The TV Chick

Starz officially won me over with Party Down, so I was excited to see what else the network had to offer. Gravity is a new series starring Krysten Ritter (of “Breaking Bad” and “Gilmore Girls” fame) about a suicide support group. Each member of the group tried to kill themselves in some way — some hilarious ways, others heartbreaking, and some we are just beginning to discover. The third episode is tonight and already it’s off to a great start. When I first heard about this series, I wasn’t sure what to think. However, I think death is a topic that isn’t addressed enough on TV. Gravity injects humor where necessary and serious moments as well, and I think the balance is just right. I recently had the chance to chat with the lovely creator, Jill Franklyn, who talked about the casting process, her inspiration for the show and why she had to change the name to Gravity.

What was your inspiration behind creating Gravity?
I was having a bad day. I don’t mean to make light of it. I’m not going to give you the laundry list of what was going on, but it was during the writers strike in ’07 when I came up with it. And just my dog, and there was just all this stuff, so I went to this dark place which I sometimes do–which for me, creatively is really good. And so I also was thinking about, because it was the writers strike and I knew coming back from the writers strike, that it was going to be really hard to sell something, and you really had to come up with something different. So I was trying to think of territories that no one had ever approached and so I started thinking about death, as I do, because I’ve written a lot of stories about people that are in comas, and I made them humorous. So I just started thinking about crazy ways of people trying to off themselves and it started to come alive. I started to see the faces of the characters, they had names, I had a title for the show. And then what happened was I called up my agent and I was already going out with three shows. And I called up my agent and said I have one more show I want to go out with, and they said “Okay, what is it?” and I said “I call it ‘Suicide for Dummies’” and it’s going to be a comedy about suicide, and there was dead silence on the phone.

(laughs)
“Are you guys there?” and they said “Yeah…but no. We cannot make that call. We cannot call up producers and say you have a show about suicide.” So because I already had three shows I was going out with, I put it aside. I put it aside and Eric [Schaeffer] had called me one day, we had worked together once before. He wasn’t doing anything and he asked what I was doing, and I said I had some projects I was going out with. And he asked if I had anything laying around, and I said “Yeah, I do have this idea that I really want to do but my agents doesn’t want me to go out with it. So I told him, and he said “I love that!” I’ll get my agents to go out with it. So, we talked it about it for a little bit and I said go off and think about it and I’ll go think about it because we need more than that. And he called me the next day and after I hung up with him, I was thinking about what could be the love story. And I had written this movie, I actually wrote it in a weekend after a yoga class, and sold it the next week. It was about this girl who — well there’s this big sixth sense twist to it — but I’ll just say that in the afterlife she finds her love…I’ll  say that just in case it gets made, hopefully.

Yeah, you don’t want to give it away!
No, especially that big twist. So I had this character, and I already know her name is Lily, and I’m thinking why does she do it and who is she and what happens when she dies? And the whole story just came to me really in a few minutes. So I wrote everything down and I wrote it as if I was her telling her story. And I think just a few days later, we started going out to the networks and it was really funny because we would get these reactions where people would just look at us completely dumbfounded. Fortunately, we found Starz. They were really great. And so we wrote the pilot — we actually Skype wrote the pilot — because he’s there, I’m here. [She's in LA and he's in NY] We wrote the pilot and then we had to wait a really long time. I’m going to say that it felt like it could have been like 8 months. I could be exaggerating but it was a really long time and I remember so well because my dog was so sick and my dog had died and I remember I was at Trader Joe’s and Eric called me and said “Guess what, our show got picked up.” And I said “Oh that’s really great.” And he said “You don’t sound excited.” And I said “Well, my dog died.” And he said “But you don’t sound excited!” And I said “But my dog died…”

You were like how am I supposed to sound excited after this happened?
I know, it was awful. It was awful and bittersweet. And ultimately it was great, and I will tell you right now I have my new dog laying on my lap.

Aww. I’m a huge dog lover.

[We then proceeded to talk about dogs -- I grew up with golden retrievers. We are both surprised at how many dogs live in New York City.]

So then we got the call, and then we just wrote the nine episodes and it was pretty quick. We turned them around really fast and it was really exciting. I think the biggest thing for me was just knowing that if somebody says no, it really has no more meaning to me (laughs). And so I love that. I feel much more freedom than I did before.

