Celebrity Extra

Katie Boland’s new Web series — the coming-of-age comedy/drama called “Long Story, Short,” which is now playing in its entirety on hulu.com— has opened up the actress and author to new levels of fun and creativity. As she told me recently, “It was a challenging part of my life, but it was probably also the most fun I’ve ever had.”

“LSS” consists of 11 five- to seven-minute episodes centering on 20-something Kristen Harvey as she tries to navigate through the summer after dropping out of art school in NYC. I spoke with Katie recently about the series, which she also wrote and stars in. Read on for more about “LSS,” as well as Katie’s work on the CW’s “Reign” and other projects she has in the pipeline.

Celebrity Extra: I see you’ve been acting professionally since you were 9 — was this pretty much something you’ve always wanted to do?

Katie Boland: Yes, it was something I’ve always wanted to do. I remember being 3 and telling my mom (Gail Harvey) that I wanted to be an actress. I was always around the film industry because my mom is in it. She was resistant at first in letting me try acting, and so was my dad, because they both knew the realities of the industry. They finally let me try when I was 9. And I haven’t stopped since.

CE: And your parents, both being creative types themselves — your mom a director and your dad and award-winning author and journalist — were they supportive of your decision?

KB: I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older that I was so lucky for how supportive they always were in any creative endeavor I wanted to try. I think when you grow up in a home where creativity is just a part of life, you don’t realize how lucky you are to be supported. So, it was a very supportive environment. And we were pretty normal. It wasn’t like a crazy, artistic household; it was just one where feelings were allowed, and we were encouraged to try anything we wanted to artistically.

CE: How did the idea for “Long Story, Short” come about?

KB: My mom and I were interested in Web content, and she asked me if I had any ideas for a Web series. I had written some personal essays on what I call “The Summer I Lost My Mind.” That was the material I used for “Long Story, Short.”

CE: Since the series is somewhat autobiographical, you really put yourself out there for the world to see. Were you nervous about opening yourself up like that?

KB: I was nervous about it, definitely, but I felt like I didn’t really have another option. This was the story that I wanted to tell. And I was excited to be able to make something positive about a period in my life that was confusing.

CE: I like the format of 11 episodes, each about five to seven minutes long. How’d you come up with that format?

KB: Originally we had 10 episodes, but one was too long, so we cut one episode into two. It’s the same as any other kind of writing, it’s just a shorter arc. So, you need to start and then get to the middle faster, and then get to the end. With a lot of Web stuff and things that are shorter, you do want to end on a cliffhanger. I do feel I had some parameters that helped me. We’re thinking about season two now and writing season two, and I think I learned a lot through writing season one. There are definitely things I’m going to take from the experience of the first season and put into the second one.

CE: Since “LSS” is based on experiences in your own life, are Kristen’s friends, Lucy and Carson, based on people you know in real life?

KB: They are sort of an imagination of a lot of my friends and a lot of my friends’ experiences. There was just so much happening emotionally at that time in our lives, so I felt like I really wanted to take it all and talk about it all, but I was limited with the amount of characters I could have. So that’s why there are only two friends.

CE: Tell me about the shooting process.

KB: We shot in my childhood home, where my mom still lives. It was really a skeleton crew, and all the crew members were around my age, so it was a very young and excited crew. We would just shoot all day and take a break for lunch. We never shot more than 12 hours. But it was the most fun I’ve ever had being creative. It was an amazing experience, and I’m really excited to do it again. (Author’s note: Katie good-naturedly wanted me to make it clear that she directed her character’s love scenes, so as not to put her mother through that.)

CE: What’s great is because you’re using an alternative form of media to get your show out there, you have the freedom to be as creative as you want.

KB: Yeah, it has allowed me to have a lot of creative freedom that I would not have with a broadcaster, and also I would not be able to do this with a broadcaster because I don’t have enough experience. It’s allowed me to get my foot in the door as a writer and a creator, where otherwise I wouldn’t be able to hold those positions at all. It’s been cool.

CE: You spoke about season two ... can you give me any scoop as to what to expect?

KB: Well, all the girls are going to return. And I would say most of the boys would make a reappearance because, as in life, no one ever truly leaves. Everyone comes back. I like asking, Why are we attracted to the people we are attracted to? Why do certain lovers come into our life? And what does that teach us about ourselves? I find that very interesting as I get older. Maybe it would be good to keep exploring that in a fictional framework.

CE: And you get to go from a creative, smaller project like “LSS” to a big-budget CW show like “Reign.” What is it like playing Clarissa on that historical-fiction series?

KB: I feel very grateful that in my career I get to work on projects in both worlds — the very independent and then a huge show. It’s been a wonderful experience. The show has a really great fan base, and I think the show’s excellent. It’s pretty fun; the show’s pretty scandalous.

CE: It reminds me of Showtime’s “The Tudors.”

KB: Yeah, it’s definitely similar to “The Tudors.” I’m really lucky to be a part of it.

CE: What else do you have in the works?

KB: I have two films that are coming out. One is called “Gerontophilia,” and the other is called “Sex After Kids.” I’m developing a number of other shows for TV. My mom and I have started a production company called Straight Shooters, so we’re excited about that. And then I’m just working on another novel and season two of “Long Story, Short.”

CE: So, you’re not that busy, then?

KB: (Laughs) Yeah, I guess pretty I’m busy when you look at it that way.

To almost anyone you ask, Patricia Richardson is the mom we all wanted (no offense, real-life Mom): She played opposite Tim Allen for the entire decade of the ’90s on ABC’s “Home Improvement” as Jill Taylor — loving, smart, sassy and funny. She went on to star in “Strong Medicine” and guest-star on “The West Wing,” but it’s her lifetime role of loving daughter that brought Patricia to her latest project — that of celebrity spokesperson for Cure PSP (psp.org). In 2005, Patricia lost her father to progressive supranuclear palsy, a neurodegenerative brain disease that has no known cause, treatment or cure.

Now, as Patricia told me when we spoke recently, she is doing all she can to raise awareness of the disease and money toward finding the cure. She has partnered with the National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD) to help bring her cause to light.

Celebrity Extra: Tell me what you’ve learned about PSP in your research in trying to help your father, and now, in helping others who are trying to come to grips with this disease.

Patricia Richardson: All of these brain diseases — PSP, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, CBD, ALS — are what we are now calling prion disease, which stands for infectious protein. They are all caused by sort of like a bacteria or virus, but it’s proteins that are coming out of the cells and multiplying and spreading infectiously. These protein diseases are spreading slowly within the brain. In Alzheimer’s and PSP, it’s something called tau protein. That’s also the same protein that spreads in the football head injuries and in soldiers coming back from Afghanistan. Understanding this cause is a new development.

CE: Tell me about NORD and your involvement with them.

PR: NORD is sort of an umbrella group to not only help patient-advocacy organizations like Cure PSP, but they’re helping people suffering from all of these other diseases that don’t even have a support group. It’s a place for people to meet and talk and share their experience or maybe connect with a group. We’ve been asking people to go to rarediseaseday.us, which is a website that will not only tell them about the Rare Disease Day [which is today, Feb. 28], but it’ll help people find information they need about their own disease, how they can help NORD, and how they can help somebody with a rare disease.

CE: What are some of the things you’ve been involved with in helping NORD?

Patricia with her father, Laurence

PR: I’ve hosted the NORD dinner for several years, and they’ll have patients there, legislators, doctors, scientists. The things you learn when you go to these: One time they talked about a girl across the country with symptoms no one had ever seen. It was a new disease. The doctors had never seen it. This poor family thought: “We’re the only people that have this. What could this be?” And then NORD connected them with another family on the other coast whose child had the same thing. And then they were able to connect those two doctors together so they could share information.

NORD connected us (at Cure PSP) to the government agency that helped us get the compassion and care allowance. We had to establish ourselves as a rare disease so we could get our people fast-tracked to get their Social Security disability payments faster. But first you have to get declared a rare disease. So, NORD helped us figure out how you write that protocol, how you get declared a rare disease and then get into that program.

What I tell people is, “My Dad had a rare disease, but our experience was not rare.” Thirty million people have a rare disease. We didn’t feel that at the time Dad was diagnosed. We felt like we were the only people going through this.

CE: Changing gears a bit, what do you have coming up for your fans actingwise?

PR: After “Home Improvement,” I quit pretty much for a year or two so I could go home and be with my kids. I’m the least ambitious actor you’ve heard of. Then I did “Strong Medicine” because I had a four-day workweek, and I could be with my kids. So, I did that for a couple of years. And then I tried to do “West Wing” because I thought, “Well, that won’t take me away from them too much.” And then I ended up doing way more than I thought I would — nine or 10 episodes over a couple of years. What I learned was that I just couldn’t be away from my teenagers without that being a problem, so that was when I just really stopped. I think I may have done one movie that was a couple of days, but mostly I just got them through high school.

I went back to work four years ago when the last one went off to college. It’s been slow going. I started doing theater again — I’ve been doing a play every year. I did a play off-Broadway last year. And then I’ve done like three Hallmark movies in the last year. There was one at Christmas, one just now on Valentine’s, and that’s been sort of good for me to have the chance to get in front of a camera and feel comfortable again. I’m the world’s worst auditioner, and I’m so bad at auditioning. It’s been hard to kind of get back to where I felt comfortable after all that time off.

So, by getting on stage again and slowly sort of getting in front of a camera, I’ve gradually gotten back to the place where I’m now once again starting to feel, “Oh yeah. That’s what this is. It’s not as terrifying as it was.” I’m kind of coming around to again and where I’m starting to feel like, “Oh yeah, now I remember why I liked this.” And my kids are doing really well, so I feel good about it. I feel really good about the people I made. I'm very lucky, and I’ve been really blessed.

Mark Steines

Q: Can you tell me what Mark Steines has been up to lately? I miss seeing him every night on “Entertainment Tonight.” — Sara G., via email

A: Instead of seeing Mark every night, now you can see him for two hours each morning. Along with Cristina Ferrare, Mark co-hosts the Hallmark Channel’s “Home and Family Show” every weekday morning from 10e/9c. I spoke with Mark recently about his hosting gig, and he told me he is having such a great time on his new show that it doesn’t even feel like work. According to Mark: “I worked on ‘ET’ for 17 years, and I was never this close to people there because it’s just such a big operation, and you feel like you get lost in it. This is a small show with a big heart. And Hallmark believes in us. We’re the cornerstone of their daytime programming, and I love it.”

And each day Mark is eager to discover what that day’s show will bring. “I used to have to go to the stars, now they come to me. And our show isn’t really star-based, in that regard. But when they do come on, we try to unmask that celebrity. We take them into the kitchen with us or we’ll do a DIY project with them. We’ll build something. We’ll make something. It’s always what I really wanted to do with celebrities, to see the other side of them. That’s what I like about this show.”

Q: This season of “Justified” has just been super so far. Can you tell me if it has been renewed for a sixth season yet? — Kyle L., Baltimore, Md.

A: The hit FX show has indeed already been renewed for another season, however its sixth season will be its last. According to FX Networks’ CEO John Landgraf, the decision had nothing to do with the show having low ratings or lack of critical acclaim. The decision was made by showrunner Graham Yost and star Timothy Olyphant, as he explained at the Television Critics Association press tour: “We talked about it a year ago, and [Graham and Timothy] felt that the arc of the show and what they had to say would be served by six seasons instead of seven, and I regretfully accepted their decision.”

Q: Can you tell me what Sharon Stone has been up to lately? — Kellie T. via email

A: Oscar nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner Sharon Stone has signed on to star on a new TNT’s action-drama, which is tentatively titled “Agent X.” Written by William Blake Herron — who wrote “The Bourne Identity” — “Agent X” stars Sharon as America’s first female vice president, Natalie Maccabee, a woman with brains, beauty and a cool composure that belies a restless mind. Initially apprehensive that her job would be only ceremonial in nature, she soon learns that it comes with a top-secret duty: protecting the Constitution in times of great crisis with the aid of her chief steward and a secret operative designated as Agent X. There is no word yet on when the pilot will air, but I’m thinking it’d be a perfect summer series.

