On Thursday, March 17, actress/comedienne Sherri Shepherd makes a return appearance to the fan favorite sitcom 30 Rock in the episode "Queen of Jordan."  Ms. Shepherd once again plays Angie Jordan, wife of Tracy Morgan's character, and host of her own reality show.  In this episode, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) is put in charge of an event for Angie in hopes that Liz can manipulate Angie into luring Tracy back from Africa.

In addition to her daily appearances on the hit daytime talk show The View, Ms. Shepherd can be seen hosting The Newlywed Game on the Game Show Network.  She also has a pilot that will likely become a new series on TV Land, and will appear in the forthcoming feature film, One for the Money.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO SHERRI SHEPHERD OF THE VIEW & 30 ROCK:

USTH: With all the things that you do – The View, The Newlywed Game, your TV guest appearances, and your upcoming movies and TV pilot, how do you balance your time?

Also, which fulfills you the most creatively whether it be stand up or Broadway or TV or movies or The View?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: My gosh you're talking about that person, and I'm like, "Who is that girl that you're talking about?" You know what?  Each medium is so different, and I love doing it. I love doing everything. I love being on The View. That's something where I get to share my opinion and talk with girlfriends.

And then, I get to go over to the other side and play and be an actress and get to play this crazy, crazy person named Angie Jordan [on 30 Rock].

And then I get to go and do a film like Precious and bring out the dramatic side. So it is really fulfilling.

When I was a legal secretary and dreaming about this, in my wildest dreams I never thought that I would be blessed to do so many different things.

And do my stand up and make people laugh that really fulfills me. So can I say which one fulfills me the most? I can't answer that question because I just I love being able to do it. And I'm thankful that Barbara Walters gives me the time off to be able to do this.

USTH: If Tina Fey invited you, and you didn't have your upcoming pilot on TV Land, would you want to join 30 Rock as a regular cast member if it could be worked out with The View?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: You know what? Are you kidding me? In a heartbeat I would go over to 30 Rock. And you wouldn't even have to say anything. I'd be over there going, "Where's my dressing room? Give me the script and let me memorize my lines." I love that show.

USTH: As far as your upcoming pilot is concerned, is it going to be filmed in New York, and what is the premise of it?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: They will move it to New York, yes. So it absolutely would accommodate my View schedule. And, the tentative title of it is Soda Jerks. And it's about a woman, Christine Taylor who comes to a small Midwestern town and takes over and how we deal with this new woman coming in with these new ideas. And I'm one of the office workers in the sitcom.

USTH: If you had to choose between 30 Rock and The View, which is more intimidating to do for you, being with the cast of 30 Rock or being with the cast of The View?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: I would say being on The View. The cast? They're not intimidating. But, acting is what I've been doing for a long time and standup comedy.

So being on The View was probably a little bit more intimidating because sometimes you say your opinion, and you get in a lot of trouble.

Joy Behar said to me my first day, "As soon as you open your mouth, you're going to lose half your audience." And we have found that out.

You know, I give my opinion, and I get a lot of people who go, "I will never support you in anything you do," and then some people love it, some people hate it.

So that's always a little bit more intimidating to go out there every day and be fearless and state your truth and hope to goodness that everybody knows you and doesn't hate you that day.

USTH: When you do get negative feedback from the fans, how do you process that personally? Does it really hurt you, or have you been able to put that aside and go on with the job?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: You know, that's what I'm paid to do. I am paid to give my personal opinions. If I didn't – if none of those ladies sat at the table – if we didn't give our opinions, it'd be a pretty boring show.

So you have to learn to get a hard shell is what I would say. We don't take it personally. We get along really great because we respect each other, and I just learn to state what my truth is. My truth is not everybody's truth.

There's a lot of people who relate to each woman at that table. And so, I just learned to go out there and tell the truth as I see it, and I go home, and I let it go.

I can't worry about everybody who blogs and who disagrees with me and people who don't like me anymore.

The thing that I worry about is when I go home am I taking care of my son? That's the most important thing in my life. And, can I look in the mirror and go, "Yes, you did all right, Sherri."

