Sarah Dawson talks about competing on "Survivor: Philippines" and kissing Jeff Probst

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!

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: dawson, jeff, kissing, probst, role, sarah, ...

Jason Christopher talks about slasher "Nobody Gets Out Alive" and upcoming "Monsters Within"

Jason Christopher is the writer/director of the 70/80’s slasher inspired “Nobody Gets Out Alive”. The film is in-your-face and will leave hardcore horror fans very happy. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jason to chat about the film and what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: You handled everything from editing to producer to writer and directing “Nobody Gets Out Alive”, tell us about the origin of this project?
Jason Christopher: The flick came about with my producer and I making a small no budget movie. We made this movie where we were the only crew and hired three actors and had a solid story. With no budget the movie didn’t turn out how we really wanted it to but we screened it sold out in 45 min and turned away 200 people. That’s when my producer was like, “lets get a real budget and make a real movie, what other scripts you got?” I wrote “NGOA” when I was 17 years old. Always wanted to write a slasher flick paying homage to the flicks I loved. It wasn’t until my Dad passed away randomly that I actually sat down and wrote it. I had a lot of hate and anger wrapped in my head from the incident so it motivated me to make the Hunter Isth character. We got 36k bucks and made the movie.

MG: Out of all those tasks which was the most challenging for you?
JC: I consider myself a director and editor. I like writing but I’m not a good writer, I’ll admit. I have more of a vision with my eye through a camera than I do with my hands on a laptop writing. I do the fun side of producing, putting things together. My producer does the money and business side of things. That’s just not my thing. But with writing it’s a draft of your story, directing you’re seeing the story come to life and another draft, and editing is the final draft to me.

MG: The film is a nice homage to 70/80’s slasher pics, tell about your inspiration?
JC: I was born in ’87 so I didn’t get to witness first hand of all the best slasher flicks. But I watched them all when I could. “The Prowler”, “Black Christmas” (74), “Friday The 13th Part 3”, “Halloween 2″(82). Those are my favorites and I think they show in the flick.

MG: The gore in the film is solid and doesn’t cut away; I commend you for not being afraid to offend!
JC: My Dad always told me to make something controversial. I did a lot in “NGOA” by trying to be unique with the kills. There’s a lot more I wanted to show but I didn’t. Was thinking of how a distributor would feel because I definitely didn’t want the movie to sit on a shelf and never get picked up. After seeing “A Serbian Film” I was like, “damn this dude really didn’t care”. Love that flick for that reason.

MG: Do you recall what was the film’s final body count?
I think there’s a total of eight on screen. In earlier drafts there were a bunch more but I took them out due to not having money in the budget. *Spoiler* Originally the two convenience store victims weren’t supposed to be in but after a few cuts of the movie we decided to go back and put them in.

MG: How did Clint Howard get involved with the film?
JC: My producer set that one up. We had enough money to get a small cameo in the flick. We were tossing around names and I randomly said, “Clint Howard!” He took it and ran with it and set the whole thing up. Clint was great, he’s such a smart-cool dude.

MG: What do you have line-up next?
JC: This script I wrote titled, “Monsters Within”. I really can’t say much, don’t even know if I’m allowed to announce the movie title but whatever. It’s what I’m definitely working on getting off the ground. Money is always a bitch and we’re definitely aiming way high for the budget. Got a great name for the lead attached and I’m so excited for this movie. It’s everywhere – sci-fi, horror, slasher, mystery. It’s pretty cool.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: alive, christopher, jason, kickass, monsters, slasher, ...

Justin Eugene Evans Talks About His Film "A Lonely Place for Dying"

Former NYU student Justin Evans has been making movies since his school days, his latest inarguably his biggest feature to date. His latest film, “A Lonely Place for Dying,” stars Oscar nominee James Cromwell and “Hitchcock’s” Michael Wincott and will be released in the U.S. via iTunes on February 12, 2013. While preparing for this interview I learned that the film, a cold-war era thriller set in the 1970’s, has recently been banned from playing in Russia. Though Evans, who both wrote and directed the film, has received no official reason for the ban he assumes it’s because of his film’s controversial storyline. While preparing for the film’s release Evans took the time to answer some questions for Media Mikes.

Mike Smith: You co-wrote the script for “A Lonely Place for Dying.” What was your inspiration for the story?
Justin Evans: I’ve always been fascinated by the Cold War. It was a dirty, grimy, ethically confused game of global chess that somehow has a sense of romance and nostalgia for me. I have a particular affinity to the subject because I’m a Volga German. Our family immigrated to Russia in the 18th century and turned the Steppes into farm land. Russia made us two promises; the land would be ours forever and since we were not Russian we could not be forced to serve in their military. The Bolsheviks broke both promises with our people and my great-grandfather immigrated to the US in 1918. With a personal history of that scope I think it’s obvious why I’m obsessed with the Cold War.

MS: Not only does James Cromwell appear in the film he’s also a producer. How did that come about?
JE: We asked Jamie to be one of our producers. He said it was contingent upon our craftsmanship; if he liked the movie he’d give it his stamp of approval and be one of our executive producers. I guess he liked the movie!

MS: Even though the film was modestly budgeted it is well crafted, especially the special effects. How were you able to achieve this?
JE: Old fashioned hard work. I’d served as a visual effects supervisor on other projects. I found two VFX artists on the Internet and the three of us worked together for about four months. They completed about 250 visual effects shots. Most of them are hidden; the sky replacements, the sub-frame editing, digitally enhancing fake blood that was used on set..all of that work disappears into the background but provides a level of polish that is absolutely necessary in professional filmmaking. The glitzy stuff is the B-52 bombers and Washington DC street traffic. However, some of the invisible stuff was far more complicated. We did the work remotely. Occasionally, one of the artists would come to my house and we’d polish a shot on our Macbooks. We’d just hang out in my living room, drink some Red Bull and power through some shots while leaning over my ottoman. The tools are cheap. Its simply a question of how hard you’re willing to work. I’m lucky that I found two guys, Daniel Broadway and Marc Leonard, who have old-school work ethics and truly love their craft.

MS: In your opinion, does the continued quest for studios to have the all important opening weekend high gross make it hard for someone like yourself to get your stories told?
JE: That’s not what’s stopping us. Its more subtle and more pervasive than that. Its an intellectual laziness that says “I’ve never heard of you therefore you can’t possibly be talented.” We were told by a VP at Warner Brothers that he wouldn’t look at the movie “because if it were hot someone else would have looked at the movie and I’d have heard about it.” I released 22 minutes online and it was downloaded over 1.5 million times…and agents at Endeavor said “If this mattered it would be reported in Variety.” An ex-executive from Universal told us “I don’t understand your film. It’s a mainstream movie. It’s smart and its a popcorn film. But you don’t have big stars in it. You should have made something weird or cast Tom Cruise. Right now, you got nothing.” We were in 46 film festivals, nominated for 53 awards, won 29 including 18 for Best Picture. No one in the industry cared. Our trailer was downloaded 2.5 million times from iTunes Movie Trailers. No one in the industry cared. And no one ever said “I saw your movie and I don’t like it.” They said “I’m not willing to watch your movie because you’re not famous.” You can’t catch a break because the intellectual laziness creates a negative feedback loop.

