Q&A media session with Melissa Joan Hart: ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey” (May 2012) (J!-ENT Interviews & Articles)

Melissa Joan Hart plays the character of Melissa Burke on ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey” (Image courtesy of ABC FAMILY)

Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence make their return in the third season of ABC Family’s “Melissa & Joey”!

For many of us who grew up watching Nickelodeon the early ’90s, actress Melissa Joan Hart was an actress that captured the attention of many viewers as the blonde, blue-eyed crafty Clarissa Darling. And when the series ended, needless to say, for many guys or fans of Melissa, many would go through “Clarissa withdrawal”.

But fortunately, in the mid-’90s, Melissa Joan Hart would return with a few “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” movies and it would eventually lead to the multi-award winning ABC comedy series “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” which lasted from 1996-2003.

And as many viewers have grown up watching Melissa Joan Hart  on television, many can now watch her on the hit ABC Family comedy series “Melissa & Joey”, a series which Melissa also stars alongside another actor which many have grown up watching on television, Joey Lawrence.

“Melissa & Joey” features Melissa Joan Hart as the character Melissa Burke.  Melissa Burke was a former wild child that came from a political family and now, having matured, she now has aspirations to become a politician.  But a scandal hits the family when her sister ends up in prison and her brother-in-law flees. So now, Melissa is forced to take care of her teenage niece Lennox and her nephew Ryder.

And its difficult enough to focus on politics and taking care of two teenagers, so in desperate need of help,  she hires Joey (played by Joey Lawrence), who moves in with the family to become the family’s nanny… or “manny”.

And now the third season of “Melissa & Joey” is set to premiere on Wednesday, May 30th and recently a Q&A media session was held with Melissa Joan Hart who talks about the third season of the ABC Family show and also directing episodes for this new season.

Here is a transcript from the media Q&A:

Moderator    In addition to being the star of the show, your Heartbreak Films also produces Melissa & Joey.  Could you tell us about your creative vision for this season?

M. J. Hart     That’s up to the writers.  We have a writing team, the executive producers/show runners, which is Bob and David, David Kendall and Bob Young, and they are, along with a team of really great writers, they sort of plot out the season along with the network.

This second season, it was just—you know what was nice about it—I think we started off really strong.  I think our first season, which consisted of 30 episodes, but I think our first few even just out of the gate were great.

I think that we had a really great crew.  We had really great writing staff.  We had a great cast.  It was able to all gel really well together, and I think that’s kind of rare.  If you watch a lot of shows, it takes a while to get the ball rolling.

But that being said, I think we came out of the gate pretty strong.  But at the same time the second season just gets better, and I think that happens with every show.  As the oil in the machine starts to really warm up, you just get the ball rolling and you get these stronger episodes.  So in the second season we just have funnier, more solid episodes.

 

Moderator     Is there anything you can tell us about any surprises we can look forward to this summer?

M. J. Hart    There are some surprises.  I don’t know how far I’m allowed to say.  Last season, season one, ended with a bathtub falling through the roof.  So the beginning of the show starts off with a few episodes about the construction and the family living on top of each other.

Mel has a little fling with the cabinetmaker, played by Bren Foster, but then there is some stuff that happens at the end where Joey falls in love with a Russian colleague and there’s quite a little romance that goes on there, and that’s an arc.  We have that for a few episodes.  So Mel has to put up with this Russian chick in her house.

But in between that, there are really just a lot of fun, standalone story lines that happen and some great guest stars.  This season it was really about keeping it light.  Not having that very special episode.  We don’t like to do those.  We just want to make people laugh.

 

Moderator    Could you  tease us some of the other guest stars we’ll be seeing this season?

M. J. Hart    Yes.  Bren Foster, I think he’s Australian and he’s in one of the episodes; one of the first few episodes, one of the one’s that will air next week.  Who else do we have?  All the 45 episodes we’ve done kind of run together.  So I’m having trouble remembering what people have seen and what they haven’t.

Who else do we have?  Christine Lakin comes back for a really funny episode.  She played my friend in one of the episodes last season.  This season she is looking for a sperm donor and happens to want some of Joey’s stuff.  That’s one of my favorite episodes; that is my favorite episode of this season coming up, the sperm donor episode.

But yes, that’s all I can think of right now.  But Debi Mazar plays a great character.  She’s like my—I’m thinking about reelection and she is my coach, my reelection campaign manager.  So she is—it’s an episode called “The Knockout” and it’s pretty funny.

There’s a guy in a movie theater who starts picking a fight with Ryder, my nephew, and I stand up to him after telling Joey not to.  I knock him out and it gets on video and it goes viral.  And then the whole campaign is around whether or not I should be promoting the fact that I knock him out kind of thing, whether or not that’s a good example for the kids.  It’s a really fun episode, and Debi Mazar does a great job in it.

And she and I met on the set of Dancing with the Stars.  I really like bringing in a lot of these people that I’ve worked with before.  That’s one of the fun parts about being Executive Producer is finding talented people all over the place and being able to work with them.

 

Moderator   What is it about being a part of Twitter that really helps you with the promotion and connecting with people who are fans of the show?

M. J. Hart    Well within two seconds I can correspond with 200,000 people, which is pretty incredible; across the world.  And what I really like about it is just seeing the immediate response of things.

Like the other night, “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” the first movie, the Showtime movie was on.  I don’t know what it was one, but it aired and my timeline was filled with people just talking about it.  Being shocked that Ryan Reynolds was in that movie.  It was just funny to see how many people were watching it.

I think it was actually maybe airing in the U.K. or the U.K. just got Netflix.  So they can now watch Melissa & Joey in the U.K., which they’re all very excited about because it’s not airing yet there on a network and they’re all mad at me about that.  But it’s fun.  It’s like that instant response to of like, you know, just driving people to try products that I like or to know a little something about my family or something that I find funny.

I try to be careful not to over use it too much, but to also give everyone like a flavor of everything.  Like what it’s like for me being a mom.  What it’s like for me being an actress.  What it’s like for me being a wife, you know.  So like little tidbits of what my inside life is like.

But of course it’s an amazing tool to use.  To be able to reach fans and get the audience to move, whether it’s for a certain charity reason or to watch the show, that kind of thing.  It’s really amazing too to see how many shows this season got picked up because there was a buzz even though the ratings weren’t there.  So you know that it can be used to help push different projects through.

 

Moderator  Both you and Joey Lawrence are directing this season.  How does that affect the way you prepare for the episode?

M. J. Hart   It’s just a lot more work.  It’s a lot of work.  I’m trying to remember what my episode was even about.  I’m having such a hard time with this season; getting it so confused with the other season.  It’s just so much prep because you’re involved in every step of it along the way, even more so than just being an executive producer.

