30 Sept 2015
Kunal Nayyar stopped by Team Coco headquarters to chat with host Conan O’Brien about his new book on September 30, 2015.
Nayyar shared a story from his book on how he lost his virginity and then talked about an Indian custom called “Friendzone”, but also shared his love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
30 Sept 2015
Mayim Bialik Image:E! News
After nine seasons, the stars of The Big Bang Theory have been through thick and thin together.
“I think we’re really blessed,” Mayim Bialik, who plays Amy Farrah Fowler on the hit CBS comedy gushed to E! News when she stopped by to chat about season 9 of the show as well as her new website, GrokNation.com. “I think we’re blessed more than people understand because I think when you hear that a cast gets along or functions like a family they think ‘Oh that’s just lip service.'” [Note: We will be updating with more information after Bialik’s interview airs on E! News tonight.]
Like a real-life family, the castmembers are there to support each other and they’ve done just that in wake of Kaley Cuoco’s recent divorce (the actress announced her split from Ryan Sweeting after just 21 months of marriage on Friday).
“Kaley’s amazing,” Bialik said when asked how her close pal and co-star is doing following her breakup. “She has amazing friends, she has amazing family.”
The Big Bang Theory Bialik was asked about what it is like dating on The Big Bang Theory and who she would pick for love interests for Sheldon and Amy other than each other. Note, this author isn’t keen on even considering that and feels that would be having the show jump the shark, so I hope the writers are not going there. She does hope that Sheldon and Amy reunite.
She also talked about Blossom and how she would be open to a reunion, but is more concerned about the contractual issues. Bialik then went on to promote her new lifestyle website GrokNation.
Kaley Cuoco Image: Getty Images
“I do stop and watch because I’m appalled by what I’m seeing,” she said in a recent interview. “I’m like, ‘Kaley, what is that choice?’ I usually put it on mute because I cannot stand the sound of my voice, especially early on. But (I look to) kind of see what I was wearing, and it’s hilarious.”
Her representative said last weekend the actress and Ryan Sweeting have “mutually decided to end their marriage.” The couple tied the knot in a New Year’s Eve ceremony in 2013.
The 29-year-old Cuoco has starred on “The Big Bang Theory” since 2007. In a recent interview, she talked about understanding the devotion of “Big Bang” fans and her dream acting gig.
Associated Press: What’s your dressing room on the set like?
Cuoco: My dressing room is amazing. Actually we all redecorated a couple years ago and I’m actually redecorating again right now. (Co-star) Johnny (Galecki) likes to say my room looks like a porn star threw up in it. I tend to disagree. I think that’s very offensive. It’s everything that your own bedroom could not be. It’s hot pink carpet, wallpaper head to toe. I mean it’s amazing. Chandeliers. That is my haven.
AP: Do you think your acting has gotten better since those early episodes of “The Big Bang Theory“?
Cuoco: I’ll look back on season one or two and I’m like, ‘How did I get hired? Like, what was I doing? What was that tone in my voice?’ I talked up here. Thank god they saw through that. Over the years I’ve totally settled and gotten that much cooler and better but it’s funny, I look back on a lot of shows and you look back to season one and those season ones aren’t so good. (Laughs.) You’re like, ‘Oh my god, this was horrible’ because now it’s so good. Like it’s just such a difference. At the time it was great. … I can’t believe I got hired, let’s put it that way. It was not good.
AP: Have you ever been a fan of a TV show the way some people are of “Big Bang“?
Cuoco: I grew up with ‘Friends‘ from day one and like ‘Seinfeld‘ and ‘Frasier,’ those sorts of shows, but for sure ‘Friends’ was it for our family. Like we would watch every Thursday night at eight o’clock, I couldn’t wait. And Rachel, Jennifer Aniston, to this day is still my girl crush, you know? I loved her on the show, I loved her outside of the show, how she behaved. She was funny and cool and cute and I just idolized her. But the show itself, I mean, I get it now when people come up and they’re like ‘I’ve never missed an episode’ and they know all the story lines. I know every story line about ‘Friends,’ I know every trivia question, so I kind of understand that love for a show. And I get, too, that comfortability where they really feel like they know you. If I saw anyone from ‘Friends,’ I’d just walk right up like, ‘Hey, Ross!’ So, I get it.
AP: If you could act in another type of genre, what would it be?
Cuoco: A Western. And they should put me in one because I ride horses, OK? I’m a country girl at heart. I think an old-school Western would kind of be really up my alley and would be so fun, I’m so comfortable in that genre and around horses.
by Tiffany Vogt @ TVWatchtower Sept 28, 2015
Martin Gero & Jaimie Alexander Image: Repost from
Wondering just what is up with those tattoos and if there is really a game-plan ahead for NBC’s hot new drama series Blindspot? You are not alone. So we checked in with executive producer and creator Martin Gero for some answer to all the burning questions.
How did you come up with such an interesting idea for the show?
