[***BLONDIE***]

We'll be looking forward to your reviews Ken..

BTW, thanks for the links Ros. I'll check them out in a little bit.

[idontknowyoueither]

It's All Greek to Me

Television has a shoddy track record when it comes to portraying realistic college life. When TV characters attempt higher education, it's often an awkward transition where an entire group of high school friends all end up in the same dorm. They only go to class when it's convenient to the plot and if anyone parties a little too hard, they learn their lesson and vow never to drink again. There are exceptions, but for every Felicity or Undeclared, there are a dozen Dawson's Creeks or One Tree Hills. (And, sadly, shows like Felicity and Undeclared are often swiftly cancelled while Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill have the staying power of a nasty fart.)

Luckily, Greek (premiering July 4 on CTV) falls into the "exception" category. The show follows awkward Rusty Cartwright (Jacob Zachar) as he begins his freshman year of college, rushes fraternities and tries to repair his relationship with his sister, Casey (Spencer Grammer - yes, Kelsey's daughter), who is herself a high-ranking member of her own sorority.

At first glance, it seems like a paint-by-numbers teen show but it soon reveals itself to be far funnier and more relatable than you'd expect. Even here in Canada, where the Greek system isn't nearly as ubiquitous as in the States, Greek still paints a fairly realistic picture of college life. Conflicts that would have been black-and-white elsewhere are instead planted firmly in grey territory. Good people do bad things and when the "bad guys" are redeemed, it happens over time instead of instantaneously. Greek has more to say than you would expect from a show originally made for U.S. network ABC Family.

"I think ABC Family saw this show as a way to start changing their image a little bit," says writer and co-executive producer Anne Kenney. "And Sean [Smith, the show's creator] really wanted to do a college show that worked. They're hard to do and there haven't really been many that worked and had legs, so he was very interested in doing that."

Kenney began working on Greek after the pilot episode had been shot, and what immediately attracted her to the show was its ability to balance funny storylines with multi-faceted characters.

"One of the things that really appealed to me in the pilot is that nobody is black-and-white, nobody is just a villain," she says. "We often talk in the writers room about how people who do bad things - I don't think anybody gets up in the morning and says, 'Hmm, how can I be evil today?' I think everybody goes at the choices in their life thinking that they're making good decisions on some level."

Greek also ventures into territory that not enough television shows dare to explore: it's introduced a believable gay character who has more to his personality than simply being gay. At the start of Greek, fraternity pledge Calvin (Paul James) keeps his homosexuality a secret, but only because he wants to be more than just "the gay guy." One of Calvin's more interesting storylines involves trying to stay friends with Rusty even though they're each in different, rival fraternities

"Sean really wanted to see a portrayal of a gay man on television that wasn't stereotypical, who wasn't self-loathing, who wasn't agonizing over coming out," Kenney says. "Also, we wanted to see these different relationships and make that character relatable to everyone. A person's sexual orientation doesn't necessarily define them and they have the same concerns and issues that all of us do. And, as with all things, we try very hard to write away from the predictable and expected."

Lest you think Greek is all about teenagers learning and hugging, the show also includes many winking references that only older viewers will get. In one scene, during an enthusiastic student protest, one lone fraternity member begins to yell, "Donna Martin graduates! Donna Martin graduates!", a nod to an infamous episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. They've also managed to nab a few cult actors for guest spots, including Charisma Carpenter (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as a haughty representative from the sorority head office and Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) as the college's curmudgeonly dean.

"I'm sometimes surprised, because a lot of the references are things that I wouldn't think people would get and then we find out that people love them," says Kenney. "It's funny because the 'Donna Martin graduates!' thing - I watched some of 90210 but I was older than the target audience when it was on, so when that joke came up in the writers' room, I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. But then we had people in their thirties in the room who were cracking up."

The writers also call on their own college experiences to help them come up with story ideas. One of the writers made all kinds of perky, sparkly posters when she was in a sorority, and another had to take part in his fraternity bowling team - using the pledges as bowling balls.

"Neither Sean nor I were in fraternities or sororities, although I did go undercover for the newspaper, but I only went through rush and the bidding process and then I wrote the story. But several of our writers were in the Greek system, and their stories are very, very funny," says Kenney. "But sadly, we do have to tone them down a little because we can't go quite that far on our show."

Greek was recently renewed for a second season, so Smith, Kenney and the rest writing staff are busy mining their memories for more storylines while still creating a show with something to say.

"Sean really wants to, at times, use our smaller Greek world to comment on the larger world with all the politics that go on while still having some fun with it," says Kenny. "And, I have to say, I think we're succeeding."


Greek premieres Friday, July 4 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.

[***BLONDIE***]

Thanks for the article and link..

[faith grows old]

Thanks for the link!

