ScreenIt? Link Love, DVD Lesser-Knowns, And Other Junk – Alison Brie, FNL Fans, Chris Colfer, And More

Lots of stuff going on, so let's just jump in.

It was an unfortunately boring follow-up to the Madonna episode on GLEE, but it at least got a bit of spotlight time for one of my favorites, Chris Colfer. TV.com caught up with Kurt for an interview, and it's a good read for fans of the show. Check out the interview here.

Film School Rejects recently put out a nice rundown of the must-see movies coming this summer, and while you probably know all the names, they've got a good collection of info, and it makes for a handy reference. Check out the list here.

Speaking of collections, ScreenRant put together an interesting, and curious, collection of the best TV theme songs of the last decade. Surprisingly, I pretty well agree with the list. Check that here.

Friday Night Lights Fans -

This year NBC is trying to assist in the recognition of FNL for an Emmy nomination, and they want the fans to participate!

Supporters are putting together a video featuring FNL fans asking Emmy voters to recognize their favorite show. About 1,000 fans are needed to help create a video. If you're interested in being included, send your email address to [email protected] and you’ll receive all the information you need! The show loves the idea and are supportive of the project. You can also keep up with everything FNL on the official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/nbcfnl.

As much as it may sound like nonsense, given my vague, semi-partnership with TV.com, I'm really liking their new TV in a Flash series. Take a look at an episode, and let me know what you think.

The Mercy Finale is still a little ways away, but here's a Sneak Peek.

Hollywood.com recently interviewed one of my new favorites, Alison Brie, and they've been kind enough to let me share some of the interview with you here. Check out a bit of the actresses discussion below, and then get the rest the interview here.

1. We’ve seen you do a lot of comedy (Community, Hot Sluts) and in that work the humor seems to come from of your composure and dead pan. How did you develop that? Was it from a particular influence?

Hmmm, good observation! I don't know where this started exactly. I'm sure a lot of my comedic sensibilities on-screen just come from my day-to-day sense of humor and the way I joke around with my friends. I've always surrounded myself with funny and bizarre people and in turn developed a repartee with most of my friends and colleagues that involves one or both of us slipping back and forth between deadpan and total zaniness. Danny Pudi is a major culprit of this, as we spend most of our time together on set doing very specific odd-ball bits behind the camera that nobody else can really quite grasp.

Also, I think it's important in comedy to be able to define your role in any particular bit; are you creating the comedy or reacting to it? On 'Community' we have so many comedic geniuses on the show and everyone gets a chance to go real broad at times and have big physical comedy moments and at other times it is merely your job to play it straight while someone else flies off the handle. I think some of my favorite moments on the show have been reacting to Ken Jeong, who is friggin' hilarious and can improv and take a scene to it's very limits and all I really have to do is keep a straight face, which isn't always that easy. I suppose I also have to credit my college, CalArts, for giving me lots of practice at maintaining conviction behind your own character's intention in a scene - so when Ken's ranting and raving and everyone on the crew is losing it and just cracking up, I'm able to stay in character and focus...most of the time!

2. As of now, you’re regularly balancing cerebral drama in Mad Men with absurdist humor in Community. Which do you prefer? Which comes more naturally?

I cannot pick a favorite! (terrible answer, I know) The truth is that as different as the shows are from one another, and they couldn't be more different, they are equally fulfilling. The real gift is the opportunity to do both at the same time, which is also a wonderful challenge and great practice!

I suppose the comedy comes a bit more naturally to me, but that is one of the things that makes doing both projects so great. We have so much fun on the set of 'Community', joking around and trying to find new ways of making things funny. On 'Mad Men' the challenge is often to find and articulate the depth and nuance of a character's emotions in a given situation. The struggle is what makes that fun and the fearlessness and freedom that I find on the set of 'Community' help inform the work I do on 'Mad Men', and vice-versa. After 3 years of working with such delicate specifics on 'Mad Men', it is easy to find comedic twists and turns on 'Community' while still giving the character some depth and perspective.

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Back to TV.com again, they have an article on the most overrated on shows on television, and it's worth checking out. Seriously, what's with NCIS?

Finally, in news I'm rather about, Showtime has picked up Web Therapy, Lisa Kudrow's webseries. The story at THR here.

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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