Category: Projects

Cougar Town: Baby Talk for Jules and Grayson?

Wednesday, Jan 26, 2011

Cougar Town may be about to disappear from TV schedules for two months, but no need to start binge drinking merlot just yet. Days after ABC renewed the comedy for a third season, the stars and executive producers welcomed reporters to its Los Angeles set to preview what’s coming up next for the cul-de-sac crew. In between gazing at Big Carl revealing which star is the best at Penny Can (Ian Gomez says Josh Hopkins is the one to beat), the cast and crew discussed Jules and Grayson’s next big obstacle, Bobby’s love life and the cliff-hanger ahead for Travis and Kirsten.

A (Baby) Speed Bump Is on the Way for Jules and Grayson: Now that Grayson was (Hopkins) finally able to man up and tell Jules (Courteney Cox) he loves her, there are only clear skies ahead for one of the cul-de-sac’s cutest couples, right? Wrong! “The tension, at some point, is going to come from the fact that Grayson wants kids and Jules doesn’t,” Hopkins tells TVGuide.com. “That’s where it’s headed.”

Will We Get to Meet Andy’s Lesbian Sister?: Following guest spots by Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Ken Jenkins, Cougar Town‘s friends and family policy is next hoping to include Gomez’s wife, My Big Fat Greek Wedding star Nia Vardalos. Lawrence hopes to get her on the show before the end of the year, but who will she play? “She’s probably going to try to be one of the guy’s love interests. I’m hoping that she’s my lesbian sister or something like that,” Gomez jokes. “I’m not trying to pitch any ideas because I trust that they’re going to come up with something great.”

Bobby Is Playing the Field (in More Ways Than One): Season 2 has been a big growing year for Bobby, who saw his only son head off to college and is now determined to return to golf professionally. “I’m happy that [co-creators and executive producers] Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel decided to have Bobby evolve more and have a little bit more success rather than screwing up constantly and being the lovable loser,” Brian Van Holt says. This new maturity also pushes Bobby to re-enter the dating scene with the inevitable successes and failures along the way. “He has a difficult time holding down a girlfriend,” he says with a laugh.

Is There Trouble in Paradise for Travis?: The writers plan to embrace the hiatus with a small cliff-hanger involving Travis (Dan Byrd) and his girlfriend, Kirsten (Collette Wolfe) “It’s a situation that closely resembles maybe what Jules’ past was — although it doesn’t mirror it,” Biegel says.”Young love is a big part of it. Jules dealing with that kind of takes us through the end of the year.”

More Penny Can Is Coming!: Fans clamoring for more Penny Can, you’re not alone. The gang’s favorite game — both on-screen and off- according to the cast themselves — will be soon available for purchase Biegel promises, adding that an upcoming episode will center on the game, “There’s a big story coming with Penny Can where Bobby tries to sell Penny Can and becomes a baron and makes money and it’s shockingly successful.”

Cougar Town airs Wednesday at 9:30/8:30c on ABC.

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by Jess

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Courteney Cox: No More Friends!

Thursday, Jan 20, 2011

The TV interviews for the RTÉ Guide and TEN began with a visit to the ‘Cougar Town’ set at The Culver Studios yesterday, where Courtney Cox insisted that no more Friends’ stars will guest on the show.

Although some distance from Hollywood, Culver City is where the original MGM studios were based and many classic movies were filmed there, including ‘The Wizard of Oz’, ‘Citizen Kane’ and ‘Grease’.

Culver Studios was where ‘Gone With the Wind’ was shot, while in more recent times it has been home to popular TV shows such as ‘Lassie’ and ‘Batman’. Of the current crop, ‘Cougar Town’ is one of its most successful productions.

Getting behind the scenes is part of the fun on press trips, and wandering through the set of ‘Cougar Town’ was no different. It’s amazing how unrealistic such sets are to the naked eye – but that’s part of the magic of showbiz.

Sitting outside the office of Jules Cobb’s real estate business, the cast were brought out in three stages: Ian Gomez and Christa Miller, who play husband and wife Andy and Ellie; Josh Hopkins (Grayson), Brian Van Holt (Bobby) and Busy Philipps (Laurie); and finally, Dan Byrd (Travis) and Courtney Cox (Jules).

For Courtney Cox, tone of the big moments in the second season – starting soon on RTÉ Two – was having pal and fellow former Friends’ star Jennifer Aniston guesting on the show, as a therapist. “It was amazing and fun, and everything about it was fantastic,” she recalls. “I’m so glad that it happened.” And as for Aniston playing a therapist? “We wanted something that was kooky and fun and just right for us,” she says.

Fans may recall that another Friends’ cast member, Lisa Kudrow, appeared in season one, but Cox feels that there will be no more Central Perk heads appearing on Cougar Town. “They’re all too busy,” she insists.

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Interviews Media News Projects Scream 4

Scream 4 Update: Courteney Cox confirms plan for future sequels – but will she live to see them?