You have the production meeting with the entire crew where you decide what prop will get used for this scene and what effect might be used for this scene or what camera might be used for this scene.  And then you’re working with the camera coordinator or DP on lightening and this and that staging.  And then you’ve got to get the actors to listen to you, which in this case is really difficult.

We all help each other out all the time anyways.  It’s a very collaborative effort always, but when you’re the director you get so nervous.  It’s like, “What if Joey doesn’t want to listen to me?  What if Taylor won’t go where I tell her to?  What if they don’t like my ideas?  What if they think I’m terrible?  What if I annoy them?  What if I don’t say enough?”

So it’s always hard being an actor and talking to other actors, but I think that other actors kind of respect an actor’s director more so than a camera director because you’ll get help with your acting.  You’ll get attention paid to your actual performance as opposed to just, “Go here.  Go there.  Stay in your light.  Get on camera,” because you have different kinds of directors.  You have ones that just care about the camera and the lighting and then you have ones that also care about the performance.

As an actor I’ve seen that, and it’s difficult sometimes to not have someone paying attention to your performance when you really want that guidance.  So luckily we all take great notes and we adjust and we’re very collaborative.  So it’s a really fun process, but you just get nervous like, “What if they don’t like my ideas.”  So it’s a lot of work.

And then you’ve got to do the editing once that episode is done.  When you’re acting, it’s Monday to Friday.  When you’re directing it’s like a three to four week process.

 

Moderator   Having a background as a teen actor, do you think that’s given you a better insight into working with Taylor and Nick on the show?

M. J. Hart    It’s funny.  Joey and I both—they both respect us a lot, which is really nice.  Teenagers, you never know if they’re going to totally rebel or be willing to learn, and they’re both really willing to learn.  They really want to be in this business for a long time and they see what we’ve been able to do and they have shown that they really respect us.  So it’s nice because we feel free to be able to tell them, “When you do this or you do that be careful,” or, “Watch out on social networks.”

They come to us sometimes with advice too, “What should we do with our career this way or that way?”  And Taylor and I have become very, very close.  She turns to me sometimes for boy advice and she baby-sits for me once in a while, which is really nice.  So it is, it’s a great little working relationship.

Joey and I are constantly rolling our eyes and having flashbacks to our own years on sitcoms when we had aunts and uncles and parents on the show, and now here we are basically the aunt and uncle of these teenagers.  On Sabrina I had two aunts.  So now I’m the aunt.  It’s weird.  I hear myself saying things that they would say to me like, “You need to wear a bra.”  I hear myself say it and I go, “Gosh, I remember rolling my eyes at Caroline Rhea when she said that to me.”

It’s funny; the tables have turned a bit.  But we’re really lucky that we have good kids that are willing to listen, learn and be a part of the cast, really be an active part.

 

Moderator  Have you guys ever shot a scene where you couldn’t stop laughing?  Like you just kept doing bloopers?

M. J. Hart    Yes.  We’ve had a few of those.  There have been a few.  We use iPhones on the set and sometimes we snap pictures with the iPhones.  And then other times we have to be pretending we’re looking at the phone and kind of turning it to each other and saying, “See look.  See the message,” or whatever, but there’ll be a stupid picture on the phone and it just makes us giggle and it’s always hard to pull it back.

I think there was an episode coming up where Nick had to eat a lot of junk food, junk food from the vending machines at school as a school project for Taylor to write about in her blog.  There were snowballs and all this stuff on the set.  He was trying to eat but he was just so disgusted by all the food he had to eat.  There was a lot spit takes in that one.

 

Moderator    What challenges will Mel be facing with the kids this season?

M.J. Hart    Well they’re getting older.  There’s an episode where Taylor tries to befriend the new girl that she sees at school because she was the new girl last year.  So she’s trying to be the good person by bringing this girl into her circle and trying to befriend her, but realizes that not everybody wants to be popular or liked or taken under someone’s wing.

There are a few episodes about relationships.  Nick has a little girlfriend who we adore on the show.  She’s been back and forth a little bit, Holly.  She pretty much tortures him.  So there are a few episodes with her involved.

And Taylor has a few episodes where she’s got a romantic guy with her.  The one I directed with her and—what was the actor’s name?  Anyway we’ve got these great little teen actors on the show and one of them plays her boyfriend for—for a few episodes—and there’s a nice little story line that happens with her and that relationship and us giving her relationship advice and stuff like that.

So the typical teen stuff, but they are getting older and they’re starting to teach us a few things as well.

 

Moderator       What do you admire most about Mel?

M.J. Hart    She’s really determined.  She sets her heart to something.  She thinks she’s got the—when she thinks she’s on the right path or she thinks there’s a mission to accomplish she will get to it.  She will finish that mission.  She is one of those women that is determined and has her convictions and sees things through, but she does it in a really silly, funny way.

 

Moderator   We know last season ended when you kissed Joe when you left his apartment and then you guys kind of didn’t really address it through the rest of the episode and then he moved back in.  Is that going to be something that is addresses this season?  I know you mentioned you guys both are going to have different love interests.

M. J. Hart  No, once we moved back in together I think the whole idea was that we realized we can’t have a working relationship and—I think the idea behind that was that when we were thinking about living separate lives we could maybe date, but the fact that we’re under the same roof kind of trying to raise these kids together, again, doesn’t leave much room for romance.  So that got left behind in season one.

So season two will pick up sort of the same way season one did, which is just that constant, “Is he the right guy for me?”  “Is she the right girl for me?”  “Am I missing the person that’s right under my nose,” and then that whole, “No, I don’t want to be with that person.”  So it’s that cat and dog, that constant flirting but never really getting together moonlighting kind of thing.

 

Moderator  It’s a fun story line to watch.  So I hope it kind of continues to weave in and out.

M. J. Hart     We both believe, and I think the network and the writers are behind us on it, we’re fine with hinting at it once in a while and winking at the audience a little bit like we know we should be together but it’s not going to happen.  But we don’t think that that relationship, unless we can come up with a really interesting new twist, the Ross/Rachel sort of thing.

When you get these characters together a lot of time it sort of kills the drive of the show.  It kills the funny.  And part of the funny part of this show is that they’re idiots that they’re not getting together, but at the same time it works for them.

So I think that maybe we’ll do a season finale at some point or do a show finale where they get together, but I don’t think—I’d rather them have a baby together than get together.  Have like a one-night fling kind of thing.  I think that would cause a lot more—you want that sexual tension, I think.  It really drives the show.

 

Moderator    Is there a particular scene that you had with Joey, as you think back over the past few episodes that really stand out as one of your favorite highlights since working on the show?

