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Fringe Talks "Over Here" and "Over There" at TCA

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:30:17 -0700

Remember when Fringe was going to be the less-complicated, easy-to-follow JJ Abrams series? The show's season finale, in which we learned of an alternate universe where characters we already know - or possibly their doubles - frequently appear would seem to have changed all that. But at TCA on Thursday, the producers stressed that they weren't going to give the audience more than they can handle.

For one thing, there won't be an additional universe that we discover later. They're only dealing with the two we've seen (basically, "over here" and "over there," over there being the home of William Bell). And producer Jeff Pinkner stressed that through visual cues and other things, it will be easy to tell what universe you're in at any given time. "We have no desire to be cute or confusing," Pinkner said. "We always want and take great pains . . . to take the audience with us."

The alternate universe twist was always planned, producer Alex Kurtzman said, but it wasn't supposed to be until the end of season three. But the feedback they got signaled that fans were ready - so they decided to jump ahead with it. For more on what's to come, read more.

This season will still have plenty of stand-alone stories - as Joshua Jackson pointed out, the simple fact that each investigation has a beginning, middle, and end gives every episode its own separate plot - but they'll be tied more into the characters. (Having seen the first episode of the new season, I can confirm that's certainly true in the premiere.)

Speaking of "over there," Leonard Nimoy will be back as William Bell "as much as he wants," Pinkner said. They've already filmed one additional episode with him, and there will be several more to come.

Do you like the direction Fringe took at the end of the season? Will you be back for season two now that it's moved to Thursday nights?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Fox Brings a Little Glee to the TCA

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:40:08 -0700

It didn't take more than one episode to make me a hardcore Glee fan, and I'm even more excited about the show's first season after a TCA panel this afternoon. The smiley cast took the stage to dish about long days, extensive dance routines, and why America is going to love their show. Here are some highlights and a few fun spoilers (after the jump):

The cast just wrapped filming the first 13 episodes of the show, which covers a whopping 60 songs. I can't decide if I'm more impressed or psyched to see them all performed on-screen.
Shooting the show hasn't been all fun and games for the kids. They've got a grueling schedule, which includes recording the music and learning the choreography, and it takes about eight days to film a single episode.
The kids chatted a bit about their own high school experiences. Kevin McHale revealed he's got a few things in common with his character Artie, saying, "I'm really nerdy and Art is obviously really nerdy. But I do walk."
Speaking of Artie, we can expect to see an upcoming performance with the entire cast dancing in wheelchairs. So sweet/awesome.
Meanwhile, Jane Lynch cited "Roses Turn" from Gypsy as the song she'd most like to perform if she ever gets the chance to sing.
The kids are gearing up for a 10-city tour, where they will travel in one plane and perform at Hot Topic stores across America. I'm already bummed that they aren't coming to SF.

To see more highlights and read a few spoilers from upcoming episodes, just read more.

The glee club quickly runs into trouble when they are forced to find new members. Their recruiting methods are wonderfully offensive, tacky, and completely hilarious.
The show's second episode is packed with fun musical numbers, while later on we see a lot of synchronized dancing to "Single Ladies" . . . from the guys.
Mr. Schuester gets another chance to show off his own pipes, as well as his dancing skills.
There's a pregnancy coming, but it's not necessarily the one you'd expect.

Should Idol Replace Paula With Rotating Judges or Just One?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:30:42 -0700

Paula Abdul has tweeted her goodbyes to American Idol, but the show must go on. This morning at the Fox TCA session, execs Peter Rice and Kevin Reilly confirmed that they've already started the process to fill her empty chair, starting with a rotation of female pop stars. Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry are already signed on to help judge the auditions, which start filming this week.

Apparently Fox is hoping to have permanent plans for Paula's seat by the time the show goes live next year. They liked the four-person dynamic, and there's still a chance one single judge will take Paula's place long-term. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to hearing from a different female artist every week. What about you - do you think Idol should continue with rotating guest judges through season nine, or focus on finding one new person to take Paula's spot for good?

Lie to Me's Brendan Hines on Always Telling the Truth

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:30:24 -0800

In Lie to Me, the new Fox drama premiering tonight, Brendan Hines plays Eli, a researcher who always says anything that's on his mind. In the first couple of episodes, Hines's character often made me chuckle, so at Fox's all-star party at TCA, I caught up with him to ask about the show, his character, and whether he's now self-conscious about lying. Here are highlights:

Tell me about your character. He has this radical honesty thing going on.
I have it going on in spades. My character is brutally honest at all times. Not only does he tell a truth when he's asked a question, but he'll always just spit out what's on his mind no matter what. To me, that's fascinating. I love it when characters in TV or movies get put in incredibly awkward situations, and my character does - quite a bit - get put in those situations.