MARTIN: I wish I had a better answer for this, but I’ve always loved puzzles. This kind of show is a show I would watch. And I just looked around and felt like there’s not a lot of these puzzle shows and it’s because they’re really hard to do. So I really thought about it just in the back of my head for years about how to do a show with a treasure map in it somehow. I lived in Times Square during the Viacom bomb threat, where they emptied it out, and that image has just stayed with me. It’s like so freaky because Times Square is like one of the world’s most famous busy places. And to see it totally empty was kind of an amazing thing. So one morning I was just thinking, “Wow, I wonder what they would do if they went and dismantled a bomb and there was a person inside that bag instead of a bomb?” And then I thought, “How could I connect that to a specific person? You could tattoo Kurt Weller’s name on her back.” And then I was like, “Well, what if she was covered in tattoos? What if it was a whole treasure map?” And I had never seen that before. I’d never seen a person as a treasure map. So I just got really excited about it and was like, “Let’s figure this out and see where this goes.”
We have seen a really strong connection already in just one episode between Jane and Agent Weller. Can you talk a little bit about what the relationship between Jane and the other members of the cast moving forward?
MARTIN: Absolutely. She slowly becomes very close with all of them. There’s a line in Episode 3 where they’re struggling to find what Jane’s role is, how to work it week to week or day to day, and Patterson says, “It’s kind of like a tangram, which is like these Japanese shape puzzles”. And she’s like, “You know, this team has been in one piece for so long, and we’re just trying to figure out how to incorporate this new piece, what shape that team is going to be.” So she really has an impact on all of their lives and the great thing about doing a show like this is week to week you get to deepen all of the characters, not just Weller and Jane. And so you start to have — like Patterson’s going to have her own stories and then Zapata and Reade will start to have their own stories. But it’s all directly tied to how Jane is impacting all their lives. So it’s a fun line to trace as who welcomes her with open arms, who’s suspicious of her, and who’s worried about her. It runs the gamut and all of their lives are changed for good and for bad by knowing Jane.
Rob Brown’s character, Agent Reade, stole the show at points there in the pilot with some of those one-liners. Can you talk about that character? And are we going to see more of him as the season goes on?
MARTIN: Absolutely. I think it’s really important on a show like this to find humor where you can so it doesn’t become all gloom and doom and dour. It’s something we do more and more every episode because our cast is really funny, Rob Brown especially. Certainly Ashley Johnson is going to carry a lot of that weight as well. It’s one of those things when we started testing the show, I was so pleased to find out that people just really connected to Rob’s character and the fact that there was a little bit of humor in the show. So it really allowed us to run with that as the episodes come up.
Did you create BLINDSPOT as a limited series since there’s only so many tattoos on Jane Doe’s body?
MARTIN: No. There’s a real concrete plan for the first three seasons, and then I have an idea on how to take it past there if we get there. The crazy thing about pitching these shows nowadays is people have been so burned by an idea that can last ten episodes. So you really have to — even in the origination of the pitch — come up with an enormous amount of backstory, which at the time feels like an enormous waste of time because you’re like, “No one’s even bought this show. What am I doing?” But the second it gets picked up it’s like, “I’m so thankful that I put in the groundwork when it was no so crazy.” So we have all of the ten full episodes for the first season mapped out and we know what the second season is and how to get into the third season. And then hopefully we’ll see. [EDITOR’S NOTE: The show was picked up for a back 9 episodes for Season 1 as of September 28, 2015.]
What went into the creation of each of the tattoos?
MARTIN: They vary. When I started developing the show, I made a book of like a hundred tattoos that I really liked. Then we hired a graphic designer to eventually layer them on her body in a rough placement. Then we hired Tinsley Transfer, which specializes in cinematic tattoos. Christian Tinsley and his team really took the design to a whole other level, brought an amazing amount of detail and brought an amazing amount of stuff with it. But for us there’s a lot of story on her body that needed to be incorporated. So it’s really a team effort between the writers and Tinsley Transfers, and we’ve brought in this guy David Quong, who’s a magician and puzzle-maker for the New York Times. He’s amazing. So he’s one of our chief puzzle consultants and makes sure that these things make sense and they work, which is super important to me. The second tattoo for the second episode, we put it out for Entertainment Weekly because you could solve it yourself after having seen the pilot, but no one has yet. It’s some sort of prize for the person that can figure it out. I’d be so impressed. But you can piece these together yourself. So it’s really important for us as a collaboration between the writers, Tinsley, and David Quong that this all makes sense and it all has a flow to it. So outside of that it’s hard to get into how we made each tattoo because they’re so based in story that hasn’t come up yet.
How do you appeal to the fans that want that rich mystery with those who maybe just are going to be casual viewers, who may just want to see Jane punch someone or fight someone?
MARTIN: I’ve said from the beginning this is a procedural for people that don’t like procedurals and a character drama for people that don’t like character drama. I think we can find a way to do both really well. Our story of the week comes from one of Jane’s tattoos and is closed-ended and like a little action movie in and of itself. But then what’s great about the show is that we’re able to do a layered character drama on top of that. I think with the “previously-ons” and people finding out information within the show, it’s the type of thing that will reward the loyal viewer but won’t alienate the casual viewer, which I think is so important on shows like these. Certainly, for me, especially when you’re doing twenty-two episodes a year, sometimes you find out about something and you’re like, “Oh man, I don’t have twenty-two hours to catch up on the first season.” And so for us it’s very important that the show has an entry point for anybody at any time.
What this journey has been like for you?
