Jaleel White recently competed on season 14 “Dancing with the Stars”. He also hosted Syfy’s new reality game show “Total Blackout”. Media Mikes had a chance to catch up with Jaleel again in order to reflect on his experiences with “Dancing with the Stars” & Syfy’s “Total Blackout”.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you reflect back on your work on “Dancing with the Stars”?
Jaleel White: The last eleven weeks have been unlike anything I have ever experienced in my career. It’s been hard on the body and very chaotic. People also ask me “Was it fun?” and I tell them “If you ran two marathon’s back-to-back, would you consider that fun” [laughs]. That is how I feel about “Dancing with the Stars”, I have survived some pretty awesome shit. I didn’t fall on my ass out there. Everywhere I go people said they were happy to see my dances and that makes me proud. The training was a lot but it was all necessary. My highlight was the cha-cha week, I knew it wasn’t going to get much better than that.

MG: Do you think that the judges where too hard on you throughout the show?
JW: Look, I am so proud of what I survived. I don’t want to be negative, especially because of how proud I am. Also nobody has ever met the five secret men that handle the fans votes. Since no one has ever met them I will not let it get to me [laughs]. After about week three, I stopped caring about the score to be honest.

MG: Any chance of you coming back for season 15 this Fall for the All-Stars season?
JW: I haven’t been approached or anything. I know the competition was tough enough. I do not know how being elimated in the seventh week makes me an all-star but I learned never to say never.

MG: Are you excited with the success of “Total Blackout”?
JW: I am very happy with that way that “Total Blackout” came out. It is very rare that I can say that about something I had so little to do with in the post-production phases. We have been able to build on the ratings week-to-week, so its been great for us.

MG: I got to tell you my sister ordered Syfy just so that she could watch your show.
JW: [laughs]. You gotta write that in your article. I can’t say anything as cool as that.

MG: Any word about a second season for “Total Blackout”?
JW: No word just yet. I have not been in the game show business for too long but I pick up on things quickly. My only concern about the show is that I know contestants get smarter. Even though the lights are off, we will have contestants that will have seen the show and once they know what game they are playing will go back to a mental picture. So they are really going to have to work hard to stay away from contestants looking to outsmart the show and also to keep the show fresh and moving forward.

James Lesure appears in TBS’s new comedy series “Men at Work”.  The series was created by Breckin Meyer and James co-stars along with Danny Masterson, Michael Cassidy and Adam Busch.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with James about what we can expect from this new show.

Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to the TBS’ new series “Men at Work”?
James Lesure: The script, written by Breckin Meyer. Once I got the pilot, I responded and said I wanted to be apart of it. I have known Breckin for years but really only athletically. We played basketball together for years. I had know idea he could write so well. I am a big fan of his work as an actor and now also as a writer.

JL: What do you like most about it, Mike?
MG: Honestly, I like the dynamic between the guys. You guys all play off each other. This show really works well with that.

MG: You’ve worked on many TV series like “Las Vegas” and “Mr. Sunshine”, how does a show like this compare?
JL: Right now, I would have to say the speed we do it. Currently we are filming in front of a live audience, so its like we are putting on a play each week. We get the script and then get about three days to put it down. So that is a bit of an adjustment for me.

MG: You seem to have natural comedic timing, how do you prepare for the role?
JL: Mike, listen keep the compliments coming because I appreciate them [laughs]. I have to give a lot of credit to the writers. When I get the scripts, they just make me laugh and that is a good sign. It is up to us then to just take the words make it deeper and better. So, that is my goal.

MG: Any room for improv throughout shooting?
JL: They let us fly off, here and there, with an ad lib and I appreciate that. The producers are open for us to be collaberative. It is a special kind of work environment we have. I just hope we can do some great things with it and do it for a while.

MG: What has been your highlight on the show so far this season?
JL:  It’s been working with this cast, Adam Busch, Danny Masterson and Michael Cassidy. They make me laugh on and off the set. It’s kind of nice to have that geniue chemistry and respect. I respect them and really enjoy what they are doing. I also have to give a shout out to TBS and Sony because they have been treating us very well. Thus far the whole experience has been very great.

MG: What else can we expect from season one?
JL: I know we got an episode about a special toliet [laughs]. They are blending together right now. But let me just tell you that everytime I read a new script, I’ve been laughing so hopefully that will carry over to the viewers.

Based on characters created by best-selling crime novelist Tess Gerritsen, RIZZOLI & ISLES stars Angie Harmon as Jane Rizzoli, a tough-as-nails Boston police detective, and Sasha Alexander as Maura Isles, a smart, impeccably dressed medical examiner from a privileged background. Despite being complete opposites, the two women share an offbeat chemistry and strong working relationship that has helped them bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals.

RIZZOLI & ISLES returns to TNT for its third season starting on June 5th, 2012.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with its stars Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander to discuss this new season and what we can expect.  Check out the interviews below:

Sasha Alexander is known best for starring as Chief Medical Examiner Maura Isles on the Turner Network Television series “Rizzoli & Isles”. The show enters its third season on June 5th. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Sasha about this upcoming season and what we can expect.

Mike Smith: What fears did you encounter when you thought of filming season three, as opposed to the other seasons? Was there something different you felt going in?
Sasha Alexander: I was really excited because I feel like season two ended with such a strong emotional and intense kind of moment between Maura and Jane. So I was curious to see where we would begin season three, and we started just kind of moments after. So Maura is reeling from the shock and, obviously, the anger she’s feeling that Jane shot her father. It’s really great. It’s really fun to play that side of Maura and to have it be that kind of that intensity was exciting to see where it was going to go.

MS: What characteristics of Maura is closest to what you have for yourself?
SA: Kindness. I think Maura’s kind. I think she’s generous and polite. I would definitely say those are some of my better qualities. I’m not as much of a brainiac as she is. I certainly don’t have as big of a vocabulary. Those are the similar qualities, and I like the fashion.

MS: The dynamics between you and Angie is unbelievably phenomenal. What do you attribute that to personally as opposed to on screen?
SA: Personally, a sense of humor. We both share a similar sense of humor. We have a lot in common in real-life interms of our families and being mothers and all that. So I think that we bring those things. And having heart. Having a respectfulrelationship as women bring that to the screen. Wanting that to be to the screen. Wanting it to be a positive relationship between these women. I think that attributes to sort of the way we play the characters.

Are the ramifications from your best friend shooting your father going to be explored throughout the entire season, or do you think that they’ll be able to put it behind them?
Sasha Alexander: No, they wrap up pretty quickly. At the end of the first episode, they get to the bottom of what the crime was, and what actually happened. So I think that that clarifies a lot for both Jane and Maura. But they’re not completely ready to say they’re sorry because there’s a lot of miscommunication between them. So that leads into the second episode and, you know, Korsak, and Forth, and Angela all sort of get involved in kind of getting them back together. And they end up in a kind of life or death situation. And so their friendship will kind of come back by the end of the second episode. And they really earn their way back. I like the way that it all comes together. It’s not wrapped up immediately, they’re back together very quickly. Quickly enough.

