a degree...this is kind of neat. I mean, Batman now can have the Joker, the Riddler, whomever you want to be with him.
Matt: And, there’s the opposite too, sorry to interrupt you. There’s the opposite too in that I am—I envy and find fascinating his family—his domestic family life. I’m fascinated by what’s it like to have a real family and a life where you can just settle down and you have breakfast together in the morning and all this. Because I don’t think I ever understood those kind of things.
It seemed like the chemistry between the two characters though was that aspect of, you were his nemesis and he spent so long chasing you, that he came to know you and to respect you. You had to put so much effort into finding him and he had to put so much effort into evading you, that it was almost a relationship built in that aspect. And, now suddenly it’s, like, what’s he really like?
Tim: You’re right, we kind of knew each other. He sent me birthday presents. And, then the other element that’s great, that’s written in this, is that there’s no—the whole element of violence is not in it. You know, so it’s—so that sense of being together could—is he going to pull a knife on me? Pull a gun—that’s just not in there. So, it’s not that—
Matt: It’s also not Neal’s nature either. He’s not a gun guy, he’s not a knife guy, he’s a mind guy.
Obviously as an actor, any previous role you have on your resume, kind of helps you get the next job. We saw a few kind of hints of Bryce, that very kind of suave—like, now I’m here, now I’m not, kind of thing going. Do you think other than just the fact that it was something on your resume, do you think that role kind of helped you get this role?
Matt: Oh, I don’t think I ever could have played Neal Caffrey if I hadn’t placed Bryce Larkin because he helped me understand sort of the espionage aspect of—he showed—helped me understand the smoother—yeah, the more espionage aspects of the character and when he has to go undercover and things like that. And, sort of he’s cool under pressure and those kind of things and just maneuvering in that world and never really knowing who he can trust or if you can trust him either. So, it was definitely very helpful.
Were you surprised when Bryce came back for the first time?
Matt: Well, Chris had said something to me when we were filming the pilot and he’d said something kind of off the cuff and very surreptitious about it. But, he said something about, you know, “You know he’s not dead, right?” I said, “Oh, okay.” And so, you know, that’s one of those things that you file away and go okay, and then—I knew I was coming back in flashbacks and then when they called to tell me that I was coming back to life. [laughs] I was being reanimated, I was just really pleasantly surprised and really thankful.
Do you have a favorite scene or stand out moment?
Matt: I know there’s too many to choose from right now. I really like—we have a stake out scene in one of the first episodes, it’s really, really fun. A lot of this stuff, when we go undercover together and we have to—and I, of course, get us into trouble and Peter has to bail us out or we have to use—any of that stuff where we’re just kind of given free rein to be silly and fun and playful and—we just understand the dynamics inherently, all that stuff is just criminally fun to film. No pun intended. Well, I should let Tim answer.
Tim: No, I’d have to agree, I was going to say that one. There—you know, what? If I could say one scene, probably that one. I think what’s really fun are the—between Matt and myself, I feel it’s just little moments here and there. Just—and not necessarily in one particular scene, just—
Matt: And sometimes it’s not planned, we don’t even know they’re there and—
Tim: Yeah, they just, boom, they’re there. Those are the ones that you really look forward to.
Neal seems almost as invested in Peter’s relationship with his wife as Peter is. We saw the aspect in the Pilot of Neal helping Peter discover his romantic side and learn more about her. Does that continue? Is there, like, a Cyrano de Bergerac thing going on here?
Tim: Yeah, it does continue.
Matt: Sometimes, yeah, I mean, I wouldn’t say it’s a steady theme in every episode, but it definitely happens and my—certainly my fascination with what it is to have this picket fence life, is alive.
As for Neal, once he’s done doing what he needs to do. Do you think that he’ll try to change his life and be a, you know, a good guy? Or do you think that he’ll just revert back to being this criminal?
Matt: I would hope he’d always maintain some of his mystery and that you’d never really a hundred percent feel like—he’d always be a little slippery. But, I would love, as the series progresses, down the road, for him to really understand, I think he’s starting to, to understand the rewards of doing what he’s doing and helping out and how he can use certain skills that he taught himself, to—for a better purpose. I think that’s the better moral story to tell, but I’m excited. I trust Jeff Easton a hundred and fifty percent and wherever he wants to take the character, I’m happy to go.
On Audition Process:
Tim: I had just come off of Tell Me You Love Me from HBO and some scripts were being sent and I read this one. I was reading and was not offered, so I’ve got to be clear on this, but there was some interest for the show The Middle with Patty Heaton and it was right at the same time and then I got this and I was shooting New Adventures of Old Christine when I auditioned for this. And, I went in, there was a chemistry read and there were about, I don’t know, a dozen of us in the waiting room. And I won’t say any names, but you’d recognize all these guys. After that, I went in and I read with Matt and right away, oh, oh, oh, this is mine! And, it just kept going. So I read with Matt and then I was cast and then we read with, I don’t know, twenty or thirty women to play my wife.
On Favorite Moment in Pilot:
Tim: There were a couple of moments. All of the moments with Matt, listen, the show to me —it’s not me, it’s not Matt, it’s that energy in between Matt and me. So there were just a lot of fun moments where we were talking and what have you. There was that, specifically I couldn’t think of one. But, I do have to say, the other fun moment for me, was when I bust through the door and all the FBI agents are coming in, it’s this long dolly track. And, it’s just one of those moments where you played it out a thousand times in your backyard.
Have the writers explored or have you thought about why Peter became an FBI agent?