M. J. Hart   There have been a few.  I mean the season ender in season one was pretty great.  There’s a scene in his apartment and we’re eating Chinese food and there’s that moment where we could kiss.  We might not kiss.  We’re sharing Chinese.  It’s dark.  There was that—that was a nice moment.

But the ones we really like are the ones where we’re just bickering endlessly, and it’s that fast paced, quick, cutting humor.  There are a few scenes I can remember in the kitchen around the island, in the season coming up, where it’s just—I think one of the ones I’m thinking of is the sperm donor episode where we just are tearing into each other.  I’m picking on him.  He realizes he was wrong or vice versa a lot of the time, where one of us is just kind of poking at the other one.

And it’s that fun, fast comedy that you don’t really see that often anymore.  You see a lot of it in old movies like “His Girl Friday,” where it’s that fast paced humor going on, and we like to do that.  Those are the ones when we have a hard time not cracking up at each other.  But one of the more sentimental moments was definitely the end of season one.

 

Moderator    Another episode that our listeners at the radio station really love is the interaction between you and your kids, and one of them would be you going out with Lennox to a concert and getting kicked out of the club. How much of those particular episodes or how many of those moments do you actually get input on?  Is any of that based on true to life experiences of Melissa or Joey?

M. J. Hart     The structure of it’s always there from the writers, but then we like to tweak it within itself, like the episode with climbing out the window and stuff like that.

I like to constantly remind the writers, not that they need a lot of reminding, that I don’t know what I’m doing here, that I don’t want to know what I’m doing.  I want to make mistakes, as a parent.  That’s where a lot of the humor comes from, and that’s true to life, I think, too.  We’ve been thrown these teenagers.  It’s not like we raised them from scratch.  There’s a lot of room for error.

What I really like to do is go look at my natural parenting instincts and do the opposite.  So a lot of the time if I feel like there’s something that can be the opposite or there’s an episode where we’re kind of lecturing the kids too much we’ll go sit down with the writers and say, “We think it’d be really funny if the kids actually lectured us on this,” or if Lennox and I are both sneaking into the house late at night and have to shush each other because we don’t want to wake up Joey.  Both of us don’t want to get in trouble, inappropriate behavior as adults really.

 

Moderator     It seems like there are a lot of chances for improvisational on set with your cast.

M. J. Hart      We do.  That’s what’s great about doing the live show too.  We shoot live on Friday nights, which I’ve never really done before, but it does really help because you get to try out different jokes in front of the audience.  You do three or four takes and you try out a few different jokes and see which one gets the biggest laugh and then hopefully the editor will use that one.

It’s fun to be able to sort of improve that stuff.  And sometimes one thing will happen that’s totally authentic and natural and they’ll use it in the episode, which is wonderful.

 

Moderator    You were a child actress on Nickelodeon on the first series with a female lead.  And back then we all know the network had some doubts about whether teens would actually tune in.  So now that you’re on a network kind of known for this genre is that something that attracted you to ABC Family?

M. J. Hart     ABC Family has been doing great things for years now.  Well they had Sabrina on the air for many, many, many years and they also did my wedding as a reality show way back when, nine years ago.  They’re just one of those networks that has gotten stronger over the years.  They’re backed by Disney and Disney’s principals, but at the same time they’re much more grown up.  They’re able to take more risks probably even than ABC proper just because it is cable.

But yes, it’s female driven and I think that they’ve realized that females are the consumers.  Females are the ones that are watching more TV while the men are tuned into ESPN, yet another Disney channel.  The women and girls are watching ABC Family.

I love that they took a risk with this show, especially Melissa & Joey, just being that they don’t really have adult humor on the channel.  They don’t really have comedy.  So now they’re starting to build these comedy blocks and they’re realizing that they’re actually drawing in men with our show as well, I think.

I noticed a lot of men, a lot of men, coming up to me and saying, “I love your show.  My wife made me watch it and now I’m hooked.”  And a lot more men are being drawn, I think, to the network now because of our show, which is great to hear.  It’s just fun because I think it’s really a kind of comedy men can get behind.

I think people these days, the audience is really searching for shows like this because there’s just not that much left on network.  There are great shows on cable and whatnot, but I also think a lot of those are big time commitment.  They’re these shows that are episodic.  So if you miss one week you’ve missed a lot.  I’ve missed the last few weeks of House.  So I feel like I’m totally lost.

But then with a comedy there’s not really that many like Friends, like The Cosby Show shows on the air.  And that’s what we really wanted to do was put that back out there.  I think they’re finding that it’s a real draw and that when people are finding it they’re really sticking with it.

 

Moderator    From your experience with ABC Family thus far, what kind of character crossovers maybe from other ABC Family shows would you potentially like to see in some of the upcoming Melissa & Joey episodes?

M. J. Hart   The fact that they don’t really have any comedies it makes it tough for a crossover with our show.  But last season we had a guy play my love interest for three episodes who was from Greek.  So that was fun.  He had so many fans on the network of course that tuned in to see him on our show that we got new fans because of that.

But hopefully they’ll bring—they have these new comedies coming out, and hopefully we’ll be able to get some really great actors to kind of come in and cross over a little bit, but as of right now we haven’t really had that discussion yet.

 

Moderator    What would your dream casting be for Mel’s very infamous sister and brother-in-law?  Have you ever thought about that?  Who you’d like to play them?

M. J. Hart    We’ve actually already seen the brother-in-law in a Halloween episode last year.  This season you meet her mom. And Chris Rich plays my dad in a few episodes, which he’s fantastic, so much fun.  We love having him on.  He’s just kooky funny.  He fits right in with us.

We have not seen my sister yet though.  But it’s funny.  I don’t know.  I’ve thought about it a lot, and I just don’t know.  It would be so tricky because she has to be a little bit older than me.  She has to look like the family.  She has to look like the kids because they’re her kids.  So it would be really tricky.

We have actually thought of someone that we thought looked like Taylor older, but now I can’t think of who it was.  But there are so many phenomenal actors out there.  I think it would be fantastic to even go out and to a casting and find a new talent.  Not just stunt cast it, but to find someone really funny who could really fit in and become a part of the continuing guest cast and come back and do a recurring possibly.

But I don’t know.  I’ll have to give that more thought.  Sorry I can’t give you a name right now.

 

Moderator      You have been a successful teen/child actor with Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  And you made the transition to being an adult actress, which a lot of teen stars find difficult.  What has been the secret to your success with that?

M. J. Hart      I’m actually in the process of possibly writing a book about that because I don’t really know what that recipe is.  I think that a lot of the balance and success in my life comes from my family.  It comes from my mom and my dad and my siblings growing up, and now from my husband and my children and putting that always as a priority.  Having that as my balance, as my sort of gage of where to go with my life.

