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Today's cuppa: PG Tips tea

Back in February, HCTV caught up with "Warehouse 13" executive producer Jack Kenny to learn about Steve Jinks, the new human-truth-detector character played by Aaron Ashmore, and the fate of the cursed-artifact-hunting team of Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) and Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock), which appeared to be kaput after Myka quit.

(Click here for that.)

As viewers know, when season three began on Monday, July 11, Myka came back. Since then, Jinks is settling in, Pete sorted things out with his ex-wife (Jeri Ryan), Warehouse tech Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) has a new pal, and boss Artie (Saul Rubinek) is riding herd on them all.

This morning, HCTV got some fresh answers to some new questions from Kenny (including about the show being picked up for a fourth season last Friday), and hot off the email electrons, here they are (questions in bold):

Q: Have the fans forgiven you for letting them think Myka had left?

I didn't know they were mad at me! Seriously, though, I did keep saying to just trust us, that we wouldn't let you down ... so I hope they were never really concerned, and knew that we always have their best interests at heart. I mean, Indiana Jones is NOT going to die, no matter how dire the situation looks, right? But you gotta think he might, or why do it? So we'll always be trying to inject as much conflict and controversy as we can into our show, but the fans should always know we'll take care of them.

Q: Has the reaction to her return been what you expected?

Hard to gauge the reaction, per se, but I think everyone is thrilled to have Myka back, and I would've expected no less. Joanne brings such a wonderful energy to the team, and she and Eddie are having a phenomenal year! Their chemistry is better than ever, and I think it really, really shows on screen!

Q: What have the fans thought of the new guy?

From everything I've heard and read, people seem to LOVE Aaron Ashmore. Like the rest of our cast, he fits beautifully into the family, and brings his own unique energy to the team. It's very gratifying to read how both critics and audience welcomed him into our family. I think they'll all really be pulled into his story line for the season. It'll be quite surprising.

Q: How has Steve Jinks changed the dynamic?

I don't think he's "changed" it, as much as enhanced it. He's given Claudia a real friend. She always had a wonderful father-figure in Artie, and siblings in Pete and Myka, but Jinksy has really given her a compatriot. Someone she can relate to on an equal playing field; and I think it's really brought up her game in a terrific way.

Q: How did you learn about the renewal?

I got a wonderful call from Syfy last week, warning me that it was about to hit the Internet, and that I should try to get to the cast and let them know. It's become completely impossible to keep anything secret for more than a nanosecond anymore. That's particularly hard for a show like ours, when we wanna keep spoilers out of the press for as long as possible.

Q: What do you think most contributed to the success that earned that renewal?

Hard to say one thing. Every successful show is a total team effort. It starts in the writers' room and with Universal Cable Productions and Syfy, as we break out a season of stories as varied and different as we can think of.

Then it's up to our production and design team in Toronto, the never-ending stamina of our crew that shoots a movie every eight days, and the BRILLIANCE of our multi-talented cast, that bring these stories to life.

Then it's back up to Syfy to promote and sell the show as devotedly as they do. And then, of course, the fans. We could do all that anyway, and if people didn't watch, we'd get canceled. So finally, it rests in the hands of the fans -- who have been the most loyal I have ever seen. Thank you to the fans!!!

Q: What hints can you drop for the rest of the season?

Well, as I say, I hate to give spoilers, cuz it's all about the surprise elements. But I can say that we're gonna learn something pretty surprising about several of our characters over the next few episodes. As I've said, this season has been in great part about how your PAST influences your PRESENT. And that's true of what's in store for many of our characters.

AND it's about the Warehouse itself, as you'll see in our jaw-dropping finale! It's even a strong theme in our holiday episode -- which I am REALLY excited about, too! We work hard all year to (hopefully) give the fans a fun ride every summer -- and a nice lift at the holidays! Thanks for watching!!!

Today's cuppa: Fortnum & Mason Irish breakfast tea

News has circulated that Aaron Ashmore (left), who played Jimmy Olsen in The CW's "Smallville," is joining the cast of Syfy's hit series "Warehouse 13," which returns this summer with 13 new episodes.

