The TV Addict 

By Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

“If hate laughing, you’re not going to like IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA”

What do you get when you combine three crazy self-absorbed bar owners, their insecure but self-absorbed bartender, and a man that they call Frank? You get the funniest thing on TV – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Coming back for its third season on F/X [Thursday September 13 at 10PM], they promise to bring you joy with their complete inability to care for others. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the first batch of episodes this season, and there are just a few things you need to know, which will sound insane out of context, and be even more insane when you watch – shoe polish is better than bronzer for making a baby look Latino, everyone needs a Green Monster suit, Stephen Collins is the man (would I, a devout 7th Heaven shunner ever have said that before this show?), and never trust sweaty friends in a hostage situation.

I had the incredible good fortune of getting to spend some time shooting the breeze with my favorite cast member (though out of the 5 main characters, it’s a hard one to call – I love them all so much), Kaitlin Olson, who plays Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds. She is funny, relatable, and full of knowledge on Juicers, and the pains involved in too much vegetable juice.

Amrie: I was actually just telling someone a few days ago how you’re one of my favorite people on TV, and now I’m getting the opportunity to talk to you so this is thrilling.
Kaitlin: Thank you so much, I appreciate that!

Not a problem! First off, Dee is not the most likeable character in the world, but she’s my favorite character, of all things.
I know what that says about you…

I’m not sure I should know what that says about me…

[Kaitlin laughs]

What about her on paper made you want to be this character?
I really like her insecurity. She definitely is despicable, you can’t really argue with that. I don’t think she’s hate-able because it all stems from her raging insecurity and they’re so mean to her. I think there is just something really funny about that to me.

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By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

I wanted to share with you all what happens when I get to spend 20 minutes on the phone with one of my favorite people in the world, Clark Duke. One of the best phone conversations ever, there were moments I was afraid I’d have to stop the tape because I was laughing so hard. There was a ridiculous amount of topics covered, including what costar he’d be happy to kiss right on the mouth, but there’s not much in the way of spoilers for the season finale of Greek airing Monday September 10 (and featuring Cordelia herself, Charisma Carpenter!!)…he doesn’t want to give too much away….about the show anyway….

A: How are you today [right about now is where I start laughing]?
C: I’m good, well, I kind of have a cold, but other than that, I’m really good.
A: What about Dale made you want to be Dale?
C: I thought it would be fun to play something really charactery. Something far removed from me. Especially after Clark and Michael, and playing myself, or not myself, but an exaggerated version of myself.
A: I should hope that the Clark in the show is not the Clark in real life because he’s kind of a jerk ha.
C: No that’s the real me. I’m just a full blown moron.
A: What’s it like on the set of Greek? Is it really nice?
C: It’s really great. Everybody gets along. There’s a lot of food. It’s always air conditioned. What else? It’s really great.

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By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]

I am a TV Addict who watches the Disney channel, and I’m not afraid to admit it. I actually consider myself one of the biggest fans of the charming star Kay Panabaker. Memorable for roles on Phil of the Future and movies like Life is Ruff and Read it and Weep; you may also remember her from the gone-too-soon classic Summerland, now airing on The N. She also has a recurring role on CSI as Katherine’s precocious daughter (not to be confused with the other Panabaker, Kay’s sister, the equally fabulous Danielle, who plays Stark’s daughter Julie on one of my guilty pleasures, Shark on CBS).

Kay is starring in the enjoyable new Lifetime Original Movie appropriately named “Custody” airing September 8 (with two fabulous men fighting over her, I don’t know how she does it! Sure, they’re fighting for custody of her character, but it’s Rob Morrow and James Denton, you cannot go wrong there!). I had the absolute privilege of speaking with her recently about great set relationships, the importance of staying in school, and oh yeah, a charming young kid you might know, named Zac Efron!

Why did you pick this movie [in which Kay’s character finds out at the age of 13 that the man who raised her as his own after her mother died (Rob Morrow) isn’t her biological father and that her mom’s ex-boyfriend (James Denton) is back in her life to get to know his daughter and get full custody]? What about it spoke to you?
Kay Panabaker: When I first heard Lifetime, my sister has done two movies and she’s always, it’s always been the woman who’s been beaten or abused or is going through a hard time. This one, the lead was two guys and a little girl and the story was just so touching to me, it was just the idea that your whole world gets torn apart and you still return to the one that saw you through the horrible times….I thought it was a sweet story. At the time, Rob Morrow wasn’t attached, and James Denton was, so I thought, hey this could be fun! I’ve got a couple of friends that work on the show [Desperate Housewives], one of the hairdressers. I thought, that’s a good thing, so that could be fun. And it was. It was an absolutely fantastic time.