It seems like that would happen a lot if you were a person who just spit out whatever was on your mind.
It does, and I didn't even realize this until we started shooting the show, but I've known people like this for years. Maybe they haven't taken this sort of pledge where they're like, "Oh, I'm going to be honest at all times," but they are the kind of people who will just always tell you what's on their minds and not spare anybody's feelings at all. Problem with those people, you don't want to be around them all that much, so it's a difficult thing for the writers to try to do, which is to stay true to this pledge that the guy has taken, yet still make him likable and accessible.

Has playing him made you more honest in your own life?
No, but I will tell you that I am much more conscious of the lies that I tell. I do sort of stand back and assess whether or not I had to tell that lie, because most of the ones that you tell, they're harmless, or you think they are. As far as my character is concerned, he thinks any lie whatsoever is a no-no.

To hear whether Hines has become a good lie-spotter and whether he'll be involved in any on-screen romances, just read more.

Between shooting the show and meeting Dr. Paul Ekman [on whose work the show is based], have you learned a lot about the science of lying?
I've learned a pretty fair amount. I've read a lot of Paul's books. As soon as I knew we were getting started on the show, I bought all of them, and I just started to delve. But anytime I'm around Paul, I try not to talk to him about the science. I have a challenge that I've set for myself, basically, where I try to have the most benign, normal conversation with Paul and just make sure that he never calls me out on anything or goes, "bullsh*t."

Do you have a favorite trick you've learned for spotting other people lying?
Yes, but I'm a little worried that I'm imposing it on people when I'm not actually there. . . I'll be sitting back and watching two people talk and just be like "Aw, yeah, no way, you are so full of sh*t." Who knows if I'm actually seeing what I think I'm seeing or if I'm just imposing it on those conversations.

Your character has a very straightforward come-on to one of his colleagues in the first episode. Is there any chance the show will get into a romance between them?
Yes . . .

See, and I haven't watched enough of the show yet to be able to tell if you're lying!
I think the charm of the character that I get to play is that ultimately it's not about him trying to sleep with her - it's his way of saying hello. It's just basically, "Oh, I'd like to sleep with you" and not "Let's get on that right away, let's start to make that happen." It's like, "I just need you to know this, right up front." As far as the writers, they go where they want and I'll follow . . . It could happen. They're always hinting at it.

Photo courtesy of Fox

Fox Tries to Rebuild Comedy Lineup With Four New Pilots

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:30:58 -0800

One of the major issues facing Fox's entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, at TCA last week was the sorry state of Fox's comedy development. Reilly himself noted that Fox had made a lot of year-end lists - er, those would be the worst lists - with Do Not Disturb, one of the first Fall shows to get axed, and the network has no live-action comedy on its schedule to start '09.

So it's interesting that today, Fox has given the green light to four new comedy pilots (among seven total), including one produced by Ben Stiller. A quick rundown of the comedies:

The Station - A Ben Stiller-produced show about a covert CIA operative embedded somewhere in South America who is ordered to install a new dictator.
Walorsky - Think Paul Blart: Mall Cop, the series. The show's about "a lazy ex-cop-turned-security guard patrolling a mall in Buffalo, NY, who is forced to grudgingly step it up after he is assigned an idiot partner."
Two Dollar Beer - This one's set in Detroit and centers on a blue-collar couple and their family and friends.
Sons of Tucson - In this comedy, three rich brothers hire a hustler to act like their father while their actual father serves out a prison term for a white-collar crime. It's supposed to be taking a Slums of Beverly Hills-esque tone.

At TCA, Reilly said the Fox comedies of the future should be "something that is a little bit bold and it's got a point of view," a la Malcolm in the Middle or Arrested Development. So, do you think any of the comedies in this list fit that bill?

Photos courtesy of Fox and Source

TV Tonight: House, Now On Mondays

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 07:00:47 -0800

Monday night was already crowded on my DVR, but apparently it wasn't enough just to juggle Gossip Girl, How I Met Your Mother, Chuck, and Heroes - among others. Nope, tonight brings a new entry to the Monday night race, and it's a doozy: House.

On the bright side, the move to Mondays gets House out of the way of American Idol, which usually knocks it off the air for a while each Winter. But will fans follow?

If they do, it sounds like they have some meaty things awaiting in the second half of the season, including more of the budding potential romance between Foreman and Thirteen. "I'm wondering if part of [Foreman's] attraction to Thirteen is that his mother has Alzheimer's and there's nothing he can do about that," Omar Epps said last week at TCA. "He wants her to have what his mother doesn't." (Beyond any deep psychological explanations, there's another reason Epps enjoys that relationship: "It's great being in those scenes with Olivia [Wilde], because she's hot," he said.)