MARTIN: It’s been extraordinarily overwhelming for me and the entire cast and crew. We were really excited about the show and to see that it has connected with so many people is just really exciting. You never know in this business. I’ve been on shows that I thought were pretty good and no one watched. The last show that I created was the lowest premiere in the history of television. So this is a marked difference, certainly, than that experience. And it’s been really wonderful. I think for us, too, it’s exciting because we’re really proud of the pilot, obviously, but we’re even prouder of the series that we’ve made. A lot of people are like, “Sure, but how do you do this week to week?” And I really think we’ve cracked it and found that balance between a great, thrilling action hour and then emotional character drama. And I just can’t wait. People have told me, “I can’t wait to see it.” But we’re just so anxious to get it out there and have people watch it and go on this ride with us. Who doesn’t love a puzzle? Who doesn’t love a mystery? And this one is wrapped in a lot of fun stuff. The mystery of who she is and why someone did this to her, we feel like we have a good answer for that. I think it’s really dangerous for shows like this to feel like all middle from this point on. So we’re really going to churn through some pretty amazing story real quick. Even by the end of episode two, there’s a pretty major reveal in there that really shapes the entire show. So we’re just excited for people to see it.
22 Sept 2015
Kunal Nayyar and Julie Chen on ‘The Talk’ Image:
Beloved Big Bang Theory’s Raj, rather is portrayer Kunal Nayyar stopped by CBS’ The Talk today to talk about his new book Yes, My Accent is Real and some of the stories in the book, including his love life and when he lost his virginity. Nayyar also talked about Raj’s relationship with Emily on The Big Bang Theory. The Talk’s hostess Sara Gilbert brought out the immortalized cast of The Big Bang Theory in Legos® as well.
We have clips below of The Talk preview for today and the segment with Nayyar.
Preview:
Full Segment (via ):
19 Sept 2015 by Rahel Gebreyes, Editor, HuffPostLive
Watch the actor show off his astronomy prowess on HuffPost Live.
Kunal Nayyar plays brainiac astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali on CBS’ hit show “The Big Bang Theory,” but it turns out the actor can hold his own in an impromptu science quiz.
HuffPost Live’s put Nayyar to the test on Thursday and quizzed him on a few science facts. While Nayyar protested that he is “not smart in real life,” he passed the test with flying colors, proving he’s more clever than he thinks.
Full interview:
19 Sept 2015
Playing neurobiologist Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS hit Big Bang Theory isn’t much of a stretch for neuroscientist Dr. Mayim Bialik. The child star of NBC’s 90’s-era smash Blossom, the show that made the phrase “a very special episode” a pop-culture staple, appeared on some of the most beloved TV shows of the past 30 years. She also is a very special four-time Emmy-nominated actor, scientist and author of a book on holistic parenting, “Beyond the Sling.” But the Los Angeles native and daughter of first-generation American teachers and documentary filmmakers walks what she talks as an advocate of issues as diverse as attachment parenting, veganism and traditional Jewish values.
By Mike Cidoni Lennox, Associated Press
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015 | 11:57 a.m.
Mayim Bialik will be at a cemetery. Denis O’Hare will be trying to figure out what to do with his 4-year old son. And Sarah Paulson will be in a state of terror and anxiety.
Contenders for Emmy Awards say they’ll be plenty busy leading up to the ceremony Sunday at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, with pre-red carpet plans ranging from Felicity Huffman’s family time with husband and fellow nominee William H. Macy to a gathering of “Transparent” cast and crew at a nearby hotel.
Nominees spoke to The Associated Press on Friday night on their way into the “Variety” and Women in Film pre-Emmy party:
MAYIM BIALIK, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (“The Big Bang Theory”): “I’m actually going to the cemetery to visit my father’s grave the morning of the Emmys. Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur it’s traditional to visit graves. And that Sunday happens to be Emmy Sunday. So, I’m going to go with my kids and my mom and my ex, and we’re going to do that. Then I’m going to order Thai food and start getting hair and makeup around 12, leave the house by 2:30 and hopefully be in bed by 10.”
NEICY NASH, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (“Getting On”): “You know, I haven’t even got that far. It’s so overwhelming. You know, each night there are so many things you have to do and I just started thinking about how the day was going to do — today. ‘Wait a minute. Do I need to write something down?’ I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”
DENIS O’HARE, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie (“American Horror Story: Freak Show”): “I have a 4-year old. So, I get up way too early, like at 6:30. ‘Da-da! Da-da!’ … We figure out what we’re going to make him to eat, figure out what we’re going to do with the 4-year old for a whole morning. And then I’ll probably think about the fact that I have to go to the Emmys. And then I’ll get dressed up really quickly. And then I’ll get in a car. We’ll get stuck in traffic for about two hours. And then you’ll fight on the red carpet, which is extraordinary. And then you sit in the room, and you get really, really nervous, and you think, ‘I’m not going to win. I’m not going to win.’ And then you go to the gifting suite and then you get really cool stuff. And then you go back up and you don’t win. And then you go to dinner. And then you go to a party, and you go to a party, and you go home.”
FELICITY HUFFMAN, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (“American Crime”): “We’re nominated together (with husband Macy for “Shameless”). So that’s a pretty great date night. I feel like it’s a win already, and I almost wish that the end of the contest didn’t happen, that we could just leave like, ‘We’re all nominated’ as opposed to ‘We both lost.”
