On this Tuesday's KCRW "Press Play" TV roundup, I spoke with host Madeleine Brand about a whole slew of different TV hot topics. My portion starts at 16 minutes in.
First, a synopsis of this week's visit: "In our regular TV roundup, we review the week on the small screen. We start today with the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which finally delivered on the promise of its title last night after more than 200 episodes. We also discuss the season four finale of The Walking Dead, which drew a staggering 15.7 million viewers. And season four of HBO’s Game of Thrones premieres Sunday. We talk about the show’s penchant for killing off major characters."
We've been fans and viewers of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" from the very beginning. So when the Television Critics Association press tour featured a last call visit to the show's set -- and one last panel with cast members Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan, Cobie Smulders and newcomer Cristin Milioti ("the mom"). But yes, the real treat was actually having a beer on the show's MacLaren's bar set -- and sitting in the booth where the characters are normally parked. I joined my friend Leslie
(above) as series creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays stood over us.
The cast, creators, director and producers of "How I Met Your Mother" gathered Tuesday night at the TV Academy to talk about the show, share anecdotes and reveal a few secrets to an overflow audience of fans. And I got to be the moderator.
Pic by Danielle Turchiano.
It was nerve-wracking at first -- I've gone to plenty of these kind of events, and the moderator frequently blows -- but I did my homework, asking a mix of questions about how the show is produced and constructed (it was a TV Academy event after all, and craft questions are welcome) as well as questions about characters, plot lines and little things that uberfans obsess about on the web.
Pic by Danielle Turchiano.
The cast -- in particular, Neil Patrick Harris -- were lively and played along, even though this is probably about the 20th panel discussion they've participated in for the show. (Alyson Hannigan was probably the least chatty, but to be fair, she's several months pregnant and was a little uncomfortable that night. She was super friendly back stage.)
Pic by Danielle Turchiano.
You may have already read about the best moment of the night: Near the end of the panel dicussion, Neil Patrick Harris jumped up, said he needed to pee -- and dashed off the stage. One problem: His mic was still on, and the entire crowd exploded in laughter as we heard him tell a stage hand he was heading to the bathroom. To be honest, I think Harris was well aware of what he was doing -- he's a pro, and knew it would get a big laugh. And indeed it did, and led to countless writeups on blogs and in papers.
Harris was also out there afterward, signing magazines and photos for fans. A real class act.
Pic by Danielle Turchiano.
But they were all great -- Cobie Smulders (Robin) answered several of my questions in depth, and always kept eye contact with me. Jason Segal (Marshall) doesn't seem that far removed from his Judd Apatow and "HIMYM" characters. Josh Radnor (Ted) appears to be the most introspective of the bunch. And Hannigan (Lily) also seemed nice and down to earth.
I've been busy -- and have been getting home late -- the past few nights, and haven't had a chance to recap the event myself. (And I couldn't exactly take notes while I was up there on stage.)
But thankfully, several other accounts have popped up on the Internet. Check out Danielle Turchiano's coverage of the panel.
The Hollywood Reporter also did a nice write up (well, except, ahem, they never mention the moderator -- wonder why!) here.
And TV Week has a decent recap here. Alas, again, no mention (ahem) of the kick-ass moderation!
And here's a YouTube clip from the evening; and yes, this video ends with me mentioning NPH's and Josh's "junk."
CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" is one of our favorite TV series here at Franklin Avenue HQ, which makes it all the more cool that I was asked to moderate this week's TV Academy panel on the show.
Stars Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan and Cobie Smulders will be there, along with creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, and director Pamela Fryman, among others. I know, like you, I wanna know more about the goat, or when the next Marshall/Barney slap will transpire.
I've already put together a pretty lengthy list of questions... but figured I'd open it up to you guys for a few more suggestions. So, "HIMYM" fans, any burning questions out there? Anything you've wanted to know, but have no way of asking? Post your questions in the comments below.
This Tuesday's event is free for TV Academy members and one guest (membership card and ID are needed), and seating is first-come, first served.
I hit the big showrunner picket early this morning at Disney's front Alameda gate in Burbank... talk about a who's who of TV executive producers.
Finally, a positive development to come out of the writers strike: A kumbayah moment between Monday night 8 p.m. rivals "Chuck" (Josh Schwartz, center) and "How I Met Your Mother" (Craig Thomas, left, and Carter Bays, right).
Winner, best sign of the morning's picket, goes to "Lost" exec producer Carlton Cuse.
"Private Practice" exec producer Marti Noxon notes that "fake doctors" support the WGA.
"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane. Can you imagine how much that picket sign would fetch on EBay?! Hope he held on to it.
"The Riches" creator Dmitry Lipkin has a "Norma Rae" moment.
One of the most interviewed showrunners at the strike line: "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry.
The scene this morning: Chock full o' showrunners at Disney.