Tim: Yeah, I talked to Jeff Easton about this and he has a very specific back story about it, which I agreed with a hundred percent. But, there’s another part of Peter. I think that Peter came from a very working class background, but was incredibly smart. I say that Peter and Neal both scored exceedingly high on their SATs. I think Neal shared it with quite a few people. Peter was embarrassed to tell people, because where he lived, it just wasn’t cool.
So, there is that and because Peter has that sensitivity, I think he grew up watching people and watching behavior. So, combined with his intelligence and just cerebrally, he’s also intuitive to people. Like, when he asks the question, I think—I hope you see it, I ask a question, and it really doesn’t matter what the answer is, it’s that second right after you ask it. So, you stay with somebody and then it doesn’t matter what they say, it’s their initial reaction and I think Peter kind of grew up that way.
Plus he was really good at math and I went to school with a lot of guys who were accounting majors and then the FBI said, “Hey, do you want to help us solve white collar crimes?” But, not the glamorous, sexy ones that we solve, the ones where, you know, somebody’s embezzled some money. And a lot of those guys were ex-jocks too and I think Peter’s an ex-jock.
Which one of Peter's character traits were you best able to personally relate to?
Tim: He loves to solve a good case. I love that. I used to watch Columbo with my dad and used to try to be ahead of it. You know, it’s always fun to be ahead of—I love any espionage movie, any spy movie. Like, oh, no, why did they—why did they cut to that guy? Oh, he shouldn’t have told her that. He said that because he really means this and—I love that. And, I think there’s a joy that Peter has in solving the crimes. That’s why he works late, because he loves it.
Did you get to talk to real life FBI agents?
Tim: I did, I did. They give you some inside scoop and—the guy that I talked to, he said he would get Christmas cards from people that were in prison, that he had put in prison. And, there were times where he’d have to go to somebody’s house and arrest them and he’d knock on the door and the wife would answer and he knew the wife, because he got to know them and he said he remembers a moment where he comes in, knocks on the door, the wife answers. She says, “Oh, no.” He said, “Yeah.” He said, “You know, —I’ll give you guys a few minutes, but I’ll be outside.” It’s that fine line between, you know, where you cross it all the time between the good guy and the bad guy.
Do you think that Peter will eventually truly trust Neal in not have any distractions, like finding Kate or anything else?
Tim: I don’t know...that’s up to the writers. I don’t know if Peter will every truly trust Neal, I don’t know. We’ll have to see, but it’s interesting you mention Kate, because I think that is the key to that. I don’t know, I don’t know. Right now, right now, I think Peter thinks, I’ll never trust that guy completely, I’ll never trust him, never trust him. And, I also think, as an actor, I need to feel that way because that keeps the tension.
You seem to have a pretty good relationship or you have really good chemistry with Tiffani. What’s it like kind of working with her and was that chemistry pretty much inherent from the first time?
Tim: It was, the second we met, it was there. The casting director we both knew very well. And, so I think the cast—and the casting director said nice things about ourselves to the other person and it was just there. It was there and she’s a pro. She knows her work and does it well and she’s married, I’m married, there’s a nice comfort there. In my past show, it was intense, the relationship stuff that I had to do in Tell Me You Love Me. So, I really enjoy doing this, it’s not nearly as intense as that.
How much leeway do you have with scripts or with input that you and maybe Matt have on your characters?
Tim: We’ve got quite a bit of input. There’s an open door there with the other writers, but by the time it comes to us, they’ve spent a lot of time on it. So, it’s up to us to make those words work and if they really can’t, then you make a call and say hmm, this isn’t working. But they always give us leeway to improv in between and to snap back and forth with each other.
So you’re more than halfway through filming, how does violence come into play or not come into play as the season goes on?
Tim: If there is a murder, you will see it after the fact. You will not have seen it happen and you’ll never flashback to have seen it happen. And if there is blood, somebody on the show will not like it, will not like to see the blood.
And, the other thing is, I have to say, is that you’ll see—like in the pilot, you’ll see a gorgeous part of New York. You will not see somebody killed on a stoop and then, you know, two guys in raincoats coming up and talking about it and then going and investigating.
You’re originally from Up State New York, is it good to be back in NY?
Tim: It’s fantastic. I love California, I love LA, I love my family and friends that I have out there, but I miss the seasons that the east offers. Because no matter how your life is going, no matter what is going on, who knows what the wind and leaves changing will bring you? I mean, I always feel that way, it’s like—something else is going to happen and you don’t kind of get that in LA. It’s just nice.
Let’s say a few seasons from now, Jeff approaches you and says, do you want to be a producer or direct? Would you be open to that?
Tim: Completely, completely, I would love to direct. I think that it makes some sense because the characters drive this show. Yeah, I would love to.
Peter and Elizabeth seem really happy, but is that going to change at all? Are they going to have-
Tim: No, I don’t think so. I think it’s important that they stay grounded and happy. There is this fun episode, Peter has to go undercover and kind of flirt with somebody, yeah, and he does—he’s not good at it.
On No Love Triangle:
Tim: No, that’d be too easy as well. No, no triangle. No, what are you doing in my house? You’re a criminal that has an anklet device there, what are you doing here? The other thing about it, Peter’s not worried at all. He knows that there’s a good thing going there, for a number of reasons.
Who do you think is smarter?
Tim: I think we both we both scored the exact same number on our SAT scores, but Neal did better—maybe now it’s different, but back when I took SATs, there was verbal and math. I think Neal scored better on the verbal and Peter scored better on the math. But together, they had the exact same.
You’ve done a lot of stage work, would you like to return to that at some point?
