Check Out Our Exclusive Videos & Pics From our Interveiws of The Event Cast

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Check out our photos from the press room below.

Comic Con 2010: Scott Patterson at The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Scott Patterson at The Event Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Ian Anthony Dale at the Event Press Session Comic Con 2010: Ian Anthony Dale at the Event Press Session	Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interveiws "The Event" (NBC) Ian Anthony Dale Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interveiws "The Event" (NBC) Ian Anthony Dale
Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interviews Taylor Cole (NBC "The Event") Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha Ziegenhorn interviews Taylor Cole (NBC "The Event")	Comic Con 2010: Taylor Cole at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Taylor Cole at NBC's The Event Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter grinning it up at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter grinning it up at NBC's The Event Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Nick Wauters in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Nick Wauters in NBC's "The Event" Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha trying to get out the secrets from Nick Wauters, writer of NBC's "The Event" Comic Con 2010: Our writer Trisha trying to get out the secrets from Nick Wauters, writer of NBC's "The Event"	Comic Con 2010: Zeljko Ivanek opening up to Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Zeljko Ivanek opening up to Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Clifton Collins Jr. chillin with Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room Comic Con 2010: Clifton Collins Jr. chillin with Poptimal.com in NBC's "The Event" Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Blair Underwood in the Press Room of NBC's "The Event" Comic Con 2010: Blair Underwood in the Press Room of NBC's "The Event"	Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter at NBC's The Event Press Room Comic Con 2010: Jason Ritter at NBC's The Event Press Room
Comic Con 2010: Cast of NBC's the Event Comic Con 2010: Cast of NBC's the Event

So You Think You Can Dance: 150th Episode Special

Poptimal  got up close and personal at last week’s live taping of the 150^th episode of So You Think You Can Dance. An injury sidelined yet another dancer with Billy opting to sit out after a knee injury, but the rest of the contestants brought their A-game. Not only were we able to witness Adechicke and Comfort’s brilliant NappyTabs choreographed hip-hop routine, but we saw Kent destroy a Chuck Maldonado step number alongside All-Star Twitch. Robert delivered solid routines once again and last girl standing Lauren and Twitch went down South with a truly entertaining cowboy inspired hip-hop. After the show, we got some one-on-one time with the contestants and several of your favorite All-Stars.

But first, we caught up with special guest judge and all around cool guy, the incredibly talented Kenny Ortega (director of hits like This Is It and High School Musical). Kenny was thrilled to finally have time in his schedule to appear on the show.

“I’ve been waiting for five years to come on this show. Nigel and the producers have invited me. I love the show. I watch every season and I’m an avid follower,” says Ortega. “Every season it changes the state of the art of choreography and dance, and to finally be on hiatus and be able to say yes and it be on the 150^th show was a privilege.”

He says he thinks television, especially shows like So You Think You Can Dance have helped take dance to a new level.

“TV has helped enormously.  It’s great programming and format, bringing together world class choreographers and really putting together a competition that brings it down to high level technicians,” says Ortega. “I think the music and the styles of dance are waking up the world and we’re finding we have a greater appreciation for it now than perhaps ever and it’s because of shows like SYTYCD.”

He was also blown away by all the performances.

“I thought the performance of the night was Adechicke and Comfort. I still think Kent is the one to beat. Lauren could power a city. Robert, every single show, is getting better and stronger and stronger.  I think Jose is a magic man. He has a light.”

Kenny’s next big project is directing the stage to screen adaptation of the Tony award winning musical In the Heights.  He says the script is still underway, but promises that the writer/star Lin Manuel Miranda will definitely be playing the lead role.  He hopes to begin shooting next spring.

The man of the night, Adechike was thrilled with his performances. Both his solo and partner dance drew standing ovations from past and previous contestants sitting in the audience.  With a huge smile and a warm demeanor, Adechicke’s out to disprove the judges  about a lack of personality. Adechicke said he was surprised about how emotional his hip-hop routine was because it hadn’t had that effect at all during rehearsal.  He said something clicked. He also said he was dancing for his mom during his solo and her heartfelt encouragement in the pre-recorded package clearly resonated in his dancing.

Lauren, the only girl left at this stage of the competition, has only one thing on her mind.

“I would love to be in the finale. That is my goal. I started out just wanting to be the final two girls. I gotta make it to the finale. I have to represent the girls,” she says.

While her super sexy cowgirl hip-hop drew raves from the judges, it was her Samba that had Lauren on edge.

“I almost broke down in tears when I was learning this piece. It was so difficult for me to learn. But thank goodness I was paired with Robert,” Lauren explains. “I probably wouldn’t have been able to do it because I was freaking out.”

Robert has in fact had a great two weeks, after spending the previous three in the bottom and having to dance for his life. He said it felt amazing last week after his highly praised contemporary dance with Allison.

“I watched that performance. It’s just a blessing to me. I’m shocked. I don’t know how to feel because it’s so amazing. It’s just this feeling I get in my stomach when I think about it and how I got to connect with Allison and the audience,” he said. “It was just unbelievable.  I was so thankful that America really got to see who I was and I hope they keep on seeing who I was.”

