Today, when the OTHER Jenna Bus(c)h Googles her name, she's going to get MY stuff! ;)

A bunch of stuff went up this morning! I know a bunch of you have seen this already, but the Hawkman part of my interview with the awesome (and smokin') Michael Shanks went up on Huffington Post! He reveals juicy, geeky details about his costume, weapons and what sort of role playing he did as a kid.

Michael Shanks Interview

Some of you know I do a video segment for the JoBlo Movie Show called "Geek Stuff". Well, this week, it's a bit of a stretch...I'm drinking for science! This week, I taste test Halloween-themed booze (I do this all for you) and paint my face a strange blue.

JoBlo Movie Show...my segment is about 5 1/2 minutes in.

In other JoBlo news, I have links to the Q&A for Gentlemen Broncos, the new offering from Jared Hess, the man behind Napoleon Dynamite.

Gentlemen Broncos Q&A

Aaand, if you want to know what I actually thought about it, check out my review. I tried to be kind...

Gentlemen Broncos Review

Finally, I ended up getting another day of work on Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. We just had Jsu Garcia and David Newsom! Damn, I love my job!

Michael Shanks talks SGU, Santuary and Twitter

Hey everyone! Got some good stuff for you Michael Shanks fans! And if my Twitter feed is to be believed, there are TONS of you out there. I'm certainly included in the ranks! The main part of our interview was about his upcoming appearance on Smallville as the Justice Society member with gravity-defying Nth metal wings, Hawkman. (I'll link as soon as it goes live.)



But Shanks gave me some great info on his Stargate Universe appearances, his opinion about the show and his upcoming role on Sanctuary. You guys get to check it out before it goes up on The Huffington Post. He also mentioned that, if he looses a bet with his wife...you might actually see him on Twitter!

So, you're appearing on Stargate Universe...

I did a brief cameo in the pilot and I've shot a couple of episodes, I think episode nine, called “Human” and then one near the end of their run...I think it's the eighteenth episode of the season.



I love the show. What do you think of it? It's really different...

It is different. I mean, it's a completely different taste palate than the previous Stargate incarnations. It's more realistic. The characters are much more dimensionalized. The visual of it is far more aesthetically pleasing and stunning. The camera work is more interesting. The visual effects are amazing. I mean, we had some great visual effects on SG-1. But these are just feature as far as I'm concerned. From the shots I've seen. The acting is wonderful. The actors are really commiting. You can tell. And there's some wonderfully drawn characters there.

I just had a little...I just watched the first three episodes, and I just had a little issue with some of the drama. I felt it was somewhat forced, and I just mean from the perspective of...the characters come across more...in order to create the tension, the mistrust, or the angst between some of the characters, it seems to lack logic, where the arguments have come across sometimes as, like, petulant children, not responsible adults engaged in discussions about actual issues. The was that, when they were squabbling over something simple, the voices seemed to be a little more heightened for the sake of creating drama than they should be, as opposed to how people would react more in that kind of situation to another adult as opposed to yelling at you because it says we're supposed to be yelling at each other.



I had a little problem with that aspect of the drama, but again, I am not the expert because I've not sat down and watched every episode. I've seen aspects of the first three and the later part of, I believe, "Light". So, again, I was blown away by the physical aspects of the show and really transported. When I watch it, I'm really transported to the world that they've created. It's really three-dimensionalized. I'm just not quite buying all of the mistrust elements and the tension elements just yet. But I think they're one strong story from hooking me and turning the corner on that. And I've also found that I haven't quite gotten attached to the characters as much as I probably should be. But that might be intentional as well. They're much more dimensionalized therefore, they're not completely likable, they're not completely unlikable. And there's a little bit of mystery to it. So it keeps you coming back saying, 'where are they going with this'. That's not a bad thing. Dole it out slowly. So yeah, I've liked it for the most part, but I've just had some issues with some of the creation of the drama.

So you're going to be guest starring on Sanctuary, right? (You're on all my favorite shows.)

Yes. My speech therapist...we had a little sit down and he told me that, in order to get past my fear of the letter "S" I may only appear on shows that start with the letter "S" so I can build up my resistance to it. So yes.