MS: What was it like to work with Jackie Bithide?
SA: Oh she’s a wonderful woman. She’s has a really enormous sense of humor. She’s so beautiful. And she’s not like at all, fake and done up for a woman. She’s just lived, and she’s gorgeous and a really funny, funny lady. I like her a lot and I had a good time working with her.

MS: I was reading in an earlier interview that you’d done before the first season, that you hadn’t read Tess Gerritsen’s books before getting the job. Have you caught up with the seriessince you’ve starting playing Isles?
SA: I have. I have a few more books left to read, but yes, I’ve read a lot of them and I love her writing. I’m a big fan of the books and what she’s created and of her personally. She’s really an amazing lady. So, yes.

MS: Judging by the way last season ended, the dynamics between you and Jane are going to be completely different. How did you approach playing the character going into the new season?
SA: Well, Maura’s going to get much tougher this season. I think all this stuff with her family has really – it’s changing her in a different way and its toughing her up. She’s in a moment of self-discovery; of figuring out who she is; where she came from; and finding her biological mother is a big part of the first part of this season. And I think all that brings on a lot of emotional stuff for Maura that is very new. But she’s going to toughen up. I think that Maura’s been, sort of compartmentalizing certain parts of her life. And now ever since Patty Doyle sort of entered the picture it’s opened up this whole new part of who she is. And so we’re going to see a tougher Maura. I still think a really funny Maura, and none of the comedy is going to go away. But I think a tougher Maura.

Angie Harmon is known best for starring as Detective Jane Rizzoli on the TNT television series “Rizzoli & Isles”. The show enters its third season on June 5th. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Angie about this upcoming season and what we can expect.

Mike Smith: How have the events this season two finale change Rizzoli & Isles’ friendship this season?
Angie Harmon: I think, if anything, we all know how it ended last season. If all of us have had friends with people that we love or people that we care about. I just think that it’s a really, really great thing to watch as these two character sort of work around their difference and work around the horrible situation that has happened, and come back together. What I also love is the way that the other characters in the show recognize the love that these two girls have for each other and, you know, help in their own different ways getting them back together. You know what I mean?

MS: “Law and Order” was marked as one of the great shows because of the great writing. And, the first two seasons of Rizzoli & Isles also has that kind of great writing. Do you see the show continuing, probably not as long as Law and Order, but having a long run? And is that something you would – you would see out and continue in the series?
AH: Gosh, I mean, I think as an actor, we all want to work and we all enjoy, you know, the projects that we set on to do. I think my strongest feeling in that – in answering that question is that and I don’t mean this arrogantly, I mean this, you know, as a parent of three girls, I think our show is on sort of the “right side of the line,” if you will. And I feel that way because, you know, I have young girls come up and tell me how much, they want to be a criminologist; they want to be a homicide detective; they want to get out there and help people and things like that. And I take that to heart. I think that’s an accomplishment for our show. So yes, I absolutely would love that, outside of the fact that, yes, I’d be working for a long amount of time. But I think that we’d be putting something that’s very positive out there. You know what I mean? For girls, yes I would love that. Absolutely. But not just for the selfish reason. We’ve got a great show. There’s more to it than that. We have something here that is a very positive role model and something that, personally I think we need. When they did that survey and all the girls were like, there were kindergartners, and like, “I just want to be famous.” But none of them said how. That, to me, is alarming. Young girls come out of college and high school to walk up and say the things that they say, like I just said. That means a lot to me. Yes, of course I would love to keep doing that.

MS: Did you always know from the moment you started reading with Sasha Alexander that this was the person that you were going to work with that and that would work best with? Or did you have to develop it?
AH: You know what I think? I think, both. We brought in a few people for Isles. I think Sasha just kind of hit it out of the part because she got the fact that, Maura was just kind of quirky scientist, sort of socially awkward. But she also got the fact that, Maura had friends and had girlfriends and things like that. You know what I mean? That’s why she got the job. Sasha and I have worked together over the past three seasons now, obviously our friendship is going to grow and mature and all of those things. I mean, it’s certainly wonderful to go to work and like everybody that you work with as opposed to walking on the set and dreading it because everybody’s a nightmare. Which I think we’ve all been in those situations, whether you’re an actor, or whether you work in front of a computer. So, yes, I think it’s both. I think there was sort of an instantaneous recognition. And then I think there’s a friendship and a relationship that has grown and matured over the years.

MS: I was wondering what you thought of the (Hoyt Art). Do you feel that it was explored within a good amount of timeframe? Or do you feel like he was – he still had a little bit more he could have gone?
AH: No, I was completely comfortable with where Janet took that and how much time we spent with it. If anything that was a really, really fun day that I actually also learned a lot from as an actor. I mean, in that moment after she kills Hoyt, you know, Bruce was there and him coming up and hugging me and crying and all that. That was all ad lib. It just sort of happened, because that’s what would happen. And when you’re living a character and living that life, you just keep going until somebody says “cut.” Bruce coming in and doing that and nurturing Jane in that kind of way. I had to break from him and walking to my trailer like I literally, my left knee gave out as I was about to go down. And I got into my trailer and just threw up. I mean, it was a very emotional moment. And as an actor, I’ve never had that happen before. I’ve always been able to draw the line and known the difference between reality and what we’re doing. It was just a very, very emotional closing for me. But no, I feel that we gave him his time. We gave him his due. You know the last thing you want is for people to be like, “okay, seriously, you can’t catch this guy? You can’t get in front of him?” You know, so, no, I was very fine with it. And if anything, I was very, very thankful for that experience because it just sort up upped the ante on acting challenge.

Chris Prynoski is the co-founder Titmouse, Inc.  The animation studio is responsible for a lot of shows on Adult Swim like “Metalocalypse”, “The Venture Bros” and “Superjail”.  Chris also works on the TV series on  Disney XD called “Motorcity”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Chris about Titmouse, “Metalocalypse” and Disney XD’s “Motorcity”.

Mike Gencarelli: Give us some background on how you started animation studio Titmouse, Inc.?
Chris Prynoski: I never really had a plan. I got my start in the mid 90’s at MTV in New York right after I graduated from SVA. I cut my teeth on Beavis and Butt-Head as a storyboard artist – and after directing on the B&B movie and Daria and creating a short lived show called Downtown, I felt like it was time to move out to LA. While I was directing at the studios out here, I had the idea to start an internet t-shirt company on the side. It was the early 2000’s and it seemed like a good time to try starting a business. I called the t-shirt company Titmouse. Anyways, I didn’t make a ton of t-shirts, but I kept getting freelance animation work. I had to hire a bunch of friends to help out. Before I knew it, we had a ton of employees and because I had filed the business paperwork for Titmouse, that became the name of the animation studio. I don’t think I could have started it on purpose. It just kind of happened.

MG: What is the biggest challenge co-owning and working with your wife?
CP: It’s great because I get to see her a lot, but sometimes we have to shut off the “work talk” when we get home. Just maintaining a certain amount of separation between our business stuff and the personal stuff is sometimes challenging. We are expecting our first son in about a month and a half, so she’s going to be at home for a while. I’ll shoulder more of the studio stuff during that time and I’m sure that we’ll be too busy cleaning up turds to talk very much about work.

