Spotlight On: Magda Apanowicz

From an early age, Magda Apanowicz knew she wanted to be an actress and, once that decision was made, she made a rapid ascent and took the television world by storm. As a teenager, she first appeared in an episode of the post-apocalyptic series Jeremiah along side Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. She then did a series of other brief appearances in the sci-fi series John Doe, which starred Dominic Purcell and Sprague Grayden, and the films Sweet Lullaby, Riverburn, and The Butterfly Effect, the latter of which starred Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart and Eric Stoltz (her future co-star in the television series Caprica).

She then appeared in a three episode arc in the television series Cold Squad, which starred Tahmoh Penikett and Julie Stewart. With astonishing ease, Magda continued to secure work and worked next on the series The L Word, which starred Jennifer Beals and Mia Kirshner, and the short-lived Bionic Woman, which starred Michelle Ryan and Katee Sackoff, while simultaneously working on the films Holiday Wishes, along side Amber Benson, and Devil’s Diary with Brian Krause.

Then, in 2006, Magda landed her first regular television series playing the role of Alex Young in Renegadepress.com. The show focused on the trials and tribulations of teenagers today and starred Ksenia Solo (who currently plays Natasha on the CW series Life Unexpected).

Moving on quickly, Magda immediately scored a plum role on the teenage sci-fi series Kyle XY, which starred Matt Dallas, Marguerite MacIntyre, and Bruce Thomas. Playing the quirky, but lovable Andy, Magda’s performance as a teenager living with cancer was touching and insightful. She showed with ease the duality of a young girl wanting to live her life carefree and to the fullest, yet burdened by a debilitating disease. Perhaps it was her graceful and gracious portrayal with a hint of mischievous and playfulness that captured the eye of the casting directors for Caprica.

As is evident from her career, the sci-fi realm beckoned early on and made Magda one of its rising stars. While her Caprica co-stars Alessandra Torresani, Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales are more recognizable from the splashy advertising campaign, it is actually Magda portraying Lacy Rand that the viewers closely identify with. Lacy was, after all, the sensible one who did not go through with the plan to escape to Gemenon and then watched in anguish as her best friend died in a terrorist bombing. The audience watched with equal parts horror and fascination when Lacy got that fateful call from her dead best friend – whose persona had been implanted in a first generation Cylon. It is the unique friendship that develops between Lacy and the Cylon version of her friend that captivates and enthralls. It is a credit to Magda that she brings us into a wondrous world of discovery, acceptance and secrecy. Her portrayal is poignant, conflicted and ultimately intriguing — and we cannot stop watching.

Caprica airs Fridays at 10/9c on Syfy.

Sanctuary at Comic Con

Comic Con was months ago, but we decided to hang on to this report until closer to Sanctuary’s premiere so the information would be fresh in our minds.

What started out as a small internet project two years ago with only a small booth at Comic Con has become a full-fledged hit, filling a panel room full of over 2000 fans; and breaking records for the SyFy Channel as the only internet project to get a second season.

I am talking about the innovative series Sanctuary that stars Stargate SG1 alum Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, a 157-year-old protector (and in some instances, captor) of ‘abnormals’ and Robin Dunne as Dr. Will Zimmerman, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist who works with Dr. Magnus. Along for the ride at the Comic Con panel with Ms. Tapping and Mr. Dunne were Executive Producers Martin Wood and Damian Kindler and guest moderator Michael Logan from TV Guide.

As the cast and crew took their seats, the audience was treated to a clip of old and new scenes from the show and were told that almost all of Season 2 is complete except for the extensive CGI work for which the show has become famous. In the words of Mr. Wood, the “CGI still has a long way to go to be done” in time for the October 9 return of the series. He also stated that, “if you liked what you saw in the first season, you have no idea what’s coming next”, including seeing inside the other Sanctuaries throughout the globe.

