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Amber Tamblyn Gets Unusual on Her New Show

BuzzSugar — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 10:45:07 -0700

Tonight, Amber Tamblyn returns to TV for her first series role since Joan of Arcadia. She's playing Detective Casey Shraeger in ABC's The Unusuals, about a group of misfit cops in New York City trying to solve crimes while also battling their own personal neuroses. I'm still a little disappointed that the show isn't about superhero cops, but the crazy personalities in this show - played by Adam Goldberg, Harold Perrineau, and Kai Lennox, among others - make up for that a bit. Last week, I spoke with Tamblyn about her return to TV and why she looks so comfortable holding a gun. Read on for highlights:

Were you specifically looking to come back to television right now?
No, I never look for anything. I think the things you look for as an actor, if you want to do them, are like, "All right, I want to do a period piece! Let's do it! Let's find one!" TV's always there, film's always there, theater's always there, and I think I just look for something that is a very good character role, that you have something that's well-written and has good actors and you're surrounded by people you want to work with. . . . This was something that seemed sort of special to me, and I saw a lot of potential in the idea of this young female cop who's kind of a smartass and tomboyish. She's really smart, she's a really good girl and very honest, and it's a great character.

What was it about Casey that appealed to you specifically?
I think in every episode, when you see her sort of go into an interrogation room and rip the dignity out of some perp, it's really funny to watch. Because she is young, and she's the rookie cop who's coming into this situation, where everybody else is veteran cops but they're still not as good as she is at what they do for their job. It's a really fun concept. I also love that she's not a cliche female character. She's not a stereotype.

What kind of training did you have to go through to realistically play a cop? Did someone have to show you the right way to hold a gun?
I go to the shooting range a lot in Los Angeles, so I've shot guns before. I think what was really intense was seeing pictures of dead bodies, even though you don't see them in our show - and that's one of the great things about it as well, is . . . it's not about [dead bodies], it's about how it affects characters and what it does to them.

More from Tamblyn about what she learned from cops and her favorite police show of all time when you read more.

Did you get any tips from real cops?
One of the things that they said - and I don't know if this is specifically about New York cops or not - but in the first episode Adam [Goldberg] says "Freeze! Police!" and they vetoed that right away. . . . That's a very TV show thing. Nobody says that. So that was good to know.

We learn one secret about Casey in the pilot, but in general, she seems like the least unusual of all the Unusuals.
I think that's the point, too. . . . The audience will relate the most to her and be like, "Oh my God, I've been in that situation." Or "I've got friends who are like that" or "I've worked with somebody who's like that." She's the most relatable, and she's also the one who - because she comes from a very rich background where there were no rules, there were no responsibilities, you just paid your way out of trouble - she's got this work ethic and this idea about the law and about morals and all of those things, and all of those things start to get compromised.

There are and have been a lot of cop shows on TV. What do you think makes this one different?
I think this is an actual cop show, where I think that for the most part the things that are on TV are not cop shows. They're procedurals. A cop show is a show about cops, at least in my understanding of it, and I think we are the only show on TV that takes a dark, sarcastic, sardonic yet dramatic, funny look at cops and how they solve cases and how their problems and what they go through leak out into their lives.

Is it different being one part of an ensemble instead of the lead of your own show?
The hours are the same, the work's the same. It's just great because you're working with more people. As opposed to you being in the schoolyard with just the ball, you're in the schoolyard with 50 kids and the ball.

Are there any other actors you've enjoyed playing off of so far?
I really love working with - and watching the partnership with - Harold Perrineau and Adam Goldberg. They are hilarious, and they're perfect yin and yang for each other. I work a lot with Kai Lennox, who plays Eddie Alvarez, who's sort of the Kramer of the cop world - he talks about himself in third person, and he really thinks he's gonna be the greatest cop ever, and he also does everything by the law and by the book, but he's a real asshole about it. My partner, played by Jeremy Renner, is always pulling pranks on him that are very, very funny.

Have you been a fan of any police shows yourself?
i was obsessed with The Wire. In the sense that there were such great characters on The Wire and they were so well developed, I think [The Unusuals] has some of those aspects. That would be the only one. I've tried to watch a couple of the other ones and I just can't wrap my head around that - I don't really like watching cases get solved. But The Wire was really great.

Which New Spring Show Are You Looking Forward to Most?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:30:37 -0700

This Spring is filled with lots of good, new, intriguing TV! Castle already got underway this week, and tons of other premieres are in the lineup for the coming weeks. So, what show are you making room for on your schedule?