Breaker Jose says the best part about the show for him is the hard work.

“The 14 hour days, the 9 hour days. Pushing your body past its limits, seeing how far you can go, mentally and physically.”

He says he thinks his lack of technique hasn’t been a factor at all. He’s got something better.

“You have to love it. It’s not about technique, but I’ve made it this far because I love to dance. And when you love it, to the point when you just love doing and being in it, it doesn’t matter about technique,” Jose explains. “It doesn’t even read the technique when they see you love to dance.”

He doesn’t think about the finals or what happens next.

“It’s been week to week. I see what’s in front of me and just try to tackle it. I really don’t try to look into the future. I try to enjoy the moment. “

While Kent’s been deemed the one to beat by judges Mia Michaels and Kenny Ortega, he’s much too modest to start celebrating just yet.

“I don’t think about it at all and I just want to keep working day by day.”

Despite the screaming girls proclaiming their love to Kent, he seems embarrassed by the heartthrob status, something he’s never experienced back in his small Ohio town.

“I don’t know if I’m a heartthrob. That’s just crazy,” he says. “In school, I was just regular Kent. It’s a really small school and everyone just looks at each other as family.”

His step routine alongside All-Star Twitch was a big hit. But Kent wasn’t quite confident going in that he was going to get to make it happen, especially after Billy’s injury.

“I was with the Billy the whole day. They had to reteach it to Twitch which was nice because I didn’t even know it so I had to relearn it. They didn’t tell me if it was going to be Twitch or Billy so it was very stressful and with the mic and a cappella and people would hear me if I messed up.”

He needn’t have worried, especially with Twitch by his side who’s thrilled with the show’s new format.

“Coming back to be an All-Star is absolutely incredible because I’m coming back to do what I love with people that I love and that also love what I do so you can’t beat that.”

He says that even though All-Stars aren’t being judged, it doesn’t mean they can take it easy.

“The thing about pressure is it’s not that pressure is relieved, it’s just shifted. It’s a different kind of pressure because as we’re here for performance and we have to be here 100 percent for our partner. We’re there as a compliment. You don’t want to try to go too hard yourself. You want to find a happy medium between yourself and the contestant and when that happens, it’s just a beautiful thing. And I think there were various examples of this tonight. And that’s what makes me love what I do.”

Twitch says that the challenge of having to step in last minute for Billy was something the show has prepared him for.

“It was tough [the step] but after going through the show you kind of look at things and go, oh it’s not too tough. I was also reminded that it’s a day to day process. Like I said, you can’t allow yourself to freak out. You’ve got to trust your body.”

That may be easier said than done. The constant injuries on their friends and fellow contestants hasn’t made it easy for this year’s dancers.

“This show is super demanding on your body and we rehearse a minimum of 7 hours each day, six days a week at least. I refuse to get injured and I don’t want anyone else to get injured and I’m sick of my family being taken away by injury,” Lauren said.

Robert said he’s doing whatever he can to prevent any injury.

“I’m just trying to keep a lot of layers, drink lots of water, eat the right things.”

Season 6 All-Star Kathryn McCormick said that it’s hard to take care of themselves with the hours they work, but they try.

“We take yoga. This show keeps you pretty busy. We work Saturday-Thursday and we have Friday off.  So we’re usually  sleeping or… Doing yoga or something where we can take care of our bodies, warm them up and stretch them out.”

Regardless of injuries, this year’s competitors are determined to win. With only three weeks left, Kenny Ortega summed up the competition perfectly,

“Anybody could take it right now.”

For more on So You Think You Can Dance, click here.

Comic-Con 2010: Sucker Punch Press Room – So Right or So Wrong? The Bottom Line Isn’t Out Yet…

Director Zack Snyder has called Sucker Punch as Alice in Wonderland meets machine guns, and from the trailer that premiered at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, attendees got a taste of this new film where girl power takes center stage.

Snyder along with his wife and producing partner Deborah Synder and a majority of the main cast were available to answer questions from the press. Cast members included Carla Gugino (who had worked with Snyder on Watchmen), Vanessa Hudgens (of High School Musical fame), Jena Malone, Jamie Chung, and Emily Browning who plays the titular character of Baby Doll.

The premise of the film is set in the 1950s where Baby Doll is institutionalized in a mental hospital by her step father, and to make matters worse she is scheduled to undergo a lobotomy. She retreats into a world of fantasy to cope with her circumstances and recruits fellow patients to break out of the facility and earn their freedom.

The trailer showed Browning and the other actors using swords and machine guns, performing martial arts, battling samurais and dragons, and even dancing on a grand stage à la 1950s showgirls.

At the press room, Snyder – known for such films as The Watchmen and 300 – talked about how he didn’t intend to make a film to be specifically about women, but it just turned out that way.

“It really just worked out that this story happened to be about these girls,” he said.

