Interview: Rena Sofer Talks Daytime Drama and Amorra Collagen Candle Skincare

When Quinn Fuller blew onto the scene on “The Bold and the Beautiful” this summer, neither her portrayer, Rena Sofer, nor the audience had any idea of what they were in for. Since Quinn has been in L.A., she’s dangled someone over a railing, pushed someone off a bridge, tried to impale someone with a sword, locked someone in a steam room and interfered with and manipulated her son Wyatt’s life seven ways to Sunday. And yet, she’s still around and making life miserable for others — and the fans of “B&B” couldn’t be happier. I spoke with Rena recently about her new role, and she can’t wait for fans to see what else Quinn has planned.

Celebrity Extra: Since Quinn’s been in town, I’d say she’s been causing a wee bit of trouble.

Rena Sofer: Yes. Just a little bit though. Not TOO much (laughs).

CE: You have to be having an absolute ball portraying her.

RS: I can’t tell you how much fun it is. It’s really Brad (Bell, head writer and executive producer), though, who puts it upon himself to decide to take this woman — who nobody knew anything about and has no history of being a bad person that anyone knew of — and really slowly, behind everybody’s back, turn her into who we see now. However, I don’t think she’s crazy. I don’t think she’s mentally unsound; I think she’s just crazy in the sense of she does what she wants without the thought of how it’s going to really affect anyone else. She has this mental diarrhea.

CE: Did you have any idea where Brad was going to go with the character, or did you learn about it just before the rest of us did?

RS: I had no idea. I spent the first three months on the show wanting to keep Hope away from Wyatt. And then I really liked her because she hired us to do her jewelry line. I decided I wanted her to be with Wyatt, and Liam was in the way. I spent so much time not liking Liam, so I started doing little things, like locking him in the steam room when he was supposed to meet Hope. And turning the heat up to the point where he could have died and then letting him out. And I love the fact that she didn’t let him out and run away. She let him out, letting him see her and making it clear, “I’m the one who just locked you in there, and I’m the one who let you out.” To me, that’s gold.

CE: How was Brad able to lure you back to daytime television?

RS: There are so many great things about nighttime television and so many great things about daytime television. And then there are things that are not great about daytime and not great about nighttime. The one thing that daytime affords you is the ability to have a normal schedule, be home, and if you are a parent, like I am, it makes life incredibly easy. I got tired of the grind of not working, and then you’ve got a job that’s in Vancouver for eight days. And in those eight days, I wonder who’s going to take care of my kids. My husband is a director, and he’s out of town a lot.

Very little is shot here in L.A. now. So much is being shot in New Mexico and Atlanta and Vancouver and Toronto and Chicago. It closed the field for me. Then Brad Bell called and said: “Hey, I have this part. Will you come in and meet with me?” He told me about their schedule, which is four days a week, three weeks a month. I’m home usually before 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon. I can drive my daughter to school. I can drive her home. On top of all that, I got to create a character from scratch. That sealed the deal for me.

CE: What are some of your favorite things about playing Quinn and being on “The Bold and the Beautiful”?

RS: The great thing about this show, and probably my favorite thing about Brad Bell, is he didn’t have this iron hand about Quinn and who he wanted her to be and who she was. He was never like, “You’d better do this, and you’d better make it this.” None of that happened. This man basically invited me to his show because he trusted me, and then just said, “Here are the words.”

I started playing her lines a little bit off. I was just like, “I’m not a crier, so I don’t want to be crying every five seconds, so stop writing her that way.” I just had them stop writing that. I expressed to them that it’s not my cup of tea. Then they started writing it a little bit differently. And I started playing with their words. I didn’t change their words; I just took them in a different way than I think they expected. Brad saw what I was doing, took hold of those reins and said, “Hey, how about this?” Where do you get that kind of opportunity? In nighttime television, you are the lowest person on the totem pole as far as how you are going to play a character. They hire you to play what they want you to play, and pretty much everyone is replaceable. To be able to have the freedom to do what I do every single day is such a gift to me. It really is a gift.

CE: Hope and Wyatt are pretty fed up with Quinn, and Hope wants her out of their lives and nowhere near the baby she is expecting. How will Quinn deal with that?

RS: She’s definitely not going to give up. Clearly she sees Deacon (Hope’s father) as an asset. That is something that is helpful to her, even though she does kind of like him.

CE: Speaking of Deacon, Quinn used to be obsessed with getting Bill back, and now that that is fading, will she concentrate her efforts on Deacon?

RS: Yeah, she stopped caring about Bill a while ago. You know, when a story’s not going to work for whatever reason, it’s not going to work. You’ve just got to move on. You can’t keep forcing a situation that is not going to happen. So I’m really happy that Brad came up with the idea to have Deacon change his focus to Quinn. And I think it’s so funny that they’ve been living together all this time — since he’s been in town — and nobody knows. They’ve spent a lot of time together, but not romantically. So the fact that all of a sudden — boom! — something happened, it makes sense.

CE: Judging by the online feedback, the fans definitely approve of a Quinn/Deacon matchup.

RS: I definitely think we are going in the right direction. I don’t think I ever heard any feedback regarding Bill and Quinn, about anybody’s interest in that. This is something people are really interested in, and that’s exciting.

CE: Can you give me any clue as to what to expect regarding Quinn and Deacon’s burgeoning relationship in coming weeks?

RS: I can probably say that in upcoming weeks, their little secret relationship isn’t a secret anymore. But you will see how and when that happens.

