Christian Borle on the ‘Smash’ Season Finale, What to Expect in Season 2 and ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’

The season finale of Smash is tonight and while I’m an episode behind – shhh, don’t tell me what happens – I’m still 100% in the camp for the show. That being said, I do hate when they break out in song at places other than a theater, performance space or when they daydream. Like that time when Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katherine McPhee) suddenly started singing in the middle of Times Square? Yeah, that’s awful. Please stop that. 

The good news is that it might now it has a new showrunner. Christian Borle, who plays Tom on the series, talked with the LA Times about next season and what might be in store for the show.

“I just met [new show-runner] Josh Safran for the first time last week and kind of heard what was on the docket, and it’s going to be a totally different … show. The show is almost getting rebooted,” he said.

He went on to say that he thinks in season 2, the show will “delve more into the process of the creation and what the writing partnership is, the nuts and bolts of that room. We looked at it briefly in Season 1 but didn’t really; it was kind of, in a way, a shorthand to get us to the next event.” Read more

Biography: Judy Greer

Judy Greer consistently captivates both critics and audiences with her engaging performances. She is one of the most prolific actresses of her time, appearing in 80 roles to date across film and television.

Greer can most recently be seen in Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants” opposite George Clooney.  The Academy Award^®-nominated film centers around attorney Matt King (Clooney), who learns, after his wife suffers a boating accident and winds up in a coma, that she’d been having an affair with local real estate broker Brian Speer (Matthew Lillard). When Matt and his daughters travel to the neighboring island of Kauai to confront Speer, they also meet the broker’s affable wife, a role “indelibly etched” by Greer, according to Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter.  Greer has received critical acclaim for her supporting role in the film, garnering solo nominations from both the Satellite Awards and the Denver Film Critics Society, in addition to being nominated as part of the ensemble cast for a Gotham Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice Award.

Following “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” Greer will be seen in screenwriter Robbie Fox’s “Playing the Field,” for director Gabriele Muccino, opposite Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Dennis Quaid and Catherine Zeta Jones.  In the comedy, which follows former professional athlete George (Butler) after he agrees to coach his son’s soccer team, only to find himself fending off the romantic advances of his players’ mothers, Greer stars as recent divorcee Barb, one of George’s’ many pursuers.  FilmDistrict will release the film December 25, 2012. Read more

Biography: Jason Segel

Jason Segel landed his first major picture starring role as Peter in Universal Pictures’ “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” which he also wrote.  Produced by Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson, and directed by Nicholas Stoller, the 2008 release went to make over $100 million worldwide and transformed Segel into one of Hollywood’s most sought-after writers. 

Because of the “Dracula” musical puppet sequence that ended the film – Jason’s personal idea and passion project – he was emboldened to pitch his own concept for a Muppets movie.  Consequently, he, along with Stoller, signed on with Disney to write and direct the 2011 Thanksgiving release “The Muppets,” which went on to make over $150 million worldwide and garner some of the best reviews of the year.  The film won an Academy Award® for Best Original Song for “Man or Muppet,” written by Bret McKenzie and performed by Jason Segel.

In June 2007, Segel was asked by Apatow to join stars Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann in the successful comedy “Knocked Up,” which grossed over $140 million dollars domestically and won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie Comedy.  In 2009, Segel rejoined Rudd in Paramount’s “I Love You, Man” for writer/director/producer John Hamburg (“Meet the Parents”); the film grossed $78.9 million worldwide.

Re-collaborating with Stoller in 2010, Segel wrote and co-produced the film “Get Him to the Greek,” where Jonah Hill and Russell Brand reunited as co-stars in a spin-off of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”  The film grossed $88.3 million worldwide and won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Comedy.  In 2011 Segel joined Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake as co-star in the comedy film “Bad Teacher,” which has gone on to make over $200 million worldwide. Read more

Q&A: Nate Corddry and Karen Olivo Talk ‘Harry’s Law’

Nate Corddry and Karen Olivo, two of the stars of NBC’s Harry’s Law recently got together to talk about the show and how much they love working with series star, Kathy Bates.

Olivo plays Cassie Reynolds and since she’s new to series TV, she told me that said that Bates is “always willing to go in any direction that I’m ready to go in just to help me out.”

She starred as Anita in the acclaimed Broadway revival of West Side Story which won her the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. She made her Broadway debut in Jonathan Larson‘s Rent and also originated the role of Vanessa in both the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of the Tony Award-winning musical, In the Heights.

Corddry started his career on The Daily Show with John Stewart and after leaving that show was soon cast as a series regular on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, created and produced by Aaron Sorkin. He’s also appeared in the feature films as The Invention of Lying with Ricky Gervais and The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler.

In this Q & A, the two talk about Bates, their characters and the biggest challenges of working on the show.

Harry’s Law airs on Sundays at 8/7c on NBC Read more

PaleyFest 2012: ‘New Girl’ To Feature More Guest Stars and Zooey Deschanel Promises Nudity: “And by nudity, I mean dialogue”

The cast and creative team behind FOX’s hit comedy New Girl gathered Monday night at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills as part of PaleyFest (the William S. Paley Television Festival) that is in its 29^th year of celebrating television. 

A brand new episode, “Injured,” was aired for the audience — which airs tonight —and the cast was more than happy to answer questions about their work on the show. 

Zooey Deschanel, said she had no problem switching from film to television roles.  She said, “I connected to the character…and there’s good material in television.”