Friday, Jan 14, 2011

Popsugar visited the set of Cougar Town on Wednesday and was treated to a conversation with Courteney Cox. The actress, who will be reprising her role as tabloid reporter-turned-author Gale Weathers, had this to say about her on-set experience:

How was it stepping back into the Scream franchise?
CC: That character is really over the top, and I just realized that was 10 years ago; all of the actors on the set, the new group, they’re very subdued, kind of quiet. And I stick out like a sore thumb; I was like “Gail Weathers is back!” Like, are they going to talk any louder at all? They are very cool, and I’m older, and not as cool. But I stepped into my character; we’ll see what happens. Dewey was Dewey! But then, you know, people have changed. People are cooler than me.

And then there was talk of future sequels…

Is it true that there will be more Scream films after this one?
CC: There is going to be a Scream 4, 5, and 6. [But] I don’t know anything.

So there you have it: Further confirmation that Scream 4, if received well, will usher in a new trilogy. (Lucy Hale said as much earlier in the week.) But will Cox’s character live long enough to die another day?

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Cougar Town Interviews Media Projects Scream 4

Courteney Cox on Coco and Cougar Town as Her Saving Grace

Friday, Jan 14, 2011

From whether the former Monica Geller lets real life daughter Coco, age 6, watch her sometimes racy show to how it’s been helping her while she endures a separation with David Arquette, who is currently in rehab, Breezy Mama got the scoop.

Do you let your daughter watch the show?

[Pauses]… If I say yes, am I a bad mom?

[Laughs] Noooo…

I do but I tell her to close her eyes when it’s inappropriate and she does. She really thinks Dan Byrd [my son on the show] is her brother. This is her family… she’s supposed to be down here any minute.

Has this been a good escape for you with all that’s going on personally?

Oh yeah! Thank God for the show. There have been times when [Executive Producer] Bill [Lawrence] has said, “Are you all right? Do you need to take a break?” And I’m like, “Are you kidding? This is my saving grace.”

Are you used to all the scrutiny and attention of fame after being in this business for a while?

I think I’m kind of used to it, but as I get older, I’m getting more sensitive. So, it might be harder in some ways and because I love the show so much… I do take it personally anything that involves the show. Obviously my life is kind of crazy right now so… I think it’s harder than it used to be.

Is Coco creative?

She just wrote a book about Candy Land and how the Queen said no more candy and you have to eat vegetables. It was a whole story.

So does she eat sweets?

She is a nightmare when she eats sweets. I mean, I let her have them, but I say, “Do you see the difference in your personality? Can you tell how much of a monster you are right now?” And she’ll say [kids voice], “Yes.”

What do you think when people say to you: I grew up watching you?

I think it’s all right… I guess… I mean, I have a few years before I feel bad.

When [Friends Co-Star] Jennifer [Aniston] came on Cougar Town was it like old times?

It felt like… fun. And it didn’t feel like Monica and Rachel at all, which is great – the characters are so different. It just felt natural and we had a ball.

Is she coming back?

I doubt it. She has four movies this year.

Are there other people from the past you’d like to see come on?

Yeah, I loved working with Lisa [Kudrow, a.k.a. Phoebe from Friends], that was really fun… Johnny Depp maybe. I haven’t worked with Johnny but I would like to [smiles].

Have you seen episodes of Matthew Perry’s new show, Mr. Sunshine?

No, I haven’t, but I can’t wait. I just saw his face on a bus and he looked so cute. I will be watching it.

Were you nervous about the Jules [your Cougar Town character] and Grayson story line – them getting together so soon?

I was nervous at first. But I just love Bill’s take on them. It’s not going to be an on and off again thing, which is what I’m used to seeing with [Friends characters] Rachel and Ross… not so much me and Chandler… once we were together we stayed together.

How was working on Scream again?

It’s been 10 years and there’s a new group of actors and they all were subdued and quiet. I was thinking I’m going to stand out like a sore thumb. I was like: GAIL WEATHERS IS BACK!

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LocateTV Sits Down With Courteney Cox

Friday, Jan 14, 2011

Courteney Cox definitely enjoys the grape, both in character as Cougar Town‘s Jules Cobb and after a day’s filming is done.Seated between co-stars Christa Miller and Busy Phillips on the set of the ABC comedy, Cox is in good humor and unusually expansive before a small cluster of TV writers.

“I do love wine,” she said Wednesday when locatetv.com popped the question. “And I have a fancy palette. At least that’s what David always used to say to me.”

It’s her only direct reference to estranged husband David Arquette, from whom she separated last year after 11 years of marriage. “Oh yeah,” Cox said when asked later if Cougar Town provides a safe haven from all the tabloid speculation about her personal life. “Thank God for the show. This is my saving grace.”

Back to the vino, which Cox’s Cobb regularly consumes voraciously on Cougar Town. Her vessel of choice used to be the 44 ounce “Big Joe,” which was broken as part of a recent episode’s storyline. It’s actually filled with grape juice during filming, but cast members regularly gather in Cox’s on-set “bungalow” for the real thing.

“I like French and Italian wines,” she said. “I used to like California wines, but I like them less sweet now.”

