NEWS - E' la fine del mondooo. Lazzaroni, alzatevi! Lauren Cohan fa resuscitare i morti su un magazine trendy in Inghilterra!
Articolo, intervista e foto tratti da "Ladygunn"

Lauren Cohan has played a variety of roles including Charlotte in VAN WILDER 2, and has made TV appearances on television crime dramas like COLD CASE, however she is best known for her darker roles such as Rose in VAMPIRE DIARIES and as the badass farm girl Maggie on THE WALKING DEAD. When interviewed she was sporting comfy clothing, informing me that she didn’t really care much for fashion. “I’m so anti-fashion” she told me. She was wearing a vintage MASH shirt and a pair of Levis that she cut her self. “If it feels like something that’s been around a long time then its ideal!”

Born in Philadelphia and raised in New Jersey she moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 12. The move was more than just a location change; it also prompted her to make subtle appearance changes as well. “I remember hairstyles being a huge adjustment for me because I was 12 and you’re pretty tender. People didn’t wear barrettes in their hair [in the UK.] Its a huge deal.” Tis true. At that age its the tiniest details that can set you apart in some big ways. “I feel like when I left [the US] everyone was still scrawny and skinny and on the flight to England everyone got boobs. So, I got to England and I was the only person I knew without boobs.” Well, it seemed to work out in the end for Miss Cohan!

She did enjoy the more carefree attitude of the UK when it came to drinking. “People can go to the pub and you can drink with your parents at the restaurant. You get treated more like an adult out there, which I grew to love pretty quickly.” This led to us chatting about binge drinking and perhaps how that phenomenon is triggered by the 21- year-old drinking age that the US has. ”I think it’s really strange that you can be at college here but you can’t have a drink and that you can die for the country, yet are forbidden to consume a fucking Bud Light!

Acting on shows that have such dark premises definitely takes its toll on the mind of Lauren. She told me that she had zombie dreams her entire life, so much so that she doesn’t even classify them as nightmares. Though, when she began her role on THE WALKING DEAD, the weirdness levels of them increased substantially. She began having “really inappropriate dreams about zombies, zombies just being in my private space.” She recalls one in particular. “It was like PSYCHO meets NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD; zombies standing outside of my shower when I got out. “

She attributes that dream and others like it to being a part of failing to detach herself from the character of Maggie. “You can’t really play any character without going into it full fledged, and I think that it hits every level of your psyche.” Even before accepting that role, Lauren described herself as a dark person. “I think I am pretty dark. Though, I surround myself with enough dark people that I sort of feel like the lightest one of the bunch. It’s all relative.”

An avid fan of the 1989 film PET SEMETERY, Lauren told me that as a kid it invoked some zombie-like fantasies from her.“ At school people were talking about rabies all the time and everyone was aware of it. I always wished that animals around me would be rabid, and become these green eyed maniac animals!”

That particular fantasy of hers came true. Well, in a way! While living in England she lived nearby a real Pet Cemetery. There was a stream by her house that led to a “bona fide pet cemetery,” though it was “quaint and peaceful. I looked like it was for humans. People had plaques on the graves for the animals and they would leave flowers for them.” Naturally, whenever visitors came into town, Lauren would take them there at night for a little local sightseeing!

Horror films are a genre fave for Lauren, zombies in particular and she cited 28 DAYS as one of her recent favorite movies. I ask her opinion on the whole apocalypse ordeal. “It’s coming soon isn’t it?” She said while laughing. I told her that according to the many wackos I have researched, that the deadline was in October.

“Okay good, that’s when our show comes out! I feel like I am already living in it [the apocalypse]!” She told me that if such a horrible fate is on the horizon, it doesn’t matter, as one should live each day as its their last anyway. “It’s the same as when I think about cancer.”