Yeah. And how did the name change to Gravity?
Well, I knew we were going to have a problem with Suicide For Dummies because of all the For Dummies books. So we changed it first to Suicide Dummies so it didn’t have the for in it, so it didn’t seem like it was a manual. And Starz legal they just didn’t want suicide in the title. So they threw around a lot of other names. We had Failure to Fly which I just hated. Failure to Fly is the actual term if you’re in the hospital and you try to commit suicide and you fail, they call that Failure to Fly.

Oh! I had no idea!
I had no idea either, but I still hated it. And I don’t remember exactly how we had Gravity. I think Gravity was in a list of maybe three names and it just, at first I wasn’t crazy about it and then it grew on me, and now I love it.

Read more…

E here, back for another week of Flashback Friday. Man, was my DVR busy this week capturing 10 ‘new’ Boy Meets World episodes. But, it was a week full of classics, so who am I to ignore any one episode. (Side Note: Is anyone willing to come clean my house before my mom and grandma get here because I’m out of time after watching too much ABC Family?)

Anyway, onto the highlights. So, we got a chance to see Cory and Shawn go to a ‘boy, girl’ party in the episode “Fear Strikes Out.” Unfortunately for Cory, Eric got him ridiculously stressed out before hand and when it was his turn in the closet for “7 Minutes in Heaven” (with Topanga!) he totally fell apart. By the time Topanga calms him down, time is up, and he is officially declared a nice boy. I remember watching this episode as a kid and being completely mortified for Cory; it’s a bummer feeling like you’re behind everyone else. (And boy was I behind. I was still wearing puppy dog sweatshirts and dresses my mom picked out for me from Jessica McClintock. Yes, even worse than Rachel Berry on Glee with her penchant for animal sweaters).

Another great episode this past week was with Cory dating TK, also know as Theresa Keiner, also known as Harley Keiner’s sister. I had an lol moment when she stared sending Cory floral wreaths, a clown made out of candy, and steaks. And then I had a fuzzy feelings moment when TK told us how Harley is the only one that takes care of her. Both have daddy issues and should probably be on an episode of LOST because of this.

Ooo, Ooo, and then we had “Band on the Run” with Cory and Shawn pretending to be in a band to woo the ladies. They’re exposed when they are asked to perform at the school dance, and well, they can’t because they have no musical talent or experience. We also have a very special guest spot by some of The Monkees.

But, our main episode this week is “Breaking Up is Really, Really Hard to Do.”
Read more…

Last night’s episode of Glee titled “Bad Reputation is the first that I wasn’t able to watch in advance. And in all honesty, I’m glad I didn’t, because it was one of my favorite episodes of the whole season (not just the back 9). There were many complaints circulating around about the first 3 episodes of the back 9 and their lack of storyline combined with too many songs. This episode went a completely different direction and I’m so glad it did. For the record, I adored the first 3 episodes but more because Glee was back and because the Madonna episode was epic than anything else.

Bad Reputation centered around the Glee Club getting a bad reputation from a “Glist” or list ranking Glee Club members based on a hotness quotient (sexual promiscuity). Quinn was number one on the list and Rachel was at the bottom. The list was distributed to the entire school. Also, Kurt found a video of Sue dancing around to Let’s Get Physical and he (along with some fellow Glee Club members) decides to release it on YouTube.

Mr. Schuester sings (and dances to) Ice Ice Baby (a song with a bad reputation) along with the rest of the Glee Club. This dance number was awesome. It featured Matthew Morrison, Heather Morris and Harry Shum Jr. primarily but the whole Glee club joined in. Who knew Jonathan Groff was also a really talented dancer? He never ceases to amaze me. In this episode, Sue also meets her match. Molly Shannon is Brenda Castle, a new sassy teacher who laughs profusely at Sue and the video. I believe Sue uttered the words “I’ll punch you square in the taco.” Any episode that features Sue (and the ridiculously talented Jane Lynch) is great in my book. Personally, I would have liked another Sue C’s It but her diary writing more than suffices. Later in the episode, Sue shares a bunch of heartwarming scenes with her sister. I am so thrilled they brought her sister back. She really brings a human element to Sue, but in addition, she is very funny and sweet. Her storyline is not meant for viewers to pity Sue or her sister. They are incredibly close, no matter what disabilities her sister may have.

