The TV Chick

The Big C is a comedy about cancer. You read that right. The new Showtime show stars Laura Linney who is determined to kick cancer’s ass. Linney plays Cathy Jamison, a teacher, a mom, and a possible ex-wife, with stage 4 melanoma. However, she hasn’t had the courage to tell anyone yet. The most important person in her life is her son Adam, who she wants to spend more time with, much to his teenage chagrin. There’s her husband Oliver Platt who doesn’t understand what he did wrong. There’s Andrea, her overweight sassy student who she wants to help. Gabourey Sidibe plays Andrea, someone so opposite of Precious, you wouldn’t even guess she’s played an abused teen. Sidibe definitely has some comedy chops. There’s Cathy’s screwed up brother Sean (played by John Benjamin Hickey) who is homeless and an extreme environmental activist. And naturally, there’s the grumpy old neighbor Marlene (played by the hilarious Phyllis Somerville) who has an adorable dog that loves Cathy, but she doesn’t want to give Cathy the time of day.

This interesting cast of characters form an unlikely support group, whether Cathy wants it or not. Linney is absolutely fantastic in this leading role. She plays Cathy without a hint of pity, which I think is necessary for a show like this. I adore Oliver Platt as well and he fits the role of the slightly unaware husband very well. It’s an odd subject to create a comedy about (albeit a dark comedy) but it works well. There’s a lovely balance of hilarious and heartwarming moments. And there’s even a hot doctor thrown in the mix. The comedy itself isn’t necessarily about the cancer, but more about her life and circumstances. I definitely think the show has the ingredients for a hit, and I am interested to see where it goes. Linney will definitely keep me tuning in week after week and I think others will be captivated by her as well. If you are curious about the show, you can watch the first episode on my site — right here!

The Big C premieres tonight on Showtime at 10:30 PM, and I would definitely recommend checking it out!

Huge has become a big summer hit for ABC Family. It centers around teenagers at Camp Victory, a weight loss camp, and their trials and tribulations. At the core of this show however, is not weight, it’s learning to be happy with yourself, and start a new lifestyle. The show has drama and romance and some hilarious moments to boot. I have really been enjoying it, and I wish there were more than just a few episodes left in the first season. I recently had the chance to chat with the absolutely lovely Harvey Guillen about his character (one of my favorites) Alistair. We talked about Alistair’s sexual preference, his relationship with his sister Chloe, and how sometimes the skinniest person in the room carries the most weight.

What originally drew you to the role of Alistair?
The first time I auditioned, I auditioned for Ian. When I read the pilot, after I knew I was going in for Ian, I fell in love with Alistair because in the original pilot he had three different scenes where [his] layers were just peeling away. And I thought “Wow, this guy has a lot going on inside,” like a lot of secrets, and there’s a lot of things he’s dealing with, as do all the other characters on the show, but there was something about Alistair that just stood out to me. And I wanted to play him, I was like “I have to play this part.” So I told my manager “I want to play Alistair,” and they were like “Well, you’re going in for Ian.” So I went in to read for Ian, but I read Ian as Alistair (laughs). I was hoping it wouldn’t backfire. Sure enough, I got a call back for the next week to read for Alistair. And I read for Alistair in front of Winnie Holzman [Creator] and she’s like this fairy godmother, she has this angelic voice and she goes “I’m sorry, but I have to give you a hug.” She gave me a hug, and I felt accomplished.

Aw, that’s so cute. So your plan worked!
Yeah, my plan worked. I don’t know if you can call it a plan. I took a risk and it paid off.

And Alistair as you mentioned has so many layers, but at the same time he’s very comfortable with who he is, and he’s very innocent. Is there a lot to him that we don’t even know yet?
Absolutely. People are always asking what’s going on with him, or why is he so weird or why is he so different. There’s [a lot of] speculation about his sexual preference, but the truth is, if the problem was his sexual preference, that would be the least of his secrets, that would be the least of his problems. He has so many secrets that people don’t know, and hopefully you get to see them all come out. There’s a big shift coming in episode 8. Alistair like you said is sweet, and he’s innocent and we all were at one point or another. We were all children, and we were all brought into this world and we were all innocent. And it’s at some point along the way that we all got jaded. But he hasn’t. And he’s holding onto that, and I think we’re going to see what people do to him. [They] say we don’t accept when you are too nice and too good and what not, and it might make you cry.

