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Set Diary: My Day as an Extra on Fringe

Lauren Bradshaw — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 08:30:00 PDT

That's me! Right there in front of John Noble (AKA Walter Bishop) on the set of Fringe. I don't usually wear my hair in an updo like that, and I don't normally seem so studious. But dare I say, I actually look like a real member of Massive Dynamic.

I visited Fringe's Vancouver location back in August, and although I've shared my cast interviews (check out my chats with Joshua Jackson and the other actors), I haven't dished on how awesome it was to be an extra. My TV debut actually airs tonight, so set your DVR, and then keep reading for how the entire experience went down.

Live (or Almost Live) From the Set of Glee!

BuzzSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:30:45 PDT

If I was excited for Glee after just a few clips and the first episode, I'd say that excitement has now reached DEFCON 1 after visiting the set. I traveled to LA on Wednesday to hang out with the cast of this upcoming Fox comedy from Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy - and lucky for me it was a performance day.

All the actors playing glee club members were on hand to perform their routine to a Queen song (over and over again - oh, the life of an actor). The performance, as you might expect, included a lot of choreographed dance movies, and let me tell you: it is heaven. You'd think that after watching the same routine performed at least eight times, I would be a little jaded, but I'm not. I'm just even more excited for you all to see this show, and I can't believe nobody thought of this idea before.

A few other tidbits from my set visit:

The actors don't perform the songs live, which means they're not only learning their lines and up to three dance routines an episode, but they're also booking studio time to record their songs. It's a lot of work, but they all seem to be loving it.
I asked anyone who would listen if a soundtrack was on the way, and most responded it was definitely something they're thinking about. I'm really going to want these arrangements after they air.
The super-cool Jane Lynch invited a group of us into her trailer. She's the tallest woman I've ever met. She also gets to wear many colorful track suits when in character as the surly cheerleading coach, which is hilarious.

I have so much more to share with you, so check back over the coming weeks for my interviews with the stars of Glee!

Photo courtesy of Fox

A Visit to the Scrumptious Set of Pushing Daisies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:30:27 PDT

By far, my favorite moment of the TCA press tour this Summer was getting to wander around the set of Pushing Daisies, which returns tonight for its second season. As lovely and fanciful as the Daisies world looks on television, it's even more wonderful in person, filling up two full sound stages on the Warner Bros. lot. The entire set wasn't open, but I did get to slide into a Pie Hole booth, check out the aunts' stuffy living room, and see the confessional in the nunnery where Olive will be starting the new season. To hear what the insanely detailed rooms looked like up close, just read on:

The Pie Hole
It makes total sense that the Pie Hole set doesn't have a top; how else would they get the cameras in for those overhead shots? But it was still funny to see this huge, looming pie crust edge with nothing in the middle, like a Gorg had come along and scooped out a bite. Inside, it's a surprisingly roomy restaurant, with cushy booths, lights shaped like giant cherries, and a spacious kitchen with a walk-in fridge (no bodies this time; I checked).

In one corner, candy jars and waffle cones are piled high; in another, there's an antique mirror where diners can check their hair on the way out. If you want a slice of pie at the Pie Hole, it'll cost you $5.95, but there's a pretty wide range of choices (four berry, Dutch apple, strawberry rhubarb, lemon meringue, sweet potato, three plum, peach, and derby). And if for some reason pie's not your thing, their butter pecan ice cream is apparently also world-famous.