The actors spoke about the intense physical training that they endured preparing for their roles, as well as what it was like to work with a lot of green screen as many of the film’s effects were digitally added in.

Malone expressed that it wasn’t a problem since they had Snyder’s imagination at their disposal.

“We weren’t really in a vacuum, you know, while we were shooting because we had the ultimate resource, the interior of Zack’s mind, you know drawings and it’s all there. He’d give as much information as we needed, where to shoot, what to do, what this scene was, and how it looked like. We had so many things to pull from,” she said.

Gugino, having worked with Snyder before, talked about the difference between working on Sucker Punch versus Watchmen where she felt that there was greater opportunity for collaborative and creative input.

“There was a very specific bible [in Watchmen]… being allegiant to that was the utmost importance to all of us and so there was something that sort of predated any of us and kind of referred too…[For Sucker Punch] there was maybe an exploration that was a little bit different because there was less of a pressure, it was a little bit different,” said Gugino.

“With Watchmen, she says this, so say it, you know. Where I think with this you got to play around a lot more and have fun,” added Snyder.

Sucker Punch won’t be released until March 2011, so until then we’ll have to wait and see if the film delivers more than great visuals and women kicking ass; specifically, a great story.

For more Comic-Con coverage, click here.

Images courtesy of Bilal Mian for Poptimal.com

Ramona and Beezus Review: A Terrifical Film

No, that is not a typo in my title. I am borrowing the invented word, “terrifical,” from Miss Ramona Quimby. This lively little girl and her sister, Beezus, were created in 1955 in the book Beezus and Ramona by author Beverly Cleary. But these timeless sisters finally make their film debut this summer with gusto. Ramona and Beezus is a heartwarming movie that brings to life the characters from the beloved and classic series that so many of us grew up reading.

Our lead character, Ramona Quimby (Joey King) is a spunky, accident prone and overly imaginative nine-year-old. She and the rest of her loveable family—her very patient parents Robert (John Corbett) and Dorothy Quimby (Bridget Moynahan), baby sister Roberta, older sister who is in high school, Beatrice, aka Beezus (Selena Gomez) and cat Picky Picky—live on Klickitat Street. The family is rounded out by Ramona’s doting Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin) who bonds with her about being “the younger sister.”

Throughout the film, we follow Ramona’s adventures, or perhaps her misadventures in school, with Mrs. Meacham (Sandra Oh) who doesn’t quite understand her or let her invent “funner” words, playing with her best friend and neighbor Howie (Jason Spevack), or spending time with her family. Ramona deals with many typical family issues that all of us have gone through—getting a report card, dealing with younger or older siblings, sharing a bedroom, family pets and school pictures.

But when her dad, Robert loses his job because the company is downsized and becomes a stay at home dad, Ramona begins to worry about more grownup issues like losing their house. Even so, Ramona is determined to help out her parents anyway she can and save their house. Two other subplots in Ramona and Beezus are the possible relationship between Beezus and Henry Huggins (Hutch Dano), a childhood friend, plus the return of Howie’s Uncle Hobart (Josh Duhamel), Aunt Bea’s high school sweetheart, who would like to reconnect with her.

Ramona and Beezus is a wholesome film—there is no cursing except for Ramona’s use of “guts” or nudity. It is all about family and it worked. There are real emotions evoked from the film and relatable characters and relationships like father\daughter, sisters, best friends, young love, and favorite aunts or uncles.

The movie would not have been as enjoyable without its topnotch cast. An added bonus and something that I particularly enjoyed is that the cast actually resembled one another and really looked like a family. They were very believable in their roles.

Joey King is a name that I am sure we will be hearing again and again in the future. She brings our childhood literature friend to life—and is perfect as Ramona. The name alone of Disney’s Selena Gomez, who played Beezus, will obviously be a draw to the film. But she definitely deserves credit for her quality role in the film and the variety of emotions she was able to portray. As the oldest in my family, I could relate to many of her feelings. I was also impressed by John Corbett, who was fantastic as Robert Quimby! Bridget Moynahan, Josh Duhamel, Sandra Oh and Ginnifer Goodwin helped to wonderfully complete the cast. Although Joey King stole the spotlight, it was the group that really complimented each other.

Even though I am most likely out of the target market that Ramona and Beezus thought they would attract, I found it to be entertaining and enjoyable. I was able to take my younger sister, which I am sure Ramona and Beezus would approve of and share some “terrifical” Ramona moments. I would highly recommend taking your family to the movies to meet the Quimbys.

Photo by ALAN MARKFIELD – © TM and2010 Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media, LLC.

Comic-Con 2010: Falling Skies – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It

 One of the more subtly promoted, under-the-radar projects at this year’s Comic-Con won’t even air for another year, but turns out to be produced by one of the biggest names in Hollywood.