The Mindy Project cast

Q: Can you tell me when my favorite show, “The Mindy Project,” will be back? I was so happy that Mindy and Danny finally kissed, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. — Janie F. in Colorado

A: “The Mindy Project” will return to Fox with all-new episodes on April 1 (no joke). In the meantime, the Golden Globe-winning comedy, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” has taken the place of “Mindy,” with “Mindy” returning when “Brooklyn” ends its freshman season. Earlier today, Fox announced that both shows have been renewed for new seasons this fall.

Q: My grandfather would like to know when “Longmire” is going to be back on. — LeeAnn R., via email

A: Longmire will return for a 10-episode third season this summer on A and E. I’ll be sure to let you know when I have an exact date.

Q: It’s good to see Jennifer Lopez back in the saddle as a judge on “American Idol,” but I miss seeing her on the big screen. Does she have any plans for a film in the near future? — Gigi R., Chicago

A: Jennifer Lopez and Viola Davis (“The Help”) are set to co-star together in the film “Lila and Eve.” The film tells the story of a grief-stricken mother (Viola) who, in the aftermath of her son’s murder, attends a support group where she meets Eve (Jennifer), who has lost her daughter. When Lila hits numerous roadblocks from the police in bringing justice for her son’s slaying, Eve urges Lila to take matters into her own hands to track down her son’s killers. The film is scheduled for a late 2014/early 2015 release date, and is expected hit the festival circuit before opening to wider audiences.

Q: I haven’t seen Samantha Brown on TV in a very long time. Will I see her again soon? — John L., Leesburg, Fla.

A: Next up for Samantha is co-hosting the Travel Channel’s “The Trip: 2014”— which also features Adam Richman, Don Wildman and Anthony Melchiorri — as they explore the ultimate insider experiences in Spain and Morocco. This television special is also a sweepstakes: Go to travelchannel.com by March 24, and enter for your chance to win this $100,000 dream vacation.


David Smith

Q: Several years ago, there was a TV program similar to “The Bachelor.” It was about an all-American boy from Texas who went abroad to find love. He met a girl named Linda, who eventually moved to Texas to surprise him. It was a nice ending to the story. Do you have info on this program and/or whatever happened to them? — Joyce M., via email

A: The show you are thinking of is “The Next Joe Millionaire” — a follow-up to surprise hit “Joe Millionaire” — which aired on Fox in 2003. Rodeo-cowboy David Smith of Midland, Texas, went to Italy to find “true love” — by masquerading as a millionaire to a group of European women who were unaware of the show’s actual premise. At the end of the season, David Smith and Linda Kasdova rode off into the sunset together, only to break up a short time later.

Q: Now that Rob Lowe is gone from “Parks and Rec,” what’s he got coming next? — Paul F., The Villages, Fla.

A: Rob may have left “Parks and Rec,” but he’s staying with NBC. He’s been tapped to star in a new pilot, a single-camera comedy called “The Pro,” which centers in and around a golf and tennis club. Rob stars as Ben Bertrahm, a former doubles champion who is reunited with his ex-partner Bobby Welch (the hilarious Rob Riggle) after a public feud that left them both floundering in life.

For 17 years, families all over America invited Mark Steines into their homes each evening as he hosted “Entertainment Tonight.” Mark was our go-to guy for all things celebrity, and we trusted him for his down-to-earth personality, boy-next-door good looks and an intelligence that was evident among all the celebrity news and gossip.

Now we get to see Mark in an environment that suits him for his — and his fans’ — changing life. Since October 2012, Mark has co-hosted, along with Cristina Ferrare, the Hallmark Channel’s hit daytime talk show “Home and Family.” I spoke with Mark recently, and he told me all about his new job at Hallmark, which, he says, truly is like family.

Celebrity Extra: You were a mainstay on “Entertainment Tonight” for 17 years; what made you decide to leave?

Mark Steines: I think it had to do with a variety of things, but mostly it was personal. Just to spend time with my family — my kids were growing, and I was gone so much on the road several times a week. I have over 3 million miles just on American Airlines alone. And when I was present, I was either tired or recuperating from things. Almost every vacation I took I was called away from early or was delayed taking off because of something that I felt was consequential. The older I got I went, “Really? My family is much more important to me than some of these things.”

But pop culture has to thrive, and you have to continue to stay on top of it. It’s ever-changing. And with TMZ and the Internet — I don’t want to give all the credit to TMZ, but they really came in and made a big splash with their website — things were breaking constantly. Trying to keep up with them and ahead of them doing a show every night at 7 or 7:30 — they’re breaking news around the clock on their website — was hard.

CE: What’s a big difference between working on “ET” versus “Home and Family”?

MS: The big difference is I used to have to go to the stars, now they come to me. And our show isn’t really “star” based in that regard. Typically when they come on, we try to unmask that celebrity, and we take them into the kitchen with us or we’ll do a DIY project with them. We’ll build something. We’ll make something. We’ll do a catch-water system. We’ll talk about gardening, if they are into that. What I always really wanted to do with celebrities is to see the other side of them. What really makes them tick? That’s what I like about this show. Plus I don’t have to go anywhere. Granted, it’s about an hour commute for me every day each way. So, that’s a pain in the butt, but it’s a lot better than having to go to LAX, sit at the terminal and wait for my plane.

CE: Was it difficult to adjust to your new work schedule and pace?

MS: It took a while for me to do a couple of things: With “ET,” the style of hosting — and this is an editorial on my part — it’s very sort of superficial, high energy, almost yelling, trying to make it look like you’re not. Just really ramped up. With “Home and Family,” I had to shed that skin, and know that taking the beats and letting them play was enough. We have a two-hour show. We have a lot of real estate to cover.

And the other thing was with “ET” it was very hard to show personality because there just wasn’t time for it. You could find a couple of moments here and there maybe, but it was just so edited. So, here, when it came time to really be me, I didn’t know which end was up. I thought, “Well, do I say that? Should I say that? We don’t have time for that. Does anybody really care about my opinion or my insights or my thoughts on this and how I feel about it?” But I learned to talk a little bit more and share a little bit more of my personal life on camera. It was tough at first. Cristina, my co-host, is very good at that. So, that part was quite a transition.

Mark and Cristina at "Home"

CE: What are some of the things you really like about hosting “Home and Family”?

MS: There are so many, but I think what I enjoy most about the show is when people come on, there’s the same reaction — it doesn’t matter if they are a big celebrity or a doctor who’s come on to talk — they comment about how different this show feels from any other that they’ve been on. And it’s because we are in a real house. This isn’t a fake set with flaps and you think: “Oh, I see. That’s where the host goes, behind that flap.” This is a real house with real, working appliances, bathrooms, everything. It disarms people, because we don’t have high-end furniture, and it’s flatly lit. So, you come on and you feel like you’re just hanging at somebody’s house. Our guests become very comfortable very quickly.

Some people, when their segment is up, they don’t want to leave. We had singer Edwin McCain on the show, and it turned out that he and his wife had adopted a baby, and we were doing a segment with this doctor about swaddling babies. He was like, “Can I be in that? I’ve always wanted to know, because I have my little one, and I’m trying to learn to do this, and I’m not quite getting it right.” It was a very organic thing that happened, and people enjoy that.

CE: I love seeing celebrities just doing normal things like that: learning to swaddle, to garden, to cook.

MS: Yeah, people come on our show, and they’ll get a chance to go in the kitchen, if we are doing cooking, or are working on a grill. They share with us the things that they are into, and we try to incorporate that into the show. That is what I really like about it. There’s no other show like it on television, and that’s what made me want to be a part of it. This is something that I want to do. It’s home and it’s family. And that’s what I’m into.

This weekend at the Television Critics Association’s press tour, Cristina and I were reflecting on our show, and I said, “You know, you can’t have a home and a family, and not really be a family in a home and make it work.” The same thing is, you can’t fake two hours a day — pretend to be somebody you’re not two hours a day, five days a week. Over a period of time, the real jerk will come out if that is who you are. So, you have to be who you are and just trust that the audience is going to like it. You have to be authentic. And our viewers, I think, get a good dose of that.

CE: It sounds like you all really have become a family on the show.

MS: I worked with “ET” for 17 years, and I was never this close to people there; it’s just such a big operation, and you feel like you get lost in it. This is a small show with a big heart. And Hallmark believes in us. We’re the cornerstone of their daytime programming, and I love it. I watched the Golden Globes, and I was thinking that I just didn’t miss it at all. The red carpet is one of the worst assignments, in my opinion, that you can get because there’s so much pressure to get something, and you typically fall flat.

CE: What can we expect from “Home and Family” to come?

MS: We typically look at the different seasons like everybody. We want to live our lives, and we teach you how to live your life better. So, as we go through the different seasons — right now we are heading out of the holiday season, and we’re moving into Valentine’s Day and the Super Bowl stuff. I know we are going to have relationship experts on. I always find those segments fascinating, because we talk about body language, sleep positions that people are in. What does it say about your relationship?

We’re also moving into spring, so I know we’ll start doing more and more stuff with Shirley Bovshow, our gardening expert. How to take care of a good lawn to moving more outdoors, so we’ll have that sort of thing. And then we’ll move into cooking and barbecuing. I’m sure we’ll start moving into that direction once things start thawing out. Our show is the perfect app for your life.

Speaking of guests, I have to tell you about this. We had “The Amazing Kreskin,” the world-famous mentalist, on the show recently. That guy blew me away. I have no idea how he did his stuff. It was ridiculous. He put a locked container in our house and told us, “I’ll be back here next year, and we’ll open it.” He predicted what was going to happen in 2014 and wrote it down, and he put it inside the container. So, I think that’s a good sign because that means we’ll get picked up for season three if he knows he’s coming back next year.

Jon Lindstrom— best known to his fans as Dr. Kevin Collins on “General Hospital,” and who’s also been on “NCIS,” “Drop Dead Diva” and “Blue Bloods” — has been playing hooky. Not only did he wed longtime love Cady McClain in a hush-hush courthouse ceremony this past Valentine’s Day, but he also co-wrote, directed, co-produced and co-stars in “How We Got Away With It” — an indie mystery/thriller that has been taking the film-festival circuit by storm in recent months. Available now via your cable provider’s VOD (video on demand), distribution opens wider on May 13 to cover the digital markets, like iTunes, and will have select showings in L.A. beginning May 16. I spoke with Jon recently, and he told me all about the movie … well, as much as he could without giving away anything important.

Celebrity Extra: Tell me about “How We Got Away With It.”

Jon Lindstrom: It’s a mystery thriller about a young man and his friends who react very violently to an unexpected tragedy during their annual weekend reunion. They are all coming into their early 30s, with a sense that some are getting a little dissatisfied, thinking that maybe these kinds of reunions are for people younger than them. You have a sense that they are about to blow apart anyway, or at least just away from each other. And then this terrible thing happens and other things start to come up. You find out that the tragedy is a result of something else.

CE: I know how hard it is to get a film put together, financed and distributed. How did you make this happen?

JL: I met the guy who ended up playing the lead role, McCaleb Burnett, at a wedding of mutual friends of ours in Las Vegas, of all places. And we were both living in Los Angeles at the time. He knew that I had written a movie that had been made a couple of years earlier called “The Hard Easy.” That was made with Bruce Dern and Vera Farmiga and Peter Weller. It was a wonderful cast. So, I guess he just kind of presumed that I knew what I was doing. I don’t — really, nobody does. But I had a fairly good idea of what makes a good movie.

