| Saturday June 14, 2014 @ 11:15am PDT
Deadline’s Awards Columnist and Dominic Patten break down what series might surprise this year, from FX’s ‘The Americans’ to HBO’s ‘Clear History’ and Showtime’s ‘Ray Donovan’ — and even CBS’ ‘The Big Bang Theory‘. Is this the year TV’s biggest comedy finally gets some Emmy love?
Show Airs Live on The CW on June 19 at 8pm ET/ 8pm PT
LOS ANGELES (June 13, 2014) – The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) today announced the celebrity presenters for the 4th annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards (CCTA), which will air live on The CW from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Thursday, June 19, 2014 (8:00pm ET/8:00pm PT). Actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer, star, co-creator and executive producer of The Soul Man, host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and host of the upcoming reality series Cedric’s Barber Battle on The CW, will host.
Presenters include CCTA nominees Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex), Tony Hale (Veep), Emmy Rossum (Shameless), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) and Matthew Rhys (The Americans), as well as Christina Applegate, Fred Armisen (Portlandia), Scott Aukerman (Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis), Demian Bichir (The Bridge), Danielle Brooks (Orange Is the New Black), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia), Josh Dallas (Once Upon a Time), Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries), Max Greenfield (New Girl), Kathy Griffin (comedian), Colin Hanks (Fargo), Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles), Colton Haynes (Arrow), Diane Kruger (The Bridge), Natasha Lyonne (Orange Is the New Black), Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Adam Pally (The Mindy Project), Laura Prepon (Orange Is the New Black), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Isaiah Washington (The 100) and Shane West (Salem).
Jim Parsons will present the Critics’ Choice LOUIS XIII Genius Award, established to honor an icon in the television industry, to Ryan Murphy, the Emmy Award-winning creator, writer and director of FX’s Emmy-winning American Horror Story; FOX’s Screen Actors Guild and Emmy Award-winning Glee; and FX’s award-winning Nip/Tuck. Murphy’s latest directorial project was the HBO adaptation of Larry Kramer’s award-winning The Normal Heart, which is nominated for five CCTAs.
Best known for the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, now going into its 20th year, the Broadcast Film Critics Association established BTJA and the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in 2011 on behalf of television journalists working in electronic media to celebrate outstanding work in television. In addition to honoring the best shows and performers from the previous season in Drama, Comedy, Reality, Movie, Mini Series, Animated and Talk Show categories, the Critics’ Choice Television Awards also spotlights the Most Exciting New Series premiering recently or in the coming months, judged from pilots, early episodes and trailers. This year’s Most Exciting New Series honorees are Extant (CBS), Gotham (FOX), Halt and Catch Fire (AMC), The Leftovers (HBO), Outlanders (Starz), Penny Dreadful (Showtime) and The Strain (FX).
Red-carpet preshow, “Live from the Critics’ Choice Television Awards,” will begin at 6:00pm ET/6:00pm PT and will air on flagship station KTLA as well as many other CW/Tribune Affiliates across the country.
Event sponsors at the 4th annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards gala on June 19 include iPic Entertainment, Pernod Ricard’s Elyx and Glenlivet, LINE, Engel & Völkers, Sabra, Sarasota Film Commission, Bradenton Area Film Commission, Flight Source, thalo, Yogurtland and Michele Watches.
| Thursday June 5, 2014 @ 4:23pm PDT
Emmy balloting starts Monday and continues through June 20, and you would have to be living under a rock — 
or somewhere other than Los Angeles or New York — not to be aware that we are in the midst of perhaps the most massive, widespread Emmy campaigning ever. Is it me or has this Emmy season even seemed to eclipse the Oscars in terms of the campaign for the golden statuette, even though there is no evidence that winning an Emmy has anywhere near the financial or prestige value of an Oscar.
There are billboards , bus posters, social media, Q&As, online and print ads galore and it doesn’t stop there. On Friday night, FX is throwing a New Orleans-style feast and concert from Stevie Nicks to accompany an episode screening and Q&A of their miniseries hopeful American Horror Story: Coven. It’s just one of many such events Television Academy members have been invited to this season. And this kind 
of thing just seems to be proliferating year after year. Perhaps it helps that the TV Academy itself plays ball in this game. The group’s official Emmy Magazine, which goes to all 16,000-plus eligible voters, is chock full of ads both inside and outside. Just to get to the actual magazine itself you have to rip off a Good Wife snipe, get past a glossy four-sided fake cover for Big Bang Theory and other Warner Bros shows, and dispense with an elaborate insert and DVD promoting CBS reality shows. Once you hit the “real” cover which features Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, it actually opens immediately into a massive HBO Emmy campaign ad for True Detective followed by nine more pages of ads before even hitting the table of contents. (Oh, and did we mention Sleepy Hollow itself had a big screening event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Monday?)
Of course the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences does none of that, but doesn’t prevent campaigning to its members during Oscar season. But, while being even-handed and playing no favorites, the TV Academy does realize some income from all those ads and even hired a new head of ad sales this year, Hollywood trade veteran Rose Einstein (it should be noted Deadline is also chock full of Emmy ads). The studios and production companies all seem to have Emmy fever. Just witness the usual pile of elaborately packaged shows that arrive at every member’s doorstep. It wasn’t always this way. Although campaigns waged for Oscars have always seemed to be intense and elaborate, using the same methods to win an Emmy nomination is relatively new by comparison. To learn the evolution of it all I turned to a man who has been called “the wizard behind the Emmy curtain” and the guy who pulls “the campaign levers.” Richard Licata has been NBC Entertainment’s EVP Communications since 2011 but previously worked at Showtime, Fox Broadcasting, HBO and Rogers & Cowan. At each of those places he developed a knack, and a love for, the art of Emmy campaigning and as it has increased year to year he’s usually there with some new innovation to move it
forward. It started for him when he was at HBO in 1991 and launched a nascent Emmy campaign for the TV movie The Josephine Baker Story resulting in numerous nominations and a Lead Actress statuette for star Lynn Whitfield. Licata doesn’t believe that surprise win was by accident. That year he even convinced a local video store chain to stock cassettes of the movie and took out trade ads directing Academy voters to the stores where they could check them out for free. It was an instant success.
“In 1991 The Josephine Baker Story triggered my interest in doing what the movie people had done for decades,” he said. “Why couldn’t television also put their so-called ‘best of the year’ in the center ring so that people would either revisit it or acknowledge it with Emmys. That’s when it started.” He added: “I think people realized you could speak to the TV Academy voters in a lot of various ways and get them to focus on the programming. It is really kind of a wonderful golden age of television now where there is so much good dramatic and comedic television that it’s worth trying to persuade voters to look at them. I have never seen so many billboards for Emmy consideration in my whole career as there are this year.” He added that wasn’t really the practice at the time he decided to do a couple of Dexter Emmy consideration billboards in 2011 while still at Showtime. Showtime also pioneered the OnLine screening room for full episodes. After they did that, the TV Academy followed with its own site offering the same service for members.
Among other innovations Licata tried was going early. Showtime had a series called Huff in 2005 which drew very low ratings when it debuted in November. In January, eight months before Emmy night, he packaged the entire series and sent it to the Academy membership. It became the first full-season DVD sent out and went on to earn a shocking seven Emmy nominations (and won two). Coincidence? Probably not. As Licata says, why wait until May when there’s a glut of these things and no one has the time to watch them all? When he was at Rogers & Cowan he opened a division dedicated to Emmy campaigns. Among the first clients was FX and The Shield. They send out a DVD box with a light that lit up when you opened it. Star Michael Chiklis was the surprise winner that year for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. For the 2002 sci-fi miniseries Taken, he sent an elaborate globe containing the DVDs. It won the Best Miniseries Emmy. “It was an ecological disaster but it did the trick,” Licata laughs.
At NBC he says they were already doing innovative work when he arrived three years ago but since have been adding new wrinkles including branding buses, digital billboards, and social media including Facebook and Google/Gmail ads. They also put episodes for consideration on American Airline flights between New York and LA and even clips in New York taxi cabs. NBCUniversal’s 21-page spread in the new Emmy Magazine begins with a sealed envelope containing a message to voters pushing the new NNBU Screen It app for iPads to watch full episodes and instructions on where to find your password. Licata also says that he can tell the TV Academy membership is getting younger just by the response to their screening room site. “The usage is extraordinary. Sometimes we look at the numbers and wonder if they made a mistake. Times have changed dramatically and people watch things online and their handheld devices and it has really helped in spreading the (Emmy) word,” he said.
