Interview with Megan Best of “Confessions of a Cam Girl” on Lifetime by Suzanne 1/23/24
It was lovely to speak to Megan. You may know her from “The Watchful Eye” last year on Freeform, where she played the meeker of the two sisters, Darcy. She’s playing a very different character here. She does very well as a young woman who thinks she knows what she wants and goes after it, even though she may be risking her life or reputation. It’s an exciting Lifetime drama, so you don’t want to miss it, Saturday, 1/27/24, 8/7c.
Inspired by real stories, Confessions of a Cam Girl follows the eighteen-year-old fashion savant Kristen (Megan Best, Dawn) who is set to become the first in her family to graduate college. Her working-class parents are furious when she reveals a plan to attend fashion school instead of college. Her parents refuse to use her college fund for her farfetched dream. Determined to pay for it herself, Kristen secretly creates an online explicit content page to raise $10,000 for dream program. Confident that she can keep her side hustle under wraps, Kristenâs secret unravels and threatens not just her future, but the safety of her family as well.
Confessions of a Cam Girl is produced by Sepia Films for Lifetime. Sheri Singer serves as executive producer. Siobhan Devine directs from a script written by Miriam van Emst.
Interview with creator Rebecca Cutter, and actors Atkins Estimond & Dohn Norwood in “Hightown” on Starz by Suzanne 1/18/24
This is an action-packed drama with exciting characters. The new season starts January 26th. It was great to speak with the creator, Rebecca Cutter, and two of the actors who play such interesting people. I didn’t have a lot of time with them, but it was fun.
âHightownâ â Season 3 â Debuting Friday, January 26
Fishery Service Agent Jackie Quiñones is off the wagon and off the force in the final season of âHightown,â but that doesnât stop her from careening into the dark underbelly of picture-perfect Cape Cod to save a missing woman and a murdered sex worker. Meanwhile, her former colleagues Ray Abruzzo and Alan Saintille are focused on taking down drug syndicates, but despite their best efforts, the drugs keep flowing. This attracts Shane Frawley, a gangster from Boston looking to cut himself in on the Cape’s drug trade – and making an enemy of Osito while he’s at it. Alliances are made and old loyalties are questioned in this beautiful but corrupt place where nothing is as it seems.
Monica Raymund (âChicago Fire,â âThe Good Wifeâ), James Badge Dale (â24,â The Departed), Riley Voelkel (âRoswell, New Mexico,â âThe Originalsâ), Amaury Nolasco (âPrison Break,â âDeceptionâ), Atkins Estimond (âThe Resident,â âLodge 49â) and Dohn Norwood (âMindhunter,â âThe Sinnerâ) return in their previous roles. Imani Lewis (Eighth Grade, âFirst Killâ) Mark Boone Junior (âSons of Anarchy,â âParadise Cityâ) and Mike Pnniewski (âMadam Secretaryâ) return in recurring roles while Ana Nogueira (âThe Vampire Diariesâ), Taja V. Simpson (âThe Ovalâ), Michael Drayer (âMr. Robot,â âSneaky Peteâ), Garret Dillahunt (12 Years a Slave, âDeadwoodâ), and Jeanine Serralles (Inside Llewyn Davis, The Woman in the Window) all guest star.
Interview with Diego Tinoco of the film “Bad Hombres” by Suzanne 1/17/24
I enjoyed watching this movie, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t exceedingly violent nor gory, and it wasn’t depressing or sad. There was a lot of humor in it, as well. Diego is a remarkable young man, who plays Felix, the main protagonist of the film, even though he’s surrounded by much bigger stars (such as Luke Hemsworth) and other interesting characters. I think we’ll see even bigger things from Diego in the future. I hope you can enjoy this movie, which premieres today in theaters and On Demand, and is on VOD tomorrow.
BADÂ HOMBRESÂ | Crime Thriller Starring Tyrese Gibson, Luke Hemsworth, & Diego Tinoco | In Theaters and On Demand 1/26
BADÂ HOMBRES
Crime Thriller Starring Thomas Jane, Tyrese Gibson, Luke Hemsworth, & Diego Tinoco
In Theaters & On Demand January 26, 2024 Available on DVD March 12, 2024
*Grand Jury Award – Mammoth Film Festival 2023*
*Achievement in Screenwriting – Mammoth Film Festival 2023*
Directed by John Stahlberg Jr. (Crypto, Muzzle)
Written by Rex New, Nick Turner, Story by John Stahlberg Jr.
Produced by John Stahlberg Jr., David Frigerio, Scott Macfarland, Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell
Starring: Luke Hemsworth (âWestworldâ) Thomas Jane (The Punisher) Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off) Tyrese Gibson (The Fast and The Furious) Diego Tinoco (âOn My Blockâ) Hemky Madera (âQueen of the Southâ)
and Paul Johansson (âOne Tree Hillâ)
Two undocumented immigrants who take a job digging a hole then learn their employers are criminals. They become embroiled in a blood bath with one revealing a secret past that might save them.
Interview with Lacretta of “Night Court” on NBC by Suzanne 1/16/24
I was very pleased to speak with this actress. I never miss an episode of the show and love all of the characters. It’s gotten even funnier in the second season, IMHO.
MORE INFO:
Lacretta
Donna âGurgsâ Gurganous, âNight Courtâ
Lacretta stars as Donna âGurgsâ Gurganous on the NBC comedy âNight Court.â
Born and raised in Kansas City, Mo., Lacretta made her stage debut at 14 at the Coterie Theater â an institution in which she holds great affection. It was there where she starred in numerous performances throughout the â90s, such as âA Wrinkle in Timeâ and â101 Dalmatians.â
In 2011, she appeared in âHairsprayâ at Broadway Rose in Portland. She then originated the role of Levora Verona in the Off-Broadway run of âDisaster!â in 2012 at the Triad in New York, and made her Broadway debut with the same role in 2016.
Following her on-stage success, Lacretta guest starred on âLaw & Order,â â30 Rock,â âBroad Cityâ and âGotham.â
In film, Lacretta appeared in the romantic comedy âSecond Actâ before making her return to the stage in âAvenue Qâ in the closing cast of their Off-Broadway run at New World Stages. She was also featured in the first national tour of âThe Book of Mormon.â
In her off time, Lacretta loves gaming and is very active on Twitch TV. In 2022, she helped announce the first Streamers for Education Scholarship for Black Women going into the fields of STEM, Digital Media and film. She is also an avid cook and often shares recipes from âCrettaâs Kitchenâ on her Instagram.
She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Night Court
New Season Coming Soon to NBC
The eternally optimistic Abby Stone follows in the footsteps of her revered late father, Judge Harry Stone, as she takes on the challenge of overseeing the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court.
Abby always sees the best in people and her passion for justice is undeniable. In her quest to bring order and dignity to the court and reign in its colorful crew of oddballs, she enlists former night court district attorney Dan Fielding to serve as the courtâs public defender. Still exceedingly self-confident, Fielding must adjust to a new boss and a new job â defending the downtrodden. And, beneath his arrogant demeanor, there is an empathetic side to Fielding that Abby is determined to unearth.
They both must contend with Olivia, the courtâs officious assistant district attorney. Driven and ambitious, she views the night court as a steppingstone on her way to bigger things. Neil is the courtâs neurotic clerk who loved that his job came with low expectations. That is until a new idealistic judge showed up looking to push him out of his comfort zone.
Rounding out the staff is Donna âGurgsâ Gurganous, the night courtâs sharp-witted bailiff. Gurgs takes her job very seriously and is fiercely protective of her night court colleagues.
From executive producer and writer Dan Rubin (âUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidtâ), âNight Courtâ is based on the original hit series that ran for nine seasons on NBC. Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch executive produce through their After January Productions. Mona Garcea oversees for After January Productions and John Larroquette serves as a producer.
âNight Courtâ is produced by Rauchâs After January Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
It was really wonderful to speak with these actors once again, even though it may be the last time. I’m sad that the show is ending. They really packed a lot into each episode, though.
I do have to apologize a bit because I was having a very hectic week, so I didn’t prepare as well as I usually do, and this made nervous, so I was a little off my game. The cast and showrunner were excellent at answering some of my off-the-wall questions and comments, anyway.
Fellow journalist and friend Sammi Turano of TV Grapevine was in two of the roundtables and then had to leave. I hope you enjoy the interviews, and the show, which premieres tomorrow, Tuesday, January 9th on NBC!
Here’s a scene that we mentioned in two of the interviews, just FYI…
Video #1 with Eoin Macken, Zyra Gorecki & Nicholas Gonzalez
Video #2 with Eoin Macken, Zyra Gorecki and Nicholas Gonzalez
Season 3 Premiere January 9 on NBC (9-10pm ET/PT). Streaming next day on Peacock.
âLa Breaâ follows an epic family adventure after a massive sinkhole opens in Los Angeles pulling people and buildings into a mysterious and dangerous primeval land where they have no choice but to band together to survive.
Creator/Showrunner David Appelbaum executive produces with Chris Hollier, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Avi Nir, and Alon Shtruzman,
âLa Breaâ is produced by Universal Television and Australiaâs Matchbox Pictures, both divisions of Universal Studio Group in association with Keshet Studios.
Interview with Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos and Maria Sten of “Reacher” on Prime Video by Suzanne 12/12/23
“Reacher” season two is even better, in my opinion, than season one, and the cast additions are part of the reason. Swan and Sipos are talented and able to handle action, drama and comedy equally with no obvious effort (as they’ve proven many times). I believe the writing is also better, and it has a lot more humor than season one. Sipos’ character is wise-cracking, but he’s certainly not the only one that has funny lines. Of course, you know with this kind of show that they try to put in humor to balance out the serious drama (and tragedy). I enjoyed speaking to these three actors. Swan was so great in “The Inhumans” and “Coroner,” and Sipos has been in many fine shows that I love, such as “Krypton,” “Dark Matter” and “The Vampire Diaries.” This was a roundtable, so there were other journalists. I was only able to ask one question, unfortunately. Watch the new season now!
Reacher Season Two begins when veteran military police investigator Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) receives a coded message that the members of his former U.S. Army unit, the 110th MP Special Investigations, are being mysteriously and brutally murdered one by one. Pulled from his drifter lifestyle, Reacher reunites with three of his former teammates turned chosen family to investigate, including Frances Neagley (Maria Sten); Karla Dixon (Serinda Swan), a forensic accountant for whom Reacher has long had a soft spot; and fast-talking, switchblade-wielding family man David OâDonnell (Shaun Sipos). Together, they begin to connect the dots in a mystery where the stakes get higher at every turn, and brings about questions of who has betrayed themâand who will die next. Using his inimitable blend of smarts and size, Reacher will stop at nothing to uncover the truth and protect the members of his unit. If thereâs one thing Reacher and his team know for certain, itâs that you do not mess with the Special Investigators. This season, get ready for Reacher and the 110th to hit back hard.
Based on Bad Luck and Trouble, the 11th book in Lee Childâs global best-selling series, Reacher Season Two stars Alan Ritchson in the title role of Jack Reacher, with Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, and Shaun Sipos as key members of the 110th MP Special Investigations Unit. Rounding out the cast are Ferdinand Kingsley as A.M., a mercenary that homeland security refers to as a âghost;â Robert Patrick as Shane Langston, head of security for a private defense contractor with a questionable track record; and Domenick Lombardozzi as tough NYPD detective Guy Russo.
Reacher is produced by Amazon Studios, Skydance Television, and Paramount Television Studios. Based on the novels by Lee Child, who serves as an executive producer, the series is written for television by Emmy-nominated writer Nick Santora (Scorpion, Prison Break), who also executive produces and serves as showrunner. In addition to Santora and Child, the series is executive produced by Don Granger, Scott Sullivan, and Adam Higgs, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Matt Thunell for Skydance.
Social Media
Country Availability
Worldwide
Executive Produced By
Nick Santora, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Lee Child, Scott Sullivan, Adam Higgs, Matt Thunell
Developed By
Nick Santora
Produced By
Amazon Studios, Skydance Television, Paramount Television Studios
Credits
Based on Lee Childâs 11th Jack Reacher novel Bad Luck and Trouble
Produced by
Amazon Studios, Skydance Television, Paramount Television Studios
Developed by
Nick Santora
Showrunner
Nick Santora
Executive Producers
Nick Santora
David Ellison
Dana Goldberg
Don Granger
Lee Child
Scott Sullivan
Adam Higgs
Matt Thunell
Cast
Alan Ritchson
Maria Sten
Serinda Swan
Shaun Sipos
Domenick Lombardozzi
Ferdinand Kingsley
Robert Patrick
Maria Sten
Frances Neagley
Maria Sten most recently starred as Liz Tremayne in the cult hit series Swamp Thing opposite Crystal Reed, Jennifer Beals, Virginia Madsen, Will Patton and Andy Bean, executive produced by James Wan. She is also known for playing the lead role of Jillian Hope Hodgson on Syfyâs Channel Zero.
As an accomplished writer, Sten most recently wrote on ABCâs hit show Big Sky from David E. Kelley and has previously been selected for the 2017 The Black List / Women In Film Episodic Labs, as well as Christina Hodson and Margot Robbieâs Lucky Exports Pitch Program in 2019. Sten debuted her first short, When It Burns, which she wrote, directed, produced and starred in at Uptown Short Film Festival and LA Shorts Fest 2016.
A former professional dancer and model, the multi-lingual Danish/Swedish/Congolese beauty was born in Copenhagen and crowned Miss Denmark 2008.
She is represented by CAA, Grandview, and Granderson Des Rochers.
Serinda SwanKarla DixonSerinda Swan was born in Vancouver, Canada to a family of artists. Her father and step-mother are both in the theatre world. Father Scott Swan is an established theater director and has an acting studio in Vancouver and stepmother Cheryl Swan is a faculty emeritus who taught post-secondary theatre for over 35 years. Swanâs mother Alandra Napali Kai is a leader in the health and wellness world and runs womenâs retreats all around the world.Swan was introduced to the television world with popular shows like Supernatural, Psych, and Hawaii Five-O. In 2009, she was cast as the iconic âZatannaâ in the popular show Smallville.Feature films soon followed with Percy Jackson & The Olympians:The Lightning Thief directed by Chris Columbus and Disneyâs TRON: Legacy opposite Jeff Bridges. In 2011, Swan was cast as the female lead âErica Reedâ, in the series Breakout Kings. After the seriesâ two-year run, she was cast as a series regular in the hit show GRACELAND which ran until 2015.Swanâs work continued by playing the iconic Anne Bancroft, alongside Jessica Lange in Ryan Murphyâs show FEUD!. Swan was then cast opposite Dwayne Johnson to play his love interest on the hit series Ballers. Simultaneously working with âThe Rockâ, Swan was cast as the female lead in Marvelâs Inhumans opposite Anson Mount and Iwan Rheon. She portrayed the iconic character Medusa, the queen of the Inhumans. Swan is currently leading the cast of CBCâs primetime hit drama series, Coroner which has just completed production last year.On the philanthropic side, Swan is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Education technology company Deedly. Her goal is to give students a choice in the future they want to be a part of and give them the tools and information to achieve it at no cost to them, their teacher, the school or the charity highlighted. Her belief is that education should be free, and through their specific monthlong curriculum they educate students about world issues and the charities that strive to fix them. âTraditional education systems focus on harnessing the capacity of the mind, I want to harness the capacity of the heart.â Deedly will be in over 1000 schools by the end of the year.Swan has worked closely with the UN, staying in refugee camps at the border of south Sudan on an anti-Malaria mission, cycled across the entire country of Cambodia to bring awareness to anti-sex trafficking and has gone skydiving over 10 times at 18,000 feet (North Americaâs highest skydive) for her yearly fundraiser for anti sex trafficking and women’s equality.Swan was also invited to be one of the headline speakers at TEDXVancouver and recently spoke at the United Nations on International Womenâs Day 2018 as well as a panel on how the media and entertainment industry can influence social change.To date, Swan has personally raised over $700,000 for charity and reached over 100 million people with her awareness campaigns.Shaun SiposDavid O’Donnell
Interview with Jason Isaacs, Dyan Cannon, Jennifer Grant and Jeff Pope of “Archie” on Britbox by Jamie 12/5/23
From executive producer Jeff Pope, “Archie,” now on Britbox, brings the little-known story of actor Cary Grantâs rise to stardom, starting with his formative years as the troubled Archie Leach, who overcame his struggles to reinvent himself, to become the superstar the public knew.
Pope, along with Cary Grantâs daughter, Jennifer Grant, and Dyan Cannon, his ex-wife, as well as Jason Isaacs, the actor who stars in the title role, spoke with Jamie Ruby for TVMEG.COM earlier in the week.