After the abrupt departure of Secret Service Agent Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) in the season-two finale, following her betrayal by H.G. Wells (Jaime Murray), the all-powerful Mrs. Frederic (CCH Pounder) recruits ATF Agent Steve Jinks (Ashmore) to be Secret Service Agent Pete Lattimer's (Eddie McClintock) new partner in chasing down powerful artifacts to be housed in the mysterious Warehouse 13 in South Dakota.

Jinks is also a human lie-detector, which could come in handy, coupled with Pete's ability to receive warning "vibes."

Series executive producer Jack Kenny took a few minutes over the weekend to answer some email questions about these developments and the series at large (questions in bold)...

Q: You left fans hanging at the end of last season, when Myka suddenly resigned. What sort of response have you gotten from fans?

A: Mixed, as always. Some are furious that we would let Myka leave the Warehouse. Others are confident that she'll be back. But the nice thing is, they all love the character so much, that, one way or the other, they're passionate about her. And who wouldn't be??

Q: How have fans responded to the announcement of Aaron Ashmore as Pete's new partner, Jinks?

A: It's so new, but so far I've only seen positive responses. Again, there's passion about the thought of him "replacing" Myka. But Aaron is such a winning guy, I think fans will welcome his addition to the Warehouse team. He brings an entirely different energy from our other characters, a wonderful energy.

Q: What sort of a person is Jinks?

A: Agent Steve Jinks joined the ATF for reasons that will unfold as the season progresses. Above all, he's a straight shooter and an honest guy. There's something he can see in a person's eyes that tell him whether they're telling the truth or not, and that kinda thing makes him hyper-aware of his own truth.

He's a Buddhist -- which is to say, he is striving towards that goal. He certainly hasn't achieved Nirvana, but it's always more interesting to me why a person chooses a particular path, rather than the path itself.

He's also the closest in age and temperament to Claudia (played by Allison Scagliotti, at right), so they can become sounding boards for one another, and confidants in a way that no other character has been able to do that for her.

Q: What did you like in particular about Ashmore?

A: What's not to like? He's charming, sexy, a terrific actor, willing to try to do anything and excited about what we're all doing together. And there's something that the camera sees in his eyes -- they absolutely pierce through you! Very disarming .. also a great guy!!

Q: Since this has rapidly become a very successful show, has Syfy been supportive of your creative vision or are they keeping a close eye on the show?

A: I would say, both. They have always been supportive of my vision for "Warehouse 13," and the directions, additions, mythology and story arcs that we've planned. I can honestly say that I've never had such a collaborative and easy relationship with any other network. They're insightful and flexible at the same time.

"(Syfy president) Mark Stern has been particularly protective of the show, and that wonderfully translates to exciting involvement and lots of terrific promotion. The whole team has been a joy to work with from the start. We actually spend half of our pitch/notes sessions laughing.

Q: Did the whole H.G./Helena Wells storyline turn out the way you hoped -- and how was it received?

A: Yes, absolutely, and terrifically. Seems that our amazing fans were willing to jump right in with us on that journey. And it's not over yet.

Q: Have you figured out the key to the show's success?

A: Family. This show has been about family for me in every way. I think that's what attracts most people to stick with a lot of series. Everyone can relate to family, and the relationships, troubles and triumphs that families share. I think any show can be successful if you write and create characters that the fans want to spend time with, get to know on every level. Why else would you watch them every week?

And I believe that's what we've done with "Warehouse 13," created a family of compelling characters that love each other and that would do anything for each other -- and so the viewer will, too!

Also, we try to respect our audience. We don't talk down to them, and we don't pander. We race ahead, asking them to keep up -- and I think they love that. I know I do.

Once upon a time, summer TV was all reruns, busted pilots and short-run replacement shows (I liked that Ben Vereen one, though ...), but now, it's just as stuffed with scripted and reality shows as the rest of the year -- and a bunch of them are just awesome.

