Moviefone News Moviefone Copyright 2011, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. Moviefone Good old fashioned elbow grease. <![CDATA[Writer Jane Espenson on Game of Thrones, Torchwood and Geek Girls]]> M*A*S*H, and never sending it. Since then, she's been a writer and/or producer for almost every popular scifi/geek show out there. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse, Caprica, Warehouse 13 and more. (Take a look at her IMDB page and marvel!) She wrote the most recent episode of Game of Thrones, and critics across the board have called it the best episode yet. She's writing the next season of Torchwood for Starz and has just been named Consulting Producer on the new show, Once Upon A Time.

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Photo credit: Adam Bouska


I was lucky enough to get to chat with Espenson, who is on the top of my list of favorite writers. She weighed in on the recent geek girl discussion that made Twitter explode and what being one of the only women in a writer's room taught her. She also gave us a peek at what she watches in her downtime, her famous writing sprints, working on Game of Thrones, and the shows she's got coming up next.

Geek girls have been all over the news lately. There have been a ton of discussion about whether or not female celebrities are pandering to geek men, whether being a sexy geek (or having sexy geek characters) takes credibility away from the rest of geeks, whether or not labeling ourselves as 'geek girls' is a good thing... I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Wow, that covers a lot of different issues. First off, all the beautiful women "geeks" I know really are geeks, if we use that term to mean fans of sci fi and gaming and pop culture. Felicia Day, Ashley Eckstein and Clare Grant are great examples -- oh, and add writer Mo Tanchroen and editor Lisa Lassek... and lots and lots of others. If you look around at Comic Con, you see lots of pretty women in the crowd -- if they're represented in the audience, they surely can be represented in the process, right?

I like to think of sci fi fans as people who genuinely embrace the idea of infinite diversity in infinite combination. Diversity includes the sexy. It just does. There's no way around that. We are simply going to have to embrace the sexy.

Speaking about terminology, the term "geek" has never come naturally to me, but if the chickens aren't complaining, then why should I?

But honestly, has it come to this? That being a scifi fan is something of such prestige that we suspect people of lying to get into our club?! Yay us!

You are one of the few television writers who have name recognition. For instance, when people mentioned that there was a Jane Espenson-penned episode of Game of Thrones, the buzz was, 'it will be brilliant.' (It was!) What is it like to have that sort of following? Does it put more pressure on you or can you shut that out?

Well, it's name recognition among a very select crowd. I don't get recognized when I use my credit card at Macy's or try to make a reservation at a restaurant. In fact, it's exactly the right amount of awareness -- the people who I care about are the ones who care about me. Nothing could be better. It does put pressure on me, that's true, but not always. The guys at Game of Thrones are brilliant, and the source material was so damn strong, that I never had a moment of worry there. And it's the same at Torchwood. Everything that's already in place -- Russell Davies, John Barroman, Eve Myles, the Torchwood history -- guarantees I can't fall down too hard. Of course, you can't make everyone happy all the time. There will be episodes at some point in my career, I'm sure, that will disappoint people. I'm wincing thinking about it right now. Things happen -- a story collapses or a performance falls apart, or maybe I just write something stupid. I do often write stupid things, and I rely on others to point this out in time. So I'm sure it'll happen. I just hope that I'll have enough good work in the pot already to dilute it. And, besides, sometimes an episode that is derided at the time redeems itself later -- my biggest "miss" of an episode to date is probably the "Doublemeat Palace" episode of Buffy, and now there are people who love that one as I do! So, you never know.

Can you comment on the recent scifi show blood bath? So many amazing shows are gone. Is the trend changing? What would you like to see on television?

Pish! There will be more scifi and fantasy shows. Do not worry! Scifi and fantasy draws a devoted fan base -- they are the most likely shows to become "cult" hits. Networks like cult hits now more than ever. Right now, a show with a strong niche audience can thrive. I think we're about to head into a new scifi golden age. We just need to find the right shows, give them a chance, and they'll thrive. I would like to see more shows that mix humor and scifi - they often do really well. I just signed on to be Consulting Producer on 'Once Upon A Time,' and I think it has the right mix. It's got a great feel to it -- the characters in it are bringing reality into a sweetly idealized world and vice versa in a really compelling way.

Can you give us a hint about where Caprica would have gone? So many of us were heartbroken when it was canceled. What did you learn from that experience?

We had plans, but nothing had been absolutely committed to -- things like that tend to change a lot even at the last-minute, so it's hard to remember exactly what was nailed down. We were going to skip some time, go into some war stories, and do some crossing over with at least one of the Final Five cylons. Kevin Murphy gave a recent interview in which he laid out the plans in a surprising amount of detail - he remembered much more than I did. We were all trying so hard to make the "now" work, that I'm amazed we had any time to think about "then."

I'm sorry that people were hurt by the cancellation -- but I'm also moved that people liked it that much. I learned HUGE things -- some too huge to articulate, and some that I'm still processing.

You're famous on Twitter for your writing sprints. I join whenever I can. Is that always how you write? I know you've heard this a thousand times, but I'm always interested in what tricks people use for writer's block.

I don't think of the sprints as having to do with writer's block. I think of Writer's Block as a bigger issue having to do with some kind of mental aversion to writing. The sprints are just about overcoming ordinary everyday inertia. If I'm happily lazing around on line, why would I want to stop doing that and starting thinking really hard? That's just some good logic. So the sprints are about finding better logic -- If I can be done with this quickly, I can go right back to lazing around but with a clear conscience! And I realized a while back that I was getting more work done if I did it in concentrated bursts that were defined by time limits, than if I defined it by task. "I'll write until this scene is done," can make that scene take all day. But "I'll write until noon AS FAST AS I CAN," often results in getting three or four scenes done.

I'm amused that my big innovation for how to use Twitter is to get people to temporarily stop Tweeting. And I'm amazed at how much people are getting done -- people tell me they're writing novels, plays, screenplays, essays, papers, songs, dissertations... and that they're getting more done than they ever have. Some people who have given up writing for years are gong back to it. All of this means, of course, that the uninterrupted hour of work has become so rare that using it makes you an overachiever. Just like that. Isn't that amazing?!

I also love that people aren't just writing. If someone wants to take an hour to speed-clean their apartment or create an app or groom their dog -- well, these all make the world a better place with nifty apps in clean apartments full of trimmed dogs.

Talk about adapting an episode from existing material with Game of Thrones. How much license did they give you? Will you be doing any more episodes? If you've read the books, is there a particular scene you're dying to write?

I LOVED LOVED LOVED my experience at Game of Thrones! I was told which part of the book was "mine," and I tried to stick close to it. I had been given the BEST part, of course -- not just the crown, but the horse heart -- it was the horse heart that just blew me away as a reader. I knew they wanted to capture the book, but I was also given license. For example, there was very little if any Arya in that part of the book and in my initial draft I added some material for her, and David Benioff and DB Weiss were very happy with that and supportive of adding when it made sense. And of course, a scene that works in a novel needs to be selectively pruned and rearranged for the screen. That was fun -- finding a way that a two-page scene could capture the emotional depth of a scene that might have run five pages or more of close-packed dialogue and description in the novel. So it felt very creative, but there was also this massive sense of security because you know that the story works.

I'm not currently scheduled to write another episode, but I would do so in an instant. Those guys are marvelous!

For a large portion of your career, you were the lone female voice in the writers' room. (I'm always the only girl on set visits, so I know that's always an interesting experience.) How did that affect your growth as a writer?

That's an interesting question. It's really complicated. My personal belief is that men and women are so much more alike than people think. So all of this stuff about owning our differentness always leaves me a little confused. And that awful "women are actually smarter" thing has just resulted in a bunch of killjoy female characters who stop the men from doing fun things. I'm so delighted that Tina Fey has finally managed to write a woman who is so hilariously imperfect, but not imperfect because she's a woman -- imperfect because she's a person. God, that is the hardest line to walk. This is all prelude to saying that, especially early in my career, it was very hard for me to add depth to the female characters I was writing. If I tried, it was seen as being anti-funny, as having an agenda that was overwriting the comedy. So I was often frustrated at being the only or one-of-the-only female voices. But mixed in among those experiences were lots of great ones - some of them with lots of other women writers, and some where I was again a lone voice, but among cool guys. Battlestar was that way -- I was the only woman writer while I was there, but I kept forgetting that, because the guys made a point of not making a point of it. My whole career as a woman in a room has probably just made me extra aware of the need to make sure every character has as many layers as the others. If ANY character, male or female, feels a little papery, I like to get in there and give them something. Even just one unexpected line can do amazing things.

What do you watch when you get a chance to turn on the television? Is there a character out there that you'd love to give your take on?


Kurt Hummel and Sue Sylvester -- and they both live in the same show! So convenient! And I love the show Spartacus -- the world! The language! I love Community and Modern Family, but I love watching them more than I'd love writing them -- they're so good that I just want to drink them in. The fun thing is that this list got shorter last year when I was hired to write for Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper! And it got shorter before that when I got to write for Kara Thrace and Gaius Baltar. The best thing about a dream list is seeing it get satisfied. Now, how can I write for Kirk and Spock and McCoy?

Can you give us a sneak peek at the pilot you're doing for Syfy and the differences from the UK version? What is it about UK shows that makes everyone want to redo them with an American voice?

Ha! I don't know! I just know that SyFy came to me and Drew Z. Greenberg with this UK show 'Randall and Hopkirk, Deceased,' about a PI team, one of whom is a ghost. Now, we don't even normally write as a team, but that was part of the appeal, since we really do work well together. We looked at the show and liked it, and we considered various approaches, and ended up going with something kind of Battlestar-like in that we decided to really ground it. By that I mean that our questions all started with, "Okay, if this really happened...". In the end, we've come up with a very modern and believable version of a ghost. Our ghosts have some different rules than you've seen before, different motivations, and they fit into a realistic world in a different way. We're having fun with it and SyFy has been great at letting us explore this approach.

