Your favorite ABC shows are headed to DVD this fall. Here’s what’s coming down the pipe:

Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Tenth Season on DVD September 2nd
Castle: The Complete Sixth Season on DVD September 16th
Nashville: The Complete Second Season on DVD September 23rd
Once Upon a Time: The Complete Third Season on Blu-ray and DVD August 19th
Scandal: The Complete Third Season on DVD September 23rd
Revenge: The Complete Third Season on DVD September 26th

The Stakes Are Higher Than Ever Before in the Brilliant Sixth Season of TV’s Favorite Crime Drama* 

CASTLE: THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON

Own Every Case and Relive All of Your Favorite Moments on DVD September 16, 2014

Get Even More Castle with Exclusive Never-Before-Seen Bonus Features

Synopsis: After Castle’s stunning romantic proposal to Beckett, what happens next? TV’s magnetic crime-fighting couple faces a whole new set of challenges as they juggle wedding plans and their most intriguing cases yet in ABC’s Castle: The Complete Sixth Season.

Beckett’s new job with the Justice Department takes her away from the wisecracking love of her life. But Castle’s devotion to his new fiancée – and her fascinating line of work – jeopardizes her career and creates a chain of events that might separate them forever. Back on the home front, Castle is none too pleased to discover his daughter has seemingly been captivated by, and now living with, her new, free-spirited boyfriend. It’s a season of surprises you won’t want to miss!

Experience every engaging moment of Castle’s brilliant sixth season, complete with all 23 unforgettable episodes, plus never-before-seen bonus features only available on DVD.

Talent/Cast: Castle stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as Kate Beckett,
Seamus Dever as Kevin Ryan, Jon Huertas as Javier Esposito, Tamala Jones as Laurie Parish, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle and Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers.

Creator: Andrew W. Marlowe (Air Force One, End of Days)

Bonus Features:
Disc 1
Character Commentary (Need To Know episode) with Detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan
Deleted Scenes

Disc 2
Audio Commentary (The Good, The Bad & The Baby episode) with Director John Terlesky, Consulting Producer/Writer Terri Edda Miller, Nathan Fillion and Seamus Dever

Disc 3
Audio Commentary (Deep Cover episode) with Supervising Producer/Writer Terrence Paul Winter, Nathan Fillion, Susan Sullivan and James Brolin
Deleted Scenes

Disc 4
Audio Commentary (In The Belly of the Beast episode) with Creator/Executive Producer/Writer Andrew W. Marlowe, Executive Producer/Writer David Amann and Executive Producer/Director Rob Bowman
Deleted Scenes
Castle Karaoke (TBD) – An extended performance of Seamus Dever singing “What I Like About You” in 618 The Way of the Ninja.

Disc 5
Castle in a Day with Stana Katic – Get an inside look at a day in the life of Castle with actress Stana Katic. Directed by filmmaker Mark Polish, this is a stylistic and intimate diary of a day during the cliff hanger scene of the season 6 finale.
A Few of Our Favorite Things – Nathan Fillion, Susan Sullivan and Molly Quinn, along with the rest of the cast and crew share some of their favorite things about Castle which we’ll compare to fan favorites collected via social media polls. Creator/Executive Producer Andrew W. Marlowe and Producer/Writer Terri Edda Miller reveal their favorite part of the show, the Castle and Beckett relationship and debut an unaired Castle and Kate moment from the season 4 finale.
Bloopers
Deleted  Scenes

Live For The Moments.

GREY’S ANATOMY: THE COMPLETE TENTH SEASON

 All 24 Heart-Stopping Episodes Plus Exclusive Bonus Features On DVD September 2, 2014

Synopsis:  The storm may have passed, but now the relationships and romance of Grey-Sloan Memorial must survive in its wake.  Bonds are tested, love is lost and the hospital bids farewell to Dr. Cristina Yang.  Experience every heart-stopping moment in the “can’t miss” tenth season of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Following a massive mudslide, the hospital becomes a madhouse, and the lives of two doctors hang in the balance. The drama escalates as Arizona tries desperately to mend her broken marriage, while Derek and Meredith juggle their roles as surgeons and new parents. Meanwhile, a stunning betrayal pits Cristina against Meredith and, as April prepares for her big day, a familiar face returns to town. Big secrets lead to big problems and turn best friends into rivals.

Relive “Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Tenth Season” like never before with DVD exclusive bonus features that take you behind the scenes and draw you closer into the lives of the unforgettable men and women of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Talent/Cast:  “Grey’s Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt, Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins, Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery, Sarah Drew as April Kepner, Camilla Luddington as Jo Wilson, Gaius Charles as Shane Ross, Jerrika Hinton as Stephanie Edwards and Tessa Ferrer as Leah Murphy.

Executive Producers:     Grey’s Anatomy” was created and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes (“Scandal”, “Private Practice”, “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge”). Betsy Beers (“Scandal”, “Private Practice”, “Casanova”), Mark Gordon (“Saving Private Ryan”), Rob Corn (“Chicago Hope”), Tony Phelan and Joan Rater (“Law& Order: Trial by Jury”), Zoanne Clack and Stacy McKee are executive producers. “Grey’s Anatomy” is an ABC Studios production.

Bonus Features:
Extended Episode “Do You Know?”
Spotlight on Sandra Oh – Dr. Cristina Yang is one of the most beloved characters on Grey’s Anatomy. Get to know the actress who plays her as we sit with Sandra and reminisce about her favorite moments and memories, as she winds up her 10-year run.
Medical, Medical – The medical procedures on Grey’s Anatomy have intensified the hospital drama since day one. In this featurette, watch selected cast members get a tutorial from medical producer Linda Klein. From sewing stitches to starting a central line, we’ll see what it takes for the actors to pull off their TV surgical skills.
Bloopers
Deleted Scenes

TV’s Breakout Hit Returns

NASHVILLE: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON

Own All 22 Tantalizing Episodes Plus Never-Before-Seen Bonus Content Available Only on DVD September 23, 2014

Synopsis: Indulge your passion for drama, music, intrigue and seduction in ABC’s much buzzed about second season of “Nashville.”

Rayna Jaymes (Connie Britton) and Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) are at the top of their game, but in Nashville, the higher you rise, the farther you fall. In the aftermath of her mother’s death, Juliette is poised to shine brighter than ever – until a sordid scandal threatens to destroy her. Meanwhile, after Rayna nearly loses her life (and her voice) in a horrific accident, she bounces back with her own record label and a new man. But can she still fire up audiences without Deacon by her side…and in her bed?

Meanwhile, Deacon must strike a balance with Teddy when the truth about Maddie’s paternity is revealed, Rayna’s breakout label star Scarlett must find a way to cope with life in the proverbial fast lane, and Lamar Wyatt’s sudden release from prison exposes the truth behind a shocking murder mystery!

Relive all 22 compelling episodes, plus access never-before-seen bonus features only available on DVD. Savor every moment of sin and song in a city where everyone has something to prove and everything to lose in “Nashville: The Complete Second Season.”

Talent/Cast: “Nashville” stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne, Eric Close as Teddy Conrad, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O’Connor, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Chris Carmack as Will Lexington, Lennon Stella as Maddie Conrad and Maisy Stella as Daphne Conrad.

Executive Producers: Dee Johnson (“Boss,” “The Good Wife”), R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue,” “The War Room,” “A Perfect Candidate”), Callie Khouri (“Thelma & Louise”) and Steve Buchanan are executive producers of “Nashville.” The series is produced by Lionsgate, ABC Studios and Opry Entertainment.

Bonus Features:
Bloopers
Deleted Scenes

The Time for New Adventures Has Come.

ONCE UPON A TIME:THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

Own All 22 Bewitching Episodes and Never-Before-Seen Bonus Content Only on Blu-ray™ & DVD August 19, 2014

Synopsis:     Can five heroic characters set aside their personal grudges and private demons to rescue Henry – and themselves – from the ultimate evil? Experience the heart-pounding action and tantalizing suspense of Once Upon a Time: The Complete Third Season.

The stakes are higher than ever in a Neverland that’s the stuff of nightmares. At the dark heart of its mystery is Peter Pan, an ageless entity with a diabolical agenda and a chilling secret. For Emma, Henry, Hook, Rumple, Regina, Charming, and Snow, Pan’s actions have far-reaching consequences that will change their lives forever, create new alliances and introduce both Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest to a powerful new villain of legendary wickedness – the Wicked Witch.

Add Season 3 to your Once Upon a Time collectionand relive all 22 bewitching episodes, plus access never-before-seen bonus features. Each time you watch, you’ll fall deeper under the spell of this irresistible series!

Talent/Cast:  Once Upon a Time stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan, Emilie De Ravin as Belle/Lacey, Colin O’Donoghue as Captain Hook/Killian Jones, Lana Parilla as Evil Queen/Regina Mills, Jared Gilmore as Peter Pan/Henry Miles, Michael Raymond-James as Baelfire/Neal Cassidy and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Executive Producers:   Once Upon a Time was created by Adam Horowitz (Lost, Tron: Legacy) and Edward Kitsis (Lost, Tron: Legacy), who serve as executive producers. Steve Pearlman and
David H. Goodman are executive producers.  Once Upon a Time is produced by ABC Studios.

