Article first published as Stephen Battaglio on From Yesterday to TODAY on Technorati.

From Yesterday to Today

In 2012, the U.S. national TV broadcast network NBC will celebrate that Today, its morning news and talk show, first went on the air 60 years ago in January of 1952. Indeed, NBC’s celebration started a little early in mid-November, with the release of From Yesterday to Today: Six Decades of America’s Favorite Morning Show, a book written by Stephen Battaglio (TV Guide‘s business editor) and published by Running Press. Battaglio, who was granted access to the TODAY show’s archives in order to fully document the rich history of the show, was kind enough to take part in a recent email interview about his 272-page book. The book features a variety of information and photos covering the show’s 60-year history as well as an introduction by current Today show host Matt Lauer.

Did NBC give you full access to its show archives?

Yes. We were able to use their photos. I was able to review past episodes of Today – a lot of fun – and interviews with the personalities that NBC News producers had done over the years. I combined that with my own research and reporting on the show done over my career as a journalist covering the TV industry. I also did a few dozen fresh interviews with the current and past Today producers and cast members.

Personally I think an entire book could be devoted to Pat Weaver, a very important figure in NBC’s history. While I am sure you were already well aware of his role in Today’s formation, I was wondering if there were things you learned about him that you did not know.

Pat Weaver wrote his autobiography a few years ago and always appeared on the Today anniversary shows. He has never been shy about recounting his role as a television pioneer. I think the enduring key to his brilliance was his understanding that live television with personalities who provide a connection and companionship to the viewer could survive the technological changes we’ve seen in television. Sixty years after he created Today, people still want to get up in the morning and have someone they like tell them that the world is still there.

No other morning show ever had a chimpanzee for a host. But I am curious if, in researching the book, did you find there was another host during the show’s history that surprised you?

The chimp, J. Fred Muggs, was not a host. But his arrival saved the program, which was almost cancelled in its first year. I think the surprising aspect of the hosts is that they all possessed distinctive personalities, interesting quirks and diverse backgrounds. They did not all come out of the same mold. That made them fun to write about.

A morning TV news show of this kind had not been attempted before the TODAY show. Are you surprised, despite the trail he blazed in new TV content, that Dave Garroway is far from a household name?

For nine years, few people logged as many hours on television as Dave Garroway. But it was live television. There were no repeats that ran in perpetuity like I Love Lucy. He was not an actor who appeared in classic films that still run on cable TV. He has been dead for 30 years and his career had faded 20 years before that. When you’re not on the air, it’s easy to fade from the public memory. But I think this book will remind or reveal to readers that he was a unique talent and a very unusual guy.

When did the Today show stop having the host doing commercials (a practice done as shown in this photo of Hugh Downs)?

In the mid 1970s, NBC News wanted Tom Brokaw to host Today. He was the White House reporter at the time, and he did not want to do commercials. He thought it would hurt his reputation as a hard news journalist. When he was approached a second time he was told that he would not have to “hold the can” as they used to say, and he signed on.

Given her long history in TV, some people may not realize how pivotal Barbara Walters was to the show, how much do you delve into that?

The book goes into great detail about how Barbara Walters paved the way for women in TV journalism and helped define the skills that every morning program personality needed to have to succeed – the ability to comfortably do hard news and softer entertainment segments. She also had a deep affection for Today, and I don’t think she has ever gotten over leaving NBC.

Not every author can have the full current Today show lineup promoting the book with a signing, how great was that?

What I liked most about it is that it allowed me to experience close up what I wrote in the book. The people on Today understand how much the program means to the viewers and how it’s really important part of their lives. It’s a very intimate relationship unlike any other in television.

Exploring further for online evidence of Rowlf’s role on the shoe, I was fortunate to run across a seven-minute clip of Dean and Rowlf discussing music, courtesy of the always enlightening blog for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Why would an animation site cover the early work of a Muppet? As noted by the blog: “Animators can learn a lot from puppeteers when it comes to creating a living, breathing character.”

Check out the post, as it is almost as informative as the YouTube clip.

I am not sure which I enjoy from this project: Stewart riding a bike through the opening credits or the guest star for that week’s episode: Kate Jackson.

