PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2011: 28TH ANNUAL WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL: FREAKS AND GEEKS/UNDECLARED REUNION (LONG VERSION ANAMORPHIC)
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media’s 28th William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television’s creative community. This evening celebrates two adolescent-themed TV shows helmed by Judd Apatow: "Undeclared," the comedy series about a group of six college friends working out the challenges of life at the University of Northeastern California, and "Freaks and Geeks," the dramedy series about two distinct groups of high schoolers in 1980 Michigan — the Freaks, hoodish outcasts-by-choice who love heavy metal, cars, and defying authority; and the Geeks, physically and socially underdeveloped kids who revel in science.
Apatow’s eight-year-old daughter Iris greets the audience before Betsy Scolnik (vice president, The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles) offers opening remarks and acknowledges William C. Paley, son of the festival’s namesake. Apatow then takes the stage to discuss the shows’ strong fan bases, then introduces the "Undeclared" episode "Eric Visits Again," which is screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see T:69142.)
Apatow moderates the following cast members from "Undeclared": Kevin Rankin (Lucien), Jarrett Grode (Perry), Christina Payano (Tina Ellroy), Timm Sharp (Marshall Nesbitt), Carla Gallo (Lizzie Exley), Monica Keena (Rachel Lindquist), Jay Baruchel (Steven Karp), Seth Rogen (Ron Garner), Gerry Bednob (Mr. Burundi), Amy Poehler (Hillary), Jason Segel (Eric), Kyle Gass (Eugene), and David Krumholtz (Greg).
The panelists discuss topics which include: Apatow’s unsuccessful television pilot for "Sick in the Head" starring Poehler and Krumholtz; Segel being rejected for the role of the virginal Steven; the awkwardness of Rogen’s landing a part while friend Segel did not; the casting of Baruchel as the "underdog"; Poehler’s experience kissing co-star Loudon Wainwright III (Hal Karp) on the show; Sharp's post-show dental work; bringing in "new guns" like Payano when the show was in trouble; Rankin’s similarity to his isolated character; Grode’s casting and current stand-up career; the co-habitation of several cast members; the involvement of director Jon Favreau; the show’s slow road to being picked up; the challenge of premiering on 9/12/2002, the day after the World Trade Center's destruction; a poorly-timed TV Guide interview with Rogen and Apatow; guest stars that included Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell and Ben Stiller; and Gallo’s embarrassing roles in Apatow’s films.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: if Baruchel tires of being cast as someone who is unlucky in love; Apatow’s upcoming sitcom, "Girls"; his desire for the cast to "make a contribution" to the show's dialogue; Gallo and Keena’s characters bonding over ‘90s music; Segel’s experience "escalating" from his "Freaks and Geeks" character to the obsessive Eric; the "personal nature" of writing about the college experience; and the uniqueness of the show’s style.
The seminar then takes a short break and reconvenes as Iris Apatow returns to the stage to introduce the "Freaks and Geeks" series finale, “Discos and Dragons,” which is then screened in its entirety. (For synopsis and credits, see T:59803.)
After the episode, Apatow introduces the "Freaks and Geeks" panelists: creator Paul Feig; director Jake Kasdan; and cast members Jason Segel (Nick Andopolis), Busy Philipps (Kim Kelly), Seth Rogen (Ken Miller), Samm Levine (Neal Schweiber), Martin Starr (Bill Haverchuck), John Francis Daley (Sam Weir), Linda Cardellini (Lindsay Weir), Natasha Melnick (Cindy Sanders), Steve Bannos (Frank Kowchevski), Sarah Hagan (Millie Kentner), Stephen Lea Sheppard (Harris Trinsky), David Krumholtz (Barry Schweiber), and Shaun Weiss (Sean).
The conversation touches on such topics as: how Apatow and Feig came up with the show; its basis in their embarrassing high school stories; the show’s initial pick-up thanks to NBC West Coast president Scott Sassa’s fondness for it, and its cancellation due to Sassa’s successor’s lack of interest; the need to "compress" many years of ideas into one season; Melnick’s reaction to the sudden negative shift in her character; many cast members’ first "professional" kisses occurring on the show; Cardellini being "terrified" about her first big role; Levine’s "terrible" audition for the role of Sam Weir; Weiss’ role as bass player on the show and continued interest in the instrument; the "movie moment" of realizing that Hagan was perfect for the role of Millie; a deleted scene that revealed the sexuality of Bannos’ character; the late addition of Philipps’ character and her digital inclusion in the poster; the network’s refusal to air the episode "Kim Kelly is My Friend"; a frighteningly violent improvised scene with Philipps and the method-influenced James Franco as Daniel Desario that caused pandemonium on set; Starr’s real-life habit of working out on set with Franco and soon growing too muscular to accurately portray the nerdy Bill; the cast’s reluctance to do press and orders not to "take cues from Franco"; the exit of many cast members from school because of participation in the show; Cardellini’s experience hearing from Apatow of the show’s cancellation moments before appearing on David Letterman’s show; and the prophetic decision to shoot the finale halfway through the season.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: the challenge of the actors aging faster than their onscreen counterparts; whether Segel will ever host "Saturday Night Live"; the process of clearing the rights for the many popular songs used on the show; the writing of realistic teen dialogue; whether the show accurately "speaks for the outcasts"; Melnick’s experience being recognized at her current non-Hollywood job; and Starr’s contention that everyone on the set genuinely cared about the project.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 12, 2011 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:55:06
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 104752
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Betsy Scolnik … Host
- Judd Apatow … Moderator
- Kevin Rankin … Panelist
- Jarrett Grode … Panelist
- Christina Payano … Panelist
- Timm Sharp … Panelist
- Carla Gallo … Panelist
- Monica Keena … Panelist
- Jay Baruchel … Panelist
- Seth Rogen … Panelist
- Gerry Bednob … Panelist
- Amy Poehler … Panelist
- Jason Segel … Panelist
- Kyle Gass … Panelist
- David Krumholtz … Panelist
- Paul Feig … Panelist
- Jake Kasdan … Panelist
- Busy Philipps … Panelist
- Samm Levine … Panelist
- Martin Starr … Panelist
- John Francis Daley … Panelist
- Linda Cardellini … Panelist
- Natasha Melnick … Panelist
- Steve Bannos … Panelist
- Sarah Hagan … Panelist
- Stephen Lea Sheppard … Panelist
- Shaun Weiss … Panelist
- Iris Apatow … Guest
- Jon Favreau
- Will Ferrell
- James Franco
- David Letterman
- Adam Sandler
- Scott Sassa
- Ben Stiller
- Loudon Wainwright III