Rebecca Barry: LA - where the stars come out to plug

4:00AM Tuesday Oct 20, 2009
By Rebecca Barry

[...]

Actually we're entertainment press in LA for a two-week conveyer belt of interviews: 120-odd with stars of new and returning TV shows such as Grey's Anatomy, Gossip Girl and next year's big thing, Flash Forward. But it's the peripheral characters who provide the real drama. They're more interesting than most TV actors, some of whom wear the drudgery of interviews on their sleeves, and only a few, such as Criminal Minds' Shemar Moore, who appear to revel in the attention. (One basic question about his former life as a model gave him the green light to discuss his prettiness in alarming detail.)

Inevitably, it's the creative minds behind the shows who have the most to say. Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence was a hoot discussing his new, Courteney Cox-helmed show, Cougar Town, which also stars his older wife, Christa Miller. "Write 'much, much older'," he ordered.

After Flash Forward star Dominic Monaghan revealed he gets acting tips from his pet praying mantis, the creators of the high-concept thriller, billed as the new Lost, emerged as the show's true personalities, spending much of their interview bickering as to what happens in each episode.

"You can't say that!" fumed David S. Goyer as his team divulged what he felt was too much plot information.

[...]

Mrs Ford would have happily swapped places with the following sad sacks spotted in the LA wilderness: LL Cool J swaggering around the Ivy restaurant, itching to be recognised; the Marilyn Monroe lookalike standing under an umbrella on two rare days of California rain; the aviator-wearing wannabes strutting through the hotel for a reality show "conference".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10604156&pnum=0

Note: It rained in LA in October around the 13th and 14th, so this is the October round of press conferences, not another article on the TCA press presentations.