He came to me with a screenplay that he and the fellow that plays the other lead, Jeff Barry, had written together. I liked it, but I felt that there was a better opportunity for a more highly structured kind of mystery noir, which is really a reflection of my own sensibility. It gave us a chance to talk about subjects that were important to all of us, such as what secrets can do to people. So, I got involved, and McCaleb and I did a rewrite. I’m a big fan of the European crime films from the ’60s and ’70s, and I felt we had a good opportunity to play with that creatively.

CE: Because of time and budget constraints of producing your own feature film, I’ll bet your background in daytime helped in that regard, since you’re used to knowing what you want and working quickly to get it.

JL: It did. There’s no way that my time in daytime couldn’t inform my work discipline. I’m really thankful for it now. I did do some directing in daytime. I certainly learned how to move fast as an actor in daytime. One of the reasons why that helps you, at least as an actor, is you develop a pretty strong sense of when you’ve got what you’re looking for. You know when to say: “OK, that’s great. Let’s reset at the top and do another take,” or “We’ve got it. Let’s move on.” I surprised myself in that I have a pretty finely tuned sense of that now.

The other thing I was able to draw from was that I direct short films. I’ve made several of them, and I’ve done a lot of my friends’ acting demo reels and things. Filmmaking has been in my life for some time. With a short film, you usually do it out of your own pocket, and you’ve got maybe one day to shoot it. I’ve been able to draw upon that as well, which helps a lot. I wouldn’t recommend anybody going into this untested. Practice. Do something before you go out and do it.

CE: The setting for this movie is really gorgeous. You filmed in Rochester, N.Y., correct? Tell me about the shoot.

JL: Yes, we filmed in Rochester. Jeff Barry (one of the stars of the film) is from Rochester; we got a lot of free things from his family. His father is a restaurateur, so that is how we were able to get two restaurant locations and feed the crew at cost. Jeff’s grandfather also owns a cabin outside of town. Since the film is a reunion where everybody stays in a big house, I was able to put all the actors into this cabin, and they could stay there for the three weeks or so that we were on location. They all got to know each other and learn how to play that way, and get on each other’s nerves and all those things that happen.

In the case of the two leading men, who kind of operate separately from the rest of the ensemble, I had them sleep in the big house that we shot in. They were always kind of separated from the main group. I think it worked very well.

CE: What was it like switching hats from director to actor when it was time to film your scenes?

JL: Stepping into an acting role really wasn’t that difficult. All we needed was a work flow, and Jeff Barry is a filmmaker. He has made a lot of shorts and is very passionate about it. He had written the original draft of the script in about three days. He’s great to work with, as all of them were. All I had to do was set up the shots that I wanted to get in the scene that I was in, and then I would step in front of the camera. Jeff would watch the monitor, give me a little direction until he felt we had it, and then I’d step behind the monitor, look at the playback and say: “Yep. We got it. Let’s move on.” It was a nice collaboration. A lot of the look of the film itself — because it really does look beautiful — is a credit to our young director of photography, Michael Belcher.

CE: It really is a gorgeous movie.

JL: Color correction has a lot to do with it. You shoot on high definition, and you can do a lot with that later on. I recommend trying to get it looking as good as possible when you actually shoot it, and that is thanks to Michael. It does look great. It looks like a much more expensive movie than it actually is.

CE: Was there a moment or a scene during the shoot when you thought, “Wow — we’re making something really special here,” or was the whole shoot one big special moment for you?

JL: The whole shoot was really special for me, just being as it was the first time I was doing a feature-length film. There was one night, though — there’s an entire sequence, it comes probably about two-thirds of the way through the film, where there are some characters doing something at a pier at night. Fortunately it was very calm that night. The lake was like glass, and we were in the water, and it’s August, so the water still gets cold after a while. There’s essentially no dialogue in it, and the sequence runs for about 10 minutes.

That’s a challenge to visually have it make sense, because you don’t have the support of dialogue to be expository. This was the moment where we all knew that the movie was going to work, because everyone knew exactly why they were doing what they were doing, and the reason why it had to be cold like that. That’s one of the rare things that comes along, when so many things have to go right to make a decent movie. That was the moment I knew this might actually work after all.

CE: Your wife, Cady, is an associate producer on the film. Do you have plans to continue finding projects where you can work together?

JL: She really was there for me every step of the way. She was my sounding board all the way through it. Technically, an associate producer is someone who does production work on behalf of the production company, and that’s technically what she did. She definitely deserves the credit. She was with me every step of the way.

In fact, I wasn’t even going to be in this movie. I had another actor attached, and unfortunately he had to drop out, and I said: “Aw, man. Now I’ve got to go find another guy to play the detective.” She said: “No you don’t. You’re going to play that part.” I said: “Oh my God, you’re right. I can do that — and I won’t drop out.” It’s one of my favorite characters that I ever played. We’re thinking of doing a Web series based on that character.

As for us working together again, we would always love to be able to work together, and we do on a daily basis. With my encouragement, I’m proud to say that Cady made a couple of short films on her own. I think she’s a terrific director and has a great eye. We collaborate on our various projects every day, day in and day out. But yeah, we would love the opportunity to work together again.

CE: Do you have another feature film in your sights yet?

JL: I’m going to direct a feature called “The Invisible Fifth.” It’s a teen thriller by way of genre, but it also has to do with secrets and lies. It’s very dark with a lot of mystery.

Q: Do you have any news on the reincarnation of NBC’s “Heroes”? — Daniel G., Birmingham, Ala.

A: NBC has confirmed that it will air a 13-episode “miniseries event” of the show, which is called “Heroes Reborn,” to air in 2015. It is being billed as a stand-alone series, and there is no word yet on which, if any, characters from the original series will be resurrected for the new series. According to the show’s website: “NBC will launch a digital series prior to the 2015 premiere that will introduce the characters and new storylines. This leveraging of social media is a way for fans to re-engage with what was one [of] the true pioneers in multiplatform storytelling.”

Q: What are Michael J. Fox’s plans now that his sitcom has been canceled? — Kathy I., via email

A: Michael will return later this season to “The Good Wife” as Louis Canning for a multi-episode, season-ending story arc. As for “The Michael J. Fox Show,” a representative at NBC says that the network will air the remaining episodes at some point this season. Also pulled from NBC’s Thursday night lineup, freshman comedy “Sean Saves the World,” starring “Will and Grace” favorite, Sean Hayes.

Q: One of my favorite shows is TNT’s “Cold Justice.” Can you tell me if there will be a third season? — Justin R., via email

A: Unless something incredibly crazy happens between now and renewal time, “Cold Justice” is a shoo-in for a season-three pickup. The network recently announced that the show’s second season, which is currently airing, has been extended by six episodes to air this summer.

“Cold Justice,” which airs on Fridays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), follows former prosecutor Kelly Siegler and former crime-scene investigator Yolanda McClary as they dig into murder cases that have gone unsolved for years. Working with local law enforcement, Kelly and Yolanda help bring about real results in real time for the police, investigators, district attorneys and families who have worked tirelessly on these cold cases for years.

Q: Can you tell me what happened to Golden Boy? I never saw a finale episode for it. Is it gone for good? — Diane B., via email

A: “Golden Boy” — which aired on CBS for one season — followed the meteoric rise of Walter Clark, an ambitious cop who became the youngest police commissioner in New York City’s history. The show starred Theo James, Chi McBride, Kevin Alejandro and Bonnie Somerville, and was received to very positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. However, the show fell victim to the old “mediocre ratings” syndrome, and was canceled after its freshman season.

Q: I was glad to read in your column that “Game of Thrones” is returning to HBO on April 6. Does that mean season 3 will be out on DVD soon? — Doug C., via email

A: Season three of the adventure-fantasy series was released on DVD on Feb. 18. So now you can now catch up on what you’ve been missing, just in time for season four. But keep all spoilers, including “The Rains of Castamere”— aka “The Red Wedding” — close to the vest.

Marshall Hilliard

If you’ve tuned in to “General Hospital,” “Days of Our Lives” or “The Young and the Restless” recently, then you’ve seen a familiar face carting people off to jail as Officer Marshall, Dylan and George, respectively. Marshall Hilliard— who’s probably best known as Hart Jessup No. 4 on “Guiding Light” — has been getting plenty of work on all of your favorite soaps these past few years as everyone’s favorite (or not favorite, if you’re the bad guy) police officer. And lately, he’s been making the prime-time rounds and hanging out with Beckett, Castle, Esposito and Ryan down at the station on “Castle.” I caught up with Marshall recently, and we spoke about his time on “Guiding Light,” his present-day gigs and the friendship he’s formed with his Hart predecessor, Leonard Stabb.

Celebrity Extra: How did you get your start in acting? Was it something that you had always wanted to do?

Marshall Hilliard: I realize now that I’ve always wanted to be an actor, because I used to play — you know, when kids play, they normally play what they want to do, and we would always do acting. We’d do plays and stuff in the tree house, and we’d create dramatic events. I knew I wanted to be an actor at that point. At 19 I moved to New York and lived there for almost a year. I did some off-Broadway theater, got signed with Elite and modeled. And then they sent me to Chicago from ’87 to ’88. And then in January ’88, I moved to L.A., and that’s where everything started happening. So, I went from Elite New York to Elite Chicago, and then I came out here and I just started acting.

I was a co-host on Fox Television’s “Malibu Beach Party.” I did a couple of movies for USA Network, but soaps are where I’ve always wanted to be. And I know that sounds weird, but I used to watch “Guiding Light.” I used to watch “The Young and the Restless,” and I used to envision myself being a soap-opera actor. I know that sounds strange, because most people see themselves as a big, huge movie star. But I think I knew where I wanted to be.

Marshall as Hart

CE: What led up to your getting the role of Hart Jessup?

MH: It’s ironic how I got the part in the first place: I campaigned for it myself. I don’t know if you knew that. They were screen-testing guys, so I kept trying to squeeze in for an audition. Betty Rea, the casting director at the time, evidently didn’t see what I thought I had. So I called up production, and I said, “I heard you guys have screen-tested four or five groups already, and you haven’t found anybody you want.” And he said, “It’s true.” And I said: “Will you please fax me the script? I’ll memorize it tonight, and I’ll get my friend to film me, and I’ll overnight it to you for tomorrow morning. Will that be OK?” And they said, “Sure.” So (casting director) Melanie Haseltine is watching my video, and the head writer walks by and says, “Let’s bring this to (producer) Michael Laibson.” So they brought the VHS to Michael, and he said, “Let’s screen-test the guy.” So, that’s how I got it. I negotiated the contract myself.

CE: For me, the heyday of “Guiding Light” was during the late ’80s and into the ’90s — what was it like being on the show during that time?

MH: Yeah, and I would say the heyday for all soaps was when Luke and Laura got married on “General Hospital.” About 30 million people watched that. It’s pretty crazy. But I think in the soaps in the ’90s, they were trying to make them a little more like prime time, which was nice. I really loved “Guiding Light.” I thought it was great. Being on the show in ’95 and ’96 was like a dream. It was really more than a dream; it was more than I could ask for.

Hart and Dina

CE: For me, one of the best things about working on “Guiding Light” when you did would have to be getting the chance to work with the late, great Michael Zaslow. Tell me what it was like playing his son.

MH: Working with Michael was probably like how it would be to work with Drew Brees or Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, because you knew he was going to be prepared. You knew that you had to be prepared. So, therefore, you’re going to have a great father/son scene. What I liked about him was his professionalism and his ability to really, really find this relationship at the priority of what he’d been waiting for for well over two years. He dug into it from day one. He was the captain, and he made sure the ship was going to run smoothly.

CE: When you look back on your time there, what are some of your favorite story lines?

MH: Let’s see. I really only had a couple of story lines, which were finding out that Peter was my son with Bridget, having a relationship with my dad’s wife, and the third story line — which they pulled me out in the middle of — was gas-lighting Roger. I wasn’t crazy about that, because, in my opinion, knowing who Roger Thorpe was, it would be really hard to outsmart that guy. I wasn’t crazy about that. I’m not a writer, so I don’t give opinions on that. But my favorite story line was finding out that I had a son and my relationship with Peter. That was my favorite hands-down. That’s what I would rather do than seduce my father’s wife. I’d rather do that than gas-light my dad. I would rather just stick with really true, wonderful, loving nonvindictive stories.

