Callie Thorne

May 25, 2013

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Callie Thorne Talks Shrinks, Romantic Prospects on “Necessary Roughness”

August 23, 2012 by 7 Comments

No one can say I’m not a woman of my word. I told you I’d get back to you with a more humorous post soon, after the other day’s serious critique of “Necessary Roughness” (and “The Newsroom”) et voila! I’m all ready to dish after having interviewed the bubbly, fun and beautiful Callie Thorne, none other than Dr. Dani herself on the USA Network brilliant drama.

As usual, there is a lot of scoop that awaits you in the coming paragraphs, which means: SPOILERS AHEAD, read at your own risk! If you don’t want to hear about upcoming shrinks (!) who will deal with Dr. D. herself, the whole romantic angle for Dr. D., how the ridiculously handsome and talented Mehcad Brooks (who plays star wide receiver Terrence “TK” King) cracks her up more quickly than anyone else can when they’re filming, and much more, then quit reading at once. Of course you’ll miss out on… well, all of what I just said.

We left Dr. D. and more than her, TK, in an extremely messed-up situation at the end of last night’s episode. Dani has to deal with a possible leak of tapes that contain recordings of all her therapy sessions with her clients (eeek! Just imagine what would happen if a Hollywood shrink’s office was wire-tapped and tapes with all celebrity clients were around? Utter mayhem, and about a zillion P.R. meltdowns!), while TK was last left a few yards short of running over a little girl crossing the street on her bike. Now, we all hope he’ll hit those brakes in time at the beginning of the summer finale next week, right? And, while I can’t give that away for now, I will definitely give away all the scoop that we discussed with the wonderful Ms. Thorne herself! Plus you know, she talks Marc Blucas (who plays the perfect man Matt, or Matty D. as TK calls him), Mehcad Brooks, Scott Cohen (who plays the mysterious Nico)… not a bad pool of men genes to think about there. Ahem.

I want to say first and foremost that I am always pleased to speak with people who have a bubbly personality, but Callie Thorne, she is something else. It was a real pleasure to speak with her, and she had such great insight into her character and the show itself, I think I only prefer Mr. Blucas and Mr. Brooks to her. (Never had the pleasure to speak with Mr. Cohen so can’t express myself there). Sue me: I love gorgeous, smart men. So here comes the scoop, brace yourselves!

Alessandra: “Dr. D (as TK calls her) helps everyone else figure out their lives, including their romantic ones sometimes , but it seems that while she knows what she wants — it’s pretty clear at this point that Matt is what she wants and needs in her life — she won’t admit it to herself and she has a hard time figuring out HOW to get there.

I know there are many complications in upcoming episodes, including Dr. D. going to see a therapist herself to deal with her anger and confusion ( note: we will see that in the first of the upcoming winter episodes). But I also know that at the end of the season there will be one case in particular that will be a wake-up call for her in terms of “stop waiting and putting happiness on hold, life doesn’t last forever and you need to grab it while you can”. Could you tell us a bit more about the path to personal growth that awaits Dani in the upcoming episodes until the end of the season? ”

Callie Thorne: “I think that in regards to her needing help, it’s such a good question… the idea of the fixer needing help to fix herself. In regards to Matt, we’ve seen that relationship come to such a big wall because Matt wants to have kids and Dani doesn’t want to have kids anymore, so she doesn’t want to stop Matt from his own dreams. So this has put everything, and Dani herself, in a sort of limbo. It kind of leaves her feeling vulnerable, in regards to her relationship with Nico as well, and as we’re coming to the summer finale, because we see her in her private life in the most vulnerable position, with her kids as well, everything is turning into a question for her. So it gets to the point when she decides to reach out for help.”

“The actress who plays the therapist is genius, so the scenes have been truly great, and the therapy sessions, they’re really eye-opening for her. This limbo leaves her to wonder whether or not she’s making the wrong decision with Matt and possibly finding herself losing the love of her life” Now hold on a minute here, pep talk needed. Listen, Dr. D., Matt can easily be the love of the life of many of us. Please take one for the team and show us that, at least on TV, we CAN get the perfect man! OK? Good. End of pep talk.

Callie Thorne: “And then because of the worst circumstances (no kidding, and no, I can’t tell y’all what these worst circumstances are), there’s suddenly this possibility with Nico that throws her into MASS confusion. So that makes her go to the place where she knows there are answers. (The new Mrs. Therapist we will see in upcoming winter episodes). At the end of the day, though, Dani is always struggling… thankfully, because it’s very interesting for the audience to watch someone that’s so relatable, going through things that any one of them could.”

“Losing the love of my life is something I don’t know anything about in my real life, so [in order to do my job well as an actress] I have to do my homework, I have to think about situations and think “what would I do in that situation” and be honest about it. It’s putting yourself through that thought process that will hopefully elevate me in my real life as well, and I think no other job would give me this chance, so I feel very grateful.”

Alessandra: “This season has provided great insight into Dani’s relationship with her kids, Ray J in particular. Now, he’s getting into a LOT of trouble in upcoming episodes and it seems like there’s major drama between him and Dani at the end of the season. I know he also serves as a catalyst for the Matt/Dani relationship.. without giving too much away, could you tell us how this will impact the relationship between Dani and Matt in future episodes?”

