New Pic of Eric!

By request, because some people can't access the photo on twitter or Facebook...

Welcome 2011!

Wow, that was one crazy year, wasn't it?

It's still hard to believe we've made it past Christmas, let alone all the way into 2011. I'm still working on my to-do list from January of last year!

But it's time to dust off, tidy up, take stock, and start looking forward again.

So without further ado, here's KATE'S 2010 IN REVIEW:

January:
Had letter published in Entertainment Weekly. Who knew that by the end of the year, I'd be *interviewing* the stars of the soaps I'd been fangirling way back then?

February:
Posted a new Current TV Crush, Dennis Grabosch and Igor Dolgatschew. Became known as the Infamous DeRo Pusher.

March:
Went to Hawaii. Whee!

April:
Went to Ohio for the Romantic Times convention, where I received the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Small Press Romance. Still amazed and thrilled at that one. Met LB Gregg and a host of other fabulous, wonderful writers, and had a great time.

May:
New Current TV Crush: Eric Sheffer Stevens. This is significant, just in case you haven't read the blog/followed me on Twitter/friended me on Facebook/listened to me babble in real life.

June/July:
Sold a new book to Samhain, which comes out in February. Did a lot of camping with the family.

August:
Prepping for new school year, working on new manuscript.

September:
Complained about the ending to As The World Turns. Blog post went minorly viral, which was a bit of a thrill.

October:
Celebrated my birthday by starting a new "career" as interviewer of people in the performing arts. My first interview, with Parrish Hurley, focused on the creative process and his journey to produce a TV pilot, 'the (718)'. It was linked on AfterElton, which was another thrill. I also interviewed James Yaegashi, director of Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty.


November:
Easily my most surreal month. After weeks of biting my tongue to keep from blabbing, I finally got to spill the news - I'd asked Eric Sheffer Stevens for an interview, and he'd said yes! So in six short months, I'd gone from random fangirl to talking on the phone with my favorite actor for almost an hour. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot. Plus, that interview went viral too, which was so fantastic!

December:
Got my bookcover, finished final edits, started polishing up a new trilogy idea, and celebrated the holidays with those nearest and dearest.

What's coming up in 2011:
A new book in February. Hopefully, some new manuscripts written and new contracts signed. At least one new interview (yes, it's a definite, no, I'm not telling who it is yet). A new Current TV Crush (if you follow me on Twitter you can guess what show the crush is from - LOL). And, if this year is anything like last year, a whole bunch of experiences I couldn't even begin to imagine now.

Here's wishing you an amazing year ahead as well!

Interview with Eric Sheffer Stevens Part Four

Hard to believe, but this is the last day of my interview with Eric Sheffer Stevens. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I did! Today, we take a look at what's coming up next for Eric, and some final thoughts on the acting life.

I know you’ve just finished up with SILENT HOUSE; are you working on anything right now? Do you have anything on the horizon? Or are you just appreciating a little time off?

Yeah, that’s good. I’ve been trying to get stuff done at home this whole week, stuff I’ve neglected for months now.

We’re developing a play that’s just about written. It’s a four-hander (four characters), a playwright that I’ve worked with before. Over the past year and a half we’ve also been doing readings of a two-hander (two character play) that he had written about a married couple. Right now he’s writing the four-hander. Jenny Mudge and Chris Coffey, my wife Jenny and I. The couples are mixed up, and it’s sort of – I don’t know how to really pitch it. It’s very funny and it’s really good. [The playwright] is about 60 pages into it, and we just had a reading of it last week. We’re sort of close on a grant to start a company that would produce this sometime next year when all of our schedules come together.

Eric and his wife Jenny in last summer's Much Ado About Nothing

He’s just sold the film rights to this other script, so he’s in L.A. all the time. All of us are in different places. But that’s what we’re working on right now, this week included. Taking some time to all work on it together, try to move it closer.

And then it’s always a mystery as to what acting work comes along. You just start auditioning again, and something happens, and you start it two weeks later. I’m sure nothing right now, over the holidays. I’ll just be doing this, and then in January things are going to start up in earnest again. And I may be here, or I may go out to L.A. for a couple months, just sort of be back and forth a little bit.

LEFTY LOOSEY RIGHTY TIGHTY. Where is that in the process right now?

I just heard from them today. They think they’re going to have a rough cut next week, which is pretty amazing. It’ll still be a little bit of time before they have a final cut. Their deadline for themselves is the first week of December so they can make the cutoff for SXSW festival. I know James is working every single night on it. They’re sending it back and forth. The editor, who was also our DP (Director of Photography), is out in LA, so they’re doing a lot of filesharing and putting it all together. I haven’t seen any of it, except what you’ve seen, the teaser, which I loved. I’m going to go out there sometime this week to James’ house to go over the footage with him.