So, in no particular order, here's my list of Summer Shows I Can't Live Without (feel free to play along at home; your results may vary):

"Wipeout": Anytime I need a boost to my spirits, ABC's reality-competition show, which sends contestants through wild and wacky obstacle courses, is just the ticket. In some ways, it's a living "Road Runner & Coyote" cartoon, only with no Road Runner (unless you count that $50,000 ultimate payoff that everyone's chasing). All the colorful contestants are Wile E. Coyote, forced to suffer repeated splats, falls, flips and indignities in search of an elusive prize. Yes, it's silly and mindless fun, but I love it because ... it's silly and mindless fun.

"America's Got Talent": You can keep your "American Idol," I prefer NBC's often emotional, sometimes downright loopy talent-competition series, which pits dog acts against magicians against singers against a harmonica player against a guy who flossed his neck. What all of the acts have in common is that they have nothing in common except a willingness to endure possible public humiliation to realize a long-held dream. Sometimes it makes me cry, and sometimes it makes me want to take a shower.

"Ice Road Truckers": In the midst of a sultry summertime, there's nothing like tuning in to History Channel and watching truckers on the frozen Dalton Highway in Alaska battle snow, ice and below-zero temperatures to get their rigs and their loads from one tiny tundra hamlet to another. If I still lived in the Northeast and was facing similar conditions in a few months, I might not be so sanguine, but as I don't, it's a visually stunning reminder of what I'm missing.

"Burn Notice": USA Network now has a second spy drama, called "Covert Affairs," but the original remains the gold standard for espionage thrills, chills and fun. The summer finale airs tonight (Aug. 26), so you better get hopping if you haven't yet fallen in love with burned spy Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan) and his motley crew in Miami. Oh, and any chance to watch Sharon Gless puff a cigarette and have her say as Westen's savvy mom is worth the price of admission.

"The Choir": I fell in love with the first season of this BBC America reality show, in which elfin choirmaster Gareth Malone built a choir out of the rough-hewn raw materials at a British high school that didn't even have a music program, eventually taking it all the way to a worldwide competition in China. In the most recent season, he took on adolescent masculinity to create a choir at a sports-focused all-boys school. In the next season, he heads to a blue-collar area to not only revitalize the school but the whole town. Gareth is tough but loving and has an unshakable faith in the transformative power of singing -- and he's made a believer out of me.

"Warehouse 13" and "Eureka": Syfy has just found the right mix of science-fiction, fantasy, character humor, drama and good old entertainment in this pair of hit shows, which had crossover episodes early in the month. Both shows manage to be true to their genres without resorting to silliness or self-parody (excellent casts and writers go a long way to making that happen). They're light in tone, but not lightweight -- and that's harder than it sounds.

"Psych": A perfect froth of slapstick, one-liners, homages galore and even a dead body or two, this USA Network comedy-drama about a pretend police psychic (James Roday) and his long-suffering best buddy and partner (Dule Hill) is an absolute delight. The whole cast is strong, the writing is clever but never twee, the theme song rocks, and there's just enough heart to anchor it to Earth and keep the whole thing from floating away.

These are only the tip of the iceberg, and I could easily give Honorable Mentions to: Discovery's "The Colony"; Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva": USA's "Royal Pains" and "White Collar"; BBC America's "James May's Toy Stories": and Syfy's new "Haven" (like the chemistry between the leads a lot). And of course, there's Discovery's "Pitchmen," which just returned for a new season. And while it's as old-fashioned as it could be, I'm liking ABC Family's sitcom "Melissa & Joey" (as I only watch one other sitcom, NBC's "Community," that's something).

I'm sure there are more I just can't think of right now. Ain't summer grand?

Today's cuppa: Irish breakfast tea

Here's the full text of my syndicated feature on this week's "Warehouse 13" (with Lycra, not Spandex) ...

On Oct. 1, "Friday Night Smackdown" sets up its pro-wrestling ring on Syfy, but before that, one of the WWE Superstar wrestlers takes an acting turn on Syfy's Tuesday hit "Warehouse 13."

