The Legend of Neil Forums
from The Legend of Neil:
Tony and I have been furiously writing season 2 of Neil and we’re getting pretty pumped about shooting this thing. But since the release is months away, I’m going to be trolling the forums to keep my adrenaline flowing.
There’s been a host of great activity on the LON forums and we’d love to see you post! Tell us what you want on the Legend of Neil DVD, or how you might be able to help us subtitle season 1, or what enemies you want to see in season two, or create your own topic!
I promise to post more often myself and let Tony out of the cage I keep him in so he can get on there as well.
Also we’ve had some problems with our fanart submission form. So if you’ve tried to submit something and it hasn’t shown up on our pictures page then we didn’t get it. Please just send us an email at fanart@effinfunny.com. Thanks!
Oh and Happy Happy New Year, make sure to keep those resolutions going for at least a week or two before reverting back to your old self. 🙂
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
One of the most anticipated books of 2008 was J.K. Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of wizard fairy tales referenced in the final book of the Harry Potter series. Prefaced by an introduction by Rowling, the slender volume contains the stories “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot”, “The Fountain of Fair Fortune”, “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”, “Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump”, and “The Tale of the Three Brothers”. The latter tale appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where it aided Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their quest to unearth the Deathly Hallows and thereby defeat Lord Voldemort, but the other four stories are completely new works. Scholarly notes attributed to Professor Albus Dumbledore, which “appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters’ Archive”, with occasional footnotes by J.K. Rowling, add an air of verisimilitude to the book, as does the title page that quite fittingly credits Hermione Granger for translating the book from the original runes. Rowling’s charming illustrations, black-and-white line drawings perfectly suited to Beedle‘s Brothers Grimm-style storytelling, reveal another facet of the author’s creative talent, making it even more interesting to guess at what she’ll produce next, post-Harry Potter.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard was released in both a Standard Edition and a Collector’s Edition, the second offered exclusively by Amazon.com. The Standard Edition contains the five fairy tales, a new introduction by J.K. Rowling, illustrations reproduced from the original handcrafted book, and commentary on each of the tales from Professor Albus Dumbledore. The Collector’s Edition features all five fairy tales from the original The Tales of Beedle the Bard; an outer case disguised as a wizarding textbook from the Hogwarts library; 10 ready-for-framing prints of J.K. Rowling’s illustrations; an exclusive reproduction of J.K. Rowling’s handwritten introduction; 10 new illustrations by J.K. Rowling not included in the Standard Edition or the original handcrafted edition; a velvet bag embroidered with J.K. Rowling’s signature; metal skull, corners, and clasp; replica gemstones, and an emerald ribbon. Available only in limited quantities, Amazon.com recently posted a sold-out notice for the Collector’s Edition:
Thanks to the incredible enthusiasm of Harry Potter fans, we have sold out of all copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector’s Edition available in the United States. To ensure that we have enough replacement copies (for example, for books damaged during shipping), we will be holding a limited number of copies in reserve. If you missed out on ordering your copy of the Collector’s Edition, it is possible that a small number of copies will become available in the weeks following its release on December 4, 2008.
J.K. Rowling has waived her royalties for The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and net proceeds from book sales will be donated to the Children’s High Level Group, a children’s rights charity co-founded by Rowling to benefit children who have been relegated to residential institutions. A press release from the Children’s High Level Group — J.K. Rowling Delighted as Beedle Sales Raise More Than £4M for CHLG in First Week — thanks Muggle fans for their support of this very important cause.
Check out the full range of Harry Potter titles, aside from The Tales of Beedle the Bard published specially by the Children’s High Level Group, at Raincoast Books. In addition to the original books, Raincoast Books offers adult, large print, “magic”, deluxe gift, foreign-language (Latin, Welsh, Ancient Greek, Irish), and box set editions, as well as the textbooks that Rowling wrote for Comic Relief, Quidditch through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them.