CE: That was the time when Hart started becoming pretty bad, almost evil.

MH: That was another problem I had. It was like, Hart’s a good guy. How evil is he going to become? How bad is he going to become? That’s what I always wanted to know. And I didn’t like that. I didn’t want it, to be honest with you. I wanted Hart to be a good father. I wanted him to do the right thing. But they wanted him darker, and I wanted him nicer. Of course, what the fans want is more important than what I want or what the writers and producers want.

The arresting Officer Hilliard

CE: You’ve been hopping around different shows lately, playing a cop on “General Hospital,” “Days of Our Lives,” “The Young and the Restless” and now “Castle.” What’s that been like?

MH: Oh, I love it. It’s funny because I’ve arrested somebody in Salem, I’ve arrested somebody in Genoa City, and I’ve arrested somebody in Port Charles. You can’t outrun my long arm of the law.

CE: I started watching “Guiding Light” in the early ’80s, and I just had the biggest crush on Leonard Stabb and had always wondered how he’s been doing since his hang-gliding accident back in the early ’90s. (For more on Leonard's tragic accident, read this.)

MH: I know. I’m straight, and I’ll say it: He’s a good-looking dude. I look back and I’m like, “Holy crap. Just look at this dude.” I’ve been watching some of his episodes, and he had that cool and brooding thing down really good.

Leonard Stabb (circa 1990)

CE: Back when he got hurt, we didn’t have the Internet giving us constant updates on his condition, so we just did not know what was going on when he had his accident. We had to wait weeks or months for Soap Opera Digest to give us a little blip of any kind of news.

MH: Yeah, and now we would know within a matter of seconds.

CE: Tell me about how you met Leonard and why you decided to help raise money for his ongoing medical care.

MH: When I got “Guiding Light,” I could never think about Hart without thinking of Leonard. Every time since when I would think about “Guiding Light,” I’d wonder how Leonard was doing. Every day I think about him. In April 2012, I met my now-publicist Mike Iannarelli, and the first thing he wanted to know was how Leonard was doing.

I told him I didn’t know, and he said that he knew Leonard was out in California. We decided to do some investigating. I called telephone operators for different area codes across California. On the last area code I was going to try, I asked if they had any Leonard Stabbs, and they told me they had 100. So I asked about a Leonard Stabb Jr., and they had one. Boom! That was it. So, I called his grandfather, his grandfather gave me the number, and I talked to Judy (his caretaker). I explained who I was and what I wanted to do, that I wanted to help raise money for Leonard.

Marshall (left) and Leonard (center) celebrate
the California Tide's victory, 2012.

So she asked if she could come to a football game — I play for a triple-A football team, the California Tide — and that Leonard wanted to see me play. So they came out, and we won 56-12. It’s just laughable how good we were that day. We brought him out onto the field and made him an honorary California Tide member.
When you’re in a hang-gliding accident, and your head hits a tree — wow. To be quite honest with you, we’re really lucky just to have him here with us and alive and healthy. And most important, he’s happy. You should see the smile on his face when he’s with my football team.

CE: So if people want to know more about Leonard and how they can help, where should they go?

Len Stabb with college friends, circa 1982 (picture courtesy Lynette Britt)

MH: The first thing to do is to like my Facebook fan page, www.facebook.com/pages/Marshall-Hilliard/371768209542181. That’s where I’ll have info on auctions, how you can bid, how you can donate — everything you need to help. We’re in the beginning stages now, but I hope to have more stuff ready soon, like auctions for soap memorabilia, signed head shots, and the like. And everything we make will go straight to the medical expenses and daily care of Len.

Katherine Heigl

Q: I haven’t seen my favorite actress, Katherine Heigl, in a while. Will she be back on TV soon, or is she a full-fledged movie star now? — Penny T., via email

A: While Katherine is still a big-screen draw — she has four movies coming out within a year of each other — she hasn’t forgotten her small-screen roots. Katherine — who got her big break on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” — is set to return to series television to star in NBC’s “State of Affairs,” a drama about a CIA attache (Katherine) who advises the president on “high-stakes incidents around the world” while trying to manage her complicated personal life. The pilot has been shot, and things are looking good for a series pickup.

Speaking of “Grey’s Anatomy,” Isaiah Washington is set to return to the series as Dr. Preston Burke for an episode in May. The show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, told “The Wrap” that Isaiah’s character is vital to wrapping up the story of Sandra Oh’s character, Cristina Yang. Shonda revealed: “It's important to me that Cristina’s journey unfolds exactly as it should. Burke is vital to that journey — he gives her story that full-circle moment we need to properly say goodbye to our beloved Cristina Yang.”

Q: Please tell me that the rumors of a Journey reunion with Steve Perry are true! — Samuel D., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

A: Not yet … but word is that they are closer than ever to working things out. In a recent interview, Steve said: “We're trying. It’s tough. I’m doing my best in that area, and I can only do so much. The older I get, the more I do realize how important what we all had together and how it worked. … I brought things out of them, and they certainly brought a lot of my vocal stuff out of me — just [lifting] each other to this place that you can’t get to alone. I think that’s probably the biggest chemistry thing I recognize now.”

And Journey’s founder, Neal Schon, wrote on his Facebook page recently: “I hope we can reach out to each other and connect once again. We had amazing chemistry together. I love him with all the love and admiration you could even have. Steve, let’s talk soon.” I have all of my fingers and toes crossed for a reunion!

Q: Can you tell me when “Falling Skies” will return? I can’t wait! — Jimmy F., via email

A: The fourth season of TNT’s hit series “Falling Skies,” which stars Noah Wylie and Will Patton, premieres Sunday, June 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The series is about life and survival in the wake of a catastrophic alien invasion. Before that at 9 p.m., check out the new action series “The Last Ship,” from executive producer Michael Bay and starring Eric Dane. The series is about a Navy vessel that may be humanity’s last hope in the wake of a worldwide catastrophe.

Q: With “Games of Thrones” returning for its fourth season this past Sunday, it got me wondering what Sean Bean is up to. Can you tell me what he’ll be in next? — Alicia W., via email

Sean Bean in TNT's Legends

A: Beginning in August, Sean stars in the new TNT action-thriller series called “Legends,” which is set to premiere Wednesday, Aug. 20, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The story centers on Sean’s character, Martin Odum, who plays a deep-undercover FBI agent who may be losing his grip on reality. Martin has the ability to transform himself into a completely different person for each job, but he begins to question his own identity when a mysterious stranger suggests that Martin isn’t the man he believes himself to be. The series comes from “Homeland” executive producers Howard Gordon and Alexander Cary, and “Fringe” co-executive producer David Wilcox, and co-stars Ali Carter, Morris Chestnut, Amber Valletta, Steve Harris, and Tina Majorino.

Q: I was happy to read in your column that Kiss will be inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame tonight. Will they be touring to support their induction? — Gary T., Cleveland, Ohio

A: Kiss will indeed be embarking on a joint project this summer, co-headlining with hard-rock superstars Def Leppard in a 42-city summer stadium tour, which will run from June 23 to Aug. 31. Def Leppard’s lead singer, Joe Elliott, said that he and Kiss bassist, Gene Simmons, first discussed the idea of the two bands touring together when he and Gene played some South American dates two years ago as part of a rock-and-roll all-stars tour. “It’s finally happened, which is fantastic,” Joe said. Also, a dollar from each ticket sold on the tour will go to the Wounded Warrior Project and other military nonprofits. (Go to livenation.com for ticket info.)

Q: Starz canceled “Magic City” just as season two ended. What a disappointment. The show was never given much publicity, but it was wonderfully done. I love it and miss it so much, and so do my friends. Is there any chance of “Magic City” going to another cable network? — Dale P., Fort Worth, Texas

A: While I never say never (see “Scrubs” and “Cougar Town” for examples), there hasn’t been much talk about the series continuing. Set in 1959 in Miami shortly after the Cuban Revolution, “Magic City” centered on the story of Ike Evans, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who owned Miami’s most glamorous hotel, the Miramar Playa. I do have slightly good news for you, though: The entire 16-episode “Magic City” series will be released by Starz and Anchor Bay on Blu-ray and DVD on May 13, 2014.

Q: Can you tell me if “Unforgettable” will be back? — Tom V., The Villages, Fla.

A: The CBS drama series starring Poppy Montgomery as Carrie Wells, a woman with hyperthymesia — a rare medical condition that gives her the ability to visually remember everything — will return with a 13-episode third season beginning in June.

Academy Award-, Golden Globe-, Tony-, Grammy Award- and Emmy-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg chats it up daily with Barbara Walters, Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy on “The View.” And recently I had the chance to chat it up with this accomplished and multitalented woman about her latest project, Lifetime Television’s original movie “A Day Late and a Dollar Short,” based on the book by bestselling author Terry McMillan (of “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” fame). The movie, which also stars Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer, Anika Noni Rose and many more, premieres Saturday, April 19 at 8/7c. Whoopi plays matriarch Viola Price, a woman who learns that her next asthma attack likely will kill her, so she is determined to fix her fractured family before she leaves this world.

Whoopi told me they didn’t have to ask her twice to play the part of Viola, revealing: “The executive producer called me and said, ‘I have this property, and I would like you to do it.’ So I asked, ‘What is it?’ and he said, ‘It’s by Terry McMillan —’ and I said, ‘I’m in.’ He didn’t even need to tell me the name of the piece. Then I read it and I thought, ‘OK, this will be fun.’ And the caution in this tale is, ‘You’d better pay attention to your life, because you never know when it’s going to go away from you.’”

In Whoopi’s words, Viola is a bit of a “drama queen” who was a lot of fun to play: “She was fun. There were a lot of scenes where she should not have been so sassy, but she was. Oh, she was.”

For Whoopi, one of the film’s main through-lines is that when you find out you’re dying, like Viola does, you start to think about the things you haven’t had the chance to do. “There’s nothing like a time frame to make you get your crap together,” she told me. “And your dreams — everybody has dreams. Sometimes people get hardened because they don’t get to live their dream.”

While some of the movie’s subject matter may have been not so fun, the mood on the set was the opposite. And, according to Whoopi, the entire cast was a pleasure to work with. “Everyone was wonderful. You know, it’s like it was a party, the biggest party. When you have this opportunity, which you don’t get very often, you just have a good time. It was nice to spend some time with Mekhi Phifer because I love his work. It was about seeing old friends and making new ones.”

As for a cast reunion on “The View,” Whoopi is all for it, as are the producers of the hit daytime talk show. Whoopi told me: “We’re going to try to get the whole cast. This was something that ‘The View’ asked for, which I thought was kind of nifty. It’ll be a nice reunion.”

Aside from making another guest appearance on “Glee” this spring, Whoopi isn’t spending her downtime from “The View” being idle. She’s got lots of projects coming up, including feature films like “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Big Stone Gap” and “Christmas Parole in August.” And, as she told me: “Hopefully I’ll get to do a horror movie this year. I’ve got a couple of things coming down the pike.”

Since the end of “Ugly Betty” in 2010, series star Eric Mabius has been everywhere. He’s starred or co-starred in numerous series, like “Outcasts,” “The Client List,” “Scandal,” “Blue Bloods,” and many others. He’s also starred in a few Hallmark Channel movies — and it’s this partnership with the cable network, known for its wholesome family programming, that has lured Eric back to series television. Eric stars in the upcoming prime-time Hallmark series called “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” as Oliver, a U.S. Postal detective who hunts down the recipients and sources of letters that end up in the dead-letter office (the series premieres Easter Sunday, April 20 at 8/7c). Oliver’s job isn’t as clear-cut as it would seem; it draws him into mysteries and intrigue that you wouldn’t expect from a postal worker. I spoke with Eric recently, and he told me how excited he is for viewers to experience this interesting and fun drama, which is brought to us by “Touched By an Angel” executive producer Martha Williamson.

