Mockingbird Lane

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Mockingbird Lane

NBC aired "Mockingbird Lane" Friday night.

The program, produced by "Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller, was intended to be a reboot and update to "The Munsters."

This version was far grittier than the original, meant to appeal to audiences who watch "Once Upon A Time," "True Blood," and "Grimm."  In fact, "Mockingbird Lane" gave a modest ratings bump to the latter show. 

"Mockingbird Lane" featured Jerry O'Connell as Herman, still constructed from other body parts, but with a less square head.  The role was originated by Fred Gwynne.

Portia de Rossi played Lily, and Eddie Izzard was Grandpa.

The program was originally intended as a pilot for a new TV series.  That series was never picked up, though there is speculation that if the ratings had been high enough, NBC would have ordered more episodes.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Megan Fox is a Good Actress

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Megan Fox is a Good Actress

Fans have voted Megan Fox the best science fiction actress at the 2009 Spike TV Scream festival for her performance in "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

Also recognized at the award ceremony were Taylor Lautner for best new fantasy actress for her work in "Twilight."

Anna Paquin also received best horror actress for her role on the series "True Blood."

Isabel Lucas won best new science fiction actress in "Transformers."

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Rutina Wesley, More Than Just a Best Friend

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Rutina Wesley, More Than Just a Best Friend

Rutina Wesley plays bartender Tara Thornton on the HBO series "True Blood." She feels the multifaceted role makes her a bit of a cultural pioneer.

With the part, she has moved beyond the "Black Best Friend" with which so many African American actresses find themselves stuck.

In fact, the character of Tara is white in the "Sookie Stackhouse" books on which the show is based.

Wesley hopes that the TV series is a stepping stone not only for herself, but for other struggling black actresses.

Gina Wilhelm Actress

Actress Take a Serious Turn

Gina Wilhelm Actress - Actress Take a Serious Turn

When Carrie Preston was cast as Arlene Fowler in HBO's "True Blood," she knew she was there to provide the comic relief.

For the entire first season of the vampire series, she did that masterfully, but come the season finale, all that changed.

Much of the first season, in addition to dealing with vampire blood lust, shape-shifting, and the like, was a murder mystery.

Preston's character was a key plotpoint, which led to an emotional moment for the actress.

She was pleased to bring the "gravitas" to the situation. The second season has given her a lot more drama to work with.

Preston says she is working hard to "the tragedy that comes in humor and the humor that is in tragedy."

She's no stranger to comic and quirky parts. She's appeared in shows like "Wonderfalls" and "Arrested Development."

She also played the mother of Benjamin Linus, played by Michael Emerson on "Lost." The role was her idea.

Emerson is Preston's husband. She likes that her guest spot was so closely connected to her husband's character.

There's not a lot of sharing in the Preston-Emerson household, though. More specifically, Emerson enjoys hearing "spoilers" from "True Blood."

Preston doesn't want to hear any details from "Lost" before they're revealed on the show.

Preston also likes how different her character on "True Blood" is from herself. She said when Emerson came to the set, he couldn't stop staring at her in makeup.

"I think Michael has a little crush on Arlene," she says.

Gina Wilhelm Actress