Jim sat down and chatted with Gold Derby and answered a few fan questions relative to The Normal Heart and The Big Bang Theory. Here is his complete interview:
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By Mayim Bialik at 1:10 pm June 16, 2014
My ex and I did something significant this past week. Last Friday, to be exact. Really big. Like super duper big. It may have changed our sons’ lives even more than our divorce did. I mean, I could be wrong, but I could be right. Want to know what we did?
We showed them the first “Star Wars” movie.
I know. I know! I KNOW! It’s HUGE.
You have questions; I have answers.
1. Which first “Star Wars” movie do you mean?
Well, I’m glad you asked. We agreed (thank God in heaven) that the “first” one is the first one that came out, namely: Episode IV. Episode I is the first one in the narrative, but we both agreed that we wanted them to experience not just the story, but the franchise history. In addition, the first two especially are very… commercialized and have lots of non-plot scenes and scenarios which I feel were largely included to sell toys. I know, it’s tragic. But I digress.
2. Why now?
Well, for a few reasons. First, pretty much every other kid five years younger than they are has seen it. Not that I care about what other people think of me not showing my kids “Star Wars” yet, but all of those kids have started talking at the park. And they know things. About important things that happen. And they were starting to make my kids come home with questions about paternal lineage. And more than once, one or both of my sons may have cried, “I want to forget what they said about Luke’s father so it’s a surprise, but I just CAN’T FORGET!!!!!!” That might have happened. It was time.
Second, LEGO and other such companies that make Star Wars toys have really harshed my buzz. They make books called things like “Luke’s Father is Darth Vader, Kids!” and they have pictures on toy boxes showing how you can “Transform Anakin into Darth Vader!!!” Yeah. Thanks a whole heck of a lot, toy companies. You ruined it a little bit and made an angel lose her wings somewhere up in heaven. Thanks.
It was time.
3. How did it work?
The Ex came over with cotton candy he had saved in the freezer from our Disneyland trip a million months ago. He brought chocolate covered pistachios (wha?! Amazing.) and chocolate covered pretzels in few enough colors for our sons to fight over them (although with my older son being color blind, it makes for a more limited fight to be quite honest). I made popcorn and tried not to care that no one ate enough growing food for lunch to merit all of that fun food. The boys curled up next to their dad on my couch and I puttered about the living room while keeping an eye on the screen for my favorite moments.
4. How did they take it?
Well, Little Man was nervous that he would experience something scary, so he held onto his dad’s arm literally the entire movie, smushed up against him–super cute. Both boys played with their upper lips at times, or bit on a thumbnail at times. But they loved it. They have heard all about these characters so they got to connect what we have told them with the movie magic.
5. Highlights?
Firstborn loved how bossy Princess Leah was, and especially how kvetchy she is while everyone is risking their lives to save her pretty butt. He also loved Han Solo’s attitude. (Don’t we all?!) When the Millenium Falcon first goes into hyper-speed, Firstborn’s eyes literally nearly popped out of his head. He made some small sound that was an 8.5-year-old’s sound of pure joy and delight. Movies are amazing. That’s what I thought. Look at how he has been transported to another galaxy, with images stretching his imagination to their limit. It’s amazing.
6. Religious connection?
Always.
The Force…it’s all around you. It’s inside of you. You have to harness it and study and master it and not let the Dark Side seduce you. Control your anger, learn to focus and meditate and harness that energy to make miracles and save people, places and things. Han Solo doesn’t believe in any of that ritual mythical Force stuff. He believes in only what he can see and touch and prove. But Luke trusts his teachers and he becomes a great leader and Jedi. He has daddy issues which he must confront. It’s fascinating. I love it.
I am glad we waited this long. Little Man couldn’t follow the plot so well at almost 6, and I know it’s entertaining to show movies to kids younger than 6, but I don’t really see the point myself. Even “The LEGO Movie,” which was the first film my boys ever saw in a theater, was too long for Little Man to stay focused.
I’m glad we waited this long. And I’m glad we did it all together. The plan is to try and show them episodes V and VI before the school year starts.
Have they already started complaining that they want to see I, II, and III as well and how close to age 13 does one have to be to see a PG-13 movie and maybe I’m the most unfair, worst mama ever? Absolutely.
