FringeTelevision Exclusive: Fun With LSD

Here is a fun video I threw together featuring a montage of LSD references in Fringe.

Exclusive: Fringe PaleyFest09 Round-table Interview

The Target-exclusive edition of the Fringe: The Complete First Season DVD came with an extra disc featuring video from the Fringe round-table discussion at PaleyFest09.

The panel was moderated by Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly, and features J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Jeff Pinkner, Bryan Burk, Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, and John Noble.

While other panels at PayelFest09 are available for purchase on iTunes, this is the first time the Fringe panel has been available anywhere.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


You can also watch all the videos together in the FringeTelevision YouTube channel.

Fringe Season 1 DVD and Blu-Ray Out Today

The Fringe Season 1 Blu-ray & DVDs come out today. But, before you head off to your local video store, you may want to consider your "exclusive bonus" options.

Best Buy is featuring an exclusive mini-comic book.

UPDATE: The comic book is essentially a combination of the Fringe Preview Comic from ComicCon 08, some of the Fringe Preview Comic profiles (Charlie, John Scott, and Nina are missing...), and the first Bishop & Bell comic - "Like Minds".

Target is including a bonus DVD which includes the 30 minute Q&A session at PaleyFest 09. You can see a 5-minute preview of the video at the PaleyFest website


If you are planning to order from Amazon, you can order them here:

• Fringe Season 1 DVD
• Fringe Season 1 Blu-Ray
  

The DVD box set is very nicely packaged. The slip-cover features a lenticular design that changes between the faces and the symbols when you look at it from different angles. The actual DVDs are housed in a plastic case that allows you to flip throught the seven discs (eight with the bonus DVD). Each of the DVDs are adorned with one of the Fringe Symbols. There is also a 16 page episode guide booklet, with photos and brief summaries.

The Blu-ray is packaged identically to the DVD, with the exception that there are only 5 discs instead of 7. (you don't get the smoke, hand, or apple)

Exclusive: Jasika Nicole Interview, Part 2

Jasika Nicole was cool enough to speak with me again yesterday morning, this time about the Season 1 finale, Astrid's superpower, and her plans for the (short) summer hiatus (among other things).

Click here to read the transcript

Adam Morgan

Do you have any fun plans for the hiatus?

Jasika Nicole

Well, I'm going to be driving to Vancouver. That's my exciting road trip for the summer. I think we'll take like ten or eleven days and camp in some national parks. I'm not really a camper, so I'm excited to see how I...function. I've never done it before, and I can't say no if I haven't tried something at least once. I think it'll be cool to see the country, I just don't know what it'll be like to sleep in a tent.

Adam Morgan

Why is the finale your favorite episode?

Jasika Nicole

Because, I think there have been a lot of super-creey factors in all of the episodes we've done, but with the finale...the idea that they propose in the finale is like the biggest, all-time creepy thing ever. We've touched on it in really, really tiny pieces throughout the season, but it comes to a head in the finale and explodes. I cannot wait to see what it looks like on TV. It's one thing to read it or have someone describe it, but to actually see it...I'm always impressed by what the special effects people have to do, and then every week it's like "Wow, can they really keep doing this, can they keep impressing me and the other viewers?" But I'm sure they're going to pull this one off, and it's gonna be...awesome.

Adam Morgan

If Astrid could have a superpower, what would you want it to be?

Jasika Nicole

Ooo...I think I'd want Astrid to be able to fly. And that is not a superpower that I would personally like to have, because I'm terrified of heights. But see, that's the difference between me and Astrid. She's braver than I am with a lot of things, and she's smarter than I am. Flying would be way more important to her, but if I personally could have a superpower, it would be something like...being able to eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and not have it affect my figure!

Adam Morgan

Maybe that'll be in your spin-off!

Jasika Nicole

I already have a title for it. It's called Fringe: The Farnsworth Chronicles.

Adam Morgan

That's perfect! Is there a particular memory you have from shooting season one that will always stand out?

Jasika Nicole

The one I can think of off the top of my head is when we were filming the Pilot in Toronto. And we had a different Gene at that time. I wish I could remember her name...I'm such a bad castmate. We shot that scene where we're all sitting down in front of the TV and watching Spongebob, and we're all eating Chinese food, and the cow is right behind us. We were shooting the scene at like three or four o'clock in the morning. We were all exhausted, but also loopy and delirious and having a good time. So we have to film this scene, and all the actors are keeping it together and doing really good, but the cow kept on licking us, and rubbing its big wet nostrils in my hair while we were filming, and I was like, "I have to pretend like this doesn't bother me while I'm eating Chinese food!" As it's blowing snot on me! And I don't know if you've ever felt a cow's tongue, but it's got a lot of saliva on it, and she licked my hair...I mean, straightened the curls on the back of my head, so it was all sick and gross and matted. But the really funny thing is that none of the actors moved or anything, we just sat there and kept watching and eating our Chinese food!

Adam Morgan

Have you heard the hip-hop remix of the Fringe theme song ["Beyond Imagination" by Dujeous]? They mention you specifically!

Jasika Nicole

No! Oh my God, what do they say?

Adam Morgan

Something about experimenting with Astrid in the lab...

Jasika Nicole

I've gotta go look it up online. I promise I'm gonna do that today.

Adam Morgan

Will we ever get to hear you sing on the show?

Jasika Nicole

I really hope so. I have a few ideas on how that could happen. Now here's my first one, and you can let J.J. [Abrams] know this if you want.

Adam Morgan

Oh yeah, he and I are really good friends...

Jasika Nicole

Haha yeah, you're probably closer to him than I am.

Adam Morgan

I'm just kidding...