What new and exciting things are happening in the Buffyverse? Any chance you'd pop by to write an episode for Sarah Michelle Gellar's new show 'Ringer?'

I don't have any plans regarding 'Ringer,' but I continue to be involved in the Buffy comic books. And I'm going to be working with two Whedon alums on 'Once Upon a Time' - Andrew Chambliss was a writer on Joss's 'Dollhouse' with me, and David Goodman was an assistant-bound-for-bigger-things on Buffy. And if Joss EVER has anything where he needs my help, I would be there in an instant. He has my love and loyalty forever.

Can you tell us any more about Once Upon a Time?

I'd love to talk more about Once Upon a Time, but we haven't started work yet. I watched the completed pilot and had a really fun chat with Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. They were funny and smart and I liked what they were saying about their vision for the show -- they've got a real handle on the tone and content. I love the idea of a folklore or literary world intersecting with the real world, and I like the very grounded way they're going about it. But so far the only discussions we've had since I've been hired have been about ID cards and what kind of computer I want in my office! So it is, as they say, early days. I'm looking forward to this new adventure!

What can you tell us about Torchwood: Miracle Day? Shows on Starz have far more freedom in terms of real life situations. They don't have the same restraints on language, sexuality and violence. How has that affected your writing? Is it freeing? Does it change the way you approach a scene?

What can I tell you about Torchwood?! Well, I can't give plot spoilers, but I can remind people that it's not a reboot, or "American remake". This is the same show. The adventure brings our UK characters to the US and there are new US characters, but this is also still Jack and Gwen and Rhys and even PC (now Sgt) Andy. There are scenes set and shot back in Wales and lots of references to previous adventures. It's Russell's show as much as it ever was.

Starz certainly opens things up in terms of language and such -- I do find that freeing. If you're writing from life, trying to write like real, say, FBI agents would talk, you end up having to write *around* the expletives, which sounds fake. So it's nice having them there -- not to shock, but just to sound real. Come to think of it, the effects and explosions are exactly the same. The show totally worked with more modest effects. So we wrote the same show - a show that would work without them -- then had big explosions or big vistas or big sexy, or whatever, where it would make sense and be "real."


Check out the trailer for Torchwood: Miracle Day.


Is there a story you're dying to tell? If you were given complete freedom, ratings weren't an issue and there were no studio restraints, what story would you write?

I do have such a story -- a comedy idea a friend and I came up with and co-wrote a little script for. It's something that I think would inevitably change with studio input, and I want to keep it clear in my head at least until we've captured our clean vision of it, so I think we will shoot it as a web series. Ask me about it again in about a month or so!

'Torchwood: Miracle Day' premieres on July 8, 2011 on BBC One in the UK and Starz in the US, and airs on Fridays at 10/9 C.]]> Wed, 1 Jun 2011 09:51:09 EDT 867257 <![CDATA[Anthony Head on Merlin and the Buffy Remake]]> Buffy, but Anthony Head has had a long and illustrious career. He is currently playing King Uther Pendragon, father of the future King Arthur in the BBC show, Merlin. Though the show is about to enter it's fourth season on the other side of the pond, Season 3 will premiere in the states on the SyFy Channel on January 7th.

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Fans of the show know that Uther has, well, issues. His ward Morgana (Katie McGrath) has disappeared and is about to exact some revenge for Uther's decree to outlaw magic. His son Arthur (Bradley James) is in love with a serving girl named Gwen (Angel Coulby) and his son's servant Merlin (Colin Morgan) is hiding his powers with the help of his only confidant Gaius (Richard Wilson). What's a poor king to do?

I got a chance to chat with Head about the show and what's next for the troubled monarch. He gave us some hints about what we're going to see in Season 3, and working with the cast. He also graciously answered my questions about the proposed (and much railed against) remake of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the lost spinoff Ripper and the famous romantic coffee commercials people still ask him about. (Check them out here.)

I have to start off by asking about Uther. He's got some serious issues.

[laughs] You think?

I think he may! So what are we going to see happen to him in Season3?

Season 3, it all comes down on him really. All his issues...stuff that comes out about his past...[laughs] He probably didn't know it would have the effect that it has. There are some big old family issues. We start off Season 3 with this mega, two part story that establishes Morgana for what she is and who she is. Uther pretty much becomes a shell of his former self and is haunted by stuff that he's done in the past. It's great because we start off the season with a whoo! Where do you go from there? [laughs] And they do go from there. They take it on. There are some really cool story lines. With some stuff that was really cool to play. You don't expect...you always hope but you don't expect in a family drama, that you're going to get some really good stuff. Stuff that evolves, stuff that hangs on character, that hangs on good story lines to play. Stuff that at this point, three seasons down, you kind of think they might have to resort to the Lost syndrome of just confusing people. Instead of which, this has got really strong through lines and stuff that was...the thing that I always loved about Joss' (Whedon) scripts is that everything had a repercussion. Everything had a consequence. And so it is in Merlin. It's not Joss writing, but it has that fullness. That richness. You know if someone does something bad, and there is stuff that Uther has done in his past that is bad, you know it's going to come out somewhere. And it really really does.

I talked to Katie McGrath the other day and she said she feels really bad about being a bitch to you in your scenes.

[laughs] Well, I don't hold it against her! No, it's great. We had some cracking stuff to do. A lot of Uther stuff in Season 3 kind of revolves in one way or another around Morgana. It was great fun. Really good fun. She's adorable and as I say, we had some lovely stuff to play off each other. She says she's a bitch, but I can't say that Uther is exactly Mr. Sweetie Pie.

[laughs] I think it's really interesting, the blind spot Uther has with her. What do you attribute that to?

All I can say is, I think there is more going on than at first meets the eye.

Doing a research for a role like this...is there any sort of research you've done that you've just loved?

As far as Uther was concerned, there is so very little about him. I didn't want to research the Arthurian legend as written, because we've strayed away from it. I mean, I know all the stories and the myths, but what I did largely was to watch other people playing kings. It's fascinating watching people playing kings because some people do it so much better than others. It was watching Peter O'Toole in Becket. He was wonderful playing in Becket, this troubled king, trying to come to terms with what he had to do, what he was supposed to do and what he wanted to do. It translates. The thing that makes it interesting, watching someone play a king is not the power. It's not how they use the power. It's how they manage what's going on inside. The man and what other people perceive as a king. That's why it's fun to play a king. I mean, I see our Queen as fascinating, because you wonder what's going on in her head. [laughs] With all the stuff she has to do and the people that she has to meet. And you think, what does she really think of them. Mind you, Prince Phillip usually says it. He's gotten into terrible trouble for what he's said. But all that, it is very interesting, what's going on with the person inside and what other people see.

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I wanted to ask you about the relationship with Gaius. In a way he's really Uther's only friend.

I don't know if he's a friend, really. He's a confidant. Gaius I find fascinating, and I wonder if it's anything that they will really truly explore...Gaius isn't really whiter than white either. I mean, he obviously stitched up...the Great Purge was actually a lot like the McCarthy witch trials. And I think Gaius stitched up a few friends in order to stay alive and stay in Uther's favor, which makes him equally interesting. He's got a conscience in there. And it's not something we ever really see an awful lot of. I'd like to see more of that. [laughs] It does mean that our stuff together is...there's a lot going on between us. There is a lot more than what is said. There is a lot of unwritten past between us.

I have to ask you about some coffee commercials that you did a while back that I just watched again on YouTube last night.

[laughs] You have to?

Yeah, I really really do. [laughs] Do you still get people talking about that?

Yeah! Strangely, usually only journalists. But when I meet somebody who said, 'Oh, where have I seen you? What have you done?' I'll go through the list of Buffy, and Little Britian and Merlin, then right at the end I'll go, '...or the coffee commercial, ' and they'll go, 'Oh, that's it!' Or recently, I had this guy...I went through the whole list at which point you're thinking, do I really need to go through my resume? [laughs] I said, '...or it's the coffee commercial.' And he said, 'Little Britain [laughs] Okay. No, I'm as fascinated by what was an incredibly iconic campaign. And it's not only created opportunities for me in Britain, but basically it was the reason I went to America, because I could. If I hadn't gone to the states...I'd always wanted to. It created opportunities for me and gave me the reason to scootch out of England for a little while, to create a different persona. I didn't want to be just the coffee commercial guy. It created Buffy and all the rest of it.

Well...speaking of Buffy, I have to get your opinion on the remake that's going around the news.

It's not a great idea.

Oh, thank you for saying that!

It's a horrible idea. It's a horrible idea in as much as Buffy was a great conceit. It was a great story. A great idea. I don't think you can...whether you feel as though you helped it on its way, I don't feel that you can then remake that without the original creator on board. It doesn't make sense. And I mean, somewhere down the line, I suppose sometimes...I suppose you could, but it never sits very comfortably. With someone like Joss, why would you want to? Well, I know why you want to. You want to make money. As he said recently, 'I hope it's good!' [laughs] I love him.

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I've been hearing rumors about that Giles spinoff, Ripper again too. Any chance that's happening?

Not unless he comes back as a ghost. In Season 8, the comic book, Giles just died. [laughs] So I think it's R.I.P. Ripper.

Back to Merlin...one of the things I love about the show is how you can go from a deep, dark episode to a really funny one. Last season, you hooked up with a troll. What sort of fun stuff will we see in Season 3?