Spencer Grammer is the queen of mean on 'Greek' Spencer Grammer says that despite how natural she seems on "Greek," she's nothing like her nasty sorority sister character Casey Cartwright. During an interview with CTV.ca, Grammer, the daughter of Kelsey Grammer, explains that "always being mean to girls" is the hardest part of her role on "Greek" -- but also thinks there's more to Casey than what audiences expect. "She's a really good character who sometimes does bad things." As an ambitious member gunning for the club's top spot, Casey asserts her power over her sisters with caustic, churlish remarks that Grammer isn't always comfortable with. Casey's temperament isn't the only place where Grammer zags from her preppy character either. "I'm totally a tomboy. I rarely get recognized because I don't dress like my character at all... I wear baseball caps and tank tops," says Grammer. "I'm just comfortable that way." Canadians will first meet Casey when the second season of "Greek" debuts Friday, July 4 on CTV. In the first episode, Casey denies the existence of her younger brother, Rusty (Jacob Zachar), who enrolls at her school and wants to join a fraternity. But when Casey's boyfriend cheats on her with a wealthy young freshman, her brother must come to her rescue. Grammer previously appeared on the soap "As the World Turns," while also taking guest turns on "Law & Order: SVU" and "Third Watch." Though Grammer's father Kelsey has enjoyed a successful career on television as Frasier Crane on "Cheers" and "Fraser," Grammer says she doesn't want to stand in his shadow. The actress says it's important for her to develop her professional identity on her own. "It means so much more at the end of the day if I did it on my own merit. I think that it's the only way to feel like you've really done something for yourself." However, Grammer won't rule out working side-by-side with her father on a project someday. "If I was the right person for the right part, I would. We kind of keep work separate -- we don't really talk about it. He's my dad, and I'm his daughter, and that's the most important thing to us." Before pursuing a career in acting, Grammer was dedicated to the art of dance, training up to six days a week for three hours a day. However, she found the hostile atmosphere too abrasive, and discovered a new creative outlet in acting. "I tried a lot of things and I kept coming back to acting and wanted to be a part of that world. Once I committed myself in college -- that was it. For now, it's what I want to do," says Grammer. Now, unlike the rigorous schedule she followed training to be a ballerina, Grammer is happy spending 16 hour days on set shooting "Greek." While the actress was never a member of her own sorority, the actress says the cast on "Greek" are so tight-knit, that it feels like she's now a member. "We work together so much and we have so much fun playing pranks on each other," says Grammer. The actress thinks she'll be next after playing a prank on her co-star Jake McDorman (Evan) that involved hiding his car multiple times. "He was asking for it... and when you play pranks on him, he doesn't get upset, he's really calm about it," says Grammer. "It was amazing."

Source

[jules166]

Thanks for posting.

I actually don't see Casey as being the "mean" girl at all.

The prank stories are funny!

[loveelle25]

ITA Casey doesnt seem like a nasty sorority sister. Sure she may have said some not so nice things, but who hasnt.....
anyway thanks for the article! lol

[faith grows old]

Np, guys! I agree, I think Casey has flaws like every character on the show but I wouldn't label her a mean girl at all.

[idontknowyoueither]

Maybe their just basing it on the pilot. Because she is mean to Rusty for most of episode one, but the end leaves things very hopeful between them.

But I agree, I wouldn't call her character a nasty person.

[***BLONDIE***]

Vadsaria of 'Greek' options Sarah Mlynowski's 'Fishbowl'

Link here

[faith grows old]

That's amazing! Thanks for the link, Karen.

[gambit78]

There's a party with members of the cast!

It's Saturday night, August 2nd, in Hollywood.

DoSomething.org has teamed up with The Teen Choice Awards to host the sweetest party in town. Inches from the red carpet and joined by a host of celebrities, this is a party not to be missed. Featuring performances by Jesse McCartney and America’s Best Dance Crews at swanky nightclub Level 3, this will be the most wanted ticket in town. Celebrity attendees include the casts of The Hills, Gossip Girl, Friday Night Lights, Greek, Heroes, High School Musical, and many more!

Order your advanced tickets at Do Something | The Do Something Awards

[idontknowyoueither]

ooh. That's cool.

[faith grows old]

Yay, that's awesome! Thanks, Ros.

[***BLONDIE***]

Cool, to bad I can't go..

[gambit78]

backstage.com listed this as the address, since folks were asking

Greek
Cast: Jacob Zachar, Spencer Grammer, Scott Foster, Jake McDorman, Paul James, Clark Duke, Amber Stevens, Dilshad Vadsaria. Prod. Co: Piller/Segan. Executive Producers: Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan. Director: Gil Junger. Casting: Marisa Ross, Alyson Silverberg, Ross/Silverberg Casting, CBS Radford Studios, 4024 Radford Avenue, Bungalow 7, Studio City, CA 91604.