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‘Riverdale’ – Mädchen Amick and Marisol Nichols Interview

By
Rebecca Murray
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Riverdale stars Madchen Amick and Marisol Nichols
Mädchen Amick and Marisol Nichols pose on ‘Riverdale’s red carpet at WonderCon (Photos by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

The cast of The CW’s Riverdale hit the stage at the 2017 WonderCon on March 31, 2017 to talk about the first season of the Archie Comics-inspired series. While the major storyline has followed the investigation into the murder of Jason Blossom, the first season has also been parceling out details on the key players who inhabit the town of Riverdale. Among those whose characters have particularly juicy storylines thus far are Mädchen Amick and Marisol Nichols who play Alice Cooper and Hermione Lodge, respectively. In addition to the Q&A with fans, Amick and Nichols were paired up for roundtable interviews in which they discussed what’s coming up on season one and their hopes for Alice and Hermione.

Are you enjoying playing the tension between your two characters in season one?

Mädchen Amick: “Yes, it’s been fun. The only thing I regret is when Hermione worked at Pop’s as a waitress, I really wanted Alice to come in and just give it to her, just make her order really [hard]. Just really rub it in her face but she’s moving on to other jobs so whatever.”

Marisol Nichols: “Sorry!”

What was your knowledge of Archie to begin with?

Marisol Nichols: “I knew Archie from, honestly, gum wrappers. The Bazooka Joe where you’d take the gum and it’d be either Archie, Betty, or Veronica. I was like, ‘Oh, cool!’ I didn’t realize how long the comic book had been around, for so long and new iterations of it and all of that. When I heard that they were making a show I thought that was cool, but I didn’t think I’d have anything to do with it. And then honestly when I went in, Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] – he sold me on the show. His passion for it and how he explained it, dark and this and that and what they were going to do with the adult characters, it was like that’s a show I’d watch so I’m in.”


Mädchen Amick: “I’ll admit that I was a little skeptical of how they might bring it to life. You always worry a little bit when they bring sort of an animated thing to life how they’re going to do it, but once again Roberto was so impressive, so passionate. He grounded the characters and made them so relevant that I thought it was brilliant and I was super excited to play. His ideas for Alice…I just was like, ‘Yep! Sign me up.'”

I love how they’re gradually feeding us backstories on the characters, and especially on the parents. Will we learn a lot more by the end of the season on both of your characters?

Mädchen Amick: “Yes.”

Anything you can tease?

Mädchen Amick: “I’m teasing that [Marisol’s] got a major reveal towards the end of the season which I was shocked by.”

Marisol Nichols: “I was, too.”

Mädchen Amick: “And then just you’re going to find more of Alice Cooper’s history and why she acts the way she does. She’s got a lot of drama and a lot of history.”

Marisol Nichols: “Yeah, we do. And you understand Alice a lot better and I think Hermione just confuses everybody more.”

Mädchen Amick: “That’s the thing. The more we understand Alice Cooper and why she does what she does, all of a sudden we’re thrown to, ‘Wait a minute…Hermione, what?!'”

Hermione’s big reveal that’s coming up, is it from the past when she was in Riverdale or when she was in New York?

Marisol Nichols: “This brings everything that you’ve heard so far as far as New York – Hiram, prison, what you’ve seen, what you’ve heard about how she’s trying to turn over a new leaf – you’re going to see a lot of the old Hermione and how she got to where she was married to this powerful man come full circle. But, it’s good. It’s like she said. I was like, ‘What?!’ I was like, ‘Does this work? All right.'”

Speaking of changes, what’s going to happen moving forward between Betty and her mom? Was episode eight a turning point?

Mädchen Amick: “Yeah, that was a big turning point for them and I think that you start to realize there are times when Betty is the adult in the relationship. I think we’ve all gone through that with our parents. You know, there’s those moments when you’re being parented and all of a sudden you have to step up and be there for your parent. And, yeah, there’s a lot that gets revealed. I think you feel for Alice a little bit more the more you understand her history and why she is the way she is. So, yeah, I think that’s a turning point. It was a really fun episode.”

Do the scripts really shock you?

Mädchen Amick and Marisol Nichols, jointly: “Yes!”

Mädchen Amick: “There was one in particular from that point forward it was like a roller coaster.”

Marisol Nichols: “12 and 13.”

Mädchen Amick: “12 and 13. Literally the actors were flushed in the room during the table read. Like, ‘Whoa, this is intense!'”

Someone else is going to die this season, however if your characters live, what would you like to see happen?

Mädchen Amick: “I’m really rooting for Alice to unbutton her shirt a little bit and maybe have like a wild night out. Maybe with girls…maybe with a guy, I’m just saying. I have an idea! Maybe Alice could have a night fling with Jughead’s dad. I’m just putting it out there. It may be fun and then she has to do the walk of shame home. I’m just saying.”

Marisol Nichols: “Can Hermione be watching her while she does the walk of shame home?”

Mädchen Amick: “Yes!”

Marisol Nichols: “For Hermione, I doubt this is going to happen but if I had it my way, she would finally put Hiram in his place, tear that down, take over her family, and do what she really just wants to just do and be. But I doubt that will happen.”

