The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/85140
The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, September 28, 2012 2 coverstory By Andrew Warren TV Media I "666 Park Avenue" is the latest entry into a flourishing field. Earlier this year, TNT re- vived the granddaddy of prime-time soaps, "Dallas," to great success, and ABC's "Re- venge," which also premiered last season, went on to domi- nate its time slot. n the heart of Manhattan runs the famous Park Ave- nue, the home of some of the most desirable -- and most expensive -- real estate in the country. As the thousands of cars whiz along the 140-foot- wide boulevard every day, few commuters are aware of the fact that they're passing what may be New York City's most ominous address: the apart- ments at 666 Park Ave. While the address may not mean anything, ABC's new drama, "666 Park Avenue," may have tourists and resi- dent New Yorkers alike paying a little bit more attention to the numbers tacked to the buildings along this stretch of road. Premiering on Sunday, Sept. 30, "666 Park Avenue" joins the ongoing migration of soaps to prime time, while putting its own terrifying twist on the genre. The mighty soap opera once ruled the daytime air- waves, a behemoth of a genre with highly rated shows filling the afternoon time slots on all the major networks. These days, only a few daytime soaps hold on, the rest victims of changing tastes and demo- graphics. But the beautiful faces, devious villains, sex and betrayal that made them so popular in the first place haven't disappeared from the airwaves. Far from it. If any- thing, the soap opera is doing better than ever, if you're will- ing to wait for the sun to go down. Tenants pay with their souls in '666 Park Avenue'Apartment for rent Helena Mattsson stars as Alexis Blume in "666 Park Avenue" to be walking into but "666 Park Avenue" has a few aces up its sleeve, including two popular and experienced prime-time TV actors onside (Terry O'Quinn of "Lost" fame, and "Desperate Housewives'" Vanessa Williams). O'Quinn and Williams play the part of married couple Gavin and Olivia Doran, the owners of apartment building "The Drake" at 666 Park Ave. Their dozens of tenants couldn't be happier. Not only do they live in the heart of the greatest city in the world, but it feels like all their wishes are coming true. Everything they desire -- wealth, fame, re- venge -- seems to fall into their laps. Of course, things aren't ex- actly what they seem at this ominously numbered address. It's a lesson yet to be learned by the building's new superin- tendents, displaced Midwest- ern couple Jane Van Veen (Ra- chael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable). Joining the pair at The Drake is an eclectic cast of characters portrayed by a diverse and talented cast, including Robert Buckley ("One Tree Hill"), Mercedes Masohn ("The Finder"), Erik Palladino ("ER") and Swedish actress Helena Mattsson (2010's "Iron Man 2"). As they adjust to life in the So it's a competitive game Big Apple, the new supers be- gin to suspect that there's something strange about their new home -- something dark, sinister and, above all, evil. It's a premise that critics are com- paring to the 1997 film "The Devil's Advocate," starring Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino and Charlize Theron, in which a small-town lawyer joins a New York law firm, only to come to the realization that his boss is none other than Sa- tan. Looking back at O'Quinn's acting career, it could almost be believed that he himself had made a pact for fame and fortune. He appeared in his first film all the way back in 1980 (a made-for-TV movie called "F.D.R.: The Last Year"), but despite appearing in liter- ally dozens of TV shows and films over the following two decades, he never managed to move beyond the list of actors that everyone recognizes but no one knows the name of. It wasn't until 2004 that fame suddenly struck. It was that year when ABC's hit show "Lost" hit the air- waves, with O'Quinn cast as fan-favorite character John Locke, a role that would net him an Emmy award and well- Whether Gavin Doran is an innocent pawn in the Devil's machinations, an all-too-will- ing lackey, or even the Prince of Darkness himself is any- one's guess. Not even O'Quinn knows for sure, but it's pretty certain that Doran is anything but on the level. earned stardom. Once "Lost" wrapped up in 2010, he moved on to play Lt. Cmdr. Joe White in a multi-episode arc of CBS's "Hawaii Five-0." Starring next to O'Quinn is a woman who, in contrast, has made achieving fame look easy. Williams burst into the spotlight in 1983 when she won the Miss America Pag- eant (a title she later relin- quished), but she's kept her ball rolling in the decades since as a musical artist, Broadway actress and televi- sion star. By taking on the role of what may turn out to be one of Satan's sidekicks, Williams is risking being typecast as a villain, but it's a role she's as- toundingly good at pulling off. Although she started off in somewhat of a villainous role in "Desperate Housewives," which she joined in the sev- enth season, she was revealed to be a character as nuanced and complex as the other la- dies of Wisteria Lane. Her role in "Ugly Betty," though, showed her ability to play a villain to the hilt. Her memorable role as diva Wil- helmina Slater earned her a slew of awards and nomina- tions, including three nomina- tions for Primetime Emmy Awards. side, "666 Park Avenue" looks set to make a supernatural splash on Sunday nights when it premieres on Sept. 30. Tune in to ABC to check it out -- if you dare. With the Devil's luck on its Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Who does the voice of the bad guy, Rothbart, in "Barbie of Swan Lake"? It sounds so familiar. A: That voice is certainly distinctive, but of course it would have to be, since it was also supposed to be the voice of a pop- ular Seattle radio host. The evil wizard Rothbart in the 2003 direct-to-DVD animat- Grammer is no stranger to voicing mad-genius types, as he also holds a recurring role as the villainous Sideshow Bob on "The Simpsons." "Barbie of Swan Lake," toy company Mattel's take on the classic fairy tale, was the third Barbie movie in a series that has now reached double digits. Other films in the series have fea- tured the voices of other notable stars such as Anjelica Huston, Martin Short and Tim Curry. The role of Barbie herself is played by Kelly Sheridan, a pro- lific voice actress who's also known for doing voices on action- packed cartoon TV series such as "InuYasha" and "Hero: 108." However, her first big break was on another doll-based series, "My Little Pony Tales," which debuted in 1992. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. ed film "Barbie of Swan Lake" is voiced by Kelsey Grammer, best known as the uptight psychiatrist Frasier Crane on the hit sitcom "Frasier," and the classic sitcom from which it spun off, "Cheers." A/Krazy Tom's 2 x 3