But as far as my career, I think it’s just been that at a young age growing up on the East Coast in this business I did a lot of auditioning.  It was pretty cut throat.  There was a lot of competition, and if you weren’t the best one for the job there was someone right behind you to do it.  So you had to work really hard.  You had to know your lines.  You had to hit your mark.  You had to have the biggest smile and think those Fruit Loops were the best thing ever.

And I think that I learned that if I want longevity I’ve just got to stick it out.  I’ve got to work hard, and that’s—I’ve never given up.  No matter—this career, in this business you just go up and you go down.  There’s no finding that soaring star to hitch onto and carry you off into the galaxy.  It’s constant work to reinvent and figure out the next role and keep working upward.

I’ve just learned that if I want to stick with it that’s what I’ve got to do.  If I want a career in this business and I don’t want to transition and do something else, then I need to stick with it.  Keep auditioning.  Keep meeting people.  Keep reinventing myself, finding great characters to play.

And that’s where producing comes in as well.  I started producing at the age of 17 because I wanted to have some control over the projects I was putting out there and the characters I was playing.  So producing has definitely helped.

And then also transitioning to directing because I got a little bit bored with the acting.  I wanted to be more creative and found directing.  So that’s been a great outlet for me as well just to keep me in the business.  I just love being on a set.  I don’t necessarily always need to act.  I just love being on a set.

 

Moderator      Is there an aspect or a quality about your character on this show that you enjoy playing the most?

M. J. Hart   I love that she’s a mess.  She’s a big hot mess and I love that because every other show I’ve played the characters have sort of been really put together and, you know, they’ve been careful with their choices and sort of always been the grounded centered ones of the show.  And this one I like that my character gets to be an absolute disaster and has to get her way out of—It’s kind of like I Love Lucy.  She’s constantly getting herself in a mess and having to figure it out, and I love that.

I love being able to be selfish and silly and just a little exaggerated.  I love being able to wear really high heels and not be able to walk in them very well and use physical humor as well as the words on the page to make people laugh.

 

Moderator      If you could create any new kind of TV show that you’ve wanted what would it be like?

M. J. Hart    You know it’s about reinventing the wheel, but I would like to just go back to old family comedy, kind of like what we’re doing.  I miss shows like The Cosby Show and Family Ties.  These shows that we grew up on that kind of gave us an outlet, a place to be entertained.  A place to also feel like we were represented on television as far as kids or teenagers or seeing parents misbehave.  Knowing that if Bill Cosby does that then my dad’s not so weird I guess.

Comedy is just lacking on television right now, and I miss having shows to go to where you can just laugh and forget your troubles for a half an hour.  And if you miss one you didn’t miss the—you can skip season to season and still be entertained.  So that’s what I would want to see come back on—and I’ve been, myself, trying to develop a few different sitcoms as well to try and get something out there.

But I’ve been working in the race world for a little while.  I love racecar driving, and I’ve been out pitching an idea for a racecar driving sitcom that I think would be really funny.  Kind of in the vein of “Taxi” as an adult comedy, but I don’t know.  Everybody is so afraid of the racing world so I don’t know if it’s going to happen.

 

Moderator    When you watch TV with your husband or with your kids can you tell us any sort of shows that you like to watch together?

M. J. Hart   My husband and I like to go through seasons these days of shows.  We did Friday Night Lights together last summer, and it just was amazing for our marriage and for us at night to put the kids to bed and just stay up watching episode after episode of Friday Night Lights in order.  We watched them all in about three weeks and it just—it was such a nice escape for us.

But now we’ve just gone through all the seasons of How I Met Your Mother and we’re currently trying to figure out what our next series is going to be.  I would like it to be Dexter, but I think he wants to do another comedy.  So we’ll see who wins that battle for the next one.

But with the kids, they’re really growing up quick right now.  They’re into Transformers and Avengers and all these shows that are on The Hub right now, but we still try to keep them tuned to Disney Channel and do things like Little Einsteins. 

We’re trying to keep them young because I’m so sick of the blowing up things in the house and play fighting and that kind of thing.  So I’m trying to really keep them tuned into the baby shows, especially since we have a new baby coming.  I want to keep it soft and quiet around here.

 

Moderator   How do you balance your career and your family?

M. J. Hart    Well that’s the trick.  That’s what everyone, I think, is striving for these days.  I work in L.A. but we live on the East Coast.  We live in Connecticut.  So during the season when the show’s going on I travel back and forth.  This last season for these 15 episodes we shot these 15 in 18 weeks and I came home almost every weekend.  I didn’t go more than ten days without seeing my kids this time around.

But the first season was tough because I went sometimes 16 days without seeing my kids, which was really difficult on me.  You can see that in the first season, as I gained a lot of weight in the first season, as the season progressed.  I think because of a little bit of depression being away from my family and having to do both, work and try to be a full-time mom.

I’m really lucky and blessed that I have a wonderful husband who also has a career like mine where he can do his music at home or at his studio and have time to be at the kids’ hockey games or bath time.  He makes them breakfast every day.  He’s very hands on and I’m really lucky.  Without him I couldn’t do it.

We also have a great nanny who is always with the kids.  So I know we have someone we can count to sort of fill my shoes a little bit when I’m gone.  But it is—it’s a constant, everyday battle of what’s the schedule?  Who can get whom for which activity?

But I made sure that this year I was home—my son left for kindergarten and the show gave me the week off to be with him for his first week of kindergarten.  So I try to schedule in important dates like that and be around for them for those things.

But it’s nice.  My boys are very well adjusted, luckily, and they don’t have a problem with me leaving.  They don’t like it, but they’ve really adjusted well to it and their teachers have all kept a close on them to make sure that—if they have any issues, we’ll all move back to California if we have to.  But I really like that they’re here sleeping in their beds with their friends and neighbors and school teachers and having a normal life.

And so I come home—I’m home this whole year.  Especially because I’m pregnant now we can’t go back to work on the show anytime soon.  So I get 2012 to just be a mom.  So I’m really blessed in a way that I get to be a full-time actress and a full-time mom.  Where this fall basically I was an actress and now I’m a full-time mom.

And like I said, without my husband here all fall I couldn’t have done it.  I couldn’t have gone back and forth.  I would’ve had to bring my kids with me and enrolled them in school out there and tried to figure out our lives out there, but I was lucky enough to leave them here at home.

 

Moderator     If your kids showed an interest in the entertainment industry, would you encourage them to follow in your footsteps?

M. J. Hart    Mason, the oldest one, he’s starting to.  But first of all, I don’t have the time to be taking them to auditions and get photos done and get them a manager, all that nonsense that goes along with it, but if they should show an interest in it, absolutely.  I’ll put them in music classes.  I’ll send them to acting camp in the summer.

 

Catch “Melissa & Joey” on Wednesday nights (8/7c) on ABC Family! Second Season premiere is on May 30th!

