Denise Crosby is best known for playing the roles of Security Chief Tasha Yar and Commander Sela in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. She was also the granddaughter of entertainer Bing Crosby. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Denise reflecting on the show and the fans support over the years.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you reflect on being a part of the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” universe and it still being relevant today?
Denise Crosby: I feel like “Star Trek” is a much larger entity and we are all little pieces of it. It continues to reinvent itself generation by generation. You have a younger generation now discovering it for the first time, whether it is through their parents who watched it. It also continues to play endlessly on syndication and cable. It is ever present and never goes away. There are always fresh eyes seeing it for the first time. I think that is what keeps it new and exciting. I am always touched by the stories that I hear from people all over the world and how much the show means to the and how they were inspired by the characters. I am always fascinated by how many far reaching corners it has touched. All of that continues to keep it relevant.

MG: That describes me, I got a young daughter and I am started her young with the show [laughs]
DC: That’s what happens. You bring your kids into it. The beauty of it is that has become much more in the open and embraced by people. You are not hiding your Spock ears anymore and pulling them out on special occasions. People are able to be out of the “Trek-closet”, so to speak.

MG: You get to play two different roles in Security Chief Tasha Yar and also Yar’s own daughter, the half-Romulan Commander Sela; how was that aspect for you?
DC: It was really cool. I don’t know that anyone else has been able to do that. I mean, how many people can get to play their own daughter? Only in sci-fi, can you pull this off. It was great for me as well since I was actually very involved in creating that story line  It is wonderful to get a chance to continue being a part of this show. Fans were really delighted with that as well.

MG: What was it like working with such a legend as Gene Roddenberry?
DC: We were the lucky ones that were able to work with Gene and be a part of his vision. That was very thankful for all of us. He was a big cuddly teddy bear of a man. He was very protective of this franchise and all that it meant. He got how popular and how much it meant to the fans and he really embraced that. He also was very open with us. He wanted to know what our thoughts were and what our questions were. He wanted us to really define these characters and to help us do that in any way that he could.

MG: What made you getting involved with the “Trekkies” films?
DC: My thoughts always were that there is no “Star Trek” without the fans. It is the most symbiotic relationship with a television show that I have ever seen. There is something very unique and specific about being on one of the “Star Trek” shows. You enter into a world that is very exclusive. You can’t be talking about “Star Trek” without talking about the fans. I felt that the fans needed a voice. When set out to make the first “Trekkies” movie, the timing was perfect. It during the prime of sci-fi and comic books and it was suddenly cool to be a geek. The nerds were taking over. Everybody was a “Star Trek” fan and I felt the “Trek” fans needed a voice. I couldn’t believe that nobody had done this before. I just jumped on it, had no idea what I was doing, took a camera wherever I went and before I knew it…I had a movie.

MG: Any chance you would be making a new “Trekkies” film in the future?
DC: My partner, Roger Nygard, and I talked and we have some ideas. We really would like to do one more and make it a trilogy. It would be great to pass it on to the next generation with the JJ Abrams films and new fans. So we are hoping that we can do that in the near future.

 

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Having intercepted over 300 tornadoes and a dozen powerful hurricanes during the last decade, Reed Timmer is well-known as the most successful and extreme storm chaser in the world. Reed starred on Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers, one of the highest-rated shows on the Discovery Channel with over 19 million viewers. He is currently using Kickstarter to fund the second season his online docu-series “Tornado Chasers”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Reed about chasing tornadoes and his his new show.

Jennifer Kish: What motivated you want to start driving into a storm? What goes through your mind the very moment you are about to drive into a tornado?
Reed Timmer: Well I loved the weather ever since I was five years old. I was a major science nerd growing up and weather and storm chasing were my passion. The second I got my driver’s license, I was trying to chase storms. I had no idea what I was doing, but when I was eighteen I came down to the University of Oklahoma and started in meteorology. Back then I had a 1985 Plymouth Reliant with a blown out muffler, trying to chase storms and actually I didn’t know what I was doing and I was a long way from knowing how to storm chase. I came into the path of an F5 and I abandoned the vehicle and went underneath an over pass and this massive tornado went through it and trees were getting knocked to the ground and wobbled a little when it was outside the circulation and I got covered in mud I never felt like it was threatening me. I was just obsessed with being that close to something so powerful and photogenically beautiful but also scientifically beautiful because I wanted to understand it. Then I saw the dark side of the tornado and the damage that they leave behind, which was more motivating to go out and storm chase and help out the best we can in the warning process without getting directly caught in the damage path. Seeing tornadoes up close they have these complexities near the ground where when the main tornado interacts with the friction of the earth they will split up into multiply vortices which are called suction vortices and the suction vortices can have winds that are way above 500 or 600 miles per hour. At least that’s what the math or the theory shows but they have never been measured directly. So our goal in building the armored case or the Dominator is to enter probes inside these things and the mobile radar and all kinds of instruments and try to be the first to measure what would be that high directly. So that of course would be the armored case of the Dominators one main goal.

JK: So what can you tell us about your docu-series “Tornado Chasers” and using Kickstarter to fund it?
RT: We were on Discovery Channels “Storm Chasers” for four years and it was a great run and it helped us in making these armored vehicles financially. There was a lot that went in that was my own money, I am not the kind of guy that saves up for retirement so I put everything into the radars and we have this air canon probe in the back of Dominator. We put in these containers that shoot instruments probes inside and the parachutes deploy that can turn around inside that measure temperature, moisture & pressure. When “Storm Chasers” came to end, I thought we had a few more years to go on it. That’s when we decided to go full board to the Internet and we always knew the Internet was the future and in the normal right amount of time, but we did the “Tornado Chasers” in 2012 and it was with our old director of photography and the guy that filmed in the tornadoes with us. And Discovery through Whiteneck and he did the show like “Deadliest Catch,” “Dirty Jobs” so it has this television quality but it was also shot and edited by our best friends that know us very well so when you’re out there storm chasing you’re not just shooting a show but your just out there with some friends storm chasing. So you have the unique ability to cover not only the storm chasing but our lives. We make a lot of sacrifices for chasing tornadoes putting together over 50-80 thousand dollars a year. I’ve been back home here only 10 days total in the last year. Your personal life is thrown out the window; you eat of gas stations, staying in crazy hotels. But shooting these independently with your best friends gives them a unique opportunity to cover intimately our lives as storm chasers doing what we love and following our passion but also seen tornado activity that is extreme footage from cameras and all the new technologies we can mount on the outside the vehicle while as we are intercepting and show a tornadoes power first hand and show what a tornado looks like from inside. We have Dominator 1 &2 and we are building a third vehicle for our plans to surround tornado with the three vehicles. The goal is to cover more of the characters side of a storm chaser balancing tornado to tornado and team to team is very difficult to build that story on it. People can watch our 2012 season on our web page tvnweather.com. The Kickstarter campaign at tvnweather.com/kickstarter or you can go to kickstarter.com/tornado chasers. We ask you to help fund our 2013 series and we want to take it to the next level with newer technologies and more people to power the vehicles and it’s just fun that demographic and independent . It’s more fun and more natural.

JK: How is the second season going to be different from the first season?
RT: Well more research equipment & cameras and the instruments are working and everything is all tested out and the air cannons are valid and we have Dominator 3 which is like the back to the future vehicle with these Delorean doors which go up and can be in stronger tornadoes. If we can blow pass our Kickstarter goal the more that we can generate. We will get inside stronger tornadoes. I feel like with Discovery we never got the opportunity to show what the second Dominator was capable of. They have an armored shell aerodynamic and they have hydraulics that drop spikes to the ground. Dominator one never had spikes so we would get in strong tornadoes and slide across the ground and that would have been an improvement in Dominator two the spikes would be hydraulically deployed into the pavement and they go a good 4 to 5 inches. We have better radar data and we really want to show what we are capable of scientifically and get inside that really strong tornado that we never had the opportunity to do during “Storm Chasers.”

JK: What makes this Dominator different from the previous two? Do you have a special process that helps you determine what vehicle to use and the modifications you need to make?
RT: Yes, well Dominator one was build on the concept of an airplane wing, rounded top, sides and flat bottom side and that caused lift. So we added hydraulics and aerodynamic bullet proof outer shell with power windows instead of the windows you had to lift manually because that took forever and that way there is no problems. The hydraulics will drop the vehicle flushed to the ground so that no wind can get underneath and that get rids of that upward force and we won’t go flying through the air. We had the window blow out because outer Lexan window got stuck so I had to roll up the other window and we are inside the tornado blew out the window. So in Dominator three, we added a triple windshield wiper system to keep the windshield clean. So we have a windshield wiper on the outside the inside of the outer windshield, the outside of the inner windshield. It can get a little confusing with all the windshield wipers. And with Dominator 3 we actually added a compartment in the back for search and rescue and first aid so if we come across a damage path we are more equipped from that angle to help out the rescue efforts. We also have an missile launchers that will shoot a rocket probe into the tornado that measure temperature, moisture, and pressure.