[Laughs]

Smallville, Stargate, Sanctuary. I'm looking for some others. If you can reccomend any other shows that start with "S" that I could pitch myself out to that would be great. But yeah, Sanctuary.
Have you filmed the episode yet?

Oh yeah, I filmed it in June I believe.

Really?

April, May...I don't remember. It's been a hell of a year. [Laughs] We used part of the Watchmen backlot, which was a three block cityscape that they built for Watchmen. So there's this beautiful standing set in the middle of Burnaby (Vancouver) that has some great exteriors for, I think it's episode nine. I think. I may be completely off base with that. But yeah, I play a character called Jimmy. "Jimmy the Pouch". [Laughs] Or as I call him, "Jimmy the Pooch". He has a strong interaction with and a similar background with the new character called Kate Freelander, played by Agam Darshi on the show, and has a history with Helen Magnus, played by Amanda Tapping (his former co-star on SG-1). We kind of toy with that a little. But most of the scenes I have are with Agam Darshi.



I actually drove past that set when I was on a set visit for another film up in Vancouver. I didn't get to stop, but it looked really cool!

Yeah, it's pretty nifty, I have to say. I didn't know that on the Smallville lot, they've got a block and a half of Metropolis built on their back lot...it's really neat to discover these things in Vancouver. [Laughs] I've lived here for a large portion of the last twenty years and I haven't seen a lot of this stuff. So it's really neat.

A bunch of my Twitter followers asked where your wife is on Twitter, and want to know when you're getting on there.

Oh, uh, never. That's that one. Let's get that out of the way. Michael Shanks twittering is not going to happen. Let's just go down that road. [Laughs] Although apparently I might. I made a bet with my wife and she had to choose what I would have to do if I lost the bet. She said, because she knows how much I don't like the notion of twittering, if I lose, I have to twitter for a week. So that will be probably be the only way you will catch me twittering. I'm just not that guy. [Laughs] But she is. I don't know. I don't keep track of her twittering...I don't know what you call it. [Laughs]

Tweets? [Laughs]

When she's doing it I walk by and roll my eyes. That's my twenty cents. I'm sure all the true twitters and the true fans of Twitter are going to look at me and go, 'you're a bonehead'. [Laughs]

Well, your official website twitters...

Yes, they do a lot of that kind of stuff. I'm trying to take a step back from my direct involvement in online kind of stuff. I find it to be a dark and murky place where there are a lot of drive by opinion makers [Laughs] who escape into the night without being accountable for their words and I'm not a big fan of that. So I attempt to keep my distance from the direct online interaction.

I totally understand...I've has some issues...

Yeah, that's the thing. I guess if you put it in proper perspective it really doesn't matter, but in terms of, I've got young kids and stuff like that. My daughter is getting into the internet aspect of things, and is online on a regular basis, and does read some certain things. She will poke around and look at certain things. And I don't want her to see that kind of crap. It's going to be there anyway, so I'm not going to worry about it. That's what happens when you're a little bit in the public eye, or stick your neck out there, but it's the aspect of sticking your neck out there and placing myself in those situations. I'm just not terribly interested in doing that at this juncture. I've got better things to do. [Laughs]

Ketchup is Evil and My Pills Tell Me What to Do

Do any of you remember the commercial that told us condiments were evil? I was wandering around YouTube the other day and rewatched a few of my favorites. My Facebook friends have seen me post a few of these, but they're worth a second viewing.

(Links below the pictures. And feel free to blame me for your fucked up dreams tonight.) ;)

"Don't Drown Your Food"

I know salad dressing can be high in calories, but really, was condiment abuse a hot button issue back then? Can you imagine the meeting? "It's terrible the way kids abuse mustard these days. It's becoming an epidemic! A-1 Sauce is invading our schools! We must stop it! Destroy the ketchup! Stop the madness!" This was the issue you thought needed attention? And to make your point, you have cute animated food drowning in sauce? All that did was make me want to name a potato Henry and keep him as a pet. Hey, people did it with rocks...

