Scrubs - 3rd Season DVD Launch Event
Introduction
With the cast and crew wrapping the shoot schedule for the 5th season of Scrubs and the 3rd season DVD about to be released on May 9th, 2006 (review), it was the perfect time to throw a party, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment was up to the occasion. Hosted at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, most of the cast of the hit NBC series were on hand to interact with the fans, address questions from the media, and celebrate their wonderful television show with a late-night party inside the popular Rain Nightclub.
Before the official event began, I took some time to check out the casino itself during the afternoon and ended up casually bumping into numerous cast members at the tables and inside the sports book. Everyone was incredibly friendly and very receptive to random fans wandering by and asking for an autograph or maybe a photo. While eating lunch, I noticed Sarah Chalke (Elliot Reid) pausing to speak with a group of enthusiastic fans and sign a few autographs while checking in, and later I found her alongside Zach Braff (J.D.), Donald Faison (Turk), Dave Foley (Dr. Hendrick), and Bill Lawrence (the show's creator) tearing it up at a blackjack table. Everyone appeared to be having a great time, and it was a positive atmosphere for the unsuspecting guests who found themselves gambling alongside their television favorites.
Because the blackjack tables were getting crowded, I made my way to a roulette wheel in the center of the room where I was quickly joined by Executive Producer Randall Winston, a towering figure with an ebullient personality. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, and the rest of the table was feeding off his personality and having quite a bit of fun. At one point, Sarah Chalke ran over and placed a single bet on one spin of the wheel, and amazingly, her number hit on the first try. The gathering crowd loved it, and she smartly took her winnings and moved on. That day, I had planned to just sit in the sports book and kill time watching some games, but the arrival of the Scrubs crew livened things up quite a bit and made the casual afternoon fun for everyone involved. As evening grew near, people retired to their rooms to prepare for the night's festivities.
N.B.: In these interviews, a few major plot points from the 3rd season are discussed. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for?!?
The red carpet event was held just outside Rain Nightclub as the guests made their way into the party for the celebration. Many friends and family passed by whom I didn't recognize, in addition to a few celebrities not directly affiliated with the show, but the first guest cast member to venture down the carpet was Mandy Moore (Julie Quinn), from the fifth season episodes "My Half-Acre" and "Her Story II". She was polite and paused for a bunch of photographs, but we didn't really have a chance to interview her. In the brief moment I spent with her, she indicated that Las Vegas isn't really one of her favorite vacation destinations, but she did want to show her support to the cast.
Donald Faison
Donald Faison (Turk) was up next, and he was in a very jovial mood, joking around with the press and having a good time with the whole experience.
Faison: The Season 3 DVD is going to be extraordinary. I suggest everybody go out and buy it. Can I pick an episode that's great? I can't ... look, the whole season is amazing. The whole season!!
A reporter from
Life & Style Weekly asked him what he was wearing for the event, and after having someone check the label on his suit, he informed us that it was Hugo Boss; then he removed his shoes, held them aloft, and proudly exclaimed, "Gucci!" As for the future of the show itself, his only insight was as follows: "There's a black person in it, and he's married to a Dominican person, and they're having a baby." He also noted that he enjoyed working with Hattie Winston (Turk's mother) and D.L. Hughley (Turk's brother).
Zach Braff
Photo courtesy of BVHE
Zach Braff (J.D.) quickly followed, briefly joined by show creator Bill Lawrence, and the two of them joked about Zach's "personal style". Zach took a step back, modeled his semi-casual outfit for everyone, and declared it "Bill Lawrence Chic". Lawrence noted his own slightly more conservative attire and stated, "If you tuck it in, it means you're married and have kids. Untucked means you're a guy on the prowl." Lawrence moved on to return later, but Braff remained to answer some questions:
Interviewer: Zach, do you have any superstitions?
Braff: Not really. I don't walk under ladders, and I don't say "MacBeth" in the theatre. I say "The Scottish Play". Other than that, no.
DVD Talk: Season 3 has the episode "My Screw Up" that a lot of people believe is the best episode you have done.
Braff: One of the greatest episodes, I agree. I'm really proud of that one. I'm really happy because my good friend Joshua Radin, who's now exploding and just signed to Sony Records, that was his first song ever, the song "Winter" that ended the show -- which sort of blew him up -- was at the end of that episode.