Watch the full Marisol Nichols and Mädchen Amick Riverdale interview:





‘Anne’ Debuts a New Poster and Trailer

By
Rebecca Murray
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Anne Poster

Netflix has just released the official poster and trailer for the dramatic series, Anne. The upcoming series is based on the classic novel Anne of Green Gables and stars Amybeth McNulty (“Anne Shirley Cuthbert”), Geraldine James (“Marilla Cuthbert”), and R.H. Thomson (“Matthew Cuthbert”). Flesh and Bone‘s Moira Walley-Beckett is the showrunner and executive produces along with Miranda De Pencier (Beginners). Netflix will debut the series on May 12, 2017.


The Plot: Anne is a coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and many challenges, fights for love and acceptance and her place in the world. Set in Prince Edward Island in the late 1890s, the series centers on Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty), a young orphaned girl who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an aging sister and brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform the lives of Marilla (Geraldine James) and Matthew Cuthbert (R.H. Thomson) and eventually the entire small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination. Anne’s adventures will reflect timeless and topical issues including themes of identity, feminism, bullying and prejudice.

Watch the Anne trailer:





‘The Magicians’ – Jason Ralph and Stella Maeve Interview on Season 2, a Dragon, and Finding Happiness

By
Rebecca Murray
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The Magicians Stella Maeve and Jason Ralph
Stella Maeve as Julia and Jason Ralph as Quentin in ‘The Magicians’ (Photo by Eike Schroter/Syfy)

Syfy’s The Magicians managed a feat most shows can’t pull off: it avoided the sophomore slump. Season two of The Magicians, which airs on Wednesdays at 9pm ET/PT, is just as engaging as season one of the fantasy series. Based on the novels by Lev Grossman, The Magicians stars Jason Ralph as Quentin Coldwater, Stella Maeve as Julia, Olivia Taylor Dudley as Alice, Hale Appleman as Eliot, Arjun Gupta as Penny, Summer Bishil as Margo, Rick Worthy as Dean Fogg, and Jade Tailor as Kady.

Syfy brought stars Jason Ralph and Stella Maeve, along with executive producers Sera Gamble and John McNamara, to the 2017 WonderCon in Anaheim where they participated in a packed panel. Prior to participating in the Q&A with fans, Ralph and Maeve teamed up to talk about the series in our exclusive interview. The interview took place on April Fool’s Day, so it was only appropriate we kicked off with a joke about what’s in store in upcoming episodes.


So the next episode is going to be an all-musical episode with Quentin and Julia singing and dancing?

Jason Ralph: “Yeah. Actually season three is going to be one big musical. It’s going to be an operetta.”

Stella Maeve: “Ballads will be sung.”

Wouldn’t that be kind of fun after all the darkness you’ve had to go through?

Stella Maeve: “Yeah, but I want it to be rock. […]The Talking Heads, we could do a rendition.”

Is Julia being driven just by revenge at this point or has it evolved into something else?

Stella Maeve: “Yeah, I think it’s easy to mask it as revenge but I don’t think that that’s really what it is. I think that she’s just trying to find a way to repair the damage that has been done and heal herself and sort of fill this hole and this void. Julia’s journey…she believes that by finding Reynard and killing him, that will give her the solace and maybe she can be whole again. I think she is hopeful that it can give her some peace of mind.”

Can she be hopeful without her shade?

Stella Maeve: “The shade is a tricky little guy. The lines are really blurred. It was hard to understand the guidelines of the shade. I even had trouble with it. It was sort of very open. It contradicts certain things, and then other elements it doesn’t. It’s a very sort of like grey area. I think that apparently what it is supposed to do is sort of give you a lack…”

Jason Ralph: “At its core.”

Stella Maeve: “Yeah, at its core give you a lack of empathy or sort of skew your subconscious or your conscious, even, into being able to pick what the right thing to do is and the moral thing to do is, and then what the instantanous thing to do is. It’s hard; it’s tricky.”

Jason Ralph: “It doesn’t necessarily make one a bad person or a bad guy, or like a villain.”

Stella Maeve: “It’s just a lack of regard of the people that you’re affecting around you.”

It’s interesting there’s so much grey area in this series. There isn’t really black and white, although there are a few villains.

Jason Ralph: “We do set them up to be understood from a broader perspective, so it is tricky. It’s like is the Beast a villain? He is at his core a little boy trying to stay in a place where he feels safe and doing anything to do that. And so you can’t fault that, necessarily. I mean, it sucks because it’s at odds with what we want.”

Stella Maeve: “That doesn’t make it wrong.”

Jason Ralph: “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. Which is nice, which is true to the world that we’re in right now.”

It must be really interesting to get the scripts not knowing which direction storylines are going.

Stella Maeve: “It’s interesting, for sure. There are times when we’ve been on the phone and we’re like, ‘What?!’ Jason’s like, ‘I’m walking laps around my apartment. I’m reading the script,’ and we’re like, ‘We’re going to do this!’ We never know. We never know what we’re going to get next.”

Jason Ralph: “We have the novels that are sort of like the base, the inspiration to draw from. So, a lot of that process of reading the scripts is like, ‘Oh, okay. Awesome, this is that part of the book that I love. Amazing. How can I invest and make this a more full experience or as a full of an experience as I have as a reader?'”

Stella Maeve: “He brings the novels to set, and it’s great. It’s nice to be able to infuse the two. Even if something is not written in the script for the show, it’s nice to pull from the book.”

The Magicians Stella Maeve and Jason Ralph
Stella Maeve as Julia and Jason Ralph as Quentin in ‘The Magicians’ (Photo by: Eike Schroter/Syfy)

Is it possible for Quentin to be happy? Does he even know what he’s searching for at this point?

