March 14, 2006 |
Sons & Daughters: Movies and Meat
We had our big red-carpet premiere last week at Universal Studios in Hollywood. The producers invited the entire cast and crew, and we ate popcorn and watched the first two episodes in a movie theater. It was so great to be together once again with everyone involved in this show. Several cast members of The Office showed up to support us. After the screening we moved to a nearby restaurant for food, drinks and sparkling conversation.
Let me fill you in on what's fappenin' on Sons and Daughters this week. ABC is broadcasting two episodes back-to-back again on Tuesday at 9 pm/ET. The first episode is called "Film Festival." Cameron tries to connect with his son Henry by getting the whole family to attend the screening of one of Henry's short films. Henry is extremely anxious about the family attending the screening. You should know that in this episode there are cross-dressing equestrians, hurt feelings, racial tension and sleazy talent managers trying to control luscious Jenna and her performing career. Don continues to rehearse his play, and if you're a fan of Martin Scorsese or Steven Spielberg, you mustn't miss this episode. It was written by Fred Goss and Nick Holly and our crack team of writer-producers. As in my previous blog entry, Fred Goss, who plays Cameron on the show, was still writing, directing, producing, acting and working as an electrician for "Film Festival." At the end of the week, he was hospitalized for exhaustion. Because I forgot to send him flowers, I was replaced by lovable Brad Garrett from Everybody Loves Raymond for about half a day until my agent intervened (which means he begged and pleaded and accepted a huge pay cut so that I could return to the show). In a twist of fate, that same agent sent me a half-dozen roses later with a sad little banner that said, "Congratulations! You're back, baby!" I was almost moved by this thoughtful gesture of goodwill. The second episode airing tonight, "Barbeque Therapy," was directed by comedy legend David Steinberg, who appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson more often than anyone except Bob Hope. The story is by Nick and Fred, and the script was written by a man with an impeccable pedigree, someone who recently won best in show at the Westminster Writers Club. His name is Wil Calhoun, and he used to work on Friends, Caroline in the City, F Troop and I Love Lucy. Wil has been around a long time, and the man knows comedy. He is also a talented playwright. Writing plays in Hollywood, though, won't provide you with the money to feed a marriage-shattering blackjack habit in Las Vegas, so Wil sought work in television. I hope Wil didn't want to keep that private. If you like barbeques, meat, vegetables and tofu — or if you love to laugh — this second episode is for you. It's filled with young, beautiful people running their hands over each other's hard, tan, supple bodies. I hope you don't tune in just for that, though. It is also about exploring the human condition and people trying to connect with each other on an emotional and spiritual level. However, as I said, it also features young, gorgeous people exploring the seamy side of passion. And some really sexy improvising. I would describe this episode as Girls Gone Wild meets The Waltons. I hope you enjoy it.
Have feedback or a question you'd like to send Jerry Lambert's way? Click here.
For even more on Sons & Daughters' "relative" insanity, check out Jerry's blog from March 6. |
Charisma Carpenter: From Mars to Paradise Island?
With the long-awaited next new episode of UPN's Veronica Mars now just a day away (airing Wednesday at 9 pm/ET), TVGuide.com grabbed a (figurative) hold of Charisma Carpenter, who this season has been appearing as Dick and Beaver's head-turner of a stepmother, Kendall Casablancas. Here is what the Buffy/Angel alumna had to share about her present in Neptune, her possible future on Paradise Island and the thing she cannot believe she revealed to Playboy.
TVGuide.com: You next appear on Veronica Mars in "The Quick and the Wed," airing March 22. I hear that Kendall makes some sort of offer to Aaron Echolls?Charisma Carpenter: Yes, I do have a nice offer for Aaron — a piece. [Laughs]
TVGuide.com: A what?Carpenter: A piece.
TVGuide.com: Meaning a gun? Or of a--? Or of the action?Carpenter: That's the big question. Maybe a piece of the pie, maybe a piece of me....