The idea to do the series first came to Pope after reading Jennifer Grantâs book, Good Stuff, about her father. âI became fascinated with the kind of wit and humor of the man, as Jennifer relayed,â said Pope. The producer hadnât realized that Cary had retired, and wanted to know why. â[W]hen he became a father, he gave it all up to become a stay at home dad, and I thought, that was my starting pointâŠwhen you dig back into his past, you realize, because of his traumatic childhood, he was so determined that he was going to be the best father he could, and not be an absent father, which a continuing movie career would have meant.â
It was ten years ago when he first came to Cannon and told her he wanted to make the movie. âWe talked it right into being and now it’s a four hour miniseries, which gives the audience a full bodied look at him,â said Cannon, who wrote memoirs from which the series was also partly based, adding that she was involved in both the casting and the biggest decision making and that she is is thrilled with the way itâs turned out, including the performances.
Jennifer Grant spoke to Isaacsâ performance in particular. âI was very gratefulâŠthat we found Jason,â she told the site. âHe really had dad’s voice and dad’s mannerisms, and dad’s tenderness, especially, so it was a bizarre process watching my mom and dad.â
Seriesâ star Isaacs spoke about that transformation during the interview, praising the creative team for the physical part of it. âMostly it was other people doing the work,â he said. âIt was extraordinary costumes that were tailor made by the best tailors in the world and that compensated for my various punches and twists. Liz Headley, our incredible makeup artist gave me a chin and eyes and hair and, obviously, prosthetics when he gets heavy and heâs older. So, a lot of it was done for me.â
It was Grantâs voice that was the most difficult for Isaacs. âI didn’t want to do the voice he does in the movies, because I knew that nobody talks like that in real life,â he said. âI don’t mean the accent. I mean, his speech patterns were so similar, so repeated, that there was no way he was like that when he was being spontaneous. I found only one elicit recording of an interview he gave once, because he didn’t do interviews, and didn’t really wantâŠthe world to see who Cary Grant really was. Cary Grant was Archie Leach, and behind closed doors, when he stepped off screen, he was someone entirely different.â
Isaacs learned a lot about Grant during the process. âI don’t think anybody, unless they’ve read the biographies and read Dyan’s book, knew that this man who was famous for one or two things, being suave and debonair, was the very opposite, who seemed the very epitome of certainty and masculinity and solidity, was so fragile and so fractious and so angry at the world and himself,â said the actor.
Watch the miniseries to find out more about Cary Grant yourself, now on Britbox, and be sure to watch the full interviews with the cast and crew below!
Coming to BritBox in North America December 7, 2023, Archie outlines the life of the infamous Cary Grant. Born in Bristol, England in 1904, to parents Elsie and Elias, Archie narrates the story of a young Archibald Alexander Leachâs troubled childhood and how extreme poverty, his fatherâs adultery and the loss of his older brother, John, tore the family apart and sent his loving mother into a downward spiral of grief and depression. Jeff Popeâs scripts reveal how deceit, cruelty and one, overpowering lie shaped Archieâs life. At 14 he auditioned for the music hall act, the Bob Pender Troupe, a band of acrobats, stilt walkers, clowns and comedians after seeing them perform at the Bristol Hippodrome. Lean and athletic, he learned the art of stilt walking, and when the troupe went on tour to the US, teenage Archie was intoxicated by the land of opportunity. Believing he had no family to return to in the UK, he decided to stay in the US to try to make his way in showbusiness.
With no thoughts of acting, a chance meeting with the comedian George Burns helped him find his first footing on the acting ladder and a contract with a movie studio who felt he needed to change his name, and Cary Grant was born. The drama intercuts with scenes from 1961 when at the height of his fame, living in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, the legendary actor was breaking all box office records, but desperately unhappy in his private life. With two failed marriages behind him, he began to woo an actress heâd seen on a TV show, Dyan Cannon. Thirty-three years his junior, Dyan, didnât initially fall for his charms turning down his attempts to meet, because she didnât feel they could ever be a match. Dashingly handsome, suave and sophisticated, Cary continued to pursue her, with introductions to his famous friends, until they eventually wed in Las Vegas in 1965.
The series also stars Laura Aikman (Not Going Out, Gavin and Stacey) as Caryâs formidable ex-wife, actress and filmmaker Dyan Cannon, with Harriet Walter (Succession, Ted Lasso, Killing Eve) as Elsie Leach, Caryâs mother.
Dainton Anderson (Patrick Melrose), Calam Lynch (Bridgerton) and Oaklee Pendergast (Home) play young versions of Archie Leach, and Kara Tointon (Mr Selfridge, The Halcyon, Sound of Music Live) plays young Elsie.
Archie is a 4 x 60 mins drama commissioned by ITVâs Head of Drama, Polly Hill for ITVX. Rebecca Hodgson (Sherwood, The Irregulars, Deep Water, The Road to Coronation Street) is the producer and Paul Andrew Williams (A Confession, London to Brighton, Song for Marion) directs. With the blessing of Cary Grantâs daughter, Jennifer Grant, and ex-wife Dyan Cannon, the pair serve as Executive Producers. Jeff Pope executive produces the series for Etta Pictures with Diederick Santer for BritBox International. The series is coming to BritBox in December 2023.
Jason Isaacs was born in Liverpool. He studied law at Bristol University but fell in love with the theatre and directed, produced and appeared in dozens of productions there, at the National Student Theatre Festival and at the Edinburgh Festival. He graduated in 1985 but then attended the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and began working in 1988.
Jason’s notable roles include Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, Mr. Darling/Captain Hook in Peter Pan (2003), and many soldiers: Col. William Tavington in Roland Emmerich’s The Patriot (2000), Captain Steele in Ridley Scott’s Blackhawk Down, Major Briggs in Paul Greengrass’s Green Zone, Captain Waggoner in Fury, Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery, Field Marshall Zhukov in Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin and Rear-Admiral Godfrey in John Madden’s Operation Mincemeat. He was Hap in the cult series The OA, Maurice in the WW2 film Good (2008) and Jay in the multi-award winning MASS. He has made many TV series in Britain and the US and has won or been nominated for a Golden Globe, International Emmy, BAFTA, Critics Choice, Peabody, Satellite and many other awards.
On stage he was Louis Ironson in the original productions of Angels in America parts 1 and 2 for the Royal National Theatre and has performed at the Royal Court, Almeida and West End Theatres.
Jason is married to documentary filmmaker Emma Hewitt, who he met at drama school and with whom he has two children.
Dyan Cannon is the first woman in the history of the Motion Picture Academy to be nominated for Oscars both in front of and behind the camera. Her diligence and determination have been rewarded by many prestigious honors.
She received her first Academy Award nomination for her memorable role as Alice in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), opposite Natalie Wood and directed by Paul Mazursky. For her performance, she garnered the coveted New York Film Critics Award.
Dyan received her second Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Live Action Short for writing and directing the 48-minute film, Number One (1976), which she also produced, edited and scored. The New York Times commended the film as one of the best movies ever made concerning children’s development.
She received her third Academy Award nomination for her comedic role as Julia Farnsworth, opposite Warren Beatty, in Heaven Can Wait (1978), for which she won the Golden Globe Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Later that year, she starred in another comedy hit, Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978), opposite Peter Sellers and directed by Blake Edwards, and was named Female Star of the Year by NATO (National Association of Theater Owners).
As the singular force behind the motion picture The End of Innocence (1990), Dyan undertook a triumvirate of tasks as writer, director and star. Dyan’s work received amazing reviews from the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.
Dyan has co-starred on two outstanding prime-time television shows. For several years, she brought her own brand of humor, class and sexiness to the role of Whipper Cone on the Emmy Award winning series Ally McBeal (1997). She then starred as the vivacious and free-spirited Honey Bernstein-Flynn on NBC’s comedy series Three Sisters (2001).
Dyan wanted to take time off from her acting career to write. During the next nine years, she not only collaborated on a Broadway musical, but wrote her memoir, “Dear Cary,” which was on the New York Times best seller list three different times spanning four years. It is now being made into a miniseries.
Dyan is recognized as an exceptional motivational speaker for prominent associations and corporations. Children are her passion and most of her work centers around the care and welfare of kids. She is the national spokesperson for the Hemangioma Treatment Foundation, an organization that provides treatment to children all over the world who are afflicted with vascular birthmarks. She is the international executive spokesperson for Operation Lookout, an organization dedicated to recovering missing and exploited children who have been kidnapped from their homes, schools, etc. She has also been national spokesperson for Martin Colette’s Wildlife Waystation, an international refuge that rescues and rehabilitates wild and exotic animals, as well as national spokesperson for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America
In addition, she devotes time and energy to several other charitable organizations such as California’s Special Olympics for physically and mentally challenged athletes and also works with recovering addicts weekly.
Dyan is a permanent court-side fixture at the Los Angeles Lakers basketball games.
Jennifer Grant is the daughter of actors Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon. Her father initially opposed her becoming an actress. She graduated from Stanford with a degree in history and political science in 1987. Initially, she went to work in a law firm and later tried a stint as a chef. But, finally, she decided to move into acting in 1993, landing her first role on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990).
Interview with Larry A. Thompson, producer of “Ladies of the ’80s: A Divas Christmas” on Lifetime by Suzanne 10/23/23
In a normal year, I would have been able to interview one of the great actresses in this movie, or possibly all of them. However, this interview was during the SAG-Aftra strike, so I was only allowed to speak to the movie’s executive producer. However, it was a great chat because he’s been around a long time. He worked with the Beatles when he was just starting out as a lawyer for EMI! He’s not only a producer, but a manager. In fact, he manages William Shatner, whom I love and would very much like to interview one day. It was awesome to hear his stories in this interview. I hope you enjoy it, too!
The movie is very fun – especially if you enjoy romantic Christmas movies, or if you watched primetime soaps like “Knots Landing,” “Dallas,” “Desperate Housewives,” etc. because the “ladies” of the title are LInda Grey (Sue Ellen on “Dallas”), Loni Anderson (Jennifer of “WKRP in Cincinnati, among other roles – the only “lady” not known for soaps), Morgan Fairchild (of Falcon Crest, Paper Dolls and many daytime soaps), Nicolette Sheridan (Paige of “Knots Landing” and Edie of “Desperate Housewives”), and Donna Mills (Abby in “Knots Landing”). It was great to see them all in this charming film. Thompson’s daughter, Taylor Ann, is the ingenue of the movie. Christopher Atkins has a small role as Grey’s son (This is hilarious to me because in “Dallas,” their characters had an affair!). I enjoyed it. It’s fun and very Christmasy. The male lead, Travis Burns, is very handsome and has a killer Aussie accent. Happy Holidays! Don’t miss the movie tomorrow, December 2nd, 2023!
In Ladies of theâŻâ80s: A Divas Christmas, five glamorous â80s soap opera stars reunite to share the spotlight to shoot the finalâŻChristmasâŻepisode of their long-running soap opera. The producer, Alex (Travis Burns) and director Nell (Taylor Ann Thompson), old college friends, do their best to keep things on the rails but as the ladies come together, old rivalries resurface that threaten to tear the whole production apart. With the show nearly canceled before it even begins due to the ladiesâ famous diva behavior, they reluctantly agree to set aside their differences and past secrets to âactâ as if they all still love each other.⯠When old sparks reignite between Alex and Nell, the ladies become eager to play cupid andâŻconspire to bring the couple together.âŻAlong the way, the divas also discover that the love between them all is still very strong too.
The movieâs theme song Ladies of the â80s was written by Song Writer Hall of Fameâs Steve Dorff and Michael Jay, produced by Steve Droff, and performed by â80s pop sensation Tiffany (I Think Weâre Alone Now).
Ladies of the â80s: A Divas Christmas is executive produced for Lifetime by Larry A. Thompson (Liz & Dick, Amish Grace). Christie Will Wolf (Christmas on Candy Cane Lane, The Art of Passion) directs from a script by James Berg & Stan Zimmerman (The Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls) with Robert G. Endara II and Ed Polgardy producing.
Interview with Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough and Brock Heasley of the movie “The Shift” by Suzanne 11/29/23
It was so great to speak to these three. I’m a huge fan of these actors from their past work. I enjoyed the movie, which is SciFi but also Christian. It’s not preachy, though, and it’s an exciting action drama. You definitely don’t have to be religious to like it. It’s a fun ride. The cast is very good. Besides these two, it also stars Sean Astin and Elizabeth Tabish. I hope you enjoy this video! I didn’t have very much time to speak with them. I could easily have chatted with them for a half hour each, or more.
The Shift is a modern-day retelling of the book of Job. Kevin Garner gets separated from Molly, the love of his life, when a mysterious adversary known as The Benefactor sends him to an alternate dystopian reality. Will hope and faith be enough to find his way back?
Logline:
After a tense encounter with a mysterious stranger with otherworldly powers, a man is banished to a tyrannical, parallel Earth where he fights to get back to the woman he loves.
Tagline:
Infinite worlds. Endless choices. One way out.
Fast Facts:
Kristoffer Polaha (Wonder Woman 1984, Mad Men) plays the lead role of Kevin Garner.
Neal McDonough (Minority Report, Yellowstone) plays the mysterious figure of The Benefactor.
Elizabeth Tabish (The Chosen) plays Molly Garner and Sean Astin (Stranger Things, The Lord of the Rings) plays Gabriel.
The film is produced by Ken Carpenter and directed by Brock Heasley.
The Shift will be distributed by Angel Studios.
The film will be released December 1, 2023.
You can Pay it Forward to The Shiftto cover the cost of a movie ticket for someone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to see it.
Kristoffer can currently be seen in Harlen Cobenâs new series, Shelter, streaming now on Amazon. Probably best-known for starring in the critically-acclaimed CW series Life Unexpected, more recently Kris starred opposite Angie Harmon in the Lifetime movie, Barstow, and recurred on the cable series Get Shorty opposite Ray Romano and Chris OâDowd as well as the limited series Condor opposite William Hurt and Max Irons. He also co- starred with Rainn Wilson in the Fox series Backstrom, as well as a number of TV series over the past ten years, including North Shore, Miss Guided, Made in Jersey, Ringer and Valentine, in addition to a multi-season recurring role on the acclaimed series Mad Men and numerous guest stars on both cable and network series. Kris is also well known for his many starring roles in the Hallmark Hall of Fame series of television movies.
On the feature side, Kris stars as the lead in the film The Shift for director Brock Heasley, being released December 2023. He was recently featured as âHandsome Manâ in Wonder Woman 1984 for Warner Brother Studios as well as the recently released blockbuster Jurassic World Dominion for Universal Studios. Kris has appeared in numerous independent features, including Where Hope Grows, Back in the Day, Devilâs Knot and Petty Crimes. He recently wrote, directed, and starred in the short film, “A Work of Art,” which premiered at The Cannes Film Festival. InstagramTwitterFacebookOfficial SiteYouTube
Brock Heasley is a writer, filmmaker, and artist. After graduating from California State University Fresno with a degree in Graphic Design, Brock became a full-time Graphic Designer and, later, an Art Director. In 2006, he launched the online comic The SuperFogeys, and then co-created the online comic Monsterplex in 2010, which went on to win the DC Comics Zuda competition. In 2018, Brockâs YA Contemporary novel Paper Bag Mask (Pen Name Publishing) was published, reaching the top of Amazonâs Young Adult Fiction New Release chart in the first week. Brockâs debut memoir, The Other Side of Fear: A True Coming-of-Age Story of Murder, Forgiveness, and the Peace Only Faith Can Bring, released in Fall 2020 from Cedar Fort Publishing. His writing has appeared on the Independent Journal Review and at ForEveryMom.com.
In 2015, Brock left the Graphic Design world for the film world, working on and producing feature films for Tremendum Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., and Lionsgate. In 2017 he released his directorial debut, “The Shift,” about an ordinary man receiving a job offer from the Devil himself. The short film earned him an Outstanding Filmmaker of the Year Award from the Hollywood Dreamz International Film Festival and you can watch it here. His second short film, “The Two Hundred Fifth,” about a young college girl with a dark past that comes back to haunt her on the day she chooses to reveal all to her best friend, had its World Premiere at the renowned Fantasia International Film Festival in 2019.
In early 2023, Brock turned his short film, THE SHIFT, into a feature film to be released theatrically by Angel Studios in December 2023. Expanding on the story from the short, it stars Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough, Elizabeth Tabish, John Billingsley, Rose Reid, Paras Patel, Jordan Alexandra, Jordan Walker Ross, and Sean Astin.
