Jim will be co-hosting Live with Kelly & Michael on Tuesday, June 10th! Check your local listings for airtime and station. Don’t forget to set your DVR/TiVO if you have one!
We will update this page with the interview and any still photos that come out when they become available. Check back after air time.
Sadly tickets for watching the taping are sold out for this show. 😦
Simon will be on Larry King Now to discuss Jocelyn’s and his new film ” I am I“. Please check back to this post for air date. As soon as it is available we will let you know the date and we will be posting the interview as soon as it becomes available.
In the meantime, tweet Larry on things you would like to know. He is taking fan questions.
Larry King @kingsthings 4h
Int’viewing #BigBangTheory star @SimonHelberg about his new movie “I Am I” – what do u want 2 know? #LarryKingNow
LOS ANGELES – Jim Parsons welcomed the chance to play a character who “radiates warmth” for a change in “The Normal Heart,” in contrast to his “cold, analytical” geek in “The Big Bang Theory.”
The actor was as smart-sounding in person as “The Big Bang’s” Sheldon, but he did not speak in his physicist character’s often rapid-fire manner of talking. Rather, he weighed his answers and spoke unhurriedly.
On this recent interview at New York’s The London Hotel, he was dressed in a blazer, checkered shirt and jeans.
Jim and his “The Normal Heart” cast mates—Mark Ruffalo, Taylor Kitsch, Matt Bomer and Julia Roberts—and director Ryan Murphy are winning acclaim for HBO’s TV movie adaptation of Larry Kramer’s play on the start of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York in the early 1980s.
Jim reprised his role of gay activist Tommy Boatwright, which he played in a Broadway production in 2011.
“I felt this very strongly when I played the role of Tommy on Broadway and then of course again when we did the movie,” Jim said, his blue eyes lighting up. “It was very clear to me that summer, when I was doing it every day between seasons of ‘Big Bang,’ that it was so pleasant to play someone who picks up on every social cue, who picks up on every moment and wants to hug people, to touch other people. If I am doing it right, and I believe he should, Tommy should radiate warmth.”
He clarified, “There’s a lot of joy and humor to be mined from playing such a cold, analytical fish all year long on that TV show.” But he also welcomed the chance to tap other emotions. “For me, yes, it felt like muscles that were near atrophy suddenly got used again. I am so grateful. Sheldon has a heart—that’s why he gets away with some of the things he does but it’s a heart that not a lot of us understand completely. Tommy’s is much more regular in its own special way.”
Jim said it was quicker for him to learn his “Normal Heart” lines than his sitcom script. “The dialogue for ‘Normal Heart’ is just a lot easier to memorize,” he said. “But again, this required a more empathetic feeling and that probably made me easier to live with.”
He was referring to his partner for over a decade, art director Todd Spiewak. “Suddenly, you love all your fellow men. But he (Todd) probably would tell a different tale.”
He added, “If I am a terror at home—I probably can be at times —it has a lot to do with … I will never memorize these god-damned words (from ‘Big Bang’). What the hell do they mean?”
Convincing portrayal
But, as his Emmy and Golden Globe awards prove, Jim is convincing delivering the lines of his brainiac character who has a master’s degree and two PhDs.
“In a project like this (‘Normal’) … I simply don’t struggle with it in that way,” he explained. “It feels more natural. I memorize alone. I don’t like to run lines with people. I don’t want to be tested. I will save it for the camera.”
He cited a scene in which his Tommy gave a eulogy reflecting the depth of loss and tragedy felt by the gay community as the new disease claimed more lives.
“When I was memorizing this, especially the eulogy scene, I had to really be careful to not let myself get too deeply emotional with certain parts because I was saving it (emotion for actual filming). It was like: Don’t deal with this here, get the words down, and don’t exist in this speech. Don’t exist at this funeral yet, just get the logistics down.”
Jim noted with a smile the irony that supergenius Sheldon was standoffish, even arrogant, but viewers loved the character and eagerly approached him when they saw him in person. “It’s very interesting to play such a character on the TV show who has such trouble connecting with other humans,” he said.