Castle, Cupid, The Unusuals, Better Off Ted, and In the Motherhood photos copyright 2009 ABC, Inc.; Parks and Recreation photo courtesy of Flynet; Kings photo courtesy of NBC; Harper's Island photo courtesy of CBS; and Sit Down, Shut Up photo courtesy of Fox

First Look: Amber Tamblyn, Adam Goldberg in The Unusuals

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:30:34 -0800

ABC's The Unusuals wants to be a different kind of police drama. The show, which will premiere April 8 at 10 p.m., centers around a ragtag bunch of NYPD detectives, each of whom is, well, a little bizarre.

Like how? Well, Adam Goldberg's character, Eric Delahoy, is trying to get himself killed on the job. His partner, Leo Banks (Harold Perrineau), is insanely cautious and won't even take off his bulletproof vest. As for Casey Shraeger (Amber Tamblyn), well, her secrets weren't revealed in the 20 minutes of the show I got to see at TCA, but she does have trouble getting taken seriously when she starts working homicide cases after a couple of years posing as a prostitute in the vice unit.

When I first heard about the concept for the show, I figured the characters would be really unusual - like, say, Law and Order meets Heroes. Instead, they're just regular folks with quirky personalities and odd pasts. I'm hoping the show has a dark humor about it; among other things, that would give Tamblyn a chance to show off that great comic timing I liked so much in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants sequel.

To check out a promo, just read more.

Castle, Reaper, and Other Shows Coming to a TV Near You

BuzzSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:30:09 -0800

CBS and ABC both released their midseason schedules this week, and the CW dribbled out a few little teases, giving us an almost complete picture of what we'll be watching on TV in 2009. It's good news for fans of Reaper and Nathan Fillion, and not such good news for those who love Pushing Daisies or Ashton Kutcher reality shows.

Some of the highlights:

Castle, Cupid, and The Unusuals all made ABC's midseason schedule. Castle will air Mondays at 10 p.m. starting March 9, Cupid will air at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays starting March 24, and The Unusuals will get the post-Lost time slot of 10 p.m. on Wednesdays starting April 8.
Harper's Island, which CBS is calling a "13-episode mystery event," will air on Thursdays at 10 p.m. after CSI from April 9 through July 2. It's actually one of the only changes to the CBS schedule; another is that Flashpoint, which aired last Summer, will start its second season Friday, Jan. 9 at 9 p.m.

For a couple of others, including the premiere date for Reaper, just read more.

Poor Ashton Kutcher. Everyone wants him to make reality shows, but then they either get canceled (ABC's Opportunity Knocks this Fall) or dumped on Saturday night, which is what CBS is doing for his Game Show in My Head. Saturday night! And you thought Friday time slots were bad.
The CW's midseason plans are still coming together, but here's a definite bright spot: Reaper's second season is scheduled to premiere March 17 at 9 p.m. after 90210.

So, no Pushing Daisies or Dirty Sexy Money on the schedule - but hey, I suppose that if ABC's three new series tank, there's a chance those shows could get another look for next Fall. And hooray for the return of Reaper, which I hope will be just as delightful as it was toward the end of the first season.

What do you make of all this news? Are any of these shows on your radar?

Buzz News Roundup, 11/17

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:30:27 -0800

Monk has been renewed for an eighth - and final - season. - Variety
ABC's official midseason schedule adds Scrubs and The Unusuals to Wednesdays - and drops Life on Mars and Pushing Daisies. - The Futon Critic
Aaron Eckhart will star in the action film Battle: Los Angeles. - ComingSoon
CBS has ordered more episodes of Gary Unmarried and Worst Week. - The Hollywood Reporter
Maya Rudolph will guest-star on Kath and Kim. - TV Guide
50 Cent's album release has been pushed to January. - Billboard
Nigel Lythgoe and Michael Flatley are bringing a new dance competition show to NBC. - Zap2it
NBC is developing a comedy based on the life of Criss Angel. - Variety

Photo courtesy of USA

Link Time! 9/9

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:32:56 -0700

Apple has upgraded its iPod Nano, iPod Touch, and iTunes application. - geeksugar
Five reasons to look forward to ABC's The Unusuals - already! - TV Squad
On a scale of 1 to 10: What's the likelihood you'll see the just-announced Jessica Alba movie, An Invisible Sign of My Own? - Popwatch
The CW should take the diversity of America's Next Top Model and spread it to some other primetime shows. - Jezebel
Four - count 'em, four! - new Andrew Bird songs. - You Ain't No Picasso
JJ Abrams explains why there will be no William Shatner cameo in the new Star Trek movie. - Cinematical
A new Bob Dylan music video? Yup. - Stereogum

ABC Picks Up Five Shows for Midseason

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:37:54 -0700

The Fall TV season hasn't even started yet, and already, at least one network is looking a few months ahead. ABC, which only has one new scripted show (Life on Mars) on its Fall schedule, has picked up three dramas and two comedies for midseason.