Jasika Nicole

Ok, my first idea. Walter has a breakdown, and the camera is in the lab, looking around. You hear something, but you don't see anybody. They pan over, and you see Walter. He's just had a breakdown, and the only way Astrid can calm him down is to sing. Like, the greatest 70's hits. So he's got his head in her lap, and she's going...[Jasika sings!] Boogie Wonderla-and! And he's like "Thank you so much, Miss Farnsworth."

Adam Morgan

What's it like to watch an episode once it's edited. Do you watch it by yourself, or with friends?

Jasika Nicole

I watch it with my partner, because she's generally scared of all the creepy stuff, so she's fun to watch it with!

Adam Morgan

That's right, I read she's not a big horror fan, right?

Jasika Nicole

No, she does not like horror films or television shows or anything. [Fringe] is kind of right at the brink of what she can handle. But I love watching the episodes, I never miss it. Because it's such a different piece of art than what you get when you read the script. Sometimes it's hard to even connect the two, because the first script will be so different than the final script after it's had many, many revisions. So I end up learning way more things than you would just watching it, and I make more connections than I would just reading the script. And it's also really entertaining. It's the kind of show that I would watch even if I wasn't in the show, if my mother wasn't calling me after the episode to tell me her own conspiracy theories. And it never fails, even though I know all the jokes, all the dialogue, every time Walter says something, I start laughing.

Adam Morgan

Yeah, his timing is just perfect.

Jasika Nicole

Yes, he has the best delivery ever. And I hope that I can get a pinky-nail's worth of information about how to do that in my life!

And just today, Jasika was nominated for an MTV LOGO NewNextNow Award, in the category Brink of Fame: Actor. Congrats, Jasika! Head over to the NewNextNow site to vote!

Exclusive: Jasika Nicole Interview, Part 1

The always charming and fun-loving Jasika Nicole, who plays too-cute lab assistant Astrid on Fringe, recently took the time to answer some of your very own submitted questions in an exclusive interview with FringeTelevision.com. Here's part one!

Adam Morgan

Lots of fans want Astrid to get more screen-time, to be developed more as a character, like Charlie was in Unleashed. Will we get to see more of Astrid in future episodes?

Jasika Nicole

I can't really say, 'cause I have no idea what the plans are for any of the characters beyond what we have shot in season 1. Astrid doesnt go through any life-changing transformations before the season ends, but she does get out of the lab again, which was exciting for both me and Astrid...I bet she gets lonely cooped up in that lab all the time, and even though she is learning a lot and certainly excited to be under Walter's wing (or have him under hers, depending on how you look at it), she probably has days where she just wants to be in the sunshine.

Adam Morgan

Tell us one thing about Astrid that we don't know.

Jasika Nicole

She and Walter perform improv musical numbers for each other when Peter isn't around. 

Adam Morgan

You've stated in other interviews that you believe Astrid could be a double-agent of some kind. What gave you that idea, and do you still believe it?

Jasika Nicole

Anything is possible with this show; just 'cause it hasn't happened in this season doesn't mean it isn't something that won't happen in the future. That's the great part about working on a television show where you don't know what the end is supposed to look like--so many things can happen (have to happen) in the middle, and as an actor you just have to be ready for everything. Sure, Astrid could still end up being someone working on the "other" side of the Pattern at some point. Either that, or she will have to bust through like a superhero when the main team's options have all been exhausted and save everyone's life. I think she has access to way too much information for her to not be integral in a life-or-death situation at some point. The question is, is she going to be rooting for the life or the death part? Can you tell you I'm putting feelers out for a spin-off already? Something like Farnsworth: The Fringe Chronicles.

Adam Morgan

What's been your favorite scene to shoot so far? How about your favorite episode?

Jasika Nicole

My favorite scene is the episode with the animal rights activists [Unleashed], when the worms bust out of a cadaver's chest after he has been  impregnated by the monster. During the first take, my instinct was to catch myself mid-hurl, but on the next take I wasn't sure if it read for the camera so I didnt do it anymore. Then when I saw the episode weeks later, I was super excited to find that they had kept my hurl! Ha! It was a small victory for me; I usually play Astrid very safe, 'cause she is always so calm, collected and cool. But she has to have a breaking point, you know? Worms oozing out of a dead guy's chest? That seems as good a breaking point as any, and when the director was editing, I guess he agreed.My favorite episode is the finale, which has not aired yet, but the script was so good and I am dying to see what its going to look like after the VFX.

Adam Morgan

What's the funniest thing that happened on set this season?

Jasika Nicole

No way I could come up with one funniest thing. We have a good time on set every single day without fail, so it's easier to pinpoint the least funny thing that happened on set. And that would be when our AD, Gary Rake, slipped on some ice during an outside shoot, passed out and broke his ankle in several places. 

Adam Morgan

Is Lance Reddick really a gigglebox?

Jasika Nicole

Who told you that? I can't say I have ever seen him "giggle", but he is a beautiful man with a warm, comfortable kind of energy, so he's always smiling. Several weeks ago Lance and I were at the premiere party for the Gen Art Festival and they had the most amazing DJ there, and before long we were both out on the dance floor dancing to Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. He's got some nice moves, very graceful and lovely to watch. I wish I had more scenes with him so that I could challenge him to a dance fight on set. [Click here to watch Jasika and Lance dancing!]

Adam Morgan

We know Olivia was recruited by Broyles for specific reasons. Do you think Astrid has similarly unique qualifications for her position?

Jasika Nicole

She definitely brings something special to the team, because not only is Astrid qualified in regards to her skills, but she is also a very fast learner, and because these horrific things that are happening all the time are usually ticking time-bombs, quick thinking is certainly an asset. But I started thinking this week after I saw this last episode...what if Broyles knew about Olivia's special Cortexiphan powers even before she did, and thats why she is involved with the Fringe team in the first place? If that ends up being true, I dont think Astrid's connection is as similar as I initially thought. But at the same time, there must be a reason that Astrid has been entrusted with this powerful information by this powerful man. I wonder when I (we!) will figure that out?