TNT’s upcoming series, Falling Skies, isn’t slated to premiere until next summer, but with a name like Steven Spielberg credited as an executive producer, it’s easy to understand why the buzz is beginning so early, and the creative forces behind the show are  eager to elicite curiosity in potential viewers. Expectations are sure to be high for the gritty, post-apocalyptic survival tale of a community of Massachusetts residents who band together after an alien invasion wipes out most of the human population. DreamWorks Television is producing the ambitious series, starring ER vet Noah Wyle and Terminator Salvation’s Moon Bloodgood as a history professor and pediatrician, respectively, who help form a civilian resistance against the intruding invaders in an attempt to save what’s left of the human race. The pilot kicks off six months after a scourge of extraterrestrials attack Earth and annihilate the world’s military infrastructure and power grid, leaving the remaining members of humanity to plot their own defense strategy and implement instinctive survival tactics amidst the decimated rubble of modern society.

During Friday’s surprisingly modest press conference, Wyle, in particular, expressed unabashed confidence in the show’s potential and explained his initial skepticism toward the project. “After I hung up my lab coat [from ER], I thought I’d stay away from TV for a while,” Wyle admitted, understandably ready at the time for a new direction in his career after 15 seasons on the NBC drama. However, he said, reading the script for Falling Skies piqued the same sixth-sense feeling of future promise he felt when he first considered ER. Regarding his Falling Skies character, Tom Mason, Wyle said he “saw this vast arc ahead of him,” within a creatively challenging framework of a show that “should open itself to great storytelling,” all similar feelings he said he had when first introduced to his alter ego, Dr. John Carter.

While the backdrop for Falling Skies paints a heavy, War of the Worlds-esque science fiction influence, Wyle’s comments help illustrate executive producer and writer Mark Verheiden’s (Battlestar Galactica) point that the focus of the show lies within the “heart and humanity” of the survivors’ trials and tribulations. Even though the catastrophic event in Falling Skies that propels the human race toward extinction is an alien invasion, Wyle assured present reporters that “these aren’t morality tales cloaked in science fiction.” Rather, he likened the tone of Falling Skies to the 2006 film Children of Men, which painted a similar “post-apocalyptic landscape” in the aftermath of devastating ruin.

Indeed, Verheiden discussed how the themes of the first season will focus on human relationships in the wake of disaster rather than allow the show to devolve into a shallow creature-feature showcasing the aliens – not that we aren’t going to see them at all. In fact, Wyle declared viewers will catch regular peaks of the foreign critters, through the characters on the show facing their foes on a “daily” basis. “So far they’ve been CG,” Wyle said when asked about the aliens’ onscreen appearance. “But we’re building,” he added, saying animatronics and other methods of creating the vindictive visitors’ aesthetics will be applied in the future. As far as the specific intent behind their malevolent attack, Wyle and Bloodgood both pled the fifth, stating they had been “sworn to secrecy” about the aliens’ objective for targeting Earth so maliciously. Using Battlestar Galactica’s villanous Cylons and their ominous tagline as an allegory, Verheiden was coy about the subject, only opting to say that the aliens in Falling Skies do, indeed, “have a plan.”

Although Wyle has previously starred in TNT’s good-natured The Librarian series of TV movies (think Indiana Jones lite), the science fiction and action components of his resume are otherwise limited. Not so with Bloodgood, who has experience working within storylines so similar, one must wonder if Verheiden had also drawn inspiration for Falling Skies from the Terminator paradigm. “I will probably always be drawn to that genre,” she said, also citing her work in NBC’s sadly short-lived Journeyman as further preparation for Falling Skies. Despite references to rather bleak end-of-the-world narratives in television and film, Verheiden said, “thematically, each episode will contain some element of levity,” helping to break up the doomsday archetype. Between this and Wyle’s theory that his character’s former profession as a history teacher parallels the survivors’ journey as a new American Revolution, Verheiden says the message lying within the dark overtone of Falling Skies is designed to give the same thing to both the viewers and the characters: a sense of hope.

For more Poptimal coverage of Comic-Con 2010, click here.

Photos courtesy of TNT and IMDbPro

Entourage Review: Tequila Sunrise

In the latest episode of Entourage, provocatively entitled “Tequila Sunrise,” Eric is feeling territorial, Turtle feels duped, Ari is hopeful, and Drama is…causing drama.

When we last saw Eric and his nemesis Scott Lavin, they were one step from fisticuffs.  Eric could barely stomach the idea of Vince and Lavin palling around together, so when Scott starts bringing Vince scripts, well that’s another story.  As Vince’s best friend and manager, Eric feels threatened by Scott’s professional intervention.

In last week’s episode, Scott introduced Vince to a director who forwarded a script in the hopes that they could work together some time in the future.  The script is good, and Eric begrudgingly admits that it would be good for Vince’s career.  Eric wants what is good for Vince, so he tries to extend an olive branch to Scott.  Scott accepts the apology, telling Eric that they could take over if they wanted to do so – as their boss is always out of the office, chasing women.  I don’t envision this ending well.  Lavin is a prick, and he’s horning in on the crew.  Vince is too laid-back to rock the boat, but I suspect that things will boil over before the season is finished.  I think Eric wants to be mature, but he feels a bit left out.  He’s engaged now and doesn’t hang out with the boys at every turn.  The episode ended with them celebrating Drama’s new TV series with an impromptu trip to Vegas. Scott goes with the gang, and guess who stays behind? Eric, looking like he just lost his best friend.