MS: You did pretty much everything on this film except run the catering truck! Do you eventually want to narrow your career to one vocation, be it directing or writing, or are you happy having a hand in pretty much everything?
JE: I don’t know how to not be involved in everything. I know Photoshop so well that I can do the graphic design myself faster than if I had to explain my ideas to someone else. I’ve designed lighting and lenses and projectors so unless I can afford the world’s most expensive cinematographers I might as well do it myself. I interviewed a cinematographer for “A Lonely Place For Dying” and as I showed some of my storyboards the person wanted to know the mood of a particular shot. I said we’d have huge beams of god light coming in through these basement windows. The cinematographer blanches and says “That can’t be done unless you have 10K HMI’s.” I said “That’s not true; volumetric lighting is a matter of particle density, not light intensity. I can make a volumetric light with a flashlight if I have enough smoke in the air.” The cinematographer insists I don’t know what I’m talking about…and after awhile you get tired of those kinds of debates. Its just easier to do it yourself. I’m not trying to. Part of it is that I’m an Aspie and I really struggle with rephrasing things with the social lubrication people need so the truth can slip past their defenses. Its even worse if you can’t here my vocal tone or see my facial expressions. My communication style, when stripped of these nonverbal queues, makes me sound like an asshole to a certain type of person. I’m just stating facts; I willingly give up control when I find competent people. If I can’t…then I might as well do it myself. Hopefully I don’t sound like too much of a jackass saying that out loud. That being said, there is plenty I didn’t do. Brent Daniels did all the sound. Alone. By himself. He built the 5.1 mixing facility in his home and he put close to 1,500 hours into the dialogue, sound effects, music and mixing of this film. Ginger Ravencroft is a dear friend and a hell of a still photographer. She’s the reason we have 12 gorgeous theatrical posters. Daniel Broadway and Marc Leonard did 250 visual effects shots for the film. Without those people the movie would not be as good. So, I think the most accurate thing to say is while I wear many, many hats so do the people I trust the most.

MS: Are you planning anything currently?
JE: I’m the president of BryteWerks. We’re about to release our flagship digital motion picture projector. We have about 5 employees and an additional 25 contractors working on various engineering projects. I can’t go into the details of everything we’re doing but we’ve got some really cool products coming down the pipe. And I will get back to directing…but not until we finish our motion picture projector. We have pre-order customers to satisfy and this is a chance to really shake up the world. I’m already writing my next project. The rest is a secret.

 

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: dying, eugene, evans, film, justin, lonely, ...

Brett Alan Coker Talks About His Upcoming Project (And How You Can Help)

I worked in the movie theatre business for 20 years. In that time I met hundreds of young adults who loved movies and planned to make them some day. But I’ve only had one who, at the age of 17, had already written no less than (5) full length feature films (and I still have the scripts to prove it). His name is Brett Alan Coker and he is now working with Kickstarter to help fund his next project. Hoping to get the word out, Coker talked with Media Mikes:

Mike Smith: Tell us about your new project.
Brett Alan Coker: The project is called “Lenexa (a docu•mys•tory)” and it’s a quasi-documentary. It is going to be done in the form of a documentary. But it is part truth and part fabrications. It is going to be a blend of coming-of-age tales from my own life and made-up stories of characters that I have created over the years with my writings.

MS: Sounds simple.
BAC: I really don’t know how else to describe it other than to say it is hopefully going to be a love letter to Kansas and to the city of Lenexa, as well as a home movie and a mystery.

MS: Talk about the story of “Lenexa”:
BAC: It is all predicated on an suburban legend of a treasure left behind by a group of guys that were petty thieves in the late 90’s. As the story unfolds you receive more and more information about the guys whom created and left the treasure, as well as deduce what the treasure actually is. If it in fact exists, what it is, and where it is. All the information needed to figure out the truth about mystery of the treasure will be in the documentary. But it is up to the viewer to piece it together.

MS: You’ve written several scripts. Have you filmed any of your work?
BAC: This project, hopefully, will be the first of many. Using the funds I am attempting to raise from Kickstarter.com I will be able to get the equipment and software I need to do this film, and many others after. I don’t know what you know about Kickstarter.com, but it’s a website that helps people crowd source funding for creative projects. It’s an all or nothing thing. I am looking for raise $5,000 by March 11th, 2013. And if I don’t hit that goal, I don’t get a dime. I could have $4,997.00, and if I don’t get the last $3.00 then…nothing.

To give a hand to Brett’s project, just visit:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thebac/lenexa-a-documystory-a-feature-length-film

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: alan, brett, coker, project, talks, upcoming, ...

Reel Big Fish’s Johnny Christianson talks about "Candy Coated Fury" and joining Warped Tour

Johnny Christianson is the trumpet player for the ska band Reel Big Fish. The group’s latest album “Candy Coated Fury” was released in July of 2012 and the band has been on the road ever since promoting its release. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Johnny about the album, the bands new music video and what he is most looking forward to during this summer’s Warped Tour.

Adam Lawton: With there being 3 years between album releases did the band take any different approaches once you were back in the studio?
Johnny Christianson: I think maybe we played better than we ever have. One thing about getting older is that you hopefully get better at your instrument and your craft. As a result of that the song writing and performances will also get better. When a band has been around for 22 years like we have hopefully they are able to write some good stuff in that time. “Candy Coated Fury” is a really fun album and I think it’s the best one we have done yet.

AL: With the band using a number of different instruments what are your song writing sessions like?
JC: Usually Aaron will bring an outline for a song he wants to do. For the latest album we jammed out the songs and made some demos. We then went out on the road and started playing those songs during our sound check where we hashed things out. 99% of the songwriting is done by Aaron. On this last record he and I wrote a song together which was really fun. If someone in the band has a song they want to bring in Aaron will definitely take a look at it.

AL: Can you tell us about the new video for “Don’t Stop Skankin”?
JC: We had a lot of fun working on that video. Sometimes when you shoot these things they can be quite tedious. It’s not as glamorous as people may think. There is a lot of waiting around. At the same time we were shooting the video we also were doing and interview/photo shoot for Beer Magazine. In between takes we would be bouncing between to the two things. We had a full day of running around. There were a lot of fans at the shoot which was also really cool. I hope us having a good time translated through the video.

AL: The band has been around since 1991 and things have changed quite a bit since then. What do you feel is the hardest part about being in a ska band in 2013?
JC: For me it’s being away from my family. Having just had a baby recently being on the road can be tough. Over the past 5 years with the invention of Facebook and other similar sites how we communicate with our fans has been revolutionized. We are able to get the word out much faster and easier than we could in the beginning. Incredibly the band has been impervious to the ups and downs of the economy as we can pretty much go anywhere and play on average to a thousand people a night. We are lucky enough to be able to travel with music and we are all very thankful.

AL: What do you think has attributed to the bands staying power?
JC: I think a lot of it is that for anyone who comes out to one of our shows they are going to have a good time. They are going to be entertained. We take playing very seriously. Not only are we there to play music but we also need to entertain people. I think a lot of bands don’t understand that. Doing this for 22 years now you get really good at what you are doing. I think anyone can come to our shows and have a good time.

AL: What are the bands plans after the current portion of the “Candy Coated Fury” tour wraps up?
JC: I think we have about 3 days off towards the end of February then we fly straight to Europe where we will be for two months. We will be hitting every place from England to Poland. We also we be heading down in to Spain and Italy. That runs till about April and then we will be back in the states playing colleges until the Warped tour starts up.