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It’s been a great summer of interviews! And last week I was lucky enough to take part in a conference call with Tate Donovan — one of the stars of DAMAGES, FX’s latest addictive drama. Here is how the call went down.

Has starring in a high-profile series with the super popular Glenn Close rubbed off on you? Has it affected your life and/or career in unexpected ways?
Tate Donovan: Working with Glenn Close is a fantastic experience. But you have to bring your ‘A’ game when you work with her. She’s really prepared. It’s actually really a joy because she asks the director and the producers the best questions. Every time, she’s sort of like, “Well, hold on a second. Why is this?” She was asking about the plot, because it’s very confusing to everybody, exactly what’s going on in the case, since we’re not really lawyers. She’s very inspiring in terms of just the questions she asks, and you’re always going, “Geez, I wish I had asked that question,” like “Why does Frobisher do da, da, da, da, da?” Yes, she’s wonderful, a total inspiration.

The writing and the characters are so nuanced in Damages. There is no clear-cut bad or good, just all sorts of shades of gray and in between. Your character, Tom, is for the most part, an on-the-level guy, but are you hopeful that the character will veer into the dark side more or stay more above the fray and above all the machinations that Patty has up her sleeve?
What’s kind of exciting about Tom is that he, like all of us, are just trying to do the best we can. I think he lacks that killer instinct that Patty has in spades. She’s a genius. She knows exactly how to go in for the kill. Tom, I think is more interested in being liked. Patty doesn’t care, she just wants to win. It’s funny; a lot of people are like, “You are the worst kind of evil, because he’s a nice guy and he’s evil.” I don’t particularly see him as evil. I see him as just a guy who is trying to survive in a pretty cut-throat environment.

Tom is kind of Patty’s right hand man. And we saw him basically stay with her, even though she wouldn’t fight for him. I was just wondering, is the character simply happier in her shadow or does he kind of see them as making an unbeatable team when they’re together?
When we shot the pilot, I said, “Tom is sort of like Patty’s wife.” The producers were like, “Yes, you’re absolutely right, totally.” That’s kind of how I play it. There’s a certain power in being behind the person who has the power. D you know what I mean, the obvious power? I think Tom sort of shines more brightly when he’s not in that first chair.

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I didn’t join a sorority when I was in college.

I didn’t have friends in a fraternity when I was in college.

I know nothing about the Greek system, besides what I’ve learned on TV.

And I’m completely and utterly addicted to ABC Family’s other Monday night offering, Greek! Here is just a sample of the reasons this show has gotten me hooked!

1. Spencer Grammer as Casey Cartwright – I wasn’t sold on the idea of Kelsey’s daughter playing a prominent role in this series. Even after watching the first episode of the series, I didn’t find her able to hold my interest. But as the episodes continued, I’ve found that I love the ability she has to alternate between teenager-in-love and bitchy-sorority-queen. She’s funny. She’s snobby. She’s fabulous.

2. Cappy – To quote a fellow Greek lover (my sister Mary, hey there!) – He’s the bad guy that every girl secretly loves, because he’s also a good guy. There is something so charming about Scott Foster’s approach to this drunk, cliché of a frat boy. He’s cute, he’s funny, and I have to admit, I would choose Cappy over Jason-Dohring-lite Evan (Jake McDorman) in a heartbeat.

3. Rusty “Spitter” Cartwright – he is just your stereotypical engineering nerd with a heart of gold! He seems to unintentionally unaware of what’s happening around him, and he just wants to prove that he can handle himself in the Greek System. I also love the relationship that he has with his sister Casey. They’re not best friends. They tolerate each other, and they give each other great advice.

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I think after a summer with nice weather like we’ve experienced here in the Philly area, I should be a lot tanner than I am. I’ve spent way too many hours hooked to the television watching some of the greatest summer TV ever made!

Remember the summer days when we waited through a million hours of boring reruns and bad reality TV (oh wait, so like ABC these days…) until it was finally time for the season premieres in late September? It has been like a breath of fresh air with all of the great shows that we’ve been privy to this summer.

Where do I even begin?

Damages continues to keep me hooked. Glenn Close sells a scene like no one else on TV. She can be cruel and caring and loving and hating and every emotion under the sun and she knows how to play them all. As cliché as it sounds, I would honestly watch her read the phone book. F/X keeps the action coming this week as we learn a little bit more about Katie Connor’s back story, and the role she plays in both Frobisher’s and Patty Hewes’ cases. We learn where Ellen’s loyalties lie, and we learn where Tom’s loyalties may not. It keeps me guessing, that’s for sure!

