CC2010: 30 Days of Night: Dark Days Interview

CC2010: Archer Interviews pt 1: Chris Parnell & Amber Nash

CC2010: Archer Interviews pt 2: Judy Greer

Comic-Con San Diego 2010: Internet geek icon Kroze interviews Judy Greer who plays Cheryl/Carol on Archer. They also discuss the recently announced Arrested Development movie.

CC2010: Batman The Brave and the Bold Interviews: Michael Jelenic

CC2010: Batman- The Brave and the Bold Interview with Andrea Romano

CC2010: Burn Notice Interview

CC2010: Caprica Interviews

CC2010: Chuck Interviews

CC2010: Dino Andrade Interview

CC2010: EXCLUSIVE Interview with Stargate SG-1's Christopher Judge

This year at Comic-Con, our very own Kroze Kresky was able to get an EXCLUSIVE interview with Stargate actor Christopher Judge!

Check out the interview below:

CC2010: Interview with Bruce Campbell

CC2010: Interview with Bruce Timm from DC Showcase

CC2010: Interview with Dule Hill from Psych

CC2010: Interview with Fringe Star Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth)

Fringe’s Jasika Nicole, who plays Astrid Farnsworth, was the first of our roundtable guest. This lovely young lady answered all our questions, except the ones that would have given spoilers. She was also surprised that we were fans and knew so much about the show.

ComicsOnline: Is there anything exciting for your character next season?

Jasika Nicole: She had a really slow build and I thought that that was because they weren’t sure they wanted to keep her. Every time I get a script I check the pedia file to see if Astrid dies. I read the script starting at page 1, because you know, there’s no loyalty in TV. But I was patient, because look who I get to work with, I get to work with John Noble, who is as wonderful off camera as he is on camera. And so I thought ”This is great, no matter what it is I’m doing, no matter if they don’t give her any background, this is kind of like the master class, and it’s really great to be working with people that you really respect. And so anyway, in Season 2 they started showing more with the episode with Walter in Chinatown which was really amazing and so much fun for us to play. And now there’s two of her so we have to do more just by the sheer idea of doing whole episodes in one universe and in another universe, which is the format we’re doing right now in Season 3. She’s been doing lots of stuff and even as alternate Astrid, cause you haven’t seen her that much yet, she had like just one scene in the finale. I’m learning more about her, she’s a tricky one. She’s really cool though, she’s so guarded that it’s a little bit easy to play her because I don’t have to relate to anybody; it’s kind of like performing monologue, which is interesting on a TV show. It’s cool, I’m happy, even with the slow build, it’s cool because the people really want to see more of what she’s doing, and that feels really nice to have people want to see more of the character and not just because I want to see more of the character.

CO: Are we going to see more of alternate Astrid?

Jasika Nicole: Yeah and her little beret.

CO: What’s your favorite thing about playing alternate Astrid?

Jasika Nicole: You probably haven’t seen it in the finale, but she doesn’t make eye contact with anyone. She speaks toward them and she’ll look at them, but not when she’s speaking. That’s a fun way to play, 'cause it makes people uncomfortable when I’m doing that in a scene, and she doesn’t really respond to their facial expressions or what they’re doing. She’s not interested in that, she’s only relaying information that she has for them. That’s really fun 'cause it messes with people a little bit, Lance [Reddick] in particular, at the end of every scene he’ll start chuckling (makes chuckling sound).

CO: Did that [way of playing alternate Astrid] come from you or somewhere else?

Jasika Nicole: That came from me. That was something that my sister does, that I always thought was really interesting. She doesn’t have Aspergers; she’s not quite as high functioning as Aspergers. That was one of the first things we knew, that something was off with her. She would talk to you, looking at the side of you, and then she would look at you, and when she would start talking again she would look away. We just thought it was a quirky thing, and come to find out it’s one of many, many things that kids that have Autism tend to do. So I’m trying not to incorporate everything about my sister, but just things that I know really well to take from my own experiences, to put into alternate Astrid.

CO: As an actress is it tough to separate the two roles?

Jasika Nicole: This one’s really easy because they’re so incredibly different. They look the same; I would imagine that for Anna [Torv], she probably spent a lot of time going through the scripts because they were talking about how she drops her “G’s”. She has to dissect each part of her dialogue that she gets, to make sure those nuances are complete. But with my Astrid, she’s so incredibly different it’s really just playing a completely different character. Almost in a different show because the alternate universe is so different too, and none of the characters she interacts with are the same. Her Broyles is different, and the Walter there is different, and there’s a Charlie and she didn’t even have a Charlie for a long time. So it’s kind of like doing a regional theater show for summer stock, where you’re doing several different shows at the same time, and you’re rehearsing one show during the day and performing another at night. It’s a little bit like that; it’s like two separate entities.

CO: Have you looked into a second contract?

Jasika Nicole: Yes, of course, are you kidding me? Absolutely, but they said no.

CO: So you just put on the beret and that’s it?

Jasika Nicole: I put on the Beret, she doesn’t wear any make-up, they do a little bit for on camera. But that’s another interesting thing is not sitting in the make-up chair for a long time and hair. I’m kind of in and out, and so it’s an interesting dynamic when you go in the make-up/hair trailer. All your friends are there and you’re talking and catching up, and you’re having this social time, and this alternative Astrid doesn’t really have that, and she goes into her trailer and put on these combat boots. She’s the complete opposite of our Astrid would wear. There’s all these things just about getting ready to start my day on the set that are different that make it really easy to slide in to what it is I’m doing in the scene.

CO: Has your sister seen the show?

Jasika Nicole: Oh, my sister watches the show, and she knows it’s me, and she gets really excited when she sees it’s me.

CO: Do you have any insights that we may be able to expect from Astrid next season? Any more Chinatown episodes?

Jasika Nicole: I wish! That was one of the most fun things to do, that and when I was in the HazMat suit, even though I had swine flu when I was in the HazMat suit. So there was this whole I just got it all of a sudden. I had a fever in the suit and it was really hot in the suit, but that’s a whole other story. Anyway, I start Season 3 and they’re enhancing this relationship between Astrid and Walter, because of the rift that has been created in his support system that he had with Olivia and Peter. And they’re acknowledging it. Before it was kind of understood Astrid knew that Walter was mad, Peter was mad or Olivia’s mad, but they talk about it now and that’s really cool because I want to see them have more conversations where she’s not just there and reading his mind and understanding what he needs, and she’s talking to him and he’s asking her. He’s probably more vulnerable then she’s ever seen him before. And that’s really, really nice to see too, because he [John Noble] does it so well, all you want to do is go and hug him. He gets this little twinkle and a tear in his eye. He’s so great; I’m just his biggest fan.

CO: Will there be an Astrid episode so we get to know where she’s from and what she’s like?

Jasika Nicole: I heard a rumor last year that they are formulating an Astrid episode for Season 3. I think it’s coming because everybody’s had one.

CO: Will there be a back story for Astrid?

Jasika Nicole: I formulated one myself tentatively, because I don’t want to get married to something that becomes super important to me and how I portray her, and then have them say “no, that’s not how it is”. And you don’t want to feel like everything you’ve been doing is false. The cool thing about it is Astrid is a workaholic, and whenever she is in her moment that’s what she’s doing. I think she leaves her baggage at the door, like what theater people are supposed to do when they get to the stage, leave their baggage at the door. That makes it easy to say “she’s here in this moment and this is what she’s doing". I think the most of a back story is when Walter stabbed her in the neck with a syringe in Season 1, and she was giving him the silent treatment, and that was the most he ever got about her - that she stopped coming to the lab and she was only in the FBI offices and I thought that was interesting. Other than that, there hasn’t been a whole lot about her until this season when you get to see her apartment, which is cool. Her apartment is like a hippie den and she has like eight rugs on the floor, all these lamps, and rich colors. I would never have known her apartment looks like that, see that’s the cool thing that I wouldn’t have guessed that she lived like that. It would be funny if she had a bong in her apartment. How could she be admonishing Walter for smoking his stuff? Maybe that could be an episode, with Astrid and Walter smoking together.

Thank you guys.

Keep it here at ComicsOnline for more Comi-Con 2010 coverage and everything geek pop culture!

CC2010: Interview with Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer from Venture Bros

Kroze gets up close and personal with Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer from the Venture Bros at Comic-Con 2010! Check out the video:

CC2010: Interview with Joe Lansdale from DC Showcase

CC2010: Interview with John DiMaggio from Batman: Under the Red Hood and Futurama

CC2010: Interview with Judd Winick from Batman: Under the Red Hood

CC2010: Interview with Timothy Omundson and Maggie Lawson

CC2010: Psych Interview - Corbin Bernsen

CC2010: Stargate Universe Interviews

CC2010: The Green Hornet Press Conference Interview

ComicsOnline was on hand at The Green Hornet press conference at Comic-Con 2010. On the interview panel were Seth Rogen, Christoph Waltz, Evan Goldberg, Michel Gondry and Neal Moritz.

CC2010: The Other Guys Press Conference Interview

ComicsOnline was on hand at The Other Guys' press conference at Comic-Con 2010. On the interview panel were Mark Wahlberg, Will Farrell, Eva Mendes and Adam McKay.

CC2010: Walking Dead Interview pt 1: Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, & Jon Bernthal

CC2010: White Collar Interviews

CC2010: Wolverine and the X-Men Interview with Chris Yost and Josh Fine

CC2010:Walking Dead Interview pt 2: Emma Bell & Laurie Holden

CC2010:Walking Dead Interview pt 3: Frank Darabont & Greg Nicotero

ComicsOnline interviews Walking Dead's Director/Executive Producer Frank Darabont & Makeup Artist Greg Nicotero at Comic-Con San Diego 2010 at a round-table press event. It's must-see zombie TV!

Check out the ComicsOnline Interviews from Comic-Con 2010!

ComicsOnline Comic-Con 2010 Interview Coverage

San Diego Comic Con 2010 is over and the ComicsOnline.com staff spent four days covering the events, panels, and more interviews than we can count, so many in fact that they are constantly being moved to another page. To make the video interviews easier to find here’s a list and the links to our interviews.

Batman- The Brave and the Bold - Andrea Romano

Psych - Corbin Bernsen / Timothy Omundson & Maggie Lawson / Dule Hill 

Burn Notice-  Burn Notice Creators/ Bruce Campbell

30 Days of Night: Dark Days - Cast and Crew Interview

Wolverine and the X-Men -  Chris Yost & Josh Fine, Avengers Assemble Trailer

DC Showcase- Joe Lansdale / Bruce Timm

Batman: Under the Red Hood- Judd Winick / John DiMaggio

Venture Brothers-  Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer

Stargate SG-1 Christopher Judge

Chuck- Cast Interviews

White Collar-  Cast Interviews

Stargate Season 2 Trailer / Interviews

Caprica- Cast Interviews

Keep ComicsOnline.com at the top of your favorites for more news and interviews from Comic-Con 2010!

 

DC Universe Interview: "Hung" star Thomas Jane finally gets his man in "Jonah Hex" animated short

HUNGSTAR THOMAS JANE
FINALLY GETS HIS MAN AS JONAH HEX
IN ALL-NEW DC SHOWCASE ORIGINAL SHORT
 
If at first you don’t succeed, take the animated role.
 
Therein lies the lesson of Thomas Jane’s quest to play the role of comic book anti-hero Jonah Hex. The star of HBO’s popular series Hung once lobbied to play the theatrical role of Jonah Hex and, though he fell short in that attempt, Jane has found another path to the character as the disfigured cowboy’s voice in the DC Showcase Original Short, Jonah Hex.
 
The all-new, animated Jonah Hex appears as a companion piece on the upcoming Special Edition Blu-Ray and 2-Disc Special Edition DVD release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies coming from Warner Home Video on July 27, 2010.
 
In the short, the tough-as-nails bounty hunter always gets his man - until someone else gets to him first. In this case it’s a murderous madam who wants to steal more than just bounty from Jonah Hex. The animated short Jonah Hex is based on a story from the award-winning comic series, and scripted by renowned author Joe Lansdale. Jane leads a voice cast that includes Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Michelle Trachtenberg (Mercy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Michael Rooker (Days of Thunder) and Jason Marsden (Spirited Away).
 
A lover of both comic books and westerns, Jane felt a certain kinship to the character – and the result is clearly evident in his vocal depiction of Hex and the emotional range of the performance. Jane was the ultimate perfectionist throughout the recording process, never settling for good takes when great was attainable. From the original recording session through follow-up ADR, the give-and-take between Jane and the filmmakers – including executive producer Bruce Timm – was quite collaborative in achieving the final presentation.
 
Jane currently headlines HBO’s Hung, though he’s active in numerous other projects, including films being developed by his own production company, Raw Studios. Coincidentally, Jane founded Raw Studios with Timothy Bradstreet and Steve Niles, the screenwriter of the first DC Showcase short, The Spectre. Jane’s directorial debut, Raw Studios’ Dark Country, continues to play to rave reviews and enthusiastic crowds at conventions and festivals around the world.
 
No stranger to the fanboy/comics realm, Jane co-wrote his own comic book miniseries, Bad Planet. He played the title character in the 2004 version of The Punisher, starred in Mutant Chronicles, and had roles in both The Crow: City of Angels and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He has drawn widespread acclaim for many of his non-fanboy roles, especially his turn as Mickey Mantle in the HBO film, 61*. His numerous credits run the gamut from Magnolia, Deep Blue Sea andThe Thin Red Line toBoogie Nights and Face/Off.
 
After shooting all morning on the set of Hung, Jane came into the recording studio to put some final touches on his Jonah Hex performance – and to chat about his attraction to anti-heroes, his adoration of comics, and how he came to (literally) rub elbows with Ringo Starr. This is what Thomas Jane says …
 
 
QUESTION:
This isn’t your first run at the role of Jonah Hex, is it?
 
THOMAS JANE:
I’ve been a fan of the comic and the character and that whole western world. I’m glad to be voicing the role, and I actually wanted to do the live-action film. When they were casting the movie, I had a guy come and do my makeup, we took some photos and sent them off to Akiva Goldman. I know some of those photos have leaked out online. They had a different director at the time, and Josh Brolin had just hit with the Coen brothers movie, so he had pick of the litter. And that spelled outski for me.
 
 
QUESTION:
Did you do any research to voice the role?
 
THOMAS JANE:
Well, I lived with a pack of wolves for a week up in the ponderosa foothills to perfect my growl (he laughs). No, mostly I just tried not to love my voice. I tried my best.

 
 
QUESTION:
Any thoughts on the look of Jonah Hex?
 
THOMAS JANE:
The animators did a great job in capturing the ugliness of the character. He’s not a pretty boy. He looks like he’s been butchered by a blind barber. He’s mean as hell, and I can’t imagine anybody wanting to make love to the dude. He must be awful lonely. And that just makes him meaner. He’s a true anti-hero, and I really love that kind of character. Hollywood doesn’t do the anti-hero justice very often – it’s a tough character type for the studios to understand. The closest you get these days is like (Michael) Chiklis on The Shield. Taxi Driver may have been the last great anti-hero film. There’s always good ones in video games, especially games like Grand Theft Auto. Actors and directors lover anti-heroes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be the case with the rest of America right now.
 
 
QUESTION:
Now that you’re directing, has that perspective effected your performances?
 
THOMAS JANE:
I’m a lot nicer to the guy directing than I used to be. I’m also a little more pragmatic. I understand the needs of the story on the whole, and I’m less myopic in my view of the role as an actor. I’m serving a machine, the story as a whole, so the mechanics of me trying to strike an emotional truth are counter-balanced by not gurgling into the microphone or throat clicking. There’s a balance between the technical and the emotional that you have to strike.
 