Callie Thorne: “Yes [it does serve as a catalyst for the Matt/Dani relationship], yes, that comes up in a little bit. It happens because Ray J is becoming a man and he finds himself in a situation where he wants and needs to make these choices that, as a mother, Dani can’t come to grips with. And then again that’s a place where any mother can find herself at some point.. the way the writers created that hurdle, it is a parallel with her own life and with her patients’ life. I think no matter whether she makes mistakes in her own life and her own romantic life, I don’t think this can ever be right or wrong. It’s just about the forks in your life, there’s no right or wrong it’s just the way that you handle yourself and [it’s about] following the truth that you believe in, in life.”

All I can tell you to further explain the above, is Matt is involved in the situation as well and it’s once again a great way the writers picked to develop the relationship between Matt and Dani. Anything else… you’ll see when episodes air after the break. (In the winter). Hey, good things come to those who wait and watch “Necessary Roughness”. What, sayings need adaptations at times.

Now, there’s also a whole lot coming up for the man we all have a soft spot for, our one and only TK. Dani and TK seem to be going ups and downs together this season, and while TK gets in a lot more trouble than Dani does, it seems when TK is happier, Dani is happier too. Ms. Thorne herself brilliantly addressed this point, and most importantly, made this very same analysis, which made me feel so well, as I thought it may have been a bit of a stretch, but no… Not to mention she got talking about how her and the ever adorable Mr. Brooks hit it off really well, starting from the pilot. And how he’s the center of the show. Yes, another thing I said in my story the other day… I mean it, people who are in those award committees better be listening. Mr. Brooks is long overdue for some award love, and so is Necessary Roughness! (Ms. Thorne has had her share last season, so hopefully that’ll keep on going!).

Callie Thorne: “TK is the connection between all of the Necessary Roughness characters. When he struggles, everyone else is left to struggle. From the pilot, TK is the character that really connects everybody. Sometimes they say it’s my character, but more often I still think it’s TK. And because he’s got such an amazing spot in her heart, especially when we get to shoot those scenes, you can really see it.”

“Mehcad and I, we also have a different and special friendship. He and I really got on, and we have the same drive to tell a good story within the show. We laugh and laugh and laugh, we have the same sense of humor. And he can break me in a scene faster than any other people can. Mehcad will come up with the CRAZIEST improvs, and because it’s that chemistry that we have as friends, I think it comes across on camera. And whether it’s a parental connection that Dani has with TK, because he’s never met a woman like Dani, and she’s never met a man like him, I think there is this real sense of trust and, previous to where we are now, there was a place where especially TK let his defenses down. But where we [Dani and TK] find ourselves now it’s that moment in time where things may be going backwards.”

I don’t know about you, but I love it when actors speak so highly of their colleagues, and when you feel there’s a real sense of friendship within a cast. Maybe because tabloids tend to only underline the fights between cast members of the various shows? It’s so refreshing to hear each and every actor (Mr. Blucas also mentioned this to me in previous interviews) and guest star (the super talented and bright Gaius Charles, to name one, and the great Terrell Owens to name another) on “Necessary Roughness” underline how friendly the set is and how well the actors get on with each other. In fact, Ms. Thorne also spends time with her co-stars outside the set.

Callie Thorne: “My free time in Atlanta I spend with the boys, or with the crew, because despite spending 12-13 hours a day together, they are the people you want to be laughing with after work. The people in Atlanta always give us such a warm reception. Wherever I go in Atlanta, someone is yelling out “HEY DOC!”, which just cracks me up…it’s something that really warms my heart. Whether or not people are relating to the character or not, they feel comfortable enough to do that, and it’s really heartwarming!”

I think it’s virtually impossible NOT to be nice to such a group of talented (and handsome!) actors, especially when someone as cool as Ms. Thorne is leading them. But fans can often overdo it a bit, so props to the Atlanta people for being so cool themselves!

And because I’m not about to leave you without one more tidbit of scoop, here goes: the romantic entanglements never end up the way they seem to look in one precise moment on this show. So bear that in mind. And that’s all I can say for now. But, Ms. Thorne had a hilarious take herself on how she took the development of the “triangle” matters, so hear it from her.

Callie Thorne: “Matt is the solid good man, do right, and he’s like a hug. He’s like a delicious, romantic hug. Nico is the bad boy that you can’t figure out and all you want to do is figure him out. I was very excited that the writers leaned a little bit more towards the triangle, because as Callie I wanna know what Dani’s gonna do and how she’s going to do it. Sometimes you wanna know the end result as an actress. I’m split between the two, I’m in a scene with Marc Blucas and I think “Ok that’s it! Come on, she HAS to be with Matt!” and then I’m in a scene with Nico and think “Oh wait she has to figure out the bad boy as well”.

Did that help? No? Well of course she does know how things develop, but she can’t spoil a whole season now, can she? You will all have to watch and see it unfold on screen, after all that’s where the fun lies! That’s all I can give you, for now . Well, unless you pay me in undying love declarations from Mr. Blucas, or Mr. Brooks, or my TV husband Michael Vartan. That may convince me to dish some more scoop.

Meantime, don’t forget to check out the summer finale of “Necessary Roughness”, next Wednesday at 10 p.m. on USA Network! And be sure to tune in when the show returns in the winter! Thanks for your patience, lovelies, until next time!

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Necessary Roughness S2 Premiere Recap: in Which There Are Hot Tubs, Guns and Forbidden Hotness

June 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We’ll quickly get past the fact you’re not excused for having missed last night’s Necessary Roughness Season 2 premiere on USA Network, because there’s too much juice to share to waste time with it. But hey, your loss. Since I’m the god fairy of all TV hotness that’s related to Necessary Roughness (and Suits and my TV husband Michael Vartan), I’m here to describe to you what you missed out on. Which guarantees you’ll work that DVR within a sec you have finished reading this, because people, Necessary Roughness last night was THAT good.