CE: I’m sure Hope will love that!

RS: Well, she should love me, right? I mean, I love her father now. What’s wrong with that?

CE: Tell me how your collaboration with Dino Morra on the Amorra Collagen Body Candles came about.

RS: Dino Morra has been my facialist for 15 years, and I’ve used his products for 15 years, including his candles. These candles are his baby; he made them for his clients. I told him they should be in every store in America. I told him, “I love your product as is, and I would love to be your partner and get them out there.” And what happened is we really collaborated. We worked on them together and perfected them.

We had three scents in the first place: peony, vanilla and blood orange. And then we’ve added four scents that we created together. But he’s the chemist. I say to him, “I love this smell and this smell.” And then he goes into the lab and he comes out with Nag Champa and Arabian Spice. Or I’ll say, “I want like a really clean, citrusy one like the blood orange but lighter.” And he comes in with his lemongrass scent, which is just incredible. We also have a tobacco, vanilla and cherry-wood scent, which is such a beautiful scent for men. We have this great scent for our recovery candle: It is eucalyptus, mint, amber, menthol, arnica and MSM, which is a sulfur extract. The menthol is healing in when it’s lit, or when you place it on your chest, it will help open up your nasal passages if you’re congested. The arnica is great for bruising, and then the MSM is for inflammation.

With all the candles, there’s no wax and no paraffin. You put them directly on your skin, and they just melt into your skin. And they are so wonderful smelling too. You smell like the candle that you love to have in your house. And they’re great products.

CE: How long does the candle last, especially if you do a combination of burning it for the smell and using it on your skin?

RS: It’s a regular candle with 60 hours of burn time. If you wear it all the time, it’s going to change how long the candle will burn. But then you’re still getting the benefits of it as well. It’s $35, which is a great price for either a skincare product or a candle. The scents offered are really strong. I have my blood orange candle in my dressing area — I just have it out, not burning — and my whole area smells like it.

CE: Are the candles in stores yet, or can they be bought online?

RS: We have our own website, amorrabeauty.com, and it’s just great. You go to the site, and you just pick which candle you want. It’s really easy. And once you get the candle, it’s so fun. You’ll really love it.

(Author’s Note: I tried the lemongrass collagen candle, and I have to say, I absolutely love it. The scent is heavenly, and the actual collagen candle made my skin feel so soft and supple. I’d definitely recommend this. And what do you know — the holidays just HAPPEN to be coming up!)

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Interview: CCH Pounder of NCIS: New Orleans Lets the Good Times Roll in the Big Easy

Veteran actress CCH Pounder has starred or co-starred in practically every great American TV series since the 1980s, including “Cagney and Lacey,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Miami Vice,” “The X-Files,” “E.R.” “Sons of Anarchy” and many more. Not to mention the fact that she’s starred on the big screen in feature films like “Avatar,” “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” and “End of Days,” to name a few. Next up for this talented and versatile actress is playing Dr. Loretta Wade on “NCIS: New Orleans,” which has its series premiere tonight at 9/8c on CBS. The show also brings her back to co-starring with former “Quantum Leap” star Scott Bakula, who stars in the new “NCIS” spinoff.

Celebrity Extra: You have such a prolific acting resume that you’re bound to work with some of the same people more than once — back in 1990, you co-starred on an episode of “Quantum Leap,” and now you and Scott are both on “NCIS: New Orleans.”

CCH Pounder: Oh, we were babies back then! How fabulous. It was ironic that we remembered each other so very well over the years, so it’s really great.

CE: What’s also great is the fact that your series premieres right after the season premiere of the original “NCIS.”

CCH: We’ve got a very sweet time slot. Quite honestly, if it fails you’d probably just have to go in the bathroom and shoot yourself. Everybody loves “NCIS.” People want to see more of it. Ignoring all of that, the point is that you get to be an actor, and you are reading scripts all the time, and hopefully your talent will find the sweet spot for it. I’m working on my third episode, and so far I’m feeling pretty damn confident.

CE: One of the things that works so well for the original “NCIS” is the chemistry between everyone. How’s your cast coming together so far?

CCH: My and Scott’s chemistry from working together has fallen into place very, very quickly. And I am really tickled with Rob Kerkovich, who just joined the cast. He’s very funny; he’s like a big geek god for everybody. We’ve had really good chemistry as well — those are basically the two main people who I work with.

CE: Tell me about filming on location in the Big Easy.

CCH: I think it’s becoming sort of like the next big place to film, besides Toronto. I saw at least five or six other location guides scouting areas. Are we all playing up in the swamp this year?

CE: I haven’t visited New Orleans since before Hurricane Katrina. How is the city coming along?

CCH: Where I am is a slightly touristy area, so everything is exceedingly optimistic. There is construction everywhere; it’s like Beijing. They are building like crazy; they are knocking down like crazy; they are repurposing. I am in the Art District, and every warehouse is being turned into living spaces — it’s just surreal.

There are areas where you still see the houses with the quadrants and the marks on them. There are places where the houses have giant holes in the roof, and they are abandoned. And there are also neighborhoods where people just didn’t come back. There might be two or three people living on that block.

CE: While the show does follow the “NCIS” format, it is indeed its own show, with a different feel and attitude compared with its predecessor.



CCH: Yes, absolutely. First of all, the place has its own character. It is a different kind of temperature, certainly, and atmosphere, absolutely, but also the pace of it is not as uptight as it would be in, say, Washington. It covers a wide swath of the Southern Belt, from New Orleans all the way up to Alabama. It deals with Navy Criminal Investigation — the framework is the same — but the people and the contents and the pacing are quite different.