Bonus Features:   Wicked Villains – What makes the villains of “Once Upon A Time” tick?  These complicated characters are not only wicked, evil and dastardly but sometimes heroic, charming and brave.  The actors who embody these bad guys and the writers who create them take an in depth look at the show’s interpretation of everyone’s favorite foes. 
The Tale of Ariel – Follow the tale of everyone’s favorite mermaid, Ariel, played by Joanna Garcia, as we track the character’s development and story throughout the season. We will see the development of her look, track her story and watch her introduction to the other characters of Storybrooke/Fairytale Land.
 Inside the Writer’s Room: The Next Big Character – Get an inside look into the secret chambers of the writers of “Once Upon a Time.”
The Fairest Bloopers of Them All
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentaries

Revenge Has No Limits.

REVENGE: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

All 22 Devilishly Entertaining Episodes + Revealing Bonus Content Available Only on DVD August 26, 2014

Synopsis: Get ready for a sizzling hot summer in the Hamptons. Emily Thorne’s brilliant plan for vengeance takes a wicked turn in ABC’s “Revenge: The Complete Third Season.”  Relive the mystery, the fire, and the intrigue of TV’s most delightfully devilish series.

Season Three starts with a bang as Emily Thorne is shot and left for dead on her wedding day. But who pulled the trigger? Back at Grayson Manor, Conrad finds himself in the line of fire, and a flame from Daniel’s past may be the perfect new pawn for Victoria to play with – as she moves to defeat Emily for good. To top it all off, a surprise appearance of an old rival makes sparks fly as the wedding of the century approaches.

Experience the drama of all 22 smoldering episodes, complete with exclusive bonus features that reveal even more juicy secrets. Let the fireworks begin!

Talent/Cast: “Revenge” stars Emily VanCamp as Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke, Madeleine Stowe as Victoria Grayson, Josh Bowman as Daniel Grayson, Nick Wechsler as Jack Porter, Gabriel Mann as Nolan Ross, Henry Czerny as Conrad Grayson, Christa B. Allen as Charlotte Grayson, and Barry Sloane as Aiden Mathis.

Executive Producers:     “Revenge” isexecutive produced by Sunil Nayar (Body of Proof, Oz), Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey (The Twilight Saga), as well as Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts (GCB).  The series, created by Mike Kelley (The O.C., One Tree Hill), is produced by ABC Studios.

Bonus Features:              Table For Five – Josh Bowman, Nick Weschler, Barry Sloane, Gabriel Mann and Henry Czerny enjoy some downtime at the Stowaway. Rivals on screen and buddies behind the scenes, the men dole out equal parts respect and ribbings  as they share details about their beginnings and ending, bromances, and on-set pranks.
Audio Commentary
Bloopers
Deleted Scenes

The Secret is Out!

SCANDAL: THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON

Get Even More of the Show You Love with Exclusive “Too Hot For TV” Bonus Features, Including a Never-Before-Seen Extended Episode!  Available on DVD September 23, 2014

Synopsis: Forget everything you thought you knew about who to trust…and who to fear. The suspense ratchets up as secrets are revealed, loyalties are tested, and dark truths come to light in ABC’s “Scandal: The Complete Third Season.”

Now, seemingly invincible “fixer” Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) must confront the ultimate challenge: fixing herself. After sifting through her mysterious father’s labyrinth of lies, Olivia’s search for answers about her mother threatens not just national security, but the entire world. Meanwhile, the lives of her “gladiators” – as well as those of the president, his wife and key White House staffers – take sinister, unexpected turns. And when the major power brokers are themselves broken, who will be left to clean up the mess?

Watch the intensity unfold in all 18 episodes of “Scandal’s” riveting third season. Then, delve deeper behind the intrigue with exclusive, never-before-seen bonus features only available on DVD.

Talent/Cast:   “Scandal” stars Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope, Columbus Short as Harrison Wright, Guillermo Diaz as Huck, Darby Stanchfield as Abby Whelen, Katie Lowes as Quinn Perkins, Tony Goldwyn as President Fitzgerald Grant, Jeff Perry as Cyrus Beane, Josh Malina as David Rosen, Bellamy Young as Mellie Grant and Scott Foley as Jake Ballard.

Creator: Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice)

Bonus Features:  Extended Finale Episode “The Price of Free and Fair Elections”
 L.A. For D.C. – The White House, The Capitol and the National Mall – these are just a few of the places that viewers see as they watch the show.  Check out the magic as we discover how Hollywood, CA transforms into our nation’s capital.  See the locations which Scandal shoots, learn how they accurately build sets, and see the digital magic  that goes into plate shots.
Jeff Perry Spotlight – Get to know actor Jeff Perry who portrays Cyrus Beene, the President’s Chief of Staff, and close friend of Olivia Pope.  Jeff has a long history with Shondaland, and we will hear from Shonda and his costars as Jeff shares with us his personal acting history.
Deleted Scenes
Bloopers

John Ottman is known best for his roles of editor and also composer on numerous films including “The Usual Suspects”, “X2”, “Jack and the Giant Slayer, “Superman Returns” and most recently “X-Men: Days of Future Past”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with John again about working with Bryan Singer and returning to the “X-Men” franchise.

Mike Gencarelli: Having score “X2” and now “X-Men: Days of Future Past”; tell us about returning to the franchise and about your approach to this score?
John Ottman: “X2” was one of my first big movies that I got to tackle. I always look back at those times very fondly because that exhibits an exciting time in my life. It was also a film that went very smoothly for all of us involved. I looked forward to going back into the series, especially since musically I had themes that I always wanted to go back to but wasn’t able to because we didn’t stick around for the third film. In the score for “X2”, I wrote a lot of motifs that I had planned to put somewhere in the next movie. So it always irked me that I wasn’t able to complete what I started. So this film came me an opportunity to pick up where I left off with “X2”. Naturally, it is a different kind of story, a little more modern, and also eleven years later. So I was just really excited that I got to preserve my themes.

MG: Since the film takes place in the past and the future; what was it like combining those two different sounds into one cohesive score?
JO: That is the trick actually to make it all cohesive. But because there is such a vast difference between the past and the future, it wasn’t that difficult to work with because the score was actually set the difference between the two time periods. In the 70’s, I got to infuse some analog synthesizer sound, some electric piano and guitar and so forth. So, that was actually really fun for me to do.

MG: What was your biggest challenge on “”X-Men: Days of Future Past”?
JO: Time travel [laughs]. I have said this in a few interviews. When I look back at this movie, I think about a Whac-A-Mole game. With time travel, you Whac-A-Mole to solve one problem and then create another. We just kept whacking and whacking until the smallest mole comes up that we could live with. Since you can never solve every issue. Really my job was to build consensus and really fight for things I thought we needed to do in the movie. That is how I look back on my experience on the movie basically. There was a lot of passion pleases to do certain things [laughs]. It was a very complicated film. The main challenge was the keep the story clear given all the convolution of the various situations.

MG: This is your seventh film working with Bryan Singer; what keeps you guys coming back together?
JO: I guess good stories and scripts. He keeps telling me to edit his films otherwise he won’t let me score them [laughs]. It is the blackmail that keeps us together.

MG: Speaking of the editing, as with “X2” and many other films, you took on the role of editor as well as composer; tell us about this other aspect of working on the film?
JO: The short story is that when we did out first feature film way back, “Public Access”, which won the Sundance Film Festival. I came on as the editor on the film and also ended up writing the score as well. So when we put “The Usual Suspects” deal together, I said “I just want to write the score” and Bryan said “Hell no, you are going to edit the film as well”. He saw the symbiosis that occurs when you do both jobs. Basically the same story just continues through today. He prefers that I leave my scoring career and go into what I call “editing jail” for two years. Both tasks are telling the story and if they are both being done by the same person it can bring better clarity into the storytelling.

MG: What is your next project and what can we expect next?
JO: Life [laughs]. A life. I purposely did not line anything up after this. I didn’t want to jump right into another project. After “Jack and the Giant Slayer” and then “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, it was three solid years and I need to take a break. I am sure I will get itchy and start looking in a few months but then again maybe not [laughs].

Related Content

• Jaleel White talks about new web series “BPOV” (aka Broke People on Vine)
• Tom Green talks about working on TBS’ “Who Get’s the Last Laugh”
• Megan Thomas Bradner talks about producing “Iron Man: Rise of Technovore”
• Bryan Fuller & Hugh Dancy talk about new TV series “Hannibal”
• Reginald VelJohnson talks about his role in “TRON: Uprising”
• Win Passes to the Kansas City Premiere of “Uncle Drew”

Photo credit: Fitz Carlile

Matthew Llewellyn has various on films like “Dead Souls” for the Chiller Network as well as additional music for “John Dies At The End” and even the video game “Far Cry 3”. His latest film, “Deep In The Darkness” is premiering on Chiller Network on May 23rd. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Matthew about scoring film and also working with composer Brian Tyler.

Mike Gencarelli: You mentored with Brian Tyler, who is an amazing composer, how did that come about?
Matthew Llewellyn: A good friend of mine Bob Lydecker, who I attended graduate school with at the University of Southern California referred me. He was Brian’s assistant at the time and they needed some extra help in the studio so he gave me a call. After getting my feet wet with projects like “Final Destination 5” and “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” I continued working there for a few years. It wasn’t always easy but I definitely had a blast.

MG: Tell us about how you ended up composing the film “Deep In The Darkness” for Chiller Network?
ML: I’ve worked with director Colin Theys and Synthetic Cinema International for a handful of years now scoring Colin’s previous films for Chiller, “Dead Souls” and “Remains”.