So. There was a hot tub. With TK (the incredibly talented, and let’s face it, ridiculously handsome, Mehcad Brooks). And three girls. In TK’s apartment. Oh wait actually it’s KT, King Terrence, because apparently he’s reborn, and, to illustrate the concept, he walked out of that tub like the Botticelli Venus. In case you’re not familiar with Italian early Renaissance painter Botticelli, the beautiful Venus seems to spring out of water in the painting that represents her birth… and since she is the Goddess of Beauty, she isn’t exactly wearing clothes. So TK imitated her while walking out of the tub and being all reborn KT. Dr. Dani (Golden Globe-nominated Callie Thorne, wonderful as usual) looked away, while Matty D. (the other ridiculously handsome man on the show, Marc Blucas) was all “T! HEY! T! That’s MY ass you’re hugging there! I am confident and all, but I’d rather not see you up close and personal with my girlfriend while you’re wearing nothing!”.

A quick survey I did on Twitter curiously revealed that people weren’t willing to do the same as Dr. D. and look away. How odd. Not.

But let’s start from the beginning. I’m sorry, that tub scene traumatized me. In a really, really good way. Ahem.

So, last season ended with a bang. Literally. The final scene had Nico (the charming Scott Cohen) knock on Dr D’s door, interrupting a MUCH AWAITED steamy scene (yes I still have NOT forgiven you for it, Nico) between Dr. D. and Matty D. , to inform them that TK had been shot while out at a club with girlfriend Vivica (who, TK told us, has been put in the “Blue bin. To recycle.” this season). This season picked up from that moment, with Dr. D., Matty D. and Nico rushing to the hospital where Coach Purnell (Gregory Alan Williams) was already pacing, walking up and down, not knowing whether TK would make it or not. In perfect TK fashion, our hero was dead for a couple of seconds there in the O.R., only to come back from the dead and utter the immortal words “Ain’t dead yet… bitches!” in front of a very relieved Dr. D and a laughing Matty D. as well as Coach Purnell and Nico. Of course TK managed to say that while he was barely conscious, being wheeled away by doctors. Ah, how I missed you, TK!

Six weeks later we find… Marc Blucas’s bicep in all its glory, as Matt is rolling Dr. D. closer to him in bed. Excuse me while I swoon again. That man has this quiet, yet raw and lively sexy going for him, that just makes me hate the Necessary Roughness writers… because such men never knock on my door! Anyway. Matty D. needs to get himself a little sumptin’ sumptin’ (hey, he said it! go watch!) before going to work, and Dr D. is more than glad to oblige… except of freaking course the two kids with the worst freaking timing in the world once again burst into the house, when they’re upposed to go directly to school from their dad’s instead. Cue panic attack for Dr. D. to be caught “in flagrante delicto” with her boyfriend, that the kids aren’t “aware” of yet. But Matty D. is sly as a fox and he always parks a block away, just in case… so Dr D. calls him a genius and runs to the kitchen to shoo away Ray J (Patrick Johnson, oh he’s so cute!) and Lindsay (Hannah Marks, also so cute) before her secret boyfriend is not so secret anymore. Plus side? “On the other hand, sneaking around… is hot!” says Matt as he grabs her, and she is just about ready to take off that shirt he just put on, as she kisses him sexily. But Coach Purnell makes that phone ring, and Matt has got to go to the meeting and ONCE AGAIN we don’t get the fully hot scene. Producers, listen to me. This hot scene in full, with Matty D. and Dr. D., better happen sooner rather than later, or there will be hell to pay. CLEAR? Italian woman. Angry. You don’t want to deal with that. Right? Good.

It’s clarified that this hot business between Dr. D. and Matty D. has been going on for the past six weeks of the off-season, but Dr. D. doesn’t want to introduce the perfect man to the kids unless he is a “permanent fixture”. (Which I confide should happen quite soon, as no sane woman would let such a man go away. EVER.). When she meets with her divorce lawyer, Dr. D. is informed that she may owe $87,000 in back taxes, courtesy of her ex husband who is, and I quote Dr. D., a “never ending stream of dark flowing poop”. Meantime, at the Hawks training facility, things are going from bad to worse as the owners of the team, the Pittmans, have indeed decided to divorce, which means assets are to be divided amongst them and control of the team is up for grabs. Dr. D. quickly inquires with Nico about the fuss, and also asks whether, you know, he confessed to Marshall Pittman that he was dancing the horizontal mambo with his wife Gabrielle? Nico replies there are bigger fish to fry given what’s going on.

Coach Purnell is fuming as journalists are surrounding him asking nosy and stupid questions, and he informs them he missed them… “like I missed my annual prostate exam!”. I swear Purnell has the best one-liners on the show. And the most politically incorrect ones. When Dr. D. says “good morning” his answer is “name ONE good thing about it.” Dr. D. is all “Oh, I can name quite a few that were about to happen right in my bed… until YOU ruined it with your urgent work meeting!”. Except not. She just looks at him resigned and follows him into his office. But the first line would have been preferable! At that point, Coach Purnell orders her and Matt to go check on TK, and find out whether he’s gonna play again or not, because after his rehab in Miami advised by his agent Rob Maroney (helloooo Rob Estes! It’s always a pleasure to have you on my TV), he’s refused to answer calls or show up at the Hawks headquarters, let alone train. Meantime, Nico is called away after receiving a 911 text from Marshall Pittman’s daughter, Juliette. (Nico thought it was his daughter, but she isn’t, yet he’s compelled to save her every time she calls.) Pittman’s lawyer informs Nico he shouldn’t try to help Juliette as Marshall doesn’t want him to, but Nico can’t help it. He also informs Nico that “big changes are coming”, and when Nico asks what kind of changes his cryptic answer is “hope for the best, prepare for the worst.” Oh good, sounds like mayhem is ahead.