Adam Morgan

Describe a typical day of shooting in the lab set for us. It sounds like you guys have a lot of fun!

Jasika Nicole

Animal trainers, buttons to push, knobs to pull, lots of fried food, John Noble dancing a jig, and brand new script pages.

Adam Morgan

What's the biggest difference between you and Astrid?

Jasika Nicole

Astrid is smart in exactly all the ways I am not. And I would imagine that I am smart in all the ways she isn't; together we would make one completely awesome curly-headed person. She is my doppleganger who didn't doodle in science class and made it through calculus with flying colors. But she's got nothing on my Show Choir awards and AP English skills.

Adam Morgan

How do you feel about the move to Vancouver?

Jasika Nicole

I'm not a native New Yorker, I moved here six years ago from Birmingham, Alabama. I don't want to leave because New York is where I am comfortable and where I've grown a lot, but I'm also very excited for the adventure of living in a new place and experiencing new things. I'm hoping Vancouver will turn me into an outdoorsy person. I'm also hoping that living there and not being concerened with the social obligations one has when they are in their favorite place with their favorite people, will give me much more time to write and draw. 

Adam Morgan

How's Gene doing? Will you miss New York Gene when he's invariably replaced by a Vancouver Gene? And what's your favorite Gene memory?

Jasika Nicole

Gene, I'm sure, is fine, on a farm somewhere and enjoying her life like she does every other day...she only comes to set once in a while, so while her presence seems heavy in certain episodes, she only takes a day to film her work. We had one cow in Toronto, a different cow in New York, and now we will have a different one in Vancouver. The cows are all sweet, but so far they haven't really had any distinguishing characteristics for me, maybe cause I don't work with them all as closely as John does.

FringeTelevision Exclusive: Kirk Acevedo Interview

Kirk Acevedo was kind enough to take cover behind that blood-spattered police vehicle and talk with me for about ten minutes this morning. I asked as many of your questions as I could, and Kirk gave some hilarious answers. He mocks his Charlie Francis voice, does a Lance Reddick impression, and whets your appetite for the last five episodes of season one.

Oh, and the episode he's shooting right now? It isn't one of those...



Click here to read the full transcript

Adam Morgan: Who would win in a fight, you or Josh Jackson?

Kirk Acevedo: I don't even need to answer that. I mean, I think you guys can figure that one out on your own...

Adam Morgan: What's been your favorite scene to shoot so far?

Kirk Acevedo: I would say...the phone conversation with [our audio drops out here...can anyone decipher his answer?]

Adam Morgan: What about your favorite episode?

Kirk Acevedo: I'd have to say the Pilot.

Adam Morgan: What's it been like shooting in your hometown up in New York?

Kirk Acevedo: It's been cool. It's kind of bittersweet, because I live in Los Angeles now and I fly back and forth, so I kind of miss my family.

Adam Morgan: And how do you feel about the move to Vancouver next season?

Kirk Acevedo: I'll be closer to home. I go every weekend to see my family, my baby girl. The bad part about it is, a bunch of people are going to lose their jobs. We had a fantastic crew. Fantastic. The best crew that you can get. And I just hope that the Vancouver crew is on par.

Adam Morgan: What was it like working with your real-life wife in next week's episode, Unleashed?

Kirk Acevedo: It's cool. When I found out Charlie was going to have a wife, I suggested my actual wife Kiersten [Warren]. It's hard to create chemistry with someone you don't know, in a day. And also my wife's a real actress, it wasn't just like "Hey, how 'bout my WIFE?!"

Adam Morgan: How many different ways do people mispronounce your last name? Do you ever get "Avocado"?

Kirk Acevedo: Kirk Avacado, sure! Let's see. Ackaveedo, Ace DeVito, there's just so many.

Adam Morgan: Any funny moments or anecdotes from the set?

Kirk Acevedo: We all get along, we all crack jokes. Like Lance [Reddick] is so funny, because he'll come up to me and say "Dude, you always make me laugh." Because Lance is so serious. But he's always cracking up. Next episode, he goes up to Anna: "You always make me laugh, blah blah blah." And then you realize he's saying it to John [Noble]. And then you realize, it's just Lance. Lance has the giggles, and can't keep a straight face.

Adam Morgan: John Noble mentioned that everyone likes to do a take on Charlie's voice. Is that true?

Kirk Acevedo: Well, you know, I put on the "Charlie voice," because there's tons of exposition, and you somehow have to do the same stuff every week, right? So I'm a fast talker, and my register's a bit higher than Charlie's, as you can imagine. So when I gotta do the Charlie thing...[switches to Charlie voice] you just gotta drop it down...right about here...[back to Kirk]. You hear that? That's not the way I sound, at all. I can't do it like Kirk would do it, because it wouldn't come out as authoritative, someone you'd look up to, who you'd listen to, who's working in the best interests of your country, if I did it like me.

So I do the Charlie voice, and people...you know...like there was a line in an interrogation once, where I ask for a box of tissues. But the way I do it with Charlie is..."Can I get a box of TISSUES?" Like the Terminator, you know?

Adam Morgan: What can we expect from these last five episodes of the season?

Kirk Acevedo: Well the whole mythology of the show, we lifted up the folds more. We learn more about William Bell, which is really cool, in the last episode, who's played by Leonard Nimoy. Speaking of beautiful voices. I think he's gonna be perfect. He's a perfect foil for John Noble's character. You'll learn more about the impending war, what is it, stuff like that. We're currently shooting a standalone episode for season two...

Adam Morgan: I heard about that, before you move out of New York. Can you tell me anything about it?

Kirk Acevedo: What I'll say is it has a little bit of Ghost Whisperer in it...if you know what the ghost whisperer genre is.

Adam Morgan: Well I'm glad you don't die next week. After seeing the previews, I was a little scared...

