Love Ugo Interview

**Trotter** · 04-25-2007, 01:24 PM

Thank-you to Jim for this....

"GHOST WHISPERER"
THE OTHER SIDE SET VISIT

Release Date:
April 24, 2007

Press Release:

UGO.com

Following their brief tour and talk with the producers, it was time to sit down and talk with Ms. Hewitt herself...

by John Hutchins
Over the course of two seasons, with its singular blend of mystery, action, and supernatural pathos, fans of the CBS hit Ghost Whisperer have only been increasing in number. During our March set visit to the Universal Studio's back-lot where the show is filmed, surrounded by overturned cars and various debris on the show's 'town square' set (the same faux-town square featured in the Back To The Future trilogy) Executive Producer Ian Sander explains the appeal:
"When you're doing a television series like this, where it's not quite as formulaic as a cop show or medical show, where it's not disease of the week, crime of the week; as producers and writers of the show, you want to do shows that are satisfying within themselves, so that by the end of the show you feel like something was accomplished."
As to why the town square set appears to have been hit by a rogue tornado, he can't say; only that it has something to do with the season 2 finale currently in production. He laughs: "If I tell you I'll have to kill you."
Luckily, we have an interview with the show's star Jennifer Love Hewitt already scheduled, so death won't be prerequisite to our talking to her. As earth-bound spirit communicator Melinda Gordon, having carried one of television's most ambitious shows for 44 episodes "on her back" - as Executive Producer Kim Moses says - Hewitt, as we learned, is ready for a break and looks forward to a series of upcoming Ghost Whisperer 'Webisodes' to move the show's mythology forward.
But how, we were wondering, does a self-proclaimed tear-jerker show crossover to the Internet? "For one thing," Sanders tells us, "visual styles are different. They're shot in HD and the show is shot on 35mm film. Also, editorial styles are different on the internet than they are on television. They need to be more grabbing in a shorter amount of time."
Already available on CBS.com, the first of eight 3-minute webisodes leading to the show's May 11th finale introduce fans to Zach, a bike messenger who shuffles off his mortal coil following his fateful encounter with an SUV. Presented from his perspective, how his character eventually ties in with Melinda remains to be seen; suffice it to say Sanders and Gordon expect the new medium to elevate the show's capacity for narrative. "I don't believe [anybody's] going to sit there and watch a one hour show on your phone and be satisfied," says Sanders, "Here, we're only doing 8 of these things so you're talking about 25 minutes of programming."
And for video game fans, providing an additional reason to check them out will be the music of veteran composer Inon Zur (Everquest 2, Men of Valor) who scores all eight webisodes. According to Kim Moses, "We found him through UGO about four years ago and kept up a dialogue. He wanted to do something in television, so he agreed to do this. Rather than just composing like we do on television, for the storytelling, it's about the experience. That's where he comes from as a composer."
Following our brief tour and talk with the producers, it was time to sit down and talk with Miss Hewitt herself. Noticeably exhausted and within hours of wrapping her second season on the show, she was nonetheless affable, forthcoming and... oh yeah, mind-blowingly attractive.
UGO: So, are you ready to start relaxing?
JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT: Oh boy, you can't even imagine. I'm really excited not to talk to the dead for a small amount of time and chill out.
UGO: Now that you can look back on it, how was this second season of the show different from the first?
JENNIFER: It's different on a lot of levels. I think it was more exciting than the first season; there's so much of it I don't remember, to be honest. It was just like, "Wait a minute, the show's actually going to be on television," which is like a huge thing in this business. And people are actually watching it! I was so nervous and kind of in this fog for the first season, figuring out who Melinda was and what she was going to be and what it all meant; playing a wife for the first time and all of those things was kind of overwhelming. So, there's so much of the first season where sometimes I'll sit and try to remember things and I'm like, "I just don't remember doing that... I have no idea what I did that month!" So, this year I got to be more present in it because Melinda for me was taken care of. I knew who she was and who I wanted her to be, so I could relax into her a little bit and have more fun with her. And we knew all the ghost stuff and what it was like for her to talk to the dead, where she had come from and all of those things. I got to play around more with her sense of humor and [whether] she takes herself not so seriously. And if she does take herself seriously sometimes, what that's like. So it was just fun. It was nice to get to be a little more relaxed.
UGO: How would you like to see the character of Melinda change in the future?
JENNIFER: I'd like to see her stick up for herself, once, when somebody slams the door in her face. That's always my thing... I'm like, "Can't I be more feisty?" and they're like, "No, you're a nice person." Because people are always like, "You're the best! Can you really help us with your gift?" Slam! [pantomimes slamming a door] "You're full of baloney and fake!! And she's always like, "that's okay, I'll come back tomorrow." That's where Melinda and I are very different. If it was me, I'd be like, "Open the door!" So I'd like to see her get to stick up for herself a little bit more. I don't know. Even with our season finale I was shocked as to sort of where things are going. They keep me surprised as much as the audience, with what Melinda's life is, and everything.
UGO: There are stories about the set being haunted. Have you had any experiences with the supernatural, and if so, does that scare you at all?
JENNIFER: I think it's really cool and exciting and we've had all kinds of things happen. My makeup artist, we took a picture of her, and she had sort of this white film over her face, and then we took a picture of her ten minutes later in another part of the thing, and there was nothing. And we had James [Van Praagh] look at it, and he said, "Absolutely. There's a ghost attached to her." We've had lights explode. That's Jay Mohr's favorite story, because he's so excited that it was his head that it exploded over. Who in the world would be excited about glass exploding over their head? No one, but Jay Mohr. He's very excited about that. And yeah, the ghosts showing up; I've had them show up around me a lot on film. I think it's exciting. I think it's neat! And for people who don't believe, if it's just sort of a weird coincidence, that's cool. And for people like me who do believe, I feel like we tell their stories every week. The spirits are really the stars of the show, and if they stop by to say, "hey, thanks" and make an appearance every now and again, it's their show...they should. I think it's cool.
UGO: One of the themes of this season that seems to tie in with the webisodes, specifically the character of Zach, is the spirit world gradually becoming stronger. Can you tell us anything about the upcoming finale?
JENNIFER: Trying not to give away anything... I think you'll finally understand in the end of this season why the dark side has this defiant stare on this girl in particular. You'll also find out there are other people in the world who have this gift; they're not nearly as cute, so we won't be telling their stories (Laughs). I think one of the neat things I'm fascinated most with in our season finale is you'll also find out it's not just people in Grand View who know about her, but there are people in the world who know about this woman, and why they know about her and how that connects in with the spiritual world. Why the dark side is so forceful, not just with everybody, but with her. I have no idea, personally, where the mythology of it is going and where that will lead next season, but the thing that people will definitely understand is why there's such a personal attack on this one person. And for Melinda, she will understand why. And it will not be going away anytime soon, so it's something she's going to have to get comfortable fighting over and over again. And that side of things is getting stronger because unfortunately - or fortunately for our show - it's really only her in the light. So, hopefully in the third season, maybe we'll find some more 'light' people that can help her combat the dark. But the dark is winning the war at this moment in time. But not for long!