Kurt, Artie, and Mercedes are not on the Glist, so Kurt devises a plan to not be ignored. Brittany wants to be in the top 3 (she was number 4) and is in on the plan, despite taking all her antibiotics at once and not knowing where she was. (Brittany’s comedic genius continues to shine in this episode) Kurt’s plan involves making a big ruckus in the library. They sing and dance to You Can’t Touch This, which was all sorts of awesome.

Continuing on with the Sue goodness, Sue goes to Emma and tells her she is her new therapist. She spills the beans about Will making out with Shelby and sleeping with April (she knew this because of strategically placed baby monitors). Sue also tells Emma she sucks, and that she needs to stand up for herself and communicate her feelings to Will (in a public setting). First of all, I love Emma and was glad to see her back. And while this scene may have been quite over the top, it was hilarious and completely true to Sue. And I actually agree with her! Emma does need to grow a pair, so to speak, because Will has really been sleeping around. Even if “sleeping around” just means making out and singing duets. Emma decides to confront Will and yells at him in the faculty lounge. She even calls him a slut (LOVE IT) and tells him that she is through with him (don’t love it as much). Later, Will brings Emma flowers, he apologizes but she can’t get over it. However, she basically says that she hasn’t given up hope of a relationship. Both of them clearly need to work out their issues before giving us another perfect “happy ending” kiss scene like in the mid-season finale. I look forward to when they do so! And if they want to throw a little Terri drama in the mix, I am all for it. Meanwhile, Schue tries to get to the bottom of the Glist but no one will confess.

Read more…

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the “Paging Nurse Jackie” event at the Paley Center. I was able to speak individually with Edie Falco (adore her) and Eve Best (Dr. O’Hara is quite wonderful and she was so lovely) and will be posting those next week. The event started off with a screening of next week’s episode. Because a lot of the cast members were in attendance, it was great to watch their reactions to different moments on the show. When the screening ended, the panel was introduced: Edie Falco, Richie Jackson (Executive Producer), Linda Wallem and Liz Brixius (Co-Creators). I was a bit disappointed that they weren’t able to have the rest of the cast on the panel, but I know it’s Edie’s show and I was thrilled to be there none the less. Fun tidbit: On the red carpet, a fan asked her what it’s like working with a vampire (Peter Facinelli) to which Edie responded that he knows she’ll bite back.

In any case, the panel started with Edie saying how she got a script from a neighbor called “Nurse Mona.” It was way too dark and had some sci-fi elements to it. The main idea for a nurse was taken from that script. Liz and Linda wanted to write a script that Edie wanted to do, so they made “Nurse Mona” lighter and opened it up. Edie had no idea what she wanted to do next after The Sopranos, but she thought Mona was fascinating. She was a wise-ass, smart, sarcastic woman and all of that appealed to her. Liz and Linda knew with Edie they had a capable woman who could be the storyteller. They knew she just came from a world where Tony Soprano was the center of the universe and they wanted to take her and put her in the center. The creators knew they could be dark and edgy with Showtime.

Edie was asked if she did research for the role, she said that she did but she’s normally not a research person. She spent some time at Bellevue, and she joked that she didn’t actually spend time as a patient at Bellevue. The show has great advisers to make sure the show looks authentic. However, Edie doesn’t think the show is about the hospital, she thinks it’s about the people. When asked about healthcare in the news, Liz said that healthcare being in the news just makes them feel better about telling these stories. They want to be a part of the dialogue without lecturing. Richie Jackson added that Jackie is an advocate for patients, and that if you look closely the beds are always full in the hallways of All Saints which is subtly pointing to the healthcare problems.

Read more…

As The Biggest Loser slowly wraps up the season (next week is makeover week), I have noticed that this group of people (minus Melissa) has really been one of the nicest groups of contestants I have ever seen on the show. Everyone seems to be rooting for each other and while there is always some game play involved, it seems mostly minimal. These contestants seem more like a family than a group of strangers, and while I love someone to root against on any reality show, I have really been enjoying this season of The Biggest Loser. I recently had the chance to chat with O’Neal Hampton, (or “Uncle” as he’s called on the show) and he was one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever had the pleasure of talking to. He talked about his emotional sendoff, his knee problems, and his bond with fellow contestant (and his daughter) Sunshine.