 
QUESTION:
Did that director’s perspective lead you to your asking to re-record so many lines after seeing/hearing your original performance?
 
THOMAS JANE:
I’m really interested in a great performance. I’m interested in the texture of a performance and I understand that, especially in the animated projects, the human voice is really all you’ve got to connect with on a visceral, emotional level. You’ve got the writing, the words, and the human voice. And that’s what gives it life. So even more so than live action acting, I pay particular attention to the vocal performances.



QUESTION:
You’ve had the chance to perform the dialogue wild, and also to picture. Was it easier or more difficult to record the lines while seeing the actual animation?
 
THOMAS JANE:
It’s both. Without the animation, you have more freedom to make up the rhythm of the scene, and you can take more chances in your delivery because hopefully the director will choose an interesting performance, and the animators will animate to that performance. Once you’re locked in and I come back to redo the lines, I’m stuck with the rhythms that have been predetermined by the animators. But that also gives me structure, which affords me some other freedom in the delivery of the dialogue – because then I have a set rhythm and I can play with the intensity of the performance.
 
 
QUESTION:
How would you describe your relationship with comic books?
 
THOMAS JANE:
I discovered comic books when I was about 8 years old and I’ve been in love with them ever since. I thought I’d outgrow it, and I sort of did in my 20s, but then came back full force in the my early 30s. It’s because the medium is so powerful. As a kid, I thought of it as kid stuff, and then I grew up and found more adult material.
 
I never liked super heroes – I was always drawn more to a great story. I even loved the illustrated classics like Moby Dick – adaptations of a classic novel, or some of the original autobiographical stuff. And then there’s all the independents – Robert Crumb or Charles Burns or Daniel Clowes. The medium is so broad, much more so than film. There’s so much more room in comics for genres, styles, flavors, different auteurs. That’s what makes comics a great and timeless medium – a medium that will always be a compelling way to tell a story.
 
 
QUESTION:
Do you have a favorite western?
 
THOMAS JANE:
I love westerns. One of my all-time favorites is High Noon … and Stagecoach. Then there’s Red River, and The Unforgiven. Even The Treasure of the Sierra Madre has the western themes. That’s what counts. I think you could make a western in a city so long as it has that western theme of an individual against the group. Man against nature. The outsider. Those themes are common to all westerns, but you can branch that out into other genres.
 

 
QUESTION:
Which actors do you most like watching perform?
 
THOMAS JANE:
My favorite actors are the “still” actors – guys like Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Steve McQueen, combined with Montgomery Clift, John Garfield, William Holden and Sterling Hayden. They were all guys who had something interesting going on underneath. That combination of stillness on the surface and a boiling underneath is pretty much my favorite way to go.
 
 
QUESTION:
What’s the hardest part about being a celebrity?
 
THOMAS JANE:
I think it’s the misconceptions that people have about you. When I met Ringo Starr, I went to shake his hand and he said, “How about an elbow?” So we rubbed elbows, laughed, and I thought, “What the hell – he doesn’t want to shake my hand?” But it was about germs – he was going on tour and he didn’t want to get sick. When I was on tour for Punisher, there were about 500 people in line for an autograph and wanting to shake hands, and I finally stopped. I got inventive. It was funny to be on that side of it. I figured that I had to shake several people’s hands over the next few weeks and chances were pretty high that I was going to catch something that would be bothersome. The point is that you’re going to upset some folks when you don’t act the way they think you should. But it’s got nothing to do with who you are. It’s about taking care of yourself.
 
 
 
 
For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.BatmanRedHood.com.

DC Universe Interview: Andrea Romano finds the perfect blend of voice and character for "Batman: Under the Red Hood"

 

Can't wait!
 

Few individuals understand the intricacies of the voice of Batman better than Andrea Romano.
 
Arguably the top animation voiceover director in the business today, Romano has been instrumental in orchestrating the vocal tones behind the character’s non-live appearances for more than two decades. From Kevin Conroy and Rino Romano to Jeremy Sisto and William Baldwin, Romano knows precisely what voice will best fit the tones of a particular story or series.
 
Enter Batman: Under the Red Hood and all of its deep, emotional undertones. Romano has outdone herself once again, balancing the veteran acting chops of Bruce Greenwood as Batman with the youthful, pained intonations of Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, and tossing in Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing for humorous resonance.
 
All in a days work for Romano, who recruits the best in the business – winners of Oscars, Emmys and Tonys alike – to provide the voices behind some of the world’s best known super heroes for the DC Universe Animated Original Movies.
 
Romano’s voiceover casting/direction resume spans more than a quarter century, covering the genre gamut from action (Batman: The Animated Series) to humor (Animaniacs) and contemporary (The Boondocks) to timeless (Smurfs). The eight-time Emmy Award winner (along with more than 30 nominations) is a star in her own right, earning the respect of her peers and the adoration of legions of animation fans. One need only witness the reaction to her introduction at a Con to understand that voiceover work is no longer an anonymous profession.
 
Batman: Under the Red Hood is the next entry in the popular ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video on July 27, 2010 as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.
 
Romano took a few minutes to offer her perspective on the voices of Batman: Under the Red Hood. Here’s what she had to say:
 

Bruce Greenwood and Andrea Romano
 

QUESTION: Let’s take the cast one member at a time. What made Bruce Greenwood right for the role of Batman in this particular film?
 
ANDREA ROMANO: One of the coolest finds of this past year for me was Bruce. I’ve seen so much of his work over the years, and he can do so many things so convincingly. I knew I’d have to offer him a big role. Something with meat. And I knew he would really sink his teeth into the material and make it his own. I don’t need to tell you what a wonderful actor he is – but for this film, he gives a terrific, sensitive performance. This is the most tortured we’ve ever seen of Batman and, without overplaying it, Bruce really showed us a lot of the guilt and issues Batman has in his luggage. It’s an exhaustive, emotional piece, and he carried it perfectly.
 
 
QUESTION: How did Jensen Ackles perform in his maiden voyage in animation?
 
ANDREA ROMANO: When you get a first-timer in the booth, there are often risks involved, particularly in understanding the techniques involved in working with the microphone. Jensen picked it up so quickly and was so effective in this very difficult role. Red Hood is written as such an embittered, angry, verging-on-insane character, and it can so easily be overplayed. But Jensen found just the right level of energy and flair. I loved his acting. His quality was dead-on, and he really offers a perfect balance with Bruce (Greenwood).
 
As a director, you live the emotions with the actor. There’s one scene where Jensen has to let his emotions completely bubble to the surface. I had to work really hard to see my script through the tears that I was crying with him as he let his emotions come through.
 
 
QUESTION: Who better than Neil Patrick Harris to break up all the emotional drama of this film?
 
ANDREA ROMANO: Who doesn’t love Neil Patrick Harris? He’s charming, talented, friendly, and remembers everyone he works with. He can sing and dance, not that I need that talent for Red Hood (she laughs). And in this instance, he did the unthinkable – he came to record for us on his way to the airport as he was going to New York to host the Tony Awards. Nightwing really does give a comic balance to this intense story, and Neil brought that spunky, funny instinct to the character with his usual effortless performance. He’s completely believable whether he’s doing drama or comedy, and he really added to this film. If I could, I would use Neil on every single project I do.
 

The Black Mask returns as well
 

QUESTION: Jason Isaacs is such a nice guy. Why’d you have to make him play a villain again?
 
ANDREA ROMANO: Jason Isaacs is a delight. And you’re right (she laughs) – nice guys sometimes make the best villains. I’ve worked with Jason several times, and he’s absolutely fantastic. For Ra’s, I needed something slightly exotic. He’s a great, unusual character, but we had to fight against him getting too cartoony – and I knew Jason had the chops. He’s also a wonderfully intelligent actor – during the recording session, he had so many ideas, and would so respectfully suggest them to Bruce (Timm) and I – and I honestly don’t know that there was one we didn’t use. He helped edit the copy, he added beats where we didn’t even see them, and really nuanced the performance.
 
 
QUESTION: The Joker has had some very memorable live-action and animated performances from some notable performers. How did John DiMaggio fit into that legacy?
 
ANDREA ROMANO: If I weren’t in love with my husband, it would be John. He’s such a versatile, talented voiceover actor. The Joker is such an intense character, and I knew I needed somebody with great range – and John was delighted to come in and play, and he gave it some beautiful new twists. Because he has such a deep gravely voice, and he’s good at comedy, and he’s a good actor, I knew John already had covered most of the points of the Joker. But I didn’t want a light, thin reedy voice, I wanted a voice with some mass to it. That’s John.
 
 
QUESTION: You’ve placed Vincent and Alex Martella as the Young and Younger Robin voices. Had you ever cast brothers in the same film?
 
ANDREA ROMANO: This is the first time I’ve ever cast brothers in the same film. I was familiar with Vincent’s work and had been looking for something for him, and this was a great, interesting opportunity because I needed to cast the younger version of this character at two different ages. Vincent has a younger brother named Alex, who has only just begun in the industry, but because siblings tend to have very similar qualities to their voices, it was kind of a no-brainer to cast his younger brother as his younger self. And they were terrific – Vincent was pure dynamite in his performance, and I actually think Alex learned from watching his older brother record before him.
 
What really surprised me was in their attention to detail. They had to set up this character’s life for another actor that they weren’t even going to act in the same room with, and I thought the transitions were seamless.
 

The Dark Knight returns once more
 

QUESTION: What set this cast apart from the first seven DC Universe films?
 
ANDREA ROMANO: Each one of these actors had something to bring to the party above and beyond what was required of them. They had questions, they had input, they had ideas and, because the piece is so adult, complex, intense and dark, they knew they weren’t coming in to play The Smurfs. In order to make sure they were in the right head space and had the right tone, they asked a lot of questions. And that’s always a good sign. When the actors are that involved with their characters and the story, that challenges Bruce (Timm) and I to truly think through everything even more thoroughly, and then it becomes a much more collaborative effort. I’m not above telling an actor how to read a line. But I’d prefer that the actor comes up with the idea himself and I’m able to just tweak things here and there. We all need a challenge, something that keeps us on our toes, and recording this film was one of those experiences. A very, very positive experience.
 
For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.BatmanRedHood.com.

Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more comic news and everything geek pop culture.

Buy Batman Under the Red Hood on Blu-ray at Amazon.com now.

DC Universe Interview: Bruce Timm sets the record straight on DCU animated films and "Batman: Under the Red Hood"

Executive Producer Bruce Timm sets the record straight on DC Universe Animated Original Movies and Batman: Under the Red Hood
 
Who’s under the Red Hood? Bruce Timm knows, but he’s not telling. However, he answers a bevy of other questions in an interesting Q&A focused on the upcoming release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies.
 
Batman: Under the Red Hood is just the latest finished product to come from Timm’s canon of super hero vehicles at Warner Bros. Animation. A veritable legend among the creative forces in animation today, Timm has spearheaded the elevation of DC Comics’ characters to new heights of animated popularity and introduced generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies, which now number eight in total and each has been greeted with critical acclaim and nifty sales. Batman: Under the Red Hood will no doubt send more fans to the comic book stores clamoring for caped entertainment.
 
From the producing triumvirate of Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: Under the Red Hood will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.
 
Timm paused long enough in his unthinkably busy schedule for a few cigarettes and a battery of questions, responding in true Timm form – whether it be discussing the casting and art direction, revealing his across-the-board love for all versions of Batman, or setting the record straight on quotes attributed to him from a certain widely reported interview-that-never-was. This is vintage Bruce Timm – read what the man has to say …
 
 
QUESTION: What made Brandon Vietti the right director for Batman: Under the Red Hood?
 
BRUCE TIMM: Brandon is one of our up-and-coming director/producer types who has been with (Warner Bros. Animation) for a while. I’ve known him for years – he actually worked for me back on the Superman/Batman series – and I’ve watched him work his way up from being a top storyboard guy to a director. His work on the first third of Superman Doomsday was very powerful. When we were looking around for a director for this film, Brandon was very anxious to do something completely on his own, and I knew he was ready.
 
The thing about Brandon is that, besides just being talented, he’s super, super thorough. He’s very detail oriented. So it was a relief to me to have someone like Brandon in charge, because I could pretty much leave it up to him to run the show and I knew he wasn’t going to make any missteps. The end result is a very good film across the board in terms of action, emotion and design.
 
 
QUESTION: How did Judd Winick convince you that his comic series/graphic novel would translate well to an animated film?
 
BRUCE TIMM: When we first heard that Judd wanted to pitch Red Hood as an adaptation for our DC Universe film line, Alan Burnett and I quickly got copies of the book and read through it. My first impression was that it was an entertaining comic, but it was quite a long mini-series and it had all these tangents of supporting characters who came and went through the course of the story. Quite frankly, it was confusing to me and I kept thinking to myself that I didn’t see how a lot of those things would work. The big thing about the story is that it’s a sequel to a big event in the history of DC comics – the death of Robin that happened back in the 1980s – and I didn’t see how we could set that up, because it all hinges on being a sequel to that story. Furthermore, the way the pitch was arranged, we were in a room in Burbank and Judd was in San Francisco and had to pitch over the speakerphone. But amazingly, every single problem I thought we’d have trouble making into a movie, Judd had fixed in the pitch. Judd had already clearly put a lot of thought into the entire film – how to stay focused on the main story, how to clean up the death of Robin thing, and how to eliminate all the extra baggage. He pitched for about 45 minutes and when he was done, Alan and I looked at each other and said, “Yeah, that’s a movie. Let’s do it.” And away we meant.
 
 
QUESTION: Batman Gotham Knight was a collection of short stories loosely tied together and produced in anime. What made Batman: Under the Red Hood the right story to be the first true Batman movie in the DC Universe animated franchise?
 
BRUCE TIMM: Seeing that this was going to be our first full-length Batman movie in the DC Universe line, we thought we really needed to have a strong story that wasn’t just another adventure story or a caper that Batman foils. We wanted it to be something that truly needed to be told in a PG-13 venue that had a fair amount of, for lack of a better term, adult content that you couldn’t normally do on television. And this story is loaded with it. It’s also a personal story to Batman – it does have an adventure plot and a crime plot, but the emotional arc of the story is rooted in Batman’s messed up history with family relations. And especially in our animated universe, Batman always had a kind of dysfunctional family dynamic going on. He’s famously an orphan, he’s got Alfred as his surrogate mother/father, he’s always bringing in surrogate sons to mentor, and it always kind of goes badly. And this is, once again, one of the big expressions of that. So it makes for compelling drama as well as an exciting adventure.

 
 
QUESTION: A few casting questions. Why Bruce Greenwood as Batman?
 
BRUCE TIMM: It’s always a challenge to cast Batman because we invariably have to ask ourselves, “Who can we find out there who can hold their own against the legend of Kevin Conroy?” I’ve been following the career of Bruce Greenwood for a long time – I’ve seen him in a zillion movies and TV shows, and he’s always struck me as an actor who has this excellent, interesting voice and impeccable acting chops. And around the same time we were casting this film, I saw the trailer for the J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek – and there was Bruce Greenwood. So we tracked him down, he was agreeable, a great guy to work with, and he totally knocked it out of the park.
 
 
QUESTION: John DiMaggio has played many comical villains. How did you know he’d be best as a villain who is also comical?
 
