Monday, August 03, 2015
Seven Questions with Krista Allen of Significant Mother; The CW Moves Up Fall 2015 Monday Shows by a Week
Today, we've got another installment of Seven Questions and this time we have Krista Allen from the new comedy Significant Mother, which premieres tonight at 9:30|8:30c on The CW. She is talking to us about that series of course, but also her career to-date, what type of genre she likes and what else she has in the works. Krista has had numerous television credits. She had regular roles on Days of Our Lives and Baywatch Hawaii. In 2005 she was one of the stars of HBO's Unscripted produced by George Clooney, playing herself as an actress who struggles to overcome her sex symbol status in order to win more serious roles. Her other numerous TV credits include recurring and guest roles on series such as What About Brian, Mistresses, The L.A. Complex, The Philanthropist, The Starter Wife, Castle, Melissa & Joey, Cashmere Mafia, Dirty Sexy Money, Freddie, Jake in Progress, Rules of Engagement, Hawaii Five-0, I'm With Her, Charmed, Two and a Half Men and Head Cases. On the big screen, her credits include an appearance as the "Elevator Girl" in the Jim Carrey comedy Liar Liar, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Anger Management and The Final Destination.
And now of course she stars in the new TV comedy Significant Mother on The CW. The series premieres tonight, so go read our review on what we thought of the premiere. So without further adieu, it's time for our "Seven Questions." with the great and beautiful Krista Allen!
"Seven Questions with Significant Mother's Krista Allen"
SitcomsOnline: Hi Krista! It is such a pleasure to be interviewing you. We've been a fan of your work from the start from Baywatch Hawaii to What About Brian to your fun guest appearance on Melissa & Joey! I personally cannot wait for Significant Mother, because it looks really funny and has a great cast. So, to start it off...it's been such a long time since The CW has had a comedy series. Can you tell our readers a little about Significant Mother and your character Lydia?
Krista Allen: Oh thanks! Yes, sure. Significant Mother, it is a coming of age story, I guess you could say for everybody... Lydia Marlowe has been married for almost 30 years to a guy hasn't been to most faithful, played by Jonathan Silverman. He plays a character named Harrison and he plays him brilliantly, by the way. They decide to separate and he moves out of the house so that he can have his affairs, and all these things. Then something happens...Lydia goes 'I need a change...I feel gross, I feel yucky, I feel ancient, I feel all of these things...and I need a change in my life.' So something happens where it's almost Nate's (her son) birthday and she goes over to Nate and Jimmy's house, they live together, to drop off these baby pictures and things that she is going to give to him for something he is doing for his birthday. And then "something" just happens...I don't know it just happens, and then it kind of happens again, then well it happens again and again and again (laughs). Nate is out of town and they are both in this place going 'OK this is not going to happen again' and then it happens again and it happens again. Then Nate comes home to find Jimmy in the kitchen completely naked, thinking that he has some hot young chick upstairs ...only to find out, it's his...mother! So that's where we start this story (laughs)...it's not so much 'oh gee Jimmy is this hot young guy and I'm like a (roar) cougar.' I've known Jimmy since he was a kid (laughs), which is kind of creepy, but he makes me feel youthful and he makes me feel fun, and all of these things and spontaneous and silly, all of these things that I haven't felt in almost 30 years. I got married when I was 18 and I had a kid and there you go...it was boom. There's a whole different life for Lydia and now because of Lydia's choice everybody's life there's this wrench that's been thrown in, so it's just not my life that's changing, it's Jimmy's, it's Nate's, it's Harrison's, it affects everybody. It is an emotional kind of connection, but we handle it as a family. I know it sounds really weird (laughs), but we do (laughs).
SitcomsOnline: Now I know the series was originally developed for CW Seed, which is the digital home of The CW, so were there any changes made to the series when they announced the show would air on the network instead? And I'm sure you guys were ecstatic that it would air on the network instead, too?
Krista Allen: It was such a huge deal for us because it just said 'we do have something good...I knew it!' It was that reaction, 'oh my God I knew this was special.' Other people on set were saying, 'wow this feels really magical, what are we doing?' It was confirmed, they were saying...'nope, actually let's not do the web series, let's push it to the network.' And we were like, 'what!?' It was like that Sally Field moment where she is like 'they like me, they really really like me!' That's what it felt like (laughs)! It was so cool, so they picked us up, the episodes were written and we went to Portland. And we knocked out these episodes in the shortest amount of time...6 weeks; the entire first season was done in 6 weeks. It was a lot of work and we definitely worked really hard...everybody did, but we're going to be on the air Monday, so hey it paid off!
SitcomsOnline: You guys have some really cool guest stars coming up as well to join the already well-rounded cast...can you tell us who will be joining in on the ride and how they will fit in to the plot-line?