I brought up the bath salt sensation that has been sweeping the nation. “I was like, great!” She recalled her initial reaction to the Miami face-eating incident, “People are gonna blame THE WALKING DEAD for that. I just know it. We may not have even heard about it if zombies weren’t so prevalent [in mainstream culture]. Or maybe that shit wouldn’t have happened.” She added that, “the universe is so tiny. Every single time I think about my mom, she calls me and I know that is not a coincidence. I think that if something’s out there it just manifests into all kinds of ways almost immediately. “ She paused and said, “But its still not THE WALKING DEAD’s fault.”

Her interest in dark things is counteracted by her positive personality and optimistic perspective on life. When it comes to vices, “I think bad energy and negativity towards other people does a lot worse things to your body!” Couldn’t agree more. Anger, jealousy, and resentment can only destroy you internally.

“And those people are your shadow! If I’m pissed off at someone or if I want to bitch about someone that I’m annoyed at, I know its just my own shadow!” By shadow she means seeing something in somebody else that you don’t like because of your own insecurities or flaws, even if its not conscious.

In addition working on a new season of THE WALKING DEAD, in which she promises that the zombies will be much more terrifying than previously due to excellent special FX, she was recently on an episode of THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL on Adult Swim. “It’s dark comedy. Its all this twisted shit. Its great!

L'EDICOLA DI LOU - Stralci e commenti sulle serie tv dai media italiani e stranieri

"Suits", sfida legale riuscita a metà
"Su Joi è in onda in anteprima la seconda stagione di «Suits» una «serie legale» ambientata nello spregiudicato mondo degli avvocati newyorkesi, tra cause milionarie e parcelle a molti zeri, dove il successo di ciascuno si misura dalla qualità sartoriale dell'abito scuro d'ordinanza (Mediaset Premium, giovedì, ore 21.15). Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) è un giovane rampante e talentuoso, anche grazie al dono di una prodigiosa memoria fotografica. Non va però molto d'accordo con le istituzioni: viene cacciato dal college e vede così infrangersi il sogno di diventare avvocato. Per sopravvivere inizia ad affidarsi a espedienti non propriamente onesti (come sostenere gli esami d'ammissione alla scuola di legge al posto di altri candidati), finché viene assunto con uno stratagemma poco chiaro nel prestigioso studio legale Pearson e Harmand, come «associate partner» del navigato Harvey Spencer. Con la legge se la cava più che bene e il suo piccolo segreto sembra essere al sicuro. Sembra, perché proprio in apertura della seconda stagione la verità inizia a venire a galla: alla titolare dello studio, Jessica Pearson, arriva una soffiata sulla mancata laurea di Mike e le cose per lui iniziano a complicarsi parecchio.Il cosiddetto «legal drama» è un filone che i telefilm americani hanno coltivato molto, declinandolo in vari toni e sfumature, dalla comicità sentimentale e surreale di «Ally McBeal» agli avvocati spregiudicati e «squali» di «Shark», fino ai picchi di perfezione recitativa e narrativa di «The Good Wife». La sfida è per tutti la stessa: costruire dei personaggi fissi a cui ci si possa appassionare nel tempo, e inventarsi dei casi legali di puntata credibili e intriganti. «Suits» riesce bene nella prima missione, soprattutto con la «strana coppia» composta da Mike e Harvey, ma i casi di puntata non sempre tengono il passo di una narrazione di livello".
(Aldo Grasso, 17.12.2012)

IL GIOCO DEI TELEFILM - Lo sdoganamento delle serie tv col "Gioco dei Telefilm"