To read about Emerson's office, the nunnery, and the aunts' place, just

read more. Emerson Cod's Office With its hardwood floors, big metal safe, and framed artwork, Emerson's office looks ornate at first . . . until you notice all the knitting. There's a basket stuffed with yarn and needles just to one side of his desk chair, and he's clearly put it to use - on his desk, there's a knit cozy for his tissue box and another for his coffee mug. The man does love his money: a frame on the wall holds several old bills. In another frame, there's a certificate of proficiency from the Small Arms Firing School. The Aunts' House Here's one rule for Lily and Vivian's house: If it can be covered with fabric, it is, and the more layers the better. This was the tiniest and most crowded set we visited, stuffed with furniture upholstered heavily in velvet and brocade. It's the sort of place that always feels dusty no matter how clean it is, and there's barely room for two people to move around, much less a full cast and camera crew (one production guy saw us emerge and said, "Now you know why every time we shoot in there, the characters are sitting down"). Outside, there's a garden hose and blooming flowers; inside, it's just as dingy as it looks on screen, but purposefully so. Knick-knacks and birdcages are stacked everywhere - or, rather, everywhere there's not already furniture, as they've somehow crammed three couches, six armchairs, and a daybed into the tiny space. The Roof I didn't actually get to climb up onto Chuck's beekeeping roof, but it was one of my favorite corners of the whole set, with a sweeping blue screen representing the sky taking up the better part of two walls. A dozen gold beehives take up most of the rooftop, interspersed with pink, purple, and orange flowers. A bunch of old TV antennas loom over the roof, artfully tangled. The Nunnery We haven't actually seen this set in action yet, but just know this: It's spectacular. It's the largest of all the rooms I saw on the set, with several components: a large, monk-like dining hall with spartan tables, wooden chairs, and religious paintings lining the walls; a cavernous sanctuary with huge banks of candles along the wall (and several melting at the altar); and a confessional booth draped with thick, red, velvet curtains. The whole thing is decorated in shades of orange, red, gold, and gray, with a fleur de lis theme. I can't wait to see how it pops on screen. Photos copyright 2008 ABC, Inc. and courtesy of Warner Bros.

A Heart-Pounding Trip to the Set of ER

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:30:34 PDT

The second we walk through the hospital doors, my palms start to sweat. Then I see the table stacked high with boxes of alcohol swabs, and then the rubber glove dispensers hanging from the walls, and then the blue-cloth-covered gurneys, and I swear my heart skips a beat. "This is definitely County General," someone says. And it is: I'm on the set of ER, hearing about the show's 15th and final season as part of the TCA press tour. But I might as well be in a real hospital, considering how anxious and uncomfortable I feel.

It's a testament to the show's property master - but also more than a little creepy - that the County General set on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank feels exactly like a somewhat run-down county hospital in the Midwest. The floor tile is all pink linoleum; the walls and blinds are pale blue and seafoam green. The ceiling is low (low enough to make me feel claustrophobic, anyway), the plastic chairs in the waiting room look just as hard and unforgiving as real hospital chairs, and even the lighting tiles above my head are yellowed and flickering convincingly with age.

After 15 years of filming on the set, "it doesn't take a lot to make it look like crap," says Christopher Chulack, one of the show's executive producers, as a heart monitor flashes in the background and a half-filled bag of saline dangles from an IV pole over his shoulder. "It's worn out pretty good. We put a lot of effort into that - we take pride in keeping it aged."

To hear more about what County General looks like up close, and to see pictures of the ER cast from the past 14 years, just

read more. The County General world we see on TV, from the sliding curtains between the hospital beds to the long hallway that countless residents have urgently pushed gurneys through, is an exact replica of the hospital in East LA where John Wells and his crew shot the ER pilot back in 1994. When the pilot became a series, everything from that hospital had to be matched exactly on the set, from the color of the linens to the placement of the beds. (The only change: The hallways are two feet wider for easier filming.) And, except for the introduction of some new medical equipment (slowly - since it's a county hospital, "we get to pick up the technology two or three years after it comes into the marketplace," Wells says), it's stayed that way ever since. Up close, it's insanely detailed, from the colorful stickers on the individual containers holding various medical implements to the post-it notes hanging from the big, translucent case board that features prominently in so many episodes. (One reads "CBC" - perhaps a reminder for some actor who somehow doesn't have the hang of yelling "CBC, chem 7, STAT!!" by now?) I spy a few members of the press team trying out the hospital beds, but no way am I going anywhere near them; it's a short leap from there to Dr. Tony Gates shooting me up with a syringe full of something. (Now, if you could get Clooney . . . ) What's going to happen to all the medical equipment when the show wraps up its run this coming season? "I'm opening up my own clinic over in East LA, behind the laundromat," quips property master Rick Kerns. "You want an ultrasound?" Does it work? "Sure!" he replies, grinning. I feel my heart skip again.