JK: How did the show “Storm Chasers” impact your life and the way you chase storms?
RT: I have always chased storms the same and have gotten really up close to them. All in like 400 hundred dollar vehicles 85 Reliant, 1991 Topaz and after that I had a Chevy Lumina that was held together with duct tape. And what the show “Storm Chasers” was started for five years it felt like a time warp, everything happened so fast and the next thing we know we have two armored vehicles and then three and then all this people around working on the same things, people I didn’t know. I realized when storm chasers ended all those people were gone and I ended up sitting in my house by myself looking at my computer looking around and wondering where the hell did everybody go? The people that are left behind are the people are the people that were always there from before “Storm Chasers” and are really truly passionate about tornado side and not are more into the sheltered side then the reality TV side of things. There are a lot of good things about it and a lot of bad things too. It did help us develop and do a lot research wise then just getting close to tornadoes and shooting videos of them. It helped us get instruments like mobile radar and air cannons all this stuff. I put all that I had in my pocket and the funding help from discovery made this all happen and faster instead of taking ten years to develop all these research equipment.

JK: You took storm chasing to the next level with not only driving along side of the tornadoes but driving inside of them.. That is a pretty extreme career.. So what do you do when you are not chasing? Do you find yourself trying to top that level of excitement or do you do the opposite and pursue more low key activities?
RT: Well it takes us year round with storm chasing. We chase blizzards and hurricanes and all kinds of things. We are the road non-stop and we also do a lot of speaking events to help make ends meet. I am home like 10 days out of the year. I don’t get out much and I don’t get to have that much of a personal life. I work on my dissertations and graduate. I was in school for 15 years and grad school too. I guess I’m a lot like Van Wilder minus the fun part. I like to ski but I haven’t been able to do for a year and a half. I almost feel lost in the off season because when you are storm chasing there is a well defining goal of driving into a tornado and during the off season it isn’t there so I just don’t know what to do with myself sometimes.

JK: Besides the thrill and love of storm chasing, there is also the scientific side; what have you learned and what do you hope to continue to learn about these storms?
RT: Well we learned that with the mobile radar that the vertical wind can be just as strong a s the horizontal and contrast speeds of 170- 200 mph can extend all the way to the ground so the tornado is almost like a vacuum cleaner. The ground based measurements of tornadoes and most of the research previously with mobile radar is through the wind that is higher opposite storms ✳ so our goal is to unravel that mystery right to the ground and prove that those wind speeds can get up to 500-600 mph in the suction vortices of tornadoes and the multiply vortex tornadoes that are spinning around like a merry go round. That’s our goal is to try to get up close and to get inside it proves how strong the tornado is right by the ground and those are the ones that matter most because that cause the damage and loss of life and property. The just generally understanding the dynamic of tornadoes will help us increase warning times in the area.

JK: I’ve seen on your website that you offer extreme tornado tours. What can someone expect to experience from one of those tours?
RT: It is extreme. You can go to extremetornadotours.com for schedule. They ride along in a town car and of course you don’t get inside a tornado but they get you close. You get these tornadoes and softball size hail. They have ten day tours. If you go to our Kickstarter campaign site at tvnweather.com/kickstarter or search tornado chasers on kickstarter.com and you can make these pledges and you can get rewards and one of the rewards is riding with us in the Dominator one.

JK: Out of all the storms that you have experienced throughout your chase career, is there any kind of storm that even you have been intimidated by?
RT: Yes definitely. The tornado that blew our window out, I thought we were in trouble because that was a slow moving one and we were inside for so long. It just kept intensifying and intensifying and our ears were popping and the whole vehicle was vibrating back and forth and I thought for a second there we were going to get lifted off the ground. There was also Hurricane Katrina where we were trapped in the storm surge and then we were on a third floor balcony and we hitched a ride by fishing boat and then we actually hitch hiked while walked 4-6 miles but we hitch hiked to Louisiana and we squatted in a hotel because all there was all chaos. The next day we hitched hiked again a guy picked us up and drove to Mississippi and we rented a car and drove home. I didn’t have cell coverage and couldn’t make a phone call for three days. I called my mom and found out she filed a missing persons report. My poor mom!

William Salyers is a stage actor that got thrown into the world of voice acting with his role in Adult Swim’s “Moral Orel”. He is currently the voice of Rigby in Cartoon Network’s “Regular Show”. The show, which won an Emmy last year, is continuing to grow as it enters its fifth season. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with William about his role in the show and about the fandom surrounding it.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us what made you want to get into voice acting?
William Salyers: I kind of slipped into it acually. I never really planned to be a voice actor. I have been a stage actor for most of my life. Over the years, I’d be doing regional theater and someone would ask me to local commercial or two. I would do it but never thought of it as a destination for me. Going on 10 years ago now, I was here in LA and a friend of mine Scott Adsit, who was one of the co-creators of “Moral Orel”, contacted me when they working on the first season. Scott called me up and said they had the first season in the can but they had a voice that they weren’t happy with. I had no voice career and I thought it was not worth my time. But I figured it was a friend trying to throw another friend a bone. So I remember during my read through with the show’s creator Dino Stamatopoulos, he told me not to worry since “You’ve done voice over before right?” and I said “No, not really”. [laughs] I knew it wasn’t going to go anywhere so I wasn’t trying to lie. So I was completely relaxed when I read for the part of Reverent Puddy. Scott called me a day or two later and said “Network loved you…you’re in!” So that was the beginning of it.

MG: Was that a challenge going from theater to voice acting?
WS: I am sure you can find people that disagree but I think that stage training is a challenge, especially if you are playing the lead. You have to pick up a show, put it on your shoulder and carry it for two hours. I think that is fantastic training for anything whether it is film, TV or even voice over because you have already learned how to create and span that character and then the rest of it is all technique. I certainly do enjoy it and consider it a natural extension of what I have been trying to do my whole life.

MG: How did it come about for you to voice Rigby on “Regular Show”?
WS: With “Regular Show”, I didn’t know anyone involved with the project. “Moral Orel” got me legitimized into the world of voice over and got an agent. So I got an audition one day from Cartoon Network for this pilot. I didn’t even understand what I was reading for at first. Besides that I knew the character was a raccoon. I remember one of the lines I had since I had no idea what it meant. It was “Chew ties you don’t know what I am going to throw next baby”. I thought what kind of ties are they talking about “neck ties, railroad ties…what are we talking about here”. Based on the way the dialogue was written, he seemed a little hyper active to me, so I delivered the line like this [speaking in Rigby’s voice] “Chew ties you don’t know what I am going to throw next baby”. From the audition, I booked the pilot.Actually, I had to audition again once the pilot got picked up. So I booked Rigby, not once but twice. The second time they called me to audition for the part, I got to do the hamboning bit which is probably one of my favorite bits of Rigby’s as we are going on five seasons now. I went to town with that. I knew it was a good sign when I saw J.G. (Quintel) laughing in the booth. So that is how that came about.

MG: Working with the show’s creator J.G. Quintel (who also voices Mordecai), do you find that you have a lot of creative freedom?
WS: Voice over really is a very precise art. You have people creating how you are going to look while you are deciding how you are going to sound. Within that though, I do feel like I have a lot of freedom. I am not just blowing smoke but I find that working with J.G. is really such a treat. It is remarkable to see a guy be so successful while also being so cool. If he loses it, I have never seen it. And you know he has tremendous pressure around him. Over the five seasons, we have developed a great rapport. We can usually knock out a scene in one or two takes since we have been working together so long.

MG: Are you surprised with the success and fan base surrounding this show?
WS: Oh my God! Yes, absolutely. I continue to be and remain surprised. I knew it was hilarious when I started working it. But there is a larger question though of if the show is going to tap into a specific demographic, let alone multiple demographics like this show has. You have dads in their 30’s laughing at this show with their kids. J.G. has achieved that. I remember last year when we went to San Diego Comic Con, the entire Cartoon Network booth was “Regular Show” themed. So they had a giant blow up parade float version of Mordecai and Rigby in the golf cart. You could see it across the whole convention center. So that was overwhelming. I have had to get used to that sort of thing. I am not what you would call an extrovert. I am more of an introvert. It is still kind of stunning for me to be ousted as the voice of Rigby and see all of these people lining up to meet me and wanting autographs. The fans are really great though. It has just been mind-numbing.

MG: After 120 episodes, what keeps it fresh for you?
WS: So far there hasn’t been an episode that my character hasn’t been in. Even if he might spend most of it in a coma…he is there [laughs]. I will tell you honestly Mike; the key is that when I get a storyboard, which is weekly, I am laughing out loud. Our writers are phenomenal and that is what does it for me.

MG: After winning an Emmy last year, what can we expect from the show next?
WS: I can’t speak in specifics but in round terms, I can say that J.G. and the staff are looking for more opportunities to writing extended shows. Half hour shows. He is interested in exploring how the characters are maturing including some major life changes and what that would do to the show. We also continue to have amazing guest stars. As the show gets more and more popular it just keeps growing.  We continue to get some fantastic people who want to be interested in working on our show. I think it is going to be bigger and better.

Loren Hoskins & Kevin Hendrickson are the musical duo responsible for the fun pirate rock on Disney Junior’s “Jake and the Never Land Pirates”. Besides the music, the duo are also characters in the show, Sharkey and Bones, Captain Hook’s henchmen. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with the Loren and Kevin about their work on the show.