JANE KRAKOWSKI, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”): “After’30 Rock,’ I thought that might have been it. So, I’m so happy to be invited back to the party. You know, it’ll be glam times. It’ll be, like, trying on fancy dresses, people fussing doing hair and makeup. It’s nice. It’s a little bit of fantasy for the day.”
SARAH PAULSON, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (“American Horror Story: Freak Show”): “I always worry that it’s such a fluke that I’ve been nominated. So, when it happens again, I think, ‘Oh! Maybe it wasn’t a mistake. They did it more than once.’ ”
MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie (“The Honorable Woman”): “I think it’s kind of our final celebration. We’ve kind of been running around with it for a long time.”
JILL SOLOWAY, creator of the Outstanding Comedy Series nominee “Transparent:” ”I probably shouldn’t say the name of the hotel in case Jeffrey (Tambor) has any stalkers. But we’re all going to be getting ready. And then we’re going to go to the thing. And then we’re going to sit in the chairs and wait.”
10 Sept 2015
Ryan O’Connell Image: goout.hilton.com
Ryan O’Connell, author of I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, was interviewed recently by Hilton in “Bedtime Stories: Ryan O’Connell” where he talks about his book and what he wants people to come away with, as well as praises The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons.
O’Connell began writing Thought Catalog on the internet and wrote for , , and magazines as well. Having written several episodes of MTV’s Awkward, O’Connell’s next challenge is to turn his book into a scripted series for Parsons under his banner That’s Wonderful Productions along with Warner Brothers.
I’m Special is a voice about his experiences as a gay man growing up with cerebral palsy and being gay. His humor and moving memoir will bring out many emotions but also educate many on the challenges of living with cerebral palsy, which many know very little about and the extra challenge of being gay on top of having his disease.
You can pick up a copy of I’m Special at your local bookstores or .
One of the joys of acting is the chance to create a truly indelible character. Realistically speaking, few performers are afforded this opportunity during their careers; even fewer are able to actually pull it off. Mayim Bialik is two-for-two. As a teenager in the early 1990s, she played the title role on the hit NBC series Blossom. In the ensuing decade-and-a-half, she focused on her education (she has a PhD in Neuroscience from UCLA) and started a family—but kept her hand in the acting game. In 2010, Mayim played an unnamed character in the final episode of Season 3 of The Big Bang Theory. During hiatus, the show’s producers realized they had stumbled upon a “love interest” for quirky theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper. In Season 4, Mayim’s character got a name (Amy Farrah Fowler) and a job (neuroscientist!), and brought new depth and dimension to an already sparkling ensemble cast. Gerry Strauss caught up with her over the summer as she wrapped up Season 9 of the series.
EDGE: Unlike many child actors, you had a relatively normal childhood.
MB: Yes, I had a normal elementary school kind of life. I was active in school plays. I felt comfortable in drama class when we had to do plays and stuff, but I was not a hammy kid. I wasn’t an exceptionally outgoing or theatrical kid. When I would meet other child actors they were very theatrical and always kind of “on.” That wasn’t me at all. Actually, I’m considered a late bloomer for a child actor because I started acting when I was almost in junior high school. Even though I was in Beaches when I was 12—and that came out when I was 13—I had just started acting about a year before that. Most child actors have been acting since they were toddlers. That’s a very different kind of personality. It’s a different kind of structure, as far as how you’re raised and the expectations of you.
EDGE: Did that help you avoid some of the pitfalls other young actors often experience?
MB: I do think part of it is that I wasn’t in the industry for my formative years. I had a different kind of perspective on it. As I said, when people start acting and they’re always given expectations and given positive reinforcement for being good—and negative reinforcement for not obeying direction—I think that sets up a complicated system. For me, my parents are first-generation American, so I come from a pretty strict immigrant mentality. My parents tried to still have me do chores and homework and all the things that kids do. I wasn’t emancipated—a lot of teenagers at 15 get to be considered legal adults if they’re in the acting world—my parents didn’t do that. Also, I wasn’t really a party person, so I wasn’t around drugs and alcohol. I think I was also really lucky that on the Blossom set I was 14 to 19 years old, and I never saw anyone drinking or doing drugs. They had a very clean set, and I think that’s really important.
EDGE: At what point did you start thinking about acting as a career path?
MB: I didn’t think of having a career. I knew that I liked acting in school plays, and I thought, “Oh, I should be an actress—kids do commercials and stuff like that.” I had no idea that I would have my own television show by the time I was 14. None of that was part of any grand plan at all. There are
so many talented people in this industry, the chances of succeeding are so rare. I didn’t see any of that. It really just happened very quickly. Once I got Beaches, I felt like everything kind of free-fell, and all of a sudden I went from just being this kid who liked acting to a person with her own TV show.
EDGE: In that year before Beaches, you made your screen debut in the horror movie Pumpkinhead.
MB: Yeah, I had five lines. When you start acting, you try out for any audition. It was a very small part, because you don’t get big parts when you first start. I didn’t have the typical path to success that most child actors do in commercials and things because, in 1986, when I started, there was a notion that people on television needed to look what they called “All-American.” I didn’t look All-American. I’ve always had prominent features and I’ve always looked ethnic, so I ended up doing a lot of character roles on shows like Webster and Facts of Life. That’s why there are things like Pumpkinhead on my résumé, because as a young character actress you do quirky things instead of generic commercials.
