The TV Addict 

By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA is back, and not surprisingly, better than ever. What better way to count down the minutes to the final season premiere than by spending some time learning a bit more about everyone’s favorite Viper-pilot-turned-courtroom-lawyer, Lee Adama [aka Jamie Bamber]? Jamie and I talked last week about what he hopes to see for his character, what he hopes fans take away from the show, and what he really thinks about the whole “Starbuck/Apollo/will-they/can-they/should-they-really” relationship.

BATTLESTAR is hands down one of my favorite shows on television and I’m so excited that it’s coming back tonight.
Jamie Bamber: Yeah, we all are. It’s something that’s become very precious to us, and we want to see it finished in the right way.

What attracted you to the role of Lee when the series first started.
I think his entrance into the show. The way the character arrived, as a stranger aboard this Battlestar, not wanting to be there, being forced into this sort of retirement of his dad that he doesn’t get on with. It being completely about, you know, family relationships and something that we can all relate to. And then the end of the world happening and him being stranded in this world that he didn’t really want to be in. I thought that was the most fantastic premise for a character opening. This is not his life; this is not the people he’s surrounded by, all these military guys. He was probably, in my mind, about to quit the military, and here he is stranded. With the one man he didn’t want to see forever. It was just a great set up for a character, and an unusual one. In the original series, he was the out and out hero. And in this one, he is that, but he’s also less than perfect. He was very adolescent in the original, and I think I brought an adolescence to it that made it even more the case. It was that. It was purely that. And the fact, I knew I was meant to be playing Apollo, and yet I couldn’t find the character Apollo, he was called Lee Adama and it was that, we’re trying something new, and we’re trying to get away from the curse of these names, you know, Apollo, Starbuck. The way that Ron has made the world plausible, is what struck me.

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By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

Lifetime is good to me. They recently sent over a preview copy of their latest inspirational movie called RACING FOR TIME. It’s inspired by the true story of a male prison guard who pulls together a track program for tough and violent female offenders at a juvenile facility. Charles S. Dutton (Emmy award winning actor and director) is fabulous, both as an actor and a director, in the main role. He is joined on screen by Elizabeth Pena and an up and coming young actress named Yaya Da Costa (some of you might recognize her from America’s Next Top Model). I had an opportunity to chat with her for a bit about working with “Roc” (Charles S. Dutton), why she wanted to be an actress, and who she admires.

Great film, I think it’s really in the vein of what Lifetime tries to do. It’s inspirational.
YaYa: I’m glad you watched it! It was controversial at first, but it is inspirational.

You’re right, it is controversial, but I think people will understand it, and you’re great in this.
Thank you!

Brings me to the first question – what made you interested in this role?
I just thought it was a great role. Any role, honestly for a young actor, is work, so that’s always good. It’s great to be excited when you’re going into an audition about the prospect of playing someone. Different from yourself. It makes it more. I just the different code of behavior and the different thought process that you use. My first instinct as a person in conflict resolution is to find the right words. But Vanessa’s is physical confrontation, so that was fun to explore.

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In tonight’s brand new episode of HOUSE, America’s favorite doctor suspects that a mysteriously paralyzed woman (played by America’s favorite deputy assistant to the deputy chief of staff; THE WEST WING’s Janel Moloney) is withholding vital information about her condition.

And in the spirit of tonight’s belated Christmas themed episode, the TV Addict thought he’d publish his own belated interview with actor Robert Sean Leonard who plays House’s foil and quite possibly only friend Dr. Wilson.

With your two to three scenes per episode, would you say you’ve pretty much got the best job on television?
Robert Sean Leonard: I’ve got the best job in Hollywood.

Do you ever long for a more substantial role in the series?When it came to pilot season, I first read NUMB3RS and thought, “Well that’s way too much work.” HOUSE is great, because my character doesn’t work too much.

There’s immense pressure when you’re the face on the coin. Hugh [Laurie] is our show. His face is our show, he’s literally on every advertisement. I don’t think I’d enjoy being that guy. The job I have is great.