USTH: Going back to 30 Rock, do you have any more appearances scheduled after this upcoming appearance? Also, you've been on a number of times so far, but is there any cast member of 30 Rock that you wish you had more scenes with that you haven't really had a chance to act opposite so far?

SHERRI SHEPHERD: Wow, I hope that they bring me back. We don't have anything right now in the pipeline, so I'm hoping that they bring me back.  

Is there anybody that I would love to work with? [Jack] McBrayer, [who plays NBC page Kenneth Parcell].

I'd love to do a film with Tina Fey. I think we'd make a great duo in a film of Thelma and Louise.

USTH: Thanks to Sherri Shepherd for talking with us today.  30 Rock airs Thursday nights on NBC.

We spoke to Ryan McPartlin and Sarah Lancaster, two stars of the series Chuck, about the show in general and about a particular episode that brought back Armand Assante as Costa Gravan Premier Alejandro Goya.  In the series, Zachary Levi stars as the titular character who, after receiving an email from an old college friend now working in the CIA, has the world's greatest spy secrets downloaded into his brain.  Chuck Bartowski then goes from computer geek next door to super spy in this action comedy series currently airing its fourth season.  Sarah Lancaster stars as Chuck's sister, Ellie, while Ryan McPartlin plays Ellie's husband, Devon "Captain Awesome" Woodcomb. 

Despite middling ratings, Chuck has a devoted fanbase that has succeeded in staging campagins in getting the series renewed.  Audience for this season have averaged 5.9 million viewers per episode, putting it in fourth place out of five shows in its timeslot.  However, NBC has ordered a full season of 24 episodes – the most ever for a season of Chuck.  It remains to be seen whether Chuck will be renewed for a fifth season.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO RYAN McPARTLIN & SARAH LANCASTER OF CHUCK: 

USTH: I'll start with Sarah, just to sort of outline next week's episode, "Chuck Versus the Coup d'Etat." Can you tell us what it's all about and what it was like working with Armand Assante? And of course, Ryan, you can chime in when you want to.

SARAH LANCASTER: Sure. We were thrilled to have Armand back [as Premier Alejandro Goya] first and foremost. He really brought a lot of energy and flavor to the show last time, and he's a consummate professional. Works very hard and very diligent at what he does and is hilarious. So, we were happy to have him back. But, the show statrs off [where] Ellie and Awesome are expecting a child, and Ellie's just feeling like we're already going down the road of "home" all the time, and the baby might as well already be here. She feels like she needs a little excitement in her life. She's feeling a little too over-babied.

And so, it just so happens that [Assante's] character calls upon Captain Awesome again to come down to his country of Costa Gravas and there's a big ball in Awesome's honor, and because it's Chuck, nothing goes as is planned and hijinks ensue.

(l-r) Ryan McPartlin, Sarah Lancaster star in Chuck [Photo Credit: NBC]

RYAN McPARTLIN: Yes. The fun of it was last year, I was the one who was craving some excitement and wanted a thrill. That I was getting – not bored with marriage – just feeling like we're getting complacent with our suburban lifestyle, and that's when Armand Assante came in, and I ended up thinking that I was going to save his life by tackling John Casey [castmate Adam Baldwin]. And this year, it's fun that they've kind of flipped that on its ear and made Sarah's character Ellie the one who wants a little excitement, and I'm the one who's like, "Uh-oh. No. I know where this can go." And of course, we go to Costa Gravas.

Armand Assante – he's so dedicated. I've been a fan of his since Mambo Kings, and I loved watching him in Gotti on HBO, which I'm pretty sure spawned The Sopranos. And to work with him, he takes it – as funny as it is – he takes it very seriously and he's very committed to his role, and especially when he's dancing with Sarah Lancaster [Ellie] last season.

So yes, it's just really amazing. You never know what to expect from one week to the next, and who's going to show up, and what they're going to have us doing, or who there's going to be a ten foot statue built of. So, you'll see. It's a fun episode, and I really feel like Kristin Newman, our writer, did a great job of bringing three different relationships and tying them all into the same type of problems.

SARAH LANCASTER: Oh, way to get more dialog, Ryan.

RYAN McPARTLIN: There you go. You got to know whose ass to kiss. That's how it is.