MG: When you score a horror film, tell us about your approach to finding the sound?
ML: Whenever I sit down to write a score I always focus on the thematic material first. After Colin and I spotted “Deep In The Darkness” we talked at lengths about what characters and/or places will have themes. We eventually decided upon the following themes:

Michael’s Theme – “Back into the Light”, “Ashborough Assimilation”
Michael’s Contemplative Theme (Secondary) – “A Good Fit”
Ashborough Theme – “Welcome to Ashborough”
Lady Zellis’ Theme – “Don’t Trust Lady Zellis”
Isolates’ Motif – “Infiltrating the House”

Most are very melodic aside from the Isolates’ motif, which is a creepy pulsating string cluster that returns whenever the Isolates are present. After all of the themes were approved I went through the film and mapped out how they would evolve with the story. When the musical framework was in place I dove into writing individual cues.

MG: What would you say was your biggest challenge on this project?
ML: I would say the shear amount of work. I composed and orchestrated every single note of the score so the sound you’re hearing is 100% me.

MG: Now for a relatively hard one…favorite score of all time and favorite score last/this year?
ML: Tough question indeed! I think my favorite score of all time is John Williams’ “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial” with his score for “Hook” a close second. E.T. is one of those incredible filmmaking moments where the perfect score was written for the perfect movie and I’m confident that it will go down in history as one of the greatest film scores ever written. It has become iconic and a staple for the term “movie magic”. Whenever I hear the “Bike Chase” ostinato start in the last reel of the film I just smile because I know something amazing is about to happen. I was fortunate to see John Williams conduct the last reel of E.T. to picture at the Hollywood Bowl a couple years ago; it was definitely something I will never forget.

I just saw the new “Godzilla” film the other night and I have to say Alexandre Desplat’s score is absolutely incredible. That definitely takes the cake for my favorite score of the last year. It’s not overly thematic but it is full of brilliant writing and orchestration. I loved his work on “Grand Budapest Hotel” as well.

MG: What else do you have on the cards upcoming?
ML: I’m currently working for Brian Tyler on “The Expendables 3”. I have a few other things in the pipeline at the moment but they are hush-hush.

Related Content

• Nick Swardson talks about film “Back in the Day” and FX new series “Chozen”
• Paul Teutul Sr. talks about new series on CMT “Orange County Choppers”
• Charles Baker talks about playing Skinny Pete in AMC’s “Breaking Bad”
• Chris Chittick talks about chasing storms with the team Tornado Hunter
• Ian Somerhalder talks about his work with RYOT.org

Glenn Howerton can usually be seen on FX playing the slightly diabolical Dennis Reynolds on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, on which he also writes and executive produces. However this spring he’s joined the network’s newest drama, Fargo, based on the critically acclaimed Coen brothers film. Howerton plays Don Chumph a gullible personal trainer out to blackmail his client’s wealthy ex-husband with the help of Lorne Malvo (an intense Billy Bob Thornton). The multi-talented Howerton joined MediaMikes on a call to discuss Don, Fargo and was more than happy to field a few ‘Sunny’ questions as well.

What originally attracted you to the show and playing Don?

Glenn Howerton: I didn’t know a whole lot about it when I said yes to it if I’m being honest. You know, television moves at a different pace than film. I knew that the Coen Brothers were involved, I’ve been a big fan of FX dramas for a while, and obviously I’ve been a part of the family for many many years and the president of FX John Landgraf called me and you know, he knows my background is not really in comedy. A lot of my background is actually in a lot more dramatic stuff, weird. You know so he threw it out there, ‘would you ever want to be on one of our dramas?’ and I said absolutely. So it just came along and even though it’s kind of a comedic role, he felt like it was something I hadn’t really done comedically before and it was part of a drama and he explained the concept to me, who the character was, what the tone of the show was. I’m a big fan of the movie Fargo. Basically without ever even seeing the script, I said yes just because of all the people that were involved.

Would you say the character of Don is a reference to the character Brad Pitt played in the Coens’s Burn After Reading?

Howerton: I assumed the same thing you did when I read the script, that it was a pretty clear homage to that character. I don’t remember ever actually having that conversation with Noah [Hawley] but I know that he definitely wanted to distinguish it enough from that character. Which I think is something that happens naturally when you cast two actors. He and I are always going to have a different take on it. So yeah, I think the homage was clearly there but I certainly tried to stay away from anything Brad did in the movie. It was nice because I actually did rewatch a lot of Coen Brothers movies including Burn After Reading and I was like my god, Brad Pitt’s performance in that is so brilliant…I don’t even think I could match that even if I wanted to.

Your character is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, how difficult is that to play?

Howerton: Well some of the tools are not meant to be sharp. So I’ll start with that, you know, you’ve got a lot of instruments in the tool shed…It’s kind of a difficult question to answer only because I’m one of those guys that I have to just kind of feel it. Otherwise it becomes a very intellectual exercise if I start thinking about it too much. So I think it’s more getting into a very open minded mindset where for me, I felt like this was the kind of guy who is very easily influenced. Especially by someone with such a presence as Lorne Malvo has. Obviously there is the threat of violence behind it all. But I think this guy’s not so much afraid of any kind of violence against him as he is of sort of getting caught. I don’t know, it’s sort of just the feeling of being innocent again. I mean it is a very different character than the character certainly I play on ‘Sunny’, who thinks he knows everything. I think this guy thinks he doesn’t know as much as he needs to know. But I don’t know…I think it’s just bringing a real openess to the role. More listening than demanding or saying.

How was it sharing scenes with Billy Bob Thornton as Lorne?

Howerton: Billy’s great. I’m always a little concerned any time I get into a scene with somebody who I–you know someone I have so much respect for as I do with Billy. Just because they say never meet your idol, you know, so…I don’t want to meet this guy and have him be a son of a bitch or something. But he could not be a nicer, easier person to work with. He’s extremely open to suggestion, very easy to work with. Very professional, being on set knowing all of his lines, clearly is listening. I’m a big fan people who I feel like when I’m talking to them in the scene, they’re actually listening to what I’m saying. So even if I did flub a line, he was listening to me, he’d pick up on it. So it was a lot of fun. It kind of became like a really weird sort of Abbott and Costello-y kind of relationship where I kind of end up becoming his lackey. It was a lot of fun and you know, I’m not accustomed to usually playing the, for lack of a better word, the dumb one in the comedic relationship. I’m usually the straight man so it was a lot of fun not playing the straight man.

Did you have a favorite scene while shooting Fargo?

Howerton: I’m thinking the scene that I did in the closet with [Billy Bob] was a lot of fun which in the script was actually a little bit of a longer scene with more in there. But as I’m well versed with ‘Sunny’, you only have so much time to tell the story so you gotta cut out anything that’s not absolutely essential. But I had a really good time shooting that scene.  It’s almost awkward to be literally inches away from someone’s face doing a scene. But I think that’s part of why it’s so awkward and funny to shoot.

Coming from writing and acting on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, is it hard to resist coming up with input on this character?

Howerton:  It’s not hard for me to resist it because it’s not something that, this is going to sound weird, I’m not compelled often to be a writer. I would much rather as an actor get something that’s so well written that I don’t feel the desire to write it or rewrite it. And that was certainly the case with Noah’s writing. I think he strove for a certain amount of excellence in his writing where you said things pretty much word for word that would convey exactly the message that it needed to convey. So I really stuck pretty closely to the script on this one, but to Noah’s credit, there were certain sections where my character was sort of fumfering through a moment where he was absolutely open to me changing or altering things in any way that I saw fit. But to be honest, most of the time I stuck pretty closely to the script.

How would the ‘Sunny’ gang cope with the situation that Don’s found himself in?

Howerton: I think that’s a difficult question to answer certainly because…most of the guest star roles we have on Sunny are sort of mowed over by our extremely energetic, forceful characters. You know, in season seven we actually did have a similar situation of being trapped in a closet…so I think the difference between Don and Dennis, Dennis would have spent the entire time trying to get out of that closet. Whereas Don just you know, just spent the night eating whatever he had in the cabinet and peeing into his shoe. Or whatever the hell he did, I don’t know. I think he’s a much more thoughtful, trusting character, Don. Whereas Dennis is you know more cynical and untrusting.

There’s a rumored Lethal Weapon reboot happening, how would the Always Sunny Gang react to that news having made their own sequels?

Howerton: My god. I didn’t hear that. They’re talking about remaking Lethal Weapon?

Lauren Damon: Yeah, with Chris Hemsworth.

Howerton: Oh wow, wow. Okay. Well I think they you know, in true Sunny fashion, there would be some characters who would be excited about it. And I think there would be some characters who would be adamently against it. And then the characters would probably battle it out in some way. But personally, me? Sure. Why not? [laughs] I thought the Robocop remake was good, I’ll say that!

“Fargo” airs on FX Tuesday nights at 10pm

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has recently began shooting its tenth season.

Related Content

• Mike O’Meara & Robb Spewak talk about their podcast “The Mike O’Meara Show”
• Karl Pilkington talks about his new travel show “The Moaning of Life”
• PJ Byrne reflects on his role in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and his new show on CBS “Intelligence”
• The Cast and Creators discuss their new hit show “Sleepy Hollow”
• Steven Bauer talks about “Scarface” and new show “Ray Donovan”

Any fans of “Fraggle Rock” out there…I know there are! Well, this might be something for you(r kids) if you are looking for a return to Fraggle Rock. It has been more than 30 years since “Fraggle Rock” premiered and now we get a brand new spin-off called “Jim Henson’s Doozers”, which just premiered Hulu Plus with the first few episodes, which run 11-minutes long.

They show is aimed for preschoolers, which is perfect for me because I have a 2 year old and cause use her an excuse to watch. There are 52 episodes planned for this series already, which is a big commitment especially since this new series is Hulu’s first original project for kids.

