Ben McKenzie and Shawn Hatosy are co-stars in TNT’s hit cop drama “Southland”. The show is currently entering its 4th season, which begins January 17th, 2012. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Ben and Shawn about working on the show and what we can expect from this exciting season.

Adam Lawton: I’m wondering if you guys could talk a little bit about what it’s like for Ben and Sammy as partners going forward. What is that dynamic going to look like?
Shawn Hatosy: This is basically what our new season has been like. We just kind of get in front of the camera and we try to have as much fun as possible, and I think it brings a certain levity to “Southland” that might have been lacking, and certainly from Sammy’s point of view last season, it’s nice to be in a car with somebody and having fun.
Ben McKenzie: Yeah, I think that’s absolutely right. I think that it’s not that we won’t go to more serious places, and we do certainly in the first episode you see that, but a lot of this season is just two kind of youngish guys in a car busting each others chops. We are having fun and kind of having that sort of fraternal bond that I think is weirdly has been somewhat absent on the show. Even though we’re a cop show and that’s an accurate representation of what a lot of patrol cars are is just two guys kind of in partnership. But, with the exception of Sammy and Nate we really haven’t seen that yet, so that’s kind of more what this partnership is about, at least for the first few episodes.

AL: Can you guys could talk a little bit about how the dynamic Lou Diamond Phillips comes into the season and affects your characters?
BM: Well, Lou is a brand new character, the character of Ferguson. He’s a patrol cop and he’s been for a long time, but he’s just kind of over it in a lot of ways. I mean, he is the less charming version of (Doey), or the uncharming person of (Doey).
SH: If that’s even possible.
BM: If that’s possible, yeah, exactly. Even though a lot of what he’s saying about how bad the neighborhoods are that we’re in and how kind of tough the work is, he’s just completely blown away by the pessimism and the kind of nihilism that Ferguson has and he is no longer in that place. But at the same time, Ferguson’s taking it way too far and he’s doing things that are, quite frankly, you know from my point of view, from Ben’s point of view, and moral certainly and ethical, and so we come to heads. You know, that’s a legitimate point of view, from a long serving police officer. I mean you sometimes get to those dark places and I think that’s what he’s there to represent.
SH: Yeah, and there’s not maze to this little puzzle of these gangsters and it’s not a case that you can solve. In fact, the principle behind their attitude, which is that, you know screw these guys. They make life more difficult for us. Let them kill each other. It makes it’s a lot easier because then we don’t have to chase them down and do an investigation. And also, they’re constantly killing our witnesses, even when we do have somebody come forward. So it’s really a tough job and I think that Lou’s character captures that attitude perfectly. And I think Sammy’s a lot more close to Lou than he is Ben at BM: Right. Right. You can certainly see the appeal from Ferguson’s philosophy, because it just simplifies everything. You know, it’s us versus them. So you know why worry about them and let them kill each other, but you know of course that’s, from my way of thinking, that’s too easy. That sure the job is hard and the job’s tough, a lot of the people don’t have a lot of moral redeeming qualities, but at the same time you can’t just allow them all to kill each other. That’s not our job. We’re supposed to be better than that.

AL: Shawn, I wonder if you can talk about fatherhood on the show has changed Sammy?
SH: Well, this season that hasn’t really been been a focal point. I mean, I know that he’s there in that in the first episode and we talk about him. But we’re not going to have many episodes where we spend with Sammy and Baby Nate going off to daycare, at least thus far. I think that then part of that is being in a relationship with somebody that’s difficult, and another part of that is we’re exploring this partnership. That’s what the writers are focusing on. If you’re asking me how it’s affected Sammy as a cop, I certainly believe that the danger aspect as things – as we see in that first episode, it’s definitely heightened and it puts him on high alert.

AL: Can you talk about filming the show and the action sequences?
SH: Well, you know, because I’ve been a detective for the past three seasons this is the first time, I’ve driven a little bit in the past, but not like this. I mean, now we’re in the cars and I’m experiencing the real Southland, and it’s fun. I mean, we were driving the other day and I looked at Ben and I said, “This is the greatest part of our job.”
They lock off streets for us. They put cameras in the car. We’re carrying real guns and we’re chasing people as fast as we can without killing each other, and it’s great. It’s the dream job. When you’re a kid and you’re like, “I want to do that.” I mean this is it, man.
BM: Yeah. Yeah. I agree with that completely. Welcome to the show, man.
SH: Thank you. Thank you, it’s been a rough three seasons, but now, I’m here.

AL: So what is it like working together and with the rest of the cast?
BM: We really haven’t worked with the rest of the cast. I mean, I think that scene with Michael in the first episode, it might be our only interaction with either of the two partnerships thus far. So it really is, like always, it’s very partnership-heavy.
SH: Yeah, it’s so compartmentalized. That was the first scene I’d ever done with Michael Cudlitz and that was like Episode 25.
BM: It’s a ball working with Shawn. I’m having a blast.
SH: It doesn’t really feel like work, right? I mean, you just wake up…
BM: No…
SH: …and you just pinch yourself. It must be like, “What…am I dreaming?” This is the perfect job.
BM: Yeah, it’s pretty great and it’s kind of the partnership that we have is a little bit like I always imagined the show to be a little bit more less fraught with tension in every single relationship and more a little bit. What I believe from the ride-alongs and interactions I’ve had with the cops, more like what life is like in the natural patrol car, which is often, particularly if it’s two guys, kind of a ball-busting parade. I mean, it’s just a constant, giving each other grief and busting each others chops and making jokes, and then going out and doing your work. We’re not at each others throats all the time. That’s the nature of our relationship. I think towards the season you’ll start to see some of the tension just kind of flame up, but right now it’s more just having fun.

AL: How does shooting for this seasons compares to the previous seasons of the show?
SH: Well, I think the style and the system we use to shoot is all the same, but the different partnerships they bring a new feel to it, especially particularly for me being that I was a detective before. But it feels right and it feels just this, as Ben was saying, this partnership and sitting in the car together and being a couple of guys. It’s what Southland is and what we always were meant to be. I’m thrilled and happy about it.
BM: just a continuation of what we’ve been doing, in terms of the style of the shooting. It’s probably even faster than it has been before because we’re – everybody’s worked together. A lot of the crew is the same from year-to-year. We have a really tight group and they reserve the time in their schedules to come back to work with us. So the camera and lighting departments are largely the same and the actors are the same, obviously, and the writing and the directors are largely the same, so it just feels smoother and more fun basically.