SARAH LANCASTER: No, it's true. It's true. I think it's always fun when they can create a creative and feasible way for us to all be out of our independent houses and be on location together. I think it makes the show really pop when you can have all of us in the same room together. It always makes for a good episode.

RYAN McPARTLIN: And, Armand Assante hitting on Sarah – I mean, their characters, and the Generalissimo hitting on Ellie is – it always makes it pop.

SARAH LANCASTER: He does have a lot of affection for Ellie.

RYAN McPARTLIN: Oh, man. And some one-liners. They're coming up, and you'll see.

USTH: Ryan, it's my understanding that you auditioned for the role of Superman in Superman Returns. Now that Warner Brothers is rebooting the film series with Chris Nolan and Zach Snyder directing, would you want to audition for Superman again, or have you already even taken steps to secure an audition?

RYAN McPARTLIN: You know, it's so funny that I was on the train next to Zach Snyder going down to [San Diego] Comic-Con, and I was like, "I really should go over and introduce myself to him, because I'm a fan of his." And you know, we're literally sitting across the aisle from each other, but my buddy wasn't in the – oh, this sounds so tacky – but the business class. He was back in Coach. He didn't get the business class ticket. And, I'm like, I got to go sit back in coach with my buddy who's not up here. I'm really going to blow an opportunity to get to know this Zach Snyder on the way down to Comic-Con this year. So, I ended up sitting with my buddy back in Coach and giving up my seat, so I probably blew the whole Superman role right there.

No, I mean, of course that would be great, but realistically speaking, I'm with Chuck now, and whatever happens after Chuck, we'll just take it as it comes. But, Brandon Routh played Superman in the first one that came and [worked with us on Chuck], so who knows. Maybe he could do both. I don't know. But no, there are no steps that have been taken other than I'm sure my agents are calling whoever's involved. I think Zach Levi would make a great Superman to be honest.

USTH:  You've mentioned that ordinarily you're kind of jealous of Zachary Levi [the star of Chuck]. I was curious as to why that is.

RYAN McPARTLIN: The guy gets to do all the spy world stuff. He gets to go and kick butt and have fun, and he drives a really cool car in real life, that to be honest, I just couldn't pull off. Of course I was kidding, but that was playful on both ends, of his and my end. But to be honest, if he got Superman, I figure it would be a great thing. I'd be happy for him. And if I got it, I'm sure he'd be happy for me. And let's be honest, I think we're both going to be doing Chuck for awhile. I hope that's the case.

USTH: When the series does come to an end, would either of you, Ryan or Sarah, want to move on to other projects and leave these characters behind completely, or would you be up for a theatrical film version of Chuck?

SARAH LANCASTER: That would be all dependent on the script I think.

RYAN McPARTLIN: Yes. Yes, if it's done right. I mean, not just for the sake of doing it. I think when you're done with one character, you tend to go the opposite route and try and do something totally different. What do you think, Lancaster?

SARAH LANCASTER: You're going to play Mr. Dud – Mr. Notoppen?

RYAN McPARTLIN: Yes. I'm going to play a geek. I'll even play a total dork next time. There you go.  No, I'm just talking about it as a type of product. I mean, it's like you look for something that is more dramatic versus a big action comedy.

SARAH LANCASTER: Yes. I mean, you know, we're here. We're in Chuck for the long haul. We want to continue on. If for some reason there was a theatrical release beyond that, you know again like I said, it would be dependent on the script, and then I think all of us would look at each other and say, "let's go!" We have a great time working together. If the script wasn't there, then we'd just have to leave the roles where we left them and move forward.

RYAN McPARTLIN: Yes. In everything, there's a lot of hypotheticals. I saw they're making a new Wonder Woman [series] now. I was like, "Oh. Sarah Lancaster would be perfect for that Wonder Woman," but hopefully, she'll still be my wife on Chuck and not take the chance to play Wonder Woman at all, ever. Hopefully ten years from now, we'll still be doing this.

USTH: Do you have any ideas for a story that has not been done with your character that you would like to see the writers do?

SARAH LANCASTER: Oh, gosh.