A hat tip for Yahoo’s The Set, for making me aware of this bit, that at first I could not remember watching. Now if I could only find the scene where Penny fell forward with a podium (on Happy Endings season finale), while saying: “I’m going down!”

Rachel G. Fox

This past weekend [Late September] saw the theatrical release of Dream House, a mystery/thriller directed by Jim Sheridan and featuring actress Rachel G. Fox in a supporting role. Fox recently was more than happy to discuss via email her role in the film, as well as her work on the ABC Family series Melissa & Joey.  Not every actress can say they’ve acted alongside Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts in a movie, and as revealed in our discussion, Fox clearly enjoyed playing Watts’ daughter. Many families desire to own the ideal home, and in Dream House, the Atentons (Craig and Weisz) think they have found theirs. But soon the family discover their home was the scene of a murder and that their lives may be in danger as well. Fox plays a member of the Patterson family, who live next door to the Atentons. On the social media front, fans of Fox will be pleased to learn, as of last week, she has joined Tumblr. My thanks to Fox for her time and thoughts.

What was the audition experience like for Dream House, did you have to audition for director Jim Sheridan? Can you talk about what it was like to work with an award-winning director like Sheridan? 

The audition process for Dream House started with me sending in a tape to the casting director in New York, through my agent. There were thousands of tapes submitted and the director, Jim Sheridan, chose two girls to meet with in a director session. I didn’t know it was just two of us until I arrived at the director session! At the time, I had heard of Sheridan, but I did not know fully about his work so I researched about him and learned about his projects (Brothers, In America) and his stature.

The director session with Sheridan was unlike any other producer or director session I’ve ever done. It was a wonderful, magical right brain session where Sheridan changed lines, thoughts, emotions, and ideas constantly as I read or improved or whatever he had requested I do for the casting director, producers, and him in the room. You can imagine the euphoria I felt when I learned that I booked the role of Chloe Patterson so I could then have the opportunity to work with Sheridan, a man so many people consider a directing genius.

To work with Sheridan is an actor’s and an artist’s dream. He is so involved in every single part and piece of a script and film. He dissects each piece of words, feelings, and emotions that go along with the script. I think a script is a change-able document for him, an outline that keeps him moving towards an esthetic swirl of high energy and emotion that shows on any Sheridan-directed films. Every day on the set of Dream House, there was a set schedule, but every day on the set of Dream House we followed no rules. Sheridan allows for a constant creation and re-creation through a huge amount of interaction between him and the actors. We met many times over the Dream House script and during the meetings, Sheridan seemed to pierce right into our (the actor’s) souls.

Honestly, working with Sheridan is unlike anything I’ve ever done and I will never forget the experience. I absolutely would love to work with Sheridan on a film in the future.

What was the most challenging and/or enjoyable aspect of playing the daughter of Naomi Watts’ character?

The most challenging aspect of playing Naomi Watts’ daughter is the barely-existing-pressure to play a troubled teenager who, on the one hand is distant from her mother, but on the other hand, is still connected enough so the film audience believes and knows that Chloe Patterson (Rachel G. Fox) is Ann Patterson’s (Watts’) daughter.

The most enjoyable aspect of playing Watts’ daughter is the experience of working with Miss Naomi, absorbing her peaceful and polished approach to her work. Working with Miss Naomi, I never felt stressed or uncomfortable, but always moved to be at the top of my intensity and focus in a correct and peaceful way.

Were you a fan of mystery/thriller films before joining the cast of Dream House?

I love some mystery/thriller films and shriek at the thought of seeing other ones. Some of my favorite psychological thriller films are the more mental ones like Rear Window, Donnie Darko, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, and The Bad Seed. Ones I don’t think I could see are like The Silence of the Lambs and those films that are too terribly violent.

Based on that distinction, I think Dream House will be on the Top 10 Best Mystery/Psychological Thriller lists.

How hard is it to juggle your work in theatrical films and television shows, on top of all else in the busy life of a teenager?