One of the greatest things about the show to Mr. Dunne is that “they push the envelope” and aren’t afraid to “be outside the box”. He and Ms. Tapping spoke at length about one particular upcoming episode entitled “Next Tuesday” where they filmed a difficult helicopter scene and spent an inordinate amount of time in grungy water. “There were no stunt people, it was all Amanda and Robin,” recounted both Mr. Kindler and Mr. Wood.

It was shared that the second half of the season premiere was filmed in Japan rather than using the elaborate green screen technique that has become a staple of the series and both stars recounted a harrowing stunt scene in which Ms. Tapping was actually racing a car with Mr. Dunne in the passenger seat. He quipped that he was “terrified of Amanda’s driving” and the reactions you see him display in the episode were “very real”. The Executive Producers also gave credit to the Emmy nomination that was received by the show’s visual effects department, explaining that it takes 60 artists 29 weeks to work on all the effects for the show.

Ms. Tapping was also excited about getting to direct an episode; this one entitled ‘Veritas’. She described the episode as being when Magnus “loses her marbles” and she raved about Mr. Dunne’s performance in that episode. Mr. Wood and Mr. Kindler also spoke about a post-apocalyptic episode that will prominently feature “Will in a very different light and see the Sanctuary ‘all messed up’.”

And when asked about injuries sustained in the making the show, Mr. Dunne joked “do you have 4 hours?” and Ms. Tapping quipped that she should never do her own stunts, but that’s precisely what she “has done over the past 13 years”.

A new character will be introduced in Season 2 – Kate Freelander, who is a freelance operative who, as the Executive Producers explain, is a “lost soul who would never admit it”. She is street-wise who speaks from the gut and is a “cool cowboy character” who will be introduced in the season opening two-parter.

Guest stars this new season will include Michael Shanks (Stargate SG1), Chris Gauthier and Erica Cerra (both from Eureka) and Callum Blue (Dead Like Me).

You can learn more about Sanctuary, its cast, watch full episodes and even see the Comic Con trailer on the Sanctuary website. And, mark your calendar for the season premiere on October 9 at 10 p.m.

Nice Boy of the Week: Robin Dunne

When I was on a conference call with Robin Dunne and Amanda Tapping last week, I couldn’t help but wish I could spend just one day on the set of SyFy’s Sanctuary. He seems like the kind of guy that’s always looking for ways to have fun. Amanda said that he always makes her laugh and I’d like to know how.

Another one of our Canadian imports, Robin has been making himself known in such television shows as Dawson’s Creek, Dead Like Me and Just Friends, before landing the role as Will Zimmerman in Sanctuary. Other television credits include NCIS and the made-for-tv movie, Robin Hood:Beyond Sherwood,Code Breakers and Au Pair II.

Robin starred in the film Cruel Intentions 2 with Amy Adams, Sarah Thompson and Keri Lynn Pratt, and he’s tried his hand at writing on four “Roxy Hunter” movies. Robin also co-produced Jack and Jill vs. the World. He’s been a busy guy! Nevertheless, in honor of the season two premiere of Sanctuary this Friday night, we’ve voted on Robin as our Nice Boy of the Week.

Exclusive Interview: It’s Eddie McClintock, Not David Boreanaz

Talking to Eddie McClintock is like gabbing with your neighbor over the garden fence. You’re comfortable talking about anything from this year’s tomato plants to Living In the Shadow of David Boreanaz. Melissa and I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with one of our Nice Boys recently, and that’s the best way I can describe our conversation.

Eddie McClintock has been told countless times that he looks like David and Craig Sheffer, but all that is changing. After working with David on Bones and meeting Craig once or twice, Eddie finally has his own series, and no one looks like him on it. Warehouse 13 has been a wonderful treat for us during the summer and a decided hit for SyFy. So much so that the series has been renewed for another season. Eddie plays secret service agent Pete Lattimer, who often flies by the seat of his pants, with a quirky sense of humor at the worst moments.

