43 posts tagged “kristen bell”

Aside #1: I'm kind of back to blogging 12 times a day, but it's really back to blogging 12 times a day about nothing. So I'm not sure how much of a trade-off that is.

Aside #2: Thanks to Kristen Bell and Chris Lowell, every time I say the word "creepy" -- and that's a lot, since I have this inexplicable fondness for the word -- I picture that hilariously awesome VM promo they did last year where they interviewed each other and giggled for the better part of five minutes. And I'm going to post that again. Just because I can. And because I still can't, after 163 times viewing it, control my...uncontrollable laughter.

Anyway. The reason I titled the post "creepy" and then went off on one of my trademark rambling tangents, was because of this interview with Cam Gigandet (geez, I don't know that I spelled that right at all and I don't know that I'm feeling unlazy enough to go check -- and yeah, no need to PM me that "unlazy" is not a word) that MTV posted today since it's Twilight Tuesday wherein he admits that getting to the place where he wanted to suck Kristen Stewart's blood was not remotely hard to achieve.

Yeah. Creeeepy.

The second clip is my favorite and is yet another that highlights that insane chemistry Rob and Kristen have.

Answer: A lot. Times infinity.

 

For the second day in a row, I'm dripping with sweat and feel like I've just spent five hours running a marathon. Or strapped to one of those torture machines having every one of my muscles stretched to oblivion.

Who needs a gym when you have to lug all of your belongings up and down two flights of stairs about 3,000 times? (Okay, so I had professional movers, but I still had to go up and down stairs taking out trash and lugging all my hanging clothes, and moving heavy boxes of books around and putting furniture together and by the way, I think I may have thrown my back out.)

Anywho, I'm quite excited by news on the Fall 2008 TV front. They're doing a Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off. That's right. I said it. I watched 90210 all through high school because we graduated the same year -- 1993. Ordinarily I wouldn't be all that thrilled about a spin-off more than 10 years after it ended, except that Rob Thomas penned the pilot and it it is successful, would once again be a show-runner extraordinaire.

He's also penning the script for a revival of his former show Cupid, which I never saw but hear it was pretty great. Although I must say, I'm glad Jeremy Piven's not returning as the leading man, because honestly, with the exception of PCU, I've never been a fan. I can't stand his character on Entourage, although I really can't stand Entourage, so I probably shouldn't judge him on that basis alone.

He's also doing another show and reportedly Kristen Bell is in talks to come on board.

That makes me even more suspicious that her days on Heroes are numbered, which, and I've said before and it's not an idle threat, would probably be the nail in the coffin as far as my Heroes-watching days are concerned.

I wonder if she's regretting turning down the role of Charlotte on LOST -- you know, the role that was created with her in mind.

Elle is cool and all, and she certainly was the highlight in a rather scattered, uneven season of Heroes, but I already love Charlotte, and let's face it -- the writers (and the character development, and the plot arcs) on LOST are far superior to those on Heroes.

Plus there's living in Hawaii.

Rebecca Mader is a great addition to the cast, however, and when I'm watching her, I tend to forget that the role was originally intended for a 5-1, blonde American.

The newbies are interesting, but this season I am doing no speculating, and my vow at the conclusion of last season to sit back and enjoy the ride, sans spoilers, is still intact.

That being said, I leave you this little q&a with Mader. (No spoilers to be found.)

LOST Newbie to Kristen Bell: "Thanks for turning down Charlotte!"
From the Ausiello Report.

When do you have to report back on set?
Rebecca Mader: I have a feeling we'll be going back into production in about a month. But no one's called me yet.

What have you done during your downtime?
Mader: I moved. I got a new apartment. I went home to London and spent time with my family. And now I'm really bored and ready to go back to work. [Laughs]

Was it frustrating to have to stop in the middle of the season like that?
Mader: Yeah. I wasn't ready to stop working. I was having the time of my life.

Was that the general feeling among the cast?
Mader: I think some of the other kids were like, "Whatever...." But I think because I was new, and this is new and exciting for me, I didn't really want to stop.

Is everyone being nice to you?
Mader: They're so cool. They're such wickedly funny, cool people. They were very welcoming. It was really easy for me to slip in. They get my silly, stupid sense of humor. The downtime is really, really enjoyable.

Are friends and family pestering you to reveal to them the mysteries to Lost?
Mader: All the time, yeah. They think I'm lying when I tell them I don't know what's going to happen. They're like, "I hate you! You're so well trained! That's not fair — we're friends! I promise I won't tell anyone!" I'm like, "I don't have the answer. I really don't. I swear on my dog's life I don't have the answer." They don't believe me.