There are times when it is hard to juggle everything. Getting schoolwork done, hanging out with friends, spending time with my family, playing sports, and all that is very important. Working on the set, recording music, reading scripts, meeting with directors and producers, attending events, is all very important as well. The thing that I do to juggle it and live every moment to the fullest is that I focus on who I am, the gifts I’ve been given, and what I’m born to do. Keeping those things in my focus, I choose what I’m going to do and do it in the biggest and best way I can at that moment. I do not over-plan or over-think. I just don’t ever lose sight of love, passion, and peace and I work, not to accomplish it, but to live it every second I can.

At your website, you discussed working on ABC Family’s Melissa & Joey: “Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence are amazing actors and comedians, and have dead-on comedic timing. I am learning from them every single second I’m on their set.” How has working with that cast helped educate you?

Thank you for your amazing research and finding that quote that I said on my website!

The cast of Melissa & Joey is amazing. I could not have dreamed of working anywhere better! It is one of the best shows on TV and the Melissa & Joey ratings going through the roof is the evidence.

When I watch Joey Lawrence work, I see him take a line or a scene and, with the ease and happiness of someone who is doing exactly what they’re born to be doing, he changes each take each time, to work it into a funnier or edgier or better place than it was the time before. He’s never trying too much or too little, he just delivers good, better, best, bester, and so on. Each time the comedic timing is dead-on and as funny or as important as it should be. The editors of Melissa & Joey must be in a quandary when he or she is trying to choose Lawrence’s takes to put into each episode because each take is more amazing than the last one.

Melissa Joan Hart has a similar energy to Joey Lawrence. Miss Melissa never holds back and is completely confident in her funniness all of the time. I learn from her to notice every single detail but make it look like she’s not paying attention to every single detail. She projects brilliantly on screen because she has a brilliance around her, a happiness and energy that never goes away, and she moves at lightning speed. Working with her, I’m learning to let go and be completely brave and trust my instincts.

Taylor Spreitler has a very confident and grounded way of working so that I never doubt that she is Lennox Scanlon and I never doubt that she will bring the right mix of comedy to each scene. I learn from Taylor that every line isn’t comedic and that being comfortable setting up others or making something comedic that wasn’t necessarily written to be so is important to each episode, just as being outright funny on each the lines that are written that way.

Nick Robinson uses so many different talents to deliver his work to portray Ryder Scanlon on Melissa & Joey. I learn from Nick Robinson to pick up on different nuances in a scene, then to use my voice and cadence and body language to enrich each scene. In an episode called “Do As I Say, Not As I Did,” for example, Nick says something like “in the middle of that seat you assigned me…” he uses his voice and other gifts to say it in such a fitting and funny way. Another example is in the episode called “Going the Distance,” when Nick and I are sitting on the porch and he asks if he can bring something, and I say “Yes, yogurt-covered pretzels,” and then Nick reacts saying, “Okay, great. What?” Once again using his voice, cadence, and body language to make his delivery rich and funny and just right.

Can you single out one or two of your favorite Melissa & Joey episodes, or scenes with actor Nick Robinson that you got to be part of?

My favorite Melissa & Joey scene that I’ve been in with Nick Robinson is the porch scene in the episode called “Going the Distance.” I love the porch scene with Nick because it shows the dimensions and depth of Ryder’s and Holly’s relationship, including Holly’s very domineering behavior (“Do you mind, I’m trying to play Angry Birds?”); it shows a bit of sexual attraction/tension (“Should I, ah, you know, bring something?”), and it shows sweetness between Holly and Ryder sitting on the porch with his arm around her.

In addition to acting, you are also a talented rhythm guitar player—are there any musical projects on the horizon for you?

Thank you! I love singing and playing guitar. Even though I play guitar every day—I keep a black acoustic Ibanez in the car—I can’t spend the immense amount of time that I need to, to move more quickly forward with music, so I am forced to be patient in growing my musical career. For me the end goal with music is to create it and take it on tour worldwide. My band, Magnitude, and I have just created and recorded our first of many songs. The song is called “Black Operation” (check it out on YouTube…. Search “Magnitude” “Black Operation”). We have done several local gigs and play rock music by greats such as Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, My Chemical Romance, and Muse. We’re unusual for our age because we don’t play any pop and we focus on great rock music, covering it , and creating new, young fresh sounds. It’s a matter of just a little bit of time before we emerge, but check back with me often because we will.