Licata also feels it is important to be even handed in dealing with Emmy campaigns. That’s why he has two simultaneous campaigns going for The Tonight Show. There’s one for the old one “With Jay Leno.” And one for the new one “Starring Jimmy Fallon.” He hopes they both pan out. “It’s even-steven. It’s equal time. We are being aggressive with Jay to pay tribute to his 20 years on this network, and his last year was terrific. It’s kind of like an embarrassment of riches so we hope both of them come in,” he said. Leno may be an exception for sentimental reasons, but programs currently on the air almost always take precedence. In other words don’t look for NBC or any other player in the Emmy game to spend a lot of money on cancelled shows.
But again, is an Emmy really worth all this time, money and effort?
“My battle cry has always been that it’s great to win the gold, but I have always treated this as a really terrific branding 
opportunity for a network,” Licata says. “You get your product out there, not only the show but you showcase your talent and show them you care about them. I think Emmys are important in a very crowded television landscape. Does it bring in more viewers? I am not certain that it has the impact an Oscar has on a gross, but I definitely think it is one of the tools that helps build a show.” So don’t expect campaigning for Emmys to stop anytime soon.
By JENNA GOOD
PUBLISHED: 21:12 EST, 12 June 2014 | UPDATED: 21:18 EST, 12 June 2014
As the star of Blossom, she was one of the biggest stars of Nineties TV.
But today Mayim Bialik revealed that after starring in the show, she not only stopped working in the TV industry – she stopped watching television altogether.
Speaking to Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O on KIIS FM 1065, Mayim, 38, who is currently starring in hit TV show The Big Bang Theory, said she had no idea how big the show was when she landed the role of Dr Amy Farrah Fowler.
Mayim told the Sydney radio station: ‘I had never seen the show, I wasn’t a TV watcher so I hadn’t seen it.
‘I didn’t realise it was this super big deal.’
And when Kyle asked her how she managed to not watch television, she added: ‘I had two young children I was busy doing mum things.’
The actress was away from the industry for 12 years after playing Blossom from 1990 to 1994 but decided to get back into acting after training to be a Neuroscientist, for financial reasons.
She said: ‘I needed health insurance.
‘I had two small kids and I hadn’t really acted as an adult. I had done it when I was younger and I figured actors are never employed so I could see my kids all the time.’
Mayim joked that she also thought about her age and decided to pursue the career while she was still young enough saying: ‘If you get grey hairs they put you in the dungeon.’
Mum of two boys – Miles, eight, and Fred, five, is an outspoken advocate of attachment parenting and told the radio presenters: ‘There a nice attachment parenting community in Australia.
‘I safely slept with both of my boys, I’ve never owned a crib. We had two giant mattresses on the floor it was a bit musical beds.’
Mayim split from her husband Michael Stone in 2013.
Last year she told ABC News: ‘Divorce is not fun and I don’t recommend it, but kids are absolutely resilient and they are also very sensitive and complicated little people.’
‘So, it’s been a summer of adjustment, but I’m happy to report they are doing really well.’
She went on to say that her ex-husband was coping well and that they were successfully co-parenting.
‘Their dad is doing well and we communicate really well,’ she added.
Mayim and Michael were married for nine years before she announced their divorce in November 2012.
Simon and Jocelyn did a Reddit AMA chat today and we have it all for you to read below. They were both very funny with their responses. Look at the bottom of the post for a link to the page where the chat took place. Enjoy reading!
Thank so much Reddit and everybody who asked questions! I Am I comes out tomorrow so go to http://www.iamithefilm.com to see the movie or get information about showtimes in LA/NY. Have a lovely rest of the day!
-Simon and Jocelyn
Hi. We are Jocelyn Towne and Simon Helberg, married, working filmmakers – 2 babies, 2 movies, 2 years – and you probably know me (Simon) from “The Big Bang Theory”, and you will get to know me (Jocelyn) from my directorial debut in the film “I AM I”, which I also wrote, starred in, and executive produced alongside Simon, who appears in the film as well.
“I AM I” will be in theaters this Friday June 13th and also available on iTunes and VOD nationwide. For those of you in LA, please join us for a Q&A at the Sundance Sunset Cinemas following the 7:30pm showing of the film on Friday. Actors Kevin Tighe and Jason Ritter will also be there for the Q&A.
Victoria is getting us up to speed on the AMA and here is the proof that we exist beyond the fourth wall:
https://twitter.com/simonhelberg/status/476405080456187904
https://twitter.com/jocelyntowne/status/476397456561688576
Now it’s your turn to share. Ask us anything!
[–]kdk12k2k12
Hey Simon and Jocelyn! Thanks for doing this AMA.
Simon,
How did you get the role of the young Rabbi in A Serious Man?
How was it working with The Coen Brothers and Michael Stuhlbarg?
Any stories from that experience?
“Look at the parking lot, Larry!”
To Both: Good luck and congrats on pursuing I Am I. Look forward to seeing it.
[–]simonhelberg
One of the all time highlights of my life. I grew up idolizing the Coens so I was ecstatic and also terrified I would soil this perfect cannon of work they have. I auditioned for them and had to wait 9 months to hear any news. But I worked on the scene throughout just in case I got it. And Michael is a dear friend and a phenomenal actor. A truly serious man.
[–]kdk12k2k12
I auditioned for them and had to wait 9 months to hear any news.
I would be in agony waiting that long.
Still, it’s a great film I truly enjoy. Everything turned out awesome!
Edit: Thanks for answering my questions! I appreciate it!
[–]judomonkeykyle
Simon, loved your portrayal of Moist in Dr. Horrible!
Question… for both of you 🙂
Star Wars or Star Trek?
[–]simonhelberg
Thanks! Star Tours.
[–]jocelyntowne
Star Wars for sure. I can basically recite lines from the first!
[–]Papper
Good.
[–]kbcountry37 (KAYLA)
Hi, Simon and Jocelyn! Love all the interviews so far.
[–]shhhh_spoilers
Hello! I think you two are fantastic :). I like to collect beer recommendations, what is your beer of choice?
My coworker would also like to know if Simon feels that Howard enjoys the married life.
[–]jocelyntowne
I like a good hefeweizen!
[–]shhhh_spoilers
Yum! Can’t wait to see the flick!
[–]RD1207
Hello Simon and Jocelyn Thank you for doing this AMA, I have a question for each of you.
Simon, when will Howard get his PhD? I think he needs it.
And Jocelyn, what was your inspiration to create your movie?
[–]jocelyntowne
I wanted to make a film about relationships between parents and children and what it would be like to get to know your parents before you were born.
[–]jocelyntowne
It was actually inspired by the music from “The Man of La Mancha” believe it or not. I took Don Quixote and turned him into a modern character and let the story develop from there.
[–]Always_Late_Lately
What was it like getting into the filmmaking business? What did you feel the most important skill/talent/area to concentrate on is for those aspiring to follow you?
[–]simonhelberg
Read a lot of plays. Watch a lot of movies. Get up on your feet and act. Create no matter who it’s for or where you’re doing it or how little money you can put in. It all counts.
[–]jocelyntowne
And when you get jobs, any job, do your best work, even if you don’t love the project. Never undercut a project, make it the most important thing. People remember your work ethic.
[–]Pennwisedom
Simon: How was being in space? I mean, you really went there right?
Will Moist be singing in Dr Horrible 2? Was Sabrina The Teenage Witch the best show ever to work on? Too many questions to ask!
[–]TrinityDragon
Hi there guys! Thanks so much for doing this.
What would you say is the most difficult part of acting? Of directing? Of making babies?
[–]simonhelberg
Making babies is by far the easiest. Although the audition process is brutal.
[–]jocelyntowne
I’d have to agree with Simon! Auditions are the worst part about acting!
[–]rizarjay
What is Penny’s last name!?!?!?!
[–]simonhelberg
Obama.
[–]Rossegut
Wow what a coincidence, same as the president
[–]gerryhanes
Hi, both.
Jocelyn: Who or what was your greatest inspiration while directing for the first time?