DVD Talk: Speaking of music, you directed the promotional music video. What was that like?
Braff: It was fun. I got to use all the Scrubs crew and got to use a bunch of film toys. I love film toys.
DVD Talk: What is your favorite "Scrubs Factor"?
Braff: The grossest one was the guy who ate pigs' feet. He loved pigs' feet, this guy, and he downed about 30 pigs' feet in about 5 minutes for like 500 bucks.
Interviewer: Do you have a favorite moment in TV history?
Braff: When Michael J. Fox turned the house into a hotel on Family Ties. Classic! Let's see, the other one would be ... any episode of Three's Company.
Bill Lawrence and Neil Flynn
At that point, Bill Lawrence returned, this time with Neil Flynn (The Janitor):
Interviewer: After 5 years of the show, have you given Janitor a name that has not yet been shared with the viewing public?
Flynn: In each scene that I do, I have secretly named the Janitor a different name just to motivate myself in the scene as an actor. (Pauses) No. I don't bother with the name. "The Janitor" is enough for me, because it comes off as either a superhero or a supervillain. Batman vs. The Janitor. No, we don't know the Janitor's name, and we may never know, except maybe -- as Bill, the inventor of the show ... inventor of the show? (laughs) ... has said before, "If we ever hear the Janitor's name, it means the show's over."
Lawrence: It means the show's over. It's a huge hint. If his name is actually uttered on television, it means that it's the last episode of the show. So, anybody who wonders if the show's over now, watch the finale, and if we say his name ...
Interviewer: What about Dr. Cox? He's gotta come back, right?
Lawrence: This little arc takes us through the end of the year, but he is not leaving.
Flynn: No one's leaving yet.
Interviewer: Can you give us any information about the final episode?
Lawrence: Yes, I can. I'll give you one hint and one real thing. The real thing is that in real life, my wife's pregnant, and she plays Dr. Cox's wife (Christa Miller), so maybe something will happen on the show ... I dunno.
Flynn: (Joking) You're coming on the show?
Lawrence: No, no, no. You're not following. But there is a giant bomb on the show, dropped in the last 5 seconds that will affect next year, especially if it's the last year of the show. The last 5 seconds of the show, after you think it's over, bam! The tease is good. It's really good.
Interviewer: About next season, will there be one? Is it frustrating for you --
Lawrence: It's frustrating in the sense that I'm not allowed to say there's one officially -- it's Hollywood -- but the show's going to be on next year. The only question mark is whether it's going to be on NBC or ABC. That's what's interesting for us is that we don't know what channel we'll be on.
Flynn: (Joking) Unfortunately, I have a bad history with ABC, and they won't allow me on their airwaves.
Lawrence: You've drawn a line in the sand about that, which has made a big issue. (Addressing the crowd) Neil will not be on ABC!
Flynn: I mean, my parts will be on NBC.
Lawrence: It's very awkward, but he took a stand.
Flynn: I actually regret it now.
Lawrence: But, yeah, the show will be back.
Interviewer: Why do you think the Janitor hasn't found a new intern to harass?
Flynn: Because Zach won't leave! (Laughs) That might happen, there are other interns around, but I think he's attached to Zach's character.
Lawrence: This is minutia, but the writers all feel that you feel justified that he wronged you first.
Flynn: He did!
Lawrence: He put the penny in the door in the pilot episode.
Interviewer: Do you have a favorite moment in TV history?
Lawrence: This might be it! (Laughs) That last chunk of dialogue.
Flynn: Wow, that's a good question.
Lawrence: Can I answer that while he's thinking? My favorite is Taxi, "What does a yellow light mean?" Classic scene. Jim Ignatowski, trying to get his cabbie license, whispers, "What does a yellow light mean?" Alex Reiger goes, "slow down". And Jim goes, "Whaaaat ... does a yeellllloow ... liiiight mean?"
Flynn: I'd go with something from The Dick Van Dyke Show or Monty Python. That's as specific as I can get.
Photo courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment
DVD Talk: Season 3 has the episode "My Screw Up".