In this snippet from a 2006 interview with Ron Howard, he discusses the experience of working with Andy Griffith and the impact that the actor had on the set, in terms of setting a tone.

Be sure to visit this site to see other clips as well or if you want all the knowledge at once: the whole six-hour interview.

Jonathan Kite

This Monday, September 19, marks the premiere of the new CBS comedy, 2 Broke Girls. In anticipation of the new series, actor Jonathan Kite (who plays the role of Oleg the Russian cook) took some time to discuss his character and his interaction with the cast. The basic premise of the show, as described by CBS, is “a new comedy about two girls who form an unlikely bond over having no money and no shame”. In addition to discussing the new CBS comedy, Kite provides details about his work-in-progress (as writer, producer and star) the feature film, The Walk On. I enjoyed getting a flavor of Kite’s sense of humor, particularly with his last answer.

What was it about the show’s script and/or its producers that prompted you to audition for the role of Oleg the Russian cook?

I have been a fan of Michael Patrick King and Whitney Cummings for a while, so when I found out they were doing a show together, I really focused on becoming a part of it.

How much guidance did you get from the writers and producers on how to approach Oleg, and/or were you given the freedom to shape the character somewhat?

Oleg is a good mix of incredible writing and bold choices. I’ve been given tons of freedom, which is always honed by the show’s creative teams.

What do you most appreciate about the comedic approaches of the show’s two leads: Max (Kat Dennings) and Caroline (Beth Behrs)?

I appreciate that they each bring something very different to the show. They are ridiculously talented and play off each other effortlessly. Effortlessness is important in the delivery of comedy and they are great examples of how to do it in different ways.

Not many folks get to say they have worked with a comedic veteran Garrett Morris, how much fun has it been to work with someone of his vast experience and talents?

Garrett is an incredible person. I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. Sometimes when we have down time, I’ll sit around and listen to him tell stories. It’s like a private version of A&E’s Biography.

Does playing Oleg offer you an ability to do scenes with physical comedy or are most of the comedy opportunities focused on the dialogue?

The great thing about Oleg is that he is a combination of the two.

CBS seems quite pleased with the strength of the show, given that it has garnered the slot after Two and A Half Men. How pumped were you when you found out the show was part of CBS’ Monday night lineup?

I think I actually exclaimed out loud when I found this out. It’s an amazing position to be in.

When working in a comedy for TV how important/empowering is it to you to a laugh from the studio audience?

The studio audience is the sixth series regular. It’s a constant developing relationship that we as the performer thrive on and enjoy. Our audiences give us energy, which we in turn give back.

How hard is it to juggle the demands of a sitcom, while also writing a movie as well (The Walk On)?

It’s actually nice to have something that helps take my mind off the show when I need a break but still want to be creative in an artistic way.

Anything you’d like to discuss that I neglected to ask you about?

My family is well, thank you for asking.

My thanks to Bernardin for a fun interview during a busy and successful time in his life.

Tim O’Shea: How did you get involved with Syfy’s Alphas?

Marc Bernardin: Well, the long story is very long and involves decades of waiting, a boatload of luck, and a plane-load of an unnamed substance being airlifted into a classified location. The short story is, I wrote an original TV pilot for a show that’ll never get on the air — basically, I wrote a $30 million action movie, and that’s about $26 million more than they like to spend on pilots — my agents thought that, while it would never sell, it was strong enough to serve as a good sample. They sent it to the boys at Syfy who thought that my particular love for blowing stuff up, mated with my comic-book experience, would be a good fit for Alphas.

O’Shea: Not every writer gets to work on a show starring a respected actor like David Strathairn–how giddy were you when you realized you were going to get to write an episode?

Bernardin: Dude, you have no idea. Getting to write an episode was a glorious surprise in and of itself — one that I wasn’t guaranteed when I took the gig — but watching dailies and seeing that strong a cast speaking your lines? Not a bad day in the life, you know? It was freakish to realize that Strathairn would be leaving the Alphas set to go shoot Lincoln with Steven Spielberg. He makes it all better.