You heard it right, score one for Drama! After languishing for weeks, wondering if he would ever land a TV show, he finally has an opportunity for a comedy.  Johnny was reluctant to do comedy at first, as he fancies himself a “serious” actor, but he registers a perfect 10 on the unintentional comedy scale and would probably thrive in the genre. 

John Stamos was hilarious as Drama’s potential co-star.  Before he signs off on the show, he needs to meet Drama and determine if they have chemistry.  Drama really wants to make a good impression, so he invites Stamos over to Vince’s house so they can get to know each other.  They begin a friendly game of ping pong that quickly turns bitterly competitive.  After Johnny trounces him, Stamos is leaning towards backing out of the show.  He’s a sore loser, and Johnny isn’t a gracious winner.  Phil explains to Johnny that Stamos hates to lose and that he once ignored him for two years after he beat him at a round of golf. He takes ping pong seriously and even has a trainer! That’s pretty funny, if you ask me.  Drama smoothes things over by challenging Stamos to a re-match, which he wins.  Stamos feels vindicated, and the show can move forward, if he likes the script.

Turtle’s limo business is suffering mightily, and he’s strapped for cash.  Alex tells him that she has a (legal) idea for the two of them to make money.  Turtle is game, but Alex won’t tell him much about it.  Instead, she convinces him to go to Mexico with her so she can introduce him to someone who will explain it all to him.  It turns out that an old family friend and businessman would like Vince to be the face of his homemade Tequila.  When Turtle finds out that was Alex’s bright idea, he is completely pissed off.  He flew all the way to Mexico so some guy could convince him to get Vince to hawk liquor?  You’ve got to be kidding.  On top of that, Alex is a bit full of herself.  Yes, she’s hot – without a doubt.  But she’s been toying with Turtle and it’s getting old.  For once I hope that his head leads every other body part and he doesn’t make a foolish business decision just to score with the Hot Chick.

This season has focused on Ari quite a bit, in the wake of his new agency.  He’s trying to round up prospective investors for his NFL team and is pulling out all the stops.  His new assistant Jake is doing a great job; even better than Lloyd ever managed.  Last week Ari failed to promote Lizzie to Andrew’s vacant position, and she quit.  Now she is spurned and threatening to wreak havoc.  In a funny scene, Ari actually gets a call from Andrew (from rehab), who warns him that Lizzie is going to pilfer his clients.  I guess she’s going to be the new Dana Gordon?  By the way, I hope you caught some of the other celebs who were grazing the rehab compound while Andrew was talking to Ari – it was pretty damn funny.

Unlike past seasons, this one is rolling right along. And Vince’s hair isn’t so bad.  Although he should keep his shirt on. Kinda hard to be in HBO’s Sunday night line up and have to follow True Blood and this.

Season 7, Episode 4: Tequila Sunrise (originally aired July 25, 2010)

For more Entourage, click here.

Sundays at 10:30pm ET/PT on HBO

Photographs courtesy of HBO and IMDbPro

Comic-Con 2010:Big Bang Theory Panel and Press Room – Not So Nerdy After All

The panel for The Big Bang Theory lived up to its name, beginning with the presentation of Wil Wheaton as moderator and followed by a surprise appearance by the Barenaked Ladies. They performed the entire theme song live as part of a sing-a-long with the delighted audience.

The party didn’t stop there, however, as the cast took their seats and began fielding questions from Wheaton, who plays Sheldon’s (Jim Parsons) arch nemesis on the show. The first, shocking revelation to hit the audience is that none of the cast members actually like the same things as their characters. They weren’t fans of comic books or superheroes growing up. Wil accused Kaley Cuoco (Penny) of being the nerdiest of everyone because when he first met her she was really, really into the Harry Potter books.

Chuck Lorre, along with the other writers and producers, talked a little bit about where the show has come from but revealed little about where it is headed. Leonard will remain the soul of the show while there are no plans to make massive changes to Sheldon’s character. The theme of the panel turned out to be praising the writers; every actor deflected compliments to their character and attributed it to the writers. Do they ad lib? No, they don’t have to because the writing is so great. How easy or hard is working on the show? How could it be hard when your script is written so flawlessly.

I have to say, the panel warmed my little writer heart. So rarely are writers given the credit they deserve when a television show or movie really takes off. Everyone wants to talk to the actors and believe me, they certainly pull their weight on this show. Jim Parsons (Sheldon) said it though…The Big Bang Theory writers deserve an Emmy. It’s funny as all get out.

It absolutely thrilled me to get to take part in the press room for this show because I’m such a huge fan. Since The New Adventures of Old Christine has been so wrongfully canceled, Big Bang Theory is hands down the best sitcom on television in my opinion. The first two sets of interviews were with the writers and producers of the show, Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady, Lee Aronsohn, and Steve Molaro.