Simon: What would have happened to Alex Dwyer if Studio 60 had made it to a second series?
[–]simonhelberg
Cocaine? At least a No-Doze addiction.
[–]jocelyntowne
So many great inspirations. Films like “The Apartment” and “Harold and Maude”. Directors like Sydney Lumet and Billy Wilder. My Dad, who is a screenwriter. Friends like Marianna Palka who wrote and directed an indie film herself.
[–]MsJessD4
Hi guys, thanks for doing this Q&A. Here’s my question: Do you know if “We’ll never have Paris” will be release in France ? Looking forward to see this movie!
Much love from France. Jess xx
[–]jocelyntowne
I’m not sure if it will be out in theaters but there will definitely be a way for you to see it in the near future so stay tuned for that!
[–]noelbuttersworth
Simon, Reddit is known for it’s dislike of the Big Bang Theory, mostly because of how it supposedly ‘misrepresents’ nerds. What would you say about this?
[–]simonhelberg
Is that true, Reddit? I’m outta here.
[–]RD1207
No Simon don’t go!! I personally love The Big Bang Theory
[–]Labasdienas
Bazinga
[–]Rossegut
Constantinople
[–]dogrio345
For Simon, do you think you are anything like your character on Big Bang? Are any of the other actors like their respective characters?
[–]giulliana
Simon, quick question, what has been the most difficult science equation or explanation you have had to do on BBT? And did you understand it at all?
Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us!
[–]Frajer
Does Jim Parsons have a Bazinga quota/get paid by the Bazinga?
[–]isupersid
Out of the entire TBBT gang, I feel that Howard was the guy least likely to get married. Are you anything like him in real life? 🙂
[–]drumike
What is it like working with each other with such busy schedules?
[–]doopdapdeedap
Hey Jocelyn and Simon!
Jocelyn, how does it feel to be like a swiss-army knife and be able to do all of those things?
Simon, have you adopted any mannerisms from Howard since portraying him?
Thanks!
[–]jocelyntowne
It was an amazing opportunity to be able to wear so many different hats for this film and it was a passion project so I really wanted to have a say in all parts of the creative process.
[–]Defneozkan
Hey there Simon and Jocelyn! Simon, what do you like the most about Raj and Howard’s funny bromance? Love you both btw. Thanks!
[–]kbcountry37 (KAYLA)
I kind of already got an answer Tuesday in Simon’s Larry King interview, because I was the one who sent him the tweet about the inspiration behind “I Am I”, but I’d love to hear Jocelyn’s answer.
[–]isupersid
Do you really have a tough time shopping for clothes? Do you shop for clothes in boys’ department in real life?
[–]SimonHelbergLover
Hey Simon and Jocelyn! I hope you are well.
For Simon: Do you think Howard Wolowitz will ever get a PhD? What is your favourite thing about filming The Big Bang Theory
For Jocelyn: What was your favourite thing about I Am I?
For both of you: What was the best thing about filming together?
Thank you for taking time to do this, best wishes for both of you from Ireland x
[–]jocelyntowne
The best thing about working together is that we are both so passionate about our work that we could talk about it for hours and luckily the other one wants to talk about it as well!
My favorite thing about I Am I was working with an incredible cast and crew who were also so dedicated to the material.
[–]kathleenowens
Thanks for doing this, both Simon and Jocelyn!
Simon, what was the most rewarding aspect of working on We’ll Never Have Paris with your wife? Also what is the best part of your job on TBBT?
Jocelyn, was there a moment in your life when you knew you wanted to be an actor/filmmaker?
[–]jocelyntowne
I knew I wanted to be a writer from a young age. The first thing I ever saved up for was a type writer so that I could be like my Dad, who is a screenwriter also. Acting became a passion in highschool.
[–]hid3y0shi
Hi Simon and Jocelyn! I have a question for you, which is your most inspirational movie?And why?
Thank you for this AMA 🙂
[–]jocelyntowne
I love “Harold & Maude” amongst many other!
[–]AllyGambit
Wow good answer, random movie but amazing and worth a watch for anyone who hasn’t seen it
[–]em0samurai
Hi guys thanks for doing this awesome AMA!
Simon you’re amazing in The Big Bang Theory, obviously, but I actually first saw you on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.”
What was it like working w/Aaron Sorkin and on an Aaron Sorkin show?
Looking forward to checking out your film and I think it’s awesome you guys did it together…I mean, the film…..well, and actually making the babies too. So, all good all around!
[–]Robsmith321
Hey simon i love your role in Big Bang! I just wanted to ask what made you first start acting?
[–]simonhelberg
Auditioned for The Children’s Hour in high school to play the lead. It’s a period piece that deals with Lesbianism in an all girl’s school. So I fit right in. I ended up getting a tiny part with a few lines and milked it for every laugh I could get. Not that there aren’t plenty of laughs Lillian Hellman’s work.
[–]Robsmith321
Thanks For replying!
[–]Pennwisedom
Jocelyn, Korsakoff’s syndrome is a rather obscure neurological disorder. What caused you to used that specific syndrome? Was there someone in your family who had it or was it just random or something else?
[–]jocelyntowne
I actually kind of backed into finding that condition because I had already created the character who had this type of retrograde amnesia and then discovered Korsakoff’s as I was doing research.
[–]carouseloftime
How closely does We’ll Never Have Paris follow what really happened between you two, and how much did you change things for the movie? And how nervous were you about making a film that’s so heavily based on your own relationship?
[–]simonhelberg
It’s sort of the skeletal structure of what happened between Jocelyn and I at that point in our life. So obviously I pulled from real moments and events but it’s largely fictionalized to make a better movie. That being said, there’s quite a bit that did happen that I wish I could tell you I made up. Perhaps the clumsiest break-up and proposal of all time.
[–]carouseloftime 1 point 2 hours ago
Thanks for answering – I’m looking forward to seeing it!
(And I’ll be at your talk back tomorrow evening, so see you then! :D)
[–]jocelyntowne
Very nervous about it. And at this point I’d say it’s about 50/50 fiction and reality. We took liberties with the truth to make it a better story dramatically although it was pretty dramatic to begin with!
[–]carouseloftime
It definitely sounds like an interesting story – thanks!
[–]nintendonoob
Simon, are you a gamer? if so. Pc or console?
and btw you are an amazing actor! keep up the good work 😀
[–]elspermowhale
Hey simon 🙂 What are your relationships with the other actors on the big bang theory? Thanks for taking time to do this ama 🙂
[–]DeliriumWigger
The Big Bang Theory gets a lot of mainstream love, but how do you feel about the hate that the show gets from the nerd community?
[–]simonhelberg
Didn’t know about the hatred. Thanks for sharing!
[–]DeliriumWigger
You’re a busy and successful man, I don’t really expect you to spend any time online reading about negativity directed towards you or your show from anonymous haters.
[–]bpittin
Hi Simon, thanks for the AMA.
What your all time favorite video game?
Thanks!
[–]simonhelberg
I loved Contra. I sorta fell out of touch with that world after Nintendo. Has much changed?
[–]Jux_
Kinda
[–]goadrush
Why should I go see I am I?
[–]t3ha17
What is the most meaningful piece of art (film, play, episode, doodle) you have each created? And where can we view it? (Assuming it can be seen via the internet…) Thanks for the brief insight into your mind! 🙂
[–]jocelyntowne
I would say I AM I is mine! And now we also have a new film that we directed together called “WE’ll Never Have PAris” so that one is special too!
[–]whoamyou626
Hey Simon and Jocelyn! It’s always awesome to see successful creative couples, so thanks for existing, I’ll gladly come see your new film.
Simon I think you’re beyond talented and at least for me, steal the scenes you act in a very subtle way.
Do you think that you’ll work with Bob Odenkirk or Joss Whedon again in the near future?
Any interesting set stories from that time or from anything else you were involved in?
[–]simonhelberg
Bob and Joss are such creative forces. Like a tornado. They both have these amazing minds that allow you as an actor to just sit back and revel in their brilliance. Those were special experiences for me. So no I won’t be working with them again.
[–]jocelyntowne
Thank you for the kind words!
[–]PkingDuck
If you had to fight 100 Johnny Galecki-sized Jim Parsonses or 1 Jim Parson-sized Johnny Galecki which would you choose?