CE: Tell me about your character, Dr. Wade.

CCH: Originally, the medical examiner was described as a British, intellectual, well-read personality, but I really wanted to go completely the opposite and be a much more emotional personality, one who has a lot of concern about the families of the deceased. And I really tried to make her kind of a sassy gal. Also, I wanted her brightness to be intuitive. She’s got the medical chops, but I didn’t want her to give medical legalese to the people who are not in that profession. She speaks to them in a plain and simple way about what happened. When speaking with other medical people, then she can be versatile within her medical language. I think we found a really nice balance.

CE: What about character/actor crossovers from “NCIS” to “NCIS: New Orleans”?

CCH: Everyone wants to come to New Orleans. Joe Spano was here last week; Meredith Eaton was here; Michael Weatherly is here now. So the food and the laissez les bons temps rouler (“let the good times roll”) attitude have enticed a lot of them to come on down.

CE: Last time we spoke, there was talk of an “Avatar” sequel. Is that still in the works?

CCH: Every time I begin to doubt, thinking, “Oh gosh, I guess it’s not happening,” they call and check in with: “Hey, how you doing? How’s your availability?” Well, it’s here. So, I guess whatever time is needed to finish writing or whatever preproduction is needed — whatever the new machinery is, the new cameras, the new technology. The technology was racing so quickly when we were doing the first “Avatar” that by now I am pretty sure that they have come up with a whole other set of things to be worked out. So, I will say that it is somewhere on the back burner.

CE: And knowing how brilliant the first one was, I’d venture to guess it’ll be worth the wait.

CCH: Oh yes, it’s always worth the wait. It really doesn’t matter how you look, as long as you still have the acting voice, because the Avatar will do the visual part for you.

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Renewed or Canceled — Fall 2014/15

Renewed shows for the 2014-2015 television season:

ABC — “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Castle,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “The Goldbergs,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family,” “Nashville,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Resurrection,” “Revenge,” “Scandal” and “Shark Tank”

CBS — “2 Broke Girls,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Blue Bloods,” “Criminal Minds,” “CSI,” “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Mentalist,” “Mike and Molly,” “The Millers,” “Mom,” “NCIS,” “NCIS: LA,” “Person of Interest” and “Two and a Half Men”

CW — “Arrow,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Hart of Dixie,” “The 100,” “The Originals,” “Reign,” “Supernatural” and “Vampire Diaries”

Fox — “American Idol,” “Bob’s Burgers,” “Bones,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Family Guy,” “The Following,” “Glee,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Masterchef Junior,” “The Mindy Project,” “New Girl,” “The Simpsons” and “Sleepy Hollow”

NBC — “Hannibal,” “Parks and Rec,” “Parenthood,” “Grimm,” Chicago PD,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Chicago Fire,” “About a Boy” and “The Blacklist”

Canceled (or ending) shows:

ABC — “The Assets,” “Back in the Game,” “Betrayal,” “Killer Women,” “Lucky 7,” “Mind Games,” “Mixology,” “The Neighbors,” “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland,” “Suburgatory,” “Super Fun Night” and “Trophy Wife”

CBS — “Bad Teacher,” “The Crazy Ones,” “Friends with Better Lives,” “Hostages,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Intelligence” and “We Are Men”

CW — “The Carrie Diaries,” “Nikita,” “Star-Crossed” and “The Tomorrow People”

Fox — “Almost Human,” “American Dad” (which is moving to TBS), “Dads,” “Enlisted,” “Raising Hope,” “Rake,” “Surviving Jack” and “The X Factor”

NBC — “Welcome to the Family,” “The Michael J. Fox Show,” “Ironside,” “Sean Saves the World,” “Dracula,” “Community,” “Believe,” “Crisis,” “Revolution” and “Growing Up Fisher”

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Q and A: Week of May 28

Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, photo by Matthew Rolston

Q: When will my favorite show, “Rizzoli and Isles,” be back with new episodes? — Fred D., via e-mail.

A: Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander will return for their third season as Det. Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles, respectively, on Tuesday, June 5, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The highly rated TNT series will air 15 all-new episodes. And if you need to catch up on seasons one and two — or just refresh your memory — both are now available on DVD for your viewing pleasure.

Q: I signed that petition you mentioned in a previous column to help keep “A Gifted Man” on the air, and I was wondering if it helped? Will CBS renew it? —Bonnie A., Norfolk, Va.

A: Sometimes online petitions work (“Friday Night Lights,” “Jericho” and “Chuck” were saved from early cancelation by rabid Internet campaigns), and sometimes they don’t. In the case of “A Gifted Man,” it didn’t; CBS decided not to renew the drama for a second season. Also on CBS’s chopping block: “CSI: Miami,” “Rob,” “Unforgettable” and “NYC 22.”

Q: Can you tell me what Ving Rhames is doing now? I haven’t seen him in anything in a while. — Derek L., via e-mail

A: Ving is all set to star in the new David E. Kelley medical drama that is slated to premiere on TNT in summer 2013. The series, called “Monday Mornings,” is based on the book by neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanja Gupta, M.D. The show is set in the fictional Chelsea General Hospital in Portland, Ore., and Ving plays the hospital’s trauma chief. It also stars Alfred Molina, Jennifer Finnegan and Bill Irwin.