Jason Ralph: “His is a process of self-discovery. Like, what does happiness mean? I don’t know what that means. I think he had very specific ideas of what happiness would be and how he would achieve that, and in achieving all of those steps along the way he still found himself unhappy, unsatisfied mostly. I think this season has been a journey of looking inward. And so, maybe, in some way.”

Stella Maeve: “That’s a good question though, because that’s what the books question. It’s kind of like can you ever really fully find happiness always, continuously? You know what I mean?”

Jason Ralph: “Because what is that? What does that mean?”

Stella Maeve: “Exactly. It’s undefined.”

And next up is the dragon. What did you interact with on set?

Jason Ralph: “Nothing. Not even a tennis ball. Well, no, we had an X on the wall, remember?”

Stella Maeve: “We did. We had a neon X. We had a green neon X and then a neon orange X.”

Jason Ralph: “Yeah, depending on where the dragon was. At different points we would look at a certain X. But at the time, the day before shooting had been cancelled because she was so sick.”

Stella Maeve: “Deathly ill.”

Jason Ralph: “She couldn’t do anything.”

Stella Maeve: “The underworld scene we were both [sick].”

Jason Ralph: “Yeah, that whole episode I was dying of the flu. That whole scene we were just trying to stand up.”

Stella Maeve: “It was hard.”

Jason Ralph: “And not be coughing.”

They couldn’t just give you time off?

Jason Ralph: [Laughing] “I know, but time is money. So, I don’t even remember most of that. I was so high on DayQuil, just like rubbing oil of oregano…”

Stella Maeve: “I heard you got an oil rub! I never got one of those!”

Jason Ralph: “Literally everyone on set had a different remedy for this cold, so they were all slipping me their things. I just had so many vitamins and oils and drugs.”

You could have gotten worse mixing all this stuff together.

Jason Ralph: [Laughing] “Maybe.”

Stella Maeve: “We had homemade chicken noodle soup.”

Jason Ralph: “Dani made the best chicken noodle soup I’ve ever had in my entire life. I can’t tell if maybe because I was high…”

Stella Maeve: “No, no, no. It was really good.”

You have to have it when you’re not high and compare it and see if it’s still the same.

Jason Ralph: “She sent me the recipe.”

Are you a cook?

Jason Ralph: “I love to cook. I grill and cook. I research recipes online, do the whole thing.”

If there’s a season three, what do you hope for your characters?

Stella Maeve: “I’d like to see Julia and Quentin, much as the books, maybe go on their journey. Maybe with the ship. I’d like to see it sort of follow that storyline. I’d like to see more Fillory and some of the aspects that that has with the talking animals.”

Have they hinted to you at all that that might be coming up?

Stella Maeve: “No.”

Jason Ralph: “We don’t know anything. The season ends with a really big cliffhanger.”

Have you been keeping track of what fans say online about your characters? What do you think about the reactions on social media?

Stella Maeve: “I love the love, the positive reinforcements. Some fans are making incredible fan art. They’re painting pictures and drawing us. That’s so cool. It’s such an honor. It’s incredible. Very, very cool. Anything that gets you going and inspires you and makes you want to create is very cool. Very impressive.”

And there’s the controversy surrounding the abortion storyline and the fact that she lost her shade immediately after that. How did you interpret that?

Stella Maeve: “Honestly, I can’t judge the material. I’m literally just the puppet from the puppeteers, you know? Whether or not I understand or agree or disagree, I kind of just have to leave my own stuff at the door and do what’s on the page. I am powerless in that sense.

As far as the rape went, that was something that was in the novels. That was to be expected. That was something that I prepared for and was aware of. It was very important to me to handle that as if it was a real rape and to be able to create a forum where people felt safe. And teaming up with RAINN and having their call center run a PSA after the episode aired, I have had a lot of people come up and connect with me on that and say that it really helped them. That’s all I can ask for, to be able to have that forum. That meant the world to me. That was great.”

Jason Ralph: “I think a lot of the characters on the show go through traumatic things and are dealing with a lot of real world problems. I think, especially as performers, we’re careful not to prescribe right or wrong answers. These are the experiences that these particular people had and how they’re dealing with it. With the rape and with depression and how they are depicted, it’s like none of these are answers. They are just these people’s journeys.”

Episode 10 showed Quentin and Julia are coming back together a little more as friends. Are we going to see more of that moving forward?

Jason Ralph: “Yeah, I think so. It seems that way.”

Stella Maeve: “Yay!”

Jason Ralph: “Yeah, I think we’ll have an epic adventure together.”

Stella Maeve: “I hope so.”

Watch the full interview with The Magicians stars Jason Ralph and Stella Maeve:





‘Riverdale’ – K.J. Apa and Luke Perry Interview on the Murderer, Music and Season 1

By
Rebecca Murray
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Riverdale stars K.J. Apa and Luke Perry
K.J. Apa and Luke Perry from ‘Riverdale’ pose at WonderCon (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

The CW’s Riverdale is currently airing season one on Thursday nights at 9pm ET/PT, with Archie and his friends caught up in trying to figure out who murdered Jason Blossom while also balancing school, music, and normal high school relationships. The dramatic series based on the popular Archie Comics has already earned a second season renewal and with season one still in full swing, the cast made the trek to WonderCon in Anaheim to discuss the series and their characters.

Luke Perry (‘Fred Andrews’) and K.J. Apa (‘Archie Andrews’) were paired up for roundtable interviews to talk about their father/son relationship, delving into backstories, and what happened when they found out who was the murderer.