Rescue Me is one of those shows that I started watching from day one, and haven’t missed an episode. Sure, Tommy Gavin is no saint. Sure, the rest of his crew is as screwed up as he is. I mean, in what world does selling a baby to your ex-cousin-in-law-ex-lover for $500,000 after almost dropping said baby into the river make any sense? I’m going to stick with it. I’m in this far! Coming up on the show, we get to see the original Probie hit an all new low, and one of the best interventions that’s ever been shown on TV. We’re also left hanging, if you will, with our anti-hero as he gets stuck after a heart-to-heart with my favorite character. Also – who knew that Tommy’s dad was still alive? Why do I feel like he died last season? Apparently not!

The 4400 continues to delight!! It took me a while to hop on this train, but there is so much new stuff discovered every week that they keep me so involved! I love every character! It’s one of those shows that keeps me coming back because I’m so invested in the lives of the characters that I can’t imagine going a week without checking in on them. Kyle with a power, and Isabelle without them. Billy Campbell playing Jordan Collier as the Messiah. Tom Baldwin and Diana Skouris as great as ever as best friends and partners. I hear we have big big things coming for the big finale – I’m along for the ride! Stay tuned this week for Richard’s return, and in the coming weeks, a surprise visit from the recently departed Lily!

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By: Amrie Cunningham (My Take on TV)

The summer of interviews continued this week as I got some time to chat with the disarmingly beautiful and incredibly down to earth Karen Cliche (pronounced CLEESH), who plays Baylin on Sci-Fi’s newest action adventure series, FLASH GORDON. She had so much great stuff to say about her cast, her character, her support for women’s issues, and her love for a certain classic TV show.

Amrie: Hey Karen – we’re so excited about the premiere of Flash Gordon!
Karen: There’s a lot of excitement buzzing. It’s so cool.

What about Flash Gordon made you want about to be a part of it? Had you seen a script?
Actually I knew nothing about it. I had heard about it through the years, but I didn’t know much about Flash Gordon in general. I wasn’t a huge fan but then my agent brought it up. I knew one of the head writers, James Thorpe, who had written on a couple of the series I had done. He had put in a good word for me so when the role came out, when I auditioned, I just loved it…a lot of the roles I’ve played, I’ve played a man, I’ve played a mutant, I’ve played a vampire….when the opportunity came to play the alien, the physicality to her, she was a tough girl, strong woman. That’s just ideal for me. I really wanted to play her. I thought, what a challenge to play an alien bounty hunter from Mongo. Who gets the opportunity to play this? I was very excited about it.

What does the viewer need to know about Baylin going in?
In the pilot, I come in the last 10-15 minutes. You’re introduced to Baylin in a very in your face, strong kind of way. She comes to Earth on an assignment from Ming to get Aura back to Mongo. She doesn’t care about Earth. She ends up stuck on Earth and befriends Flash and becomes part of their team and so she’s just a really strong independent, unapologetically strong woman. It’s how she is, not because it’s a put on or she tries to be. It’s just because that’s the way that she is. Her parents died when she was very young. She’s been on her own for a long time. She’s been self sufficient her whole life. When she is confident and strong and independent, she’s not trying to be. That’s the way she’s known how to survive all her live. When you’re introduced to Baylin, it’s like a kick ass tough girl and then throughout the episode, you get to feel a little more about her. She sort of has a sense of humor, I think. Maybe she’s funny because of her mannerisms. She doesn’t really know how to be politically correct. You learn more about her throughout. We just shot an episode, 8 or 9, you really find out what it is that happened to her in her life. I think people will really appreciate finding that out about her and it will give her a whole other level. She doesn’t breakdown. It doesn’t destroy her. You just understand her a little bit more. It just makes you love her even more. People are going to love her because she’s just this strong kick ass woman, but then once you learn a little more about her life story, it adds a whole other element to her.

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By: Amrie Cunningham (My Take on TV)
If there’s one thing that you plan to do at 10PM on July 24th, please promise me that it involves watching the Pilot episode of FX’s captivating new drama Damages. Glenn Close is fascinating as hard nosed lawyer Patty Hewes. She will do anything to get her way. In the courtroom, in her daily life. It begs repeating that she will do anything to get her way. There are times when watching this force (she’s not just a character, she’s a force to be reckoned with) that you stop and think “she is such a sweet woman; she truly loves her husband and son, how can she be such a cutthroat litigator” but then she does something reprehensible and you’re left wondering “why didn’t I see that coming?” This is the kind of show that FX thrives on. Twisted, and daring, and dangerous; heartfelt, romantic, intense. It covers the gamut, and brings to mind the originality of The Shield, and Rescue Me and what makes them amazing shows to watch.