“The warmth with which I am approached by people is really the exact opposite. And I don’t know if that character … makes people want to take care of him or something. I thought that people would be hesitant, like, ‘Oh, he hates people.’ People say that all the time. They get confused by the actor and character. But people run right up to me, so it’s very sweet.”
The actor, whose sexuality was officially revealed matter-of-factly, not sensationally, in a New York Times profile in 2012, said he was “very grateful” that he was out.
“It was somewhat accidental, a very organic process. It was so much later in my life when ‘Big Bang’ came along so, while I have been acting for many years, no one outside of the 100 people in the box that I was in ever knew who the hell I was.
“By the time people knew who I was, I was in my 30s and I was five years into my relationship. At that point, there was like, in a good way, no turning back. I had a life. Was I going to uproot all of that? No, that wasn’t the point.
“The point was to successfully work as an actor while living the life. We were fortunate as a show that we (he and Todd) started going to some award shows. You get a date ticket. I remember the first time that happened. I was like, well, here we go, I don’t know what will happen. I had no idea. And absolutely nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. So we existed for a few years.”
The New York Times revelation was in reference to how “The Normal Heart” resonated with Jim on a personal level. Jim said, “It wasn’t until I was part of ‘The Normal Heart’ play that people started to ask, ‘As a gay man, how do you feel about that?’ I felt like I got to jump a few spaces in a weird way. The question never was, ‘Are you gay?’ The question was, ‘As a gay person…’ I was, again, so grateful for that. I feel that that’s how it should be.”
The Texas native said he got messages “every once in a while” from gay kids who looked up to him or got recognition from groups. “But not so much,” he stressed. “There’s Glsen (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Student Network), a gay student organization that gave us (he and Todd) an inspiration award last year. My entire speech was basically about, if we were an inspiration, it had been quite accidental.
Inspiring people
“I was just doing what came naturally. I admitted this when we accepted the award that, if by living our lives organically and naturally, it was inspiring to people, I could understand that and I was very pleased to be a part of that. But it is like Annie Oakley [sings in ‘Annie Get Your Gun’], ‘I’m just doin’ what comes naturally.’”
Jim stressed that he was not an activist. He bows to Kramer (Mark Ruffalo’s character Ned Weeks in “Normal” is based on the playwright and fierce gay rights advocate). “If I am a leader, I am a quiet leader, unless I am raging in my own home. Getting to work on this project, and especially getting to meet Larry Kramer, which I did all through the play and then again through the movie, it clarified for me that whatever leading I do, whatever fighting I do, I am not an activist. The man (Larry) is an activist. If I do things that help activate things, it’s partly accidental. I simply come by organically.
“A lot of the men we are playing in this movie are activists. It did help define for me how different I am from that. I am fortunate enough to not necessarily have to be an activist right now, which is again why it’s important that some people get to see this movie, myself included.”
On his and other “Big Bang” characters seemingly finally moving on (this season’s finale involves Sheldon leaving on a train and heading off somewhere), Jim said, “We have been on seven years now. It’s one of the things I really applaud the writers for. They have managed to start an evolutionary process of these characters that doesn’t feel, to me at least, like an alienating process.
“Because this is what you tune in for every week—to see what these characters that you have grown to love or despise are up to. I do think the writers are straddling the fence very well of keeping up with longevity but moving things along at the same time.”
He claimed that he really did not know what was going to happen next in the show two or three days in advance. “The writers are continuously surprising me. I have truly never gotten a script with more than 24-hour notice. So, to say I know what’s coming next is a lie.”
“The Normal Heart” airs at 10 tonight, Sunday, June 1, on HBO Asia and HBO HD Asia.
Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day are in a new promo of the Wil Wheaton Project. For our international viewers, you can watch from http://www.syfy.com.
Click on the Photo Below to be taken to the video:
Wil just tweeted the following:
Wil Wheaton Project @wilwproject 1h Charlie Cox is the new #Daredevil. Matt Murdock better steer clear of Turkish bath houses. #WilWProject
John Ross Bowie’s birthday is today, May 30th! We hope he and his family have been able to celebrate and enjoy the day.
