#MLPseason4 What's The Hubbub with Tara Strong and Megan McCarthy!

Last night I had THE BEST What's the Hubbub chat to date! You know I'm an old hat at these by now, so this time I got to ask the first question! However, it was not before they revealed....

That's right! Coming in 2015, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic SEASON 5! From what I gathered during the chat, they are already in production for the new season. What they did not mention, however, was exactly when in 2015 we can expect our pony friends to return to our televisions. At the very minimum, we're waiting seven months. I guess we have Equestria Girls 2 to tide us over?

Anyway, there were SO many bloggers on the chat last night, so it's a long one, but I promise it's worth the entire watch through! Tara Strong is too adorable for words, and Megan McCarthy has her writers wit... and Ted Biaselli was wearing a Doctor Whooves shirt and TARDIS earrings. Yeah, these are my people!


 Tune in Saturday at 10am!

INTERVIEW: Kara Vallow of COSMOS!

Just in case you can't love science and the incredible astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson any more, he joins up with the incredible minds behind shows like Family Guy and American Dad and brings science into the homes of millions with COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey. The 13 episode series is running right now on Fox networks, and I was given the opportunity to chat with the Animation Developer and Producer Kara Vallow!

Check out my interview over at the About.com Kids' Cartoons page. Because, yes! Cosmos is for kids! It's for adults! It's for everyone! It makes science so accessible and really brings to light the fascination with the world that children already have. If you're not watching it, you should be! You won't be disappointed!

"Hub Network's What's The Hubbub?" - With Spooksville's Keean Johnson and Jim Kreig

Last night I got a chance to Google Hangout with Hub Network's seires Spooksville star Keean Johnson (Adam) and Head Writer Jim Kreig! Jim is an absolutely hilarious guy, and I really kind of want to meet up with him for a drink next time I'm out in L.A. because he seems like the kind of guy who that would definitely be a night to remember! Thank goodness they muted us when we weren't asking our questions, because most of the time I was cracking up.

Image © Hub Network.

My first question comes in around the 7 minute mark, and is a call back to my October excursion to California for the Hub Halloween Bash! Check out the video below to see the entire conversation between myself, these awesome guys, Hub Network Exec Ted Biaselli and a handful of other awesome bloggers! And don't forget to tune in to Spooksville on Saturdays at 5pm Eastern/2pm Pacific on Hub Network!

UPDATE 4/8: The video now has much clearer and better audio! Check it out below!

Q&A With Directors and Producer of FROZEN!

By now you've already heard about the Oscar wins for Frozen. And, if you're like me, you know the words to "Let It Go" by heart, and maybe you even sing them in the shower..... no? Just me? Surrrrre. Wink wink.

Image courtesy Disney.

During my trip to LA last month, one of the things we were fortunate enough to experience during our tour of Disney Animation Studios was an amazing roundtable session with Frozen's Directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and Producer Peter Del Vecho. We were given the opportunity to ask them questions about Frozen and their experiences during the making of the film.

Image courtesy Disney. Do you see me setting up my TARDIS iPad to film?

Image courtesy Disney. Peter, Jennifer, and Chris.

Some of my fellow bloggers asked some great questions, like what got the movie green-lit? Were there any favorite scenes cut from the film? Did anyone get to go to Norway for research? Was it always a musical? Why didn't Kristoff get a backstory? Is there any chance of seeing Kristoff's story? Why does Oaken have an accent? My question, which comes at 10:26 in the video below, was "why was it not 'The Snow Queen', why the shift to 'Frozen'?" Also, does Chris Buck perhaps give us confirmation of Frozen on Broadway???

From my point of view on the couch!

It's a long video (nearly twenty minutes), but if you're a fan of the film, I highly suggest listening to the whole interview. Sorry about the sound quality, an iPad doesn't make for great film equipment! But, if you turn your speakers up all the way, you should be able to hear everyone pretty clearly. They are such storytellers, and their talent shines through in their thoughtful answers to our questions.