So next time? No fun food unless they finish their growing food! That’ll teach them.
Just kidding. I want them to love the movie experience we have created surrounding “Star Wars,” and they will. We will take it one movie at a time. One bowl of popcorn at a time. One chocolate pistachio at a time.
Because after all, I am hoping to raise two Jedis. And a Jedi must learn patience.
Mayim Bialik, Joey Lawrence, Jenna Von Oy, and Mike Stoyanov reunited today for a photoshoot for Hub TV Network. Below is a sneak peak photo! We will update when more photos become available. Stay tuned!
Photo: Robert Ramos Productions
Photo: Twitter @missmayim: Um…@joeylawrence @MikeStoyanov @JennavonOy. We still look like young whippersnappers @hubtvnetwork #blossomreunion
Photo: Robert Ramos Productions
Photo: Twitter @missmayim, @JennavonOy
Whoa!
The Russo clan (and BFF Six) got together again on Monday for an amazing “Blossom” reunion, the crew gathering for the first time since the show went off the air almost 20 years ago.
Mayim Bialik gave us all a major ’90s flashback when she posted a number of photos from brand new photo shoot earlier today. The promotional shoot was for The Hub network, which will start airing the classic sitcom in July.
Mayim, Jenna von Oy, Joey Lawrence and Mike Stoyanov were all on hand for the session, though Ted Wass — who played Blossom’s dad, Nick — was MIA. Also missing: Blossom’s incredible hats.
“We still look like young whippersnappers,” Mayim tweeted about the reunion … though someone should tell her there’s nothing “young” about the word “whippersnappers.”
“Older but still together,” added von Oy.
“So awesome being with u all again. Feels like no time has passed. Love you all,” Lawrence also tweeted after the shoot.
The show’s entire five-season run will start re-airing on The Hub starting July 7, will you be watching?
Published 06.16.14 Source
By Daniel Montgomery | Jun 03 2014 05:10 am
As we noted recently, HBO’s “The Normal Heart” has a lot in common with “Angels in America,” and among their similarities are their deep rosters of Emmy-friendly supporting performances. “Angels in America” dominated the race for Movie/Mini Supporting Actor in 2004. How many Emmy nominations will “Normal Heart” get?
“Angels” filled four of the five supporting-actor slots: Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman, Patrick Wilson, and Jeffrey Wright, who went up against William H. Macy for Showtime’s “Stealing Sinatra.” Wright won the contest for reprising the multiple roles that won him a Tony for “Angels” on stage in 1994.
“The Normal Heart” has its sights set even higher; HBO is entering five men
in the Supporting Actor race: Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Joe Mantello, Alfred Molina, and Jim Parsons. How many of them should we expect to break through?
Bomer seems to be the strongest candidate. He ranks second in our overall predictions with 10/3 odds, and he has the showiest role: Felix Turner, a reporter dying of AIDS, which required Bomer to lose more than 30 pounds. Going to such drastic lengths for a part often appeals to awards voters – Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto just won Oscars for similar transformations in “Dallas Buyers Club” – and the role is already a proven winner: John Benjamin Hickey earned a Tony as Felix in 2011.
Up next may be Parsons as level-headed activist Tommy Boatwright, a role he also played on Broadway. He didn’t receive a Tony nod for his stage performance, but the role has been expanded for the screen, and the Emmys are Parsons‘s home turf: he’s already a three-time Best Comedy Actor winner for “The Big Bang Theory.” Seeing the funnyman in a dramatic role may further impress voters, and he currently ranks fourth in our predictions with 8/1 odds.
Mantello earned a Tony nomination playing the lead role in the Broadway production. He’s back for the HBO adaptation, albeit in a smaller role: activist Mickey Marcus, who has a showstopping scene in which he confesses to contemplating suicide. That scene helped him earn a surprise Critics’ Choice nomination for Movie/Mini Supporting Actor alongside Bomer, and any TV academy members who equally admire his stage work might want to give him a boost at the Emmys too. He currently trails with 33/1 odds, but he’s on the rise following his Critics’ Choice bid.