But you do know what you shot. Is it hard to keep that stuff secret?
Mader: It is hard, because there are a couple of really, really good episodes coming up. Charlotte does some really juicy stuff.

So... what is your primary reason for being on the island?
Mader: I look in the mirror and ask myself that question every day: "Who am I?" [Laughs]

How long until we get an answer to that question?
Mader: I don't know how they're going to play it out. I want to know. I want to go back to work and find out so I can tell you.

Yes, please call me.
Mader: I will.

There was a bit of a media frenzy over the summer surrounding the casting of your role — due, in large part, to Kristen Bell turning it down. Did you follow all that?
Mader: [Laughs] I didn't know when I was going through the whole audition process. It wasn't until after I got the job that I heard those rumors. Friends of mine would say, "Kristen Bell was up for your part and turned it down." And I'm like, "Did she?"

It's odd, because you wouldn't think you and Kristen Bell would be going after the same roles.
Mader: [Laughs] Never in a million years. We look nothing alike at all. It's pretty funny.

When you went in to audition, were you aware that the character was supposed to be...
Mader: ...Blonde and small? [Laughs]

Yeah. And have an American accent?
Mader: I do American accents all the time. I played an American attorney on Justice. I'm always ready to bust that out if it needs to be done. When I prepared the audition piece in my head, I was ready to go either way. So when I met Damon and Carlton, I went in speaking my own accent and they were like, "We like it this way."

Were you ever tempted to send Kristen a big bouquet of flowers?
Mader: [Laughs] I was going to do a Kiss-o-Gram or something. [Singing] "Thank you, Kristen... for turning it down."

Have you heard anything about a potential romance for Charlotte?
Mader: I've been trying to figure out who I want that to be.

Maybe Sawyer?
Mader: That's what my friends are hoping. But I don't know.

I'll plant that seed with Damon and Carlton.
Mader: Please do. Say the fans are really asking for it.

Seriously, this is the best thing EVER.

I would be astounded if someone were to watch this and not fall in love with Veronica instantly. It would be literally beyond my comprehension.

I'm serious. Literally. Beyond. Comprehension.

(And she could've left off that last scene, 'cause I had just gotten to the point where I could hear that song without getting all nostalgic and emo. Crap.)

At this point, I can't honestly say that the following statement is completely objective, but here goes: Kristen Bell saved Heroes from utter mediocrity this season.

Yeah, yeah, that needs to be taken with a grain -- or a shaker -- of salt based on my ginormous Veronica Mars-induced girl crush on her, but it can't be that far off base. Before Elle appeared on the scene, I seriously yawned my way through most of the episodes. Claire was getting on my last nerve, Peter was his usual moping, one-expressioned self, Maya, Alejandro, Niki, Micah, and Micah's whole New Orleans clan were boring, Hiro's story got more tiresome the longer he was in feudal Japan, etc., etc., etc.

The arc with Matt's dad was pretty interesting, but Elle -- well, she was easily the most interesting character of the bunch. At least this season.

And it goes without saying -- at least, it goes without saying by me -- that Kristen Bell's ability to turn Elle into a multi-dimensional, all-shades-of-grey, sympathetic sociopath was nothing short of genius.

Need some proof? (I don't know what it is about Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, but their stuff sure seem suited for Heroes videos. I *love* this song.)

Seriously.

As many of you know, I've been kind of ambivalent about Heroes this season. Don't get me wrong, it's still among my top 10 favorite shows -- and even top, oh, six or so -- but this season started out rather sluggishly. Tim Kring & Co. do what a lot of writers do, in that they tried to incorporate too many characters and ended up not doing much with any of them. As a result, the story-telling was often uneven and, in the case of Nikki and Paolo Maya and Alejandro, really, really boring. (And hey, Nikki and Paolo ultimately factored into LOST in a really cool way, so I'd say they're less ridonkulous than the Exxon Valdez Wonder Twins.)

From her first appearance, however, Kristen Bell has stolen the show. I was curious as to how she'd play a villain, and in true KB fashion, she painted what could've been a one-dimensional, albeit fun, villain with varying shades of grey and made us feel for her, conniving sociopath or not. What a tragedy she's lived through, tortured at the hands of her "father." And wow, KB played that realization to a tee this evening when Noah revealed the truth to Elle. I teared up.

I loved her throw-down with Sylar (and I finally think the dude is hot, so Cori and Erin can quit nagging me), and even at the end, when Mohinder tells her she's saved their lives, she could've been arrogant or genuinely pleased, and KB chose to interject a bit of a pathetic quality into her emotion. Brilliant.