That relationship will continue growing on tonight's episode, which also finds Cuddy balancing the responsibilities of motherhood and work and House's team taking on a patient with chronic pain that resembles House's own symptoms. To watch a preview for January's episodes, just read more.

TCA Tidbits: Paula Abdul, Human Lie Detectors, and More

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 08:15:28 -0800

Today CBS and Showtime are taking the stage at TCA, but before things get too busy, I wanted to wrap up some of the highlights from Fox's jam-packed Tuesday of panels (and parties). Here were some of the highs, lows, and most awkward moments:

I think I already love Glee, Fox's upcoming hourlong comedy about a misfit glee club from Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy - and, judging from the warm reception it got in the room during its presentation, I'm not alone. I caught an advanced screening of the show earlier this week, and it's a quirky mixture of snark and show tunes. It might not appeal to everyone, but if you like Freaks and Geeks and "Don't Stop Believing," it will be worth checking out when it premieres this Spring.
Speaking of singing, things threatened to get a little tense at the afternoon American Idol panel, with lots of questions about Paula Abdul's future with the show. Luckily, attention shifted quickly to the new dynamic on the judging panel now that Kara DioGuardi is adding a second female voice. About having someone to help her take down Simon Cowell, Abdul said: "Kara finally sees what it's like for me, my own private hell." She later said of Simon, "He's the bully brother that sometimes we love each other, and sometimes I try to change seats. He's annoying sometimes. I have to reel him in."
Interesting tidbit for Damages fans: FX President John Landgraf said that even though the Glenn Close drama doesn't meet the ratings standards set by previous FX hits, he's "confident" that Damages will be on the network's schedule even beyond the three seasons that have already been ordered.

To hear whether Dollhouse will bring the funny, what Mary Lynn Rajskub had to say about having fellow comedienne Janeane Garofalo on board for 24, and what's a surefire sign your relationship is about to end, just read more.

Having real-life "human lie detector" Dr. Paul Ekman around certainly made Fox's Lie to Me something beyond just the standard panel. At one point, Ekman dispensed advice on how to tell if your relationship is about to be over: A look of anger on your significant other's face is fine and normal, but if it crosses into disgust, you're out of luck.

Mary Lynn Rajskub said she's been happy to have fellow funny lady Janeane Garofalo join her on the 24 set - though it's not always easy for them to stay serious. "We tried not to laugh when we were in scenes together," she said, and it was tough for them to make eye contact without chuckling. Fun fact: Rajskub replaced Garofalo on The Larry Sanders Show.
Joss Whedon - visiting TCA via satellite from Boston - said that while Dollhouse might not be outright silly, it will still be humorous. "The show is much more straight-ahead dramatic than what we've done before," he said. "However, it is me we're talking about here. We can't fight the funny. The funny is going to win, partially because it makes it more diverting and partially because I believe that's how people react to difficult situations. I couldn’t make a show that’s relentlessly serious and I don’t think anybody would watch it ."
Also, Whedon on the possibility of another Dr. Horrible: "Yeah, we'd like to do that again." He said it's a matter of getting everyone together and finding the time.
I'll share more from the House panel later, but for now, it's worth noting Omar Epps's simple reaction to his character finally having a romantic life: "Foreman. Love life. Great!" He later elaborated: "It's great being in those scenes with Olivia [Wilde], because she's hot." Fair enough.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Jessica Lowndes: From Guest Star to Center Stage on 90210

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:30:51 -0800

When we first heard about the characters that would populate the new 90210 universe, Adrianna wasn't one of the names that popped up. But over the course of the past few months, she's gone from being a side character on the spinoff to one of the show's main focuses. She's already dealt with drugs, rehab, and pregnancy - not to mention getting kicked out of the school musical - and it sounds like there's more to come. At the 90210 Peach Pit party at TCA, I chatted with actress Jessica Lowndes about what Adrianna will be up to for the rest of the year. Here are highlights:

What's the story of how you got involved with 90210?
I was signed on as a guest star. I would have been lucky to have four episodes, is what I thought. I knew I was a singer in the school musical who might have a little addiction to pills and that would be it. . . They just kept writing for me and giving me such fun material to work with, and it was emotionally draining, but it was really rewarding. I learned a lot about myself as an actress, I was pushing boundaries, I was meeting incredible people - I was interviewing real addicts, because I didn't want to make a mockery of it, because I, Jessica, have no experience with drugs or being pregnant or any of it.

How did you find out what all was coming up for your character? Did you just see in the script, "Oh, now I'm going to OD, now I'm going to rehab"?
We usually get the script the day before. It's fast paced like that. I had to work my butt off. [I got one script] and I'm like, "Oh, gosh, OK, I die in this episode, hopefully I come back." And then I got the series regular contract the day after.

