The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
| Posted: The fast-talking Olivia Munn loves every minute of being part of The Newsroom gang. TO say that Olivia Munn is sexy, is an understatement. More than that, though, Munn is also a witty, down-to-earth and strong woman who is not afraid to share her opinion on matters that she feels strongly about, as evidenced at a press junket for Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom in Singapore recently. "In school, I was treated differently from my friend because she was cute and I looked weird, so I learned early on that some people are just nicer to those who are aesthetically pleasing," said Munn. Now in its second season, The Newsroom revolves around a group of TV journalists and news crew of a show called News Night, which is broadcast under the media group ACN. Although the network, TV programme and characters are all fictional, the news items in The Newsroom are all based on real incidents that have happened (the show is set about two years behind present time). In fact, some of the clips used are even actual footage taken by real newsmen. Munn, 33, plays financial news reporter Sloan Sabbith on the show, someone who is bold and steadfast when it comes to work, yet a little awkward in social situations. She is also by far the sexiest woman on the show. "I wanted my character to look a specific way. I didn't want her to wear flashy jewellery, personally I find that a bit distracting. I wanted her to wear a fitted suit and not something baggy because I didn't want her to look like she's apologising for being a woman. I wanted her to flaunt her sexuality," she said, citing Diane Sawyer as the role model for her character. Sloan began as a small role in The Newsroom, but midway through Season One, viewers began to see more storylines that feature her. "The response I've gotten from women who are in many different positions (work-wise) has been very positive; they relate to Sloan and this shows that there are many out there who want to see more strong female characters on TV. I play Sloan like a strong man not because she's better as a man, but because it's the opposite of what people expect." Munn has also been getting a lot more lines to spew out in the show, something many actors are wary of when it comes to a Sorkin production. However, the actress relishes the challenge of taking on a dialogue afflicted with the infamous "Sorkinitis" (super-long sentences, no breaks in between conversations, fast delivery of speech). "I love it! To get it right, you need to read the dialogue over and over again, from comma to comma, word for word. I find that you learn a lot about the character when you do things this way, everything you need to know is somewhere in those lines. I talk really fast anyway but sometimes when I think that I've said a line too fast, I get 'That's good, but can you do it faster?'," said Munn. Another challenge that Munn has faced before in Season One of The Newsroom is to speak in Japanese for some scenes in the episode, Bullies. Munn was born in Oklahoma in the United States, but her family moved to Japan when she was just a toddler; they moved back to the US when she was in her teens. "I do speak Japanese fluently, but I am out of practice. When they asked me if I could speak Japanese I said yes. 'It's just a few words or two', they said. "Then later they asked if I could handle doing a whole line in Japanese. I said yes. When I finally got the script, that 'line' turned into a whole big scene where we're doing a news broadcast in Japanese. It's a lot different from just having a conversation in Japanese," Munn shared. She added that one of the show's executive producers Alan Poul has a Masters degree in Japanese so they worked together on getting that scene just right. "After we wrap up Season Two, I plan to travel to Europe, before heading to Japan and stay there for about a month. I want to brush up on my Japanese," she revealed. The actress goes on to talk about her castmates, showing a particular fondness for Sam Waterston, who plays Charlie Skinner, president of ACN's news division. Simply put, he's Sloan's boss. In The Newsroom, the two characters have sort of a love-hate (but so far, non-romantic) relationship that is somewhat similar to that of Mackenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) and William McAvoy's (Jeff Daniels), except that theirs sometimes gets a bit comical ... and hostile. "I'm pitching for a Sloan-Charlie relationship in the show," she said, half-jokingly. Munn added: "One time, we only got our script the night before rehearsal. It was terrifying because it's an Aaron Sorkin script and I had a lot of scenes with Sam Waterston, that genius from Law & Order. I cried from 2am-3am, which was great because I got it all out there before starting work ... "After rehearsal, Aaron said, 'Now that's a f*****g cast'. The fact that I could please him felt really good. I always work towards making Aaron happy." From her stories about being on the show, and her quips about the people she works with, one could tell that Munn is more than grateful for being part of the The Newsroom team. Her background in journalism – she has a degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma and worked for an NBC affiliate while in college – more or less explains that. "I turned down offers from other shows to be in this one. I mean, it's an Aaron Sorkin production! But this show is also interesting and it celebrates journalists who are still trying to do things the way it's supposed to be done. The way I was taught in school. "Journalists get a bad rep these days. I prefer just pretending to be a journalist. Being on the show makes my mum happy, too, because I'm kind of using my degree," she said. Munn goes on to share tales about her mother, whom she says speaks with a Chinese accent. "I swear she puts it on thicker whenever she wants to ask me for something!" Munn's Chinese mother, Kim, was born and raised in Vietnam but left the country for the US just as the war was ending. Her father Sam is of Irish-German descent, which explains Munn's exotic looks. "For me to be an actress is just beyond my mother's dreams. I know she's happy and proud of me, of all of us, but she does have her quirks. She'll say things like, 'I never thought you could do it'. When I started making my own money, I bought gifts for my family and I got my mum a Jeep but it wasn't really what she wanted. So I asked what she would like instead and she said, 'I wan fur-nee-chur, but is okay if you cannot afford'," Munn said, poking fun at her mother's accent. "My mother," she concluded, rolling her eyes.
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| Posted: CHOW Yun Fat (pic) is headlining his first TVB production in decades, a Chinese New Year comedy also starring Nicholas Tse. Back in 1981, before he became a movie star, Chow had appeared in the TVB gambling drama The Shell Game II, with Tse's father, Patrick. At a press conference for the new movie in TVB City recently, Chow joked: "When I was filming at TVB, Nicholas' mum and dad took care of me a lot. This time, I'll show my gratitude. I'll see if there's a chance to bully him." Director Wong Jing said Chow was receiving a Hollywood pay cheque for the Hong Kong production, the actor's first in years after a decade packed with Hollywood movies and Chinese co-productions including Bulletproof Monk (2003) and Let The Bullets Fly (2010). Wong did not say how much Chow would be paid exactly. According to Ming Pao Daily News, the actor's usual fee is US$8mil (RM25.8mil). Chow said it had been a long time since his last Hong Kong movie, adding: "I watched Nicholas Tse grow up and Nicholas is so big now. He's married and having babies." Tse cut in, saying: "I'm also divorced", and a stunned Chow answered that he had not heard about it. He quickly recovered though and quipped: "How come you're divorced faster than me?" Tse was left dumbfounded as reporters laughed, according to NetEase website. – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network |
| Posted: Country singer Keith Urban returning as American Idol judge. Country singer Keith Urban will be returning to American Idol as a judge when the Fox singing contest returns for its 13th season next year, Fox Broadcasting Company said. "I will confirm one thing, Keith is going to return to the show, you could see how much he loved the show," Kevin Reilly, chairman of entertainment at Fox told reporters at a Television Critics Association meeting. Idol, once a ratings juggernaut for Fox, has slumped in recent years and is in the midst of revamping its judging panel after high-priced talent Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj failed to boost viewership last season. Pop singer Carey and rapper Minaj announced after the Idol May finale that they were leaving the talent show, while longtime judge Randy Jackson also bowed out. Singer Jennifer Lopez, who left the show in 2012 after two seasons as a judge, may return to the panel when Idol begins in January, Reilly said. "There is no deal with her or with anybody else," he said after saying Fox has had discussions with Lopez about a return. Idol, which premiered in 2002 and drew more than 30 million viewers during its peak years of 2006 and 2007, attracted only 14.2 million viewers for its finale, in which vocal powerhouse Candice Glover won the competition. The show's longtime producer, Nigel Lythgoe, was let go in June and replaced by Swedish producer Per Blankens, who was most recently the producer of Sweden's version of the show. — Reuters |
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