BRUCE TIMM: The Joker is a very iconic part memorably voiced by Mark Hamill, and played in films by Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger. Those are really big shoes to fill. John is a guy we’ve worked with for years playing tons of different kinds of parts, and every time we use him I think, “God, we’ve got to give this guy a bigger part.” He shouldn’t just be Thug #2 or the monster that Wonder Woman fights. We needed to give him a part that he could sink his teeth into. This Joker came up and it really required somebody who has comedic chops but also is a really good actor, and DiMaggio has got that in spades. He was definitely the right guy for the part. He came in and did something that didn’t sound anything like Mark Hamill or Jack Nicholson or Heath Ledger or Cesar Romero, and yet he sounds exactly like the Joker. He’s funny, and he’s scary as hell, and that’s just what you want.
 
 
QUESTION: What did Jensen Ackles bring to the table as Red Hood?
 
BRUCE TIMM: Red Hood is such a pivotal role in that he needed to be somebody who was forceful, threatening, weirdly sympathetic, and also had to be of a certain age. Not too young, not too old, just right. Andrea and I both knew of Jensen’s work, and he was one of those guys we had in our “Gotta work with that guy some day” file. And he fit the bill perfectly. He’s got an intensity in the booth that really matched the material.

 
 
QUESTION: Were there any surprises along the way?
 
BRUCE TIMM: One of the things I like the most about this movie is that, in the best possible ways, it kind of reminds me of a weird mesh of the Batman Beyond movie, Return of the Joker, and our first Batman: The Animated Series feature film, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. It has a lot of the same kinds of themes, it has the same level of serious drama in it, and the same level of really good character development. I think it’s actually fully the equal of those two movies. It’s dynamite.
 
Another interesting takeaway I got from this movie is that Brandon and I agreed that we really wanted to work to give this movie a unique visual feel. We deliberately tried to not make it look like Batman: The Animated Series.  We tried a number of things in the art direction to stay away from that. But no matter what we did, it still kind of looks like Batman: The Animated Series. It’s weird. So when you watch the movie, there will be about four or five minutes in a row where you’ll forget about the different cast and slightly different character designs and it actually kind of feels like the series. On another level, there is a certain influence from the Christopher Nolan movies. It’s kind of in the tone of the film and the way Batman himself is treated and the feel of Gotham City. It’s not quite as realistic – our Gotham City is a little more stylized than the Gotham of the Nolan movies – but there is similarity in tone, which makes for a very interesting Batman salad.
 
 
QUESTION: Judd Winick said his first introduction to Batman was the Adam West TV series, but that he knew even as a kid that it wasn’t the Batman he wanted to see. You’ve said that was your same entry point to the character – did you ever have the same sense of Batman’s positioning?
 
BRUCE TIMM: Yes, my first exposure to Batman as a character was Batman the TV series. But honestly, I didn’t know it was supposed to be a parody or campy. I thought it was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. Of course, I was 5 at the time. But all in one fell swoop, I became an instant super hero fan. Later on, as I got older and started reading more comics and getting into the super hero scene, I realized that the Batman show was kind of a comedy. I was reading Neal Adams comics and thinking, “Batman is kind of cooler than that show – he’s kind of scary and mysterious.” So my perception of Batman changed over time, and then I went through the periods with Frank Miller and the Tim Burton movies. So now I’ve got these warring Batmans in my head. I still love the Adam West/Batman show. I still love the Neal Adams take on Batman comics. I still love The Dark Knight. All of these things totally contradict each other, and yet it’s fine to me. I’ve said it over and over again – Batman as a character is such a strong concept, he’s the kind of character that you can take him in any number of ways and it still feels right. Batman: The Animated Series is a really good version of Batman. Batman: The Brave and the Bold – that’s a really good version of Batman. They have equal value.
 

 

QUESTION: There’s been a lot of internet banter regarding the discontinuation of the DCU series based on quotes attributed to an interview in Calgary with you. True or false?
 
BRUCE TIMM:Kinda false. First of all, it wasn't an actual one-on-one interview -- quotes were taken out of context from longer answers I gave on a panel at the Expo. Bottom line: the DCU films are definitely continuing. We've got projects lined up for the next two years at the very least – lots of films in different stages of development and production. I know there are a lot of rumors circulating about future films. Some are true, some are not. I'll tell you this much – anyone at our DCU/Batman: Under the Red Hood panel at Comic-Con will walk away with a very clear picture of the direction we're taking the DCU animated movies in the coming year.
 
 
For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.BatmanRedHood.com.

Pre-order Batman Under the Red Hood on Blu-ray at Amazon.com now.

Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more interviews and Everything Geek Pop Culture.

DC Universe Interview: John DiMaggio voices The Joker in "Batman: Under the Red Hood"

 

 

John DiMaggio Undertakes a Villainous Icon as
The Joker in “Batman: Under the Red Hood”
 

 

Known to adults as “Bender” in Futurama and tweens as “Dr. Drakken” in Kim Possible, John DiMaggio takes an iconic step forward as the voice of The Joker, the pivotal villain in the all-new DC Universe animated original movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood.
 
In the film, Batman faces his ultimate challenge as the mysterious Red Hood takes Gotham City by firestorm. One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code. And when The Joker falls in the balance between the two forces of justice, hard truths are revealed and old wounds are reopened.
 
DiMaggio gets free reign to play the iconic villain amidst a stellar voice cast that includes Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) as the Caped Crusader, Supernatural star Jensen Ackles as Red Hood, and Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Nightwing.
 
Best known for his near-100 episodes as “Bender,” DiMaggio has parlayed his deep, gravelly tones and versatile acting style into a major force on the voiceover scene for the past decade. DiMaggio’s credits include roles in Kim Possible, Samurai Jack, Teen Titans, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Duck Dodgers, Jackie Chan Adventures, The Penguins of Madagascar and Chowder.
 
Voiceover has so dominated his time that DiMaggio has virtually abandoned his on-camera career – despite past work as a regular cast member on Chicago Hope and a number of guest roles in TV series such as Becker, N.Y.P.D. Blue, Felicity, Bones, Without a Trace and My Name is Earl.
 
Batman: Under the Red Hood is the next entry in the popular ongoing series of DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movies from Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The full-length film will be distributed by Warner Home Video on July 27, 2010 as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.
 
But before you race to Amazon to pre-order your copy, take a minute to get to know John DiMaggio.
 

John DiMaggio voices The Joker
 

QUESTION:
What were your initial thoughts about assuming this iconic role?
 
JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I was shocked when I got the role, shocked when I came in to record, and shocked when I saw the finished product during ADR. I just wanted to honor the real true lunacy of the character. I didn’t want to make him campy, but I wanted to pay a little bit of tribute to the past Jokers – and yet keep it original at the same time. That’s walking a fine line, if there ever was one.
 
It was a little intimidating because it is such an iconic role. It’s an honor to get this job -- and especially to play the Joker in this version because it’s so dark and twisted. I felt like I got a really wonderful opportunity.
 
 
QUESTION:
Can you remember your early connections with the Batman mythology, and how any of the previous Joker actors might have influenced your performance in this role?
 
JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I think the thing that influenced me the most when I was young is the television show, which is really sad because there have been so many great comics and graphic novels and stories about the Dark Knight that I haven’t been able to delve into yet – and yet I know about them. I actually would’ve loved to see Cesar Romero take the role to its darkness. There was a bit of Cesar Romero in what I did, but it’s Cesar Romero if he was in A Clockwork Orange.
 
I guess my naiveté in my approach kind of kept it clean. I wasn’t trying to do a Jack (Nicholson) or a Heath (Ledger). I respect all the folks that have come before me, and their take on the character. Mark Hamill is awesome, Heath Ledger was unbelievable, and Jack Nicholson – what can you say? But I wanted to do my own thing.
 
 
QUESTION:
Was there any particular direction you wanted to take this Joker?
 
JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I wanted to cover what I saw on the paper, and I wanted to ensure Andrea (Romano, casting/dialogue director) got exactly what she wanted. Usually if the script is good enough, you know where your emotions should be, where your character lies. It should all be in the dialogue, and it certainly was.
 

The Jokes on you
 

QUESTION:
How do you interpret the Joker’s mindset?
 
JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I think the Joker thinks of himself, quite literally, as a necessary evil. And when I say that, I mean he really feels there is a place for him, and that he somehow balances the chaos with the non-chaos. It’s a yin and yang thing. And it’s really not personal, it’s business. Although he can get personal and he enjoys it. That makes it that much more twisted.
 
 
QUESTION:
You’ve certainly done more than your share of villains. Do you prefer to go to the dark side?
 
JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I love playing the villains. I’ll play anything, I don’t care. As long as its not tons of walla or gasping, I’m good. I hate the inhale.
 
 
QUESTION:
When you were a kid, did you ever imagine you’d be voicing cartoons for a living?
 
JOHN DIMAGGIO:
I was a class clown – I basically started acting when I was a kid. I wanted to play drums, but I couldn’t afford a drum set. It was easier to be in a play, so it just kind of happened. I walked into voiceover in New York in 1994. I was doing stand-up (comedy) at the time, and was looking to get out of it and into acting. An actor buddy of mine, Zak Orth, said it was a way to make a good living between acting gigs. I moved to LA, because there’s more animation here, and the rest is history. So yeah, thanks Zak – give me a ring.
 

Batman and the Joker, at it again
 

QUESTION:
Your primary focus is voiceovers these days. Do you have any inclination to do more live-action acting or stand-up comedy?
 
JOHN DIMAGGIO:
On-camera acting is fun, but I don’t miss it. Voiceovers are quicker, and you get to work with such amazing, talented people – it’s a blast to play in the studio with these actors and writers and directors. With (on-camera) acting, there so much more waiting around, and my patience has run thin. Plus it beats the hell out of slinging jokes six nights a week at a Chuckle Hut in East Bumbleblard.
 
For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.BatmanRedHood.com.

Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more comic news and everything geek pop culture.

Buy Batman Under the Red Hood on Blu-ray at Amazon.com now.

DC Universe Interview: Judd Winick screenplay brings "Batman: Under the Red Hood" to animated life

The countdown has begun.

Judd Winick has returned to Gotham City with a vengeance. The award-winning cartoonist has successfully transitioned one of his benchmark storylines from comic book pages to animated film with the upcoming release of Batman: Under the Red Hood, the latest entry in the popular series of DC Universe Animated Original Movies.

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, the University of Michigan graduate gained national fame as a cast member of MTV’S The Real World, San Francisco in 1994. In the wake of the death of his Real World roommate and friend, AIDS activist Pedro Zamora, Winick embarked on a national AIDS education lecture tour. Later, the lecture and his friendship with Zamora was documented in his award-winning graphic novel “Pedro And Me.”

Winick next created his original comic book series, “Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius,” and then began a long running stint as one of the top writers on mainstream super hero comics. Winick has scripted such titles as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Trials Shazam, Green Arrow and Outsiders (for DC Comics), Exiles (for Marvel) and Star Wars (for Dark Horse). He also was the creator and executive producer of Cartoon Network’s animated series, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.

He is currently developing live action television and animation, writing the new bi-weekly comic title for DC Comics “Justice League: Generation Lost,” as well as the monthly “Power Girl.”

In 2005, Winick presented his Red Hood storyline in the Batman comics and it was met with tremendous sales alongside powerful waves of controversy. He has evolved that story into the script for the all-new DC Universe film,  Batman: Under the Red Hood. In celebration of the film’s July 27 street date, DC Comics will distribute a six-issue mini-series, “Red Hood: The Lost Days.” Written by Winick and drawn by Pablo Raimondi, the mini-series offers greater insight into the back story of the title character.

From the producing triumvirate of Warner Premiere, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, Batman: Under the Red Hood will be distributed by Warner Home Video as a Special Edition version on Blu-Ray™ and 2-disc DVD, as well as being available on single disc DVD, On Demand and for Download.

Winick is thrilled with the way his words have transitioned from comic/graphic novel to screenplay to animated film in the form of Batman: Under the Red Hood, and is only too happy to talk about the end result. Here are some of his thoughts … 

QUESTION: What was the greatest challenge in taking your graphic novel to script format?

JUDD WINICK:  I had to take two years of story and boil it down to 75 minutes of film, and that’s a challenge and liberating at the same time. It forces one to cut out all the fat and get to the heart of it. It’s about making a movie. And for those who know anything about movies, it’s about putting one foot in front of the other, building from one scene to the next to the next and so on. There are no cul-de-sacs or crossovers – it’s all about getting the story to its essence.

QUESTION: Were you disappointed with what you needed to cut out?

JUDD WINICK:  Actually, I was thrilled about what went in. I’m really, really happy that the emotional core of the story is still there. We don’t really get to tell stories like this in animation. The opera of it all is usually reserved for live action. This story is about characters actually emoting and dealing with horrible situations. Animation usually gets just the action and the visualization, and not the characters actually feeling anything. So it was nice we got to do that. 
 

QUESTION: Can you describe the gratification of watching your words come to animated life?

JUDD WINICK:  It’s great. And I don’t mean to take anything away from writing for comics, as this is just a different form of story telling. One of the fun parts of writing for film is that it allows you the freedom for your characters to just shut up and fight. We can’t do that in comics – there always has to be some banter or internal monologue. More importantly, it’s gratifying to see the words and action come to life in all the ways film affords – through  incredibly talented actors giving the words all that emotional impact; and to see the characters actually fight and run and yell and shout and cry. They become living, breathing beings. That’s a very exhilarating experience for a writer.

QUESTION: Do the voices of Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, Neil Patrick Harris and John DiMaggio match what you had in your head while writing the dialogue?

JUDD WINICK:  I’ve been writing these characters for years, and it’s remarkable the job those actors did. Greenwood is about as Batman as you can get – which is exactly what you want. You don’t want to be surprised – as soon as he speaks, you want to say to yourself, “That’s Batman.” Nightwing is exactly as I’ve had him in my head – Neil Patrick Harris couldn’t possibly do it better. I’d like to do an entire feature with Bruce Greenwood as Batman and Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing.

Red Hood is funny for me because I thought I’d written this character in this incarnation more than anyone else, but I had no clue what he’d really sound like. And yet, when Jensen speaks, that’s the right tone and timbre. As far as Joker, that is one of the truly great characters that I think needs to be left up to interpretation. There’s only been a handful of people who have created Joker – Mark Hamill set the standard for animation, then you’ve got Jack (Nicholson) and Heath Ledger. But John (DiMaggio) has such versatility, he could go anywhere with it, and he made it totally his own. He really gives a very big and gruff and masculine performance, so deep and throaty and bass. He’s wonderfully scary and really gets the job done.

Wade Williams as Black Mask absolutely cracks me up. He’s like a lion. Honestly, what came out in the animation came directly out of his performance. Wade made him into a caged animal who might go off at any second. He’s constantly roaring, which is an entirely different take than I anticipated and that’s awesome. That’s an actor making decisions and making it his own and really hitting the mark.
 

QUESTION: Executive Producer Bruce Timm says your pitch was unorthodox in that it was over the phone and yet was absolutely perfect and completely sold him. How’d you pull that off?

JUDD WINICK: I’d given a rougher pitch to Gregory Noveck (DC Comics’s Senior Vice President of Creative Affairs) and he loved it, but we had to pitch it to the gang. The schedule worked out that I had to be in San Francisco, and they had to be in Burbank. That’s not the ideal way to pitch, especially for me – I like to jump around a lot, shout a lot, wave my hands and be theatrical. That’s especially true for this pitch because it’s a very emotional script. I kind of sold the idea in the first five minutes of the pitch, which was essentially describing the first five minutes of the movie.