AL: With all the other new cop-type series coming out and with your guys’ being in its fourth season now, how do you think that it continues to stand out and differentiate itself from the other similar shows on television right now?
BM: Because I think it’s more honest. I think it’s more real and I think it’s more honest. I think we’re actually where we say we are whenever we are shooting something. I mean if we say we’re going to be in Nickerson Gardens, which is a housing projects in Watts, then we actually go there and that’s where we are in Episode 1 and 2. Shawn and I chase the guy down the street. The guy’s beating on the girl and I chase him into the backyard and with the gangsters and all that and that’s just outside of Nickerson Gardens in Watts. We’re actually where we say we are. We’re taking stories that are from cops. What cops actually tell the writers, in terms of things that have actually happened to them and we’re able to improvise and change things as actors to fit the reality of situations. So I think it’s that we’re never perfect. We’re always striving to be as good as we can be, but I think it’s a far more honest show than it is to do a kind of a cop show where you’re inside on a set in Hollywood pretending like Lord knows what’s happening. I have no idea what those shows do exactly.
SH: Right and we’re trained. We’ve spent so much time researching and learning the protocol and what it means to work on the streets and how to actually do it. We have freedom to make it real, and especially for the actors. If it’s not working what they wrote or a simple action sequence in a certain area, if it doesn’t pan out the way it’s written we find the truth of the scene and we always capture it.

Lucy Liu and Michael Cudlitz are co-stars in TNT’s hit cop drama “Southland”.  Michael has been a part of the show since the beginning and Lucy is joining the show in it’s 4th season, which begins January 17th, 2012.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Lucy and Michael about working on the show and what we can expect from this exciting season.

Mike Smith: With “Southland”, Michael, you’ve been on there since the beginning, so how has the program changed over the four seasons for you, your character and both for you?
Michael Cudlitz: I think the show has sort of spent the last four years defining itself, being exactly what it hopes to be which is showing how crime and the life of being a police officer affects the officers themselves on a personal level.  You have to remember that we’ve done four years but only up until this year, we’ve only shot 23 episodes which is typically a single season for a show. That season would typically be spent finding its legs, finding out what the voice of the show is and finding out how best to show that voice and I think we’ve gotten to that point now.  I think the show is extremely representative of what we set out to do and we’re all extremely proud of it.

MS: Lucy, since you’re the new one on the show, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about how coming into this, her partnership with Cooper is really going to affect the dynamic of the squad?
Lucy Liu:  I think it’s going to change the way that John Cooper is able to show himself on a different dynamic.  I think Michael can probably speak more about that, but I think working with somebody who’s not somebody that he needs to train allows him to show different colors about his character and you’ll see in the first episode. They have the ability to have a certain banter that gives them a nice familiarity and also shows that they’re equal.  You kind of get to see how their dynamic will blossom and how it sort of starts with both of them having undercurrents of emotional weight that they don’t want to reveal, but you can kind of feel it with their connection.
MC: Yes and they’re both coming back from something major in their lives and that being said, they’recoming back from a very similar thing.  They both have very strong differing opinions about what it is to be on the force at this particular moment in time.

MS: Michael, last year your character was in a pretty dark downward spiral and finally ended up checking into rehab at the end of the season.  Are we going to be jumping ahead or past his rehab experience or are we going to see him struggling to get better from last season?
MC: Well, what we’re going to do is we’re going to see, time is going to jump forward and that helps all of the relationships.  It moves Ben forward in his relationship because as we saw him, he was just finishing up his probation and he was just jumping into a car with Sammy, kind of moving into his next phase of training. Jumping forward, what it allows us to do is reset basically the entire show and every single partner relationship.  Ben is no longer training.  Ben is an officer.  He is full-on deep into being an officer because we’ve told the training story.  Now he’s going to actually be doing the job as an officer.  Same thing for John Cooper, John Cooper has, he checked in to get his back fixed which is the main thing that was connected to the prescription drug abuse. You have to remember that John had a back problem before he had a drug problem.  The two are extremely connected.  Now his back is fixed.  What does that mean for John?  John has to reenter the force.  He has to be re-qualified.  He is now riding with a seasoned officer, Lucy Liu, who will bring out different things in John that we’ve never seen before. He is just happy to be back on the force and it’s going to be very interesting to see what a physically fit John Cooper has to bring to Los Angeles.

MS: Lucy, can you talk about your relationship as new partners and what we have to look forward to from that?
LL: I think that what’s wonderful about the relationship is that they’re equals and they’re both P3 and they are both experienced and have been on the streets and have been cops for a while.  The dynamic is that John Cooper does not have to train her and she’s actually driving this time for a little while so you get to see a little bit of a changing character and you get to see a little bit about who she is because she’s introduced in the first episode obviously and John’s character gets to reveal a little bit different colors, different areas of his life that he hasn’t been able to show before because he’s been so busy either trying to, get out of rehab or get into rehab or get healthy and also that he doesn’t have to be the training officer in charge.

MS: Michael, almost from the start of your career, you’ve been on pretty much iconic television shows from “NYPD Blue” and “Band of Brothers” of course to now “Southland”.  Are you just an incredibly lucky actor or do you just really pursue just the quality projects?
MC:  I’m incredibly lucky.  I don’t think people actually, we laugh, it’s the truth.  A lot of it has to do with luck.  Obviously, you can hopefully position yourself to take advantage of opportunities when they come along and surround yourself with good, positive people but I have been extremely, extremely lucky in my career and I feel every day, on “Southland” especially, is a gift to be able to work on the kind of material we have, to be able to have creative input when there’s something that we don’t agree with and to be able to fight rigorously with that and not have some sort of voice from above, whether it be a studio or a network or a producing company say you know what, shut up and do your job.  That’s not the case.  We have wonderful creative conflict since the beginning on this show and it’s just been a really wonderful sort of pot of creativity to be in and its luck.  It really is.  A lot of it is luck. So thank you for acknowledging that, but yes, everything else we’ll just give over to a higher power because all I can do is worry about what I’m doing and the rest is just happening.  So I’m very pleased to be along for the ride.