Trading puppets for computer animation, this Fraggle Rock” spin-off introduces us to the “Pod Squad”, which consits of four new 3-inch-tall kid Doozers: Spike, Molly Bolt, Flex and Daisy Wheel. Check out the clip below, grab your kids and log on to Hulu ASAP!

Peta Murgatroyd is a New Zealand born dancer who has been performing since the early age of 4. Peta has danced and competed all over the world and in 2004 she joined the cast of “Burn the Floor” on Broadway.  Peta is probably best known as part of the cast of the popular television show “Dancing with the Stars” where she has been partnered up with everyone from Metta World Peace to Donald Driver. She currently is dancing with Big Time Rush singer James Maslow on season 18 of the series. Media Mikes had the chance recently to speak with Peta about the show and her dancing career.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us what first sparked you interest in dancing?
Peta Murgatroyd: I started ballet when I was 4 years old. I think that is something every mother starts out wanting their daughter to do. They want them to learn to be pretty and beautiful. I ended up absolutely falling in love with it and by 10 I knew that’s what I wanted to do as a career. I auditioned for the top ballet company in Perth, Australia and was accepted. During this time I changed schools and started attending a performing arts school. I had to make a lot of changes at this stage in my life. By the time I was 17 I was competing around the world and from there I started learning ball room dancing. I landed a spot in a show on Broadway which ended in 2009. After doing that for 6 years I felt I was at my peak and that it would be a good time/place to stop. I ended up turning to television and here I am.

AL: Was there ever a time early on in your career where you felt that maybe dancing wasn’t the right path for you?
PM: Absolutely! There were many times where I questioned not only myself but also my family as well. All of these things cost a lot of money. We were not poor but classes and everything were very expensive. I often had a job waitressing to help pay for some of my dresses and such. I often thought about if what I was doing was the right thing and if dancing was something I could make a career of. I always made sure that I did well with my schooling because I was just unsure as what was going to happen. I actually tried to give up my schooling at one point but my parents wouldn’t let me. I was traveling all over the world dancing while also studying for all of my classes and exams. In the end I put everything into dancing as I realized how much I did love it.

AL: How did you first get involved with “Dancing with the Stars”?
PM: The show was actually on in Australia and they had asked me to be on it however I wasn’t sure If I wanted to give up what I was doing at that time to be on a reality television show. That was just a lot to take on at a young age. When I was on Broadway the producers of “Dancing with the Stars” came to one of the performances and afterwards immediately handed me a contract to be on the show. That was pretty awesome! I didn’t have to audition or anything which was really cool. I let the first season go by as I wanted to watch how the show worked here in the U.S. My boyfriend at the time was actually on the show so I was able to watch him and really get a good idea of how things worked before I started on the next season.

AL:  What do you feel is the biggest challenge when getting paired up with your partner for the first time?
PM: There are lots of little challenges along the way but probably the biggest thing is just getting to know your partner and how they work with a woman in a room for six hours a day. (Laughs) Sometimes I might not know a lot about my partner beforehand so I look them up on Google. It’s really great to see how far you can push your partner and help them become a better dancer and progress through the contest week after week.

AL: Can you give us a little bit of an idea as to what goes on behind the scenes during the show?
PM: I wish they showed more of the rehearsal time. A lot of what they show is just a minute or two from a week’s worth of rehearsal. The producers choose those scenes and a lot of times they are trying to follow a story line. There is just so much more that goes on and there are a lot of funny moments that happen. They often tend to follow just one emotion. With me they tend to follow more of my serious side. That’s just one piece of my personality. I am always goofing and like to have a lot of fun. I wish the viewers could see all the different emotions and fun we have leading up to each performance.

AL: Are you working on any other projects after this season of the show wraps up?
PM: I am going to be performing for a week in Canada as part of a theater show there. I have a number of appearances and little shows booked here and there but my main focus after this season ends is to continue on with my acting. When I’m not working on the show that’s my time to go through scripts and go on auditions. When I am working on “Dancing with the Stars” I really have no time for anything else.

AL: Were you always interested in perusing acting alongside dancing?
PM: Acting was something that I always wanted to do and explore. I have found that I really enjoy character dances. I found I really know how to get into a character and I love the acting side of things.  Acting is certainly still new to me and I have been taking classes and working with a private coach to help me get stronger. Acting is something I would love to be able to crossover in to.

Photo Credit: Manfred Baumann

You might know William Shatner as Captain Kirk from “Star Trek: The Original Series”, or Denny Crane from “Boston Legal”, either way the man is a legend in the business. At age 83, he is still going strong and has tackled everything from acting to theatre to being an author. In 2012, he returned to the stage on Broadway with his one-man show, “Shatner’s World”. Since then he took the show on tour and now it will be playing in movie theaters for a special engagement on April 24th through Fanthom Events. Media Mikes had the special privilege to chat with Mr. Shatner about the show and his outstanding career.

Mike Gencarelli: You took “Shatner’s World” from Broadway, then touring and now to cinemas; what has been the highlight for you this journey?
William Shatner: The highlight is at the end of the evening…I think I am safe in saying that at every performance that I have done, the audience had stood up and applauded at the end. The emotion that comes over the footlights between me and the audience has moved me to tears many times. The audiences affection at the end of the evening is palpable and that is truly the highlight for me, Mike. And for the price of a movie ticket, you can see a Broadway play in theaters. This is a live capture of the Broadway play and it will be released in 700 theaters and you can see it for the price of only a movie ticket. So you can’t beat that.

MG: “Shatner’s World” calls back to your roots starting off in theatre; how was it returning back to that setting?
WS: I have been asked for years, since the last time I was on Broadway, to come back and do a play and in some cases a musical. But they needed to get at least a six month commitment and I didn’t have that time available. So I thought “I guess that’s it for me and Broadway”. But within months of saying that came an opportunity to go back to Broadway with this show and I even was able to go to the the exact theater where I was for my last Broadway play. So the irony of that, or the beautiful or symmetry of that is not lost on me.

MG: What was the the name of that last Broadway show?
WS: It was “A Shot in the Dark” with Julie Harris…many years ago.

MG: In “Shatner’s World”, you mentioned several struggles on your career early on; what would you say is your defining moment?
WS: I have the kind of career that was a slow build. Every time something sensational was going to happen it didn’t work out that way it was suppose to. There was this slow wave of attention and activity that I think actually climaxes in this one-man show. To go on stage alone for an hour and a half to two hours and hold an audience and get the kind of reaction I’ve been am getting, that is the cumulation of years of experience and attention. It didn’t happen suddenly, there was no defining moment. Instead, there was a series of small wavelets as apposed to a tsunami.

MG: Having such a full career, what were some of the hard decisions you had to make to cut out in order to get this show down to an hour and a half?
WS: There were many parts that didn’t make it, especially getting the show ready for Broadway. I had to sharpen and refine and reduce it to it’s supreme moments, if you will, where it epitomizes everything that I wanted to say. Not only stories but also extraneous words, so it is a difficult process. The core of this show was to say “Yes” to life. To give this idea, this concept, that life is precious and needs to be embraced with both ears and smothered by you because it is over so quickly. So the stories that went along with that core were the stories that I kept.

MG: I loved the energy that you brought to the stage; how do you channel all that energy running around on stage and still while being funny and charming?
WS: It is part of the entertainer’s magic, I guess, but that is my energy and it comes from my core. That is what I bring to you on stage, you being the audience. I feel that there is a magical link between me and the audience. I feel it and you feel it. I am there for you. We are having a love affair, the performer and the audience. I actually feel the embrace and perform to that and that is energizing to me.
MG: I have to honestly say that from just watching the show, I felt pumped and I didn’t even see it in person, so congrats on that as well for being very effective.
WS: I am so glad to hear you say that, thank you. That is a lovely compliment and I appreciate you saying it.

MG: You bet!, what would you say is biggest challenge doing a one-man show?
WS: There is a number of challenges. You are talking continuously for two hours and trying to remember the words. It is not unlike musicians doing a set and having the set numbers in front of them. They have clues as to what is next. So that is what I had but it still had to remember those words. So now that I haven’t done this in many months I am going to be in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand on June 19th, 20th, 21st doing the one-man show, which is what a thrill let me say, so I am going to have to re-learn the lines now. So that is a challenge but not only that but I am going to have to teach the show to an individual on how to work that software for the electronics and the media. So that is going to be a challenge in Las Vegas. Then I am going on a tour for a few selected dates in January and have to re-do that again. So the dint of the words and the expenditure of energy that is so orgasmic [laughs] and you have to be ready for it, so those are challenges also.

MG: You mentioned your musical career in the show; do you have any plans to go down that road again?
WS: Well, I have been asked to do a cover album…and I just may do that. I love music. I can’t sing or sustain a note but what I do have is the musicality of the language. Many languages, English among them, has an intrinsic melody and rhythm that needs to be sought out, if you will. It is one thing to speak like we do but another to find the heart of the language and I love that. So my ability to be able to combine that musicality of the words with a melody line that comes in behind it, it became a signature thing. I just love doing it and I am anxious to do it again, so whether it is an album or live. I did perform my newest album, which is called “Ponder the Mystery”. I did it three times with Billy Sherwood’s group in the Los Angeles area last year and it got a great response and I would love to repeat that.