MG: With “Metalocalypse”, you not only have produced but also directed some episodes, what is your biggest challenge with this show?
CP: There’s tons of challenges on every show I’ve ever worked on. With Metal (I directed on the first 2 seasons) it was trying to fit everything in the 11 minute format. Brendon and Tommy are both genius improv comedians. We would end up with hours of material. It’s a real challenge in the edit room to get these episodes down to time and still keep them funny and interesting and satisfying. We tried going to 22 minutes in the third season, but we are back to 11’s for the fourth season because we all agreed that’s the format that works the best for the show.

MG: How do you feel that the show differs now entering its fourth season?
CP: Well, one thing is going back to the 11 minute format. I dig it. Also, as Schnepp and I have involved ourselves in other projects, there’s more room for additional directors. Mark Brooks, who ran the writers room with Brendon, directed a bunch. Felipe Salazar, our editor, is also directing this season. Brendon is directing again as well. We are also working on new videos for the upcoming tour with Lamb of God.

MG: How does it feel going from a show like “Metalocalypse” to a complete 360 like Disney XD’s “Motorcity”?
It’s very different doing a kids show. Hopefully Motorcity is a show that adults can enjoy too. There are definitely more story restrictions – you’re not going to see any booger sugar addicted clowns, or bloody dismemberments in a show like Motorcity. But we are really trying to push it to a new level visually. The action stuff is fun to direct and we can go crazy in a different kind of way.

MG: Tell us about how you got involved directing the amazing hallucination sequence in “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America”?
CP: Basically I was a pretty new kid on the scene at that point. I came on at the tail end of the 4th season of Beavis and worked on season 5 and 6 as a storyboard revisionist, then a storyboard artist. I was storyboarding and doing layout on the movie when Yvette Kaplan approached me about directing the hallucination sequence. All the episode directors were busy on sequences that had to look like the show. They didn’t want this sequence to look like the show. I had done some crazy station IDs and weirdos promos recently, so they picked me. I was psyched. It was my first credited, professional directing gig!

MG: So what’s up with you 4-wheeling with my favorites Mike Judge and Zac Brown!!??
CP: It was pretty crazy. It was a very drunken evening involving swamps, 4-wheelers, bonfires and throwing axes. At some point soon you’ll hear about what we are working on together.

MG: How do you feel that animation has differed today from when you first started?
CP: Technology has really changed everything. When I started, you drew on pieces of paper and everything was painted on clear animation cells and shot frame by frame under a giant camera. Then it changed so the drawings were scanned and painted in the computer. Now we draw right in the computer on digital tablets called Cintiqs. That makes it possibly to operate the way we do now. It’s insane. Hooray for computers!

MG: “Superjail” has a real 90’s MTV feel to it and is so unique, can we expect a third season?
CP: We are working on a third season right now! I’m not sure when they will announce air dates, but I’m super excited about it. Christy is doing an amazing job of bringing the show back to it’s roots. He is storyboarding a lot more of the show and it is over the top bananas! It’s kind of a meld of the first two seasons – taking the most badass aspects of both and mashing them together.

Breckin Meyer & Mark-Paul Gosselaar are the stars of TNT’s hit law drama “Franklin & Bash”. The show returns June 5th for its second second. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the guys about working on the show and what we can expect from season two.

Mike Gencarelli: What should we expect from your characters in the second season?
Breckin Meyer: I think with the second season, when we jump off, we start with Franklin & Bash becoming equity partners in the firm which, for them, is a great thing because, I mean, it’s more money for toys. But on the bad side, it is a lot more responsibility and also a lot more repercussions for their actions. It’s no longer just the chance of them getting thrown in jail for contempt or getting fired. Now they got 500 employees behind them and they can really cause some damage, and also them representing – if they have to make rain. They have to sign corporate companies and these are guys that are used to fighting against. So how do you stay true to your values when you’re working for them instead of fighting them.

MG: Were you surprised at how well people received Franklin & Bash that first season?
Mark-Paul Goselaar: Oh, see, I have to go really quickly because Breckin took up so much time [laughs]. Yes, we were actually pretty surprised that we had such a big audience.
BM: I’m sorry, Mark-Paul, that’s all the time we have.
MPG: But, you know, I think Breckin and I are huge fans of our own show and so it was just a pleasurable surprise to find that people liked it as much as we did.

MG: So let’s talk about relationships, though. I mean, you guys got any love interests coming in the cards this season? Mark-Paul?
MPG: Yes, there are about two episodes worth of a relationship for Bash. One of the things that we try to do is not have anything come in between the two boys. So – because relationships don’t last all that long. They just sort of give you a glimpse of a different side of the two characters.  I think for me -I don’t know about how Breckin feels about it, but I like when the guys are together so it’s hard for us to bring in another relationship that isn’t Franklin or Bash. But we did do a bit of it over the course of the season. I had a girlfriend and Breckin’s character had a girlfriend as well.

MG: This show kind of stands out from other law shows out there.  Can you describe why you thought the show is so unique?
BM: I think from the get-go what Mark-Paul and I can both respond to is the fact that even though there is a case of a (weak atmosphere) that you have in normal procedurals, with this show, we go home with the characters. It really is – the cases are more of a backdrop. What the show’s really about is the relationship between the two lifelong friends and their kind of dysfunctional family of a law firm.

MG: Now I hear you didn’t really know each other that well before Franklin & Bash started. Have you developed a real-life friendship? And does that translate to having even more fun on screen do you think?
MPG: Well, I knew Breckin. I just wasn’t a fan of his work.
BM: Yes, that’s accurate.
MPG: Yes, that’s pretty accurate. But go ahead, Breckin.
BM: I was hoping that they would get literally anybody but Mark-Paul Goselaar. And then once they got him, it really was just – the money was green so what am I supposed to do, you know, at that point. But no, I think I can honestly it’s by far my favorite day job I’ve ever had. And I think it shows up on screen. The show lives or dies by whether or not you believe these guys are lifelong friends.
MPG: And by daytime job he means by post hole digging and drawing cars as his – car lot, so. This ranks right up there with one of his favorite jobs.
BM: It ranks right up there will pulling weeds.

MG: You guys have a really great list of guest stars for season two. Is there anyone that you are particularly excited about working with?
BM: I was really happy to have Seth Green come on because he’s a buddy and Mark Paul has been on Robot Chicken and we kind of thought he owed us. He has to return the favor. Who else? We have – Shawn Aston was a lot of fun. Rick Fox. Kevin Nealon was great. Chris Klein came on. We’ve had a lot of fun with our guys because, I mean, what you’re offering as actor is basically a week to come and play, you know, to come and have a really good time and our set is a fun set. It’s a fun time. It’s not super serious with no egos. And you get to come play for a week so we had Beau Bridges come back. Jane Seymour comes on as Peter’s mom so we meet Mama Bash.
MPG: I just echo what Breckin just said, but we had Sherry Appleby come on and play your girlfriend and Kat Foster came on and played my girlfriend and, boy, we just had a lot of fun, it just is a testament to our show and the word around sort of the industry is that it’s a great set to be a part of and come have fun and enjoy yourself.