(L-R: Busy Phillips, Christa Miller, Josh Hopkins, Courteney Cox, Brian Van Holt, Robert Clendenin, Ian Gomez; photo by Eric McCandless, ABC)

Q: For the longest time, I couldn’t even find “Cougar Town” on the TV schedule, then it returned, and now I hear it’s been canceled. Is that true? — Stacie R., St. Paul, Minn.

A: While it’s true that ABC has opted not to renew “Cougar Town” for a fourth season, Courteney Cox and gang will indeed be back for a new season — TBS has picked up the series and will begin airing new episodes in early 2013. As of now, it’s assumed that all cast members will be making the move with the show to TBS. However, Dan Byrd had already booked a role on the new untitled Louis CK sitcom pilot, and Josh Hopkins was set to star in NBC’s “Lady Friends.” Both shows will have to recast now that “Cougar Town” is going forward. 

(Note: Don't miss tonight's season finale. The show wraps up the season with two back-to-back episodes starting at 8/7c. In "Your World," Part 2, fed up with the lack of privacy, Grayson convinces Jules to elope to Napa ... but then the cul-de-sac crew happily tags along. In this episode, David Arquette guest stars as a hotel concierge who'll go to great (and possibly illegal) lengths to help the wine wedding go off without a hitch.)

“Cougar Town” is the latest project to join TBS’s growing slate of original series. In July, TBS will launch “Sullivan and Son,” a new sitcom starring comedian Steve Byrne and executive-produced by Vince Vaughn, Peter Billingsley and Rob Long. This year also will include the debut of “Wedding Band,” a new scripted comedy series starring Brian Austin Green, Harold Perrineau, Peter Cambor, Derek Miller, Melora Hardin, Jenny Wade and Kathryn Fiore.

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Interview: Courtney Thorne-Smith's Ideal Job

Courtney Thorne-Smith is no stranger to comedy. While she may have had her big break starring as Allison Parker on nighttime soap “Melrose Place,” she really honed her acting chops on shows like “Ally McBeal” and “According to Jim.” For the past few years, she’s co-starred on the CBS hit comedy “Two and a Half Men,” playing Jon Cryer’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Lyndsey Mackelroy. I spoke with Courtney recently about being on a headline-making sitcom, and how the cast and crew are leading up to the show’s ninth season finale on May 14.

Celebrity Extra: You’ve been working pretty much nonstop in Hollywood since 1986, and when “According to Jim” ended after eight seasons, I thought you would take a little breather from series television. What made you decide to jump back in with “Two and a Half Men”?

Courtney Thorne-Smith: It wasn’t really jumping back in — it was sort of like I put my little tiny toe in. The first season I was on, I did only two episodes, and then I did about 10 last year and about 10 this year, so it’s nice. When [my son] Jack complains about me working I say: “Sweetie, I work 10 weeks a year and most of those are half-days. So you really don’t get to complain.” This schedule is ideal for being a mom. I get to go to work and be this absolutely insane character and do these crazy things that I’ve never gotten the chance to do before, and then I come home and make Play-Doh and cookies.

CE: Tell me about your character, Lyndsey, and her relationship with Alan, played by Jon Cryer.

CTS: I said to somebody the other day who was asking me about Alan and Lyndsey, “I love their relationship so much because of their honesty.” They are two people who look at each other and say, “Seriously, we’re just not going to do any better.” They’re settling, and I just love the honesty. They’ve said it to each other several times: “Really? Do we have options? We’ll just stay together. Why not?” That just makes me laugh.

I also love the scene earlier in the season when Lyndsey is dating a younger man but decides she wants to be with Alan. She tells him: “I want to be with you because you’ll never leave me for a younger woman because you can’t get one.” But it was said with this joy and this love. How great is it? We don’t have any options, so let’s just be together.

CE: How did you feel about coming onto this established hit sitcom? Were you anxious, excited, scared?

CTS: Oh, terrified. When I signed on, it was only for two episodes. But I’ve known Jon for a long time, and I’ve been a fan of his too — he’s just the greatest guy. I thought, worst-case scenario, I get to watch Jon do his magic for a few weeks and then go on with my life. But I’m still on — and I’m lucky because I get to go in and work, and then I get to come home and be a mom. It’s been the most surprisingly wonderful career opportunity I’ve ever had.

CE: How was the transition from Charlie Sheen to Ashton Kutcher?

CTS: It was surprisingly smooth. Everybody wondered, “What’s going to happen?” The writers wrote a really good character for Ashton that he just stepped right into. The cast, crew and writers are all so solid that all they had to do was add another character to the mix. People miss Charlie as a person because he’s wonderful and funny and smart and sweet, but they got Ashton, so it’s a win/win. All the people here are such extraordinary pros that it was pretty seamless.

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Q and A: Week of March 26

Jim Caviezel as Reese; photo courtesy CBS

Q: Could you give some information on the two actors who play Finch and Reese on “Person of Interest”? I don’t recall seeing either of them before, but I like them both and find the show exciting. — Karen V., Roanoke, Va.

A: Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel play Harold Finch and John Reese, respectively. Many will remember Michael, 57, from “Lost,” where he played Ben. He’s also made the rounds on the cops-and-lawyers shows like “The Practice,” “The X-Files,” “Without a Trace,” “Law and Order: SVU,” etc. Prior to “Person of Interest,” Jim, 43, was best known for playing Jesus in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” You can see Jim on the big screen later this year in “Savannah” and “Bliss!” and next year in “The Tomb” with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Q: I heard that there is going to be another singing-competition show airing this summer, I think on ABC? Can you tell me about it? — Clark F., via e-mail

A: “Duets” is the latest vocal-competition show to hit the small screen, and it is indeed airing on ABC. Currently looking for contestants (abc.com/casting), this show stars Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, Lionel Richie and Robin Thicke, who will travel the country looking for undiscovered talent to be their proteges, as well as duet partners.