Well, we’re campaigning hard for the Seattle International Film Festival. Late January deadline. Plenty of time.

Sounds great! That sounds perfect, yeah.

Current TV lineup, broadcast and cable – what show would you like to be a regular cast member on, and what show would you like to guest star on?

MAD MEN, I’d love to guest star on. Just started watching that; it’s a great show. I’d love to go back in time and be a regular on THE WEST WING. That show was amazing.

Here’s another one that came through on Twitter. People were tossing out questions for the radio call in but didn’t get through. If you were to create your own primetime show, what kind of show would it be? Is there any kind of a feel to a show that you’re really drawn to, or just whatever happens to cross your plate?

I think anything that David Simon was writing, I would kill to be on. The guy’s doing TREME right now, he did THE WIRE, did HOMICIDE. That’s just amazing TV writing.

I’m sort of behind in TV shows. I don’t have cable, and so I watch things on DVD later. Much later. Sometimes years later. I still haven’t seen DEADWOOD; I’ve never seen THE SOPRANOS. I have kind of bizarre little quirks like that.

But yeah, I think it would be an hour-long drama, but also something bizarre and funny, which I think all good writing has. Tying all of the elements together, which makes the comedy more funny and the profundity deeper, by contrasting those two things.


I have some questions from my kids.

FutureStar: How did you become an actor? What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

I was always interested, and I started doing it in college. I stuck with it, and it just sort of kept happening. Sometimes that works out, and sometimes it doesn’t.

I’d just say pay attention to the story, more than to your own character. As far as how your character is telling the story and contributing to the story. For too long I just really wanted to be an actor. I was focusing a little too much on my role, my character, and not about storytelling. Something clicked for me when I realized that I was a storyteller, and that made me a much better actor.

Midkid: How early do you have to get up in the morning for acting jobs?

Yeah, that’s hard for me. Theater is pretty awesome because you start late. A lot of times you rehearse noon to eight pm, or ten to six. But TV you get up really early. Always before the sun comes up. It’s awful. And film, too, but they’re longer days. At least on [daytime] TV you’re getting up at 5:30 to be there at seven, but then you’re done usually at two or three. The worst day was five pm, but you’re not doing twelve hour days. They don’t do that. Film and [primetime] TV is often twelve or fourteen hours. You’re working from seven in the morning to nine at night on those days that you’re shooting. But no, you don’t sleep in.

GPS: How would you feel if you were a superstar?

I don’t think I would like it. Not what I’m gunning for. I think I would hate it. It just seems like you would lose a huge part of your life. It would be nice to skirt that and still make a living at it.

A huge thank you to Eric Sheffer Stevens for taking the time to talk with me, and for sharing so much with us all. And thank you to all the readers who took the time to keep coming back for more. I so appreciate it!

If you missed the earlier parts of the interview, links are below. And if you liked this interview, and want to read others in the series, check out the two-parter interviews with James Yaegashi, director of Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty, and Parrish Hurley, creator of "the (718)", a TV pilot.

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part One

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Two
Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Three

James Yaegashi, Part One

James Yaegashi, Part Two

Parrish Hurley, Part One
Parrish Hurley, Part Two

Interview with Eric Sheffer Stevens Part Three

Is it day three already? Wow - time flies! Today's theme is As The World Turns, which is where the majority of us were introduced to Eric Sheffer Stevens. Learn how Dr. Reid Oliver impacted Eric's life/career, how some of those character quirks came about, and what he REALLY thinks of the Cartoon Saga. Enjoy!

Would you say that the role of Dr. Reid Oliver opened doors for you, limited you, both, or neither?
It remains to be seen what kind of doors it might open, but it was a great opportunity, and it can only be good. There’s nothing that’s limiting about it. Because it was such a character role, and also because it was just less than a year. It would be pretty impossible for me to be stereotyped. It was actually great for me as far as other things I’ve done, to have a guy like that in my body of work. Because of how bizarre and specific he was written. So yeah, for me, it can only be a really great thing.

Were you surprised by the reception for the character, or the attention that you got for the role? On paper I can see it looking like, “oh, secondary character in a secondary storyline, couple of days a week, a good, solid few months of work, steady income” kind of a thing. A great character, a lot of fun to do.

Yeah, that was all exactly my reaction.

And then, all of a sudden did it feel like it exploded on you? In a good way?