MG: Do you have a lot of room available for improv?
BM: They give us the script. We always make sure we get a take completely on book. And then once we’ve got it definitely in the can, we kind of take our leash off and they say we can – we riff a little bit just as kind of the (buttons), the ins and outs of scenes, we may riff a little bit and it’s more for us. It’s more just to help us kind of solidify these guy’s friendships in our mind, that these guys are real friends who riff and goof off. So luckily enough we all kind of get these characters enough. Sometimes some of that stuff ends up in the show. But I mean, it’s fun to be able to riff like that. It just keeps us alive while we’re having long days.

MG: The first season kind of pushed the envelope when they portrayed Franklin and Bash’s private lives. Is season two going to be pushing the envelope even further?
MPG: I hope so.
BM: We start off full frontal this year.
MPG: We not only go to their private lives but we go to their private parts.
BM: Yes.

MG: Well, besides your private parts, it is different for a legal drama to see their private lives? I mean you guys are party animals.
BM: Yes, I like that we go home with the guys. I mean, I like that we follow their relationship. It’s not just about what happens behind the doors of the courtroom. It’s about what happened in these guy’s lives and how it leads over into the courtroom. But really, it’s about these characters.
MPG: But I also think that they’re less party animals and they really just enjoy the fruits of their labor. I don’t think that they’re the guys that like to sip out of red cups and, you know, and throw a party just to throw a party. They really enjoy having people around them and using their money and having a good time. But they’re not fraternal in that way, right. I don’t think it’s like they’re a party – I mean, we’ve always fought that. We’ve always said you can’t make these guys just party animals because that’s not fun for everyone. You’ve got to have an element – these guys have to have a level of maturity and I think there’s a fine balance to that I think that we’ve created on this show. And, again, with this year, giving them more responsibilities, making them equity partners and (Intel Daniels), having them take on harder cases with bigger clients. And representing people that in the past that they fought against will create for the audience as well as for the characters, the maturity of that that I think you need to have to make this show work. It can’t just all be fun and, you know, parties.
BM: It’s just that’s their approach. There’s more drama – and I think that’s why this season is better than last season, is because there’s more drama and the way that these guys deal with drama is by being more liked and being fun and that allows the audience to not even realize that they’re watching a legal drama in that sense.

Melissa Joan Hart has been working on television since she was a kid with “Clarissa Explains It All” and “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”. She is currently starring with Joey Lawrence on ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey”. Entering it’s second season, Melissa Joan Hart took some time to chat with Media Mikes about what we can expect from the show and about her career.

Mike Smith: In addition to being the star of the show, your Heartbreak Films also produces Melissa & Joey. Could you tell us about your creative vision for this season?
Melissa Joan Hart: That’s up to the writers. We have a writing team, the executive producers/show runners, which is Bob and David, David Kendall and Bob Young, and they are, along with a team of really great writers, they sort of plot out the season along with the network. This second season, I think we started off really strong. I think our first season, which consisted of 30 episodes, but I think our first few even just out of the gate were great. I think that we had a really great crew. We had really great writing staff. We had a great cast. It was able to all gel really well together, and I think that’s kind of rare. If you watch a lot of shows, it takes a while to get the ball rolling. But that being said, I think we came out of the gate pretty strong. But at the same time the second season just gets better, and I think that happens with every show. As the oil in the machine starts to really warm up, you just get the ball rolling and you get these stronger episodes. So in the second season we just have funnier, more solid episodes.

MS: Is there anything you can tell us about any surprises we can look forward to this summer?
MJH: There are some surprises. I don’t know how far I’m allowed to say. Last season, season one, ended with a bathtub falling through the roof. So the beginning of the show starts off with a few episodes about the construction and the family living on top of each other. Mel has a little fling with the cabinetmaker, played by Bren Foster, but then there is some stuff that happens at the end where Joey falls in love with a Russian colleague and there’s quite a little romance that goes on there, and that’s an arc. We have that for a few episodes. So Mel has to put up with this Russian chick in her house. But in between that, there are really just a lot of fun, standalone story lines that happen and some great guest stars. This season it was really about keeping it light. Not having that very special episode. We don’t like to do those. We just want to make people laugh.

MS: Could you tease us some of the other guest stars we’ll be seeing this season?
MJH: Yes. Bren Foster, I think he’s Australian and he’s in one of the episodes; one of the first few episodes, one of the one’s that will air next week. Who else do we have? All the 45 episodes we’ve done kind of run together. So I’m having trouble remembering what people have seen and what they haven’t. Who else do we have? Christine Lakin comes back for a really funny episode. She played my friend in one of the episodes last season. This season she is looking for a sperm donor and happens to want some of Joey’s stuff. That’s one of my favorite episodes; that is my favorite episode of this season coming up, the sperm donor episode. But yes, that’s all I can think of right now. But Debi Mazar plays a great character. She’s like my—I’m thinking about reelection and she is my coach, my reelection campaign manager. So she is—it’s an episode called “The Knockout” and it’s pretty funny. There’s a guy in a movie theater who starts picking a fight with Ryder, my nephew, and I stand up to him after telling Joey not to. I knock him out and it gets on video and it goes viral. And then the whole campaign is around whether or not I should be promoting the fact that I knock him out kind of thing, whether or not that’s a good example for the kids. It’s a really fun episode, and Debi Mazar does a great job in it. And she and I met on the set of Dancing with the Stars. I really like bringing in a lot of these people that I’ve worked with before. That’s one of the fun parts about being Executive Producer is finding talented people all over the place and being able to work with them.

MS: What is it about being a part of Twitter that really helps you with the promotion and connecting with people who are fans of the show?
MJH: Well within two seconds I can correspond with 200,000 people, which is pretty incredible; across the world. And what I really like about it is just seeing the immediate response of things. Like the other night, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” the first movie, the Showtime movie was on. I don’t know what it was one, but it aired and my timeline was filled with people just talking about it. Being shocked that Ryan Reynolds was in that movie. It was just funny to see how many people were watching it. I think it was actually maybe airing in the U.K. or the U.K. just got Netflix. So they can now watch Melissa & Joey in the U.K., which they’re all very excited about because it’s not airing yet there on a network and they’re all mad at me about that. But it’s fun. It’s like that instant response to of like, you know, just driving people to try products that I like or to know a little something about my family or something that I find funny. I try to be careful not to over use it too much, but to also give everyone like a flavor of everything. Like what it’s like for me being a mom. What it’s like for me being an actress. What it’s like for me being a wife, you know. So like little tidbits of what my inside life is like. But of course it’s an amazing tool to use. To be able to reach fans and get the audience to move, whether it’s for a certain charity reason or to watch the show, that kind of thing. It’s really amazing too to see how many shows this season got picked up because there was a buzz even though the ratings weren’t there. So you know that it can be used to help push different projects through.