Virginia Williams

Q: I am so happy that USA Network’s “Fairly Legal” is finally back for another season. Can you give me any scoop for season two? — Violet F., via e-mail

A: I spoke with “Fairly Legal” co-star Virginia Williams, who plays Lauren Reed on the hit legal drama, and she gave me some spoilers.


“We get to see more facets of Lauren this year, which is great,” Virginia said. “We get to see her at home, for example. Everything still revolves around Reed & Reed, but we do see glimpses of Lauren at home: coming back from a jog, going on a date, having some sort of a life outside work. We get to see her with her hair down, literally and figuratively. She’s still quite guarded and protective and exacting and stylish and brilliant, but she’s a lot more comfortable with her position now.
“Last season was all about Lauren proving to everyone else that she was capable and that she wasn’t just a trophy wife,” she said. “She could get the job done and could lead the firm. This season we see that she not only is extremely capable, but the firm ends up being better off than it was even before Teddy died.”

Q: I still miss seeing Leah Remini on “The Talk.” Any chance she’ll return? — Hazel D., Akron, Ohio

A: Not if Sharon Osbourne has any say, and it appears she does. Leah told fans on Twitter that “Sharon thought me and Holly [Robinson Peete] were ‘ghetto’ (her words), we were not funny, awkward and didn’t know ourselves … She had us fired.”

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Q and A: Week of Nov. 14

Q: I really like “Prime Suspect,” especially the actor who plays Detective Blando. Can you tell me a little about him? He looks so familiar. — Gennifer F., Allentown, Pa.

A: Tim Griffin, 42, has starred and guest-starred in countless TV series and big-screen movies, including “Party of Five,” “Charmed,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” “24,” “Iron Man,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” and most recently, “Super 8″ and “Abduction.”


I spoke with Tim about his role in the American version of the British cop drama and asked if he had any qualms about trying to “remake” such a popular series. Tim told me: “It wasn’t really until we started doing the initial press work that I realized, ‘OK, this is a sacred institution,’ because I was a huge fan of the British series too. It’s almost like a trial by fire that you have to go through. Can it be envisioned, reimagined with an American voice?


“Our partners are the original producers of the original ‘Prime Suspect,’ Tim said. “So we have that entire cannon of scripts at our disposal, and we have Peter Berg as the executive producer and director. It’s like its own new animal.”

Q: I am loving the new fall season so far — lots of good shows and only a few stinkers in the bunch. Which shows are you digging so far? — Clyde R., via e-mail

A: In the drama category, far and away my favorite show has to be ABC’s “Revenge,” which has injected a much-needed shot of campy, soapy, sexy drama into my Wednesday nights. (If you are on Twitter, you can follow my live-tweeting feeds at twitter.com/celebrity_extra every Wednesday starting at 10 p.m. ET, where all of us “Revenge” fans whoop and holler together.) I haven’t had this much fun watching a nighttime drama — nor have I talked to the TV screen so much — since “Melrose Place.”

On the comedy side, it’s a tie between Zooey Deschanel’s “New Girl” on Fox and ABC’s “Suburgatory,” whose ensemble cast of Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, Cheryl Hines, Alan Tudyk and Ana Gasteyer has me wiping tears of laughter from my face every episode.


Q: I love watching “The Talk” every afternoon. What happened to two of the original hostesses, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini? — Joanne M., Fairport, N.Y.

A: Holly’s and Leah’s contracts were not renewed by CBS after the first season. As of Sept. 6 and Oct. 23, respectively, CBS officially replaced them with Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler.

Q: I read somewhere that James Van Der Beek’s wife recently had another baby. Didn’t they just have a daughter? — Barb D., via e-mail

A: You are halfway correct, Barb. James and wife Kimberly have a daughter, Olivia, who recently turned 1, and are expecting their second child next year. James tweeted: “Just when we thought we couldn’t feel any more blessed, it seems the universe has plans to give our daughter a sibling.”

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Interview: The Magical World of Poppy Montgomery

Poppy Montgomery is a familiar face to many TV viewers. She is a veteran of many TV series, most notably CBS’ “Without a Trace,” as well as “Party of Five,” “NYPD Blue,” “Glory Days” and much more. On July 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, you can catch Poppy in Lifetime Television’s original movie “Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story.” I spoke with the gorgeous Aussie recently, and she told me about portraying such a private and interesting woman who created the magical world of Harry Potter.

Celebrity Extra: J.K. Rowling is known for being very guarded about her private life and is very reserved. Did you have any reservations about taking this role, especially since Ms. Rowling was not involved in the production?

Poppy Montgomery: I had enormous reservations. I’ve been a Harry Potter fan long before I did this film, and I’ve read all the books and I’ve read them since I was in my 20s. I read the first one right when it came to the States. I didn’t want to do anything in any shape or form that was exploitative or tabloid-y. So, when they sent me the script, I definitely had reservations, because I knew that it was unauthorized. I knew that she wasn’t collaborating on it. It was based on a book that just told the facts, basically, from her childhood through to the present. And when I read the script, I found that it was a love letter to J.K. Rowling, and it really was a story that was inspirational for other people. I didn’t think that there was anything about it that was not good, and so then I changed my mind.