Celebrity Extra: Tell me about your decision to work with Hallmark again, this time in a regular capacity by starring in a series.

Eric Mabius: As you said, I’d worked with Hallmark before on a couple of movies, and I thought: ”Why not? Why not Hallmark? Why not do an original series?” I firmly believe, and I think Hallmark shares the same belief, that this show is going to change everyone’s opinion of Hallmark. It’s not your mother’s Hallmark anymore. It’s really taking on issues in a way that’s still family-friendly, but much more; it’s not just escapism.

I was blessed enough to have a great family of actors on “Ugly Betty” and a significant amount of success. Actors wait their whole careers to have one of those, and I didn’t have to wait that long. And I just didn’t think I’d necessarily find the same thing again. But I found something better now. Because I feel more in a place to appreciate there’s an evolution going on. Being an actor with two children now and finally in my 40s, I just feel like everything lined up in such a wonderful way.

CE: Tell me about Oliver.

EM: Oliver has a very strong moral compass. He has a belief system, but he doesn’t shove it down people’s throats. He sees the greatness in people and tries to inspire them in the workplace. At different times, the audience gets to view this world through each of the character’s eyes, rather than just choosing one viewpoint as the audience filter. Martha keeps turning the content in on itself, so just when you think you know the road the show’s going to go down, it changes. She challenges us as actors, and I think the audience members as well.

CE: I know it’s early, but are you looking forward to a second season?

EM: I don’t think there are many forces on Earth that could stop this show from coming back next season. But networks have to go through their process. There’s already talk of a Christmas film for the show, just so the audience doesn’t have to go a whole year waiting for the second season. I am not trying to be boastful, I just mean that we’re aiming toward many seasons.

CE: Can you give me any clues as to what to expect this season?

EM: We’re moving toward a very big finale, and that is not set in stone yet. But we want to get it right. And we aren’t pouring everything into the finale. There are some episodes coming up that will feel like a type of finale, and that’s what’s great. Martha has so much left in her repertoire, there’s no end to how long this show could run. As these characters evolve and become more fully human, they help each other. There’s sort of a steady state that has been achieved when you start the series, in that Oliver has created this world of his own invention, and he fills it with people he can help mold. That falls by the wayside as we learn more about him, and Shane (McInerney, Oliver's newest protege, played by Kristin Booth) exposes his vulnerabilities. He addresses what will come to a head as this issue with his wife, and his belief that she’ll return one day. Shane challenges him on a daily basis with regard to his faith, and even though you can’t shake it, he’s learning how to justify it.

Sharon Lawrence— who’s known for her roles on “Drop Dead Diva,” “One Tree Hill,” “Rizzoli and Isles” and “NYPD Blue,” to name a scant few — tackles a heavy subject in her latest movie. In “Starving in Suburbia” — which premieres on Lifetime this Saturday, April 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT — Sharon plays therapist Dr. Klein, who tries to help Hannah Warner (played by Laura Slade Wiggins) with her deadly eating disorder. And if you think you’ve “been there, done that” when it comes to your knowledge of eating disorders and their subsequent movies, think again.

“Starving in Suburbia” follows Hannah, a high school junior and accomplished dancer who stumbles upon a “Thinspiration” website, and is convinced by an anorexic website user named “Butterfly” to lose 20 pounds in 20 days so she can be “thin, happy, free and perfect.” Hannah spirals into a dark cultlike world, becoming destructive to herself, her family, her education and eventually, her life. I spoke with Sharon recently about this very important, and still very prevalent problem among young people today.

Celebrity Extra: Of course, the subject matter of this film is very important. Along with that, what were some of the reasons you accepted the role of Dr. Klein?

Sharon Lawrence: When they offered this to me, I was in the middle of shooting Chris Carter’s pilot for Amazon called “The After.” It was a big thing for me to agree to do this film, although it was only a few days out of my schedule, but it was on my days off. Part of the reason I was willing to do this was when I heard that Laura Slade Wiggins was going to star in it. I had never worked with writer/director Tara Miele before, but my friend Daphne Zuniga was really impressed with her, and the rest of the cast is filled with quality actors, so I knew I had to do it.

After I sat down and watched the completed film, it’s very indie-like, almost European in its voyeurism, and the music selection and the pace — all of those things are just engrossing. When I sat down and watched the completed movie, I was just so engrossed in the story. I am very proud of it.

CE: Your career field, as well as our culture in general, puts such pressure on appearance and the need to be thin and perfect. How do you feel the movie handles that?

SL: Our culture continues to put those pressures on all of us. One of the things that I was so impressed with when I first read the script is that Tara has pulled no punches. She analyzed all of the influences: It’s fathers and mothers who have to watch out for signs. It is clearly the media that puts on these pressures — that’s no surprise there. But also it’s the families — whose intentions, I’m sure, are good in terms of achievement — who have to recognize what sort of a mind can be susceptible to this.

CE: The film certainly raises a lot of questions.

SL: Isn’t that great? And the problem is, we don’t have any answers. You can ask questions all you want, but what is the answer? Hannah’s journey throughout the film makes that clear; she will always be struggling. She’s identified what the problem really is. She now knows. But the problem is not accepting herself. And that’s a daily journey. It doesn’t go away without constant care. I really appreciate Dr. Klein’s understanding of that, and she says as much when she confronts Hannah. It’s so easy for Hannah just to think that all she is, is messed up. But she comes to realize that’s not all she is, and when you realize that, the balance comes back into your life.

CE: One of the things I liked about this movie is that it didn’t place all the blame on the mom — the father was just as culpable in the pressure he put on his son to make his wrestling weight class and to be a successful wrestler, to be a winner.

SL: I think it’s so hard as a man to understand that success is not the only way to happiness. Hannah has that competitive drive — that drive was part of what pushed her toward her eating disorder. She’s competing with herself to lose the weight; she’s competing with other people in the chat room to see who’s on top with this warped sense of achievement. Our culture is so competitive.

I loved Paula Newsome’s portrayal of the dance teacher. I’m a dancer, originally, and I’ve seen how in the years since I started dancing how different that culture has become. Now young gals are competing all the time with their dancing. We danced because we loved it. It gave us a great sense of physical self-possession and grace, and if I had been good at math or athletics, I’m sure my parents would have supported that too. But now the whole young dance world is competition. There’s a fine line between helping push young people toward their potential, giving them good habits toward achievement, expectation and discipline, and then understanding when something has become out of balance. In the film, I find the teacher’s assessment of that to be very encouraging.

Sharon Lawrence as Dr. Klein
Photo courtesy Lifetime Television

CE: How did you all prepare yourselves for the movie?

SL: Tara talked with us a lot about the therapy scenes because she spent a lot of time in a clinic doing research. What she said about that experience sticks with me: Through the whole time she was there, the main impression she came back with were the words ‘living death.’ People are living with death all the time with different diseases, but that this one is self-inflicted, it’s one of the things that’s just so hard to get your head around. Food is ubiquitous; we have to have it. It’s not like heroin. As tragic as heroin is, you don’t have to be exposed to heroin, but we do have to deal with food. You have to deal with learning what control really does mean in your life, and how that gets out of control.

CE: This film also explores the fact that eating disorders don’t just affect women.

SL: Exactly. This film features anorexia in men, but I’m shooting another film right now (called “Perception”), and the only reason I said yes to this one is because of what I learned from Tara. It’s about body dysmorphic disorder in men and all those guys who are on steroids. They develop their own dysmorphia because they still see themselves as skinny wimps. It happens to them. They are killing themselves with steroids.

Q: Can you tell me if “American Horror Story” will be back for a fourth season, and if so, do you have any spoilers for me? — Katrina R., via email

A: Mild spoilers ahead: “AHS” creator Ryan Murphy recently announced that “Asylum” will be followed by the 13-episode “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” which will take place in 1950 in Jupiter, Florida, and will feature Jessica Lange as a “German ex-pat who is managing one of the last freak shows in the U.S.” Her “freaks” will be played by returning stars Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett and Frances Conroy. “Entertainment Weekly” reported that Denis O’Hare and Emma Roberts are in talks to return to the show. An exact premiere date has not yet been set, but it will be this October.

Q: Are the rumors I’m hearing about a sequel to “The Incredibles” true? — Jonathan P., Erie, Pa.

A: Disney’s chairman and CEO, Robert A. Iger, announced that Pixar Animation Studios is indeed developing a big-screen sequel to Brad Bird’s 2004 superhero adventure “The Incredibles.” Brad Bird, who wrote and directed the first film, has said that he would be open to filming a sequel if it “had a truly great story” behind it.

Q: Is this season of “Dallas” already over? It seems like it’s only just begun! — Lily T., via email

A: Don’t worry — the show is merely on summer hiatus. Dallas returns to TNT for the second half of its third season starting Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Fingers crossed that Sue Ellen survived the South Fork fire (I am thinking she will).

Q: I really miss “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” especially designer Tracy Hutson. What has she been doing lately? — Pamela T., Waco, Texas

A: You can still catch Tracy decorating for a cause — this time she has teamed up with the Design Network (www.thedesignnetwork.com) to star in “Momtourage,” an original video series focused on lifting up deserving moms who have done so much for their families and their communities. Each episode will follow Tracy as she pays a surprise visit to each woman’s home, listens to her story, learns about her family life, and offers a fun and inspirational interior-design intervention — all in the span of one Saturday.

When I spoke with Tracy recently, she told me how excited she was to work with TDN to help these women: “If I have the opportunity to help people, I’m going to take it. That’s just who I am. This series just goes to show what you can do, and how important and impactful it can be on someone’s life — especially someone who has had a rough time just getting on her feet. It’s so fun, and it means the world to them.”

Check back here later this week for my full interview with Tracy.

Q: I finally was able to watch “Hatfields and McCoys,” and I absolutely loved it. When can I see Bill Paxton in something like this again? — Paul T., Scranton, Pa.

A: Well, I can’t tell you exactly when, just yet, but I can tell you what. The History Channel has ordered “an eight-hour television event” called “Texas Rising,” with Bill leading an all-star cast featuring Brendan Fraser, Ray Liotta, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olivier Martinez, Michael Rapaport and many more. The series will detail the Texas Revolution and the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers, and is set to premiere in 2015.

Q: My book club finished reading “The Astronaut Wives Club,” and one of the ladies said she heard that it is being made into a TV show. Is that true? — Danni W., via email

A: ABC is indeed airing a 10-part series called “The Astronaut Wives Club,” based on the bestselling book by Lily Koppel, which tells the story of the women who were key players behind some of the biggest events in American history. The series premieres July 24 at 9/8c, and stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Odette Annable, Zoey Boyle and Azure Parsons.

Q: With the final season of “Californication” upon us, does David Duchovny have another series or movie on the horizon? — Samuel D., Port Orange, Fla.

A: NBC has ordered a 13-episode period drama called “Aquarius,” in which David stars as a police detective hunting a hippie cult leader who turns out to be Charles Manson. The series will cover the early years of Manson and his “family,” with the full story playing out in future seasons (if it gets renewed). David told “Variety”: “I’m thrilled to be working with (NBC chairman) Bob Greenblatt again and coming back to broadcast television. I think ‘Aquarius’ has a chance to be a special show, and I can’t wait to get going.”

Q: I read that my favorite comedic actress, Amy Poehler, has a brother in the business too. Is that true? What can I see him in? — Fred S., via email

A: Amy’s brother, Greg, currently stars in and executive produces (with Amy) the Swedish sitcom “Welcome to Sweden,” which chronicles Greg’s real-life experiences of moving to Sweden to marry to his Swedish girlfriend. The series — which co-stars Amy, Josephine Bornebusch, Lena Olin, Patrick Duffy and Illeana Douglas — is currently airing in Sweden, and will begin airing here in the U.S. on NBC this fall.