Lawrence: Yeah, it's my favorite episode of the show. My wife and Brendan Fraser's wife have been best friends since they were kids, and Brendan wanted to come on the show, and he came on earlier. And then I was talking to him one night when we were renting a movie and hanging out, and he said, "Why don't you bring me on and kill me?" Which is the way this stuff usually starts, because the cool thing about Scrubs is that all the guest stars on the show -- we call them "friends of the family" -- they're all friends of the cast and writers and crew. And so we decided to try and fool people. We thought enough time had passed since The Sixth Sense that we tried to sucker them in, that he'd been dead all along. We thought it was going to be a disaster, but because Brendan was so good, it actually worked. It's my favorite episode of the show.
DVD Talk: It's brilliant. Very well done.
Lawrence: Thank you, man. Thank you. We got so obsessive that we went back into it and re-shot stuff, because when we first shot it there were a couple of background people who looked at him -- you know what I mean, because it's Brendan Fraser! -- and I'm like, "No! He's not supposed to be there! They can't look at him."
DVD Talk: Why do you think the show has such longevity? We're going on 5 years now.
Lawrence: Ya know what, this is not a giant hit, so I'm not blowing smoke. But the people who enjoy the show follow it so religiously and so cultishly, and we're so grateful to them, that they have kept the show alive. We call them "Our Nerds". No matter where we go, we have the same group of people on the Internet talking about the show, and that's the way you survive today in the modern landscape of television. There's so many channels that if you're not a huge hit, you have to appeal to a core audience that really, really cares about it so much that they're not going to miss it. And we're grateful to them so much that we name characters after them, and we did a live show for them, and all that stuff.
Talking with Bill Lawrence was easily the highlight of the evening, as he was genuinely appreciative of his fans and was very willing to talk with the media about all aspects of the show. At first, he was a bit taken aback that people would want to talk to him, when he's not one of the actors showcased on magazine covers, but once he got talking, he was a delight. One of the publicists pulled him away mid-sentence for a photo op, and not only did he finish his comment to me before walking away, but he made a point to specifically come back later and make sure I had all the interview material I needed. He was a real class act, and after speaking with him on the red carpet and later that evening in the casino, I had a real sense of how the series has evolved into something so great under his leadership.
Randall Winston
Next up was Executive Producer Randall Winston:
Winston: Bill and I have worked together ... we produced Spin City, we did a show called Champs, we met at the tail end of Family Ties. We've been doing shows for a long time.
DVD Talk: There's a featurette on the 3rd season DVD about first-time directors.
Winston: The great thing is, we shoot in an abandoned hospital in the Valley of Los Angeles. It's a horrible place, but it promotes a family and a real tight environment, so nothing could go wrong. I did direct an episode in the 3rd season -- (joking) perhaps the best episode, I don't want to say too much -- but what's great is with this group of people, it's a safe place, and everybody did something that they're proud of. Bill would probably say, "The worst thing that could happen is a noble failure." So, we work really hard, and we have a group of people who are on the show that we want to be able to offer other creative rewards to. So, I was able to direct, and one of our ADs (Assistant Directors) was able to direct. People who are involved in the show and know it creatively -- start to finish -- have been able to participate in that way, so that's really cool.
DVD Talk: Have you ever been involved in a "Scrubs Factor"?
Winston: I usually administer them. I was there the night that the pigs' feet were eaten, and I was there the night that hot sauce was licked off of somebody's toe. I'll show you the guy. You'll be disappointed (points to a guy in the background). "Scrubs Factor" is just part of the world that we live in. We have to make things fun. We had no money, so we had to try and make something else fun.
Travis Schuldt
Photo courtesy of BVHE
Travis Schuldt (Keith, a fixture in the 5th season) dropped by next:
Interviewer: So are you coming back? Is your character going to be back next season?
Schuldt: I hope so. My character is deeply in love with Elliot, so I can only hope.
Interviewer: What's your "personal style"?
Schuldt: What I'm really into now is to always be dressed very '40s, like sport coat kind of thing. I like the suit coming back. I like wearing a jacket. It kind of works for any place you go. I think that's kind of where my style is going. I've got a lot of blazers and jackets.
DVD Talk: What's your favorite all-time television moment?
Schuldt: Wow. All-time television moment? I'd have to say there's an episode of Night Court, where -- I can't think of her name, but the hot attorney?
DVD Talk: Markie Post.
Schuldt: Yeah, actually Sarah's mother (Elliot's mother on Scrubs) who I worked with. That was amazing. It was funny too working with her, because I was so in love with her then, and then I see her, and I was super shy.