MS: Lucy, how is this doing a television series different from doing a movie as you’ve done for quite a few years?  Do you enjoy it better?  Are you going back soon?
LL: First of all, I think that doing this show is very similar to doing an independent movie because they shoot so quickly and it’s sort of like guerrilla filmmaking which is really fun and you feel like you’re getting away with something, but you do have permits which is lucky so nobody is running you off the street.  Secondly, I think that it’s wonderful to be able to jump back and forth to do films and also television.  I think that’s something that I love doing. I think with television, you hit a different audience, people that are able to be at home and watch it with their families or they just don’t have time to go to the movies or they just, it’s just too much money at this point.  You get to just sort of do kind of all of it.  I’ve got three movies coming out at the end of March and I think, two of them are independent, well they’re all shot as independents and some of them may be more commercial than others, but I think that television is something that you know will always come out and you know will be seen.

Margaret Cho has been involved in a variety of projects throughout her career. Margaret started out as a standup comedian eventually bridging into television and movies. Margaret currently plays the role of Teri Lee on the show “Drop Dead Diva” and recently appeared on “Dancing with the Stars”. Media Mikes had a chance recently to talk with Margaret about working on the shows and what she has planned for 2012.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your experience working on “Dancing with the Stars”?
Margaret Cho: It was pretty tough. I am not a particularly competitive person and I was also touring at the same time we were shooting. The whole time we were shooting I was trying to think of ways to disqualify myself without people knowing. (Laughs) I knew they weren’t going to drug test me so that idea was out. (Laughs) I had a good time hanging out with everyone but over all it’s not really fun or anything. I attended many tapings of this season to cheer on Ricki Lake, Carson Kressley and Chaz Bono. In general it’s pretty tough. Every time I go and watch it’s a real relief to know that I don’t have to dance.

AL: What were the rehearsals like?
MC: I have danced all over the world as I do burlesque and belly dancing. I really enjoy dancing. The schedule was very intense and I was out on the road touring. My partner would meet me on my bus and we would end up dancing in places like laundry rooms. We would show up to the tapings in the morning after sleeping on the road and it was just very difficult to manage.

AL: Do you prefer doing television and films over stand up these days?
MC: I love it all. I will always do standup comedy but I do love acting as well. I think it’s really amazing to be able to transform into different people. Ultimately standup comedy is my true passion. I also like doing music as part of my comedy as well.

AL: Recently you have started performing more music. What was it that really sparked your interest in doing so?
MC: I have been going to shows and have been around musicians for as long as I have been doing comedy. I think comics often become very close to musicians because of our similar life styles. I wanted to do a project that involved that side of my life with people that I really love to work with. That’s how my record was made.

AL: Can you tell us the story behind your love of tattoos?
MC: The people who worked for my father at his book store when I was growing up were all getting tattooed in major ways by people such as Ed Hardy. When I was 12 I didn’t have friends so the workers would tell my dad that if I ever got tattooed I would have friends. That kind of stuck with me my whole life. I started getting tattooed rather later in life around when I was 35. I knew that I was always going get tattooed. I am pretty much completely tattooed now except for the areas you see on camera. I have a great love for artists in the genre and I am good friends with a lot of them. I find it very pleasurable to get tattooed.

AL: Can you tell us about your recent appearance on “30 Rock”?
MC: I played Kim Jong-IL. Tina Fey and I have a lot of friends in common and it was really nice to meet her. I love the show so it was a nice thing to be able to do and a great honor. I have always wanted to play Kim Jong-IL as oddly enough I really sort of look like him. I had a great time playing that role however I was very stressed at the same time. There really is no way of hearing what he sounded like because of his image being so tightly controlled. It was tough so I based him on my mother. (Laughs) It was bitter sweet to play him. The only representative of that country that we have is him which is very disturbing.

AL: Can you tell us about working on “Drop Dead Diva”?
MC: I love it! It’s so fun and the cast is really close. I am very proud to be a part of the show. I’m not sure what’s going to happen on the upcoming season but I am curious to see how things will play out. The new season should start airing around June.

AL: What type of plans do you have for 2012?
MC: I will be going back to work on “Drop Dead Diva” starting in February. When I am doing shooting I am going to be doing a few tour dates. Near the end of the year I will be going back to England for some time before I return to Atlanta. Things will be pretty busy. Filming for “Drop Dead Diva” takes up a lot of my time so I have to cram a lot of things into the year’s end. But I love working on that show.

Sebastian Maniscalco is a stand-up Comedian who has appeared on several late night talk shows. Sebastian also was a part of “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show”. More recently Sebastian has filmed a new stand-up special which will air in January on Showtime. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Sebastian recently about the new show and what got him into comedy.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us what got you interested in doing comedy/stand-up?
Sebastian Maniscalco: I grew watching people like Johnny Carson and the comedians he had on his show. They were all a big influence on me. I was fascinated with stand-up and enjoyed making people laugh. For me it was just a matter of time when it was going to happen. I went to college and while there I got a chance to open for the National act that was performing at the school. I had an awful set but shortly after graduation I moved out to Los Angeles and started doing open-mic nights. So, I always knew I was going to be a comedian.

AL: Can you descried to us that first time you stepped out on stage?
SM: It was nerve racking. I had my 10 minute set planned from front to back. The audience was primarily African-American. That crowd is notorious for either really hating you or really liking you. I was getting booed quite a bite and that tends to throw your set off. I knew I had it in me and that I could do it but that was a real eye opening experience.

AL: Can you tell us about performing on the Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy tour?
SM: I had met Vince about two years prior to him putting the show together. We stayed in touch and he liked what I was doing on stage so he invited me and a few of his other favorite comedians to be a part of his tour. We did one city a night for 30 nights. It was great! We went to places that I had never been before and we played to some really large crowds. That was really the first time I got a sense of what it was like to perform for that many people. We ended up shooting a documentary about the tour. That tour really catapulted me from working a day job into doing stand-up comedy full time.