Lee Aronsohn states he loves the direction the show is taking, and “at the beginning it was kind of like the big bang itself, formless…the last two years have been the universe taking shape and it’s been a beautiful thing to watch.” As far as Leonard’s (Johnny Galecki) character, he thinks “…his relationship with Penny has, for the time being, ended and Sheldon is starting a relationship of sorts and Leonard is stuck between the two.”

And as for that “relationship” of Sheldon’s? Will it last? Can it last? Here’s the answer from the writers. “…It’s not a relationship in the way you and I think of relationships but the character will reappear and Sheldon will have a connection to her. But Sheldon will still very much remain Sheldon.”

One of my favorite parts of the show is the four main male characters and how they are all different even as they are the same. Lee and Steve had this to say: “I never wanted these guys to walk in like, nerd lockstep. I mean, fine, they all like comic books but why do they have to like the same comic books? They’re different people, it’s a big nerd world. I like if Sheldon is a big DC guy, lets make Koothrappoli a Marvel guy and let’s let them argue it.”

Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady spilled a couple of secrets about the upcoming season: we will be seeing more of the character’s lives before they met one another, i.e.: more guest appearances from their family members. If it means more episodes like the one with Christine Baranski, bring it on. Also, Penny is going to have issues with Sheldon’s new girlfriend, which is not unexpected. When Kaley Cuoco (Penny) heard this, she agreed wholeheartedly that her character has a soft spot for not only Sheldon, but all the guys. “She would lay down across tracks for these guys. I mean, I wouldn’t, but Penny would.”

Also guys, she’s looking for someone who is “funnier than her.”

Kunal Nayyar had this to say: “I get to play a character unlike any other character on television right now, so that’s great.” It’s true, and though Kunal, who plays Raj, deflected all of our compliments, he clearly loves the character. Will Raj ever be able to talk around Penny? “Penny, maybe. Maybe if he tricks himself into thinking she’s one of the guys but I doubt it.” Also, he misses doing theatre, but the live audience on Big Bang Theory helps.

Simon Helberg (Wolowitz) has some serious concerns about “lasting circulation issues caused by the incredibly tight pants they keep him in.” He’d like to see more that challenges Howard and shows his humanity, since as a character he’s always performing. I agree.

Jim Parsons (Sheldon) sat down for a quick couple of minutes and when asked what he’s most looking forward to he also stated exploring the new relationship.  He’s “very surprised they’re going there…they never disappoint me when it comes to Sheldon.”

Bottom line is, if you’re not watching this show, you should be. It’s hilarious, the writing is solid, the cast – especially the Emmy nominated Jim Parsons – are spot on and priceless. Not to mention super nice, accommodating folks.

The new season premieres Thursday, September 23 on CBS.

Images copyright Trisha Ziegenhorn and Poptimal.com

 

For more Comic-Con coverage, click here.

Comic-Con 2010: The Cape Press Room – The Cast to Beat

NBC is tossing a ton of resources behind the two new dramas it has slated for fall 2010. The Cape, in my opinion, is the more interesting of the two, and used up three times the normal amount of cash for the pilot. To me, this means one of two things. Either a) NBC is excited about this show and wants to catch people’s attention or b) NBC is really worried about this show and is pulling out all the stops. I want it to be A. I do.

Let me tell you why. The concept is different. It’s not something we’ve seen on television before, and it has heart. The characters are people we’ll connect to. And everyone loves a superhero, right?

We heard a lot of talk about superheroes at Comic-Con last weekend (I know, weird, right?). What surprised me the most is that people who are really into superheroes all have a favorite kind – the ones without super powers. The regular guy who is thrust into a situation he’s not equipped to handle, but digs deep within himself to find the guts and the power to try anyway. That’s Vince Faraday, the main character in The Cape. It also does not hurt that he is played by David Lyons, an adorable actor with an even more adorable Australian accent.

Ahem. Back to the show. Vince Farady is a cop who is betrayed and framed by some of his coworkers. As a result, an incident takes place which causes everyone in his life to think he’s been killed. Faraday takes on the persona of his young son’s favorite superhero in order to attempt to clear his name, right the wrongs, and somehow make it back to his family. You want to root for the guy. Along the way he is helped by Max Malini (Keith David), a man who has put together a rag-tag band of circus performers (enter Martin Klebba and Vinnie Jones) and has access to some magical items – including the cape. Summer Glau plays Orwell, a woman who knows about Faraday’s real identity and is determined to help clear his name. James Frain rounds out the impressive cast as Peter Flemming, Faraday’s arch nemesis.

The press room buzzed with excitement after we viewed the pilot. The first cast members to sit with us were Keith David and Summer Glau – it was bizarre and wonderful to hear Keith’s voice in person. He talked a bit about how much he loves comic books and the graphic arts; he’s one of the few actors at Comic-Con who admitted to an enjoyment of the genre. Summer expanded on how much she’s enjoying the role of Orwell since she’s different from the parts she’s been asked to play previously. Orwell is more “on her own completely but she has a lot of resources…really exploring how it feels to play someone who really seems to have no fear. She’s going for it, she’s going up against these corporations of powerful men and she’s different.”