Baldness. There's a great episode where Gaius becomes inhabited by something that makes him do very silly things, one of which is to make me go bald. But there is also a lovely episode with an actress called Georgia King, where she...well, she almost marries Arthur. But it's a great way of keeping light and shade and keeping it...when it gets a little sort of dark and heavy for the kids, they reward them next week with something light and frothy. [laughs] And the adults don't mind a bit or ribald humor. A couple of fart gags here and there always go down well. [laughs] Needless to say, it bridges that gap. One of the great things about Merlin is that it does appeal to this multi-generational audience. It's a truly family show. Now everybody who comes up to me says they love watching this show, and I especially love that I can sit down with my kids and watch it, and I see stuff that the kids don't. It's just the best. And that's the success of the show.

It was something that Buffy had. And yet the WB never, never ever explored it. They only ever played it to literally a generational band. Their demographic. And they could have expanded it, but because they were tied up with what their demographic was, they blew it on a big level. In fact, that's why Buffy universally...I had people come up to me in their forties and be embarrassed that they watch Buffy. And it's like, no! You don't have to be embarrassed! [laughs] It's for you too! And Merlin goes younger. It goes down to five and six. Kids love it. I think it's the fact that, even if it does get a bit scary and a bit dark, they will be rewarded with a lighter episode.

So what do you think...musical episode of Merlin?

Never say never. I can't quite see how or why there would be, but you never know. Who knows? All musicals aren't always necessarily good. It's another thing that Joss was ground breaking on, really when you think about it. Nobody had really make musicals work on TV like that before. Now we've got Glee and all that stuff and who knows whether it was down to Joss, but it was the first TV show to actually...they'd tried it so many times and it always felt clumsy and sticky. But he really pulled it off.

Merlin Season 3 premieres on January 7th at 10/9c on SyFy.




]]> Wed, 5 Jan 2011 15:22:22 EST 800539 <![CDATA[Nathan Fillion Talks Castle, Firefly, and What's Next]]> The Thrilling Adventure Hour and it's performed in the style of an old time radio show. One of the best parts? It's chock full of guest stars. This performance included Community cast members Alison Brie, Danny Pudi and Gillian Jacobs, G4's Chris Hardwick and the God of the Geeks, Nathan Fillion. I got to chat with Nathan backstage before the show. We talked about the upcoming 'Castle' kiss and what that means for the show, the status of 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog,' his feelings on a return to 'Firefly,' Joss Whedon and what he'd love to reboot. So... anyone care to start an internet campaign to make this happen? Please?

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Nathan Fillion as Captain Hammer in 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog'



So what has it been like, the experience of doing live theater?

This is where I got my start, doing live theater. We have the advantage here that it's all scripted. I used to do an improv show, which was a little more nerve wracking. Not only is this scripted, but you actually get to hold your script. There isn't very much by way of staging. There is a number on the floor. They give you a number, "go stand on the number," it's really easy. It's like coloring by numbers, only you stand rather than color.

Are there any favorite stories you have in the show?

Sparks Nevada, absolutely my favorite. The last time I was here, I played a character, Jefferson Reed, Ace American, a Nazi-smashing super spy. That was a real pleasure. I really enjoyed that vain, kind of egotistical super dude. I like that kind of stuff. That's kind of my niche. I've kind of locked it down. Mel Gibson has kind of a one man against everybody. I have a vain, ego-maniacal super dude.

I have to ask you about 'Dr. Horrible.' Sequel? Please? Please?

I've kind of learned this about Joss Whedon. Never say never. I've learned that. I also have another rule about Joss Whedon. Never say no. Just... whatever Joss Whedon wants to do, just do it.

How can you say no to Joss Whedon?

You don't say no.

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Fillion and 'Battlestar Galactica' star Michael Hogan in 'The Thrilling Adventure Hour'

Photo credit: LifeofReilly


If there was a sci-fi franchise that you could reboot and act in, what would it be?

Reboot and act in? I've said this before. I think we're running out of superheroes to do. I thought what would be really just choice for a revamp and a reboot is 'The Greatest American Hero.' I think I'd be just that kind of perfect not prepared for this kind of thing, but thrust into circumstances he's not prepared for... that's another niche of mine. Unpreparedness. Not knowing what to do. I'm good at being that guy.

Can we start a Twitter campaign?

Let's do.

It's one of my favorite shows!

That's actually something I would speak to Stephen Cannell (Executive Producer of The Greatest American Hero) about, when he would come and do episodes of 'Castle.' I'd say, 'So hey, that 'Greatest American Hero,' you're not really doing anything with that now, are you?' Kind of putting the bug in his ear all the time.

So give us a little scoop on 'Castle.'

Well, this has just hit the airwaves, that Castle and Beckett have finally had enough of the tension and they finally lock lips. They finally do the tongue wrestle, the lip lock, the mouth push-ups... what can we call these? [laughs]

Mouth push-ups? I've never heard that one. [laughs]

Me neither. I'm making these up right now. The tongue twister... not the kind you're thinking. How's that?

[Laughs] So is it just a kiss?

Just a kiss? Not the way they do it. I don't think you can fairly watch what we're doing and say, oh it's just a kiss.

That's one of the things about shows like this...when there is tension, and it's resolved, it can be an issue. But you guys have a really smart show, so I'm not really worried.

I agree. And Stana (Katic) and I disagree on this. She says we're perfectly capable of putting these two together and having the show survive. I say, personally, I love watching the characters that I love on television fail. I love knowing better than they know. I love it when they're flawed and they need to grow and they need to learn something... not one at a time. They both have to do it at the same time. Even when one's ready, the other is not. There is always this kind of ill-timed thing. It's always, 'never the two shall meet.' And I think our writers have been excellent at performing that very difficult dance and making it a tease without going, 'nah nah, it's never going to happen.' It's always just about going to happen. They're getting closer, then they get farther. Then they get even closer, then they get even farther. Like they can't win for trying. That's what I enjoy. I enjoy being smarter than the people I watch on TV.

One of my favorite things about the show is the relationship your character has with his daughter.

You missed it! Molly (C. Quinn) was here last night. I haven't seen her in a week and a half. She wasn't in this episode we're doing right now. I enjoy her tremendously. The only problem I have with her... when she started the show, she was fourteen, going on fifteen. Now she's seventeen years old. It's tough meeting someone and going, 'Oh my god, you're the greatest little kid. And...oh my god, you're actually becoming an adult.' I don't even want to know. 'Don't talk to me about boys. I don't want to know about that. Okay, here's what you've got to do. Don't call him back! No... okay.' I get twisted up! It happened to me on 'One Live to Live,' right about the same age. I had a younger sister on the show. And all of a sudden she's grown up and getting her own apartment in NY. And I was like, 'What? You're a child!' And she was like, 'Nathan, I can vote.' Arrgh. It was driving me nuts. Watching someone you consider a little sister and feel a certain amount of responsibility for grow up. I think that's a difficult thing. And I'm not even a father! I have the sin of pride when it comes to Molly. I don't know why. I am not responsible for her amazing-ness in any way. She has great parents. I get all, I don't know, wrapped up. It's tough. It's tough for guys who play people's fathers! [laughs] It's tough for people who play fathers on television.

Will you be doing anymore 'Firefly' references? Because those are fantastic.

That's another thing. I'll never say never. I was... I'd had shows and pilots canceled on me and it broke my heart. I decided, I'm not going to fall in love with a TV show anymore. It's just a business. It's a work thing and there are no guarantees in Hollywood. And I fell in love with 'Firefly.' I had just long enough with it to just sink in deep. I loved it from day one. I really loved that show. I was the guy running around going, 'Don't worry everybody! I know it's looking kind of dark, but we're doing a great job. We're doing a great show. We won't get canceled!' Boom. We get canceled. Ugh, I was so heartbroken. And Joss said, 'I'm going to find another home for 'Firefly.' We're going to do something else with 'Firefly.' But it was already too late. I was like, 'Too late! Good luck with that Joss! Whatever. I'm going to go home and eat ice cream and drink myself into a stupor.' And I did. And then he did! He got us the movie. He got 'Serenity' for us. Joss has taught me so much and one of the things he's taught me is, never say never...there is nothing in the works. There are no talks with Universal. No talks with 20th. But I've just learned, never say never. Why not?

I know Jewel Staite just tweeted that she found a box of 'Serenity' memorabilia and it contained a drawing that you did of a middle finger. Want to explain that?

That was a thing... [laughs] you know, you're hanging out on set all the time and all of these people are your best friends. That was my thing with Jewel, one of our many games we would play. One was, I'd give her a compliment that I'd always wrap up with, 'if you like eating horse sh*t.' Then the other game was, find the extra. When you're doing a scene, there's always one of them staring at you in a weird way... I would have them turn their backs and count to ten and hide in a crowd of extras, staring at them in a hee-bee gee-bee way. And they'd have to find me. The other one was how many different ways could you give each other the finger? And you can get really creative. On a sci-fi show, you've got a lot of props, you've got a lot of stuff going on. You've got a holster. That was always a fun one.

If you want to check out 'The Thrilling Adventure Hour' while you're in Los Angeles, you can get tickets here.]]> Thu, 9 Dec 2010 17:02:10 EST 793531 <![CDATA[Review: Tangled (VIDEO)]]> 2010-11-23-Tangledpostertangledfinal.jpg

My poor, long-suffering buddy George 'El Guapo' Roush from Latino Review occasionally does video reviews with me. He puts up with a lot. I've drawn mustaches on him with eyeliner. I've teased him. And this time, I put him in a Rapunzel wig in honor of our 'Tangled' review. To be fair, he looks pretty good as a blond.

Check out our video review of Disney's 50th animated film. We talk hair, a musical episode of Chuck and whether or not this will make musical theater history.



You can follow my good buddy George on Twitter at @elguapo1. And you should. You'll thank me later. Tangled opens Wednesday, November 24th.