[–]simonhelberg
Can’t we all just get along?
[–]PkingDuck
With all 101 of them? That’s a lot of people to get along with.
PS, huge BBT fan, probably should have mentioned that in my original post.
[–]FunkyXtreme
Hey simon u sexy guy (jocelyn too ofcourse :3 ) will ur 2 movies ever be available im germany? Id like to buy them bur there is no chance 
[–]jocelyntowne
You can watch I Am I if you go to our website http://www.iamithefilm.com. Our second film will be coming out later this year!
[–]jakers77777
Thanks for doing this AMA, guys!
A question for Simon: Has the Big Bang Theory inspired any of your filmmaking techniques? can we expect any in-jokes or cameos?
[–]kbcountry37 (KAYLA)
Simon, during taping season, how do you balance work and family?
[–]simonhelberg
I make babies while I work and then they arrive in time for hiatus.
[–]jocelyntowne
He just doesn’t get to sleep that much!
[–]EstherMartins
Hello, Jocelyn and Simon, I hope you are having a wonderful day. So Simon, did you like coming to Brazil? And how is it like to be part of an amazing tv show?
[–]jocelyntowne
Simon said Brazil was amazing!
[–]jalexbrown
Simon, I wanted to let you know that I am a huge fan of Big Bang Theory (I’m a self-proclaimed nerd, so I don’t think you should let the supposed nerd hate bother you). If you had the creative control to change one trait of your character, what would you change and why?
[–]Metallick3r
Jocelyn, “I AM I” is your directorial debut… are there any major challenges you came up against in the making of the movie that you didn’t see coming beforehand?
Simon, is it laziness or fashion that has lead to your facial hair in the proof you just uploaded? 😛
[–]jocelyntowne
Yes, many challenges starting with just believing in myself enough to have the courage to get the project off the ground. Then there were financial challenges of raising money bc I was a first time director and actor no one had heard of. To name a couple!
[–]Pennwisedom
As a fellow actor no one has ever heard of, I can empathize with that. I imagine having Simon committed to the film helped at least allay some concern on the financial side?
[–]jocelyntowne
Not exactly, as he was playing a supporting role. However, it was really his fan base who we reached out to on Kickstarter and they became supporters of the film, which allowed the movie to be made! Yes, that was for sure a huge factor!
[–]Pennwisedom
Oh I didn’t even realize you did the Kickstarter. I just googled it and it looks like there was quite a bit of interest.
[–]jocelyntowne
It all came from Kickstarter. The interest, I mean! It had an amazing snowball effect!
[–]Pennwisedom
Maybe I should do a Kickstarter than (and write a film).
[–]SimonHelbergLover
Hey guys x For Simon: Do you feel you can relate to Howard in any way?
[–]simonhelberg
He means well but can’t seem to get out of his own way. I definitely suffer from that. We tend to be our own biggest obstacle.
[–]sofi27
Hi Simon and Jocelyn! I´m from Argentina. I´m a big fan of The Big Bang Theory and Simon is one of my favourite actors. I´m waiting to see Jocelyn´s movie! I have two questions: Simon, Do you when is going to start the next TBBT season? When “I AM I” is going to be available in Argentina???
[–]jocelyntowne
check out our website http://www.iamithefilm.com and click watch movie for a list of different ways to see the film!
[–]Slhughes71
Have you noticed any habits you have picked up since playing Howard in the Big Bang Theory? 🙂
[–]kbcountry37 (KAYLA)
Simon, Jim has started posting coffee mug selfies to his Instagram every morning, and when I saw your pic from this morning, I was thought Jim must be wearing off on the rest of cast. Love the selfies, keep them up!
[–]bpittin
What should I buy my dad for Father’s day?
[–]jocelyntowne
Cologne? I love finding great scents for people!
[–]simonhelberg
You made him a father. Is that not enough of a present? Also, a nice neck tie is always good.
[–]VerdantDude
Hi Jocelyn and Simon. Was Kickstarter a rewarding experience for you with this film? Would you ever consider crowd-funding a project again?
[–]jocelyntowne
Kickstarter was incredibly rewarding, it made our film possible and gave me so much encouragement! I would do it again, although I hope I can raise money for films in other ways as well!
[–]VerdantDude
Proud supporter here. And thanks for the picture of Simon holding a picture of our cat, Wolowitz. Hilarious. 🙂
[–]jocelyntowne
Oh, I remember that!!! Nice to hear from you!!!
[–]SimonHelbergLover
Hello again guys! Sorry for all the questions; I have a lot!
If you could only bring 3 things with you to a desert island, what would they be?
Thanks guys, I’m a huge fan of both of you x
[–]jocelyntowne
Assuming the cell phone won’t work… hmm… some kind of fire starter, some kind of weapon for catching food and shoes!
[–]simonhelberg
A big boat. And two small backup boats.
[–]gerryhanes
Do you get sick of headline writers going with “Jocelyn for attention” all the time?
[–]Alb3rg
Hello Simon and Jocelyn. Thank you so much for doing this AMA. My question is for Simon.
Will Sheldon and Amy ever engage in sexual intercourse? It seems like Sheldon’s relationship with Amy has made him more open to the idea of physical contact.
And just as a side note to anyone who might read this (hate-mail incoming); I am one of those “nerds” and i see no reason to hate TBBT because of the way it portrays them. The show is in my opinion one of the best shows currently being aired.
[–]therealbaws
Hey welsh fan…Raj>Sheldon agree?
[–]jimbalaka
Simon. I like your performance in Studio 60 more than TBBT. Do you miss the show.
If Studio 60 had been successful mainstream would you have done TBBT?
[–]simonhelberg
Thank you?
[–]isabella95
Simon when will we see you in a play or something? Not that i don’t love the big bang theory 😀
[–]simonhelberg
I would love to be in a play or something. I’ve always loved theater. And I’ve always loved something even more.
[–]jocelyntowne
To everyone who has asked. You can go to http://www.iamithefilm.com to see the trailer and watch the film?
[–]kid__robot
Hi Simon !
What is your favorite city in the world to spend some time away from your busy working life ?
(Greetings from Madrid ! we love you here 😉 )
[–]simonhelberg
Are you inviting me to Madrid? That could be my new favorite. Hint hint.
[–]kid__robot 1 point 2 hours ago
Whenever you guys want to come ! you are sincerely welcome here !
Viva españa 🙂
[–]jocelyntowne
We haven’t been to Madrid, but we would love to go at some point!
[–]wetazn4u6669
Hi guys, thanks for doing the AMA, Im a big Big Bang Theory and actor so here’s my shameless question: Do you have any rolls you are casting for in any new projects?
[–]jocelyntowne
No new projects that are in the casting process at the moment!
[–]Slhughes71
Simon, Do you like pizza?
[–]jocelyntowne
Simon, I’ll handle this one. Yes. He likes pizza. Sometimes with mushrooms and olives.
[–]simonhelberg
It’s one of my favorites. I really love just that simple slice of pizza you can get on any corner in New York.
[–]kathleenowens
Simon, what would you consider to be your all-time favorite classic sitcom?
[–]simonhelberg
Seinfeld is definitely up there. Everybody Loves Raymond. Roseanne. Get a Life. John Ritter on Three’s Company.
[–]kbcountry37 (KAYLA)
When I Am I makes it to South Carolina, I’m making it a priority to go see it. It looks very good!
[–]eliseke
Hello Simon and Jocelyn my question is how does it feel to have fans in lets just say Belgium? (i’m from there) good luck with everything
[–]simonhelberg
Very curious. Can we assume you might be in Belgium? I’m getting that sense.
[–]klamon
If you never got into the entertainment industry, what would you do for a career?
[–]simonhelberg
Music. I play piano and thought that was my future for a long time. Got sidetracked. But I still play for fun.
[–]kbcountry37 (KAYLA)
I loved hearing you play on TBBT last season. Hope the writers use your talent more often.
[–]jocelyntowne
Wait til you see him play piano in our newest movie “We’ll Never Have Paris” that will be coming out later this year!
[–]mar1378
Can’t wait to see it, Jocelyn! 🙂
Thank you for doing this AMA!
[–]jocelyntowne
I used to be a personal trainer of sorts. I taught something called gyrotonic which is a little bit like pilates and very popular with dancers.