DVD Talk: That must have been surreal.
Schuldt: Yeah, it was so surreal. And then she kissed me on the neck, so that was even ... wow. And she's so gorgeous.
DVD Talk: Was it difficult coming onto the show as a guest?
Schuldt: You know, this show's so great, and they're very warm, and they accepted me right off the bat, and especially with Sarah. She helped me out so much and made me comfortable, and she's a great actress. You know, as an actor, a scene depends on who you're doing the scene with, so that's an important part.
Sarah Chalke
In a display of perfect timing, Sarah Chalke (Elliot Reid) showed up right on cue. She had been making her way down the red carpet for some time now, and I noticed that she really took the time to answer people's questions and look them directly in the eye when she spoke. She was one of the first to arrive at the event and still made the effort to speak with everyone:
Interviewer: Any vacation plans for the summer?
Chalke: Yeah, after this my boyfriend and I are hanging out for a couple extra days, we'll go see "O", and then we're going to Mexico for a wedding, and then I don't know. I'm kind of excited.
Interviewer: Would you ever do a Vegas wedding, like a drive-thru chapel, Elvis, kind of thing? Are you spontaneous like that?
Chalke: Why not. I think I should actually do that tonight (laughs). There's a lot of dares on the table. There's 1000 bucks on the table for anyone to get a Scrubs tattoo. Maybe we should throw out a Scrubs dare for someone to go get married in a chapel.
DVD Talk: Season 3 introduces "The New Elliot". Can you talk about that transition?
Chalke: It was really fun. Ya know, we wore scrubs for the first couple of years, and Bill called me over the summer and said, "How do you feel if we chop your hair off and switch things up a little?" And it was fun. What doctor does not need platform heels and dark eyeliner to treat their patients?
Interviewer: Have you ever made one of those radical changes in your own life?
Chalke: Yes, when I was 12, I read "Diet for a New America" by Tom Robbins, which is a book on vegetarianism, and I couldn't even make it past the chicken section I was so disturbed. So I went overnight from carnivore to vegan ... at 12. That was my biggest overhaul. I've slowly gone back, later on in life, to fish and then chicken and then, last year, red meat.
DVD Talk: Red meat's good. (Yes, I contributed this insightful analysis to the interview)
Chalke: (Enthusiastic) It's good, man. We just all went for a big steak dinner together. It was good!
Interviewer: Do you have any particular moments from Season 3 that you were most proud of or are the most memorable for you?
Chalke: It was really cool going to Sea World. We had an amazing time. They were amazing to us. We got to swim with the dolphins, and it was really special.
DVD Talk: Can you talk about working with Scott Foley?
Chalke: Yeah, he was fantastic. I had such a good time working with him. He has great comic timing, and is fun, and we really enjoyed having him. He was on Season 1, and then they brought him back for Season 3, so we'd love to have him back again, but he's got his own big show now. (The Unit on CBS)
Photo courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Interviewer: What's your all-time favorite moment in TV history?
Chalke: Many of them were on Three's Company. That was definitely in my formative years, and probably also when I was watching CHiPs, and Ponch walked onto the screen for the first time. I have asked my boyfriend to be Ponch for Halloween before.
DVD Talk: Are you the reason Erik Estrada was on the show?
Chalke: I actually was not, but I was very excited, and I actually have an Erik Estrada bobblehead doll now. He had to bring some paraphernalia for the episode, so he was nice enough to leave me with one of those.
Interviewer: None of the tight pants, though? He didn't leave you with any of those for your boyfriend?
Chalke: If only ... if only ...
DVD Talk: Who's your favorite boyfriend on the show?
Chalke: Who's my favorite boyfriend I've had on the show? I can't answer that! Not here.
DVD Talk: (Looks for Travis Schuldt) Oh, he's at least two people down.
Chalke: (Laughs) He's at least two people down! Ya know, that is one of the definite perks of this job. I've had some very and gorgeous boyfriends.
DVD Talk: Have you ever participated in a "Scrubs Factor"?
Chalke: Yes. I did a burlesque dance fantasy sequence, and at the end, the creator of the show Bill was like, "OK, Scrubs Factor: Chalkie, go down to Starbucks in that outfit, and get coffee." And I had to wait 20 minutes in line in this ridiculous stripper outfit, and it was insanely embarrassing. But tonight there's one, the 1000 bucks for a Scrubs tattoo. I don't know if someone's going to do it.