The panel, which was moderated by TV Guide’s Rob Moynihan, also featured actors Jake Johnson (Nick), Lamorne Morris (Winston), Max Greenfield (Schmidt), and Hannah Simone (Cece).  The executive producers Katherine Pope, Jake Kasdan, Brett Bayer, and Dave Finkel were also on hand.  Many of the questions were directed towards the creator/writer of the show, Elizabeth Meriwether, who sounds and acts a lot like Deschanel’s character, Jess. Read more

Biography: Malin Ackerman

Malin Ackerman, who was named one of Variety’s “10 Actors to Watch” in 2007, has since been tearing up Hollywood with her beauty, charisma and moxie.  The Swedish-Canadian actress, best known for her sharp comedic timing and cover-girl good looks, has also wowed audiences with her touching dramatic performances.

Akerman recently starred alongside Ryan Phillippe and Taylor Kitsch in Steven Silver’s The Bang Bang Club, a drama based on the true-life experiences of four combat photographers capturing the final days of South African apartheid. 

Akerman also appeared in The Romantics, directed by Galt Niederhoffer, and the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner Happythankyoumoreplease.  In The Romantics, Akerman shares the screen with co-stars Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Adam Brody and Elijah Wood.  She joined Kate Mara, Zoe Kazan and Josh Radnor in Radnor’s directorial-debut Happythankyoumoreplease.  As Annie, a woman struggling with alopecia, Akerman gives “one of the most genuine and heartfelt performances from this year” (Erik Davis, Fandango).  Read more

Raza Jaffrey talks ‘Smash’: “I did Bombay Dreams on stage in London, a year’s worth of auditions and workshops for that, there’s an awful lot of similarities”

“There’s an awful lot of truth to it, there really is,” Raza Jaffrey recently told The Wall Street Journal about the new musical series Smash. 

Jaffrey, who plays Katherine McPhee‘s very likeable on screen boyfriend, Dev Sundaram,  has plenty of experience when it comes to both Broadway and his latest role in the TV series that follows the glam, glitz, and the downfalls of working in theater.  “I did Bombay Dreams on stage in London, a year’s worth of auditions and workshops for that, there’s an awful lot of similarities to when a musical is starting. They’ve done a great job making that stuff accurate.” 

And since Broadway is at the core of Smash‘s storyline, it has to be believable.  “When I first got the script, a year or more ago, a lot of people in the industry were cynical, “Would this show be too niche?” “How would you draw out a story about a small set of people in the entertainment community?” “In the Broadway community?” It’s a small group. I think “Smash” is obviously an ode to New York and an ode to Broadway, but it is about bigger things and human relationships. Everyone knows what it’s like to strive for things and want things.” Read more

Full Casting Announced for the New Broadway Production of ‘Harvey’

The casting details have been finalized for the Roundabout Theatre Company’s new Broadway production of Harvey.

As has been previously announced, Jim Parsons will star as Elwood P. Dowd alongside Jessica Hecht (Veta Louise Simmons) and Charles Kimbrough (William R. Chumley, M.D.).

New additions are Larry Bryggman (Judge Omar Gaffney), Carol Kane (Betty Chumley), Peter Benson (E.J. Lofgren), Tracee Chimo (Myrtle Mae Simmons), Holley Fain (Ruth Kelly, R.N.), Angela Paton (Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet), Rich Sommer (Duane Wilson) and Morgan Spector (Lyman Sanderson, M.D.).

I played Sommer’s part – Duane Wilson – in my Elementary School’s production of Harvey. I was brilliant! A 12 year old playing the part of a 35-year-old male orderly. Acting! Read more

Filmography: Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried has established herself as one of Hollywood’s most captivating young leading actresses.

Seyfried is best known for her starring role in the Universal Pictures hit film Mamma Mia! Seyfried highlighted her vocal skills as ‘Sophie’ the daughter of ‘Donna’ (Meryl Streep). The film, directed by Phyllida Lloyd, was released in July 2008 and has grossed more than $600 million internationally.

Seyfried most recently starred opposite Justin Timberlake in New Regency’s sci-fi action thriller, In Time, from writer-director Andrew Niccol. The film, distributed by Twentieth Century Fox, revolves around a society in which aging stops at the age of 25 and where time has become the currency. The film was released on October 28, 2011.

Seyfried will next be seen in Lionsgate’s The Big Wedding, where she stars opposite Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton and Katherine Heigl. The movie is directed by Justin Zackham (The Bucket List). The movie will be released on October 19, 2012.

Seyfried is currently in production on Millennium Films’ Lovelace, a drama directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The film tells the story of Linda Lovelace (Seyfried), the world’s first adult film star, who is abused by the industry and by her coercive husband, before fighting back and taking control of her life. Millennium Films will release the film in 2012. Read more

Katherine Heigl on Returning to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: “I’m down with it if they want me to”

Since leaving Grey’s Anatomy two years ago, Katherine Heigl has certainly kept busy with her film career. However, on Monday’s installment on daytime talk show The View, the 33-year-old actress admitted to missing being a part of ABC’s hit medical drama.

“I miss my friends,” Heigl told co-host Barbara Walters. “It was a great work environment in that we all got along really well, and it becomes a family. I spent six years with these people every day. We grew up in a way.”

Heigl left Grey’s Anatomy in January 2010 in order to focus on her family and her budding film career. Since then, she’s starred in box-office hits like New Year’s Eve and Killers, and her latest, action comedy One for the Money, arrives in theaters this Friday, January 27. Still, she says she would be opening to reprising her role of Dr. Izzie Stevens on Grey’s, which is currently in the middle of its eighth season.  Read more

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