O’Shea: Your episode is titled The Unusual Suspects– did you get to name the episode or was that a choice by someone else on the show?

Bernardin: There were a host of working titles for my episode, and they all changed as either the nature of the episode shifted, or someone had too much time to look at it on the page. You know how it is, when you look at a word for just long enough that it no longer makes sense? Like “Cinnamon” doesn’t register as a word if you think about it for too long. But Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who ran the writers’ room like Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan, fell in love with “The Unusual Suspects” and it stuck. And it’s perfect for this episode, which is full of both suspects and the unusual.

O’Shea: Does the episode focus on certain members of the cast (as opposed to the whole ensemble)? When writing for certain characters, how do you go about making sure you get the right voice for them in the script–do you work off the series bible or what is your approach?

Bernardin: This one is very much an ensemble piece, with a bit of a focus on Dr. Rosen, Strathairn’s character. All those issues writing The Authority has paid off, when it comes to being able to write a team. And getting the voices right is sort of a byproduct of living and breathing the show as intensely as staff writers do. We read every version of every script, watch dailies and cuts of every episode. And, given that the cast is already in place, you get to a point where you can hear, say, Malik Yoba delivering Agent Harken’s dialogue when you’re writing.

O’Shea: Who directed the episode?

Bernardin: A guy named J. Miller Tobin, who shot a ton of episodes of shows like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I never got to meet him, as I didn’t travel up to the set in Toronto for the production. But he delivered a really solid episode.

O’Shea: What aspect of writing for TV did you find most challenging?

Bernardin: Honestly, it was — at the very beginning — paying attention. Coming from a journalistic background, when everything is always happening at the same time — this piece needs writing, this one needs editing, photos need to be selected for this article, coverlines need to be written for that one, and so on — it was a big adjustment to simply have to sit in a room and follow a conversation. Because that’s a huge part of being a TV writer: Being in the writers’ room and contributing to that free-flowing, ever-evolving exchange of ideas. If you lose focus, for even a second, to wonder about what you’ll have for lunch, or if the kids are having a good day in school, or if Natalie Portman is really that attractive, or if it’s a trick of the light…you’ll have missed how the conversation hopped from one branch to another. And it’s hell trying to play catch up. So after my first week, I worked really hard to be present and in the moment.

O’Shea: Other than your own episode, what have been some of your favorite episodes from this season of Alphas?

Bernardin: I really dug Rosetta, which introduced an unlikely Red Flag communications hub. Catch and Release, which costarred Summer Glau, was a lot of fun, and explored a bit of Rosen’s background. And Bill and Gary’s Excellent Adventure was an atypical episode, in that it didn’t feature an Alphas bad guy, but it really shined a light on two characters that needed to be more than the sum of their parts. Plus, it gave the fantastic Ryan Cartwright a bit of a showcase for his work as Gary. He takes portraying an autistic adult very seriously and is fully cognizant of the responsibilities that come with it. And he kills it, week in, week out.

O’Shea: Now that the show has been renewed for a second season, are you hoping to get to write another episode?

Bernardin: Oh, I hope so. There’s a lot of fun to be had in the world that Zak Penn and Michael Karnow created — and with the finale, the staff breaks it wide open.

O’Shea: Do you want to try your hand writing for other Syfy series, or is your focus on Alphas for now?

Bernardin: For the time being, it’s all Alphas, all the time. But I tell ya, if Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome gets picked up to a series, and someone dangled the possibility of writing a Viper-Raider battle, with young Adama at the stick…I’d be sorely tempted.

O’Shea: What else is on the creative horizon for you?

Bernardin: My frequent writing partner, Adam Freeman, and I have an illustrated Young Adult (YA) novel for Radical called Jake the Dreaming that’s coming out in the beginning of the year. And I’m putting the finishing touches on a graphic novel proposal that I’m going to take to Kickstarter later in the fall — it’s called Adora and the Distance, and it’s a book that’s very near and dear to my heart.

To see the full Marlo Thomas interview, it can be found at the archive’s website.

I could not fathom trying to get Winters to stay on topic (without negatively impacting his overall comedic rthythm).