Friday, January 19, 2007

Todd Bridges joins the Everybody Hates Chris cast

On January 22nd, popular sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris returns to the CW with new episodes and a special guest appearance from none other than Todd Bridges of Diff’rent Strokes fame.

On the new episode, Todd guests stars as Doc’s Nephew, Monk – a character that Chris (Tyler James Williams) finds himself seeking advice from. “What I did with the Monk character was build him around one of my uncles that used to be a war veteran,” says Todd as he smiles about how he triggered into Monk’s persona. “He was a crazy, yet wonderful guy. At any time, he would just flip out on you. But he would give you the best advice in the world after you sift through all of the craziness.”

Everybody Hates Chris is nominated for 8 NAACP Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series. With the universal success that the show has received since its series debut on October 1, 2005, Todd didn’t feel too confident about his chances of getting the role. “I was thinking to myself about how my career has been up and down, so I didn’t think that I would get the part,” says the 80’s heartthrob. “The shows producer, Ali (LeRoi), handed me a bunch of re-writes and that scared the mess out of me, man. But I got it done, did a good job and they called me back.”

In 2007, Mr. Bridges has a few ventures in place that he hopes will lead him to one of his goals. “I believe that now, I’m not perceived in a negative way,” when speaking of where he stands as a professional. “People know that I’m for real and that I’m not playing around anymore. I get the job done now, I’m very dependable. The bottom line is that I’ve been around so long, I just love the work. In 2007, I’m looking to have my own show. That is one of my biggest goals. And I feel that I’m heading in that direction right now.”

Everybody Hates Chris - Mondays (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET/PT) on The CW

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

Persia White: A “Girlfriend” finds her way…















Persia White, the actress who plays the character, Lynn Searcy on the popular CW hit, “Girlfriends” has been given the opportunity to live out her musicians’ reality, on television. The 3 part series of Girlfriends which began on November 20th, co-stars the Grammy winning artist, half of the legendary Hip Hop group Outkast, Big Boi. Persia’s character is discovered by Big Boi, who plays himself, and is hired to write music with the ATL star.

“I was very excited at the chance of taping these episodes,” says the fairly energetic Persia who just stepped off the set for a break. “The writer’s of the show actually came to me with the idea. They wanted to show the arch of my character, trying to make it in the music industry, and asked me how I felt about them bringing in a celebrity that would discover my character. So they’ve chosen Big Boi to play the role of himself. What’s special about the episodes is that the song that we’re working on was written by yours truly.”

“Girlfriends” have defied all odds in making it to its seventh season with continued rave reviews and “word of mouth” fanfare. Persia took the opportunity to express her thoughts and emotions on the growth of herself and Lynn. “My character and I have grown so much since the first season,” says the actress behind the character of Lynn. “I’ve changed so much as a person, because in the beginning I was more of a recluse when it came to my acting, my music and how I’ve communicated with others. And instantly, I was placed into a situation where I had to open up and not be as stubborn as I was. As for my character, Lynn and I was more of a merger than anything else (she chuckles a bit). Lynn was not willing to commit to anything, and now she is finally ready to get it together.”

“And people need to realize that even with coming of age, that you’re not always ready to achieve greatness. Added maturity doesn’t happen for everybody at the same time. Sometimes it just takes a little bit longer to grow up. Personally, people would tell me that I have a rebellious side. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d have any kind of continuous job, let alone being a part of something as special as Girlfriends. I had that mindset of, ‘I’m doing my thing, I’m going to do my music and be underground with it.’ It just feels good to know that I have grown up, and that in a special way, fans of our show have had the opportunity to witness the maturation of Persia and Lynn.”

GIRLFRIENDS air on Mondays (9:00-9:30PM, ET/PT) on The CW and stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White and Reggie Hayes.

- Will “Deshair” Foskey