AL: Was it tough having the cameras around?
SM: It wasn’t like reality TV where you had a camera in the bathroom with you or anything. After awhile it was just part of the gig. You definitely had your privacy as the cameras really only rolled during big events or before and after the shows. I don’t know how the people who do reality TV handle having a camera follow them around constantly.

AL: Were there any great behind the scenes moments from the tour you can tell us about?
SM: I didn’t ever know Vince Vaughn was such a gamer when it came to video games. He was playing games for 8 or 9 hours at a time. We would all go to bed and he would be playing then we wake up the next morning and he would still be playing. I was sort of forced to learn how to play video games on that tour.

AL: Can you tell us about your new Showtime show?
SM: This will be my second hour long special for Showtime. The show will air January 5^th, 2012 and it is the next step of my career. In this day and age everything you do builds a foundation for what is to come. This special is a culmination of the last four years of my life. The theme of the show is based around how people act in society. I think the show is something that really will resonate with a lot of people as lately customer service stinks and people tend to be rude and/or have no manners. The topics in my show I think people will really be able to relate to.

AL: What other plans do you have for 2012?
SM: I have a 22 city tour planned for this year which will be promoting the special. I will also have a DVD coming out on March 27^th 2012.  I will also be shopping around a television show loosely based on my life. We have some good ideas and hopefully we will make it on TV. The goal for me in 2012 is to definitely gain some presence on television.

For more info on Sebastian Maniscalco you can go to www.sebastianlive.com as well as follow him on twitter @sebastiancomedy

Dan Byrd plays Travis Cobb in the television series “Cougar Town”. Dan has also appeared in a variety other television series and films. Media Mikes had a chance recently to talk with Dan about the series as well as his role in the film “Norman”.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us the current status of Cougar Town?
Dan Byrd: As far as I know the show will start airing in March. We still don’t have an exact date yet as a lot depends on a new show the network is going to start airing. If that show ends up being a success our show will start in March however if that show doesn’t do well we will probably start airing around early February.

AL: Can you give us some hints as to what we can expect this coming season?
DB: There’s a lot going on this season. I think it’s going to be our funniest season so far. Jules and Grayson are going to be sort of venturing into the land of being together and getting married. Travis is back at school while the story line between him and Laurie continues to grow. The thing with our show is that every episode is an entity unto its self. A lot of the story threads that were started in season 2 will continue on into the new season. Each episode is really its own adventure.

AL: How is it working with such a great cast?
DB: It’s great! It has been a huge learning experience. I have been working since I was young but I feel like I have learned more being on this set than I have on any other set. I have especially learned a lot about television and how shows are run. The cast is really awesome and it’s great to be surrounded by such talented people.

AL: What can you tell us about your film “Norman”?
DB: That film was made prior to me starting work on “Cougar Town”. The film is about a kid who perpetuates a lie to deal with events that are happening in his life. Because of this lie he is put on a pedestal and looked at completely different. The film deals with how my character Norman deals with this new found attention. There is also a love story intertwined with everything as well. Norman is really trying to balance all the good and bad that are happening to him at the same time.

AL: What are the release plans for the film?
DB: We released the film in 5 different markets a month or so ago. There are still screenings happening as well as the film being sent to SAG voters. I am not sure what will happen next release wise but, I think you will start to see the film out early next year.

AL: With the year wrapping up do you have any favorite films from 2011?
DB: I just saw “The Artist” which I thought was phenomenal! That’s definitely the best film I have seen all year. The concept is really great and I think the actors in that film should and will get nominated for an Oscar. Other than that I really haven’t seen much in the way of Oscar contending type movies. Shooting keeps me quite busy. There are still a bunch of films though that I want to check out.

AL: Do you have any other projects planned for the upcoming year?
DB: I don’t really know at this point. We will probably be done shooting “Cougar Town” around late January or early February. After that we are going to have a pretty substantial hiatus. This is going to be the first year that I really go out and try to pursue other things. I have been sort of lax in our previous hiatuses because it was the first time that I didn’t have to immediately jump back on the audition grind.

AL: If you had your choice are you looking to do something comedy based or do you want to work in a different genre?
DB: I have been doing sitcoms for some time so it would be nice to flex a different muscle. The only real criteria I have is that I try to find roles that will turn out well. The genre that I am working in is kind of secondary to the quality of the project. The role has to be something that I think will benefit me in the long run.

Stepfanie Kramer is appearing on the new hit TV series “The Secret Circle” on The CW this coming January. She is playing the role of Kate Meade. Stepfanie is know for her role of Sgt. Dee Dee McCall on the 80’s TV series “Hunter”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with about her role in “The Secret Circle” and what we can expect from her character.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us how you got involved with “The Secret Circle”?
Stepfanie Kramer: I went in for an audition much like everyone else. I must have delivered what they were looking for. My character Kate is a very interesting woman as she is rather complicated when making decisions. She loves her family and is a very strong lady who knows exactly what she wants.

MG: You character is described kind of woman who can warm you with a smile but freeze you with a single glare, how did you prepare for this role?
SK: (Laughs) I just patterned her after a family member. Everyone has someone like Kate in their family.

MG: What can we expect from episode 10 in the show?
SK: I can’t really say too much. Other than I play the grandma to a 16 year which is sort of funny because in real life I am the mother of a 16 year old. This episode will bring a different dynamic to mine and my son’s relationship.

MG: Tell us about this rivalry with Dawn (Natasha Henstridge)?
SK: It’s not so much a rivalry for attention. Kate is aware of certain things that are underway that other characters are not. I really can’t tell much more than that as a lot has yet to be revealed. It’s a really fun show to work on in that respect. Everyone who works on the show is really great.

MG: How do you feel that “The Secret Circle” differs from other similar themed shows on TV?
SK: I have been very fortunate with my career. Work is just work and each environment is always different. The experience is always something new each time. I really just enjoy the process of everything.

MG: Can we expect more from Kate Meade the rest of the season?
SK: There have been talks of this being a reoccurring role. They haven’t killed me yet so it’s a possibility. The response from the network has been very kind and that has been great. It’s always nice to know people appreciate what you do.

Kevin Chapman is currently starring along side Jim Caviezel & Michael Emerson in the new TV series “Persons of Interest”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Kevin about his new show and what he likes most about his character Detective Lionel Fusco.