recordable2 · 04-25-2007, 01:37 PM

Thanks for great article!!

SarahLove · 04-25-2007, 02:24 PM

Great read thanks guys......

sanja serbia · 04-25-2007, 02:37 PM

Many thanks

Looking4Love · 04-25-2007, 03:12 PM

Thanks

!

PreppyWannabe · 04-25-2007, 08:33 PM

I enjoy reading that stuff. A million-billion-zillion thanks!

Luca_Au · 04-26-2007, 12:34 AM

I'm going to take a guess as to why the dark side of the spirit world is particularly after Melinda.

We know that Melinda is going to learn that there are other ghost whisperers in the world. But maybe the other ghost whisperers don't try to help spirits cross over into the light. Maybe they don't care as Melinda does. Love said that Melinda is kind of like "the only one in the light" and that eventually she hopes that there will be more "light" people to help Melinda fight the dark side. So maybe Melinda is the only ghost whisperer working against the dark side.

angelbunny225 · 04-26-2007, 06:47 AM

woa...so many letters!!!

But a great article..thanks!

**Trotter** · 04-26-2007, 08:35 AM

I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.....

04-25-2007, 01:24 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trotter JLH Nut Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Sydenham,London Posts: 42,054 My Profile	Love Ugo Interview Thank-you to Jim for this.... "GHOST WHISPERER" THE OTHER SIDE SET VISIT Release Date: April 24, 2007 Press Release: UGO.com Following their brief tour and talk with the producers, it was time to sit down and talk with Ms. Hewitt herself... by John Hutchins Over the course of two seasons, with its singular blend of mystery, action, and supernatural pathos, fans of the CBS hit Ghost Whisperer have only been increasing in number. During our March set visit to the Universal Studio's back-lot where the show is filmed, surrounded by overturned cars and various debris on the show's 'town square' set (the same faux-town square featured in the Back To The Future trilogy) Executive Producer Ian Sander explains the appeal: "When you're doing a television series like this, where it's not quite as formulaic as a cop show or medical show, where it's not disease of the week, crime of the week; as producers and writers of the show, you want to do shows that are satisfying within themselves, so that by the end of the show you feel like something was accomplished." As to why the town square set appears to have been hit by a rogue tornado, he can't say; only that it has something to do with the season 2 finale currently in production. He laughs: "If I tell you I'll have to kill you." Luckily, we have an interview with the show's star Jennifer Love Hewitt already scheduled, so death won't be prerequisite to our talking to her. As earth-bound spirit communicator Melinda Gordon, having carried one of television's most ambitious shows for 44 episodes "on her back" - as Executive Producer Kim Moses says - Hewitt, as we learned, is ready for a break and looks forward to a series of upcoming Ghost Whisperer 'Webisodes' to move the show's mythology forward. But how, we were wondering, does a self-proclaimed tear-jerker show crossover to the Internet? "For one thing," Sanders tells us, "visual styles are different. They're shot in HD and the show is shot on 35mm film. Also, editorial styles are different on the internet than they are on television. They need to be more grabbing in a shorter amount of time." Already available on CBS.com, the first of eight 3-minute webisodes leading to the show's May 11th finale introduce fans to Zach, a bike messenger who shuffles off his mortal coil following his fateful encounter with an SUV. Presented from his perspective, how his character eventually ties in with Melinda remains to be seen; suffice it to say Sanders and Gordon expect the new medium to elevate the show's capacity for narrative. "I don't believe [anybody's] going to sit there and watch a one hour show on your phone and be satisfied," says Sanders, "Here, we're only doing 8 of these things so you're talking about 25 minutes of programming." And for video game fans, providing an additional reason to check them out will be the music of veteran composer Inon Zur (Everquest 2, Men of Valor) who scores all eight webisodes. According to Kim Moses, "We found him through UGO about four years ago and kept up a dialogue. He wanted to do something in television, so he agreed to do this. Rather than just composing like we do on television, for the storytelling, it's about the experience. That's where he comes from as a composer." Following our brief tour and talk with the producers, it was time to sit down and talk with Miss Hewitt herself. Noticeably exhausted and within hours of wrapping her second season on the show, she was nonetheless affable, forthcoming and... oh yeah, mind-blowingly attractive. UGO: So, are you ready to start relaxing? JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT: Oh boy, you can't even imagine. I'm really excited not to talk to the dead for a small amount of time and chill out. UGO: Now that you can look back on