MG: From being an actor, author, spokesperson etc; what is left on your bucket list that you want to do?
WS: Oh my goodness. I haven’t done anything in life. I feel unaccomplished and I feel like I have done nothing [laugh]. Being a performer, once the performance is over…it is gone. It is in the ether. It may have just as well not happened. The next night is the next challenge. It is a challenge of many kinds. It is a challenge of redoing that performance that only you can remember. The challenge is also that if there will be an audience for that performance. I am feeling that way right now. Doing all this publicity is an attempt to fill that gap that I hope that 700 theaters will be filled up with people coming to see the show on April 24th. There is so much to do and so little time left to do it.

Martin Freeman is known best by some as Tim Canterbury in BBC’s “The Office”. Some know (and love) him from “Love Actually. He has also donned the hat of Dr. John Watson in BBC’s “Sherlock”. Or if none of those ring a bell, he is also in a (quite unknown, rather small) trilogy called “The Hobbit” where he plays a young Bilbo Baggins. Either way, Martin has had such a diverse and incredible career to date and though his latest role could also be his best. He is making his U.S. television debut with FX’s “Fargo” playing the role of Lester Nygaard”. The show is an adapation of the 1996 cult classic movie. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Martin about the show, working with Billy Bob Thornton and his character.

Mike Gencarelli: What attracted you to the role of Lester Nygaard in FX’s “Fargo”
Martin Freeman: Well, just the fact that it’s well written. The script itself is well written, the whole thing, the whole first episode, which is what I based my decision on. It was a lovely episode. And with Lester I just got the feeling that this was going to be a role where you could give rein to a lot of stuff, to play a lot of stuff. Even within that first episode the range that he goes between is really interesting and so I knew that was only going to grow and expand in the next nine episodes and so it proved to be. In all the 10 episodes I get to play as Lester pretty much the whole gamut of human existence and human feeling. He does the whole lot and that’s exactly what you want to do as an actor. Noah [Hawley] treads that line very well between drama and comedy and the light and dark. I like playing that stuff.

MG: Talk to us about your character’s relationship with Billy Bob Thornton’s character in the show and how it developed over the 10 episodes?
MF: Well, yeah, again it was those initial scenes with Billy that really, really attracted me to doing the role because I thought they were just mesmeric. I really loved that it was like little doing plays, little two-handed plays. It develops without kind of saying too much and a lot off-screen. There are moments of on-screen development, but throughout the series it’s sporadic. But Lorne Malvo, I suppose, is a constant presence in Lester’s life because of the change that Lester has undergone as a result of meeting him. So, everything that Lester does, every way that he develops as a character, for good and bad, you could say is kind of down to that initial meeting with Lorne Malvo. So, there is a development. We don’t get as much screen time as I would like. I think we both really, really loved sharing actual space together and doing work together and we don’t get to do as much of that as we would want, but there is more to come.

MG: Did you do anything specific research about Minnesota or Minnesotans in preparation to play Lester?
MF: Not specifically, no. Ideally, what I would have wanted to do was spend some time there pre-filming because what I wanted to do was not, definitely not do a caricature and definitely not do something that was just comic or a way of going, oh, aren’t these people funny kind of thing. So, in an ideal world I would have spent a couple of weeks hanging out in bars or just speaking to people. The ideal world doesn’t exist and I wasn’t able to do that. But I worked very hard on the accent because, as I said, I didn’t want it to be like a comedy sketch. I wasn’t playing an accent. I was playing a character who happened to speak like that and to be from that place. So, not specific research. I listened to a lot of Minnesotans, put it that way. I listened to a lot of actual Minnesotans in an audio sense, I mean a visual sense. That’s why I didn’t really go back and watch the initial film with Fargo, love it as I do, because I wanted to, for my research of accent-wise, I wanted it to be actual Minnesotans and not actors playing Minnesotans. Any more than I would expect an actor who wants to play a Minnesotan should study me. They shouldn’t study me, they should study a Minnesotan. So, that was the kind of extent of my homework on that. So, rather than thinking what is it that makes Minnesotans different or specific or whatever, I think Lester is pretty universal. There are “Lesters” everywhere in every race and walk of life and country. There are people who are sort of downtrodden and people who are under confident and all that, so that was more a case of tapping into that in myself really.

MG: You’re no stranger to shorter TV series formats, like “Sherlock”; so what did you enjoy most about having “Fargo” be a limited series of 10 episodes?
MF: Well, I think my general outlook on life is that things should be finite and things are finite. You know, we all die. Everything ends. And so for me the idea of things going on and on and on, I don’t always find very attractive. But if it’s a show that I love and it keeps going on and it retains its quality then I’m delighted to be a viewer of it. But I’ve never done things that have gone on and on. Again, like you say, “Sherlock” is a finite job. We spend a limited time of the year doing that. It’s not even every year. “The Office” was 14 episodes totally by design because precisely of what I’m talking about, the attitude of retaining quality and leaving people wanting more rather than leaving people wanting less. This 10 episodes was kind of a clincher for me. When my agent sent it to me it was with the understanding that she said, you know, “You don’t go out for American TV because you don’t want to sign on for something for six or seven years, but this is 10 episodes. See what you think”. So, that was a big attraction. And then I read it, of course, and thought, well, man, this is going to take up four or five months of my life rather than seven years and I’m in. I like moving on, I like going on to the next thing. I like having something else to look forward to as well. I do have a low boiling pressure. I just want to do other things. I think that’s basically why it is and I want to leave something, hopefully, leave something behind that people go, oh, that was great, as opposed to, oh, why did they carry on with this? It was good for the first three seasons and then it all went wrong. I’m well aware that some things don’t go wrong after three seasons. Some of my favorite things are fantastic for a long time. But, yeah, for me personally, I like the hit and run approach. I love doing this for a bit and then doing something else for a bit and then doing something else for a bit. That’s the way I’m hardwired I think.

MG: Lastly, was there anything about Lester that you added to this character that wasn’t originally scripted?
MF: I suppose, yeah, because I think there always is and I don’t even know what is specific, what I could answer to that. But my job I feel is to take a good script and somehow make it better. And that’ every department’s job. It’s the camera department and the design department, you know, to make this script, which is hopefully very good, to make it even better. So an actor’s job is to put flesh on the bones of the character because even though it’s fantastically written you don’t just see the script up on screen. You know, that would be quite boring if you just read the script. You have to flesh it out and just the physicality, the placement of the voice, yeah, I mean all of that stuff can only be done by an actor. Sp yes, the answer is I hope I would have brought a lot to it, but specifics, I don’t really know. But I mean everything that you see on screen, some of that’s Noah and some of it’s me.

Jaleel White is known best for his role as Steve Urkel in “Family Matters”. But Jaleel has been one biggest guy over the last few years going from “Dancing with the Stars” to hosting his own reality series on Syfy “Total Blackout” to guest starring on “CSI” this past January. His latest gig is a absolutely riot called “BPOV”, which stands for Broke People on Vine. It is a new web series that airs on YouTube weekly. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jaleel about the show. the craze of Vine and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you got involved with Urban Hombre Media?
Jaleel White: I am a partner in the company along with Andres Izquieta, who is the CEO of Five Four Clothing. Five Four is an online based men’s club clothing brand. They put their clothes on everybody. So rather than have me be a brand ambassador for them, Andres reached out to me about branching out into production on the internet. The internet is something that we cannot ignore these days. It is bigger than just tweeting stuff. You need actual content on the internet. But this is a fun company and we are going to have a lot of good things coming up.

MG: I love the title for the show, “BPOV” (aka Broke People on Vine).
JW: Some people have said why call it “BPOV”. I really like the acronym because it is about a point of view of broke people because rich people on Vine ain’t funny [laughs]. Our director whipped up the logo, with a “South Park” version of me, which is cool. It is a great collaboration and we come up with the ideas collectively. So we are just keeping it real and having fun and we are going to keep pumping them out.

MG: So what is it about Vine that has people so hooked?
JW: A lot of my friends and people that I am familiar with are on Vine. I find myself at night just watching Vine on my phone like it is TV show. It is crazy really. After a long day, you are just lying around checking texts and emails and then you skip over to Vine and get stuck there for a half hour. By the time you are done, you aren’t going to watch TV; you are going to do to bed. Sometimes my daughter will come in the room and I will find something that is kid appropriate and we will then sit there and watch the same Vine like 15 times in a row [laughs].

MG: How many times did you have to watch these videos during shooting?
JW: What is really cool about the show is that I actually don’t get to see the Vines beforehand. Even if I like one and submit it for consideration, when the guys put together the top 10 reel I have no idea which ones are in there. If you watch you will see my eyes glance down sometimes because they want me to respond and react in real time. I am watching them for the first time right there. So even if it is one that I submitted, you are still getting an immediate and unknown reaction within the flow of the shot. When we did “Worst Job Interviews” episode and they guy was just hired at Krispy Kreme and does the back flip, that was an honest reaction from me and that was the first time I have ever saw that. We wanted my reaction to be the same reaction that you are viewers will experience. So that makes it fun.

MG: I love how the episodes run three minutes each; quick, tight and effective.
JW: It really channels to people’s attention spans right now. I don’t watch a half hour TV show every night before I go to bed as I would back when I was young kid. I will spend some time on Vine and that is it.

MG: How often can we expect new episodes?
JW: We are looking to keep putting them out, I think every Monday. Then down the line, we are looking to expand and putting them out even more. We will do some year-end stuff as well. It is just one of those things that it out there, it is what I do and I am big fan of Vine. I prefer to cover it then do my own Vines. To get to share these with people is just funnier for me personally. So that is the show man! Check it out and spread the word to your friends!