 

In an episode airing Aug. 24, Cody Rhodes guest stars as Kurt Smoller, the former captain of the football team at Secret Service agent Myka Bering's (Joanne Kelly) high school. Little does he know that Myka has grown up to be half of a team - with fellow Secret Service agent Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) - that chases down mysterious artifacts that have a strange and often dramatic effect on those around them.

 

"Kurt is the quintessential cool guy from high school, the jock," Rhodes says. "He is the quarterback of the high-school football team. He was in the eye of every girl.

 

"But it's cool, because it's not black and white. With Kurt Smoller, it's really more of an area of gray. It wasn't just, 'I'm the cool kid. I can't talk to the Myka Berings of the world,' because Myka Bering was his tutor in algebra.

 

"So he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I like that."

 

Myka runs into Kurt at her high-school reunion, and although she winds up under the influence of an artifact, sparks fly.

 

Kurt's a little surprised to see his old tutor, now all grown up.

 

"All grown up," Rhodes says, "meaning a complete bombshell in an unbelievable blue dress? Kurt Smoller's high-school experience isn't all that different from Cody Rhodes', even in the experience of seeing someone you thought was cool and a great conversationalist turn into such a total lovely package - I know the feeling.

 

"It came as a complete shock for him."

 

As for his own experience, Rhodes reveals that he used to enjoy talking to the girl who sat next to him in creative writing.

 

"Without realizing it," he says, "I always had a smile when I walked into the class. She was a year younger than me. I was a senior; she was a junior."

 

Then, says Rhodes, about six months ago he was at a gas station in his hometown of Marietta, Ga., and there she was, on her way to see a theatrical performance.

 

"She was all done up in her absolute best attire," Rhodes says, "in a very beautiful black dress. Honestly, I was taken aback and a little bit speechless. It was quite impressive."

 

Although Rhodes admits that he acted the perfect gentleman in Georgia, the same might not be able to be said on "Warehouse 13."

 

"At this high-school reunion," Rhodes says, "I don't know how to word this, but the prospects are pretty thin. Kurt was hanging out with his guy friends. Upon seeing Myka, he doesn't even realize it's Myka Bering and coordinates a very bad attempt at trying to get her attention. He finds out it's Myka Bering as the conversation ensues."

 

Fans of the show might wonder what Pete's reaction is to all this, since he's usually very protective of his partner. Well, that has a lot to do with the effect of the artifact, which is better revealed in the episode.

 

But, Rhodes did have something in common with McClintock other than a regard for Joanne Kelly.

 

"The actual Pete/Kurt interaction was fun to shoot," Rhodes says, "because both of us were amateur wrestlers. He was in the Midwest, where the competition was just phenomenal. He gave me a shirt from his old high-school team. I still wear that around."

 

As to whether he and McClintock reminisced about wearing their wrestling singlets, Rhodes says, "Somebody said something about, 'Isn't it weird that guys enjoy Spandex?' We were both quick to jump in and say, 'It's not Spandex; it's Lycra,' which is no different, and it makes it no better, but at least we said something."

 

But was there wrestling?

 

"It almost got to some wrestling," Rhodes says. "A door was slammed in Kurt Smoller's face, and had it not been slammed, we might actually have got a good old six-minute amateur wrestling match."

 

All that is left, then, is the question of a kiss (with Kelly, not McClintock).

 

"I wanted to have the utmost respect going into their world," Rhodes says, "and the potential that there might have been a kiss between myself and Joanne Kelly. I have all the respect in the world for her, because she handled me with kid gloves.

 

"I was very nervous, more nervous than I've been for something in a long time.

 

"The best way I can put it - she took charge. She took the reins. You know those episodes of television that are a little uncomfortable and a little awkward, but you can't turn away?

 

"There's a lot of that feeling."

Tonight's cuppa: Iced tea with peppermint (hey, it's July!)