"Make a Saturday"

This one tried to convince kids to make an ice cream Sunday without the ice cream! Make it with fruit...but in the shape of a Sunday. Let's call it a "Saturday" so it's still lots o' fun! Dude, what the fuck? By the way, the thing looks pretty phallic to me.

"Hanker for a Hunk of Cheese"

Yeah, salad dressing is evil, but full fat cheese is just great for you. And did you catch the visuals? "When my ten-gallon hat is feeling five-gallon flat..." Um, I'm sorry to bring this up again, but it looks like a penis. Watch it again and tell me I'm wrong. Not sure cheese has the same effect as Viagra, but give it a shot if you're so inclined. Let me know how that works out for you.

"This is Serious" (Singing Pills)

This is my hands down favorite. Singing pill puppets telling you that they're not candy. Um, if things in your medicine cabinet are singing to you, your problems are a bit beyond a PSA.

"Don't Put it in Your Mouth"

Is this why people become Furries?

Do you guys have favorite PSA's? Send me some links so I can marvel at the stupidity of the eighties.

Flash Forward's Sonya Walger, Slutty Game Pirates and Breast Physics

I'm happy to announce that I'm going to be doing some writing for AOL's Popeater.com! (My landlady, the cable company and AT&T are also rather pleased. It seems that bartering cows and tomatoes is no longer an acceptable payment practice.)



So, for my first post, I managed to score an interview with Sonya Walger, who plays Dr. Olivia Benford on Flash Forward. Are you guys watching this? I really, really hesitated. The last thing I wanted was to watch another show that requires cliff notes and someone geekier than me to explain it all...but I finally caved. Walger tells me whether or not she hesitated when asked to take on a "mystery show" after Lost, a sneak peek at Thursday's episode and whether or not she's like a glimpse into her future.


Click on the link to check out our interview.

Finally, I went trick or treating in Azeroth last night. Oh stop laughing. You can actually do that in World of Warcraft this week! The innkeepers can either give you a treat or turn you into something. The other day I was turned into a bat and a frog. Last night I got a candy bar. My buddy Chad got a pirate wand...he turned me into a slutty pirate with some serious cleavage. She looks something like this:



Seems like it might be a bit difficult to fight with those things. ;) I swear, there will be a post about video game breast physics in the near future. (Please note, I am NOT offended by boobs in video games anymore than I'm offended by guys with comically huge muscles. I just think it might be a little difficult to keep these things from falling out while fighting.)




I want to know what tape she's using to hold those things in!

Damn Aliens Woke Me at 3:33 am Again

Alright. I admit it. No matter how logical I think I am, an itty bitty little part of me has a fear of aliens. I'm probably never going to come across Bigfoot in the woods. Highly unlikely that I'm going to meet a Yeti while hiking in Los Angeles. I can usually explain away any little things that go bump in the night. But aliens? Well, I suppose it's not outside the realm of possibility. I mean, there are plenty of planets out there. Thundera could be one of them, right?


Love Cheetara...except for the episode where she got all fluttery about finding gold. Of course the chick wanted to make it into a necklace. Harumph.

So after waking up at 3:33 am for the 4th morning in a row, I am forced to admit my secret fear of aliens. I guess if a planet full of people can brave space traffic to fly all the way over here, they'd probably have a way to do some secret anal probing.


Now, I'm not saying that I think they've been here. I'm just saying that their existence is not outside the realm of possibility. So here's the thing. (Please understand, I was awake until 2 am, and woke up early to interview Sonya Walger for Flash Forward...her shows are chock full of conspiracies. I'm sleep deprived and therefore may sound like complete nutter...you've been warned.) If I were an alien, and really, how do you know I'm not, I'd skip this planet. We're kind of idiots here.


Either you're going to scare us to death, or we're going to annoy you until you leave. (Or make you live in shacks and call you prawns. Baaaad District 9!)



So, the reason I keep waking up at 3:33 am? I just saw The Fourth Kind last week. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I loved it. The embargo hasn't lifted yet, so I can't tell you much. I'll simply say, you must see this film! It rocked! Check out the trailer link below. I promise I'll post my review as soon as it goes live.


Click on the link to check out the trailer and TV spots.

In other alien news, the re-imagining of V airs November 3rd. Despite reports of production problems and the decision to run four episodes, then take it off the air until next year, I'm looking forward to this. I have been for a while. In fact, when I interviewed original V cast members Mark Singer and Robert Englund a while back, I had to ask them about the upcoming show. (Click on the links to check out the interviews.)



Are you guys excited for the V? Do you think Morena Baccarin makes a convincing alien? Do you care at all? Are you going to see The Fourth Kind? Can you tell I spent a good portion of last night testing Halloween-themed alcohol for the JoBlo Movie Show? (Dead Guy Ale, dude. You have to get some!)

My Dollhouse Preview, interview with Salma Hayek and Elm Street

It's an odd mix this morning, my geeky buds. This is why freelance makes puppies cry...

First up today, my preview of Friday's Dollhouse.



I got a chance to check out the next two episodes of the Eliza Dushku fashion show. (I'm sorry...see below) I'm sure you've all heard that we'll have to wait until December 4th to see the second one. According to the Futon Critic, Fox has benched the show for sweeps. Baaad sign, Whedonites. Here's my article on why you MUST watch this Friday's episode, "Belonging". M.U.S.T. Dichen Lachman is awesome. If this episode had been the first of the season, the show would be rocking instead of floundering.


The lady who might save Dollhouse!

I've also seen the Dec. 4th episode with geek goddess Summer Glau. She plays a crazy tech chick with a vendetta against Echo. Look, I hope she and Dichen can save the show. And not just because I love me some Joss Whedon. I think the show has great potential. I really do. I just think that it should be more of an ensemble. Eliza has tons of talent, but she really shines in kick-assery and seduction. Keep her there and let the other dollies do more. Audiences can spot a "vehicle" a mile away, and if comments on the net are to be believed, they have.



Next my final post on Cirque du Freak. Check out my video interview with the lovely Salma Hayek. She's magic wrapped in candy, but she was clearly exhausted during the interview. She does get really excited about the upcoming Shreck spin off, Puss in Boots. More excited about an animated cat than a bearded lady. Hmmm...



And sadly, it's my last day on the set of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy...Andres Jones today, btw.

Andras Jones-Rick Johnson in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

I've had an amazing time, and I'll be updating the photo album as the actors come in today. I promised to give a shout out to super cool Cimematographer Buz Wallick. He tells me he is a creepy guy in a beard. (Absolutely NOT creepy.) Seriously, everyone has been amazing! And producer Thommy Hutson told me he's going to call me in if they get Dokken. \m/ (If you don't know that particular emoticon, you won't get why that makes me so happy.)


Buz "Danger" Wallick, the creepy beard guy!

Side note: I lost my battle with craft services and surrendered to the strawberry doughnut. Hey, if you're going down in flames, make it spectacular!

John C. Reilly Has Super Spit

Check out the second of my Cirque Du Freak interviews for JoBlo. (Salma Hayek will be up tomorrow) John C. Reilly plays Larten Crepsley, the vampire mentor to the teenage Darren Shan. Like the Twilight vamps, these blood suckers don't have fangs. But happily, they do NOT resemble disco balls in the sun. (They do have super spit. I want super spit. And their ability to flit would be handy in LA traffic.)


Saw this shot online and it cracked me up.

The super-mellow Reilly tells me about Cirque's vampire mythology, the war against the Vampanese (read the books...it's far cooler than it sounds) and what he's got coming up next.

The 1st of my Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant Interviews: Chris Massoglia

Last year I got to visit the set of Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant in New Orleans. It was a crazy trip that involved a bar called the "Dungeon" and me reading everyone's tarot cards in my room at 4:30 am. Here's what I learned from the trip: John C. Reilly is a riot, I would love to live on this set and beignets are an excellent cure for a hangover.



Check out my video interview with Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant star Chris Massoglia. I asked the poor dear what he did to get beads thrown at him during Mardi Gras.



(And check out the movie poster behind my shoulder. Looks like Twilight, no?)

Video Game Stocks Down...Duh!

I write for a site called Forces of Geek. It's a blast, they let me write about whatever geeky little thing is making my heart beat faster this week. I love them.

This morning, I was reading Google News and I read a story about how video game stocks are down. I mentioned it to a few friends and looked up some reaction on the web. Everyone seemed to be surprised by this. Really? Really? I went digging in my closet and found my soap box hidden behind some old shoes. Climbing on it now:

Video Game Stocks are Down...Wanna Guess Why?



Check out my post for Forces of Geek and let me know if you agree. (Plus, I found some funny video game pics that I hope make you giggle.)

Hodge Podge: The Final Cylon, Cirque Du Freak, Wil Wheaton, Freddy Krueger, and Doing Makeup for "Never Sleep Again"

This weekend was as crazy as Gnome on a Robot Chicken. (I play a LOT of World of Warcraft.) I spent Saturday live blogging from the Spike TV Scream Awards, and yesterday writing up all the stories I got from the red carpet...and cleaning all the fake snow they dumped on us out of my keyboard. So for this Monday's post, I have a bit of a wrap up. And some info on what bizarro project I'm taking a five minute break from today.


Seriously, you can ride this in the game. How are you not playing yet?

First off, Kate Vernon. I interviewed her for IGN and Huffington Post before the series finale of Battlestar Galactica. Both interviews were on the phone and took place a few days from each other, so we actually got to chat a bit. This woman rocks. Her performance as Ellen Tigh was a tour de force, and she's a lovely person to boot. I finally got to meet her in person on the red carpet, where she told me that, though she'd love to do more Battlestar movies, it isn't looking likely. “There's no buzz about it, no,” she said. “I was sad about it. I'm sad, you know. I loved my role. Ellen Tigh is an amazing role. I'm game, if Ron (Moore) wants to bring it back. It's got a few takers, for sure. And a built in audience, for sure. So we'll see.” Here's hoping. Again, it allows me to continue using the word "frak".


Love, love, love her final BSG episodes! If you haven't watched the show, I'm coming to your house, tying you down, and popping in the DVD. Don't worry. I'm harmless...::cough, cough::.

Next, we have Wil Wheaton guest starring on tonight's episode of The Big Bang Theory. Wesley Crusher, dude! I love STNG! I know the original series is classic, but Star Trek: The Next Generation is still my favorite. Tonight, the famously nice Wheaton plays a mean version of himself. Here's the link to my article.

I loved him in Stand By Me. But I loved River Phoenix even more. Sigh.

As I've posted before, I love Jackie Earle Haley. He's the coolest guy, and he's been incredibly nice every time I've interviewed him. (Here's the most recent one.) I got a chance to chat with him on the red carpet Saturday night and he gave me some good info. First, he debunked the rumors that he's playing Sinestro in the upcoming Green Lantern movie. But, he may still do it...check it out here. He also gave me the scoop on the Freddy Krueger makeup, which I'm particularly interested in. (Read on to find out why.)

How can someone so sweet in person be so fucking bad ass on film?

My review of Cirque Du Freak went up today as well. I really wanted to love this one. And I did have a good time. I just wanted more from it. The problem for me was not the story. I loved the books and it translated well. It wasn't the actors. John C. Reilly cracked me up. (I'll link to our video interview as soon as it posts, but in the meantime, here's our set visit interview.) It was all about the editing. I'd be interested to hear what you guys think after you see it.

Sooo, hot or not? Salma Hayek in a beard.

Finally, my crazy day on the set of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. As some of you know, I've been a makeup artist for 15 years. (Some of my weirder stuff is in my Facebook album.) The lovely Staci Layne Wilson suggested me for this gig. And it's been amazing!!! I've gotten to meet a ton of actors from the Elm Street films, and paint their lovely faces. Everyone has been extra cool. David J. Schow (dude, he wrote The Crow and the Masters of Horror episode "We All Scream for Ice Cream". Clowns scare the crap out of me.) even let me wear the Freddy glove.

I've never been happier.

Directors Andrew Kasch (His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th) and Daniel Farrands (The Haunting in Connecticut) Producer Thommy Hutson (His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th), Cinematographer Buz Wallick (Thirsty) who asked me to give him a shout out, and Production Manager/Jill of All Trades Annette Ashlie Slomka have been incredible to work with. Plus, they fed me Pringles all day. I'm totally addicted. I've managed to resist the donuts, but that's only a matter of time.