Luke Perry and K.J. Apa Interview:

How much more will Riverdale dive into the relationship between Archie and his dad, Fred?

Luke Perry: “You know, as the relationship continues to develop, when we get closer to that time in a student’s life where they’re a senior and big life changes are coming, our relationship is going to roll with some of these punches. We’ll see what the changes are.”


Are they going to delve more into Fred’s history?

Luke Perry: “I don’t know. I think so. One of the great things about Riverdale is the parents all went to school together. It’s a multi-generational kind of dysfunction. A lot of history everywhere.”

K.J. Apa: “Little things pop up all the time.”

Luke Perry: “They will. Yeah, there’s going to be lots of little historical stuff. You know, in the first 13 episodes they were just trying to show great stories. Now it’s going to be a little more character-driven. We’ll get into that.”

Riverdale stars K.J. Apa and Luke Perry
K.J. Apa and Luke Perry from ‘Riverdale’ pose at WonderCon (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Are we going to be exploring a lot more of Archie’s music in the coming episodes?

K.J. Apa: “Definitely, for sure. Archie performs a duet with an unexpected person this season as well. Yeah, I think the music element is Archie’s…he decided what his passion was over the summer and he went with it. [Exchanging a look with Luke.] He’s gutted about the football, just like my old man was gutted that I stopped playing rugby.”

He’s doing a duet with an unexpected person? Is it a character we currently know?

K.J. Apa: “Yeah.”

Luke Perry: “Well said, son. Yeah.”

It could be a him or her?

Luke Perry: “We’re not gender-specific in Riverdale. We let the men sing, the women sing. Everybody gets a little music.”

Will Fred’s relationship with Hermione (played by Marisol Nichols) continue to grow?

Luke Perry: “I hope so. There’s room there for growth. I mean, they can be friends, take long walks on the beach and stuff. All kinds of stuff…”

Will we learn more about their past together?

Luke Perry: “Yes, and certainly Alice and Fred have a past. Fred and Hal have a past. Like I said, it’s this great thing about Riverdale. You peel this onion and peel it and peel it – everybody’s got a past and we’re going to get to all of them.”

What was your reaction when you found out who the murderer was?

Luke Perry: “I couldn’t believe it. We all had the same reaction because, of course, it’s one of us. And so we were sitting there…”

K.J. Apa: “I think he couldn’t believe it.”

Luke Perry: “We’re all reading it and you flip that page and it drops on you like, ‘Oh man…Oh god!’ We can’t tell you who it was but the moment for all of us was just crazy.”

You didn’t have it figured out in advance?

Luke Perry: “No. And that’s what is so great about it; none of us did. We literally all had to turn the page and you see the reaction around the room. It was great.”

K.J. Apa: “Yeah.”

Can you see it now as you’re watching the episodes?

Luke Perry: “No.”

How many times before reading it did you think you had figured it out?

K.J. Apa: “I kind of knew. I kind of knew who it was, who the person was. I remember asking one of the writers on set and he laughed and walked away, so I immediately knew that it was that person.”

Luke Perry: “I never did because one of my favorite things about these kind of shows is the not knowing. I’m along for the mystery, too. I don’t want to know. When they’re filming stuff, I don’t go and watch. I prefer to not know.”

So then what was your reaction when you found out about the second character who’s going to die?

Luke Perry: “I felt it was too soon for them, yet at the same time they deserved it.”

K.J. Apa: “Second character question mark.”

Luke Perry: “It was too soon but they had it coming.”

Where is Archie’s relationship with Valerie (played by Hayley Law) going to go?

K.J. Apa: “Yeah, I think Archie does… That relationship was founded on the music, the musical side of it. She’s a brilliant musician and she wants to get into the musical stuff, and that’s how they kind of get their connection going. Yeah, it gets interesting between them.”

Luke Perry: “And she’s a brilliant musician – Hayley is.”

K.J. Apa: “Yeah, she is. She writes her own music as well.”

Luke Perry: “That’s what’s neat about how they put this cast together. They can all really do it, so when they do it they do it.”

Watch the full K.J. Apa and Luke Perry interview:




‘Falling Water’ Earns a Second Season from USA Network

By
Rebecca Murray
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Falling Water Cast
Will Yun Lee as Taka, David Ajala as Burton, Bryson Williams as The Boy, and Lizzie Brochere as Tess in ‘Falling Water’ (Photo by Craig Blankenhorn/USA Network)

USA Network is bringing back the dramatic series Falling Water for a second season. The network just announced the renewal and announced Rémi Aubuchon (Falling Skies) will take on showrunner duties for season two. A premiere date hasn’t been confirmed, however USA Network did say the second season will kick off later this year.

The series is executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead) of Valhalla Entertainment, Blake Masters (Brotherhood), the late Henry Bromell (Homeland), and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later). The cast of Falling Water includes David Ajala (Fast & Furious 6), Will Yun Lee (Hawaii 5-0), and Lizzie Brochere (American Horror Story: Asylum).


“Falling Water turns the traditional dramatic thriller on its head by tapping into the power of something we all have access to: dreams,” stated Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “We look forward to continuing this bold, completely unique story.”

“With its striking visuals and stylized narrative, Falling Water creates a world where dreams have a dramatic impact on reality,” added Jeff Wachtel, President, Chief Content Officer, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “Gale and Blake executed a thought-provoking and resonant first season. We’re delighted to welcome Rémi to the creative team – and we can’t wait to see where he takes us next.”