Order now at Amazon.com:
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector’s Edition (Offered Exclusively by Amazon)
Harry Potter Store featuring books, audio CDs, DVDs, posters, soundtracks, toys & games, video games, and videos.
Or order directly through the Bloomsbury Publishing website.
Shop for unique Harry Potter merchandise at Alivan’s Master Wandmakers.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is distributed by Children’s High Level Group, in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic and Amazon.com. The Harry Potter series is distributed by Bloomsbury Publishing (International), Raincoast Books (Canada), and Scholastic (US). For more information on the books and their author, visit the J.K. Rowling Official Site.
Matt Smith is the new Doctor
from BBC Press Office:
The BBC today announced that Matt Smith has been cast in the role of the Doctor in the iconic BBC series Doctor Who.
Smith will be the 11th Time Lord and will take over from David Tennant who leaves the show at the end of 2009. He will be seen in the forthcoming fifth series that will be broadcast in 2010.
The fifth series will also have a new lead writer and Executive Producer in the form of the BAFTA award-winning writer Steven Moffat, who is taking over from Russell T Davies.
Moffat will be joined by Piers Wenger, who will be the new Executive Producer for BBC Wales making the show.
Following David Tennant’s decision to step down at the end of 2009, the team behind the new series set about casting the new Doctor so that new adventures could be created and scripts written with Matt in mind.
The identity of the new Doctor was revealed on a special edition of Doctor Who Confidential that was broadcast on BBC One today (3 January) at 5.35pm (17.35 GMT).
In it Smith revealed his initial reaction at taking on such a legendary role and his thoughts on what direction the Doctor might now be going with him playing the part.
Matt Smith said of his new role: “I’m just so excited about the journey that is in front of me. It’s a wonderful privilege and challenge that I hope I will thrive on.
“I feel proud and honoured to have been given this opportunity to join a team of people that has worked so tirelessly to make the show so thrilling.
“David Tennant has made the role his own, brilliantly, with grace, talent and persistent dedication. I hope to learn from the standards set by him.
“The challenge for me is to do justice to the show’s illustrious past, my predecessors, and most importantly, to those who watch it. I really cannot wait.”
Lead writer and Executive Producer Steven Moffat said: “The Doctor is a very special part, and it takes a very special actor to play him. You need to be old and young at the same time, a boffin and an action hero, a cheeky schoolboy and the wise old man of the universe.
“As soon as Matt walked through the door, and blew us away with a bold and brand new take on the Time Lord, we knew we had our man.
“2010 is a long time away but rest assured the 11th Doctor is coming — and the universe has never been so safe.”
Piers Wenger, Head Of Drama, BBC Wales, added: “With two hearts, a ferocious mind and over 900 years of experience behind him, it’s not every 26 year old actor who can take on a role like the Doctor but within moments of meeting Matt he showed the skill and imagination needed to create a Doctor all of his own.
“It’s just the beginning of the journey for Matt but with Steven Moffat’s scripts and the expertise of the production team in Cardiff behind him, there is no one more perfect than him to be taking the TARDIS to exciting new futures when the series returns in 2010.”
Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama, added: “I am delighted to see Matt take on this iconic role. It will see him continuing his relationship with the BBC following his performances in Ruby in the Smoke and Party Animals, and his upcoming role in Moses Jones.
“The combination of Matt, Steven and Piers will, I know, take Doctor Who onto new and even dizzier heights.”
Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One, said: “Matt Smith will be a mesmerising 11th Time Lord, true to the spirit of the show.
“He is a worthy successor to David Tennant who has been utterly remarkable in the role and promises to continue to be in next year’s four special episodes.”
Doctor Who Confidential — The Eleventh Doctor can be seen on BBC iPlayer until 10 January 2009.
There will be four Doctor Who specials featuring David Tennant that will run in 2009 into New Year 2010 (dates to be confirmed).
An extended interview with Matt Smith can be seen at bbc.co.uk/doctorwho.
Matt Smith pictures are available from bbcpictures.com.
Matt Smith, 26, grew up with his family including one sister in Northampton. He was head boy at Northampton School For Boys where he excelled at sports, music and drama.
Initially, Matt wanted to be a professional footballer and played for Northampton Town Under-11 & 12s, Nottingham Forest Under 12, 13 & 14s and Leicester City Under 15 & 16s before a back injury forced him out of the game.
Following his injury, and with the encouragement of one of his teachers, Jerry Hardingham, Matt decided to join the National Youth Theatre.
It was during this time that Matt first gained attention at the Royal Court Theatre when he was cast in the play Fresh Kills, directed by Wilson Milam, whilst still at the University Of East Anglia where he was studying Drama and Creative Writing.
Already a stalwart of the National Youth Theatre, his performance at the Court led to a variety of theatrical experiences at the National Theatre: in the award-winning History Boys (directed by Nick Hytner), On the Shore of the Wide World (directed by Sarah Frankcom) and also in the acclaimed trio of plays Burn / Citizenship / Chatroom (directed by Anna Mackmin).
These roles led to Matt’s first outings on the small screen, alongside Billie Piper in Phillip Pullman’s period detective stories, The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North (both BBC One), where he played Jim, right-hand man to Billie’s detective heroine Sally Lockhart.
These pieces were followed by the lead role of Danny in the BBC Two series Party Animals, the brilliantly observed drama set in the world of young politicians.
In a dazzling return to the Royal Court in 2007, Matt played Henry in Polly Stenham’s award-winning first play That Face, opposite Lindsay Duncan. His performance gained Matt an Evening Standard Best Newcomer nomination and a year later the play had a second life in the West End at the Duke of York’s Theatre.
In between the two runs, Matt played Guy opposite Christian Slater’s Buddy in Swimming with Sharks, Mike Leslie’s searing West End adaptation of the 1994 Hollywood film.
In this time he also played a lead role in the BAFTA winning BBC One series The Street, opposite Gina McKee and Lorraine Ashbourne.
Matt has recently completed work on Moses Jones for BBC Two, directed by Michael Offer, in which he plays the lead role of Dan Twentyman, alongside Shaun Parkes in the title role.
Italian Guild, Prego!
from The Guild:
We are very proud here at The Guild to be a truly world-wide show. Our Xbox Live distribution is translated into 8 languages and launched internationally each week, we believe that is a first for any web show. But, as always, we are especially honored by the time that our FANS have put into adding translations to our videos on YouTube, so the whole world can laugh with (or at) us!
Our latest language is Italian, kindly translated by uber fan Franceso Spreafico. Not only do we have an Italian YouTube Channel now with a truly impressive number of hits already on the Season 1 videos, but we also have Italian subtitles on our central YouTube Channel, all thanks to his hard work! We couldn’t be more grateful for your work and outreach, thank you so much Francesco!
In a strange coincidence just last week on Christmas Day, Corriere della sera, one of Italy’s biggest newspapers, featured an article on our show! We’re pretty sure the Yahoo Babelfish translation of the article was not that accurate (what does “whose screw virtual ends with finding outlets” even mean?!) but it seemed flattering from the general tone at least, and inspired by an article that was written up on us in The Guardian Newspaper, a leading paper in England. Very exciting to have the world as our audience!
Star Wars: The Clone Wars Returns with a Closer Look at the Malevolent Count Dooku
from StarWars.com:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars gives audiences a different look at Separatist leader Count Dooku, and also introduces a new set of villains in “Dooku Captured,” an all-new episode of the hit animated series directed by Jesse Yeh, premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT Friday, Jan. 2, on Cartoon Network.
The episode finds Anakin and Obi-Wan attempting to capture Dooku, only to discover the Sith Lord has already been kidnapped by intergalactic pirates.
Yeh says the episode reveals more insight into Count Dooku’s descent from Jedi Knight to his lofty place within the ranks of those wielding the dark side of the Force.