John Ross and his lovely wife are enjoying a night out at the New Beverly Cinema to catch a movie to celebrate his birthday.
We at BazingaCast wish John Ross a very Happy and Blessed Birthday!
Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting attended the 11th Annual Step-Up Inspiration Awards today (May 30, 2014) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
About Step Up
The mission of Step Up is to propel girls from under-resourced communities to fulfill their potential by empowering them to become confident, college-bound, career-focused, and ready to join the next generation of professional women.
Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting with Amy Davidson, Lacey Chabert, and Ashley Jones at the Inspiration Awards
Kaley Cuoco Sweeting with Tara Swennen (makeup artist) and JamieGreenberg (hair stylist) who helped Kaley prepare for the Inspiration Awards.
normancook
27 minutes ago
The team behind my #inspirationawards look 🙂 styled by @taraswennen makeup @jamiemakeupgreenberg hair @jenatkinhair & summer skin glow by @GLO_mobilestylingservices (email 4 appt GLO_amobiletanningservice@yahoo.com)
And then later that evening the group of ladies continued celebrating:
Join Mayim Bialik at the Mohawk Restaurant on June 16 at 6:30 PM where she will be presenting a four-course meal.
When: June 16, 2014 6:30 PM, Pacific Daylight Time
Where: Mohawk Restaurant
2141 West Sunset Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Join Mayim Bialik, Emmy-nominated actress and author of “Mayim’s Vegan Table,” for an intimate four course meal featuring recipes from her newly released cookbook. Currently starring on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, Mayim is passionate about creating a balanced lifestyle though delicious and fuss-free vegan fare. We are thrilled to invite you to join us for our next Authors Worth Celebrating dinner series on Monday, June 16th at 6:30pm.
Executive Chef Erick Simmons has taken “Mayim’s Vegan Table” and created a wholesome vegan menu inspired by recipes in the book.
About the Authors Worth Celebrating series:
The “Authors Worth Celebrating” series at Mohawk Bend is a monthly event spotlighting authors who share Mohawk Bend’s community values. With inspiration from the guest author, Chef Erick Simmons creates a delicious multi-course meal for attendees to enjoy while they get to know the monthly guest author, and the inspiration for their books, through robust conversation. Past authors featured include Joseph Shuldiner, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Tal Ronnen and Laurie David.
Get your tix as this event will sell out. Follow us! Twitter: @mohawkla
Instagram: @mohawkla
Tickets to our intimate evening with Mayim are available here: http://authorsworthcelebrating.eventbrite.com/
Please direct any questions to authors@mohawk.la
Looks like she is planning to ‘party’!
Briana Cuoco @bricuoco 8m
Getting ready for tomorrow 😳 #brunomars #pharrell #hollywoodbowl @KaleyCuoco pic.twitter.com/XpMios2kGi
normancook
8 hours ago
Best night at the bowl!! #pharrell #brunomars #happy @ryansweething @sfishe @simpsonhoneysuckle
bricuoco
55 minutes ago
Last night @ Pharrell & Bruno 😁 so much fun! @audsievert @ryansweething @normancook
By Kate Storey May 27, 2014 | 7:47pm
Last September, Doug French was running on the treadmill when he had a terrifying heart attack that landed him in the hospital for three days. Once he knew he’d be OK, though, his head began spinning at the recovery process ahead of him. He wouldn’t be able to drive for weeks, there would be new medications to monitor, plus he had two kids to take care of.
But by the time he was discharged, his ex-wife, Magda Pecsenye, a consultant, had already moved into his home, ready to help him and their sons.
“We feel like we’re family more than friends. It was like, ‘He’s family, of course I’m going to move in and take care of him, right?’ ” Pecsenye, 41, says.
“I feel very fortunate Magda is my ex-wife,” adds French, 48, the co-founder of the social media platform Dad 2.0 Summit. “It’s nice when you can be happy that the mother of your children is their mother and happier still that she’s not your wife anymore.”