View 14 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Television

Hints at What's Next on "Heroes"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 06:00:00 PDT

The Bennets' new home wasn't the only spot I got to tour on the set of "Heroes" at the TCA press tour. As I wandered through Isaac's studio, Mohinder's apartment, and an Irish pub, cast members - including my tour guides, Hayden Panettiere and Zachary Quinto - delivered a few hints about what's going to happen when season two begins in September. To hear what they had to say,

At the start of the season, there will be two parallel time lines: one four months after the outer space explosion that ended the first season and one 400 years before. According to Masi Oka, Hiro is sent back in time, and his story line for "a handful of episodes" will take place in feudal Japan.
Dania Ramirez is joining the cast as Maya Herrera, who - according to an NBC press release - is "plagued by a threatening ability" that drives both her and her twin brother (played by Shalim Ortiz) to cross from the Dominican Republic to the United States in search of help. When the season begins, Maya's story will be picked up as she's on the run from the cops in Central America.
One of the show's standing sets is an Irish pub, complete with a fire roaring in the hearth and display cases with advertisements for McFarlane ale and McCourt Whiskey. This will most likely tie into the storyline of new cast member Holt McCallany who plays Ricky, the leader of a group of Irish thugs.
Is it true that Ali Larter's character, Niki, won't be conjuring her alter ego by looking in mirrors anymore? "I hear that too," Larter said, "but again, you never know with this show." Last season, she said, "we kind of indulged ourselves in being able to explore those two different characters, and now it's time for me to kind of focus on one and the development of my powers." She said Niki's story would be moving away from her family dynamic and become more linked with the larger plot of the show.
Speaking of Niki, Leonard Roberts, who plays D.L., wasn't on the panel, and his bio wasn't included in the packet NBC gave reporters. Nonetheless, creator Tim Kring said we shouldn't read too much into that and wouldn't say whether Niki would be a widow next season.
Isaac may be dead, but we haven't necessarily seen all we'll see of his artwork. Artist Tim Sale, who created Isaac's paintings, confirmed that he is doing work for season two.
In the four episodes the cast had filmed at the time of the set tour, Mohinder had already been in three countries, Sendhil Ramamurthy said. And presumably, none of them are the United States, as he said he's yet to be in a scene with Hayden Panettiere.
Hayden, meanwhile, was mum on the subject of Claire's new boyfriend, though she did offer that the whole season would be about "what happens when extraordinary people try to be ordinary."
I completely missed this, but some eagle-eyed reporters spotted what looked like a young girl's living space inside the set of Mohinder's apartment. Is that the new home of Molly? Nobody would say for sure.

Source

Inside the Bennets' Home with HRG

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:30:03 PDT

It would have been exciting enough to wander alone through Claire's new home on the "Heroes" set. But it was far better for my tour guide to be Jack Coleman, aka Mr. Bennet, aka HRG. He led a group of reporters through the airy, spacious, well-decorated house during a set visit at the TCA press tour, artfully dodging questions about where exactly we were.

"Let's just say it's not where the old house was," Coleman said.

OK, then. Is it in a different time zone?

"A different time zone is very possible."

A sunny climate?

"You're killing me."

All we know for sure is that the Bennets have indeed relocated since, you know, that whole episode when Ted-the-radioactive-guy kinda ruined the Bennets' Texas home and made Claire's face melt temporarily. The new home, decorated almost entirely in shades of blue, brown and black, has a large triangular window, potted trees in the corners, glass jars of rice and lentils in the kitchen, and a walk-up pathway lined with slightly trampled Astroturf. There are fewer pictures of Mr. Muggles in this house, though Coleman assured us the dog has not been forgotten. And though we're not quite sure what Mr. Bennet's plans are for the season, even Coleman had to admit that the home looks pretty permanent.

One reporter pointed triumphantly at the flowering bougainvillea in the back yard - yes, there was a back yard, complete with patio furniture - as a dead giveaway that the Bennets were in California (and that's what a little bit of casting news indicated to us, too).

"I don't know," Coleman teased back. "We might be in the Mediterranean."

Source

Snacking Good: Natchitoches Meat Pies

OnSugar Blog — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:07:39 PST

We've always wanted to take a stab at rolling out a few Natchitoches meat pies. Thanks to an easy recipe from Food Orleans, this might be a dream realized sooner rather than later.

[Baked or fried? You decide.]

Natchitoches meat pies are one of those special little treats with a name as fun to say as they are to scarf down. Nackadish - that's how you say it - is a small town we drive through on our way north to visit Alexandria or Oklahoma, and it's where Steel Magnolias was filmed, and it's famous for these little pies. It's a beautiful little place, with a picturesque riverfront lined with shops and restaurants that have their own sort of French Quarter-ish wrought iron balconies (remember the Easter scene where Jackson slapped Ouiser? That's the riverfront!). But you don't have to go into the actual town to get yourself some meat pies; just stop at any gas station right off I-10. They all fry them up and they're all pretty wonderful.

