Stay Tuned

The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 27, 2012 2 coverstory By Andrew Warren TV Media S shows have gone into hiber- nation until the fall, and the prime-time hours are filled with reruns. It's even worse during sum- ummer is usually seen as a dead season for TV. Most of the regular mers like this one. Few net- works are willing to risk chal- lenging the ratings jugger- naut that is the Olympic Games, as the nation tunes in to cheer on its favorite ath- letes. Sigourney Weaver stars in USA political miniseries "When I first heard about Weaving a tale Secretary of State Hillary Clin- ton. it, I thought "Oh, it's about Hillary," Weaver said in an in- terview with the "L.A. Times." "But, really, from the first page on I knew that Elaine Barrish Hammond is her own person. Her circumstances are completely different to Mrs. Clinton's. This is the story of the Hammond family. It's defi- nitely not the story of the Clinton family." Once in a while, though, a gem sparkles through the summer haze. On Sunday, July 15, USA premiered the highly anticipated "Political Animals," and the buzz around it suggests that it may be one of this summer's hot- test shows. Announced earlier this year to great fanfare, the limited- run series has attracted some top-tier talent to its roster, in- cluding Hollywood actress Sigourney Weaver (the "Alien" series, "Avatar"). It will continue airing on Sun- day nights through the sum- mer. Coming in the middle of one of the most heated presi- dential campaigns in recent memory, "Political Animals" is a topical tale of a former First Lady-turned-secretary of state. After divorcing her womanizing husband, former president Bud Hammond, Elaine Hammond (Weaver) ran for the nation's top office herself. Although she lost the nomination, her opponent graciously named her his sec- retary of state. "Political Animals" would al- ready be pretty guaranteed to attract a loyal following. But it's not only on the screen that the high level of talent is found; a number of industry veterans stand behind the camera, too. Filling multiple roles as cre- Similarities to the real world aside, Weaver will no doubt make the character her own. She is a critically ac- claimed movie actress with a resume as long as her arm. She's starred in many Holly- wood classics, including "Ghostbusters" (1984); "Alien" (1979) and its three direct sequels; "Holes" (2003) and 2009's huge hit, "Avatar." Where her resume is lacking, however, is in television. "Po- litical Animals" is her first ma- jor TV role, and her acting chops are a breath of fresh air in the summer TV drought. Al- though she's never won an Academy Award, she's been nominated for three (includ- ing two for Best Actress in a Leading Role), and has a bevy of other acting awards under her belt. If you're noticing a similari- ty with a certain other secre- tary of state, you're not alone. Weaver herself has comment- ed on the parallel between her character and real-life cian, Elaine Hammond's op- ponent is a journalist. Susan Berg (Carla Gugino) is a Pulit- zer Prize-winning reporter who's made a name for her- self by exposing the family se- crets of the Hammonds. She's been eager to stick with what's worked in the past, but after muscling her way into an interview with Ham- mond, she discovers that there's far more to this wom- an than she once believed. As Berg uncovers more and more of the inner workings of the Hammond family, she finds As with almost any politi- Ellen Burstyn in "Political Animals" herself conflicted between her growing sense of loyalty to a woman she respects and a career she loves. ator, executive producer, di- rector and writer is Greg Ber- lanti. He's been a force behind many acclaimed TV series, in- cluding "Dawson's Creek," "Brothers & Sisters," "Ever- wood" and "Eli Stone." He made his directorial debut in 2000 with "The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy" and has been active in Hollywood ever since, di- recting "Life As We Know It" (2010) and co-writing and producing "The Green Lan- tern" (2011). Having appeared in many movies and TV shows, Gugino has a face that's familiar to many. Recently, she's been keeping herself busy, having been in the Jim Carrey flick "Mr. Popper's Penguins" (2011), "Watchmen" (2009) and "American Gangster" (2007), among many other films. This also isn't the first time that she's cut her teeth on a political show on the small screen; she had a part in the Michael J. Fox comedy "Spin City" between 1996 and 1998. With the top-notch acting, Also helping to fill the role of executive producer is Lau- rence Mark. The modern-day Midas seems to have a gold- en touch with his projects: throughout his career, he's been behind some of the most critically acclaimed films of our time. Those movies in- clude "Dreamgirls" (2006), "Jerry Maguire" (1996) and "As Good As It Gets" (1997) -- all three garnered Oscar nom- inations. With this stellar lineup of talent both on and off cam- era, "Political Animals" is lined up to be one of this summer's hottest shows. Tune in Sunday evenings on USA to get your dose of summer po- litical drama. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media And he wouldn't really become famous until his frequent collaborator and employer, filmmaker Judd Apatow, did, and that was four years later, with 2005's "The 40-Year-Old Vir- gin," in which Rogen appeared and co-produced. Indeed, two years after he appeared in "Donnie Darko," Rogen was still scrounging for work -- he guest-starred in a 2003 episode of "Dawson's Creek." He needn't have worried, though, since Apatow kept call- ing him back. After Apatow's first sitcom attempt, "Freaks and Geeks," was cancelled in 2000, he came back in 2001 with another, "Undeclared," again casting Rogen as one of the leads. Their careers have been tied together ever since. Each has done movies without the other, but the prolific duo has worked together on 10 different titles since they first teamed up 13 years ago. Q: Was that Jon Stewart I saw on an old episode of "The Nanny?" A: It was. Some don't remember that Jon Stewart was a working standup comic and actor before he took over the reins of "The Daily Show" in 1999 (even fewer know that he wasn't the original host -- it was Craig Kilborn, who left to host "The Late Late Show" on CBS). Stewart appeared on the hit Fran Drescher sitcom "The Darko." Can you help me put a name to the face? A: I can, but the two barely match anymore. It was a much younger Seth Rogen who played the bit role of a bully in the cult-favorite 2001 film "Donnie Darko." It's important to remember that though he was already a full-time actor on the short-lived TV comedy "Freaks and Geeks," Rogen was just 18 when he filmed his small part in "Donnie Darko." Q: I recognize one of the bullies from "Donnie Nanny" in 1997, a year after the cancellation of his first at- tempt at a talk show, MTV's "The Jon Stewart Show," which lasted a little over a year. comedy "Half Baked" (1998) and the 2002 Robin Williams flop "Death to Smoochy," but not many know that he filmed an unlikely bit part in the 1996 comedy "The First Wives Club." It was, however, left out of the final cut. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Radio" and "Spin City" around the same time. His film career is less of a well-kept secret, but there are still a few surprises in there. He frequently makes fun of his appearances in the stoner He also did one-off appearances on the sitcoms "News-

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