Kirk Acevedo: No, no, no...I don't die.

What Would You Ask: Charlie Francis?

The Man With the Voice himself, Kirk Acevedo, will be doing an exclusive one-on-one interview with Fringe Television on Friday, April 10th to celebrate Charlie's emphasis in next week's ep, Unleashed. You guys have already given me great questions for John, Anna, and Jasika, so keep 'em coming below!

Exclusive: John Noble Interview

John Noble, who plays the brilliant, enigmatic scientist Walter Bishop, was generous enough to chat with me yesterday for about half an hour about Fringe. I've posted the full transcript below, but do beware there are some mild spoilers. Nothing specific, but he does foreshadow a few things coming up in these next six episodes.

In addition to being talented and kind, John's got a wonderful sense of humor, as you'll see below.

Adam Morgan: First of all, let me just congratulate you on becoming one of the most iconic characters on television.

John Noble: Well, thank you!

Adam Morgan: I know you've got a very extensive background in theater. How do you approach acting for television differently?

John Noble: Well...I don't, really! But the thing about playing a character on television is that you have to work and think very fast, make a lot of improvisations. You have to work with the director to get lots of takes with different timings and positions. One thing different about the theater is that you can play lots and lots of different characters in a relatively short amount of time, but with television and film, you may only play a handful in an entire career.

Adam Morgan: Yeah, and I've heard you say elsewhere that Walter Bishop is your "dream character." Can you tell us why?

John Noble: It requires a complete range of emotions. You have the comedic element, which is in the timing. Because Walter never tries to be funny. Physically, what I try to do is create a character who's older than me, but also still has this incredible energy coming through.

And actually, I just thought of something. It's so rare as an actor to be given a chance to grow a character over a long period of time. It's a long-term development, and of course in theater and film, you can't do that. So that also makes it fun to play Walter, to look back and forward at his journey out of madness, to see where that takes him.

Click here to read more...

Adam Morgan: Do you think there are more major skeletons in Walter's closet that we don't know about.

John Noble: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely! There have been a lot of hints that Walter was up to something...dubious, to say the least. And some of that will be hit on in these upcoming episodes, one thing in particular concerning Olivia. In the finale, you'll also see something concerning Peter that is absolutely shattering. So yes, there are revelations to be made.
Lots of people just think of him as funny and cute, but Walter's a man with a past. And it's not only being revealed to the audience, it's being revealed to him as he goes along and starts to get his memory back.

Adam Morgan: Okay...what's your favorite dessert?

John Noble: My favorite what?

Adam Morgan: Your favorite dessert!

John Noble: Dessert! [Cackle] I thought you said "zurt"! I thought that was another Fringe term I wasn't aware of. Well I'm trying to stay away from desserts at the moment, because being on a film set you have to be very careful, or you'll start to explode from the waist. But what would be my favorite? I'd have to say New York cheesecake.

Adam Morgan: Aha, you should tell the writers so they can include it in an episode.

John Noble: I shouldn't have said anything about, because now I'm starting to salivate.

Adam Morgan: What did you think about the episode where Walter runs into another version of himself at the mental institution?

John Noble: That's one of my favorite episodes, The Equation. We all have voices that talk to us, and that did happen when Walter was drugged, so I suppose it could have been in his mind. But Jeff Pinkner has said that everyone has a double, a doppelganger. So whether it was part of Walter's imagination, or another Walter from a parallel universe, that's to be revealed. But I don't want to tell you any more than that. It will be addressed, not this season, but next season.

Adam Morgan: Great! And this is a question I ask everybody: what's been your favorite scene to shoot so far?

John Noble: There's been a lot of them, but back to The Equation, there was that scene were I talked with a guy named Kim, on the balcony when he breaks down. I found that really moving. He's a beautiful actor to work with. For me, that was a highlight.
But there are so many moments, you know? We've got one coming up on Tuesday night where Walter gets to dance...

Adam Morgan: Haha, yes. I loved that.

John Noble: It was so much fun, because I didn't get much time to think about it. Someone said, "Oh by the way, choose one of these two pieces of music because tomorrow you're going to do a dance." I remember coming home that night and asking my daughter, "Darling, come listen to this. Which one of these songs should I choose?" So then we shot it first thing the next morning, and it was so much fun. It's really bad, too.

Adam Morgan: It's hilarious! And touching at the same time. Do you have any other funny stories or anecdotes from the set?

John Noble: Every time Josh and Jasika and I are on the set, there's a funny story. Have you made a set visit?

Adam Morgan: No, I haven't. I'd love to, though.

John Noble: Oh, you've got to come up here for a set visit, because particularly in the lab, it's a very funny place to be. There's all sorts of stuff going on between us, and also the crew. Sometimes we really get going, but it happens so fast that not much really sticks out in my mind. On the rare occasions that I get to do a scene with Lance Reddick, who is such a stoic man, I do my best to try and make him laugh. That's one of our inside jokes on the set. Another one is that we all do a take on Kirk [Acevedo]'s voice, like...[Raspy, Puerto Rican, Charlie Francis voice] "It's just...a box...of tissues!"

Adam Morgan: [Laughs]

John Noble: We set each other up.

Adam Morgan: Hopefully some of that will make it onto the DVD...

John Noble: [Laughs] Hopefully not all of it gets on there. Some of it's a bit dodgy! [Full-throated cackle] I actually caught myself just the other day, saying something inappropriate, and we were all laughing and I looked up and there was a giant crane camera right on me!

Adam Morgan: Speaking of the dynamic between you and the rest of the cast, the stuff between you and Joshua Jackson comes across very naturally on the show. Have you guys bonded a lot off-camera? How do you approach that relationship?