 

PHILLIP PHILLIPS IS CROWNED THE “AMERICAN IDOL”

World Record 132 Million Votes Cast

 

Two-Hour Season Finale Featured Performances by

Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Neil Diamond and Chaka Khan;

Plus Special Duets by John Fogerty and Phillip Phillips;

Jennifer Holliday and Jessica Sanchez; Fantasia and Joshua Ledet;

Jordin Sparks and Hollie Cavanagh; Reba McEntire and Skylar Laine

 

Auditions for Season 12 Held This Summer in Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL;

Los Angeles, CA; Newark, NJ; New Orleans, LA; Oklahoma City, OK and San Antonio, TX

 

Visit www.americanidol.com for Season Finale Performances

 

The 11^th season of AMERICAN IDOL came to a sensational conclusion tonight as Phillip Phillips was crowned the winner during the live two-hour season finale on FOX. Phillips, 21, from Leesburg, GA, received the most of America’s world record-shattering 132 million votes – the highest number in the show’s history.

 

Phillips capped his coronation on Wednesday’s finale by singing “Home,” which is available for download exclusively on www.americanidol.com and iTunes.

 

The broadcast from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles featured performances by the reunited Top 12 finalists, as well as music superstars Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Neil Diamond and Chaka Khan. Also, in a series of special duets, John Fogerty joined Phillip Phillips; Jennifer Holliday sang with Jessica Sanchez; Season Three winner Fantasia performed with Joshua Ledet; Season Six winner Jordin Sparks accompanied Hollie Cavanagh; and Reba McEntire paired up with Skylar Laine.

 

On Tuesday night’s final performance show, Phillips and Sanchez each sang three songs. Phillips performed “Stand By Me,” “Movin’ Out” and “Home”; and Sanchez sang “I Have Nothing,” “The Prayer” and “Change Nothing.” Also, Jason Derulo performed “Undefeated” and Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery returned to IDOL to sing “Please Remember Me.”

 

Phillips is the 11^th finalist to win the coveted AMERICAN IDOL title and a record contract with 19 Recordings. He joins past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze and Scotty McCreery.

 

Audition cities and dates for AMERICAN IDOL Season 12 include Los Angeles, CA, on Thursday, June 7; San Antonio, TX, on Thursday, June 14; Charlotte, NC, on Tuesday, June 19; Newark, NJ, on Saturday, June 23; Chicago, IL, on Thursday, July 12; and Oklahoma City, OK, on Friday, July 20. Additional details will be announced on www.americanidol.com.

 

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of CKX, Inc. and FremantleMedia North America. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment, and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America; and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions.

 

See what happens after the confetti falls and the show ends, but the cameras keep rolling, as the IDOL winner is crowned. Visit www.americanidol.com for this exclusive insider’s view each week after the West Coast broadcast of the results show, as well as for exclusive videos, interviews, photos and special behind-the-scenes information.

 

THE HUNGER GAMES on Blu-ray, DVD, On Demand, and Digital Download on 8/18/12 at 12:01 A.M.

Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games Arrives On Blu-ray Disc, DVD, On Demand And Digital Download On August 18

Theatrical Release Approaching $400 Million At North American Box Office And $650 Million Worldwide

Midnight Launch Expected To Bring Back Lines of Avid Fans At Midnight Retail Events Nationwide

“We have a winner.”
– Rolling Stone

SANTA MONICA, CA, May 23, 2012 –Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games juggernaut will arrive on home entertainment at 12:01 A.M. on Saturday, August 18, as the first film in Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) The Hunger Games franchise, which has already grossed nearly $400 million at the North American box office and is approaching $650 million at the worldwide box office, debuts on 2-disc DVD (plus digital copy), 2-disc Blu-Ray (plus digital copy), VOD and digital download with three hours of previously unavailable bonus materials in the biggest home entertainment launch in Lionsgate’s history, the Company announced today.

The film, based on the New York Times best-selling novel from writer Suzanne Collins, achieved a remarkable four-week run as the #1 film at the North American theatrical box office where it has already grossed $392 million, ranking as the 14th highest-grossing film of all time, and it is approaching $650 million at the worldwide box office with an early June opening slated in China.

The 2-disc Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD arrive loaded with over three hours of extensive bonus materials including the comprehensive eight-part documentary, “The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games.” Other special features include a sit-down conversation with director Gary Ross as well as numerous featurettes that examine the global success of the books, the creation of the control room in the film and the filmmakers’ motivation behind creating new scenes that were not in the book plus much more. The Blu-ray Disc set contains an additional exclusive feature, “Preparing for the Games: A Director’s Process,” which looks at the progression of taking three key scenes from the book to the screen. The Hunger Games Blu-ray Disc and DVD is a must-have film that is hailed as “exciting and thought-provoking in a way few adventure dramas ever are” (New York Daily News). Fans will be able to pre-order the Blu-ray Disc and DVD, starting on Friday, May 25th, for $39.99 and $30.98, respectively.

“The motion picture event of the year is poised to become the home entertainment event of the year and, with a midnight launch and midnight retail events scheduled at stores around the country, we expect to replicate the same level of consumer excitement generated by the film’s theatrical debut,” said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate Executive Vice President & General Manager, Home Entertainment. “This is far and away the biggest home entertainment launch in Lionsgate’s history and, true to a theatrical marketing campaign that incorporated an unprecedented reliance on digital and traditional media alike, our home entertainment launch will involve a similarly innovative and integrated digital and packaged media rollout that we will unveil in the weeks ahead.”

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Gary Ross (Seabiscuit), The Hunger Games, starring Academy Award® nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), features an ensemble cast that includes Golden Globe® winner Donald Sutherland (Citizen X), Academy Award® nominee Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones), Academy Award® nominee Woody Harrelson (The People vs. Larry Flynt), Lenny Kravitz (Precious) and Emmy® nominee Elizabeth Banks (TV’s “30 Rock”). The film also stars some of the industry’s brightest up and coming actors such as Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) and Liam Hemsworth (The Expendables 2).