Among them: Rob Thomas's Cupid, his remake of his own 1998 show, which now stars Sarah Paulson and Bobby Cannavale (at right). I've been curious about that project for a while now, so I'm glad it's taken the next step toward becoming a series.

The other dramas:

Castle - Starring Nathan Fillion, the show focuses on a horror novelist who helps the NYPD solve crimes.
The Unusuals - Starring Amber Tamblyn, this one's described as an "ensemble dramedy" set in a police precinct.

For descriptions of the comedies, and to see what else ABC has in its pipeline, read more.

ABC's midseason comedies are:

Better Off Ted - Jay Harrington stars as a moral man trying to do the right thing in this office-set show.
Single with Parents - This comedy from How I Met Your Mother producer Kristin Newman stars Alyssa Milano as a woman juggling a dysfunctional family.

ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson hinted to the Hollywood Reporter that some of ABC's other pilots might be getting the go-ahead later on. The network still has Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas starring Janel Moloney and Rob Thomas's other pilot, Good Behavior, as well as the Alicia Silverstone/Alia Shawkat comedy Bad Mother's Handbook, as possibilities.

Source

Cirque du Freak: An Unnecessary Addition to Vampire Entertainment

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:09 -0700

With Halloween just around the corner, October is the perfect time for movie studios to unleash their creepiest films, since we're all in the mood for a good scare. Combine with that the insatiable desire for vampire entertainment, and you've got Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant; a tween fantasy movie that plays out like R.L. Stein's Goosebumps novels on the big screen - but not nearly as scary.

Based on the book series by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak is the story of Darren (Chris Massoglia), your typical 16-year-old boy trying to quell his high school boredom. Dubbed "Mr. Perfect" by his mischievous best friend Steve, Darren follows the rules, has plenty of friends, and does whatever his parents tell him to do - that is, unless Steve can convince him otherwise. The boys pick up a flyer for the Cirque du Freak and decide to check it out.

That's just the beginning though, so to see what I thought of the film, just read more.

Things go awry when Darren finds himself tangled up in the world behind the Cirque, particularly that of Larten Crepsley, a crotchety vampire who couldn't be bothered with a teenager. When Darren gets himself into a sticky situation, the only way he can bail himself out is by selling his soul to Crepsley, becoming his half-vampire assistant.

If you thought sorting out all the vampire lore in Twilight and True Blood was confusing, get ready for the most convoluted yet. In this story, a war is brewing between two breeds: the Vampanese represent the blood-suckers that are all for killing their prey, while the run-of-the mill vamps prefer to sedate, feed, and then letting their victims return to regular life. As a half-vampire who's reluctant to lose what little human qualities he has left, Darren obviously joins Larten Crepsley's team, while his best friend Steve joins the evil Vampanese.

As for the actual Cirque du Freak, the group of misfits and outcasts are more X-Men and less Carnivale. The crew includes unusual children who were abandoned by their parents (like "Snake Boy" and "Monkey Girl"), along with a few other vaudeville acts like the Bearded Lady (Salma Hayek) and a woman who can regenerate her limbs (Jane Krakowski). Some are friendly, others are surly, but the cirque in itself is more campy than scary; little hideout is basically an island of misfit toys.

The film isn't boring, but it's not exactly packed with pizazz either. Director Paul Weitz was sure to stay on the safer side of the movie's PG-13 rating, rarely pushing the envelope on what could have been a much creepier film. John C. Reilly is always reliable for a good performance, and he has some great comedic timing as the voice of brutal honesty to Darren's naivete. Massoglia gives decent performance for a newbie, and even reminded me of a young Emile Hirsch at times. That said, the movie is also packed with confusing subplots and some truly corny dialogue that evoked collective groans from the audience.

If you're looking for a fun movie to get you into the Halloween spirit, this might do the trick. Just make sure you're in a tween state of mind.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures