PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2013: THE BIG BANG THEORY {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's 30th 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 PALEYFEST 2013 seminar honors "The Big Bang Theory," the comedy series about a quartet of nerdy scientists in Pasadena and their attempts to master the cooler aspects of life and love.
Host Betsy Scolnik (vice-president, The Paley Center for Media) offers opening remarks before welcoming moderator Pauley Perrette (actress, "NCIS") to the stage. Perrette introduces executive producer and showrunner Steve Molaro, who sets up a highlight reel as well as an upcoming episode's preview.
The clips contain memorable scenes from the show's current and sixth season, including Leonard and Sheldon's game of "giant Jenga"; Sheldon's strangely literal drawings during Pictionary; Raj's budding friendship with comic book-store owner Stuart; Sheldon's obsession with his "spot" on the couch; the gang's elaborate costumes as "Star Trek" characters and Smurfs; Sheldon and Amy's awkward ongoing romance; Howard's trip into outer space; Penny and Leonard's emotional "I love you" moment; the girls' debate about the technicalities of comic books; and Penny and Leonard's competition with Sheldon and Amy, including a "Where's Waldo"-off and pie-eating contest. The opening scenes of upcoming episode"The Closet Reconfiguration," are then shown, in which Bernadette and Howard throw a dinner party for their friends, and the obsessive-compulsive Sheldon spends the evening happily organizing their apartment's massive walk-in closet. The couple is happy with his work, until Sheldon unearths a letter from Howard's estranged father.
After the screening, Perrette moderates the following panelists: Molaro; executive producers and creators Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre; and cast members Melissa Rauch (Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz), Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz), Kunal Nayyar (Rajesh Koothrappali), Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter), Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Jim Parsons (Sheldon Cooper), and Mayim Bialik (Amy Farrah Fowler).
The panelists touch on such topics as: the cast's lack of knowledge about advanced physics, unlike their genius characters; Prady and Lorre's decision to write a show combining two plot elements: computer nerds and a young woman's introduction to the big city; the increased levels of emotion and heart in the show's sixth season; Helberg's experience shooting the challenging scenes in which Howard is in outer space; Penny and Leonard's emotional "I love you" scene in "The 43 Peculiarity," done in one take; Bernadette's distinct high-pitched voice, based on Rauch's mother's tones; Raj's tentative new relationship with Lucy (Kate Micucci) and Nayyar's affection for his unlucky-in-love character; the awkward spanking scene "The Fish Guts Displacement," originally scripted to take place off-screen, and the other actors' surprise at seeing it played out; the origins of Sheldon's triumphant catchphrase "bazinga"; Galecki's reunion with his "Roseanne" co-star Sara Gilbert, who played Leslie Winkle in previous seasons; the many unusual "bromance moments" between Raj and Howard, as well as between Nayyar and Helberg onset; the show's impressive range of guest stars, including Stephen Hawking and Leonard Nimoy; Parsons' creation of Sheldon's odd laugh and Joker-like smile; his experience learning to play the theremin and Bialik's learning to play the harp; the actors' memories of the "awful" pie-eating contest scene in "The Re-Entry Minimization"; Rauch's impression of the unseen character Mrs. Wolowitz's grating voice; Cuoco's organization of a flash mob, involving all of the cast and crew and choreographed by her sister; an ironic mention of Bialik's famous character from "Blossom" in the first season; the actors' difficulty in not laughing during funny scenes; Parsons' lack of knowledge of the Klingon language --in which Sheldon is fluent -- prior to joining the show; the complicated "Star Trek" makeup for the episode "The Bakersfield Expedition"; the origins of Sheldon's beloved lullaby "Soft Kitty"; the difficulties and embarrassments of Helberg and Rauch's transformation into blue-hued Smurfs for the episode "The Holographic Excitation"; the long-term challenges of repeatedly ascending the many stairs to the characters' walk-up apartments; Wil Wheaton's amusement at playing an unpleasant parody version of himself; and Prady's awkward phone calls to guest stars Katee Sackhoff and George Takei.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: whether Sheldon and Amy will ever consummate their unusual relationship; a possible appearance by Sheldon's beloved "meemaw"; Amy's exceptionally strong affections for her "bestie" Penny; Cuoco's television commercials for Priceline.com with "nerd hero" William Shatner; dating advice for real-life nerds; Penny's still-unknown surname; Sheldon's Asperger's-like qualities and inspiration from those "on the spectrum"; hints of a romance between Raj and Stuart (Kevin Sussman); Lorre's infamous vanity cards at the end of every episode; predictions for the show's longevity; Cuoco's enjoyment and preparation for the many food-related scenes; and Howard's many noteworthy belt buckles.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 13, 2013 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:39:23
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 109837
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Betsy Scolnik … Host
- Pauley Perrette … Moderator
- Steve Molaro … Panelist
- Melissa Rauch … Panelist
- Simon Helberg … Panelist
- Kunal Nayyar … Panelist
- Johnny Galecki … Panelist
- Kaley Cuoco … Panelist
- Jim Parsons … Panelist
- Mayim Bialik … Panelist
- Bill Prady … Panelist
- Chuck Lorre … Panelist
- Sara Gilbert
- Stephen Hawking
- Kate Micucci
- Leonard Nmoy
- Katee Sackhoff
- William Shatner
- Kevin Sussman
- George Takei
- Wil Wheaton