RYAN McPARTLIN: I actually do, and I passed it along to the writers. I can't divulge it because they liked it.  Not necessarily for my character, but just for the show. I felt like there would be a good setting for it, but I hope it gets done, so I can't tell you. Revisit that question with me next spring, and then we'll know whether they took my idea or not.

SARAH LANCASTER: Interesting. I don't know what this is.

RYAN McPARTLIN: Yes. I don't know if I've had a chance to tell you. I was talking to [Chuck co-creator] Chris Fedak the other day about it, and they seemed to like it. I'll tell you later. I'll tell you this spring if they don't use it.

USTH: Well, what about you Sarah? Do you have any ideas for your character?

SARAH LANCASTER: Gosh. I mean, there is a reason why I am an actress and not a writer, you know. I am much better suited to say the words instead of come up with them. And I do not envy their job. I think the time constraints that they're up against and the fact that we never know if we're coming back from season to season, let alone an order or 13 or an order of 22. It makes it really difficult for them to create an arc for the year. And, I am not envious of what they do. So, I just keep my head down and...

RYAN McPARTLIN: And plus, the actors are never happy. The actors never have enough lines and they're never – they're always complaining. I'm kidding. No, we're fine.

USTH: Just looking at everything overall, both of you have done sitcoms, and dramas, and TV, and some film work. Do you have any preference for one type of medium or the other? Each one has its plusses and minuses.

SARAH LANCASTER: I think it just depends on where you're at in your own personal life as well. I feel like I actually made a concerted effort to look for something a little bit lighter after What About Brian and Everwood. I felt like I was just crying on national television for years and years and years. So, I wanted to see what I could do with comedy and work with that and be funny again and lighten up. So when Chuck came around, that was exactly what I was looking for.

So I don't know, because I'd been doing that for a few years now, maybe the next one I'll turn to more drama. But at the end of the day, really again, it's all based on writing.

RYAN McPARTLIN: Yes. I got to say that when I look at the product like Chuck, I'm most proud to be a part of this type of medium. But as far as scheduling is concerned, working in a sitcom and being in front of a live audience, you get that rush of kind of being [in] live theater and doing three weeks on and one week off, and having fun really just getting a lot of laughter. And not to say it's not hard work, it's just not as tedious, and it's not as many hours as doing something like Chuck.

But at the end of the day, I'm most proud with our end result. So, I'm really happy with where I'm at right now.

USTH: Thanks to Ryan McPartlin and Sarah Lancaster for speaking with us.  Chuck airs Monday nights on NBC.

Terrence Howard has had a long career in stage and film, but now comes to television for his first series starring role in the latest Law & Order brand extension, Law & Order: Los Angeles.  In this series, Howard portrays senior Deputy District Attorney, Jonah "Joe" Dekker, a position his character shares with Alfred Molina's character, Ricardo Morales.  The plan is to have Howard and Molina alternate their appearances on the show.  Each character stars in the second half of the episode, which focuses on the trial of the defendant arrested in the first part.

In January 2011, the series was placed on hiatus by NBC following a cast shakeup that included the departures of cast members Skeet Ulrich, Regina Hall, and Megan Boone.  Howard's character remains with the show.  When the series returns on April 11, it will begin with the revamped episodes and then circle back to broadcast any unaired pre-reboot installments.  The timeslot will also change from its previous Wednesday berth following Law & Order: SVU to Monday nights at 10:00pm following The Event.  The first season finale is scheduled to air on June 27.

The following conversation with star Terrence Howard and Executive Producer, René Balcer took place before the announcements of the cast shakeup, which in addition to the three aforementioned departures, also includes the addition of a veteran Law & Order actress, Alana de la Garza, reprising her role as role as Connie Rubirosa, who will be moving to Los Angeles to serve as a Junior DDA.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO TERRENCE HOWARD & RENÉ BALCER OF LAW & ORDER: LOS ANGELES:

USTH: My first question is actually for René. A lot of fans were unhappy that the original Law & Order was canceled – the mothership, as you call it internally. Is there any chance that some of the characters from that series could be revived for a guest appearance on Law & Order: Los Angeles or even move to the LA version permanently?