So probably not going to die anytime soon.
Yeah, probably not, unless I, like, come back to haunt people.

To hear about her favorite Adrianna moments and what's coming up with the baby story, just read more.

Adrianna's grown so much as a character since the series started. What are some of the moments that stand out to you?
I feel really fortunate - [the writers] gave her a lot of depth, and because she was on drugs, she was almost a different personality and a different person. There was a lot of anger, and she was mean and b*tchy. And now you see a softer side, now that she's come off the drugs. . . . The scenes with Shannen [Doherty] were really intense, like when I wasn't able to perform in the school musical, and that whole episode, the hotel scene - that was the first time you saw how conniving the character could be, and just the jealousy and the anguish. It was crazy. As horrible as those things were, she was doing it from a place of pain, a lot of pain.

How did you prepare for the drug addict part of the role?
I watched every drug movie ever made, it feels like. I would just take notes, I kept rewinding, and all my friends - I'd invite them over like, "Want to watch a drug movie tonight?" . . . I talked to real addicts actually going through it, I was in touch with a rehab center up in Vancouver, I talked to other addicts, other friends of mine who recovered from certain things. I wrote down little details of what they did when they were high, like tapping their fingers, and I added that into a scene. As much as I researched it, I was still scared every scene before, because I didn't want to look stupid and I didn't want to make a mockery of it, because it's such a serious issue.

And how did you prepare to play a potential teen mom?
I think that it's a fear with any young girl that is sexually active. It is a very real thing that can happen, and I think we deal with it in a really honest way about what it's like with teen sex and unprotected sex. Adrianna - all I can say is that it's too late for an abortion at this point. You know, she sometimes took her birth control pills, sometimes took other pills. So she's going to go through with the pregnancy, you're going to find out who the baby's daddy is - his identity will be revealed two weeks from now. You'll see how her boyfriend Navid deals with it, [tonight] she tells him. Some friendships grow really really close, some grow far apart, and she's back to being really lonely and searching for that happy ending still.

Were you a fan of the original 90210?
I was a huge fan. I didn't watch it when it was really popular because I was 3, but obviously I've seen it since, so I was a huge fan. And when I saw, OK, there's a new 90210 and [this character] is a singer, I was like, "That's it, this is mine." And it was a total bonus that I was given so much emotional stuff because that's my favorite stuff to do in the entire world, crying scenes. It was really surreal and incredible.

Photos courtesy of The CW

Prison Break's Ending, Fringe Is "A Keeper," & More From Fox

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:30:27 -0800

Greetings from the TCA press tour! I'm coming to you live from the Universal Hilton, where Fox is presenting its Winter and Spring shows today. A few minutes ago, the network's entertainment president, Kevin Reilly, took the stage to make some announcements about the network's future plans. Here are some highlights:

Prison Break is officially wrapping up this Spring after four seasons; its final batch of episodes (at least four, maybe a few more) will start Friday, April 17. "Prison Break has had a hell of a run and is just at the end of that run," Reilly said. "We'll put that one in the win column, but it just got down to the point where a lot of stories have been told."
Is this good news for Dollhouse? Reilly said "we're going to let the show play out for 13 episodes."
More on Dollhouse and the decision to put it on Friday: "Joss does a certain kind of show. I think he's right in the zone again on that. It's the kind of show that has a core passionate audience." If the show hadn't been put on Fridays, Reilly said, "there was going to be enormous pressure on it."

To see Reilly's thoughts about Fringe, the future of Fox comedy, and more, just read more.

Twice in the session, Reilly said Fringe "is a keeper." He said it's been "a bear creatively because it's been very ambitious," but the writers seem to have figured out the best way to tell their stories now. "If you follow the show week to week, you will not be disappointed in the serialized through-lines," he said, "and yet the stories really do reset themselves week to week." Usually, he said, closed-ended shows do better after American Idol, and while he doesn't expect Fringe to take off after Idol, he does expect it to "tick up."

Of Bones jumping all over the schedule, Reilly said the network has faith in the show even if all the moving around is "a strange way of showing the love." He called it the kind of show you build a network with, "these shows that can go in there and do a job for you."
The Family Guy spinoff, The Cleveland Show, has "frankly, a sweeter tone than Family Guy" and could be good for a younger audience. A full season of it has been ordered.
The network still has a full season of The Moment of Truth in the can for whenever it's needed and is considering doing more Secret Millionaire.
Reilly said Fox is in "a rebuilding period" for comedy, and they won't put something on the air just for the sake of having a comedy.
But, on that note, the animated Sit Down, Shut Up, which includes a ton of Arrested Development alumni, will premiere Sunday, April 19.

You can follow all my TCA adventures here and on Twitter all week.

Photos courtesy of Fox