CE: Just watching the movie was so inspiring; I couldn’t wait to be creative once I was finished.

PM: Right? You just feel so inspired by her, which is exactly what I loved about it and why I wanted to do it. And that inspires you to be better, because she was so driven. The fact that the first Harry Potter book was written basically in one of the darkest times of her life and she pushed through, and as a single mother with very little money, this extraordinary book was born. I just think it’s incredibly inspiring.

CE: What were some things about J.K. that you hadn’t known prior to filming this, and that had perhaps surprised you?

PM: I didn’t know that her mother had been ill for so much of her life, and that must have deeply affected her, because I’m really close to my mother. I didn’t realize really how bleak and difficult things were for her. I’m a mother of a 3-year-old, so to be alone at the age that she was in her 20s with a baby and having left the marriage that wasn’t working, and being so poor, and still being able to have this enormous creativity and write this book under those circumstances. The power of her spirit is something that I wasn’t as aware of until we did this movie, and I just thought it was extraordinary.

CE: I was very happy to see that it was, like you said earlier, a love letter of sorts to the elusive author …

PM: Me too. Like I said, when I was sent the script and I knew that she wasn’t involved directly, I had strong reservations. But the script told such a beautiful story. Her books have affected millions and millions of children and adults all over the world. It’s magic — she’s been responsible for getting kids to read books again. And I just think it’s a story that everybody can relate to and hopefully be inspired by, and that was what drew me to it.

CE: What were some things about J.K. that you could relate to and you found enjoyable to portray?

PM: Her tenaciousness, her drive, her never-quit attitude were all things that I really dug into and loved. In fact, it made me a better person, made me work harder and want to be better. I love the way her mind works, her funny, irreverent, unusual, magical mind. I found that to be fascinating. To try to even get inside that for a minute was really intriguing to me.

CE: Tell me a bit about your role on this fall's new CBS series, “Unforgettable,” and the role of Carrie Wells.

PM: I play a woman who has hyperthymesia, or total recall. It’s a person who can remember every moment, in vivid detail, of her life as though it happened five minutes ago. You could ask: “What happened on June 20, 1984?” and she could tell you every single thing — what she was wearing, what she had for lunch, if she had a fight with her boyfriend. It’s extraordinary. It’s a blessing and a curse, because you can forget nothing, and sometimes there are things that we need to forget.

My character is an ex-cop who couldn’t be a cop anymore, because the condition obviously didn’t allow her to forget any of the hideous things she saw. It’s also what made her an extraordinary cop, and basically she’s pulled back into the cop world through a number of circumstances, as well as her ex-lover, played by Dylan Walsh.

It’s a love story, it’s a mystery, and it’s a cop show. There are so many elements going on that it’s almost impossible to describe. It’s very compelling — and it’s directed by Niels Arden Oplev, who directed “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” He’s just a genius. The writers are amazing. Ed Redlich wrote it, and I did “Without a Trace” with him the first couple of years. It’s a fantastic group, and it’s on CBS, and they do amazing shows.

CE: How were they able to lure you back to network series television?

PM: The script was amazing. I’m obsessed with Niels and had been long before I ever met him, because I’ve seen “Dragon Tattoo” maybe 30 times. I’ve worked with CBS since I was a baby, so it’s like coming home again. CBS is like my family. It’s such a great place for me to work, and I feel like they support their shows so wholly and completely that it is just a joy. Everything about it lined up for me.

To see a strong female character leading a show is very exciting. Now that my son, Jackson, is 3, and I spent two years after “Trace” really just being with him and being a mommy, I felt really ready to go back to work. I’m very proud of the show. I think it’s quite extraordinary and really good.

CE: I know fans will be glad to see Dylan Walsh regularly again. What is he like to work with?

PM: My darling Dylan — I love that man. He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. We’re on set and he just makes me laugh. I’m like, “You have to stop making me laugh so I can shoot the scene.” It was like that with all my co-stars on “Trace” too. Anthony LaPaglia is Jackson’s godfather; Roselyn Sanchez is my best friend. We’re all still very, very close. And I never thought that could happen again, and it did with Dylan and the cast on this show. We all instantly just bonded and became friends, and everyone is amazing. So — knock on wood — that’s a huge blessing as well.

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Q and A: Week of July 4

Poppy Montgomery, courtesy Lifetime Television

Q: I was a huge fan of CBS’ “Without a Trace,” so I was thrilled to see that Poppy Montgomery is coming back to TV this fall, starring in “Unforgettable.” What made her decide to return to television? — Darcy R., via e-mail

A: I spoke with Poppy recently, and I asked her just that, and it basically boiled down to many elements coming together at the perfect time. Poppy told me: “The script was amazing. I’m obsessed with Niels (Arden Oplav), the director, and had been long before I ever met him. I’ve seen ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ maybe 30 times.

“I’ve worked with CBS since I was a baby,” she said. “So it’s like coming home again. It’s such a great place for me to work, and I feel like they support their shows so wholly and completely. Everything about it lined up for me. And I want to see a strong female character leading an exciting show.”

Speaking of strong female characters, Poppy portrays “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling in Lifetime’s original movie, “Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story,” which airs Monday, July 18. Of playing the famously reclusive author, Poppy told me: “When they sent me the script I definitely had reservations, because I knew that J.K. Rowling wasn’t collaborating on it. But when I read the script, I found that it was a beautiful, inspiring story and a love letter to an extraordinary woman.”