Tim: I’d love to, I’d love to. It’s great because on stage, you’re in control of the story. It is yours.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
White Collar Premiere Week: Tiffani-Amber Thiessen Interview
White Collar Premiere Week continues as USA's brand new series premieres this Friday at 10/9c! Everyday this week, I have presented interviews with the cast and crew of White Collar, and today's interview is with Actress, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen.
On Getting the Role:
When I first auditioned for it, they hadn’t cast the role of Peter yet. So, they were just loosely looking at possible Elizabeths. And then I was put on what they call a short list, you know, put on the short list, you know. It’s so funny. I’ve been doing this for 26 years. I can’t tell you how many short lists I have been on. And nothing ever happens. But, you know, it’s just part of being an actor.
So they said they were going to do the process of casting the role of Peter. So, they were going to wait and hold off on the wife, which makes sense. So, they finally cast the role of Peter with Tim DeKay, which I was ecstatic about because I have been a fan of Tim’s for a very, very long time. And so I remember calling my agent going, “Okay. So, what’s happening?”
He’s like, “Well, they kind of wanted to go in a different direction.” And they were literally testing girls five years younger than I was. And I was thinking, “Okay, this is interesting.” I mean, Tim and I already have a little bit of an age difference, but you put another five years. And I go, “That seems strange.”
I guess they went through a lot of different girls, a lot of young girls. And so they finally came back. I got a phone call a couple months later and they said, “We want you to do a chemistry read with Tim DeKay.” And I was thinking, “Yes. It’s back on!”
I went in. We had chemistry from day one. I went in, tested for it once. And there’s a very funny story with USA that it takes USA a very long time to make a decision on somebody. And I think I broke the record because I got the call three hours later that I got the job.
On the Testing Process:
You walk into like a room like this—I’m not kidding you—with many of the executives and they’re all staring at you. And it’s super quiet. And they have a little video camera on you. And you have to do the scenes, and you have to make it as real as possible with all these people literally looking at you. It’s very, very weird.
And then you know like there’s a bunch of different girls behind you doing the exact same thing. But I went in and we nailed it. It was awesome. It was meant to be. You know you say things like that. And I truly do believe it.
On Relating to the Character:
I’ve been married almost four and a half years now. And it’s a relationship that I know—you know, a lot of times on TV, and even movies, you see these relationships that don’t work. It’s always about the ones that don’t work. And it’s the drama and it’s the this. It’s nice to see a relationship on TV that does work, and they’ve been together for a long time. And they really do have each other’s best interest at heart.
On No Love Triangle:
You’ve seen it so many times. You’ve seen it over and over, and I’ve played it over and over. So, yeah, I’m glad there's no love triangle. Believe me, I’m glad.
On Working in New York vs. LA:
Los Angeles is very, very different. But I’ve been coming to New York since I was young. I love New York City. I love that you guys have seasons, just to be able to put a coat on and a scarf. We don’t get to do that in L.A.
But on the ‘but’ side of it, my family is in L.A. All of our families are in L.A. We didn’t make the big, big move just yet. I think for first season, you just never know. But I have a sneaky suspicion this show’s going to go for a while. I usually am not wrong. So, we’ll see. And I’ve always wanted to be bi-coastal. So, I’m kind of getting that dream—that wish granted.
On the Funny or Die Video:
It was great fun to do. We all know what that was stemmed from. It was my way of kind of answering a lot of people’s questions, not even just Fallon because I was getting, everywhere I was going, why I wasn’t going on Fallon, and why I wasn’t doing the reunion. And this was way before anybody knew we were doing People Magazine.
We all knew we were doing People Magazine. That was the reunion that we were doing, end of story, didn’t need to do anymore than that. But I was still having to answer questions because it hadn’t come out yet. So, we kind of approached Funny or Die, and they did it and they loved it. We sat down and collaborated the whole storyline and the script. And we literally shot it at my house. Everybody you see who’s in it was my husband, my friends, my gardeners. I mean it was everybody that was around. It was awesome. We shot it all in one day. It was great.
I want Fallon to say something. He hasn’t said a word. I was a little bit disappointed, I have to say. I was a little disappointed. So, we’ll see. We’ll see if he ever says anything. I don’t know.
With event planning as your character‘s career, how does that work with Neal, because it seems like that’s right up his alley?
We’re actually just exactly halfway throughout the season. And there’s been some times where you see what I do for a living kind of come in an episode. Definitely one episode you see it. It’s going to be an ongoing process, I think, for them to kind of figure that out. The thing about it is, yes, the high profile people I might be working with could be an interest for Neal. You just never know.
They don’t have a whole lot of your character working, doing event planning in the Pilot.
No, because at first, funny enough, I was supposed to be an accountant. [laugh] That’s how it was written. And then what they ended up doing in the pilot is they never mentioned what I did for a living because I think they wanted to kind of explore me in the character. And so, actually, after we knew that the show was getting picked up, I sat down with Jeff Eastin, the creator, and I said, “I have an idea.”
They didn’t want her to be in an office. And we’re shooting in New York City. It’s like what better way to show even more of the City? I said, “She’s an event planner.” He said, “Oh, I like that.” And secretly I’ve always wanted to be one. So, I was thinking, “Perfect.”
Are you going to bring comedy to this role?
This show is definitely lighthearted. It’s not a drama and it’s not a comedy. It’s right in between, which is definitely the kind of TV and movies that I like to watch. So, of course, you’ll see a lot of that from me, from Matt, from Peter, and, of course, Willie, which is great because I really do love doing comedy a lot. It’s definitely one of my favorites, so, yes.