I'm so glad she's sticking around.

The deaths weren't as shocking as I expected them to be, with the exception of Nathan, and even that was kind of inevitable when he was talking about the press conference and then we see the blinking red light of the video camera. I was surprised to see that apparently Angela Petrelli is still a heinous bitch...who else could she be in collusion with, though, except for Bob?

I'm not too torn apart to see Niki go. Also? I was kind of hoping Maya would stay dead, and that maybe that annoying little girl (and yes, if I'm being honest, Mohinder) would've caught a ricochet as well.

Great "finale." Let's hope the AMPTP and WGA come to an agreement soon so we can get on with Volume III, "Villains," already. I've never seen a more ominous can of spinach.

In other Monday TV news, I am heart-broken that we won't get any more Chuck will after the new year, and even then, if there's no strike agreement, there are only two episodes left. My thoughts summed up:

1) The scene where Chuck confronts Sarah about "The Incident" was heart-wrenching. Well-played by both YS and ZL.
2) I want to learn how to pin an alarm clock to the wall with a knife.
3) Casey's love affair with his Crown Vic was hysterical.
4) Mistletoe is for kissing, not dancing. (I, er, would not have made the same mistake.)
5) Did I mention I'm really going to miss this show?

I'm off to watch Life.

Twelve minutes of Veronica Mars, Season 4 have surfaced.

When Kristen effortlessly tears up in Minute One, I teared up. Didn't some guy named Pavlov do some sort of study? Maybe there were dogs involved? And bells?

As Michael Ausiello so succinctly stated, "It was so good it nearly brought me to tears thinking of what might have been."

Me, too, Mike. Me, too.

When all else fails and you can't think of an appropriate post title, just use a random-yet-fun line from a Good Charlotte song...

So, I haven't posted here very regularly lately. Originally I was going to wait till next weekend so anyone who wanted to could post scavenger hunt items, but I suppose I've gotten all that I'm going to get. Maybe I'll just shuffle around my filters and post the pictures for only those who commented with suggestions to see.

Anyway, I'm just checking in with some awesome TV tidbits before it's off to watch tonight's delicious episode of Chuck sans commercial interruption. I fraktastically adore this show. It is beyond amazing and Zachary Levi just makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.

1) Gossip Girl has moved to #1 on my TiVo list. Seriously. It might not actually be the best show on TV, but it is the one I absolutely without fail must watch every week and usually watch more than once. Following GG are Pushing Daisies and Chuck. Grey's has dropped to fourth, followed by, in order, Heroes, The Office, House, Bones, Friday Night Lights, Scrubs and Criminal Intent. Everything else I was watching has been punted because it either sucked (Private Practice), didn't hold my attention past the first episode (Journeyman, Women's Murder Club), or I really like but have no time for and will thus catch up on over the summer (How I Met Your Mother, Samantha Who, Dirty Sexy Money).

2) Looks like the Heroes PTB love Kristen Bell as much as those of us with intelligence do -- word on the street is that they are all working to make her a regular instead of giving her just a 13-episode arc.

3) Woohoo! Kal Penn and especially Olivia Wilde are indeed sticking around as two of House's newest ducklings. The third is that balding plastic surgeon guy. I kind of wish it was the Mormon dude House calls Big Love, 'cause I like him. I'm just happy that Cutthroat Bitch (House's nickname, not mine) was canned.

4) This week's Office episode introduces the Dunder Mifflin Utica branch, Karen's back (I loooovvve Rashida Jones), and Joss Whedon directs.

5) Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene singing "Birdhouse in Your Soul" in last week's Pushing Daisies was simply divine. I love this show more and more every week.

6) Matt Roush published my email to him. (Scroll to the bottom -- it's the last one. If you haven't yet caught up on Season 2 of Friday Night Lights and plan to, don't read the included comment from another viewer because not only is she smoking crack and has no idea what good TV is, but it will also spoil you.)

To quote, er, Captain Awesome, last night's TV was....awesome.

Well, actually I was kind of bored by both Chuck and Heroes, but I'll take Zachary Levi and Kristen Bell on a weekly basis any way I can get them. (And KB's scenes were great.)

I have a theory as to how Elle's connected to Noah and Claire, but it's so bizarre and not supported by any spoilers except that KB said they were connected in some way, so I'm not going to talk about it, because I'm sure it's wrong, and then I'll look dumb. But it's really intriguing if it's accurate.

I really wish Mohinder would go away, and that he'd take Niki, Micah, and Paolo and Nikki Alejandro and Maya with him.

I'm so glad House and Bones are back tonight.