Aw. And it is sort of implied that Alistair might be gay. Will we see this addressed in the upcoming episodes?
Absolutely. The next episode is when we see that question asked and answered and shown.

Will we see maybe a crush?
You will definitely be seeing a crush, and you will especially be seeing something done to him by another camper unexpectedly.

Interesting. How will his relationship with his sister Chloe continue to develop as the season goes on?
The thing with Chloe, is not only are they blood related, but they are twins. And having that connection hidden away from you is really heartbreaking. I’ve been hanging out with Ashley Holliday a lot, who plays Chloe, and it’s so hard because I built that rapport with her off the set and when we’re on set, I long for it and I want it. You want to be next to your friend. It was like when you were in school, and you had a best friend and you wanted to have all your classes together, and you wanted to spend lunch together, and you had to spend after school together. It’s that instant rapport that you have with someone that I build with Ashley. So when we’re on set, and we can’t be next to each other, it kills me. Because not only are you my twin, [but] you’re not acknowledging me. It breaks my heart when I read the episodes every time, to have to come and do that to Alistair. But everyone has their reasons, and she has her reasons. They may not be justified, or maybe they are, but that’s her idea and her understanding of it.

 That makes sense.
There’s a moment in episode 8 where you actually see the human side to Chloe, and her feelings may change a little bit. Maybe they change too late for Chloe and too late for Alistair, so the clock’s ticking and things are going to happen and maybe someone’s not going to be able to salvage what they had before.

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True Blood is well into its third season, and it has been fantastic so far. It’s probably the craziest and wildest season yet, and I am enjoying every minute of it. One thing creator Alan Ball doesn’t shy away from is the introduction of new characters. This season we’ve seen new (and sexy) werewolves (ahem Alcide), a new Merlotte’s waitress, and a wolf pack who are into drugs and vampire blood. Crystal Norris (one of those new characters) is a love interest for Jason, but there’s still an air of mystery surrounding her. She comes from the Norris family, who are involved with drugs and she appears to have a fiancee. But what is the real deal with Jason’s new crush? I recently had the chance to chat with Lindsay Pulsipher, who plays Crystal, about the mysterious role, what’s coming up for Crystal and what draws her character (besides the obvious) to Jason Stackhouse.

What originally drew you to the role of Crystal Norris?
I haven’t read the books, but after I got to know her through the writers of True Blood — through their eyes — I was just fascinated with her mystery. She was written with a lot of mystery, and she has several layers going on. And as we’ll soon see later in the season, she’s got a lot of things that she’s trying to cope with and deal with in her life, and I just loved the aspect of being able to play such a complicated, mysterious character. It was really exciting for me.

Definitely. Crystal also has a very interesting background. Can you tell us a little bit more about her family and where she came from?
Little things are revealed throughout the season — more and more about her past and her history — but she’s from this family that cooks meth and they’re meth heads basically (laughs). She’s never really left this compound. It’s all she’s ever really known. She doesn’t really have a social life outside of the compound, so the world outside of that is just so big and intimidating to her I think.

For those who have read the books, or picked up on hints in the show, know that Crystal has some supernatural or non-human elements to her. How are you able to relate to a character that might not be entirely human?
There’s some instincts that Crystal might have that might be a bit foreign to normal folk. (laughs) In the books, she definitely has some supernatural powers. And I think that she has the instincts which myself as a normal person might not have and it was really fun to explore — I’m getting into dangerous territory (laughs).

Don’t worry, I know you can’t spoil too much! What has it been like working so closely with Ryan Kwanten? I’ve heard he’s a bit of a prankster, so are those scenes filmed seriously or is there a lot of joking around?
Oh my God, Ryan is absolutely a practical joker, and very spontaneous in his acting. So we could be doing the most serious, heartfelt scene, and he could pull some little trick or some little Jason-ism out of his hat, and completely throw me off (laughs), which I completely appreciate as an actor — to keep it fresh and funny and spontaneous. And he definitely does that. He’s a great actor, and he really knows his character well, so that is really refreshing to act opposite somebody that is so in tune with his inner Jason. (laughs) It was so much fun.