It was very surprising. I was pretty unaware of it for a while. Just [noticed] that they kept me working and brought me more and more into the world there. It was just a lot of fun. And that he got so popular was very surprising to me and very unexpected. And, obviously, you think you’re just going along and … it was just what you said. They said two or three months. I’m not sure what they thought the storyline would be, but that character would be around for two or three months. And I thought, “that’s fantastic! That’ll be so much fun.” And then that they wanted to keep him around indefinitely was such a surprise. A welcome surprise – it was a happy thing. That was a character I could have played for…I would have been happy to go on longer with it.

We would have been happy to watch it, too.

My friend Maia and I live in different cities, but we always watched the show together. We’d get on IM and chat while we were watching. I used to joke that it was time for Master Class, because we loved seeing the choices you would make for the character. Line deliveries, or bits of stage action, it was like, “Oh, my God, I never would have thought of that, but it’s perfect.” It was really enjoyable.

That’s really nice. Thank you. You know, it was fun because there was a freedom there that I didn’t realize at first. I think each little thing that I got away with … I mean, they were really happy with it, but I felt more and more emboldened. “Oh, they’ll let me eat whatever food is on set, they’ll let me do anything! This is great!”

Let you drink somebody else’s lemonade.

Yeah, right. [laughter] That one was an odd one. I’ve talked about this before, but we had to redo it, because one of the cameramen started laughing. It was just so random.

Excellent. [laughter] You know it works when you can get the crew to break.

Or it’s just that bad. It could be that as well.

Have you been approached by any other soaps since the end of As The World Turns?

Yes, two. They were contract roles. I remember they were described as “nice”. And I said both times to my agent, “Wait, wait, stop.” So, neither one of those seemed right, but I’m definitely open to it. It depends on what would come along.

I have to say as someone who has done some theater, I completely get where you’re coming from. Because the nice characters are not as interesting to play.

And there’s a lot of them, and they just sort of move through the story. I know I would be really bored. And that’s a really bad place to be. Just not feeling challenged. I’d be miserable, my family would hate me, I’d be very crabby. So that’s something I have to think very seriously about.

I remember being offered a role in PICNIC, down in Baltimore. This is right after Trent and I worked down there together. It was for the role of Alan, who is the nice guy who gets jilted. The hunky guy, Hal, you know, the William Holden part, that’s the fun role to play. I’m not right for that, but I also didn’t want to play the nice guy. It would just be really … this is coming out wrong. I don’t have anything against being nice. At all. In life. And there are plenty of nice characters. But there are tons of parts where that’s their only function is to be the nice guy, so the other person can be interesting. That’s what I’m talking about. So I passed on that.

But then the guy who was playing it bailed on them after opening weekend, to go do something else. And they called me to go on in a week. And I said, “No! What?” That’s actually your nightmare. That whole being naked, not knowing your lines, onstage thing. And my wife said, “Do it. It would be the most ridiculous challenge. It would be horrible and they would love you and you’d save the situation and it would be the most unique experience.”

So I called back and said, “Uh, okay.” And I took a train that day, and the director took the train with me. I rehearsed that night, and then I rehearsed the next day, and went on that next night with a book in my hand. It was terrifying. And that was fun. The character wasn’t the challenge, the circumstances were. I went on twice with a book and the third night, the Friday night, I did it off-book. That was another scary, horrible night. And I got through. It was fun. And after playing that part for a week I was completely bored. But the whole first week was worth that.

The cartoon saga. I know you’ve heard of it, or been made aware of it.

Oh, I’ve watched a lot of them. Yeah, it’s hilarious.

The Mistake is my personal favorite because it’s based on the first time we talked, on that radio call-in when I asked about the Shakespeare plays.

The one with Yorick? Yeah. Those cartoons are hilarious. They’re so smart. They’re ridiculously smart. I think my favorite was the Bad Hair Day. The continuity one. That was genius. So funny.


There have actually been major posts on that (subject).

Oh, yeah. We had to shoot one scene, [where] we were making out, at the end of one of the episodes and the beginning of the next. And we never did the other episode until a month [later] because of some snow day or something, I don’t remember what happened. And he got his hair cut. I was like, “what are you doing?” And he said, “Yeah, it wasn’t supposed to be this short.” So then they’re trying to push it forward or something. Trying to make it all look [the same]. That was one where I knew it wouldn’t work right away.



There were a lot of conspiracy theories about that – were there reshoots, are they trying to make it hotter or what?

No, no reshoots. Just a scheduling thing. Your hair grows. When you wait that long to shoot the next scene, it’s going to look a little weird.