We now find ourselves with Dr. D. and Matty D. banging on TK’s door, only to be met by a weird dude who introduces them to TK and three girls, IN THE HOT TUB. Cue what I described at the beginning. Do we need to go over that again? Didn’t think so, I know you haven’t read a word of the rest, because it’s impossible to get that imagery out of one’s head once you’ve been made privy to the details.

So, next, fully clothed TK (yes, no nakedness) is in Dr. D.’s office, discussing the hows and whys of his shooting. Or rather, not facing the situation at all and claiming he’s fine and this shooting was a blessing because he is now reborn. He knows what the earth is thinking, he knows what the squirrels are thinking. But he isn’t crazy. “This temple is clean, baby!” TK says. And he’s ready to receive his public in style. Dun dun dun… PTSD is waiting right around the corner! Dr.D. is now officially worried. Back at the Hawks facility, Maroney is informing Coach Purnell, Matt and Dr. D. that he and TK have a few ideas on how he should make his entrance at the fan convention on Friday. Dr. D. thinks this is a really, really bad idea as PTSD is about to present itself and TK is in no shape to be at public events, given the trauma he underwent. Matt immediately backs her, saying she’s the expert and he’ll defer to her opinion. And, shocker, Coach Purnell immediately backs her, too. So no grand entrance for TK. Except really hot, but also major asshat agent informs them he’s gonna go to the GM’s office, to fight their decision and have TK be the star of the fan convention.

Back at Dr. D.’s home of luuurve, Ray J is busy putting the moves on his tutor, a cute girl named Olivia, who is trying to help him with his SATs. To cut a long story short, first she rebuffs his advances, then Ray J calls her a smartass (nope Ray J, wrong technique, ask TK how to land the ladies), then she leaves, then she comes back to get her check. At that point, as they agree on older professor tutor spitting when she talks, they decide to swap some spit of their own… and take it to Ray J’s bedroom. Meanwhile, Dr. D. is busy in a meeting as she’s being audited by the IRS, in the person of a chubby, nice fella who eats biscotti and candy incessantly while reviewing her files. Turns out a couple of years are missing, and Dr. D. ends up putting all of the documents together at night, and then baking biscotti to soften nice chubby dude up at 2 a.m., all the while talking to Lindsay’s new fish, Mr. Fishy. I’m not kidding you, it’s what happened.

At the Hawks facility, TK is putting together a choreography with the TKettes (yes, his own cheerleaders), having some spelling problems with the name King. Uhm, yeah,  you watch, it’s true. He says “Diddy would never put up with this!” as his agent Maroney arrives and informs him that Dr. D., Matty D. and Coach Purnell are all against him appearing at the fan convention. I love Rob Estes, but BOY is this character difficult to like! Anyway, this prompts TK to go over to Dr. D.’s, yell at her, and tell her he’s basically had it with her, because he trusted her and now she’s trying to prevent him from being with his fans. And he’s fine, and he’s had a Near Death Experience and came back roaring. “Bitches can’t kill me with a couple of slugs, why is that so hard for you to get!”, he yells. “I’m from the ‘hood, people get shot, I’m not crying!”. Gangsta TK is back y’all. “I’m going to that convention, ain’t no two ways about that.” Yep, been there, done that, but it’s never enough up and downs with TK! By the way, just like in many other occasions, Mehcad Brooks is magnificent in this scene. He can switch from gangsta TK to emotional TK in a second, and TK’s roller-coaster wouldn’t be nearly as good or as entertaining if it wasn’t for Mr. Brooks and his talent, and the humanity he pours into the character. Following TK’s outburst at Dr. D., we see him doing a radio interview while training at his house. Oh yeah, I said training. The man is shirtless in all his glorious hotness. Just so they make sure the female audience doesn’t lose track of the story by averting eyes from the TV screen. OR DOES actually, because who thinks or follows dialogue while looking at that?!

Anyway, TK freaks out and thinks about his shooter when a weight falls down on the floor, producing a sudden “boom” noise, which obviously indicates the PTSD is now in full swing. And he’s about to go to the fan convention. Uh-oh. Also, other major uh-oh, one third of the staff of the Hawks is being fired, effective immediately. Apparently Pittman is in a mountain of debt, and rich of assets but short of cash, which means BIG cuts for the Hawks, Matt explains to Dr. D. while doing all sorts of sexy things to your three-button navy blue long-sleeved T-shirt. Coach Purnell explains “overnight, we’ve gone from playoff team to paupers!”. Which means they must do what the GM office says, and that TK WILL show up at the fan convention and have his big nice number. Whoops.

Nico is meantime busy tracking down Juliette, and finds and grounds a kid who tells him he’s been contacted to sell sleeping pills to her. Not sure why I’m specifying this but it’s just to make you understand what Nico was busy with, and it ties with what happens at the end of the episode.