Brock lives with his wife, three daughters, two dogs, and one cat in California. Brock didnât want another dog, but his girls made a pretty killer PowerPoint presentation and he didnât want to look like a jerk. InstagramFacebookTwitter
Interview with Tim Rozon of “SurrealEstate” on Syfy by Suzanne 11/16/23
It was great to speak with Tim again. He’s very engaging and fun. I love this show – the writing, the humor, the acting, the scares…it is just worth watching for pure entertainment. Usually we interview the actors before the show starts, but we weren’t able to do that because of the SAG-AFTRA strike. However, I did interview the show’s creator/writer, George R. Olson, so that was cool. I love interviewing writers, directors and producers from shows I love, as well as the actors. I’m very grateful that we have them all back now and available. There are 3 episodes left as I post this, so I hope you get to watch all the episodes! The last three really wrap things up nicely for this season.
Timâs first major role was playing heartthrob Tommy Quincy opposite Alexz Johnson and Laura Vandervoort for four seasons on the teen drama series âInstant Starâ for TeenNick (USA) and CTV (Canada).  He was then cast as the series lead Alex Caine, playing a gang infiltrator, in âBefriend and Betrayâ for Shaw TV (Canada).  Recent series leads include playing Mutt Schitt on the Emmy juggernaut and Golden Globe winning CBC/Netflix hit comedy âSchittâs Creekâ opposite comedy icons Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Catherine OâHara and Chris Elliott; Doc Holliday, the infamous lawman and charismatic gambler, on the fan-fave SyFy series âWynonna Earpâ; Constable Carson Myers, stand up RCMP officer and love interest, on the CBC series âDiggstownâ opposite Natasha Henstridge and Vinessa Antoine; Isaac, lawyer turned outer space rogue, in the SyFy series Vagrant Queen. Tim is delighted to currently be playing the series leading role of Luke Roman, a real estate agent specializing in haunted homes, on SyFyâs new series âSurrealEstate.â
Tim won a prestigious Gemini Award (the âCanadian Emmyâ) for his performance in the series âFlashpointâ (CTV/CBS) and was nominated for another Gemini for work in âBefriend and Betrayâ.  Tim was thrilled when âWynonna Earpâ won the Peopleâs Choice Award for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy show in both 2018 and 2020.
Off camera, Tim has many talents in the entertainment business. He is a voiceover actor, most notably playing a leading role in the animated feature film âThe Legend of Sarilaâ, opposite Christopher Plummer and Genevieve Bujold. He produced the documentary feature âShuckersâ, about the world of oysters and those who shuck them. And he is very proud of his work co-writing multiple âWynonna Earpâ graphic novels with creator Beau Smith for IDW.
When not acting, Tim plays the role of restaurateur in Montreal at his hit restaurants Garde Manger and Le Bremner opposite star chef Chuck Hughes.
âSurrealEstateâ follows real estate agent Luke Roman and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and âfixingâ the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure – and closings – even as they struggle with demons of their own.
âDEARLY DEPARTEDâ (Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
The Roman Agency must coach a homeowner into the light when he discovers heâs haunting his own house. The team locates Susan, but can they save her?
âLETTING GOâ (Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
SEASON FINALE: Susan returns to the Roman Agency, but it quickly becomes clear itâs not the Susan they remember. With the entire team in danger, Luke must confront the force within Susanâs house.
âSurrealEstateâ stars Tim Rozon, Sarah Levy, Adam Korson, Maurice Dean Wint, Savannah Basley and Elena Juatco.
The series was created by George R. Olson, who executive produces with Lance Samuels, Danishka Esterhazy, Armand Leo, Daniel Iron, Neil Tabatznik, Cosima Von Spreti and Kevin Anweiler.
Catch up on last season of âSurrealEstate,â now streaming on Hulu.
Interview with Gary Anthony Sturgis of “Wicked City” on ALLBLK by Suzanne 11/20/23
I had a blast chatting with Gary! He is so funny, smart and entertaining, and he loves to talk. We’ve been Facebook friends for 14 years, so it was great to finally “meet” face to face. He’s been in many great shows and movies. Not only is he a talented actor, he’s also an accomplished writer!
MORE INFO:
Gary Anthony Sturgis is a New Orleans born actor/writer/director best-known for his portrayal of the villain in two of Tyler Perry’s biggest hit films, “Diary of A Mad Black Woman” (as Jamison Jackson) and “Daddy’s Little Girls” (as Joseph Woods). He also co-starred opposite Terrence Howard in “Pride”, as the charming yet sinister pimp/drug dealer Franklin Washington. Recently, he has stepped out the role of bad guy to co-star in the comedy “Chicago Pulaski Jones” with Kel Mitchell and Cedric the Entertainer.
Also a professional voice artist, Sturgis has voiced network promos for UPN, CBS, PBS and ABC, cartoons and video games (Static Shock, Batman, Scooby Doo and The Cyber Chase, Fairly Odd Parents, Spiderman) and is heard on countless commercials for radio and television. His raspy bass-baritone voice that the women find hard to resist has even been heard on national movie trailers and promotions for; “Bones”, “Two Can Play That Game”, “The Others”, “The Brothers” and “The Wood” to name a select few. In addition, he is also the voice for the History Channel’s “K-9 Cops”. For another surprise, Gary also produces and writes rap music and has a successful recording under the moniker Illuminati called Fahrenheit, which is still available on iTunes.
As a writer/producer, Gary is producing some of his own feature-length screenplays (he has written more than ten), and has packaged his works into three and four picture deals and commenced to shopping them around town for financing and distribution. We have only scratched the surface of this multi-faceted creative soul.
Since Sturgis had been writing for years, the next natural progression was to direct. After directing “Lend A Hand”, a 90-second short film for the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), Gary realized that directing was yet another feather he could stick in his talented cap.
A group of urban witches push their powers to new heights and uncover dark secrets that attract dangerous enemies their way. Explore other projects that were filmed in Atlanta, Georgia at https://www.exploregeorgia.org/film.
US RATING: TV-MA
Cast: Vanessa Bell Calloway, Taylor Polidore, Shaquita Smith, Rhonda Morman, Chantal Maurice, Mercedez McDowell, Chanel Mack
Director: Dale S. Lewis
PRESS RELEASE:
LIFEâS A WITCH IN THE ATL
ALLBLK RELEASES TRAILER FOR SEASON TWO OF Â SUPERNATURAL DRAMA WICKED CITY Â PREMIERING OCTOBER 19Â
Cast Includes Vanessa Bell Calloway, Karon Joseph Riley, Taylor Polidore, Shaquita Smith, Mercedez McDowell, Chantal Maurice, Chanel Mack, and more
New York, NY â October 4, 2023 â Today, ALLBLK, the popular streaming service for Black television from AMC Networks, released the trailer for the sophomore season of supernatural drama, Wicked City. The 8-episode series premieres Thursday, October 19, with new episodes dropping every Thursday exclusively on ALLBLK. Â
In season one, we followed a coven of Black witches who pushed their supernatural powers to new heights after uncovering dark secrets and accidentally entering the world of the forbidden. This season, three months after failing to stop a magical slaver named The Handler (Karon Joseph Riley, Ambitions), the Atlanta coven find themselves broken and separated. Jordan (Shaquita Smith,The Couch) â who now runs The Mystic Haven â and Angela (Chantal Maurice,P-Valley) try and fail to find Sherise (Chanel Mack, The Harder They Fall) whoâs being held captive by The Handler. Mona (Mercedez McDowell, The Resident) has moved away, and Camille (Taylor Polidore, Snowfall) is put in permanent hiding by her birth mother, Claudette (Rhonda Redette Morman, Hush). Unbeknownst to the coven, Tabitha (Vanessa Bell Calloway, Shameless) and Caden (Malika Blessing, The Perfect Man) are trapped inside a nightmare realm as Claudette exacts her revenge. Meanwhile, Sherise is forced to do The Handlerâs bidding at his high-class magical supper club âObsidian Dream.âÂ
Additional cast includes India Marie Cross (It Wasnât Me), Yandy Smith-Harris (Love and Hip Hop Atlanta), Gary Anthony Sturgis (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Samantha James (Black and Blue), Kamilah Meek (Young Rock), Kurtis D. Glenn (The Assistant 3), Clover J. Adams (Taylorâs Diary), Maurice P. Kerry (Atlanta), Krystal Monique Mosley (Dhoom 3), Michael Silberblatt (Hawkeye), Marco Reese Maldonado (A Killer Romance), Carrie Anne Hunt (Magic Mike XXL), Michael M. Jones (P. Valley) and Sasha McKoon. Â
Tressa âAzarelâ Smallwood (MegaMind Media) and Donte Lee executive produced the series created & written by Kristin Iris Johnson and Serena M. Lee. Head of Content, Brett Dismuke and SVP of Development & Original Production, Unscripted, Nikki Love, executive produce for ALLBLK. Â
About ALLBLKÂ
ALLBLK is an invitation to a world of streaming entertainment that is inclusively, but unapologetically â Black. Featuring a diverse lineup of content that spans across genres and generations, the ALLBLK library includes exclusive original series such asâŻA House DividedâŻandâŻDouble Cross; must-see independent films, nostalgic Black cinema, popular WE tv originals, lively stage plays, and so much more. ALLBLK is available everywhere streaming services are found â iOS, Android, Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV and Apple TV Channels, Roku and Roku Channels, Amazon Fire TV,âŻYouTube TV, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, Charter and more. AtâŻwww.ALLBLK.tv, ALLBLK offers a free 7-day trialâŻand thereafter is just $5.99/month or $59.99/year.âŻKeep up with ALLBLK on Facebook atâŻFacebook.com/WatchALLBLKâŻand Twitter/Instagram @WatchALLBLK.Â
Interview with Bonnie Burroughs on “General Hospital” on ABC by Suzanne 11/15/23
This was a lot of fun! Bonnie and I are about the same age. She did such a fabulous job playing Gladys. I hope they bring her back sometime. She was so kind to let me ask as many questions as I wanted.
MORE INFO:
Bonnie Burroughs is an American film and television actress. She is recognized for playing the role of Gladys Corbin on the soap opera “General Hospital.” Burroughs was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Burroughs guest-starred in numerous television programs including Newhart, Boston Legal, Judging Amy, Suddenly Susan, Malcolm in the Middle, My Two Dads, Desperate Housewives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Dallas, Jake and the Fatman, ER, Hunter and Matlock.[1] She was cast as Stacey Giordano on One Life to Live from 1987. Burroughs was then cast as Dr. Jamie Lawrence on Santa Barbara from 1990 to 1991. She was also cast as Gretchen Lindquist on Days of Our Lives. In 2009, Burroughs starred on the television series Rockville, CA, being cast as Shawn Peters.
General Hospital: Season 59 Lead Sheet
Series Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary on April 1, 2023
ABCâs EmmyÂź Award-winning daytime drama, âGeneral Hospital,â will celebrate its 60th anniversary on April 1, 2023. âGHâ is both the longest-running scripted drama and the longest-running American soap opera currently in production. One of four remaining daytime dramas, âGeneral Hospitalâ holds the record for the most Outstanding Daytime Drama award wins, taking home the prestigious Daytime Emmy Award a record 15 times. Filmed in Hollywood, California, the show aired its 15,000th episode on June 22, 2022.
âGHâ continues its tradition of passion, intrigue and adventure that has depicted the ongoing lives of the diverse and evolving citizens of the fictional town of Port Charles set in upstate New York. The glamour and excitement of those who have come to find their destinies in this familiar seaport town intertwine with the lives, loves and fortunes of beloved, well-known faces. As always, love, danger and mind-blowing plot twists abound on âGHâ with contemporary storylines and unforgettable characters.
Often ahead of its time, âGeneral Hospital â is known for elevating awareness for numerous health and social issues, in conjunction with storylines including HIV/AIDS; tolerance and understanding for the gay, lesbian and transgender community; bipolar disorder; spousal abuse; sexual assault; workplace sexual harassment in the #MeToo era; gentrification; war refugees; voting rights and voter suppression; the fight for civil rights and against environmental racism; drug and alcohol addiction; breast cancer awareness; surrogacy and adaption; organ donations;Â autism; and Alzheimerâs-related stories are all topics âGHâ has trailblazed.
Many popular actors are known for getting their start on âGeneral Hospitalâ including Demi Moore, John Stamos, Jack Wagner, Mark Hamill, Rick Springfield, Ricky Martin, Amber Tamblin, Emma Samms, Kimberly McCullough, Jonathan Jackson and Richard Dean Anderson.
âGeneral Hospitalâ was created by husband-and-wife soap writers, Frank and Doris Hursley, and premiered April 1, 1963. In 1978, Gloria Monty was brought in as executive producer and is credited with the creation of the first super-couple, Luke and Laura Spencer. Their 1981 wedding brought in 30 million viewers and remains the highest-rated hour in American soap opera history.
Frank Valentini serves as âGHââs current executive producer. Chris Van Etten and Dan OâConnor are the showâs co-head writers.
Interview with Dominic Monaghan, star of “Moriarty” on Audible by Suzanne 11/8/23
It was wonderful to speak with Dominic, who seems just as nice as you might imagine he’d be from his many great roles. As a fan of “Lost,” “Lord of the Rings” and his other work (especially “Moonhaven”), I could have honestly spoken to him for hours. Normally, we only cover TV, and the occasional movie, but this project is so well written and acted, and stars many of my favorite actors, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to cover it here. “Moriarty: The Devil’s Game” premiered last year and was a huge hit. “Moriarty: The Silent Order” premieres Thursday, Nov. 9. You won’t want to miss it. Helen Mirren joins the great cast. If you only listen to ONE audio drama this year, make it this one….especially if you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes stories.
MORE INFO:
Audible and Treefort Media Announce Season 2 of Sherlock Holmes Mystery-Thriller Moriarty
Helen Mirren to Star In Moriarty: The Silent Order Alongside Returning Cast Dominic Monaghan, Phil LaMarr and More
Newark, NJ â August 30, 2023 â Audible, Inc., the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, in collaboration with Treefort Media, announced today the return of the hit scripted audio series Moriarty. The second season of Audibleâs bold take on the Sherlock Holmes universe continues with Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings, Lost) in the title role, leading the reimagining of literatureâs most captivating rivalries, with Helen Mirren (The Queen, Golda), Anya Chalotra (The Witcher), Ross McCall (Green Street Hooligans) and Arielle Goldman (The Knick, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) joining the sensational returning cast including Phil LaMarr (Mad Men) and more. Available exclusively on Audible, Moriarty: The Silent Order was directed by Elliot Blake and written by Charles Kindinger. Moriarty: The Silent Order will debut November 9.
In the latest Moriarty installment, six months after surviving near death at Reichenbach Falls, Professor James Moriarty tracks down the woman he loves in New York City, where she is trapped in the web of The Order â an evil organization that stretches beyond Britain and the Crown. When his attempts to break her free lead to tragedy, Moriarty returns home, determined to bring down the entire global organization. But before he can strike, he makes another shocking discovery: Sherlock Holmes is alive and shares his goal. Moriarty and Holmes must set their animosity aside and join forces to stop the assassination of the American president and a devastating world war.
Explore Tokyoâs Akihabara district for the https://www.swisswatch.is/product-category/richard-mille/rm-022/ latest gadgets and anime merchandise.
âMoriarty has always been such an enigmatic character to me and exploring his world through this medium fueled my imagination,â said Dominic Monaghan. âIâm delighted to continue telling his story with Treefort and Audible â and working with Helen Mirren, as his new nemesis in Season 2, was a treat. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it.â
âIt was lovely to be part of the rich, beautifully realized world of MORIARTY,â said Helen Mirren. âItâs fun for me to take on a villainous role, and I particularly enjoyed delving into the different dimensions of Lady Milverton. This story was my first podcast drama and I couldnât imagine a more exhilarating story as an entry into the format.â
Moriarty: The Silent Order is part of Audible and Treefort Mediaâs multi-project development deal to produce original scripted audio series. Season 2 of Moriarty joins Audibleâs robust roster of Audible Original audio dramas, including Topic Studiosâ The Space Within, Skyboundâs Impact Winter Season 1 and Season 2; Kerry Washingtonâs The Prophecy; Jesse Eisenbergâs When You Finish Saving the World; The Miranda Obsession, Armored, from The New York Times bestselling author Mark Greaney; James Pattersonâs The Coldest Case starring Aaron Paul; and Neil Gaimanâs The Sandman, among many more.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, offering global audiences a powerful way to enhance and enrich their lives through extraordinary content. Audibleâs catalog includes more than 800,000 audio titles, including Audible Originals as well as audiobooks and podcasts from leading studios, print, audio and magazine publishers and world-renowned entertainers.
ABOUT TREEFORT MEDIA
TREEFORT MEDIA is an award-winning podcast company specializing in premium audio storytelling. The first season of Moriarty won Best Fiction Podcast at Banff World Media Festival and Killing Hollywood: The Cotton Club Murder won the Webby for Best Scripted Fiction Podcast. Other notable Treefort series include: the weekly true crime series Killer Psyche, investigative series Collapse: Disaster in Surfside with the Miami Heraldâs Pulitzer Prize winning team, and Paul Giamattiâs weekly esoteric talkfest Chinwag.