MS: Both you and Joey Lawrence are directing this season. How does that affect the way you prepare for the episode?
MJH: It’s just a lot more work. It’s a lot of work. I’m trying to remember what my episode was even about. I’m having such a hard time with this season; getting it so confused with the other season. It’s just so much prep because you’re involved in every step of it along the way, even more so than just being an executive producer. You have the production meeting with the entire crew where you decide what prop will get used for this scene and what effect might be used for this scene or what camera might be used for this scene. And then you’re working with the camera coordinator or DP on lightening and this and that staging. And then you’ve got to get the actors to listen to you, which in this case is really difficult. We all help each other out all the time anyways. It’s a very collaborative effort always, but when you’re the director you get so nervous. It’s like, “What if Joey doesn’t want to listen to me? What if Taylor won’t go where I tell her to? What if they don’t like my ideas? What if they think I’m terrible? What if I annoy them? What if I don’t say enough?” So it’s always hard being an actor and talking to other actors, but I think that other actors kind of respect an actor’s director more so than a camera director because you’ll get help with your acting. You’ll get attention paid to your actual performance as opposed to just, “Go here. Go there. Stay in your light. Get on camera,” because you have different kinds of directors. You have ones that just care about the camera and the lighting and then you have ones that also care about the performance. As an actor I’ve seen that, and it’s difficult sometimes to not have someone paying attention to your performance when you really want that guidance. So luckily we all take great notes and we adjust and we’re very collaborative. So it’s a really fun process, but you just get nervous like, “What if they don’t like my ideas.” So it’s a lot of work. And then you’ve got to do the editing once that episode is done. When you’re acting, it’s Monday to Friday. When you’re directing it’s like a three to four week process.

MS: Have you guys ever shot a scene where you couldn’t stop laughing? Like you just kept doing bloopers?
MJH: Yes. We’ve had a few of those. There have been a few. We use iPhones on the set and sometimes we snap pictures with the iPhones. And then other times we have to be pretending we’re looking at the phone and kind of turning it to each other and saying, “See look. See the message,” or whatever, but there’ll be a stupid picture on the phone and it just makes us giggle and it’s always hard to pull it back. I think there was an episode coming up where Nick had to eat a lot of junk food, junk food from the vending machines at school as a school project for Taylor to write about in her blog. There were snowballs and all this stuff on the set. He was trying to eat but he was just so disgusted by all the food he had to eat. There was a lot spit takes in that one.

MS: What challenges will Mel be facing with the kids this season?
MJH: Well they’re getting older. There’s an episode where Taylor tries to befriend the new girl that she sees at school because she was the new girl last year. So she’s trying to be the good person by bringing this girl into her circle and trying to befriend her, but realizes that not everybody wants to be popular or liked or taken under someone’s wing. There are a few episodes about relationships. Nick has a little girlfriend who we adore on the show. She’s been back and forth a little bit, Holly. She pretty much tortures him. So there are a few episodes with her involved. And Taylor has a few episodes where she’s got a romantic guy with her. The one I directed with her and—what was the actor’s name? Anyway we’ve got these great little teen actors on the show and one of them plays her boyfriend for—for a few episodes—and there’s a nice little story line that happens with her and that relationship and us giving her relationship advice and stuff like that. So the typical teen stuff, but they are getting older and they’re starting to teach us a few things as well.

MS: What do you admire most about Mel?
MJH: She’s really determined. She sets her heart to something. She thinks she’s got the—when she thinks she’s on the right path or she thinks there’s a mission to accomplish she will get to it. She will finish that mission. She is one of those women that is determined and has her convictions and sees things through, but she does it in a really silly, funny way.

MS: How much of those particular episodes or how many of those moments do you actually get input on? Is any of that based on true to life experiences of Melissa or Joey?
MJH: The structure of it’s always there from the writers, but then we like to tweak it within itself, like the episode with climbing out the window and stuff like that. I like to constantly remind the writers, not that they need a lot of reminding, that I don’t know what I’m doing here, that I don’t want to know what I’m doing. I want to make mistakes, as a parent. That’s where a lot of the humor comes from, and that’s true to life, I think, too. We’ve been thrown these teenagers. It’s not like we raised them from scratch. There’s a lot of room for error. What I really like to do is go look at my natural parenting instincts and do the opposite. So a lot of the time if I feel like there’s something that can be the opposite or there’s an episode where we’re kind of lecturing the kids too much we’ll go sit down with the writers and say, “We think it’d be really funny if the kids actually lectured us on this,” or if Lennox and I are both sneaking into the house late at night and have to shush each other because we don’t want to wake up Joey. Both of us don’t want to get in trouble, inappropriate behavior as adults really.

MS: It seems like there are a lot of chances for improvisational on set with your cast.
MJH: We do. That’s what’s great about doing the live show too. We shoot live on Friday nights, which I’ve never really done before, but it does really help because you get to try out different jokes in front of the audience. You do three or four takes and you try out a few different jokes and see which one gets the biggest laugh and then hopefully the editor will use that one. It’s fun to be able to sort of improve that stuff. And sometimes one thing will happen that’s totally authentic and natural and they’ll use it in the episode, which is wonderful.

MS: You have been a successful teen/child actor with Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And you made the transition to being an adult actress, which a lot of teen stars find difficult. What has been the secret to your success with that?
MJH: I’m actually in the process of possibly writing a book about that because I don’t really know what that recipe is. I think that a lot of the balance and success in my life comes from my family. It comes from my mom and my dad and my siblings growing up, and now from my husband and my children and putting that always as a priority. Having that as my balance, as my sort of gage of where to go with my life. But as far as my career, I think it’s just been that at a young age growing up on the East Coast in this business I did a lot of auditioning. It was pretty cut throat. There was a lot of competition, and if you weren’t the best one for the job there was someone right behind you to do it. So you had to work really hard. You had to know your lines. You had to hit your mark. You had to have the biggest smile and think those Fruit Loops were the best thing ever. And I think that I learned that if I want longevity I’ve just got to stick it out. I’ve got to work hard, and that’s—I’ve never given up. No matter—this career, in this business you just go up and you go down. There’s no finding that soaring star to hitch onto and carry you off into the galaxy. It’s constant work to reinvent and figure out the next role and keep working upward. I’ve just learned that if I want to stick with it that’s what I’ve got to do. If I want a career in this business and I don’t want to transition and do something else, then I need to stick with it. Keep auditioning. Keep meeting people. Keep reinventing myself, finding great characters to play. And that’s where producing comes in as well. I started producing at the age of 17 because I wanted to have some control over the projects I was putting out there and the characters I was playing. So producing has definitely helped. And then also transitioning to directing because I got a little bit bored with the acting. I wanted to be more creative and found directing. So that’s been a great outlet for me as well just to keep me in the business. I just love being on a set. I don’t necessarily always need to act. I just love being on a set.