At this point, Dr. D. goes to meet with chubby nice fella of the IRS, armed with her biscotti, and as they chew them up in bliss, she hopes the review of the documents will be more in her favor. And all is going well until… the hazelnuts he is allergic to ruin the party. Nice chubby fella almost dies, has to inject himself immediately in order to counteract the allergy, and Dr. D sees her third naked man of the day. Overload, much? Especially since, well, this one wasn’t really needed? But, one MORE naked man awaits her, because when she gets home, and looks for Ray J? She doesn’t knock on his door before opening it and… surpriiiiiseee! There he is, having sex with Olivia the cute tutor in his bed! There has to be more love for knocking on doors in this world. Major fight ensues, with Ray J claiming he’s entitled to his privacy. Whoa, you got some guts dude, I’d NEVER even have the ability to talk if my anyone in my family, let alone my mother, caught me in the act. I’d be too busy dying of embarrassment. Anyhow, Ray J storms off and Dr. D. is left there, frustrated.

Time for the fan convention y’all! TK is sweating while in the make-up chair, which is never a good sign especially if the make-up artist is the one who notices it. His hot and asshat agent walks in and they do the usual “we’re cool, we’re dudes” numbers, as TK prepares to go on stage. Outside on the floor where fans are going wild, Matt senses something is up with Dr. D. and she explains she is being audited by the IRS because of what her ex husband did. Matt asks her why she didn’t tell him and she replies she didn’t want to burden him, and she’s not gonna drag him down with her. Matty D. in all his absolute sexy awesomeness replies “Not likely. Certified lifeguard”. Lord Almighty, could this man be more perfect? Don’t think so. Excuse me while I swoon.

While I’m still busy swooning, we get a hilarious TK scene on stage as he’s doing some dance moooooves looking all “I’m the star.” Complete with smoke and hot girls, of course. And he’s doing his thing and making the fans cheer, and all that. Except, he hallucinates and sees shooter dude in the crowd and raises his shirt on the back to reveal… A GUN?!?!? Yeah, ours truly went on stage armed and fabulous. Thankfully, Nico prevents him from moving with the gun any further and shooting bullets at his hallucination. Nico then brings TK backstage. Rob the agent apologizes because he did not see him coming, Matt shuts him up by saying “no, but someone else did. And she was pretty damn vocal about it.” Oh my God, he did it. He just became more perfect. Damn! So, Dr.D. explains to TK that she once almost drowned and couldn’t reach the hand right in front of her that was helping her… and tells him that whenever he’s ready to reach for that hand, she’ll be right there.

Nico finds out that Juliette is right there in the hotel of the fan convention and rushes to her room. Except she’s turned bald and older… and it’s Marshall himself! Nico is ready to strangle him (literally), he grabs him and shakes him some and tells him that making him believe his daughter was almost dead was twisted, even for him. Marshall replies that the feeling he has right now? That’s how he felt when he found out Nico was screwing his wife. So “now we’re even. Almost.” WHOA THERE, comeback line! And thus endeth the episode. And I don’t know about you, but boy, am I ready for more!

Haven’t seen it yet? I trust the above will make you run straight to your DVR. Right? It’s been a pleasure as always, darlings, and stay assured we’ll be back next week for a new recap!

Catch an all new Necessary Roughness episode next Wednesday at 10 p.m. on USA Network!

 

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EXCLUSIVE: Marc Blucas shocks Callie Thorne with talk of jewelry! (video)

June 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In my post set review wrap-up from Atlanta last month, I detailed my time visiting with the cast of the USA hit Necessary Roughness. Well most of the cast since Marc Blucas was sadly absent due to a leg injury he suffered while shooting a basketball scene. This was terrible news to me since I’ve adored him for years, but I wasn’t sad for long!

 

Only a few weeks later I was face-to-face with the Buffy alum at the USA Upfronts in New York City and let me just say, it was totally worth the wait! Marc gave me some incredible scoop as it pertains to his character Matt’s relationship with Dr. Dani (Callie Thorne), which I know you all are dying to know.

While in Atlanta we did get to chat briefly with Callie but I grabbed her for bit on the red carpet to hear her thoughts on what Marc had just divulged!

When season one wrapped its final episode, fans finally saw Matt and Dani succumb to their sexual attraction! Oh yeah Callie, we are all hella jealous!

This season, we will see their relationship unfold but it is my understanding that not everything will play out so easily for them. There will be a lot of work related drama coming from New York Hawks’ star player Terrence “T.K.” King (Mehcad Brooks) and from Niko (Scott Cohen), which we also briefly addressed with Marc.

I will warn you the video is VERY rough. There were a lot of people on the red carpet so the shots are awful (!) but you can hear both Marc and Callie discussing the season, including the return of Dr. D’s best friend Jeanette (Amanda Detmer) during a most inconvenient time! I also had issued editing so please forgive me for the quality.

To set-up the conversation I was having with Marc when the video begins, I asked him if he had really suffered that leg injury from playing basketball or if it happened while shooting a sex scene with Callie!

Take note! Marc also confirms on camera that he does not have a Twitter or Facebook account. So anyone out there following someone thinking its him, you should know it’s an imposter.

We are only one day away from the season two premiere and I promise you its awesome! You will see that this season is much different to its predecessor which is all kinds of great. Tune in to the season premiere of Necessary Roughness, tomorrow night at 10/9C only on USA Network.

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Ready for S2 of Necessary Roughness? Marc Blucas Gives You a Preview!

May 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that time of the year has come. The time of the year when USA Network makes my life impossible by giving me WAY too many shows I love to watch every night, and not nearly enough time for me to keep up with them all. But I can keep up with at least three, and one of them is the utterly fabulous “Necessary Roughness”. What? You are yet to discover the awesomeness that is Necessary Roughness? Don’t worry, yours truly is here to make up for it. And hit you with a stick in the process, because seriously? You’ve missed out not only on some great storytelling and acting talent, but also on some major hotness here. And you know I’m very serious when I mention that word.