Interview with Stan Brooks, director of “Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story” on Lifetime by Suzanne 9/15/23
This is an interesting movie, although sad. What makes it stand out from many other TV movies is how accurate it is to the original story. From what the director says here, they went to great pains to make it as close to the original as possible. I believe it because it really does feel real. All the actors were outstanding in this, particularly the leads, Wendi McLendon-Covey (Vicky) and Rossif Sutherland (Casey). If you’ve only seen Wendi in comedies, you’ll be surprised at how great she is in this. I loved Rossif in last year’s “Three Pines” on Prime Video, so I was very happy to see him show up in this. He’s the son of Donald Sutherland and brother to Kiefer Sutherland. He’s definitely inherited the family’s talent and looks.
It was a joy to speak with director Stanley M. Brooks because he’s worked for years as a producer in movies and TV, such as “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (ABC) and “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” (Lifetime). He has some amazing stories that you’ll love. I wish I could have picked his brain for hours. Please watch this Lifetime movie because it’s worth watching. Enjoy our video interview!
Based on a true story, the movie follows Vicky White (Wendi McLendon-Covey), a lonely corrections officer who falls
for a prisoner (Rossif Sutherland), but before she can ensure their happily ever after, she must first break him out of
prison.
Every day for divorced prison corrections officer Vicky White (McLendon-Covey) is like the movie Groundhog Day â mundane, and every day just like the previous. But when new prisoner Casey White (Sutherland) is brought to her facility, the two develop a secret infatuation. Vicky gives Casey special attention, believing heâs the only man to see her the way she wants to be seen. But when Caseyâs inevitable transfer to a lengthy prison sentence approaches, Vicky decides to take desperate action. Risking everything, Vicky manages to break Casey out of jail and takes him on the run, eluding authorities on an eleven-day dash for freedom. For Vicky, even the probable tragedy ahead of them is worth the chance to live life fully once more.
Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story is executive produced for Lifetime by Wendi McLendon-Covey, Tom Patricia, Gladys Gonzalez of John Carrabino Management and Howard Braunstein with Stan Brooks directing from a script by Gregory Small and Richard Blaney with Juliette Hagoplan producing the movie. Wendi is repped by UTA manager, Gladys Gonzalez, and attorney David Krintzman. Stanley M. Brooks is an American film and television producer. He has produced more than 60 productions for film and television as well as several critically acclaimed miniseries including Broken Trail and Prayers for Bobby.
Interview with John Bloom AKA Joe Bob Briggs of “The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs” on Shudder by Suzanne 10/18/23
I was very honored to speak to John AKA Joe Bob, whom I’ve admired for a long time. He is an amazingly-accomplished man: an investigative journalist and movie reviewer; a comedy writer and standup act; an actor and showman with three successful late night shows about drive-in movies (mostly horror); and an author nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, several of whose stories and books have been made into movies. I’ve enjoyed his comedy writing since the early 90’s, and in the meantime, he’s become quite famous, and a hero to horror fans (his followers, which are lovingly called “mutants”). I only wish I’d had more time to chat with him. I hope you enjoy our interview. Make sure to check out Joe Bob’s Spooky October shows this month on Shudder!
Rough transcript:
Suzanne: We go to Little Rock a few times a year. my husband has meetings there and we love it. I know you grew up there…
Joe Bob: Oh yeah, yeah. No, I know every town in Arkansas because when I was 13 years old, I got a job at the Arkansas Democrat and, in the sports department and I was in charge of high school football. And so, so I learned, I learned every single town that has a high school football team and, And on Friday nights, I would have to, call up the coaches and, and get the info on the games. And so, so yeah, so I know all about Magnolia.
Suzanne: Yeah, I’m sure. Yeah, my husband’s had to drive all over Arkansas and didn’t know it before.
Suzanne: So, yeah, we’ve been all over. I’ve been up to Mountain Home and Fayetteville and all over the place. Yeah. So, well, thanks for being here today. Sure. Um, my husband and I are actually huge fans of yours since the 90s. Um. Wow. Yeah. I appreciate that. Well, you’re welcome. A friend of ours gave us one of your books, Joe Bob Goes Back to the Drive In.
Suzanne: Yeah. And then we subscribed to your newsletter, The Joe Bob Report. So,
Joe Bob: you know about that. That’s like, oh, that goes way back.
Suzanne: Yeah, I think we still have them. Uh, I put them in an album or something or what do you call it? You know, somewhere. Um, so we really love reading your writing and I actually didn’t watch your show because we didn’t have that channel.
Suzanne: Uh, so…
Joe Bob: You didn’t have you didn’t have, oh, the movie channel. Yeah.
Suzanne: Yeah. And do you remember you had a movie review club and you sent around VHS copies movies and then we would write review and then send the, the videotape to the next person on the list. I did that.
Joe Bob: Which, which committee were you on?
Suzanne: I don’t remember. It was a long time ago. I never get my reviews published in your newsletter, but that’s okay. I just because
Joe Bob: we had too many log jammers, they would get the, you would get the VHS and never review it, never look at it. And then the next person would, would, would, would be waiting and waiting and waiting on it. So, so the system eventually broke down from, from negligence.
Suzanne: But you know, it was pre Netflix, so it was great. I loved it. Great. So, congratulations on getting your, show picked up for season
Joe Bob: six. Yeah, I I thought we were going to be doing this one time in 2018. And here we are. Um, we’ve we’ve done something like 180 movies or something.
Joe Bob: We’ve we’ve gone over the top with this thing. So…
Suzanne: Is it still exciting, at this point in your career, to get your show renewed?
Joe Bob: Oh, it’s so much fun. It’s so much fun. I, I’ve been the luckiest guy in the world in TV because I’ve had, I’ve had three shows and none of my shows have ever had time limits. There’s nobody else. There’s nobody else that works in TV who can say that. That’s probably true, yeah. When I was at the movie channel, it was a premium channel. The movie channel was the fourth premium channel. And in terms of number of subscribers, there’s like, everybody had HBO and then most people had HBO and Showtime.
And then if you wanted a third channel, you bought Cinemax. And then if you really, really needed more movies in your life, if you just had to have a fourth premium channel, you bought the movie channel and that’s probably why it wasn’t, you know, available where you were. And so, um. Uh, I w I was always the late, the late night guy.
And so they didn’t, they didn’t care how long I talked, because it was the end of the, end of the day schedule. And then when I went to TNT, I was also the late night guy. And they just, they said to me, you know, it was usually a double feature. And it didn’t have a start time. It didn’t have an end time because it would come on after basketball or something, you know, or something that ended at a weird time.
And then they would just say, you know, as long as you’re done by 6 am, we don’t care. You can finish it for you can finish it. 5. we don’t care. We’ll just put 3 stages in up till 6. and so. And so I never had any time limits at either of those shows. And then I go to a streaming network and it’s like, Oh, well, no time limits.
Joe Bob: Okay. This is great.
Suzanne: Your show’s meant made for streaming. Really?
Joe Bob: I know. I mean, it’s like when we did the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I said to my producer, I said, you know, this is my favorite movie. And he says, yeah, that’s why we’re showing it. And I said, well, You know, I may have to talk like a long time, and he says, as long as you want to talk, so the, the, the, the interruptions, the time on the interruptions is longer than the movie, and I’m, I’m not proud of that, that’s, that’s not a good thing, but, but, enough people have continued to watch that thing and watch it and watch it and watch it over and over again that Um, I guess, you know, occasionally you can get away with that But that’s really the tail wagging the dog and so shutter let me do that and And i’m grateful for that
Suzanne: so you can go back and watch older episodes of your show and go watch the texas Chainsaw Massacre one on there.
Joe Bob: Oh, yeah. Yeah, they keep the library. I mean, sometimes they lose the rights to the movie. Um, but, but they have a, but most most of the movies are still on there. And then they have a section. If they do lose the rights, they have a section called just Joe Bob, where if you’re really nerdy, you can watch the watch the intro and the breaks.
And we tell you the time code. At the break. So if you wanted to sync it up with some you could it’s kind of like a rip tracks thing but but without without talking over the movie, you know, and and so that is that is available and people do watch those. Especially people. Well,
a lot of times, you know, shutter is available in Canada, England. Australia, New Zealand, but a lot of times we don’t have the, we don’t have the rights to the movie in those, in those countries, they still have the just Joe Bob’s and so the really hardcore fans will go in and sync it up with the just Joe Bob’s and, and watch it anyway, but so
Suzanne: that’s cool. I might have to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I’ve never seen that.
Um, you’ve never seen it.
Yeah. You know, I’m actually not a horror fan. I like you. No, and I like low budget movies. I, I, I don’t li I, I don’t mind the showtime blood for Dexter here, but I don’t, you know, I’m sort of squeamish and I don’t like really gross things, so it’s terrible.
Suzanne: I know. I don’t mind spooky or scary, eh, not, not too keen on the. You know, splatter and gore and vomit. Okay.
Joe Bob: Well, we have horror for all, for all tastes. Every sub genre in the world is part of the Shudder library.
Suzanne: Cool. I have watched a few things on Shudder before. So, but anyway, so, October is a big month for you and for Shudder.
Um, you have a Halloween special in two days and the description says that you quote, Celebrate the spooky season in style. With a demonic double feature sure to get your blood pumping and one very scary special guest unquote. Can you tell me more about
Joe Bob: that? I can tell you everything except, the, the titles of the movies because we don’t, we don’t, reveal the titles of the movies in advance.
Okay. And, what I did is I turned over the, I turned over the planning for this year’s Halloween to Darcy, the male girl, because she complains every year that I screw up Halloween. I screw up the Halloween show. And so I said, okay, you do it. And so she’s planning the decorations and the, and the stunts.
And the guests, and I didn’t know who the guests was going to be until I noticed that Dan Housen, you know who that is, you know who Dan Housen is, Dan Housen is a wrestler for AEW who dresses up in, um. Monster makeup, and, and says he’s a demon. And so he’s a professional wrestler who says he’s a demon.
Uh, and so he’s kind of started tweeting about, or what do you call it? X ing about whatever, What he’s going to be doing this Friday night. And so I’ve kind of surmised that Dan housing may be the special spooky guest. So, that’s Darcy’s doing. Yeah. Um, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve met that Dan housing a couple of times.
Then he’s, he’s a, he’s a great, he’s a great guy. Very strange, very strange man. He’s his slogan is I’m very nice. And very evil.
Suzanne: That’s funny. How far in advance do you write and shoot the show?
Joe Bob: Um, I start, I try to. I, as soon as they’ll give me the titles, I start doing deep research on the movies because the fans demand it.
Joe Bob: I mean, if I don’t, if I don’t, by the time the movie airs, even if it’s a movie I’ve seen many times, I watch it again. And then I seek out, you know, additional information about it because, the fans want to know everything they want to know every single thing about the making of the movie, the, the, the box office of the movie, which is actually a hard thing to find because people lie so much about box office and, um.
Joe Bob: And, and, if it’s the fans love the eighties for some reason, they, they love the eighties and they especially love the eighties slashers, you know, so if it’s an 80 slasher, you gotta really know your stuff. Um, and, but, but we’ve shown a lot of, I mean, I think one of the most difficult. Research movies I’ve ever done is the Exorcist 3 because the guy who, William Peter Blatty, who, The exorcist stories, was, he was a Catholic intellectual and he had all these theories about life, religion, God, and the devil and, and exorcism.
Joe Bob: And so he just got lost in this morass of stuff about William. And why certain symbolism is in the movie and all that and I tried to explain it, you know I mean, I didn’t have I didn’t have time to explain all of it But tried to explain it when we when we presented the movie, but I just remember reading article after article about About what laddie may be trying to do in exorcist 3 plus it was a troubled movie it’s one of those movies where they screwed it up and they had to go back and do re shoots and And they, you know, brought in a new actor at the very end to do the actual exorcism.
Joe Bob: And then the special effects didn’t work and I had to reshoot those. And so there was all this stuff and, somehow we got it all in there, but, um.
Suzanne: It happens when they give you unlimited time and you can play as much as
Joe Bob: you want. I know, right? I know, right? You can’t, you can’t skimp on a movie like that.
Joe Bob: No. Um, I mean, The Prowler, no problem. You don’t really need that much time to research The Prowler. You know, but, but there, another one, another one we had, we kind of, We kind of rescued from obscurity, this movie called Demon Wind that was made really at the end of the slasher era. Um, and it’s just so weird that it was hard to find information on it.
Joe Bob: Um, but we showed it. It’s, it’s impossible to describe and really impossible to understand. I don’t really think anybody could summarize the plot accurately, but I noticed about six months after we showed it, it started turning up on midnight shows and theaters all across the country. And so I’m like, okay, well, we revived the fortunes of that guy.
Suzanne: That’s yeah, no, I know what you mean about doing research on trying to find the ratings and box office and stuff like that. I was yesterday. I was trying to find some ratings for some shows in the 70s and that wasn’t, you know, I mean, it was a long time ago, but you think you could find it. I couldn’t find just like certain years.
Suzanne: I mean, I was just like.
Joe Bob: And, and I, I kind of penalize myself because I don’t, I trust very little that’s on the internet, right? And so, so we tend to go for print, print magazines and books and, and, and actual interviews with people, because I just, as a last resort, you know, we. We use the internet as sort of a pointer.
Joe Bob: It points you in certain directions, but we don’t really trust anything on the internet because what will happen is the fans, somebody will Make up a fact or make up a fiction, a fiction that sounds plausible. It sounds plausible, you know, it’s something that might have happened, but it didn’t happen.
Joe Bob: And, and, and, and because it’s interesting, it’ll get, especially if it has to do with, you know, sex, drugs, rock and roll, you know, if it has to do with something spicy, it’ll get, it’ll get mentioned, and
Joe Bob: 100 times on various websites, and then it’ll become fact, even though it’s still not fact, but it’ll become fact because it’s been mentioned so many times on so many websites. Yeah. And so that’s why we don’t trust the internet. Well, I
Suzanne: don’t have unlimited time. Unfortunately, they’re telling me I need to wrap it up. So I really appreciate you talking to me today.
Joe Bob: Sure. Thank you for talking to me.
Suzanne: All right. And good luck with your October things and all the other things that you do. I know you do still do stand up and other you do shows and things.
Joe Bob Briggs Signs on to Host More Titles Than Ever Providing a Consistent Presence
on Shudder Throughout the Year
NEW YORK â September 28, 2023 â Shudder, AMC Networksâ premium streaming service for horror, thrillers and the supernatural, announced that it has renewed its hit original series The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs for a supersized sixth season. The expanded season will include a record number of more than 30 titles, starting with a series of seasonal specials then transitioning to a new schedule beginning in March 2024. The show concluded its fifth season on July 21st, with each new episode trending in the Top 10 nationally on Twitter every Friday night.
The sixth season kicked off this month with The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon special on September 15, featuring special guest Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead). This season will also feature two Halloween-themed specials in October, a Holiday special in December and a Valentineâs Day special in February. Then, beginning in March 2024, Shudder will roll-out the new schedule of Joe Bobâs signature movie watch parties every other Friday night, featuring single titles and surprises.
âAs everyone knows, you should never invite me into your home, because I always show up. Shudder has graciously invited me to stick around for a sixth year, and I intend to use that kindness to haunt your phones, laptops and big-screen TVs with the most ghastly examples of perversity in the history of cinema,â said Joe Bob Briggs. âPlus a few old jokes and some celebrity guests who will still return our phone calls. Put it all together and it spells PARTAY.â
âWe’re delighted to bring Joe Bob, Darcy and the rest of The Last Drive-In Team back for our biggest season yet of crazy, scary and crazy-scary movies and specials, with the most entertaining commentary on TV,â said AMC Networksâ Executive Vice President of Streaming Courtney Thomasma. âJoe Bob will be hosting more movie nights than any previous season and we canât wait to continue the Friday night party with our Shudder family.â
On The Last Drive-In, Briggs, the worldâs foremost drive-in movie critic hosts eclectic horror movies, talking about their merits, histories and significance to genre cinema.
Shudder and Briggs first teamed up in July 2018, for the 27-hour marathon intended to be Briggsâ final farewell to televised movie hosting. After the special turned out to be an unprecedented hit, Shudder brought The Last Drive-In back as a weekly series and for multiple holiday specials.
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs is produced by Matt Manjourides and Justin Martell and directed by Austin Jennings.
The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Halloween (1978) (Shudder Original Special)
Premieres LIVE Tuesday, October 10 at 10pm on AMC, AMC+ TV and Shudder TV
Joe Bob celebrates the 45th anniversary of this iconic horror film.