(I also apologize for the "Vertical Video Syndrome", which I attempted to fix a little bit with the title across the bottom.) 
This was an incredible, life-changing opportunity, and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it! It was definitely very cool sitting at home with one of my best friends and getting to shout "I totally got to meet those people!" as these three accepted their Oscar. Once again, a huge congratulations to all my new friends at Disney Animation Studios on their phenomenal recognition! Stay tuned for more coverage of the Frozen Blu-ray, DVD, and On-Demand Release, coming everywhere March 18th! Or, if you just can't wait, you can download it now in Digital HD!
More coverage of the trip from fellow bloggers:

• Geek Mom
• Moscato Mom
• Adventures By Daddy
• Nicki's Random Musings
• Geek Dad
• Susan's Disney Family
• Our Kids Mom
• Sassy Mama in LA
• The Rock Father
• Mom's Review4U
• Mama Noticas (Spanish)
• Akron Ohio Moms
• Mama Latina Tips
• Sippy Cup Mom
• What U Talking 'Bout Willis
• MiscFinds4U
• Daily Leisure
• DAD - Dad All Day

Disclosure: I received a trip to Los Angeles in exchange for promotion of the home release of Frozen. For more information, please see my Disclosure tab.

What's the Hubbub with Jackée Harry!

Last night, while you were watching primetime TV, I was interviewing someone who had been ON primetime TV! As part of my membership with The Hub Club Bloggers, I was invited to a video chat with Jackée Harry of television's Sister Sister and 227 fame! Jackée has won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and has played numerous roles both on screen and on stage.

Image courtesy Hub Network.

So, I asked you on my Facebook page if you had any questions for the shining star Jackée. Most of you seem to remember her better from her time at 227... and I'm going to admit something here. While I was indeed young during that show's run, I watched adult television with my parents, and I do not remember this show. I must have been in some weird time warp or something. I remember M*A*S*H, I remember Murphy Brown, I remember Cheers, I even remember when Steve Martin was still on Saturday Night Live. But my knowledge of this show is pretty slim and I don't know why! However, when I asked her about her catchphrase on the show, she obliged, and it kind of rings a bell. Still, like many my age, I remember her as Lisa, the mother on Sister Sister who finds out her adopted daughter has an identical twin and that they were seperated at birth.

Image courtesy Hub Network.

The Hub Network has recently acquired the syndication rights to Sister Sister, and in celebration of that fact, they are having a "Tia and Tamara-thon" of back to back episodes this Friday night at 7pm Eastern.

Image courtesy Hub Network.

They also are beginning a new webseries called "Hub Network's What's the Hubbub?" in which they sit down with the stars of their shows and have bloggers ask them questions, which is what I did last night on their inaugural episode! My questions for Jackée were about her time on Sister Sister, her favorite role from her time in theatre, her weight loss secrets from her time on Celebrity Fit Club, her philosophy on life, whether she liked television, movie, or theatre acting best, and more. Check out the video below and listen for my super-loud radio voice (I was in morning radio about ten years ago). Jackée was so fun to chat with!

An Interview With a Disney Legend, Floyd Norman!

If we are going by the "six degrees of separation" theory, I am now officially only one degree away from the legendary Walt Disney himself, thanks to my interview with Mr. Floyd Norman (even if it was just by phone!), who worked on the story art for Disney's The Jungle Book.

Floyd Norman and his work, image courtesy Click Communications.

In anticipation of the release of The Jungle Book on Disney Blu-ray on February 11th, I was given the express opportunity to chat with Mr. Norman about working with Walt and his career.

Check out my interview over at the About.com page! Mr. Norman was a fabulous person to talk to and was so articulate. He surely made my job easy! What a fun way to jump into Black History Month!

Despicable Me 2 on Blu-ray and DVD TODAY!

The Minions are back, just in time for holiday gift giving! That's right, your favorite yellow sidekicks and their lovable but "evil" boss, Gru, are on Blu-ray and DVD today! According to the Despicable Me website, there are several different extras you can pick up along with the movie... a Minion Lunch Box at Best Buy, Minion figurines at Walmart, and an Anti-Villain League Handbook at Target!

Image courtesy Illumination Entertainment.

As a special treat, I was given the opportunity to interview voice actor Moises Arias, who plays Antonio in the film!

Moises with his character Antonio.

This kid (I say that like I'm some old lady at thirty, ha!) is so incredibly well-spoken, so articulate, and so busy! I predict bright things from him as he enters his twenties! Be sure to click the link above and see what he had to say about creating an animated character, as well as his role in Ender's Game... you know the geek in me couldn't let an opportunity to ask about THAT slide!

And, for fun, when you bring the movie home to your family, why not whip up a tasty batch of Minon Munch Mix! (And attempt to say it three times fast with a mouthful!) Click the link below for the recipe as well as some fun activity sheets to go with it!

Disney Planes... out TODAY!

 

This was one of the movies that came out this summer that I never made it out to see in a theatre. I was really bummed, because TV Boy loves planes and Disney's Cars movies, so it was going to be awesome to see them on the big screen. However, time got away from us this summer. So when I was offered the chance to check out the Bluray combo pack from Disney, I jumped at the chance! 

