Interview: Parker Young talks 'Suburgatory,' 'Mad Men' and 'The Choice'

TV's Ryan 'The Body' Shay has had a busy spring being handsome on TV

Interview: Parker Young talks 'Suburgatory,' 'Mad Men' and 'The Choice'

Parker Young and Jane Levy of "Suburgatory"

Credit: ABC
On "Suburgatory," Parker Young plays a character whose nickname is The Body.
 
On "Mad Men," Young recently guest starred playing a character called Handsome. 
 
And on an upcoming episode of FOX's summer reality dating show "The Choice," Young gets to be himself, as celebrity kibble for attractive singles.
 
It's been something of a breakout year for the 23-year-old actor and it'd be hard to miss the common denominator. 
 
But although Ryan "The Body" Shay superficially appears to be a locker-humping, shirt-removing, IQ-starved jock, his possibly budding romance with Jane Levy's Tessa has been one of the most amusing and surprising developments in the acclaimed first season of "Suburgatory." Young has been able to inhabit a character who's fun to laugh at, but who you find yourself unexpectedly rooting for.
 
"Suburgatory" has its finale on Wednesday (May 16) and I talked to Parker Young last week shortly after the comedy was renewed by ABC. In our conversation, we talked about Ryan's innocence, his love for his mother (a plot point in the finale) and his love for Tessa. We also touched on "Mad Men" and "The Choice," because he's a busy guy.
 
Click through for the full conversation.
 

Interview: Sabrina Thompson talks 'Survivor: One World'

Second place finisher laments an unbitter Jury

Interview: Sabrina Thompson talks 'Survivor: One World'

Sabrina of "Survivor: One World"

Credit: CBS
It isn't all that often that you hear a "Survivor" contestant explain to the Jury that their biggest strategic move was not trying their hardest.
 
That was a key part of the argument laid out by Sabrina Thompson in Sunday's "Survivor: One World" finale, as she attempted to sway the Jury with talk of the advantages of throwing certain challenges.
 
It wasn't that that was Sabrina's only contribution to the newly competed "Survivor" season. In fact, she spent the opening episodes as one of the season's most prominent players. She found the Immunity Idol that she had to give to Colton that played at least a small role in his medically truncated reign of terror. She also, and most crucially, formed a tight alliance with Kim and Chelsea that lasted all the way to the end. 
 
In the end, only two Jury members came to Sabrina's side, but you'll hear no bitterness from the 33-year-old teacher, who calls winner Kim one of the game's greatest players.
 
In her "Survivor" exit interview, Sabrina makes a very smart case not only for occasionally attempting to appear weak, but also for her steady process of weakening. She also notes, probably correctly, that the lack of bitterness from the Jury, which she doesn't portray as a bad thing, was what ultimately swung the vote in Kim's favor.
 
Click through for Sabrina's full Q&A...
 

Weigh in on ABC's 'The Neighbors' teaser

Does it look funny? Or more like a disaster?

Weigh in on ABC's 'The Neighbors' teaser

A screengrab of the aliens from the teaser for ABC's "The Neighbors"

ABC has a number of protected time periods, but with "Castle" permanently suckled at the "Dancing with the Stars" teat and Shonda Rhimes smoothly swapping "Scandal" for "Private Practice" post-"Grey's Anatomy," there's really only one true Rolls Royce slot: Wednesdays at 9:30 after "Modern Family."
 
So when ABC released its schedule on Tuesday (May 15) morning, all eyes immediately shot to Wednesdays to see which comedy had won the sitcom equivalent of the lottery.
 

Listen: Firewall & Iceberg Podcast No. 128

Dan and Alan talk Upfronts and 'Mad Men'

The

Happy Tuesday, Boys & Girls.
 
Sepinwall and I are up to our necks in upfronts coverage, but we carved out time to fire up another installment of The Firewall & Iceberg Podcast.
 