Q: What has my favorite “Friend,” Lisa Kudrow, been up to lately? — Tina D., Seattle



A: Since “Friends” ended in 2004, Lisa — who turns 48 on July 30 — has starred in “Happy Endings,” “P.S. I Love You,” “Bandslam” and “Easy A.” She currently stars in “Web Therapy,” which initially was a Web-exclusive series where Lisa portrays a psychiatrist who dispenses not-so-great advice to an array of eclectic clients. The show was picked up by Showtime, and it premieres Tuesday, July 19, at 11 p.m. “Web Therapy” co-stars Victor Garber and Lily Tomlin, and guest stars include Courteney Cox, Meryl Streep, Alan Cumming, Selma Blair, Jane Lynch, Molly Shannon and many more.

Q: While I was on vacation last month, I got totally hooked on “Storage Wars” on A&E. When does a new season premiere? — Doug F., via e-mail

A: “Storage Wars” — which follows a group of auction hunters who bid on forfeited storage lockers in the hopes of finding hidden treasures that they can sell for profit — makes its second-season premiere on Wednesday night, July 20.

Q: Is it true that actor Sean Bean was stabbed in a bar fight in London? Is he OK? — Emily H. in Pennsylvania

A: The “Game of Thrones” star was superficially cut in the arm with broken glass after chasing down a rude bar-goer who made lewd comments to his girlfriend. After the incident, Sean returned to the bar, used its first-aid kit on his arm and had another drink.

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CBS's Fall 2011 Line-Up

CBS 2011 Fall Schedule:

•Monday:
8 p.m. "How I Met Your Mother
8:30 p.m. "2 Broke Girls"
9 p.m. "Two and a Half Men"
9:30 p.m. "Mike & Molly"
10 p.m. "Hawaii Five-O"

•Tuesday:
8 p.m.: "NCIS"
9 p.m. "NCIS: Los Angeles"
10 p.m. "Unforgettable"

•Wednesday:
8 p.m. "Survivor: South Pacific"
9 p.m. "Criminal Minds"
10 p.m. "CSI"

•Thursday:
8 p.m. "The Big Bang Theory";
8:30 p.m. "How to Be a Gentleman"
9 p.m. "Person of Interest"
10 p.m. "The Mentalist"

•Friday:
8 p.m. "A Gifted Man"
9 p.m. "CSI: NY"
10 p.m. "Blue Bloods"

•Saturday:
8 p.m. "Rules of Engagement"
8:30 p.m. comedy rerun
9 p.m. drama rerun
10 p.m. "48 Hours Mystery"

•Sunday:
7 p.m. "60 Minutes"
8 p.m. "The Amazing Race"
9 p.m. "The Good Wife"
10 p.m. "CSI: Miami"



CBS executives described the crime thriller "Person of Interest," which will inherit the "CSI" time slot on Thursday, as the network's highest-testing pilot in 15 years. The premise: A billionaire (Michael Emerson of "Lost") and a former CIA agent (Jim Caviezel) team to prevent crimes.

"A Gifted Man" is a medical fantasy about a surgeon (Patrick Wilson) who gains advice from his deceased ex-wife (Jennifer Ehle). Julie Benz of "Dexter" and Margo Martindale of "Justified" co-star.

"Unforgettable" follows a former police detective (Poppy Montgomery of "Without a Trace") who has superior autobiographical memory. That condition allows her to remember every day. Actress Marilu Henner, who also has that ability, is a consultant on the drama.

The sitcom "2 Broke Girls" presents the friendship of a waitress (Kat Dennings) and a wealthy woman (Beth Behrs) who has fallen on hard times. The show comes from Michael Patrick King ("Sex and the City") and writer-comedian Whitney Cummings, who will star in the new NBC sitcom "Whitney" this fall.

"How to Be a Gentleman," inspired by a book with that title, depicts the friendship of a personal trainer (Kevin Dillon of "Entourage") and an etiquette columnist (David Hornsby of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"). The cast includes Mary Lynn Rajskub of "24." Hornsby is also an executive producer.

For midseason, CBS has "The 2-2," a drama about rookie New York police officers from executive producer Robert De Niro. "Undercover Boss" will also be back midseason.

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Interview: Eric Winter Confirms "Dreaminess" of Rob Lowe, Among Other Things

When Eric Winter (left, photo by Gabriel Goldberg) decided to leave “Days of Our Lives” back in 2006 (after playing Rex DiMera since 2002), neither he nor I could have guessed where his career would take him in the four years since. While many might recognize him for playing Rob Lowe's brother on “Brothers and Sisters” or Katherine Heigl's "perfect man" love interest in the feature film "The Ugly Truth," Eric is back on the small screen in a new role: Agent Craig O’Laughlin on the CBS hit drama series “The Mentalist.” When I got the chance to catch up with Eric recently, he filled me in on his days since “Days.”

Celebrity Extra: Last we spoke, CBS had just canceled the Hugh Jackman-produced nighttime drama “Viva Laughlin,” which I absolutely loved and was so sad to see go. But after that, you got an even bigger break when you were cast on “Brothers and Sisters.” Tell me about working on that show.

Eric Winter: That show was a lot of fun to work on. They were very welcoming. It was a great atmosphere there. And with that many heavy-hitters, you never know what you’re gonna get. And it was just really pleasant.

CE: What did you like best about the show and your character, Jason McCallister?