AL: It’s been a little bit since the band has been on the Warped tour. What are you most looking forward to playing on it again?
JC: One of my favorite parts about being on the tour is the autograph sessions we get to do each day. We get to talk to a lot of people as we will sign for about 2 hours each day. Getting to meet all these different people every day is my favorite part about being on the tour for sure.

AL: Is there anything else that we can be watching for from the band in the coming months?
JC: Maybe some more new videos? Right now we are really looking forward to heading to Europe and then coming back for the Warped tour. After that we will probably start work on a new record.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: big, candy, christianson, coated, fishs, fury, ...

David Mazouz talks about working with Kiefer Sutherland on the TV series "Touch"

David Mazouz stars opposite of Kiefer Sutherland on Fox television show “Touch” where he plays the character of Jake Bohm an emotional disturbed 11 year old with the ability to predict the future. The show is set to start airing its second season at the end of February and Media Mikes was fortunate enough to be able to talk with David about how he first got cast in the role and what it has been like working alongside Kiefer Sutherland.

Adam Lawton: What was it that interested you in wanting to become an actor?
David Mazouz: I was actually only about 6 years old when I started taking classes. I don’t think I knew what I wanted but I loved the class and I went for 3 hours a week for a year before my commercial agent saw me and asked my Mom if we could meet. When I started going on auditions for commercials, I loved that too and the more I auditioned and began booking things, the more I loved it.

AL: Can you tell us about the process you went through to get the role of Jake Bohm?
DM: It was a 6 audition process over the course of about 6 months. It was put on hold after my first call back because Kiefer was in New York doing a play on Broadway. I knew the Casting Directors because they hired me for a television movie before. For the fourth audition, they flew me out to New York to read with Kiefer. The last 2 were in Los Angeles. There were times where I really didn’t know if it would go any further so every time I got to go to the next step I was really excited because I loved this character and the script. When I eventually found out I got the role, I was on vacation in Palm Springs for a holiday. I was in the recreation room with my best friend and we were playing a game and his Brother came in to get us and take us back to the room where there were other friends of mine and my Sisters and they all watched while I took the call from my Agents. I was in shock and so happy that I screamed.

AL: Has it been difficult for you playing a character that for the most part doesn’t speak?
DM: Actually I do speak in the voice over’s but, I think it was easier to not speak in the first season because everything was so new and I was really getting into the physical character of Jake; how he walks and behaves. I do love speaking in general and people tell me I talk a lot. I don’t want to spoil Season 2 for the audience but I’ll just say that Season 2 is different in many ways than Season 1. It’s easier in some ways to not speak because I don’t have to learn lines. But more difficult because I have to show what I’m thinking and feeling through my facial expressions and actions and behind my eyes. I have to make the audience understand what I’m thinking and feeling just visually. So when I’m acting I usually just try to feel the things Jake feels so that I can show that to the audience and they can understand me.

AL: What’s has it been like working with Kiefer Sutherland?
DM: In one word, it’s Awesome! I really love working with Kiefer. I feel so fortunate to be working with someone who’s had so much experience in film and in television and who also started acting when he was young. I knew from the first time I met him, that he was someone who I could learn so much from. Kiefer is a very hard worker and he’s very smart too. He can tell what works and doesn’t and he is very natural. I am lucky because he’s always been willing to teach me things and he’s been patient and kind. In that way he’s a lot like a father to me because he really leads me to learn the lessons I have needed to learn on the set, not just about acting but about how conscientious he is and prepared before he gets there. He’s also encouraged me musically because he’s a musician and knows so much about that. He actually bought me my first guitar for my 11th birthday. Even though our show and our characters are serious and intense, he’s always cracking a joke right before we start so he’s always made me feel very comfortable. The other thing that is special about working with Kiefer on “Touch” is that he’s not just the lead but also an Executive Producer. I’ve learned a lot about what it looks like to have the responsibility of those two jobs together. I have a lot of respect for Kiefer and working with him has been a fantastic experience for me.

AL: What has been your favorite part thus far about working on the show?
DM: That’s an easy question! I love the crew, the other cast members and my Studio Teacher. Everyone I have been working with from the Directors and assistant directors, writers, producers to wardrobe and make up to sound and lighting, props and of course my teacher who I spend all day with have been so much fun. Everyone is really good at what they do. I am lucky because I have been able to learn about each person’s job and how each job is important to what the show ends up looking like. Because I do the voice over’s, I’ve also learned about that with the people responsible for post production. It’s all so interesting and we have all become like a family. I really do love coming to work every day so I can say hi to everyone. You get to know people pretty well when you spend that much time with them. I feel like if they aren’t really good and happy about being there it could be very different and not something you look forward to. We’ve celebrated birthdays and holidays and have private jokes and handshakes. For me all those new relationships and learning from them have been the best part of my job.

AL: Do you have any other projects coming out that we can be watching for?
DM: I did a horror film that is in some film festivals right now but that was over the summer between Season 1 and 2. There is also another film in the works that doesn’t have a start date yet. I haven’t had a lot of time to do anything else because of the commitment I have to “Touch”. I have been auditioning for some things that I can’t talk about right now and some things are possibilities that I’m hoping will work out if the timing is right. I love working and hope that I just keep getting to do interesting roles like this one.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: david, kiefer, mazouz, series, sutherland, talks, ...

Brian “Head” Welch talks about reuniting with Korn and Love & Death’s first album "Between Here & Lost"

Brian “Head” Welch is a founding member and former guitarist of the multi-platinum selling hard rock band Korn. Welch left the group in 2005 and embarked on a solo career releasing his first album “Save Me From Myself” in 2008. More recently Brian is back with a new band called Love & Death who recently released their first full length album titled “Between Here & Lost”. Media Mikes had the chance to talk with Brian about the new and as well as the recent announcement of him re-joining Korn for several shows.

Adam Lawton: Can you give us some background on the process of the new album?
Brian Welch: I and our bass player Valentine started writing and working with producer Jasen Rauch in 2011. We worked off and on until we finished it last year. The album came together in bits and pieces but it was more of a group effort. When I started as a solo artist I hired the band and we just became friends. From there we all talked and decided we wanted to make an album together and have things be more of a group project.

AL: All the songs were written collectively then?
BW: Yes we all wrote them together. We also had some help lyrically from a few outside writers as well. This was the first time I had ever brought in someone from outside the group to work on songs. I have to say I loved it! There are times when other people hear different things that you didn’t and a lot of the time it’s really good. I enjoyed the experience. Lyrics aren’t my strongest thing so bringing in some other guys really helped a lot.

AL: For you personally what was the hardest part about transitioning back to a group setting after being a solo artist for a few years?
BW: Letting the producer take over. The solo album was all about what I was feeling and what I wanted out of the album. With “Between Here & Lost” I just handed everything over as I didn’t want that producer type role. Jasen was just awesome and I would highly recommend him to anybody. He is really good at making good things great! Everything was new this time around which made for a really creative environment.

AL: This was the second time you had worked with Jasen correct?
BW: Yes. We did an EP with him last year that came out in April. Things were very comfortable being that we had worked together before. Jasen is a guitar player also and has this great ear for making riffs sound up to date and tweaking them to sound really great.

AL: What prompted the idea of covering Devo’s “Whip It”?
BW: I was trying to think of the weirdest New Wave song I could do and that one came to me. I remember those guys as being the weirdest guys on MTV back in the day. It seemed like everyone knows who Devo is because they are so weird and those hats. I wanted the song to be something everyone was familiar with. At first the other guys in the band thought the idea was pretty stupid. When I played them the music and the idea it changed their minds and they thought it could work. It was really fun.