LA STAMPA
A Natale giochiamo coi telefilm!
"Sentite questa. Ci mancava. Per chi le serie le ama proprio, e ritiene che lì la tv abbia la sua miglior forma, è uscito «Il gioco dei telefilm», un gioco in scatola sulle serie di tutti i tempi, 750 domande, divise in epoche e difficoltà. Tipo: qual è il soprannome della sorella di Richie Cunningham in «Happy Days»? Di che colore è la macchina con la quale sgommano «Starsky & Hutch»? Qual è il nome di Locke di «Lost»? Quale mestiere svolge la moglie di Colombo? Come si chiama la cittadina al centro di «True Blood»? Personalmente, ahimè, non conosco neanche una risposta. Questo «trivial pursuit» tutto tv, disegni di Silver, lo hanno inventato due che certo non sono improvvisati, in materia, Leopoldo Damerini e Fabrizio Margaria. Già autori del «Dizionario dei Telefilm», fondatori dell’Accademia dei Telefilm e direttori del Telefilm Festival. E chi più telefilm ha, più telefilm metta. Mancava quest’ultimo tassello - dicono - allo sdoganamento del genere. Un genere di grande forza aggregatrice, che si declina con tutti i mezzi che le tecnologie vecchie e nuove consentono, edicole e librerie, sale cinematografiche e social network. Oggi pomeriggio, domenica 16, a Milano, primo torneo ufficiale. E insomma, grazie alla mania delle serie tv, si possono ludicamente rivivere fenomeni di costume vecchi e nuovi. Pare che i peggio messi amino giocare da soli". (Alessandra Comazzi, 16.12.2012)

Stracult e Stracotti - …ovvero la serie che questa settimana va su e quella che inevitabilmente va giù. Parola di Stargirl!

Proseguendo sul filone delle serie stracult e stracotte al tempo stesso, questa settimana non potevo esimermi dal parlare di Dexter, anche e soprattutto in vista della season finale (mentre scrivo questo articolo, la puntata sta per essere trasmessa negli States).
Sarebbe stato troppo facile tirare le somme dello show al termine della settima stagione, ho scelto perciò di scriverne volutamente prima della fine per non lasciarmi condizionare da eventuali cliffhanger a effetto e colpi di scena inaspettati.
Mettendo da parte la stagione attualmente in onda, sulla quale mi esprimerò qualche riga più avanti, la serie che ha per protagonista il fenomenale Michael C. Hall merita innanzitutto una premessa fondamentale: è senza dubbio uno dei migliori telefilm prodotti negli ultimi anni.
Ideata nel 2006 da James Manos Jr, e basata sui personaggi creati da Jeff Lindsay, l’epopea dell’ematologo, vendicatore e killer seriale, si è insinuata nel panorama telefilmico internazionale, imponendosi a testa alta nell’Olimpo dei migliori drama del decennio.

Intensa e imprevedibile, negli ultimi sei anni, la serie ha lasciato il segno in più di un’occasione, dando risalto e importanza non solo al protagonista principale, ma anche ai suoi antagonisti, su tutti gli indimenticabili Miguel Prado (Jimmy Smits, stagione 3) e Trinity (John Lithgow, stagione 4), coi quali stringe un rapporto complesso e intricato di amicizia prima e di conflitto poi.

Unico e solo, Dexter è senza dubbio uno dei personaggi più significativi comparsi negli ultimi anni sul piccolo schermo, al pari di Walt (Brian Cranston) di Breaking Bad e Vic (Michael Chiklis) di The Shield. 

Stracult e fenomenale, la battuta d’arresto, lo show ha iniziato ad avvertirla a partire dallo scorso anno, con la stagione sei, caratterizzata da una storyline più debole rispetto a quelle degli anni precedenti e da alcune scelte opinabili a livello di script.

E il reato più grave, Dex lo ha compiuto proprio quest’anno, peccando ingenuamente in banalità e soprattutto prevedibilità.

Lenta, prolissa e fin troppo fragile, la settima stagione di Dexter non

ha convinto sotto alcun punto di vista.
A partire dai sentimenti nutriti da Deb nei confronti del fratello, fino alla totale assenza di un cattivo vero e proprio, per arrivare all’ennesima intricata relazione stretta da Dexter con l’ennesimo, emblematico personaggio femminile.
Lyla, Lumen e ora Hanna (interpretata dalla bella Yvonne Strahovsky, la Sarah di Chuck): tre donne misteriose, fragili, inquietanti per un verso o per l’altro, tre personaggi capaci di condizionare fin troppo le scelte e le azioni compiute da Dexter.