Now, I just interviewed the absolutely charming, smart and funny Marc Blucas (yes those adjectives are all well-deserved, so shut up, I’m not fangirling or anything here), and I’m in full “OMG I LOVE MATTY D” mode. (Note: Matty D is Matthew Donnally, the trainer for the Hawks team that Marc Blucas plays on “Necessary Roughness”) . And don’t even think about it… DIBS, people. I said it first, Matty D is miiiine! Yes, it’s a fictional character, so I’m sure Marc Blucas’s wife won’t mind.

More importantly, I am here to deliver you the goodies, and rest assured that Mr. Blucas always delivers when it comes to that… despite starting out the interview telling me “oh don’t be so sure it will be a pleasure, Alessandra. Wait till I answer!”. As if… I’m an Italian woman with a plan, I have my ways to obtain what I want. And no, I’m not the Godfather, or the Godmother, I just have ways of making people talk. Much like Dr. Dani on “Necessary Roughness”. Isn’t that what journalism is all about? But I digress, let’s get back to business.

SPOILER ALERT: if you haven’t watched the first season and/or don’t want to be spoiled about the second one… stop reading at once, because there are major SPOILERS AHEAD. Are we clear? Good, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

First off, make sure to watch Necessary Roughness without significant others around, so you’re free to drool over Marc Blucas and Mehcad Brooks (as Terrence “TK” King, the star of the Hawks football team) and Callie Thorne (the Golden Globe-nominated lead of the show, as Doctor Danielle Santino) and Scott Cohen (as the mysterious Nico, who solves any problems the Hawks team has). Plus the various majorly hot guest stars. Yeah this show is a pool of hotness, didn’t you know? It’s sports and drama, football players, professional athletes and a hot therapist, HOW can it not be a pool of hotness? Too bad if you missed it, time to play catch up. Both DVD and online episodes are available, so get on it!

Second, if you’ve loved the first season of the show as much as I did, you better clear your schedule for Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. starting June 6th. Because that’s when the second season of Necessary Roughness takes off, and I’m telling you, it’s going to be FABULOUS. I know things you don’t know and I can’t share, so take my word for it.

But let’s get back to the ever charming and incredibly witty Mr. Blucas, who had quite a few delicious tidbits to share about what’s to come for Matt and for my favorite couple, Matt and Dani, this season. There will be comedy and there will be drama, as usual in the perfect mix that only USA Network is capable to deliver with all its shows. Most of all, there will be a lot more of Matt, and that alone thrills yours truly. What, so I enjoy charming, witty, good-looking men, is that a crime? (that obviously also includes Mehcad Brooks who plays Terrence “TK” King on the show, lest someone thinks I don’t notice the rest of the cast).

So, without further delay, here are questions and answers to your own burning questions, too, I’m sure.

 

Alessandra: “Last time we spoke, it was right before the season 1 finale, and you had a very interesting perspective on how this new season could progress for Matt. I think it’s safe to say things are going exactly in that direction this season, which means Matt is dealing with major personal and professional changes, that will also imply him finally competing for the job he always wanted. I know that you finally had scenes with at least one of Dani’s kids, too? Can you tell us a bit more about what we are to expect from all this, how Matt will deal with literally entering a new family and facing a lot more responsibility at work, and how you as an actor feel about it? …Maybe bad because there are too many lines to learn?”

Marc Blucas: “Oh it’s never bad in that sense, the more the merrier for an actor! And yes, I get to meet the kids!
On a selfish note, this season is great for me because I have so much more to do. Last season I was kind of just “the boyfriend” you know? Because as a trainer there wasn’t all that much I could do, especially because that left me out of a lot of stories. We’re up to filming episode 8 now and looking at the macro, I think this season is spectacular. The scripts and the people that they’re bringing in as guest stars are incredible, and the storyline is great. Again, on a selfish note , for me this season has brought a lot more opportunities, like for example with Nico and Matt getting to have a lot more scenes together. It allowed us to further their storyline and learn more about Nico and about Matt, and see more about their relationship; and it’s great, because it’s given both Scott and I a lot more scenes where we could explore different aspects, and it’s always nice when there’s movement, there’s activity happening, as an actor those are things that you can sink your teeth into.”

Expanding on what’s going to happen between Nico and Matt during the season, Mr. Blucas said that some tension will come up at some point, but not because of jealousy, but because of work interfering with personal life. And who wouldn’t expect that from the “all work no play (except with the owner’s wife, ouch!)” mysterious Nico?

Marc Blucas: “Nico and Matt have had some real moments, they both want the same things, but go about it different ways. We have a few moments throughout the episodes where Nico does his thing and I don’t like the things that he does but he’s effective, so I’m fine with it. But the minute it starts to become detrimental to my personal life then I care about that, and that happens a couple of times this season, so that’s given Scott and I as actors a lot to do, but also a lot to question, like “how contentious is this? How heated is this?” In a movie you know what level to go to, based on where that relationship travels at the end of the story, and we’re not there, we don’t know what that is, so we gotta ask ourselves “How far are we going? How intense does it need to be?”.

Back to the promotion issue, the charming Mr. Blucas told me there are going to be many implications for it, including a whole new set of dynamics for Matt at work.

Marc Blucas: “The promotion (for Matt) was something we had talked about when we had shot the pilot, believe it or not. And this season we got to explore that. And this by the way tells you how cool our creators are, that they’re sitting with actors asking them how they see their character evolving and where they think the story should go.