“I have always been interested in the drama behind this particular character,” Yeh explains. “He thinks realistically, and has a solid mind. The actions he takes are always so direct and straight forward.
“In a way, he’s almost pathetic. His mind is constantly being twisted by his pride, which is what originally led him to the dark side. Because of his pride, he doesn’t realize he has turned into exactly the sort of monster that he once fought against. From his perspective, he is not doing anything different from what he did when he was still a Jedi. He’s just trying to save the universe — but this time from what he sees as a corrupt Republic. In the end, he’s become just another expendable pawn of the true evil.”
Yeh said Dooku’s position as a prisoner in “Dooku Captured” provided a dramatic and animation challenge. “Dooku is no longer in control of the situation, so we had to spend some time trying to figure out how to animate this ‘tamed’ Dooku.”
In addition to working with Dooku, Yeh said it was particularly exciting directing an episode that introduces new characters.
“The pirates have a gangster-like society. The fact that they were actually capable of capturing the legendary Dooku took me by surprise,” Yeh says. “Since the pirate chief is a new character, there were really no limitations on how to bring him to the screen. As a director, I got to determine who this new character would be — how to bring out the combative and greedy nature of this particular species, and put those characteristics onto the very surface of his performance.”
Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!
Do you ever wish that aliens would scoop you up and transport you to a better world? So does Iggy, in Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!
After being teased one too many times, Ignatius MacFarland decides to build a getaway rocket. Maybe extraterrestrials are nicer than his classmates! But when his rocket takes an explosive wrong turn, Ignatius ends up in another frequency run by former English teacher turned dictator Mr. Arthur. It’s up to Iggy and Karen, another trapped earthling, to expose Mr. Arthur for the fraud that he is — and hopefully to make it home alive.
Iggy’s home science project lands him in another world, but also proves the adage “be careful what you wish for, lest it come true”, as Iggy finds himself in a situation that nearly makes the bullies back home look like a preferable problem. Boys will love the gross gags, over-the-top fights, weird science, strange monsters, and whimsical illustrations that pack this first young adult novel from Paul Feig, creator of the cult classic TV show Freaks and Geeks. Feig clearly remembers how kids think, and in Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut! he creates a believable antihero that young readers will relate to, especially if they’re as socially awkward as the hapless Iggy.
Part comic adventure, part science fiction, and part fantasy, this debut kids’ novel is wholly entertaining. And as only Paul Feig can do, it makes being a geek, well, kind of cool.
A wide open, Quantum Leap-style ending hints that the author intends for this book to be the start of a series, so readers can likely look forward to many more world-hopping adventures with Iggy and his fellow Frequenaut, Karen.
Recommended Reading Level: Young Adult (9-12) for crude bodily humour and mild violence.
Order now at Amazon.com:
Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!
Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut! is distributed by Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA.
Holiday Message from Garfield Minus Garfield
from Garfield Minus Garfield:
Merry Christmas!
from Garfield Minus Garfield and thank you all for your support over the year.
I’m going to take a break for a few days but in the meantime if you’d like to show your support for G-G, please vote for it in the tumblr awards. It’s in the Overall Best Tumblelog and Best Image Posts categories.
Thank you 🙂
Dan
Neil needs You!
from The Legend of Neil:
Hey all,
So a bunch of our favorite webtertainment sites got together and created these web series specific awards, that I really really want to to win-er I mean it would be an honor to be even considered for (must… remember… humility). But we need your nominations in order to be considered! So please go to streamys.org and nominate Neil!
Here’s our ideal ballot
Best Comedy Series: The Legend of Neil (legendofneil.com)
Best Director (Comedy): Sandeep Parikh
Best Writing (Comedy): Tony Janning & Sandeep Parikh
Best Male Actor (Comedy): Tony Janning (Neil), Mike Rose (Old Man)
Best Guest Star in a Web Series (Comedy): Felicia Day (Fairy)
Best Editing: Sandeep Parikh
Best Cinematography: Richard E. Stark (amazing dungeon lighting!)