Ed è proprio arrivati a questo punto, proprio di fronte ad Hanna, che inevitabilmente ci viene voglia di tornare agli antipodi, alla “normalità”, ed è così che inconsciamente, ci sorprendiamo a provare nostalgia per Rita, un personaggio forse meno decisivo rispetto ad altri, ma fondamentale per preservare l’equilibrio non solo nella vita di Dex, ma nell’intera serie.

Una stagione poco incisiva questa settima, per nulla coinvolgente o emozionate, stracotta e probabilmente, arrivata al capolinea: non c’è season finale che tenga.

NEWS - Le star telefilmiche commentano la strage di Newtown 

All these #shootings.. Just hearing about Conn.. heartbroken. #godbless
— Eliza Dushku (@elizadushku) Dicembre 14, 2012

I feel so sad 4 the families of the Newtown elementary school victims . This is the worstof humanity. We need 2b educated on feelings&guns
— Fran Drescher (@frandrescher) Dicembre 14, 2012

To the reporter who asked a small boy "So it didn't sound like gunshots to you?" : You should be ashamed. Then fired. Let the kids go home.

— Holly Marie Combs (@H_Combs) Dicembre 14, 2012

Prayers to all the fallen, the families and their innocent promise unfulfilled. May God help this culture.

— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) Dicembre 14, 2012

I am wretched over this horror. Sending love and light. Xxxooo m

— Marcia Cross (@ReallyMarcia) Dicembre 14, 2012

Been too stunned to write. All my prayers go out to the Newton community.

— Felicity Huffman (@FelicityHuffman) Dicembre 14, 2012

Love and heart prayers to everyone affected in the CT shooting...it's been a very sad day. Hard to believe something like this could happen.

— Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) Dicembre 14, 2012

Love and heart prayers to everyone affected in the CT shooting...it's been a very sad day. Hard to believe something like this could happen.

— Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) Dicembre 14, 2012

My thoughts and prayers to the people of Newtown Conn. Such a senseless horrible tragedy. #GodBless (cont) tl.gd/kbmqfb

— Katee Sackhoff (@kateesackhoff) Dicembre 14, 2012

Newtown CT.today you are our town...We embrace you all

— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) Dicembre 14, 2012

IL GIOCO DEI TELEFILM - Achtung, Baby! Domenica a Milano c'è il primo Torneo del "Gioco dei Telefilm" alla Città del Gioco. Venite numerosi (anche a gruppi che si gioca a squadre)!
Domenica 16 dicembre, alla Città del Gioco di Milano (Via Forze Armate 103), si svolgerà il Primo Torneo italiano del GIOCO DEI TELEFILM. Iscrizione gratuita. Possibilità di iscriversi a squadre. Al vincitore una copia del GdT in omaggio. Per tutti la possibilità di acquistare il gioco al prezzo speciale di 25 euro (Christmas is coming!). ISCRIVETEVI!
http://www.facebook.com/events/299515323487283/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

ANTEPRIMA ESCLUSIVA - Ultima ora! "Arrow" in onda su Italia 1 in prima serata (verso primavera)

NEWS - J.R(en't anymore)! La morte di Larry Hagman diventa evento tv con quella del suo personaggio Stetsonato e riporta in vita i "Walking Dead" non ancora apparsi in "Dallas"

(ANSA) - NEW YORK - La serie tv 'Dallas' si prepara a dare l'addio definitivo al suo J.R.: Dopo la morte lo scorso 23 novembre dell'attore che lo interpretava, Larry Hagman, la produzione e il network Tnt che trasmette la serie si preparano a celebrare il funerale del loro personaggio piu' rappresentativo, lo spietato J.R. Ewing. Secondo fonti stampa, la cerimonia funebre per l'addio a J.R. dovrebbe andare in onda il prossimo 11 marzo, durante l'ottavo episodio della seconda stagione, e gira anche voce che ci sara' il ritorno di famosi ex di 'Dallas', alcuni dei quali non sono ancora apparsi nella nuova serie. La morte di Hagman ha colto di sorpresa la produzione e nonostante l'attore avesse gia' girato sei episodi della seconda stagione gli sceneggiatori hanno dovuto rimettere mano alla trama e adattarla alla situazione.