EW: I think with my character, it was a cool thing to explore. Here’s a guy who is openly gay but he’s a minister and fights for things he believes in. It was an interesting dynamic that his brother is a very conservative Republican (Robert McCallister, played by Rob Lowe) who’s running for office. There were a lot of good social, economic and cultural differences that were expressed through there.

CE: More important, is Rob Lowe just as dreamy in person as he is on TV?

EW: (Laughter) He’s a good-looking guy. Obviously, for me, I wouldn’t say dreamy, but he’s a very handsome guy. And just really, really cool. But yes, you probably would find him dreamy.



CE: After that, you were in “Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay,” which is quite different from your role on “B and S.”

EW: I thought that this sequel — and not just because I was in it — was so damn funny, because it just pushes the envelope with so many things. It racially offended everybody. It was sexist … it was everything. They just got in everyone’s face, and it was so funny and so well written and well directed. That was just a blast. Very hard-core but funny.

CE: After that you were in “Moonlight,” which still has an incredible cult following. How was that show to work on?

EW: That was a fun show too. I would have loved to have the chance to do a lot of the vampire-type stuff and mess around with all the effects, but we never got to dive into that part of my character. That was something they were talking about doing the next season, and then the show got canceled. So, we never really know what would have happened to my character and ultimately what his motivation was. They were finding their groove. Again, another show (like “Viva Laughlin”) that was ahead of its time.

CE: Yes, it seems nowadays that networks aren’t giving shows that much of a chance to really develop, grow and build their audience …

EW: It might not have been a nice hit for the CBS audience, but the ones who loved it loved it, and I think CBS was ahead of its time on two shows in the same year — and that was “Viva Laughlin” and “Moonlight.”

CE: After “Moonlight” you scored a plum part in the feature film “The Ugly Truth.” You must have been thrilled to land that part.

EW: Absolutely. That was just a huge opportunity that (director) Robert Luketic and Lakeshore gave me. And it was really awesome, and I had such a blast working with those guys. And my relationship with Katie (Heigl) and Gerry (Butler) was a ton of fun. We just laughed a lot. It was another fun environment to be in. It was a huge opportunity. It was kind of a fun, vulgar romantic comedy — it changes up from the normal romantic-comedy pace that you’re used to.

CE: What can you tell me about your new role on CBS' "The Mentalist" of Agent Craig O’Laughlin, and what fans can expect from his appearance?

EW: Well, I’m kind of learning myself to keep a lot of stuff under wraps. But what I do feel is there has to be something else there. I don’t think I’m just an FBI guy that came on and happened to find (Grace) Van Pelt attractive. I honestly don’t know. But I know that my character is an ex-football player who is in the FBI. I go back in a couple of weeks to shoot other episodes. And I have a few more episodes lined up for next year. My goal is to keep this character all business. He’s hot stuff, but he’s not a jerk. He’s not a jerk, in my mind, with Van Pelt. And he’s not doing anything wrong. She and Rigsby were broken up, so it’s sort of fair territory. It’s just a really funny, awkward situation.

CE: Were you worried coming in, because even though Van Pelt and Rigsby were broken up, there are bound to be fans who are upset?

EW: Yeah, you’re always going to get that. But hopefully with the way I treat her and the way I portray my character, people will see he’s not a bad guy. Maybe they will like him, too, and see he’s doing some good things for her. I want it to be a true triangle. But it’s a really tricky situation to be in.

CE: As an actor, I would think it would be fun to play an FBI agent — you get to be the man in charge, you learn how to handle firearms, how to take down suspects, etc.

EW: Oh yeah, it’s the best. It’s my first time playing something like this, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s really fricking cool to learn the ins and outs — what the FBI does and the CBI does, and how they handle situations. We have on-set experts who walk us through stuff and help us keep it real. It’s been a very fun thing for me to explore.

CE: You said that you’re working on a couple of more episodes — should we start a campaign to make you a permanent cast member?

EW: Yes! You’ve got to start campaigning. From what I understand, they plan on doing a slow burn. Whatever happens between the two of us (O’Laughlin and Van Pelt) is definitely going to play its course. But there’s a lot to do with my character aside from that relationship. I’m not in the writing room, so I don’t know. But I know they have it well worked out, and they’ve been great with me so far.

CE: What’s the thing you like best about working on a weekly episodic show?

EW: Simon (Baker) works his butt off. He’s very, very busy on that show. But I think that with me it’s a lot of fun because I get to explore the character, but I have some time off so I can be looking for some other things as well, films and so forth. It’s a very fun, comfortable environment, and I have a great character to play, which keeps me very interested and motivated with that project. It’s comfortable and exciting at the same time.

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Charlie Sheen Enters Rehab

(from the Associated Press)

CBS is temporarily halting production of television's top-rated comedy, Two and a Half Men, following news from Charlie Sheen's publicist that the actor is in rehab and is taking a break from the show.

Publicist Stan Rosenfield announced Tuesday that Sheen has entered a rehab facility "as a preventative measure." He asked for privacy for Sheen, 44, but did not specify why the embattled actor was seeking treatment.

Sheen's bosses expressed support for the actor in a statement that said they were temporarily stopping production of the show.

"CBS, Warner Bros. Television and (Executive Producer) Chuck Lorre support Charlie Sheen in his decision today to begin voluntary inpatient care at a treatment center," the statement said. "We wish him nothing but the best as he deals with this personal matter."

The statement offered no timetable for when the show would resume taping.

(photo courtesy CBS)

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