The joke making the rounds was that it was such a hot kiss, not only did it shorten Luke’s hair, it dried Reid’s hair.

[laughter] Yeah. That’s something they let go of, a little bit.

It must be cool to have something like the cartoon saga created around a character you developed.

Oh, yeah. Of course it is.

Guess what? Tomorrow is the last day! So be sure to stop by to see what's on the horizon for Eric!

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part One

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Two
Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Four

Interview with Eric Sheffer Stevens Part Two

Welcome to Day Two of my interview with Eric Sheffer Stevens. Today we talk about challenging roles, dream directors, and working with Terri (Colombino) Conn.

What would you say is the most challenging role you’ve performed to date?

[long pause] I don’t… I don’t know. I have kind of a hard time with those questions. “What was your favorite scene?” And I look back and it’s just a blank. I don’t see anything. Hold on here. I’m moving over to the computer to open up my resume.

[laughing] We can go ahead and skip that question if you want. They’re not typed in stone.

No, wait, I’m opening it now. I’ll glance over this and come back to it.

Okay. Well, you had mentioned in one of your radio call-ins that you had just completed a scene with Terri that you really enjoyed, but you couldn’t tell us what it was because it hadn’t aired yet. So there was a bit of a debate going on on Twitter about what scene it was.

[NOTE FROM KATE: YES, I AM AWARE THAT TEN SECONDS AFTER HE TOLD ME HE HAD A HARD TIME WITH THAT KIND OF QUESTION, I ASKED HIM THAT EXACT QUESTION. /FACEPALM]

Oh, yeah? What month was it?

Um… it was the first radio show, so it was probably right near the end. Within the last month of filming, the last few episodes, I think?

What did I do with Terri… I don’t know if this was it, because I have no idea, I don’t remember that, but it might have been – what did I say about it? Did I say anything about it? Or did I just say I enjoyed it?

You said you really enjoyed it, and it was a lot of fun to do, but you couldn’t say what it was because it hadn’t [aired] yet.

Oh, this wasn’t what I was thinking of, because this wasn’t fun to do, but… well, maybe. There were two things it could have been. The funny one, towards the end, was ...the toothbrush thing. I thought that was so random when the writers wrote that I actually keep my toothbrush in a very specific place in the holder, and that I noticed that it was turned the wrong way. And then she says, “Oh, yeah, Chris stayed over,” and I threw it. That was fun to do. That was a fun scene. I’m not sure if that was it.

One of the ones I was most impressed with with her was when she finds out Chris is sick, and then she finds out I already knew, that I knew the whole time. And then she just hits me in the chest. She hit me so hard that afterward I lifted up my shirt and showed her that her handprint was right on my chest, and it was there for half the day. But I thought it was really fantastic. Because before doing it, she was like, “I don’t know, it’s kind of stupid,” and the director’s going, “Just do it. Just go with it. I think it’s good. It’s good.” And then when she did it, she did it completely unlike how we rehearsed it and just completely whaled on me.

And she also has an amazing emotional connection. I’m really impressed with her. I thought she was fantastic. And then the whole end, with Reid dying, and dealing with Chris… I think she’s a really great actor. I loved everything we did. I loved working with her.

That was, I think, my second favorite pairing of yours on the show, with Terri. Reid and Katie together. I loved that connection you guys had.

Uh-huh. What’s your first favorite?

[Laughter] Well, it’s kind of obvious…

Oh!

Yes, definitely [Reid] and Luke.

Right.

But yes, I think you’ve covered the bases, because I think those were the two scenes that were argued about on Twitter which were the favorite ones. So I think you’re going to make everybody happy by mentioning both of those.

Oh, really? [laughter]

Have you had a chance to look at your resume?

No, no, I was trying to remember that scene. You asked me another tough one and I couldn’t –

Sorry, I distracted you again.

I started, and then I got distracted. Give me the next one, and then I’ll answer it.

Okay, let’s see…

I know one I really struggled in. I just found this and had a horrible memory associated with it. I did Alexei in A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY, by Turgenev, Brian Friel’s adaptation. I was in grad school, so this was just ten years ago. I felt like I was miserable in that. I couldn’t find my way in that one. I had a really hard time [communicating with the director] and I just wasn’t sure what I was doing. I really struggled through that whole process and wasn’t very happy with it. Ultimately I was happy for it to end. I felt like I kind of arrived at something finally but I remember I was just miserable to the point where I didn’t want to go to rehearsal. I would listen to Nine Inch Nails, I remember, on the way over to rehearsal, just trying to get some sort of energy. Some sort of will to live. [laughter] It was terrible.

That’s a really interesting choice to get the will to live, through Nine Inch Nails. You know, whatever works for you.

Yeah, that doesn’t quite work out. As far as the energy of the piece, I found, not the message of it. Not Trent Reznor’s darkness.

Okay, going to the other end of the spectrum, if you could choose a dream director to work with, who’s on your list?

Jack O’Brien. I would work with him again in a second. He was a dream director. When I did COAST OF UTOPIA, that was the one of the first times I worked with somebody who was famous and worked on Broadway all the time. And then I actually worked with him and found out that he’s just the real deal. He’s actually that good. It’s not just a hype situation. He’s a brilliant director. What he did with that sprawling, nine-hour play was unbelievable. He was like a preacher, and we just followed him. He’s a dream director to me, even though I’ve already worked with him.

The full cast of COAST OF UTOPIA. Eric is third from the left, back row, wearing black.

It’s nice to find that kind of experience.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

(Be sure to come back tomorrow for more! We'll be diving into the ATWT phenomenon.)

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part One

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Three

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Four

Interview with Eric Sheffer Stevens Part One

Welcome to Day One of my interview with Eric Sheffer Stevens! This incredibly talented actor of stage and screen was kind enough to sit down with me (via phone) a couple of weeks ago for a wide-ranging conversation, which will be shared over the next few days on my blog. Today, we talk about the differences between film, stage, and TV, how acting is like writing, and how his creative process has changed over the years.

One thing I noticed as I was looking at your resume, you’ve worked in all the major areas of acting – primetime, daytime, stage, film, commercial. Just wondering what’s different between them for you, or is there a difference, in terms of the way you work or the experience you get out of it?

Yeah, there’s a pretty big difference. This last project, SILENT HOUSE, that I just did, there was a month of just sort of being immersed in this “thing”. There’s so much waiting – you’re not really being hugely productive, because film is a lot of lighting, and waiting for them to set up the shots. So you’re sort of immersed in the world for a very long time without actually producing anything or capturing it on film. So it feels different, and you have to learn how to fill that time to be able to plug right back into that story when they actually are ready to go.

You had mentioned on the radio show yesterday that it was all done in one shot.
Yeah, that’s a very cool project. It’ll be good to see how that’s going to play out. That’s very unusual. Very unique, film-wise. It was a lot of rehearsal, for a week and a half or two weeks, without any film crew. Well, we were with the DP, the Director of Photography, because he was very much in the whole dance. We had to choreograph him into everything so that you never see him. And it’s in a sort of dark house, so we had to rehearse how to light ourselves with lanterns and flashlights. It was pretty technical and ultimately really interesting work. I enjoyed it a lot.

As far as your other question about the differences between them, each thing is very different, even within the genres, so it’s hard to say. Theater is very much being immersed in rehearsing a scene over and over for an hour and a half and then you move on and you try and work on the next one and then you put the whole thing together over four weeks or five weeks just so you can do it in front of an audience and feel confident about it, feel like you’ve really fleshed it out. You don’t do that at all in TV. TV is also fun for that reason.

There are a lot of people, I think, who prefer one over the other, and then some who feel comfortable going in between them. I feel very comfortable going in between. Doing TV, you use a completely different part of your brain and your creative process and you just have to make very quick decisions, and if you’re good, hopefully the decision will be a good one. And then you’re stuck with it.

A lot of times what happens, which is kind of funny, and it happens in both film and tv, you work so long that day, and then that night in bed you go, “Oh, shoot, THAT was the way to solve that problem.” And you so wish that you could have had another go at it because you feel like you found something really interesting in the scene that you didn’t get to (do) because you just are spending that day, one day, in it. In theater, you can have that thought and then bring it back to rehearsal the next day. And, you know, keep building on that performance.

Tied in with this a little bit – in writing, we refer to it as plotters or pantsers. Whether you plot out every detail in advance or whether you just kind of fly by the seat of your pants. And wondering if there’s something similar in your acting, or does it depend. Like with theater, you can look at the role and decide where you’re going to go with each different scene, but when you’re thrown into something, like in daytime, where you have one day to walk on and do the work, is that more seat of the pants?

That’s very seat of your pants there, doing the daytime stuff. You’re really hanging out there.

Do you prefer one way or the other? Do you prefer having the time to immerse yourself in the character and the script or do you like the challenge of just jumping feet first?
More and more I’m liking not knowing what’s going to happen, and not having thought it out. I’m to a point now where I know what I need to do preparation-wise and then find the things in rehearsal (or actually while you’re taping, as is the case for daytime)…

I think I used to, especially when I was younger, I tried to plan things out too much. Just because I wasn’t very comfortable trusting that something would come to me. And also I didn’t want to suck.

I don’t have that anymore. I’m not afraid to suck.

I don’t care, or I care much less, about what people think about what I’m doing. And that frees me up to actually rehearse. And then you make mistakes and you look stupid, but if you don’t care that you look stupid, then it’s okay. Then you can move on to the next – actually reach something better than if you were playing it safe and caring about what people are thinking of you.

That especially applies to theater, where you’re rehearsing and you care about what your colleagues think, and you want them to trust you and feel like you’re going to get somewhere with this performance, but you have to spend usually the second week and the third week just feeling like crap. Because you have a tenuous grasp of the lines, and you’re not quite where you want to be character-wise, and it’s in that time that you kind of figure it all out, and everybody’s really familiar with that period. So as you do it more and more, you trust that something’s going to come, and you arrive there a lot faster than when you’re younger.

It’s similar with writing, people talk about the “sagging middle”. You know, the first couple chapters, everything’s great, you’re just flying along, and then you hit the wall, and it’s the worst thing ever written in the history of the universe. It just totally sucks. And you just have to work your way through it. And the more practice you get, the more you learn to trust your own skill.

Yeah, right. And you’re going to be able to write your way out of this hole and end up somewhere.

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Two
Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Three

Eric Sheffer Stevens, Part Four

Happy Birthday, Eric Sheffer Stevens!

Happy birthday to Eric Sheffer Stevens, my Current TV Crush and one of my fave actors ever. (Yes, I know I only discovered him a couple of months ago. Still. He's that good.)

To celebrate, here's a video created by the talented bunchoflemons, as part of her Dr. Reid Oliver cartoon saga. The whole series is brilliant - check them out on her YouTube channel.




This week, As The World Turns will be ceasing production. (Though the show runs through September 17th, filming ends a few months early.) I'm sure Eric will continue to find success as an actor, be it on screen or on stage. I'll definitely miss his performances as Dr. Reid Oliver once the show goes dark, though. And I'm wishing I lived closer to Vermont, so I could catch his performance as Benedick (opposite his wife Jenny as Beatrice) in the Vermont Shakespeare Company production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, coming this August. If you happen to live close enough, you should definitely check it out!

So, question of the day: How far would you travel to see your favorite actor/performer? Or, if you've already made that trek, what's the furthest you've traveled for a favorite?

Kate's Current TV Crush - Eric Sheffer Stevens

Yes, it's true. I've fallen for another man.

And so has Luke Snyder. :)

Over the past few months I've gotten sucked into another fandom. This time it's As The World Turns, which kind of sucks because the show's been cancelled and will end its 54-year run in September. On the one hand, I'm clearly not an early adopter; on the other, I'm thoroughly enjoying the ride to the end of the line.

One of the biggest reasons? This fella right here.

Seriously, guys, Eric Sheffer Stevens is one of the best actors I've ever seen on US daytime television, hands down.

No, scratch that. He's one of the best actors I've ever seen, full stop.

Yes, the character is fantastic. Yes, the dialogue is crackling and hilarious. But in the hands of a lesser actor, it wouldn't have the same impact, the same quality, the same SPARK it has once ESS has gotten ahold of it.

I'm a former theater nerd. And there are moments when watching Eric on the show that I have to actually pause the DVR and marvel over his choices. The line readings! He's got the best dialogue on the show, hands down, but even simple lines are powerful in his hands. My personal favorite? It's from the episode where Luke and Reid are discussing Luke's relationship with Noah (over an unconscious Noah, in the hospital following brain surgery. Hey, it's a soap.). Luke says he never thought he'd ever be with anyone but Noah. Reid nods and says, "that explains a lot."

(Right now you're thinking, this poor writer has gone around the bend, because how in the hell is that an interesting line? Believe me when I tell you, thanks to his interpretation of it, that line MAKES THE ENTIRE SCENE. I've been flailing over it for weeks. Don't believe me? Take a peek at the episode.)




(You may also note the kissing at the beginning of the episode. Um, rowr. This is US daytime television? Not German? Amazing. Also, Chemistry 101, in action.)

In the few short months Eric Sheffer Stevens has been on As The World Turns, I've become an unabashed Reid fangirl. The character is nuanced, interesting, challenging, and fun to watch. He's cranky and arrogant on the outside, but with enough hints of vulnerability and gentleness to balance out the character (and make the audience understand how Luke could fall for him).