L'EDICOLA DI LOU - Stralci e commenti sui telefilm dai media italiani e stranieri

VULTURE
Gossip Girl: A Farewell Ode to the Craziness
"It's hard to believe there's only one more episode of Gossip Girl. Not just because of the treasured place it holds in our hearts but also because so much has happened, and yet, so little has. Season one brought us Chuck and Blair gazing lustily at each other, Dan writing (or trying to write) exposés about his elite friends, Georgina making trouble, Lily and Bart being together despite the existence of Rufus — and that's pretty much where we still are, plus a sex tape or two. But we took a crazy route to get here. It wasn't so long ago that Chuck was attempting to date-rape Little J. Or that Georgina roofied Serena so she'd miss the SATs. Or that Nate's father was bankrupting their family, or that Dan was dating one of his high school teachers. The show has always toed the line between soapy and ridiculous, and as the seasons wore on, that line got crossed more and more. There was the endless line of summer love interests, who'd make trouble for a few episodes and then generally fade. Marcus, Blair's first royal boyfriend. Catherine, Nate's first much-older girlfriend. Bree, Juliet, Eva, Louis, Steve — all discovered in the lush romantic world known as Not New York. And all trouble. There were bonkers love interests along the way, too. Tripp, Nate's married cousin whom Serena fell for, and who was running for Congress when his grandfather paid someone to "fall" into the Hudson River so that Tripp could show off his heroic side and save him. Except it wasn't his grandfather after all, it was Tripp's wife who paid the river-faller, and was trying to frame Tripp and Nate's grandfather. Also Tripp crashed his car with Serena in the passenger seat and he fled the scene, because of adultery and being terrible. There was Diana, Nate's cougar boss who was just as immature as the rest of the GG-ers, who still operate under the idea that doing things to make other people jealous is a completely normal and predictable way to be. The less said about this season's Sage, the better.

There was Olivia, Dan's college girlfriend with whom he had a threesome with Vanessa. Oh yeah, Vanessa. Ah, Vanessa. Self-righteous Vanessa, never far from making a documentary about something — rich kids, Tripp, Haiti. Always sneaking into and out of the Humphrey loft. Always stealing other people's written materials (letters, novels). GG is a show about excess, a show about scandals, and fashion, and fighting, which is why Blair is mostly getting a pass in this ode to Bananatown. (Though … how many times can someone sabotage or be sabotaged at a fashion show before they think, "You know what? No more fashion shows"?) But let's not forget about Uncle Jack. Or the time Lady Gaga performed at Blair's behest. Or the time Blair read out loud at UCB. Bart Bass died. Bart Bass came back from the dead. Bart Bass died again. And that brings us to Little J, possibly the looniest looney tune in the lineup. Jenny's stories started out vaguely triumphant — Brooklyn ragamuffin beats rich kids at their own game; wears headband. But then there she was, enmeshed in a Belgian drug-smuggling ring, designing drug-smuggling jackets with pills hidden in the drug-smuggling buttons. We'll miss the romance and bed-hopping, the elaborate breakfast spreads, the hats, the name-dropping, the unbelievably gala-heavy social events calendars. But the audacious craziness of some of these story lines? We'll miss you most of all". (Margaret Lyons, 12.12.2012)

NEWS - Una freccia al cuore e una alla testa! Parla Norman Reedus, l'interprete di Daryl di "The Walking Dead"
Intervista tratta da "GQ" Usa

When The Walking Dead's mid-season finale left Daryl Dixon's life hanging in the balance until February, the Internet almost collapsed. And for good reason: All we wanted for Christmas was to know that Daryl was safe and sound—and, if it wasn't too much to ask, to maybe see him playing Joseph to baby Judith's Jesus in a prison nativity scene. Instead, we're left listlessly trudging through the winter with haunting visions, recalling the premature departures of Jimmy Darmody and Ned Stark.