It's everything you wanted to know about NBC, FOX and ABC's new schedules and then 15 minutes of "Mad Men" conversation.
 
Hopefully we'll be back on Friday to talk about CBS and The CW and then also to delve into a few of the recent finales that have been on our minds, including "Parks and Recreation," "Smash," "How I Met Your Mother" and more.
 
Here's the very simple breakdown for the podcast:
Upfronts - NBC, FOX and ABC (00:01:00 - 00:49:30)
"Mad Men" (00:49:30 - 01:14:30)
 

As always, you can subscribe to The Firewall & Iceberg Podcast over at the iTunes Store, where you can also rate us and comment on us. [Or you can always follow our RSS Feed.] 

And as always, feel free to e-mail us questions for the podcast.

Interview: Chelsea Meissner talks 'Survivor: One World'

Third place finisher isn't sad about getting shut out

Interview: Chelsea Meissner talks 'Survivor: One World'

Chelsea of "Survivor: One World"

Credit: CBS
"Survivor: One World" wrapped up on Sunday (May 13) night with the first all-female Top Five in the show's history.
 
Because of timing relating to NBC and FOX upfront presentations on Monday, I wasn't able to do exit interviews with Alicia and Christina, but I was able to get on the phone with the three castoffs who faced The Jury and were up for the million dollar prize.
 
Up first?
 
That would be 26-year-old Chelsea Meissner, who finished third after failing to receive a single vote from the Jury. 
 
Chelsea, who was partners-in-crime with Kim, as they decimated the entire male contingent after the Merge, had a hand in most of the season's strategic intrigue, but she probably lost Jury support when she basically endorsed her friend in her opening statement. 
 
In her exit interview, Chelsea discusses her support for Kim, her Final Tribal emotions and tries to explain Christina's accusation that she hates people. 
 
Click through for the full Q&A... 
 

Recap: 'Survivor: One World' Finale - The winner is...

Who came out of the first all-female Top 5 and won the million dollars?

Recap: 'Survivor: One World' Finale - The winner is...

The "Survivor: One World" Top 5

Credit: CBS
Ladies Night. No pre-credit sequence this week. Instead, we get the obligatory clip package that tries to make the case that Christina in some way deserved a place in the Final Five and that she's an "underdog," not a "darned-lucky coaster." Anyway, it's Night 36 at Tikiano. Muscular Mark Twain is gone. Only women remain. Kim wants to reflect on how far they've come since those rough first days. "I got rid of Tarzan," Alicia cackles, still convinced this is all about her, thinking that Kim and Christina will stick with her. They're all "May the best Woman win." The next morning, Kim and Sabrina collect tree-mail. Sabrina wants Alicia out, but Kim makes the argument that the only person who can beat both of them with the Jury is Chelsea. "It depends on what we're honoring," Noble Sabrina says, stunned at Kim's hypothetical betrayal. Sabrina understands that if Chelsea wins Immunity, she's the next most-likable person and therefore the next most-likely to go next. Alicia also is rooting for Chelsea to suck. 
 
Full recap of Sunday's (May 13) "Survivor: One World" after the break...
 

Interview: Greg 'Tarzan' Smith talks 'Survivor: One World'

Muscular Mark Twain discusses his leadership role and Poopy Pants

Interview: Greg 'Tarzan' Smith talks 'Survivor: One World'

Muscular Mark Twain's torch is stuffed on "Survivor: One World." Or "Greg" or "Tarzan." 

Credit: CBS
His drivers license reads Greg Smith.
 
His patients call him Dr. Smith.
 
His "Survivor" nickname was Tarzan.
 
My recaps called him Muscular Mark Twain.
 
On "Survivor: One World," Tarzan was often a subject of mockery. He had trouble with names. His vocabulary stumped Jeff Probst. And in one unfortunately incident he was accused of attempting to clear his soiled drawers in the camp water supply.
 
But was he also the man masterminding all of Colton Cumbie's big moves? 
 