The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy of books published by Scholastic that has already become a literary phenomenon with over 36.5 million copies in circulation. Set in the future, one male and one female from each of the twelve districts of the nation is forced to participate in the annual competition called The Hunger Games, which is broadcast live throughout the country for the entertainment of the Capitol’s wealthy residents. Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) volunteers in her younger sister’s place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she’s pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

BLU-RAY & DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*
* “The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games” – an eight-part documentary covering the “making of” the film in all aspects from the pre-production process all the way through the theatrical release and fan reactions
* “Game Maker: Suzanne Collins and The Hunger Games Phenomenom” featurette
* “Letters from the Rose Garden” featurette – insights from Donald Sutherland on the development of his role as President Snow
* “Controlling the Games” featurette – stories and concepts behind creating the control center
* “A Conversation with Gary Ross and Elvis Mitchell”
* Propaganda Film (in its entirety)
* Marketing Archive
* “Preparing for The Games: A Director’s Process” (Blu-ray Exclusive)
* Subject to change
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2012
Title Copyright: © 2012 Lionsgate Films Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images- all involving teens
Genre: Action/Adventure
Blu-ray Closed Captioned: English SDH
DVD Closed Captioned: English
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Blu-ray Format: 1080P High Definition 16×9 Widescreen (2.40:1)
DVD Format: 16×9 Widescreen (2.40:1)
Feature Running Time: 142 minutes
Blu-ray Audio Status: English 7.1 DTS HD-MA, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late Night Listening and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
DVD Audio Status: English 5.1 Dolby Digital EX, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late Night Listening and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

To experience The Hunger Games online, please visit:
Official Website: http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/
Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/thehungergamesmovie
Official Twitter Page: @TheHungerGames #HungerGamesDVD

ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of primetime cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 16 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning “Mad Men,” “Weeds” and “Nurse Jackie,” along with the powerful drama “Boss,” the new network series “Nashville” and “Next Caller,” the syndication successes “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne,” its spinoff “Meet the Browns,” “The Wendy Williams Show” and “Are We There Yet?” and the upcoming “Anger Management,” starring Charlie Sheen, and “Orange Is The New Black,” an original series for Netflix.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first installment of “The Hunger Games” franchise, which has already grossed nearly $650 million at the worldwide box office, “The Expendables,” “The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Cabin In The Woods,” “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family” and “Margin Call.” With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company now has the two leading young adult franchises – the blockbuster “Twilight Saga,” which has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and “The Hunger Games.” Recent Summit hits include “Red,” “Letters to Juliet,” “Knowing,” the “Step Up” franchise and the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, “The Hurt Locker.”

Lionsgate’s home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

 

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON “THE PRICE IS RIGHT”, TEENS AGES 15-18 AND THEIR PARENTS WILL PLAY EVERY GAME FOR A CAR, WHILE SINGER/SONGWRITER KATE VOEGELE HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFE DRIVING, MONDAY, MAY 28 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

For the first time ever, THE PRICE IS RIGHT, with host Drew Carey, welcomes teenagers ages 15 – 18 to be contestants with their parents, Monday, May 28 (11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ET; 10:00-11:00 AM, PT) on the CBS Television Network.  Each teenager and his or her parent will compete as a team and, in another first for the show, will have a chance to win a car in every game played.  To highlight the importance of safe driving, singer/songwriter Kate Voegele (“One Tree Hill”), spokesperson for Ford Driving Skills for Life, will also award the showcase winner a bonus prize of a Driving Skills for Life event at their high school, which includes behind the wheel training, safety presentations with professional drivers, and a special school concert performed by Voegele.

 

THE PRICE IS RIGHT, the longest-running game show in television history, is hosted by Drew Carey.  Produced by FremantleMedia North America, THE PRICE IS RIGHT is broadcast weekdays (11:00 AM-12:00 Noon, ET; 10:00-11:00 AM, PT) on the CBS Television Network.  The show premiered on CBS, on September 4, 1972, and is currently celebrating its 40th season on the air.

 

Website: http://www.cbs.com/daytime/the_price_is_right/

 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ThePriceIsRightCBS

 

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/search/TPIR

 

 

CBS Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CBSTweet

 

Follow Drew Carey on Twitter @DrewFromTV and @TPIRhost

 

PHILLIP PHILLIPS AND JESSICA SANCHEZ TO COMPETE FOR “AMERICAN IDOL” CROWN TUESDAY, MAY 22, ON FOX

JOSHUA LEDET IS ELIMINATED FROM THE COMPETITION

 

Winner Announced on Two-Hour Season Finale Event

Wednesday, May 23

 

Auditions for Season 12 Will Be Held Throughout the Summer;

First Cities Include Los Angeles, CA; Newark, NJ; and Chicago, IL

 

Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez are AMERICAN IDOL’s Top Two finalists. After a season-high of nearly 90 million votes, host Ryan Seacrest announced that Joshua Ledet received the fewest number of votes and was eliminated from the competition.

“I’m just a normal guy who loves to play music,” said Phillips. “I just happened to get lucky and I’m so blessed by it. I’m so excited.

“Being in the position I’m in now is more than I could have ever asked for,” added Sanchez. “I’ve been looking forward to auditioning for AMERICAN IDOL ever since the first season. And now, the first season that I’m eligible, I’ve made it to the Top Two! It’s crazy what you can do when you put your mind and heart to it! I don’t know what could be better than this.”

Next week’s final performance show promises to be a night to remember as Phillip and Jessica battle it out at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE Tuesday, May 22 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

Tune in the following night for the biggest television event of the season and the momentous Season 11 grand finale on Wednesday, May 23 (8:00-10:07 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). The finale will feature special performances by superstar Rihanna, Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery and other surprise guests, as well as a Top 12 reunion before America’s vote is revealed.

 

Audition cities and dates for AMERICAN IDOL Season 12 include Los Angeles, CA, on Thursday, June 7; Newark, NJ, on Saturday, June 23; and Chicago, IL, on Thursday, July 12. Additional cities, dates and details will be announced on www.americanidol.com

It’s Phillip vs. Jessica for the title of AMERICAN IDOL!

Phillip Phillips Hometown: Leesburg, GA Age: 21 Keep up with Phillip at: www.twitter.com/PPhillipsAI11 www.facebook.com/PPhillipsAI11

VS.

Jessica Sanchez Hometown: San Diego, CA Age: 16 Keep up with Jessica at: www.twitter.com/JSanchezAI11 www.facebook.com/JSanchezAI11

 

On tonight’s results show, Lisa Marie Presley performed “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” from her new album “Storm & Grace,” and Season Eight runner-up Adam Lambert performed his new song, “Never Close Our Eyes.”

“Like” AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #Idol. Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest at @RyanSeacrest, and follow the judges: @yo_randyjackson; @JLo; and @iamstevent.

AMERICAN IDOL is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of CKX, Inc. and FremantleMedia North America. The series is created and executive-produced by Simon Fuller, CEO, XIX Entertainment, and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America; and Nigel Lythgoe, CEO, Nigel Lythgoe Productions.

See what happens every Thursday when the show ends, but the cameras keep rolling, as the eliminated finalist says an emotional goodbye and exits the IDOL stage. Visit www.americanidol.com for this exclusive insider’s view each week after the West Coast broadcast of the results show, as well as for exclusive videos, interviews, photos and special behind-the-scenes information.