Here is a link to some shots from the shoot. Some good juicy stuff from the interviews...but, of course, I'm sworn to secrecy. I'll be interviewing Dan, Andrew and Thommy soon, so I'll see what info they'll let me reveal.

So, which Elm Street film was your fav? Are you looking forward to the new one? Are you seeing Cirque Du Freak? Do you watch Big Bang Theory? I actually do want to know all this. Drop me a line!

I'm Casting Cameos for Joss Whedon. Kinda. Sorta.

Yup. I'm a Joss Whedon fan. It kind of goes with the whole "I'm a geek and geekiness is cool" thing. But honestly, I've seen everything he's ever done. Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog. I've read all his comic books...I even watch Dollhouse. (Fingers crossed, but I'm not holding out much hope for a third season. Sigh.) I've been lucky enough to interview him a few times, and he is just as funny as the characters he creates. Hell, when I asked him if I could have the keys to a shiny new Australia (a reference you'll get if you've seen Dr. Horrible), he told me I could be the Queen of Australia! He provides me with constant entertainment, and he's decreed my royalty. So I'm happy to help him out in any way I can. Which includes casting.



Please note, I'm totally kidding about all of this. Whedon clearly has no casting issues and most certainly has never asked me for my opinion. I'm just a big ole fan. But, during interviews, I have been asking everyone remotely related to his work if they'd do a cameo or a role in any of his current projects. And everyone has said yes!

(Side note: At last year's New York Comic Con, I told Whedon about my interview with Neil Patrick Harris for SCI FI Wire, where he said he'd be happy to do a Dollhouse cameo, telling us, "That would be fun! All right. I'll ask Joss! I like being a cousin in the Whedon family, so whatever he wants me to do. Except porn." Whedon laughed and said, "I don't know if he's that talented...any chance to work with Neil ... I would jump at instantly. He apparently plays on another series [CBS' How I Met Your Mother]. But we have to make sure he knows that I know." So he's aware that I'm asking.)

Here's what I've got so far.

When I interviewed Nathan "the hammer is my penis" Fillion for IGN last year, I asked him if he'd do a cameo on Dollhouse. He said, "Yeah! I would. I think, when Joss Whedon calls you up and says, 'hey, I've got this idea' you say, 'Yeah! Yes please. Thank you. Anything you like. That would be great.' It only works out for me."



I spoke to him again recently for The Huffington Post, with his co-star on Castle (which you really should be watching) Stana Katic. I asked her if she'd be willing to sing in the Dr. Horrible sequel. Katic said, "I'd love to! I thought it was a great, great piece.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenna-busch/nathan-fillion-and-stana_b_309886.html

" Fillion said she sings like a bird.

In our interview at last year's San Diego Comic Con, Eliza Dushku told me she'd love to do a Joss Whedon musical. "I don't know how great of a singer I am. I sing at people," she laughed. "I love karaoke. I'm game, so anything's possible."



I talked to Simon Helberg who plays Howard Wolowitz on the hit show The Big Bang Theory and the damp henchmen Moist in Dr. Horrible, and I asked him if he'd like to appear on Dollhouse. He said, "Yeah! Of course. Absolutely. I have tremendous faith and trust in Joss and all of them, Jed (Whedon) and Zack (Whedon) and Marissa (Tancheroen) who wrote it. And I know Jed and Marissa write on Dollhouse, and I know some of the actors there, and yeah. It would be very fun...it's such a craft to what he does and what all those Whedons do. They're tremendous. So yeah, I would absolutely do something."



Finally, last night on the red carpet for the Scream Awards, I got a few moments with Kunal Nayyar, who plays the socially awkward, can't-talk-to-girls-without-a-stiff-drink Rajesh Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory. I asked him about joining his cast mate in a Dr. Horrible sequel. "Yeah. I think that would be fun. I love Neil and I love what they do, and Joss Whedon and everyone. So I think it would be fun. Sure! If that opportunity exists, I'd be happy to jump in."



Any other suggestions? I'm interviewing Morena Baccarin next week, and you know I'm asking her about Dollhouse.