[–]AllyGambit
Hey Simon and Jocelyn! I helped you all fund I am I a million billion years ago when Kickstarter was becoming a thing and I got my copy in the mail this week! I haven’t watched it yet but the trailer you all put out not that long ago made me cry, I am really looking forward to the movie and I should be able to find some time this weekend to watch it (yay internships). Thank you for delivering and congratulations on your busy past 2 years! (yay babies!)
What was your overall experience with making a movie through kickstarter?
[–]jocelyntowne
Woohoo!!! Yay, a wonderful Kickstarter supporter!!! Making the film with you and everyone on Kickstarter was honestly one of the coolest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I wouldn’t have wanted to make it any other way. I should really say that all the supporters on Kickstarter are the ones who gave me my start in the business!!!!
[–]w0itek
Dear Jocelyn and Simon,
I just saw the trailer to your film, and I think I would like to watch the whole thing (it didn’t have choirs in the trailer, that’s good). Yet, when I click the rent or buy button I am denied the service, as “this film is not available in your region”. My region being Poland, do you have any other ways for me to see it online?
Maybe you could upload it to my server, possibly for exchange for something. I could send you chocolates, or a sausage maybe. What do you say?
Cheers,
Wojtek
[–]jocelyntowne
As tempting as the chocolates are I am going to look into this and if you check back on the website in the future maybe we will have solved this problem! Would love for you to be able to see it!!!
[–]w0itek
Well then, in case you don’t succeed, I suppose I’ll take a hack at it. Catch you both later, when I’ve seen it already 🙂
Goodnight!
Wojtek
[–]Robsmith321
hey simon. you know how you do your set on a live audience, how do you guys not laugh while recording, is it pressure mybe?
[–]EstherGM
Hey guys, how are you? Simon, I was wondering, what is the most exciting thing about playing Howard?
[–]simonhelberg
It used to be that I got a lot of the big jokes. The ones that we’d end a scene with, etc. But as they fleshed out the character more, it’s been so exciting getting to show different colors of this guy. And for me now, I’m getting to know who he really is and who he’s become as the writers keep coming up with brilliant layers for him.
[–]EstherGM
That’s really cool. I’m really happy about all the characters development, but especially with Howard because we can see how he grow through the years
[–]thebigbangpics
hey love you guys question what inspired you to become an actor and what tips would you give someone else?
[–]jocelyntowne
Watching Daniel Day Lewis in “My Left Foot” was what inspired me. I was young enough that I kind of thought it was a documentary in the sense that I didn’t think he was an actor. He blew my mind.
Advice: if it’s what you love, work harder than you’ve ever worked, take praise and criticism equally and don’t let it raise you up or take you down too hard and focus on what you truly love about the craft. Ask yourself what kind of success you need to be happy.
[–]simonhelberg
I used to just want to make people laugh. But in high school, when I saw Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, I realized that there was a potential to make people laugh and make people cry. So I studied acting a great conservatory program through NYU at the Atlantic Theatre Company. I definitely recommend studying and getting up on your feet to try it.
[–]isabella95
Simon: ever heard of Bulgaria? it’s a small country that not a lot of people in the US have even heard of, but trust me a lot of people here love you 😀 You should come someday.
[–]simonhelberg
Bulgaria? Is that an intestinal thing?
[–]Slhughes71
Simon! Who would be your dream to work alongside? 🙂
[–]kathleenowens
Simon, what is the weirdest thing a fan has ever said to you?
[–]simonhelberg
A lot of people start off by telling me how much they used to hate the show but now love it, or how it’s their wife or son or father who loves it, etc. All these undercutting, backhanded ways of complimenting me while attempting to seem cool and unfazed. I don’t get it.
[–]kathleenowens
I mean, if you’re a fan, its custom to act a little excited or weird when you meet someone that you watch!
[–]Ingolfisntmyrealname
Hi Simon, how much of your depiction of Howard Wolowitz on TBBT can you relate to from your own life? Did you ever consider yourself a “nerd” like the character in the show you portray and if so, in what ways? What thing in your life are you a nerd with?
[–]mar1378
Hey, Simon! I love your character in The Big Bang Theory 🙂 Which episode from the show is the most memorable for you so far?
[–]simonhelberg
In recent memory, it’s the episode where I sing the song for Bernadette. I loved that moment and thought the song was just brilliant. Written by Kate Micucci and Riki Lindhome.
[–]mar1378
Thanks for replying back! I loved that song too. It was absolutely wonderful 🙂
[–]Walksonthree
Hello Simon! Howard’s character developed is amazing. In the beginning we see him as a perverted/obsessed guy, who eventually grown into a mature loving husband. How much do you enjoy playing Howard and how much fun did you have growing with the character? Thanks!
[–]muzzmachine
Hi Simon happy to have finally caught an AMA (i live in england)
What guest star would you most like to see on the big bang theory?
[–]isabella95
Hi Simon! Great tips for becoming an actor, but what am I supposed to do when I live in Bulgaria (it’s not an intestinal thing, more like an STD :D). I mean there really is no future for any artists at all here. And my parents couldn’t possibly afford for me to study drama anywhere else in the world. Like seriously, what could i possibly do?
[–]jocelyntowne
This sounds cheesy, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Do what you can now, read books, plays, watch great films, find good classes where you are and study your craft.
[–]jakers9009
Hey guys, I’m going hitchhiking from Illinois to California next month and I’ve never been west of the Mississippi. Got any suggestions on what to do/see?
[–]jocelyntowne
Travel the coast, it’s gorgeous. Go to wine country. Napa, Sonoma, Solvang! Big Sur is amazing!
[–]jakers9009
Sweet! I’ll check it out!
[–]isabella95
Simon, why don’t you ever come to Europe? Not all of your fans are american 😀 we love you!
[–]kbcountry37 (KAYLA)
I’m American, but I do run a TBBT fansite, and I’m often floored by the countries I get hits from. TBBT is a truly international fandom!
[–]jocelyntowne
He does go to Europe! Our newest film “We’ll Never Have Paris” is based on real life and Simon travels to Paris in it!
[–]OllieCrook
Inside the Actors studio always does an entertaining bit at the end of the show where a small questionnaire is asked to the guest so I ask the both of you the same questions.
What is your favorite word?
What is your least favorite word?
What turns you on?
What turns you off?
What sound or noise do you love?
What sound or noise do you hate?
What is your favorite curse word?
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
What profession would you not like to do?
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
[–]ben5647
Hi Simon, I have always watched The Big Bang Theory since the beginning and have never missed an episode. My questions are: 1. What’s your advice to fans that are going through bullying? 2. How much did you enjoy working with Jason Ritter?
[–]isabella95
Hey Simon you’re pretty amazing. But i guess I wouldn’t be on reddit at 1:30am(Europe……) if you weren’t, right?
[–]NickUndercover
Hello and thanks for answering our questions. I’ll try to keep it short, promise.
Jocelyn: This (I Am I) is the first film where you’re in charge of the whole thing, from writing to producing and directing. Was this something you’d been waiting for a long time ? Did it live up to your expectations ? Are there things you intend to do differently in future projects ?
Simon: Are you planning to do more cinema in the near future ? (you should blackmail the Coen brothers into giving you another supporting role or something, you were really cool in A Serious Man)
And finally congrats to you both on your second child !
[–]bebert
Hello Simon! I really like Howard on BBT! In real life, would you be friends with Raj, Leonard and Sheldon? Are they the kind of persons you would like?
[–]HeartsickShoe86
Simon, do you know how much research that goes into making an episode of TBBT? Jocelyn, where did you find your inspiration to your Movie “I AM I”? Both of you, do you do autographs?
That’s the whole chat as of 8:00 PM EST on June 12, 2014.
By Matt Webb Mitovich / June 12 2014, 2:38 PM PDT
How about some 
The Big Bang Theory news? –Alexa
How about some big scoop on Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting’s very big haircut, and how it might affect Season 8? Kaley clipped her locks (the first time) just prior to the show’s wrap party, yet when she walked in, she tells me, “The producers loved it.” She has since evolved her ‘do into an outright pixie cut, and thus far has not heard boo, so… good news? “I’m hoping Penny will keep the haircut, that’s my goal,” Cuoco-Sweeting shares, noting: “The finale wasn’t a ‘To Be Continued,’ so I don’t
see any problem with it. People change, people get haircuts, so I think this is a realistic move for Penny. Fingers crossed!”