Your major characters have been so different. I mean there was Kelly who was everybody’s sweetheart. And there was Valerie who was nobody’s sweetheart. And now you’re playing this adult wonderful support. But is that something you purposely tried to not get caught in the stereotype, or--?
Yeah, I think you do no matter what because it’s the business, you know. I think we all, as actors, fear that. I think there’s always going to be a little bit of that no matter what. But I think, yes, when I read the script, I was automatically really into the script and the role.
Where do you see your character going, or where do you want your character to go over the course of the series?
You know, it’s interesting. I’m not the star of the show. And to be totally honest with you, I’m very happy about that. I mean, I came on the show knowing that it was the two—it’s the two guys. It’s their show. And I and Willie are supporting characters. I’ve been a lead in a show for a long time and, honestly, didn’t want the 17-hour days anymore.
So, for where I want to see the character going, it’s kind of a—I can’t say I want her becoming this huge piece of this show. I want her to still be supporting. She’s this kind of light part of the show that I like. It’s the home piece for Peter’s character, which I like. I love the relationship that they have, Peter and Elizabeth. So, I think it’s more of just about exploring that, and what 10 years of that relationship’s going to be. Kids or whatever that means, I don’t know.
Do you think she’ll have any involvement kind of helping Neal with his whole missing girlfriend situation?
I think you might possibly see that, yeah. I think being I’m the girl on the show, I’m the female voice in that sense that you’ll see—you know, you see Peter coming to me for that side as well as just another look at things. It’s a common thing sometimes when you live in a career for so long that sometimes you don’t think about things that other people see on the outside. So, you’ll see a lot of that.
We know about your directing in Hung but would you be interested in directing an episode for White Collar?
Oh, absolutely! I wouldn’t say no, absolutely not. I mean I would love to. First seasons are always the hardest to kind of get your feet wet with everybody that’s on the show and stuff like that. So, I would love to. They know my interest. I would absolutely love to.
And, yes, Hung, I was actually supposed to shoot the end of this year. But now that I’m shooting this show, it’s got pushed back.
Any interest on making an appearance on the new 90210?
Not at all. No. I watched the pilot, and it’s very different. Also, I’ve always been someone to never look back. I’ve always been someone just in life in general, and that always stays the same when it comes to my career. I always like to move forward.
I played that character for a long time. I don’t need to play that character again. It’s retired. And I’m so glad. And I couldn’t be more blessed and feel blessed to be on the show that I am now. And I love the people that I’m working with. I couldn’t be more ecstatic about it. So, everything happens for a reason.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
On Getting the Role:
When I first auditioned for it, they hadn’t cast the role of Peter yet. So, they were just loosely looking at possible Elizabeths. And then I was put on what they call a short list, you know, put on the short list, you know. It’s so funny. I’ve been doing this for 26 years. I can’t tell you how many short lists I have been on. And nothing ever happens. But, you know, it’s just part of being an actor.
So they said they were going to do the process of casting the role of Peter. So, they were going to wait and hold off on the wife, which makes sense. So, they finally cast the role of Peter with Tim DeKay, which I was ecstatic about because I have been a fan of Tim’s for a very, very long time. And so I remember calling my agent going, “Okay. So, what’s happening?”
He’s like, “Well, they kind of wanted to go in a different direction.” And they were literally testing girls five years younger than I was. And I was thinking, “Okay, this is interesting.” I mean, Tim and I already have a little bit of an age difference, but you put another five years. And I go, “That seems strange.”
I guess they went through a lot of different girls, a lot of young girls. And so they finally came back. I got a phone call a couple months later and they said, “We want you to do a chemistry read with Tim DeKay.” And I was thinking, “Yes. It’s back on!”
I went in. We had chemistry from day one. I went in, tested for it once. And there’s a very funny story with USA that it takes USA a very long time to make a decision on somebody. And I think I broke the record because I got the call three hours later that I got the job.
On the Testing Process:
You walk into like a room like this—I’m not kidding you—with many of the executives and they’re all staring at you. And it’s super quiet. And they have a little video camera on you. And you have to do the scenes, and you have to make it as real as possible with all these people literally looking at you. It’s very, very weird.
And then you know like there’s a bunch of different girls behind you doing the exact same thing. But I went in and we nailed it. It was awesome. It was meant to be. You know you say things like that. And I truly do believe it.
On Relating to the Character:
I’ve been married almost four and a half years now. And it’s a relationship that I know—you know, a lot of times on TV, and even movies, you see these relationships that don’t work. It’s always about the ones that don’t work. And it’s the drama and it’s the this. It’s nice to see a relationship on TV that does work, and they’ve been together for a long time. And they really do have each other’s best interest at heart.
On No Love Triangle:
You’ve seen it so many times. You’ve seen it over and over, and I’ve played it over and over. So, yeah, I’m glad there's no love triangle. Believe me, I’m glad.
On Working in New York vs. LA:
Los Angeles is very, very different. But I’ve been coming to New York since I was young. I love New York City. I love that you guys have seasons, just to be able to put a coat on and a scarf. We don’t get to do that in L.A.
But on the ‘but’ side of it, my family is in L.A. All of our families are in L.A. We didn’t make the big, big move just yet. I think for first season, you just never know. But I have a sneaky suspicion this show’s going to go for a while. I usually am not wrong. So, we’ll see. And I’ve always wanted to be bi-coastal. So, I’m kind of getting that dream—that wish granted.
On the Funny or Die Video:
It was great fun to do. We all know what that was stemmed from. It was my way of kind of answering a lot of people’s questions, not even just Fallon because I was getting, everywhere I was going, why I wasn’t going on Fallon, and why I wasn’t doing the reunion. And this was way before anybody knew we were doing People Magazine.