Matt’s promotion causes a shift of power, so the whole balance changes now. They’re all above me on the food chain of pro sports thus far, so they can do and say what they want and I have to nod my head and do what they say. When suddenly, having an opportunity to go to the front office is a complete shift of power, and it changes all those relationships because I get to have a say and decide who’s gonna be drafted and who’s gonna play, and what we’re going to do and all that. So everything changes.”

What’s surprising is that Matt’s opportunity stems from utter disaster, as the Pittmans do divorce (oh yeah, it happens) and are of course fighting over ownership of the team, which causes a real earthquake for the Hawks financially. Not to mention, it causes the ever elusive Marshall Pittman to show up for the first three episodes of the new season (Pittman will be played by the uber talented Evan Handler, remember Charlotte’s husband from “Sex and the City”?)

Marc Blucas: “They really pulled from what really happens in sports (with the Dodgers owner divorcing his wife and filing for bankruptcy) to throw a monkey wrench into the rest of our lives on the show. Ironically what’s usually a bad thing for people, for Matt — and I made it clear from the start with the creators “Look I really want him to be ambitious, especially for an athlete in that world, I don’t think Matt just wanted to just be a trainer” — becomes a good thing. Suddenly when the front office is into shambles there’s an opportunity to jump into that, maybe it’s the Titanic, or maybe not, but for Matt, as volatile as it is, there is an opportunity .”

Now you don’t think I let go of the personal side of it, what with my major love for Matty D. and Dr. D.? I’d never give up on getting the scoop about them. And Mr. Blucas didn’t disappoint, of course.

Marc Blucas: “On the personal side, Matt’s relationship with Dani starts out pretty secretive because we want to see if it goes where we want it to go before involving the kids, and then there’s a lot that happens that comes with a relationship evolving. Entering a family, adjusting to it, which of course provides both drama and comedy, just like in real life.

What Callie and I have said all along regarding Matt and Dani is, we want a relationship that is based on respect and trust and friendship, two people who genuinely enjoy each other, an adult relationship. So knowing this is the frameset that Callie and I always wanted to bring to the relationship, in the story there comes a point where, especially for Matt, it’s “the secret thing is fun, but hey, if this relationship is gonna kick to the next level, who cares about the rest of the stuff?”

So, Matt will need to accept that “well ok there are kids who need to accept me and I them” and Dani will have to accept the fact that “well so we work together, who cares, it happens all the time that people who work together fall for each other.”

And yes it goes fast (between Matt and Dani), but I do think that later in life you kinda KNOW those things. Personally, I got married later in life, and when I was dating, usually three sentences and I knew whether I was interested in them or not. And when you know, you say “ok let’s try to see where this goes.” And these two people (Matt and Dani) had that, and it gets to a certain point and it’s like “so we like each other, we enjoy being around each other, and we gotta come out of the closet for this to go on.”

“I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I won’t say too much. The primary sticking point for Matt and Dani… it was just so beautifully written. […] It’s been a really nice arc with this relationship and it’s been a nice way to have tension and solving it and some other tension and solving that too and then there’s some more and we’ll see if that’s solved or not. Of course there will be drama “The Perfect Storm” would be completely boring if there wasn’t a tidal wave, and the same applies to a show. So you’ll have this or the other tension and see them navigate through it.”

Alessandra: “And in that sense, I know about a major development that I won’t spoil (note to the readers: yes it’s MAJOR, and no I won’t spoil it, because I don’t want to have USA Network put a professional killer after me) but this causes you to have scenes with Dani’s friend Jeanette (played by Amanda Detmer). Was it fun to have more scenes with Jeanette and to get to know her better? You didn’t have scenes with her last season, did you? (other than in the pilot episode)”

Marc Blucas: “Matt has a pretty clear sense of who Jeanette is because he met her in the pilot when she introduced him to Dani. Lucky for us, we have an actress who is exactly like her in Amanda Detmer, and who could not be more fun to be around, and she and I and Callie are cracking jokes the whole time on set. It’s a nice dynamic. It’s another thing that’s very real, that when you’re in a relationship you start meeting everyone’s friends and as an adult you’re setting your ways, you have your restaurants and you have places you like to go to and things you like to do, and suddenly you meet another adult and you have a whole new set of things brought into your life, new people, and you need to find common ground, just like in real life. All that stuff has just been so rich, and the writers have done an excellent job with it.”

Alessandra: “Matt and Dani will once again join forces to save TK, of course. How does Matt’s relationship with him evolve this season and what can we expect? I know Matt helps TK in a specific way by advising him to see a person that ends up helping TK finally open up to Dani about his PTSD… What can you tell us about what’s coming up with Matt and TK, will that relationship progress this season as well?”

(note: excuse me while I try to recollect my thoughts here, because talking Matt and TK at the same time? Is it getting really hot in here or has summer finally arrived? Ahem. I promise the following is what Mr. Blucas said though. Thankfully my typing skills overcome any kind of hotness problem.)

Marc Blucas: “Dani, Nico and Matt, they all have a soft spot for TK. Mehcad finds the perfect balance between being real and between being that childish, arrogant, over the top athlete when he plays TK. Mehcad is so talented and found a way to play that perfectly, so that we know there’s that person in there that we love and we want that person to come out, but at the same time we deal with that other character.

Whether it’s the GM job or the trainer job, in the show I need to get the guys ready to play. So that’s what I need to do with TK as well. Dani is there trying to handle it on the other front, but with that kind of character it’s always very difficult to find a way to make him ready to play and to make it work.”

I think it’s great how genuinely nice this (very handsome) man is to his co-stars (the above was a major endorsement of Mehcad Brooks’s wonderful job on the show, right?) and how he genuinely appreciates working with them. It is always refreshing to hear about sets where people get along great and truly enjoy each other, despite being there to work. And Mr. Blucas made it very clear that what makes “Necessary Roughness” special is also the relationship between the actors.