Chris Smith, June 12, 2014
All photos and video clips sourced from cbs.com
We all love The Big Bang Theory. Nearing the end of its seventh season, the program has become a pop culture phenomenon fighting its way into the public’s consciousness and establishing itself as one of the most popular sitcoms on television today. We all love the characters, and all have at least one person in our lives who reminds us of Sheldon. Of course it’s not for everyone and that’s understandable, but even those who don’t watch the Big Bang Theory could probably recognise most of the references.
We all get the premise. Four genius scientists with no social skills trying to navigate through real life problems like dating and relationships. Well, we know they all struggle with social situations, but occasionally we find that science isn’t exactly their strong point either. Despite having genius level IQs, and high paid scientific professions, all four characters have made some form of scientific errors, and in some cases not even scientific, but generally stupid observations.
While we could fill a whole list with their lack of knowledge on life in general, and an entirely separate list just for Sheldon, we’ll be focusing mostly on the times when the boys failed at what they are best at. Here are the times when the Big Bang Theory characters should have handed in their genius cards.
Okay, maybe Sheldon can be forgiven for getting schooled at science by the worlds smartest man..
When Sheldon is given a chance to meet one of his heroes, he presents Stephen Hawking with one of his thesises hoping to impress the professor. Stephen Hawking points out that Sheldon made an arithmetical mistake on page two and called it “quite the boner”.
Is it too harsh to criticise Sheldon for his mistake? It takes a genius of the very highest order to match scientific theories with Hawking, but at the very least Sheldon could have taken the time to proofread the paper before handing it over to one of the few people on the planet he actually respects.
Before Howard Wolowitz became a devoted husband, he was something of a pervert. And not like Raj and his preference for Asian porn, we’re talking Quagmire levels of perversion with predilections including, but not limited to, incest, bestiality and necrophilia. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before he turned his “attention” to robots.
In the opening episode of Season 4 Howard designs a robotic arm to assist astronauts in space and ends up using it to serve food for the gang. After commanding the robot to massage his shoulders he remarks that it feels “just like a real hand”. With this revelation, he attempts to do what any self-respecting pervert would do and enters a series of commands into his computer to program the hand. Unfortunately he enters the wrong command and somehow programs the hand to twist as if it were handling a screwdriver.
Without getting into too much detail, there’s a big difference between twisting a screwdriver and… Howard’s first choice. How he would enter such a command is anyone’s guess, but earlier in the episode we see Howard competently typing out the lengthy machine code necessary to get the robot arm to simply pass the soy sauce. It seems strange that when entering a very… specific command, Howard would suddenly forget what exactly he wanted the arm to do and very nearly paid the ultimate price for his lack of attention to detail. It also doesn’t help that he was then outsmarted by a nurse whose first idea was to simply turn the arm off and back on.
During the popular flashback episode which explains how our four heroes originally meet, Leonard reveals that he attempted to launch Howard’s model rocket with actual rocket fuel that he had taken home from work. He actually took it to impress a girl he liked, who later turned out to be a North Korean spy (that too could be an entry on this list, but even a genius will do anything if he thinks he’s got a chance at getting laid).
Anyway, Leonard adds too much fuel, or something equally dangerous, (all we’re told is that he adjusted the formula incorrectly) and the mixture explodes. Fortunately Sheldon manages to isolate the container in the elevator and pull Leonard out of harm’s way, thus saving his life and forever cementing their friendship. The fact remains though that Leonard very nearly got himself (and possibly the other three characters) killed and destroyed the elevator, leading to endless stair climbing scenes throughout the series. Granted it was early on in his career, but since he was handling explosive fuel, you would expect him to pay slightly more attention to his formula.
One of the oldest tropes in sitcom history is the “two friends working together” episode and TBBT has used that many times with various combinations of characters. In one such episode Raj finds himself working for Sheldon (not with him, FOR him) in order to stay in the country. During an inevitable argument Raj points out that since they are discussing space, Sheldon should listen to him because he is an astrophysicist and “astro” means space. Exacerbated Sheldon simply replies “Astro means star”.
To be fair, space would have been most people’s first guess too, but then most people aren’t astrophysicists. How Raj managed to devote his career to and earn a doctorate in a very specific area of physics without learning (or at least stumbling across) the definition of its name is a mystery doomed to go unanswered forever. And it can’t be because of the language barrier, because unless confronted by women during the first six seasons, he has never struggled in the language department. Hell in the very same conversation, Sheldon reminds Raj that English is in fact his native language.
In “The Cruciferous Vegetable Amplification” Sheldon suffers a midlife crisis after determining that he only has sixty years left to live and won’t get to enjoy the benefits of future technology. Attempting to change his lifestyle in order to love longer, Sheldon starts eating more vegetables. Hey, we’re amazed a constant diet of takeaway food and Cheesecake Factory hamburgers haven’t killed him already!
Anyway after a hearty dinner of brussel sprouts Sheldon awakes during the night in incredible discomfort. Waking Leonard up, Sheldon insists that he may have Cholera or appendicitis and needs to be driven to the hospital. Of course the answer turns out to be that the sprouts are giving him gas. Bravo Sheldon! What kind of Physicist with an IQ of 187 can’t recognize an oncoming fart? How did he not expect it after the sudden change to sprouts? And why jump to such dramatic conclusions such as Cholera?
Thankfully this was the only instance of the Big Bang Theory resorting to fart jokes.
The most recent entry on this list comes from Season 7. During an argument with his wife Bernadette, Howard finds himself out of answers and resorts to faking a heart attack (his alternative was suffering a real one) and instinctively grabs his right arm. His right arm!
Now Howard gets a lot of flack from Sheldon about not having a PhD, and only being an engineer. But not knowing which side of the body the heart is on? It was only a throwaway line meant for laughs but some mistakes are too stupid to ignore – the guy has a Masters Degree from MIT, after all. Maybe Sheldon’s constant intellectual patronising of the guy was pretty much right on the money.
In “The Batjar Conjecture” Sheldon and Leonard butt heads in the annual Physics Bowl where they both captain teams of four in a science trivia contest. After Leonard’s team wins by default (Sheldon refuses to let his teammate the janitor win the contest for him), Penny decides to truly determine who is smarter by asking them non scientific general knowledge questions. Neither physicist knows anything about the Brady Bunch, or Van Halen and when asked to guess, Sheldon’s first candidate for winner of “Sexiest Man Alive” is William Shatner.
The real shock comes at the end though when Penny asks the guys “Tweety Bird tawt he taw a what?” Both Leonard and Sheldon are completely blank until a confident Sheldon goes back to the Star Trek well and guesses “Romulan”.
Yes! He tawt he taw a Romulan! This makes perfect sense!
The worlds worst astrophysicist strikes again!
When Howard is invited to go into outer space he has to come up with a nickname and somehow convince the other astronauts to use it. They eventually chose “Fruit Loops” but before that Howard asks Raj for potential nicknames and Raj suggests Buzz. Howard points out what any astrophysicist, indeed anyone who knows anything about astronauts and space should know, that Buzz is taken. Raj laughs it off, insisting “Buzz Lightyear isn’t a real astronaut.” Spot the mistake here.
Now it’s hardly a secret that TBBT loves it’s pop culture references. We’re all used to them referencing “nerd” topics like Star Wars, Star Trek, comic books and Indiana Jones and that’s all fine. It gets a little too on-the-nose when they start namedropping non-nerd topics like Toy Story, Twilight and even Mad Men (decide who your audience is already!), but in their eagerness to make another pop culture reference, they made their astrophysicist look like one of the biggest idiots on the planet. These four guys may not have clue what goes on in the real world, but that’s no reason to make them fail at their strengths as well.
Written and directed by Jocelyn Towne, the indie drama I Am I is equal parts touching and heartbreaking, as it tells the story of a young woman named Rachael (also played by Towne), who meets her estranged father, Gene (Kevin Tighe), at her mother’s funeral. Eager to get to know her father, Rachael tracks him down at an assisted living home only to realize that Gene suffers from memory loss and not only thinks that he is still a young man, but is convinced that Rachael is actually her mother. And if she wants to really get to know him, she has to play along.