We all knew we were doing People Magazine. That was the reunion that we were doing, end of story, didn’t need to do anymore than that. But I was still having to answer questions because it hadn’t come out yet. So, we kind of approached Funny or Die, and they did it and they loved it. We sat down and collaborated the whole storyline and the script. And we literally shot it at my house. Everybody you see who’s in it was my husband, my friends, my gardeners. I mean it was everybody that was around. It was awesome. We shot it all in one day. It was great.
I want Fallon to say something. He hasn’t said a word. I was a little bit disappointed, I have to say. I was a little disappointed. So, we’ll see. We’ll see if he ever says anything. I don’t know.
With event planning as your character‘s career, how does that work with Neal, because it seems like that’s right up his alley?
We’re actually just exactly halfway throughout the season. And there’s been some times where you see what I do for a living kind of come in an episode. Definitely one episode you see it. It’s going to be an ongoing process, I think, for them to kind of figure that out. The thing about it is, yes, the high profile people I might be working with could be an interest for Neal. You just never know.
They don’t have a whole lot of your character working, doing event planning in the Pilot.
No, because at first, funny enough, I was supposed to be an accountant. [laugh] That’s how it was written. And then what they ended up doing in the pilot is they never mentioned what I did for a living because I think they wanted to kind of explore me in the character. And so, actually, after we knew that the show was getting picked up, I sat down with Jeff Eastin, the creator, and I said, “I have an idea.”
They didn’t want her to be in an office. And we’re shooting in New York City. It’s like what better way to show even more of the City? I said, “She’s an event planner.” He said, “Oh, I like that.” And secretly I’ve always wanted to be one. So, I was thinking, “Perfect.”
Are you going to bring comedy to this role?
This show is definitely lighthearted. It’s not a drama and it’s not a comedy. It’s right in between, which is definitely the kind of TV and movies that I like to watch. So, of course, you’ll see a lot of that from me, from Matt, from Peter, and, of course, Willie, which is great because I really do love doing comedy a lot. It’s definitely one of my favorites, so, yes.
Your major characters have been so different. I mean there was Kelly who was everybody’s sweetheart. And there was Valerie who was nobody’s sweetheart. And now you’re playing this adult wonderful support. But is that something you purposely tried to not get caught in the stereotype, or--?
Yeah, I think you do no matter what because it’s the business, you know. I think we all, as actors, fear that. I think there’s always going to be a little bit of that no matter what. But I think, yes, when I read the script, I was automatically really into the script and the role.
Where do you see your character going, or where do you want your character to go over the course of the series?
You know, it’s interesting. I’m not the star of the show. And to be totally honest with you, I’m very happy about that. I mean, I came on the show knowing that it was the two—it’s the two guys. It’s their show. And I and Willie are supporting characters. I’ve been a lead in a show for a long time and, honestly, didn’t want the 17-hour days anymore.
So, for where I want to see the character going, it’s kind of a—I can’t say I want her becoming this huge piece of this show. I want her to still be supporting. She’s this kind of light part of the show that I like. It’s the home piece for Peter’s character, which I like. I love the relationship that they have, Peter and Elizabeth. So, I think it’s more of just about exploring that, and what 10 years of that relationship’s going to be. Kids or whatever that means, I don’t know.
Do you think she’ll have any involvement kind of helping Neal with his whole missing girlfriend situation?
I think you might possibly see that, yeah. I think being I’m the girl on the show, I’m the female voice in that sense that you’ll see—you know, you see Peter coming to me for that side as well as just another look at things. It’s a common thing sometimes when you live in a career for so long that sometimes you don’t think about things that other people see on the outside. So, you’ll see a lot of that.
We know about your directing in Hung but would you be interested in directing an episode for White Collar?
Oh, absolutely! I wouldn’t say no, absolutely not. I mean I would love to. First seasons are always the hardest to kind of get your feet wet with everybody that’s on the show and stuff like that. So, I would love to. They know my interest. I would absolutely love to.
And, yes, Hung, I was actually supposed to shoot the end of this year. But now that I’m shooting this show, it’s got pushed back.
Any interest on making an appearance on the new 90210?
Not at all. No. I watched the pilot, and it’s very different. Also, I’ve always been someone to never look back. I’ve always been someone just in life in general, and that always stays the same when it comes to my career. I always like to move forward.
I played that character for a long time. I don’t need to play that character again. It’s retired. And I’m so glad. And I couldn’t be more blessed and feel blessed to be on the show that I am now. And I love the people that I’m working with. I couldn’t be more ecstatic about it. So, everything happens for a reason.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
White Collar Premiere Week: Mini Interview with Stephanie Maslansky
White Collar Premiere Week continues as USA's brand new series premieres this Friday at 10/9c! Everyday this week, I will present interviews with the cast and crew of White Collar, and today's interview is with Series Costume Designer, Stephanie Maslansky, who has worked on every episode after the Pilot.
On the Pilot:
I think the pilot was done really well by—and the designer for the pilot was Kat Thomas, a really good designer, New York designer. I feel as though I took off from what she sort of established in the pilot having had a conversation with the writer, with the producer, the creator of the show, Jeff Eastin, what his vision was of this character.
Neal really does go undercover in terms that he really has to change his persona in outfits based on that?
Exactly. And, generally speaking, when he goes undercover, whoever he’s playing, that character does require a really strong terrific look. And, initially, the look was based on, and continues to be based on, the silhouette that was popular during the Rat Pack era, during the late fifties, early sixties, which is a very slim silhouette with very fitted jackets, and slim trousers, slim ties...And what we’ve done is we’ve taken that style and made it a bit more contemporary.