Keith commented “I’ve always had great fascination with magic and mystery, Merlin is one of my favorite characters…I’ve always wanted to play a magician…plus I’m a great thief. In college I did the trampoline, so I love circus stunts. The role encompasses my passions.”

Martin Klebba and Vinnie Jones made the rounds together. I have to admit Vinnie Jones intimidated me after reading his background in UK football, but he couldn’t have been more personable. Martin, by the way, will not be appearing in the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean. The two play roughnecks with checkered pasts in The Cape, not far off from many characters we’ve seen the two play before. They are, as always, amusing in these roles. They play circus freaks, in essence, and have developed thick skins in order to protect themselves from ridicule. Vinnie states he thinks what’s most important is the “comedy we will bring.” Both are excited to be part of such a high profile, exciting new series.

Tom Wheeler (writer) sat down with David Lyons next, and the two of them made an animated pair. Tom said he’d had the idea for a long time but it had “originally been more of a Kick-Ass idea. Then I had kids and it turned into more of a father/son drama.” He thinks the show stands on its own because “we have a really emotional origin story…I think people will be surprised at how emotionally connected they get to these characters…sort of a costumed crime drama…there’s room for a story about hope and kick ass adventure that doesn’t exclude any audience.”

David (imagine sexy accent here) also talked about the emotional impact of the show. The biggest challenge for his character emotionally is “I don’t have a child myself, I’m not married (good to know!!) so getting into the headspace of that and into the emotional reality, if there is no emotional reality to that then there is no Vince Faraday and no Cape.”

I’m hoping that the television audience gives this show a chance, because it’s got a lot of heart and a great story. Oh, and also Bear McCreary is doing the music, so it’s sure to be amazing. The writers and producers are in talks to translate the show into a comic book series. Until then, stay tuned. NBC will likely air The Cape midseason.

For more Comic-Con coverage, click here.

Image courtesy of NBC and Trisha Ziegenhorn for Poptimal.com

Comic-Con 2010: Seth McFarlane Happy Hour

For a long span of time on Saturday at San Diego’s Comic-Con, the world seemed to be dedicated to Seth McFarlane. For three hours back-to-back the comic mastermind behind the shows Family Guy, American Dad, and… (um) The Cleveland Show, was front and center to showcase his comedic genius.

First up, Family Guy.

The Family Guy Panel kind of rocked. It started out with a clip of the newest installment of the not-yet-released Star Wars episode titled simply “It’s a Trap.” The clip was pretty funny and I enjoyed it far more than the first Star Wars episode (which was the only one I saw, since I didn’t like it.) When asked by a fan of the possibility of making prequels to the Star Wars Family Guy franchise, McFarlane answered with an absolute no. What with producing weekly episodes, it’s far too much to try to add onto that such a massive endeavor as another movie. “The last Star Wars almost killed us,” McFarlane says of this endeavor. So fans will just have to be content with the “It’s a Trap” Blue Ray/DVD once it hits stores December 21st. Although Star Wars is out, McFarland is open to the idea of an Indiana Jones Family Guy project.

During the panel, star Seth Green had a personal dilemma. His brother, Sam, was denied access and was being held at Security. Seth, in turn, used the microphone as a P.A. system to try to get the guards to let him in. This started off a rousing chorus of “Free Sam,” that echoed in the audience. Patrick Warburton was questioned about the possibility of Julia Louis Dreyfus guest starring as an old girlfriend of character Joe Swanson. Although this hadn’t been mentioned before, Warburton thought it was a spectacular idea.

So what’s next on the upcoming season of Family Guy? Stewie tries to kill Santa, Brian sells out, and Meg takes out her pent up anger on the family. Lois does a porn, Peter becomes brother-in-law to Adam West, and in the 1 hour season premiere, “And Then There Were None,” a lot of the main characters die. But before you get too distressed, this panel ended on a happy note when Seth McFarlane performed live Down Syndrome Girl with the accompanying clip. THIS WAS SO AWESOME!!!

Part two of McFarlane Hour: The Cleveland Show.

The Cleveland Show panel featured a live reading of an upcoming episode in which Cleveland and his family travel to Comic-Con. Even though there weren’t any visual images to accompany this reading, I still have a vivid impression of this reading as if it were an episode. I put this down to the stage directions, as well as to the voice actors whose performances were on point with what you’d expect in an episode. And as a preview, let’s just say that Donna has a secret she doesn’t want to get out.

There will be a host of new characters in this upcoming season; also the Cleveland Show will have a live episode. How exactly that will work I don’t know but I am intrigued. Rollo will become a rap superstar with a performance featuring T-Pain, Carl Briner and WILL I. AM.

