The biannual Television Critics Association panels in L.A. are a blitz of celebrity talent, meet-and-greet receptions, and the occasional Palin sightings. I'm serious. (Tune in tomorrow to hear about my bizarre run-in with Sarah. Pray for me.) On Sunday night, I attended the grand CBS/CW/Showtime soiree and grabbed soundbites from some of my favorite talent in the room. Below, hear about Lisa Kudrow's next dream character, Tyra Banks' favorite supermodel of all time, America's Next Top Model's new creative director Johnny Wujek (Jay Manuel's replacement) on how he almost bedded his female icon, and Christine Baranski's memories of her finest screen role ever: a perky camp counselor in Addams Family Values.
Lisa Kudrow on her favorite types of characters.
Lisa Kudrow was legendary as Phoebe on Friends, heartbreaking and hilarious as Valerie Cherish on The Comeback, and now she's a delusional therapist on Showtime's Web Therapy. What do they have in common? Kudrow explains, and she also teases the kind of character she wants to play next.
"Right now what's funny and mockable to me -- well, it's always the same thing. It's always that person who isn't aware of how they're coming off. I thought I was being really horrible as Fiona [from Web Therapy], and I am, but I would want to do someone else who's really just horrible to people. I'd want to be someone's boss. There need to be people who have to deal with her. But I also want them to kind of admire her because she's good at what she does, though she's just so damaged that she can't deal with people well. And she knows she's damaged! And she isn't trying to fix it."
Tyra Banks picks the best supermodel of all time.
As America's Next Top Model enters its 19th cycle, let's rewind back to a time when supermodels ruled the Earth. Here, I force Ms. Banks to pick her favorite classic supermodel of all time and up-and-coming model.
"Classic supermodel? Christy Turlington. She defies all ethnicity. She's so mixed up. She had a beauty that was atypical, you know? It's not just traditional; there are things about it that make it otherworldly. You look at her and go, 'Uh? Woah.' My new supermodel is Karlie Kloss. To me, she can move her ass off. She used to be a dancer. She's alive! There are things that happen in her face! She's like a pro already. My ex-agent, my agent from a long time ago at Elite Models, he said she reminds him of the models from my day. It's not too unusual that a model would be a dancer first, but to be as big as she is? It is."
America's Next Top Model's Johnny Wujek on adoring Helena Christensen as a child and almost ravishing her as an adult.
What would you do if your childhood icon thought you were hot? Johnny Wujek, the new creative photospread director on America's Next Top Model -- whose own modeling credibility is featured above -- talked about how his favorite supermodel took a fancy to him.
"Growing up, I was obsessed with Helena Christensen. Obsessed. Crazy thing is, before I first moved to LA when I was 22 or 23, I went to Fashion Week in New York, and I met her out! And she was hitting on me! I was talking to my friends, and I said, "I'm going to have to go home with her." But I was too drunk. Come on, though, I had a huge mural of her growing up. Those big breasts! I loved her."
Did I mention he works closely with Katy Perry too? Anyway.
The Good Wife Emmy nominee Christine Baranski on her greatest cinematic achievement (in my opinion): playing a giddy camp counselor in Addams Family Values
My favorite Christine Baranski movie moment is her role as Becky Martin Granger, the peppy camp counselor and pageant director (of "The First Thanksgiving" -- featuring Pocahontas!) who irks Wednesday to no end in 1993's nutty sequel Addams Family Values. It is sublime. I asked the star of The Good Wife to name her favorite Addams-ian memory.
"I just remember that turkey number! I could barely keep a straight face. 'Hey! It's Thanksgiving Day!' It was so funny. Paul Rudnick wrote that script! I did Jeffrey with him, and I did off-Broadway with him a few years ago. He's such a funny writer. That "Turkey Day" skit was almost too funny. And Peter MacNicol and I, we're two of a kind. He has such a wacko sense of humor, but he can keep a straight face -- as can I. I have to go back and watch that. Thank you for reminding me."
Stay tuned for full interviews with Julie Chen and Jeff Probst -- as well as those damn Palins.