Krista Allen: Yeah, we really got lucky. Linda Gray plays my mom, who is fantastic. We kind of resemble each other in a way too and I'm such a big fan of hers from Sue Ellen on Dallas, oh my gosh. She was really wonderful and just really great. Mircea Monroe, she was fantastic and great. She's so funny and she's become a friend of mine, like we go do things. I adore her... I really love her a lot. Let's see we had, Terry Kiser from Weekend at Bernie's and we did a Weekend at Bernie's episode and Johnny Silverman called him up and said 'hey want to come in and play the hobo?' And he was like 'yes!' so it was really great. Oh Denise Richards came in for a day and played, and that was really fun. Let's see who else, Jerry O'Connell, he came in and played my real estate and that was really fun. His wife is working on The Librarians down there, so it was really, really nice he was down there because he came over and played with us for a little bit, so that was really cool. Yeah, we have some really fun people that came in to play.
SitcomsOnline: So you guys shot the series on location in Portland. How was that experience like and how many episodes can we expect to air this summer?
Krista Allen: Well, we have 9 episodes. The more people that tune in and the more people that love it, the better chance we have being able to pick-up the back end of that. So we have 9 episodes and it was really fun shooting in Portland. It's great; it's such an awesome city. Everybody was really nice and the food is amazing and they have microbrews and local wines. It's super green and we had a really fun time filming in Portland...it's a really cool city. If you've never been, I highly recommend going, it's a great place. They're budding as a place to film right now...there's a lot of production going on there right now, which is pretty cool.
SitcomsOnline: I think you're brilliant in both drama and comedy. You have such versatility in everything I've seen you in. What type of acting do you prefer, you know like comedy or drama, single-camera or four-camera comedies, dramatic dramas, etc.?
Krista Allen: I love comedy. I love it, but it's a trick question for me. Because honestly, if somebody gave me a script that was a comedy, that was a mediocre script or a great script that was a drama that blew my mind, of course I'd pick the drama...and the same on the other end. I really love comedy, but it's just like a song. When you get into your car and you're listening to the radio station, it depends on what mood you're in. If it's a good song, it's a good song, it doesn't matter what genre it is, you just want to listen to it. It can be some ridiculous genre that you never even listened to like dubstep or something and you're like, 'whoa this is kind of a cool beat' and you've never listened to it before. So I think for me (laughs), it's about the quality and I love comedy but I also really love drama. I love getting in there and getting dramatic. I definitely see the good in both...I just love good projects. I love great material and I love making it to come to life. I live for it, it's so much fun.
SitcomsOnline: I've got to talk about your career to-date. You've done so many TV shows, whether it is guest appearances or a series regular. I personally loved you on What About Brian opposite Barry Watson and recently on ABC's Mistresses, but what shows or movies did you enjoy working the most on, besides Significant Mother, of course?
Krista Allen: Let's see, one of my all-time favorite ones that I ever did was Unscripted (2005 HBO series). That was an HBO series I did that most of the episodes were directed by George Clooney, and Steven Soderbergh & George produced all of these for HBO. It was in that style, that very smart style, on how they do shows. It was a really funny improvisational show, with dark humor, so it wasn't like 'that is slapping my knee funny,' it was like 'oh God, that's awkward and it's kind of funny.' It was that kind of a humor (laughs), but that was one of my all-time favorite, most rewarding jobs because, I mean, Frank Langella played my acting coach, it was brilliant. Bryan Greenberg, Jennifer Hall, these amazing people that I got to work with and got to become friends with. So, it was really, really fun and we had great guest stars. Jane Lynch was a guest star on it, well anyway that was that, so that was probably one of my most favorite things for acting cause it was the most challenging but one of the most fun things that I did. I loved working on Hawaii Five-0. I got to do an episode of Castle that was super fun. Yeah it was really fun, because Ted McGinley played my husband which was really cool. I have fun with every job that I do, so good luck trying to get me to pick a favorite (laughs).
SitcomsOnline: And finally, what else do you have coming up that we can look forward to? I know I read about a Hallmark movie and something about being on ABC's The Muppets?
Krista Allen: No, that was actually (laughs) I'm not on The Muppets. That is a promo for somebody else for ABC actors that I got to go because I'm super cool (laughs), so I got to do that and get my picture taken with Miss Piggy, Fozzy Bear and Kermit the Frog, so I know you're jealous (laughs). Yeah, I'm doing a little Hallmark movie for I guess Christmas, it's a sweet little Christmas movie called Rodeo and Juliet (laughs). The horse's name is Rodeo (laughs) and it's a cute little story so that should be fun. Right now, I just got back from Portland, I guess a couple weeks ago and I'm doing all of this stuff and that’s about it. But there's some really cool stuff coming in for me so I'm excited about that...I promise I'll keep you posted!
We appreciate Krista Allen for taking the time to talk with us! She is very fun and informative. She really seemed excited about Significant Mother and wanted to share with us as much as she could. We encourage fans to check out the series premiere of Significant Mother on The CW tonight at 9:30|8:30c. But first, don't forget to check out/follow Krista Allen all over the web and social media. Follow her everywhere!