On Tuesday, July 6, Syfy's hit "Warehouse 13" returns for a second season. I'm going to be doing a story for Zap2it.com (and here it is) to coincide with that, but to mark the Fourth of July, I thought I'd share with my loyal Cuppers some thoughts from star Eddie McClintock on one of his June 23 Facebook posts.

No, not the post where he wrote, "5.5 earthquake on the set of 'Warehouse 13'! I think I may have pooped a little."

I mean the other June 23rd one, when Team America still was in the running in the soccer World Cup, and he wrote, "USA SOCCER TEAM reminds me that there is still some NATIONAL bite in this old dog! (IT'S O.K. TO BE PROUD OF YOUR COUNTRY!)"

Asked whether he thought it was too bad that someone has to defend cheering for the U.S.A., McClintock says, "Yeah, things have certainly changed in that regard. If you chant, 'U.S.A! U.S.A!', you're a fascist. It's like, 'No, man, I'm proud of my country. It's OK.'

"There's just so much bombardment from these other voices ... and I'm not going to go and say it's left or right or whatever. I don't claim to be one or the other, but I do believe it's OK for us to have some pride.

"Look, when you get up in the morning, you make your bed. Why do you do that? Because you have pride for who you are and what you represent. To me, cheering for your country and having pride in your country is the same thing. It really doesn't mean anything more than that.

"You're not being racist or fascist or whatever -- you're just having pride in where you're from."

After all, few if any Americans would think less of folks from other countries if they're cheering for their respective nations.

"I don't know," McClintock says. "I only know what I hear, 'Oh, God, U.S.A, U.S.A., what's wrong with you?' 'What do you mean, what's wrong with me? What are you talking about? Go take your Birkenstocks and ease on down the road.'"

McClintock is not really a longtime soccer fan, but that doesn't matter to him.

"I said on my Facebook the other day, 'If it has U.S.A. in it, I'll root for it.' If it's USA Team anything, I'll root for them, because I wish that the nation would have a little bit more pride than it has.

"Not to get too political or whatever  but we're caught in this war in Afghanistan, it's now become the longest war in the history of the country. We've got oil spilling out all over our animals in the Gulf, and Al-Qaeda wants to blow us up.

"We need something positive. If the U.S. soccer team is that little something positive, than so be it."

Oh, and as for "Warehouse 13," he says, "It's bigger, better, faster, funnier."

Today's cuppa: English breakfast tea (much like the stuff dumped in Boston Harbor during the original Tea Party)

Back in November, I posted an interview with "NCIS: Los Angeles" star LL Cool J, and in the course of the chat, it occurred to me to ask him his favorite Founding Father (you know, those guys who signed the Declaration of Independence and wrote the Constitution). He named Benjamin Franklin (left) -- one of my personal faves -- and explained why.

Since then, from time to time, I've posed that question to other actors, either in person, by email or on Facebook. A couple weren't sure what a Founding Father was or couldn't name one offhand, but the majority came through admirably. I have requests still outstanding, but here's what I have so far:

Eddie McClintock, Syfy's "Warehouse 13": "Thank you for including me in this query, though I fear I don't know enough about these men to make an intelligent choice (much like my votes for president, ironically). If I had to choose, I would say George Washington (right). He was a brave and decorated military leader who had the intellect and strength of personality to be successful politically. And I heard he was a hell of a dancer (which makes him a 'triple threat')!!"

Walton Goggins, formerly of FX's "The Shield" and now appearing in FX's upcoming "Justified": "OK, this one's easy. JOHN ADAMS. Why? The sacrifice that this man made over the course of his life for our REPUBLIC, from representing the British officers accused in the BOSTON MASSACRE to procuring funds for our fledgling uprising from the Dutch -- a man among men; a just man with a moral compass pointing due North."

Michael Chiklis, formerly of FX's "The Shield": "Being from the Boston area, I'm going to have to go with a local boy, John Adams (left), for many reasons, not the least of which was he stood to lose the most. When someone supports a cause because they believe in it, in spite of the fact that they risk life, liberty, family and personal wealth, that is the definition of courage and integrity."