Whether you call it amicable divorce, mediation or — if you’re Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, who ended their 10-year marriage in March — “conscious uncoupling,” more people are taking a peaceful path to Splitsville.
Fewer than 5 percent of divorces today end up going to trial. In New Jersey, divorce attorneys are even required to advise their clients to try mediation or arbitration first — a big change from a decade ago when these rules weren’t in place. So, instead of leaving their fate up to a judge, most couples instead hash out custody agreements and divide assets with a professional mediator who acts as a neutral third party.
Mediators may have legal backgrounds and can work with each party’s lawyer or file paperwork on behalf of their clients, avoiding what can be a years-long court battle and sky-high legal fees. They can help come up with long-term plans for a family, with details such as where the kids will spend holidays and communication strategies (for example, will the exes text or email?).
Some mediators also have mental health backgrounds. New York-based June Jacobson is both a lawyer and a licensed clinical social worker who creates a calm environment for her clients — her walls are painted soothing shades of pinks, purples and blues and sometimes her Maltese poodle even sits in on the sessions.
“I was pretty aware of trying to create an environment that was soothing, peaceful, encouraging and comfortable, because I wanted to give support on the obvious level as well as the subtle level,” Jacobson says.
Parents, particularly, can relate to making the transition to two households as smooth as possible.
“It’s time for people to understand there’s a new way, a better way to divorce,” says New York- and New Jersey-based divorce mediator Vikki Ziegler, whose business is the subject of a Bravo reality series called “Untying the Knot,” which premiers June 4.
“People plan a wedding so carefully and meticulously and give themselves so much time, but they don’t prepare and strategize how to divorce peacefully and in a fair manner. But that is something people are starting to think more about. It’s a very new trend.”
While some celebs take the amicable approach to a whole new level — musician Jack White and model Karen Elson threw a divorce party in 2011 — for many regular folks, it’s more about presenting a united front for the kids, as difficult as that can be when a relationship is falling apart.
“Rather than spouses, we’re co-partners in this business of raising the boys,” French explains. “We have a very mutual, very important goal that we share.”
When French and Pecsenye worked with a mediator to end their failing nine-year marriage in 2008, they moved from their tiny Gramercy Park two-bedroom to apartments eight blocks apart in Inwood, sharing custody of their 5- and 2-year-old boys 50-50. When Pecsenye got into business school in Michigan in 2011, French followed, knowing it would be the best for his relationship with their young kids. They got homes four blocks apart in Ann Arbor, Mich., and began blogging about co-parenting at whentheflamesgoup.com.
Pecsenye calls Paltrow’s terminology “insulting, because calling it ‘consciously uncoupling’ implies that the rest of us have been doing it unconsciously. And anyone who has been through divorce knows it takes a lot of work and a lot of thought.”
And, in fact, the theory isn’t a novel one. In 1976, sociologist Diane Vaughan, who now teaches at Columbia University, published “Uncoupling: Turning Points in Intimate Relationships,” on her “uncoupling theory” about mutually decided-upon divorces. And in 2009, marriage therapist Katherine Woodward Thomas coined the term “conscious uncoupling.”
“In a world where 50 percent of marriages end up in divorce, it’s really critical that we’re learning how to break up in the least destructive way — co-creating the future rather than staying stuck in the past,” says Melissa Erin Monahan, a New York-based therapist who studied under Thomas and teaches a five-session “conscious uncoupling” seminar.
Monahan works with both couples and individuals in hour-long sessions to “break the old painful pattern that has been sabotaging your love life,” and Thomas leads a similar course online.
But even those who may bristle at the flowery language can relate to the movement.
“I did it before you, Gwyneth,” “Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik jokes to The Post. “I just didn’t call it that.
“I think what it means is acknowledging and doing things to support the fact that you are going to be tied to this person forever because of your incredible children that you chose to make,” explains Bialik, who split from husband Michael Stone last year. “If you put their needs first, what hopefully will result is this kind of conscious uncoupling.”