Mike Gencarelli: What do you like most about playing Detective Lionel Fusco on “Persons of Interest”?
Kevin Chapman: He is a club cop running with a club crowd. Each week you start to see Lionel coming back more and more to life. You start to see the fire in his eyes as to why he became a cop. Each week is a gradual progression. Lionel still has some questionable qualities but he is progressing back to the right side of the law.

MG: How has it been working with Jim Caviezel & Michael Emerson?
KC: Jim and I have worked together before. We were in a movie together called “Unknown”. I had also worked on “Lost” however I didn’t have any scenes with Michael. It’s a great show and it just has the great pedigree. We have great writers as well as J.J. Abrams watching over everything. Jonathan Nolan is really amazing as well. I think he is going to have a great career in this business.

MG: What do you look for in a role when you approach a project?
KC: I look for truth in the character. I want the people watching to be able to identify with the character I am playing. I think anytime I look at a role that is exactly what I am looking. With the Lionel character the redemption side of things is very enticing. It does up to the viewer wither or not he is a good guy or a bad guy. I try not to personally judge the characters I play and leave that to the viewers.

MG: You have done a bunch of TV and movies, do you have a preference?
KC: I like quality. I have done films for other reasons but quality is a big thing.

MG: What the upcoming plans for your involvement with the show?
KC: We don’t ever know what’s going on with our characters from week to week. That is something I like. I like to be able to go on the journey with Lionel from week to week. I’m not the type of guy who suggests things to the writers. That’s not me as I am an actor. If I wanted to write I would have become a writer. I really enjoy not knowing what’s going to happen and just watching the show. If I am not in a particular scene then I generally am not there and don’t know what’s going on. When the shows is on you can find me at my house with Chinese food and a bunch of people watching the show.

Alexandra Breckenridge plays the younger version of the character Moira, the sexy maid in FX’s hit series “American Horror Story”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Alexandra about working on the show and what she likes most about her character.

Mike Gencarelli: How has it been playing a character that is being played by two different actresses?
Alexandra Breckenridge: I has been exciting and really great, especially for the audience who gets to experience the two different characters.  It isn’t just like a flashback scene.  Also working with Fraces Conroy has been just amazing.  She is really great.

MG: What do you like most about playing the character Moira?
AB: I get to play another side of myself and step outside of my comfort.  It has been interesting to play her because she is so extremely sexually driven because…I am not that way [laughs].

MG: I read you had to dye you hair red for the role, have you found out why yet?
AB: Nope, still haven’t found out.  The last time I saw Ryan Murphy was during the scene when I had to bite the man’s penis off in the basement.

MG: Tell us about that scene was it difficult to shoot?
AB: Well it was setup with me biting off a piece of banana.  So we had to set it up and I kept biting off a piece.  I was originally suppose to spit it out but they planned not to show it. Ultimately it was really fun…it was just a really shocking moment.

MG: The show was green-lit for season two very early, did that create any pressure during filming season one?
AB: No, not really.  I am still not sure where the show is going.  Or if “they” even know where it is going to be going. They haven’t told any of the cast yet or at least not me.

MG: Do you find it difficult having the story be very hush hush?
AB: It is a little hush hush.  That is way that most shows are they days though.  You have to sign a non-disclosure just to audition for shows…it is crazy.

MG: How do you compare working on “American Horror Story” to “True Blood”?
AB: In my opinion, I think that “American” is actually darker than “True Blood”. Production wise, I am not sure how they are really different. I mean “True Blood” is a well oiled machine at this point, they have it down well.  It is like clockwork.

MG: What has been you favorite memorable moment from filming season one so far?
AB: I mean everything is on the show is really extreme and crazy.  The fact that my grandmother watches it is horrifying.  I just kept telling her how sorry I am.  She tells me “Listen to me, you are an actress and my granddaughter and why you do those things, I know you are acting”.

Catherine Bell is the star of TNT’s “Good Morning Killer,” which premieres Tuesday, December 13. Catherine is also known for her role in TV series like “Jag” and “Army Wives”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Catherine about her new movie and what we can expect.

Mike Smith: Did you enjoy the experience of playing the character, Ana Grey?
Catherine Bell: Yes, I really did. I’d never played an FBI agent and found it fascinating just trying to get into the mind of a kidnapper, a rapist and track this guy. It sounds very fascinating. Obviously it was based on a wonderful novel, so we had a lot of things to draw from. It has been a very rich, rewarding experience actually.

MS: There are several other novels featuring your character. Is this something you’d like to continue doing later again revisiting this?
CB: I would love to. It’s actually something we talked about from the beginning. It ended up being such a wonderful filming experience. I think for all of us involved that we were instantly hoping to do more. So hopefully it goes in that direction.

MS: Is there an aspect of this character that you connect with or you really just didn’t like?
CB: I actually found her fascinating. She’s not a perfect woman by any means. She’s very smart, very good at her job, very much in control there. But very much not in control in her personal life, picks very bad relationships.  She definitely has some issues, which I found as an actress really fun to play.

MG: If IMDB is to be believed, William Devane started working the year you were born. What was it like working with such a veteran actor?
CB: It was fantastic. He plays my grandfather in the script as a great character, kind of just a crotchety old cop who thinks he knows better then me. He thinks the FBI are a bunch of whooses, so we have this sort of love-hate relationship. We had a blast. He’s definitely been around and knows how to fill a character’s shoes. It was really fun.

MS: What were some of your favorite moments that you had from filming on, “Good Morning Killer?”
CB: Oh, let’s see. So many. It was really, really one of the best experiences I’ve had filming, both the story and everyone involved in making it. All the actors were really wonderful from Cole Hauser and Titus Welliver and some great, great talent. But I don’t know. I loved doing the scenes that involved the killer, the bad guy. Those were – without giving anything away or what kind of scenes they were, very intense and very emotional and, yes, kind of very challenging to shoot a well. But yes, those are probably my favorite I would have to say.

MS: Why do you think people will want to take the time to watch, “Good Morning Killer”?
CB: Well, if they’re anything like me, they like to be entertained and so many people – myself included – like mysteries and thrillers and I know I’ve always been fascinated with serial killers. And to me it’s fascinating. So to have something that’s based on such a wonderful novel with such a great story I think makes for some good, fun popcorn-eating, soda-drinking movie watching.