Joe Bobâs Helloween (Shudder Original Special)
Premieres LIVE Friday, October 20 at 9pm on ShudderTV and AMC+ TV
Horror legend Joe Bob Briggs and his co-host Darcy the Mail Girl celebrate the spooky season in style – with a demonic double-feature sure to get your blood pumping and one very scary special guest.
About Shudder
AMC Networksâ Shudder is a premium streaming video service, super-serving members with the best selection in genre entertainment, covering horror, thrillers and the supernatural. Shudderâs expanding library of film, TV series, and originals is available on most streaming devices in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. For a 7-day, risk-free trial, visit www.shudder.com.
From https://www.texasmonthly.com: John Bloom wrote for Texas Monthly, as both a staff writer and a contributor, from 1978 to 2006. He is a successful investigative journalist, actor, and author who was born in Dallas and raised in Little Rock, and he attended Vanderbilt University on a sportswriting scholarship. His nine books include the true-crime classic Evidence of Love (1984), Profoundly Disturbing: The Shocking Movies That Changed History (2003), and Eccentric Orbits: The Iridium Story (2016). He has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award three times and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize by United Press International for his eyewitness coverage of 9/11. Bloom is best known as his alter ego, Joe Bob Briggs, a nationally syndicated âdrive-in movie criticâ whose wisecracking take on B movies was featured on two long-running late-night television shows, first on the Movie Channel and then on TNT. That tradition continues with his latest series, The Last Drive-In, currently featured on AMCâs Shudder streaming platform. During the course of his hosting career, Briggs has executive produced 20,000 hours of television and has become the leading authority on exploitation and genre films. In 2022, two true-crime articles he cowrote for Texas Monthly were adapted into the HBO series Love and Death.
Interview with director Josh Berman of the film “Full Circle” by Thane 10/17/23
It was great to interview Josh Berman, who directed this movie. Many people will find it inspirational. The film demonstrates how people can continue to thrive, even if their life turns out completely different than what they expect.
We apologize for any confusion during the interview…due to circumstances beyond our control, we were given some wrong information about Josh and his experiences (not his fault). Well, these things happen! We hope you can go see this movie, which comes out soon.
Opening in NY October 20th
Opening in LA, Canada & Additional US Cities Beginning October 27th*World Premiere – 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival*
*Feature Film Award Winner – 2023 Wasatch Mountain Film Festival*
*Official Selection – ââ2023 Telluride Mountainfilm*Directed by:Â Josh Berman
Featuring: Trevor Kennison and Barry Corbet
Produced by: Conor Smith and Roy Tuscany
Executive Produced by: Andrew Tiner, Kevin McNeely, and Rosemary NcNeely
Faced with a traumatic injury that renders you permanently disabled; how would you reinvent yourself? In 2014, Trevor Kennison’s life was forever altered by a broken back – for worse and for better, in equal measures. Barry Corbet, an intrepid skier, mountaineer, explorer, filmmaker, and Jackson Hole legend, broke his back in a helicopter crash in 1968.  Frustrated by a pre-ADA culture that did not accept or support the disabled, Barry reinvented himself, becoming a seminal leader in the disability community. Full Circle follows Trevor on a path towards post-traumatic growth in parallel with Barry, 50 years later.  Their stories mirror each other, connected through time and space by common locations and motifs; injuries in the Colorado backcountry, rehab at Craig Hospital, fame in Jackson Hole; but also, through their shared resiliency and refusal to let their passion for life be limited by their injuries. Full Circle is an unblinking examination of the challenges of Spinal Cord Injury, and a celebration of the growth that such tragedy can catalyze.
Bringing the ethos of the film into practice Primetime Emmy-nominated composer Mark Crawford (âThe Social Dilemmaâ) chose to work with musicians living with disabilities for the live instrumentation of the score. Mark assembled an all-star team, including Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Howk of Portugal. The Man, world-renowned jazz pianist Justin Kauflin, percussionist Jason Barnes, trumpet player Patrick Henry Hughes, virtuoso violinist Brian Krinke, and members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, with orchestrator Jeff Kryka preparing the score. Additionally, Eric Howk wrote and recorded a custom song for the credits of the film, titled âWhat I Am.â  Very much autobiographical, the song brings Ericâs voice into the film in more ways than one, speaking directly to his life experience as a paraplegic confined to a wheelchair.
JOSH BERMAN
Director/DP – Josh Berman started his career in the New York City production scene while earning a degree in Film from Dartmouth College. Josh followed his passion for snow sports to Colorado and has been directing award winning outdoor and action sports films for the past two decades. His background in action sports uniquely equipped him to tackle the challenges of shooting with Trevor in complex and dangerous snow environments.
Interview with Showrunner/creator/writer/EP George R. Olson of “SurrealEstate” on Syfy by Suzanne 10/16/23
It was really fun to speak with George about such an entertaining show. I’ve enjoyed “SurrealEstate” since the first episode because it has interesting stories of drama and horror, with a lot of humor and a good cast. I tried hard to get him to tell me if a certain character dies this season, but he wouldn’t budge…not that I expected him to! But it was all in fun, anyway. You don’t want to miss this season, which started October 4th on Syfy. It airs Wednesdays on Syfy, but you can also watch it on their website for free and on HULU the next day. You can watch season one on HULU as well.
MORE INFO:
SurrealEstate
Wednesdays on SYFY(10-11pm ET/PT); Season Premiere: October 4
âSurrealEstateâ follows real estate agent Luke Roman and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and âfixingâ the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure – and closings – even as they struggle with demons of their own.
201 âTRUST THE PROCESSâ (Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
Without his special powers, Luke struggles to handle an engaged property by instinct alone. Susan falls in love at first sight with a mysterious home that has a special power over her.
202 âTRUTH IN ADVERTISINGâ (Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
Luke deals with a TV ghost hunter and his crew filming at a clientâs legendary property. Susan investigates a seaside B&B where strange, provocative noises are scaring guests away.
203 âTHE BUTLER DIDNâTâ (Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
When a client is taken hostage by a vengeful ghost, the Roman Agency must solve a decades-old murder mystery to save him before itâs too late.
204 âI PUT A SPELL ON YOUâ (Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT)
Luke sparks with a charming homeowner while negotiating a land deal. Zooey goes out on her first sales call as a newly minted real estate agent.
âSurrealEstateâ stars Tim Rozon, Sarah Levy, Adam Korson, Maurice Dean Wint, Savannah Basley and Elena Juatco.
The series was created by George R. Olson. Olson, Lance Samuels, Danishka Esterhazy, Armand Leo, Daniel Iron, Neil Tabatznik, Cosima Von Spreti and Kevin Anweiler executive produce.
George R. Olson
creator, showrunner, and executive producer
George Olson is a recovering advertising executive, having spent most of his career as creative director, partner and chief creative officer at one of Coloradoâs largest advertising agencies. Several years ago, seeking the dangerous head rush of writing something longer than thirty seconds, George began writing for film.
One of his first efforts, a bio-pic of Nikola Tesla, won a screenwriting competition and attracted the attention of director Barry Sonnenfeld, who developed the script with him. He wrote a short film, KILLING KEVIN, which was an official selection at 18 international film festivals. Another one of his original screenplays, WHITEFISH, won another competition and he developed that script with actor/director John Turturro. Since then, George has written a number of features including MASTER RACE, the story of Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, with Anthony Mackie attached to star.
Along the way, George began writing for television and has developed a number of original pilots including BITTERROOT, which he sold as a pitch to USA Network. Several of Georgeâs original spec pilots are in various stages of development around town, including POISON COUNTY which he is developing with Mark Burnett and MGM Television. MGM also hired him to create and write the pilot for GODSPEED, a one-hour drama set in the world of NASCAR. He has adapted his one-hour pilot FIRST PERSON SHOOTER with e-One into a made-for-TV film for Crackle. George sold his original spec pilot THE NATURE OF YOUR EMERGENCY to Keshet Studios, and sold his pitch for RUTHLESS to CBS Studios and developed the pilot for the CW Network. Most recently, George’s original pilot SURREAL ESTATE was ordered to series by SYFY, with George serving as Showrunner and Executive Producer.
Splitting his time between Colorado, Los Angeles, Canada, features and television, George has no outside interests that he is aware of.
Interview with EP Jeff Astrof of “Shining Vale” on Starz by Suzanne 10/10/23
It was really fun to speak with Jeff. again. He wears a lot of hats as no only Co-Creator of the show, but also Writer, Showrunner and Executive Producer. He’s very passionate about the show, and who can blame him? It’s a great series, with an amazing mixture of comedy, drama and humor. It also has a wonderful cast: Courtney Cox, Greg Kinnear, Mira Sorvino, Merrin Dungey, Judith Light, Sherilyn Fenn, Allison Tolman, Gus Birney and Dylan Gage. I love it because it’s horror, but it’s not gross like so many horror movies or shows are.
If you missed the first season, you can stream it now on the Starz site, Amazon or ROKU. It’s definitely worth watching, and Jeff is justifiably proud of all of their efforts. You don’t want to miss season two, which premieres “October 13 at midnight ET on the Starz app, all Starz streaming and on-demand platforms and on Lionsgate+ streaming platform in the U.K. and Ireland; on linear at 9 p.m. ET/PT in the U.S. and Canada. New episodes will drop weekly on Fridays at midnight” (from Deadline).
JEFF ASTROF
Executive Producer; Co-Creator; Showrunner; Writer, Ep. 201, 208
Jeff Astrof is a writer/producer who has worked in television way longer than he ever
thought possible. Jeff came to prominence as one of the original writers of âFriends,â
where he co-wrote several notable episodes, including âThe One After the Super Bowlâ
which was seen by over 51 million viewers. Additionally, his background work on the
show as âhot guy at partyâ, âguy late for planeâ and âdisappointed hockey fanâ remain
examples of overacting to this day. Jeff also wrote on all five seasons of âThe New
Adventures of Old Christine,â where Julia Louis-Dreyfus won her first post-Seinfeld
Emmy, and he was co-creator of the critically-acclaimed âTrial & Error,â starring John
Lithgow and Kristin Chenoweth. âShining Valeâ reunites Jeff with fellow âFriendsâ alum
Courteney Cox. As EP/Showrunner of the show, Jeff has mandated that he is not
allowed to act in it.
About âShining Valeâ
Season one of âShining Valeâ introduced Pat and Terry Phelps, a dysfunctional family that tried to run from their problems by moving their kids into a Victorian mansion in small-town Connecticut. The only problem? It may be haunted. Once settled in, Pat encountered Rosemary, a demon who possessed her body and turned her life upside down. When the family steps in to âsaveâ Pat, they commit her to a psychiatric hospital where she sees an old photo of a nurse who looks just like her demon Rosemary.
Season two kicks off four months later, when Patâs insurance runs out and she is released from the psychiatric hospital early. Pat returns home, determined to pick up the pieces of her broken family, but she quickly finds out her children donât need her, Terry doesnât remember her and to make matters worse, Patâs new neighbor Ruth looks exactly like Rosemary. Meanwhile, the house starts to reveal the shocking secrets of its dark past. Every mother feels like they live in an insane asylum, but Pat may be right!
âShining Valeâ Online
Twitter: @ShiningVale | @STARZ
Instagram: @ShiningValeSTARZÂ | @STARZ
Facebook: @ShiningValeSTARZ | @STARZ
Join the conversation with #ShiningVale and #STARZ
âShining Valeâ season two is set to premiere on Friday, October 13th, at midnight ET on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms and on LIONSGATE+ streaming platform in the U.K. and Ireland. On linear, it will debut on STARZ on Friday, October 13th, at 9PM ET/PT in the U.S. and Canada. New episodes will be available to stream weekly on Fridays at midnight on the STARZ app, all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms and will air weekly on the STARZ linear platform.
Interview with creator/producer Joseph Kay of “Transplant” on NBC by Suzanne 10/10/23
It was great to speak with the creator/writer/executive producer of such a good show as “Transplant,” which returns for season 3 October 12th! It’s a Canadian show, and they’re watching season 4 right now (which, unfortunately, is the last season). You don’t want to miss this one! If you haven’t watched the first two seasons, go watch them now on Peacock! You’ll be glad you caught up on some a unique show with interesting characters.
New Season Premiering Thursday, October 12 on NBC (9 p.m. ET)
The new season of âTransplantâ finds Bashir âBashâ Hamed (Hamza Haq, âMy Salinger Yearâ) continuing his journey to start over, but with each new milestone comes a new challenge. While pursuing Canadian citizenship for himself and his younger sister, Amira (Sirena Gulamgaus, âOrphan Black), Bash closely examines who heâs becoming in his adopted country.
Bash, still being asked repeatedly to prove himself, works closely with his colleagues as they move forward following the dramatic conclusion of season two. Everyone continues to find themselves looking to adapt to change and understand how they fit in, both within and beyond the walls of York Memorial Hospital.
After Dr. Bishopâs shocking departure, the team gains a new boss with the forward-thinking Dr. Neeta Devi (Rekha Sharma, âYellowjacketsâ). Dr. Devi has big ideas when it comes to overhauling the emergency department at York Memorial.
âTransplantâ also stars Laurence Leboeuf as Dr. Magalie âMagsâ LeBlanc, Ayisha Issa as Dr. June Curtis, Jim Watson as Dr. Theo Hunter, Torri Higginson as head nurse Claire Malone, Gord Rand as Dr. Mark Novak and Sirena Gulamgaus as Amira.
Joseph Kay is creator, showrunner and executive producer on the NBC drama âTransplant.â He has served as showrunner, writer and executive producer for each of its seasons, winning four Canadian Screen Awards in his roles as writer and producer.
Prior to âTransplant,â he adapted and served as executive producer on the CBC drama âThis Life.â Previous credits include the World War II drama âBomb Girlsâ for Global TV and the CBC hit action/comedy âRepublic of Doyle.â
Kay also co-created the single-camera comedy âLiving in your Carâ for HBO Canada.
Before becoming a screenwriter, he worked as a transactional lawyer at one of Canadaâs foremost securities law firms.
Interview with Sharon Case of “The Young and The Restless” on CBS by Suzanne 10/5/23
I so enjoyed speaking with Sharon! I’m a fan of hers, and of the show (which you’ll see below). It was great to meet her on Zoom, and it was really sweet of her to answer so many of our questions. We had a good time and laughed a lot.
Suzanne: Well, thanks for talking to me today.
Sharon: Yeah. Thanks for having me, Suzanne.
Suzanne: Yeah. You’ve been on Y&R next year for 30 years. How does that feel?
Sharon: It feels amazing. It’s wild. I guess you round off numbers when you speak about it. So for probably a few years now, I’d just round it off and say, Oh, you know, I’ve been here 30 years or, you know, so it’s not brand new, a brand new idea to me, but it will finally be official.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s great. Do they give you a cake and things like that?
Sharon: I don’t know if they’re going to come up with a cake. Probably, they’ll offer a cake party. I think usually our anniversaries, we have a lot of anniversaries, a lot of casts have been here a long time. They usually do a cake party, yeah.
Suzanne: Okay, that’s cool. I’ve been watching “The Young and The Restless” since 1986, and “General Hospital” since 1984. So I saw you on there as Dawn before you [played] Sharon.
Sharon: Right. I played Dawn, Monica Quartermaine’s daughter.
Suzanne: Yeah, no, that was great. I really liked Dawn, even though there were like five different actresses that played her.
Sharon: There were a lot of actresses that played Dawn. There were three who played Sharon.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. I forgot about that. And I was so upset when they, when they killed Dawn off. She was such a great character. But I’m glad that you got to go on and become Sharon for so long.
Sharon: But you know, dead is never dead in the soap either.
Suzanne: Yeah, but it was a long time ago. I don’t think she’s coming back now.
Sharon: Who knows? You know, she could.
Suzanne: That would be great, but… Has Sharon — I was trying to remember — has Sharon ever been dead or thought to be dead?
Sharon: She, well, let’s see, she fell off the cliff with Drusilla and she almost died. They thought maybe she was going to make it, but she made it. Okay, now I don’t think…Oh, and then when Sharon broke out of prison and went on the run, and she stayed with, Sam on the farm. Everyone in Genoa City thought Sharon was dead, they even had a funeral for her. And so, right, Sharon was meanwhile, living on a farm with Sam.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Sharon: She was thought to be dead then, too. Yeah, that, but not, not in the way that we were talking about somehow. Some characters do die — “die” — and they come back. It’s always fun to have to play that scene when a character comes back to life and you’re shocked. Like Diane recently.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s right.
Sharon: It’s the best scene when your character runs into them, and you’re like, “Oh, my God!” What expression do you have from back from the dead, what would be the right expression? What is that?
[Both laughing]
Suzanne: I’m not so dead after all! That’s funny. Yeah. Yeah.
Suzanne: Well, it seems like Sharon has been through a lot on those 30 years, and [done] just about everything that a soap heroine can possibly do. I mean…
Sharon: Yeah, I’ve done a lot of really fun stuff…
Suzanne: Burning down Victor’s house, marrying Victor….That was weird!