Mike Gencarelli: You guys are no stranger to pirate-rock. How do you feel you have changed from Captain Bogg and Salty to The Never Land Pirate Band?
Loren Hoskins: We inherited a universe. It was one we knew fairly well with it being Never Land. We got to play all these iconic characters in a number of different situations. On top of that we got to really test the fabric of pirate rock. We were able to write song for a number of different shows. I feel like this has broadened our outlook a little bit and given us more toys to play with.
Kevin Hendrickson: I think it has also given us a lot more songs to write. We used to write about 10 songs a year but now I think we write about 10 times that amount. This is more of a full time job now.

MG: With music being a very integral part of the show do you ever feel any pressure related to writing the music?
LH: I don’t know about pressure but I suppose I do now that you brought it up [laughs]. What blew our minds when we got started with this is that we were just offered an opportunity to try and write a theme song. To have it snowball in to working on the underscore and a bunch of other little songs which then led to us being both animated and live action characters has been a real gift. I am probably more excited about things than anxious.
KH: I have a little bit different take as I do feel a certain amount of pressure but it’s exciting. The scripts and writers are really great so from the beginning I felt a lot of pressure to really up the game and write great songs. In a way it’s been a positive thing to be surrounded by such a great team.
LH: I agree with that. We were stepping in a new world as we had never done an underscore before. We had to learn a whole new vocabulary. We had to learn a new way to tell a story and we wanted to reward everyone’s faith in us.

MG: What would you say is your favorite song to perform with the group?
LH: We did a performance run at Walt Disney World that was 30 shows in 10 days. It was incredible. There were 700 people or more showing up to see us perform for each of the 3 shows. We closed each set with the song “Never Land Pirate Band”. The kids know that song very well. So to perform that live and see kids at their first rock concert jumping around and singing along is a great feeling.

MG: Loren, you voice Sharky as well as Sandy the Starfish; how do you feel about going from singing to voicing characters on the show?
LH: When I was a kid I didn’t want to be pirate when I grew up. I wanted to be Mel Blanc and be able to do all those amazing voices. So to do voices on the show is a total blessing for me. It is something I really love.

MG: What can we expect to see during season 3 of the show?
KH: There are going to be some fun spring themed episodes as well as one titled “Tiki Tree Luau”.
LH: That is going to be a great episode. These episodes are just so great as the characters are doing some really funny stuff. In one episode titled, “Captain Who?”, Captain Hook forgets who he is, which is just a great story line.

MG: Does it blow your mind how popular your character have become, even including puppet versions in “Disney Junior Live” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
KH: Absolutely! Everyday is just stunning and it has yet to wear off. To hear our music in the parks and see it on television and then knowing that’s it’s going out all over the world is thrilling.
LH: When we got the chance to meet the puppeteers at Disney we were both equally excited to meet each other. It was really cool to be behind the scenes of a big Disney show.

MG: What is the most rewarding aspect of your job and entertaining children?
KH: Every time we get the opportunity to perform live in front of an audience and share our music is something that has really struck me. It’s a great privileged to be able to do that.

MG: Are there any plans to do more live shows in the parks?
LH: We haven’t heard anything yet. We never know as there is always some grand adventure being planned. Right now we are really focusing on season 3. We have been recording lots of songs for the new end sequences and focusing on a new round of pirate rock.

MG: Speaking of new music, will we be seeing a new album in the near future?
LH: I sure hope so! (Laughs) They have a beautiful way of rolling things out that runs tandem with the new episodes. We have heard of lots of cool things that will be happening in the near future. We don’t know when but there should be a new album soon.

 

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Dallas Roberts is known best for playing the scientist Milton Mamet in season three of “The Walking Dead”. He is also the star of the new supernatural thriller “Shadow People”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Dallas about his new film and his favorite part of working on “The Walking Dead”.

Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to work on the film “Shadow People”?
Dallas Roberts: I was really drawn to the suspense aspect of the film. It is a thriller with out having to be gory. It felt grounded in the mythology of the story behind it. Once you start to read about it and you find yourself getting sucked in. It will get inside of your head real quick.

MG: Did you do research into SUNDS and the true story behind the film?
DR: Yes, I did my actor’s research. I didn’t pay much attention to the radio story. I wanted to play the part rather than reflect it. Those figures have been involved in mythology in many different cultures for a long long time. That is what I really found very fascinating. I also did a lot of reading about it. The belief that your brain does manifest your reality, I found that to be a really interesting exploration of that idea.

MG: Tell us about your character Charlie Crowe?
DR: He is a local radio personality, back when that was possible before the corporatization of radio like satellite radio. I run this late night paranormal discussion talk show. I tried not to follow the events and really stick with the character in the script.

MG: With “Shadow People” and “The Walking Dead”, what attracts you to the horror genre?
DR: Everybody loves to get those jolts in their seats. I have kids and there is nothing more fun than when we are watching a movie and something shocking happens and it sends them for a jolt. That immediate response to something is addictive. What you are looking for there is that sort of icy chill and sudden intake of breath.

MG: What has been the highlight for you working on “The Walking Dead” this season?
DR: I would have to say David Morrissey. He is an incredible actor and very fun to work with. We have a barrel of laughs the whole time. It is funny, when I signed up to be on “The Walking Dead” up to that point it had been people in the woods fighting for survival. I was sort of set down in a place where it took a long time for Milton to get some dirt on him…let alone blood. Hanging out with David has been very fun.

MG: What else do you have in the cards?
DR: I am around in “The Good Wife” every now and then. I got a film called “The Dallas Buyer’s Club”, which should be coming out soon. Then we are just putting together the pieces on whatever is going to happen next on “The Walking Dead”. One foot in front of the other, as they say.

John de Lancie is known for his role of Q in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Recently John was introduced to the world of “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” voicing character Discord. Since then he teamed up with Michael Brockhof in order to make “Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony” to showcase this unbelievable fan base behind this show. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with John to look back on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and also his work with “My Little Pony”.

Mike Gencarelli: Looking back on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, what was your favorite part of playing such a great character like “Q”?
John de Lancie: I guess mostly the reaction. Everybody liked him a lot. It has been a long time but he wasn’t iconic when I started but he was iconic when I left. The reaction was more intense than the actual doing of it.

MG: Are you surprised that it is still so well-received and respected all these years later?
JDL: Yes it is phenomenal. “Star Trek” is a phenomenon. I don’t know of any other shows that keeps on giving like this one has over the years. A lot of people feel that I sort of came on full blown and that other characters slowly developed over the years. Maybe that is the case to the extend that I was used to playing characters that were like that. You didn’t have a very long time to establish who you were, so you had to come on strong.

MG: Do you have any experiences that stand-out from working on the show?
JDL: I don’t have one favorite moment…I have many favorite moments. But what was fun about this show was that you knew that you were on the set making cultural history or if nothing else TV history. It was a show that was really culturally important. People referred to it and it became a way to talk about anything futuristic – it would be “Star Trek-like”. So it was great.

MG: “Q” was always one of my favorites. He was bad but also threw you for a loop occasionally.
JDL: Well that is what I intended. He is very naughty and somewhat dangerous. You were left never quite knowing what would happen. But it was a lot of fun. He is the one person you would invite to the dinner party but really make sure that the guests can handle him [laughs].

MG: You are hitting the convention scene this year, what do you enjoy most about meeting fans?
JDL: I love meeting fans. I find myself talking to kids, who see me at the age of their fathers…if not older. Some of them are even third generation fans. Which is actually is pretty amazing and honestly really unheard of.
MG: I am a second generation, my father got me into it and now I have a daughter that is 9-months old and she already has a “Star Trek” jumper.
JDL: That is what I am talking about and it is really amazing.

MG: On the complete other side of the spectrum, tell us about voicing Discord on “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic”?
JDL: It started with me being asked to do a voice over for “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” and I said sure. So I read the script and have never heard of it before. But I thought it was well-written and fun. I have done characters like this before but I didn’t know that they wanted a Q-like character. I didn’t think of it as that at first and I just did it as it was written. Then about three months later, I was on the computer and I thought I got spammed. I had about 300-400 emails and they all had the subject of “My Little Pony”. So, I reach a bunch of them and then asked my wife what she knew about “My Little Pony”. She reminded me I did a voice for it about three months ago, which I totally forgot about. She told me it was a cartoon for little girls. But let me tell you these emails were not from little girls [laughs]. So that was the beginning of it.

MG: How did you get involved with “Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony”?
JDL: It just so happened that Michael Brockhoff came over my house the night I got those emails and I told him about the story. He laughed and I agreed I didn’t get it either. Why would 20 year old guys be interested in “My Little Pony”? He asked me if I would want to do a documentary about it and I say “Oh my God, no way”. So that weekend, I had to go up to Vancouver on a job and some kids came up to me and asked me to sign pictures of Discord. I say kids, I mean 20 year olds. They are the typical geeky fans that I recognize from “Star Trek”. So, I asked them all a lot of questions and still I didn’t quite get it. But as they explained me to more and more what the show was about, it started to click. The show has the elements of harmony, being kind, generous, loyal and tolerant. I thought what is the problem with that? So now I had a face to put to what a Brony was. Mike sent me a link the following week for a Fox News, whom I am not a fan of, piece of this trend. It trashed the idea of Bronies calling them “a bunch of homosexuals, living at home on food stamps and disability watching cartoons in their parents at day in their parents basement”. That made me upset because it is not true. This is typical of Fox News. Have we really gotten to the place in our society that we are so threatened by everyone, that if we have 20 year old guys watching cartoons intended for girls, which is about being kind, loyal, generous and tolerant that we are going to demonize them and turn them into something that they are not. So that is when I called Mike back and said “I’m on board with the documentary, let’s do it”.