So the character is fantastic, the actor is amazing, and the storyline is outstanding. Why is As The World Turns being cancelled, again? Oh, right. Because they didn't hire Eric Sheffer Stevens early enough.

No matter. As long as ESS is on screen, I'm along for the ride. Here's hoping he stays through to the very end - and goes on to a wonderful, long-lasting career once it's done.

(And I'm not crushed that I wasn't able to get a "Hi Kate" picture of him from Soapfest to add to my photos of soap actors holding a "Hi Kate" sign. Well, maybe a little. Fingers crossed that he makes it to at least one more fan event so I can find someone to take one for me--or go myself!)

Kate's New TV Crush - Dennis Grabosch and Igor Dolgatschew

I tried to choose just one TV crush for this post. Really, I did. But in the end, I couldn’t pick one of these two over the other. It was impossible, for several reasons.

1. The pairing. Dennis and Igor play Roman and Deniz (yes, yes, confusing at first, but you get over it quickly) on the German soap opera Alles Was Zӓhlt. Back in 2007, the characters became a couple, in what was widely considered one of the best pairings (and best coming-out storylines) around. Then, for some reason, Deniz was shoved back in the closet and dated women exclusively on the show. Fans were heartbroken. Even worse, they hardly got a chance to interact, with their storylines going in opposite directions. But last summer, their characters connected again, and they got back together. And, thankfully, the pairing was even stronger than ever.

2. The writing. DeRo 2.0, as the reunion is called in the fandom, was one of the most amazing pieces of TV writing I've ever seen. The writers managed to take two characters who had been badly damaged by the ending of their first romance and made a reunion not just believable but inevitable. The story played out over several months, taking the time to explore the reasons they didn't work out the first time, the growth in both characters, the pain and mistrust they needed to get past, and their new connection based on honesty, maturity, and true love (not just soap-styled lust masquerading as love). Threads from years-old storylines were woven in to make a tapestry that brought everything full circle. It was fabulous.

3. The acting. Since discovering AWZ, I've consistently maintained that Dennis Grabosch is one of the finest actors working today. I have yet to see a false note in any of his performances. They're always honest, subtle, and pitch-perfect. (Note to Hollywood – WHY haven't you snatched this man up yet? He speaks English, too, for heaven's sake!) But Igor's performance during this new reunion storyline absolutely astonished me. He managed to convince even the most diehard Deniz-haters that these two deserved to be together. Over the course of those months, he transformed a character that had previously been written as somewhat shallow and self-involved and made him sympathetic, mature, and a fit partner for Roman. And again, it was the subtlety of the work that stood out. It would have been so easy to project "lovesick" and "despondent" and "ecstatic" with overdone expressions and line readings. Instead, he stuck with the quiet moments that conveyed those same emotions but in a more honest, heartwrenching way.

For Example: Episode 772. This episode really highlights the talent these two actors bring to the table. But pay attention to the last minute and a half. When Roman stops Deniz from leaving, at the bar? The expression on Deniz's face is absolutely perfect for the moment. Not overblown, not "acting", but honest, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

4. The chemistry. Both characters have been paired with others on the show (Deniz more than Roman, which boggles the mind), but their chemistry with other partners is not even close to what they have together. It's off the charts. And that holds true whether their characters are in love, in hate, or in between. Even a glance between them during the Dark Years (yes, another fandom term - the time period after the break up and before they became friends again, let alone partners) was fraught with tension and sparks. It's that little extra something that takes the characters beyond a good pairing and lifts them head and shoulders above.

5. The shallow. Uhm, have you LOOKED at them? Rowr.

So it was impossible to narrow my TV crush down to just one guy. Sorry, Igor and Dennis, you'll just have to share.

For more on Igor, Dennis and AWZ:

Watch Eskimo Kiss Project on You Tube (episode clips subtitled in English)

Visit the RTL website

Dennis Grabosch's website

Igor Dolgatschew's website

Meet them in person at the Gays of our Lives event in NYC, March 26-28!

Kate's Current TV Crush -- European Soap Operas

Hi, my name is Kate, and I'm a YouTube addict.

(Hi, Kate!)

A couple weeks ago, I found myself watching a just-uploaded video of that day's episode of Alles Was Zaehlt. In the original German. Because I couldn't wait the extra hour for the English-subtitled version to show up.

Why? Because Roman and Deniz's relationship was supposed to start heating up again. And I had to see what happened.

One of the things about YouTube that is both a joy and a curse is the sidebar with related videos. It's so easy to get sucked into a vortex of more and more videos, until you look up and it's two in the morning and where in the world did all that time go?