When Lindsey McKeon took on the role of Marah Lewis (No. 7) on “Guiding Light” back in 2001, she impressed daytime viewers and Emmy voters so much that she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy after having been in the role for a mere two months. Since then, she’s impressed fans of “Drop Dead Diva,” “Supernatural,” “One Tree Hill,” “90210” and many more with her featured and guest-starring roles. As she makes her mark on feature films (her latest short film, “Delicious Ambiguity,” is making the rounds on the film-festival circuit), the gorgeous and talented 32-year-old took the time to talk with me about her past on “GL,” her present co-starring as Tessa on “Supernatural” — Tessa returns tonight, May 13, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CW — and her plans for the future.

Celebrity Extra: Tell me about how you got your start. Had you always known you wanted to be an actress?

Lindsey McKeon: No, I didn’t always know, but there were definitely signs when I was young. In fact, in old home videos you can see me putting on a little bit of a show. It was always sort of in me. I like to explore; I like to play; I like to be different characters. But I didn’t really start exploring that until junior high. I was on the phone too much, and my mom wanted to give me a more exciting extracurricular activity. I went to an acting class, and it was the most freedom and fun I’d ever experienced in my life. For me, it was a relief. I always say that acting saved my life. I had a very difficult time in junior high and high school, so this gave me a way to find myself, experience myself and explore that without being so frigging uncomfortable.

CE: You certainly impressed the folks over at “Guiding Light,” being nominated for a Daytime Emmy for playing Marah Lewis.

LM: That nomination was so unexpected, because I was there literally a couple of months before that happened. It was so surprising, so exciting. Being at the awards ceremony was nerve-wracking. I had butterflies in my stomach the whole time. It was like: hope they call me. I hope they don’t call me. I hope they call me. I hope they don’t call me.”

But what could be better for a 19-year-old than to live in New York City? It’s such a tough city that it took me pretty much a year to adapt to it and not call my mom crying. But once I did adapt, I was really living it up, and to be able to work constantly, consistently, having new friends and living in the city was an amazing experience.

I remember being on “GL” — probably my first year there — working with a dialogue coach and learning 20 pages of dialogue a night, every day of the week. My mind would reject the dialogue after a while and would tell me: “No. No more. I’m shutting down. And we won’t learn anything else.” That’s a terrifying feeling for an actor. I spoke with some of the others on the show, and they said: “Don’t worry. This happens to everyone. You sort of lose your mind in the beginning, and then you come back and adapt to it.” And you do get used to it.

CE: Next up for you is your return to “Supernatural” as Tessa the Reaper. Are you excited to be working with them again?

LM: I am very excited. I love Vancouver. I love the show. The boys (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) are great. I’m very happy to go up there again, and this is one of my favorite characters to play.

Lindsey (left) with Jensen Ackles

CE: You recently guest-starred on Lifetime’s cult hit “Drop Dead Diva.” What was that experience like?

LM: That was a really great experience, and a really crazy experience. The cast and crew were phenomenal — amazing people to work with, very sweet and easygoing. They made me feel so comfortable. In the middle of shooting our episode, we had to deal with a weeklong, vicious ice storm in Atlanta. But it was a wonderful experience. (“General Hospital” alum) Rick Springfield is in it. And the lead singer from Rascal Flatts is in it. It’s a super-fun, famous-people episode.

CE: Tell me about “Delicious Ambiguity.”

LM: There are so many great actors in it, Arielle Kebbel (of “Vampire Diaries” and “90210”), Lucas Neff from “Raising Hope,” Lamorne Morris from “New Girl,” and lots of others. Two of my best girlfriends are in this. It was so cool to film — we just got our friends together one weekend and shot this super-fun short film. And now all of a sudden it’s in festivals and it’s doing really well. I play Ellie, the hot girl who loves fitness and loves men. She doesn’t really care what she says. She’s a very strong woman, and at times, other girls attack her for it. It’s fun, it’s comedic, but at the same time it’s very intense. It’s about uncomfortable relationships and all the different turns relationships can take.

CE: While relationships can be scary, I’m thinking your new film, “Indigenous,” is even scarier. Tell me about that.

LM: I am terrified of horror movies, and I rarely watch them because I will start seeing monsters in the shadows. It’s totally fine with me to be in the film, but to actually watch it is scary. When I screened this film, I jumped and screamed a few times. Then I started laughing because everybody around me was laughing at me.

We shot it in Panama for about five weeks, mostly in the middle of the jungle. There were these crazy trees with spikes that we would often run into. We had to have the medics pull the spikes out of our arms and our legs. It was intense. There were monkeys, spiders — all types of jungle creatures. My boyfriend in the film, played by Zach Soetenga, is super interested in finding the chupacabra (a legendary “animal” that has been hunted by cryptozoologists, and those interested in this folkloric deadly creature, since the first sightings in the mid-90s in Central and South America), and finding out whether it’s real and investigating it. Most of us don’t believe it. My character thinks it’s a bad idea to go into the jungle to search for it, but all of my friends are like, “Let’s do it. How bad could it be?” And the rest happens from there. How bad could it be, right? Famous last words.

CE: Why do they always do that?

LM: Right? They’re like, “I hear something. Let’s go investigate.”

CE: Was the actual filming process for you scary? Of course you know that it’s not real, but still, you’re out in the jungle, filming at night. I’d be scared.

LM: The first time we (as actors) saw the chupacabra (while filming), it was the middle of the night, and it was almost pitch-black. Prior to this, we hadn’t met the actor who plays the chupacabra, so we had no idea what he, as a human, looked like, and what he would look like dressed up. We had to pass him on this tiny pathway, and I swear to God, I almost peed my pants. I was so scared, I started running. I was like, “Get me away from him!”

CE: Career-wise, where would you like to see yourself in five years?

LM: Film, film, film, film, film, film. For me, that’s always been a goal, because there is something so pure, so honest, so raw about film actors, and when you’re blown up on a screen that big, there’s no room to fake it. I love the sci-fi/action/thriller-type roles. That would be my ideal, playing some type of futuristic warrior who is traveling around all of these different worlds.

Q: I read about Rainbow Rowell’s “Eleanor and Park” in your column a while back, and now I hear it’s going to be a movie. I’m so happy to hear this because I loved the book. Will she be writing the screenplay for the movie as well? — Staci R., via email

A: Rainbow has indeed been tapped to write the screenplay for her first movie, and she’s thrilled for the opportunity. I asked Rainbow how it all came about, and who she sees in the parts of Eleanor and Park. “I’d been talking to DreamWorks for a few months about it. I was nervous at first because the book is so much in my control, and a film is an entirely different organism. But I kept thinking about how wonderful it would be to see Park and Eleanor on that screen. The studio and producer, Carla Hacken, seem really dedicated to bringing the book to life. I'm excited.”

As for who should play the teenage sweethearts, Rainbow is up for anything. “I don't have anyone in mind. It’s hard to imagine established actors in the roles, because there just aren’t that many starring roles for a chubby redhead and a 16-year-old Korean boy, which makes it all the more exciting.”

Q: Thank you for the update on Sharon Lawrence. She’s been one of my favorite actresses since “NYPD Blue.” Will she be in a series on a regular basis any time soon? — Denise K., via email

A: Amazon.com recently gave the greenlight to Chris Carter’s (writer/creator of “The X-Files”) latest supernatural drama called “The After,” which follows eight strangers who are thrown together by mysterious forces and must help each other survive in a violent world that defies explanation. The series stars Sharon, as well as Aldis Hodge, Andrew Howard, Arielle Kebbel, Jamie Kennedy, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Adrian Pasdar and Louise Monot. You can watch the pilot episode now on amazon.com; there is no word yet on a premiere date for the rest of the season, but it will be later this year or early next.

Q: I was surprised when David Letterman announced he was going to retire in 2015. Who will take his place on “The Late Show”? — Myra T., Birmingham, Ala.

A: Stephen Colbert is set to bring his brand of “truthiness” to “The Late Show,” as he’s been slated to take over for David upon his retirement at the end of this year. It was recently learned that CBS first approached Neil Patrick Harris as David’s replacement, a job offer that Neil subsequently turned down. When Neil appeared on Howard Stern’s show last week, he told the shock jock: “I told [them] the things that concerned me about the longevity of that kind of gig, that I think I would get bored of the repetition fast, and that the structure of it is so set, that I don’t have any interest in doing monologue, commercial, sketch, guest, guest, musical act, goodnight.“ He did pitch a variety show of sorts, which might get to see the light of day, if Neil has his druthers.

Q: I know there’s a lot of source material left for many more seasons of “Game of Thrones,” so please tell me there will be more seasons of the HBO series. — Justin R., Albany, NY

A: You can bet the Iron Throne that the incredibly popular adventure/fantasy series will be back — for at least two more seasons. HBO has renewed “Game of Thrones” for a fifth and sixth season. Currently in its fourth season, “Game” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Q: Can you tell me what I can see Ben McKenzie in next? I loved him on “Southland,” and I really miss that series. — Hallie F., via email

A: Ben returns to series television this fall when he stars in Fox’s “Gotham,” which is a prequel series to the “Batman” movies. Ben plays a young James Gordon — the police official whom “Batman” fans know as an eventual ally to Bruce Wayne/Batman. The cast also includes Donal Logue, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Mazouz, Robin Lord Taylor, Camren Bicondova, Erin Richards, Sean Pertwee, Zabryna Guevara and Cory Michael Smith. The series’ executive producers are Bruno Heller (“The Mentalist”), Danny Cannon (the “CSI” franchise and “Nikita”) and John Stephens (“Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.”). Judging by the teaser trailer online, this is definitely something I’m going to watch.

Q: I had heard awhile back that Robert De Niro was going to star in an HBO drama series, but I haven’t seen anything about it since. Do you know if that’s still going to happen? — Donnie F., via email

A: Well, it is and it isn’t. The series is still happening, but Robert won’t be involved. “Criminal Justice,” a seven-hour miniseries based on BBC’s 2008 Peter Moffat drama of the same name, was supposed to star James Gandolfini. When James passed away in last June (after having already filmed the pilot), Robert was tapped to star in his place. However, Robert had to pull out due to a scheduling conflict, so John Turturro has stepped in to play the lead, Jack Stone, an unscrupulous New York City lawyer who defends a Pakistani man (Riz Ahmed) accused of murder.

Q: I keep hearing rumors that a new “Star Wars” will be coming to theaters. Is that true, or is it going to be a TV series? — Freddie T., Omaha, Neb.

A: This past year’s worst-kept secret in Hollywood was verified on April 29 when director J.J. Abrams posted a picture on starwars.com of the first table read for the feature film “Star Wars: Episode VII.” Cast members include Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Andy Serkis, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega and Adam Driver. Of the movie, J.J. said in a statement: “It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. Everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.” Fans don’t have to wait too long to see the much-anticipated film: Its scheduled premiere date is Dec. 18, 2015.

Q: Can you tell me if “Almost Human” will be back for another season? — John J., via email

A: Fox opted not to renew the sci-fi crime drama set in 2048, which centered on John Kennex (played by Karl Urban) and his android police partner, Dorian (played by Michael Ealy). The show had been gaining in the ratings race in recent weeks, however, there are too many new powerhouse drama series (like the aforementioned “Gotham”) that Fox has ordered to series that there just wasn’t room for “Almost Human.”

Q: Years ago, I used to watch “Project Greenlight” on HBO, and I really enjoyed it. Is it true that HBO is bringing the series back? Are Matt and Ben involved?— George S. in Kentucky

A: After being off the air for more than a decade, HBO has opted to bring back Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s filmmaker competition series for a third season. Ben revealed of the 2001/2003 series in a press statement: “‘Project Greenlight’ was ahead of its time. Now that technology has caught up to the concept, we thought it was a perfect time to bring it back. It is great having ‘Project Greenlight’ back at HBO.”