Peter, who’s the FBI agent, and always wears the same Brooks Brothers suit, he has a very specific look that—also, he has a very slim silhouette and a very sort of elegant silhouette. But he, actually, confesses to the fact that he isn’t interested in clothes and always his character has been wearing the same suit forever. Primarily, he wears Brooks Brothers. He also wears some Burberry—sort of very traditional classic clothing makers that I found. Paul Stuart as well.
With Elizabeth’s career as an event planner, they must be able to do a few fun parties, etc...?
Yeah, definitely. I’m very happy that they decided to make her into an event planner because that really gives us an opportunity to make her a little bit more cutting edge.
I would say the tone of the colors that we’re using in this show, the pallet is primarily cool—blues, grays, with pops of strong jewel-tone colors. And that’s another difference between our show, this contemporary show, and the vintage era Rat Pack, which was more warm browns and oranges and peaches, more earth tones.
Did you custom design any of the outfits that Neal will be wearing in the show?
So far, I haven’t had anything made from the ground up. However, I am starting to have a few shirts made because I’m sort of running out of—we use specific—there are some—I use some pretty specific designers for Neal in particular. We started out using a lot of Paul Smith and a lot of Varvatos. And we’ve now added Thomas Pink, and they’ve been wonderful. We’re using a lot of Thomas Pink. We also use some Calvin Klein. And then, of course, we use vintage clothes as well. So, I won’t say I’ve custom made anything, but we customize everything... And perhaps as time wears on and there’s season two, three, four, five—God willing, we have more time in prep, I’ll be happy to design their clothes. But so far, I’ve been very fortunate to find really great designers out there who already have great pieces that we can then tailor into the individual items for those actors.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
On the Pilot:
I think the pilot was done really well by—and the designer for the pilot was Kat Thomas, a really good designer, New York designer. I feel as though I took off from what she sort of established in the pilot having had a conversation with the writer, with the producer, the creator of the show, Jeff Eastin, what his vision was of this character.
Neal really does go undercover in terms that he really has to change his persona in outfits based on that?
Exactly. And, generally speaking, when he goes undercover, whoever he’s playing, that character does require a really strong terrific look. And, initially, the look was based on, and continues to be based on, the silhouette that was popular during the Rat Pack era, during the late fifties, early sixties, which is a very slim silhouette with very fitted jackets, and slim trousers, slim ties...And what we’ve done is we’ve taken that style and made it a bit more contemporary.
Peter, who’s the FBI agent, and always wears the same Brooks Brothers suit, he has a very specific look that—also, he has a very slim silhouette and a very sort of elegant silhouette. But he, actually, confesses to the fact that he isn’t interested in clothes and always his character has been wearing the same suit forever. Primarily, he wears Brooks Brothers. He also wears some Burberry—sort of very traditional classic clothing makers that I found. Paul Stuart as well.
With Elizabeth’s career as an event planner, they must be able to do a few fun parties, etc...?
Yeah, definitely. I’m very happy that they decided to make her into an event planner because that really gives us an opportunity to make her a little bit more cutting edge.
I would say the tone of the colors that we’re using in this show, the pallet is primarily cool—blues, grays, with pops of strong jewel-tone colors. And that’s another difference between our show, this contemporary show, and the vintage era Rat Pack, which was more warm browns and oranges and peaches, more earth tones.
Did you custom design any of the outfits that Neal will be wearing in the show?
So far, I haven’t had anything made from the ground up. However, I am starting to have a few shirts made because I’m sort of running out of—we use specific—there are some—I use some pretty specific designers for Neal in particular. We started out using a lot of Paul Smith and a lot of Varvatos. And we’ve now added Thomas Pink, and they’ve been wonderful. We’re using a lot of Thomas Pink. We also use some Calvin Klein. And then, of course, we use vintage clothes as well. So, I won’t say I’ve custom made anything, but we customize everything... And perhaps as time wears on and there’s season two, three, four, five—God willing, we have more time in prep, I’ll be happy to design their clothes. But so far, I’ve been very fortunate to find really great designers out there who already have great pieces that we can then tailor into the individual items for those actors.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
White Collar Premiere Week: Willie Garson Interview
White Collar Premiere Week continues as USA's brand new series premieres this Friday at 10/9c! Everyday this week, I will present interviews with the cast and crew of White Collar, and today's interview is with Actor, Willie Garson.
First Impressions on Playing the Character:
I was really drawn to kind of an under-the-radar kind of guy rather than an out-there kind of guy. And it also gives a lot of opportunities to play with, you know, me pretending to be other people and working scams behind the scenes rather than in front of the scenes. So that's pretty cool. And I just thought—I'm also a big fan of all those shows that I grew up on, and this is—it's Huggy Bear, it's Angel from Rockford Files. It's that subversive guy in the background, the brains behind the brain. And that's very—that was interesting to me.
On the Dynamic Between the Cast:
The dynamic's really good. I've known Tiffani for a long time, and I've known Tim for a long time. I've never acted with Tiffani. And that's going to be weird if that ever happens. I don't know how those two characters are going to come together. But now we're doing scenes where I am with Peter. Tim was on a show—the show I had before Sex was called—a very long-lived Fox show called Ask Harriet. And Tim guested, so I've known him for a long time. And Matt, I had never met before.
We were all brought in together to do something good. So that bonded us more than anything right away. USA's a very exciting place, and people are watching, and that's a really exciting energy to be around. You can read the paper every day about the death of television, the death of network television. And the broadcast networks, they backed themselves into a corner, and USA was like, "We're going to make a brand, and we're going to make a good brand. What about that?" You know.