AL: What can you tell us about the bands new video for the song “Abandoning”?
BW: The video just came out within the past week or so and it was cool shooting it as we got to work with Daniel Davison from Underoath/Norma Jean. Being he is a musician he just gets it so the shoot went really good.

AL: Can you tell us how things came about for you to be joining Korn at this year’s Rock on the Range Festival?
BW: I went to a show of theirs last May and ended up jamming a song with them on stage. It was very last minute but it felt so good and it was very emotional. Right after that Munky, the other guitar player asked me if I wanted to come back and do some shows with them. I told him that I didn’t think now was the right time but I would think about it. I just started thinking about how awesome and emotional it was for everybody. I started getting advice from other people and they were all leaning towards this being the right time. This door obviously opened for a reason and there will be some reconciliation going on that needs to happen. I went back to the guys and said let’s do it. Everyone was very agreeable and things came together pretty easily.

AL: Is there any chance drummer David Silveria will be back as well?
BW: No. David has really said some crazy things online about personal things and he’s not in a place where people would really want him around. That happened before I talked with them but I guess the things he said were really crazy. Those guys were in a band together for so long so I don’t know, but for now it’s just not going to happen.

AL: Have you and the guys from Korn started rehearsing yet?
BW: We have been getting together off and on but we will be starting to get things going more in the next couple of months. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play those old songs again. The times we have been together so far have been nothing but positive between everyone. It’s like nothing negative ever happened between any of us. Things were never really crazy between any of us as there were just a few things said here and there. We never had hate for one another as I love my old friends and it feels good to connect again.

AL: Is thing going to be just a short run of shows or will you be fully re-joining the band?
BW: We are going slowing with things right now. We don’t want to rush things and we also aren’t sure how far we want to take it. Anything is possible at this time but we are being really careful not to move to fast and have something happen. Even if I was to fully re-join Korn I will still keep doing Love & Death.

AL: Does Love and Death have any shows lined up in support of the new album?
BW: Yes. We will be heading out on the road starting Feb. 22 for a month long run with Thousand Foot Krutch. We will be hitting everything from Texas to the east coast. After that we have some weekend shows planned and after those there is a chance we will be doing some opening slots for Korn over in Europe. Those details are still being worked out.

AL: In the past few years you have done things like releasing a solo album, writing a book and now you are doing Love & Death and working again with Korn. What do you think has been the most rewarding thing to come out of your time away from Korn?
BW: I would probably have to say my faith. That is really the foundation of my life and it helps me in every way. My book was very liberating and cleansing to my soul. I was able to poor out all of that garbage and live the new life I was given. It’s funny when you find faith like I did as everything turns around for good. Even the bad and ugly stuff gets turned around to use for good purposes. It’s so cool to be able to think back about all your past screw ups and see how now they are now being used to help people. It’s the coolest thing ever.

To check out Love & Hates new video “Abandoning” and to also see a full list of tour dates be sure to check out Brian’s official website at www.brianheadwelch.net

 

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The Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha talks about new solo album “Look To The Sky”

James Iha was the guitarist and co-founder of The Smashing Pumpkins which were probably one of the biggest and most successful alternative acts to come out of the 90’s. After the band disbanded in 2000 James went on to release his first solo record as well as recording/ performing with bands such as Perfect Circle and Tinted Windows. James recently released his second solo album titled “Look To The Sky” and Media Mikes had the chance to ask James a few questions about the release.

Adam Lawton: What was it that interested you in doing a second solo album after a 15 year break?
James Iha: After the smashing pumpkins broke up in 2000 I needed a break from being in a band. I ended up starting a studio and a label. From there I began representing and producing bands. I think around 4 or 5 years ago I started writing and recording for myself.  It took longer than I thought but there was no deadline and no label so I just took my time until I felt it was right.

AL: For you personally what was the biggest difference working on this record compared to your first solo album?
JI: Time and experience. I have learned a lot by working with different artists over the years. The music scene has changed a lot as well so I felt kind of felt free to experiment and do different things. That sort of sums up my last ten years.

AL: Is the material contained on this release material you have worked on over time or is it newly written material?
JI: There are some older songs that were written maybe 4 or 5 years ago. Then there are some like “Waves” and “Summer Days” which were written right before I turned in the record. Everything was all done in the last couple of years

AL:  How does working as a solo artist compare to working with some of your previous groups?
JI: It’s a big difference. It’s great to work on your own without having to consult or ask anyone’s opinion. You just can go in and make music.  The downside of that is without anyone to bounce ideas off or get someone else’s parts it can be tough but that’s what a solo artist is compared to being in a band

AL:  Do you have any plans to tour in support of the album?
JI: We have been touring across the US and have also made our way over to both Europe and Japan. We hope to be able to do more in 2013!

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Jason Trost & Lucas Till talks about "All Superheroes Must Die" & "#WetAndReckless"

Jason Trost & Lucas Till are the lead stars in the superhero film “All Superheroes Must Die” (formerly known as “Vs.”) Jason besides star in the film is also the Director, Writer, Producer, Editor. He also co-directed the recent cult film “The FP”. Lucas Till is known best for his role of Alex Summers/Havoc in “X-Men: First Class” and its upcoming sequel “X-Men: Days of Future Past”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with both these actors about this film and what each of them have planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: With the overflow of superheroes taking over Hollywood, how do you feel that “All Superheroes Must Die” fits in it?
Jason Trost: We are definitely like the bastard step-child of all of those. We had the budget that probably cost the others to drive the actors to the set for like a week [laughs]. Because of that we are able to take more chances and go a bit darker. We were pretty much able to do whatever we wanted with them. When you make a studio superhero movie, there are so many cooks in the kitchen. There is not just one person directing, it is more like a committee of 40 people all with different ideas. We are very not inhibited by what we had to do, which is nice.

MG: Jason, tell us about your inspiration when you created these characters?
JT: They are all characters of things that I like. I grew up with “Batman: The Animated Series” and that has really been a bit inspiration for me with this. All of the characters are offshoots of Batman, Robin, Bat-Girl and the Riddler etc. It is really all derivatives of “Batman” for me.

MG: Lucas, how was it going from Alex Summers/Havoc in “X-Men: First Class” to Ben/Cutthroat in this?
Lucas Till: It’s was pretty cool. When we originally scheduled my scenes, we had to shift them so that I could do screen test for Havoc while I was playing Cutthroat. So, that was an interesting situation. I was able to provide a lot of input with Jason on Cutthroat. That is a little bit different with Havoc because it was a superhero that people are already are familiar with and expecting from it. When you are working on a $100+ movie, they tell you want to do and you listen. I was certainly lucky to have done both though.

MG: Due to the low budget of this film, what were each of your biggest challenges?
JT: Probably the most challenging part for me was the whole sequence in the bar. It was when Lucas and I have our big fight scene and there was also this big emotional scene and we had to shoot all of it in like 1.5 days. We are doing everything ourselves. Not only are we choreographing a fight while also acting. We had to the do whole five minute fight scene in one take. We didn’t have time for different angles. Then we had to go help people get food or write something or move lighting equipment. There was no one job for any of us on this film.
LT: I was just thinking, what was one of those rough nights were we came back and thought that this wasn’t going to work. I don’t think we ever had any. I think we were too busy to think about it.
JT: Probably for you it would be the night we did both of the explosion scenes.
LT: Oh yeah. I remember we jumped away from an explosion. I think it was one of the last shots before a weekend. I get up and everyone is cheering since it was the weekend and we can relax for a day or two. I just walked away and thought I hope you got it because it is not going to happen again [laughs]. It was mostly as rewarding as it was tough though. We also lived in the bar the whole time we made the movie. We each had our own personal tents and were really roughing it. The bar had this little scorpion/spider hybrid creatures all over. We shot it up in the mountains by Frazier Park. There were tons of critters crawling around. So that was a challenge also for sure.