That’s good to hear. And what do you think draws Crystal to Jason?
I think that it’s his — obviously, he’s a very charismatic person, and when he approaches her truck and she seems him without a shirt (laughs) [like] “Who is this? And what is this guy doing?” so there’s that element of charm, and he’s very funny. But I think on a deeper level, she’s been locked up on the compound, and I think that she might see a little bit of an escape for her, and a way for her to maybe put her past life behind her, and she kind of looks at him and thinks “Could he be the one to help me do this?”

Right. And on the alternate side, why do you think Jason is so drawn to Crystal? She’s different from any other girl he’s been with before.
It’s a hard question for me to answer. I’ve been asked that before. It’s hard for me to answer for Ryan, but I think she’s kind of mysterious and maybe he’s picking up on some things that Crystal has going on in her life that other girls in the past haven’t really had. And I think that there’s that air of mystery that he’s intrigued by.

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Hello Flashback Friday Fans! I’ve got another top 5 for you this week…My Top 5 TGIF moments.  If you were born in the late 70s/early 80s, TGIF was a mainstay of one’s weekly routine.  If you didn’t know what happened to Michelle Tanner when you got into school on Monday, than you weren’t anyone.  I can still remember cringing when 9:59 pm rolled around, and I knew 20/20 was just around the corner.  Anyway, here’s the list!
 
5) Dinosaurs. Period.  I’m not even going to pick a moment because they were all so good.  I loved this show with the fire of a thousand suns when I was a kid. It even won a couple of awards people.  I don’t know if I could handle too much of “Not the mama” now as an adult, but I loved hearing it as a kid. 
 
4) Next up is a Family Matters moment.  Now, generally, I actually couldn’t handle this show.  I mean, I watched it every week of course, but it did not earn my love.  I could easily play some My Little Ponies while I watched.  However, when Urkel became Stefan was a most awesome moment(s).  Stefan was so cool, and I didn’t have to listen to Urkel’s voice. Score.  Bonus points generally speaking for Mother Winslow. Word.
 
3) Number 3 on my list is the Full House episode “Shape Up” when DJ starts crash dieting so that she can look great in a bathing suit at Kimmy’s Pool Party.  I can still distinctly remember the sandwich that she fed to Comet instead of eating it. (In all honesty, that sandwich looked nasty anyway.  Barely any meat, no condiments. What the heck?!  It’s what my mom would call a “Bread Sandwich.” Feh.) But, I digress.  After a few days of eating ice, DJ is working it at the gym and faints.  Becky has a talk with her about staying healthy and all is well.  If only all life’s problems could be wiped away in 22 minutes with the guidance of Rebecca Donaldson/Katsopolis.
 
2) Number 2 for me would have to be when Topanga and Cory first kissed.  We just knew that Topanga was going to be a character we were going to see a lot more of.  I was always just about the age of the characters on this show, so I felt really connected to this moment (although my first kiss was less awesome).  Cory and Topanga remain for me one of my favorite TV couples. 
 
1) OK people, my number 1 TGIF moment is actually for a show that was nowhere near my favorite at the time.  However, it still gets my number 1 spot.  It is the Perfect Strangers theme song.  People, this song rocks.  Well, maybe not rocks, but it does inspire me to sing it at the top of my lungs (off-key of course).  Yes, Balki was rather hilarious, and there was some funny moments on the show for sure.  But nothing can compare to standing in your parent’s 80s style family room and belting out “STANDING TALL, ON THE WINGS OF MY DREAMS…”  Please see Little E’s dramatic reenactment for visual proof of the awesomeness. 

 
 
So, there you have it, my randomly chosen top 5 TGIF moments.  I have so many favorite moments, I had trouble picking (and these could change from day-to-day).  I mean we didn’t even get to talk about Mr. Belvedere (also awesome theme song), Step-by-Step, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Sabrina the Teenage Witch or the others.  So, tell me what your top 5 would be!  

My Boys is back for Season 4! This TBS hit comedy about a group of close friends who always make time to get together, drink beer, play their weekly poker and support each other through the ups and downs of dating, break-ups and career highs and lows. As the new season blossoms, the friends continue to joke around, bond over beer and poker and have fun, but this time around, they also have to face the realities of life: financial issues, career decisions, and getting into serious relationships.

And I am thrilled to offer this great My Boys giveaway!