Bialik, 38, and Stone, 38, were married for almost a decade and have two young sons. Bialik says a quick and civil mediation process was their priority and, because of that, they’re able to interact cordially today — even spending some holidays together.
“We are part of a family together,” says the actress, who blogs about her divorce on Kveller.com. “Yeah, it’s super awkward sometimes. But there can be no other thing that’s better for the kids.”
In the premiere episode of “Untying the Knot,” 40-something New Yorkers Mira Tzur and Jacques Theraube don’t have kids together but want to remain friends after their split, so they enter mediation to decide who gets their Paris apartment, her yellow diamond engagement ring and a sentimental, wooden carved Buddha they bought on their honeymoon.
“He was my love. Nobody gets married to get a divorce,” model/actress Tzur says of her ex. “Eight years later, we saw things differently. He’s always going to be in my heart. [Our relationship] was always nice, [so] why should I end it differently?”
Theraube, owner of Fashion Strategies, an apparel sourcing and production company, had a positive mediation experience with his first wife, as well, and says once he and Tzur grew apart, he didn’t want to drag out the inevitable.
“Some guys I know wanted to totally hurt their spouses and not give them money or the house. They do it from an ego standpoint — to say they win,” Theraube says. “I just wanted to move on with my life.”
Jacobson says mediation isn’t for everyone.
“It may not work if people are not willing to be in the room together, if they’re not producing the documents the other party is requesting, if there’s an obvious power imbalance that the mediator is not able to neutralize,” Jacobson says.
Michelle Crosby, co-founder and CEO of the website Wevorce.com, had a traumatizing experience at age 9, when she was called up to testify at her parents’ divorce trial. That inspired her to go to Harvard Law School to study alternative divorce models — like mediation and collaborative law.
Now, Crosby has a team of attorneys, mediators, financial planners and co-parenting experts who work with clients at offices around the country (they plan to open a New York office in the fall) or virtually.
“My philosophy is that divorce is not a legal problem, it just has legal implications,” Crosby says. “Much the same way as when you get married, you don’t start with your marriage certificate, you start with an engagement, you tell your family, you start mapping out your lives together and then you have a wedding and there’s this piece of paper. I believed the same thing should be done when you’re uncoupling.”
By Anshu Shrivastava | May 30, 2014 6:49 PM EST
There is much speculation about where Sheldon go in “The Big Bang Theory” Season 7. Sheldon fans are also speculating that the quirky child-man never got on a train and must be living-off the land —“I stop at malls and buy what I need. It’s called living off the land,” Sheldon said in Season Finale — in Pasadena.
Unable to cope-up with the changes happening around him, Sheldon decided to board a train and leave Pasadena, permanently. Like Leonard, Penny, Amy and fans, Jim Parsons, the actor who plays the hugely popular Sheldon, also has no clue where Sheldon go.
When TV Line asked Parsons about the possibility of Sheldon never getting on a train, the Emmy award winning actor said, “I never thought of that, but you’re right — he could show back up at home immediately, couldn’t he?”
Parsons revealed that he asked the show’s bosses about the location of Sheldon, but they did not tell him anything. “… nobody will tell me. I don’t know if they know yet. They may know, but I really don’t know if they do,” Parsons said.
There were a string of reasons that made Sheldon overwhelmed, including Amy’s suggestion that he and she could live together. Amy and Sheldon’s relationship has gone through subtle changes and Sheldon kissed Amy on her lips in one of the episode in Season 7. What will happen to Shamy when Sheldon returns, perhaps gaining some practical wisdom.
“I don’t know that we’re headed for the bedroom or the altar any time soon. But, whatever… The writers have been so good with the pace of it, just bring more is all I would say,” Parsons said to TV Line.
The question that everyone is asking is will Sheldon be a changed man in Season 8 of “The Big Bang Theory.” As reportedly previously, Steve Molaro, executive producer of “The Big Bang Theory,” said to Entertainment Radio , “If you look at the history of the show over the past seven years, they’ve all changed quite a bit. Its a slow change, that is how we like to do it. Everybody has really grown, Sheldon, Penny, Leonard…”
The Bazinga Cast 