MG: The ending hints plans for a sequel; any interest in pursuing that?
JT: We would love to do one. Just have to see the response to this one first. There definitely are more stories. I hope we can keep pursing the timeline of these superheroes. We already have a script for the sequel and hopefully we can make that some day.

MG: Have you been approached at all from any comic book company to do a series on these characters?
JT: No, I haven’t but I would like to make one at some point regardless. I could see having one bridging the events between the first and second films, as well as giving an origin story to this characters.

MG: You guys are reuniting in “#WetAndReckless”, tell us about that and what can we expect?
JT: Right [laughs], I do not think if anyone is ready for this one yet. This movie is insane, it is about a reality TV show that goes horribly wrong. It is like “Jersey Shore” meets “National Treasure”. We get into some crazy treasure hunting antics in Thailand. We are finishing up the movie now and then will try and figure out distributing after that. We had a screening for “All Superheroes Must Die” and showed just the opening of this film. People laughing hysterically but they didn’t get the dichotomy between a movie like “All Superheroes Must Die” and “#WetAndReckless”. We are playing assholes. I am not even sure how to describe it. They are ridiculous characters. We treat woman terribly and have no consequences for their actions. They are two completely different beasts.

MG: Jason, tell us about your role in “Hatchet III”?
JT: I play Deputy Hamilton. I am the main man at the scene for the aftermath of “Hatchet II”. It is just me and the sheriff trying to go back and figure out what is going on. The sheriff was playing by the main kid from “Gremlins” (Zach Galligan), so that was really awesome. But now that kid is a 47 year old man, so that was interesting. “Gremlins” was one of my favorite movies as a kid, so it was awesome.

MG: Jason, can you tell us about reprising your role of JTRO from “The FP” in “This is The End” this year?
JT: I don’t really know how much I can say about that. But I definitely appear in one form or another as JTRO.

MG: Lucas, any word on “X-Men: Days of Future Past” or anything else you got coming up next?
LT: I will steer away from that question [laughs]. Maybe if we were a few weeks down the road, I would have a more definitive answer for you. As far as the demographic will recognize, I just finished up a movie with David Hayter, who wrote “X-Men” and “X2: X-Men United” and is actually the voice of Snake from “Metal Gear Solid, if you like video games. He is making his directorial debut with a film called “Wolves”. Jason Momoa is in it also amongst a great cast. it is really cool and hopefully it will be out within the year.

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Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje talks about roles in "Bullet to the Head" and "Thor: The Dark World"

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is best known for his roles in TV series like Mr. Eko on “Lost” and Simon Adebisi on “Oz”. He has one hell of a busy year planned for 2013 with “Bullet to the Head” with Sylvester Stallone, Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” and a coming-of-age film “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Adewale about how he gets into characters and his busy year.

Mike Gencarelli: How was it going head-to-head with Sylvester Stallone in “Bullet to the Head”?
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje: Well as you can imagine there was a lot of testosterone, but also a lot of fun. You are working with a legend of that genre, also Walter Hill, who is a legendary director. It was a lot of fun but it was also strictly business. It was bullets to the head…get in there and deliver. Just had a great time overall man!

MG: Give us some background on your character Morel?
AAA: He is an African businessman, who is somewhat corrupt. He has escaped from Africa with huge amount of funds, moved to the United States and landed in New Orleans. He is very smart and also ruthless and his goal is to own most of New Orleans…by any means necessary. He has his stable of henchmen and is also very sophisticated. It is all camouflage for what lies below, which is a ruthless and cold-hearted businessman. He is also conflicted with a crippling disability but he does not allow that to impede him as a formidable force. In fact he uses that to propel him and try harder.

MG: Is there anything in particular you do to prepare for a role like that?
AAA: It is just a matter of having dialogue with the director. A lot of it was on the page but then we added texture and dimension. I chatted with the director and saw what he would like to explore. Also I was given the choice if I wanted to make him crippled or not. I thought it would be an interesting challenge to do so and add more texture to the character. So we went for that. I think as we started to see him on screen we started to see him unravel with different layers. I did have to hobble around on sticks for a good 2-3 weeks before we shot it though in order to get the disability right. Other than that it was really get in there and feel the character. We shot it in very opulent locations in New Orleans and that always adds to your performance.

MG: How did you prepare for such an iconic comic villains playing both Algrim the Strong and Kurse in “Thor: The Dark World”?
AAA: It was a huge opportunity to pull double duty. In order to prepare you obviously go through and read the comics and research the characters history. You also look at the imagery and have discussions with Marvel and the directors to see their vision for the characters. Then the rest is left for the designers who create the costumes, which really then assists in your performance. Specifically for Kurse, it was very much looking at the costume and what I thought it would embody. For instance it had a certain look, so I used that look for his interpretive actions. I found that very useful. So with the horns and everything, I just went with that flow and tried to define a way of moving and fighting that was in the rhythm and the way that he looked. With Algrim, again the aesthetic look and the outfit really factored in as does the location and the set. From the moment you step into that world, you immediately become that character. You make them real. So in a way you have to ground the character in reality that makes it normal for them to be in that world. I believe and hope that we have done that well in this and that the audiences are going to enjoy it.

MG: You were called “The Biggest Badass in Hollywood” (by Huff Post); what keeps you coming back and playing the villain in roles like this?
AAA: What makes me or what makes them keep hiring me? I think it is one in the same thing. I think we both enjoy it. I think the industry knows that I can deliver when playing the villain. I certainly enjoy playing the villain because you have this created likeness to really go anywhere. When you play the hero, there are parameters that you cannot cross. But with the bad guy, there is no such thing and you can do basically what you like. That is a creative freedom and luxury that I love. They also always make the most interesting character for me. The funny thing is though; I never really look at these as bad. I look at them as guys who have agendas and they will do what they need to do in acquire, obtain or accomplish them. So to make the most interesting villain is that you need to see him as an ordinary guy who have a mission.

MG: From action to superheroes we go to the coming-of-age “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete”, tell us about this project?
AAA: This is a very different type of movie. As you can see we have done all genres across the board from huge Marvel tentpole to iron-packed action. This film really comes down to what I really love, a small independent film. It premiered at Sundance and was shot by George Tillman Jr. It has got Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Hudson, Anthony Mackie and an absolutely spectacular group of children actors. It is based on the survival of these two children in a hot and tough summer in Brooklyn. I play a cop, on the other side of the law this time, who is trying to keep these straight kids off the streets. It is just one of those endearing stories of survival and friendship. It is very real. I also love shooting in New York during the summer. This one is not about the costumes or effects or anything. It is about heart-to-heart relationships.

Be sure to follow @Adewale on his official twitter page.