USA, they're really careful. They're really smart. For lack of a better word, they're not screwing around. It's like, "This is our brand." And it's not just like, "Oh, this works." And so that's an exciting energy to be around. I love these guys.
On Possibly Co-writing an Episode:
I don't know. It's so hard. I see what they go through. It's so hard. Actors, I find that actors are good dialogue editors. But to come up with a blank piece of paper? If you told me the line, I could tell you the next line, but I could never come up with that first line in a scene, ever. I just don't know.
I think down the road, second, third season, I'd love to try to direct an episode. I think I'm almost ready for that. And literally is after 30 years. I'm almost to the point where I think I could maybe direct an episode. Maybe. But it's not—the writing, God bless them. God bless writers.
And I've been really blessed from Milch and Michael Patrick King and now Jeff. I just—I've gotten to work—David Kelley. I've gotten to work with really good writers. Thank god.
What, aside from the style in clothes, do you feel like you brought to the role from your own personality?
Well, I definitely have a wry, not-trusting view of the world and of, you know, corporate America and governmental agencies. So I have that in me, so this is right into a lot of things I believe in. Also, I'm from New Jersey. I come from working people. And I was really taken by, this is such a good show for this time, as we've certainly seen a lot of really hard-working people lose their livelihood, and we all are interested in who are these people who are finding out ways to steal money and stuff without going out and working for a living? You know, I'm fascinated by people who will just come up with more and more ways to screw people out of money, instead of just getting a job.
And I like that this show takes a viewpoint that's like, "well, you can try, but there are people out there with their eyes on you to make sure that you do the right thing." So that's a real underlying thing of the show. We have a scene in an upcoming episode where we get drunk and we're talking about, "Why do you do this," Peter says," Is it because of all this stuff?" And I'm like, "It has nothing to do with the stuff. It's so we feel alive."
Are you going to be lurking in shadows for the rest of the season, or are you going to be out and about, interacting with everyone?
I will be lurking. Well, you know, it's funny. We know as much as you know as the scripts come in, but I am more out in the field, so to speak. But, you know, there's a lot of question of how much is the FBI aware of me. So it's coming that eventually Peter's going to have to eventually know who I am, and then can we use him, and what's the legality of--how much can the FBI actually use me to do anything.
How was it as an actor to delve into a role like this, especially now that you've been in such a recognizable role? Does it change your process at all to make sure that there is no "Stanford" in this character?
Well, it's interesting. I truly do try to make everything exactly different. As different as possible. I went straight from Stanford, I went straight back to David Milch to play a nerdy, Jewish lawyer, you know, badly dressed, living in San Diego. I mean, it couldn't have been more opposite. And then this—there's an issue with me on the street back in New York but everyone is totally different. They're all always different.
A big question that always comes up is always, "Dude, are you careful about typecasting," or whatever. But typecasting for actors is kind of like what you do to yourself. I mean, I can tell you, my desk for many years had, every flamboyant, high-fashion character on the planet was sitting on my desk, and I could have made a fortune. But what's the point?
It's kind of why I like to make TV. I'm one of the few actors who enjoys doing TV more than I like making movies. I like that it's a new script every week. I like that it's totally different. And for as long as that goes, great.
Sex and the City was much longer than any of us thought that it was going to be. I mean, it's unbelievable. I mean, we shot a scene yesterday with all of us in it and at the end of the scene, everyone's like, "So, should someone make a speech that this is the last time we're all together, again?" I mean, it just seems so weird to us. We shot that pilot in 1997. I actually had some hair. That's how long ago it was.
So I would love to sit here with the new—there's so many scams and so many places to shoot and so many weird, different rules that can be broken that we can sit here easily for seven years. I don't have a problem with that. But when we get into the 15th season, I'll be ready for a new show.
How much latitude have you had with ad-libs and things like that for your character?
That's a sticky question. I'm very good at it. I do talk a lot with Jeff. Also, if things happen, especially when you're shooting on the street in New York, Mozzie will comment or move to it. And that's the same thing as when you walk in to do a scene and you start rehearsing it. If it's just—I'm not going to fit a square peg into a round hole. I'm going to make it work. So I do ad lib, and they're pretty good about if it works for the scene.
Listen, I've worked with crazy actors who have ad libbed for the sake of ad libbing. You know, where you say, "What time are we going to the bank," and the guy ad libbing turns and says, "I like roast beef." It's like, really? Does that really do anything to propel the scene at all? So I choose my battles, and my battles are usually—they're chosen for a reason.
Do you seek out parts that film in New York?
No, no, no. It just happens. I mean, NYPD doesn't shoot in New York, but people thought it did. I don't know. I guess I feel that I am like a—I'm a safe, user-friendly New Yorker. I'm not threatening or intimidating, but I seem like I could from here. And I am from here, so that helps I guess a little bit. Maybe it's my horror at living in Los Angeles that comes across in meetings.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
First Impressions on Playing the Character:
I was really drawn to kind of an under-the-radar kind of guy rather than an out-there kind of guy. And it also gives a lot of opportunities to play with, you know, me pretending to be other people and working scams behind the scenes rather than in front of the scenes. So that's pretty cool. And I just thought—I'm also a big fan of all those shows that I grew up on, and this is—it's Huggy Bear, it's Angel from Rockford Files. It's that subversive guy in the background, the brains behind the brain. And that's very—that was interesting to me.