TVGuide.com: On the topic of whether Duncan actually ever succumbed to Kendall's charms, Mars creator Rob Thomas said here at TVGuide.com, "Duncan's not built that way." Is that ego-deflating for you to hear or — and this is my theory — is Duncan simply built the wrong way?Carpenter: The latter! [Laughs] I guess Kendall is just not very discerning about to whom she gives her body. But, given some new insights I've been given from Rob, apparently everything has a purpose and a meaning. My character's IQ is about to jump up about 50 points, did he tell you that? Things are about to become very clear.
TVGuide.com: What, has Kendall been putting on some sort of act?Carpenter: [Coyly] I guess.... Rob likened her to Annette Bening in The Grifters, which as you know is an amazing role. I was like, "Really? That's goooood!" I just love those people [at Veronica Mars]. They're awesome.
TVGuide.com: So you're happy with your role? It's different enough from Angel's Cordelia? I know that has been an issue for you, always playing a bitch.Carpenter: You know what? That used to be an issue, but to be honest, I'm not trying to play the heroine chick anymore. I grew out of that. Now it's just about having fun.
TVGuide.com: After all, let's be frank — God didn't really design you to play the nice girl.Carpenter: Not on television, anyway.
TVGuide.com: Has Kendall had her fun and is she now all done with Logan?Carpenter: I don't know.... She's not very nice and Logan is the bad boy. Duncan was the sweet-as-pie boy.
TVGuide.com: Who would Charisma pick? What type do you gravitate toward?Carpenter: [Sighs] Well, in high school it was the a--hole, and then as I got older I knew how to pick them better.
TVGuide.com: Your son, Donovan, is about to turn 3. What sort of "tricks" is he doing these days?Carpenter: His tricks are "kicking the ball," "discovering insects" and talking about the "big giant monkey that's upstairs, sleeping" — and being careful not to wake him up....
TVGuide.com: I assume the "monkey" is Dad?Carpenter: [Chuckles] If I said yes, my husband would die because that would give the impression that he is hairy, and he can't have that. [On a tangent] My husband has decided he wants to take up motocross, which is really pissing me off. I'm like, "What, are you going through a midlife crisis?!"
TVGuide.com: Better motocross than some chirpy 20-year-old.Carpenter: What?! That didn't even enter my mind.
TVGuide.com: I know. How could it possibly?Carpenter: How could it?
TVGuide.com: Hey, are you going to star in Wonder Woman? [Buffy creator Joss Whedon is writing and will direct a big-screen take on the superheroine, to be produced by Joel Silver.] What a great fit that would be.Carpenter: I know! From your lips to God's ears... or Joss'... or Joel's....
TVGuide.com: Speaking of Joss, you're sort of known as the Buffy-verse alum who doesn't charge for autographs at conventions....Carpenter: I just think it's wrong to charge — it feels sleazy and desperate. The only reason I would charge now is because there are [disadvantaged] kids who need assistance. I'm doing a convention [Wizard World Los Angeles] on March 18, and in this case I am charging, but everything is going to charity. So my fans will be helping out a very special kid, a 9-year-old quadriplegic who needs a specially equipped van. If I can exploit myself in a way that helps others, I'll do that.
TVGuide.com: So to everyone reading this: Go to the convention, get an autograph from Charisma and help that kid get a van.Carpenter: Yeah!
TVGuide.com: I missed your recent Lifetime movie, Flirting with Danger. What was that about?Carpenter: [In little girl voice] I was naughty... again. I'm such a hussy! I guess Veronica Mars warmed me up to be naughty.
TVGuide.com: What about Voodoo Moon [a feature in which a psychic woman and her brother hunt down a demonic being]? Will we ever get to see that?Carpenter: I wish I knew what was going on with that. Eric Mabius (The O.C.) plays my brother, and I really loved working on it. It was a fun thing to do and it should appeal to the people who watched Buffy and Angel. It's got fighting and zombies....