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Jason Mewes talks about films "Noobz" and "Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie"

Jason Mewes is known best for playing half of the comedic duo team Jay and Silent Bob with Kevin Smith. He has worked on with Kevin Smith on his films from “Clerks 1 & 2”, to “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back”. Jay is starring in the new gaming film “Noobz” with Blake Freeman, Matt Shively, Moises Arias, Casper Van Dien and Zelda Williams. Jay and Kevin Smith also recently announced the new animated film “Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat movies, video games and what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: Let’s talk about how you got involved with the project “Noobz”?
Jason Mewes: The director, Blake Freeman, said he was thinking about me when he wrote the character. When they were getting ready to go into production, he contacted me and sent me the script. I thought it was awesome and that was that man!

MG: This is a really fun role for you. What did you enjoy most the role?
JM: Awesome thanks man. I am really psyched about the movie and how it turned out. I will always love the Jay character. It is me playing me. It is working with Kevin (Smith) and we have been doing it for so many years now. But besides those things, I definitely have to say I really had a lot of fun on it and really felt strong about the whole concept. Hopefully people dig it as much as I have.

MG: Are you a gamer in general?
JM: Yeah man, I probably play a little too much. I go through phases. I get addicted to gaming. For a while I was addicted to “The Lord of the Rings: Battle from Middle Earth” on the PC. Back then, I was with my girlfriend (now wife) and we would make plans to go out but I would be caught up playing and completely space. So I stopped playing for a little bit. Then I started playing “Call of Duty” and “Halo” and that got me back into it. Now I try to keep it at a happy medium…but I still get yelled at by my wife [laughs].

MG: You are currently touring with Kevin Smith with “Jay & Silent Bob Get Old”; what do you enjoy most about this?
JM: I love doing this. For one it has been a big help to keep me sober. I talk about 20 years of working together with Kevin. 25 years of our friendships with all the ups and downs. I talk about things that are going on in my life. And talking about it helps because it reminds me that I don’t want to go back to the way I was. Not to mention, it helps because when I walk into a Starbucks and people tell me they watch the podcast and ask how many days that I am up to now being clean. I like that. No one wanted to hire me because they thought that I was messed up and now I am getting out there and talking about it. It is really great and helping me stay sober. Most people seem to respect that. Also we have been traveling all over for it, so that has been great as well. We went to Australia and I have been there before. I have never been to Scotland, Ireland, Vancouver and we went there with this show. We have just gone all over the place and it has been awesome.

MG: Let’s talk about your new cartoon movie “Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie”, what can we expect?
JM: We are hoping to have that done by April. This started as something I told Kevin about when I first got sober that I really wanted to try directing. So I went out and directed a music video and I would still love to direct a short film or small independent movie. But I told him I would also like to get into producing. He then told me that he had a script that was sitting on his shelf and he gave it to me thinking that I would go home and just toss it on my table. But I read it, started calling some animators and began figuring out how much it would cost. My wife and I got a sound stage together and put together a group of people and then showed Kevin the first ten minutes. He loved it and then started giving us a list of people that we needed to get. So that was how he became part of it and it is really coming together. So hopefully April, we will be able to start showing it to people.  We want to tour with it like Kevin did with “Red State”. So hopefully people are going to dig it.

MG: Also now with “Clerks III” on the horizon, did you ever think that while making “Clerks” almost 20 years ago you will still be playing this role today?
JM: No, definitely not man! Definitely not with “Clerks”, Jay and Silent Bob are not even on the poster. Kevin is on it but he is in normal clothes as the director not his character. It wasn’t really till “Mallrats” that people really started asking “Hey, who are these characters?” Even after “Mallrats”, “Chasing Amy” and even “Dogma”, I had no idea that too this day we would be having all these plans, including doing the cartoon film and more comics.

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Zelda Williams talks about the film "Noobz" and her love for video games

Zelda Williams is daughter of actor and comedian Robin Williams. She co-stars in the new film “Noobz” alongside Jason Mewes, Blake Freeman, Matt Shively, Moises Arias and Casper Van Dien. She is also known for appearing in Nintendo’s television commercials for the Nintendo 3DS game “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Zelda about how she got involved with the film, her love of gaming and what she has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: How you were approached to co-star in “Noobz”?
Zelda Williams: It was like any audition really. I met the director and talked with him about what I liked about the character and the idea to get paid to play video games [laughs]. The cast/crew are really a fun group. With them being such gamers as well, it was like looking for a kindred spirit. So it was a lot easier having that aspect in place.

MG: Tell us about preparing for you role of Rickie?
ZW: [laughs] Thankfully it was pretty easy. Pretty much everyone in the film played a more debauched version of themselves in real life. Rickie is sarcastic and silly but pretty much fairly normal, actually. It was interesting to play the straight man to everyone else goofing off. I really enjoyed it. Especially being able to be the chick gamer in it was also quite fun. Otherwise [laughs], there really wasn’t much prep needed.

MG: Being a gamer yourself, what are you currently obsessed with in the video game world?
ZW: I like playing “Assassins Creed”. I don’t play as much when it is the busy season in L.A. because you can just lose yourself. I was one of those people that would play for 8-9 hours and it doesn’t help you be productive. I still loves games though.

MG: Having a father like Robin Williams, do you feel that comedy comes natural?
ZW: No, not at all [laughs] I think I am really happy that I got his wits. I am quick and snappy but funny is a hard gig. I am happy that I don’t have to be the goofy funny one. I am not speaking a mile a minute and expected to make people roll in their seats. There is a lot pressure in that and it is something that I have avoided for a while. Growing up with comedy, I have an enormous amount of respect for it but is not something that I set out to do.

MG: How was it hosting of the live show “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses”?
ZW: It was wonderful. I met them because of the Nintendo commercials I did and they asked me if I would be interested in hosting. I had no idea that they had a symphony behind this show, besides seeing it at E3 briefly a few years ago. It was fascinating to me but also scary as hell. I have really bad stage fright. But it was really wonderful. Music has such a connection with nostalgia. It was also great to see parents, who are fans of the game, now bringing their kids. Fans were attending all dressed up. People wouldn’t have assumed that when this game originally came out in the 8-bit world that it would played in front of an audience with a full symphony orchestra. It is interesting to look back and just think that they would have had no idea!

MG: I also a big fan of your Nintendo commercials for “The Legend of Zelda”
ZW: It is actually quite funny; doing the Nintendo commercials we actually had the opposite backlash than you would have expected. I really loved working with Nintendo and I think they are such wonderful people. A lot of people loved those commercials. But the gaming community took the other side of it and immediately starting complaining that I was pretending to be named after the game etc. It was very bizarre since half of the community went up in arms about it. But I found it very funny. They are the same people that I don’t think want to see comedians and fun people acting like gaming competitors in “Noobz”. I get it that the gaming community is very elitist but it is just really funny to me.

MG: Are you able to talk about your role in the third season of MTV’s “Teen Wolf”?
ZW: I am not sure I am able to talk about that just yet. I am good friends with Colton (Haynes) and he let that out a little early [laughs]. But next time we talk I will be able to discuss that more.

MG: Can you tell us about your film “Never”?
ZW: “Never” is a wonderful film. Thanks to Kickstarter, it got its post-production funded. I have never had a project do that and I think it is really great. I have a lot of faith done in crowd-funding if it is done properly. The film itself is really different from projects like “Noobz” or “Teen Wolf”. I play a lonely lesbian character living in Seattle, who is in a band. I get to sing three songs in the film. But it is not a musical though; it is more like “Once” where there is a reason why they are singing. But in this film, a straight guy falls in love with her. They become best friends and that’s where things get complicated. So a lot of it has to do with dealing with their friendship and feelings.