Joe Maddalena, who is owner of Profiles in History, the world’s largest auctioneer of original movie, television, science fiction, fantasy, and pop culture collectibles, returned Tuesday May 22nd at 10:00pm for season two of “Hollywood Treasure” on Syfy. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Joe about season two of “Hollywood Treasure” and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: In season one and you dealt with a lot of like collectible items and whatnot. I was reading that this season you’re going to be working with the house from “American Horror Story”. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how it differs for you?
Joe Maddalena: What’s interesting is that as a company, we’re trying to expand our reach into all areas of things that have to do with television and motion pictures, and this opportunity came along. We got a phone call from a guy, and he said, hey, I have some things from “American Horror Story”. It’d be cool to get some props, and lo and behold, we met this man, and we ended up at the “American Horror Story” house. The actual house is here in Los Angeles, and it was kind of surreal, because I had no idea. And I’m walking up to it, and it was really eerie, because you’re in the house. I mean, you’re in the rooms. I mean, you’re in the basement. You’re thinking of people hanging themselves, and all this crazy stuff going on. And it’s really cool because this was like a 17,000 square foot mansion, and it’s just another side of our business that we’re pursuing, is we’re going after these properties now, because they have such a value besides being a house. So being an “American Horror Story” fan, it was the coolest thing I’ve ever walked through in my entire life, to go through that house. And it was scary. I mean, being in the basement – they turned the lights off; you wanted to run out of there!

MG: What would you say is your biggest challenge both juggling, running your business, Profiles in History, and also filming a reality show?
JM: I really want people to understand that I’m trying to paint a picture on the show that’s real, I mean, that it’s like that this is kind of like really what we do so they get an idea, because people are always like, well, where do you get this stuff? How do you find it? How do you authenticate it? So we’re trying to answer those questions and give you slivers of like, a business and obviously in a sense for television, but that’s the biggest challenge is to accurately depict what we do in a way that the viewers are going to, enjoy it, and that’s my biggest, task, is to make sure we put something out there that they’re going to really like.

MG: Can you talk a bit about how you were finally able to get access to the ruby slippers?
JM: I’m writing a book and my son asked me a question a couple years ago, and he goes, so, is there anything, in the book that is kind of like your weak spot? And I said, well, I’ll probably never have a pair of ruby slippers. And I didn’t think in my career I’d ever be able to sell a pair. I just thought it would just never happen. I didn’t think another pair would ever change hands. I was lucky that within six months I sold Debbie Reynolds’ Arabians for $700,000, then the, obviously the Samuels pair, six months after that. And it’s kind of surreal now looking back that two pairs have gone through my hands. It’s – they’re kind of like – it’s surreal because it’s hard to believe that these things A, came up for sale, and that you can own them. I mean it’s I personally think the most iconic prop in the world.

MG: With an item like the ruby slippers, at what point do they become too hard of a sell, despite their legacy?
JM: I just think its all timing. I mean, the other day somebody paid $100 million for Munch’s scream. I mean, I just think day to day, it’s what’s happening in the world. Buyers are in one mode then they’re in another mode. I just think a lot of it’s timing. I mean, I don’t think – there’s no value. When you buy $100 million painting, it’s like you can’t take it tomorrow and trade it for some building in Manhattan. You’re going to have to go through a whole process to sell it, right? I just think a lot of its timing, and a lot of people understanding the slippers I think because there are multiple pairs might have confused people. A lot of things go into it.

MG: So now that you’ve found your holy grail being, the ruby slippers, have you moved on to a new holy grail? Is there something new that you’re dying to find?
JM: Well, the ultimate thing, yes, there’s always another one. The ultimate thing would be Maria the robot from Metropolis. Now there’s all these legends behind that. In Metropolis, Maria burns, but there’s got to be more than one, so that would be like the next one. If you could surface that, it’d be pretty big.

MG: What’s the most valuable item you’ve ever sold?
The dress from The Seven Year Itch that we sold for Debbie Reynolds, which was $5 ½ million. So Debbie’s collection definitely was the highlight of anything we’ve ever sold. I mean, her material was the best that’s ever been put out in the market, and the prices – her first sale grossed $23 million, so for 500 items, pretty substantial.

MG: Can you tell us about your journey to Middle Earth featuring Sean Astin?
JM: Sean Astin is a neighbor. He lives close by, and a friend. We’re selling a large collection belonging to the Dryer family, and in that collection was this amazing map of Middle Earth. And I thought Sean, knowing his interest obviously in that part of the world, would enjoy seeing the map. So it was actually Tolkein’s copy, so he came by and we kind of had a little trip down memory lane and we learned interesting things. He went from the Shire to Mordor on what happened, and it was an interesting response, because he said well, we’re making this movie, Elijah and I figuring we’re going to have all this time together, a year and a half, and at the end we’re going to do this epic climax, throwing the ring in, in the mountain, and by the time we get there, we’ll be ready. And what happened was we were filming and there was a giant flood, and the set got wiped away, and they came in and said well, we’re going to film the climax instead, and this is very early in the process, and Sean’s like, I – we can’t do that. We’re not ready. And they’re like, you’re ready. So – and they literally – it was just like amazing insight into his world, his character. It was fascinating to meet him and kind of learn about that world.

MG: Is there anything that you own personally from a movie that you would never be willing to give up?
JM: Yes. I mean, I have a lot of things. Ihe thing I would never give up that’s from a television show, when my son was about six I had an auction and I had one of – Buck Rogers’ sidekick was Tweaky. He had a little robot, and I had a Tweaky in my auction and my son was about the same size. He was a little bit smaller, and (Felix Hiller) showed up, who wore the costume in the TV show, and we met (Felix), and my son thought this was the coolest thing in the world, you know? And we became friends with (Felix) and then (Felix) later sold my son – well, me for my son, his Tweaky costume with Theopolis around his neck. I’m looking at it. It’s six feet from my desk. It’s the holy grail of our family. It’s like the only thing – it’ll go to – he’ll take it to his grave. It’s like, it’s just such a sentimental thing among us, it’s like we’d never sell it. I collect things that are sentimentally important to me. It’s more about like I was lucky. I worked for ABC all of season six for “Lost”. I was in Hawaii during the entire shooting of the final season. I have such amazing memories of that production, but what I kept were things that were like, important to me, I mean, nothing of any value to anybody else, but to me it’s just all about the memory of being involved. That’s what I enjoy the most.

MG: It seems the horror genre is filled with some of the most hardcore collectors.
JM: Absolutely. I think horror is probably consistently always been number one with starting in 19 – the 20s, 1930, ’31, Frankenstein, Dracula. I think we’re infatuated with vampires, and I think obviously, look how popular they are now. I think the supernatural, ghosts and vampires and ghouls, just fascinates us. I think that the macabre – people just, like the dark side. They want to be a vampire, so I think that that’s just – it’s just – and because the material is dark in its creation, I think that it’s just kind of gravitates toward that world.

MG: I know you mentioned in the new episodes that – you said something about people are more after props than costume pieces. Why is that?
JM: Let’s see. Okay. Costumes are big and they’re a challenge to display, okay? So textiles are fragile, by nature, so they have to be – they can’t be in the sunlight. They have lots of things that will affect them over time if they’re not properly preserved or displayed. Props, pretty rugged. I mean they’re more manageable in size. They’re three dimensional. They’d kind of cooler looking. It’s just, people just want props. I mean, they’re just – there’s always a challenge with a costume, but when you get like the Maltese falcon and you hold it in your hands, it’s an object. the ruby slippers are an object. So those are the kinds of things – I just did the Captain America auction for Marvel, in April in Chicago. We had like the shields. They’re really cool because they’re objects. The costumes are nice, but when you get into like Thor’s hammer, Captain America’s shield or Iron Man’s helmet, they’re really cool.