We open on various beautifully shot scenes of NYC. To the sound of an elevator as it goes down floor by floor, we’re finally graced with the harsh shots of Aussie import Rose Byrne’s flawless Ellen Parsons covered head to toe in someone else’s blood, wearing only a green jacket over her underwear. From there, the direction takes us seamlessly back and forth between present time and 6 months to show us how it all began. How this classic beauty went from an ambitious young first year to a cynical, hardnosed Patty Hewes clone in an incredibly short time. It’s heart wrenching, it’s gut turning, it’s flawless, and it’s hard. There are twists around every corner. Without giving too much away, Patty will shock you. Ellen and Tom, and Katie, and Arthur will shock you. The death and the turmoil will blow you away. The end will leave you gasping for breath, and will keep you thinking about the show for days. It’s exactly the kind of ending that an good TV show should have, one that keeps you thinking until the next (equally as intense) episode.

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By Amrie Cunningham (My Take on TV)

There are a lot of shows on Thursday nights. Comedies, dramas, reality TV. My TiVo and downstairs DVR are in constant motion on Thursdays. But there is one show that I refuse to miss. That show? That show is The Office. The shenanigans of the Dunder Mifflin gang keep me coming back week after week, anticipating great new stories and comedy geniuses that keep me laughing. This past season, the writers and producers decided to add cast members to kind of change up our little gang. When it was first brought up in the media, a lot of people didn’t want it to happen. “It is perfect the way it is,” they were quoted as saying. Then, along came Rashida Jones as, gasp!, a truly likeable love interest for Pam’s Jim, and Ed Helms in a role that no one else but Ed Helms could play. And suddenly, life without Andy Bernard at Dunder Mifflin Scranton seems like lightyears away, and I can’t imagine the show without him. To my delight, I recently had the immense pleasure of speaking with Mr. Anger Management himself, Ed Helms, about the show (he’s a series regular folks, so he’s in it for the long haul), his fans, and his guilty obsession with a certain chrome-dome hosted NBC reality show.

We love you on the show. You fit in so wonderfully. I just love everything about you and your character!
That’s so nice. Thank you. I think the producers made a really wise decision to introduce Rashida [Jones, who will be back for a few episodes this season] and me in very small doses early on in the Stamford branch. It sort of gave us an opportunity to ease into the characters and it also gave the audience an opportunity to ease into us and not feel like we were intruding too much.

What’s your favorite thing about Andy? He’s definitely crazy, but we love him!
What’s my favorite thing? I think my favorite thing about Andy is his eagerness to break into song. Because that’s pretty close to me in real life. I’m really glad that that’s found its way into that character just because it’s fun and silly. But from an acting standpoint, I think the funnest part for me is Andy’s disconnect with how he’s really feeling. He seems like he’s always trying to give an outward appearance that’s not quite in sync with his real emotional status. That’s always fun.

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By: Amrie [My Take on TV]

It’s that time of the week again - the time when I get to indulge in some groveling at the feet of some of my favorite people on TV, so that you can get a little insight into the world of our favorite shows! This week’s “victim?” Conchita Campbell, the absolutely darling 11-year-old Maia Rutledge Skouris, from USA’s The 4400. Frequent readers of the site know that I’ve got a not so secret obsession with this show, so imagine my surprise and delight when I got the opportunity to shoot the breeze with Conchita during some of her downtime.

Amrie: It’s so exciting to be talking to you. You’re just this young girl, but you captivate me as a viewer. What is your favorite thing to play about Maia?
Conchita: I love everything about Maia. She’s a great little girl. She’s a sweet girl. She’s really old, but only 11 years old. I think that’s what I like about Maia. I also like that she’s like old fashioned and stuff. I also like how Maia tries to get to know how to live in the 21st century.

You started out in the business at a very young age, what advice do you have for someone that starts at your age?
Basically, feel the role. Have fun with it. Think about how you would feel, what happens to you, and let it come out naturally.

How much of you goes into Maia? Is it a lot of Conchita in there?
Not really. [laughs] Me and Maia aren’t really the same. I was never abducted, I’m not adopted. My parents aren’t dead. [both Conchita and I start laughing and don’t stop until she finishes her answer]. There is some of the same stuff. We’re both the same age, we both look the same. It’s not that much of me in Maia. It’s how I act it.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not shooting?
I love to ski. I also love hanging out with my friends. Just hanging out, and doing like girl stuff, and stuff like that. I like going on hikes.

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