Best Art Direction: Leah Mann (she built a dragon out of styrofoam, and the level wall, skeletons, etc!)
Best Visual Effects: Sevan Najarian (fairy sex, fireballs, and more!)
Best Original Music: Robert Harrington (score), Sandeep Parikh (ridiculous opening song)
Also please nominate The Guild if you get the chance as well! Thanks so much for your continued support! All this kinda stuff helps bring you more Neil! Happy holidays!
Guild Episode 4 and Gag Reel Posted
from The Guild:
We’re very pleased to announce that TWO Guild videos were posted today on MSN Video, Xbox Live Video Marketplace (in HD), and the Zune Marketplace! Please catch them now!!
Also a Gag Reel for Episodes 1-3 was posted:
AND don’t forget the Christmas Guild Spirit with “A Very Guild Christmas”!
If you could take the time to spread the word on your local forums and blogs, or “Digg” underneath the MSN Video for these episodes, we would definitely appreciate it!
ALSO if you’ll notice, Season 2 has now started rolling out in our CENTER PLAYER [at watchtheguild.com]! Yay! Please view it there, and then comment on our forums, we’d love to hear your feedback!
Happy Holidays! 🙂
The Guild Management
Draco Mundis
While London’s upper crust is growing bored and falling asleep in its posh salons, a new style of club has seen the light of day. The Draconis Club, very much in style at the moment, offers English aristocrats in need of a good rush the opportunity to face fear in an extraordinary trip to Draco Mundis, the Valley of Dragons. The luckiest among them will be able to come back covered with glory, and able to brag about their feats while proudly displaying a trophy worthy of the British Museum. Dragon season is open!
Draco Mundis, available in both English and French editions, is a strategy game similar to Dungeon Twister in its game mechanics. Its rules are fairly simple, relying on a player’s strategic, tactical, memory, and bluffing skills, with diplomacy and the forging of temporary alliances becoming factors when there are more than two players. There is no luck involved. Each player is able to take Actions such as moving, exploring the jungle, fighting or spying on enemies, using Special Abilities, and, in the case of a Cannibal, capturing prisoners. As the back of the box hints, “Each character has a very specific ability; you’ll have to learn how to use each character at their best to adapt to whatever hot water your opponents put you in.”
Turn-based Draco Mundis plays much like an RPG. The fictionalized Valley of Gangtok is laid out on a gridded game board that resembles an antique, sepia-coloured map — down to the ornately drawn compass rose in the top-right corner — and the game has an alternate reality back-story that reads like the preamble to an old British adventure film:
Tired of the daily mundanities and good manners, the English aristocracy of the early 20th century is trying to while away the time by looking for thrills wherever they can. The latest craze is a chase as madcap as it is illegal. In the heart of the Punjab region of eastern India, their contest is centered around the capture of a sacred, rare and protected monster: Draco Septentrionus Verdatis!
Armed to the teeth with hunting rifles and blades of all sorts, the lordly teams, accompanied by their ladies, themselves followed by Sherpas burdened by piles of pointless luggage, will face the wild animals of a hostile jungle. Their secret goal will be to capture one of these enormous legendary beasts, dragons from northern India, in order to bring it back to England as a hunting trophy.
The aristocratic adventurers will be surrounded by the screams of a myriad of apes, spider monkeys and baboons, masses of poisonous snakes, angry herds of elephants, and especially the infamous Bengali tiger, bristling with ferocity and whose fangs are true saw teeth. The fire-breathers come out of nowhere in the heart of the night, setting ablaze the villages made of hovels or the most highly protected camps, spreading around them more than just fear, but sacred terror.
The best trick in the hunters’ arsenal will be the use of an infallible trap, a female Dragon made of odds and ends and supposed to irresistibly attract the monster by the imitation of its cry.