it, how was this second season of the show different from the first? JENNIFER: It's different on a lot of levels. I think it was more exciting than the first season; there's so much of it I don't remember, to be honest. It was just like, "Wait a minute, the show's actually going to be on television," which is like a huge thing in this business. And people are actually watching it! I was so nervous and kind of in this fog for the first season, figuring out who Melinda was and what she was going to be and what it all meant; playing a wife for the first time and all of those things was kind of overwhelming. So, there's so much of the first season where sometimes I'll sit and try to remember things and I'm like, "I just don't remember doing that... I have no idea what I did that month!" So, this year I got to be more present in it because Melinda for me was taken care of. I knew who she was and who I wanted her to be, so I could relax into her a little bit and have more fun with her. And we knew all the ghost stuff and what it was like for her to talk to the dead, where she had come from and all of those things. I got to play around more with her sense of humor and [whether] she takes herself not so seriously. And if she does take herself seriously sometimes, what that's like. So it was just fun. It was nice to get to be a little more relaxed. UGO: How would you like to see the character of Melinda change in the future? JENNIFER: I'd like to see her stick up for herself, once, when somebody slams the door in her face. That's always my thing... I'm like, "Can't I be more feisty?" and they're like, "No, you're a nice person." Because people are always like, "You're the best! Can you really help us with your gift?" Slam! [pantomimes slamming a door] "You're full of baloney and fake!! And she's always like, "that's okay, I'll come back tomorrow." That's where Melinda and I are very different. If it was me, I'd be like, "Open the door!" So I'd like to see her get to stick up for herself a little bit more. I don't know. Even with our season finale I was shocked as to sort of where things are going. They keep me surprised as much as the audience, with what Melinda's life is, and everything. UGO: There are stories about the set being haunted. Have you had any experiences with the supernatural, and if so, does that scare you at all? JENNIFER: I think it's really cool and exciting and we've had all kinds of things happen. My makeup artist, we took a picture of her, and she had sort of this white film over her face, and then we took a picture of her ten minutes later in another part of the thing, and there was nothing. And we had James [Van Praagh] look at it, and he said, "Absolutely. There's a ghost attached to her." We've had lights explode. That's Jay Mohr's favorite story, because he's so excited that it was his head that it exploded over. Who in the world would be excited about glass exploding over their head? No one, but Jay Mohr. He's very excited about that. And yeah, the ghosts showing up; I've had them show up around me a lot on film. I think it's exciting. I think it's neat! And for people who don't believe, if it's just sort of a weird coincidence, that's cool. And for people like me who do believe, I feel like we tell their stories every week. The spirits are really the stars of the show, and if they stop by to say, "hey, thanks" and make an appearance every now and again, it's their show...they should. I think it's cool. UGO: One of the themes of this season that seems to tie in with the webisodes, specifically the character of Zach, is the spirit world gradually becoming stronger. Can you tell us anything about the upcoming finale? JENNIFER: Trying not to give away anything... I think you'll finally understand in the end of this season why the dark side has this defiant stare on this girl in particular. You'll also find out there are other people in the world who have this gift; they're not nearly as cute, so we won't be telling their stories (Laughs). I think one of the neat things I'm fascinated most with in our season finale is you'll also find out it's not just people in Grand View who know about her, but there are people in the world who know about this woman, and why they know about her and how that connects in with the spiritual world. Why the dark side is so forceful, not just with everybody, but with her. I have no idea, personally, where the mythology of it is going and where that will lead next season, but the thing that people will definitely understand is why there's such a personal attack on this one person. And for Melinda, she will understand why. And it will not be going away anytime soon, so it's something she's going to have to get comfortable fighting over and over again. And that side of things is getting stronger because unfortunately - or fortunately for our show - it's really only her in the light. So, hopefully in the third season, maybe we'll find some more 'light' people that can help her combat the dark. But the dark is winning the war at this moment in time. But not for long!