]]> Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:40:39 EST 787284 <![CDATA[May the Force Be With Katie]]>

I loved Star Wars as a kid. I had a chemistry set. I was told over and over again that I liked "boy things." I ended up making a career out of it. So when I read the story in ChicagoNow about a little girl named Katie who was getting teased for carrying a Star Wars water bottle to school because it was "only for boys," it saddened me. I thought, how can this still be happening in 2010? But the response to the article, not only in the comments section, but in the online geek world was amazing. Women (and men) all around the web were sending in stories of their own teasing and bullying for liking what they like, supportive messages for Katie and rallying around the little girl who loves Star Wars.

Amidst all the stories about what damage the Internet is doing to the world, from privacy issues to online stalkers to social network bullying, we have a beautiful story about the good that can happen when people of like minds can find each other. I contacted Katie's mom, Carrie Goldman and talked to her about the story, Katie's reaction to all the geek love and what happens now. I also got to chat with the young lady herself.

You've gotten some response to this!

[laughs] It's a little weird, I have to say! I've been writing articles for months and months, but I've never had one where so many people have paid attention to it.

We girl geeks will rally when we're needed.

I had no idea about the phenomenon of girl geeks until this happened... when the post started to move around and I started to seeing the comments coming in, I noticed a common theme on the initial wave, which was "Hi Katie. I'm a girl and I love Star Wars and science." And I saw it over and over. And I was astonished by how many females were out there who were not only supportive of Katie, but plugged into each other. Once one of them heard of what happened to Katie, it seemed like all of them heard! I was thinking to myself, these girls must have some kind of amazing support system going for each other.

We hear so many negative stories about the Internet, but this one really showcases the positive side.

This has been one of the first times I have seen something go viral when it's not about gossip, it's not about porn, it's not about somebody having fallen off the wagon for something, it's not about some catastrophe somewhere. And just to see a story go viral that's so ordinary... it's everybody's story. Everybody, everyone was once a little kid who felt different at some point. It's funny that it's become such a sensation, because it's every story every day about million kids around the country. But at the same time, maybe that's why it's such a big deal. It's so easily identifiable.

Who have you heard from? Aside from the massive amount of female geeks...

[laughs] It's so funny that you guys call each other geeks!

It's a good word! [laughs]

It is a good word! It's just so funny to hear it! At first I started getting supportive comments from females who are interested in science or technology or 'Star Wars' or whatever. Then Thursday night, I got a personal email from Tom Kane, who is the voice of Yoda in the new Star Wars movie, and he said, "I heard about your daughter and what was happening, and I'd like to invite you to be my special guest at a Star Wars premiere in Chicago." At first I thought it was a hoax, because it's so unbelievable. So I went to his website to make sure that he really was who he said he was, because you get all kinds of crazy things on the Internet. I've had responses before to my articles from people who are maybe not totally stable, you know. And then shortly after that, we realized there was a comment on the blog from Cat Taber to Katie. And she's the voice of Queen Padme Amidala.

Oh my gosh!

At this point, Katie was in bed. She's in first grade so she goes to bed at 7 p.m. I usually have all three of my kids in bed by 7 p.m. This started really escalating at 8 or 9 p.m. on Thursday night. We started seeing a sort of geometric rise in the number of comments, Facebook likes and emails. So at some point it was brought to our attention that people like Felicia Day and Alyssa Milano, Bonnie Burton were aware of the article and passing it around. At that point, I actually started to feel a little overwhelmed. I've been writing articles for a long time and to be suddenly catapulted into notoriety when it's not something you expect can almost be a little frightening.

I can imagine.

Andrew and I, my husband, we talked about how we were going to approach this with Katie in the morning. Katie, who had no idea that any of this was happening. In the morning when she woke up and came into our bed to snuggle, which her sisters who are 3 and 5 months old always do, I said, "You know, Katie, a lot of people read my story about you with the boys teasing you about your Star Wars water bottle." She was like, "Oh, OK." And I said, "We have received emails from a lot of people telling you it's OK to like Star Wars and it's OK to like "boy interests and boy games and toys." And she said, "That's good." I could see she had no clue. [laughs] And we kind of want to keep it that way. Keep her just a touch clueless about the numbers in some ways. Because she is just a little kid. But in some ways, I want her to have that full feeling of support that's out there. It's kind of a fine line between letting her know how many people support her and not letting her know how many people are out there.

Then we said, "A couple of the people the people who said it's great are Yoda and Queen Amidala," and then her eyes got pretty big. [laughs] And she has these glasses that magnify her eyes to begin with. So when she opens her eyes wide behind her glasses, they get pretty huge. And she got this big smile. The kind of smile that makes a mom pretty happy. What we decided to do is show her the comments in small batches. Because I think she can appreciate it more if we just read it a couple at a time. A lot of the comments have a common theme and I don't want her to glaze over. I want her to appreciate each comment, because each person who wrote took the time to share a story with her about their life. So we're reading three or four at a time. She reads them, actually. I pre-screen them so that they're OK and not too intense. Some people's stories are pretty intense.

I read them. Some incredible stories on there.

The ones that are too intense, she will read as she gets older or we read her parts of them. I'm pre-reading every single comment and we pick some each night for her to read. I think that she does feel like it's OK now to like Star Wars! She wore a Star Wars shirt to school on Friday! [laughs] She's carrying her water bottle and she seems pretty OK with it again. It's amazing.

It's really exploding! I know that on Facebook, there is an Support Star Wars and Geek Pride for Katie event, that I'm participating in. I have my Star Wars shirt, all ready to go. I have several. [laughs]

I sent an email to the girl who started that event. I wanted to see if we could re-market it slightly. My husband and I came up with the idea, Wear Star Wars-Share Star Wars. Since it's the holiday season, we thought maybe the people participating on that day could also donate just one small either Star Wars or science fiction toy to a toy drive that day. It could be one of the things that we could start in Katie's honor. And all kids who have ever felt different.

What a great idea!

I think it would be a great thing to teach Katie. We're going to wear something Star Wars that day, but let's choose something to bring to a children's hospital or somewhere. It would be neat if it caused this other influx of gifts for kids who really need them. A lot of people have offered to send Katie Star Wars toys, which is really so generous. Katie is not needy but there are so many children who are, so we're really asking people to, in lieu of sending something to Katie, to make a donation. We're saying, if you want to send her cards and letters, sure. That's different. That's fine with me... we're actually going to have them made into a book, so that way, throughout her life as she grows and reaches different stages of her development, she'll have this humongous support book she can pull down and read if she's ever feeling bad.

Is that something you'd ever consider publishing?

The book to Katie? It's a fabulous idea! I never thought about that! I have been working over a year on a non-fiction book proposal which was about the process of adopting Katie, and Katie herself was laughingly saying to my husband, "It's going to be called, Waiting for Katie.'' I'm going to have to change it to, Waiting for Katie, the Star Wars Kid. [laughs] But I think it's a great idea to publish the comments. Part of me wonders if the people who are writing in would be OK with that. I guess it a public forum... I'd definitely have to think about it. I have seen tweets saying that these are amazing stories. Read these comments. I guess if somehow I could get some approval. I wouldn't feel right, publishing these comments without each individual person saying yes. I'm very sensitive to that.

What I find so interesting about this whole things it the "boy toy" idea. I hung out with boys when I was a kid and I didn't realize I was into "boy things" until I was older.

With Katie, I don't know why I did this, but from the time she was a baby, when I bought toys for her, I bought "boy toys." I didn't want my house filled with just "girl toys." By the time she was 18 months old, she was playing with Thomas the Train... we collected them all. Like you, she has grown up with toys that would be considered boy toys, Legos, Star Wars, all of that. I think what happened this year was that she was a little shocked and taken aback and had a little crisis of confidence when people said to her, "those are for boys." I think that was a shocking idea for her and she felt like she was doing something wrong.

I got a really interesting email today from someone... a women said, "You know, I was thinking about you and Katie when I was in Wal-Mart buying a gift for someone." She snapped a photo of it to show me. It was labeled "Boys" and "Girls." That's how the toy section is labeled. No wonder these poor boys think Star Wars is for boys. They're Wal-Mart. One of the biggest mass market stores out there. Right now, in 2010, there is a photo and a big sign hanging over half the toy section saying "Boys" and "Girls." And on the girl side are all the Disney princesses and on the boy side is Star Wars. It has to start somewhere other than on the playground of Katie's school. It has to go much much further to change the way people think.

We might want to tell people to label their donated toys "for a girl."

I totally agree, because toys get labeled and separated into boy and girl groups. It might be neat to mention that these toys should go to a girl.

Also, I want to make it clear that Katie was being teased, not bullied. There are a lot of articles out there saying, "Little girl bullied for liking Star Wars.'' In the article I wrote... I want to make it clear that I see the distinction between these two things. But when you see a first grader getting teased, that's when you step in. I want people to understand that she was teased and I don't want to do nothing about that. That's how you walk a slippery slope to bullying.

True.

If it makes you feel bad, it's not OK. Whether it's out and out teasing or bullying, it's not OK. If it makes a little child come home and cry or change her behavior or change who she is, it's not acceptable. Whether it's a tease or a shove... when a first grader comes home and thinks it's not OK to carry her water bottle, in my mind, it's time to say something.

Do you want to say hi to Katie? She's right here.

I'd love to!

(Katie got on the phone with her mom here. Her responses are in italics. Her mom's continue to be in plain text.)

Katie, this woman's name is Jenna and she's a lot like you. She likes "Star Wars" and she thought it was really neat that you do too!

Hi Jenna.

Hi Katie! I have a Star Wars water bottle just like you!

[laughs] That's cool!

Do you have a favorite Star Wars movie?

Return of the Jedi.

Do you have a favorite character?

Princess Leia.

Why do you like her, sweetie?

I like her because her and Luke are adopted. Leia and Luke are adopted. That's why I like Leia.

Katie, have you been surprised by how many people have written you letters saying they like Star Wars too?

Yeah. [laughs]

What do you think of them, sweetie?

I think that they're really cool, because so many people are standing up for me.