Interviewer: Does that extend to people like ourselves, if we show up with a Scrubs tattoo?
Chalke: (Laughs) I think it does, but I would check with the boss first, just in case.
DVD Talk: (To other interviewer) Well, I have about 17 dollars in my pocket, so make it $1017.
Chalke: (Laughs) OK! Thank you so much, guys. Take care!
Josh Randall
Talking with Sarah was a lot of fun, and she was really animated with her responses. While speaking with her, however, Josh Randall (Jake, another of Elliot's boyfriends) passed by, and we almost missed the chance to interview him. Fortunately, Todd Gilchrist from IGN was on top of things and quickly mentioned it, and with the assistance of the always helpful Mac McLean from BVHE, we were able to get him to come talk with us for a while:
DVD Talk: Can you go anywhere without somebody yelling "10 Dollars"?
Randall: (Laughs) Yeah, that's probably the most common thing I do get when I get something. Like, 10 dollars to jump up on a luggage carousel or tattoo some obscure part of my body.
Interviewer: Is it any different moving from a show like Ed that kind of has the same comic sensibility to something like this? Is it easy?
Randall: Yeah, there's not many shows that have that sort of tone to it, so I think Scrubs and Ed are both unique in that they ride that line between comedy/drama. So, it sort of felt familiar. That said, it was a different character that came about pretty abruptly. But, yeah, it felt very comfortable. It was a very comfortable atmosphere. And the cast and Bill Lawrence, the show-runner, makes it so easy.
DVD Talk: Was it coincidence Tom Cavanaugh had been on the show too?
Randall: It was coincidence. Other than, I don't know if Bill -- I think Bill may have been familiar with the show Ed, so therefore, having already hired Tom and seen Tom's work on Ed, I think he was familiar with me, and that may have helped.
DVD Talk: Do you have a favorite television show of your own that you watch?
Randall: Ya know, my favorite television show right now would be the NBA Playoffs. If my wife could eliminate one program from our television, it would be the NBA Playoffs. It would free up a lot of TV time.
DVD Talk: You like Charles Barkley and --
Randall: Barkley's awesome. Ya know, that show -- if we say my favorite show -- it would have to be the TNT Halftime show.
DVD Talk: With Ernie Johnson and --
Randall: Yeah, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith. It's the best.
Photo courtesy of Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Interviewer: Have they talked to you at all about the possibility of putting Ed on DVD?
Randall: Yeah, I've heard rumors about that, but it still remains to be seen. I imagine -- you go to the video stores these days, and you look, and there's everything on DVD, and you think at some point they have to put Ed on DVD.
DVD Talk: I have That Girl on DVD sitting on my counter at home. If you can get That Girl on DVD --
Randall: If you can get That Girl on DVD, then you should be able to get Ed on DVD! Yeah, I think it's just a matter of time. You guys were fans of Ed?
DVD Talk: Never heard of it.
Randall: Never heard of it?!?
DVD Talk: I'm kidding. I loved it. Beautiful show.
Interviewer: What is your all-time favorite moment in TV history?
Randall: Oh, you're killing me. You have to give me a chance to do some homework first. I'm not that avid a TV watcher, but it probably would have been in The White Shadow. Uh ... I gotta be able to think of something, right?
DVD Talk: When Salami gets in a fight, maybe?
Randall: Actually, you're reading my mind. It's when Salami decked the guy. Played by Tim Van Patten.
DVD Talk: Great director.
Randall: Great director, yes. That would be, at least as an early adult, that would be my favorite moment. I don't know if that counts.
Interviewer: Absolutely. Some people are saying The Honeymooners, and some people are saying the end of Friends, so it's all over the place. I'm more excited when I don't hear "Friends". When someone's seen a show older than Friends, that's a good sign.
Randall: (Laughs) That's a good sign. OK. Great. I just got the DVD box of the 1st season (of The White Shadow). I've yet to see it.
DVD Talk: If they can get The White Shadow on DVD --
Randall: (Laughs) Surely, they can get Ed! You figure it must be sitting around somewhere. They have the tools necessary to do it. They have the technology.
Interviewer: Would you like to do commentaries and participate in all that stuff, or do you sort of like the end result to stand on its own?