Sharon: That was, yeah. Marrying. Yeah. But you know, that turned into some very good things that, I’ve been seeing a lot of, recently, people are tweeting or whatever, scenes where Sharon was having Victor’s funeral.
Suzanne: Mm-Hmm. I remember that.
Sharon: It was the fake funeral. And that was just hilarious. And she was trying to marry Tucker at the same time. Those were some of the funniest scenes. And I had so much fun shooting them. And that was all part of the Sharon married Victor story.
Suzanne: Right.
Sharon: She then, you know, covered up his fake death, pretended he was dead, tried to take over Newman. It was a lot of fun.
Suzanne: Yeah, I’ll bet. And I remember a long time ago when Sharon was shoplifting.
Sharon: Yeah, that was great fun.
Suzanne: Yeah?
Sharon: That was the very beginning of her, kind of, her bipolar, I guess, is what they decided that was part of that, as well. I think her would-be behavior. yeah, it was really fun. And, I joke with Joshua Morrow sometimes when we’re just sitting in the Newman living room, doing scenes, you know, passing time when, you know, we have a lot of time sitting there in between scenes, and I say, I’m going to steal the coasters, Joshua. I’m going to have Sharon zip over first and steal the coasters. And I’ll just be doing that in the background while these people are talking. That would be hilarious. We always laugh about that. He laughs… He thinks, he’d like to start having his character only wear golf clothes all the time, to the office, everywhere, he’s just always in golf clothes.
Suzanne: He seems like he would be a lot of fun.
Sharon: He’s so much fun. I think that’s a genius idea.
Suzanne: Yeah, I remember, that was when, when, Sharon was stealing– shoplifting. That was when your character’s mom was still around.
Sharon: Yeah, we haven’t seen Sharon’s mom in a while. We still, we don’t know where her dad is yet. So, there’s still things we have to find out.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s great that they still have that story out there they could pull out anytime. And I’m glad to see that you’re doing something again, other than just pouring coffee and being a sounding board for your children and anyone else.
Sharon: Yeah…
Suzanne: After Rey died, then they didn’t do anything with Sharon for a very long time, besides that.
Sharon: I know, she had a very long mourning period. She had a long mourning. She really loved him. So she was paused for a while… but now she’s got this Kirsten Company, thanks to Cameron Kirsten. And, now she’s gonna go out on her own and build it into a great company, and, you know, take over the world.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm. Yeah. That’s great. Judging from what I’ve seen on the show lately, it seems like Nick and Sharon may be headed back together. I know they don’t tell you much ahead of time, and you can’t really say spoilers, but would you be happy about that kind of reunion?
Sharon: Of course! I’m always happy when they reunite. I– I love working with Joshua. Good news is, though, even when we’re not reunited, I get to work with him a lot anyway. We share children together. So, I mean, we always are doing scenes together in any case, either way.
Suzanne: Yeah, yeah. And do you think that they’re the next Victor and Nikki?
Sharon: Well, it seems so. I can see how people can compare the two. They’ve been a couple on and off for, you know, like we just said, three decades now.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Sharon: And that does seem to parallel Victor and Nikki.
Suzanne: Right. And when you found out that Sharon was going to be running Cameron’s former company, what was your reaction to that?
Sharon: Oh, I was really happy. You know, to see Sharon back in the business world again is fun. She did worka t Jabot and Newman back in the day for a while. And that’s fun because, you know, she gets to interact with a lot of other people while she’s at work.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
Sharon: Brad work there then, you know
Suzanne: Mm-hmm. I remember…
Sharon: That’s just fun. So I– I hope that Sharon being back in the business world again… that will give her cause to be at Jabot, or Newman or maybe employ several people at her office space.
Suzanne: Right. She was a psychologist, but they’ve kind of dropped that now, or….?
Sharon: Yeah, I think we’re getting less and less…going less and less with the psychology. And we did that for a few years.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Sharon: Well, you know, she’s changing careers, and going back to what she used to do.
Suzanne: Right, right, right. And, is there anything that Sharon hasn’t done on the show that you wish she would do?
Sharon: Let’s see…um…I don’t know, let’s see… I would like her to, uh…I can’t really think of anything, but you know, it would be fun if she were like a… I’ll come up with something.
Suzanne: Okay. You could be a stripper like Nikki! I don’t know…
Sharon: Be a stripper like Nikki? No…. [Laughs]
Suzanne: Maybe she could get a split personality and become a stripper.
Sharon: Split personality would be phenomenal. I loved playing bipolar, that’s not quite the same, but a split personality would be a lot of fun, or a crazy twin sister.
Suzanne: I was gonna say evil twin would be the next thing.
Sharon: That would be great.
Suzanne: Well, and we know twins run in her family, so she had twins, so…
Sharon: That’s right, she did. She had Mariah and Cassie, and they were great.
Suzanne: Yeah, so she could have an evil twin out there she doesn’t even know about.
Sharon: That’s right.
Suzanne: And it would be a good way to bring her mom back, too.
Sharon: Yeah, or bring her mom back or her dad. Maybe she meets her dad, and her dad shows up in town with this child. This– well, not child anymore. You know. And Sharon is looking right at herself, she feels. It’s because it’s her twin sister.
Suzanne: Yeah, that would be great. You’d get to play evil for a while. That would be fun.
Sharon: Yeah, that would be good.
Suzanne: Yeah, or a vixen, what they used to call a vixen.
Sharon: Yeah, and she could be a real good vixen and real bad girl. She would do all kinds of bad things.
Suzanne: I could see– I could see that with Adam.
Sharon: Doing bad things?
Suzanne: Yeah. The twin– the evil twin with Adam.
Sharon: Oh, yeah, I see. Yeah. Yeah. I can see it, too.
Suzanne: So, I asked on Twitter and Facebook– Oh, (here’s a question I forgot to ask first) I know it’s not 2020 anymore, but are you still following a lot of COVID protocols on the set?
Sharon: You know, we do sometimes. Not, as regularly as we were… sometimes we’re masking, it’s sort of optional, and, the testing, we’re not doing it every single week, but we are still, at various intervals, doing testing.
Suzanne: Okay, did they ever have the thing that they had on GH for a while, where everyone had to get vaccinated?
Sharon: I think, no, I mean, they, they offered vaxxess here and they always have, not every year I guess, but there’s been a lot of years they’ve offered vaxxes here… flu vaxxess and things like that.
Suzanne: Right. But it wasn’t mandated or anything.
Sharon: Right.
Suzanne: Oh, okay. and so I went on Twitter and Facebook and asked fans if they had questions for you.
Sharon: Oh good! I hope they do!
Suzanne: They, oh yeah, there’s a lot. More than I can tell you in the time that we have. But, let’s see. Christine on Twitter, wanted to know who you would like to work with that you haven’t. A couple of other people asked the same thing.
Sharon: That I haven’t, um..
Suzanne: Or not much.
Sharon: You know, I haven’t a lot with, Trevor St. John, and we had a few coffee house scenes together. One day, that was it. It was so fun. I was hoping that we would– our characters would do more together.
Suzanne: Right, because you were kind of married for a while.
Sharon: We were kind of married for a while! Different actor, but I– you know, so it really works that this is someone from Sharon’s past. I find it, you know, interesting to play those scenes with that character because of that. And you know, working with Trevor is terrific.
Suzanne: I’m sure. Yeah. And, everybody hates him, so… his character (I mean), so that would be fun to see whether Sharon still didn’t like him, or liked him, felt that bad for him, or whatever. Yeah.
Sharon: You know, it’s a love-hate thing. I think, when you run into your ex-husband years ago, you get a zing from that.
Suzanne: Yeah. So, Heather wanted to know what your favorite storyline of all time was?
Sharon: Oh, my gosh. I have loved so many of ’em. You know, the one we just mentioned: Sharon, posting Victor’s funeral. That was a really fun, if you haven’t seen that, hold that up somewhere on Twitter or on, I don’t know where else you can get it, but it
Suzanne: YouTube? YouTube, maybe?
Sharon: maybe. Yeah. On YouTube. Yeah. I’ve seen it on Twitter recently. That’s why I said that. But on YouTube, that is a really fun. And, you know, I have a lot of others [that] I’ve said many times are my favorites, like going into the sewer with Nikki and the rats, and Cassie’s death story. But I really want to start adding to it. I think my favorite scene was Sharon hosting Victor’s funeral.
Suzanne: And a different person named Christine, this one on Facebook, wanted to know your funniest blooper, either one you did or somebody else did.
Sharon: Oh, my gosh, there’s bloopers every day. There’s so many [scene ones?]. I just had a funny, almost-blooper, with Brytni [Sarpy] today, who plays Elena. We were doing a funny scene. She was supposed to exit and be gone. And then there’s the tag on Sharon watching a different character. And we were joking that Elena would, at the end, peek around the corner as if she has her eye on Sharon. And we just did a riff on this ridiculous that, Sharon and Elena, you know, she’s got her eye on her for some reason. And, we joked about it in rehearsal, so we did that in rehearsal. It’s not a blooper, necessarily. But it kind of is because it started out with Brytni actually making a mistake in her blocking!
Suzanne: Oh!
Sharon: That got us all laughing about this. There’s so many bloopers every day, you know? Oh, I had one where I was– recently, I was in Society, and… I’m supposed to just put my purse, um, set it on my chair as I’m seated at Society, and the purse just kept falling.
Suzanne: Oh!
Sharon: Well, I’m trying to have a conversation in the scene, and I’m constantly fidgeting with my purse. I finally got that thing to stay. And, they didn’t have… they didn’t edit that into the show, so you won’t see that because it’s a blooper.
Suzanne: Ah.
Sharon: Another blooper is that when I finally got up to leave, I got up to grab the purse and go, and it was stuck. I couldn’t pull it out of the chair again. And I do wish that they would include these in the show.
Suzanne: Yeah, or [have] like a special blooper reel or something, or post it online… anything. Fans woul love to see those.
Sharon: Yeah, sure. I would love to see them, too. It’s fun.
Suzanne: Marilyn wants to know, what do you admire about your character? And what do you not admire about your character?
Sharon: You know what, I admire how brave she is, and what a go-getter she is now… You know, how positively she looks at life itself, and her life. After everything she’s been through, she just keeps going, and has this positive energy and attitude that tomorrow’s another day, and she’s going to reinvent herself and become a businesswoman now, again, and a great mom, or she’s going to go crazy, but that’s okay. She’ll recover. She’s just got a great attitude.
Suzanne: Well, yeah, what’s great about being on the soap, especially for so long, it seems like you get to experience all these different things you don’t necessarily do in your real life.
Sharon: Right.
Suzanne: You get to go wild and crazy. You get to have kids, you know, married many times, all these different…
Sharon: You get to do a lot of fun stuff, but you know, she’s, I like her.. I don’t know, her optimism.
Suzanne: And is there anything you don’t admire about Sharon? You wish that she didn’t do?
Sharon: Let’s see. Hmm. I don’t think so. I think I’ve, I’ve pretty much really liked everything she’s done. Yeah.
Suzanne: Okay. And Faith says, “I really love some of the clothes and accessories you wear. Do you get a chance to decide what to wear and do you get a chance to purchase the clothing or accessories?”
Sharon: Well, that’s a good question. Wardrobe is very fun and very important. This, what I’m wearing right now is, from Sharon’s closet. I love Sharon’s clothes. I do get a say-so, somewhat, in what she’s going to wear. The costume department will buy a bunch of clothes, or they take them out from the store on, you know, I don’t know, they get to take them out temporarily. Usually they give us the clothes for two or three days to try on so we have time to try these on. What they bring I try on, and I decide what I like, what I didn’t. And they do as well. They may have bought me some things from the store that once they see them on me, they don’t like them or anything. It’s just not right for the scene. So we both decide, but yes, I do have a say-so as well, and if everything we don’t like gets sent back, and the things that we decide to keep, then the costumers decide which show, which episode, each costume might be right for.
Suzanne: Okay, and she said, do you get a chance to buy any of the clothes or accessories?
Sharon: Oh, no, no, no, I don’t get to buy them. I get to borrow them.
Suzanne: Oh.
Sharon: Yeah, they are… I don’t know why we just don’t really have a thing where we buy the clothes.. [from] CBS on some… We all borrow them and wear them to a function, you know, the anniversary party or, you know, like today I’m doing this interview, so I’m wearing Sharon’s clothes.
Suzanne: Nice. And, Teresa wanted to know if you’ve ever vacationed in Nashville. I assume she lives there.
Sharon: Oh, my gosh, I don’t think I have. I’ve been so many places. I have so many friends going to Nashville all the time, so I see a lot of it in photos. I don’t think that I have been in Nashville, but I’m gonna make it there one day, for sure.
Suzanne: You should. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun.
Sharon: Seems like it.
Suzanne: And, Lori wants to know if you’re still designing your POMP jewelry.
Sharon: It was called pump, p-u-m-p, pump.
Suzanne: Oh, okay. Pump.
Sharon: P-O-M-P. Now I forgot that. While it’s been a while, it’s been a very long time. When did we close that? We closed it. I don’t– years ago, so no, we’re not still doing that. It was me and my friend, Ella, who used to be the head of the costuming department here at Young and The Restless.
Suzanne: Okay.
Sharon: We’re good friends also in real life, so we designed and made this jewelry company together, but we closed it up quite a while ago. I’m not still doing it. I have some leftover spare pieces that I just kept that I like, that I wear. And, I think… you know, we have thought about bringing back just, not a whole line, but maybe like one or two pieces that were very popular. We’ll see.
Suzanne: Okay, and Marilyn again wants to know what made you want to be an actress.
Sharon: Gosh, I don’t think I did want to be one. I fell into it, and it ended up working out, and I eventually came to like it, so I stuck with it. But I didn’t really plan to be. I was a dancer… I was a ballerina when I was a little girl, and I just thought I was always going to be a ballerina. But I started booking jobs as an actress because of that.
Suzanne: Oh, okay.
Sharon: Once I started working as a dancer, you start working as a model. You start, you know, you just start branching out and getting… get offered a variety of things.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
Sharon: I’ve done hosting jobs for various shows in the past. You know, I guess it’s just as a performer, you do a lot of different kinds of things, but I never did plan to be an actor. When I was in school, I didn’t go to acting school. I wasn’t in the drama class. I was in the play production class. I liked learning how to produce. And, I kind of thought, well, maybe I would do something in that regard.
Suzanne: Interesting. Do you have any pictures of yourself as a ballerina? If so, you should post them on Instagram.
Sharon: I know, I should. I do. I think I have some really, really bad ones. I did say, I just saved the ones that are most embarrassing. I have to take those out. I left them at my parents house.
Suzanne: Oh, those would be fun to see, though. I think everybody would enjoy seeing those.
Sharon: I know, it would be a good laugh, right?
Suzanne: Aw, no, because you’re probably, you think they’re terrible, but we’d probably go, Oh, look how cute she looks.
Sharon: I’m probably universal, universally terrible. But we’ve all seen that before, you know, pictures of us when we’re young and in a silly costume. But that was fun. That’s what kids do.
Suzanne: So you didn’t like being an actress when you first started? Is that what you kind of said there?
Sharon: I didn’t really. You know, I wasn’t trained at first as an actress, so I didn’t really know what I was doing. I found it difficult and, you know, it’s hard to enjoy doing something that you don’t feel you’re good at or you’re nervous about. But then I eventually did go to acting school. I, you know, I thought, wow, if I’m going to keep doing this and booking jobs, doing this, I’m, I better go to school for this, get training. Maybe that’ll make a difference. And I think it did.
Suzanne: Okay, great. And, so, those are all my questions, but is there anything else… are you allowed to tell us anything, about the upcoming weeks or episodes?
Sharon: Well, I can’t give away story, you know, because I’m– I don’t know why they make us…
Suzanne: Spoilers.
Sharon: I wish we could. Yeah, that’s frowned on around here. Very unpopular.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Sharon: I can’t do that. But there is, you know, the stuff that’s aired already keeps going. We know that Sharon has this company, Kirsten, and that keeps rolling, as far as I know, for the time being. And Sharon and Chance and Summer are, you know, doing whatever they’re doing. I will see what direction that heads in. But that is something that Sharon has going. And then also, Sharon is helpful and supportive with Mariah and Tessa and their baby and her medical situation with her hearing. So that that’s coming up here and there, too.
Suzanne: Okay, and, you mentioned Chance. Now, your characters had random sex back in July.
Sharon: I know!
Suzanne: And then that was kind of the end of it, right?
Sharon: And now we don’t have sex anymore, I guess. Well, at least not on camera. Right?
Suzanne: Yeah. At least as far as we know.
Sharon: We assume they must be doing that.