So last night’s episode had a very emotional sendoff for you and I wanted to know just a little bit of what that was like for you.
Well it was – it was quite daunting. I mean, I was on the one hand I always tried to make it crystal clear that if I ever fell below the yellow line with Sunshine that I would definitely, definitely, definitely want to go before she because I don’t know, it’s just – I just always felt it was my place as a father. You know, really I was a father first and a contestant second I guess and because that’s how I was before I went to the show, during and after. So I’ve fallen below the yellow line with her and having to leave it was, you know, it was a – it was a bittersweet thing; the bitterness was the fact I had to leave but the sweet part of it that it was me instead of her.

And I wanted to know what was the most important lesson you learned on the ranch that you took home with you?
I think the most important lesson I learned on the ranch was to always be truthful to yourself – to myself. I think before I came on the ranch I’m looking at myself as, you know, almost 400 pounds and, you know, it was like an unspoken passion about how bad it really was. And I should have been more true to myself and done something about it sooner. But I think for every, you know, for every season, you know, there’s a time and for every time there’s a season. And I think this was both my time and my season for it to happen right then and there.

I was just wondering if you could tell us how you met your wife?
Wow. I met – we met in college. We met at college and she asked me to a Sadie Hawkins Day dance. And believe it or not I wasn’t always as humble as I am now; she made me that humble over 30 years. She asked me to the dance and I told her – I was a big football star on campus and I looked her I said, why should I go to a Sadie Hawkins Day dance with you? I can go out with any girl on this campus. And she left crying. o then the person who I wanted to ask me to the dance was the captain of the cheerleaders. She asked the quarterback. The captain of the cheerleaders didn’t ask me. So I’m sitting up in my room and my wife came knocking on my door and she said I thought you could go out with any girl on campus, how come you’re sitting here by yourself? I said do you want go out for a coffee or a beer? She said a beer but I said coffee. I said well yeah, I will and we’ve been together ever since. Yeah, yeah, I’m so glad she came back to my room. And gave me a second chance. So this is kind of a second time I had a second chance in life. That’s how I met her. Yeah, we met in college and it was a Sadie Hawkins Day dance she asked me to.

Now have your good habits rubbed off on her since you’ve been home?
Yes they have. And she’s been totally supportive of me and Sunshine as well as she’s just been totally supportive of us through the whole process. And her good habits – it didn’t initially when we came home the first time when we got, you know, kicked off the first day, her habits were still the habits, well we were only gone for not even, you know, for a day. So but then as the season went on and she seen us change she changed within too. And I’ll tell you it’s just the – it’s nice to have – to be united under the roof, you know, everyone’s on the same thing going the same direction.

I wanted to know how your knee has been holding up with all the exercise?
Well my knee is very bad, it’s bone on bone and I’m definitely getting it replaced after this whole process is over. I’m just not sure where but I’m definitely getting – well I have to because it’s incredibly, incredibly bad. But like I said before my – I guess my desire – my desire to change far outweighed the pain in my knee. And they just, you know, Dr. H just can’t believe that I make it through with the pain and with my knee condition. Because, you know, when I fell on building that tower – when I fell they did an MRI on my knee and they seen how bad it was and they were just shocked. They said, “O’Neal we don’t know how you’re in this game, we don’t know how you’re exercising daily,” but, you know, but like – that’s nothing to do with my desire to change. And my knee is – it’s – I’ve been used to this pain for 30 years, I had it through football, through when I was a Green Beret, through all the things so it’s – the good and bad of it is is that as the weight came off it hurt less – it hurt less but I started doing more on it so it was kind of a balance there. But the best thing of it all is the recovery time. Like now I can recover, you know, overnight or the next day. Before if I did any of the things I’m doing now weighing almost 400 pounds I’d be out for a month. But now it’s the next day I’m back at it again. So the knee definitely has to get replaced for my, you know, to complete this journey and I’m definitely getting it replaced.

Read more…