Q: Could you tell me when Longmire is coming back? — Terry and Pat V., via email

A: A and E’s highest-rated original drama of all time returned for a 10-episode third season this past June 2 at 10/9c. I recently spoke with series star, Cassidy Freeman (who plays Cady Longmire), and she gave me a little hint as to what to expect this season: “The first season of the show really set up who these character are. We got into the rhythm of having a crime every week or every two weeks, and then last season I felt like we started to see things happen to each of these characters, and the proverbial sh!t hit the fan. Last season’s tagline was: ‘A storm is coming.’ And now this season, the storm has come, and you’ll see how people deal with the wreckage. There’s going to be a lot of change. How do they put their lives back together? How do they fight to keep what they love?”

And speaking of love, will Cady and Branch continue to explore their on-again/off-again relationship? “Absolutely. It’s really, really complicated. At this point, it is no longer a don’t-tell-my-dad taboo. Now it’s more about if they really want to be together, and if they are each other’s priority.”

Check back Monday for my full interview with Cassidy.

Q: Is “The Killing” coming back for another season? I know it was canceled last season, and then AMC decided to give it a third season. Has it escaped death again? — Carl T., Seattle

A: In an almost-unprecedented move, “The Killing” has escaped yet another cancelation. This past September, AMC did indeed decide not to renew the crime/mystery drama for a fourth season, and that’s when Netflix stepped up to the plate. Netflix, which has been the series’ exclusive digital partner for all three seasons, will air a six-episode fourth (and final) season, with “The Killing” joining the ranks of superb Netflix original series like “Arrested Development,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “House of Cards” and many more. The complete fourth season of “The Killing” will be available beginning Aug. 1.

Q: Can you tell me if “The Carries Diaries” will return this fall? — Denise G., via email

A: Along with “The Tomorrow People” and “Star-Crossed,” the not-so-great-in-the-ratings “The Carrie Diaries” has been canceled by the CW to make room for new programming. “The Flash,” “iZombie,” “Jane the Virgin,” and “The Messengers” will join the CW’s growing lineup of supernatural and edgy dramas.

Q: I am amazed every week by “Hannibal,” especially the writing and all of the actors. Do you know yet if it’ll be back for another season? — Scott R., via email

A: The dark and brilliant psychological thriller — which stars Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen — will return to NBC for a third season (which is rumored to take place in France), most likely in spring 2015. Come back next week, when I’ll be sharing NBC’s entire 2014-15 schedule (with each networks’ schedules to follow in subsequent weeks).

“Longmire” is back in full swing on A and E (airs Monday nights at 10/9c), and I recently had the chance to catch up with series star Cassidy Freeman, who plays Cady Longmire, on what fans can expect as season three progresses. She was more than happy to fill me in, but don’t worry: There aren’t any spoilers for those who like to go into a show knowing nothing about what will happen. Let’s just call them “teasers.”

Celebrity Extra: So, without giving too much away, what can you tell me about season three?

Cassidy Freeman: They have a tag line every season, and last year’s tag line was “A Storm Is Coming.” The first season really set up who these people are, and got us into the rhythm of having a crime every week or every two weeks. And then last season, the second season, I felt like we started to see things happen to each of these characters — the proverbial shit hit the fan. And now this season, all that’s out in the open, and we get to see who these people actually are. We get to see what these people do in the face of a storm. How do they put their lives back together? How do they fight to keep what they love, and what do they want their life to look like in the face of adversity, in the face of harsh truths? I find that this season is way more character driven, way more serial. It’s more about us and less just about being a crime drama; it’s more about who these characters actually are. It is nice to be able to flush out that side of these characters.

CE: The series is based on a book series; have you read any of them, or did you decide not to so you could just focus on the TV series and not the book series?

CF: I Goldilocks-ed it. I went halfway. I read like four of them (out of 10), but I didn’t want it to color too much how I played this character. I also only have 24 hours in a day, and as much as I love Craig Johnson, there are other books I want to read as well.

CE: At the end of season two, Cady is hit by a car and almost killed. How will that play into this next season?

CF: One of the inciting incidents of this whole storyline is the death of Walt’s wife, my mother. And when something starts that way — I don’t know if you’ve ever lost anyone significantly close to you, but it colors how you look at the rest of your life. It distills those who are very important to you, it washes away that which doesn’t matter. And it really shines a light on that which is really important to you. And the fear of losing those things heightens. It doesn’t mean that you become this fearful recluse of a person, but it’s almost like upping the contrast in your life. The darks become darker, and the lights become lighter. You see things more clearly, and lines are more defined.

And so I feel like to Walt, the idea of losing me is one of those top-three things that maybe he wouldn’t last through. I think it really raised the stakes of the end of last season. You get to see the role that Cady plays in a lot of people’s lives. All of a sudden it flushed out Ferguson — this crush he’s had for years come to light, and that flushes out his character. And Branch all of a sudden cares more about her than he cares about winning, and that makes him a way more-likable character.

CE: Speaking of Branch, will you guys be further exploring their on-again/off-again relationship?

CF: Absolutely. It’s really, really complicated. At this point, it no longer is this teenage taboo, a don’t-tell-my-dad kind of thing. It’s more about if they really want to be together and if they are each other’s priority, because there are more things going on outside of them, like Henry being in jail and their life falling apart around them. It’s hard for them to try to figure out what their relationship is going to be when other things are kind of taking priority.

CE: Speaking of Henry being in jail, what role will Cady play in trying to help him?

CF: Well, I can tell you that Cady Longmire is a lawyer. And I can tell you that she might not be the most experienced lawyer in the world in that she’s in her late 20s, but she cares a lot about this case, so she’s going to do everything she possibly can to assist in this. But it’s a struggle, and she feels like she really has to stand up for Henry and her dad.

CE: Tell me about life on the set. Is it a fun set? Are there any great pranksters on the set?

CF: You’ve obviously never met Lou Diamond Phillips.

CE: He would be my first choice if I had to guess who was the class cut-up.

CF: Yeah. He should have a second middle name called “Ham.” He’s such a ham. I love him so much. He tells the worst and the best jokes, in the same breath. He is so light-hearted and so loving. And Robert (Taylor, who plays Walt) is a sweetheart, but he has a lot to keep straight in his head. He’s working mostly every day all day. So, the man needs like some back rubs and some sleep. But we’re all pretty jovial.

Adam Bartley is also one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met in my life, and whether he has an emotional scene or a single word, he has to be at work all day. He shows up and he’s happy that he’s there, and he just like a light of life. I can’t tell you how refreshing that is in this business. Most people try to define themselves by screen time or word count or something like that. And they try to quantify how important they are to the production based on how important they are to the story or how much they’re in the story, and that’s just not true. When you find those people who shine no matter what their job is, those are the people you want to work with over and over again.

CE: The show has been able to attract quite a few big-name guest stars, like Peter Weller, Katherine La Nasa and Charles Dutton. Can you give me any third-season guest-star scoop?

CF: Well, Peter Weller just directed an episode. Over the past three years, I haven’t really gotten the chance to know him, and this episode he just directed, I think I fell in love with Peter Weller. He’s the sweetest, coolest guy, and he really cares. He’s from the theater, and I grew up doing theater, so it’s refreshing in that way. I don’t know when this happened, but at some point, it became cool in Hollywood not to care. When I was a kid, caring was cool. And so I like to care. So what if you’re emotional? Get over it. You care and it matters, and Peter Weller is a great example of that. He cares. If something isn’t right, he’s going to do it until it is right. And that feels like you have a team player when he’s on set.

We have some great new guest stars coming in too. I don’t how we keep doing it, but we keep landing really talented actors to come play with us. I hesitate to tell you, because someone will probably shoot me, but you will find out soon enough. This season is only 10 episodes; it’s going to go quick.

As many of you know, I am an avid reader. And recently, I had a contest (which is now closed) to win a set of books from one of my new favorite authors — Em Barrett. Em has written the books “Leaving Green Island” and “The Almosts.” The story follows three 20-something girlfriends trying to navigate the present day — trying to find the right job, the right boyfriend and the right life — as we also get a glimpse into the past to see how they ended up where they are today. I tell you, I couldn’t put them down. So I decided to contact Ms. Barrett and meet the author behind this book series. And now, I introduce her to you.

Celebrity Extra: Your books take place in Michigan — did you grow up there and/or used to live there?

Em Barrett: Yes, I did grow up in the suburbs of Detroit, and I spent a lot of time in the summer up in northern Michigan (where the fictional Green Island is). Not anywhere as swanky as Green Island, or even close, but I really love it up there. I was always a big reader and liked writing, but fiction writing wasn’t something I got into until more recently. I went to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for undergrad. I was an English major there, and I loved that, and I loved books, and I loved writing papers. But rather than trying to pursue that, I took a more carved-out path and decided to go to law school. I went to the University of Michigan for that as well.

Then I moved to Chicago and worked as a corporate lawyer at a big law firm there for six years. Overall, I pretty much hated it, like a lot of people do. That was when I started writing “Leaving Green Island.” It was kind of my fun side project, and a way to vent some of my frustrations with law-firm politics and life. And also just a means for expressing some of my thoughts on the world generally while creating this other fictional world. It ended up being so much fun that I was hooked after that.

CE: Based on what you just told me, then you did draw from your own life to write these books?

EM: Yes. For the settings and jobs and relationships, I draw a lot from my own life — mainly because I feel like that makes it come through in a more honest way. It makes the characters feel more real, but it also makes it easier for me to write stories that come across as genuine when I actually know what I’m talking about.

CE: Are your characters based on real-life people, or just some aspects of their personalities?

EM: Everyone’s always trying to figure out who is who in real life but, no, they are fictional. I actually feel like with each of the three girls, I put different parts of myself into them. I relate to each of them in different aspects of their personalities. I definitely draw from my dynamics with my close friends and my roommates from the days when I used to live with a lot of my girlfriends in college. I’ve stayed close with them, so it gives me a lot to draw from. But the conversations aren’t real and the characters don’t reflect three specific people who are actually in my life.

CE: When you wrote “Leaving Green Island,” did you have a sequel in mind, or did that just sort of happen?

EM: There was a big break in between writing the two books, and I definitely did not have it in my mind that I was going to write a sequel when I wrote “Leaving Green Island.” I just wrote “Leaving Green Island” kind of as a fun project and thought, “I’ll see what happens with it.” I was self-conscious about the whole thing at first, so I started off just having a few good friends read it, and eventually I let my parents and other friends read it and so on. For a little while, I tried to find a literary agent and see if I could potentially get it published with a major publishing house.

I was working a lot at my law firm back then, and I was also pregnant, and then I had my first child, so I was just so busy that it felt like I couldn’t keep sending out these letters to agents, feeling that they were just being thrown in the trash. So I stopped writing, put the book away, and didn’t think about it for a while. Around that time I started seeing different articles pop up about self-publishing, and how it was making waves, and self-published writers were having a lot of success. There were all of these new opportunities to market self-published books through Goodreads and Amazon and whatnot. So, my husband really encouraged me to try that.

My first instinct was, “No, no, no. I just wouldn’t feel confident doing that.” I was really wary of the idea, but, after having friends give positive feedback on the book, I decided to get some more objective opinions and then decide. I had a couple of friends give it to their book clubs, along with a feedback sheet and say, “This is my friend’s book. She really wants brutally honest feedback. She doesn’t want to publish it and have everyone write horrible reviews. Be honest about what you think.” The response was really positive. That gave me the little boost of confidence that I needed to decide, “What the heck? I’ll try it.”