5 Sept 2015
by Natalie Stone
Big Bang Theory‘s Mayim Bialik will continue entertaining fans as Amy Fowler on the CBS comedy when its season nine premiere airs Sept. 21, but aside from her career on-camera, Bialik told The Hollywood Reporter about life behind-the-screen, including motherhood, her passions, faith and encouraging students to love math and science.
The four-time Emmy-nominated actress starred in the TV series Blossom as a child actor, but later put the craft on hold to pursue education. After earning a Ph.D in neuroscience from UCLA, Bialik taught biology, chemistry and neuroscience at the collegiate level before jumping back into auditioning.
Though she was able to split her time between teaching and acting during her first year on the show, Bialik eventually had to make a choice between performing and working as a professor: “There came a point where I could no longer be a fulltime scientist, teacher or tutor because The Big Bang Theory is a fulltime job,” she told THR.
While Bialik’s wide-ranging passions may be a surprise to many, she doesn’t believe people have to choose one over another. “I think all people can have more than one interest. Just because someone is a scientist doesn’t mean they’re [not] creative,” Bialik said. “Just because someone works in the creative world doesn’t mean that they’re not also interested or skilled at science.”
As a way to stay involved in the science and math world while working as a fulltime actress, Bialik is a spokeswoman for Texas Instruments (TI) and devotes her time to spreading the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) subject material to students nationwide. TI and Bialik have partnered for a contest for classrooms to win a visit from the actress.
“I think that there’s a need for a very strong emphasis on STEM subjects here. It’s kind of an undercapped and underdeveloped resource that we have. In particular, the representation of women is historically lower in these fields, so I’m happy to put a positive face on STEM and a female face on [it],” she said.
Off camera, Bialik has another fulltime job: motherhood. The mother of two sons says she has no “secrets” to pursuing her passions, juggling a career and parenthood. “I don’t have any major secrets. My kids’ dad is with them when I’m working and whether you’re divorced or married, that’s kind of how it has to work,” she explained. “There’s no magic. I don’t have a nanny. I don’t use anyone except my kids’ dad to watch them and when I’m not working I’m with them and when I am working, he’s with them. That’s kind of how we juggle it.”
Bialik, who is a devout Jew, recently made comments about religion in Hollywood and how having faith in the industry will never be “trendy.” “It’s funny because I don’t feel like I said anything controversial that isn’t already totally known by everyone in and out of the industry,” she said. “A lot of people don’t talk about [faith] because it’s not trendy.”
She continued, “A lot of people just don’t feel comfortable talking about [faith]. Part of it is because it’s been kind of posed as intellectual versus ignorance, meaning that religious people must be ignorant and so a lot of us don’t want to engage in those conversations.”
3 Sept 2015
by Shannon Olona on Aug 27, 2015
How do you edit with a bang? To find out, we turned to the award winning video editor, Peter Chakos, for answers.
Chakos acts as both editor and producer for the Emmy-winning comedy series, The Big Bang Theory. In 2007, he was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series for his work on the show.
As fans of the show, we were excited to jump right into the interview with Chakos.
NB: How did you get involved with video editing? And how did you make it into primetime TV?
PC: Well I started as a runner P.A. on a TV show called Cheers.
NB: Wait, you mean the show “Where everyone knows your name?”
PC: Yes and while I was there I slowly moved into the postproduction area. I wanted to learn more about the edit system, which at the time was called Laser Edit. They were showing film editors how to take the leap into the 90s.
While I was taking the [Laser Edit] class everyone kept asking me if I had ever edited before. By the second week I was helping teach the older guys who were transitioning from film.
A couple months later, I went into the Cheers edit bay on a Friday night. I cut an episode, for fun, just to see if I could do it. I handed it to our producer, Andy Ackerman and said, “Here take a look at this.” Ackerman came up to me a few days later and said, “I strongly believe you should become an editor.”
NB: What tools and software do you use? What specific NewBlueFX plugins are used for The Big Bang Theory? When and where do we see these in action?
I use Avid Media Composer. When I got involved with NewBlue we were doing a show that was a different kind of show for us. We were not really flashing back, but imagining “what ifs.” Like what if the guys had never met Sheldon. It was a Christmas episode and Sheldon was out of town.
I wanted to do something different with the transitions to get us out of these “what if” sequences. That’s when I began to look for some cool transitions. And I found NewBlue Motion Blur. In fact, that episode landed me my first Emmy nomination.
Mayiim Bialik Image: AP Images/Invision
By: Erin Clements TODAY
As a real-life neuroscientist — and an actress who plays one on TV — Mayim Bialik is on a mission to get kids excited about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects.
TODAY.com caught up with the brainy star, who is currently the face of Texas Instruments’ back-to-school campaign (where students and teachers can win a classroom visit from Bialik) and recently launched the online community Grok Nation. Bialik gave a hint at what’s next for her “Big Bang Theory” character, Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler, and reflected on the impact of “Blossom,” which turned 25 this year.
Do “Big Bang Theory” fans ever tell you seeing a female neurobiologist prominently featured on a hit show encouraged them to consider a career in science?
Yeah, I’ve had the blessing to have that exact sentiment expressed to me, even from young women who are in college and have said, “You’ve inspired me all the way to study science as a college student” So that’s really incredible. But it’s not just about women. I’ve heard it from men — they get to see women differently when we’re presented that way.