 

CONAN O’BRIEN TALKS CANDIDLY ABOUT LEAVING “THE TONIGHT SHOW” IN 2010 WHEN THE LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST VISITS CBS’ “LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN”, THURSDAY, MAY 17

In his first LATE SHOW appearance in 13 years, late night talk show host Conan O’Brien speaks candidly about Jay Leno and about leaving “The Tonight Show” when he visits the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Thursday, May 17.

After O’Brien went out on stage and sat down in the guest chair next to Letterman, the two sat there in a funny, awkward silence for a minute or two, and Letterman said, “I think the longer we just sit here, the more uncomfortable it will make Jay.”  “You know Jay’s watching right now,” O’Brien said.  “You know he’s…he’s getting a live feed in a satellite truck right now.  He’s watching every second…”  Then, O’Brien imitated Jay Leno’s voice and said as Leno, ‘Dave looks unhappy.  He’s gonna pack it in soon.’”

 

“I – and forgive me for making this all about me, but that’s kind of what I do – I was delighted by everything that happened, except you losing your job,” Letterman said, referring to the controversy that erupted when O’Brien stepped down as host of ‘The Tonight Show’ in January 2010.  “I will tell you,” O’Brien said, “and this is honest.  The only consolation I took during that period was that you were happy…”   “What a humanitarian,” Letterman laughed.  O’Brien then joked, “…I did, I felt this is, uh, sometimes Dave seems a tad unhappy in his life, and if this is bringing you some measure of joy, then to hell with my career, you know?”  Letterman later said, “And, you know, I refer to that period as ‘The Golden Age of Television,’ really.”  “The period when I lost ‘The Tonight Show,’ that brief week and a half period, for you, is the golden age of broadcasting?” O’Brien laughed.  O’Brien’s entire interview can be seen on the LATE SHOW tonight (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

 

The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN is a production of Worldwide Pants Incorporated.  Barbara Gaines, Matt Roberts, Jude Brennan, Eric Stangel, Justin Stangel and Rob Burnett are the executive producers.

 

RATING: TV-PG (Rating may change on day of broadcast due to specific subject matter.)

 

Official CBS Web site:  http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/

 

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Letterman

 

Twitter:  http://twitter/#!/Late_Show

 

CBS Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CBSTweet

 

 

‘LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON’ LISTINGS (May 16-24, 2012)

Wednesday, May 16 Guests include Taylor Kitsch, Tony Hale and Joe Machi. Show 0638

**Thursday, May 17 Guests include Arsenio Hall, Maggie Q and musical guest Paul Weller. Show 0639

Friday, May 18 Guests include Tom Selleck, Krysten Ritter and musical guest Garbage. Show 0640

Monday, May 21 Guests include John Lithgow, Miranda Cosgrove and musical guest Slash. Show 0641

Tuesday, May 22 Guests include Anderson Cooper, John Mayer and musical guest The Afghan Whigs. John Mayer sits in with The Roots. Show 0642

Wednesday, May 23 Guests include Edie Falco and Penn & Teller. Show 0643

Thursday, May 24 Guests include Will Smith, Bill Paxton and musical guest Ronnie Dunn. Stone Gossard and Shawn Smith sit in with The Roots. Show 0644.

Friday, May 25 Guests include Bill Hader, Kareem Adbul Jabbar, Joshua Topolsky and musical guest Lambchop. Show 0645

These listings are subject to change.

**denotes changes or additions

 

Q&A Interview with Bruce Greenwood of “The River” (for the DVD release of “The River – The Complete First Season”) (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)

The horror/drama series known as “The River” is coming out on DVD via “The River – The Complete First Season”.

“The River” was created by horror filmmaker/writer Oren Peli (“Paranormal Activity” films, “Chernobyl Diaries”, “Area 51″),veteran TV writer Michael R. Perry (“Millennium”, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, “The Guardian”) and veteran TV writer Michael Green (“Smallville”, “Heroes”, “Everwood”, “Green Lantern”).  The series also features Steven Spielberg as the executive producer.

With the upcoming DVD release of “The River – The Complete First Season”, J!-ENT will be featuring Q&A with the several cast members of “The River”.

We kick things off with actor Bruce Greenwood, who plays the character role of the famous explorer Dr. Emmet Cole.

Bruce Greenwood has appeared in many films including “Star Trek”, “i, Robot”, “Deja Vu” and “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”.  His voice can also be heard as Batman/Bruce Wayne on the animated series “Young Justice” and the video “Batman: Under the Red Hood” and the video game “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3″ as the Overlord.

In “The River”, Greenwood plays the role of the famous explorer Dr. Emmet Cole, who has gone missing on an expedition.   His disappearance has been a mystery but after six months since his disappearance, an emergency beacon has gone off.   This prompts his wife, son and a television crew to go to the Amazon jungle to find out what had happened to him and find out if he’s dead or alive.

Through this media Q&A we learn of how Bruce Greenwood got the role and the research he done in playing the role of Dr. Cole plus his feeling of filming the series in Hawaii.

Why did you decide to sign up for the role of Dr. Emmet Cole in The River?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  I signed up for The River because the character of Dr. Emmet Cole was very different from anything I’ve played before. I play a lot of guys in suits, but this character was something new. It’s nice to play a man who is not a ‘cat in a suit’ with a hidden agenda.

 

Did you base your portrayal of Dr. Emmet Cole on any wildlife experts or conservationists in particular?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  No, not really. I watched a lot of nature shows as a kid, so I had an idea in my mind about who I wanted Cole to be. However, my portrayal of this character isn’t based on anyone in particular.

 

Did you research the animals and environments that your character is familiar with?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  With this show, you never know what you’re going to get handed on any given episode. Cole goes from knowing a great deal about the animals, the flora and fauna of the area to discovering more about the legends of the region, which is something he isn’t too familiar with.

 

Dr. Emmet Cole clearly has a passion for animals, but are you naturally good with them?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  I am good with animals. In fact, I really like animals. I can calm them and they calm me. Do I have any pets? It’s a constant source of anguish for me, but I travel so much that I don’t have any animals at home. It’s a shame because I’d love to have pets. I just can’t right now.

 

The show’s pilot was filmed in Puerto Rico, but the rest of the series was shot in Hawaii. What were the major differences between the two locations?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  Practically speaking, Puerto Rico is much further away in terms of time zones and mileage when you’re trying to run a show from Hollywood. In Puerto Rico, there was food that I’ve never had before, which was really interesting, but it made sense to shoot from Hawaii on a whole lot of levels, especially when a lot of your team hails from the West Coast.

 

Did you move to Hawaii when the show was filmed there?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  I got to Hawaii in August 2011. I took off my shoes and socks, and I didn’t wear them again until November. It was awesome. My wife and I were looking at each other saying: “Wow, Hawaii!” And now we’re home again, my wife is now saying: “We could go back there for a while you know.”