I self-published “LGI” in summer 2012, and I tried to learn how exactly to market a self-published book. I was figuring it out as I went. It was really fun to do. It was my own project where I could control everything. When I started to get a few fans, a lot of people said they wanted a second book, that they wanted to know what happened next. And they were interested in other characters. So I thought about it for a while, debating if a book about Nevada or Lizzy or even some more-minor character would be best. The story for “The Almosts” came to me over time. I was also in a new stage of my life with a baby then, so that gave me a lot of new experiences to draw from. I tried to incorporate those into the book and hoped they would resonate with other women.

CE: So, are we gonna get a third book written from Nevada’s perspective? I, for one, would love that! She’s a great character.

EM: Thank you! I’m toying with it. So far I have hesitated for two reasons: One is in trying to market “The Almosts” and get the word out to people, it’s a lot harder when you’re trying to market a series. While you can read it as a stand-alone book, I think it provides a lot of background about the characters and their relationships, and the nuances of what’s gone on between them if you have read “Leaving Green Island” first. It’s hard to market a book and say, “Buy my new book. Oh, but buy my old book first.”

I’m worried if I get into a third one where I’m saying, “I have this book but you should read these other two first,” it might be really hard to get the word out. And my other holdup is that I feel that Nevada is kind of a mystery. She’s really loyal and always there for her friends when they really need her, but she also can be a little bit prickly, and I think of her as having this complicated childhood and past. And so I don’t know if she’s better off left a mystery or whether it’s better to unveil everything that’s going on in there. So, I don’t know. We’ll see.

CE: How do you feel about some critics comparing you to Emily Giffin?

EB: I was very excited when I read that. Obviously, I take it as a huge compliment. I like her books a lot, and she’s been hugely successful. While I hope my voice is unique as well, I’m beyond flattered to be compared to Emily Giffin.

CE: You moved back to Michigan from Chicago recently, yes?

EB: Yes, we moved back here in the summer of 2013. At that time, I left my law firm job with the hope of pursuing writing full time, as well as spending a lot of time with my daughter. And I’m expecting another baby as well.

CE: Congratulations! You might have your hands too full for writing pretty soon!

EB: Thanks! And yeah, things are busy but I really am trying to buckle down with my writing to see if I can really make it or not. I feel like this is a good time to try to do it. Hopefully you’ll be hearing a lot more from me soon. That’s the plan for now. We’ll see what happens.

Amelia Rose Blaire, photo by Bobby Quillard

From Beverly Hills to Bon Temps, actress Amelia Rose Blaire has worked with some of the hottest young stars in Hollywood today. Her first recurring role, which was on “90210,” helped prepare her for her current contract role, that of new vampire Willa Burrell on HBO’s “True Blood,” which returns for its seventh (and final) season June 22 at 9 p.m. I spoke with Amelia about this last season of the hit supernatural drama, and she gave me an inside peek as to what we can expect this summer from our favorite vampires, werewolves, witches and fairies.

Celebrity Extra: First off, can you give me a little background on yourself? How did you get your start in acting?

Amelia Rose Blaire: My younger sister was a huge catalyst in that. She started taking acting classes, and she was always much more outgoing, more social and braver than I was. I was a very shy kid. One day I decided to tag along with her and got bit by the bug. I knew that if I was going to be an actor, I wanted to be the best possible actor I could be. So I started studying at The Sanford Meisner Center in North Hollywood and did their two-year program. It was immersive and intensive, and I learned a lot about myself. Then I started studying with the actress Lindsay Crouse, who is a wonderful teacher of mine to this day. She directed me toward the Atlantic Theatre Company Conservatory in New York City, where I went after I graduated high school.

CE: Your first big part was on “90210”; tell me about that experience.

ARB: That was the first time I’ve ever had a recurring role on any show. That was very exciting. It was one of my earlier roles, so I just felt like I had my jaw open the entire time because I was experiencing something so different. But it was a lot of fun. It was kind of like being in high school, because I was playing a high-school character, and she was a little weird. She was very strangely possessive and kind of quirky and entitled. It was fun to bring out those different characteristics, because that’s not something I usually play with. Getting to play such a strange character who was really different from me was very special.

CE: Your next big role is your current role, as Willa Burrell in the phenomenally popular “True Blood.” Tell me about your audition and how you got the part.

ARB: I had been in that casting office many times before, but that was the first time I had auditioned for “True Blood.” But I have been a fan of the show since season one, so when I got the audition, I knew where I would be and how to fit into the show. The day I got the audition, my sister was in town, and her cat got hit by a car. I went over to my mom’s house, which is where the cat was, and I went in the backyard, and my sister was holding him. We didn’t know if he was alive or dead. He wasn’t moving. And she was wailing at the top of her lungs, just crying: “Is he gone? Is he dead? Is he dead?” And I had never seen my sister like that. It was a very grounding and sobering and sad moment. There was nothing I could do for her. And the next day, I had to go in to audition for “True Blood.” In the audition, the character was begging not to die, not to be turned into a vampire, which she kind of thought was the same thing as dying. In any other circumstance, I would have made it about not wanting to die, but because of witnessing the whole experience with my sister the day before, I made it about wanting to live. And at the time, it was this gift of getting to see a different perspective. Instead of making it about dying, it was about living. So, for me that was a huge shift.

After I left the audition, I felt out of my body, which is something that is really special when you are able to do that, especially in an audition room, which can be very difficult to let go. But because of that situation, I was able to do it. I got a call later that day that they wanted to see me again. And I went in one more time and kind of kissed it goodbye, assumed it was gone. And then a couple of days later I found out I had booked it, which was unreal.

CE: Is it as much fun to work on “True Blood” as I would imagine it to be?

ARB: It’s a total blast! I mean, where else in life do you get to play with fangs and special effects and blood? You get to live in this whole other world, where the realities of this world don’t exist or can be pushed. It’s so much fun. And everybody is so sweet and so welcoming and warm, and they’re down to play and down to get dirty. It’s really a special set.

CE: This is your second year on the show, but I know most of the cast have been there since day one. That set must be like a well-oiled machine, where everyone really knows his stuff — actors, writers, directors and crew.

ARB: They really do. They know their characters very well, and it’s really cool to see where they take everybody, because a lot of the time, you don’t even see it coming, and then all of a sudden you’re like: “Oh my gosh, yes! That makes total sense! I love it.”

Eric (Alexander Skarsgard) and Willa

CE: I have to ask, and I’ve heard only good things about him, but is Alexander Skarsgard (who plays Eric Northman, the vampire who turned Willa) fun to work with?

ARB: Oh, yes. He’s very funny. He’s very sweet and very goofy. He and Kristin (Bauer van Straten, who plays Pam) are such a team; they’re so much fun to work with. He’s very tall and very nice.

CE: One of my favorite scenes of yours was after Willa was turned, and she came home to confront her father, Gov. Burrell (played by Arliss Howard). Tell me about filming that.

ARB: When I first went into that scene, I was expecting that he would be completely appalled by me and would be terrified. But when we started filming, all he wanted to do was hug me. It was such an incredible learning experience as an actor, because you go in with all of the expectations of how you think the scene is going play out, and then your partner brings something completely different, and you just have to drop everything and just be there with them. He gave me something completely different from what I was expecting, and I think also different from what Willa was expecting. It was a wonderful moment.

CE: What can you tell me about this final season of “True Blood”?

ARB: I think the fans are going to be really happy. The writers and everyone are doing a wonderful job. Everyone wants to make this the best ending that they can possibly make. Everyone is putting in 110 percent — it is going to be epic.

CE: Are you and the rest of the cast starting to feel the end approaching? What is the mood like on the set?

ARB: As the end gets closer, it’s going to affect everyone, because most of the cast and crew have been here since season one. They’ve been working together for seven years, which is an incredible amount of time in this industry. Sadness hasn’t quite taken over the set just yet, but ask me again on my final day of filming!

As most of you “Witchees” already know, “The Witches of East End” returns for its second season on Lifetime this Sunday, July 6 at 9/8c. I spoke with series star Eric Winter, who plays Dash Gardiner, about what to expect this season from the show, and his character specifically. At the very end of the first season, Dash’s and his brother Killian’s warlock powers (which they never even knew they had) returned to them in full force when their mother died. The second season should be very interesting as the brothers hone and develop their magical powers.

Celebrity Extra: First off, congratulations to you on your second-season renewal. I can’t wait to see what the show has in store for us.

Eric Winter: Thank you! It’s so rare nowadays, it seems, to get a second season, with all of the other great shows that are out there. Everybody was happy to get back to work. We have a great group of cast and crew, so it was nice to get back and see everybody.

CE: How was the return to work after the hiatus? Did you all just pick back up where you left off?

EW: Yeah, we all just got right back on that bike. We all really like each other, and it’s a pretty smooth ride for the most part. Everybody was just happy to see each other, to reconnect, and it was good to dive into some new material.

CE: Along with the new material, you’ve got some new cast members.

EW: There are a couple of cast additions, which are good changes, but for me in particular, there is a massive change in character for Dash. I thought that my brother and I were very underused last year. And this year we are being used in a way that’s going to expand the cast we have and really propel the story. You’re going to get a nice, well-rounded cast and interaction of story lines now. For me personally, it’s a much more exciting role to play than last year. Dash really does a 180.

CE: Another thing I am excited for this second season is 13 episodes, up from 10 from season one.

EW: That was a nice little bonus. A little something to expand on some stories and dive into more stuff, and they give us a little longer to tell it. So that was actually perfect.

CE: Now that you and Killian are aware of your warlock powers, that should be fun for you guys to play — it’s not just the ladies having all the fun.

EW: That’s a huge bonus for us, that we have a lot more to play with and a lot more to explore. That’s been a major positive, as far as I’m concerned, when it comes to playing this character. I also think it added another level to our involvement, because now we are in the know with everything that is going on. Last year, we were definitely way out of the loop with what was taking place. And now we are in on the secret. It adds to the dynamics.

CE: Last we saw Dash and Killian, Dash had left Killian for dead and set him adrift on his boat. How’s Killian going to feel about that?

EW: That’s one of the things that will have to play out for the audience to see how that unfolds. But, if it were me, I’d be angry.

CE: Dash is definitely not in control of his powers yet. Will we see him practicing and exploring?

EW: His entire life, Dash didn’t know he had these powers, so now he’s in this new stage of exploration and trying to figure out how to harness the power. How do you control it and how do you access it? It’s much like what Freya went through last year.

CE: Tell me about the addition of Ingrid and Freya’s brother, Frederick Beauchamp (played by Christian Cooke).

EW: He definitely brings a nice, strong, edgy, young energy to the show, which is great, especially for the Beauchamp family. There’s a bit of tension between him and Aunt Wendy, and he’s also trying to form a relationship with his sisters. It definitely adds a nice layer to that family dynamic — having that male energy thrown in there out of nowhere, when they didn’t even know it existed.

CE: This season’s tag line is “Darkness Is Rising.” Talk to me about that. Sounds a lot like Dash to me.

EW: A big part of that darkness is, for sure, Dash, and that rise of power and what he’s ultimately trying to go after. It also encompasses his rivalry with his brother and everything else. There are obviously other issues that are going to be problems for the Beauchamp family that will continue to come out, and that has to do with the darkness as well. That tag line in general speaks to a danger that’s going to be within East End, but also within the Beauchamp family.

CE: Can you give me a little teaser about what viewers can expect this season?

EW: You are going to see a much darker and edgier show than last year. It will have a darker tone to it. Even the risks they take are going to be stronger and bolder, which I think the viewers will like. There’s a lot more conflict and danger than last year. Last year it took awhile for a lot of that stuff to play out. This year you’re going to see it happen much more often.

CE: Everything you said about this season makes me very happy.

EW: I’m glad you like it. It’s a fun show. I really think that the true fans of the show are going to enjoy the second season much more. That’s one thing that I can honestly say. Sometimes first seasons can be so good, but then the quality of the show goes down; they run out of ideas. But I think our story has only gotten better. It will please our current fans, and I think it is strong enough to draw in new fans. I think you will be very pleased. We’re back with guns blazing.

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