The Plot: Season two of Falling Water follows three unrelated people whose worlds collide when they discover newfound abilities to manipulate dreams – and by extension, the dreamers themselves. They must now determine how to use their gifts once they realize the fate of the world rests with them.




‘The Goldbergs’ – Wendi McLendon-Covey, Jeff Garlin and Kevin Smith Talk Batman Episode

By
Fred Topel
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The Goldbergs Cast Photo
Jeff Garlin as Murray Goldberg, Hayley Orrantia as Erica Goldberg, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Beverly Goldberg, George Segal as Pops Solomon, Sean Giambrone as Adam Goldberg and Troy Gentile as Barry Goldberg in ‘The Goldbergs’ (ABC/Bob D’Amico)

ABC’s The Goldbergs will be airing a Batman-themed episode on April 5, 2017 titled ‘The Dynamic Duo.’ Season four episode 20 was directed by none other than massive comic book/Batman fan, Kevin Smith, and Smith, Wendi McLendon-Covey (‘Beverly Goldberg’), and Jeff Garlin (‘Murray Goldberg’) were more than happy to talk about the episode at the 2017 WonderCon in Anaheim.

Director Kevin Smith explained that ‘The Dynamic Duo’ episode will feature Pops (George Segal) and Adam (Sean Giambrone) going to see Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989, although the year will never be mentioned on the show. “They go see Batman and there’s obviously a culture difference. For Pops, Batman is Adam West and it’s all fun and games.

For Adam, Batman is Michael Keaton and it’s dark. He’s the Dark Knight. So, we get to play on some of those tropes,” said Smith. “Meanwhile, the storyline with Erica (Hayley Orrantia) is that Erica is facing the fact that she wants to go to a college and she’s not going to get into the college she wants to get into. She kind of blows her college entrance on this other college that she doesn’t want to go to. But, really, it’s all about Batman.”

Asked if Batman to him is Michael Keaton or Adam West, Smith replied, “Michael Keaton. I love Adam West because he was my Batman when I was a kid, but Michael Keaton was at a time when as a comic book fan you never thought you would see that. You thought you would see iterations of the ‘bam, piff, pow’ Batman. And suddenly they gave us a movie where, if you can believe it or not, we were like, ‘It’s so dark!’ When you look at Tim Burton’s Batman now it’s not very dark, but it seemed like it by comparison. So I was a big comic book fan at that point – as I still am – but it was like finally this is representation of what Batman really is…even though he used a gun which he doesn’t really.”

“The Adam West Batman which I loved was the Batman of the generation prior, the late ’60s and stuff, so I got to watch it on reruns,” offered Smith. “But Tim Burton’s Batman more specifically Michael Keaton’s Batman, that was my first Batman. Other than the cartoons and stuff, that was the one where I’m like, ‘Oh my god, it represents everything we thought this character was.’

Smith added, “The beauty of Keaton’s performance too was like he doesn’t have the physical bearing that a Batfleck does. Ben Affleck just looks a f*cking wall with a cape on. Michael Keaton looked like Mr. Mom, but they have that cool idea of stick him in the suit. Batman doesn’t have to be a wall of muscle; he’s a mind. He’s a great detective. He’s the world’s greatest detective so put him in a suit. He has to be well trained but he doesn’t have to be ripped upon ripped. So that made a Batman that we could all get our heads around where it’s like, ‘Oh, you don’t have to be impossibly in shape. By that token, if I could fit into that suit I could be Batman.’

So, the Michael Keaton Batman was my fav. I love Ben and stuff, and he’s playing him now, but the emotional connection that I have to the Keaton Batman is pretty intense. When I think of that Batman, that was before I ever wanted to be a filmmaker.”

Wendi McLendon-Covey remembers when Tim Burton’s Batman came out in 1989 thinking that it was a game-changer. “That was the first time that the phrase ‘blockbuster’ really meant anything to me because I remember Raiders and Star Wars and all those things being a big deal, but this with Prince doing your music and a cast that every single person is an A-lister and every one of them is actually bringing something to the table – it’s not always like that. Now they just stack names in. This was just so perfect and Kim Basinger was just aspirational. We all wanted to look like Vicki Vale. It was just so sexy. The whole movie was just so sexy, and it was a comic book. You know what I mean? It really flipped it on its head. That’s how I remember perceiving it.”

Jeff Garlin was in Chicago when Tim Burton’s Batman came out. “I very much enjoyed it mostly because of Michael Keaton. The idea that somebody who started out as a comic could become this… I followed his career very closely. I was always a huge fan of his even before I started in comedy, so I was very excited with Michael Keaton. I enjoyed it. I don’t watch it anymore. I have no desire to see it,” explained Garlin. “The ones that I watch over and over are the Christian Bale ones. The first one is the one that I love. The other two have things in them that are great. They’re worth watching.”

“I hate comic book movies,” confessed Garlin. “I love the original Batman TV series. So let’s say they’ve made 30 comic book movies, maybe two or three I’ve enjoyed and the rest I hate because I love comic books so much so it just… Here’s the thing with comic books, a well written comic book – it’s all there. It’s like watching a movie. It’s all there. So why do they want to take it and market it? It’s all marketing, man. It’s nothing to do with the story or caring. And by the way, the action scenes from one of these movies to the other are all interchangeable. Never do you go, ‘Oh my god!’ Remember this also: I’m an old man and I might be cynical when it comes to comic book movies, so don’t listen to me that much.”

[Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.]