TVGuide.com: What TV do you like?Carpenter: I just started the Season 1 DVD for 24, because I have never seen any of it, and we just finished Season 1 of Lost. I tend not to watch shows while they're airing. I'll just wait for the DVD and watch 13 hours or so in one shot. That's the best payoff — you can just go to the next episode without waiting a week. I love Nip/Tuck, and I'm a huge fan of The Sopranos....
TVGuide.com: Someone sneaked me the first four episodes of this season's Sopranos. If you're nice to me, I'll share.Carpenter: Are you in L.A.? No, you're in New York. That's not going to work. I would have come over! We could have hung out and shared popcorn.
TVGuide.com: Don't tease an old man. What else do you have going on?Carpenter: I have three more episodes of Veronica Mars to shoot and it's pilot season, so I'm working my ass off to get a regular job. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll find out if I have one or not. If not, I'll have another baby or...
TVGuide.com: Another baby?Carpenter: I'd like to eventually, but I want Wonder Woman right now. I'm not holding my breath but I'm crossing my fingers and toes and praying.
TVGuide.com: Well, I think that just about covers everything.Carpenter: You think?
TVGuide.com: Well, save for a Q&A excerpt I stumbled across during research. You told Playboy that you once had sex at an Oscars party?Carpenter: I said that?! Oh my god, I can't believe I said that on a public level.
TVGuide.com: Does the outside prospect of doing "that" become a factor when choosing a dress for the Oscars?Carpenter: That's a very witty question, but the answer is no — you just make it work! |
Ayla, Gedeon Discuss Idol Ousters
And then there were 12. As reiterated by the nifty little "countdown" scorecard that Fox sent out to reporters this week, Season 5 of American Idol now is down to its dynamic dozen (my term — use it if you like!) finalists. Joining Kinnik Sky and Will Makar in the quartet cut last Thursday were a pair of 17-year-olds: high-school hoops star Ayla Brown and he of the megawatt smile, Gedeon McKinney, both of whom spoke with reporters the day after their dismissal.
AYLA BROWN ON...
... whether greater Idol success would have sunk her Boston College basketball scholarship:"[The BC representative's] response to my father was, 'We are so incredibly proud of Ayla and what she's done with her music career. She has put Boston College on the map. If she does make it to the top 10 where she goes on tour, we'll have to red-shirt her for a year, but of course she has her scholarship and spot on the team.'"
... singing the National Anthem — at her own games!"Yes, I would definitely love to sing at the games because that's where I started out. I wasn't even a performance singer until I tried out for American Idol. I was just doing National Anthems at Red Sox and Patriots games and events like that. It's almost second nature to me."
... pre-ouster suspense:"During a commercial break, I gave Melissa [McGhee] a hug and said, 'Listen, whatever happens happens, and we're going to get through it no matter what the outcome may be.' And she goes, 'You know what, you're right.' We then said good luck to each other and that was the end of it. I wouldn't want to do it again, I'll tell you that."
... the shock of being sent home:"It wasn't mostly shock [that I felt], it was more of a disappointment in myself, almost like a sense of failure. I had a nervous feeling in my stomach like something bad was going to happen, and it was lasting all throughout the day and throughout the results show. When [Ryan Seacrest] told me [I was out], that was the hardest part for me, knowing that the silver shiny seat was so close but yet so far away."
... second-guessing her song choice:"Simon [Cowell] had told all of us young kids, 'Pick something that is age-appropriate,' so I went and researched songs. The first that came to mind was [Natasha Bedingfield's 'Unwritten']. It was one where I could show my personality... where I could have fun and really show that I am 17, not a tall-looking girl who's pretending to be 30. It was a risk, but I was willing to take that risk. I just didn't know that America would dislike it that much."
... being a "perfect girl" from a "perfect family":"I think people do think that and assume that but believe me, [my life is] not perfect. My parents worked four jobs to support my sister and me and to enable me to do these sorts of things, so it's definitely hard to see people who don't like this side of me. But I thought this was more of a singing competition, not about what your parents do for a living. I guess I was wrong."