04-25-2007, 01:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
recordable2 Love, my life inspiration Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Germany - Berlin Posts: 10,384 My Profile	Thanks for great article!!

04-25-2007, 02:24 PM	#3 (permalink)
SarahLove Sister Of JLH Nut Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Sydenham,London Posts: 17,165 My Profile	Great read thanks guys......

04-25-2007, 02:37 PM	#4 (permalink)
sanja serbia Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Serbia Posts: 3,799 My Profile	Many thanks

04-25-2007, 03:12 PM	#5 (permalink)
Looking4Love Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A. Posts: 7,823 My Profile	Thanks !

04-25-2007, 08:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
PreppyWannabe Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Long Island Posts: 1,522 My Profile	I enjoy reading that stuff. A million-billion-zillion thanks!

04-26-2007, 12:34 AM	#7 (permalink)
Luca_Au Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 377 My Profile	I'm going to take a guess as to why the dark side of the spirit world is particularly after Melinda. We know that Melinda is going to learn that there are other ghost whisperers in the world. But maybe the other ghost whisperers don't try to help spirits cross over into the light. Maybe they don't care as Melinda does. Love said that Melinda is kind of like "the only one in the light" and that eventually she hopes that there will be more "light" people to help Melinda fight the dark side. So maybe Melinda is the only ghost whisperer working against the dark side.

04-26-2007, 06:47 AM	#8 (permalink)
angelbunny225 Do you think I'm nuts? Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: in the middle of nowhere... Posts: 8,097 My Profile	woa...so many letters!!! But a great article..thanks!

04-26-2007, 08:35 AM	#9 (permalink)
Trotter JLH Nut Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Sydenham,London Posts: 42,054 My Profile	I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.....

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)