Our love of Daryl can be chalked up to the fact that Norman Reedus's nuanced portrayal of the southern lone wolf with a heart of gold adds a depth that can make the other characters seem one-dimensional. Somehow, he shows up first on our lists for every hypothetical situation (ex: Who would you most want to get a beer with? Who would you want with you in a knife fight? Who would you want to discuss the intricacies of Love Actually with?) In an exclusive interview, GQ caught up with Reedus, the actor who, armed with a crossbow and a scowl, has slaughtered his way into America's apple-pie heart.

GQ: Daryl's the ultimate survivor—how does this happen?
Norman Reedus: I had that same question, but I guess I was just outnumbered. I wanted them to put some bruises and blood on my face so it didn't look like I just gave up. When I was walking with that bag on my head, I tried to play it as scared as possible. I wanted to up the sibling ante a little bit and give Merle this look that said, "Big brother, save me" as much as possible.

GQ: It was a little bit surprising that Daryl wasn't just going apeshit trying to break away, but it added a certain vulnerability to the character.
Norman Reedus: Merle's face totally changed when I came out, too. We did some rehearsal and I was playing it a little more defiant, but when I went in that other direction—as sniffly and lost as possible—Merle's face is completely changed. I love that look that he gives me, like,"Oh fuck, I got us in this situation."

GQ: Daryl's the ultimate fan favorite—I think that's pretty much a given.
Norman Reedus: I talked to [showrunner and executive producer] Glen Mazzara the other day, and he told me he gets tons of mail that's like, "Don't kill Daryl." He was doing interviews and they asked, "So, you ready for Christmas?" and he's like, "No, Christmas is going to suck. I'm gonna have hate mail all through the holidays."

GQ: For a character who doesn't get the most lines, he's unusually complex.
Norman Reedus: When Daryl was first introduced, a lot of bloggers and fans of the show hated him and generalized him a Southern, redneck racist. I live in the South, and that's not really the case, certainly not in 2012. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but you can't just categorize everybody who lives in the South as awful rednecks. So it's more interesting to fight against that, and for him to have heart and want to help. Feeling wanted is a big deal to Daryl; he's never had people rely on him before, and that's what keeps him there. He could take off on his own and still make it, so why is he staying? You have to find all these different reasons to make it interesting for him to want to stay, and I think having this feeling of self-worth, maybe for the first time in his life, is one of those reasons. There are more things to do with this guy, still, and I'd hate to just throw it away to be a cartoon.

GQ: Do you think he's destined to take over leadership at some point?
Norman Reedus: No, I really don't. It's like with Randall in season two—Randall had information that would save the group, and there's this big discussion of, "Should we keep him? Should we put him to work? Should we kill him? Should we let him go?" And Daryl just said, "Fuck it, I'll take care of it. I'll just go in and beat the shit out of him 'til he tells me something." In his mind, he did something that would keep people alive, but he didn't come out and go, "Hey guys, I took care of it! Pat me on the back!" He just kind of slyly came out with bloody knuckles and said, "This is what's up." I think he's more that guy than a look-at-me, leader type. I don't think he really sees it as leadership; people have their duties in the group, and they do those duties.

GQ: How do you like working with the writers?
Norman Reedus: Oh, I love working with the writers, especially when certain scripts are more collaborative. I don't think anybody knows our characters better than the writers, and that's just the bottom line. The writers write episodes that work for a TV show as a group and tell a story. The actors know their parts in telling those stories. We have a very good group of writers and they're all cool and they all listen and have great ideas to play with and the show wouldn't be as big of a success if we didn't have such talented writers.

