The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, February 18, 2011 2 coverstory Biggs and Chalke star in CBS rom-com Two of a kind Good for a Cowboy” before being cast as neurotic perfec- tionist Dr. Elliot Reid in the hit sitcom “Scrubs.” She was a lead for the first seven seasons, having a continuous on-off re- lationship with Zach Braff’s character, JD. In “Scrubs,” she left Keith Dudemeister at the altar, and during her nine-epi- sode run on “How I Met Your Mother,” she left main charac- ter Ted Mosby at the altar as well. One can only hope that her relationship with Ben on “Mad Love” doesn’t hit as many roadblocks. Connie is played by Greer, Sarah Chalke stars in “Mad Love” By Dee Underwood TV Media A n old adage says that opposites attract, while others say that real pas- sion only comes from love at first sight. Could both be true? In the new sitcom “Mad Love,” which airs Mondays on CBS and premiered last week on -- wait for it -- Valentine’s Day, two couples seem to be perfect for each other, but in two completely different ways. Series stars Jason Biggs (“American Pie”) and Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”) are both pros at relationship storylines, but this time they aren’t the awkward ones. Judy Greer (“Arrested Development”) and Tyler Labine (“Sons of Tucson”) star as their friends, two people who seem like total opposites and hate each other, but are also perfect for one another. Ben Parr (Biggs) is a young lawyer who falls in love with Kate Swanson (Chalke) the moment he sees her. The feel- ing continues when they meet atop the Empire State Building, so Parr asks his friend and co- worker, Larry (Labine), to dou- ble date with Kate’s roommate, Connie (Greer), so he can see Kate again. Though Ben and Kate hit it off right away, Larry and Con- nie could not be more different. Connie insists that Kate give up on Ben because if he is friends with someone like Lar- ry, there must be something wrong with him. At the same time, Larry tells Ben that Con- nie and Kate are too high- maintenance. Biggs is best known for his portrayal of Jim Levenstein, the awkward main character in the earlier films of the “American Pie” franchise. For the most part, he has stuck to the silver screen, with a few small televi- sion roles. The last time he was on TV was in 2005, when he appeared in an episode of “Will & Grace.” Back in the early ‘90s, though, he was a recurring character on “As the World Turns” and got himself an Emmy nomination for it. Unfor- tunately, he lost to Jonathon Jackson of “General Hospital,” who is still on that show today. His role in “Mad Love” should be a walk in the park for this actor. In 1999’s “American Pie,” his character starts off as a geeky teenager, but by 2003’s “American Wedding,” he has grown into a sweet (but still geeky) romantic. In “Sav- ing Silverman” (2001), “Loser” (2000) and “My Best Friend’s Girl” (2008), he is involved with the central relationships, which are all rocky to begin with. Canadian actor Chalke has the opposite resume to Biggs -- most of her work has been on TV. She got her start in televi- sion as the second actor to play Becky Conner in “Roseanne.” She made 70 episodes before the original actor, Alicia Goran- son, returned for the part. From there, she got a lead role in the Canadian series “Nothing Too who “Arrested Development” fans may recognize as Kitty Sanchez, George Bluth’s mis- tress and intensely loyal secre- tary. Though Connie is a nanny by profession, she is herself quite pessimistic and often sees the worst in people. Larry, on the other hand, works with Ben at his law firm and always sees the glass half full. The producers call his char- acter “rough around the edg- es,” which shouldn’t be a big departure for Labine, whose lead role last year on Fox’s “Sons of Tucson” had him as an irresponsible slacker. In the series, he was hired by three boys to act as a father while their real one was in prison. La- bine’s other roles have tended to be just as unrefined, includ- ing his evil henchman role in “Antitrust” and “Reaper.” There were many casting changes before “Mad Love” hit the air. Though Biggs was signed on from the get-go, Chalke’s role was originally given to Minka Kelly (“Friday Night Lights”). Connie was to be portrayed by Ashley Austin Morris (“The Electric Compa- ny”), until “Party Down” star Lizzy Caplan came on board for the pilot. But in the end, Greer (“Arrested Development”) came on once CBS picked up the series. Chirstopher’s Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What ever happened to Jaye Davidson? I really liked him in “The Crying Game” and “Stargate,” but he doesn’t seem to be acting anymore. A: Jaye Davidson’s acting career ended as abruptly as it be- gan, and seemingly with the same lack of concern on his part. It started with a bang -- he was nominated for an Oscar for his first role, in 1992’s “The Crying Game,” and off that landed one of the lead roles in the 1994 blockbuster “Stargate” -- and just as quickly it was over and he was back working in the fashion business, as he was when he was discovered. And though he appeared on the red carpet at a few gala events, he never appeared on the big screen again. The story goes that the filmmakers behind 1992’s “The Cry- ing Game” discovered Davidson at a bar, during the wrap par- ty for a different film. They were having trouble casting the role of Dil, which is understandable if you’ve seen the film (film leg- end Stanley Kubrick, a friend of director Neil Jordan, reportedly called the role “uncastable”). Davidson was working as a fashion designer at the time and has said he took the role for the money to buy an expensive pair of boots. Have a question? E-mail us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. Crazy Tom's 2 x 3