Marc Blucas: “I don’t want to give it away, but we’re having some amazing guest stars on the show this season. Whether it’s cameos or just good actors coming onboard and being on the show for a while, we genuinely like each other and get along… me, Scott, Callie, Mehcad. And I think that… that to me is kind of surreal. It’s like “Hey, these people are friends and friendship translates on screen”. It’s so much fun, it makes that very-long-hour TV schedule and season go that much faster and be more enjoyable.”

If all the above didn’t convince you that Necessary Roughness is the hidden TV gem you still haven’t discovered, here is a wrap-up speech from Mr. Blucas on why you should watch the show… and it’s very convincing. This gentleman sure doesn’t lack eloquence! He really does have a way with words. Maybe that’s why he’s such a good actor?

Marc Blucas: “I think our show really provides something for everyone, my grandma loves it and my best friend who plays basketball in the NBA loves it. It’s dramatic enough, it’s funny enough, it appeals to so many audiences cause even if it’s told from a female point of view you’re in a masculine world. The cases of the week are so different and varied and funny, it’s not cops doctors and lawyers, we’re outside that world and I think that’s interesting in the TV world as well. “

I think those big blue eyes and that ridiculously charming smile are a strong and very interesting selling point, too, but that’s me. What, I had to throw this in there. Now you can go back to wondering why we don’t meet men like Matty D. in real life.

And just so that you know, yours truly isn’t leaving you without some more scoop… courtesy of the master of accidentalsexiness herself! Look out for Marc Blucas and Callie Thorne to appear in exclusive video interviews on our site soon. And remember that scoop I refused to give? Marc Blucas may have given it out himself in his interview with the ever amazing Rosy during Upfronts! Quite sure USA Network won’t put a killer after him, so there! Sometimes it’s all about giving the actor the right lead, and the rest will follow. Wait, this suggests I could just give Monsieur le Vartan the right lead… and him falling in love with me will just follow! Genius!

And you guessed it, thus endeth our chat with Mr. Blucas about what’s great in Necessary Roughness and why he is so great (he didn’t say that, I am saying it. He’s a down-to-earth, humble man. But my inner fangirl cannot be kept on a leash for long.) Still not watching Necessary Roughness? Tant pis, as the French would say. But you can’t say I didn’t warn you. Thanks for your patience and for your love, see y’all when the next hottie shows up! I mean when we have our next fabulous interview. Bye, darlings!

Catch the season 2 premiere of “Necessary Roughness” on Wednesday, June 6, at 10 p.m. on USA Network!

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Necessary Roughness: Post Set Visit Wrap-Up

May 2, 2012 by 4 Comments

When I missed out on the Necessary Roughness set visit last year I was gutted. As a long-time fan of Marc Blucas, Callie Thorne, and Mechad Brooks, there was no consolation prize that could make up for it. So you can be sure, I was the first person in line when the opportunity for a set visit popped up this year!

I’ve just returned from visiting Atlanta where the New York Hawks call home and I was actually sad to leave! It was my first time in Georgia’s capital and with all the great vintage shops and non-chain restaurants, I am definitely planning a trip back soon. Especially since I didn’t have the chance to meet one of my favorite members of the exclusive club, the “Hot Boys of the USA Network.” (Marc Blucas was out of town visiting his family since he had a day off)

The entire experience really made up for it though. It was fabulous to meet Callie Thorne, Mechad Brooks, and Scott Cohen on Monday, May 1st, 2012. The sets were as amazing as you could imagine, especially Dr. Dani’s house and T.K.’s pimpin’ palace! The New York Hawks star players apartment was definitely a fun place to explore.

As you can tell from the photo below, I sat in T.K’s tub and there was definitely room for one more. *wink wink* Poor Mechad couldn’t help from letting out a loud laugh when he saw my antics in his bathroom!

Speaking of Mr. Brooks, who many of you will recognize as Eggs from True Blood or Matthew Applewhite from Desperate Housewives, he has found at least one fan for life. When he arrived for our group interview, he took the time to greet each person with a handshake and a smile. During the chat he was charming, charismatic, and so open about so many facets of his life that during the serious parts– you could hear a pin drop!

Fans can expect to see another side of T.K. as well as Mehcad taking his acting up quite a few notches as he tackles Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in season two. This leads to the evolution of his relationship with both Dr. Dani and Nico, who become parental figures in his life.

Speaking of Nico, we also met the extremely handsome Scott Cohen who gave us amazing insight on all the things coming up for his character this season. Scott was on set on his day off observing all that is going on behind-the-scenes with dreams of sitting in the directors chair one day.

He was also pretty candid about his hopes for a relationship between his character and Dr. Dani, who is currently enjoying a steamy relationship with The New York Hawks’ athletic trainer, Matt Donnally.

Speaking of Dr. D, Callie Thorne was the only talent in the studio who had a full day of shooting. (Mehcad was also sweet enough to pop in on his day off to meet with us!) We only got to chat with her for a few minutes but in that time we were able to learn a bit more about her role in T.K.’s life this season after he suffered a gun shot wound during the season one finale.

Executive Producer Craig Shapiro also gave us some long-term nuggets to think about! Stay tuned for my interview with Callie, Mehcad, Scott and Craig coming next week!

Make sure to set your calendars for the premiere of season two of Necessary Roughness on June 6th at 10 pm, only on USA Network.

For now, enjoy photos I snapped from the set below:

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