As Bruce Niles, the closeted president of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Kitsch stretches himself dramatically following recent roles as soldiers and action heroes (“Lone Survivor,” “John Carter,” “Battleship”). His star is on the rise on the big screen, and he may also have residual good will with academy members who remember him fondly as Tim Riggins on “Friday Night Lights.” He was never nominated for that role, and Emmy voters may want to play catchup.
Of the five, Molina has the most understated role, playing Ben Weeks, who has an ambivalent relationship with his brother Ned (Best Movie/Mini Actor contender Mark Ruffalo). He has no previous Emmy nominations despite numerous TV credits, but he’s an admired veteran, and that often goes a long way with Emmy voters.
Do you think all five men will earn Emmy nominations? Respond in our poll here, then make your Emmy predictions and discuss their chances in our forums.
Ok, so Jim WILL be doing a LIVE Gold Derby Chat TODAY (June 16) at 3 PM EST. There are multiple ways to watch and participate in the chat.
You can also watch on Google + or the Gold Derby website.
Every now and then they will ask fan questions from the chat room on the Gold Derby website or the comments on Google +. So, there’s your info. Hope you join us to watch Jim!
Mayim’s vegan cookbook ‘Mayim’s Vegan Table’ is now available on Kindle!
Click here to learn more and to order
By Matt Webb Mitovich
The Big Bang Theory isn’t getting any smaller. TV’s No. 1 comedy wrapped its seventh season with its most watched finale ever, and a three-year renewal means the gang will be geeking out until at least May 2017.
The only female there on Day 1, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting‘s Penny at first served as the nubile neighbor Leonard (played by Johnny Galecki) would worship from afar/across the hall, but across seven seasons she has evolved into a richer character that can crack wise with any of the geek boys or gal pals.
Having already netted a Critics Choice Award nod and on the heels of delivering a destined-to-be-classic sitcom scene in which Penny and Leonard (finally) got engaged, could this be the year that the Emmys in turn say “Yes!” to nominating Cuoco-Sweeting for Supporting Actress in a Comedy?
TVLINE | In March, the show was renewed for three more years, which will take it to 10 seasons. Of course, I imagine the money is kinda-sorta good, but was the decision to re-sign for multiple years at all daunting?
Oh God, no. There is nothing daunting about that. I think anybody would like to know that they have a job for the next three years, so I was completely on board with that, and very grateful and excited. It’s such a rarity to know that you have a place [to work] for the next couple of years.
TVLINE | Are you also excited to meet the challenge of keeping things fresh for another three years?
Yes, that’s going to be the challenge for the writers, for sure, but I feel like we have so many stories to tell. There are so many funny things that could happen to any of these characters.
TVLINE | What do you notice most when you stumble across an old episode?
Probably my hair, or my wardrobe, or like, “Why did I wear that color of lipstick?” [Laughs] Especially after seven years, you’re like, “What was I thinking?!” The sets seem different, too. Everything does. It’s very strange.
TVLINE | On a scale of 1 to 10, where would your rank Penny’s geek girl aptitude at this point?
Oh my gosh, I’d say its pretty up there – between a 9 and a 10, for sure. I think she knows a lot more about all this stuff than she would like to or ever thought she would. I think it’s funny when she catches herself talking about Star Trek or under-standing what they’re saying – like, “How did this happen?” She’s come a long way.
TVLINE | You once told me that one of the best pieces of advice you got from your 8 Simple Rules dad, John Ritter, was to never give the studio audience the same take twice. Are you still doing that?
Absolutely. That’s the best advice I’ve gotten, or ever witnessed. John always just did that, and I was like, “How does he keep everyone laughing so hard?” On our show we do three takes, maybe four max, so you get a chance to do it four different ways, and it keeps everyone cracking up. It also gives the producers and the editors a lot of options, but it’s more for the audience, making sure they never know what to expect, which is very important.
TVLINE | What advice would you be able to give an aspiring actress now versus seven years ago?
That you just never know what’s going to happen. The fact that I auditioned for this show three times and twice didn’t get hired…. It’s about perseverance. I remember the third time I went back, I was thinking, “It’s obviously not right for me, I don’t know why they keep bringing me back!” But I’m really glad I did go in that third time, because obviously it changed my life. So just remember, anything can happen. You think it’s the wrong thing but it could be the right thing. You just need to keep going. People [in my circle] were like, “Look, you want to work for Chuck Lorre. If you want to do comedy… You’ve got to get back in that room.” He was the reason that we went back.