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Summer Glau with the TV Addict

Not being a card carrying member of the Browncoats (the FIREFLY fandom, for those not familiar with the Whedon universe), this TV Addict had no idea what he was in store for when Summer Glau’s Cameron crossed paths with a young John Conner on FOX’s newest hit show TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES. Yet the moment Cameron uttered the iconic line, “Come with me if you want to live.” Summer Glau erased all doubts and flawlessly stepped into the metallic shoes made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Recently, the TV Addict, along with BuddyTV’s Oscar Dahl had the opportunity to interview Summer at the FOX Winter press junket in Hollywood. Here’s what she had to say with regards to her new role, the SCI FI fandom and the surreal experience of seeing your face on posters everywhere.

The TV Addict: It was great fun watching the pilot on the big screen last night, was it the first time you’ve seen it??
Summer Glau: It is the first time I’ve seen it completed. It was really interesting for me. The thing that I liked seeing was, you know, when you shoot a show it’s all out of sequence, so when they put it together I liked how my character seemed to switch on and off from doing the school scenes in the beginning, then how she changes once her alias is blown, she just changes. I thought that was cool.??

The TV Addict: What attracted you to the role in the first place? Were you concerned at all that you’re very enmeshed in the sci-fi world with FIREFLY and ThE 4400, did that concern you a little moving on to another sci-fi show?
I didn’t think I’d get this part, so I didn’t worry about it that much. I went to the audition thinking I’ll just go in and I’ll do it. I never thought that they would consider me for this role, and then when they did I thought oh my goodness, I feel like I won the lottery, of course I’m going to do it. I love playing this part. I’ve never really thought much about sci-fi or not sci-fi. I always consider the role. If it’s a role I want to play, I play it. I’ve turned down roles that weren’t sci-fi because they weren’t interesting characters and they weren’t something that I wanted to do, so this was definitely something that I wanted to do.??

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By: Amrie Cunningham

Who is excited for the 4th Season Premiere of Lost? That’s me, raising my hands and flailing about with glee. In my quest to complete Season 1 through 3 before January 31 (that’s a story for another day), my love for the show has been completely renewed. Also helping to get me pumped about the new Thursday night time slot? A remarkably sincere and charming woman by the name of Elizabeth Mitchell (LOST’s own Juliet) who recently spent a good chunk of her afternoon chatting with me about what to expect and why she loves her character! A big thank you to all of the readers who contributed questions!

Lost is one of my favorite shows. It’s been one of my favorite shows, so I’m excited to talk with you about it.
Oh, I love it too! I’m always really happy to talk about it.

You’re no stranger to being a star on one of TV’s most talked about shows, specifically your arc on ER. How is Lost different?
I think the main difference is that the character was so complete in how much we got to see, how much they wrote for her, there was a beginning, a middle, and an end. There was just a huge arc where we got to see so many facets of this very complicated person [with Legaspi on ER]. And I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to do that yet. And I also think that LOST is kind of huge in a way that I’ve never worked on a show that’s quite like this. I’ve never worked on a show that has this kind of following. ER was also huge, but a different kind of huge. Not better, not different. And I think with LOST, you have people who follow it pretty religiously and know every detail about it. I think they were so smart, the way they brought the character in. We have all the protagonists, we have everybody that we love and then to bring in someone that was a threat to them, that was an antagonist, always going to be someone that we were unsure of was a really good move. It gave them something to explore the other characters, and explore this character, and every single time that they added something to the character, I was always impressed with the way they did it. And the Ben role, as well. They did great things with the two of those roles. And I’ve really loved what Michael’s done, actually.

One of the biggest things we’ve heard from readers is an outcry for the fact that you and Michael were robbed of the multiple nominations you so definitely deserve. I can’t imagine why you aren’t being celebrated as much as you have.
Thank you very much. I’ve had the best time, as far as people on the street, or people talking about the character. It’s the strangest thing, but very gratifying to get that kind of feedback. When you do theatre, you go back stage, and people will talk about it, whether or not they liked it, and they definitely let you know, haha, and a lot of times you’ll do television, which I’ve been doing forever, or film, and you never really hear, but with LOST, I hear it all the time. At first, I heard when I was hated, hahaha, and then as the character, they started to make her more and more and more and more and more kind of interesting, I would hear this “hey, I actually really liked that, I thought that was really cool” or someone walking down the street saying “you terrify me and I work with really scary people”, but all of that has been really fun. It’s been really great to play a character that people are interested in. And that is something that I really experience first hand. I have played characters that I’ve heard about, but not on this daily basis. I can’t explain it other than to say that it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.