Suzanne: Yeah, I thought maybe they were putting him and Summer together…?
Sharon: Maybe, I don’t know.
Suzanne: Slowly. But now I’m thinking you and Nick, so I don’t know. Maybe it’s a quadrangle. I don’t know. .
Sharon: Well, that would be interesting. But, you know, that would be going, out, you know, into the future too far where I don’t even know… I haven’t asked.
Suzanne: Ah.
Sharon: And so I don’t know ultimately what’s gonna happen. Sharon and Chance, Sharon and Nick, or Summer and Chance. I, I don’t know. But it’s been fun working with all of them.
Suzanne: Yeah, I’m sure.
Sharon: I’m having a nice time.
Suzanne: Yeah. Anything else you’d like to tell your fans?
Sharon: Let’s see. Well, thank you all so much for tuning in and staying with us all these years and for all of your comments, and thank you for asking me questions for this interview today.
Suzanne: Oh, my pleasure.
Sharon: The fans asked questions. You too, Suzanne. Thank you.
[Both laugh]
Suzanne: We’re all happy. We’re all fans, and we’re all happy to talk to you.
Sharon: I love when I get asked questions from the fans and they post a question for my interview. It means a lot to me that people were paying attention or wanted to participate or hear something from me. It means a lot. Thank you all.
Suzanne: All right. Well, thanks so much for talking to me today. I really appreciate it. And I look forward to seeing what else Sharon gets up to, and I hope they give you one of those special standalone episodes for your 30th anniversary, like they’ve done before with Michael. And I don’t remember who else… Victor.
Sharon: That’s a great idea. Yeah. We haven’t done one of those in a while. Yeah, that would be fun. That would be a lot of work, too.
Suzanne: Yeah. All right. Thank you so much.
Sharon: Thank you. All right. Bye.
Suzanne: Bye. Bye.
NOTE: This transcript was made by a program called Descript.
MORE INFO:
Sharon Case is an American actress and former model. At the age of 17, Case began working as a model, relocating briefly to Japan, before pursuing an acting career. She is best known for her roles on daytime television soap operas, scoring parts in the serials General Hospital and As the World Turns during the early stages of her career. In 1994, she stepped into the role of Sharon Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, which she still plays. Case, who is considered a leading actress in the series, won the 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance.
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, the #1 daytime drama for 32 consecutive years, is a continuing drama revolving around the loves, enmities, hopes and fears of the residents of the fictional Midwestern town of Genoa City.
The seriesâ 50th season premiered Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, on the CBS Television Network, and is available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
Interview with producer Deborah Pratt of “Quantum Leap” on NBC by Suzanne 9/26/23
What makes this interview interesting is that Deborah worked on both the classic “Quantum Leap” as well as the new one. In fact, she was married to the creator of the show, Donald Bellasario. I’m sure she has many stories beyond what she revealed in our interview. I love both versions of the show, and I can’t wait to see what happens the rest of the season.
Suzanne: So, how many episodes are filmed already for the season?
Deborah: Eight. Are we lucky or what?
Suzanne: Oh, that’s good. Yeah, there’s so few scripted shows right now.
Deborah: Yeah, I think it was a great idea of NBC Universal, Martin, Dean, everybody said, âLet’s just keep moving forward.â And I’m really excited that we did.
Suzanne: Yeah. I just watched the first two episodes, I enjoyed them a lot.
Deborah: Oh, thank you.
Suzanne: I’m a big fan of the old Quantum Leap and the new Quantum Leap, and I know you’ve worked on both.
Deborah: I did. I was there from the beginning.
Suzanne: Wow. You should write a book about that?
Deborah: You know, I can’t tell you how many people have asked me to write a book about my experiences and how I got to where I got to, and when I brought Quantum Leap to Don and how it evolved the way it evolved. It’s exciting. I was very young and got to learn how to make a series.
Suzanne: And seems like now would be a good time to come out with a book since youâve got the new show.
Deborah: Yeah, yeah. Well, I have two new books coming out.
Suzanne: Oh, cool. Thatâs right.
Deborah: Iâve got Warrior One, and I’ve got the fifth book in my Vision Quest series. And truthfully, I started a Quantum Leap book, but it was not the history of. Matt Deal has that covered. I don’t know if youâve ever read any of his books. He’s so good. He goes into all kinds of detail, and he just had a sequel come out. So, it’s really worth checking into. He’s from London.
Suzanne: Itâs about Quantum Leap?
Deborah: There are things I read in those books that I either forgot.
Suzanne: So, he’s got a second book about the making of the original Quantum Leap, or is it about the new one?
Deborah: I don’t know if it’s come out yet. It’s called Beyond the Leap. And it’s the revival, so it gets into the new show.
Suzanne: Great. So, how have the strikes affected filming other than the obvious way?
Deborah: Well, yeah, of course, we shut down, which is the obvious way. In that sense, you know, how quickly will we be able to – knock on glass; I have a glass desk – How quickly will we be back up and running? And we’re standing by the the Screen Actors Guild, in that they have a lot to fight forâŠin the sense that creativity needs to be protected. But your voice, your face, your body are, are on the line here, and you need to have your rights to control them.
Suzanne: And now that they’ve got a tentative agreement with the Writers Guild, will the writers be returning to make more Quantum Leap scripts?
Deborah: Well, it’s got to go through the process of the legalese straightened out. The board of directors – I used to sit on the board of directors for the Writers Guild – will meet and vote on it, and then it goes out to the membership. All of that happens.
Suzanne: Does that take a few days, a few weeks, few months?
Deborah: It’s a process, it can be as short as, you know, this is, I think, my third strike that I’ve been involved with in my career. So, sometimes it happens quite quickly, and other times there are little snigs and snags. Right? I have great hope that the AMPTP is going to understand that they can’t make anything without us. Right. And truthfully, AI can build a streamer for you. [laughs] So, itâs not like it’s not in danger.
Suzanne: So, what can you tell us about what’s going on with Ben and the rest of them this season?
Deborah: Ben didn’t get home at the end of season one. I can tell you that. If he did get home, we wouldn’t have a series. Ben did not get home. You got to see Episode One and Episode Two you said. So, he’s got a real reality check. He’s been out there by himself. He hasn’t seen anybody. He’s still asking for Addison. So, he doesn’t realize or understand why. âWhy am I alone on this on this leap?â
Suzanne: And would you say would you say things are ramped up more this season? Usually the second season is like more action, more this, more that, more twists and turns.
Deborah: Well, we certainly got a lot of that in in those first episodes. I know if you looked at the trailer, which is wonderful kudos to marketing at NBC Universal, we went to Egypt, literally got on a plane and went to Egypt. So, that’s really fun and exciting. We also went further back in time then the show has ever gone. I won’t tell you when. Itâs further back.
Suzanne: Yeah, I think I saw that in the trailer. I don’t remember the date. But I remember seeing an old [unintelligible]
Deborah: 1692.
Suzanne: Yeah, that was it.
Deborah: I know. I’m supposed to remember all that stuff. [laughs]
Suzanne: That’s fine.
Deborah: I have to remember all that stuff. So, those things are really exciting and very adventurous, but the bigger things and what is Quantum Leap, is the heart of the show that the story’s really not just the the leaps. But the the stories with our main characters, Ben and [Addison], and Magic, Ian, and Jen. We get to know more about them, which is the fun thing. We get to know what’s at stake. You know, now that he’s been found, how did he get found? Those mysteries. Because we have the opportunity to solve those mysteries. And the first mystery, which was why he left in the first place, we solved it. We find out it’s to save his woman and ultimately, maybe even the world, and he gets to be a real hero in the first season. And Ben is so likable.
Suzanne: That’s true.
Deborah: Raymond Lee, I give huge props to him. Having worked with both Scott Bakula and Raymond Lee, I think the show will only accept exceptional people. It’s just how Quantum Leap is, you know.
Suzanne: And it was nice to go in a different direction then having to try to find a Scott Bakula clone, if you could even do that.
Deborah: If you could even do that. I don’t think you could even do that. But I think it, you know, it’s one of those things of time, space, Ziggy. I get to play a piece of artificial intelligence that, you know, needs more control than we know, that has more control than we know.
Suzanne: Right.
Deborah: So, all those things we get to play with, and we get to find out more of what happens to them when they go home at night. There’re two new characters. We know that Peter Gadiot, who’s now Tom Westfall is the United States officer, we meet him in the second episode and try to understand what magic had to give up to get the project going again, once they found him and then what Ian did to locate him and what Jen knows or doesn’t know. So, there’s all these arrays that are that are being set up to set the story threads for the tapestry that is Season Two.
Suzanne: Okay, and is there any chance – this is something that I’m sure all the fans have asked a million times, but is there any chance that we’ll get to see Sam Beckett again?
Deborah: There’s always a chance. You know, again, and I say this 100 times that, that I personally am working on this Quantum Leap movie. I think Sam could come back in a $100 million super star. I think that we have the opportunity to do what Star Trek has done. There are nine Star Trek spin offs and nine Star Trek movies. So, let’s expand the franchise to video games and motion pictures and rides. I always say, âDid you go to Comic-Con? Did you see the Quantum Leap ride?â I think the opportunity to really see what the show can do and let the imagination of not just the writers but also the fans write back and participate in it as they have always done, the stories that I’ve gotten, the letters that I’ve gotten, the important moments in history that teachers have used from the the original series to to teach history that is, in some cases, intentionally being forgotten. It is, I think, a great opportunity for conversation. And I think what the show has always done, and I so grateful for Martin and Dean is to give you both sides of the story. So, you have those two sides to figure out where do you stand on this emotional issue, this political issue, wherever we are in storytelling, right? And maybe you just stand in the middle as an observer. Maybe you’re just, you know, Addison now, and you are looking at what’s happening, but you’re looking at it from the perspective of a present day mind that knows some of this history. Then, there’s the fun of, you know, there’s a show, and it happened to be the year you were in high school. You get to hear the music and see the clothes, because it’s a little movie every week.
Suzanne: That’s true. There was an actor I recognized in the second episode we’ve just seen briefly. Vincent Irizarry. Will he be coming back? Do you know?
Deborah: The two characters that are coming back are Peter Gadiot, Who’s Tom Westfall, and Eliza Taylor comes into it. Sheâs Hannah in episode three. So, those are going to be our reoccur[ing] characters that are coming back. I don’t think Vince is –
Suzanne: Heâs from the poker game. So, he’s not in the history part of it.
Deborah: Right. Right. Right. I remember him. And he’s wonderful, by the way. Are you a fan?
Suzanne: Yes
Deborah: Heâs very, very good. You know, that’s the cool thing about the show. You never know. We can go back and find a character. That can be really fun to tell the story, because they have that recognition of time. So, it could happen.
Suzanne: Okay, I hope so. I hope so. You know, who would play poker with Jen? Do they not know what kind of brain she has?
Deborah: Thank you very much. Represent. Yeah, she’s smart. I love the women on this show. In that Addison and Jen and – And you want that opportunity. And then Sam gets to be a woman 50% of the time. I mean, that’s the other thing that is, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he leaps into, 50% of his characters are women.
Suzanne: Wow. I know he went often, but I didn’t know it was that high.
Deborah: It was funny. They did the episode where he was the stewardess, episode 107. And I’ll never forget, they came down in these incredibly comfortable shoes. And I said, âThose werenât the shoes those women had to wear in the 60s. They wore pointy toes, spike heels. And Genevieve who’s a wonderful costume designer, said, âOh, I was just trying to be kind.â And they did a whole bit on it in one of the episodes, but, you know, we as women wore those shoes, and it’s fun to let men experience it, you know, vicariously, more than vicariously, he gets to do it for real, and thatâs some of the fun stuff. And again, I go back to Raymond’s physical comedy is just delightful.
Suzanne: It’s great.
Deborah: He went to school and studied clowningâŠIf you look at his physicality and how he can interpret some of those characters, it’s magical. That’s a lost art. You look at people like Robert Downey Jr. and people like that, who have great physicality in what they do, and I think that Raymond has that. He’s a real find. We’re very blessed to have him, besides being a really nice person.
Suzanne: That’s good to hear. That’s always good to hear. So, any outstanding guest stars that you can tell us about?
Deborah: Well, the pilot we’ve got, oh my gosh, Melissa Roxburgh from Manifest. François Arnaud from Midnight Texas and Aaron Abrams from Hannibal and Blind Spot, and [PJ] Byrne.
Suzanne: I was trying to remember where I knew him from; itâs from Blind Spot. I remember now.
Deborah: [PJ] Byrne from The Boys and Shazam. And Peter Gadiot from Yellowjackets and Eliza Taylor. You know, these are going to be our reoccurs, our regulars.
Suzanne: Well as as executive producer, do you have any control over the writing or the stories or anything like that?
Deborah: I give notes; I give my thoughts. And I say this with great humility, in the sense that I want Quantum Leap and the franchise of Quantum Leap to expand. I want the fact that Star Trek has nines spin offs, three concurrently, right now. It had nine major motion pictures, and I fought 30 years ago to have that and could not get the team to see the potential that’s there. This is very exciting to me. And it’s very important for me to keep the lore and the core of the show true to what Quantum Leap is about. But it’s very important for me to let someone create it into a new entity, to create [unintelligible] But but let’s see what it can be. And in my mind, I know multiple other directions that the show could go. So, this is just the beginning of what Quantum Leapâs comeback could be if the fans are there, if people like you love the show and support it. We’re very blessed to have the press, who had their own childhood experiences, growing up watching it with their parents and their grandparents and having the opportunity to talk about what happened in time. So, to come back and have those those little morality plays that Quantum Leap can do sometimes, and little glimpses of history from a whole new side experienced through Ben, where we the audience, or Ben, when he steps into someone’s shoes, whether they’re high heels or flats, we get to feel what it feels like for him to to experience being a white female or a black male or a woman. And those are the things that I think will carry us into great storytelling, and then the story threads that are being created and pulled through. They’re going to weave a beautiful tapestry of what this Quantum Leap is and can be. It’s a great time.
Suzanne: I hope that you get your wish, because that would be great to see Quantum Leap go on for quite a while.
Deborah: I’m hoping so too, as well. You know, I’m being very judicious about bringing Ziggy back, letting Ziggy come back, other than doing her job.
Suzanne: Right. All right. Well, it’s nice to talk to the voice of Ziggy.
Deborah: Thank you very much. Thank you. Yeah, it was it’s it was really fun to create it to, to write that dialogue that people hear and get chills, because it brings back so many natural memories.
Suzanne: Right, right. Well, I appreciate you talking to me today. And I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Deborah: Thank you so very much. I am grateful for you and what you’re doing.
Audio edited and transcribed by Jamie of SciFiVision
Season Premiere Wednesday, October 4 (8-9pm ET/PT) on NBC. Streaming next day on Peacock.
Itâs been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), has been assembled to restart the project in the hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.
Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it. At Benâs side throughout his leaps is Addison (Caitlin Bassett), who appears in the form of a hologram only Ben can see and hear. Sheâs a decorated Army veteran who brings level-headed precision to her job.
At the helm of the highly confidential operation is Herbert âMagicâ Williams (Ernie Hudson), a no-nonsense career military man who has to answer to his bosses who wonât be happy once they learn about the breach of protocol. The rest of the team at headquarters includes Ian Wright (Mason Alexander Park), who runs the Artificial Intelligence unit âZiggy,â and Jenn Chu (Nanrisa Lee), who heads up digital security for the project.
As Ben leaps from life to life, putting right what once went wrong, it becomes clear that he and the team are on a thrilling journey. However, Addison, Magic, Ian and Jenn know that if they are going to solve the mystery of Benâs leaps and bring him home, they must act fast or lose him forever.
Martin Gero and Dean Georgaris serve as executive producers along with Deborah Pratt, Chris Grismer, Alex Berger, Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt.
Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, produce in association with Quinnâs House Productions.
I apologize if my questions during this interview made it sound like I expected her to be more involved with the movie itself. I really wasn’t told ahead of time about the extent of her involvement (I probably should have asked, so that’s on me). I’m very glad we spoke, though, as it was educational as well as entertaining.
At any rate, I enjoyed speaking with her. I hope you enjoy this interview. You should definitely check it out. It has a good story and an amazing cast! Luke Macfarlane , Kirsten Vangsness, Miranda MacDougall, Clare Filipow and the others do a really great job. When you watch this movie, you will learn things you probably didn’t know about the modern Amish community. The ending of the movie is chilling, since it is about a real case. Lovers of true crime will no doubt really enjoy this movie. If you’re a fan of Luke Macfarlane, you will be shocked by his performance (he’s also an EP). It’s a very different role than the others you’ve seen him play.
New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Morris is a veteran journalist who worked in radio and television news in New York City; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington and was a free-lance writer for The Seattle Times, The Oregonian, People, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Daily News, The New York Post, and many other publications.