I thought this would be a cool animated feature, but to really tell this story, we had to find a way to show Robin dying. We had to get the history in quickly to start the movie with that emotional smack. So I’m on my head set, going through this scene, talking about Batman barreling down the street of Sarajevo, the Joker beating Robin to death,. I’m banging my hands on the desk, yelling as loud as I can, and by the time I said “Fade to black, cue to opening credits,” it was just dead quiet on the other end of the line. I said, “Is everybody still there?” And they said, “Yeah, that was awesome.” Done. Sold.

QUESTION: How did you first enter the Batcave as a fan?

JUDD WINICK: Like many people of my age, I’m sure I was reading the comics but I remember watching the TV series more – and not really liking it. It didn’t quite feel right. I know I enjoyed it more like watching Super Friends, but I really gravitated toward the comics more than anything. The series wasn’t dark enough. It didn’t have the edge I wanted in my Batman. Ultimately, the TV show gave me a sense of what I didn’t want Batman to be, even back then. 
 

QUESTION: For The Real World fans out there … do you have any inclination to do another reality show?

JUDD WINICK: I would say NEVER. Laughs. Doing reality was like elective surgery. I got the nose job, it worked out just fine. I don’t need a touch up, and I don’t need another one. When they started to do the follow-ups, we just kept saying “No” until they stopped asking us. We have jobs and responsibilities and really don’t need the money or the humiliation. And most importantly, we had a fairly extraordinary and terrible experience during the show and still came out positively. We are very lucky in that way, and I would not assume to tempt fate and do anything like it again. 
 

QUESTION: Do you feel Batman: Under the Red Hood fits into Batman’s current live-action film tone?

JUDD WINICK: I’d say Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was sort of the catalyst. After seeing that film, it got my juices going thinking that we could do something like that with a Red Hood arc. At the time, I didn’t even know what Warner Premiere was working on. It all started with a quick email to Gregory (Noveck) asking if they were looking for any more Batman features. Comics and film present very specific camps for the characters and the stories. Animation should be its own genre that straddles between the two that can give comic fans the product their hoping to see, and provide a new vision for the fans who only know these characters in the most mainstream way. 
 

QUESTION: Do you like presenting your stories in animated form?

JUDD WINICK: I really do. I’m a cartoonist. I don’t draw for money, and mostly what I do is the writing. But that’s how I view myself more than anything else – as a cartoonist. I grew up on animation, and I always loved knowing that the cartoons on the page could actually come to life. I worshipped at the alter of Chuck Jones, and realized at a very young age that one guy did all the things I love best. I love it as a medium and I love how it’s evolved. Animation features have exploded – there is more high-end animation being produced now than ever before, and I think that’s great. 

For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.BatmanRedHood.com.

Pre-order Batman Under the Red Hood on Blu-ray at Amazon.com now.

Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more interviews and Everything Geek Pop Culture.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Manga Entertainments Creative Team

I recently had the chance to pose some questions to the creative staff at Manga Entertainment. Manga Entertainment is one of the largest translators of anime and manga around the world, oginally founed in London, England and currently headquarted in Los Angeles, California. They are known for translating titles like Akira and Ghost in the Shell.

 

1. Who founded Manga Entertainment and why?

Manga Entertainment was founded by Andy Frain for Chris Blackwell's Island Records in 1991. Our first release, Akira, was both a critical and commercial success, and led the company to license more anime for release in the Europe, Australia and, subsequently, the United States. Manga Entertainment became a hugely successful brand, consistently achieving Top 20 entries in the UK video charts

2. Why the name Manga Entertainment when your primary product is anime?

It’s a bit of a misnomer, but Manga was, at the time, synonymous with Japanese art. It was not generally known that Manga meant explicitly Book or Magazine in Japanese. That said the name is short, simple, and hard to forget.

3. For those who are still unfamiliar with anime or manga and how it differs from western comics/cartoons, how would you describe the differences to these people?

While Western cartoons/comics have started to catch up in recent years with the ideals portrayed in Eastern art, anime and Manga tend to deal with more introspective issues. They cover a wide array of stations in life from the salaryman to intergalactic hullabaloo. Regardless, they tend to heavily weigh on the big questions of life like, “why are we here?”

4. What anime is the most popular that Manga Entertainment's currently? ever? What about for manga?

Strait Jacket has been doing rather well. Overall, I’d have to say Ghost In The Shell as its popularity hasn’t diminished. Actually, we’re coming out this Fall with Ghost In The Shell 2.0 (not to be confused with GITS 2: Innocence) that will feature re-mastered scenes as well as new 3D CG scenes.

5. What genre is the most popular? Have you seen a change in this trend?

I’d have to say Shonen (younger male-oriented) because of Naruto. I do see other forms, such as Shojo (female oriented) becoming more popular. An interesting trend is in Motion Comics. Essentially, comic panels with select elements animated in the context of the panel with voice over. We’re going to be releasing a motion comic for Street Fighter, Voltron (to air on SyFy AniMondays in September) and one for the upcoming Sam Raimi series they just announced at Comic Con “SPARTACUS”.

6. What you do you prefer to watch: subtitles or dubs and why? Which do you prefer to work on?

Subs without a doubt. I much prefer to hear the original Japanese. That said, BangZoom! has done a great job with our dubs.

7. We have recently seen the decline of a major US anime retailer, Geneon, as well as a reduction in titles by other companies. Now we are in the middle of a global recession. How does Manga Entertainment see itself getting through this? What about the animanga industry as a whole?

Certainly, everyone’s been hit hard. It’s a natural cycle though. What goes down must come up eventually!

8. Has anime or manga peaked in North America? Do you think it will decline or increase in popularity in the future?

I don’t think it’ll ever decline. We haven’t recently seen the growth that we saw with its introduction to the US market. However, you have to realize that it’s ever more integrated with American art. Ultimately, I see anime and many forms of western animation becoming the same. Marvel’s Mangaverse line is a brilliant example. Really, Mangas and Comics have almost become synonymous. With our anime block on SyFy Ani-Mondays, we have a great opportunity to introduce new fans to the genre every week.

9. How does translating for dubbing and subbing differ in the way content is translated? What kind level of level do you assume the audience has of Japan for each type?

Heh heh. Well, Japanese obviously don’t need subs to translate Japanese tracks. Subbing is much cheaper and quicker to produce. All you need is a translator and a fast typist. Dubbing on the other hand is much more expensive and requires a whole army of voice talent and production personnel.

10. How do you view fansubbing and scanlation, both currently and historically? Do you think they were a help to the industry or not? If so, do you think they still are? What do you say to people who think a lot of the issue has to do with relative pricing compared to other DVDs and time delay?

I’ve seen some great fansubs and some terrible ones. The biggest problem with them is they’re distributed for free. It certainly makes it hard for the production companies to stay in business with this kind of thing going on. However, I’ve yet to meet a dub house or any voice talent for that matter who isn’t a fan. You could consider all professional subs to be fansubs on some level. As for Scanlation or any illegally distributed content, it’s really just theft, pure and simple.

11. Do you think a more literal translation is better or a one where more liberties are taken with the dialogue?

As with any translation, some liberties need to be taken to make the dialogue flow more naturally. I see a lot of literal translation that just read like broken English. Amusing, but doesn’t work very well especially in serious or dramatic scenes.

12. Where the narrative takes place. FE: if the manga takes place in Japan, does the translation still take place in Japan or are the references to items made more local to the intended audience's country?

We keep the translations as true to the original as possible. If it takes place in Feudal Japan, we’re not going to change it to modern day Brooklyn.

13. What are your personal favorite titles?

I have to say Ghost In The Shell and Ninja Scroll. Absolute classics.

14. Are there any projects you particularly liked working on?

The Dead Space Animated tie-in to the EA game was fun (and it was nice to get a free copy of the game ^_^).

15. Any final words?

Check out our anime block on SyFy’s Ani-Mondays Every Monday night at 11/10C. We’re also running horror-inspired anime titles on the Chiller Channel every Monday night at 9/8C. To get a heads up on this and other cool stuff, sign up at Manga.com to get the latest anime news!!!

Interview: Arthur Darvill, Rory Williams-Pond from Doctor Who

I've lived over two thousand years, saved the world,
and made Hitler my bitch. What you got?

Coming up Saturday night on BBC America's hit sci-fi show Doctor Who, we are being hit with quite a different episode than normal. In "The Girl Who Waited", lovable companions Amy (Karen Gillan) and Rory (Arthur Darvill) are put center stage when are forced to deal with a crisis without The Doctor being able to assist them in what they call a "Doctor lite" episode. Recently we had the chance to talk with Arthur Darvill about playing Rory and tomorrow's episode featuring him as well as what to expect coming up for the rest of the season!

Darvill explained how much Rory has changed since we first met him last season and what brought him up to this point of taking charge: "This wasn't anything that he really expected.It just happened in his life and I think when he started traveling with the Doctor he didn't think he'd be there very long." explained Arthur, "I think he's gotten to a point now where he's so within this kind of world within the, you know, the fact that he can go and travel through time and comes face to face with really horrific things. It's just become almost normal for him. And yes he really steps up to the plate and proves himself even more than he has I think he has in the past.". With that "manning up" Rory has gotten to do his fair share of stunts this season to which Arthur remarked "Yes it was a lot, you know, it's kind of funny it's not really anything that I'd considered before I got this job. I'd be kind of running around and, you know, flying through the air and doing fighting sequences. But it has been a quite a joy to do." going on to mention how the Doctor Who stunt team let him do as many of his own stunts as possible, especially in this episode.

On Rory's relationship with the Doctor and how it has changed since they first met  "I think Rory and the Doctor's relationship has grown so much over the last season. And, you know, it's not as simple as, you know, because before he was obviously kind of quite jealous of the Doctor. But I think that's gone now and they've got a real bond, they've got a real kind of true friendship. You know, I think most of us kind of, I don't know I just find a lot of my friendships by, you know, I can only be really, really good friends with someone probably if I've had a massive falling out with them at some point or a big argument. And I think that kind of makes all relationships stronger. And I think Rory and the Doctor's falling out so much that they still need each other and they still are great, great friends. So I think they've got, you know, a very, very strong relationship and, you know, as much as Rory can be a bumbling idiot at times I think he's proved to the Doctor and to, you know, to everyone else around that, you know, when everything starts kicking off you can really step up to the plate and deliver and be of use. I think fundamentally he's a good person and the Doctor kind of constantly seeks good people. Rory's up there with the best of those."

When asked about the events of last season and the possible fallout from Rory waiting 2,000 years (Making him essentially older than the doctor) how it has affected him, Darvill explained "I think it's kind of a few different effects on him. I think in a way it's made him know himself a bit more. And, well, the biggest thing he's gotten is proved to him that his love for Amy, his relationship with Amy, is the most important thing in his life. And he'll do anything for her. I think it's also kind of made him know that he can do things like that and kind of be a bit more of a hero. So it's kind of given him the... I think also he's kind of been wearing him down slightly, I think as well it has made him, you know, as well as kind of inspiring him and making him more confident. I think in a way it's kind of tired him out. Not in a way that he's now kind of sluggish or lazy but just, you know, the weariness that that does to you has kind of made him kind of a bit wiser but also even more wants to kind of stay out of danger because he doesn't want anything like that to happen again."

On the subject of the many different types of monsters and aliens, when asked which was his favorite out of all of them, Darvill explained that he has taken quite a liking to The Silence who have been the main adversary for this and the previous season saying "the psychological element of what they can do and how they affect people is brilliant. You can't remember their names but they could even be walking around, you know, around our cities at the moment but we'd never know and I just think that's a really brilliant, scary idea."

When asked about what can we expect to see from the rest of the season Arthur talked about the upcoming episode "The God Complex" which is set in a hotel with a minotaur in it. "Each room is kind of a different freaky thing." going on to say if anyone's kind of scared of clowns or ventriloquists then they will possibly want to hide behind their sofas for this episode! Also mentioned was the return of James Corden from last year's stand out episode "The Lodger" where The Doctor and him would end up dealing with some pesky Cybermen. Finally Darvill goes on to hint at the upcoming season finale which he explains that while he can't talk about it too much, "it's about as epic as Doctor Who has ever got and it answers some more questions which I think everyone's dying to hear the answers to."

Finally when the subject of Rory dying over and over again was brought up, Arthur was pretty sure that by now Rory must be a bit sick of it explaining "I think I kept seeing it as a bit of a running joke and I'll ask Steven [Moffat] if there's any kind of big reason for that constantly happening and he's as bad with us as he is with all you guys, with the press and with the public. He won't tell us anything. So I have no idea if this is going to keep happening. I don't know if he's got a big plan for it. But I personally hope that Rory just stops dying."

Be sure to catch Arthur Darvill as Rory "The Roman" Williams-Pond on the upcoming new episode of Doctor Who “The Girl Who Waited” on BBC America, this Saturday, September 10 at 9 pm!

Point your TARDIS toward ComicsOnline.com for more interviews, more coverage of Doctor Who, and everything geek pop culture!

Interview: Bruce Timm discusses Justice League-Crisis on Two Earths & The Spectre

Executive producer Bruce Timm offers new perspective on the creation of Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, the latest entry in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original movies,  and “The Spectre,” the inaugural DC Showcase animated short, in an all-new Q&A with the guru of super hero animation.

 

Warner Home Video distributed the full-length animated Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths on February 23 as a Special Edition 2-disc version on DVD and Blu-Ray Hi-Def, as well as single disc DVD, and On Demand and Download.
 
Timm, the executive producer on “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths,” has been the creative force behind many of Warner Bros. Animation’s modern-day successes, elevating DC Comics’ canon of super heroes to new heights of animated popularity and introducing generations of new fans to the characters via landmark television series and made-for-DVD films. The latter task includes the creation of the current series of DC Universe animated original movies, which have drawn critical acclaim and further whetted the public’s appetite for comic book entertainment. “Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” is the seventh film in the ongoing DC Universe series.
 
And here’s what Mr. Timm had to say …
 
Question:
What excites you about Juctice League: Crisis on Two Earths?
 
Bruce Timm:
In a weird kind of way, this is a return to my favorite show Justice League Unlimited. The original script was intended to be the bridge story between Justice League and Justice League Unlimited to explain how we went from seven heroes to more than 50 super heroes. We loved the story and the script, and it floated around here for years while we tried to figure out what to do with it – it was considered for a comic, but fortunately that got shot down. Then we took a look at it and, with just a few slight tweaks, we jumped at the chance to make it a DC Universe movie.
 
Question:
What sets it apart from the TV version of Justice League?
 
Bruce Timm:
It’s a very satisfying, grand scale adventure movie with a big cast of interesting, quirky characters. It’s amazing how much it feels like a great episode of Justice League Unlimited as a big, epic film with slightly different visual stylings. That’s a good thing.
 
Question:
Did this film present challenges that the first six DC Universe movies did not?
 
Bruce Timm:
The biggest challenge, and this is kind of esoteric, was that we had to find the line between the original source material and making it feel like a stand-alone movie so anyone that didn’t watch JLU could follow it. We really didn’t have to tweak the script too much – I think about 95 percent remains untouched. In terms of visual styling, we also wanted it to stand on its own and not necessarily as a continuation of the old show. We have this brilliant character designer – Phil Bourassa – who draws in a style similar to my own in terms of simplicity, but slightly different. So it doesn’t look 180 degrees away from the old show, but it definitely feels unique.

Superman, Lex Luthor and Batman

Question:
What are the benefits of having two directors on the same film?
 