MG: Tell us about how you ended up with the Kickstarter campaign?
JDL: I asked Mike how was he going to fund this projects and he said through Kickstarter. I asked him how much he needed and he said about $60,000. He asked me if I could get myself into one of the conventions for BronyCon and I said “Yes”. The deal was that we were going to shoot for two days with two cameras, edit for about six weeks and that would be it. So yeah, instead of $60K, we got $322K. At that point, I was blown away. We’ve shown this film to people in the business and they just go “Wow, you’ve put a lot into this” and that was out intent. So when you see this film, I think you will be impressed.

Hynden Walch is know best for her voice work including Princess Bubblegum in “Adventure Time” & Starfire/Blackfire in “Teen Titans”. She also voiced Penny Sanchez on the Nickelodeon show “ChalkZone” and Elsie on the Disney Channel show “Stanley”. Hynden took out some time to chat with Media Mikes about the fandom craze behind “Adventure Time” and her return of Starfire in “Teen Titans Go!”.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you get involved with doing voice work?
Hynden Walch: I always knew I was going to be an actress my whole life. I have been doing professional theater since I was 11. So the natural progression to that was to go on and do film and television, which I did. But I always loved the idea of doing voice over for animation, a lot! But I was never in the right city for it. I lived in Chicago and there is no animation work there at all. Then I lived in New York, there was a tiny bit of work but I think I got my first animation job in that city the day I was moving to Los Angeles. So I didn’t end up doing. So finally, I ended up in LA and I had built up my resume and told my agent and manager out here that I wanted to do animation voice over. They said I would be perfect for it but it would be very hard to get into. They were not kidding about that. I got an voice over agent quickly but then came the very slow process of auditioning for roles. Literally it took years. It is such a tight knit group of people that do every voice. After a while, I felt like my auditions were going into a black hole. So I went out for the weirdest role I could and I ended up getting it. This was Penny for “ChalkZone”. The craziest voice ever came out of me when I went to the call back at Nickelodeon. I also started getting cast at the same time for the animated movies at MGM like “The Secret of NIMH 2” and “Tom Sawyer”. So that was how it all started.

MG: What do you enjoy most about voicing Princess Bubblegum in “Adventure Time”?
HW: This came about the same way. It is nice when you get offered roles but almost always for new series they want to have you audition. So I went to Cartoon Network for a call-back and I really wanted this role. I knew “Adventure Time” from the YoutTube shorts and though it was BRILLANT! I loved the whole idea of the show. It was dangerous since I went it really wanting to get the role. I tried to give them the most put together yet out there princess that would fit into their world. So I am very happy that I got the role and I love playing her.

MG: Can you reflect on the popularity of your character and the show with fans?
HW: I am not surprised honestly. When we first started recorded, I knew it was going to be HUGE! As it was! So I am not surprised at all. I think “Adventure Time” is written in such a new, visionary and incredible way. Not to mention that the artwork is just gorgeous. The colors and the design are amazing. Pen (Ward) is such a creative guy. I am so excited to be able to work with him on his vision. I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. It is rare that you get a project when you just feel so damn proud to be apart of it. If I wasn’t I would be a huge fan of it anyway. So to get to get add my own imprint to it is really fun. With animation the characters do become us.

MG: How does “Adventure Time” compare to your other roles like Starfire/Blackfire in “Teen Titans”?
HW: “Teen Titans” that was a show of love. It was a real joining of people that really loved each other. It was such a great show. So with “Teen Titans” and “Adventure Time”, I feel that the key for their success is that the appeal crosses every age. You don’t have to be a 9 year old boy to love this. You can be a 37 year old woman [laughs].
MG: Or a 30 year old man, hint hint.
HW: Totally! Both shows have really massive appeal. “Teen Titans” was very dramatic. I got to really feel like an actor. All of the other Titans are such great actors and we got to play off each other. There is also “Teen Titans Go!” that is coming out.

MG: I was going to ask you, what can we expect for the new reboot “Teen Titans Go!”?
HW: It is broad comedy. It is hilarious I worry a little bit about the hardcore fan base from the first show. But here is the think, they are going to be very angry for one week and then they are going to love it beyond all reason. That is what happened to me. The shows are so well-written and hilarious They also give us a lot of room for improvisation So we, who know the characters like our ownself are really contribution to the content of the show. It will be the same characters that everyone knows and loves from the first series but being very funny and on their day off. We are not fighting villains, we are fighting about laundry or stuff like that. Some of the episodes have been so outrageous, so I can’t wait.

 

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Ryan Johnson grew up in the island nation of New Zealand and has always been drawn to the sea. Having dreamed being a marine biologist, he moved to Southern Africa in 1998, where he began to work with the ocean’s greatest predator—the great white shark. Ryan joined up with the research group Ocearch as their Chief Scientist and was involved with the television series “Shark Wrangers” last year on History. Ryan took out some time to chat with Media Mikes about working with sharks and the importance of tagging them.

Mike Gencarelli: How long have you been working with sharks? What was your draw?
Ryan Johnson: I have been working with sharks since 1998, when I started my M.Sc thesis looking at the impact of white shark cage diving on the behaviour of white sharks, and marine ecology, in the Gansbaai area. My draw was adventure, passion and the chance to learn about an incredibly charismatic animal in my chosen field as a marine biologist.

MG: What drew you to join the Ocearch as Chief Scientist in 2012?
RJ: Ocearch NGO approached me a couple of years prior to them arriving in South Africa. Chris Fischer then suggested his ideas and the research potential that his organization could offer the South Africa scientific community. Being a shark biologist from South Africa, I am mandated to produce knowledge to enable the informed management and conservation of sharks in our region. The most powerful tool currently available to produce this data is satellite telemetry work that enables the description of home ranges, critical habitats, and migratory patterns. This knowledge is essential to empower managers and conservationists to guide their action in an effective manner. As a developing country South Africa does not frequently have sufficient resources to dedicate the required logistics and finances to research that will answer these crucial questions. Ocearch producing these resources for the South African shark academic community to use and fulfill our research mandate was what attracted to the opportunity. In addition, on review, the practical skills of the Ocearch team made them a perfect partner to conduct this research with.

MG: Tell us about Ocearch is planning for Expedition Jacksonville?
RJ: The Ocearch model is to work with local scientists that will carry on the work once the mother vessel and Ocearch has left. As such, I am not involved with the Jacksonville Expedition, nor am I privy to the planning. My focus is to have the data from the South African expedition processed and published.

MG: How many sharks have been tagged by the Ocearch?
RJ: During the South African Expedition, a total of 47 sharks were tagged with various combinations of transmitters consisting of one/some or all of (a) SPOT satellite tags, (b) acoustic transmitters and (c) PAT satellite tags. This included six ragged tooth sharks in addition to the white sharks. Over the years I am unsure of how many sharks in total Ocearch have tagged.

MG: Tell us about why is it important to tag sharks?
RJ: Tracking the movements of sharks enable scientists to identify critical habitats, the home range, migratory pathways, reproduction related movements. With this knowledge you can guide management and conservation plans, essentially you empower people to design plans that will enable the effective conservation of the population. For instance, the Oceach program illustrated a that the population range of white shark stock of South Africa extends extensively into the exclusive economic zone of Mozambique. As white sharks are not protected in Mozambique, our national conservation plan is ineffective in its objective to conserve the population. The knowledge produced provides concrete evidence for South Africa’s legislators to take to Mozambique and use as leverage to ensure that Mozambique’s management of white sharks does not compromise our shared resource.

MG: What have your learned so far from the data collected?
RJ: That white sharks residing in South Africa spend a large percentage of time outside of out EEZ and in waters where they can legally be fished. Thus giving a possible explanation as to why there has been no population level recovery despite 22 years of national protection.

MG: Any close calls with the sharks while performing the internal tagging surgery?
RJ: My only concern is to perform the surgery as quickly and professionally as possible and thereby minimize the stress on the shark. Naturally when sharks have become active on the platform during surgery you can get hit and knocked hard. But following this I need to get back to the surgery, regain my composure and complete it successfully. Afterwards you feel and rub the knocks.

MG: Have you had the opportunity to name any of the sharks?
RJ: I named one shark ‘Princess Fi’ after my wife Fiona Ayerst a well known shark conservationists and underwater photographer. After coming up with such a silly name, I was not given too many more chances.

MG: Can you tell us a little bit about Ocearch Global Shark Tracker – Powered by CAT?
RJ: The Ocearch Global Tracker is one of the most revolutionary communication tools ever used by the scientific community to include and inform the wider public about a research project and the results of the research. Essentially it gives everyone instant access to the movements of the sharks tagged and enables them to mine the data to gain a personal knowledge on the behaviour of great white sharks around the world. This level of communication and inclusion is a massive education tool for the public to see past the white shark as a one dimensional man eater.

MG: Can we expect more episodes of “Shark Wrangers” on History this year?
RJ: I am not sure, Chris Fischer negotiates the television deals and would be best to field this question.