And if you’ve ever wondered why they changed Cleveland Jr. they answer this question too. Previously Cleveland Jr. was voiced by Mike Henry (who also voices for Cleveland,) but with the spin-off of The Cleveland show there was a need for a full-time actor with a different range: enter Kevin Michael Richardson. Why they changed Cleveland Jr. from a lively, young boy to a sluggish adolescent remains a mystery.

Watch the special 1 hour-long episode of Family Guy on Sunday, September 26 at 9 pm (EST) on FOX.

Watch the season premiere of The Cleveland Show on Sunday, September 26, at 8:30 pm (EST) on FOX.

For more coverage of Comic-Con 2010, click here.

Image courtesy of Steve Granitz © Wire Image (wireimage.com); Keshaunta Moton and Poptimal.com

Comic Con 2010: Sanaa Latham was interviewed by Poptimal.com (Fox's The Clevland Show) Comic Con 2010: Sanaa Latham was interviewed by Poptimal.com (Fox's The Clevland Show)	Comic Con 2010: Sanaa Latham Interview (Fox's The Cleveland Show) Comic Con 2010: Sanaa Latham Interview (Fox's The Cleveland Show)	Comic Con 2010: Alex Borstein (Fox's Family Guy & The Clevland Show) Comic Con 2010: Alex Borstein (Fox's Family Guy & The Clevland Show)
Comic Con 2010: Seth McFarlane chucking it up with us at Poptimal.com (Fox's Family Guy & The Cleveland Show) Comic Con 2010: Seth McFarlane chucking it up with us at Poptimal.com (Fox's Family Guy & The Cleveland Show)	Comic Con 2010: Kevin Michael Richards in The Clevland Show Press Room Comic Con 2010: Kevin Michael Richards in The Clevland Show Press Room	Comic Con 2010: Seth and Kevin at Fox's The Cleveland Show Panel Comic Con 2010: Seth and Kevin at Fox's The Cleveland Show Panel

Salt Review: Take It With a Grain of You Know What

Angelina Jolie’s latest action spy thriller, Salt is quite possibly the most preposterous and unbelievable film I’ve seen in years. Plot holes loom everywhere, logic is absent, and the laws of physics are rendered unconstitutional at every turn. And while this could normally mean death to a movie Salt wears it like a badge of honor and succeeds as one of the most entertaining and well-made action films of the year.

From the very opening scene where our hero (or is she?) Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is tortured in a North Korean prison we are made to question the loyalty and truth of every character and unlike some films where this gets tedious and predictable Salt keeps the questions flying in a way that leaves you never quite sure about who is who and what might happen next. It is a rare feat in modern filmmaking to accomplish this, so all kudos must go to director Phillip Noyce for keeping the plot alive and never letting us get one step ahead of the characters.

To discuss the plot of Salt in much detail would be a grave disservice to those who haven’t seen it yet so I’ll stick to the basics that would be available to anyone who has seen the trailers. Evelyn Salt is a happily married CIA agent living and working in Washington, DC on Russian intelligence. On one routine day a defector comes into her office with information to share. And although he is almost immediately dismissed as a crackpot, he divulges information on a top secret Russian spy program that has planted incredibly well-trained agents in the highest ranks of the United States government and they are about to be set loose in a grand scheme that begins with the assassination of Russia’s president. The clincher of course is that Evelyn Salt is one of these agents and will be personally responsible for the assassination.

Salt is naturally freaked out by this accusation and decides it would be best to bail the situation rather than sort it out by talking and thus begins a breathless chase that takes us around Washington and New York City as she attempts to evade her pursuing colleagues played by Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor and ultimately try to prevent nuclear war.

What I mentioned earlier about unbelievability comes to a head in most of the action scenes where Jolie relentlessly takes down men twice her size, scales buildings with bare hands and feet, leaps from the roofs of speeding vehicles, and leads a personal assault on the White House that is so wonderfully over the top that you can’t help but cheer on. But what makes all of this ridiculousness acceptable is the fact that the cast (Jolie in particular) is able to do it with such conviction. They are truly involved and believing in the world that they are creating on screen so we as the audience are able to do the same. It’s a lot like a more serious version of the Charlie’s Angels films, which have no pretense in reality, but because they as presented as such knowingly, there is no excuse to not just sit back and enjoy the pure entertainment that is coming at you at 24 frames per second.

That being said, if you are unable to switch off your brain and enjoy something just as it is, Salt will not be the movie for you. I could argue that you’d be depriving yourself of a fun couple of hours but realize that some people just can’t get past the crazed plotlines and an implausible international crisis. DC residents in particular may find themselves noticing a complete lack of continuity as she moves around the city to things that aren’t remotely close together but this happens all the time and is not worth getting your panties in a bundle about.

The bottomline is that after you’ve seen Inception three times (and you should) but need to give your brain a break head into Salt and take in the pure escapist fun that only Ms Jolie could deliver so convincingly. You won’t go home disappointed.

Grade: B+

Photo by Andrew Schwartz, SMPSP – © 2010 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.

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