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The TV Addict and Thomas Dekker

Attending Wednesday night’s party celebrating the launch of TERMINATOR THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES was akin to living out an episode of ENTOURAGE. From booze to babes and celebrities every-which-way this TV Addict was well, in TV heaven.

Not surprisingly, I wasn’t the only one.

Dancing away to the beat of his own drummer was TERMINATOR star Thomas Dekker [see video]. And following the year he had, who can blame him.

After surviving nine nerve-wracking auditions, an untimely Writer’s Guild of America work-stoppage and that whole HEROES controversy, the world is finally going to get to witness the fruits of Dekker’s labour as FOX launches their highly anticipated new series TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES.

“It’s not a big day, I’m just going to get some Chinese food,” joked Dekker when I sat down with him at Hollywood’s historic Roosevelt Hotel the following afternoon. “No actually, I’m terrified, I’m very excited and worried. It better do well after all of this!”

‘By all of this’ Dekker is of course referring to not only having shot the first nine episodes of the action-packed adrenaline rush that is THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, but to his time spent over the last few weeks tirelessly promoting how the fight for the future begins tonight at 8PM on FOX.

Just how nervous is Dekker about stepping into the now iconic role of John Connor? “When I first heard about TERMINATOR, my initial reaction was f*ck, they’re going to ruin it. But when I talked to showrunner Josh [Friedman], director David [Nutter] and producer James [Middleton], learned why they wanted to make the show, what it was about and how much they cared, I couldn’t have been happier.”

Which is a good thing, because Dekker sits down with this TV Addict following three hours of non-stop interviews. “This is where as an actor you have to live with yourself and choose projects that you care about,” acknowledges Dekker. “I don’t mind talking for three hours about something I’m proud of and adore. But if I had to talk about something I was embarrassed of… that would not be good.”

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By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

I’ll be the first to admit that the only reason I started watching The Unit was because it featured 24’s President Palmer and Felicity’s Noel Crane working side by side as members of a secret government organization . I have to say, though, that what keeps me coming back is the story of the wives and how they deal with their lives as a part of The Unit.

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Abby Brammell, who plays Tiffy Gerhardt (one of my favorites, second only to the amazing Regina Taylor’s Molly Blane). We spoke for a few minutes about what’s coming up for Tiffy, who Abby would choose (the Colonel or Mack), and what she does in her downtime.

My first question is what about Tiffy made you want to play this character?
She’s so troubled. I really gravitate towards the troubled, soul-searching character. I really like she was caught up in the affair and she was struggling with right and wrong. And also that she’s married to a soldier. That seemed really fantastic to me. I’ve always loved the kind of archetype of the warrior, so to be a warrior’s lady, is like pretty great, too.

It seems like it’s not an easy role to play, which I’m sure gives you a lot of rewarding challenges.
You have to kind of let go of what you think is right and wrong, and really just deal with trying to love your character. And accept them for who they are with all of the terrible mistakes they make. And not judge them. You really can’t judge your characters; you just have to love them and try to portray them as honest as possible. It’s hard.

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By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

A funny thing happened to me over the summer – I fell for a little show called The Game. I have always been a fan of Girlfriends – seriously, I watch it in reruns almost every single day. So I’m not sure why I hadn’t picked up on its spin-off, but once I did, I added it to the ever-growing/constantly changing DVR schedule.

I spent some time on the phone this past Black Friday (after 7 hours of ridiculous shopping) with one of the stars of the show, Hosea Chanchez (who plays mama’s boy / Saber’s quarterback Malik Wright), about his show, his career goals, and why he thinks you should all be watching!