Do you think you'll be OK carrying your Star Wars water bottle now?

Yeah, I think I'll be OK carrying it now.

That's why I wrote the article about you.

You've got a pretty cool mom.

Yeah. [laughs]

I've got a pretty cool kid.

Yeah. [laughs]

If you want to check out the book Carrie is writing about Katie, check out her Facebook page, Portrait of an Adoption.]]> Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:14:33 EST 786657 <![CDATA[Review: Megamind 3D]]> Megamind 3D, a blue alien (Will Ferrell) is put into a spaceship by his parents and sent off as the planet appears to be in peril, a la Superman. As he hurtles towards Earth with his minion (David Cross) he passes another, cooler, prettier baby doing the very same thing. Instead of crash landing in a field and being taken in by kindly farmers, the other kid gets the life he was supposed to have. Poor little Megamind lands in a prison. He's teased at school (don't bully your fellow students or they'll end up as evil geniuses) until he realizes that bad is the way to be. And there you have it. Metro Man vs. Megamind.

The nods to classic superheros are thick in this film. Metro Man gets a museum (so does the Flash). The villain kidnaps a plucky reporter named Roxanne Ritchis (Tina Fey) whose name continues the tradition of alliteration in comic book names. (Lois Lane, Peter Parker, etc.) There were so many funny ones, I couldn't write them all down. It sent me into a geeky cloud of happiness.

But this film takes a turn and asks the question, 'What would happen if Lex Luthor killed Superman?' After accidentally taking out the good guy, our villain gets bored and creates a brand new hero from Roxanne's geeky camera guy/stalker (Jonah Hill) so he has someone to fight. But the gamer in spandex is a bit more realistic than most superheroes. What would you do if you got superpowers? Save the world? Rescue puppies? Nope. You'd try to take over the world. Megamind finds himself becoming the hero, falling in love with Roxanne and turning into the blue man he was supposed to be all along.

Any comic book fan worth her salt will be laughing her ass off at the references and the nods to geek culture. My favorite part? The smart woman falls in love with the geeky museum curator in glasses. I'm telling you, it warmed my heart. But then, I had a crush on Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, so maybe I'm not exactly impartial here. The entire script is smart. It's quick. It's funny even to non-geeks. Dreamworks is really stepping up their game here. They're producing some seriously strong animated pieces. The only thing they haven't quite gotten yet is the visual charm. It's one of the things Pixar consistently gets right. After watching a screening of the upcoming film, Tangled, I marveled at how they managed to make me think a small old drunk guy with a giant red nose was adorable. In Megamind, you have an entire cast of people with not-so-charming giant foreheads. I can't quite put my finger on the difference, but it's there.

That said, the voice acting was mostly wonderful. Ferrell uses more restraint than we're used to hearing from him and it worked perfectly. If he hadn't done a ton of press for the film, you might not realize who you're hearing. Fey... well, really who would expect anything but brilliance from her? David Cross has to be one of the most underrated performers out there right now. I mention him and very few people seem to know his name. I just don't get it. I'd fall in love with Minion the sidekick from his voice alone. Brad Pitt (sounding strangely like George Clooney) has the cheesy Elvis-like Metro Man down pat. The only weak link was Jonah Hill. The character was well written, but Hill pulled a Michael Cera here and played exactly the same character that he always does. I know he has more range than this. I'm certain he could have made this an actual character and not just a guy in a room talking. But that's exactly how he came across.

And now the 3D issue. Here's my feeling on the whole thing. I don't mean to get on a soap box here, but it's a hot button issue in the film community and I have to address it. I'm not a fan to begin with. I can't stand wearing glasses while watching a film. It gives me a headache. I hate post-production conversion. I hate how much it darkens a picture. But... animated films are a completely different animal. Though I don't think it's entirely necessary, I don't mind it at all. I've said it before, but I'm kind of sick of filmmakers saying, 'Oh, we're not using 3D as a device. We're not throwing things at the screen. That's just silly.' It's animation. Be silly. Throw things at me. And Megamind used 3D in exactly the way it should be used in an animated film. For fun. Climbing off the box now.

Megamind is a blast. Take your kids. Stay with them. There are plenty of laughs for everyone. Bring your asprin for the 3D headache. This one is actually worth seeing that way. ]]> Fri, 5 Nov 2010 13:12:53 EDT 779093 <![CDATA[Review: Secretariat (VIDEO)]]> Secretariat opens this Friday and my good buddy George 'El Guapo' Roush from Latino Review and I headed off to the Burbank Equestrian Center to review the film. The film is the story of the horse who won the Triple Crown in 1973 and his owner Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) who believed in him, despite the odds against them.

First of all, you have to love an animal film where no animals die. Disney likes to kill off animals left and right. I know they're animated animals, but I still get upset. Oh stop laughing. You know you wept like a baby when they killed Bambi's mother.

Check out the review below. I'm pretty convinced that the horse we filmed in front of was either auditioning for something or fell in love with George. I've never seen anyone groped that way by an animal. You can follow George on Twitter at @elguapo1.

]]> Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:01:24 EDT 756571 <![CDATA[Hung's Thomas Jane Talks About the First Ever 3D Film Fest]]> Hung's Thomas Jane is set to host. Jane recently made his directing debut with his new 3D psycho noir film, Dark Country, which will be screened at the festival. Jane is a passionate defender of the beloved, yet often controversial technology and gives us a look at what attendees will get to see. He talks about his new film and what projects he's got coming up, including projects with his company Raw Studios that he owns with Steve Niles and Tim Broadstreet. He also gives us a brief promo for the new season of Hung. It's short, but oh boy is it to the point!

The festival will be presented by RealD and The Los Angeles Film School. You can find more information at www.3DFF.org.

2010-10-01-ThomasJaneheadshotweb320x405.jpg



I will jump right in and ask you how you got involved with the 3D Film Festival?
 
Well, you know I directed a 3D film, so they asked me. They asked me to be a part of it and uh, you know, I've been involved with 3D for a while. Dark Country is the first all digital live action film to be shot in 3D. I'm very proud of that fact. Thanks.
 
Tell me a little more about Dark Country, because this is like the coolest premise ever.
 
Well, we're doing a psychological thriller. I wanted to see how I could use 3D to enhance the story and not just feel like a gimmick but make it an actual part of the story so that watching a film in 3D would be a different experience than seeing it in 2D. Was sort of the thesis that I based Dark Country on. I think I was successful in some of it, and you know I think there's room for 3D to become -- for 3D to stay and not just be a fad. We have to find ways to use it to tell the story. Just like we use sound to tell a story and we use color to tell a story. A film in color is a different experience from the same film in black and white. You get more information. You get information out of the movie that you wouldn't get um, in black and white. And so the same thing with color. The same thing with 3D. I want to find ways to use 3D to tell a story. To make the story so that you get more information out of it than you would if it were just in 3D. So that's what excites me about 3D. You know, I think as a society, as a species, we evolve. As we evolve, our ability to translate information or to transfer information to each other also evolves. So in our industry, we've seen changes, you know. When we went from black and white silent films to talkies, and to color, and to 70 millimeter Cinemascope, and now we have 3D. We're just, we're enhancing our ability to transfer information to each other.

That's the first time I've heard it put like that.
 
That's what's exciting about 3D. As an artist, what's exciting about 3-D is that we're still writing the language. The film language that we use in 3D is still being written. In other words, there's a lot that hasn't been done yet in 3D. There's a lot, there's new -- new words are being invented. In the film language. With 3D. So as an artist it's fun to be able to play with new phrases, new language, new colors. You know. It's not a new medium, but it's new tools within the medium that's exciting.
 
So at the 3D Film Festival, trying to take some of the best examples of 3D that's been done recently, and in the past, and bring it to people -- to have an outlet to bring it to people so that they can experience some of the best of what's being done in 3D. You know, we've got some terrific short films. You know, we've got one using NASA footage of the sun. We've got a short film, it's microscopic, they use microscopic cameras to explore the world of bugs, you know, so it's giving users a new experience, seeing something that they've never seen before. Sunday is a kids' day. We've got Legend of the Guardians and Despicable Me. We have horror shows at midnight, we're showing Joe Dante's The Hole and Piranha 3D. And then showing my film Saturday night at 10 o'clock, a little Q&A in it. Um, so it's exciting, an honor to be a part of it. I'm very happy to be the spokesman for 3D Film Festival. I'll probably be attached to it for many years to come.
 
There's been some backlash from fans who are frustrated with the badly done post-production on some 3D films. It's been frustrating for real fans of 3-D who absolutely love it and who really want to see it used correctly. So where do you see the technology going?
 
Well the technology is here. Digital 3D is uh, is what we use, you know. And the cameras are always getting smaller and better, and uh, the projectors are getting, you know, crisper and brighter. Um, I'm not aware of -- what's the backlash that you're talking about?
 
Well I think there's, with a couple of the 3D films where people really didn't use it as a tool and used it more as a gimmick -- you know, it's like that with all new technology. Some people use it as an art form and some people just say oh hey, it's a way to get people into the theater.
 
Right. They charge a little bit more money -- that's going to have to change. Look, 3D is coming into the home in the next few years, so all of the televisions are -- new televisions being made by all the major companies are 3D capable. They all have a 3D button on them. And soon everyone's Blu-Ray players will also be 3-D compatible. So in the next five years we'll see the roll out of a lot of 3D in the home, and once that happens, the ticket prices will have to come down. I think theaters will stop having to pay the premium, charge the premium that they do, currently, for a 3D film. And that will level the playing field a little bit. You know, 3D is getting cheaper to make so it won't be just event films but -- Werner Herzog just made -- art films, too. Example, Werner Herzog's new film.  Werner Hertzog's having a film that's coming out in 3D. My film, Dark Country, is more of an art film than it is a commercial film. You know, we'll see 3D being, hopefully, trickle down and being used as a, you know -- most people do think of it as a gimmick right now because examples of really good 3D are still uh, you know, few and far between. Jeffrey Katzenberg called it killing the goose that laid the golden egg. That's what he calls 2D to 3D conversion. You know, if a film is not planned to be shot in 3D, then you're not going to get the same experience watching the film, no matter how good the conversion of 2D to 3D is. The film language is slightly different when you're shooting with two cameras instead of one, and the way that you um, intend the film to be seen is, changes, when you're shooting a film in 3D. So if you're not, if you don't have that in mind and you shoot your film in 2D, then you're always going to be missing something when you try to convert that to 3-D.
 