MG: What’s your workout routine like to stay in shape for these roles?
CB: You know, most of the workout is done before we start filming. Once we start filming, honestly, especially something like this where I’m in every single scene, every day. I don’t think I had a day off on this one. So it becomes harder and harder to work out. You’re getting more and more tired and you just do a few pushups here and there, sit ups, you know, in the morning. But before I start filming, it’s pretty rigorous. I definitely do, like, an hour, hour and a half, sometimes up to two hours a day just getting in shape, lean and strong. Also doing some martial arts and whatever else I can depending on the role.

MS: What other projects are working on?
CB: Well, let’s see, we’ve got – I’m doing Army Wives right now. We just got picked up for ten more episodes in this season. I’ll be busy for a little while and we’ll do 23 episodes now. Also hoping to for maybe another “Good Morning Killer” movie or series after “Army Wives”. I have also some other projects that I’m working on as well as the producer and developing. I’m always busy…always working on something.

Andy Sipes & Dana Snyder are the guys behind the AdultSwim.com’s latest web series “Songs for Helping”. It is about angels that give bad advise to people through songs. Andy is known for his work on Adult Swim with “Minoriteam” and “Saul of the Mole Men”. Dana is known for voicing various character on Adult Swim like Master Shake in “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “Granny” from “Squidbillies”. Media Mikes had a blast chatting with the guys about this web series and what we can expect from the episodes.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your new web series “Songs for Helping”?
Andy Sipes: We wanted to come up with something like a “Dear Abby” column. We thought that was a funny place to start and we are big fans of musical parodies. So we figured we can a really jerky little angels that sing and give terrible advice.
Dana Snyder: Whatever he said…I say that. But it was probably just me since I thought of it.
Andy Sipes: [laughs]

MG: This is your third/fourth project now, what keeps you guys working together?
DS: An unfortunately string of bad decisions…mostly on Andy’s part. He usually says “This is the last time Dana and never again”. Then somehow I find a way to finagle him in [laughs].

MG: How many episodes can we expect from the series?
DS: Right now we are going to have nine. There will be a new one every week at http://adultswim.com/songs every Monday…unless AdultSwim.com is on a vacation day then it would be Tuesday. So it probably means every single week it will be up on a Tuesdays [laughs].

MG: How long does each take to complete to develop?
AS: The first season was a little bit of trial and error. We really only had a rough idea of what the series would be. We tried a number of different things.
DS: We tried everything from live action on green screen. We tried every possibility on what we thought we could do [laughs].
AS: We decided we have these character designs that Dana did and we decided just to do a straight animated show. We know a lot of really good people that helped us. It was really a fun process overall.

MG: What it always planned as a web series?
DS: Yes.
AS: Yeah we have talked about developing it further. We love it as a little one and half to two minute song that you can pass on to your friends.

MG: How do you come up with the lyrics to the songs?
DS: We really didn’t come up with all the lyrics. I did write all the lyrics though on one of them.
AS: …Umm, all the lyrics were only three words…but…[laughs]
DS: We had a great writing team of Mike Geier and Shannon Newton. We, sort of, gave them more of a premise…since we didn’t want to limit them. Once Shannon wrote the lyrics then we would re-write the lyrics.
AS: There were two or three that we did the first pass on. We would write and then give to her or she would write and give to us. It was a great collaborative effort between Shannon Newton, Mike Geier, Dana and I.

MG: Who is doing the actual singing in the songs? Why didn’t you sing the songs yourself?
AS: That is all Mike Geier. He did all the music and does all the singing.
DS: No reason why. Mike is great, I have done a lot of live shows with him. He is an incredible musician and singer. We though it would be funny to have the other angel, whose name is Bert, would do all the singing but never actually speak [laughs].

MG: Tell us about what we expect from future songs?
AS: Get ready though because the songs get more increasing bizarre as we go.
DS: The two songs that are up now are the first ones we ever thought of.
AS: When picking which order they would air…I think we figured that these two wouldn’t scare people off [laughs].
DS: [laughs] You don’t wanna dive in first with the songs about someone who has a permanent erection. Better to save that for a little later.

MG: Dana, you also worked on the character design; tell us about that process?
DS: Well, that is a very good question. Mostly I was sitting across from Andy in our office and then giggling because I tried to draw it better but not having anyone to draw it for us. [laughs]. I thought “Ha, how hard can it possibly be”…it was pretty hard. I am not going to lie…it took a lot of time.
AS: I think that was always the plan for you to sketch something out real quick and then we will get a real artist to draw. Then we said “Wait a second, these are really good… let’s just use these”.
DS: Yeah we keep looking at them thinking that these guys looked like such little jerks [laughs]. The finishing touch was putting them in gold high heels. I don’t know why but I think it does finish it off quite nicely.

MG: What do you each of you like most about working on this project?
DS: Well I think for this one especially is it was very exciting because we would have these concepts and ideas but then all of sudden getting it back from Mike (Geier) and it is this whole complete song. It sounds like a real song…not like something we could have done. That was super exciting. Then on top of that were sending the song to our animators for the second thrill. It was great seeing what the animators did with it. They said “Yeah we threw it come crazy rainbows” and we were totally digging it.
AS: I think with Dana and I and our experience with what we have done, it was really great to see something start to finish like this that we wrote and created. That is the best thing in working in the entertainment business. We were 100% happy with it.
DS: I also think we didn’t have a lot of people involved with this. But everyone we did have involved added to this a lot. While passing through everyone’s hands, it just got better and better for us as well as more interesting and funny.

MG: Dana, When do you start-up on season 9 of “Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1”?
DS: I actually just recorded two episodes earlier this week. They were really good. Then I also got a new “Squidbillies” upcoming. I do believe that they are almost starting new “The Venture Brothers”. I think it is coming really soon also.

MG: Andy, after this web series, what do you have planned next?
AS: I am writing a script right now with my writing partner, Matt Mariska, for Comedy Central. It is a half-hour sitcom. Then I am just pitching around town to whomever would take a meeting with me.
DS: Literally throwing baseballs at them. You actually have to go to the local park to see his pitching.