MG: What else you have for 2013?
ZW: The rest of 2013 is just working and writing. I am now writing scripts. I am very lucky to have found the team that I did to work with, since they are pushing them along well. Hopefully I will be going into production on one of my scripts soon.

 

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Casper Van Dien talks about role in "Noobz" and "Mortal Kombat Legacy 2"

Casper Van Dien is known best for his role of Johnny Rico in “Starship Troopers”.  He recently steals the show in the new gaming film “Noobz”, where he plays a comedic version of himself.  Great movie, check it out! He also takes over the role of Johnny Cage in season two of “Mortal Kombat Legacy”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Casper on these roles and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us how you got involved playing yourself in “Noobz”?
Casper Van Dien: I met Blake (Freeman) a couple years before and we hit it off. He told me he wanted to right me into one of his movies. So one day he calls me up and asked me to do a cameo in this gaming movie he was making. He told me he wanted me to just play myself. So I read it and I thought this is a friend of mine and this is what he thinks about me [laughs]. See the movie to understand why. I really think I need to get therapy and look into it if this is the way my friend sees me as. [laughs]. But I agreed and it was really fun.

MG: It’s not always easy play yourself [laughs].
CVD: I had to go to my acting coach cause I was afraid they might recast me [laughs]. I was warned several times but I guess my performance was good enough since they kept me on.  So I guess I lucked out.

MG: Are you a gamer yourself?
CVD: I think I used to consider myself a gamer until I met Blake and his friends. When I go over to hang out and talk shop, Blake and all his friends/business people are all playing online video game tournaments. We will do the meetings while they are playing. So I realized there is a difference between gamers and people that play video games. I also got to meet some of the really serious gamers that we had on “Noobz” with us that actually get paid for this. Robert Paz was in it and he became a friend of mine too. Those guys really know how to play video games and it is a art form to them. But overall, I have always loved video games and have since I was a little kid.

MG: Do you plan on working with Blake again?
CVD: I also just did another movie with him called “Mucho Dinero”. It stars Blake, Eddie Griffin and myself. That one he wanted me to play someone completely different than in “Noobz”. Funny story though, one of the grips came up to me during filming and he said “You ruined ‘Starship Troops’ for me, I’ll never be able to watch it again” and walked away. I am not doing to give details, you have to see it to find out why. I don’t know man, I am either doing something really right or I am really screwing up [laughs]. I am thrilled to be working with Blake again. He is a good pal and I love his awful sense of humor about me and life in general.

MG: Tell us about playing such an iconic character like Johnny Cage in “Mortal Kombat: Legacy”?
CVD: Yep, I just got to Johnny Cage in Kevin Tancharoen’s web series. There are several episodes this year that he is in. I think that Matt Mullins did a great job in the first season. I think he softened it up for me to do more as well. I don’t know what they are trying to say though, since Johnny Cage is a D-list actor, has a bit of an attiude and is a little conceded. So I am not sure why they wanted me and told me that I was perfect for it [laughs]. I had a blast doing this though. There are a lot of incredible marital artists. I fight a lot but nothing like these guys. Another thing is that my character gets into a girl fight. Johnny Cage in a girl fight. You have to see it man, it is very cool!

MG: Any plans you will be involved with the upcoming feature film also?
CVD: You know I would love to be involved. It is up to the director. If he wants me then I would love to do it. If he wants to do something else, either way I will fully support it. I appreciate him wanting me in the web-series in the first place. I had a blast. So we will see what will happen.

MG: It’s been over 15 years since “Starship Troopers”; yet the series is still very alive with “Starship Troopers: Invasion”, which your executive produced. Why do you think this franchise resonates with fans?
CVD: I get more tweets every day with quotes from that film on my Twitter page. I get dozens every day and then when it airs I get hundreds a day. It is just unbelievable how much fans love this movie. It is awesome to have been involved with a film that people quote you from. The film just has some many awesome quotes. Ed Neumeier is an incredible writer. Paul Verhoeven is an amazing director. This film has just had such an amazing life and so many fans.

MG: I love how active you are on Twitter and interacting with your fans.
CVD: Yeah, I love it. I wasn’t announcing that I was playing Johnny Cage because I was asked not to. But one day I went on Twitter and someone wrote “Fucking Johnny Rico is Fucking Johnny Cage. Fucking Awesome”. It was one of the coolest tweets I got last year. I was super excited by that and that is how I found that Warner Bros had released the news.

MG: What else do you have planned for 2013?
CVD: Well like I said I got the movie “Mucho Dinero”. It was a fun film to shoot and it is really funny as well. Blake wrote, produced and directed this one as well. I am going to shoot a film this weekend in Oklahoma, which is another action/thriller. I shot a Hallmark Christmas movie last year that that did really well called “Baby’s First Christmas”, so that was really cool. I have been doing this for 25 years and it just keeps getting better and better!

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: 2, casper, dien, kombat, legacy, mortal, ...

Todd Tucker talks about working make-up effects for "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and The Smurfs 2"

Todd Tucker is the owner of special make-up effects studio, Illusion Industries. He has worked on films like “Hannibal”, “Pirates of the Caribbean  The Curse of the Black Pearl” to TV shows like “Soutland” and “Hannah Montana”. 2013 is a very busy year for him with seven projects aiming to be released including “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and The Smurfs 2″.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Todd about these projects and what we can expect.

Mike Gencarelli: Let’s breakdown your projects for 2013, first let’s chat about your role working on “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”?
Todd Tucker: Unfortunately with this film, I can’t tell you exactly what we did yet but I can describe our experience. What I can say about “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is that I think the fans are really going to dig what we did on this one. We did a number of different aspects including character looks etc. The first film was cool but it felt a little too much like a video game. It was very CG heavy. Jon Chu, the director, really made this film look like it was happening. Everything is very practical and it feels like you are really experiencing what you are seeing, as oppose to playing a game. The actors are really good at locking in their characters and not making it cheesy. I think this film is going to be very cool and also visually off-the-charts.

MG: Tell us about your work on “The Smurfs 2” and how does it compare from the first film?
TT: It cool since right when I started Illusion Industries, we got called to work on “The Smurfs” and we designed and created the look for Hank Azaria. We made all the appliances. He has a fake nose, dentures, ears, eyebrows and hair. So he looks pretty different. For the first movie, I wasn’t able to be on set. We created everything, did the make-up tests and then handed it off to somebody else. For “The Smurfs 2”, I got to go to Montreal and worked on Hank Azaria’s make-up for the whole show. It was interesting since we started to used the same nose and ears from the first film but Hank had lost some weight and was a little more buffed out. So we had to go in and re-sculpt the nose and downscale it a little bit to adjust for the look. For that point on, we had to just maintain him daily. He is just such a great actor and perfect for the role. He really brought it to life for sure.

MG: We go from action to animation to drama, tell us about your role in “The Iceman”?
TT: Originally we were going to do all sorts of character age make-ups for this film but then we found out it was not going to help the film. We then created all these period looks. We made all the wigs, mustaches and hairpieces. We did a few things on the lead actor, Michael Shannon, for the film. I can tell you this, I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival and I am not a big mafia movie fan but this movie is intense and the performances are great. I was very proud to have my name at the end of this movie.