For her recipe, continue reading.

Marion Cotillard and Her Little Man Marcel Share a Sweet Closeup on Set

Lauren Turner — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:55:26 PST

Marion Cotillard wrapped her son, Marcel, in her coat while walking around NYC yesterday. She got a visit from the little guy on the set of her untitled James Gray project. Marcel has been frequently spotted around the Big Apple, since he and dad Guillaume Canet also stepped out with Marion last month. When Marion isn't hanging with her main men, she's been acting opposite Joaquin Phoenix on the film. It's just one of Marion's many projects this year, including Rust & Bone and her Summer release, The Dark Knight Rises. Before she starts promoting the superhero action movie, though, Marion will have Marcel's first birthday to celebrate in May.

Eva Mendes Visits Ryan Gosling on Set in Thailand

Allie Merriam — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:33:44 PST

Ryan Gosling has been in Thailand for the past few weeks working on Only God Forgives, and his girlfriend, Eva Mendes, flew over this week for a visit. He was spotted continuing his martial arts training at a gym on Monday, and Eva ventured out solo to get a snack yesterday. Eva has been in LA focusing on her own movie-making during the last month, but made time to keep an eye on Ryan's beloved dog George. Ryan's project sees him pairing up yet again with his Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn. Their shooting schedule means Ryan's been missing out on award season back in LA. Ryan was up for numerous awards for his acting in both Drive and George Clooney's The Ides of March, but he unfortunately missed out on nabbing a coveted nod from the Academy.

Ryan and Eva met last Summer on the set for another film, The Place Beyond the Pines. In the March issue of Marie Claire, Eva spoke for the first time about shooting alongside Ryan. She said, "He’s your dream costar. I have never felt so creatively satisfied on a film."

Images courtesy AKM Images/GSI Media

What to Expect When You're Expecting Set Visit: Elizabeth Banks on Her Fake Bump and Personal Baby Joy

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:11 PST

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood will share the big screen in the upcoming comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, which follows different mothers-to-be as they prepare for the arrivals of their bundles of joy. Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Banks are among the famous ladies who strapped on fake baby bumps to portray different kinds of pregnant women, and Banks's character, Wendy, doesn't exactly have an easy time of it.

I visited the Atlanta set of the film last year, where Banks was shooting a climactic scene in which her character addresses all the woes of pregnancy - in an auditorium with a rather large audience. The hilarious meltdown, which you can see in the opening of the trailer for What to Expect When You're Expecting, includes harsh truths like "I'm calling it: pregnancy sucks." It was great fun to see Banks film the passionate speech again and again, especially since the funny lady mixed up her one-liners from one take to another. What was even more interesting was seeing all of the extras who played the audience members, since the group of women was a mix of actual pregnant women and women rocking fake baby bumps.

I chatted with Banks about her own experience filming the movie, and she revealed that she actually felt like she was in her own little movie, since she doesn't have much screen time with her costars. Banks was refreshingly honest about not having any parenting tips and also admitted that though welcoming her son, Felix, has brought her a great deal of joy, it hasn't changed her stance on how she feels about kids in general. Here's more of what Banks had to say about pregnancy and motherhood:

What inspired you to take this role?
Elizabeth Banks: I cried when I read the script. It has a really great ending: at the end of the movie, everybody has a baby! It really is just a very relatable story for everyone: anybody who is a parent, has considered being a parent, has a baby, whatever. It's just very universal, what happens in the film. We really explore so many great storylines and different paths to getting a child. I had a unique path to getting my son, so I understand how everybody's path to their child is different.

How does it feel to wear the bump?
EB: It's sweaty! [Laughs] I think it's probably a decent approximation; it weighs a good 10 lbs. The boobs weigh about 6 lbs. They are really unbelievable. It's fun. It definitely makes you sit and walk in a totally different way. As an actor, it's a great prop.

How did you change when you became a mom?
EB: I get drunk much faster and easier, and it's a big problem, so I can't go out very much. I find that I underestimated the amount of joy. I'm really learning about my capacity for joy through my son.

To see what Banks had to say about baby fever and her parenting tips, just keep reading.