Randall: That's a good question. I don't know. I mean, I've never done a commentary for anything like that, so ...
Interviewer: If I bet you 10 bucks, would you do it?
Randall: If you bet me 10 bucks, I would have to do it. But, sure, you know, I'd be glad to do it.
Robert Maschio
Photo courtesy of BVHE
Although we didn't speak much about
Scrubs, talking with Randall was a good time. He seemed like a genuine down-to-earth kind of guy, taking time to ask people their names and introduce himself before doing an interview. Hot on his heels on the red carpet was Robert Maschio, who plays the hilarious one-liner machine known as "The Todd". I turned around just in time to catch the end of this wild piece of dialogue (
warning: this interview is very PG-13):
Maschio: I think he's not homosexual. He's not bisexual. He's try-sexual. He'll try anyone. I think "The Todd" would go for the hot girl at the party first, and then as the night goes on, if I may say, he may go for the fat girl, and then when he strikes out there, he's gonna go with the dude who's been eyeing him all night. Just take him home and say, "Just finish that off. As long as I don't touch your ears, it's not gay." That's how I take it. He's a hedonist. He's a sensualist. He's addicted to pleasures of the flesh. How 'bout that? Is that a good answer?
Interviewer: Have you ever actually had success in real life with a Todd line?
Maschio: Never. No. The guy's out of control. It's way too much bravado, self-assuredness, and it's overbearing, I would say.
Interviewer: Do they give you the chance to make up your own?
Maschio: Absolutely. There's a lot of one-liners, like sometimes we'll just do a series, and I'll do 5 different variations on the line that they recommend, which is great. I mean, if I was in a scene, you can't improvise that way, but if you just come in for the blow, I can totally do that. And they just pick the best one in editing.
DVD Talk: Is it difficult to do just the drive-by one-liner, because your whole performance is in that one --
Maschio: I know, I know. Tell me about it. It's tricky. They make fun of me on the set, the other actors, because I'm literally always in the corner rehearsing my one line. And I won't talk to any of them. I just want to come in and nail it. Hopefully, I do.
Interviewer: Are you gonna try any tonight at the parties?
Maschio: Yes. I'm gonna go crazy tonight. (Completely deadpan) I'm gonna tell everybody, "I'm not at all like my character, with one exception: both Robert Maschio and The Todd are hung like a hog." And I think that's going to be my opening.
Interviewer: That's a strong opening.
Maschio: Yeah. And then I'm gonna whip it out, and that's gonna be my "closing".
Interviewer: What is your all-time favorite moment in television history?
Maschio: On All in the Family, when Meathead and Gloria move away. That moment for me, I'll never forget that moment.
Nicole Sullivan
As Robert moved on, most of the cast and crew had cleared the way. John C. McGinley (Dr. Cox) and Judy Reyes (Carla) were unable to attend the event, and Dave Foley had slipped past us while we interviewed other people. I inquired about Nicole Sullivan (Tracy), who was also listed to attend, and was informed that she was still on her way, so a few of us decided to hang around in case she showed up. To our delight, she arrived not too much later, and since most of the press had already cleared out, we were able to get an interview without too much difficulty.
Interviewer: Is it a different discipline moving from something like Mad TV to something like this where you're doing a character in a sitcom?
Sullivan: Yeah, it certainly is. Luckily, on Scrubs there's a little room to improvise -- they like you to add a little bit -- but if you're the guest star, they don't want you to improvise too much and overshadow the regular cast. You want them to get all the funny jokes, so it's a big transition in that it's not your show. So you gotta mind your P's and Q's. But there's no nicer cast in the world, and I mean that. I hang out with them off the set. It's the kind of thing that if you watch the show, and you think you want to be friends with them, you actually do want to be friends with them. They're that great.
DVD Talk: How did it come about that you got to be on the show?
Sullivan: It's a little word called "nepotism". I am best friends with Christa Miller, who plays, as you know, the mean ex-wife and is married to Bill Lawrence. So, I was in like Flynn. Neil Flynn, to be exact, another friend of mine.
Interviewer: Do you have a favorite moment, either on or off camera, from Season 3?