Eddie is having a lot of fun with Warehouse 13. One of the things he loves about the show is “the way the writers will switch things up between drama and comedy within the same scene. It’s never too much one way or the other. It’s a well balanced show. ”

In an episode that’s coming up in a couple of weeks called “Nevermore”, Pete and Claudia leave Myka with her father and mother and go off and solve the case. “We had so much fun!” recalls Eddie. “[In tonight's episode] it’s Claudia, Myka and Pete in the warehouse together and we got to do a lot of fun stuff. That episode (“Breakdown”) was the funnest episode. You know this last one (“Regrets”), was pretty serious. There was a lot of serious, emotional stuff, so we’re going to go back to some light.”

Of course, the inevitable question will always come up about whether or not Pete and Myka will ever have a romantic relationship. Eddie explains, “I like to think that there is one developing. Maybe not necessarily a romantic relationship. I think that once the leads of the show get romantic the show is over. I think that they have such a great respect for one another and really an admiration and love. I mean Pete loves her and I think she loves him, and right now it’s more like brother and sister. I hope they keep it there for a little while. Once it goes romantic the audience moves on. They want to see the next couple get together. There’s no more mystery once they jump in the sack together. It’s like Bones or Moonlighting or any great show.” He goes on to say that he has “such great confidence in our writer and our exec producer Jack Kenny. They’ve been able to find the perfect balance, in my opinion, in drama and comedy, so wherever they decide. They really have they fingers on the pulse of what they want to show to be.”

The playful relationship between Pete and Myka is very real. “Joanne and I just get along. It’s like even though I’m older, somehow I play the role of the younger brother. Literally, she punches me all the time. We’re really not doing a whole lot of acting. We’re just kind of hanging out and picking on each other. It’s all out of love. We have a great time together. We’re lucky!”

We asked Eddie what direction he’d like to see Pete go, now that Warehouse 13 is guaranteed a second season. Eddie had, at one time, thought he’d like to join the Marine Corps, so he’d like to see Pete in the Marines in his back story. He’d like to see Pete explore his relationship with his mother and then go on a vacation in Hawaii on the company’s dollar.

Eddie talked about the amount of promoting and viral campaigning that SyFy put into this series. He was so impressed at how much they got behind the show, although he did express a bit of concern over the fact that Warehoiuse 13’s final two episodes this season will go up against Melrose Place and the new NCIS: Los Angeles. He’d hate to see the show end its first season in the shadow of those two shows. This Nice Girl doesn’t think he has anything real to worry about.

Warehouse 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on SyFy. Watch tonight’s episode, “Breakdown”, and come on back and tell us what you think!

Summer TV Surprises

A number of good series returned this summer like Burn Notice, Eureka, In Plain Sight, The Closer and Leverage. Along with these and numerous other returning shows, a handful of new shows debuted over the summer. The ones that stand out the most to me as surprise hits of the summer are:

1. Drop Dead Diva – This comedic drama on Lifetime has the most unusual premise: Deb (Brooke D’Orsay), a beautiful-but-vapid model wannabe, dies in a car accident and finds herself before Heaven’s gatekeeper. In her attempt to return to her life, she is relegated to the body of recently deceased Jane Bingham, a brilliant, thoughtful and plus-size attorney. Now, Deb’s soul is inside Jane with all of Deb’s memories but all of Jane’s intelligence.

The story itself sounds preposterous until you see the delightful and perfectly cast Brooke Elliott in the lead role, surrounded by her guardian angel (of sorts) Fred (Ben Feldman), her loyal assistant Teri (Margaret Cho) and Deb’s best friend Stacy (April Bowlby). At her law firm, Jane works with Grayson Kent (Jackson Hurst), who was Deb’s boyfriend; Kim Kaswell (Kate Levering), a tough-as-nails (and rather unlikeable) attorney and boss man Parker (Josh Stamberg).

The series airs on Sunday nights at 9 PM with its finale set for October 11. You can get caught up on the first eight episodes at mylifetime.com then join in the fun for the last five episodes starting this Sunday. And best of all the show has done so well this summer that the network has renewed it for a second season.

2. Warehouse 13 – After only eight episodes, this Syfy original has already made its way into the hearts of viewers, combining humor, intrigue and adventure all into one terrific package. After saving the life of the President, two secret service agents – Peter Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) – are transferred to Warehouse 13 a “massive, top-secret storage facility in South Dakota that houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government.”