RENÉ BALCER: You know, never say never, so, I don’t know. Realistic chance? Maybe not. There’s always a possibility of a character doing a cameo or something but beyond that, I don’t know. I mean, we have no rule against it, but there is nothing on the books now. We [have] more talent than we can handle, so I don’t really see the need at this point.

USTH: Terrence, as far as I understand it, this is your first weekly series. Even though you won't appear in every episode, how are you acclimating yourself to the grind of a TV schedule?

TERRENCE HOWARD: Well, there's no grind associated with it. You have to remember, I started with the stage. The stage is grind, and then I went to – what do you call it? Soap operas.

I did that for about two years, so those are grinds because [with] the stage, you get to dig in and dig in, and you keep rereading the script, and you keep rereading and learning the character, and you keep trying to find, and maybe there's another choice. Maybe there's something works better – that's a grind.

With these because these are people's lives, you know? I know that, as was explained to me, the first half of the show is a crime mystery. The second half [my half] is a moral mystery. I don't think anybody approaches a moral mystery with the idea of it being a grind. They see it as they've got to find the answer to something, and you search [for] more of a heart.

It's very little work on the body. It's more of a great deal of work on the heart. The words, because they're so honest, they're so easy to memorize. It's a common flow of a conversation so this is probably the easiest work I've ever done because I get to see my character grow. I don't have to relearn a new person every day.

[In movies, you] have three months to get somebody out and put it in a movie. [Here,] I've got 20 years. If the good continues on like what happened with [the original] Law & Order, I've got 20 years to discover this side of me, this moral side of me, so I don't look at it as a grind.

USTH: Thanks to Terrence Howard and René Balcer for speaking with us.  Law & Order: Los Angeles returns April 11, 2011 on NBC.

Academy Award winning actress Kathy Bates makes her first foray into series television as the star of Harry's Law a new legal drama from the mind of prolific creator David E. Kelley.  Kelley is no stranger to creating dramas with a sense of humor and a quirky outlook on life – as evidenced by his past cult favorite shows such as Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal, among others – and Harry's Law promises to be no different.  We spoke briefly to each of them about this new series, which has proven to be a bright spot on NBC's primetime schedule.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO KATHY BATES and DAVID E. KELLEY: 

USTH: Will we be seeing any of Harry's personal life reflected in the show?  Would you want your character to develop a romantic interest, or do you think that would hurt the show or your character to have that?

KATHY BATES: There is actually a show that we have a storyline where we get to meet one of Harriet's old boyfriends played by Richard Kind who's a wonderful, wonderful actor. And so, we get an element of that in this season, actually.

And I've been sort of dreading the day when David starts to come in with some kind of romantic relationship. It keeps happening all around me. And I'm afraid one of these days the ax is going to fall on my head.

So I don't know what's going to happen. I'll tell you, that's never been my bailiwick as an actress. So, I would really be a fish out of water.

USTH: David, you've done so many legal shows in your career. What do you feel that Harry's Law brings to the genre that has not really been done so much in the past? What makes this show different from all the legal dramas that you've done?

DAVID E. KELLEY: Mainly, I think we're going to be dealing with more of the Alternative Dispute Resolution than what we've seen in most cases.

As the series evolves, we are – it's not conventional trials and court room cases. Harry's scurrying into court to get motions to get court orders to facilitate transplants.

She's got a case where she is settling gang disputes. We see her tank a trial on purpose. I mean, this is the anti-lawyer in so many ways. And yet, at the root of it is her fundamental core of justice.

Above: From the February 21 episode, "Bangers in the House" [Photo Credit: NBC]

I think what the series really explores is how justice and law don't always coincide. This series is as much about the people and the street that they live on as it is about the courtroom. So it will probably feel a little grungier than past series, but very, very character driven.

Most of my series tend to be character driven but maybe this one even more so. I hope that kind of answers your question.

And lastly, I think the element of class warfare will be present throughout this series.

(l-r) Cast of Harry's Law: Aml Ameen, Brittany Snow, Kathy Bates, Nate Corddry

USTH: Thanks to Kathy Bates and David E. Kelley for speaking with us.  Harry's Law airs Monday nights on NBC.