‘Imaginary Mary’ – Jenna Elfman and Stephen Schneider Interview

By
Fred Topel
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Imaginary Mary stars Jenna Elfman and Stephen Schneider
(Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

ABC introduced the new half-hour relationship comedy Imaginary Mary on March 29, 2017, with Jenna Elfman (Damages) starring as a single woman who finds herself freaking out when she finally meets her steady boyfriend Ben’s children. As a way to cope with the situation, her imaginary childhood friend – Mary – shows up to give her life advice.

Imaginary Mary airs on ABC on Tuesday nights at 9:30pm and in support of the show’s first season, stars Jenna Elfman and Stephen Schneider (You’re the Worst) took part in the 2017 WonderCon held the weekend of March 31-April 2 in Anaheim. In addition to participating in a panel, Elfman and Schneider teamed up for roundtable interviews to discuss their new comedy.

Schneider recalled that during the chemistry reads, he was 15 minutes late because he was stuck in traffic. He thought he’d blown it but the read went great, and they seemed to instantly connect. Schneider discovered that night he got the part and just a couple of days later they were in Vancouver filming the pilot. Schneider says that after he arrived in Vancouver, Elfman reached out an invited him on a walk to get to know each other. “From that point forward, we became friends,” said Schneider.


Elfman said she totally fell in love with Schneider’s humanity during that walk and was appreciative of just how funny Stephen is. “He’s so truly, sincerely funny,” explained Elfman. “As a woman, to find a leading man that you can be romantic with who’s truly funny is really hard to find. I was so grateful that they cast such a great guy.”

Asked who has the more challenging job when it comes to interacting with the character, Mary, Schneider said it’s much more difficult for Elfman than for him. “She’s got to juggle all these different focal points and whatnot. I just have to pretend that I don’t see it,” offered Schneider. “I just have to keep my eye on the prize.”

“We rehearse with a puppet and a puppeteer, and so as with any rehearsal you’re figuring out where you go in the scene,” revealed Elfman. “You do the exact same rehearsal process with the puppet in figuring out where Mary’s going to move in the scene. We film one take with the puppet so the animators have a point of reference of where she moves in the scene in real life, in the real space. And then they take her away and I just have my memory of her moves, and do comedy with everybody else and her. So, it was quite the challenge. I think I did okay the first season but I realize there’s even so much more I could do.”

So what can we expect in the upcoming episodes now that Mary is back in Alice’s life? “As Alice evolves as a woman in this relationship and learning how to integrate into a family, Mary evolves because she’s part of Alice’s mind. So, we have some definite storylines there and the season finale’s…it’s incredible. The whole season’s great but the season finale there’s a lot to it and it’s pretty cool.”

Watch the full interview with Jenna Elfman and Stephen Schneider from Imaginary Mary:

[Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.]




‘The Walking Dead’ Season 7 Episode 16 Recap and Review: The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

By
Kevin Finnerty
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The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 16
Lennie James as Morgan Jones and Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in ‘The Walking Dead’ season 7 finale (Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC)

“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life,” says Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) as he prepares to tell her his plan to get things back on track in season seven episode 16 of AMC’s The Walking Dead.

As the season seven finale begins, Sasha is in darkness, holding still and listening to music on an iPod. There’s a flashback to Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) waking Sasha from a dream on the day they’re about to go with Rick to take Maggie to the doctor at Hilltop. The scene changes to Negan delivering breakfast and bringing her up to speed on what he has in store for Rick and the Alexandrians, and how he’ll get things back on track. Negan tells her that a few people will die – but not her. He reveals Lucille will take three. Sasha tells Negan no one has to die, but Negan is adamant punishment is necessary. Sasha still resists, so he offers to only kill one instead. Sasha agrees to only one dying.

Back at Alexandria, Dwight (Austin Amelio) is trying to convince everyone that everything he did for Negan was always for someone else. Daryl (Norman Reedus) stands just inches from Dwight, holding a large knife nearly touching Dwight’s face. Daryl knows Dwight’s talking about the same person who let him go and she’s gone now so he wants Negan dead. Dwight says Daryl knows him and that he’s telling the truth. Tara (Alanna Masterson) tells Daryl to kill him, but he doesn’t. Dwight tells Rick that Negan is coming tomorrow with some Saviors and that he can go out and cut down some trees to give them time to get ready.

“Keep talking,” says Rick (Andrew Lincoln). As Dwight drives off to do what he said, Daryl tells Rick no matter if he’s lying or not he’s going to kill Dwight when it’s all over.

At the Hilltop, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) is talking to Jesus (Tom Payne) and is thinking about leading a group to join in the fight at Alexandria, even though Rick wants the Hilltop to stay back as reserves. Jesus is happy Maggie’s making decisions for the Hilltop now since Gregory left, but whatever she decides she has to decide soon.

Over at the Kingdom, Carol (Melissa McBride) is in battle gear and heads out with King Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and his army to join in the fight at Alexandria. As they’re leaving, they come across Morgan (Lennie James) who’s also dressed for war, but he wants to go on his own. Both Carol and Ezekiel talk to Morgan and convince him to join them, promising together they’ll make sure Negan’s reign of evil and tyranny comes to an end.

At Alexandria, Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) and her junkyard people show up to get their guns and join in the fight against the Saviors. Rosita (Christian Serratos) takes some explosives and builds a bomb to use during the fight. Jadis ticks off Michonne (Danai Gurira) when she asks if Rick is hers. After Michonne confirms they’re together, Jadis declares she will lie with Rick after they win. Michonne, angry, wants them to just get to work and prepare for battle.

