Zoneboy
01-29-2009, 12:34 AM
Link (http://www.examiner.com/x-1124-TV-on-DVD-Examiner~y2009m1d27-Awesome-Blossom-interview-with-Mayim-Bialik-on-day-of-DVD-release-of-S1-and-S2)
As I wrote a few weeks ago, I had a "very special" opportunity to interview Mayim Bialik, who played Blossom Russo on the 1990s sitcom "Blossom," as part of the promotion for today's release of the first and second seasons of that show in a 37-episode 6-disc DVD set. She truly was a delight and kindly laughed at all of my jokes.
I could relate well to Blossom being a good kid who was not unpopular but not unduly popular either. I was surprised to learn from Bialik that she attended public high school while not filming "Blossom" and that, like her character, Bialik belonged to the chess club and played the trumpet in bands. She told me that series creator Don Reo liked to incorporate the interests of the stars into the personalities of their characters.
Bialik told me additionally that the "Rockumentary" episode from the second season in which she and the rest of the cast appeared in a g-rated version of the Madonna film "Truth or Dare" was her favorite to film. She mentioned the fun of filming at several locations throughout Los Angeles and having so many "incredible" stars, such as Wolgang Puck and Tori Spelling, appear. When I mentioned that I got a kick of seeing Neil Patrick Harris appear in this episode given his current bad-boy image, Bialik laughed and told me that she and Harris had the same agent during that era.
Bialik reminded me as well that she played a leukemia patient on Patrick's show "Doogie Howser, M.D." When asked if her character lived, she replied that she believed so.
Also on the subject of guest stars, which were a staple during the early seasons of "Blossom," I asked Bialik if she had ever asked her "Beaches" co-star Bette Midler to appear on the show. Bialik said that doing so never occurred to her.
I also asked Bialik what she thought that Blossom would be doing today, and she replied that she hoped that she would be helping people as a doctor or a nurse. Bialik said too that she had just finished her doctorate in neuroscience.
My own impressions of "Blossom" were that seeing teenagers playing teenagers and also being good actors was impressive and that the shows were not nearly as heavy or sappy as my memories of its well-known reputation for "very special episodes" had led me to think that it would be.
I also liked the fact that the character of the father struck a good balance between the saccharine style of Ward Cleaver and other traditional sitcom dads and what I consider the highly inappropriate and flat-out cruel parenting philosophy that "Roseanne" and "Married with Children" depicted.
As I wrote a few weeks ago, I had a "very special" opportunity to interview Mayim Bialik, who played Blossom Russo on the 1990s sitcom "Blossom," as part of the promotion for today's release of the first and second seasons of that show in a 37-episode 6-disc DVD set. She truly was a delight and kindly laughed at all of my jokes.
I could relate well to Blossom being a good kid who was not unpopular but not unduly popular either. I was surprised to learn from Bialik that she attended public high school while not filming "Blossom" and that, like her character, Bialik belonged to the chess club and played the trumpet in bands. She told me that series creator Don Reo liked to incorporate the interests of the stars into the personalities of their characters.
Bialik told me additionally that the "Rockumentary" episode from the second season in which she and the rest of the cast appeared in a g-rated version of the Madonna film "Truth or Dare" was her favorite to film. She mentioned the fun of filming at several locations throughout Los Angeles and having so many "incredible" stars, such as Wolgang Puck and Tori Spelling, appear. When I mentioned that I got a kick of seeing Neil Patrick Harris appear in this episode given his current bad-boy image, Bialik laughed and told me that she and Harris had the same agent during that era.
Bialik reminded me as well that she played a leukemia patient on Patrick's show "Doogie Howser, M.D." When asked if her character lived, she replied that she believed so.
Also on the subject of guest stars, which were a staple during the early seasons of "Blossom," I asked Bialik if she had ever asked her "Beaches" co-star Bette Midler to appear on the show. Bialik said that doing so never occurred to her.
I also asked Bialik what she thought that Blossom would be doing today, and she replied that she hoped that she would be helping people as a doctor or a nurse. Bialik said too that she had just finished her doctorate in neuroscience.
My own impressions of "Blossom" were that seeing teenagers playing teenagers and also being good actors was impressive and that the shows were not nearly as heavy or sappy as my memories of its well-known reputation for "very special episodes" had led me to think that it would be.
I also liked the fact that the character of the father struck a good balance between the saccharine style of Ward Cleaver and other traditional sitcom dads and what I consider the highly inappropriate and flat-out cruel parenting philosophy that "Roseanne" and "Married with Children" depicted.