I'm curious what you think is really the best 3D film out there right now.
 
Uh, you know, the best 3D right now is being done, in my opinion, in the animated world. Because they, because those guys understand with the animation, they understand framing, they understand how to plan a shot. Because they get to create the second camera virtually, they can create a very wide stereo base, which means a camera that virtually would be several hundred to several thousand feet apart from each other, which creates really interesting effects in 3D. They can also, they can move the camera and adjust that variable distance between the two cameras at the same time in a much more fluid way than we can using live action. So the best 3D, you know, the most thoughtful, well-planned out 3D, is being done in animation.
 
As far as the live action 3D there are some great examples. Avatar was a terrific example of very good 3D. The use of 3D that's not gimmicky, that doesn't call attention to -- you know, it doesn't have ping-pong balls flying off the screen. And um, my film, Dark Country, is a very good example of 3D storytelling. And there's a few other movies. I think Tim Burton did some nice things because he planned his film to be converted. He started in 2D but he knew it was going to be converted to 3D so he planned it to be seen in 3D, and there are some very nice 3D sequences in Tim Burton's film, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Um, that's what comes to mind right now, you know.
 
I actually would love to know when we're going to see Cal McDonald from Criminal Macabre comics in a 3D movie.
 
Great. Yeah, I think that would be terrific. I love, one of my favorite characters.
 
Well, how is that moving? Is that a possibility in the future?
 
Cal? Yeah, you know, I think it's over at Universal. They're working on a script. They've been working on it for a long time. I don't know, you know, making, Cal McDonald is an edgier character, and as you know, making edgy films in Hollywood has always been tough.
 
Yeah.
 
So, we'll see if the damn thing every gets made.
 
I really, really hope it does. I'm a huge fan of Cal.
 
Great, well me too. Yeah, I'm doing a film with Ron Perlman in 3D called War Dogs. It's about, it's basically Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid during the fall of Rome. A couple of Roman soldiers being chased across the countryside by a band of Goths.
 
How cool!
 
Really good script. And we're shooting that in 3D. In January. My company, Raw Studios, is producing that. In fact, I'm producing a TV show called Twisted Tales, based on the famous comic book from the 80s. We're doing a Twilight Zone half hour TV show out of that, in 3D. So yeah, I like to stay on the cutting edge of what's being done in 3D. A 3D TV show is such a, you know, people know it's coming but nobody's really thinking about it right now. But my company, Raw Studios, we plan on doing everything in 3D, you know. I think that that's the future.
 
Are you doing Twisted Tales for SyFy?
 
You know, we don't have a -- no. We don't have a home for Twisted Tales yet. Although we're talking to, actually talking to some of the television manufacturers, like Panasonic and Mitsubishi, because they've created all these TVs but they don't have the content yet. So that's, you know, that's a big deal. The future of 3D, creating content for our 3D TVs.
 
I'm familiar with Raw. But for people who aren't, talk a little bit about the company.
 
Great, well yeah, we started the company a few years ago to do, sort of high concept or high end genre comic books. Um, with uh Tim Bradstreet, Steve Niles, myself, and uh, we've had a couple of books--one's called The Bad Planet, the other's Alien Pig Farm 3000, which got picked up by David Gordon Green's company, Rough House, and they're turning that into a motion picture, Alien Pig Farm.
 
That's awesome.
 
Yeah. And that'll probably be in 3D, if I have my way. And uh, I want, and then we're also producing films. I just went -- one of them's called I Melt with You, directed by Mark Cullington, that I did with Rob Lowe and Jeremy Piven. And the other one, War Dogs, I told you about, with me and Ron Perlman. It's been a great couple of years. We've got some great comic books coming out this year. The second part of Bad Planet is coming out. Probably early next year. And we're relaunching Alien Worlds and Twisted Tales, classic comics from the 80s.
 
That's very cool. I'm a big comic fan, so I'm excited to hear that!
 
That's great. We've got some terrific stuff on the horizon.
 
Well also, just a quick question about Hung. Anything you want to tease for next season?
 
Um, better, stronger, faster.
 
Nice.
 
More sex.
 
Awesome. Couldn't be a better tease than that.
 
Better, stronger, faster, younger.]]> Fri, 1 Oct 2010 12:56:05 EDT 746305 <![CDATA[The Social Network Review]]> The Social Network isn't really about the effects of Facebook in the way that Catfish is. It's a study of one man, what drives him and what success can do to you.

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It's 2003, and Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is breaking up with his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) in a bar. He doesn't realize it, but his stream-of-consciousness babbling about how getting into 'final clubs' at Harvard will help her rise in social circles is driving her away. He just can't seem to grasp that she would be hurt by the words he can't seem to stop himself from saying. It's clear from the first moments of director David Fincher's film that our 'hero' will not be sympathetic. Fincher's Zuckerberg is one of those guys you tolerate because you've been hanging around him so long you can't seem to shake him. You pity people like this. You feel bad and befriend them, only to be shocked when this guy you've tried to help screws you by heading for greener and more influential pastures. Zuckerberg's best friend Eduardo Savarin (Andrew Garfield, your brand new Spider-Man) provides the young company with the start up money only to watch as he's tossed aside for flashy Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Zuckerberg leaves a behind him a wake of people that he's used for his own purposes and a string of lawsuits from people who trusted him. And at the end, he's alone, missing his old girlfriend.

Fincher drops us right into Zuckerberg's psyche, letting us see how he hurts people without thinking. The opening scene is almost exhausting to watch, with non-stop dialogue and a piercing look into the inner workings of Zuckerberg's mind. And it was brilliant. Between the performance of Jesse Eisenberg and the well-crafted script, you're as frustrated with him as his girlfriend is. You're as stunned by his lack of tact. You're as annoyed by his need for acceptance. You're sucked into his world. The same goes for Savarin, who is stepped on and betrayed and wears it all on his sleeve.

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Fincher begins the film in a linear style, then jumps surprisingly and seamlessly into court cases about 20 or so minutes in. We realize that the story we've been watching is the answer to a question from a lawyer. The point of view switches, depending on who's answering. I found myself grinning at a technique that might have annoyed the heck out of me from a lesser film maker. The film is beautifully shot, wonderfully arranged and doesn't let up for a second, taking what could have been a tedious subject matter and keeping you engaged from beginning to end. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin did a fantastic job, but it's really the stunning performance from Eisenberg that steals the show. Believe me, no one will ever refer to him as 'another Michael Cera' again.

Zuckerberg in the film (which the filmmakers have acknowledged as a somewhat fictional portrayal) is an ass. The irony is not lost here. The man who managed to connect the world has no real connections of his own, and it's his own fault. But Eisenberg takes a completely unsympathetic character and makes you want to take him home and give him hot chocolate and a hug by the end. He tears up the screen. He steals every scene he's in. Garfield is heartbreaking to watch as he lets us into Savarin's shock at his friend's betrayal and his panic as the business, his friendships and his love life spin out of control. Here is a guy who probably would have been happy with a nice regular job, a wife and 2.5 children and just can't keep up with the sharp ambition of his former partner.

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So were there problems with the film? Sure. The sheer amount of information was one. There is a lot thrown at you in a short amount of time. I'm not sure every single detail needed to be included from the book it was based on. Here the casting saved the film from it's flaw. The performances were engaging enough that I stopped taking notes a few minutes in and let myself be swept away by the character development. It doesn't mean I wasn't aware that I was missing a number of details about the lawsuits. Please don't quiz me. I'm not sure it was necessary to stunt cast one man (Armie Hammer) as the Winklevoss twins, the golden boys of Harvard from whom Zuckerberg steals the Facebook idea. I wasn't sure what was bothering me about the characters until I learned that fact, but there was something off about them. But these are very tiny flies in a vat full of ointment. The film grabbed me by the throat from the first moment and didn't let go until the very last.

]]> Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:14:27 EDT 744317 <![CDATA[Review: Machete (VIDEO)]]> Machete, based on the trailer he did for Grindhouse, starring Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Robert DeNiro and Don Johnson. This one is rated R and that may have something to do with the multiple decapitations, nudity and intestines used as an escape device. Just a guess. We'll give you the scoop on the flim. FYI, this is a long movie. Get extra popcorn and use the facilities before you see the film. If one more person climbs over me to hit the head during a movie, I swear I'm going to trip you. You've been warned. Machete opens in theaters today.

If you want to follow George on Twitter, and you're crazy if you don't, click HERE. I promise, you'll thank me.

]]> Fri, 3 Sep 2010 16:05:47 EDT 704355 <![CDATA[Lindsay Pulsipher Talks True Blood Revelations]]> True Blood fan. I've read the books, I've watched every episode. As far as I'm concerned, vampires have not overstayed their welcome. Alright, maybe the Twilight vampires. I just got a chance to chat with Lindsay Pulsipher who plays Jason Stackhouse's love interest, Crystal. (I did her makeup for the upcoming film, Do Not Disturb.) She had a pretty big revelation this week. And yes, we do mention what it was. If you're afraid of spoilers, I'll mark it in the question so you can skip that one. Lindsey gives us all the info about playing a character who is constantly sporting a black eye, nudity on camera and what it's been like to work with an engaged couple planning a wedding on set. Of course I'm talking about the recently married Anna Paquin and Steven Moyer. She also lets us know what it's like to have wild animals on set. No, I'm not talking about her co-stars. (Please, Charlaine Harris fans. If you've read the books, don't spoil plot points in the comments section without a spoiler alert!)