(When I mentioned to Chiklis that Goggins and he picked the same guy, he replied, "Yeah, I just gave him sh-t for copying me! Kidding...naturally he chose the same Founding Father. Great minds, you know ...")

Jay Karnes, formerly of FX's "The Shield" and, in a recurring role, FX's "Sons of Anarchy" (and we now hear he's going to be in ABC's "Brothers and Sisters"), offers a countdown format:

"3) (Thomas) Jefferson (right). He owned (and probably had children with) slaves, and his second term as president makes George W. Bush's tenure in office look like an exercise in constitutional moderation, but he said everything that is important about government's proper relationship to mankind, in one paragraph. That's the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, if you're keeping score at home.

(And here that is: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, -- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. -- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.")

"2) (James) Madison (left): It's all well and good to say that governments are instituted by the people to insure their rights -- actually crafting a document that does that is a very different and difficult proposition. The United States Constitution protects the liberty of the individual better than any document in human history, and Madison was its main architect.

"1): Washington. There are few constants in human history, but here is one: the men with the weapons get to make the rules. Newburgh, N.Y., March, 1783. The war with Britain was over but for the signing of the treaty. The Continental Army, camped near Newburgh, had not been paid, and its officers were talking about a military coup. A meeting was called that Washington was not expected to attend. He arrived just after it began and walked up to the podium to speak. His officers, some of whom he had led since the beginning of the war, were angry. Washington spoke for some time about the need for patience, but to little effect. Finally, he began to read a letter from a member of Congress. He stopped and reached into his coat for a pair of glasses. 'Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray, but almost blind, in the service of my country.' That statement ended the coup at a stroke. George Washington did something that very few people in history have done -- he walked away from absolute power. Without that, the work of all the other Founders comes to very little.

"Honorable mention: for a pub crawl through Paris, I'd go with Ben Franklin."

Mark Valley, former star of Fox's "Keen Eddie" and ABC's "Boston Legal," now the star of Fox's upcoming "Human Target," premiering Jan. 17 (Valley's also a West Point grad and Gulf War vet): "My favorite Founding Father -- hold on, it's coming. You know, I gotta say, it's got to be George Washington, because, at the time, everybody wanted him to be a king. They wanted him to become this huge demagogue. The only thing standing between a new monarchy and a democracy was actually George Washington.

"I think it's the fact that he turned that down set us on a path to a completely new form of government, as opposed to going back in the past. That really separated him from some of the previous leaders. Also, he was a great tactician strategically. What he did, crossing the Delaware! That was f--king brilliant! Also, he was putting together this Continental Army, and he wasn't afraid to take influence from the Hessians and, to some extent, the French as well. He put together this really disciplined Army from what was, by all accounts, a ragtag group of militias. That was really something."

Chi McBride, Valley's "Target" co-star and former star of Fox's "Boston Public" and ABC's "Pushing Daisies": "Jefferson, because Jefferson said that a government that can give you everything you want is also capable of taking everything you have. Jefferson wasn't a dumb guy. There is a profound bit of wisdom with a lot of the people who founded this country."

Adam Baldwin, current Big Hollywood.com contributor, formerly of Fox's "Firefly" and star of NBC's "Chuck," which returns for a new season on Jan. 10, also has a list: My favorite Founding Father would be John Adams or James Madison. Madison wrote the Constitution, gotta love that guy. Or George Washington, because he was a great general. I also like (Alexander) Hamilton.

"I can't nail it down to one look. I'm an individualist. You need a band of brothers with divergent viewpoints that distill down to the most wonderful document ever created in the history of man. Those guys all got together. What did you expect me to say, John Hancock?

"Franklin is too much of a partier, although he does have one of my favorite sayings of all time. He said that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. That's the quote."

And lastly, Mykelti Williamson, star of the upcoming 8th season of Fox's "24" (starting Jan. 17), expands the definition of Founding Father: "Abraham Lincoln (right), to me, he's the founding father of a certain kind of freedom and liberation. But I'd go right to the nucleus and say George Washington. Integrity. To sum it up, integrity."