Enter to win:

My Boys DVD Season 2 and 3 & Playing Cards

To enter, leave a comment with a favorite character or favorite moment from the show!

Last night’s episode of Make It Or Break It titled “What Are You Made Of” tested just that out of each of the girls. The big National Team practice comes to The Rock, and everyone is nervous about it. Kaylie is overtraining, Emily is questioning her skills, Lauren is well, Lauren and Payson is going to ballet class to reinvent herself as a gymnast.

Kellie Parker and other national team girls come to The Rock. They are super bitchy. But Lauren has a competitor for bitch of the gym! Ellen Beals is back too. She’s very skeptical of Emily. But I say: Go Em, show them what you’ve got! The practice starts with conditioning drills, where the other girls try to throw The Rock girls off their game. Ugh. Of course, Kaylie’s mom and Marty have an awkward run in, where he tells Ronnie he loved her. This was interesting to me, and I think it set up the possibility for a future romance between them which would be much to the chagrin of Kaylie.

But back to the practice. Marty tells Kaylie to do her original mount. Ellen tells her to butt out, tells Sasha about why Emily didn’t compete in Callait. She kicks him out of The Rock. Ughh Ellen Beals, you suck. Beals is also being a jerk to Emily, and everyone keeps alluding to Emily’s endowment fund believing in her. This obviously will not end well. I think Beals has a thing for Steve Tanner, and can’t stand when people break the rules. But everyone (even Kaylie) spoke up for Emily, yet she kept putting her down and trying to throw her off her game.

In an unexpected turn, Kellie Parker picks up on Kaylie’s new body type, and tells her she is hurting herself. She’ll keep the secret but tells her to be careful. I thought this was interesting that her rival noticed but her friends, coach and family don’t. A lot of times it’s someone you least expect to figure this type of thing, who ends up putting the pieces together. And for those who keep asking, Josie Loren didn’t lose weight or become anorexic for this part. She has a fantastic body, and was made to look skinnier by lighting and makeup. She posted about it on twitter, and I wanted to point it out as well. She was great in this episode, showing Kaylie’s strength and vulnerability at the same time.

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I am beyond excited for season 2 of Life Unexpected. The show with a ton of heart is back and better than ever. I will have much more coverage as the season approaches, but until then, enjoy this short trailer.

The premiere is Tuesday, September 14th at 9pm. I know I am counting the days!

“She knew too much,” are four words I have been waiting to hear (or see) since Pretty Little Liars started. Those four words, texted to Aria, Spencer and Emily by A, capped off an exciting and fantastic summer finale. Who is A referring to? Why our lovely resident liar Hanna who seemed to have figured out who A was, and A decides to run her over with her car. But back up, there is a lot that leads to this incredible cliffanger.

Ian Thomas returns to Rosewood, Melissa’s ex-boyfriend who Spencer admits to the girls that she kissed and Ali caught her. He is back to coach field hockey at school, and Spencer wants Melissa to patch things up with him. She also wants for her and her sister to stop hating each other. Of course, we find out later that he was Ali’s secret older boyfriend. And then there’s Mona. Bitchy, bitchy Mona. She invites all four girls to go glamping at Camp Mona (or glamorous camping, which is genius). The girls don’t want to go, but A sends a text for them to come find her at Camp Mona. Oh boy, this obviously doesn’t end well.

All the girls are stressed out for various different reasons. Hanna gets a lecture from Mona about being a good friend. Meanwhile, Mona spreads a rumor about Hanna getting liposuction, claiming A texted her this. She has been blown off by Hanna one too many times and un-invites her from her party. And her mom is delinquent with her mortgage. What Hanna doesn’t know is that Ashley Marin takes matters into her own hands and steals some money from a safe deposit box. Whew, boy. This wasn’t in the books but I love seeing a bad-ass side to Ashley. She clearly wants her family to survive and is guaranteeing this by any means necessary.

Aria’s dad is stressed out about life without Ella, while Aria is trying to patch things up with her mom. And even though things seem to be going smoothly for Aria and Noel, she clearly still has her eye on Ezra Fitz (love him!) A leaves her a note on a book in her locker (which Noel finds) to read a poem by Ezra, which is presumably about her. Aria confronts Ezra about his poem, tells him to move on. But on the girls’ glamping adventure, Aria meets up with Ezra in secret. Ezra admits he was wrong, asks her to forgive him. They make out. Woo!!