John Noble: Absolutely. It's one of the finest relationships I can remember having with another actor, just in terms of how we understand each other and what we're able to do with our characters. I'm very, very fond of Josh Jackson and I think the feeling's mutual. And I respect him a lot too. We have a chance to find something...precious in the relationship between Walter and Peter. We really try to mine that relationship for precious moments, not all of which make it into the show.

Adam Morgan: And what's it like to watch the show? Do you sit down with friends and family on Tuesday nights?

John Noble: When I can, yes. Quite often we're working those nights, but on the same day I'll be given a DVD. I actually really enjoy watching them, and it gives me a chance to see what the other actors are doing, because half the time I don't even know where they are when I'm not on set. And the guest actors too, like Jared Harris for instance, who makes a comeback as Mr. Jones in these last six episodes. And to watch the Observer pop up on all these places, Michael Cerveris. I was just talking to him the other day, and he's such a nice man. He's become such an iconic figure now, people searching for him, even finding him in places where he's not. There might be a pale fellow in the background and people will shout "There he is!"

Adam Morgan: [Laughs] Yeah, I could've sworn I saw him at a Walgreen's the other day here in Chicago...

John Noble: [Cackle] I'll have to tell him that.

Adam Morgan: I spoke with Anna [Torv] yesterday, and she said you guys were in the middle of shooting the finale. Can you tell me anything about William Bell?

John Noble: Well...no. I can't really tell you anymore than you already know...[dramatic pause]...Well, this is what I'll say to you: something happens to Nina [Sharp], which forces us to come into contact with Bell. It's not fatal, but it's something pretty horrible. So we do get to meet the great man himself. And I can't wait to see him! I don't even know who he is yet!

Adam Morgan: You don't?

John Noble: No, I haven't been told. They love to keep secrets like that from us. We're all sort of hanging out waiting to see what happens with the story.

Adam Morgan: Is that ever frustrating?

John Noble: Oh, no. We all want to know things, but if they gave us answers it would spread through the set in a matter of minutes. But I can't wait to find out. Let me know if you hear anything first.

Adam Morgan: I will! So have you enjoyed living in New York? Do you miss Australia? Apprehensive about the potential move to Vancouver next year?

John Noble: Leaving in New York has been one of the best years of my life, having my wife and children here. There's no other place like it in the world. Though I do hear some great things about Chicago, which is where you are, isn't it?

Adam Morgan: Yeah, it's amazing here. I love it.

John Noble: Do I miss Australia? Well, no. I will definitely retire to Australia at some point, but I don't have any hankerings to go back at this time. As for Canada, Vancouver is a very beautiful city, and obviously there are very talented filmmakers there. So from that point of view, I don't feel too much trepidation. I'll miss New York, and the big family we've created here with our crew. But Vancouver is another day, another challenge, and when I worked there I found the people to be fantastic. And also it's Josh Jackson's hometown.

Adam Morgan: Speaking of Josh, how do you think Walter would react if and when Peter and Olivia became romantically involved?

John Noble: Walter cheesily tries to set them up all the time, but from a storyline point of view I'll stick to my guns here. I think we need to keep the sexual tension going for about six or ten seasons, and then in the finale they can do whatever they like. I mean, think about this: anytime you've got a three person dynamic, and then two of them hook up, someone's left out. And that would be me.

Adam Morgan: [Laughs] Well, I've heard you say you'd like to share a scene with Blair Brown, so, maybe...

John Noble: Well, yes, we kid around about that sometimes and try to come up with ways for us to share a scene. I really look forward to working with her, she's such an amazing actress.

Adam Morgan: Yes. She's a very creepy character on the show. OK, finally, what can we expect from these final six episodes of the season?

John Noble: Well everyone seems to think that Ability is the best episode, and I don't think we're going to drop from that standard. These last six episodes are very dense, exciting, and riddled with mysteries and revolutions. There are some really great stories. I can't wait for these six to air. I'm beginning to have this deep-set feeling that Fringe is becoming a television classic. I just have the feeling that lately we're getting into that ballpark. So I hope the audience agrees with me. I think these six are our best.

What Would You Ask: Astrid Farnsworth

The lovely Jasika Nicole, who plays Fringe's junior FBI agent Astrid Farnworth, will be doing an exclusive interview with FringeTelevision.com this week. Which means I want your questions! Leave them in the comments below.

On a related note, our one-on-one interview with John Noble on Friday went extremely well. I asked a lot of your questions, and the transcript will be up very soon.

Exclusive: Mitchell Loeb Interview

Last week, the man behind the icy eyes of Mitchell Loeb, Chance Kelly, was kind enough to chat with me about his role and experience on Fringe. For a look at his work, check out ChanceKelly.com. Don't let Loeb's countenance fool you: Chance is a wonderfully nice, down-to-earth guy.

Adam Morgan: As an actor, what are the challenges in playing a morally ambiguous character like Mitchell Loeb?

Chance Kelly: Thank you for coming up with a niche category for Mitchell Loeb. I like that: “morally ambiguous.” I am happy to hear you describe him this way, because many people come up to me and simply say, “Oh, you’re a bad guy on that show.” The funny thing is, kidnapping, attempted murder and two (or three) other successful murders notwithstanding, Loeb is actually a fiercely patriotic and committed soldier in a very complex and multi-tiered predicament. What viewers should keep in mind is that behind every decision he makes, no matter how harsh it may seem (ie: “honey, you have to kill her”; knocking off that broad with the formula, or knocking off one of his teammates, etc.) there is a motivating factor stronger, bigger, and more compelling than anything we are seeing on screen. That is one of the keys to the success of this program. Follow the Pattern. All roads lead there. I would say the only major challenge is fixing in on the specific factor that motivates those specific decisions.

Adam Morgan: You do a great job making viewers empathize with your character (like your reaction to Loeb's wife's death), despite being portrayed as a villain. How do you strike that balance?