So yeah, I'm hooked on European soap operas, or more specifically, m/m storylines on European soaps. I can't even remember how I first discovered this subgenre – probably by clicking on a related video after watching a Jack/Ianto clip – but the first one I glommed on to was the John-Paul/Craig storyline on Hollyoaks, a UK soap. (Bonus: very few subtitles needed!) From there, I progressed to Christian and Oliver on Verbotene Liebe, a German soap, and then Roman and Deniz on AWZ.

(There are others – in France, Spain, even Israel – but I do have to draw the line somewhere.)

Why do I like m/m storylines on European soap operas?

* The drama. In many cases, one of the partners has never been "out" or had another same-sex partner before. The struggle to accept who he is, to admit his attraction to another man, and to come clean to friends and family is inherently conflict-laden and emotional. I'm a big fan of angst, and all of these stories are chock-full of it.
* The acting. I've been very impressed with the quality of the acting by the actors on these soaps. They transcend the often-overwrought stories to bring a level of honesty to the characters that makes me really care about them.
* The production values. On the soaps I've watched on YouTube, they take a lot more risks with the camera angles, the handheld techniques, even the intro and exit of each scene.
* The music! I've discovered a ton of great music (in English and German), from Does It Offend You, Yeah?, to Revolverheld, to Razorlight, to Placebo. I don't know if it's the lower cost for rights in a smaller market or what, but the addition of some fabulous tunes does make a difference.
* The sexiness. Okay, call me shallow, but watching hot guys walk around in towels is fun.
* Less prudishness. This ties in with the previous point, but it's significant. When there is an m/m relationship on a European soap, they're in a relationship. There's kissing and touching and lounging in bed together, just like any other couple. By contrast, after Noah and Luke kissed for the first (and second) time on As The World Turns over the course of a week or so, they didn't kiss again for almost a year – long enough for people to post countdown clocks on websites and start a write-in campaign. Not very realistic for two guys who were supposed to be in a long-term, loving relationship during that time period.
* The YouTube channels dedicated to the soaps. The community of watchers really is a community, chatting about the characters and the storylines and the clips. It's great fun. My personal favorite is Eskimo Kiss Project, the premiere Roman/Deniz channel. The three women who record, translate, subtitle and post the clips are talented, dedicated, and damn funny. Sometimes their descriptions are even better than the episodes! (And being able to watch without commercials and unrelated storylines is a bonus, too.)

Tune in tomorrow for an interview with the creative minds behind Eskimo Kiss Project!

So there you have it – my confession. I'm hooked on European soaps, but I'm not looking for a cure just yet. How about you? What's your YouTube obsession?

(Oh, and that AWZ episode? EVEN BETTER IN ENGLISH.)

Kate's Current TV Crush

If you're following me on Twitter you already know about my newest TV crush. If not, let me introduce you to:


Captain Jack Harkness





Excuse me for a moment while I swoon...

;)

Okay. Better now.

I first discovered Captain Jack via Twitter, a month or so ago. Someone had posted that the scene between John Barrowman's Captain Jack and James Marsters' Captain John was fabulous. Curious, I searched for it on YouTube and thought, I have to see this show.

Now, confession time. I've never seen Doctor Who (sorry, Angie! It's in my Netflix queue, I promise!). My last experience with British sci-fi was Red Dwarf, back in college. (Which I also loved, but that's a story for another day.) So when I got a copy of season one of Torchwood and sat down to watch it, I had no background on the character, the setting, or the history of the show. (Captain Jack was originally a character on Doctor Who, and is now the lead character in the spinoff Torchwood.) Some of the in-jokes and reference fly right over my head.

I don't care. I love it anyway.

I love the stories, I love the characters, I love the fact that sexual orientation is a non-issue (characters fall for who they fall for, without lots of commentary and freaking out), I love the cheesy special effects (and, let's face it, BBC sci fi does have its share of cheesy special effects), and most of all, I love Captain Jack.

Know who else I adore? John Barrowman, the actor who portrays Captain Jack. He's amazingly talented, having gotten his start in musical theater before moving to television. He can sing, dance, act, and is a hilarious interviewee. Sadly, I can't embed this video, but here's the link to his newest single, What About Us. He's also openly gay, and in a long-term committed relationship with his partner, an architect.

So there you have it. My new TV crush, Captain Jack Harkness (and, by extension, John Barrowman). If you like sci fi, British TV, and cute guys kissing, you might want to check out Torchwood. Enjoy!