MG: How is was it blending the reality aspect of the show with your work?
RJ: I had a lot of respect for the filming and production crew in how they handled the filming. Sure there were elements of sensationalism and building up tension amongst the crew and scientists, however, when it came to the operation with the shark, the production took a total ‘fly on the wall’ approach and did not interfere at all.

MG: What are you doing when you are not playing with sharks?
RJ: I am following my second passion of producing and filming wildlife documentaries. It gets me outside and into wild places, and that is where I love to be.

Niki Yang is known for your work voicing the characters Beemo and Lady Rainicorn on “Adventure Time”. Niki has also work as a writer and storyboard artist on the show. She also works as a storyboard artists and voices Candy Chiu on “Gravity Falls”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat Niki about her voice work and the fandom behind “Adventure Time”.

Mike Gencarelli: How did you end up voicing Beemo and Lady Rainicorn on “Adventure Time”?
Niki Yang: I went to school with Pen Ward (the creator of the show) and we got closer when we were doing shorts with Frederator/Nickelodeon. Frederator is the one who made this short program possible (“Random Cartoons”). He was right next to my office and we got to hang out and stuff. Later on, he asked me if I wanted to do storyboards for him. At the same time, they were looking for a Korean speaking girl for one of the roles, which I happen to speak. So he asked me to voice Lady Rainicorn first. They also had some problems finding a voice actor for Beemo after auditioning professional actors but Pen really didn’t like them. So he asked me again to also do the voice of Beemo [laughs]. So that is what happened.

MG: Was is it about this show that draws its audience in?
NY: It is great. Not just visually, the story appeals to a wide range of people from young kids to adults. You are just able to connect with its so easily. There are stories about friendship. I love the animation style as well. It is so different and unique. Pen actually went out and found artists after reading their comics. He asked them to come on the show and that is very unusual in this industry.

MG: How can you reflect on the show’s success and popularity of your characters?
NY: Whenever I watch the show, I feel like my voice and acting pops out maybe since it is so unprofessional [laughs]. But people seem to like it, so I am flattered and happy about it. Especially a lot of Korean American kids write me a lot about it and that is really cool to me.

MG: I don’t know a thing that Lady Rainicorn is saying but I still love her [laughs].
[laughs] It is so amazing.  You still just hear her dialogue and it is so charming. I think a lot of fans of the show though are translating what she is saying and putting it on the web [laughs].

MG: Besides voicing the characters tell us about your role as storyboard artist and writer?
NY: Some people have natural talent to tell jokes while writing the story. I grew up in Korea and came to the U.S. to go to school. So I didn’t grow up with the same culture. So it was harder for me writing jokes due to the cultural differences. But I still really enjoyed it. “Adventure Time”, especially, it was my first writing gig. I have been doing storyboards prior but it was the first time writing. It was challenging but at the same time very fun. After that I got another gig to write and I have since gotten used to it.

MG: How does this show compare to your work on “Gravity Falls”? Oh [laughs], that is a bit different. NY: Cartoon Network is a pretty casual company compared to Disney. I like to work for both though but they are different. With Disney the executives are very hands on. It is a little more straight. I love Alex Hirsch’s show and the writing is just amazing. The art is also extraordinary. I really enjoy it. “‘Gravity Falls”‘ is a script driven show. My job is following the script and help the story telling with visual components. No writing involved. Although, Alex always encourage us to add any writings or gags, if we want to.  I have learned a lot from “Gravity Falls” like doing different shots and it has made me more crafty. Compared to “Adventure Time” which is more free which allows us to write. The technical side of the boards is the second concerns. The priority of the writing driven shows (such as “Adventure Time”) is writing. So they are both different but also both fun.

MG: Being an animator, what is the most challenging aspect of working on television?
NY: For me it is time consuming. Production companies are asking more and more these days of artists. So we are doing many peoples jobs all at the same time. The schedules are pretty tight and if I would want to play around with the writing and different shots but we usually don’t have the time. So, that is my biggest challenge working on TV.

Jessica DiCicco is a voice actress best for voicing Flame Princess on “Adventure Time”.  She also various characters like Patches on “Pound Puppies”. She recently stepped behind the character directing Kovas’ latest music video for his song “Ice Cream”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jessica to chat about her voice work, her love for directing and her plans for visiting fan conventions.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about how you ended up voicing Flame Princess on “Adventure Time”?
Jessica DiCicco: It happened like they all do, which is through auditioning. It’s a way of life in this business, you try out for different projects everyday. The funny is that I had a feeling about the Flame Princess audition right away when I first got the email. I had heard of “Adventure Time” but I didn’t know what it was really about. So I did a little research and I watched some YouTube clips. Immediately, I knew this was a show I wanted to be on. I sent the audition and I was very happy when I found out I had booked the role. From the very first script that came in, I thought the show was just so amazing and well written. I knew that I was in for something great.

MG: What do you enjoy most about voicing that character?
JD: I love that she has such a range of emotion. She can go from super sweet to insane and crazy at the drop of a dime. It is so fun to play a character like that.

MG: Can you reflect on the fandom surrounding your character and the show itself?
JD: I have never been a part of such a big show. It has been such an amazing experience. It is very reminiscent for me of “Simpsons Mania”. I remember when “The Simpsons” had just come out, there was so much energy surrounding the show, it truly struck a cord with its audience. I was a huge fan of “The Simpsons” when I was a kid, I would wear my Simpson’s denim jacket, talk on my Bart phone, then go to sleep draped in my Simpson’s bed sheets. The insanity and excitement surrounding “Adventure Time” is reminiscent of that. I was actually at the Annie Awards this year and was presenting with Lucas Grabeel, and Matt Groening also was there. I got the chance to talk to him and it turns out his son is a big fan of “Adventure Time” and even was an intern on the show. I ran my theory by him about how “Adventure Time Mania” is reminiscent of “Simpsons Mania” and he said that he couldn’t agree more. Right from the creator’s mouth! So glad that I ran that by him, it was a very cool moment for me.

MG: How does your work on “Adventure Time” differ from Patches on “Pound Puppies”?
JD: I feel lucky that I get to voice so many different types of characters. It satisfies my desire to act and be creative. Patches is so much fun, he is so cute, fun and playful- he’s a puppy! I love dogs, so I put my love for my own dog, Kody, into that character. The head writer is Bart (Jennett) and he is incredibly talented. The episodes of “Pound Puppies” are so well written, they have so many layers, twists and turns throughout. It is always very fun to work on this show.

MG: How did you get involved directing Kovas’ music video for his song “Ice Cream”?
JD: Directing the video for “Ice Cream” was blast and easily one of my favorite experiences to date. I met Kovas, he is an incredibly talented music producer and also has a solo artist career, and we became quick friends. I listened to his mix tape while it was in the works and that song just inspired me. I am also friends with Jessie Heiman, the “nerd” from the GoDaddy Super Bowl XLVII commercial, he’s the one who made out with Bar Rafaeli [laughs]. We have been friends and have always wanted to work together. I thought it would be so funny to have Jesse be the main thug in a rap video [laughs]. That is what actually inspired the entire “Ice Cream” concept.

MG: What was your biggest challenge directing your first music video?
JD: I am very hard on myself and I like everything to be as good as it can possibly be. Even with my voice-overs, I really try to focus on my characters and have a deep connection with them. So I wanted to apply this to directing. I wanted the characters to be very solid and consistent throughout the entire video. One of the most fun parts of this video was casting it. As soon as it was cast with these incredibly talented people, a lot of it was setting up the scenes and it was such a joy to watch it all unfold. I was also fortunate to work with the best editor of all time, Steve Forner. It was such a great experience. I didn’t realize how truly happy directing makes me and I can’t wait to try this again.

MG: Do you see yourself pursuing more directing gigs in the near future? Film or TV?
JD: I’m actually directing another music video next week! I was actually offered this next video based on my work from “Ice Cream,” which I did just for fun! I’m excited to let this new-found love for directing unfold organically. I am going project by project. But I would like to challenge myself and try and tackle a short film in the near future. So that would happen within the next year hopefully. At this point, it is just a matter of finding an incredible script that inspires me.

MG: Tell us about “Sheriff Callie’s Wild West” coming out on Disney Junior starring Mandy Moore, Lucas Grabeel and yourself?
JD: I am very excited about this show. It’s the first Western musical for preschoolers, and it has been fantastic working with Mandy Moore and Lucas Grabeel. I play a 7-year-old boy cactus named Toby. The songs we sing get stuck in our heads for days, hopefully the kids love it, that way I don’t feel silly for liking it so much [laughs]. It has such a stellar cast in addition to Mandy and Lucas. It also includes Kevin Michael Richardson, Mo Williams, Cree Summer, Carlos Alazraqui, and Gary Anthony Williams.

MG: I know you can’t talk about it but you also have a few video game roles in the works also right?
JD: I wish I could tell you about them at this very moment! I’m so excited about these new roles. Voicing characters in a video game satisfies a whole other part of my creativity. It is very natural acting, very cinematic. So it challenges me in a very different way which is very fun for me.

Fan art by rorpie

MG: Tell us about how you got started with your girl DJ duo called Kittypillaz?
JD: I just started making appearances at conventions and anime cons. I didn’t realize how much fun they were. I went recently with a fellow voice actress, and we decided to also DJ at the con. She is big in the anime world. The first one we just did was Ichibancon, this past January in Charlotte, NC. We just figured to get out there play some good music and have fun with our fans. It was such an amazing experience, I look forward to doing it again!