Chance Kelly: Again, I understand that on the surface, Loeb appears quite villainous, but trust me, he’s a good guy. Trust me. In war there are no winners, only soldiers. And in life, aren’t we all somewhat morally ambiguous? Regardless of what we may want others to believe?

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Adam Morgan: Did the writers give you a lot of backstory, or did you come up with a history for Loeb yourself?

Chance Kelly: The writers, I believe, give plenty if one pays close attention (and I would venture to guess that you do, Adam). I feel they have given me multitudes toward who Loeb is.

Adam Morgan: What was your favorite scene to shoot? Which was the most challenging?

Chance Kelly: Though there were many, let me share a few:

• Lying on my back in a coma while John Noble talks about his whacky food cravings, intermittently petting his son with backhanded doses of affection. There’s something about that guy’s voice, his demeanor, his entire persona that I just love. He’s like that uncle that would take you to the movies your parents were on the fence about. He’s so damn cool and one of the best damn actors I’ve ever been around. I love that dude. He’s my hero.
  
• Talking to Lance Reddick in his office before going into a convulsive seizure (due to a bio-engineered alien parasite strangling my heart). Again, though I never worked with Lance, we know some of the same people and it was as if we’ve known each other a long time. That went for Chance as well as Loeb. Just some connection that, kudos to the casting pros on this show, manages to pair individuals with fabulous chemistry.
  
• Talking to Anna in my trademark prison orange: this chick is great. She is a pleasure to work with and is as humble as the day is long. Though Olivia is dynamic and at times near-superhuman, Anna also brings this humble vulnerability to Olivia which is much of what makes her character so compelling. Also, she told me while we were shooting that scene that she married John Scott. MAZELTOV! I just thought that was one of the greatest things I had heard in a long time. Though I don’t know Mark, and I only know Anna a little, I was so very happy for them and it just seems like such a great thing for something so real to come out of something so fantastical…or something like that (plus, I just feel a euphoric level of liberation getting back into my prison orange).

Adam Morgan: What's your experience been like with the cast? Any good stories from the set?

Chance Kelly: On that first episode I did [In Which We Meet Mr. Jones] (ie: The Boy In the Plastic Bubble), Anna and Josh were wheeling my comatose body in on the stretcher in the bubble and she was squeezing this breathing pump thing that was fixed in my mouth and every time she squeezed it, my mouth would puff up, and I’m pretty sure she didn’t realize that her squeezing it was actually doing anything. I think it was just one of those things we do while acting, trying to stay in the moment.

Anyway, in between takes I picked my head up, and having been laying there pretending to have been in a coma for the better part of two hours, my voice didn’t work so well. Plus, I was the boy in the plastic bubble so it was hard to be heard and to effectively communicate with the outside world (now I know how that poor boy so deftly portrayed by Travolta, must have felt). In the rush to set up for another take, I said it once unheard, and tried it again, again unheard, and then a third time, and this time it came out as a thunderous growl to this polite Australian girl who only now heard this large, gruff, double-agent with a bio-engineered parasite clutching his heart howl: “DON’T SQUEEZE THAT THING ANYMORE…IT’S BLOWING AIR DOWN MY THROAT!”

I’m not sure who was more mortified. Anna, for having unknowingly been doing anything that might have been bothering anyone, or me, who never meant to growl at that nice girl. It’s just hard to effectively communicate from inside a plastic bubble!

Pre-production for that episode also brings back funny memories. I told my wife (my real wife), "Yeah, I got this job on this new show." That’s about all she knew about it until she answered the phone one day and started receiving instructions about the preparations required for her husband’s portrayal of a man with something horrible happening within his chest cavity (the caller being very Fringe-esque by not getting any more specific than that).

One of the requirements of these preparations involved my reporting to this dude’s basement, somewhere in Jersey, on a Saturday morning to lay on a floor and have a couple of dudes pour goo all over my naked chest and form some kind of body cast. My wife: “What the hell kind of show is this!!!” Hey baby, work is work, you know? Anyway, the dude’s last name was Kelly, and you know, us Kelly's Semper Fi always roll strong in solidarity, so I figured what the hell. He promised me I could be done in time to get back to coach my son’s football game. So, I show up out there in Jersey somewhere, and if the dude wasn’t named Kelly, I would have thought I was in some re-creation of that Silence of the Lambs scene where...well, you know the scene.

Anyway, Steve Kelly and I soon realized we were kindreds-not-too-far-removed, so I trusted him to pour whatever goo all over my chest that he thought appropriate and necessary in the name of creating ground-breaking television; besides, he told me I didn’t have to shave my chest…not that I wouldn’t have shaved my chest, I mean, listen, Chance Kelly has always been a team-player and I’ve done it once or twice before, but frankly, I’m just not really a part of that sub-division that shaves chests and waxes and gets manicures (well, only if absolutely necessary). I am not really of the metro-sexual ilk, but more of a retro-sexual….a guy who probably should have been born in my grandfather’s generation (or somewhere between that and the Civil War), who feels more comfortable around a barbeque than a boutique.

So Kelly and the other dude spread the goo all over me, all the while we are discussing the lubricating prowess of the petroleum jelly that they had generously applied to my chest hairs in advance of the goo that was now hardening all over my chest and all the hair on it. I trusted Kelly with my chest, my chest hair, and pretty much would have trusted him with my life, until...

The first sign of trouble was seeing his reaction to my reaction when he first tried to remove the hardened plastic cast from my chest. Man, that hurt. Pulling out chest hair always hurts more than you think it’s gonna. Anyway, his wince from my wince caused more of a deep and prolonged concern from somewhere deep within my chest cavity (hey, maybe these preparations really had a higher meaning) that I was the dude connected to all that chest hair that this now-hardened plastic cast was so intent on ripping out of my very pale skin. But the truth is, we laughed the whole way through it and, take it from a man who knows, there is no stronger bond between two (heterosexual) men than meeting in a crisis involving the threat of having one’s chest hair violently removed from one’s body and summarily being rescued therein by the versatile improvisation of a tactful, resourceful special effects dude and a precisely navigated pair of tape cutters.