GEDEON MCKINNEY ON...
... raising money to travel to Idol competitions:"My school let me put on a concert, and the students each paid $2 to get in. People gave me donations and... would bring, like, tips. That was pretty much it."
... why he was booted:"I don't know why I was, but all I can say is it was God's will. I have to move on, by faith, and keep going. I have to stay focused, determined and disciplined and just move on."
... his megawatt smile:"It's been with me since I come out of my mother's womb. That's been my trademark. That's the thing that attracts people from miles away. From Memphis to New York City, from Memphis to Los Angeles, they know Gedeon by his smile."
... the power of Randy, Paula and Simon:"My case showed that the judges' vote didn't really have any [power] over the American vote because on Wednesday night I got all good comments, but [then still] went home. It really didn't matter. Like they say before the show comes on and after the show goes off: 'America, it's up to you.'"
... acting out:"When I go back to school, I'm going to be in some plays to get my grade. After that, man, I would love to act. You can look at [how I was on TV] and tell I love to act. Anything dealing with entertaining people [and] making them happy."
... not appearing upset by his ejection:"I was overwhelmed with joy. Over 100,000 people auditioned for the show, and I was one of the top 16. You see what I'm saying? I was thankful... so, so, thankful. They were expecting me to drop that smile and bring some tears, but I couldn't do it. What is there to cry for when I've been watched on television three times a week by 40 million people a night, so somebody had to see me. That's why, at the end of my song, I held out my hand. That was me saying, 'I'm here. Come and get me. I'm ready for the world.'" |
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Has a New Attitude
Get. Out! Seinfeld's Elaine is moving into CBS' cushy Monday-night sitcom neighborhood. In The New Adventures of Old Christine (premiering tonight at 9:30 pm/ET), Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Christine Campbell, a health-club owner juggling single motherhood, an ex-husband (In Good Company's Clark Gregg) who's now dating a younger gal also named Christine (hence our title), and, of course, her own middling love life. Here's what the Emmy winner had to tell TV Guide about her new prime-time gig.
TV Guide: In its ads for The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS is touting the show as a comedy about "the new American mom." How would you describe it?Julia Louis-Dreyfus: It's a realistic take on being a single working mother, trying to do right by your kid. That's a massive task, and I have nothing but admiration for single moms who undertake the parenting thing on their own. It's hard enough doing it with two people. On this show, it's not just about the haggard single mother but also the haggard single father. Both of them take their son's well-being very seriously.
TV Guide: Your character has to cope with the uptight, overly involved moms at her son's swanky private school. Could you relate?Louis-Dreyfus: I run into those kind of parents everywhere. Maybe I am one. But all of a sudden, parenting is a verb and parenting is a career. Which unleashes a kind of ferocity that is definitely ripe comedically.
TV Guide: On Seinfeld you were the only woman in the cast, and on Christine you live with your son (Trevor Gagnon) and brother (Fantastic Four's Hamish Linklater). What's it like to then go home to your own house full of boys?Louis-Dreyfus: Sometimes that is kind of tiring. There is a lot of testosterone. My days are spent going to ball games now, although I do have a niece, so I can at least have someone to talk laces and bows with.
TV Guide: Did you ever consider returning to TV in a drama instead of a comedy?Louis-Dreyfus: I thought about that, but a one-hour single-camera drama is not what I want to do right now. The hours are very demanding and the truth is, I really like to make people laugh. That would be a tough monkey to get off my back. So it's an advantage but a disadvantage. People laugh even when I don't mean to make people laugh.
TV Guide: Is that why you are jumping back into the sitcom world again? Did you miss having punch lines and an audience?Louis-Dreyfus: Actually, after Seinfeld I was desperate for a break and wanted to be at home all day long. As my kids got older, though, I got the itch to work again. Not to get away from them, but because they're in school and all of that.
TV Guide: Are you still in touch with your former Seinfeld mates?Louis-Dreyfus: We do see each other every once in a while, especially since we've been promoting the Seinfeld DVDs. My path crosses with Jason [Alexander]'s a lot, and with [series cocreator] Larry [David]'s. We always reminisce.