Emily is still with Maya when her dad comes home. Her mom kicks Maya out for some family time. Someone had mailed her mom the photos of her and Maya kissing. I think this story will be heavily developed in the second half of the season. Emily and her dad talk about Toby, who is now the number one suspect in Ali’s murder. Later, Emily is driving to meet the girls, and Toby startles her in the backseat. He wants to finish telling her what he started to tell her at homecoming. He tells Emily that he and Jenna were in a relationship. He told her it had to stop on September 1st  (hence the tattoo) but she is still in love with him. He met Ali outside Spencer’s barn on the day she disappeared to tell her she did him a favor getting him away from Jenna. He came back to say goodbye to Emily and make sure she believed him. Toby, you are slightly creepy, but I believe you.

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I adore Make It Or Break It. In fact, I am half convinced that someone went into my head and created this television show. I am an avid gymnastics fan (and former gymnast), and I watch an incredible amount of television. Make It Or Break It combined my two loves, and it is fantastic. The show is full of drama, excitement and a whole lot of gymnastics. I have never really been skeptical over a story line until recently. Kaylie Cruz was the golden girl of The Rock and then her family life started falling apart. Perhaps as a result of this and the additional stresses of being an elite athlete, she started eating less and exercising more. I have seen a lot of shows go down this eating disorder path: Full House and Saved By The Bell are the first that come to mind. What bothered me about the way these shows handled it was the way the story was wrapped up in a tight little bow and sent on it’s way. I have the utmost faith in the writers and creative team behind Make It Or Break It, and I trust them to handle Kaylie’s story differently. I reached out to Holly Sorensen, the creator of the show, to ask her what went into the decision to give Kaylie an eating disorder, the research they did into the prevalence of eating disorders in elite gymnastics and I even got a little teaser of what’s coming up as the season wraps up. I can say that after hearing her thoughts, I understand why this happened and why it was necessary to address on the show.

Continue reading “EXCLUSIVE: Holly Sorensen (Creator) of Make It Or Break It talks about Kaylie’s eating disorder and why the show went down that path” »

Photo Credit: Jsquared photography/Styling by Reinaldo Izarry/Glam by Bradford Rogne.

When I originally heard about the plot of Huge, I wasn’t sure about the show’s longevity because it focused around camp. It has been done before (Salute Your Shorts was awesome!) so I hoped for the best because I love ABC Family. What I didn’t know was that the show was about a lot more than a group of teenagers going to weight loss camp. It’s about friendship, love, discovering yourself and your body and a whole lot more. After the pilot episode, the show has really found its footing. One of my favorite actresses from the beginning was Hayley Hasselhoff. She may bare a very famous name but her talent is unquestionable. Her character Amber is one of the most interesting on Huge, often shy and soft spoken but somehow the most powerful of the girls at camp. I recently had the chance to chat with Hayley about being on a groundbreaking show, Amber’s relationships at camp (romantic and not so romantic) and what we might not know about Amber quite yet.

What originally drew you to the role of Amber?
My agent brought me the audition piece and at first, all I knew was that the character Amber was the skinniest girl at a weight loss camp. After reading the brilliant pilot, I fell in love with the concept of “Huge” and Amber’s character. I loved how honest Amber was with herself and how she knew exactly what she wanted to achieve at camp. I loved how I could relate to her character in overcoming insecurities and hoped she would too during the season.

Amber is a character with many layers — is there a lot to her that we don’t even know yet?
Amber shows her true colors as the episodes go on. You are always finding out something new about her. In the beginning, I think she showed her true self but then got worried about what others were thinking about her. But as time passes she gets more comfortable and realizes she should be herself because others will appreciate her for who she really is.

Are you anything like Amber?
I definitely relate to Amber’s loyalty to her family and friends. I went through some of the same insecurities as Amber when I was younger but definitely overcame them, which is beautiful to realize that I could think such negative things then, and be as confident as I am now.

Did you read the book that the show is based on?
I actually have not read the book “HUGE” by Sasha Paley because I don’t want it to affect my perception of Amber and the direction of the show. I bet it’s an absolutely wonderful book but we have such an amazing group of writers led by Winnie Holtzman and Savannah Dooley that I didn’t want to get their vision mixed up with the book.

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