How are things going with the show?
Hosea Chanchez: Well, we’re on strike, haha. But the show is going wonderful. We have been the number one series on the CW, the number one comedy now.

It’s a show where people weren’t sure how it was going to do, because spin-offs don’t always do so well. But it’s so independent of the show it came from (Girlfriends), that it’s really found its own home.
Right, right, exactly.

What about Malik made you want to play this character?
What made me want to play him, first of all, I thought initially he was so much like myself. Not externally, but internally, he was so much like myself. He was a mama’s boy, he was dependent on his mom, who hasn’t quite grown up yet, a big kid, a kid at heart. Just really trying to find where he fits in, in life. Not just in the NFL, and with his mom, but just basically trying to find a way for himself to be his own person, to be who he is as an individual. That was my space and time at that exact time. Plus I thought it would be a lot of fun, just playing someone who is ego driven, can say whatever he wants to say, do whatever he wants to do, because that’s not me; someone who does not think before he speaks.

Sometimes you wish you could do that all the time, don’t you?
Right! Everybody wishes that they could do that.

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Sarah Strange personal – Mitchell Parsons Photography

By: Amrie Cunningham

You know how every once in a while, I geek out over the fact that I can quote Men in Trees verbatim, and I love the crazy cast of characters so very much? Imagine the geeking out I did when I got the chance to spend some quality phone time with my favorite in Elmo – Sarah Strange, the one and only Theresa. We spent some time chatting about her show, why indirectly it helps change the world, and how Bateman makes everything better.

Amrie: I’m really excited to get to talk to you.

Sarah laughs…What do you want to talk about?

I don’t know, I was thinking we’d talk about a little show.

You wanna talk about a show, great, I know about that!

I’m always saying I love Theresa.

Aw, thank you very much. That’s nice.

Theresa and Ben, you guys are one of my favorite couples, I wanted to say that outright.

Aw rad, thank you very much, I appreciate that.

Going along those lines of this awesome character, what made you want to play Theresa?

I really and it’s still an interesting aspect of the character even half way through the second season, I really like how outside she is. I always kind of described her as this mysterious black cat who wonders the periphery of Elmo, and people keep feeding her so she stays around. But you’re not entirely sure of her motives. She’s such an oddball. And I like her rock and roll history, I like that she’s got a bit of toughness, that she’s got some secrets. She’s dark. It’s always kind of fun to play people who are in touch with their dark side, or who are hiding their dark side, you know what I mean?

Right, and that means, that down the line, we can hear a little more about the dark side, something that will shock us, and I like that aspect to it.

That’s right and there’s little seeds that get planted that don’t turn into anything until much later. She’s fun, and she’s still mysterious to me, which is fun.

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Recently, the TV Addict was thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down and talk with BACK TO YOU star Ayda Field. Field plays meteorologist Montana Diaz Herrera on the hit Fox Comedy BACK TO YOU and was kind enough to spend a few minutes reveling in our mutual adoration of Kelsey Grammer and the short-lived, yet brilliant STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP

The TV Addict: Are you as happy as I am that Kelsey Grammer is back on television?

Ayda Field: Absolutely! When FRASIER ended I was so sad. I loved the show and everyone on it. In fact, a few nights ago, I was watching an old episode and Frasier was talking to Daphne… It was so trippy — because I was thinking. That’s me! I get to do that. I just worked with him that afternoon. It’s such a great feeling to work with people who you look up to and admire. You don’t get over that.

Any talk of FRASIER alumni visiting BACK TO YOU?

Oh I’m sure. One of the creators of the show and a bunch of the writers were on FRASIER. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see if it happened.

Last season you starred on one of my favorite shows, STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP. What happened?

I think it was a combination of a very expensive show and a ratings system that doesn’t work. Personally, everyone I knew TiVo’d the show, so I don’t think the ratings were really reflective of how many people watched the show.

I also think audiences expected the show to be funnier — like 30 ROCK. STUDIO 60 was a very smart show. Some people called it self-congratulatory while others loved it. Whatever you felt about it — it was an intelligent show and great to work on. Matthew Perry, Aaron Sorkin, Tommy Schlamme were amazing.

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