Her newest book, Boy Missing: The Search for Kyron Horman, is the only book about the
seven year old boy who vanished from his Portland, Oregon school on June 4, 2010. She spent three years interviewing his family and friends and trying to answer two questions: Where is Kyron, and why hasnât the woman believed responsible for his disappearance been charged? The book helps make the case that no-body cases can be prosecuted.
Her first book, Ted and Ann, continues to be a bestseller on Amazon (and is also available as an e-book and audio book), and her e-book, Bad Apples â Inside the Teacher/Student Sex Scandal Epidemic, is the only book to look at the trend of female teachers having sex with underage students.
She is also the author of a true crime memoir, A Murder in My Hometown (2018), as well as A Killing in Amish Country – Sex Betrayal and a Cold-Blooded Murder (St. Martin’s, 2016) and If I Can’t Have You – Susan Powell, Her Mysterious Disappearance and the Murder of Her Children (St. Martin’s 2014). She and Gregg Olsen are the authors of the Notorious USA series, including The Boy Who Fired the First Shot, The Girl and the Horrors of Howard Avenue, and The Stranger and the Worldâs Bravest Little Girl.
Rebecca attended Oregon State University, received a B.A. in Journalism from Seattle
University, and has an M.F.A. in Playwriting from Brown University. She speaks about her work at libraries, schools, and writersâ conferences. She has taught writing, journalism, and playwriting at colleges and universities across the country. She currently teaches at Seattle’s Hugo House and at North Seattle College.
She appears frequently on network and cable television as a crime expert.
Lifetime Announces “Truly Unbelievable Movies” A Ripped From the Headlines Event – New Movies Every Saturday Beginning September 16
– 09/06/2023 –
LIFETIME ANNOUNCES âTRULY UNBELIEVABLE MOVIESâ A RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES EVENT WITH NEW ORIGINALS EVERY SATURDAY BEGINNING THIS SEPTEMBER Â
BILL PULLMAN TO HEADLINE LIFETIMEâS MILESTONE 500TH ORIGINAL MOVIE MURDAUGH MURDERS: THE MOVIE DEBUTING OCTOBER 14 AND 15Â AS A TWO-NIGHT EVENT
SARAH DREW EXECUTIVE PRODUCES AND STARS ALONGSIDE DELILAH HAMLIN IN HOW SHE CAUGHT A KILLERON SEPTEMBER 16
EMILY OSMENT AND ANNA HOPKINS HEADLINE STOLEN BABY: THE MURDER OF HEIDI BROUSSARD PREMIERING SEPTEMBER 23Â
LUKE MACFARLANE EXECUTIVE PRODUCES AND STARS WITH KIRSTEN VANGSNESS IN AMISH STUD: THE ELI WEAVER STORYSET FOR SEPTEMBER 30Â
MEAGAN GOOD EXECUTIVE PRODUCES AND STARS ALONGSIDE ARIANA MADIX IN BUYING BACK MY DAUGHTERDEBUTING OCTOBER 7
WENDI MCLENDON-COVEY EXECUTIVE PRODUCES AND STARS IN BAD ROMANCE: THE VICKY WHITE STORY PREMIERING OCTOBER 21Â
MELISSA JOAN HART EXECUTIVE PRODUCES AND STARS IN WOULD YOU KILL FOR ME? THE MARY BAILEY STORY DEBUTING OCTOBER 28
LOS ANGELES, CA (September 6, 2023) â This fall, Lifetime unveils âTruly Unbelievable Movies,â a Ripped from the Headlines Event , a slate of seven new original movies featuring top talent. All produced earlier this year, the lineup includes Lifetimeâs milestone 500th original movie, the two-night event Murdaugh Murders: The Movie starring Bill Pullman as Alex Murdaugh who, on the surface is a prominent and respected South Carolina lawyer, loving husband and father but behind closed doors, lived a drug-filled secret life that ultimately led to murder. The two-part movie will premiere as the tent-pole of fall slate, premiering on October 14th and 15th at 8p/7c. New original movies will all debut Saturdays at 8p/7c from September 16 â October 28.
AMISH STUD: THE ELI WEAVER STORYâ Premieres September 30 Devoted to her husband, kids and faith, Barbara Weaver (Miranda MacDougall, The Flash) was content leading a traditional life in her conservative Ohio Amish communityâwith no modern conveniences. Her husband Eli (EP, Luke Macfarlane, Bros), however, wanted the things that were forbidden to him as an Amish man. He gave into the temptations of women and technology, leading a secret life with the online alias âAmish Studâ to meet with women outside of his marriage bed. Eli found his pick of curious women fascinated by the Amish lifestyle, and often spoke to his mistresses about his desire to kill his wife. When Barbara is found dead from a shotgun wound, all eyes turn to Eli. But with his rock solid alibi, investigators had nowhere to turn, until they discover Eli had a secret cell phone. Their investigations led them to Barb Raber (Kirsten Vangsness, Criminal Minds), a married Conservative Mennonite who had been having an affair with Eli and who was plotting with him to murder his wife. Ultimately, it is up to the detectives investigating the crime to find justice for Barbara Weaver. Amish Stud is based on the book, âA Killing in Amish Country: Sex, Betrayal and a Cold-Blooded Murderâ by bestselling authors Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris.
Interview with Jamie Berard of “LEGO Masters” on FOX by Suzanne 9/27/23
This was a fun interview. I didn’t know what to expect when I agreed to this because I don’t normally watch any reality or game shows, and I’ve never played with LEGOs before. I watched the season 4 premiere and found that it really drew me in. It was entertaining. I hope you enjoy the new season and this chat with judge Jamie.
Hosted by actor and producer Will Arnett, LEGOŸ MASTERS brings imagination, design and creativity to life when teams of LEGO enthusiasts go head-to-head, with infinite possibilities and an unlimited supply of LEGO bricks. Once again, teams of two will compete against each other in even more ambitious brick-building challenges â including an earthquake tower challenge, a demolition derby, a LEGO fashion show and more â to be crowned the countryâs most talented amateur LEGO builders. In each episode, Arnett, alongside expert Brickmasters and LEGO employees Amy Corbett and Jamie Berard, will encourage the builders, introduce incredible challenges and put their creativity and skills to the test. The competing pairs who impress the judges the most will progress to the next round, until the finale, during which the top teams will face off for a $100,000 cash prize, the ultimate LEGO trophy and the grand title of LEGO MASTERS.
Endemol Shine North America, Tuesdayâs Child and Plan B Entertainment produce LEGO Masters, under license from The LEGO Group. Showrunner Anthony Dominici executive-produces with Arnett; Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre and Michael Heyerman from Endemol Shine North America; Karen Smith and Steph Harris from Tuesdayâs Child; Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Christina Oh from Plan B; and Jill Wilfert and Robert May from The LEGO Group.
Jamie Berard is Senior Design Manager and Creative Lead at The LEGO Company, where he is responsible for working on the LEGO Architecture and LEGO Ideas lines, as well as a variety of products for adults, teens and super fans. He is a life-long LEGO fan and has been an employee of The LEGO Company for more than 14 years.
Before joining LEGO, Berard was part of the local group New England LEGO Users Group (NELUG), where he worked on several larger-than-life projects, including a 100,000-piece LEGO mosaic of the Boston skyline. He served as a foreman on the Millyard Project, which, at its completion, was the largest permanent minifigure scale display in the world.
In 2004, Berard was a finalist to become the next Master Model Builder for LEGOLAND California and served as a Technical Judge for the FIRST LEGO League World Finals in Atlanta, GA. He was hired to work for the company in 2005, after displaying functional amusement park rides at a LEGO fan event in Washington, D.C.
Since joining LEGO, he has been responsible for designing dozens of complex LEGO models, including the 4,000+ piece Big Ben and the 4,000+ piece Assembly Square Modular Building sets, which are available for purchase to fans worldwide.
Interview with director Stephen Gyllenhaal of the film “Uncharitable” by Suzanne 9/20/23
This is a fascinating movie, and I enjoyed chatting with this master filmmaker. As you will see, he is very passionate about this movie and its subject. I don’t usually interview directors, nor do I usually cover movies. However, between the SAG and WGA strikes, and the fact that he’s directed many TV shows and movie, and the worthy subject of this documentary, I felt I had to do this. I’m very glad I did. Don’t miss this wonderful film because it really opens your eyes as to what charities can do and what nonprofit organizations have to go through to even exist. Here’s how you can get involved, too!
Opening In New York Theaters September 22
and Los Angeles Theaters September 29
Based on the book âUncharitableâ by DAN PALLOTTA
Directed and Produced by Stephen Gyllenhaal (Losing Isaiah, A Dangerous Woman)
Featuring Interviews with Dan Pallotta, Chris Anderson (CEO of TED), Steve Nardizzi (Former CEO and Co-Founder of Wounded Warrior Project), Darren Walker (President of the Ford Foundation), Edward Norton (Actor and Founder of Crowdrise) and more
Director Stephen Gyllenhaal and Subject Dan Pallotta Available for Select Interviews
After three of the most dynamic and successful U.S. charities were shut down by conservative charity watchdogs, destroying lives and cutting off precious resources, many of the top influencers in the field knew something had to be done to overhaul the nonprofit sector.
Beginning with Dan Pallotta, whose record-breaking Ted Talk on the subject has inspired top philanthropists and changemakers, this feature documentary exposes the dark side of philanthropy and introduces a radical new way of giving. In an emotional call to action, Uncharitable demands that charities be freed from the traditional sackcloth-and-ashes constraints, so that they can truly change the world.
No topic is more crucial and timelier as we confront an increasingly unstable world with the growing revelation that we are all interconnected and that our fate lies in how much we are willing to invest in positive change.
Film and television director, writer and producer. His feature directing credits include Paris Trout, for which he received a Directorâs Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials, as well as the theatrical films Waterland, A Dangerous Woman, Losing Isaiah and Homegrown. In 2012, he received a DGA nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television for Girl Fight. He co-wrote and directed the indie film Grassroots, which made its theatrical debut in Summer 2012, and he recently directed the indie film So B. It, based on the best-selling young adult novel. He directed the Peabody award-winning dramatic series “Rectify” for the Sundance Channel, “Billions” for Showtime, and “Bosch” for Amazon. His producing credits include the TV movies Living with the Dead, The Patron Saint of Liars, A Shattered Mind, and the feature documentary IN UTERO. Stephen is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and Thrive Global.(From https://www.inuterofilm.com)
Interview with Karen Lam of the movie “The Curse of Willow Song” by Thane 9/9/23
It was great to talk to award-winning filmmaker Karen Lam about her upcoming horror movie, “The Curse Of Willow Song.” This movie won multiple awards, but I found her very humble about it. I can tell that she’s in it for the love of art, and she loves working with people. Make sure to check out the trailer because it’s really cool.
Canadian writer, director, and producer KAREN LAM is promoting her upcoming film THE CURSE OF WILLOW SONG, on digital and DVD September 26.
Lam grew up in Brandon, Manitoba. Lam‘s father, a professor, would show his daughter horror films that she cites as an influence for her work. Lam also lists Gothic literature and Asian horror films as influences. After receiving a law degree from the University of British Columbia, Lam began working at BC Film.
Lam‘s first featured-length film was Stained (2010), a thriller starring Tinsel Korey. A year later the horror revenge short Doll Parts (2011) was released and distributed, which Lam credits for paving the way for Stained to get viewership in the United States. She landed on Hollywood’s map with the starry horror Evangeline in 2013.
KARENÂ LAM‘S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED COMES TO DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 26
THE CURSE OF WILLOW SONG
STARRING VALERIE TIAN FROM “THE MAGICIANS”, “ARROW” AND JENNIFER’S BODY
Karen Lamâs highly-anticipated The Curse of Willow Song, starring Jennifer Bodyâs Valerie Tian, has been picked up by Uncorkâd Entertainment. The horror pic, receiving great early buzz thanks to its strong special effects, will release on both digital and DVD formats in the fall.
âThe Curse of Willow Song has so much to offer. It will appeal for the genre audience but also the Asian community â as represented in front of and behind cameraâ, said Keith Leopard, President Uncorkâd Entertainment. âKaren Lam is truly one of the most exceptional filmmakers out there, and The Curse of Willow Song reiterates that.â
Willow Song, a recovering addict and parolee, struggles to start over. Willow finds herself in a concrete wasteland. Facing isolation and displacement, shadows creep into Willow’s mind and her nightmares become too real.
The Curse of Willow Song will release on Digital and DVD September 26, 2023.
About Uncorkâd Entertainment
Uncorkâd Entertainment was founded in July, 2012 by Keith Leopard, a Home Entertainment industry veteran with more than 23 years of experience in purchasing, acquisitions, merchandising, marketing and analysis of major studio and independent supplier to the home entertainment market.
The Company focuses on distribution in six areas: Digital Media, Physical Home Entertainment, Aggregation, Theatrical and Television, Foreign Sales, and has secured relationships across all platforms to ensure your film reaches the widest audience possible.
Keith and his team are committed to maximizing revenue, controlling costs, and assuring their Content Partners the highest quality of service, a commitment to market and merchandise their film and a rewarding experience by partnering with Uncorkâd Entertainment.
Inspired by real stories, Confessions of a Cam Girl follows the eighteen-year-old fashion savant Kristen (Megan Best, Dawn) who is set to become the first in her family to graduate college. Her working-class parents are furious when she reveals a plan to attend fashion school instead of college. Her parents refuse to use her college fund for her farfetched dream. Determined to pay for it herself, Kristen secretly creates an online explicit content page to raise $10,000 for dream program. Confident that she can keep her side hustle under wraps, Kristenâs secret unravels and threatens not just her future, but the safety of her family as well.
âHightownâ â Season 3 â Debuting Friday, January 26
BADÂ 
Dyan Cannon is the first woman in the history of the Motion Picture Academy to be nominated for Oscars both in front of and behind the camera. Her diligence and determination have been rewarded by many prestigious honors.
In 
Gary Anthony Sturgis is a New Orleans born actor/writer/director best-known for his portrayal of the villain in two of Tyler Perry’s biggest hit films, “Diary of A Mad Black Woman” (as Jamison Jackson) and “Daddy’s Little Girls” (as Joseph Woods). He also co-starred opposite Terrence Howard in “Pride”, as the charming yet sinister pimp/drug dealer Franklin Washington. Recently, he has stepped out the role of bad guy to co-star in the comedy “Chicago Pulaski Jones” with Kel Mitchell and Cedric the Entertainer.
Bonnie Burroughs is an American film and television actress. She is recognized for playing the role of Gladys Corbin on the soap opera “General Hospital.” Burroughs was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Burroughs guest-starred in numerous television programs including Newhart, Boston Legal, Judging Amy, Suddenly Susan, Malcolm in the Middle, My Two Dads, Desperate Housewives, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Dallas, Jake and the Fatman, ER, Hunter and Matlock.[1] She was cast as Stacey Giordano on One Life to Live from 1987. Burroughs was then cast as Dr. Jamie Lawrence on Santa Barbara from 1990 to 1991. She was also cast as Gretchen Lindquist on Days of Our Lives. In 2009, Burroughs starred on the television series Rockville, CA, being cast as Shawn Peters.
General Hospital: Season 59 Lead Sheet
â mundane, and every day just like the previous. But when new prisoner Casey White (Sutherland) is brought to her facility, the two develop a secret infatuation. Vicky gives Casey special attention, believing heâs the only man to see her the way she wants to be seen. But when Caseyâs inevitable transfer to a lengthy prison sentence approaches, Vicky decides to take desperate action. Risking everything, Vicky manages to break Casey out of jail and takes him on the run, eluding authorities on an eleven-day dash for freedom. For Vicky, even the probable tragedy ahead of them is worth the chance to live life fully once more.
Sharon Case is an American actress and former model. At the age of 17, Case began working as a model, relocating briefly to Japan, before pursuing an acting career. She is best known for her roles on daytime television soap operas, scoring parts in the serials General Hospital and As the World Turns during the early stages of her career. In 1994, she stepped into the role of Sharon Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, which she still plays. Case, who is considered a leading actress in the series, won the 1999 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance.
Deborah: It was funny. They did the episode where he was the stewardess, episode 107. And I’ll never forget, they came down in these incredibly comfortable shoes. And I said, âThose werenât the shoes those women had to wear in the 60s. They wore pointy toes, spike heels. And Genevieve who’s a wonderful costume designer, said, âOh, I was just trying to be kind.â And they did a whole bit on it in one of the episodes, but, you know, we as women wore those shoes, and it’s fun to let men experience it, you know, vicariously, more than vicariously, he gets to do it for real, and thatâs some of the fun stuff. And again, I go back to Raymond’s physical comedy is just delightful.
Canadian writer, director, and producer 