Related Content

• John Ottman Talks about editing and scoring “X-Men: Days of Future Past”
• IronE Singleton reflects on his role of T-Dog in AMC’s “The Walking Dead”
• Eddie Mekka talks about “Laverne and Shirley” and his appearance at the 31st Omaha Film Event
• Harold Perrineau talks about his role on FX’s “Sons of Anarchy”
• Kevin Shinick talks “MAD”, “Robot Chicken” and “The Avenging Spider-Man”

Brian Henson is the son of Jim Henson, creator of “The Muppets” and the current chairman of The Jim Henson Company. For years Brian has been working with his family in the company as a puppeteer in roles like Jack Pumpkinhead in “Return to Oz” and directing//producing “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and “Muppet Treasure Island”. He was also behind the TV series “Farscape” as the Executive Producer. His latest venture is in reality TV on Syfy with the series “Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge”, which is similar to other Syfy shows like “Face/Off”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Brian about the TV show and also get the scoop on upcoming projects like “The Power of the Dark Crystal” and “Fraggle Rock: The Movie”.

Mike Gencarelli: How did the idea come about to do this show, Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge?
Brian Henson: We were trying to think if there is a show that would make sense for The Jim Henson Company in the reality side of television programming. There aren’t many…because we are The Jim Henson Company. Almost everything we do has an element of fantasy or science-fiction in it. In many ways we are the opposite of reality. We make things that reflect on reality and allow you to objectively compare it to what we are presenting. But we decided that one area that is particularly exciting of our company is in the creature designing area. These artists, who are designing, conceiving and then building these creatures, really are like magic. They are extraordinary artists. We thought that doing a show around that aspect would be the most interesting area to the general audience. It is sort of like this secret world. There are no Academy Awards for creature designers. There are some creature designers who have won Academy Awards for costuming, make-up or special effects. Joe FREID, one of the Executive Producers, really shared the same enthusiasm in that area of our company and also has a strong background in reality TV programming. We went out to pitch it and Syfy loved it. We made it pretty close to the “Face/Off” format or even the “Project Runway” format. But what is different about it is that it is going into an area and a type of artist that is much different than anyone has ever seen. It is taking place in the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and the prize really is a job with us.

MG: How do you come up with the challenges for the show like the first episode’s undersea creature?
BH: We basically kept making lists of creatures that we thought would be interesting. For season one, we said that none of the creatures should be allowed to use any compositing, puppeteer removal or some of the techniques that we would normally use in television or feature films. So that closed us up a little bit and kept us focused for season one. Then we had about 15-20 good ideas on the board and we basically produced what we thought was a good wide range of creatures. One thing that is great about creature making, which perhaps is not true of some of the cousins to our TV show, is they are very different depending on what kind of creature you are looking for and what kind of screen test you presenting at the end of the episode. It means that every episode is able to stand alone and be unique from the one before it, which is a lot of fun. You should also expect the challenges to be more and more ambitious as we go forward, which I think is pretty great.

MG: What are you feelings on CGI versus practical effects like puppet work?
BH: My take on it reflects my background and where I come from and where my dad came from, we are a performance oriented company. So what excites me is performing creatures and puppets. We do some CGI but we call it digital puppetry. The way we do CGI, is that we real-time animate 3D creatures using performers. So if it comes from performance and creating a real moment for the characters then that is what excites me and our company. So in that sense, I prefer the animatronic creatures to the CGI creatures. But that is also due to my background. If someone comes from key frame animation, they may prefer CGI to stop-action animation. But I think there is wonderful space for every technique. There is clearly a sacrifice you make when you decide to go CGI with a creature is that you are not actually creating a real moment that you then photograph. With most of our stuff besides the digital puppetry that we do, what you see has really been created and has been photographed and is now in the movie or TV show. It really happened and was really there. You can’t underestimate the value of that. It may mean that things are not quite as slick or accurate as CGI but it really happened and there is something really delicious and exciting about that. Certainly we have been seeing a big move towards CGI creatures but I think with films like “Where the Wild Things Are”, we are starting to see a movement back towards practical effects. But like I said there is definitely a space for both.

MG: I feel that this show actually brings this type of work back into the spotlight…
BH: Yeah, it’s been like a secret world. Nobody knows how these creatures are built and created. Nobody has done a show like this and it is really interesting watching them work.
MG: Yeah, one thing I would love to learn more about myself is the actual mechanics behind-the-scenes with these creatures.
BH: Well as you watch more of the series you will be more of that as well.

MG: Tell us about choosing your co-judges including Kurt Thatcher and Beth Hathaway?
BH: Initially we weren’t sure if we wanted to go with an all internal panel. Kurt is really an inside guy. Most of the work he has done in his career has been with our company. We wanted it to be as credible as possible because like I said the prize really is a job in the Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Kurt is the type of person who would do the hiring along with me who would also be making those judgment calls. At a certain point, we realized it was just too much Henson. So we reached out to Beth Hathaway, who is also a very experienced creature builder but her background is along the lines of Stan Winston and Rick Baker. It was actually really fun bringing her in since she is kind of an outsider but we just love her. It was good having her point of views and opinions on the judging panel.

MG: What do you see that the future has planned for this type of practical effects and for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop?
BH: I think there is a lot of opportunity for us to do more creature work. I think we are coming out of a time where the industry has been in a flux. I think people are now starting to stabilize and spend more money for cool fantasy/science-fiction characters. I think you will start to see more practical effects…but probably mixed in with some CGI, which is like what “Where the Wild Things Are” was. I think the best creatures yet to come are going to be a little bit of everything used to bring that creature to life.

MG: Do you have any update on The Power of Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock movie?
BH: The truth is that it took me five years to get “Farscape” on the air. These things take time. Some of that time feels like you are just waiting around. There is a lot of things that need to come together in order to make these projects work. You need to have the right talent, financing and distribution partners. But I can tell you that these both in active development currently within our company. We are determined to get them made. It is big though and a lot of elements need to come together to get a movie made.

Photos courtesy of Syfy

Related Content

• Bree Williamson talks about joining the cast of Syfy’s “Haven”
• WWE Superstar Adam “Edge” Copeland talks about his role on Syfy’s “Haven”
• Marc & Shannon Parker from Parker Brothers Concepts chats about working on Syfy’s “Dream Machines”
• Ben Gleib talks about “Ice Age: Continental Drift”, Kevin Smith, “Chelsea Lately”, hanging with Jaleel White and time traveling with Syfy’s “Insane or Inspired?”
• Barry Williams and Danny Bonaduce talks about Syfy’s “Bigfoot”

Photo: The CW

Probably best known as David, one of the rival “Warblers” on the popular television series “Glee,” Titus Makin, Jr. can now be seen on the popular new CW show “Star-Crossed.”  As Lukas, Makin gets the chance to help save the day with the occasional blast of humor.  While getting ready to take a break from filming and finish his new musical EP, Makin took the time to talk to me about his new show, “The Lion King” and a possible return to “Glee:”

Mike Smith:  Can you give the readers a brief introduction to your character, Lukas, in your new show “Star-Crossed?”
Titus Makin, Jr:  Sure.  Lukas Parnell is one of Emery’s  (Aimee Teegarden) best friends.  He’s the guy that shows her the ropes in her new high school.  He breaks down who people are, what they do and how it all works.  He’s also the “logical” guy…the tech savvy guy.  He’s the guy to go to if you need answers or need to know how to get into dangerous places.   (much brighter) And he’s also the comic relief!  He can cushion the blow of an otherwise dramatic situation.

MS:  What attracted you to the project?
TMJ:  The sci-fi aspect definitely attracted me to the project.  I’m a big sci-fi buff so as soon as I saw the word “spacecraft” I just said “sign me up!”  (laughs)  I also love the comedic aspect within the drama.  I love drama and sci-fi so to be able to play a comedic role within that?  What a dream come true.  I definitely was on board.

MS:  You really do a little bit of everything.  You act, you sing, you dance.  Do you have a preference among your talents?  Is there a dream project out there?
TMJ:  I really don’t have a preference.  I’m very content with both acting and music.  A dream project would probably be….you know, “Glee” pretty much touched everything that I love to do so in a way I’ve already done the musical dream project.  As far as the acting side goes, it’s probably to be able to do a film with Will Smith.  Of course, that’s probably everybody’s dream!  (laughs)

MS:  I know one of your fellow “Warblers,” Darren Criss has appeared on Broadway (Criss took a break from “Glee” to star in the musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”).  And desires to tread the boards?
TMJ:  Oh yeah.  I would love to be able to appear on Broadway one day.  I love the stage.  I love theater acting and I love musical theater.  That would be an honor.  I’ve thought about that before, but when I did that dream seemed so farfetched that I didn’t consider it for a while.  But now I think it would be amazing to one day jump into a great role.  I need to get a little older so I can jump into a good role in “The Lion King.”

MS:  As “Glee” prepares for its final season next year, do you know if there are any plans to have “the Warblers” return?
TMJ:  I definitely think so.  I haven’t heard much since I’ve been filming “Star-Crossed,” but I do keep in contact with a lot of the other guys and there is always hearsay about us coming back for a “competition” episode or some kind of dramatic moment.  Of course they never get confirmed.  But that’s the great thing about Ryan (Murphy, the creator of “Glee”).  He’s always willing to bring back fan favorites so I think there is a huge chance “the Warblers” will be back.

MS:  What else do you have coming up?
TMJ:  Other than waiting for “Star-Crossed” to air I’m going to dive back into music for awhile while we’re on our break.  I’ll be recording an EP down the road here so for me music is still doing well.

