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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 26 Sep 2011 12:08 AM PDT

Big Love ends its journey with Season Five by going back to where it started – the core family members.

Back in 2006, HBO's Big Love took a path that's never been explored on television before – polygamy – to tackle subjects like love, marriage, faith, family and tolerance without setting any boundaries. The complexities of these already difficult topics were amplified as the series revolves around a family of one husband, his three wives, their nine children and this big fat gestating secret.

Over the course of three seasons, we've followed the arduous, and sometimes crazy, journey taken by Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloe Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) as they try to live a normal life as they possibly can. But often, thanks to conflicts within the family members and outside interference, the Henricksons were riddled with more than the average family's sets of problems.

Then suddenly in Season Four, the show shifted gears with bizarre story arcs, which took the focus away from the family and into things like politics, bird-smuggling, kidnapping, casino and murder! Needless to say, this didn't bode well for the show.

Not only was it announced Season Five would be the show's last, but creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer threw another curveball at the end of Season Four. Bill, who had just been elected to the state Senate, confessed to his supporters that he is a polygamist. His intention was to put a face to this lifestyle that has received a bad reputation and to show that not everyone who practices polygamy abuses it. After outing himself, Bill went on to invite his three wives to the podium – putting them under the spotlight, too.

The fifth and the final season starts tonight on HBO.

At an interview at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles earlier this year, the series' four main cast members assure fans that Season Five is going to be Big Love's best season yet as the show's focus is once again on the family and how the announcement affects them.

Paxton who plays the leading man in the show tells it from his character's point of view.

"He's not a guy who's intimidated by anyone, but he doesn't realise the avalanche of ill tidings that's heading his way. When his family is affected – like his kids get picked on in school – he can't handle that. But he can't go back so all he can do is hold on and focus – it becomes a real struggle for him, not only because the outside world is closing in on him but also the inside world of the family starts to implode," he says.

Although Sevigny feels the show could have gone on for another season at least, the 36-year-old is thankful that the writers were able to give the show a proper ending.

"The finale is going to shock the fans, and they will be really pleased," she says. "There are shows like Six Feet Under that gave us great moments of satisfaction with the ending and you are able to let go of the show. Then there are shows like Deadwood that didn't get that closure and you are left wondering where those character are, what they are doing. So it's nice to give that to the fans."

For the cast, the end is bittersweet – well, except for Goodwin who confesses she's completely devastated she can't see her co-stars every morning at 5am on the set of Big Love anymore. But she believes the four of them will remain a close unit even long after they've moved on to different projects. It's understandable how the actors have become close while making this show.

Other than a 25-episode stint in the TV series Ed by Goodwin, none of them have been in a TV show or have had a lasting relationship with their co-stars for this long.

"Actors talk about how hard it is to let a character go, especially one that you've been with for five years – it's like a death. I've never experienced that before because I've always done a project that has lasted six months at the most, and usually by the end of that project, you're ready to move on. The hardest thing of all to let go of is the relationships I have with Chloe, Ginni and Bill. It's pretty amazing," explains Tripplehorn.

"It's just one of those lucky rolls of the dice, how we all get on. My son has known these people for most of his life, and I view it through his eyes. So I'm going to miss that. Barb has not been an easy character to play, and I don't go on autopilot when I play her. I have to think and I have to adjust. It's not been something I've coasted through. But I am going to miss that work experience.

"I'm also going to miss the camaraderie. I've never had one altercation with these people, not one. We still have lunch together when we work. That's unheard of."

The 48-year-old who received her theatre education in Juilliard School in New York says that working on Big Love has been a tremendous experience. A strong advocate for ageing naturally, Tripplehorn has noticed since working on Big Love that turning 40 in Hollywood is not like a death sentence any longer, as there are more and more older actresses entering television with female roles getting more challenging, and written with respect towards women. No wonder Tripplehorn feels she can take on any role in the future as working on Big Love has furthered her acting skills.

Similarly, 33-year-old Goodwin (who received a certificate from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and trained with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London) confesses her resume has received a boost thanks to her work on the show.

Goodwin shares: "I have been told that I've got certain movie roles because of Big Love. I feel it has been a wonderful five-season audition for other projects because we've really got the chance to show our range; I couldn't value more the opportunities that it has brought me."

Perhaps what makes Big Love so special is that, despite the topic of polygamy, what the characters in the show are going through does connect with the masses.

Barb has been a conflicted woman right from the start, having to come to terms with her strange way of life and having problems finding her own footing and faith. That is a common notion that pops up in any relationship. It should be interesting to see if Barb will ever take the bull by the horns before the end.

Sevigny's character may be a bit extreme but her bitchy attitude, the way she manipulates a situation is something most of us would have encountered sometime in our lives.

And Goodwin's Margene started out as an eager young thing and she has become outspoken and self-reliant in five years.

For Paxton, the show is ultimately about tolerance.

"Here's a family that should be shunned and abhorred by modern society because they are living outside the status quo, but as you get to know them, you realise they have the same hopes, desires, disappointments, happy times and sad times as anyone else. This is the longest race I've ever ran and I am glad to finally get to the finish," he sums it all up.

Season Five of Big Love premieres tonight at 10pm on HBO (Astro Ch 411) / 11pm on HBO HD (Astro Ch 431). Two new episodes are available every Monday at the same time.

The good life

Posted: 25 Sep 2011 11:51 PM PDT

You stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to Westlife's Gravity Tour 2011 on Red FM.

GET an earful of Rudyoke on Red FM's Breakfast Show with Rudy and Jeremy (Monday to Friday, 6am-10am) and you could be singing along to Westlife at their Malaysian concert!

One of the most successful boy bands in the world will be flying in to perform live at Putra Indoor Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on Oct 7. Don't miss Westlife singing a repertoire of their hits such as Flying Without Wings, Fool Again, You Raise Me Up and Uptown Girl.

All this week, Rudy and Jeremy will be giving you a chance to catch the band live by putting your music knowledge and your ears to the test with Rudyoke.

The lively duo will play a recorded clip of a popular song being sung by random strangers belting their hearts out. Guess it right and you win a pair of tickets to Westlife's Gravity Tour 2011. Check out www.airasiaredtix.com for more details.

In the meantime, here's another reason to start singing – you can win cash, gadgets and even a car if you spot Red FM's Runaway DJs.

Every Monday to Friday, the deejays, including Rudy and Jeremy, will take turns driving around in a red Proton Inspira. Clues on their whereabouts will be given out every hour on-air through Red FM's Facebook Fan page as well as Twitter.

Be the first listener to turn up at the correct location and identify Red FM's Runaway DJ. You get to pick up a key to enter the finale and be in the running to win a brand new Proton Inspira!

With the contest in its last week, you have only till Sept 29 to join in the hunt. The finale will take place on Sept 30 at Tropicana City Mall, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

For terms and conditions of all contests, visit www.red.fm. Also, join the Red FM Malaysia Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/redfm.my) and follow us on Twitter (@iloveredfm) for the latest updates.

Red FM is owned and operated by The Star.

Red FM's station frequencies: Taiping, Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Langkawi: 98.1 FM; George Town and Seberang Prai: 107.6 FM; Ipoh: 106.4 FM; Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Tapah: 104.9 FM; Kuantan: 91.6 FM; Batu Pahat and Malacca: 98.9 FM; Johor Baru and Singapore: 92.8 FM.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Ahad, 25 September 2011