MG: What else do you have going on that you would like to talk about?
JD: Fans can reach out to me on Facebook and Twitter. Also I love friendship bracelets. So when I make appearances at conventions, I am offering exclusive friendship bracelets for each con, that will only be available at that specific con. Also I am going to have a contest on deviantART for artists to submit the best Flame Princess fan art for the postcard my next exclusive friendship bracelet will come with. I am a huge fan of art and I love all the fan art that people do for “Adventure Time” and any of my characters. I am very excited to incorporate fan art into this project.

Donald Trump returns with the first ever “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice” on Sunday, March 3, 2013. This is the sixth installment of “The Celebrity Apprentice” and the thirteenth season of “The Apprentice” series. This season, fourteen of your favorite business-savvy celebrity contestants return for a second chance to raise money and awareness for their charity of choice. The last person standing will be chosen as the Celebrity Apprentice and have the honor of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to their designated charity. The show’s executive producer and star Donald J. Trump along with entertainment icon La Toya Jackson, Poison front man Bret Michaels, also winner of the third season of Celebrity Apprentice took out some time to chat with Media Mikes about this season, their charities and what we can expect.

We all know that drama sells in this TV reality. Is this the most dramatic season yet?
Donald Trump: Well I’ll speak first. I think it’s certainly one of the most dramatic seasons. We have tremendous interest in the season and including Bret and La Toya, we have brought back some of the people that everybody really likes because it’s an All Star season. And I think yes, it’s a very dramatic season, amazing things happen. La Toya and Bret, go ahead.
La Toya Jackson: You have no idea, it’s very dramatic, it’s very exciting. There is so much going on. And you will see a lot of confrontations. It’s going to be a blast, you’ll love it. You will simply love it, everyone will.
Bret Michaels: I have found that as being there the first time it was something I really wanted to do. I had an absolutely great time and coming back obviously it is extremely dramatic and you’ll just have to watch because it will keep you riveted.

Bret, after winning Celebrity Apprentice in season three, did you feel like you had an advantage going into this one? What was your approach?
BM: The truth is here is the absolute truth. I actually felt like I had probably a major disadvantage because I feel like it’s like you want to call it the Super Bowl Syndrome — when a team comes back that has won it everyone is gunning for them. But I loved everyone who was on it and listen, as a lifelong diabetic, it’s a great opportunity for charity. I wanted to do it. But no doubt when you’re coming back they’re going to firing for you and you’ve just got to be strong and do the best you can.

Mr. Trump, What do you find so appealing about still doing the show?
DT: Well more than anything – yes I think more than anything else it’s the success of the show. It has just been amazing, you know, how well it has done and it took people by storm. As you know it became the number one show in many evenings over the years and it has been just a great success and it continues to be a phenomenal success for NBC and for me and for us. It has been an amazing success and I think maybe that’s why I keep doing it. It’s just that old thing. I could talk about many, many other shows that have tried to copy The Apprentice and they failed. They failed very quickly and miserably. And, you know, 15 of them now and I think more than anything else it’s really the success of the show. I enjoy doing it. As long as it continues to be successful I enjoy it.

After your experience on the show, what did you learn and plan for this season?
LTJ: Well first of all it’s such a fascinating show and I love the fact that he has given us this opportunity to promote our networks and what we’re doing as far as our charities are concerned. But I think I learned that personalities are individuals and you have to really be strong and steadfast no matter what happens, what you go through, stand by what you truly believe in and don’t let anyone deviate and you go into that road of deviation.

Were you expecting more out of the contestants since they have been through the show before? Were you a bit tougher on them?
DT: No I think they became a lot smarter, they understand the system better. We have a couple that did very, very well that frankly I wasn’t expecting as much from and I think they have learned the system a little bit. So it wasn’t that I was expecting more, I think they have become much smarter. I actually think that it made for an exciting show, very exciting show. I think it’s almost every one of them really have learned so much and it has become very, very exciting. It’s really a strong show, amazing show.

Bret and La Toya, did you have any hesitation about going back on the show or did you immediately think yes, I want to do this again.
LTJ: Well, I wanted to do it in the very beginning but the second time around I was a bit hesitant because I knew what I was faced with the first time. And I said you know what, you never give up, you always have to keep believing, you have to believe that you’re going to be the winner, you’re going to come through this really straightforward and strong. And I went for it, I went for it. Because if I have learned anything I have learned what Trump has taught us all that we need to put our best foot forward and don’t let anybody, anybody block us from anything that we wish to do or want to do. I felt it was very, very important to bring awareness as well to my charity which was National Network to End Domestic Violence. Because this show is so big and so wonderful, he has given us this opportunity to bring this awareness to our charities where everybody sees it and that interest goes there and then they start giving to the charity which is incredible. And it’s wonderful all the people who need it.
BM: No hesitation on my part at all. I was excited to do it, I wanted to do it the first time I did it and again I wasn’t – when I actually did it the first time I wasn’t at the peak of my best health. So this time getting the opportunity with All Stars and with La Toya and everyone that was there and Trace and Penn. I mean, these guys are all of them successful at what they do. There is a reason Mr. Trump and his show is a success. He’s a success in real life, in life life. And to be able to learn from that, I went in with no hesitation and realizing that the competition was going to be fierce. We all know each other, we all know the way each other plays, and for me I just went in headstrong and had a great time going there, zero hesitation. I would do it again.

Mr. Trump, why do you think the time was right to do the current All Stars edition?
DT: Well it just seemed good. You know, we’ve had so many people that have done so well on the show. They didn’t win but they did really well and they were really liked by the audience because ultimately it is about them being liked by the audience. And, you know, we have Trace Adkins coming back, we have so many people that did so well and just really were liked. I have such respect for Bret, you know, going on the show and because he could have sat to my side and it wouldn’t have been the same risk. But I really – I think you’ll see that Bret comes out amazingly, he comes out amazingly. But there was so much like and love for some of these contestants that we wanted to do an All Star version and bring back some of the, you know, whether it’s Gary Busey or Dennis Rodman, we have some – just some great people coming back.

Bret and La Toya, who do you guys think is your biggest competitor on the show and who surprised you the most?
LTJ: I think that in the beginning of the show I thought the biggest competitor, I knew it would be probably Penn. I just felt that. I don’t know why but I did of course and Trace of course. However, I felt that I would have a lot of problems with Omarosa and that was just a feeling. Because you can tell in the beginning when you see the people sort of sizing you out and saying little things to you but you’re still polite to them at the same time you’re going oh my God, it’s going to be war at some point. And you know it’s going to happen, you know it’s going to come. And yes of course it’s going to be an interesting season, let’s put it that way.
BM: Yes and I can add to this. There are – I look at everybody as massive competition on that show because everyone wants to win. They didn’t go there to lose. And, you know, you’ve got to just bring what is your game and pray that it works and bring your A game and pray that it works. And no doubt, La Toya said it best, everybody is competitive. And some of them are — I won’t mention any names — are pretty good TV professional villains. And as much as I think I’ve got nerves of steel they can rattle you, they can rattle you no doubt.
LTJ: And Bret you were a threat because as we all know Bret has already won so at this point you’re thinking oh no, Bret’s here, what are we going to do. So yes, it’s very competitive. And that’s one thing that you have to really, really mentally get yourself prepared for because people will do anything, and I do mean anything as Bret knows to win.
DT: And I’ll speak for Bret. He is very tough and he’s very, very smart.

Lastly, since you are playing for charity I’d like to give you the opportunity to tell us what is the name of your charity, what does it do, and why is that charity important to you personally?
LTJ: Well my charity that I was playing for was National Network to End Domestic Violence and that basically is a charity, as you all know domestic violence occurs all over the world and as we’re speaking now there are women and of course men that are just going through abuse at this very single moment. And they have no shelter, they feel that they have no lobby, they have nowhere to go. So I’m here to let them know that we are doing something about it and there are shelters, there is an 800 number that’s right there for you to call and get help. But this year – this charity that I’m playing for, National Network to End Domestic Violence was actually formed by the people themselves. So they went out and they got together and said we need a charity, we need a place to stay, something to do and have people come and donate for us. I thought that was very commendable of these little kids and women who were basically really suffering to get together and do something and say this is what our charity is going to be about and this is what it is. And it needs awareness. And people are just watching and just donating and I’m so happy. You can never, ever, ever have enough. And I truly believe that no one charity is better than the other but just bringing awareness to it is what I’m here for and I am very proud and pleased to be happy working with Mr. Trump to bring that awareness to it.
BM: My charity is simply called Life Rocks Foundation and I’ve had it for a really long time and it is – being a lifelong diabetic myself obviously a big part of it goes to diabetes. A big huge part of it which works also with ETF is St. Jude’s and childhood cancer and in Wounded Warriors and pet adoption. It’s got a variety of different things that we work. But it’s called Life Rocks Foundation Faces and Places and you just go to bretmichaels.com and you see the thousands of faces and the money every penny has been donated over the years.