Pete and Myka work with warehouse caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) and young techno-wiz Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti) to track down these artifacts in order to “snag, bag and tag them” and place them, forever, in the warehouse. Also along for the ride is Leena (Genelle Williams), the proprietor of the bed and breakfast where Pete and Myka live; their former boss Daniel Dickson (Simon Reynolds) and the mysterious Director of the secret organization that runs the warehouse, Mrs. Frederick (C.C.H. Pounder).

With only four more episodes to air on Tuesday nights at 9 PM, you can catch up on the past episodes at http://www.syfy.com/warehouse13/ and watch the remaining episodes, leading up to the finale on September 22. Then make sure to tune in next summer, as the show has been renewed for another season.

3. Being Human – This BBC America series is already a hit in the UK while American audiences got to experience this unique telling of a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf sharing a house in Bristol over the summer. The story centers on John Mitchell (Aidan Turner), a vampire who was turned during WWI but now works as a hospital porter; George Sands (Russell Tovey), a werewolf, who while being extremely intelligent works alongside Mitchell as a porter, leaving behind his family, fiancé and friends due to being afraid of hurting them; and Annie Sawyer (Lenora Crichlow), a ghost who died in the house where George and Mitchell live and where she refuses to leave.

While there were only six episodes and the pilot in the first season, this supernatural dramedy with classic British humor grabbed onto the audience and didn’t let go until its final scene with viewers clamoring for more. Season 2 is supposed to be filming as of August and is expected to air in the U.K. in 2010. Those of us on the “other side of the pond” will have to wait our turn to see the new season once BBC America sets the airdates. In order to get caught up on this exciting drama, please visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/beinghuman/.

4. Royal Pains – This new medical drama/comedy has become the hit of the USA Network, starring Mark Feuerstein as Dr. Hank Lawson, a rising star in the New York City medical community who loses everything after fighting for the life of a patient (and allowing a prominent benefactor of his hospital to die). With his life and career in shambles, his younger brother Evan (Paulo Costanzo) takes him to the Hamptons for a Memorial Day get-away, which ends up allowing Hank to become a new kind of MD – a concierge doctor.

With his invaluable physician’s assistant Divya Katdare (Reshma Shetty) on hand and his brother Evan, who is a certified public accountant, along for the ride, Hank Med is up and running in the Hamptons. The series also stars Jill Flint as Jill Casey, administrator at the local hospital and on-again/off-again love interest to Hank.

The series just wrapped up its first season on August 27, but you can check out the 12 aired episodes via http://www.usanetwork.com/series/royalpains/ and you can tune in next summer when its recently announced second season will air.

What new summer shows did you enjoy most? Please share.

Video: All New “Warehouse 13″

To get you ready for an all new Warehouse 13 episode, check out this clip from SyFy. The episode is called Regrets and in it Pete and Myka investigate a prison where nightmares become all too real.

Regrets airs tomorrow night at 9/8 central on SyFy.

Warehouse 13, Drop Dead Diva Renewed! Leverage Adds Two!

Two of our new favorite shows, SyFy’s Warehouse 13 and Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva, have been renewed for a second season by their respective networks. Meanwhile, TNT is so happy with Leverage’s performance that they’ve added more episodes to the order for the current season.

Warehouse 13 is SyFy’s most watched show, averaging 3.7 million viewers a week. Almost 50% of those viewers are women, quite a significant change from SyFy’s normal demo. The network ordered 13 new episodes to air next summer, but says there’s a chance that the number of episodes will increase in future seasons.

Lifetime’s new show, Drop Dead Diva, has been a strong performer for the network. The show has averaged 2.6 million viewers so far in its first season, and in its most recent airing last Sunday, hit a record of more than 3 million viewers. Another thirteen episodes will be coming our way next summer when Drop Dead Diva returns to Lifetime.