MG: If you had to choose out of these three films above, which was the biggest challenge?
TT: The most challenging was “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”. We have our main studio here in Burbank but I also have another in New Orleans. The only problem is for “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”, the build was kind of big and they wanted us to relocate everyone to our Burbank studio to there. So we had to all relocate and move into a haunted house for three months [laughs]. So that was a fun but also a challenge. But it was a really cool project to work.

MG: Can you give us an idea about your work on “Fright Night 2”?
TT: The DP on the film I co-wrote and directed “Monster Mutt” is also the DP on “Fright Night 2”. They were filming the movie in Bulgaria around Christmas time last year. They were going through some changes and need us to come up with a creature design for the finale scene. So two of my guys here put it together very quickly and traveled it down. I think it is going to be very cool.

MG: With the films mentioned above and TV shows like “Southland”; do you enjoy the variety of genres?
TT: The thing that is cool is that all different movies and TV shows that we have coming out this year are ranging all across the board. We have family, horror, action, drama and TV shows. We occasionally work on “Sons of Anarchy” and do a lot for the Disney Channel. We are also working currently on Conan O’Brien’s show doing these zombie skits. So yeah, we really like to dapple in all the different genres.

MG: Tell us what else you got planned for 2013?
TT: This year alone in 2013, we have seven films coming out. We got “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” and “The Smurfs 2”. We just finished “Fright Night 2”. we did a movie called “Deadlock Pass”, which was shot in Russia by Renny Harlin. Just did a film called “The East”, which I saw at Sundance and it was a really great flick. Also did a movie called “Fort Bliss”, which is a drama. We are still also doing some TV with Disney Channel. We also have an in-house production company that we produce, direct and come up with in-house projects. We did a family film that I mentioned called “Monster Mutt”, which just came out on DirecTV, iTunes and Vudu this month. It is also available on Walmart.com, Target.com and Amazon.com. So that is doing pretty well. We also have two in-house projects that I am directing this year. One of them is an action/horror film and the other is a very dark fantasy. We are looking forward to that.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: 2, effects, gi, joe, makeup, retaliation, ...

Robbie Wyckoff talks about touring with Roger Waters and "The Wall Live"

Robbie Wyckoff is Los Angeles based session vocalist and recording artist whose voice can be heard on numerous films, television shows, hit records and national jingles. Robbie has recorded and performed with artists like Diana Ross, Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion and Clint Black. He has been touring with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters for the on-going “The Wall Live” tour since 2010 and starts up again this July. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Robbie about touring with the legendary Roger Waters and what is planned next for the tour.

Mike Gencarelli: I know it is a typical question but I have to ask, what is it like working with a legend like Roger Waters?
Robbie Wyckoff: For me it is like a dream come true. Growing up I always listened to Pink Floyd, especially “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”. I am thrilled to think that I get to sing with Roger now, since I was and am such a fan. It is pretty amazing.

MG: Can you take us through your first meeting with him?
RW: First of all I have to give a big thank you to Jon Joyce referring me to Roger. But after round 2 of the auditioning process at James Guthrie’s studio, I got a call back from James and he said that “Roger really loves your vocals and wants you to fly to New York to meet him and record “Mother.”He was at one of the studios in NYC where they had been working on the visuals for the Wall projections. I walked into the studio and there he was working away. It was very surreal. I shook his hand and told him that it was an honor and a pleasure to meet him and thanked him for everything. Then he said “Let’s show Robbie what we have been working on.”

MG: After over 200 performances touring with “The Wall Live”, what drives you for each performance?
RW: Well first it is just the music – the songs, they just never get old. I have been in several bands and sometimes you have to sing certain songs and you dread it. With this the music is so timeless and classic and the melodies are so beautiful. For me it never gets old, it is a treat to be able to sing them. Also just being up on top of the wall and getting that wonderful 360 degree view is just spectacular. I would love to get a chance to film a little up there to show what it is like. It is just absolutely amazing.

MG: Having been touring with this show since 2010 pretty consistently, how does that weigh on you?
RW: Roger treats us very well. He makes it very comfortable. I have so many people says to me “You’ve been touring for the last two years, it must be so grueling…” and I just say “No, it is really not”. We stay in the best hotels and fly in private jets, so it is a really comfortable tour.

MG: You are taking over vocals for David Gilmour; do you consider that a daunting task?
RW: No not really, I am a big fan of Gilmour and I have a lot of respect for him and his talent. I feel like this is a custom fit gig for me because my vocal range is very similar to David’s. But when we found out that David was going to show up sometime during the first leg of the tour, it did make me a little nervous. He ended up coming to a couple of our London shows in 2010. The first night he watched the show and the second night he sat in with us and sang the chorus’ of “Comfortably Numb.” He also joined us on the final song “Outside The Wall,” along with Nick Mason who played tambourine. Man, it was such a thrill to be on stage that night standing next to the surviving members of Pink Floyd: Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and David Gilmour. After the show David paid me a nice complement and said “you sound great and I thought that was me up there singing.”

MG: I have always wanted to know when the wall goes up; what is like performing behind it?
RW: If people could only see what we are doing behind the wall, there is some pretty funny stuff going on. We have to put this safety net over the band, to protect the us from falling bricks at the end of the show when the wall comes down. The net is probably about 12 inches over my head. On this particular night there was some static electricity going on and little did I know that my hair was sticking straight up like a unicorn. So there I am totally focused on singing “Hey You” and the whole band is laughing around me and Roger is pointing at me laughing. [laughs] I thought I was doing something wrong. Finally someone took a photo and showed me what they were laughing at. Too funny! It’s stuff like that and maybe a few other practical jokes that the background singers are famous for. We have a blast at every concert.

MG: In July 2013, you start the wave of the tour in Europe. Where are you looking forward to going most?
RW: Just being back in Europe firstly and getting to hit some of the markets that we didn’t before. We’ll be going to Turkey, Rome, Vienna and several other European cities. You can check the tour schedule at www.rogerwaters.com. I’m really looking forward to playing Wembley Stadium. That is going to be amazing! I have family in London so it will be good to see them.

MG: Can we expect a Blu-ray release of the concert in the near future?
RW: There have been talks of Roger doing a DVD release of “The Wall Live”. But I’m not sure when it will be released. When we were in Athens, Greece, we did three days of filming of the live shows and then three more days of close-ups. They hired a large movie crew and there were about 20 plus cameras. Not to mention that when we were in Buenos Aries, we sold out nine shows over there and they documented and filmed every aspect of those nine shows as well. From backstage to the show days and everything in between.

MG: Can you give a plug for your upcoming album, “Steppin Out”?
RW: My new album “Steppin’ Out” is a Big Band/Jazz Standards album and I’m very happy with it. I’ve always loved to sing that style of music and was just finishing it up before I got the tour with Roger Waters. I had all of the vocals recorded and all the tracks recorded but had to put it on hold until we finished our first U.S. tour. I just recently signed a co-publishing agreement for that album which I’m very excited about. It was produced by Willie Murillo and he also did several of the arrangements. I’m very privileged to have some of the world’s finest musicians playing on it and I’m very thankful to each and everyone of them. I have five original songs on the album. Three written by Tony Hayes and another one written by Jennifer Paige and one I wrote with Willie Murillo called “Kiss Me Again.” There are also some other great classic cover tunes by Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick Jr., Nat King Cole, Fred Astaire and others. Now that the deal is in place, we are working on a marketing plan and should have a release scheduled later this year.

All photos courtesy of Michael Becker, Todd Tyler, Robbie Wyckoff

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: live, robbie, roger, talks, touring, wall, ...
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