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Did you watch the show before you auditioned for True Blood?


I did! Yeah.

Did you know what character you wanted to play?

Well, you know I hadn't ever read the books. I hadn't read the books yet, so I didn't know who Crystal was. And when I got the audition, she was described as this mysterious girl who runs through the woods. That was all I knew. [laughs] So I really didn't know where they were taking her and what was happening. I was surprised when I found out who she was in the books. I thought, oh this will be a really fun character to play.

When did you find out what Crystal is?

[SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED LAST WEEK'S SHOW] I found out pretty quickly afterwards. I have friends that are really big fans of the books. And when I told them who I was, it was an immediate, 'Oh my god, you're a werepanther! You're a werepanther! And it was just like... I don't even know what that is, but cool! [laughs]

The transformation is really cool. I know they used real wolves for the werewolves. Are they using real panthers?

You know what? There were panthers on set. You couldn't really tell last night, but they were real and they're just so beautiful and they're some of the most majestic creatures I've ever been around. They were just incredible. They're so beautiful!

In the book, she's very different. She's described as short and dark... have you read the books since?

Well, I've actually started. I just started book four where Crystal is introduced. And when I read the description... it's actually come up before... when I read the description of her, I though, yeah, I'm completely different. [laughs] I couldn't be any more different than how she was written in the books.

Crystal has a difficult time of it. She's getting punched, she constantly has black eyes... what is that like to play as an actress?

You know, it's really fun. It's always exciting when you have something physical to throw yourself into. I like to describe it as a playground. True Blood is truly a playground. You get to go in and just let loose and completely just have fun and play around. There is so much freedom on set. It was so much fun to go through all of those different things. It was always exciting.

How deep have you gone into the mythology? Into her character and what the town of Hot Shot is?

Well, I've heard from (creator) Alan Ball. He's told me basically the idea of Hot Shot but because I hadn't read the books, I didn't know (author) Charlaine Harris's take, her intentions and how she had written it. But Alan was very in depth about her history and how she had kind of been trapped on this compound. She has this very secluded life and she didn't have any social interactions. She's kind of a prisoner in her own little world, in a way. For her, Jason (Ryan Kwanten) was a relief. And escape from that world. She was feeling claustrophobic and ready to leave. So when she meets Jason, it's like, okay. Finally, I can maybe get out of this. But it doesn't come without repercussions. [laughs] There is a lot to get rid of from Hot Shot before she can actually leave.

The relationship with Jason is great. What's it like working with Ryan?

[laughs] Ryan is an amazing actor. He's so talented and so fun to work with. He really knows Jason Stackhouse in and out. It's just funny to watch him. He improvises and does these really spontaneous moves in his acting. It's really fun to watch. He does it on purpose. He does these little things to catch you off guard. It actually keeps it fresh and fun, and each take is different. For an actor, you kind of hope for those moments and those happy mistakes. And there are a lot of those.

Every time I speak to him on a red carpet, I'm always stunned by his Australian accent. You have quite the accent in the show. How hard was that to handle?

[laughs] You know, it's funny. I have some friends from the South, so they helped me a lot. And I listened to interviews. I went online and listened to different people with the accent. I listened to how they talked and just mimicked them. And when I went in for my audition that's kind of how I prepared. So far, so good. They haven't said anything! [laughs]

I've had endless discussions about the show and I think that one of the things that make it so successful is that it has no boundaries. When you were cast in this, was one of the first thoughts you had about how you'd probably have to do nudity?

[laughs] Oh yes! That definitely crossed my mind! Especially when I knew I was going to be Jason Stackhouse's love interest. [laughs] Okay, so the clothes are coming off! But all of that just sort of falls to the background. You don't really think about it. I was just so excited to be on the show and thought, oh well, I can totally handle that!

[laughs] Besides, everyone on the show is naked anyway!

Yeah! I'm in good company!

I've done shows with engaged people and sometimes performing and planning a wedding can... be a bit much. How was it on set with Stephen and Anna?

Oh my goodness! They couldn't be any more mellow and relaxed! They're just so calm, cool and collected all the time. They're so sweet and a really lovely couple. You can just tell that they're so much in love. But it's never a showy thing. It's just a very matter of fact thing. It's really beautiful.

Alan will sometimes give us some spoilers, but I'm curious what kind of non-disclosure agreement you had to sign when you were cast.

You know, I actually didn't have to sign anything. They actually just kind of trust us, which is a huge honor and a huge pressure. [laughs] I have to say, I am very relieved that Crystal's true identity is revealed, because that was really hard. Avoiding that question. But you kind of just respect where they're coming from when they ask you not to talk about things. As a viewer, I don't want to know what's going to happen. I just want to watch and find out for myself. Also, I never want to give anything away to viewers of True Blood, and it's better when you're surprised. I think everyone on the show gets that. They respect that.

You've got the fans who've read the books and the fans who just watch the show. In most articles (including this one) we ask people not to spoil anything in the comments section. Are you ever discussing the show with book fans just to have others in the group freak out?

[SPOILER ALERT] Oh yeah! [laughs] I've actually had people start coming up to me when I'm out and about. And a couple of them have just asked, 'Are you a werepanther?' And I'm just like, 'Watch the show and you'll see!' It's a battle even between my friends. Some people love the show and they're like, 'Don't tell me! Don't talk about it while I'm here.' It's definitely a tricky situation.

Is there anything that you can tease for the final two episodes?

Well, let's see. You haven't seen the end of Crystal. There's a couple more final blow outs with her and Jason. I don't know what to say! [laughs]

What else do you have coming up?

Well, I have a couple of projects that are coming out later this year. I did a film called Do Not Disturb that you might know a little something about. [laughs]

Yeah, I remember something about makeup. [laughs]

[laughs] And that is a Mali Elfman/Maureen Flannagan production. And I'm starring with Eric Balfour in one of the segments called 'Rocket Man.' And I also have a film called The Oragonian which is a thriller/horror film. It's really unique and something I've never really done before. I play this girl that gets into a car accident and is trying to decide if she's alive, dead or in purgatory. And it's her journey to figure that out. I saw a rough cut and it's really unique and exciting and different.

True Blood airs on HBO on Sunday nights.

]]> Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:07:46 EDT 693147 <![CDATA[Eat Pray Love Review]]> Eat Pray Love, Julia Roberts plays a woman who travels around the world for a year to find herself after realizing that the life she was living was not the one she planned. The novel that it's based on has enjoyed world wide popularity. Who hasn't wished to forget their problems in a series of stunning locations? In the film, Julia plays writer Elizabeth Gilbert. After leaving her husband and a failed love affair with a younger man, she takes off to discover the joy of indulgent eating in Italy, peace at an ashram in India and ultimately love in Bali.

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Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love



Now, I'll admit that no one could consider me a lover of chick flicks. I run screaming from the self help section of the book store...straight into the science fiction/fantasy section. But knowing I was going to be reviewing this film, I grabbed the book, hid it in my beach bag and headed off to where none of my geek friends would see me reading it. And lo and behold, I loved every single page. I read it twice. So it was with great anticipation that I sat in the theater (with a glass of wine...had to honor the first part of the book) waiting to see my beloved book on the big screen.

The film begins in NYC, where we see the breakup of Elizabeth's marriage. Though the film mostly skirted the controversial issue of a woman leaving her marriage because she, gasp, doesn't want to have children, we see two people in a marriage that has lost it's spark. Billy Crudup plays the tossed aside husband, giving him life and an actual personality that was largely missing from the book. (Gilbert states many times that her purpose was not to malign her husband and leaves most of the his details out.) She runs headlong into a relationship with the charming David (James Franco) who folds her delicates and makes her laugh, but can't do anything more than function as a band-aid in her life.

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Julia Roberts dances with Billy Crudup



Director Ryan Murphy doesn't burden us with a long, drawn out explanation of what went wrong. In fact, he showed great restraint, only showing us the more important moments from the book and letting his fantastic cast show us the rest with looks and sighs and, well, acting. One moment particularly stood out. In the book, Elizabeth debates whether or not to allow herself to enter a relationship with her language-learning partner in Italy. In the film, we have one brief moment where Julia watches him walk away and the entire debate is right there in her eyes. No explanation necessary.

The Italy sequence was so well shot and edited that I'd decided to move there after ten minutes in. (Not practical, but after listening to a bunch of Italians in a barbershop explain why we Americans are so stressed out and the Italian concept of 'bel far niente', the beauty of doing nothing, you can't help but entertain the idea.) It's clear that Murphy loved this sequence the most and in an interview I did with him for Moviefone.com, he said as much.

The India section of the book was problematic for a number of readers. Why would you leave a place that doesn't care if the delicious pizza you've been shoving down your throat with copious amounts of wine made you gain a few pounds? A place that celebrates indulgence and joy? Why would you subject yourself to less than stellar living conditions and endless chanting? And it seems that Murphy found this a bit perplexing as well. There is little in the second act that gives us a reason. The book explains the meditation and the peace Elizabeth found in it, something that would be difficult to translate on screen. (Though I'd have been happier if he'd trusted Roberts to get that across as well.) Instead, most of her inner work comes from the famous Richard from Texas (Richard Jenkins) who beats her into submission with bumper sticker-style advice and a brashness she can't ignore. He comes across quite a bit harsher in the film than they way Gilbert wrote him. If you read the book, you get it, but my fellow screeners who hadn't, left the theater saying things like, 'he's kind of obnoxious,' and 'I'd hate to get life lessons from someone so mean.' Still, it's hard not to find something appealing about any character Jenkins plays. His revelation about what brought him to the ashram should secure him a supporting Oscar nod.