Adam Morgan: What's it like watching one of your episodes when it airs? Do you watch with your family and/or friends?

Chance Kelly: My wife and I love the show. We will always watch (and always is forever).

Adam Morgan: How was working on Fringe different from Generation Kill or Law and Order?

Chance Kelly: I'd never done sci-fi before. Not to pidgeon-hole it, because that doesn’t necessarily do Fringe justice, but there is a strong sci-fi element to the show and that element is utilized in such a powerful and effective way that I think it is a legitimate way of categorizing the show, along with calling it a great drama, a great mystery, a love story, an international thriller, and funny as hell, etc. The experience has been unlike anything else that I’ve worked on. The linear quality to most productions is simply absent from Fringe, and of course, this is ultimately a good thing…you never know what exactly is going to come next on this show: as a viewer, as an actor, as part of the production team. It’s a little unsettling at first, but isn’t it interesting how life imitates art around this show? My experience with the production is something akin to what I would imagine Loeb’s dealings with Massive Dynamic might be. An austerity that repels some is a relentless gravitational force to others.

Adam Morgan: You've become a fan favorite. Will we see Mitchell Loeb in any of these last six eps of the season? Would you want to be a part of the show if and when it returns for a second season?

Chance Kelly: I would love to continue with the show in the exact capacity in which Loeb figures back into the Pattern...which he does quite significantly.

Adam Morgan: What was it like working with M. Night Shyamalan on Unbreakable? How many takes did you shoot for that great one-shot fight with Bruce Willis? This is one of my favorite movies!

Chance Kelly: Working with Night was great. He is a super nice young guy. It was a great opportunity to die at the hands of Bruce Willis, who is another infinitely nice and infinitely young guy (six takes). I look forward to dying at the hands of both Bruce and Night many times more in the future.

Adam Morgan: Tell us about the project you're writing, The Soul of a Man. What makes you passionate about it? How've you found the challenge of writing different from acting?

Chance Kelly: As you can probably tell from these ridiculous responses, I am very much a frustrated writer. Yes, I am passionate about my project, The Soul of a Man. It was hatched many years back from my dreamlike concept of It’s a Wonderful Life meets The Sixth Sense meets Jacob’s Ladder meets Cool Hand Luke meets To Kill A Mockingbird.

Now, this concept was first born and summarily morphed into several incarnations as a feature-length screenplay. However, after working with it and developing it, I came to realize (and be convinced) that it is much more fit for episodic television. I am passionate about it because the title is what it is about and what it comes from: The Soul of a Man. This is the soul of a father, a husband, a brother, a friend, a son, a stranger, a neighbor, a Christian, a member of society who tried to be upstanding, in spite of prevailing forces and challenges, the soul of a man. There is so much to be passionate about within this story. It is as much of Chance Kelly as I can give while remaining effectively fantastical and worthy of 48 minutes of programming each week.

Also, check out this funny NCAA commercial starring Chance Kelly.

Exclusive: Jared Harris Interview

Right before Ability aired, the wonderful Jared Harris (aka Mr. Jones) was kind enough to chat with me about his character and his experience on the show. Unfortunately, the audio file was too low-res to post, but here's the transcription:

Q. Mr. Jones has been portrayed as a villain so far, but is there any chance he's more of a misunderstood hero?

A. No. I think he's a villain who might be temporarily cooperating with the forces of righteousness, but he's only doing that to pursue his own agenda. He's an opportunist. Look at what he did to that poor guy in the suit! I think he's a sociopath. He doesn't really care. But I can't really tell you for sure, because I don't know where the story's going.

Q. That was my next question. Do the writers and producers give you background information for your character, or do you just get the script?

A. They give you some background, but they don't tell you where it's going, for precisely this reason. We're having a chat, and if I give something away that their whole season finale hinges on...

Q. We wouldn't want that to happen...

A. As far as background, they said he was in the world of espionage and bioterrorism, very dangerous, very bright. That he got himself into that German prison on purpose, because it was the safest place to be for the time being. I asked Jeff Pinkner about the character back when I started, about where I should try to take him.

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Q. Are we going to see more of you after Ability?

A. I don't know! I'm in pretty bad shape.

Q. You personally? Or Mr. Jones?

A. Jones. He's in pretty bad shape, and I'm not sure where it's going. That episode opens some pretty interesting doors about the connection between [Mr. Jones] and Olivia, and about the Pattern. It's a really good episode. A page-turner of a script. I absolutely loved it when I read it.

Q. Jones certainly seems obsessed with Olivia.

A. Yeah, there were all those drawings a few episodes back. I mean, she's very good looking, but I think it's more than that with him. He needs her, he's trying to manipulate her into trusting him so that she'll do something for him. It's not answered in [Ability] but it's developed a little further.

Q. I sure hope you're coming back; Mr. Jones is my favorite character.

A. Is he? That's very sweet of you to say. My favorite character is the cow. I can't say enough about the cow. I love John Noble, I think he's brilliant, where he takes that character. The dynamic between him and Peter is fantastic. They make me chuckle a lot. And I'm a huge fan of Lance from The Wire. As an actor, he's just incredibly precise, utterly convincing.

Q. What's your experience been like on the set?

A. It's a really good atmosphere there. I mean, it's hard work. For one hour of dramatic television, you're basically shooting a movie every nine days. It's very ambitious. But the atmosphere is very good. There's good banter, a great sense of humor. It's an exciting show, and you can sense that from the attitude of the people involved. They all enjoy what they're doing. It's a great vibe. And of course everyone plays the game that we are right now, try to guess where things are going. The guy that runs Massive Dynamic, William Bell, he always comes up at lunchtime.