On the Dynamic Between the Cast:
The dynamic's really good. I've known Tiffani for a long time, and I've known Tim for a long time. I've never acted with Tiffani. And that's going to be weird if that ever happens. I don't know how those two characters are going to come together. But now we're doing scenes where I am with Peter. Tim was on a show—the show I had before Sex was called—a very long-lived Fox show called Ask Harriet. And Tim guested, so I've known him for a long time. And Matt, I had never met before.
We were all brought in together to do something good. So that bonded us more than anything right away. USA's a very exciting place, and people are watching, and that's a really exciting energy to be around. You can read the paper every day about the death of television, the death of network television. And the broadcast networks, they backed themselves into a corner, and USA was like, "We're going to make a brand, and we're going to make a good brand. What about that?" You know.
USA, they're really careful. They're really smart. For lack of a better word, they're not screwing around. It's like, "This is our brand." And it's not just like, "Oh, this works." And so that's an exciting energy to be around. I love these guys.
On Possibly Co-writing an Episode:
I don't know. It's so hard. I see what they go through. It's so hard. Actors, I find that actors are good dialogue editors. But to come up with a blank piece of paper? If you told me the line, I could tell you the next line, but I could never come up with that first line in a scene, ever. I just don't know.
I think down the road, second, third season, I'd love to try to direct an episode. I think I'm almost ready for that. And literally is after 30 years. I'm almost to the point where I think I could maybe direct an episode. Maybe. But it's not—the writing, God bless them. God bless writers.
And I've been really blessed from Milch and Michael Patrick King and now Jeff. I just—I've gotten to work—David Kelley. I've gotten to work with really good writers. Thank god.
What, aside from the style in clothes, do you feel like you brought to the role from your own personality?
Well, I definitely have a wry, not-trusting view of the world and of, you know, corporate America and governmental agencies. So I have that in me, so this is right into a lot of things I believe in. Also, I'm from New Jersey. I come from working people. And I was really taken by, this is such a good show for this time, as we've certainly seen a lot of really hard-working people lose their livelihood, and we all are interested in who are these people who are finding out ways to steal money and stuff without going out and working for a living? You know, I'm fascinated by people who will just come up with more and more ways to screw people out of money, instead of just getting a job.
And I like that this show takes a viewpoint that's like, "well, you can try, but there are people out there with their eyes on you to make sure that you do the right thing." So that's a real underlying thing of the show. We have a scene in an upcoming episode where we get drunk and we're talking about, "Why do you do this," Peter says," Is it because of all this stuff?" And I'm like, "It has nothing to do with the stuff. It's so we feel alive."
Are you going to be lurking in shadows for the rest of the season, or are you going to be out and about, interacting with everyone?
I will be lurking. Well, you know, it's funny. We know as much as you know as the scripts come in, but I am more out in the field, so to speak. But, you know, there's a lot of question of how much is the FBI aware of me. So it's coming that eventually Peter's going to have to eventually know who I am, and then can we use him, and what's the legality of--how much can the FBI actually use me to do anything.
How was it as an actor to delve into a role like this, especially now that you've been in such a recognizable role? Does it change your process at all to make sure that there is no "Stanford" in this character?
Well, it's interesting. I truly do try to make everything exactly different. As different as possible. I went straight from Stanford, I went straight back to David Milch to play a nerdy, Jewish lawyer, you know, badly dressed, living in San Diego. I mean, it couldn't have been more opposite. And then this—there's an issue with me on the street back in New York but everyone is totally different. They're all always different.
A big question that always comes up is always, "Dude, are you careful about typecasting," or whatever. But typecasting for actors is kind of like what you do to yourself. I mean, I can tell you, my desk for many years had, every flamboyant, high-fashion character on the planet was sitting on my desk, and I could have made a fortune. But what's the point?
It's kind of why I like to make TV. I'm one of the few actors who enjoys doing TV more than I like making movies. I like that it's a new script every week. I like that it's totally different. And for as long as that goes, great.
Sex and the City was much longer than any of us thought that it was going to be. I mean, it's unbelievable. I mean, we shot a scene yesterday with all of us in it and at the end of the scene, everyone's like, "So, should someone make a speech that this is the last time we're all together, again?" I mean, it just seems so weird to us. We shot that pilot in 1997. I actually had some hair. That's how long ago it was.
So I would love to sit here with the new—there's so many scams and so many places to shoot and so many weird, different rules that can be broken that we can sit here easily for seven years. I don't have a problem with that. But when we get into the 15th season, I'll be ready for a new show.
How much latitude have you had with ad-libs and things like that for your character?
That's a sticky question. I'm very good at it. I do talk a lot with Jeff. Also, if things happen, especially when you're shooting on the street in New York, Mozzie will comment or move to it. And that's the same thing as when you walk in to do a scene and you start rehearsing it. If it's just—I'm not going to fit a square peg into a round hole. I'm going to make it work. So I do ad lib, and they're pretty good about if it works for the scene.
Listen, I've worked with crazy actors who have ad libbed for the sake of ad libbing. You know, where you say, "What time are we going to the bank," and the guy ad libbing turns and says, "I like roast beef." It's like, really? Does that really do anything to propel the scene at all? So I choose my battles, and my battles are usually—they're chosen for a reason.
Do you seek out parts that film in New York?
No, no, no. It just happens. I mean, NYPD doesn't shoot in New York, but people thought it did. I don't know. I guess I feel that I am like a—I'm a safe, user-friendly New Yorker. I'm not threatening or intimidating, but I seem like I could from here. And I am from here, so that helps I guess a little bit. Maybe it's my horror at living in Los Angeles that comes across in meetings.
Tune into White Collar, premiering Friday, October 23 on USA Network.
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