 

The characters searching for Cole in the show find lots of old videos of him along the way. What was it like to film those short and often chilling pieces?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  It was a completely new experience for me, especially as I had to hold the camera for many of the shots. We used all kinds of cameras, from big ones to little video cams, and sometimes it’s even strapped to our arms. All of the actors on The River get to shoot a little with the handheld cameras, which is really fun. It’s intense to try and balance what you have to do emotionally with what you have to do practically and logistically with the camera, though.

 

How does that affect your performance?

BRUCE GREENWOOD:  There’s a little more juggling involved than you’re used to. However, once you get the rhythm down, you can operate the camera and you can have part of your brain go: ‘I want to frame this is in a wonky way.’ You want to frame everything so it doesn’t feel perfect, but you also don’t want to be shooting right up your nose.

 

The River has a very international, diverse cast with actors from Germany, Mexico, Canada and Britain. Does that make it a different filming experience?

BRUCE GREENWOOD: Yes, because everybody comes with a little bit of his or her culture to the set. It’s a really great mix and they’re all wonderful people too. We’ve had a blast shooting the show.

 

How often do you get to work with the rest of the cast, especially as your character is lost and everyone his hunting for him?

BRUCE GREENWOOD: I’m not sure how much I want to give away by answering this question. For the first few episodes, I was definitely alone – but as I worked on the flashback scenes, I had the experience of working with the cast. Ultimately, we ended up working quite a bit together – but you’re going to have to watch the show if you want to know exactly what happens.

 

What tempted you to consider a TV series when you usually work on movies?

BRUCE GREENWOOD: If I’m told it’s a TV script, I usually say: “I’m busy. I’m busy. I’m canoeing.” But I talked to series creator Michael R. Perry and he talked to me thematically. The big themes that we’re trying to explore ultimately through the course of this series are things that I find really interesting. There are really large, classical themes like life and death, and what it means to be here. Is there a collective unconscious? There’s also a big father-son component to the arc of my character and Joe Anderson’s character – and those hold a special interest for me. Overall, it reached out to a lot of the things that I find really interesting. And then you get to work and you realize you’re making a scary show and it’s very different. It’s been a wonderful experience.

 

“The River – The Complete First Season” will be released on DVD on May 22nd.

Images courtesy of ABC Studios.

(Note: The Q&A’s were conducted before the recent announcement that ABC had canceled the series.)

 

CBS.COM/SCOTLAND LAUNCHES TODAY IN SUPPORT OF “THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON IN SCOTLAND”, WITH A FREE SONG DOWNLOAD, SCOTLAND VACATION SWEEPSTAKES AND “GEOFF’S JOURNAL”

LOS ANGELES, May 11, 2012 – Today, CBS Interactive launched a special section – CBS.com/Scotland – in support of THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON in SCOTLAND.  This section features a free song download from Scottish band The Imagineers, a sweepstakes to win a vacation to Scotland and exclusive show content from the Scotland episodes airing Monday, May 14 – Friday, May 18 (12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

 

In honor of Craig Ferguson’s roots in the Glasgow music scene, local Glasgow band The Imagineers will be featured throughout THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON in SCOTLAND. The band’s rendition of the theme song for THE LATE LATE SHOW is available as a free audio download* from Friday, May 11 – Sunday, May 20 on CBS.com/Scotland.

 

CBS.com/Scotland is offering viewers an opportunity to replicate the LATE LATE SHOW’s visit to Scotland with a sweepstakes to win** a vacation for two to Scotland courtesy of VisitScotland. The six day/five night trip includes airfare to Scotland, accommodations at Malmaison luxury hotels for stays in Glasgow and Edinburgh; plus tours of Edinburgh Castle, The Scotch Whiskey Experience and Loch Ness & Inverness Highland, among other activities. This sweepstakes takes place Friday, May 11 – Thursday, May 31.

 

Also, CBS.com/Scotland will roll out a series of videos titled “Geoff’s Journal” featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes reports from Ferguson’s robot skeleton sidekick in Scotland.

 

THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON in SCOTLAND is executive produced by Peter Lassally, produced by Michael Naidus and is a co-production between Worldwide Pants and STV. STV is Scotland’s most popular peak time TV station, and reaches over 4 million viewers each month.

 

Website: http://www.cbs.com/shows/late_late_show/

 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheLateLateShowwithCraigFerguson

 

Twitter: #LateLateShow

 

Host on Twitter:

Craig Ferguson  @CraigyFerg

 

CBS Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CBSTweet

 

 

*  *  *

*MSG&Data rates may apply.

 

**NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A purchase will not increase your chances of winning. You have not yet won. Open to legal resident of the U.S. at least 18 or age of majority whichever is older in state of residence at date of entry into sweepstakes. Void in Puerto Rico, all US Territories and where prohibited by law. Sweepstakes ends at noon 5/31/12. See rules for detail at cbs.com/Scotland.

 

LISTINGS: BRAVO’S “WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE”

“WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE” LISTINGS

MAY, 2012

DARK – Week of Sunday, May 13^th

Sunday, May 20^th at 11:00pm ET/PT Kathy Wakile and Rosie Pierri Show 683**

Monday, May 21^st at 11:00pm ET/PT Jerry Seinfeld and Matthew Broderick Show 684**

Tuesday, May 22^nd at 11:00pm ET/PT Dr. Oz and Heather Dubrow Show 685

Wednesday, May 23^rd at 11:00pmET/PT Dan Rather 686**

Thursday, May 24^th at 11:00pm ET/PT Beth Ditto and Adam Lambert Show 687**

Sunday, May 27^th – DARK

Monday, May 21^st – DARK

Tuesday, May 29^th at 11:00pm ET/PT Margaret Cho and Rosie Pope Show 688**

Wednesday, May 30^th at 11:00pmET/PT Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields 689**

Thursday, May 31^st at 11:00pm ET/PT TBD Show 690**

Sunday, May 20^th at 11:00pm ET/PT Kathy Wakile and Rosie Pierri Show 683**

Monday, May 21^st at 11:00pm ET/PT Jerry Seinfeld and Matthew Broderick Show 684**

Tuesday, May 22^nd at 11:00pm ET/PT Dr. Oz and Heather Dubrow Show 685

Wednesday, May 23^rd at 11:00pmET/PT Dan Rather 686**

Thursday, May 24^th at 11:00pm ET/PT Beth Ditto and Adam Lambert Show 687**

JUNE, 2012

DARK – Week of Sunday, June 3^rd – Thursday, June 7^th

DARK – Week of Sunday, 10^th – Thursday, June 14^th

**denotes changes or additions

 

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