Dawn Wells is best known for her role as Mary Ann Summers, the young girl from Winfield, Kansas that takes an ill fated three hour cruise and ends up stranded on “Gilligan’s Island.”

Born in Reno, Nevada, Ms. Wells represented the state in the 1960 Miss America Pageant. She studied theater at the University of Missouri. After graduation she headed to Hollywood. In 1964 she won the role she is most identified with, Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island.” Following the show’s cancellation in 1967, she continued to work in television, appearing on such popular shows as “The Invaders,” “The Wild, Wild West” and “Bonanza.” She also appeared in a pair of films directed by Charles B. Pierce: “Windtalker” and ”The Town That Dreaded Sundown.”

She has continued to work steadily and can now be seen in the new Jason Lockhart comedy, “Silent But Deadly.” To promote her appearance, Ms. Wells sat down recently with Media Mikes to talk about her new film, her love of theatre and what Mary Ann has planned for the 50th Anniversary of “Gilligan’s Island.”

Mike Smith: Hello from Kansas City, just 3 hours north of Winfield, Kansas!
Dawn Wells: And an hour and a half west of where I went to college in Columbia, Missouri.
MS: M-I-Z Z-O-U
DW: (laughing) that’s it!

MS: Can I ask what attracted you to the film?
DW: Well, I’ve never played a grandmother. I’ve never played an elder role on film at all so I thought it would be fun. And I love the idea of supporting new talent. I thought it was cleverly written, the cast was great and I really enjoyed liked the idea of working with Jason. I’m at that stage in my life where I’m not trying to build a career. I get to do what I enjoy. I enjoyed it when I read it so I took the shot. I loved it.

MS: A few of your co-stars in the film are, like yourself, well known television personalities. Were you able to spend some time on the set talking about your various experiences on the small screen?
DW: Surprisingly, when you’re shooting on set there really isn’t a lot of free time to chat. We did get to know each other during rehearsals, of course. And after we finished filming. I’ve stayed close to many of them. Of course, Lee Meriwether and I both share the Miss America pageant together. And many of them I had worked with in the past on television.

MS: You’ve done everything – film, television, theatre – do you have a preference?
DW: I do enjoy acting in movies but I’ve always loved theatre best. I love the rehearsal time. I love having a live audience and being able to read an audience. I’ve had the chance to play so many interesting roles on stage.

MS: As a follow up, as an actor is it preferable to do a character on stage, where with each performance you can continue to discover your character or film, where you’re often pressed for time so you have to go by your instincts?
DW: Good point. On film you are rushed for time and many times you’ll finish a scene, move on and then think to yourself that there was something else you could have given during that scene. One main difference is reaction. If you’re doing a film, let’s say during the scene someone tips a cup over. Not a problem, you just do it again. On stage, you have to improvise. Let’s say I have a scene where I’m supposed to walk across the stage, grab a vase and toss it out a window. So I make my entrance, cross the stage and discover the vase is not there. You’re in the middle of the performance (laughs)…what can you do? Do I find something else to pick up? Do I walk off stage, grab the vase and then come back in? All those things go through your mind. It’s like a football game. You’ve got the play and you’ve got the play clock in your head. Theatre definitely keeps you on your toes because nothing is perfect. There’s really no such thing as a perfect performance. I remember George C. Scott once said, “you’re doing 8 performances a week. If you get 3 of them in a row good, that’s a miracle.”

MS: 2014 marks the 50th Anniversary of “Gilligan’s Island.” Are there any celebrations or gatherings currently planned that you might be taking part in?
DW: 50 years. Sadly I just returned from Russell Johnson’s funeral (NOTE: Johnson played “The Professor” on the popular show). I still catch the show on occasion. Simple and funny and in black and white. Alan Hale and Jim Backus. It was such a joy. It came out during some tough times in the 1960s, when the country was having some very tough times. And I think we helped people laugh.

MS: “Gilligan’s Island” and the Beatles. You both kept America going.
DW: (laughs)
DW: I’m not aware of any celebrations yet but I do have a book coming out in September. I’m just finishing up the last chapter. It’s kind of a “What Would Mary Ann Do?” Remember, when we were dropped off on the island there was no birth control (laughs). Mary Ann got the most fan mail. Everyone loved her. And I feel that she was the rudder. The book is funny…it has a lot of my advice. I’m not sure about the title yet. I don’t know if it will be “Mary Ann: Good Girl” or “What Would Mary Ann Do?” but I do know it will be fun.

MS: What else do you have coming up?
DW: Well, I’m finishing my book. I’m also going to be doing the play “Steel Magnolias” in North Carolina this March. I’m working on a documentary. This is going to be a very busy year for me.

Despite a successful career that had started almost a decade earlier, actress Vera Farmiga didn’t become a household name until her appearance as the psychiatrist caught in the middle in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar winning Best Picture “The Departed.” In 2010 she earned Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award nominations for her supporting turn opposite George Clooney in “Up in the Air. Since then she has starred in such films as “Source Code” and “The Conjuring.” She is also taking on another iconic role, that of Norma Bates, mother of young Norman, in the A&E series “Bates Motel.” As the second season approaches (it begins on March 3) Farmiga took some time to answer some questions about her preparation for the role, her family’s possible obsession with dark material and the rarity of having a second season while working in episodic television.

Mike Smith: Do you know quite a bit of the story line ahead of time? If so, do you like having that knowledge or would you rather be surprised as you go along?
Vera Farmiga: I’m still figuring what it is that is part of my process. You know, I’ve never had the luxury of a second season. I’ve done three series before and they all never had the opportunity to go beyond 13 episodes in the first season. So I know the first season I did feel a little disabled. Not that I couldn’t act… but I remember (writer) Carlton Cuse asking me “do you want some more clues?” And I wanted to sort of take it an episode at a time and not get ahead of myself. For me it was impossible to dig as deep initially with the root of this new character. I just had to – like it was like I felt like Norman Bates was this like huge voluptuous shrub that I just had to trust in this kind of a shallow root system. And sometimes I felt like I was like showing up to fix his toilet and my toolbox has been like packed by the wife. Do you know what I mean? I just reveled in the opportunity of a second season – television is a much slower process to discovering that background history, the personality, the psychology, the characters and their goals. And there were so many unknowns. And also, the cast is so much closer. There’s an intimacy. There’s a level of like sportsmanship now that we can throw harder jabs at each other. It’s the deeper level of trust that has been – and loved. It’s been established between us and the writers and between the actors. But, yes, for the second season I did ask for more clues. And I wantedto – I wanted to have the trajectory of the second season. I wanted to have more answers at the start, which I was provided with. So I think you’re in for a better second season.

MS: What is it that has been attracting you to more intense and scarier roles – “The Conjuring”…obviously the subject matter in “Bates Motel.” Is it in the blood? You’re sister Taissa is now on “American Horror Story.”
VF: Oh my God, you know, it’s like my own beautiful internal logic about why I choose to participate. Or I think actually the projects choose us. But why like there’s this magnetism oftentimes with dark subject matters is like… I don’t know. And actually to be honest with you, I do – I find dark stories uplifting. I think it’s like during the darkest moments of our lives that we see the light, right. There is a lot of darkness in “Bates Motel,” but again, there’s a lot of joy. I always look at things. And I choose to look at it through the lens of positivity. And I think our story is, yes it’s a story about dysfunction. It’s dark. But it’s a story about commitment and love and family and resilience and loyalty. I look at Taissa in “American Horror Story” and I just think, you know – I’m bias – you know, I’m practically her mother. And she’s just like this bright supernova that shines even brighter in the dark. I don’t know. Maybe it’s because our childhoods were so straight and narrow and full of light and love and goodness. I don’t know. Maybe that’s why we veer toward them more. But the object is to send light into the darkness you know, I mean that’s how I always look at it. So I am attracted to the sordid and the wacky, the unorthodox. But I love infusing it with lightness.

MS: When you first took on the role, were you worried before Seasons 1 how it would work setting it in the modern day? And why is it you think it does work so well?
VF: You know, I think – yes. I’d be lying if I didn’t have some reservation about it when I initially was presented with the offer. I thought there were so many things that can go wrong. And where we are being tethered, you know, we’re borrowing these characterizations or these plots points from like the most successful horror film ever. And that’s why that is a tall order but then it became to me simply a story – at the heart of the story it is this relationship between mother and son. But I didn’t feel any sort of pressure because everything that we knew about Norma Bates was through the fractured psyche of Anthony Perkins’ Norman.

MS: You’ve noted that what the audience “knows” about Norma came through the eyes of Anthony Perkins. Of course, that also means that the audience knows how Norma ends up. I know you are, in parts, trying to be faithful to the original film but, that being said, could you have another potential outcome for her? And if so, does this affect the way the character is written or how you portray her?
VF: The writers have always seen this as a strange love story between this mother and a son. And I don’t mean, you know, incest love. But it’s intense. And it’s…I mean it has to go in a certain direction. The relationship you see in the film, she’s very much portrayed as one type of person. And you don’t ever get to know that in her workings of how it got there, which is really fun in the film. I mean it’s great. And it’s a big surprise when you find out in the film. But here you get the luxury of taking that mess and putting it under a microscope and examining it and wondering how it got there and what the permutations were. And was there anything in at that wasn’t just ugliness because in the film, you know, she’s portrayed as a very abusive, harsh kind of ugly parent and it’s like, okay, well everyone gets mad at their parents sometimes. I mean everyone – every teenager in the world says I hate you. And they don’t hate them. It’s like the parent is such a complex thing to a kid. So it really was just, you know, it’s the love story of those two people and how they get to that place. And what it means and what that looks like. And it’s going to be amazing.