And we have two female scientists in our cast. Melissa Rauch, who plays Bernadette, is a microbiologist, and she’s a very different kind of female than Amy, and I think that’s important too. There are lots of different kinds of female scientists, just like there are lots of different kinds of male scientists.
Did you have a role model who encouraged you to study science?
I had a tutor when I was 15, which was during my “Blossom” days. She was my biology tutor on the set. She was a dental student at UCLA and she’s now a dental surgeon, but she was the first woman who I had explain things to me in a way that made sense and whom I could look up to as a role model.
What’s the secret to getting kids excited about math and science?
In the work that I do with Texas Instruments, we believe that putting the appropriate and exciting technology in the hands of young people is the best way for them to understand what it actually feels like to be a scientist and if what you put in their hands is exciting and interesting, and in many cases colorful, that often can be the difference between seeing it as a boring thing and seeing it as something that’s really acceptable.
Image: CBS
What’s your favorite nerdy Amy moment from “Big Bang Theory”?
A lot of her social awkwardness is really funny. But I love lab scenes, partly because I generally try to look like I know what I’m doing, because in many cases, I do. But lab scenes are really fun. I always liked wearing a lab coat. And I think it’s fun just to see Amy in her element.
What’s your favorite part about Amy and [onscreen boyfriend] Sheldon’s relationship?
I think it’s probably the longest-running nonsexual relationship that is romantic and intimate that we’ve seen on television. I think that’s really powerful, and although we make jokes about it, it is a relationship that is existing despite that limitation.
What’s next for them in the upcoming season?
We’re filming our third episode this week and I don’t know beyond what the script we’ll get tonight for next week’s episode is. We deal head-on with the fact that Amy wanted some time away from Sheldon at the end of season 8, but nothing has evolved quickly on our show, so we’re watching it unfold.
When Amy Farrah Fowler went to her friends’ DIY prom in Season 8’s “The Prom Equivalency” episode of The Big Bang Theory, she got something she’d been waiting on for a long time: her first “I love you” from boyfriend Sheldon.
As for the actress behind Amy, Mayim Bialik, the episode offered up a prize of another kind: her fourth consecutive Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Emmy® nomination. “I think the Amy/Sheldon relationship can teach a lot about relationships in general, and the way we view them,” Bialik, who’s going for her first win in four nominations at the Sept. 20 Emmys, tells Yahoo TV. “I’d be hard-pressed to find another show that has a committed and intimate romantic relationship that’s not sexual,” Bialik continues. “Especially for as long as we’ve done that, I think, in a very authentic and sweet way.” (Here’s hoping they stay together, given that Amy broke things off with Sheldon in the finale after one too many thoughtless actions from her nerdy boyfriend.)
In a separate clip, the actress, author, neuroscientist, and entrepreneur — check out her new website Groknation.com — shares some fun personal scoop, including her first celebrity crush (one she shares with a lot of other people), the song that makes her cry (it’s from a Disney flick, but almost certainly not the one you’re thinking of), and the most famous person she’s seen naked.
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Jim Parsons on Bravo’s Inside Actors Studio June 18, 2015
The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons, who also is starring in An Act of God on Broadway this summer, sat down with host James Lipton for an interview on Bravo’s Inside Actors Studio. Jim answered questions about The Big Bang Theory, An Act of God, performing on Broadway, what the audition process is like, how he chose acting as a career and what influenced his decision, his company, That’s Wonderful Productions projects, and his personal life and relationships. See clips from the show below and as more clips become available, we will be adding them, so check back often!
All the clips below are ©2015, BravoTV.
James Lipton, Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
James Lipton, Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
James Lipton and Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
James Lipton and Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
James Lipton, Jim Parsons Image: Anthony Behar/Bravo
The Big Bang Theory‘s Kunal Nayyar is a very busy man this summer. He is starring in the off-Broadway show, The Spoils, produced by The New Group and written by and starring Jesse Eisenberg; and Nayyar has a new book being released from Simon & Schuster’s Atria Books. His book will be available in bookstores on September 8, 2015 and is currently taking pre-orders on amazon.com.
Despite all his activities, Nayyar stopped by ABC’s The View today to talk to the ladies there about his new projects and of course, talked briefly as well about The Big Bang Theory , and even received a surprise message from his Big Bang Theory co-star Jim Parsons (see clip below).
In The New Group’s The Spoils, Nayyar plays a loveable Nepalese roommate named Kalyan, the roommate to Ben (Eisenberg) who is as sweet as Ben is sour, as emotionally generous as Ben is selfish. Kalyan is a hard worker and a finance major. Kalyan loves being in America, and genuinely cares for and likes Ben. He feels obligated to him because Ben lets him live there for free. Per Theatermania, Nayyar “makes an impressively sensitive New York stage debut as Kalyan, whose earnest struggle is to make a better life for himself in a country where that is actually attainable.”
Nayyar’s book is a number of humerous essays written in his irreverent, hilarious, and self-deprecating voice, he traces his journey from a little boy in New Delhi who mistakes an awkward first kiss for a sacred commitment, gets nosebleeds chugging Coca-Cola to impress other students, and excels in the sport of badminton, to the confident, successful actor on the set of TV’s most-watched sitcom since Friends.