We appreciate Krista Allen for taking the time to talk with us! She is very fun and informative. She really seemed excited about Significant Mother and wanted to share with us as much as she could. We encourage fans to check out the series premiere of Significant Mother on The CW tonight at 9:30|8:30c. But first, don't forget to check out/follow Krista Allen all over the web and social media. Follow her everywhere!
Moving on to other news, we'll stick with The CW, as The CW has moved the Fall 2015 premiere date for the series debut of freshman one-hour comedy/drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and the return of the award-winning comedy/drama Jane the Virgin to Monday, October 12. The series were originally scheduled to premiere on October 19. The CW's summer Monday series will have their finales tentatively on Monday, October 5, including the half-hour comedy Significant Mother. The new comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, starring Rachel Bloom as an unhappy lawyer who quits her job and moves across the country in search of love, with her inner monologue providing irreverent musical interludes, will debut at 8:00-9:00pm ET, followed by AFI and Peabody Award winning series Jane the Virgin, starring Golden Globe-winner Gina Rodriguez, returning at 9:00-10:00pm ET.
New on DVD/Blu-ray (June/July/August)
06/13 - The Andy Griffith Show - Return to Mayberry
06/13 - That's My Mama - The Complete Series
06/20 - Workaholics - The Final (Seventh) Season
06/20 - Workaholics - The Complete Series
06/27 - The Jamie Foxx Show - The Complete Third Season
07/04 - Superstore - Season Two
07/18 - Father Knows Best - Season Six
07/25 - Diff'ernt Strokes - The Complete Sixth Season
07/25 - Girls - The Final (Sixth) Season (Blu-ray)
08/01 - Alice - The Complete Fifth Season (WBShop.com)
08/01 - Crashing - The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
08/15 - Rhoda - Season Four
08/22 - Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Season Four
08/29 - Will & Grace - Season One (Universal)
More TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest
Sitcoms Airing Tonight
Wednesday, August 16
Marlon - "Pilot" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Exes Marlon (Marlon Wayans) and Ashley (Essence Atkins) try a friendly divorce for their children's sake, but things get tricky when Ashley decides to date again. Marlon struggles to keep a sponsor for his online channel, The Marlon Way.
Marlon - "Cleaning Out the Closet" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Ashley (Essence Atkins) is shocked to learn that Marlon (Marlon Wayans) has a storage unit crammed full of things from when they were married and challenges him to have a yard sale to part with it all.
Swedish Dicks - (Pop, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Ingmar's daughter, Sarah, helps the guys get a case at an advertising agency to find out who is stealing secret data; the undercover job takes a turn when Ingmar and Axel's client makes a fatal decision; Sun works on the firm's marketing strategy.
Swedish Dicks - (Pop, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Haunted by the ghost of his former stunt buddy, an unstable Ingmar makes an embarrassing mistake; Axel takes it upon himself to infiltrate a cult.
Younger - "The Gelato and the Pube" (TV Land, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Liza receives a great opportunity at work, but there’s a catch. Josh meets someone new. Maggie ruffles some feathers.
Odd Mom Out - "Dadderall" (Bravo, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Faced with an impossible work deadline on the night of his Dad's Committee Night Out, Andy takes stimulants; Jill and Vanessa learn the cruel definition of Med Spa as they visit their college friend, Ollie, at his new venture.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 14)
Wednesday, August 16
- Zach Galifianakis (Baskets) - Watch Zach on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Lake Bell (Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later/How to Make It in America/Childrens Hospital) - Lake appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Marc Maron (GLOW/Maron) - Marc is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
- Ellie Kemper (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/The Office) - Ellie visits The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Andrew Dice Clay (Dice/Hitz/Bless This House) - Andrew stops by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. He will also be on the AOL Build Show at 1pm.
- Carl Reiner (The Dick Van Dyke Show) - Carl is a guest on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- James Van Der Beek (What Would Diplo Do?/Friends with Better Lives/Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23) - James appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
- Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family) - Eric chats with the ladies of The View on a repeat on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Kristin Chenoweth (Kristin) - Kristin performs Smile off her new album, The Art of Elegance, and faces her fear of crawfish on a repeat of Harry, so check your local listings.
- Tasha Smith (Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse/The Tom Show/Boston Common) - Tasha will be on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET. She will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:45am.
- Ben Falcone (Joey/A to Z) - Ben talks about his new book, Being a Dad Is Weird, on a repeat of ABC's The Chew at 1pm ET/12pm PT/CT.
- Brandy (Moesha/The Game/Thea) - Brandy talks about Chicago on Broadway on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
- Peter Serafinowicz, Griffin Newman and Brendan Hines (The Tick) - Peter, Griffin and Brendan talk about Amazon's The Tick on the AOL Build Show at 3pm.
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