The positive for Sam and Lauren is that having two directors lightens the workload, because it’s a big movie. They have similar strengths, and they’re both very good at what they do. They’re both all around talented in terms of understanding story, acting, the emotional core of the story, and they’re both really good at directing big crazy action scenes. But they’re methodology is different. Sam thinks a lot, he’s very analytical. Lauren is more intuitive about everything. I just kind of stayed out of it when they had disagreements – fortunately I never had to be the tiebreaker, They just worked things out between the two of them.
 
Question:
What are Dwayne McDuffie’s strengths?
 
Bruce Timm:
Dwayne is really well-rounded as a writer – he knows comics inside and out, he understands the lore, he knows what makes a good super hero story, and at the same time he’s really good with character dynamics and conflict. Plus he’s one of the best dialogue writers in the business.
 
Question:
Of this fairly huge casdt, do you have a favorite character?
 
Bruce Timm:
In this story, it’s probably Owlman. He’s a fascinating character himself, but the dynamic with Superwoman is so messed up as a couple, and yet really appealing in a weird kind of way. It’s a little similar to JLU’s relationship between The Question and Huntress. Superwoman is this badass hot chick, and he’s the quiet, brainy, nerd guy. They’re an interesting, odd couple. Plus I loved both James’ (Woods) and Gina’s (Torres)  performances – they were spot-on. The amazing thing is we like to get all the actors to  record as an ensemble, but in this case it wasn’t feasible, So they never met or performed together, but they totally mesh. It’s such an interesting chemistry considering they’ve never even met.
 
Question:
You’ve brought another all-star cast to this film. Anything fans don’t know about the casting choices this time around?
 
Bruce Timm:
There’s an interesting side note in that Vanessa Marshall, who plays Wonder Woman, came this close to playing the role in Justice League. We were down to the final two choices, and they were neck and neck. The thing about Vanessa is that she sounded perfect for Wonder Woman – exactly what she should sound like. But Susan Eisenberg had this vulnerability. We thought it would be interesting to not play her to type, which ultimately played really well. When it came to casting for this movie, we thought, “What if we go down the road not taken?” So we opted for Vanessa in a full-length movie and she is great.
 

Owlman and Superwoman

 
 Question:
“Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths” includes the premiere of the first DC Showcase animation short, “The Spectre.” How have the DC Showcase shorts changed your work day?
 
Bruce Timm:
The DC Showcase is fun because it gives us an opportunity to play with characters that maybe don’t have a broad enough marquee value to support their own movie. As much as I like Batman, Superman, etc., the more lower tier, offbeat characters are really fascinating to me. It’s fun to mess around with others characters in the DC Universe. Super heroes are great, but it’s nice to do a change of pace, and that’s a lot of what we’ve done here. “The Spectre” is a supernatural thriller,; “Jonah Hex” is a western, and so on. So the Showcase is giving us a chance to stretch different muscles.
 
Question:
After taking a break from episodic TV for the past several years, are you enjoying a return to the short-form with the DC Showcase?
 
Bruce Timm:
The interesting thing is these are really short form – they’re half as long as a half-hour TV episode. So the story has to be really tight and condensed – you have to cut away the fat, but it can’t be just wall-to-wall action. It still has to be a story. Fortunately we’re working with some really great writers, and because of that, every time we roll tape on these shorts, they feel like you’ve watched a whole episode of something. There’s a clear beginning, middle and end – a full story. So mission accomplished.
 
Question:
What made Steve Niles the right guy to write “The Spectre,” and how did you lure him into writing an animated short?
 
Bruce Timm:
I’ve admired Steve Niles’ work for a long time and, honestly, it would have never occurred to me to approach him. That was Todd Casey’s suggestion. He contacted Steve, and Steve was thrilled to get the assignment. He’s a big Michael Fleisher/Jim Aparo fan, and a big fan of “The Spectre” – especially that 1970s era of the character. Steve is very into crime fiction and horror, so he was the perfect writer for it.
 
Question:
Does “The Spectre” hold any special significance for you?
 
“The Spectre” was one of my favorite characters back in the 70s. Even by today’s standards, those comics are pretty hard core, and they were written in 1974, I don’t know how they got some of that stuff past the comic code. It was so different from any other comic on the stands. It’s really dark, really nasty. The character is pretty easy to understand – he’s the dark avenger of the night, even more so than Batman. He punishes bad guys in horrible, horrible ways. He’s like the benign Freddie Krueger. I’ve wanted to use “The Spectre” for a long, long time and we never had a opportunity to do it, and this was our chance to go hog wild with him.
 
 
For more information, images and updates, please visit the film’s official website at www.JUSTICELEAGUECRISIS.com.
 

Buy Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths on Blu-ray or DVD at Amazon.com now
 

Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more Comics news and everything geek pop culture.

Movie News: Green Lantern: Emerald Knights - Interview with Nathan Fillion

Green Lantern: Emerald Knights is releasing on June 7th, and here is a recent interview conducted by WB in honor of the release. Nathan Fillion explains the realistic desires of being a superhero and how he feels about the characters he plays and learning to capture their personality. He also talks of his dreams of being evil (I am glad I am not the only one).

 

And in the video he references mid-video, you can watch the amazingly awesome fan made trailer with Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern rather than the utterly annoying Ryan Reynolds...

 

Pre-order Green Lantern: Emerald Knights on Amazon.com today! And don't forget to see Green Lantern in theaters June 17th.

Keep it with ComicsOnline for more interviews and the latest in Geek Pop Culture!

Movie News: Q&A interview with the sexy Surrogates star Rhada Mitchell!

In celebration of today's release of SURROGATES on Blu-ray & DVD, we at ComicsOnline present you a Q&A interview with the sexy Rhada Mitchell! 

RADHA MITCHELL INTERVIEW FOR SURROGATES
 
With the Surrogates Blu-ray & DVD released, we sit down to chat with actress Radha Mitchell. How does the action star handle stunts in high heels? What’s it like to be a sex symbol? Read on for Radha’s insights into bruises, bungee jumps, Bruce Willis and lots more…
 
What can you tell us about your new Blu-ray & DVD, Surrogates?

Radha: The movie is a sci-fi, action thriller and I play an FBI agent called Peters. The device of the story is that there is a surrogate technology being used in the world and the population is addicted to using it. You plug into a device, which is basically a robot, and that robot goes and performs all of your daily tasks for you. When that happens, you can manicure your life. You can organize and control how you want to live and how you want to feel. However, something goes wrong in this society and my character works alongside Bruce Willis’ character to figure out who committed a murder.
 
Tell us more about the surrogates…

Radha:When the story begins, the technology of surrogates has been around for years. It has been promoted because it’s considered extremely safe. You can have any kind of experience and not feel a thing. For example, you can jump out of a plane, but you’ll never be in physical danger because it’s all done vicariously. However, something terrible has happened to shake up this world – and it’s up to my character and Bruce Willis’ character to find out how and why this murder has occurred.
 


What would you use a surrogate to do for you? Perhaps you’d like to jump out of a plane?

Radha:I think you’d lose part of the experience if you used a surrogate for something like jumping out of a plane. Part of the experience is about risking your own mortality. I’d love to use a surrogate to do all of the boring things in life that I’ve done thousands of times before, like cleaning or household chores. However, I think I’d want to do all of the exciting stuff for myself.
 
Are you a daredevil at heart?

Radha:I haven’t jumped out of a plane, but I did consider it in the past. A friend of mine jumped out of a plane when I was in high school and I remember him coming back with the video, so I thought about doing it back then. Since then, I feel like there’s enough uncertainty in my life as it is without needing to add to the drama. But who knows? Maybe if the opportunity came along, I’d consider it again.
 
Would you ever consider a bungee jump?

Radha:Bungee jumping? No. My most daredevil experience has involved motorbike riding. I survived a motorbike accident because I fell off one, but I’m not too much of a thrill seeker in that sense.
 
Did you have many action scenes in Surrogates?

Radha:I have one action sequence, which was a lot of fun to shoot. I had to drive around downtown Los Angeles on the top of a bus – and my character had to jump from the bus to a car. It was all done in purple high heels, too. That’s the only way to do action scenes!


 
How much of the stunt work were you allowed to do?

Radha:I did some of the stunt work, but there was also a stunt girl on hand. The girl who did my stunts had to swing from ropes between buildings and things like that. There were lawyers on the set making sure I didn’t do too much, but I was allowed to run around in between fast cars and I was strapped to the top of the bus driving through the city. I discovered that I can jump from elevated sections onto targeted marks in high heels, which was fun.
 
Did you get any bruises along the way?

Radha:Yes, I did. I even got a scar. I got scratched jumping onto the back of a car where all of the windows had broken, but I was fine. You live with these things.
 
Are you an action fan?
Radha:I’m not a huge fan of action, but I like it when it’s well done. I like Asian action.
 
Do you like action roles where you get to kick butt?

Radha:I do. I filmed another movie recently where I got to shoot a fight sequence with a zombie and that was a lot of fun. Stunt men really shine in fight sequences and I got to fight a guy in full zombie regalia in a car wash. It was very dramatic and very fun, but I wasn’t in high heels for this one. If you can do it in heels, that’s always a plus.
 
How does it feel to be a sex symbol?

Radha:I don’t think I am a sex symbol. If I was a sex symbol, how would I feel about that? I think that it’s all other people’s projection. It can be fun, but it should never be taken too seriously.
 
What do you find sexy?

Radha:What do I find sexy in the world? I think I find the sun sexy. I think it’s sexy to lie around on the beach all day and have absolutely nothing to do. I think that’s sexy.
 
What are sexier scenes like to shoot on a movie set?
Radha:They are awkward. I wouldn’t wish love scenes on people. They are way too difficult to process. You just have to do them and not think about them.
 
How much fun did you have shooting Surrogates?

Radha:We shot a lot of the movie in Boston, which is a real gritty city where the people are great. I had a driver who had a duel life as a cage fighter, so he was certainly a lot of fun to hang out with every day. We were also near New York, so we could always disappear and visit the Big Apple if we wanted to. It was a big movie, so the sets were elaborate and it was bizarre to play these robots.


 
Why is it difficult to play a robot?

Radha:It’s difficult to play a robot and still keep drama within a scene because what’s robotic is not necessarily dramatic. However, it’s certainly interesting to watch a bunch of robots sitting around talking to each other. It’s an interesting concept to say the least. Playing a robot was a tricky challenge because you have to cut out any idiosyncrasies we have as human beings. You can’t slouch or shake your arms when you move. Robots are clipped, manicured and purposeful in their movements – and there was always someone on set to tell us if we weren’t doing it right.
 
What was it like to work alongside Bruce Willis?

Radha:That was a great experience. He’s the consummate action star and he’s a very funny man. He’s very similar to a lot of the characters he plays and it was a lot of fun to work with him. It was really interesting to see him in the dynamic of the set when he was there.
 
With the Surrogates DVD and Blu-Ray released soon, how much of a fan of DVDs and Blu-Ray are you?

Radha:I’ve just bought a Blu-Ray player and I’m looking forward to using it more. You know what? I love being able to watch movies whenever I feel like it, which is one of the joys of DVDs and Blu-Ray. You can just put on a movie whenever you fancy, which is a luxury that we take for granted – and it’s great. 
 
What DVDs should everyone have in their collection?

Radha:I love the way that you can watch a whole season of a TV show in one sitting on DVD. In that respect, I really like shows like True Blood and Mad Men. However, when it comes to movies, everyone should have Blade Runner, The Matrix and Surrogates in their DVD collection.
 
Does this mean you are a big fan of sci-fi?

Radha:I’m not really, but Blade Runner and The Matrix are epic movies that have changed modern cinema. You should have some other classics in your collection, too.

Check out our full review of Surrogates on Blu-ray here.
 

Buy Surrogates on Blu-ray or DVD at Amazon.com now

Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more interviews and everything geek pop culture.
 

Spectacular Spider-Man Season 2: Exclusive Interview: Kevin Hopps

Sony's Spectacular Spider-Man is set to return to the airwaves shortly and ComicsOnline is the front line for information on the returning series! Over the next few weeks ComicsOnline will be releasing a series of Exclusive Interviews, Reviews, and DVD giveaways leading up to the exciting season premiere!

The first of these exclusive interviews is with Spectacular Spider-Man Staff Writer, Kevin Hopps:

CO: How familiar were you with the Spider-Man universe prior to working on Spectacular?

KH: I was already pretty familiar with the Spider-Man universe but I eagerly reread all the early comics to get ready for this series since the producers were basing it on the early stuff.

CO: In regards to the Mysterio episode (Season 2, Episode 1): What stands out as a highlight for you? What was your overall goal with the introduction of this character?

KH: I liked the way the Mysterio episode turned out. The director on it was Jennifer Coyle and she brought in a lot of her own cool ideas. I'm always trying to keep in mind that some viewers will know a lot about the Spider-Man universe while some won't know all that much about it. So it's a constant struggle to try to please both factions. The goal with this Mysterio episode was to initially play him more as a master of the dark arts but also have it all make sense about his magic when the viewers find out who he really is. I hope I'm not being too vague but I don't want to give too much away in case some readers haven't seen the episode yet.

CO: There is a very big question as to Mysterio's abilities during the episode. In the comics he has always been portrayed as more of a self proclaimed master of illusion but in the episode he gives off more of a dark arts vibe. What was your inspiration for this version of the character?

KH: My inspiration... if you will... came from trying to stay true to who Mysterio really is, who he ultimately will be unveiled to be, and then play him darker and even more mysterious. It's always a challenge making sure the villains are formidable enough to take on the Spectacular Spider-Man... so there's that.

CO: What has been your favorite moment working on this show? Are there any episodes that you are particularly proud of?

KH: Naturally, my favorite moments are always the times when the producers buy lunch. I've been lucky to work on a lot of great episodes: I've written episodes with Electro, Sandman, Green Goblin, Venom (and more). They've all turned out wonderful. The acting and the action has been terrific.

Right now, I'm waiting/hoping for the powers that be to bring me back for another season. I loved working on the show.

CO: If you could work on any superhero project, what would it be and why?

KH: This is tough because I'm a such big superhero fan. Spider-Man, however, is at the top of the list because you've got your superpower heroics mixed in with your human everyday angst and high school soap opera antics. It's full of comedy and action so it's hard to beat.

To Be Continued...

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more information on the Second Season Premiere of the Spectacular Spider-Man and some equally Spectacular Give-aways!

Spectacular Spider-Man Season 2: Exclusive Interviews - Randy Jandt & Jen Coyle

Spectacular Spider-Man: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Adam Van Wyk

Before the characters we know and love make their way to our television screens in their animated form, their every action is planned out thoroughly and storyboarded. Adam Van Wyk is the man behind the scenes storyboarding all of the action of the Spectacular Spider-Man and has done work on several other shows you might have seen. ComicsOnline had the chance to talk to Adam about his current work on Spidey as well as some of his past projects.

CO: How did you become involved with Spectacular Spider-Man?

AVW: It is hard to remember exactly how it came together, but I'm pretty sure my friend, Dave Bullock, gave me a call to let me know he was going to be a director and would like me to be a storyboard artist on his crew. Dave and I met on Batman Beyond and have had the good fortune to work together on several projects since then. I had also worked with the one of the Spider-man producers, Vic Cook, on the Tarzan animated TV show and a few other Disney TV projects.

CO: Were you familiar with the Spider-Man Universe before your work on this show?