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Javier Bardem romances Roberts



Bali couldn't have been more beautiful if you filled it with unicorns. It was gorgeous to look at and it was clear why the real Liz returned here. But in Bali, the book seems to be left by the wayside. Understandably, since the story could have been it's own film, but it starts to look a bit piecemeal. Some bits are left in, like getting her friends to donate money for a house for her medicine woman, but we see so little of it that it seems like a plot to make the trip seem less self-indulgent. That said, it's the relationship...the 'love' from the title that is the main focus. As it should be. Here, Elizabeth meets Filipe (Javier Bardem) who's charm and broken heart melts her resolve not to enter into another relationship. Even more engaging than the chemistry between the two characters is watching these two mesh acting styles. I wanted to applaud technique more than the love story and it made me forget what was left out.

Eat Pray Love is ultimately charming and inspirational. Though it doesn't have quite the impact of the book, it will likely leave you pondering your life choices and forgiving your flaws. It will certainly have you forgiving the few flaws in the film. The performances are just too fantastic, the vistas too lovely to pay too much attention to anything else. Oh, and one more thing. Eat before you see the film or you'll be stopping for pizza on the way home.

7.5/10

Eat Pray Love opens August 13th.]]> Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:41:43 EDT 680278 <![CDATA[Review: 'Toy Story 3' (VIDEO)]]> Toy Story 3. After spending the day taking goofy forced perspective pictures in a giant Ken doll house and a life sized doll box (see below) I got to screen the film. And as we often do, my good buddy George Roush (El Guapo) from Latino Review and I got together to do a little video review.

In the film, Andy (John Morris) is off to college. So what happens to his beloved toys? They get donated to a day care center. Though at first Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) and the gang are welcomed by the toys, all is not what it seems at Sunnyside Daycare.

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After you watch our review, check out my interviews with the cast on Moviefone.com. I'll have the 'best interview moments' on my daily show, Moviefone Minute. And though it's not 'Follow Friday,' and the 'Fail Whale' has taken over Twitter, you can follow George at @elguapo1.

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Me and El Guapo in the Ken's Dream House at Pixar.
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Look! I'm Reporter Barbie!





]]> Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:19:28 EDT 612223 <![CDATA[Mark Hamill Talks Star Wars Live Action TV Show and the Joker]]> Star Wars books as a kid and seeing the movie for the first time, (Huge for me...my blog is called "Girl Meets Lightsaber" for Pete's sake.) I asked him about his amazing career as a voice actor, the upcoming live-action Star Wars television show and the surprising video games he's good at. By the way, Hamill tells me that he reads the Huffington Post every day.

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So you're up for an award tonight for your role as the Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum. How is it revisiting this role? [note: Hamill played the Joker in the Emmy Award-winning Batman: The Animated Series from 1992-1995.)

Well, it's funny, because I am a lifelong fan. So it's important to me, mostly because I didn't want to disappoint the fans. And being a fan, I know how critical they can be. Part of the fun of it is the anonymity. I mean, people think, well, you're an actor. Shouldn't you want to be more know. But it's just so mysterious to be part of an animated project. And when you're in the dark, you can really mind-meld with the character in a way that you wouldn't ordinarily. When you're on camera, you really can get an appearance anxiety. How you're standing, how your hair looks, how you're wearing your jacket, which disappears when you do animation or video game, and I love it. I just love it. It's just thrilling. In other words, I would never get cast as the Joker if they could see me, I don't think.

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I remember when I first heard you were doing it...

Everybody goes, 'Oh, that Mark Hamill?

But your voice! You are one of the most recognizable voice actors ever.

What a thrill! I said I wanted...I went to New York and did six or seven Broadways shows. Elephant Man, Amadeus, and playing Tony Hart in a musical...because I wanted to be a character actor. I'm not a leading man, I don't think.

[laughs] You've only done the most iconic leading man role of all time.

Yeah, but he was like a farm boy. He wasn't really a traditional leading man. But what I'm saying is, be careful what you wish for, because I can't think of a character that's more 180 degrees in the opposite direction than someone who's iconic for his benevolence and his goody-goody kind of image. And Joker is wonderfully twisted and flamboyant. I love him because he's so unpredictable, you know? He can kiss you and kill you within a heartbeat. And he's dangerous in that way. So we had a lot of fun over the years. This one, because it doesn't fall under the auspices of Standards and Practices, you can be a little bit more violent and scary. So this one is pretty grim, I must say.

Do you play it?

Well, you know, I've...there was a sample game down at Comic Con that I tried. But I can't really say...I don't want to dig myself too deep. My boys and my daughter are much better than the old man, I have to say.

Do you have a video game that you love to play?

Arkham Asylum. [laughs] They laugh because the games that I could master were made for little girls. I said, 'I beat Little Mermaid! Yes!'

That's awesome!

And they laugh so hard, because...I don't know. I think each generation has more of a facility to do these things. I get rattled. I don't like games where if you stand still, you get attacked by stuff. I like to just stand and let me gather my wits, and there's not many games that let you do that.

I have to ask you about the upcoming Star Wars live-action television show. Are you looking forward to that? And have there been any movements to get you on in some way?

I don't think it's set in the time frame. I don't know what the time frame is. My guess would be, if Luke appears, they'd want him younger. [laughs] So they'd get a different actor. I really don't know. But one think I think is a positive step in terms of it being a TV series is that they're going to really have to rely on good scripts rather than making it some special effects extravaganza. So he kind of got caught up in making it bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger until you're just exploding with special effects all over the screen like some fireworks display. And to me, I think it's more important to make the audience care about the characters. And I think with an hour script for TV, he might be able to reboot in a way that's positive.

What about playing a different character?

Yeah, well, I'm old enough to play Obi Wan now. [laughs]]]> Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:46:55 EST 392199 <![CDATA[Mya On Dancing With The Stars And What She's Doing To Step Up Her Game]]> Singer Mya has just entered the final three on Dancing with the Stars, along with Kelly Osbourne and Donny Osmund and she's thrilled to be a part of this group.&nbsp; Mya was being honored at US Weekly's Hot Hollywood party as one of the &ldquo;Hot Steppers of the Year&rdquo;, along with Osbourne.&nbsp; (Poor Donny!&nbsp; He didn't make the list.)&nbsp; I grabbed a few moments of her time before she hit the celebration, and got her thoughts on the competition, the costumes, and having beds brought into the studio so she never has to leave.&nbsp; By the way, she highly recommend this competition as a way to lose weight, but warns that you'll be covered in bruises. &nbsp;



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Mya with dancing partner, Dmitry Chaplin.


You've been a dancer for a long time, but this is a very different style of dancing.

Heck yeah, it is!&nbsp; [laughs]

What most surprised you about partner dancing?

Well, I didn't know it was going to be so painful.&nbsp; Every time a guy lifts you and grasps at you, you get slightly bruised.&nbsp; There is a lot of intricate footwork with a lot of Latin dances and you're wearing hard shoes.&nbsp; You're wearing heels and the guys are actually wearing heels too.&nbsp; You get bruised pretty badly on your legs.&nbsp; Your body looks amazing and you're body looks amazing in the competition and that's what I do love.

So it's good for weight loss and fitness?

It's good for weight loss and fitness but if you like to eat, you can feel free to do so in this competition [laughs] and still maintain a healthy figure, and I love that.&nbsp; But you know what?&nbsp; I've never danced with a guy before, but it's definitely allowing me to tap into a more feminine side of Mya.&nbsp; I'm learning how to trust and let go, because he has to catch me.&nbsp; [laughs]&nbsp; I love the wardrobe department.&nbsp; That's probably one of my favorite things.&nbsp; That's actually what keeps me rehearsing hard, because...a theme for a new costume every week and jumping into a new character.&nbsp; The way they put it together entails three days per week.&nbsp; You have an initial fitting and a meeting, discussing your style of dance, what kind of color schemes you'd like to wear, you get to be a part of that process.&nbsp; You have a secondary fitting where you have the template and blue print of the dress, and then you have a final fitting on Sundays.&nbsp; The day before the show.&nbsp; Where all of the stones are encrusted and you get to see things tailor made to your body.&nbsp; And alterations take place too, if something's out of place.&nbsp; But that is the most incredible process, next to the choreography that makes you come alive.&nbsp; [laughs]&nbsp; I really love that part.



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Is there a particular move that has been difficult for you?

Painful?&nbsp; There have been too many.&nbsp; But I can tell you there have been the most bruises, I counted twenty-seven bruises just on my legs only on the Argentine tango week...I have never seen so many bruises on my body before.&nbsp; That was just because of the foot work.&nbsp; But it was worth it.&nbsp; It came out good.&nbsp; [laughs]

Any plans for a new album?

Yes.&nbsp; I have my own label now.&nbsp; It's called &ldquo;Planet Nine&rdquo;.&nbsp; And I just released a mix tape, on September 29th.&nbsp; It's called &ldquo;Beauty and the Streets Volume 1&rdquo; for all of my hip hop/R&amp;B fans.&nbsp; And then I have several albums on the way in 2010 that I've already recorded.&nbsp; And I have some music on the way before Christmas as well.




Finally, what are you doing to step up your game for the final part of the Dancing with the Stars competition?

Geez.&nbsp; Well, prayer.&nbsp; [laughs]&nbsp; This is the only night that I'm going out.&nbsp; Tonight.&nbsp; Complete sacrifice.&nbsp; We've set up beds in the studio and I'm now having a food company deliver food to the studio so that I don't have to waste any hours going out to eat and being lazy.&nbsp; Just dedicating every hour of my time to rehearsals, because we have four numbers, not just three or two or one this week.&nbsp; It's going to be quite a test for all of us.&nbsp; But I'm excited.

The Dancing with the Stars Performance Show airs Monday, November 23rd at 8/7c on ABC.


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