For much more from Julia Louis-Dreyfus — including the truth about Christine's real-life inspiration, a tease of the Adventures to come and her take on "the Seinfeld curse" — pick up the new TV Guide. |
Bill Paxton Is Feeling the Love
What's a fella to do when he has Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and (that's right, and) Ginnifer Goodwin for wives (other than invest in Hallmark stock, that is)? Big-screen star Bill Paxton talks with TV Guide about getting some real action as a Viagra-popping polygamist in HBO's new dramedy Big Love (Sundays at 10 pm/ET).
TV Guide: You're a big-screen actor with a solid career who's never done a TV series. Why make the exception for Big Love? Bill Paxton: What I saw right away was that this was a brilliant way to take an alternative lifestyle as far out there as polygamy and use it as a prism to examine contemporary society and mores.
TV Guide: How apt is the media description of Big Love as Desperate Housewives in Utah? Paxton: Like the idea that they are desperate and housewives? [Big Love] is the antithesis. This is naturalistic. We're playing these characters dead earnest. The situation creates the comedy. It's like Tony Soprano, a fortysomething guy trying to juggle marriage, fatherhood and a business. In this, I'm playing a guy who is trying to balance marriage, family and his business — times three.
TV Guide: Did anything in your research explain the upside of plural marriage? Paxton: One positive aspect I've read about is the idea of sister-wives. A lot of housewives are stuck talking to a 5-year-old all day. By the time the husband comes home from work, he's tired from his day and doesn't get that his wife is bored spitless and desperate for adult company. This doesn't happen in a plural marriage. You've got your sister-wives to talk to.
TV Guide: What does your wife think of Big Love? Paxton: My wife really likes it. She said, "I know you love Jeanne's character [Barb, the first wife] the most." I kind of based that relationship on my own marriage. I've been married to my wife, Louise, for as long as I've been married to [Barb]. Jeanne and I also have the same cultural references. She grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma; I grew up in Fort Worth. She's a brunette with brown eyes; my wife has that coloring.
TV Guide: In the show, your character nearly buckles from the stress of making each wife feel equally loved. Are you also careful about how much attention you pay each of your female costars?Paxton: I find I have to be. [Grins] You have to show impartiality to a certain degree — it's like with your children. But don't go there. We're still in our honeymoon period. Not only am I blessed with three lovely, talented actresses, but also I think I have chemistry with all three of them, which is not something you can necessarily act.
TV Guide: You've done some wild stuff on screen, like battling tornadoes in Twister and space monsters in Aliens. Did you ever think you'd end up playing a Viagra-popping polygamist, with all those bedroom love scenes the part demands?Paxton: You've got to understand something about me and my career: I'm a romantic in life philosophy, in how I look at the world, the beauty of nature, of relationships. But I never got to do those roles. In my twenties, I wanted to be in a Splendor in the Grass. Now I guess I'm ready for The Way We Were. But here I am, finally getting to do a great love story — times three.
TV Guide: Before you were married, what was your philosophy when it came to finding female companionship? Paxton: Faint heart never won fair lady. You've got to pursue. I'm an impulsive guy, a guy who has pulled girls over in traffic and said, "Hey, do you want to get a cup of coffee?" I mean, I've been that lonely in my life. Many times. I came to L.A. when I was 18 to work as a set dresser in films. I didn't know anyone. I had no social connections. I know what desperation is when you're trying to meet a girl.
TV Guide: You've been known to work your Texas businessman father's expressions into your roles. Give us a few examples.Paxton: In Weird Science, I say to my brother, "How would you like a nice, greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?" These were expressions my father picked up from the '20s, '30s, '40s. And in True Lies, I described Jamie Lee Curtis' breasts as making me "want to stand up and bawl for buttermilk!" [Laughs] The first time I ever heard that expression, I asked my dad, "What does that mean?" |
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