Going behind the scenes of The Big Bang Theory and into his personal experiences, Nayyar introduces readers to the people who helped him grow, such as his James Bond-loving, mustachioed father who taught him the most important lessons in life: “Treat a beggar as you would a king. There are two sides to every story. A smile goes a long way. And, when in doubt, use a spreadsheet.” Nayyar also walks us through his college years in Portland, where he takes his first sips of alcohol and learns to let loose with his French, 6’8” gentle-giant roommate, works his first-ever job for the university’s housekeeping department cleaning toilets for minimum wage, and begins a series of romantic exploits that go just about as well as they would for Raj. (That is, until he meets and marries a former Miss India in an elaborate seven-day event that we get to experience in a chapter titled “My Big Fat Indian Wedding.”)
Full of heart, but never taking itself too seriously, this witty and often inspiring collection of underdog tales follows a young man as he traverses two continents in search of a dream, along the way transcending culture and language (and many, many embarrassing incidents) to somehow miraculously land the role of a lifetime.
Book Con opened Saturday May 30 at the Javits Convention Center in New York City, where a number of celebrities participated in Q&A sessions and panels.
The event started off with a panel featuring Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak in the Special Events Hall discussing Kaling’s book Why Not Me? filling the hall with fans. will release September 29, 2015 from Crown Archetype publishers. You can pre-order the book now on Amazon.com.
Kaling was not to be seen at first but a video began the session where Kaling provided a voice over asking “is Book Con just a con for people too scared to go to a real Comic-Con?” Kaling then began to talk about her roles on The Office and The Mindy Project quipping “where are men of color” in her shows and proceeded to show a clip of photos of President Obama and Elmo with her. She also talked about her book when BJ Novak entered into the clip with her as they bantered back and forth.
With the audience laughing, cheering and applauding, Kaling and Novak then took the stage to introductions and to answer audience questions. Novak took stage first and introduced Kaling, covering her impressive accomplishments and then proceeded to hand over the stage to her.
Following introductions, Kaling proceeded to explain the title of her book Why Not Me?, explaining how she never felt like she quite fit in. She talked about how many of her friends were marrying and having children and how she felt a little left out, then went on to explain how she also feels left out on the careers side, never feeling her accomplishments measure up to others, leaving herself to ask why she can’t be like “that.”
Kaling talked about differences she felt when writing her first book from this book. In her first book, she was just excited to be writing a book, a book that talks about who she is, really wanting people to like her; whereas in Why Not Me? she knew that she had people that liked her, and she opened herself up to vulnerability, leading the book to be a bit funnier. She mentioned that she felt like the book covered a life from the last five years which have felt more like more has happened in those five years than in the previous thirty years of her life.
Following a lot more discussion about her book, and questions from Novak answered by her, they opened up to audience questions to both of them.
Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?
Kaling: The biggest compliment I can get about writing is if it sounds like talking to a friend. So, I would record myself talk and write that. When I would transcribe it, it would have something on the page and it helped because there was something on the page.
Novak: My favorite writing advice was “If you can talk, you can write.”
If you had a week to spare, would you want to host SNL?
Kaling: I actually loved to write for SNL for two weeks. I learned so much. If I was there, which I would love to host SNL, I would love to do Cookie from Empire as a celebrity impersonation. I would want to do all the characters from Empire.
Have you learned anything new about yourself playing your characters?
Kaling: It’s been interesting fake dating so many guys. It’s been weird to see what actors’ courtship tactics are like. The character of Mindy in the show is so much smarter than me in some ways, like she’s a surgeon and OG/BYN. She’s a narcissistic and smart twenty-five year old women and I’ve learned so much about having dials to turn back and flip them back and learn how to do that in real life.
Could you tell us something about the project you’re working on together?
Novak: Well, it’s very early in the creative process and we just met yesterday. That book won’t be out for quite awhile. It’ll go through many conversations and directions.
Kaling: Will our fighting stop the production of this book? It’s actually really awesome, we just started to really work on it. I love working with him, so the ideas we’ve had so far are super excited.
Now that The Mindy Project is on Hulu does that mean we can get more risque shots?
Kaling: When you find a platform like Hulu, which is looser with what you’re allowed to do… You have that feeling after working on network television of “Oh, what can we do now!?” We decided that we definitely want people who tune into the show for two reasons: doing cool new things and not giving up the basics of the show. I think that a major thing about romance is restraint. A little goes a long way. But I do think we’re going to expand in more ways than before.
You’ve talked about how you want to get married and have kids, but how you don’t have many female friends. Do you think that you’re still incorporating aspects of your real life into The Mindy Project?
Kaling: It’s so funny. My favorite people in LA I’ve met are also really successful people. One of them is Lena Dunham! These are people personally who I adore and before I can ask them to be on my show, they have their own! Nothing would make me happier than finding a great and worthy and funny person to sit across from and talk about my problems with. The writers room is starting up on Monday and this is something we’re actively thinking about.
Who’s your favorite guest star and who would you want on the show?
Kaling: Kerry Washington is great, especially on Scandal. I love working with BJ and Stephen Colbert. The fact the only acting gig he did between jobs was for our show was amazing! It was wonderful to act with him and it felt cool for the show. Guests I would love: Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hanks, Dave Chapelle.
The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons guest appeared on Charlie Rose and talked about the show, what he thinks about Sheldon and more. Parsons also talked about his latest project.