AVW: Spider-man is my favorite super hero. I learned to read watching Spider-man on the Electric Company and reading the daily newspaper strip. Doctor Doom and Doctor Octopus will probably always be my favorite villains since they were the first two featured in the daily strip when I discovered it...

CO: Which comic book series have you enjoyed working on the most and why?

AVW: I have been very lucky to work on a lot of super hero properties. I love comics and no Wednesday is complete without a trip to the comic book shop. (I go to Cup of Kryptonite, a coffee shop/comic shop in Des Moines.)

The Spectacular Spider-Man - I love this character. It has been a lot of fun bringing him to life. I really like the live action movies and they have been great inspiration for creating new ways for Spidey to move and use his webbing. Spidey has the best villains too. So far, I have gotten to do episodes with the Lizard, Rhino, Green Goblin, the Black Symbiote, Kraven the Hunter, Molten Man, Black Cat and Silver Sable. They all have a great look (Thanks to Sean "Cheeks" Galloway!) and unique personalities and motivations. It has also been great to work with friends I've made on other shows...My first season director, Dave Bullock, second season director, Kevin Altieri, and producer Vic Cook.

Teen Titans - I was a fan of this show long before I worked on it, so it was a privilege to help with the fun and insanity in seasons 4 and 5. Such great characters and fun stories...

Justice League: The New Frontier - I was a little intimidated working on Darwyn Cooke's masterpiece. My director on this was again Dave Bullock and together we tried to squeeze everything from the comic into the movie. I think it turned out really great. It would be awesome to do a "special edition" of it that includes the Losers sequence in the first issue of the comic. In the end, I think Darwyn enjoyed the adaptation of his work, which was really the most important thing to me. We are friends and I didn't want to let him down!

Batman Beyond - I know this show wasn't based on a comic, but it feels like a comic book show. At the time, I had just been hired to work on the Superman animated series. I worked on one episode, and then we switched to start working on Batman Beyond. At the time, I was disappointed because I wanted to work on more Superman and not some teenage Batman knock off. However, Batman Beyond quickly became the best experience of my career. We got to have our cake and eat it too with an elderly Bruce Wayne, the original Batman, training the new Batman, Terry McGuinness. We had a new hero with a super suit...anything we imagined we could do. Crazy martial arts and anime moves, cool gadgets and powers for the costume, a futuristic Gotham...it was all great fun to play with. I was really new to the business at the time and Batman Beyond was a great learning experience. Dave Bullock and Darwyn Cooke were also storyboarding on the show at the time. They were so generous with their time...they would look over my boards and give suggestions and push me to new heights. I worked for directors Dan Riba and Curt Geda for a few episodes, but mostly with director Butch Lukic. Butch is hilarious to work for. I would usually come to him with some crazy ideas and he would ponder for a moment and they say, "Yeah...try that shit...". When I had sketched all my ideas, he was also good about going through the board with me and finding things that could be taken out and things that could be punched up. I think most of our episodes hold up really well. If you look at the crew, it was a magical convergence of a lot of talent. The producer was Bruce Timm, who I have continued to work for on Justice League and the Warner Premiere movies. The art director was Glen Murikami, who I have worked for on Teen Titans and Ben 10: Alien Force. Another board artist was James Tucker. Tucker moved up to director on Batman Beyond and I have continued working for him when he became a producer on Justice League, Legion of Super Heroes and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. One of the designers was popular comic artist Dave Johnson. Dave was art director on the original Ben 10, which I also worked on. The list goes on and on. The Batman Beyond series was a time of great learning and building friendships for me. It was awesome. And we managed to put together a pretty cool show too!

CO: Have there been any Spider-Man characters that you have enjoyed working on specifically?

AVW: Each villain I have done has had his or her own great scenes. I love the Rhino when he is trashing the Daily Bugle, Green Goblin when he is beating up Spidey with his own webs, Dr. Connors transforming into the Lizard, Black Cat evading laser sensors, Silver Sable blowing up Hammerheads car, and so on...but my favorite scenes were the flashbacks with Peter getting his powers and saying good bye to Uncle Ben. I tried to get as many shots from the Sam Raimi movies and the comics by Steve Ditko, John Romita, John Romita Jr. and Ross Andru as I could. I have the panel of Ben holding Peter's hand as he is dying on the sidewalk pinned to my wall. I made it look as close to the movie as I could...that really is the birth of Spider-Man. So good.

CO: You had mentioned that Batman Beyond was one of your earlier projects, could you share any favorite moments or storylines that you got to work on?

AVW: I really liked the character Inque. I worked on each of her three appearances. Ten from the Royal Flush gang is another favorite character...kind of Terry's Catwoman. Mad Stan is a riot. Art Lee, one of the designers who sat next to me had tons of ideas for Mad Stan's wrestling moves...every day a new sketch for a funny move would appear on my desk. My favorite episode was "Lost Soul". It was creepy, had great mood, atmosphere, and crazy action. I think is showed the strength of Terry and Bruce's relationship. (Let me tell you, it can get confusing when the producer of the show and the main character of the show are both named "Bruce"... sometimes I was unsure which Bruce people were talking about!) I really liked Terry fighting the Batsuit...showing that Terry IS Batman. The suit is just a costume. It is the person inside that matters.

CO: If you could work on any Comic character who would it be and why?

AVW: Spider-Man! He's still my favorite. Spider-Man is the best because he does what is right even though it ruins his life. He's always breaking dates with girls he loves, disappointing Aunt May and Jonah Jameson. He's on the run from the cops, all the villains want him dead, he's always broke and tired and late...his life would be so much better if he never put on the costume. But he has learned the hard way that people like his Uncle Ben need Spider-Man. With great power comes great responsibility!

Thanks for the questions. I hope everyone enjoys the surprises waiting for them in Spectacular Spider-Man season 2!

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more EXCLUSIVE interviews with the team from Spectacular Spider-Man!

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - Exclusive Interviews

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies hit stores today, and to celebrate, how about some exclusive individual interviews with five of the creators and talent? We've got interviews with actor Clancy Brown of LOST and Earth 2 fame, Bruce Timm of everything DC Universe Animated fame, Kevin Conroy the definitive voice of Batman, Andrea Romano the casting and voice director for everything in the animated DCU, and Stan Berkowitz who adapted into a screenplay the original six-issue arc by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness that began the Superman/Batman series back in 2003.

The aforementioned writer Stan Berkowitz

Clancy Brown has escaped the Swan Hatch, but can he escape justice at the hands of Superman and Batman?

Kevin Conroy is Batman.

Bruce Timm is one of the principal architects of the animated DCU.

Andrea Romano is at the top of her field, clearly loves her job, and is always one of our best interviews every Con because she is so passionate about what she does.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies- Interview with John C. McGinley

John C. McGinley scrubs in as super villain Metallo
in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

Scrubs star joins stellar voice cast for all-new DC Universe Animated
Original PG-13 Movie.

From the trauma of war in Oliver Stone films to hospital humor on
Scrubs, John C. McGinley has covered the acting gamut. But in his
latest role – as the voice of Metallo in Superman/Batman: Public
Enemies – McGinley finally gets to delve into a characterization he
has rarely been offered: pure villainy.

McGinley voices one of the featured villains in Superman/Batman:
Public Enemies, a blockbuster blast of super heroes and villains alike
that includes the voices of Kevin Conroy (Batman), Tim Daly
(Superman), Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), Allison Mack (Power Girl),
Xander Berkeley (Captain Atom), Ricardo Chavira (Major Force), LeVar
Burton (Black Lightning), CCH Pounder (Amanda Waller) and a host of
others.
 

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to
release the all-new Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on September 29,
2009 in a Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a
single disc DVD. Warner Home Video will distribute the action-packed
movie, which will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well
as available for download that same day.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is based on the popular Jeph Loeb/Ed
McGuinness comic series/graphic novel. Animation legend Bruce Timm
(Superman Doomsday, Green Lantern) is executive producer. Michael
Goguen (Justice League: The New Frontier) is supervising producer. Sam
Liu (The Batman) is directing a script written by Stan Berkowitz
(Justice League: The New Frontier).

In the film, United States President Lex Luthor uses the oncoming
trajectory of a Kryptonite asteroid to frame Superman and declare a $1
billion bounty on the heads of the Man of Steel and his “partner in
crime,” Batman. Heroes and villains alike launch a relentless pursuit
of Superman and Batman, who must unite – and recruit help – to stave
off the action-packed onslaught, stop the asteroid, and uncover
Luthor’s devious plot to take command of far more than North America.

McGinley has crafted a well-rounded career in film and television,
forcing audiences to instantly take note with his performances in
Oliver Stone films like Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July.
McGinley has garnered top-notch reviews for his turns in Any Given
Sunday, Office Space, Wall Street, The Rock, Nixon and Point Break,
and he is instantly recognizable to television audiences for his
portrayal of the sarcastic, abusive, hilarious Dr. Cox in 169 episodes
of Scrubs. Mc Ginley is also no stranger to animation, having spent
significant hours in the sound booth recording for The Boondocks,
Justice League (as The Atom), WordGirl (as The Whammer) and in guest
spots on King of the Hill, Kim Possible, Robot Chicken and Spider-Man.

McGinley took a few minutes after his recording session as Metallo to
discuss the pleasures of preparation, the similarities of Andrea
Romano and Oliver Stone, his personal commitment the National Down
Syndrome Society’s Buddy Walk, and the definition around Hollywood
casting departments of the “John C. McGinley type.” But enough of our
words, here are his – a Q&A with John C. McGinley, the voice of
Metallo in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

QUESTION:
What were the joys and challenges of getting behind a microphone for a
character like Metallo?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
It’s a real treat to collaborate with the creative folks once you get
in the booth.  Ten out of ten times the people on the other side of
the glass know the character better than you are ever going to – they
have been working on this for months or years. All you can do is try
to return serve because you are given all this wonderful, precise
direction.  I’ve found over the years it is really, really helpful to
just integrate and go. It’s also a treat that the people on the other
side of the glass are pretty much the top one percent of their
industry, and I get to have this kind of creative input. You get on a
lot of film sets and everybody is rolling the dice.  Everybody is
guessing their best. The people in that booth are not guessing, they
know this stuff backwards. That to me is a huge asset.

QUESTION:
What were your impressions of the script for Superman/Batman: Public Enemies?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
The fun part for me showing up on any set is the preparation.  A lot
of times when you are doing a play or a film, things are going to go
wrong. You’re going to lose the light or the sound is going to stop
working. Even in a controlled environment like that booth, which lends
itself to things going right and to things flourishing, there are
sometimes things that can go wrong and, thus, compromises will need to
be made. So it behooves the actor to come loaded for bear.  If you are
100 percent ready and we have to make 40 percent compromises, then
unless you have that other 60 percent ready it is going to kind of
just go flat instead of elevating it.  My favorite thing, which may
sound a little presumptuous, is to try to elevate the material.

QUESTION:
Did you enter the world of super heroes through comic books or otherwise?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
My earliest memories of Batman are watching the live-action series
with Batman and Robin.  That was the coolest Batmobile and you had
Frank Gorshin as the Riddler and Caesar Romero being the Joker.  As
far as Superman goes, it was more about the Christopher Reeve films. I
was not a comic book reader.  When we played as kids, we were always
acting out stuff we saw Batman doing , or the Green Hornet or Aquaman.
But that inspiration came from Saturday morning cartoons and not
proper comic books.

QUESTION:
As a non-comics reader, does voicing a comic character still lend
itself to some child-like thrill for you?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
Well, of course, it is big fat privilege to work with these characters
– and it is really fun now with Hi-Def.  It just kind of jumps off the
screen, and the transfers (to Hi-Def) are so beautiful now and
perfect. It’s completely thrilling because the state of the art has
exceeded anybody's wildest expectations. It is astonishing. It is not
as fun to see my voice come out of a character as it is really
rewarding.  To be a tiny component in the evolution of animation as
the voice of a character is thrilling.

My son is old enough to hear and recognize my voice coming out of the
characters, but it doesn't resonate with him yet. My daughter will,
and that is pretty cool. Not necessarily to be a killer robot, but we
will see how things evolve.

QUESTION:
Actors tend to be very self-critical. Is it easier to watch an
animated film with your voice coming out of a character than it is to
watch yourself on-screen in live-action productions?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
If I have a script early enough, I have a room set aside in our house
as a rehearsal space.  I set up a camera and I rehearse in front of
the camera, especially for Dr. Cox on Scrubs, who has these long
two-page, single-space rants. So it is almost like somebody practicing
foul shots. It sounds simple – go to the free throw line and shoot a
foul shot. But Larry Bird shot a million foul shots in French Lick
before he ever tried for Indiana State or the Boston Celtics. So I
feel like if you have text early enough, it really is in the actor's
best interests to go just hash about in front of a lens.

One thing the lens does is it exposes bad habits.  Like an X-ray
machine taking a picture of a fracture.  We all have nervous ticks,
things we do when you can't remember a line.  But if you watch
yourself, you can see for yourself – the camera exposes those
liabilities like an X-ray machine. So yes, I watch myself on film as
much as possible because the learning curve just objectively is
through the roof.

QUESTION:
You’ve worked with some impressive live-action directors. What’s it
like working with Andrea Romano in the animated realm?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
Andrea Romano is not dissimilar to Oliver Stone in a lot of ways, in
as much as they’re both like a thoroughbred at The Kentucky Derby.
They both put on creative blinders like a thoroughbred. Oliver and
Andrea both put on blinders and invite you into that narrow creative
vision which is the perfect division for the piece.  So that you don't
have to do anything, you don't have to guess. Come right inside here
and it is going to be good.  When you come in there with Oliver Stone
or with Andrea, it is Nirvana.  You will now shine.

QUESTION:
We’ve heard the expression, but can you define a John C. McGinley “type”?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
The John C. McGinley type usually is one of about seven different
things.  It is a niche that I fell into, not of my own doing, but it
became the part in the films where either you are the best friend, the
co-worker, the bad guy, the brother who dies and compels the hero into
action in the third act, the boss, now the father of the kids, the
head of the hospital usually in a position of authority. For a long
time there was a group of us – Ving Rhames, me and about a half a
dozen other guys – who would be the component in the story.  Who would
reiterate the who, what, where, when and how a couple times throughout
the movie.  You need somebody who can speak the speech without getting
in the way of the speech.  The hero is not going to do that.  So every
once in a while throughout the progression of a story, we need to be
reminded where the bomb is, when it is going to go off and who the bad
guys are. So that the hero can do his job.  That “type” has paid the
bills for a long time.

QUESTION:
You’re a bit of a super hero yourself as the national spokesperson for
the National Down Syndrome Society’s Buddy Walk. What’s the essence of
this endeavor?

JOHN C. MCGINLEY:
The Buddy Walk is our national day of empowerment, encouragement and
elevation.  There are nearly 300 walks that happen in September and
October throughout the United States – and these are great, great
days. When you have a child born with special needs, a lot of parents
think they did something wrong. They beat themselves up and they don't
realize that there is a much larger community out there who also have
kids with special needs.  This is a day of inclusion, where we want
people to know that you have a chance now to be a great parent, which
is what it is going to take. The day is as much about including and
loving the caregivers as it is about the kids.  We attempt to raise
money, but that is not really my mantra. It is about coming out and
just getting the love.  It is all about introducing people to
nutritional intervention and further education. It’s a short walk –
not a marathon, just a mile. And it is a lovely day where we include,
elevate and celebrate the similarities that the children and the
parents have instead of their differences.  It’s a very important
cause.

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more news about Superman/Batman: Public Enemies!