At a preceding interview session Wednesday before the TV critic masses, Cougar Town executive producer Bill Lawrence noted that “one of the first things I noticed when I met Courteney Cox is she pours herself a healthy glass of wine. Like the type that you could do wrist curls with.”

“She keeps it for a long time. She milks it,” co-star Miller clarified, probably to no avail.

Cougar Town will be getting a third season next fall, ABC announced earlier in the week. That’s nowhere near a match for the 10-year run of NBC’s Friends, in which the now 46-year-old Cox played Monica Geller. Her ABC series also is a “single camera” show filmed in private while Friends unfolded during tapings before live studio audiences.

“I’m not huge on having an audience for some reason,” Cox said. “It made me nervous, even in year 10. “I’d rather do new scenes every day and move on. I get bored.

“But let me tell you something,” she quickly added. “I loved Friends. I’d have done a couple more years. But this is easier for me in some ways. I think it’s kind of tailor made for my personality.”

Her former Friends co-stars keep meshing with her both on- and off-camera. Jennifer Aniston recently guest-starred on Cougar Town in the role of Jules’ decidedly oddball therapist. Matt Perry’s new Mr. Sunshine comedy series will get a limited run on ABC in Cougar Town‘s Wednesday time slot, beginning Feb. 9th. And Cox recently glimpsed Matt LeBlanc adorning a bus in connection with his new Showtime series Episodes.

“He looks so cute. I will be watching it,” she said.

Friends brought her considerable fame and fortune. But its six stars also soon found themselves in the position of one-upping each other with movie roles and other projects.

“I wish I hadn’t been such a ‘comparative person,’ ” Cox said. “I don’t want to do that anymore. There was a lot of stuff that could mess with your ego being on a show with an ensemble of six people. It was hard. It was a lot of learning for me.”

Cox and Arquette were married halfway through Friends‘ run, and have a daughter, Coco, who’s now six years old.

“If I say yes, am I a bad mom?” Cox said after being asked if her daughter is allowed to watch Cougar Town. “I do let her watch it, but I tell her to close her eyes when it’s inappropriate. She really thinks that Dan Byrd (who plays Jules’ college age son, Travis) is her brother. She calls him Brownie. This is her family. She’s supposed to be here any minute.”

By the way, the show’s title is destined to change sooner (or more likely later), executive producer Lawrence said in an earlier session with TV writers.

Cougar Town “has nothing to do with what it’s about, but writers look for ways to procrastinate,” he said.

Cox, however, prefers to stay the course.

“I think it’s a great title,” she said. “It’s become cool to say you watch a show called Cougar Town, I think.”

The show’s audience fall-off is still pronounced, though, with Cougar Town regularly dropping a few million viewers from its potent Wednesday night lead-in, Modern Family.

“It’s a double-edged sword for us right now,” Lawrence said. “You’re always going to get nailed a bit if you don’t retain their audience. And they’re a big hit. We are successful, but we’re not a big hit . . . The next big test for the show is that either at the beginning of next season or halfway through it will have to lead off its own hour somewhere . . . So that’s the next real hurdle.”

“Well, I want to stay behind Modern Family,” Cox countered. “I like to stay behind a good, solid hit. I don’t want to move.”

“We’re going to have to make the leap sooner or later,” Lawrence said. “I would like to stay behind Modern Family for six years and then maybe the seventh year they try us out in our own time slot. But I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Wherever it lands, Cougar Town will have to replicate a fine wine. Improve with age or eventually die on the vine.

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by Jess

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Cougar Town Interviews Media Projects

Wine flows freely in “Cougar Town”

Friday, Jan 14, 2011

The characters on “Cougar Town” drink wine. A lot of wine. Often.The series’ central character, Jules (Courteney Cox) drinks wine out of an enormous goblet she calls Big Carl. A really big goblet. Big Carl holds a bottle-and-a-half of wine.

“And she drinks maybe five or six in one show,” joked executive producer Bill Lawrence.But this is the world of TV. Nobody is headed for the Betty Ford Center.

“She’s going to continue to drink and live a very successful life being an alcoholic, but manageable,” Cox joked. “There is no rehab in sight or anything.”

Cox, who’s also one of the show’s executive producers, and Lawrence quite clearly get along extremely well. They also quite clearly disagree on the whole wine-drinking thing.

“I don’t think we exaggerate the amount of wine-drinking that adults do in America by that much. I think maybe by that much, at most,” said Lawrence, holding his fingers an inch apart.

“I think that we do,” Cox disagreed.

Lawrence sort of blamed Cox for her character’s drinking. Well, more than sort of.

“I love getting to know actors and seeing what their real personalities are like and stealing from them,” he said. “And one of the first things that I noticed when I met Courteney Cox is she pours herself a healthy glass of wine. She pours herself, like, the type that you could do wrist curls with.”

Cox was just shaking her head “no” the whole time.

If the drinking levels are fictional, the drinks are not. If you watch “Cougar Town” closely, you’ll see that those bottles of wine are real wine bottles. With real labels. Not something made up by the art department.

“You recognize labels of wine that also happen to be in my house now in big giant free crates,” Lawrence said. “That’s funny because it’s a little true.”

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by Jess

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