Parsons is currently appearing in An Act of God at Studio 54 on Broadway in New York City, New York, but took time out of his busy schedule to talk with Rose. An Act of God opened last evening to a standing ovation, star-studded audience.
See Review of An Act of God
See Related An Act of God Opening Night
An Act of God, written by David Javerbaum (formerly head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), was outgrown from a Twitter account owned by Javerbaum called which led to Javerbaum writing his book The Last Testament: A Memoir by God. Javerbaum further explains that “An Act of God is a 90- minute conversation in which I will reveal the mysteries of the Bible and answer some of the greatest existential questions that plague mankind. I chose Jim to play Me because I relish the irony of telling the real story of the Six Days of Creation through the star of The Big Bang Theory.”
“Over the course of his long and distinguished career, God has literally seen it all. And not just seen. In fact, the multitalented deity has played a pivotal role in many major events, including the creation of the universe, the entirety of world history, and the co-creation (with his son) of The Walking Dead. Sometimes preachy, sometimes holier-than-thou, but always lively, The Last Testament is the ultimate celebrity autobiography,” Javerbaum continues.
See full segment clip below:
See promo clip of the show:
Kunal Nayyar featured on Cover of issue 9 of JÓN Magazine, PIN Issue. Image by: Leigh Keily
The Big Bang Theory‘s Kunal Nayyar is featured in JÓN Magazine Issue 9 PIN Issue Cover story! The PIN issue is inspired by wrestling, super hot desert summers, pin boards and bowling with five mega celebrity features and 15 men’s fashion editorials, shot around the world.
JÓN editors flew to LA to chat with Kunal Nayyar about his new book, as well as his rise to fame on the world’s most popular TV show. Nayyar is also featured as a co-star with Jesse Eisenberg, this summer in the off-Broadway show, The Spoils, currently in preview showings which will open June 2 and run through June 28.
Issue nine of JÓN also features fashion stories from photographers from around the globe, including Justin Violini, B. Charles Johnson, Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert, Richard Yap, JC Pinheiro, Riley Stewart, Brent Chua, Thomas Vording, Taylor Hall O’Brien, Daniel Rodrigues, Thurstan Redding, Mikey White and Packard Stevens.
You can pick up a copy of JÓN at the following locations in the United Kingdom and Amsterdam starting May 29, or you can order direct online via Paypal.
London
Good News, 23 Berwick Street
Compton News, 48 Old Compton Street
Wardour News, 118 Wardour Street
Chelsea Food Fayre, 237 Kings Road
Camden News, 227 Camden High Street
Magnum, 17 Thayer Street
WH Smith at Selfridges
Rococo, 12 Elgin Crescent
Marshall News, 11 Marshall Street
Charlotte Street News, 66 Charlotte Street
M2 Covent Garden, 30-35 Drury Lane
Gay’s the Word, 66 Marchmont Street
Soho Original Bookshops, 12 Brewer Street
Artwords, Shoreditch (Rivington Street) and Hackney (Broadway Market)
Amsterdam
The Athenaeum Bookstore, Spui 14
7 May 2015
Mayim Bialik sat down with Variety to talk about Sheldon and Amy on The Big Bang Theory. You can catch the full interview by picking up the May 5, 2015 issue of Variety. Below is a repost from variety.com.
Mayim Bialik definitely has “Blossom”-ed. The co-star of CBS’ hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” is also an author, a blogger (for Kveller.com), a mother and a neuroscientist.
How’s the romance going with Sheldon? You finally had a sleepover!
It took many years. But it’s a testament to how slowly and sweetly their relationship progresses. We have a very big finale for Amy and Sheldon, and a lot is hanging in the balance.
Do you have a favorite Amy/Sheldon moment?
Our first cuddle was special. When he said “I love you” was special. Jim and I get to find a lot of those moments together, even if they’re not scripted. That’s the neat thing about working with someone like him.
What’s been the biggest challenge of playing Amy?
Not trying to be a female version of Jim Parsons. Everybody loves Jim Parsons, and we don’t need another Jim Parsons. He’s perfect the way he is. So my challenge has been how to give my character different flavors, so she’s not just imitating him.
How do you that?
That would be like a magician telling their secrets! You figure it out as you go. I’m not a classically trained actor, so I’m constantly feeling inadequate as a performer and trying to do my best. Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting and I are the only ones who didn’t go to conservatory. I do feel a certain sense of inadequacy sometimes. I worry about it. Is my process adequate? But that’s also the nice thing. it’s such a gentle cast. We all help each other out.
How important is the live audience to your show?
It’s like live theater. Any time Jim and I have to kiss in front of an audience, it’s like a whole other universe. Our writers don’t ooh and ahh and hoot and holler.
You’re a neuroscientist in real life, and you play one on TV.
They didn’t have a profession for my character when I came on in the finale of season 3. In season 4, Bill Prady said they’d make her what I am so I could fix things (in the script) if they were wrong. It’s neat to know what things mean. But most of the time, I don’t have to use it.
How important is your faith to you?
Apparently, I’m very unusual in that I’m in Hollywood and don’t mind talking about it. It’s not to make myself feel like a better person. If what I’ve experienced — in particular the Jewish traditions of divorce or parenting or life cycles — if those can be educational to people and make the big world feel less big and more personal and more like we are all on the planet together and we are all connected, which I believe is true, than I think that would be an accomplishment for myself.