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies- Interview with LeVar Burton

LeVar Burton is electric as Black Lightning in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

Star Trek: The Next Generation star adds sci-fi cache to all-star cast of
sixth DC Universe Animated Original PG-13 Movie.

As the voice of Black Lightning, LeVar Burton adds another level of
fanboy cache to a cast thick with legends of the super hero genre in
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, the next entry in the popular series
of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies.

Superman/Batman: Public Enemies boasts a cast headed by the definitive
voices of its three central characters – Kevin Conroy (Batman), Tim
Daly (Superman) and Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor), the original voices
from the landmark Superman: The Animated Series and Batman: The
Animated Series.

Burton is forever beloved by the sci-fi crowd for his memorable
performance as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next
Generation and its feature film versions. However, Burton has done far
more than go “where no man has gone before.”
 

In a career that essentially launched with his breakthrough
performance in the landmark miniseries Roots, Burton has garnered
seven Emmy Awards, three Image Awards, a Peabody as well as a Grammy,
and in 1990 was permanently enshrined as a star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame.

Along the way, Burton has been a virtual fixture on television screens
– from his 176 episodes of Next Gen and 150 episodes of Reading
Rainbow, to another 41 episodes of The $10,000 Pyramid and 58 episodes
as Kwame in Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Along the way, he has
also directed several episodes of the last four Star Trek series (The
Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise), appeared in
feature films (most notably as Martin Luther King, Jr. in Ali), and
even spent some time in the recording booth for Batman: The Animated
Series, Gargoyles and Family Guy.

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to
release the all-new Superman/Batman: Public Enemies on September 29,
2009 in a Blu-Ray™ Hi-Def edition, a special edition 2-disc DVD, and a
single disc DVD. Warner Home Video will distribute the action-packed
movie, which will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well
as available for download that same day.

Burton’s turn as Black Lightning brought him back to the recording
booth – and while he was there, he took the time to discuss the joys
of playing a super hero, his childhood comic book memories on a
military base in Germany, the importance of reading, and the use of
sci-fi as an inspiration for our future. Here’s LeVar …

QUESTION:
Was it difficult to settle on a voice for Black Lightning?

LEVAR BURTON:
I think everybody has a super hero that lives inside of them, so I
just went to that place, that deep kind of super hero voice.

QUESTION:
What were your comic book habits as a kid?

LEVAR BURTON:
I grew up, part time, in Germany. My father was in the military, so we
used to trade comic books for entertainment. On Saturdays, you took
your box with all your comic books and you went around from apartment
building to apartment building, trading comic books with the other
American kids living on the base.  Television was in German
(language), so we didn’t watch TV – we read comics. But this was
before black super heroes came around – they didn’t start appearing
until the '70s. So it's mildly exciting for me to actually have a
chance to play a black super hero today.

QUESTION:
Choose one: Batman or Superman?

LEVAR BURTON:
When I was a kid, it was always Batman over Superman. Batman had all
the cool stuff, and he just had a vibe. Superman was the All-American
guy but, with Batman, there’s a little something going on.  Batman’s
history was a little edgier, and there was just something really
attractive to me about the cowl. Superman is all out there, even
though he does the Clark Kent thing, but Batman keeps his identity
hidden.  He has this double life that’s very sexy, very attractive for
a kid.  Not that I didn’t like Superman – the whole kryptonite thing
is all well and good – but Batman was my guy.

QUESTION:
What makes comic books great literature?

LEVAR BURTON:
People ask me all the time, because I did Reading Rainbow on PBS for
25 years, “How do I get my kids to read?”  And I say, “Find something
that they’re passionate about.” If it’s comic books that they want to
read, then buy them comic books, for goodness sakes.  Comic books are
good literature and, like science fiction, they have a tendency to
really draw us toward that part of ourselves that imagines that which
we create.

I'm one of those people that believes that there was some kid back in
the 1960s watching Star Trek, and he kept seeing Captain Kirk pull out
this communicator and flip it open – and  that kid grew up and became
an engineer, a designer of products, and we now have a device that is
more common than the toaster. How many flip phones do you see on a
daily basis? That which we imagine is what we tend to manifest in
third dimension –  that’s what human beings do, we are manifesting
machines.  The metaphor of a man who has an external electronic
device, something man-made that serves him and somehow serves
humanity, and that he becomes so aligned with that device, with the
power of that device, that at one point he can discard it – I think
that’s a real metaphor for the human journey. One day we won’t need a
transporter device to get from one place to another.  And it begins
with the wheel and then migrates through airplanes to some future
technology that we can’t produce yet but we can imagine.  Imagination
is really the key part of the human journey, it’s the key to the
process of manifesting what our heart's desire is.

When I was a kid, it was comic books that pointed me in that direction
and from comic books I went to science fiction literature, which is
still one of my most favorite genres of literature to read.  Don’t
underestimate the power of comics and what they represent for us and
how they inform us on the journey of being human – because it’s
powerful. It’s very powerful. They give us permission to contemplate
what’s possible. And in this world, in this universe, there's nothing
that is not possible.  If you can dream it, you can do it.

QUESTION:
Can you appreciate the passion of the sci-fi fan?

LEVAR BURTON:
Oh yeah. Because I am one. When I was a kid, I read a lot of science
fiction books and it was rare for me to see heroes of color in the
pages of those novels.  Gene Roddenberry had a vision of the future,
and Star Trek was one that said to me, as a kid growing up in
Sacramento, California, “When the future comes, there’s a place for
you.”  I’ve said this many times, and Whoopi (Goldberg) feels the same
way – seeing Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of the Enterprise meant
that we are a part of the future.  So I was a huge fan of the original
series and to have grown up and become of that mythos, a part of that
family, and to represent people dealing with physical challenges, much
like what Nichelle Nichols represented for people like Whoopi and
myself, I can’t even begin to share with you what that means to me.
It was just beyond the beyond.  So I get Star Trek fans, I get science
fiction fans because, again, science fiction literature is that body
of literature that causes us to ask what I feel are two of the most of
the most powerful words – in sequence, in language – “what if?”  And
that’s an open door, that’s an open door to use your imagination to
dream and to dream the big dream.  As an actor, I dress up for a
living and I get paid for it so, to see a guy come to a convention in
his costume that he’s made – it’s a good thing, you know. This guy
isn’t out there beating his wife or kicking his dog, he’s engaging in
a healthy fantasy role-play.  I think too many grown ups forget how
important that part of our lives are, the ability to imagine and to
dream. So it’s all good.

QUESTION:
You’re Black Lightning for this film. If you could play any super hero
role, do you have a role you covet?

LEVAR BURTON:
Well, I’ll start with Black Lightning.  That ain’t a bad place to
start. I mean, come on, if you’re going to play a super hero, why not
play the first real black super hero in the pantheon?  I'm good with
that.

QUESTION:
Does voiceover work have any special appeal for you?

LEVAR BURTON:
I love voiceovers because, and I’m sure you hear this from actors all
the time, but it’s kind of pure acting.  For many years on Next Gen, I
wore this visor over my eyes and one of the things that I discovered
was that it’s really difficult to communicate, or it’s harder to
communicate, when you can’t see someone’s eyes. As a result of playing
Geordi, I really do recognize how important the voice is – and what a
facile tool for communication the voice can be. When I was kid, we
listened to radio a lot for entertainment and I remember how vivid
that was for me. To this day, I listen to NPR and I love doing audio
books – because it’s like it’s pure storytelling. It’s sitting around
the fire and sharing stories, really engaging your imagination. So, as
an actor, sitting in front of a microphone and creating is just so
much fun because it really does break it down to its most pure and
elemental level.  It’s just you and the voice and the character
telling a story.

QUESTION:
Does it ever feel odd to be acting all alone?

LEVAR BURTON:
Well, during the physical parts of the voiceover, when you’re doing
all the action scenes, I think if you were an alien and dropped into a
recording studio and were observing a session, you would really wonder
about the sanity of the beings that you are observing. But it’s fun
and it feels a little silly, but that’s what gets it done.  When
they’re in that mode, I think actors are just big kids – and we like
playing in the sandbox.

 

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more news on the upcoming Superman/Batman: Public Enemies!

TV Interview: Breaking In Conference Call with Alphonso McAuley and Adam Goldberg

Recently ComicsOnline was invited for the chance to sit down with Alphonoso McAuley who plays Cash on Fox's new amazing comedy series Breaking In along with series Excutive Producer/Writer Adam Goldberg and talk with them about the series and what is coming up... as well as how big of geeks they actually are..

...

Q: For Alphonso, what do you like best about playing Cash, and how much like your character are you?

Alphonso McAuley:    Let’s see. I like that Cash is quirky and he’s a nerd, and also he’s a Fanboy. Those three things are pretty cool because they’re different from other characters that I’ve played before. And so I kind of - I get to have fun with that you know. And I would say probably about - yes, somewhat like Cash because I have a few figurines, a few comic books, things like that.

Adam Goldberg:    Go on. Tell them about your Legos. Tell them about your Star Wars Legos. Tell the right now.

Alphonso McAuley:    I do have some Star Wars Legos, and used to have some Superman briefs. Those were pretty cool, but they just - those got worn out, and I don’t know. I’m looking for some new - I got to get some like Chewbacca briefs or something. Or like - or maybe like a Han Solo - like an ascot or something like that. That’d be nice.

Q:  So the Comic-Con theme, the episode that we’re talking about, I’m kind of curious as to why you chose to make it about a Goonies sequel? Like is there some sort of attachment to Goonies for you guys?

Adam Goldberg:    Well, that’s strictly me. I know when Peter Jackson was doing King Kong, he said like that’s the reason he became a director. For me, Goonies is the reason I became a writer. You know, that was the movie from my childhood I saw a trillion times, know every line.

And when we were doing this episode, which is about you know a movie being stolen. It was roughly based when - off of when Wolverine got stolen and went online. We thought, piracy was a cool kind of thing for the group to take on.

The studios were really hesitant. We tried to get Green Lantern and a bunch of movies coming out. But I think understandably, the subject matter of a moving being stolen and going on line was a little iffy for them. So I thought well, what’s the one movie that I feel like should be made and it’s not in current active development? And that was Goonies 2 for me. So it really became a way for me to have Goonies kind of play out to the group as this whole adventure happens for them.

So it worked out so well and I got to keep a lot of the Goonies props and signs. They’re all over my office right now, which is sweet.

Alphonso McAuley:    Right. Right. And me, I’m just from the Goon Docks, so they were like, “Hey, Alphonso, get in there.”

Q: You get to wear a lot of cool outfits Alphonso. I really like some of the - you wore a Star Trek uniform. Star Wars. I think that was a Han Solo outfit. What are some of the outfits - some of your favorite outfits so far? Are - is there anything really cool that you're excited about being able to wear in some of your future episodes?

Adam Goldberg:    Alphonso, give them a spoiler from the finale. Spoiler from the finale.

Alphonso McAuley:    Okay. A spoiler from the finale. Spoiler alert! I actually get to wear a full Voltron suit, which is like the...

Adam Goldberg:    It’s so amazing.

Alphonso McAuley:    I literally get...

Adam Goldberg:    It is unbelievable.

Alphonso McAuley:    Yes.

Adam Goldberg:    I wrote for the Voltron TV show, so I know the whole gang over that’s doing the new Nickelodeon show. And first, I wanted it to be an Optimus Prime, and it cost - it was like they wanted $30 grand or something, so I called my Voltron buddies and they were like - they immediately FedExed out this giant like suit. I don’t even know how you were able to walk around Alphonso. It’s so ridiculous. But it’s just unbelievable. So, I’m really excited about that one.

Alphonso McAuley:    Oh, yes. Yes.

Adam Goldberg:    Yes.

For all those Voltron fans out there, and everyone else is going to go, “What? What’s Voltron?” So - but they made me happy.

Q: There have been a number of series where maybe in one episode the cast has been required to do something like break through a security system to prove a point, but it’s never been done as a series, as far as I can recollect, let alone a workplace comedy. How did you come to choose this idea as the one you wanted to go with? And how did that draw in the cast that you have? It’s a wonderful cast.

Adam Goldberg:    Yes. The cast is amazing. I mean for me, I wanted to do a workplace comedy. Happy Madison and I were going to do a show together, and I met up with the Director, Seth Gordon, who did the King of Kong, which is one of my - literally one of my favorite movies ever. And he just knew about this world.

He’s really into doing documentaries on quirky kind of offbeat people, and he got to know a lot of these hackers who specialize in Internet - in cyber security, Internet security. So, we just got talking about - and these are kind of the people that I know in terms of you know geeks and it’s a culture that I love that I’ve written about in movies. And I am one, so it just seemed like a great match.

So for us, we pitch it to Fox as like the A-Team meets The Office. It’s just a group of oddballs. You could have the fun office story mixed in with a caper and just have a really fun fast half an hour of television. It just seemed like something that really hadn’t been done.

And you know its big challenge every week to mix an office story with a caper. But yes - but you know, that’s how it kind of came about. Just meeting Seth and him introducing me to this world, and me kind of taking the people that I know and kind of putting - setting up the characters.

And then of course, the cast. You know, Alphonso bringing - you know, the cast - just we got really lucky that everyone really pops and every character feels distinct and different, and their voices are really specific. So it’s - I got really lucky that way.

Q: So now we know why you choose Goonies. Now is there any specific reason why you chose Comic-Con besides it being you know, geek Mecca?

Adam Goldberg:    I mean, for me - it’s funny. I’ve been going to the San Diego convention for man, 15 years, and just watched it go from a thing where my friends would make fun of me for going to now having them go with me and having to show them around and stuff. So it - I just love that it’s become very mainstream. I mean, I prefer some of the smaller conventions personally, because I get to shop more.

And I love that -, even though this wasn’t specifically the San Diego Comic-Con, that’s kind of what we wanted to do. Just - it’s just big and fun, and kind of - like you said, the Mecca for movies and now TV. It just seemed like a great way to do caper and kind of explore all the things that I love.

We - just the episode is packed with you know Avatar, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; just all that stuff is really fun. I think for Fox, I think they were surprised at the tonnage of just how much stuff was in there, and I don’t know that they understood all of it. I don’t know that they get the Sloth or the Truffle Shuffle references. But you know all I can do is what I think is funny. What I want to - what I believe in - will work on TV, and just hope that there’s someone out there that will respond to it.

If not, like you said, it’s just me and my wife laughing at it at the very least. And getting Alphonso in ridiculous costumes is always fun.

Alphonso, tell them about who you play - your character in Comic-Con.

Alphonso McAuley:    Oh. Yes. Yes. Yes. Comic-Con people are going to get a kick out of this. He’s a super hero of comics that Cash has made up himself, and his name is Black Zeus. And I...

Adam Goldberg:    He’s a rapper by day, super hero by night.

Alphonso McAuley:    Super hero by night. And I’m sure people will be quoting me on the theme song. “Black Zeus”.

Adam Goldberg:    Yes. We love it. I love that Cash is self-publishing his own super hero comic, and that’s why he goes to Comic-Con to try and set it up somewhere. Find someone to publish it.

Alphonso McAuley:    Exactly. He’s looking for a deal. He’s looking for a record deal. Or some display. He’s looking for that.

Q: Do you have plans to take the cast to Comic-Con this year?

Adam Goldberg:    Oh, I - I mean, we went to WonderCon, and that was so amazing, especially watching - Christian had never been to any convention. And an unknown fact about him is he is as big as a Trekker there is. I mean, he’s a huge Trek fan. He loves - I mean, he’s the one who put in all the Highlander references in the second episode. He loves Sci-Fi. He loves fantasy.