TVLINE | Just before you called, I rewatched the “Strawberry Pop Tart” scene. Was it everything you had hoped for from such a long-anticipated moment?
It was. Funny enough, they wrote that Pop Tart line at the very last minute and I couldn’t remember it! I kept flubbing it, making everyone laugh, to the point that I was like, “OK, this is taking the charm out of the scene!” [Laughs] But it ended up being so cute, and the audience was going crazy, standing and cheering…. We had to keep telling them to calm down, but they had waited so long for it. (Watch the scene here.)
TVLINE | That had to be one of the biggest audience reactions ever, I imagine.
Oh my God, they screamed. One of the biggest reactions was for when Sheldon and Amy (played by Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik) kissed on the train, and our engagement was huge too. We just sat there for 10 minutes while they were cheering and clapping. I had chills. I feel like I’m a viewer of the show too, so I was excited. I really wanted that to happen, too, for “Lenny,” for Leonard and Penny.
TVLINE | And if I have my math right, that was the second time in one year you were proposed to.
Yes, I know. [Laughs] This last year has been so wedding-involved. I worked on [the Kevin Hart comedy] The Wedding Ringer, and then I really got engaged – and then married [to pro tennis player Ryan Sweeting] — and then Leonard and Penny got engaged…. It’s all very strange.
TVLINE | What I liked about the proposal scene is how it opened up with Penny doing some serious self-assessment – something she would not have bothered with five, six years ago.
Yeah, I think she started to realize that life is happening and this fairy tale of “Oh, I want to be an actress” [needs evaluation]. She has this perfect guy next to her and she wanted to start making life happen for her and not wait for it to come to her. This whole season I feel like she’s been evaluating what she wants to do, so I hope next season she has more of an idea of what her path will be.
TVLINE | What kind of bride-to-be do you think Penny will be?
If I could write it myself, I think Leonard will be more of the bride, because I think it would be funny if he were the planner. Penny is so aloof, she’d be a lot more easy-going than Leonard.
TVLINE | Though I feel she’d draw the line at a Lord of the Rings theme.
That’s funny…. Yeah, she knows when to draw the line. But Leonard is so excited, so he might take the reins and go all Kanye on this.
TVLINE | So, if a wedding is coming, do we get to finally cast your mom?
I know, I’ve been waiting! I don’t know what they’re going to do, but I have always thought — and I hope this doesn’t offend her because I know she’s super young, though we know Penny’s mom got knocked up very early – that Lisa Kudrow would be so perfect. I’ve said that for years. I think it would be hilarious, plus I’m a huge fan of hers, so it’s a selfish wish.
TVLINE | Seven successful seasons in, does it irk you at all that some people out there still dismiss Big Bang as populist fare and don’t give the show the credit it is due?
Do people do that…? I don’t care what anybody says. It’s the biggest show out there, and the show stands on its own. It speaks for itself.
TVLINE | Who makes you laugh?
Simon Helberg (who plays Howard) makes me laugh, really, really hard. Everyone at work is so funny and I learn from them every single day, but Simon is, I think, one of the funniest people I have ever met.. Outside of the show, my husband makes me laugh for sure – we make each other laugh very hard – and my sister makes me laugh, too. She’s hilarious and sarcastic, the opposite of me. I surround myself with some funny people!
This is a running account for the day of cast related Instagrams and Tweets so it continually gets updated through the day. Please check back often for updates. The main cast is listed in order of how they are credited on the show.
http://instagram.com/p/pTk3G7mI8B/
Buenos Dias!
http://instagram.com/p/pTvdWYGI6V/
One of my favorite topics with some of my favorite people… @dpshow #Rockets! #Melo??
http://instagram.com/p/pUdUCEGI9h/
Go USA! #FIFA
https://twitter.com/simonhelberg/status/478627813134987264
No make up. Bed hair. On my way to get made up and shoot some promos for Blossom syndication.
https://twitter.com/kunalnayyar/status/478538280666169344
The @hubtvnetwork #blossomreunion is going great 🙂
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https://twitter.com/wilw/status/478362025530523648
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The Bazinga Cast 