MG: What other highlights can we expect from this upcoming season?
JM: This season’s going to be really fun. It’s the biggest things that I’m excited about is we used to be two back-to-back half hours. Now we’re one one-hour, so we’re able to tell much better stories, where in the past, we’d have to get in and out of a scene in three minutes. Now we’re able to invest like 10 or 12 minutes in a story, where you’re going to get a lot more information, a lot more access, learn a lot more about my world. I think it’s much better television, but American Horror Story – we have a great segment on The Hunger Games. I mean, The Hunger Games is going to be – we’ve got a great 12 minutes of Hunger Games. Whitney Houston, The Bodyguard – I mean, there’s going to be a lot of surprises, I mean, a lot of contemporary things, and we’re going to take you to places, Planet of the Apes, I mean, things that are just – there’s something for everybody. It is a really good diverse group. Vampires, Greg Cannon, who’s one of the judges of Face-Off, he did a Gary Oldman’s Bram Stoker Dracula. We sold his Dracula collection. Ve Neill is on the show. We sold her makeup collection, and she did some of the most important make-up appliances in Hollywood history, so a lot of cool things.

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Maurice Benard is known best for playing Sonny Corinthos on the ABC soap opera “General Hospital”. He also appears in the new documentary “OC87” about bipolar disorder. Maurice took out time to chat with Media Mikes about the film, dealing with the disorder day-to-day and, of course, working on “General Hospital”.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us how you became involved with the film “OC87”?
Maurice Benard: I am bi-polar so I have done a lot of work for the cause as it is personal. Bud Clayman did some stuff on “General Hospital” and it was phenomenal. We just clicked right away. We went to a boxing gym and did some stuff that was great.

MG: You have said before that boxing is your release. Can you tell us about that?
MB: I think anytime you exercise it helps you. With boxing I can punch so it eliminates the rage. I have been boxing for 11 years now.

MG: How do you feel this film will inform people about the disorder?
MB: The bottom line is that this disorder is a very tough one to have. However you can still lead a productive life. I have been on “General Hospital” for 20 years and it’s been that long since I have had a manic episode or a breakdown. As long as you stay on yourmedication and you get help you can lead a great life.

MG: What do you think has been the hardest part of opening up about being bi-polar?
MB: I got a letter about 12 years ago from a kid whose brother was bi-polar and committed suicide. What got him through that was by reading something that I had written. Now it is not hard for me to talk about. There was one time though when we did a story line on “General Hospital” where my character Sonny has a breakdown. It kind of dragged on for a long time and towards the end it was starting to get difficult for me. I have done a number of shows where I talk about the disorder. You get nervous but I think this is my calling.

MG: Do you find playing a bi-polar character makes it easier for you to perform day to day?
MB: I am doing a story right now where Sonny’s girlfriend has dual personality disorder. I just saw the show and when I was watching her I played it as though Sonny was watching himself. It was interesting and the show is doing a really wonderful job showcasing this illness.

MG: Can you tell us what you think the future of Soap’s will be?
MB: We got picked up because the show is doing so well right now.  I think we will keep going because the people we have producing and writing for the show are kicking butt. Yes soaps are going off the air but it doesn’t mean ours is. All soaps go through highs and lows.

MG: What do you enjoy most about theshow after almost 20 years?
MB: I love this character! The people I work with really push me. If I wasn’t working with such great actors I would probably be doing something else. There are good stories on top of that so I love going to work.

MG: Do you have any other new projects you can tell us about?
MB: I have a film coming out called “Duke”. I have 1 scene in the film that is about 5 or 6 pages. I play a cop killer. This film is really cool. I don’t know exactly when it will be released but it’s going to be good.

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Kimberly Lacy is the project manager on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal” formally known as “Curb Appeal: The Block”.. She is also attending this year’s Central Florida Home & Garden Show May 25-27th, 2012. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Kimberly about working on the show and also about the upcoming event.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your involvement with the “Central Florida Home & Garden Show”?
Kimberly Lacy: I’m coming to Central Florida Home and Garden Show as a presenter and Consumer. As a presenter I plan to inspire and motivate the “average” Do It Yourself’er with easy, budget conscious tips and ideas to get them well on their way to becoming the rock that needs to be turned over to one of the Jewel’s in their neighborhood.

MG: Tell us what you enjoy most about working on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal”?
The thing that I love the most about working on HGTV’s “Curb Appeal” is that it doesn’t seem like much of a job. Don’t get me wrong it is a job and it hard work but the instant gratification and appreciate from the Homeowner’s makes it all worth it. It get’s more rewarding everyday and every homeowner I meet. I can be myself and considering I was born to turn Frown’s upside Down, It’s my way of paying it forward and building community.

MG: Working as Project Manager on the show, what is your process when approaching a new job?
I approach a new job with an open mind and the “Can Do Attitude”, I don’t worry. All with knowing and keeping the budget for the project in mind. The budget can easily make or break the job. With that being said, when scouting neighborhoods for the perfect candidate to be a neighbor makeover, we only choose homes that we can give the homeowners and viewers a dramatic before and after with clean up, trimming and pruning, paint, and landscape and still staying within a $1,000 budget.

MG: Any fun stories from behind the scenes that did not make it to the show?
That’s funny! There are always so many fun stories from behind the scenes that don’t make the show. These stories include the crew that work with us behind the scenes. We were working in Oakland, it was a bright and sunny day and every one was in a good mood. We had empty Burlap sacks, which had pebbles in them, laying around and I (being the life of the party) had the bright idea to put on a potato sack race. We even had the human wheel barrel race going on. We created the lanes and finish lines for the races with bags of soil and mulch, pots and paint pails. It was a really good time and we filmed it on my flip cam.

MG: When can does the fourth season of “Curb Appeal” start and what can we expect?
The name of the show has changed from “Curb Appeal: The Block” to “Curb Appeal”. The shows time has also changed from 8:00pm to 5:30pm on Saturdays. So set your DVR’s, it may be hard for people to make it home at 5:30pm on Saturday. The show airs on March 31, 2012. The fifth season will roll in right after so no one will be without their favorite show, “Curb Appeal”. The fourth season is the last season we have Chip on the show and we are having a lot of fun, as per the usual and creating some spectacular makeovers. We are in the San Francisco Bay area, so there are several different types of architecture and John is able to create some serious never seen before designs.

DORIAN MISSICK (SOUTHLAND, THE CAPE) AND KATE KELTON (HAROLD AND KUMAR, AMERICAN PSYCHO 2) JOIN THIRD SEASON OF SYFY’S POPULAR SERIES HAVEN

SEASON 3 OF HAVEN PREMIERES FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

NEW YORK – May 18, 2012 – Dorian Missick (Southland, The Cape) and Kate Kelton (Harold and Kumar, American Psycho 2) will join the cast ofSyfy’s popular series Haven in recurring roles when the show returns for its third season beginning Friday, September 21 at 10PM (ET/PT).