So, he had never been to the - to any convention, and he literally was texting me like, “I just got a picture with a Gorn!” And he was just thrilled and he’s walk up to these actors with booths and pay money to like - he’d pay $20.00 to get a picture, - they were like, “I can’t believe Christian Slater is paying me money to take a picture with me.” I think everyone has their thing from childhood that they love, or that movie or show now that they love. You know whether - it’s just what intensity do you kind of put that out there. I mean, Christian was the one that got the - that was his Captain Kirk chair that he had in his house that he made all these calls around town to get legal clearance for it, because he wanted Oz to be like a Captain Kirk.

So yes. That was just a blast to walk around the floor with Alphonso. Had you ever been to a convention Alphonso?

Alphonso McAuley:    Actually, no. That was my first time as well. And I think the amazing element to it was that so many people wore - whatever costume it was that they had one, they wore it with great conviction. So they were like - they said, “No. I am the Dark Knight.” Or, “I am the Joker” You know, and I’m like, “What?”

Adam Goldberg:    Yes. Yes. Totally.

So as far as going to San Diego, I would love that. I’m there every year as a fan, so it would be really cool to watch all the actors up on a panel talk about the show. That would kind of be a dream for me. So I hope that they pick up the show. That we can go.

Q: You have a lot of geeky references in the show from Cash, and the previously mentioned, the Leeroy Jenkins in last night’s episode. How obscure and how crazy are you guys going with some of these references? Because Leeroy Jenkins is pretty out there when it comes to obscure geek references. And what can we expect coming up in terms of geeky jokes?

Adam Goldberg:    I mean for me, nothing beats Community. No one can compete. So I - they get as obscure - I think they just did a Pulp Fiction wrapped in a My Dinner with Andre. ...that’s as obscure as you can get, and I thought it was genius.

So for me, I mean we are on right now after American Idol. I wanted to make it a little bit more accessible. We’re doing a Tron thing. We’re doing Star Wars. The - you know, I’m trying to fill the show with these Internet memes especially on Alphonso’s t-shirts. So that’s the more obscure thing for me.

As far as movies and TV, I want that to be a little bit more recognizable and mainstream. But for me, it’s the - what you're talking about the Leeroy Jenkins, these Internet memes that I’m obsessed with that I probably spend way too much time online looking at and laughing at.

We did a Hedo Rick, that’s the ripping and the tearing guy. I don’t know if you know that one. I don’t think anyone but a small group will appreciate that. But you know, that’s - I like those shout outs and I love when I watch Community and I’m like, “Oh. I’m in on the joke,” and that’s really fun.

So, I’m trying to do that. Whether or not people know or respond - if you do, that just - I feel like that’s a cool club you could be in with these - especially with the Internet memes.

But as far as the movies and the TV, I want to make it a little bit more accessible right now for the first six, and maybe next season we’ll get a - we’ll do a Solarbabies. I like solar - so there’s some obscure stuff we can get into. Sure.

Right now I’m trying to keep it a little bit...

Alphonso McAuley:    And I want to play Jaba.

Adam Goldberg:    You want to play Jaba next year?

Alphonso McAuley:    I might play Jaba next year.

Q: In the season premier, we saw Alphonso stalking William Shatner. Is he going to stalk anyone at Comic-Con?

Adam Goldberg:    I mean right now, I think - well, the episode now is about how the Comic-Con job causes a falling out between Cameron and Cash. So he’s - you know, so that’s really the thrust of the episode.

I kind of - it’s funny. In our first draft, we had a whole runner where he was stalking Gil Gerard. And Gil Gerard was ultimately his alibi when Cash was accused of stealing the movie. So that kind of unfortunately fell out. I really wanted to focus on the character story and not make it about Gil Gerard as much.

So - it’s so funny that you asked that question because I was defiantly there in many drafts, but ultimately kind of opted for having it be a little bit more about the character and not so much about having him stalk a Sci-Fi guy. I just wanted to meet Gil Gerard. That’s what it was.

Do you remember Alphonso the line or something like you were harassing Gil Gerard because it’s supposed to - Buck Rogers was supposed to take place in the future, but he had ‘70’s sideburns, and that’s what you were like...

Alphonso McAuley:    Yes.

Adam Goldberg:    You remember that? You were chasing him and asking why? Why?

Alphonso McAuley:    I remember that. And there was another reference - I thought Christian came in with some reference that was in there dude, that was so hilarious.

Adam Goldberg:    Yes. Yes. And then Gil Gerard gave Cash an autograph that said, “Go away. Gil Gerard.” That’s what the head shot said.

Q: Now on the Big Bang Theory, they have a physicist on staff that helps make sure that show is in line with all sort of - the physics and the science, and all that stuff. Are you guys using anyone? Obviously, you're probably all familiar with -- Adam especially -- of technology and staying relevant with that. But are - do you have anyone on staff that helps guide your stuff to make sure it’s actually legit?

Adam Goldberg:    We do. We have a guy named (Eric Cabadus) who’s a - he’s a hacker basically. And he contacted us because he saw the pilot and he was like, “I just want it to feel real. And in the same way that you're doing shout outs to the Goonies fans and people who know the Internet memes, like I want to give shout outs to my friends who have program.” So he basically reads every episode.

And it’s so funny. He’s amazing. Sometimes - you know, we just don’t have time to - it always ends up I’m going to hack the firewall. That’s like the big joke. And you know, we want it - but if you want to make it sound real, it ends up taking about 45 minutes to explain. So, we really want to put forth that effort. I think we meet somewhere in the happy middle.

But especially all of the programs that they run, those are real hacking programs. Some of them are his friend’s programs that they’ve made. So it’s - yes. We defiantly - in the same way that Big Bang wants to keep - I know on their boards it’s all real, so we wanted to do the same thing.

And we’ve had to change some stories because he’s like, “There’s no way you - they could do this thing. What you're talking about just doesn’t exist in reality and we want it to seem real.” So we’ve had to - it makes the stories harder to break because it’s harder to outline just because sometimes it - you want it to feel easy but that’s not how it exists in reality.

So hopefully, it should feel a little bit more real than the average show, because we do have our guy. Our super hacker.

Alphonso McAuley:    Exactly.

Q: You guys are getting some respectable ratings, and they seem to be holding. Are you comfortable with where you're standing right now?

Adam Goldberg:    I mean, yes. You know, you - it’s such a crazy time because they - you know, you read all the pilots they’re doing and they sound so cool. And I know they have with Zoey Deschanel I’m excited to see. So I know - it’s like we’re doing solid. We’re doing well. We are - we’ve leveled off at a number that all of us on the - the writers and producers are really happy with. And we just hope that Fox is creatively happy with the show when it comes time to pick new one.

Am I ever going to feel - that’s the thing about having your own TV show. It’s - what I’ve discovered is every week you're opening a movie. It’s like every Wednesday night I’m on - I’m just so stressed out. And in the morning, you just - you wake up at 6:00 and you just wait. So am I ever going to feel totally comfortable? No, because any week you could go up. Any week you can go down.

But right now, we’re very hopeful.

Q: Now Alphonso you have a lot of great lines in - so far in the series. And you're delivering them perfect. Is there any of them that you've ad-libbed, or do you stick close to the script? Are there any good ones you’ve tried to - like insert in there that didn’t get in?

Alphonso McAuley:    Yes, as Adam laughs.

Adam Goldberg:    I’m laughing. I’ll answer for him. Yes, he ad-libs like crazy, and yes we use it. I mean, man; everything - especially Rosenbaum - actually everybody has their ad-libs. And you know on this show, I’ve told them if - I’m not down on stage all the time, so I said if you guys come up with something really funny, email it to me and we’ll put it in the show.

So yes, Alphonso is an amazing improver and we are using a lot. And as the writers, we’re all taking credit for the funny stuff that he says, and the other actors. So it’s awesome.

But - I mean, “You're tapping the grave dance,”  I guess that was something you did with your friends or something? What was that story?

Alphonso McAuley:    That actually came out of - I was doing this film for - some of the geeks who know about Fat Albert and all of that. We were - so we were doing Fat Albert and that thing just came out of this - we were talking about R&B singers and how they moved their pelvis toward the audience, you know while they’re singing.

And so it just came out of like this - like R&B like movement that I kind of like did. And then we kind of evolved it into like this entire thing on the set. And we would just always do it like - sort of like really, really fast and it just - it grew out of that.

Guys like Marques Houston, Kenan Thompson; we were just all doing that move like throughout the film.

Adam Goldberg:    That’s awesome. Did they even call and say, “Hey. You did the dance from Fat Albert.”

Alphonso McAuley:    No. No. I don’t even know if they know I’m on a show.

Adam Goldberg:    That’s fair. That’s fair.

Q: Do you guys have Twitter? Are you using that kind of social medium to get your cast and your - you know, the show out?

Adam Goldberg:    Cash - Alphonso, have you checked out your Cash Twitter Alphonso?

Alphonso McAuley:    Yes. I saw the Cash Twitter. I cut all my stuff out, but I’m going to put it back out. I’m going to put it back out.

Adam Goldberg:    I know we got - we’re using - we - me and the writers have three characters we’re doing Tweets from. Dutch, Cash, and Creep Carol. So - and every night when the show is airing, I just - I love following what people are saying, the good and the bad. And it’s really helpful to see what jokes people are responding to and what stuff people aren’t. So then, you can - when you're thinking of new shows, you go, “Oh. You know, people didn’t really like this about that character.”

So, I appreciate the honesty. And I think when people Tweet, they don’t realize that like the creators are really - or the writers and producers are really following what people are saying. So it’s so helpful that way.

And especially like people quoting - just throwing out lines that they like. You know sometimes, it’s a line that - it’s an improve from an actor or it’s a line we were going to cut and we just decided to leave in, and that’s the line everyone locks onto. So it’s been really fun to see , to use Twitter as a way to just see what people are saying about the show. And then - of course Facebook. Everyone’s sick of my posts about the show.

Adam Goldberg:    I have my own Twitter account that I just set up, but I’ve been so - I’ve been focusing on the character ones. Just for me, that’s been more fun that just me posting saying, “Hey. Watch the show.” I like you know, what’s Dutch’s thing of the day? What’s Cash’s geeky thing he’s going to throw out there?

Alphonso McAuley:    Yes. I took all that stuff down because I was dating a Facebook detective, and she was like, “Who is this?” So, yes.

Q: Since you mentioned Creepy Carol, are we going to get to see Jennifer Irwin do anything really, really creepy in the next few episodes?

Adam Goldberg:    I mean, it’s so funny because Jen - I worked on a sitcom called Still Standing with her for four years, and she’s a very close friend. And I wrote the character for her because I think she’s so funny. And the creepiest stuff we’ve written for some reason, like it doesn’t make it in because I want to - I want people to learn to love her first before we get totally creepy.

So for the first six, it’s the weird stuff like her eating the banana like a corn on the cob. I think that was my favorite thing. In last night’s episode, I loved how she peed herself, because Alf scares her.

I think second season she’s going to get creepier and creepier for sure. Right now, I don’t want alienate too many people.

Alphonso McAuley:    Yet. Well the creepy thing when she was like - when she got camera ready with the lipstick..

Adam Goldberg:    Right. That was amazing.

And watching you guys make out for that Star Wars thing was so funny, and there’s so much of it. Like, it just - in the editing, it started out, it was like a 20 minute make-out scene, and then we just kind of whittled it away until you know - so you guys were good sports on that.

Q: I know you're a new show and you're just kind of getting started, but is there a series that you would like to crossover with? Whether it’s with - on the same network or not?

Adam Goldberg:    Wow. That’s a great question. Alphonso? What do you think? What are you thinking?

Alphonso McAuley:    Hum?

Adam Goldberg:    For me it’d be Big Bang Theory. I mean - I - that’s my other - besides Community, that’s my other favorite show, and I just love all the characters on that show. And I think - I’d love to stack up you know, our geniuses verse their geniuses. I’m sure they’d crush us in a genius-off.

Alphonso McAuley:    Yes.

Adam Goldberg:    But - yes. I love that show.

Alphonso McAuley:    We should maybe colab with Glee and do like a Breaking In on Ice or something.

Adam Goldberg:    Yes. Breaking in - a Breaking In/Glee would be amazing. That would be amazing.

Q: A lot of the cast interplay is so great, especially between Cash and Oz. It seems like they’re very like-minded individuals in terms of their geekiness. Talk about that interplay between the two, because they seem to fit more together than Oz with any of the rest of the cast. They seem more comfortable.

Adam Goldberg:    That’s interesting. Alphonso, what do you think it is? What do you think about Cash’s relationship with Oz?

Alphonso McAuley:    Well, I think that - I mean, he is - we don’t know the history of how long he’s been at Contra Security. But, Cash seems to be sort of like an Oz. Like he - Oz could be like his albino father or something...

No. But I think that - you know, he has sort of an affinity to (geekdom), if you will, that Oz has as well, and so that’s probably like something else that kind of works and helped him get the job at Contra Security. So yes, I could see some similarities there. If that answers the question.

....

Be sure to tune into Breaking In every Wedenday Night on FOX for some more geeky shenanigans from Alphonso and the rest of the cast. And for more Breaking In coverage, stay tuned to ComicsOnline.com for everything geek pop culture.

TV News: Archer - Interview with H. Jon Benjamin

TV News: Smallville's 200th Episode "Homecoming" plus interviews with Executive Producers: Brian Peterson and Kelly Souders

 

WonderCon 2010: Exclusive Interviews with Mark Valley, Jackie Earle Haley, and Jon Steinberg from Human Target

The team from Human Target joined in the fun at WonderCon this year, and ComicsOnline was there to talk to them about their upcoming episodes!



Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more Human Target and WonderCon  coverage!

WonderCon 2010: Exclusive Interviews with Zachary Levi, Josh Gomez, Adam Baldwin, and Chris Fedak from CHUCK

This year at WonderCon, Team Bartowski was out in force to promote Chuck! ComicsOnline had the opportunity to briefly talk with Zachary Levi (Chuck), Josh Gomez (Morgan), Adam Baldwin (Jon Casey), and Chuck Co-Creator/Writer Chris Fedak.

Check out our interviews:

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more WonderCon and Chuck coverage!

 

WonderCon 2011: Breaking In - Interview with Alphonso McAuley

 

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline.com for more WonderCon 2011 coverage and for everything geek pop culture!

WonderCon 2011: Breaking In - Interview with Bret Harrison

Check out our exclusive video from the roundtable interviews with Bret Harrison (Reaper) for the upcoming FOX comedy, Breaking In, at WonderCon 2011:

 

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more WonderCon 2011 coverage and for everything geek pop culture!

WonderCon 2011: Breaking In - Interview with Christian Slater

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more WonderCon 2011 coverage and for everything geek pop culture!

WonderCon 2011: Breaking In - Interview with Odette Annable and Doug Robinson

 

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline.com for more WonderCon 2011 coverage and for everything geek pop culture!

WonderCon 2011: Doctor Who - Interview with Neil Gaiman - EXCLUSIVE VIDEO NOW ONLINE

Check out our exclusive video of the roundtable interview for Doctor Who with writer Neil Gaiman at WonderCon 2011:

 

 

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more WonderCon 2011 coverage and everything geek pop culture!

WonderCon 2011: Human Target- Exclusive Interview with Showrunner Matt Miller

 

Stay tuned to ComicsOnline for more WonderCon 2011 coverage and for everything geek pop culture!