Negan and his Saviors come across a roadblock created by some downed trees and suspect Rick is on to their visit. Eugene (Josh McDermitt) asks if Negan will let him go on ahead and see if he can get Rick and his group to stand down to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. Negan smiles and agrees.

Flashback to Abraham and Sasha talking about taking Maggie to the Hilltop, and Sasha tells Abraham she had a dream where he died. She says she wants them to stay put and not go to the Hilltop. Cut to Eugene escorting Sasha to get ready to help Negan put things right and telling her he’s glad she didn’t take the poison.

At Alexandria, everyone is in position when Eugene shows up and tells Rick he needs to stand down, that the jig is up. “Where’s Negan?” asks a disappointed Rick. “I’m Negan,” replies Eugene which causes Rick, Carl (Chandler Riggs), and Rosita to be both sad and determined. Rick gives Rosita the signal to set off the bomb, only it doesn’t go off. Rick and his group have been betrayed by Jadis and her people. (Seriously, who didn’t see that coming?!) Turns out she made a deal with Negan and is the little birdie he told Sasha about. All her people turn their guns on Rick’s group, instructing them to drop their weapons.

Negan appears and gloats about how dumb and pathetic Rick is, and then he has Dwight and Simon (Steven Ogg) bring out a large coffin, telling Rick that Sasha is inside. Negan goes on to tell Rick that he wants all their guns, all their lemonade, a person for Lucille, Daryl, and the pool table – or Sasha dies. “Let me see her,” replies Rick.

Another flashback shows Abraham kissing Sasha and telling her Maggie is carrying the future. He finally gets her to agree to go and help Rick take Maggie to the Hilltop. Next up is another flashback to Eugene giving Sasha an iPod with music to listen to while she’s in the coffin on the drive over to Alexandria. Sasha tells Eugene she hasn’t given up on him. Negan walks up and says to Sasha, “I know how tough this is and I want you to know I appreciate it.” On the drive over as Sasha thinks about her last private moments with Abraham and listening to the music, she takes the poison Eugene gave her a few days earlier.

When Negan opens the coffin to show Rick that Sasha’s alive, hungry walker Sasha comes out and attacks a very surprised Negan! This is exactly the diversion Rick and his team needs to open fire and begin fighting the Saviors. Rick turns to Jadis and tells her they can work out another deal but she just shoots him in his side and knocks him off the tower. Negan is wrestling with walker Sasha and is saved by a loyal Savior who ends up having his face eaten by Sasha. (You go get ’em, Sasha!)

During the battle, Michonne gets into a hand-to-hand fight with one of Jadis’ people who seems to be winning. As the shots slow and the smoke clears, it becomes obvious the Saviors are winning. Negan starts gloating again and taunting Rick who he forces to his knees by Carl’s side. Negan tells Rick he’s going to kill Carl with Lucille and after that destroy Rick’s hands. Rick replies, “You’re already dead.” As Negan prepares to bash in poor Carl’s head, Ezekiel’s tiger Shiva attacks and scares the hell out of Negan! Carol, Morgan, and Ezekiel arrive along with Maggie and her people from the Hilltop to save the day, with Ezekiel yelling, “Alexandria will not fall, not on this day!”

The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 16
Katelyn Nacon as Enid, Tom Payne as Paul ‘Jesus’ Rovia, Lennie James as Morgan Jones, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene, and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in ‘The Walking Dead’ (Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC)

The fight continues with Carol, Daryl, Morgan, Maggie, and many of their friends driving both the Saviors and Jadis and her people out, making them retreat. After the battle, Rick and Carl search for Michonne who they thought cried out as she lost the fight with Jadis’ follower. When they get there, they find the lifeless body of the junkyard person. Rick and Carl enter their house and find a badly beaten Michonne barely conscious. Rick hugs her. (Never doubted Michonne for a second.)

Back at the Sanctuary, Negan asks Eugene how Sasha died and Eugene tells him she must have run out of air. “Maybe,” responds Negan as he turns to tell his army of Saviors they’re going to war.

In the final montage of scenes, Daryl finds a toy soldier with the words “didn’t know” on the back. Maggie and Jesus track down walker Sasha and put her down, and Maggie delivers a speech to everyone. Maggie also tells Rick that it all started with him and Glenn so long ago. “You were trapped. You were in trouble. Glenn didn’t know you, but he helped you. He risked his life for you and that started it all. Because Glenn was there for you that day, it changed everything.” Maggie goes on to say how they’ve become a family who sacrifices for each other and it’s all because of that day so long ago when Glenn helped Rick. She ends by saying, “Glenn made the decision, Rick. I was just following his lead.”

The Walking Dead Season 7 Finale Review:

Suspenseful, action-packed, and touching, episode 16 titled “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life” finally delivered the big battle The Walking Dead fans have been waiting for between Rick and Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom against Negan and his Saviors. It also showed the supreme sacrifice from Sasha whose death and transformation into a walker was the distraction needed to save Rick and Alexandria, buying them the time they needed until the Hilltop and the Kingdom could arrive.

There were a few stand-out performances in this episode. Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan had a terrific episode, going from being his cocky and arrogant usual self to surprise and even fear when he has to wrestle with walker Sasha and discovers the other groups have teamed up with Rick. It’s a nice change to see the almost always-in-control tyrant having to scramble and make a run for his own life.