Was he the power behind the throne helping Kim and Chelsea advance their "Survivor" causes? 
 
That's certainly the claim Tarzan makes now, after his recent elimination, and if sheer verbosity equals validation and verification, he may be right. My exit interview with Tarzan was easily the longest I've ever done and also involved easily the fewest questions I've ever had the time to ask. 
 
He's also the first interview subject I've ever had use the words "epicene," "hebetudinous" and "kwashiorkor" in conversation.
 
Click through for Tarzan's explanation of his subliminal leadership role, as well as his POV on The Poopy Pants Incident...
 
 

Interview: Dave & Rachel talk 'The Amazing Race'

The Season 20 winners discuss their dominant and bickering run

Interview: Dave & Rachel talk 'The Amazing Race'

Rachel and Dave celebrate their "Amazing Race" win

Credit: CBS
Husband-and-wife Rachel and Dave Brown didn't just win the 20th installment of "The Amazing Race." They dominated from wire-to-wire. 
 
Rachel & Dave won the season's first two Legs and its last four Legs and posted two additional Leg victories in the middle (along with two second places) for a record-breaking total of eight.
 
They were so good at winning that they actually got to run through the final gauntlet to host Phil Keoghan twice. The first time, they accidentally skipping a climactic Roadblock, earning awkward stares from their fellow competitors and Phil alike. Only briefly deterred, Dave & Rachel went back to the Roadblock, whizzed past a frustrated Art & JJ and returned to the deserving adulation of all and sundry at the mat. 
 
When they weren't toppling the competition, Dave & Rachel were bickering their way around the world, getting into heated shouting matches on several continents. 
 
In their exit interview, Rachel & Dave stake their claim as the best team in "Amazing Race" history, offer their take on the high-volume bickering and clarify whether or not they let Mark & Bopper win the 8th Leg.
 
Click through...
 

Recap: 'American Idol' Top 4 Results - Down to the Final 3

Would Phillip, Hollie, Jessica or Joshua be going home next?

Recap: 'American Idol' Top 4 Results - Down to the Final 3

Phillip Phillips of "American Idol

Credit: FOX

It's time for another pulse-racing installment of "American Idol," kids!

Or at least it's time to twiddle our thumbs for 50 minutes and then wonder if a shocker is in store. Click through and follow the twiddling as it progresses.

Interview: Art & J.J. talk 'The Amazing Race'

The second place border agents discuss their Race journey

Interview: Art & J.J. talk 'The Amazing Race'

Art & JJ of "The Amazing Race"

Credit: CBS
Art Velez and J.J. Carrell won three Legs on this season of "The Amazing Race," coming in second behind Dave & Rachel's record-breaking eight Leg wins. Fittingly, Art & J.J. also found themselves coming in second for the season.
 
However, when it came to stirring up trouble, nobody could top the two Border Patrol Agents. 
 
They fought with Rachel & Brendon over Team Big Brother's tendency to follow, rather than figuring things out for themselves.
 
They fought with Nary & Jamie, after the federal agents attempted to pass themselves off as teachers.
 
And they fought with Dave & Rachel about a fairly trivial promise involving U-Turns. 
 
In the end, none of those confrontations had any bearing on the Race, which came down to Art's difficulties making it down a hill on a traditional Hawaiian tribal sled, a Roadblock that saw the border agents go through the emotional roller coaster of thinking they were done, realizing they were in first and watching their newly-discovered lead vanish in a matter of seconds.
 
Art & J.J. discussed that roller coaster, their fighting spirit and more in their exit interview earlier this week.
 
Click through for the full conversation...
 
 
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Daniel Fienberg

About This Blog

At the dawn of the 21st Century, Daniel Fienberg came out to Los Angeles for grad school. He hasn't left. "The Fien Print" is a blog about television -- reviews, interviews, analysis -- but it's also about movies and the business of Hollywood. It probably won't be a blog about the Red Sox, though it might seem like that at times.

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