GQ: How much input do you have into your character? I read that you wanted Daryl to be an Al-Anon member rather than an actual drug addict or alcoholic.
Norman Reedus: I thought it would be very one-dimensional to have him be mini-Merle. You have to think about the backstory and think, how does growing up with an older brother who's just hardcore nasty affect a young guy? Does he follow in his big brother's footsteps? Yeah, maybe in the beginning, but as he gets older, he probably wants to become his own person. He's reinventing himself with this new world; there was an early script with a scene where, after the Sophia's death, Lori comes up to me and I'm taking all my brother's drugs, and that's just really not what I wanted this guy to be. I wanted him to be embarrassed of the way he grew up, and to be embarrassed when some racial slur came out of Merle's mouth. So I talked to the writers and, to their credit, they helped me develop this character, and I think one of the reasons Daryl's so popular is because he's fighting against this terrible thing he was doomed to become.

GQ: I can't imagine there are a lot of shows that would allow an actor to play that big of a role in shaping their character.
Norman Reedus: You pick your moments to fight for your character, and sometimes you have to just trust the writers and the people who are looking at the show overall. I just read this interview with Jack Nicholson, and he said sometimes he does things his way, and sometimes you just have to trust the writers, otherwise you're gonna do the same thing over and over that you think is cool. I think it's interesting to have a cool character not look so cool, you know? I don't mind if there's snot running down my nose, and my hair's all fucked up, and I look all weak, and it's not the best lighting. Good! Keep it that way! It's more interesting. Can you imagine if I just walked up to the camera and fuckin' struck a pose every fucking time with perfect lighting and perfect hair and did the same fucking thing every single time? It'd be boring as hell.

GQ: In what ways are you like Daryl?
Norman Reedus: Uh, I'm shy. I'm socially awkward. I'm a loner myself. I'm more of a listener than a talker. I value friendship—I'd do anything for my friends, and I think he's like that. I'm not afraid to take chances or go off on my own. And a lot like Daryl, I'll go off in a direction and try something completely wrong, and learn my lesson, [laughs] you know what I'm sayin'? And then all the obvious reasons I'm not like him one bit; I mean, I'm driving back to Manhattan with a cat in my lap right now.

GQ: What kind of cat do you have?
Norman Reedus: It's just this fat, black alley cat. My son wanted a black kitten when he was a kid, and I found it in the East Village in some rescue shelter, but it was born in a box and the guy that was getting rid of it was like, "You don't want this cat. This cat's never gonna love anyone." And the first time I saw it, it was like just hissing and scratching everything it saw and now it's like this big, fat, chill cat.

GQ: Chandler Riggs [Carl] said a lot of the adults on set act like kids, specifically you and Steven Yeun [Glenn].
Norman Reedus: I've always said that Daryl and Carl get along well, because Carl's like an adult kid and Daryl's a childlike adult. We goof off all the time on set. Andy [Lincoln, who plays Rick] and I, we'll do some big scene and when the camera's not in our faces and we're standing there together, I'll go, "I love you!" and he'll go, "Fuck you." Or vice versa. Yeah, we're always fuckin' around.

GQ: I'm pretty sure if given the option, most people would take Daryl as the one to have during an apocalypse. Do you think you'd be able to hold up as well personally?
Norman Reedus: Man, I'd probably do okay for a couple weeks, and then I'd just be really depressed. I mean, I like motorcycles, and I'd probably just get a backpack and a gun and whatever cash I can find and just grab my son and throw him on the back and head north.

GQ: You ride bikes?
Norman Reedus: I do, I have two motorcycles and I'm building a third one. I like bikes a lot. I have my own bike in Georgia, which is actually in [special effects make-up supervisor] Greg Nicotero's garage.

GQ: How long have you been riding for?
Norman Reedus: Geez, I've been riding since junior high, actually. It's amazing. I ride a bike to set when the weather's nice; it's the best way to get to set and back. It clears your head, and it's beautiful here.