Another stand-out performance was delivered by Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha. The flashback scenes of Sasha being close and intimate with Abraham on what would turn out to be their last private moment together showed a soft and vulnerable side of Sasha which Martin-Green perfectly portrayed. At first, Sasha tried to talk Abraham out of going because of her bad dream but ultimately came to realize he was right and that their place in the group was to take chances to help others survive.

One of the best and most emotionally impactful moments in the episode was the final scene in which Maggie lays out how everything they are to each other and the fact they all have become a family started back when Glenn decided to save Rick when he was trapped inside a tank surrounded by walkers. It’s an extremely well-written and poignant scene, taking the audience all the way back to the beginning of the series.

GRADE: B+




2017 Academy of Country Music Awards Winners: Jason Aldean is Entertainer of the Year

By
Rebecca Murray
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Academy of Country Music Awards Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean on stage at the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards (Photo: Francis Specker/CBS)

Jason Aldean earned the Academy of Country Music Awards‘ highest honor, Entertainer of the Year, at the award show held on April 2, 2017. Miranda Lambert continued her winning streak by snagging the Female Vocalist award for the eight consecutive year while Thomas Rhett took home his first win in the Male Vocalist category. The 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards took place in Las Vegas and were hosted by Country superstars Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley.

Among the artists performing on the 2017 awards show were Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris, Cole Swindell and Dierks Bentley, Reba McEntire and Lauren Daigle, and Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. Backstreet Boys and Florida Georgia Line teamed up for “God, Your Mama & Me” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”


Academy of Country Music Award Winners:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Thomas Rhett

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Miranda Lambert

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Little Big Town

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
The Weight of These Wings – Miranda Lambert

SONG OF THE YEAR
“Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Forever Country” – Artists of Then, Now & Forever

NEW MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Jon Pardi

NEW FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Maren Morris

NEW VOCAL DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
May We All – Florida Georgia Line Featuring Tim McGraw

SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR
H.O.L.Y. – Florida Georgia Line

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Lori McKenna




‘Prison Break’ – Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell Interview

By
Fred Topel
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Prison Break stars Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell
‘Prison Break’ stars Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller at the 2017 WonderCon (Photo © Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Fox’s Prison Break returns on April 4, 2017 with Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell reprising their roles as Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows. The new nine-part event series also finds Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, and Rockmond Dunbar returning for the long-awaited, much-anticipated fifth season of the dramatic series which aired the season four finale back in May 2009.


Teamed up together at the 2017 WonderCon in Anaheim, CA, Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell provided a little insight into what’s in store. Miller says that reprising their roles felt both familiar and unfamiliar. “Michael Scofield is in me; he’s never going to go away, but I have changed as a man,” explained Miller. “I’m 10 years older than when we started the original series. So when I put those shoes on, the shoes may be the same but the man standing in them – he’s different.”

“That’s a very good point. I would say that going into it I had no reservations. I thought I was very familiar with Lincoln but as the words were slipping out of my mouth, I realized that I was a lot older than the last time I played him and he was slightly more grounded, different, bigger, a lot more weight just as the result of getting older and the stuff I’ve gone through personally,” added Purcell.

Miller says that with this event series, he let Michael drift farther toward the dark side. “He’d always hung out, for me, in the grayscale. He’s a good man up to something good, but a lot of people died so that [Lincoln] could go free. So by the end of the original series, it made sense to me that he laid down his life. That he paid the ultimate price to kind of make things balanced and even. When the reboot picks up it’s seven years later, he’s in this prison in Yemen and he’s almost unrecognizable. So there is kind of a pleasure, I think, in the fans anticipating these reunions but will the characters even recognize each other is the question underneath all of that.”

Asked if this is the most emotional Michael we’ve ever seen, Miller replied, “I’d like to think so. It is one of the challenges of this character is that everything is life and death. Every scene is high stakes, but Michael is the guy with the plan. He’s the guy who’s constantly MacGyver-ing some bit of business and everyone else is watching, waiting for him to hurry it up. But, he has feelings so to find moments alone where he can express what’s really going on under the surface driving all of this action is important as far as the story. It’s so satisfying as an actor to play because every once in a while you have to lose control to show control.”

Does Dominic Purcell feel like the series has come full circle now that Lincoln’s on the outside trying to get Michael out? “No, I don’t think it’s full circle.” replied Purcell. “There’s still some more to explore with the character and I think the storyline as well.”

As for where we pick up with Lincoln, Purcell says Lincoln’s always struggled with life and that intensified once Michael died. “He was lost. He couldn’t get his bearings. Michael is his compass, if you will, in life and once he lost his brother that was it. He doesn’t have the self-discipline and that tenacity, that will to … he’s a survivor but he’s a tragic survivor. Once he realized that Michael was alive, the hope was restored. That’s what I mean by there’s still more to explore with Lincoln,” explained Purcell.

Since this is the fourth prison he’s been in, is Michael so used to prison that any prison is manageable? “I think it has become familiar, which is tragic,” said Miller. “Dominic made a great point about there are literal prisons and then there is the prison that is your mind. And Michael’s been in this Yemen prison for four years now. He’s spent the majority of his adult life on the run. Can you ever really leave that behind? What’s waiting for you on the other side of the wall when he’s finally reunited with Sara (played by Sarah Wayne Callies) and his son? How can he be with them in the same way? Is it better off if he maybe leaves them alone?”

On a lighter note, Miller and Purcell were asked who among the cast would be the most likely to escape prison in real life. “I think we’re all screwed,” replied Miller, laughing.

Watch the full Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell Prison Break interview:


[Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.]



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