Intrigued by the hunting arsenal and all the preparations for capture, journalists have decided to discreetly follow the uncaring, happy go lucky expeditions in droves. They’ll be able to turn the details of their adventures into scoops for tabloid papers, before reporting their sacrilegious doings to the local police.
But beyond all the dangers and the pitfalls, the English aristocrat fully knows that success in his enterprise will, surely, grant him the favor of the crown, and perhaps even, with a bit of luck, from the hands of His Majesty himself, the title coveted by any self-respecting Lord, that of honorable member of the “Order of the Garter”.
Box contents:
— 1 game board,
— 80 tokens (11 Characters, 1 Item and 8 Lands for each of the 4 colors),
— 4 game helps/screens,
— 1 rulebook.
Characters:
Explorer (2), Journalist (1), Hunter (1), Sherpas (2) — one of whom may be sacrificed per game to gain an extra Action for the current turn, Dragon (2), Cannibal (1), Biplane (1), SS307 Machinegun (1)
Item:
Dragon Traps (1) — deployed in alternate rules to limit the power of Dragons
Lands:
Campsite (1), Mountain (2), Jungle (2), Swamp (2), Bengali Tiger Territory (1)
The use of a bad, upper-crust British accent is not included in the rules, but should be, as it adds a great deal of fun to gameplay. If your companions are like-minded, then agreeing to award extra points for cheesiest accents and most stereotypical, old-time slang will add a whole new layer to the game. Bonus points for wearing a pith helmet, as well.
The game ends when every token on the game board is revealed, and the winner is the player with the highest total of Victory Points. Points are earned for infiltrating a Campsite with your Journalist, destroying Campsites (not your own, of course), eliminating opposing Characters and Dragons, and controlling Character tokens on a Jungle or Mountain token of any color. Points are lost if you place your Bengali Tiger Territory on a square adjacent to your Campsite at the beginning of the game; setting up camp next to a bunch of tigers merely makes you eligible for a Darwin Award, and a smart player will try to get his opponents taken out by the big cats instead.
“May the best Lord win!”
Draco Mundis supports 2-4 players, ages 12 and up. Game length: about 60 minutes.
If “mechanical dragons” are more your thing, Asmodee Editions also has two new car racing games out, Hurry’cup! and Formula D.
Order now at Amazon.com:
Draco Mundis (not listed yet)
Hurry’cup! (not listed yet)
Formula D
Or order directly through the Asmodee Editions website.
Draco Mundis, Hurry’cup!, and Formula D are distributed by Asmodee Editions (US), a subsidiary of Asmodee Editions (France), in partnership with Hazgaard Éditions for Draco Mundis. For more information on Draco Mundis, visit the official game website at Draco Mundis (in French).
Amy Okuda: The Guild’s Tinkerballa
Over the past few weeks, fans of The Guild have been eagerly awaiting the release of new hilarious episodes of our favorite web series and, as expected, Codex and the Knights of Good have not let us down. With three episodes and the Christmas special now out, we thought this would be a great time to catch up with the cast and find out what they’ve been up to. As a Christmas gift from ÜberSciFiGeek to all of you, here is the first of several upcoming interviews.
Amy Okuda plays Tinkerballa, a Ranger in the “Knights of Good” guild. As anyone who’s played World of Warcraft or Everquest with me can attest to, I have a soft spot for the Ranger/Hunter toons (slang for in-game characters), so that automatically makes Tink one of my favorite characters. As busy as she is between school and the holiday season, Amy was kind enough to set aside some time to answer a few questions for ÜberSciFiGeek.
ÜberSciFiGeek (ÜSFG) Did you have an active imagination when you were a kid?
Amy Okuda (AO) I think all young kids have very good imaginations. But I was the kid in preschool that escaped from the classroom everyday to talk to flowers… so I guess I could say I had a pretty active imagination… haha.
(ÜSFG) How old were you when you decided you wanted to be an actor?
(AO) I got into acting very recently, probably like junior year of high school. I started dancing in 7th grade, and my dance teacher and friends would tell me to get into acting too since they make more money… so I did, and I ended up really liking it.