GQ: What's better than that? You ride a bike to work, you go hack zombies for a little bit, and then you just call it a day.
Norman Reedus: Right? It's the best life ever. I'm so fortunate, it's ridiculous.

Stracult e Stracotti - …ovvero la serie che questa settimana va su e quella che inevitabilmente va giù. Parola di Stargirl!

Ci sono serie talmente stracotte che meriterebbero di venir chiuse dopo una manciata di episodi appena, altre che, nonostante tutto, un’occhiata se la meritano nonostante tutto. Ce ne sono alcune che vengono trascinate per lunghe, estenuanti stagioni, altre che al termine del primo anno, si beccano una chiusura anticipata lasciando in sospeso gli esigui colpi di scena che solitamente le caratterizzano.

Esistono poi alcuni telefilm che, soltanto con l’episodio pilota, si confermano immediatamente “stracult”, senza lasciare alcun dubbio allo spettatore. Altri invece ci mettono un po’ a convincere pubblico e critica per diventare successivamente piccole pietre miliari del panorama telefilmico internazionale, per arrivare poi a certi show che, seppur stilisticamente e qualitativamente mediocri, riescono in qualche modo, a far parlare di sé.

Riallacciandosi al detto “nel bene o nel male purché se ne parli”, questo è proprio il caso di 90210, spin-off, remake, sequel (di epiteti gliene sono stati attribuiti molti in questi cinque anni) del celebre Beverly Hills 90210, storico teen drama che negli anni Novanta ha fatto impazzire la mia generazione, gettando le basi di un genere che, ahimè, oggi, si è perso per strada.

A metà strada tra lo stracult e stracotto, per tutti i motivi elencati sopra, al centro della nostra rubrica oggi, proprio i ragazzi del West Beverly High versione 2.0, che con l’ultima puntata trasmessa sulla CW la scorsa settimana, hanno festeggiato il traguardo di “100 episodi”.
Come già anticipato, non ci troviamo certo di fronte a un capolavoro, né tantomeno a show di grosso rilievo, questo è poco ma sicuro. E se vogliamo, anzi, di difetti, nella serie ideata da Rob Thomas e sviluppata da Gabe Sachs e Jeff Judah, possiamo riscontrane parecchi: dall’inconsistenza di alcune storyline, a una sceneggiatura fin troppo superficiale e prevedibile, fino ad arrivare a un plot spesso banale ed esagerato e una recitazione (per la maggior parte dei componenti del cast) piuttosto elementare.

Ma se la serie resiste, a fatica e nonostante l’esiguo numero di spettatori ogni settimana - appena un milione scarso (e un rating dello 0,5 nella fascia 18-49) -, un motivo c’è.
Da un alto abbiamo le guest star, che come da tradizione del genere (basti pensare alla serie madre o a One Tree Hill) non mancano mai: da Nelly Furtado a Carly Rae Jepsen, da Ne-Yo ai Jonas Brothers, sono molti i personaggi pop che fino a oggi hanno contribuito ad animare il teen drama. Dall’altro, nonostante alcune storie come già detto, appaiono pressoché surreali, il punto di forza di 90210, è proprio nella leggerezza che porta in scena, in quell’irresistibile parvenza trash che l’ha caratterizzata e che trova il culmine nell’irrefrenabile personaggio di Naomi Clark, interpretato da AnnaLynne McCord.

A conti fatti quindi, non c’è dubbio che 90210 sia uno stracotto dalla nascita, da quando tentò, inutilmente, di calcare le fila di un colosso del mondo dei telefilm come Beverly Hills 90210, fallendo in tutto e per tutto.
Ma guardando bene sotto la superficie, questi 100 episodi andati in onda finora, ci hanno regalato, nonostante tutto, un piacevole diversivo, un toccasana per scacciare i pensieri, quaranta minuti che, settimana dopo settimana, ci hanno aiutare a mettere da parte i piccoli problemi quotidiani per un po’, calandoci con leggerezza in un mondo patinato e affascinate, surreale sì, ma senza dubbio esilarante.