During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor Simon Helberg, who worked on his wife’s film as an actor and executive producer, talked about how he and Towne share a very similar vision and have very similar tastes, why Kickstarter worked so well in raising the financing for this film, acting with and being directed by his wife, and partnering with her again for his directorial debut, We’ll Never Have Paris (due out in theaters sometime this year), which also happens to be inspired by their own crazy romance. He also talked about how surreal it is to know that his TV show, The Big Bang Theory, has been picked up for three more seasons and will be on the air for at least 10 seasons, at a time when comedy seems to be struggling on television, that the actors don’t typically contribute much to the script, and what he’d like to still learn about his character. Check out what he had to say after the jump.
Collider: You’ve gone through the process of making I Am I with your wife, Jocelyn Towne, and she worked with you on your directorial debut, We’ll Never Have Paris. Did it help you keep your sanity, to have each other there?
SIMON HELBERG: It can do a little bit of both. It can create insanity, and it can extinguish that insanity, at the same time. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle. Obviously, we love doing it. There’s no real escape from the work, but in some ways, if you’re as obsessive as I am, it’s a sweet little thing we’ve figured out. You bring your work home and you work 24 hours a day, but it’s good. We have a very similar vision for these things, and our tastes are very similar. We trust each other and we challenge each other. It was a pretty fruitful experience on both of our movies.
Were you working on your projects at the same time, or did one get completed before the other was started?
HELBERG: They were separate. I had probably been writing the second movie while we were working on I Am I, but it was back-to-back. They just so happened to be coming out around the same time. It’s actually kind of amazing. It’s an amazing year. I Am I will be out this weekend, and then We’ll Never Have Paris will be out this year, but we don’t actually know when yet. It’s a crazy thing to have two movies in one year.
Is it particularly nerve-wracking to present a script that either you or your wife has written to friends that you want for a certain role, and that have to wait to get their feedback on it?
HELBERG: Yeah, it definitely can put your friendships and relationships to the test. Obviously, you don’t ever want anyone to say yes out of obligation or to shower you with false praise. It’s more vulnerable because you care so much about what they think, but at the same time, it’s delicate when you’re working with people you have personal relationships with. Throughout some of this process, there have been some messy moments with friends coming in and going out. You want to preserve your relationships, but there’s nothing better than getting to work with people that you are close to. All in all, with both movies, we were incredibly fortunate to bring in people that we knew and respected, and they felt passionate about both films. It was a pretty unique, ideal experience.
You used Kickstarter to raise the financing for this, before Kickstarter was something that people so readily thought of. Why do you think it succeeded in raising the money it needed? Do you think it was having a video that really gave people an idea of who Jocelyn is and the type of movie she’d be making?
HELBERG: Yeah, it was a perfect storm of things. It was an amazingly witty, smart, simple video that was unique. It also existed at a time when Kickstarter and other crowd-funding websites didn’t give you that knee-jerk reaction of, “Oh, my gosh, another video.” Everybody has something now. It’s become very over-saturated, and it’s hard to weed out what’s good, what you should watch and what you have time to watch. And Twitter was much less crowded, at the time, and it was an easier way to reach people. So, the combination of having a great video, a lot more access to people through Twitter, and having Kickstarter be this new thing in. We tapped into it, at its inception, and got people interested in it just based on the concept of what Kickstarter was. The timing was right.
This is such an emotionally touching and heartbreaking story. What were the aspects of it that resonated the most with you?
HELBERG: There are those moments where you realize that your parents or your heroes are human and are fallible. That concept, in and of itself, is something that is dangerous to me, in a good way. It’s exciting and scary to meet those people. And this is a father and daughter, and a whole other level of meeting your father. We all have those dreams of going back in time and seeing what it was like when our parents were younger. Maybe we don’t all have that dream. I don’t know. Getting to role play or step back to a different moment in time and see things through a different lens is something that resonated with me, for sure. We don’t get to do that, generally, but when the right neurological disorder lines up with the right unstable woman, that moment presents itself. Getting to know where we come from is a really profound way of getting to look at who we are.
How was the experience of working with your wife as an actress, compared to being directed by her?
HELBERG: I Am I was so much a part of her, every moment of it, because she wrote it, directed it, produced it and starred in it. I had worked with her, as an actress, before and felt comfortable doing that, but I had never worked with her as a director ‘cause she had never directed anything. It was very exciting to see her with such a clear vision and with such confidence, stepping into something completely unknown. It was not unlike the themes of the movie, I guess. She put on a different hat, or a different outfit, and went into this scary place and just took complete control over it. She really had an incredible sense of the story she wanted to tell. So, it was great to be in scenes with her and be directed by her because there was such a focus there.
What was it that made you decide to tackle your own romantic life on film for your directorial debut? Was it a story that was just so unbelievable, you had to put it on film?
HELBERG: Yeah, no one will believe this actually happened, if we don’t get it out there. A lot of it is certainly fabricated and exaggerated for the sake of drama, but in terms of the arc of my relationship with Jocelyn and our horrendously tragic, clumsy break-up that led to an even more disastrous proposal, that is unfortunately true and will serve as what not to do, for all those people out there who wanna lead a smooth, comfortable existence. It was something that, while it was happening, was incredibly painful and heartbreaking, but also seemed to exist on this epic scale. The self-destruction that I employed and spear-headed was very confusing to me, and also was so enormous that it really went from tragic to comedy pretty quickly for me. Jocelyn didn’t necessarily see it that way, but when I wrote the script, she read it and was like, “You actually made me laugh at this. My god, I can’t believe some of the things that you did.” It just seemed like a good way to either exorcize our demons or punish ourselves. It’s somewhere between catharsis and masochism.
Comedy is in a strange state on television right now, but The Big Bang Theory is clearly still holding on so strong. How surreal is it to know that the show has been picked up for three more seasons and will be on the air for at least 10 seasons?
HELBERG: It’s hard to imagine ever having something that tells you where you’ll be in years to come. It’s an incredibly rare thing to be a part of a show that has such an unbelievable following and is received so well, and has a network and studio that has such confidence in it. It’s not lost on me, how unusual that is, these days, especially. Actually, I believe that we were picked up for three seasons, right before this. As actors, we tend to usually have some issues with self-esteem and some need for validation, and it takes awhile for that fear of not having a job to go away. I certainly think that it looks like we’ll be around for a little while.
Now that the show has been on for so long, do you feel more confident to suggest lines, or is that something the writers frown on?
HELBERG: It’s not really about confidence. It’s just something that isn’t really in the vocabulary of what goes on at work. The writers write and the actors act. I’ve worked very differently before. There’s a lot of changing lines while we’re taping, and coming up with jokes, punching it up and rewriting scenes. My impulse is always to try to contribute, but very quickly, I felt that that wasn’t necessarily the way that this show worked. In some ways, it’s a great harmony. They are fantastic. It does take a little bit of courage to say, “Hey, how about this?,” but that’s just because they’re so great at what they do. It’s a pretty well-oiled machine. They provide us with such unbelievable words, and they’re so fast and they know the show so incredibly well, that there really aren’t many moments where I feel like I could add anything to what they bring to it.
Have you thought about what you hope to see for your character, over the next season or two, or are you at a place where you just leave it in the hands of the writers and wait to see what they come up with?
HELBERG: Well, I don’t have any influence on where the show goes, nor do I know. I don’t think they even really know. They tend to feel it as it goes. They obviously have some ideas, but I don’t think they are married to ideas, particularly if it doesn’t work as well as they’d hoped, or if one thing works better. They adapt incredibly well to that. So, I have no idea what’s to come. I’d like to get to explore the deeper layers of my character. I think it makes it a lot more fun. It’s so atypical to have this many seasons to get to know a character and to play a character. The more they unravel of this guy, the more exciting it is for me, whether it’s the relationship with his father, or maybe getting to meet his father, and to see how his marriage survives that and survives the conversation about children, or any of the deeper things. He’s got a lot of growing up to do, so I like to watch him struggle and get through it all.
I Am I is opening in theaters on June 13th.