(ÜSFG) Lots of artistic people struggle with other things considered normal, like sports, academics, and social interaction, but then thrive when they discover the arts. Did you have a similar experience?
(AO) I think my experience is the furthest from that. Acting and the arts were not a part of my life until about 7th grade. I played basketball for about 9 years, since I was 5 — that was my life. I was basically a tomboy and thought I was going to get into college through basketball, but realized I was Asian and would grow up to be about 5″1 and 95 pounds… haha. But I would say I grew up with a very normal life. I went to school, had a lot of good friends, played sports, you know, the usual. Then I started really getting into dance in high school and started independent studies my junior year, so that’s when my life started getting “not normal” I guess… haha. But my boyfriend was going to school so I still got to go to my senior prom, which was nice. But I was lucky and got to experience a lot of different things in my life — like being a student, an athlete, a dancer, an actor, etc., and I think that’s what makes me different from other actors who have been in the business all their life.
(ÜSFG) You just finished wrapping season 2 of The Guild. What was it like being back together with the cast and crew? How different was it to actually have a budget this time around?
(AO) I absolutely love every single cast member and crew that works on the show. Me and Robin, who plays Clara, especially got close, and I’m so thankful that everyone is so supportive and nice. I couldn’t imagine working on a show with people I hated. Well, now that we are sponsored and have a budget, we got to shoot the whole season in a shorter amount of time, which was nice compared to shooting episodes months apart. But it’s not completely different from shooting season 1; it’s still so much fun and I love it just as much as I did shooting the first season.
(ÜSFG) Other than your Mario Kart addiction, are you anything like Tink?
(AO) Tink is basically me when I was, like, 10-11 years old. That’s when I was really into basketball, and I was such a feisty little kid. I didn’t take crap from anyone; I was so competitive and thought I was the toughest thing. One time, a boy was, like, looking at me and trying to talk to me and I snapped at him and said “What are you looking at?” To me, that’s such a Tink line. When I quit basketball and wasn’t in such a competitive environment all the time, I really mellowed down, and I’m glad I did, because I honestly probably wouldn’t have any friends… haha.
(ÜSFG) I know you did the “LOL” episode of Californication with David Duchovny. How different was that filming experience from The Guild?
(AO) Well, the big difference was that I only had to memorize one sentence. HAHAHA. But it was kind of cool because I only had, like, a tiny part but I had my own little trailer, a wardrobe person, make-up artist, and they even had a stand-in for me, which was kind of weird. But you know, other than that, there’s just a lot more people on set, and I got to see David Duchovny… lol.
(ÜSFG) You’ve been busy at the University of Southern California. Have you had time for anything else, and, if so, what other projects have you been working on?
(AO) My main project for the next 3 years is to graduate! I really wish I could go out and audition and work as an actor more, but right now my main goal is to get a degree, and live life like a normal college girl. My mom always told me college is the best time in your life, and I really want to live it up and treasure my time at USC, especially because there is so much to do there besides go to class, and I don’t want to miss out on anything.
(ÜSFG) Do you get recognized in public now?
(AO) Umm, I got recognized once at El Torito; it was kind of a weird experience, but it doesn’t happen much. I get a lot of friends and family telling me, “Oh, my friend was saying he/she was looking through the Internet and saw you on The Guild!” or random old friends Facebook-messaging me and being like, “WTF, you’re in The Guild?”
(ÜSFG) Are you a Whedonite?
(AO) I’m not exactly sure what being a Whedonite entails, but I definitely enjoyed Dr. Horrible. I think everyone did a great job on that.
(ÜSFG) Is there anything else you can think of that you’d like to share?
(AO) Umm, I don’t think so, just KEEP WATCHING THE GUILD. 🙂 lovelovelove
(ÜSFG) Thank you, Amy!
The Guild is currently airing Season 2, and can be watched on MSN Video, Xbox Live and Zune.