Kelton portrays the spirited and fierce “Jordan McKee.” She’s a waitress at “The Gun & Rose Diner,” and also an influential member of a mysterious organization of “troubled” people whose identity is known by the distinctive tattoo marking its members. 

Missick plays “Tommy Bowen,” a street smart Boston detective who comes to Haven investigating a suspected serial killer case. A shrewd, calculating policeman, he’s also a fish out of water, completely mismatched with this L.L. Bean world.  

Season three of Haven picks up immediately following the events of the gripping season two finale with Audrey having been brutally kidnapped; Nathan (Lucas Bryant) warned against pursuing a romantic relationship with Audrey; and Duke (Eric Balfour) seemingly engaged in a fight to the death with Nathan after he discovers his family lineage is to kill Haven citizens with troubles.

Haven, based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King, follows former FBI agent Audrey Parker, who becomes a cop in the small town of Haven, Maine, and soon discovers the town’s many secrets, which also hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her lost past. 

From leading independent studio Entertainment One (eOne), Haven is co-commissioned by Shaw Media in Canada and globally via Universal Networks International (UNI).

The creative team behind Haven includes executive producers John Morayniss (The Firm, Hell on Wheels) from eOne Television and David MacLeod (Legends of the Fall, The Ray Bradbury Theater) of Big Motion Pictures, who are joined by Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, Greek) of Piller/Segan/Shepherd and Matt McGuinness (Journeyman, Dark Blue) as well as Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn (Stephen King’s The Dead Zone), who also developed the series.

Haven is produced by Entertainment One and Big Motion Pictures in association with Piller/Segan/Shepherd and airs on Syfy in the U.S., Showcase in Canada and internationally on Universal Networks International’s channels. Entertainment One controls the worldwide distribution rights to the one-hour series and concluded a deal with Germany’s Tele München Group (TMG) for the television rights in Continental Europe.

About Syfy

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com) and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content.  The company’s comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.  Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 20,000 film and television titles, 2,500 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.

About Universal Networks International
Universal Networks International, the global channels division of NBCUniversal, is one of the world’s premier entertainment networks, delivering quality content and compelling brands to 150 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia.  The portfolio includes the brands Syfy, Universal Channel, DIVA Universal, Studio Universal and 13th Street Universal and now, with the acquisition by Comcast Corporation, E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network and Golf Channel. These brands deliver a full range of entertainment experiences to local audiences across the globe.  Universal Networks International also operates Movies 24 and has an interest in the KidsCo joint venture.

About Shaw Communications Inc.

Shaw is a diversified communications and media company, providing consumers with broadband cable television, High-Speed Internet, Home Phone, telecommunications services (through Shaw Business), satellite direct-to-home services (through Shaw Direct) and engaging programming content (through Shaw Media). Shaw serves 3.4 million customers, through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw Media operates one of the largest conventional television networks in Canada, Global Television, and 18 specialty networks including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Television and Showcase. Shaw is traded on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX – SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.

SYFY KICKS OFF SUMMER 2012 WITH MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND MOVIE FESTIVAL

PREMIERE OF SUPER SHARK ON SATURDAY, MAY 26 AT 9PM

NEW YORK – May 18, 2012 – Syfy will kick off Summer 2012 with a four-day, Memorial Day weekend movie extravaganza highlighted by the dyn-o-mite premiere of Super Shark, starring classic TV stars Jimmy Walker (“J.J.” on Good Times) and John Schneider (Smallville, Dukes of Hazzard) on Saturday, May 26 at 9PM (ET/PT).

Syfy launches the holiday festival on Friday, May 25 with a Nightmare on Elm Street marathon. Creature features devour the Saturday, May 26 schedule, including Sharktopus and Lake Placid 2, the highest rated Saturday Original Movie ever.

On Sunday, May 27, Syfy unleashes a theatrical movie bonanza ranging from Serenity and Stealth to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Closing out the long holiday weekend on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, Syfy will present films such as Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace,starring Daniel Craig as 007.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 98 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

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Cassie Steele plays the role of Abby Vargas in the television series “The L.A. Complex”. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Cassie recently about the show and her upcoming music album.

Adam Lawton: What can you tell us about the show “The L.A. Complex”?
Cassie Steele: The show is about people who move down to Los Angeles to try and make it in the entertainment industry. The show follows how the characters deal with the pressures and anxieties of trying to make.

AL: Can you tell us about your role on the show?
CS: I play Abby on the show. She is a girl from Canada hoping to make it. Abby doesn’t have a lot of experience or a visa. She is struggling with how long she can stay down there and support herself without making any money. This is Abby’s first pilot season so we get to see a lot of that and the pressures pilot season can cause.

AL: Did you have any likes or dislikes about working on the series?
CS: I enjoyed meeting the new cast and crew and I loved everyone I worked with. The people at Epitome are like my family. I really learned so much and it’s been amazing to working with them. Now we get to do the second season!

AL: When does shooting for season two of the show start?
CS: I am actually in Toronto shooting as we speak. We just had a long read through of the first 7 episodes. There are some hot new characters and a lot of funny girls and boys. It was nice to meet some of the new people joining the show and, it was great to see returning cast members as well. It is very exciting.

AL: Will we see any big differences on the new season as compared to season 1?
CS: I think season 1 pushes a lot of buttons especially compared to Canadian television. Season two you will see the characters get into deeper problems. As they get move up or down the ladder you start to see what each character is capable of when they are desperate.

AL: Do you think your time on “Degrassi: The Next Generation” helped prepare you at all for your role on “The L.A. Complex”?
CS: Yeah, I guess so. I don’t think I really notice because I have done it for so long. The things other people may notice I may not. I think that it must. Everything to my knowledge went very smoothly. I think it helped me learn how to communicate with other actors. Character development is where I think it really helped me. I played the character of Manny for so long that I learned you have to play what people want to see from the character to your advantage. If you work against it things can start to work against you. I think that was a really important thing to take with me.

AL: What other projects do you have in the works?
CS: I am getting ready to release a three song teaser for my album. This release will sort of align with the CW release of my album. This is going to be a lot of fun. I am glad to have something for people to see after they watch “The L.A. Complex”. I plan to continue working on the release of my full-length album when time allows.

Season 2 of Syfy’s “Being Human” picks up in the aftermath of the first season, with Aidan trying to deal with the mess left behind by his now (fully) deceased mentor Bishop and taking charge of Boston. Josh and Nora are dealing with being wolf’s and the return of his ex fiance Julia. Sally, having missed her door last season, deals with being stuck in ghost-form and unable to move on indefinitely. This season also introduces many new characters to the show.

Media Mikes had a chance to chat with many of the cast from season two including Andreas Apergis (Ray), Dichen Lachman (Suren), Dusan Dukic (Reaper), Gianpaolo Venuta (Danny), Kristen Hager (Nora), Natalie Brown (Julia), Sam Huntington (Josh), Sam Witwer (Aiden), and Susanna Fournier (Zoe).

Also check out our interview series from season 1 of Syfy’s “Being Human”