June 11, 2014 | 02:12PM PT Laura Prudom, News Editor @lauinla
Variety’s annual “Night in the Writers’ Room” panel drew scribes from across the comedy and drama spectrum for a lively discussion about the state of the industry, cable versus broadcast models and the changes they’ve encountered since they joined the business. Variety TV critic Brian Lowry moderated the free-wheeling Comedy Q&A at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills — although “Scrubs” creator Bill Lawrence did his best to usurp that position — with every panelist demonstrating a thorough knowledge and appreciation of their fellow writers’ work, occasionally offering their own queries and riffing on their colleagues’ responses.
The comedy panel featured Lawrence, “House of Lies” creator Matthew Carnahan, “Maron” mastermind Marc Maron, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s” Rob McElhenney and “The Mindy Project” showrunner Matt Warburton.
The panelists were quick to agree with Lowry’s suggestion that the television industry is in the midst of a “golden age of comedy,” and while Lawrence asserted that “television comedy is so much better than feature comedy right now,” the participants also conceded that cable has the edge over broadcast in the current creative landscape.
“It’s good that we’re in an age of TV comedy where you can actually turn the TV on and for a few minutes go ‘what the hell is this?’ I think there are so many unique voices and so many different outlets for people to do exactly what their vision is, and there’s networks that support that vision,” Maron noted. “There’s a wide variety of different approaches to comedy that I don’t think anybody’s ever seen before — there are literally shows on TV now that never would’ve been possible before this, and it’s amazing.”
Warburton observed that the lines between comedy and drama have blurred “in a way that is confusing to people and kind of exciting” — pointing to shows like “Orange is the New Black” and “Louie” as series that “are ostensibly comedies but get to emotional truth.”
Maron agreed that in the case of his eponymous IFC series, “the comedy has to come from a real place if it’s going to work for me … Jokes are great, but if you’re not careful, comedy is a way of completely avoiding emotion, and I’m really conscious of that when I’m doing my show: ‘Do you wanna put that joke there or you want to let the sadness come through’? It’s good to choose sadness sometimes, as long as you can buffer it with something funny eventually.”
Carnahan’s “House of Lies” undeniably straddles the line between comedy and drama, and the showrunner admitted that “I end up pulling a lot of the jokes out … and end up with something that is definitely a hybrid. We’re really interested in discussing race and the problems of corporate America, and we do it in a comedic context, but we have Don Cheadle who’s a remarkable actor. He’s really funny but he’s also so engaging to watch.”
Lawrence recalled that “the most trouble I ever got in, career-wise” came after he dared to tell a journalist that he considered “The West Wing” funnier than “Desperate Housewives” at an Emmy panel. “Qualifying anything doesn’t really matter except for bogus awards that no one cares about except the community,” he declared. “TV is TV; I find some dramas incredibly comedic, I find some comedies incredibly poignant … to me it’s either good or it’s not.”
The writers also agreed that a showrunner with an auteur sensibility is paramount in creating a product worth watching. “So many different showrunners are modest and contribute a lot of responsibility to the staff, but every show that everybody’s ever liked has one voice that takes the scripts home on weekends and writes them so they sound like they’re supposed to sound in their heads, whether it’s Shonda [Rhimes] or Marc or whoever,” Lawrence said.
But in the case of series like “Maron” or “Mindy,” the staff often have to juggle a writer’s specific vision with the challenges of having the creator appear in front of the camera, too.
“Mindy [Kaling] is the creative voice and the storyteller of our show, but she has to act 12 hours a day sometimes — especially [on] a network schedule. 22 episodes is an inhuman amount of content,” Warburton remarked. “So the job becomes how to balance a writers’ room with the auteur. Mindy’s the auteur and the rest of us have to get to a position where we’re in a mind-meld with her, where I basically learned to think like an Indian-American ob-gyn, which has been really valuable to me in my life.”
The scribes admitted that it was a challenge to completely block out the constant stream of feedback and reactions from their fanbases in the social media age — but for McElhenney, maintaining the integrity of “Always Sunny’s” characters is key. “We’ve always thought that it’s our responsibility to preserve the tone of the show. As long as we stayed consistent with the tone, and told stories that we wanted to tell, that’s what the audience would want,” he said. “And we had to make sure that each episode felt true to the characters we’ve created, but also continually surprise the audience, which is what we’ve been trying to do since day one.”
Lawrence emphasized the importance of engaging with viewers on Twitter and creating additional content for the fans of his various shows — the industry veteran is currently producing TBS’ “Ground Floor” and “Cougar Town,” and NBC’s “Undatable.” He credits the loyal “Scrubs” audience with keeping the comedy on the air for nine seasons across two networks (NBC and ABC).
“You have to consider them like a mass — you have to keep them generally pleased, because this is a business and they’re the ones who are fighting for you,” he observed.
While all the panelists, save for Lawrence, are involved in single-camera shows, the enduring popularity of “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS and in syndication has proved that multicam sitcoms are still viable, according to Lawrence. “With the prevalence of such deep, multilayered shows, I think there’s always going to be a place for a show you can listen to with one ear while you’re eating dinner and hopefully laugh a little bit,” he said. “I think networks can compete in multicamera comedy and still make a big ol’ throwback sitcom. When they make a singlecamera comedy — on a network, anyway — they have to have somebody who’s captured the zeitgeist like Mindy to have a chance to compete with the storytelling that people are allowed to show on cable and the other outlets.”
When asked to offer advice for aspiring writers and creators, McElhenney was vehement about the importance of demonstrating the viability of an idea before studios or agents even get involved. “Without a doubt, shoot something. The one thing you can’t pitch, or get anybody to truly understand when reading a script, is tone. That’s the single-most important aspect of storytelling on our particular medium — getting people to understand the kind of show you want to make. And right now, we have the technology in our pockets to shoot a television show way better than the pilot we shot ten years ago,” he pointed out. “The only thing that sold that show — about a guy lying to his friends about having cancer to impress the woman that he was stalking — as a comedy, was that we went out and shot it first so I didn’t have to explain and have everybody go ‘What? How is that funny?’ We just popped in the DVD and there it was.”
Lawrence noted that “nine out of ten of young writers I meet still haven’t written anything … You’ve got to have a giant stack of things you’ve written in your car, or you’re wasting your time.”
For Warburton, collaboration is essential — since that’s how the majority of writers produce episodes when staffed on a show. “The rest of your career is going to be working with other people, making something together – find people to hone your craft against and you’ll do that for the rest of your life.”
(Pictured: Matt Warburton, Rob McElhenney, Marc Maron, Bill Lawrence, Matthew Carnahan and Brian Lowry)
June 11, 2014 | 10:00AM PT by Iain Blair
Like images in a hall of mirrors, actors appearing as themselves on shows are like an approximation of reality; they look and talk like the real thing, yet the performance also gives them the chance to play with their persona, tweak perceptions and riff on an iconic role.
The latter was the case when James Earl Jones guest-starred as himself on season seven of “The Big Bang Theory.”
“It was a real coup getting this legendary actor who played Darth Vader, and when we first approached him, he said he absolutely loved the idea of discussing ‘Star Wars’ with a fan like Sheldon (Jim Parsons),” says executive producer Steven Molaro. “So we wrote the part specifically for him, and then he brought a somewhat heightened version of himself, and he was truly up for anything.”
When a particularly mean-spirited Jerry Seinfeld appeared in the current season of “Louie” (he also appeared in season three), this time asking Louie to open for him at a Hamptons benefit that turns disastrous, “he again basically just plays himself, but within the set-up circumstances of the plot,” says executive producer Blair Breard. “We don’t write ‘a character’ for him — it’s more just playing off his relationship with Louie and their history together. And he’s the consummate professional. He shows up knowing all his lines, he’s always very punctual, so it goes very smoothly.”
As might be expected, the situation was a lot looser when Adam Sandler guest-starred on the new comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
“Andy Samberg had done (the feature) ‘That’s My Boy’ with Adam, so they already had this relationship, and when he said he’d come on the show, we knew there’d be a lot of improv,” says show co-creator/executive producer Dan Goor. “So we had some lines for him and he came up with a bunch of jokes and ideas that we also used. He also just wore his regular clothes, so we didn’t even have to bother about wardrobe.”
The episode’s set-up — “Andy’s character goes undercover as an auctioneer and Sandler is bidding, as himself” — derives much of its comedy from the movie star’s apparent intense interest in Greek antiquities. “I’m tempted to say he’s even more into Greek antiquities than we showed, but that may not be accurate,” admits Goor.
The Bazinga Cast 