Q. Which scene was your favorite to film?

A. The opening scene in Ability definitely ranks up there among my favorites. I love that shot where I'm in the shadows, out of focus in the background, and then I suddenly pop up behind [Mr. Kohl]. That look of insanity in Jones' eyes. He's a nutcase!

Q. How much time is there between when you shoot an episode and when it airs.

A. Well this one (Ability), we finished about two weeks before it aired. That's a really fast turnaround. Normally there's about six weeks turnaround for post-production, but for some reason this one was unusually fast.

Q. As an actor, how do you approach this role on a television show differently from a role in a film, like Captain Mike in Benjamin Button?

A. With Captain Mike, I knew I had that part three or four months before I started shooting. The longer you have to work with a character, the more connections you can make with your own life, your own history. The characterization becomes more detailed and deeper, more intense. It's very hard on Fringe, when you don't know where the story's going. It's much more impressionistic. You go with your gut in the moment, but it's difficult. Some of the choices that you make are probably going to be contradicted later on, and that can be frustrating as an actor.

Q. Yeah, with a film you know the entire arc of the story, whereas with television you only get bits at a time.

A. But it's exciting too. The great thing about television is that it's so immediate. We shot it two weeks ago and now it's coming out. And people are so excited about Fringe, it's this immediate feedback. With Benjamin Button, I shot that two years before it came out. With Lady in the Water, I did an audition without reading the script and then went on my honeymoon. I was in the bush, on safari, with no telephones, and when I got back by agent said we'd made a deal. Then I finally read the script, and I was like "Oh. So that's what this is about." [Laughs]

Q. What's it like to sit in front of the television and watch yourself?

A. It's great fun. When you watch yourself in anything, it's quite a laugh. You can't really concentrate on the story! You remember everything about the day you shot it, the shots and the lines they cut out. You've got an emotional memory of that day. It takes a long time for that to drop away, to just see the character. It takes a couple years to just see it for what it was.

Q. I imagine it's the same for a writer or director, to get that personal experience out of the way.

A. I don't know how directors do it, because they have watch the movie or the episode two or three hundred times. I don't know how they keep the audience's anticipations in their head, how they shape that experience, since they can't trust their own gut reactions anymore. It's amazing how they do that.

Q. Do you have any advice for budding actors out there looking to be as successful as you've been these last few years?

A. It's a tough job. You have to develop a really skin. You're going to get knocked down a lot, but you've got to dust yourself off and get back off. The one thing that keeps you going is your passion. You've got to keep in touch with that part of yourself. Acting itself is the fun part. I love auditioning for that reason. Any day you actually get to do a bit of acting is a good day.

Exclusive: Alternate Ending For Ability

FringeTelevision.com has an exclusive look at the final page of the script for the Fringe episode Ability. In the episode, Walter is silent after typing the "Y" in "Ability", but in the script, he poses the question "Why?" Either way, it's clear that the ZFT manuscript was typed on the same typewriter, but it is still unclear who actually typed it - Walter Bishop or his lab partner William Bell.

Want more? Head over to the Fringe Spoilers section for another exclusive - the title to Fringe Episode 117.

Fringe Dwellers Podcast 18: The Transformation

Adele and Jason tackle Fringe episode 113, The Transformation. Look out for some interesting theories, some John Scott closure, emails and Adele geeking out.

Show notes are available at the Fringe Dwellers homepage.

Listen now:


You can also subscribe to the Fringe Dwellers podcast on iTunes.

If you have a comment or question for The Fringe Dwellers, you can email them at fringedwellers@gmail.com. You can also leave a voicemail for them at (206) 333-0072, or reach them on Twitter as fringedwellers, or Facebook as Gene the Cow Worshippers

Jason's podcasts can be found on iTunes - Film in Focus and Shadowy Flights.

For more Fringe podcasts, check out the Fringe Podcast Network.

Fringe Dwellers Podcast: Episode 17 - Bound & The No-Brainer

Adele and guest co-host, Jason, cover the two episodes that have screened since the long hiatus - Bound and The No-Brainer.

Show notes are available at the Fringe Dwellers homepage.

Listen now:


You can also subscribe to the Fringe Dwellers podcast on iTunes.

If you have a comment or question for Adele & Jen, you can email them at fringedwellers@gmail.com. You can also leave a voicemail for them at (206) 333-0072, or reach them on Twitter as fringedwellers, or Facebook as Gene the Cow Worshippers

For more Fringe podcasts, check out the Fringe Podcast Network.

Exclusive Fringe Scheduling News

The FringeTelevision.com exclusive inside source checked in this weekend and revealed some interesting Fringe scheduling and director news. I don't really consider any of this to be spoilery, so I have posted them here, instead of in the Fringe spoilers section.

• Fringe 115: directed by Fred Toye, air date 4/7/09
• Fringe 116: directed by Brad Anderson, air date 4/14/09
• Fringe 117: directed by Akiva Goldsman, air date 4/21/09
• Fringe 118: directed by Bobby Roth, air date 4/28/09
• Fringe 119: directed by Nelson McCormick, air date 5/5/09
• Fringe 120: director TBD, air date 5/12/09
• Fringe 121: directed by Fred Toye, air date 5/19/09

Notably absent is Fringe 122, however JJ Abrams indicated that he was interested in directing a season finale...

One big revelation that comes out of these air dates, is that there will be another big block of repeats coming soon. Fringe episode #112 airs on Jan 27, #113 airs Feb 3, and #114 airs Feb 10, which means there will be another seven weeks of re-runs until #115 on Apr 7! The reason for the break, of course, is they need the time to shoot the episodes. However, once it comes back, it looks like it will run straight through until the end.

BTW, We've created a new Google Fringe Air Date calendar, in addition to our Fringe Birthday calendar, which we will update with the episode dates and names as they become available.