Meanwhile, TNT has been so pleased with Leverage’s second season that they’ve ordered two additional episodes to air in September. The new season finale will air Wednesday, September 9. I’d hazard a guess that this means we can expect a third season to be announced soon!

Warehouse 13 Promises Endless Wonder (And Ferrets)

The Sci Fi Network rebrands itself as SyFy beginning July 7, and part of the initiative includes rolling out new original series to join their stable of returning shows. Among the newbies is Warehouse 13, a dramedy adventure series starring Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly and Saul Rubinek, with special guest appearances by CCH Pounder. The titular warehouse is a massive, top-secret facility in the Badlands of South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. McClintock and Kelly are the Secret Service agents tasked to collect and protect the artifacts; Rubinek is the eccentric curator of the warehouse; and Pounder is the mysterious Mrs. Frederic who overseas the entire operation.

Up to speed on the premise? Here’s what Nice Girls really want to know: McClintock as Pete Lattimer and Kelly as Myka (pronounced “Mike-ah”) Bering have terrific comic chemistry and play off each other beautifully. Lattimer’s irreverent, off the cuff, “I’ve got a vibe” style contrasts sharply with Bering’s buttoned up, by the book, “I don’t eat sugar” demeanor. Sure, it’s practically a cliche by now to have our two leads be such opposites, but McClintock and Kelly are so good together that you don’t really care if you get a sense of deja vu now and then. In a conference call discussing the show, the two of them were constantly referring and deferring to each other, cracking jokes and generally being giddy about working together. Although they acknowledged the potential for romance to bloom between Lattimer and Bering in the future, for now the vibe is purely platonic, like a good buddy series.

Rubinek brings his own brand of quirky to the trio as Artie Nielsen, long-time Secret Service agent and curator of the warehouse. Artie is the one who sends Lattimer and Bering out on missions to retrieve objects that “threaten to ruin the world’s day” and bring them back to the warehouse for storage, after being neutralized in purple goo. The last of his original team, Artie has gone just a little bit crazy after years stationed out in the Badlands, surrounded by supernatural and paranormal artifacts. He takes great joy in his work, happily showing off various gadgets and explaining the purpose of curious items in the warehouse. He also gets to spout great throwaway lines like, “I had to fix the fish.” The line has no context and no follow-up, which I found delightful.

Indeed, this series of paranormal exploration is decidedly less serious than it’s closest predecessor, The X-Files. Although if you add Indiana Jones to the melting pot, you’d be a lot closer. Where Mulder and Scully skulked around on the government’s periphery in bad lighting and perpetual gloom, Lattimer and Bering are, well, they still work in a basement of sorts, but instead of having offices in the Hoover Building, they’re located just outside Unnamed Unincorporated Settlement, South Dakota. Really. There’s a sign and everything. The snark is free-flowing, the sunlit shots are abundant, and we see Lattimer half-naked and Bering in a sexy evening gown within the first 10 minutes of meeting them. (Lattimer’s state of undress has nothing to do with Bering, in case you were wondering.) Still, there is some weight to balance the levity. Pounder’s Mrs. Frederic is formidable and mysterious, just the way we like the supervisors of our murky government endeavors. When she appears in Lattimer’s apartment to give him his orders, and later shows up in Bering’s boss’s office, it’s clear that she is not to be toyed with. We also learn that Bering comes with baggage of her own in the form of an assignment in Denver that, though earning her a commendation, haunts her.

The two-hour pilot for Warehouse 13 is enjoyable enough, although the first hour does drag a bit with exposition. In the end, after we’ve met all of our principle players (including the mysterious owner of the local B&B) and gone on a mission to recover an artifact, the premise is set and the real fun can begin. Which artifacts will we see in the remaining episodes this season? What other citizens of Unnamed Unincorporated Settlement, South Dakota will we encounter? And will “Lattimer eats a cookie” become the basis of a new drinking game? This Nice Girl is looking forward to finding out as Warehouse 13 launches its summer run on SyFy on July 7 at 9/8c.

P.S. The ferret joke is too good to spoil. Just…there are ferrets.