I have to admit, 9 months ago I did not know Genevieve Goings or the music of Choo Choo Soul.  But thanks to the birth of my daughter we discovered the wonderful thing known as Disney Junior, a 24 hour channel aimed at preschoolers. While watching this station, we heard the fun and exciting videos from Choo Choo Soul with Genevieve! These songs really captured the attention of my daughter from a very young age. Their take on the ABC’s brings a new and fun way to learning.  I have a feeling that as my daughter grows up these songs are going to be more and more helpful in learning. Choo Choo Soul recently released a new CD consisting of “Disney Favorites” with classics like “Hakuna Matata”, “Bare Necessities” and “When You Wish Upon A Star”, with a little extra soul added to them. I was lucky enough to be able to track down Genevieve in order to get the inside scoop on how Choo Choo Soul started and chat about the new album and their love of entertaining children.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us about the birth of Choo Choo Soul and how you met Constantine “DC” Abramson?
Genevieve Goings: It is pretty crazy how things work out. DC and I were actually in a band together, which was this R&B/Soul sort of group. I was also doing a video game (“Toe Jam & Earl III”) voice over for a guy that has now become a good friend Greg Johnson, who also created the concept for Choo Choo Soul. We were doing this game and I was voicing these Gospel singers, except they weren’t singing they were just talking. I told Greg these characters should be singing their lines and getting down with some soul. So I ended up singing the lines and we had so much fun with that. He ended up writing like 10 pages of lines that had me singing and that sparked this little thing inside of him. He said he always had an idea for a children’s CD about trains [laughs]. So we did it and it ended up being “Choo Choo Soul”, our first album. It was great and caught on like wildfire. It is actually good funky music for kids. Our tagline was “Music for kids that will not drive parents crazy”.

MG: How did you then get involved with Disney?
GG: It worked out great. Disney Channel got a hold of it and liked it. They flew me out for a meeting, which actually ended up being an audition. We didn’t know this at the time, all we got an address to meet them and it turned out to be a classroom. There were these people in suits, cameras and 30 kids on the floor sitting Indian style. They just said “Alright go!” [laughs], but it worked out. DC and I both love what we do and we have been doing it for eight years, which is crazy. But we are still going strong.

MG: What is it that you enjoy most about entertaining children?
GG: They are just so genuine  I mean they will tell you like it is. If they don’t like it baby…they don’t like it [laughs]. If they love it…then they LOVE IT with their whole entire soul! It is just really amazing. I like to say they don’t care who I am dating, what I weight or who I am wearing [laughs], you know? It a polyester suit [laughs]. They are just so pure and to be able to entertain them at that young age is great. With the magic of Disney behind us, which is the greatest children company, it gives us this platform to succeed. It is just so amazing.

MG: Tell us about your latest CD “Disney Favorites”?
GG: That was actually brought to us by Disney. It was their idea to work with Disney Junior channel, which is 24 hours of programming for that young preschool age. I think the big point for them was to really marry the classic Disney with the new era and I think that is what the whole channel is doing. So having their fun little Choo Choo crew translate these old classics to the younger generation is what they were going for with that.

MG: I like how you guys take these wonderful songs and put your little twist on them, especially with “Hakuna Matata”! I love it.
GG: Thank you. We love that. Disney Records wanted us to put together these as a full album since we only had filmed eight of these songs as videos. They said “Gosh, we need to fill up a whole CD with more songs”. So that was a great day for us. We definitely had a blast with that.

MG: What is your all-time favorite Disney classic song?
GG: Oh…Oh my gosh! I would have to say “When You Wish Upon a Star”. I can’t even believe I got to do that song. It is just amazing and very special.

MG: Like you said you’ve been doing this for 8 years now, what has been your highlight?
GG: It is really the live interactions. DC and I are both live performers. Stage has always been our thing. So I think that ending up on television has been an added bonus for us, which of course is absolutely amazing. I mean getting to dress up like Cinderella and Prince Charming and dancing around was a great highlight [laughs]. The real peak for us though is live with actual kids, getting to meet and see them. Sometimes they come dressed as us, which is really fun. Plus we are using our actually names, it is not a character name. My name is really Genevieve. So when a parent tells their kids “There’s Genevieve” and I bend down to hug them…that is the best! I just am grateful to Disney since they really have embraced us. It is not like a lot of other kids music and I think that is why it is working.

MG: What in the cards next for Choo Choo Soul? Any touring?
GG: We are really hoping to come to the Disney parks but nothing is setup yet. We will be definitely touring this year. Disney will be posting our dates. We also have a Facebook page and we put up all of our stuff there and handle it personally. We love to keep in touch with our fans and see photos/videos. Right now we are working on getting feedback from our fans as which songs are their favorites. We are trying to build that into a tour which would be like a party-along and sing-along show. We are working on that for the Summer and Fall. So hopefully we will have some dates near everyone soon.

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February 21, 2013 – Tonight’s Parks and Recreation will see the wedding of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) in a spontaneous ceremony put on by the Pawnee Parks department. The two stars spoke together, along with series Executive Producer and Writer, Mike Schur about the special occasion as well as Leslie and Ben’s relationship throughout the series.

 

Element of Surprise

Back in October, Ben Wyatt surprised viewers with his impromptu proposal to Leslie in one of Schur’s favorite moments of the series so far:

Mike Schur: “I like the proposal the most of the things that have actually aired because I’m of the belief that the most powerful weapon we have in tv these days after sixty years of sitcoms is surprise and that has been our goal with every relationship really and with every non-romantic story we tell on the show we just try to always be surprising to the audience. And that was the idea, we were not going to have the proposal come in the season premiere or in you know, November sweeps or you know, Christmas or whatever. We’re going to do it at a time where it just feels natural and right and that kind of takes people by surprise. That was the plan with the proposal and I think it worked.”

Everyone has to Chip in

Originally planned to take place in May, Ben’s sudden decision to hold the wedding instead at tonight’s Parks Department gala puts the entire cast to work:

Schur: “They basically have two hours to throw it together. So everybody kind of has a role to play. Tom Haverford becomes the officiant and has to get ordained online in like an hour and Donna plays a role in that for the first time we’re going to feature her beautiful and professionally trained singing voice…In order to pull this thing off, in classic Parks and Rec fashion, everyone has to chip in.

 

Will the wedding see Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) looking for ladies?

Schur: “The wedding is really about Leslie and Ben and everyone sort of gets that. So Tom is not—Tom has a desire to kind of shine at the wedding, as he always does in any social situation that he’s in. But it’s not about ladies. It’s about him wanting to be a star at the wedding.”

 

Did Leslie miss having a big production wedding?

Amy Poehler: “Leslie…is a modern woman. So it’s not like she has these weird fantasies about marriage or of weddings necessarily. So she’s kind of a combination of her liking to be in control. And what’s cool about that moment for both Ben and Leslie—because they tend to like to control things—is that they kind of throw things up in the air.”

 

Ben Wyatt as The One

Leslie Knope has dated an assortment of men throughout the series from Louis CK to Justin Theroux, but it became clear to everyone that Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt would be the one to wind up tying the knot with Knope.

Adam Scott: “We thought that it might be—Leslie and Ben might be a couple at some point but I think it was sort of a wait-and-see sort of thing. Because if we got together and didn’t quite click as a relationship…I sort of got the sense that they were gonna try that out and see if it works and if it didn’t maybe find something else for me to do.”

Schur: “The plan was always that this was a love interest and a long-term love interest. Our initial idea for Leslie was that she was gonna have a series of relationships with different men, different kinds of men over the course of the show and that she would sort of learn something different from each of them…She learned something from Mark Brendenowicz [Paul Schneider], she learned something from Louis CK’s character, she learned something from Justin Theroux and we were kind of like oh, Adam Scott, she’ll date him for a while and she’ll learn something from him. It was certainly the plan to have him be the love interest…The first episode—in the Master Plan episode—they have a conversation in a bar and I wrote this thing into it where Ben says to her very casually ‘You want to run for office someday, right?’ and she says ‘Yeah, how did you know?’ and he just sort of blows past it. I mean he’s just kind of got her number, he just kind of gets her. He understands her and what her goals are. And the second episode that we had which was the finale that year called Freddy Spagetti, they have a conversation and Leslie smiles at him and walks off and there’s a shot of Adam looking after Leslie with a smile on his face and as soon as I saw that I kind of realized that not only were they going to get together but they were never going to break up. It became really clear in that moment that this was it.”

Poehler: “It’s chemistry baby, you can’t fight it!”

 

Pawnee after the wedding

As always with Parks and Recreation, work goes on in Pawnee right alongside the romantic plots.

Schur:“In the second episode [tonight’s 9-9:30 half of the hour]… the cold open of that episode is Leslie and Ben coming back from their Honeymoon and just sort of talking about how much fun they had on their Honeymoon but the episode is just a regular episode of Parks and Rec and Leslie and Ben are in the same story. Ben is starting a new job and it’s the first day of work and he’s sort of thrown into this new challenge of his new job and Leslie has an event that she’s planning for which is sort of a correspondent’s type of event where the politicians roast each other and stuff.

And so I think you’ll see right away that there’s sort of a blue print going forward that yea, they’re married now but you know, they also have other aspects of their lives that are very important to them and so I hope and very much feel like that will be the thing that keeps it from feeling like the ‘magic is gone.’”

Parks and Recreation airs every Thursday at 8:30pm on NBC.