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Fred Willard recently appeared in the 100th episode of “The Closer”, which aired on December 5th on TNT.  He is known best for his roles with Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films like “This is Spinal Tap”, “Waiting for Guffman”, “Best in Show”, “A Mighty Wind” and “For Your Consideration”.  He also has voiced characters in Disney’s “Chicken Little” and Disney/Pixar’s “Wall-E”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Fred about his appearance on “The Closer”.

Mike Smith: What was it about this particular role that drew you work on “The Closer”.
Fred Willard: Well it was being able to play Santa Claus. I always thought for years that I would make a good a Santa Claus. You always hear about Santa’s being angry and impatient and I said, I would be a good Santa. I don’t know in actuality how long I would last in a mall or department store, but I always wanted to give it a try. But anyway, I also love everything about Christmas and doing a show about Christmas in September kind of stretches the season out. So one problem with Christmas it comes, you know there’s so much work involved and it comes and suddenly Christmas is over. So, it kind of expands the season.

MS: Was there anything in particular you found challenging about playing a Santa besides being in a suit so long?
FW: I was going to say, yes, well I had to play, several scenes I was pretty drunk. I’d you know relax with some alcohol along the way. I mean, as the character, so that was the tough thing because a lot of times it’s shot out of sequence. So I had to be very drunk before I was mildly drunk and then sober, just recovering from a hangover before the drinking scene. I think in all, we had a very good, the director seemed to be on top of it. So I think it flows very nicely.

MS: What was it like working with Kyra Sedgwick?
FW: Kyra was wonderful. She’s just very sweet. I had just a couple of scenes with her, but the nice thing about the show like that; you don’t really feel like an outsider. Everyone in the cast just treated me very friendly like, we’re so glad you’re here and just none of them were standoffish or the only one who told me what to do of course was the director.

MS: I know you’ve done a lot of guest appearances on television shows. When you appear on a show that is established, as “The Closer” is, when you approach the role do you try to get more of a feel of the show, of the cast before you take it on?
FW: Oh yes, definitely. You want to get it because every show has a little different tone to it. So you don’t want to go in you know, over the top, you don’t want to go in too subtly. Plus you rely on lot on, you’re on the set and you see how the other actors are acting and it’s a very realistic show. My character was a bit over the top, but the other performers were playing it very much like a procedure, you know, there had been a murder committed and they were really trying to get to the bottom of who did it. You go in with that, I was a fan of the show anyway. So, it kind threw me a little to be on the set suddenly with all these people some of, a couple of whom I’d known personally before doing the show. But suddenly, you go from reality into a fictional world where these people actually exist and you adopt very quickly.

MS: As someone that is a fan of the show, when you take a role on the show, do you have to kind of lose your knowledge of the show, know who the characters are when you’re approaching character that theoretically is new to them?
FW: Well, yes, my character in the episode comes from a whole different world. I believe I’m Santa Claus and I run a Santa village. And I’ve had a little bit of alcohol over the couple of days during the investigation. I’m kind of acting through that, coming in kind of questioning the authority and being kind of a indignant and sometimes angry and sometimes very silly. So, it wasn’t like the usual where I’m someone who is being investigated and is trying to be cunning or trying to outwit them. So it was a whole kind of a whole different role.

Jimmy Pardo is known for his work with Conan O’Brien on his TBS show “Conan” and his bit called “Pardo Patrol” on the show.  Jimmy has been running a podcast since 2006 called “Never Not Funny. Jimmy just held his 3rd annual Pardcast-a-thon fundraiser to benefit Smile Train, They raised over $42,000 this year, blowing away their goal of $27,000. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jimmy about working with Conan and what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us what it’s been like working with Conan O’Brien?
Jimmy Pardo: I started with him at the Tonight Show when they first moved out to New York. I had never met Conan prior to this and the way the story goes is that they were looking for someone to do 10 minutes of comedy to warm the crowd up prior to the show starting. They had been using writers and some other people prior to my hiring. Andy Richter who I knew a little bit threw my name in the mix as he though I have the same sensibilities as the show. They I guess looked at some of my stuff online and called me in for a meeting and offered me the job. I worked there for the 7 months we were on the air. When the show moved I was lucky enough to be asked to do the same position.

MG: What can you tell us about the Pardo Patrol?
JP: That goes back to the Tonight Show as Conan, Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney were always looking for something more for me to do. They often joke that I am slumming it opening for their show. When the whole Team Coco thing happened and after the website became popular we had been on TBS for about 4 months or so when they said we should have some original content on there. Conan who had been a guest on my podcast a few times said we should have me do something. There really wasn’t any idea behind but we started doing the Pardo Patrol’s which are pretty open ended. They could be anything and everything. I am grateful and love doing it. It’s great to be part of the team. It’s flattering to have my own thing on the Team Coco website.

MG: What do you like most about doing your podcasts?
JP: I started doing those around 2006 when they were just starting. No one had a clue what a podcast really was at the time. I did them as something to do between jobs. I don’t know if it was the timing or the quality but people took a liking to the show. Everyone is doing them now and I really enjoy it.

MG: The podcast recently finished it’s ninth season. How do you continue to keep it fresh and keep people listening?
JP: There is only so much talent in the pool that we all draw from. What I am trying to do is find people who aren’t yet part of the comedy scene we all draw from. I try to get people who my audience may never expect to be on my show. By doing this I as well as the audience am getting to hear new people. New faces keep it fresh.

MG: Are there any special plans for Conan’s taping at the Beacon Theater?
JP: I don’t really know what going on just yet. I am supposed to be there on Saturday, October 29^th. We do our first show on the 31^st and I am sure there are a lot of fun things planned. I think everyone who is going to the shows will be thrilled to be there and it’s going to be great.

MG: Can you tell us about Bob and Tom Comedy All-Stars Tour?
JP: I have been going out on those tours since 1990. I was a guest on their show when they were just based out of Indianapolis. They took a liking to me early and became a friend of the show. They would always have me on when I was coming through town and they had me call in a lot as well. I have been able to go to the Bahamas with them for their Super bowl parties and it’s been great. The tours allow the fans to put a face to the voices they hear on the radio.