Back in 2006, the Independent Spirit Awards changed up their trophy system. Before 2006, winners at the awards show would receive an acrylic glass pyramid containing suspended shoestrings that symbolized the thin budget that independent movies would typically have to work with. They then changed it up to show a bird sitting atop of a pole with that the pole wrapped in shoestrings. So obviously the next logical step would be giving the winners a living, breathing bird. Right? Well that’s the plan at this year’s 29th annual awards. The host, Patton Oswald, was able to talk with me and other reporters at a press conference, to go over his avian stunt, comedic or not, as well as talk about what an honor it is to host this prestigious event.

Patton Oswalt is very familiar with the awards process. His first hosting duties were at the 39th annual Annie Awards where he was quick on his feet, especially when something went wrong, “I’m gonna be very, very aware if somebody reads the wrong cards. He read the wrong winner and I’ll try once again try to make a screw-up like that be delightful.” Even though he’s well known as a stand-up comedian, Patton has received recognition for his acting abilities throughout the years. Many people will remember him as the voice of Remy in “Ratatouille”, but his most recent portrayal as Matt Freehauf in “Young Adult,” landed him the New York Film Critics award for best supporting actor. So it’s understandable that Patton Oswalt would be ready to host the Independent Spirit Awards, but not a lot of hosts spend their time leading up to the awards preparing themselves for birds. but that’s what he’s been doing.

“I feel pretty ready. I’ve been down to the park a lot, chasing them around, yelling at them, so we’ll see,” Patton said jokingly. There should be no worries among animal activists or organizations. Patton says the birds will be well taken care of. The real challenge for him however, may actually be having to be around a bird, “I probably shouldn’t say this, but I have a paralyzing fears of birds…I don’t think it’ll affect my performance.” Patton says he wasn’t sure what kind of birds they would have though. Or even if they would be different for each nomination. He was sure that the winners would actually be able to keep their feathered prize, “They can keep them, they can set them free. Trust me, I know actors, I know directors, there’s all kinds of things they could do with birds, some I would rather not go into.” Patton said the birds will be cage free and actually be handled by the presenters and winners. With fears extinguished, Patton returned to the jokes by reassuring everyone that if anyone’s award…I mean bird…died days, months, or years later, the contingency plan would be to give the winner a baby cougar as a replacement.

It’s not odd for a comedian to host the Independent Spirit Awards. Previous hosts have included, Sarah Silverman, Steve Coogan and Eddie Izzard. When putting the jokes aside and getting to the meat of the night, anyone would gladly tell you they really look at the Independent Spirit Awards as a venue to see some great future filmmakers and actors as well as those who are deserving of some praise. Patton was no different. He really divulged a deep passion and appreciation for the awards, “For me, being the kind of film buff I am, this award show digs pretty deep into trying to find movies that took risks and rolled the dice. It rewards people that are clearly emerging that are going to be doing great stuff with their careers. What I also love is that they keep an eye open for veterans like Robert Redford and Bruce Dern who continue to take risks and seek out challenging, different material.”

Patton further proved his love for movies by rattling off some of his favorites at this year’s awards and he was not short of praise, “The crop of films they sent me was pretty stunning. ‘The Spectacular Now’ I thought was fantastic. I hope ‘Enough Said’ wins everything it gets nominated for. The documentary ‘The Act of Killing,’ I thought it was crucial. Hard to watch, but crucial. I really hope that Bruce Dern wins for ‘Nebraska’ because I thought he was just amazing. That guy’s had awards coming for a long time in my opinion, so that would be great.” Patton says he’s spent plenty of time catching up on movies and says that he was able to catch other award nominees like “Dallas Buyer’s Club,” “Short Term 12,” and the documentary “Computer Chess.”

With millions of viewers still choosing to watch the Oscars this year, it only seemed fitting that the last question for Patton Oswalt would be if the Independent Spirit Awards is a good predictor for the Academy. He didn’t shy away from the question, “I think it goes beyond that. I think that the Independent Spirit Awards are an important predictor of who you’re going to be rooting for in the Oscars, like ten years down the road. That’s what makes it so exciting for me, that this is like giving an award to Martin Scorsese in 1971 for ‘Who’s Knocking On My Door.’ You’re seeing people at the beginning of their, I’m going to use the word journey, but it really is. These are the future masters that you’re watching when they’re young and it makes it that much more crucial and stressful for me. I really want to do well by these guys because these are the people that are going to be making movies down the road that we’re going to be fighting over at the Oscars.”

For those interested (and how can you not be?), you can catch the 29th Annual Independent Spirit Awards on IFC, Sunday, March 1st. The fun begins at 10 p.m. EST/PST.

Don Jamieson is a veteran stand-up comedian who can be seen weekly on VH1 Classics popular television series “That Metal Show”. Along with co-host Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk the trio spread the word of all things metal while incorporating in studio interviews with everyone from Zakk Wylde to Steve Harris of Iron Maiden. Media Mikes spoke with Don recently about his work on the show and about his upcoming comedy album titled “Hell Bent for Laughter”.

Adam Lawton: How did you first get connected with Eddie Trunk?
Don Jamieson: Jim Florentine and I were fans of Eddie’s radio show which is on here in the NY/NJ area. We usually always listened to his show on our way back from some awful comedy gig that was out in the middle of nowhere that we didn’t get paid for. The only solace we would have from those crappy gigs back in the day was to get in to the “Trunk Zone”. On his show Eddie would talk about all the bands that we grew up listening to and really loved. Eddie was just like as so we had to meet him. Today they call it stalking (laughs) but we basically just walked around some shows until we found him and we all ended up becoming best friends. It’s great to all be working together on the VH1 Classic show.

AL: What were the first ideas mentioned about doing the show?
DJ: After we had become friends with Eddie he would have us on his radio show as guests and we were basically doing what would become the television show however on the radio at that time. We just talked about music and sat in when there were guests. We broke each other’s balls then just like we do now and there was some good chemistry there. We figured we would try and find someone crazy enough to put this on television.

AL: What has fan reception been like since returning to New York for season 13?
DJ: We loved doing the show in Los Angeles and being recognized while walking up and down the Sunset Strip was pretty. However were all East Coast guys and we missed taping in New York. I look out in to the audience there and see a lot of the same people who I used to see at L’Amour’s in Brooklyn in 1986. It really is a lot of fun.

AL: Did the push to move back to NY come from you guys or from the fans?
DJ: The network controls everything. We may seem like we are in control of stuff but really we have less control than the Amish. (Laughs)

AL: You guys always seem to be having fun in front of the camera but can you tell us what it’s like behind the scenes?
DJ: There is a lot of farting going on. Not much else goes on other than listening to music while crop dusting one another. (Laughs) We usually go over notes a little bit but with all three of us being metal heads now for 35/40 years it’s easy for us to sit down and have a conversation with one another along with our guest/guests. We like to just try and stay loose. We break each other’s balls and have a good time while talking about music.

AL: Has there been one guest in particular that has stuck out as a personal favorite of yours?
DJ: There has been a bunch. I will always love the stuff we did with Brian Johnson, Lemmy and Alice Cooper. I love the classic guys as those are the bands I came up with. Lemmy is seriously like my idol! I wish he would have adopted me. As far as the television show goes I love guests who are very outspoken and who tell it like it is. The season we had Ted Nugent on and to me that’s the ultimate guest. That guy holds nothing back and shoots straight from the hip. Sometimes guys like that can be polarizing but at the same time you know you are going to watch. You can’t wait to see what they are going to say next.

AL: How much of the show would you say is scripted?
DJ: We never plan what we are going to say to one another. That was the tuff part about putting the show together was how three people were going to interview one guest. Luckily we had worked out some of those kinks on the radio over the years. I can look out the corner of my eye and see if Jim or Eddie has a question they want to ask. We have some good non-verbal cues of how we are going to sort things out. We are fans just like the people watching so the questions we ask aren’t scripted. Hopefully we are asking the stuff that fans like us want to know. My favorite interviews are always the ones where you don’t get to the questions you want to ask because things ended up going a totally different but cool way. We just save those questions for when the guest comes back next time.

AL: Can you tell us about some of the things you have going on outside of the show?
DJ: I have my second stand-up album coming out March 18th on Metal Blade Records and it’s called “Hell Bent for Laughter”. This is my second album with them and I did a lot of hard rock and metal jokes as compared to my last album. That has become such a big part of my life and it would be hard to get up on a stage and not talk about that stuff.

AL: Being that you have pretty close ties to the hard/rock metal community do you find yourself checking your material on that subject a little more now than in the past?
DJ: If something gets a laugh on stage I am going to keep doing it. When I did the Orion Festival with Metallica I did some jokes about them with James and Lars right there. If the jokes funny it’s funny and it’s nothing for anyone to get offended by. I think most people know that this stuff comes from the heart. When you are with your buddies you break each other’s balls. That’s how you show affection for one another. You never say just go up to your buddy and say “I love you” unless your drunk in a bar somewhere. (Laughs) You bust on them for 10 minutes and they know you care.

AL: You and the other guys from the show have started doing some live shows together. Do you have any of those coming up in the near future?
DJ: Jim, Eddie and I go out and do these really fun stage shows. Eddie tells a bunch of hilarious rock and roll stories and Jim and I will do some stand-up. We also do some Q&A with the audience which is a lot of fun. Sometimes we bring up special guests if the situation occurs. If people want to find out where we are going to be they can check out my website at www.donjamieson.com or Follow me on Twitter @realdonjamieson