James Murray is star of truTV’s hit practical joke reality series “Impractical Jokers”. Better known as Murr, on the show he is with his best friends Joe Gatto, Sal Vulcano and
Brian “Q” Quinn. The show is just finishing its second successful season and building up a lot of steam behind the show. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Murr about being a joker and his favorite moments on the show.

Mike Gencarelli: Let’s start with the origin of “Impractical Jokers”?
James Murray: The four of us all went to high school together, so we’ve been friends for over 20 years. We went to an all boys Catholic high school. So there wasn’t a way to be distracted besides playing pranks on each other. For as long as I can remember we have been doing that. I met Joe freshman year in religion class. Every time the teacher would walk down the aisle he would drop his nose on her without her realizing. We ended up doing that in the first season of the show also. A few years ago, we came together and decided to come up with an idea for a TV show. We have been performing together for years doing sketch comedy as The Tenderloins. We came up with the idea for an upside down prank show, where the jokes on us basically.

MG: Does it ever get too embarrassing for you to do what the guys tell you?
JM: I am sure. In the show we reject things all the time because it is too embarrassing. I think the fun of the show is seeing what our breaking points are and what we simply won’t do. My mother raised me to be a gentleman, there is just somethings I will not do or say [laughs]. And of course my best friends know every single one of the things that I won’t do or say.

MG: The show must be filled with outtakes, any cool off-camera moments?
JM: I will tell you, there are some challenges we film that never see the light of day, for reasons we cannot anticipate in advance. Sometimes things seem funnier on paper then reality. Perfect example, last year we were filming this challenge and the idea was funny. We had to go to a children’s park where kids are playing and parents are pushing kids around in stroller. You know how parents baby talk to their kids? The challenge is you have to go to a parent pushing a kid in a stroller and baby talk to the kid and then baby talk to the parent and get them to do the same back to you. Seems funny on paper…but guess what happens when four middle age men with no children on their own attempt this. It was funny, a S.W.A.T team descended on the park in minutes and told us to get out [laughs].

MG: What has been the highlight joke for you this season?
JM: I think my favorite/most embarrassing moment was when I was getting punished and they secretly took me back to our old high school. They called a general school assembly, which is like 600 students called into the auditorium. They then strapped me to a lie detector test and asked me questions you can only imagine. The first was “Is your name James Murra?y”. The second was “Do you get your back waxed?” Which I do since I am hairy Italian but I just don’t want America to know that I do [laughs]. But now they do.

MG: When you started with this did you ever see it being as popular as it is, especially with the truTV Impractical Jokers app?
JM: The app is pretty sweet. You can actually call us up directly. We were each given a phone and if we are available we will pick up and chat with a random fan. I think we always hoped it would be popular and do well. It is good to see that people like it and the word is spreading.

MG: How do you feel about all the International spin-offs of this show?
JM: We love that. I get to travel around and consult on the different versions. It is pretty sweet. It is amazing to think that the guys and myself have created something that is spreading around the world. So original productions of the show are on the air in the UK, Quebec, Brazil, Belgium, Holland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lebanon and a few more. It is just pretty damn cool.

MG: With season two ending this month, any world about a third season?
JM: We will see. I will leave that up to the networks to decide. The show is doing well and I feel that there is an appetite for more. So hopefully we will have the privilege and honor to give it to them.

Sarah Dawson was a contestant on the recent “Survivor: Philippines” and was voted off the island on day 13 of the show.  She was also the first contestant in the show’s 25 seasons to have ever kissed the host Jeff Probst.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Sarah about her time on the show and, of course, the kiss.

Adam Lawton: What was it that interested you in trying out for the show?
Sarah Dawson: I have always been inspired by the show. Growing up in a conservative household as a vegetarian who spent most of her time camping, living outside and procuring degrees in a BA in Strategic Public Relations and a BS in Psychology really reflected to me the passion that I have for everything “Survivor” is about. I love it all, the scheming, the travel, the excitement of having all of my worldly possessions stripped away from me. I wanted to see how I could perform once all of the social constructs I have in my life were taken away

AL: Can you tell us about your audition process?
SD: I have been a HUGE fan of “Survivor” for years. I spent about 5 years trying to get some of my friends cast on the show and despite getting close, it didn’t work. In January of 2012 I decided that if I couldn’t get myself on “Survivor” I had no business giving anyone else advice on how to get on the show. That Sunday I recorded a one minute video and submitted it online within 10 hours, casting was on the phone with me and I was in LA meeting with producers just days later. During the final casting process I completely went “all in” and showed my genuine energy and passion for the show. Like every other aspect of my life, I took advantage of the situation as much as I could. I freaked out and got so excited when I met Jeff Probst and even petted his hair while saying the Lords Prayer. It was such a fun moment that I will never forget. I may have also grabbed Mark Burnett’s ass while he was walking by me into the casting room. Some chances in life only come once and I lived every second of my casting process so I would not miss one second or opportunity and have no regrets.

AL: Did you do anything to prepare yourself prior to filming? (watch past episodes etc.)
SD: As such a fan of the show, I think for about 2 years I watch previous “Survivor” episodes EXCLUSIVELY. I knew I would be involved n the show at some point and I prepared for years. Once I knew I was cast, I stepped my training into high gear. I gained 12 pounds by eating amazing burritos and doing weight training. I purchased and read 6 books in detail about the game and the psychology behind it. To prepare for “Survivor” I even ate all the ants off my kitchen table to test my commitment to the game! Before eating the ants I did discuss it with them, either they would be removed by my exterminator or they could make themselves part of “Survivor” history. They were thrilled with the opportunity and I came out ready for the game!!!

AL: Can you give us the low down on the Jeff Probst kiss?
SD: There is nothing more I would like to give you the low down on! Man were those kisses heated! When I was voted out of “Survivor”: Philippines it was time for me to have my torch snuffed by Jeff and just like every other moment of my life, I did not want to walk away from that second with any regrets. I stood in front of him for what seemed like hours, the people around me and tribal counsel disappeared from view and I the only thing I could see was the two of us, standing so close with so much energy between us. After a few seconds of me staring at him and trying to build up my courage, I could see the fear in his eyes and the anxiety of him wondering what I was about about to do to him because I obviously would not be one of those contestants that silently left tribal counsel without capturing one last second of such a rare opportunity. I chickened out on kissing him on the lips and hit him somewhere between his mouth and his cheek. It felt so empowering to have that hug back from him on my way out of the show. It was exhilarating.

AL: How about during the live reunion show?
SD: Now, the kiss during the live reunion show in Los Angeles was quite different. HA! I watched my entire season of “Survivor” at home thinking about kissing him during the live show and just like they read my mind, every day my Twitter followers would tweet me that I should kiss him during the live show so I built up my courage for 13 weeks and then finally the night came when I would once again be standing in front of my darling Dimples. I know the live shows happen very quickly because there is so much material to cover and once I had my window of opportunity, it would close in a flash. I was sitting about 6 feet off the stage with two rows of people in front of me between Jeff and I. I navigated in my head the quickest route to his lips and at the beginning of the show I took off my high heels and hid them behind another cast mate because I knew there was no way I could make the jump to the ground with them on. The show seemed to last forever but I knew he would speak to me at some point and that would be my moment. At the very end of the show he looked directly in my eyes and said my name and started asking me a question about the kiss at tribal council. Once he said my name I was in a daze and lost a few seconds just because he was speaking to me. I quickly snapped out of it and thought “MOVE! THIS IS YOUR LAST SHOT!!! MOVE NOW!!!!! It wasn’t shown on the show but I pushed Carter to the left, Put my right hand on Penners shoulder and launched myself over Denise and hit the ground barefoot splitting my shin open. In a flash with one move I lept from that spot to right in front of Jeff simultaneously wrapping my hands around the nape of his neck for the kiss I will always remember. Once I felt his hair in my hands and his skin against mine I put my lips to his and experienced a dream that is held by millions of women all over the world. We kissed for about 25 minutes, my shin was bleeding from my fall, the audience was rolling with laughter and his lips were there with mine, pressed against mine and as he held my arms in his hands, he kissed me back on live television! After the kiss I did a little touchdown dance and told myself I would never allow any opportunity no matter how small its window, to go by me without jumping over people, injuring myself, and risking poor manners to achieve my dreams.

AL: What was the hardest part for you about being on the show?
SD: Playing “Survivor” was a dream of mine. I wasn’t even hungry on the show since I was able to put on so many extra pounds. I was thrilled to be out there. The most difficult thing for me was watching other people complain about being hungry, about being dirty, about missing their iPods… As others would complain I could do nothing but think to myself how grateful I was for the opportunity to leave my television at home, for the opportunity to get filthy, the chance to live outside during 13 days of straight rain. The hardest part of being on the show for me was watching other people be miserable and not recognizing the gift and once in a lifetime opportunity they were given. Man, that grinded my gears!

AL: What are you currently working on?
SD: I moved to Los Angeles! Three weeks ago I packed my clothes one night and relocated myself and my python, Squeeze, to the city of the stars to pursue my dream of being an actress. Since that move I have not stopped chasing this dream. I have already done a considerable amount of hosting, photo shoots, and am working on a new television show! The world has not seen the last of me. Starting with Los Angeles, I am diving into every opportunity lips first! To keep up follow me on twitter @survivordawson!