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Catherine Taber plays the voice of Padme Amidala on Cartoon Network’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.  The show is currently airing its fourth season. She is also doing voice work for the highly anticipated game “Star Wars: The Old Republic”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Catherine about voice Padme and her work with “Star Wars” universe.

Mike Gencarelli: You are now entering season four of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, what can expect from Padmé Amidala this season?
Catherine Taber: Padme, like everyone, is seeing the war take its toll. She will maintain her belief in the fight for good and the fight for the republic, but she does suffer disappoints and betrayals. But, true to Padme form, her core decency and goodness, can not be shaken…unlike some others.

MG: What do you enjoy most about voicing her character?
CT: I love that Padme is an elegant and feminine woman, but not a damsel in distress. She makes her own decisions and is an awesome shot with a blaster!

MG: Tell us how you prepare yourself to get into character?
CT: I feel I know who Padme is very clearly – so she does not require a lot of prep work on that front. I know her history, even beyond the films. But I do try to wear clothing, shoes, etc that make me feel “Padme-ish”, strong and regal to get into character. No sweat pants! I am kind of goofy like that.

MG: What is the biggest challenge that presents itself with each new season?
CT: The only “challenge” I can come up with is dealing with the fact that we are getting closer to the eventual end! But we have seasons to come yet, so I try not to think about it!

MG: Tell us about the film “Hughes the Force” and your involvement?
CT: “Hughes the Force” is an fan film, an “epic” fan film! It’s made by true fans of both Star Wars and John Hughes films. James Arnold Taylor and I got to do cameo appearances of the live action versions of our characters which was AMAZINGLY fun. Everyone involved was so great, it was a labor of love. You should check it out!

MG: Tell us about your involved with the highly anticipated game “Star Wars: The Old Republic”?
CT: I had worked with Bioware before on “Knights of the Old Republic” (my first voiceover job!), so I was so excited when they asked me to come in. I didn’t even know what the project was. That was several years ago, and now having seen the progression, the trailers, the art work…I am just blown away and thrilled to be a part of it. I was lucky to get to appear at Comic Con International on the Bioware panel and announce that I am playing Vette, and it was really exciting. Vette is the companion character to the Sith Lord. She is funny and sassy and smart and a little quirky. I tried to think of Indiana Jones a bit when playing her.

MG: Do you feel that video game work differs from TV voice work?
CT: I mostly approach it all the same from an acting standpoint. I am creating a character and I just have a different set of tools to use. But, the great thing about TV and the Clone Wars especially, is we all get to work together, which makes it so much fun and I think ads depth to the scenes. It hardly feels like work!

James Arnold Taylor is currently voicing Obi-Wan Kenobi on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. The show is currently airing its fourth season. He also was the host of Star Wars Weekend in 2011 at Walt Disney World, also where he performed his one man show. Media Mikes was able to get James Arnold Taylor to answer a few questions about “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, “Johnny Test” and his one man show as well. It is a must listen…trust me!!

Media Mikes – James Arnold Taylor Interview (November 2011) by Mike Gencarelli

Julie Benz is currently co-starring in ABC’s new series “A Gifted Man”. She is also co-starring in TNT’s upcoming Mystery Saturday Night film, “Sandra Brown’s
Ricochet”, which airs November 30th. Julie is also know for her recent roles on the TV series’ “Dexter” & “No Ordinary Family” and films like “The Boondock Saints II: All Saint’s Day”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Julie about her new TNT movie and what we can expect from her role.

Mike Gencarelli: Were you familiar with Sandra Brown’s novel prior to working with the film “Ricochet”?
Julie Benz: I was familiar with Sandra Brown. I had read “Ricochet” a long time ago like a while ago and really enjoyed it. I’m an avid reader and I love her books.

MG: The character of Elise is a little mysterious and a little bit of a trouble maker; what did you like most about playing her? And how did you prepare for the role?
JB: What I loved was how for me with the challenge of playing Elise was how close she keeps everything inside and you don’t know if she’s good or bad and you’re never sure exactly what she’s thinking and that was a real challenge for me to play. I had to work really hard on an accent. So I worked very hard on my accent for the movie as well and that helps me really get into Elise. With that specific type of Southern accent she moved slower and talked slower than I do and that allowed me to actually be a little more serious.

MG: Did you consider the role to be challenging overall?
JB: No. I mean it was challenging to play but it wasn’t difficult in the fact that I mean I understood what her intentions were sure. I mean the way she got around to doing stuff wasn’t necessarily all that normal. But in her heart everything like her intentions behind it all was pure. So but you had to actually admit too she’s a little crazy for what she did.

MG: How do you feel the film different from the book?
JB: I think it does an amazing job of adapting the book into the movie. There’s so much information in the book and you get a lot more back story but the film itself follows the action quite specifically.

MG: You are quite involved with your social media, how has that been playing into the promotion of projects like “Ricochet” for you?
JB: Oh I mean it’s always so great. TNT puts up a new promo for the show I can just Tweet it and everybody goes and looks at it. I love social media. I think it’s a great way to not just promote the work that you do but also to have direct contact with fans and are able promote any kind of charities that you’re involved in.

JB: With “Ricochet”, what do you think it is that will draw viewers in?
JB: You know, first the story. The story is really compelling in the way that it’s shot. It is very much as a film and then of course I mean you have John Corbett and Gary Cole, so what’s not to watch?

MG: Well you just mentioned Gary Cole he’s always such a fascinating actor. What was he like to work with?
JB: Oh he’s the pro man. He is this ultimate gentlemen first and second just a pro. Just watching him grasp his character and making the choices that he made to play Judge Laird, it’s like being in a master class watching him work.

MG: Okay now also recently after you spent so much time on series work like “Dexter” and “Ordinary Family” and now “A Gifted Man”, how was it different to work on a film with a set beginning, middle and end?
JB: Well it’s a little overwhelming at first because we shot it in 18 days. So it’s a pretty fast process and pretty fast filming. So you have to really do a lot of homework before you arrive on set and really do a lot of your character development before you get there. Rather than when you are in a TV series they start kind of crafting the role for you and they start writing it in your voice after you’re cast and tailoring it to who you are. I love doing television because I love being on set everyday with the same people. So it’s sad when you have to say goodbye.