Sullivan: My favorite moment is me acting. (Laughs) No, my favorite moment ... honestly, my favorite moment is in all the Scrubs episodes. The thing I love most about it is the way they can take something so funny and at the last minute just swing it around and jab you in the heart, so the last two minutes of the show, you're just tearing up, but they don't hit it over the head. They couldn't be smarter about the writing.
DVD Talk: How is working on a show like Scrubs different from something like King of Queens?
Sullivan: Well, single-camera is always so different from four-camera. You just do single, single, single, over and over and over. With four-camera, you're doing it like a play in front of an audience, so when it's your close-up you get a little nervous.
DVD Talk: You were also on Fired Up.
Sullivan: (Shocked) I was!
DVD Talk: Sorry, I watch too much television.
Sullivan: I do too. It's my favorite pastime. That was really fun. Leah Remini and I became friends then, and she's an awesome, awesome gal. She's a tough nut to crack, but when you crack her, she is beautiful and warm and fabulous, and I love her.
DVD Talk: So, if you watch too much television, what is your favorite show?
Sullivan: E.R. And not because it's a medical show like Scrubs -- they're very different shows -- but E.R. is my old school favorite.
DVD Talk: In a street brawl, who would win: Scrubs cast or the E.R. cast? (Look, it had been a long day, and I was running out of things to ask!)
Sullivan: Oh, Scrubs. In a street brawl, it's not even a competition. It would be embarrassing, really, for Maura Tierney, what would happen.
Interviewer: Do you have an all-time favorite moment in TV history?
Sullivan: I would say --
Jason Packham (her fianc�): Last episode of Family Ties?
Sullivan: Last episode of Third Watch, you mean. When Third Watch went off the air, I as a grown woman woke up my fianc� and started crying, and I said, "You don't understand. They're like my friends!" I'd been in the business 10 years at that point, and still TV affected me that much, and I thought that's a good thing, that I can still cry and go, "You don't get how much I'm going to miss them." TV's still good. I don't care what anyone says. TV's still up and running, still doing really well, in my opinion.
DVD Talk: What do you like that's currently on the air?
Sullivan: Our favorite show is the doctor show, Out of Practice. And then Grey's Anatomy, I like that Lost, I like my Scrubs, and then I like The Amazing Race.
Hard-hitting journalism there, folks. I bring you nothing less. If only I had the time to ask her favorite flavor of ice cream. While she answered a few questions for some other people, I had the chance to talk with Jason, her fianc�, and he was really cool and very supportive of Nicole. Although not very well known yet, he too is an actor who has shown up on
King of Queens numerous times. We spoke for a while about various inane things, shared stories about our time in Las Vegas, and then I departed to grab a meal at Aliz�, Chef Andr� Rochat's spectacular restaurant atop the Palms.
By the time I made it back down to the party, Rain was packed with people, and everyone was having a fantastic time. I ended up bumping into Bill Lawrence and Josh Randall again as well as rich-and-famous lifestyle expert Robin Leach. I also found myself waiting for the elevator with Sam Lloyd (Ted Buckland). With the red carpet over and it getting very late, I didn't want to bother him, so I just casually mentioned how much I enjoyed his performance on the show. He lit up, not at all like the perpetually depressed character from the series, he introduced himself, and we had a nice conversation. I wish the opportunity had presented itself to ask him some questions on the red carpet, because he seemed like a very interesting guy, but it wasn't to be. And with that, the night wound to a close.
Concluding Thoughts
Having attended a Buena Vista DVD launch before, I was expecting a well-run event, and they delivered. Everyone was very helpful with questions, and efforts were made to give us a chance to talk to as many from the cast as possible. Through my interactions with everyone during the day, it was clear that the cast and crew of Scrubs really are a family, and there's no doubt the bond they share plays a large part in the show turning out so well week after week. If you've read this entire thing (or simply scrolled down to the conclusion) and are still wondering whether to buy the DVD or not, this part's for you: For 5 seasons, Scrubs has been one of the funniest shows on television, and the 3rd season DVD they were promoting at this event is arguably their finest work. It's available on DVD Tuesday, May 9th, and as my review indicates, the episodes hold up very well to repeat viewings, and there is a solid batch of bonus features accompanying them. I Highly Recommend you pick it up, and if you don't already own them, take a look at Season 1 (review) and Season 2 (review) as well.
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Mac McLean for being such a wonderful host and Todd Gilchrist from IGN.com for being a great interview partner.