The story, for those of you who maybe haven't seen it yet, is a young crop duster plane (who is conveniently named Dusty) wants to become an ariel racer plane and leave his quiet, boring, crop-dusting existence behind. He enters into a contest that is a race around the world, with several world-class racers. 




Dusty must overcome his fear of extreme heights and his crop-dusting ways in order to become a world class flyer. Along the way, he meets some interesting new friends and foes, including two planes named Ned and Zed, voiced by Gabriel Iglesias... who I got the pleasure of talking to on the phone! (Click the link to read my full interview!)


Be sure to pick up your copy of Disney's Planes on DVD and Bluray, out TODAY! Also, to continue the high flying fun, you can download fun activities by clicking on the images at the top and bottom of this post! 

Audio Interview: The AquaBats! SuperShow!

I did it! I have officially created, edited, and posted my first "podcast"-ish audio interview with Jason DeVilliers and Ricky Fallomir from The AquaBats! SuperShow! Check out the video (there is only an image as the background, the real meat is the audio) and let me know if you like this better than reading a boring old article-style interview.

Image courtesy The Hub network.

In all honesty, it took me probably the same amount of time to edit the audio together, record an intro, make an image for the background, and pop all that into iMovie, export it, and upload it to Youtube as it would have to just write it all out... but hey! It's fun, right?

Enjoy! And be sure to check out The AquaBats! SuperShow! on The Hub, Saturdays at 1pm Eastern/10am Pacific!




P.S. I only had one entrant on my Monsuno Giveaway, so CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Ronald Oliver! I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information. Thanks for reading and sharing! YOU ROCK! Hope your granddaughter loves it!

My First Bad Review... and an interview update.

That's right, folks... my first BAD review of a show. I went into it with an open mind, I really did. I promise. I wanted to like this goofy new show on The Hub. I want to like everything I watch, really. But this time, I was so thoroughly disappointed, I couldn't hide my disdain in the "First Look".

SheZow - Image courtesy The Hub.

The show I'm talking about is SheZow, which premieres this weekend on The Hub. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE The Hub. I love everything that The Hub stands for. But this time, they really missed the mark. See what I have to say about it here at the Kids' Cartoons page.

The good news is that The Hub has TONS of other awesome programming that I adore. Like The AquaBats! SuperShow! for instance. I did my interview today. Unfortunately, M.C. Bat Commander was out of town for the holiday, so instead I got a chance to chat with co-creator Jason Devilliers and "Ricky Fitness", Ricky Fallomir. They were both super cool dudes and we had a lot of fun chatting. I think, since it's a BLOG EXCLUSIVE!!! that I'm going to upload the audio (after some audio tweaking and trying to remember my radio producer days*, of course). So, be sure to stay tuned to the blog here at TheTVMom.com for that fun interview!

(*Yes, really. I was an assistant producer for a morning radio show right before I graduated from college. It was an incredible job that I loved enough to wake up at 4am for. I miss it... sometimes. Until I get to sleep in until 9am, that is.)

Interview Alert!

Big news, readers! I get to do an interview FOR MY BLOG for a change! I'm super excited about it. In fact, I'm SO excited, I'll give you a hint about the interviewee...

Hint number 1...

Sigh.... No, it's not DJ Lance Rock. Sorry. Although... if DJ Lance Rock's publicist is reading this.... get a hold of me! ;)

Still curious? Okay, I'll be nice. Here is hint number 2...

Image thanks to The Hub.

Okay, well, that's less of a hint and more of "hey, this is the guy!". That is Christian Jacobs, aka M.C. Bat Commander, and creator of The Aquabats! Super Show! He also is the creator of Yo Gabba Gabba and the voice of Plex the robot and Gooble. Needless to say, this guy oozes awesomeness. In fact, is your mind blown from his awesomeness yet?

So, stay tuned loyal readers! Big things goin' on over here at TheTVMom.com! Woohoo!

Have a question YOU would like to ask Mr. Jacobs? Leave it here in the comments!

Remember when "googling" as a verb sounded dirty?

Yes, I was bored so I "googled" myself (and yes, Google, I really used YOUR search engine, so I'm using the verbiage properly!). I can assure you, most of the images that come up under my name are NOT me (although it seems to index my YouTube and Twitter accounts pretty well). Interestingly, I found a couple other sites had picked up my interview with Daniel Ingram and were giving me some free press... so I thought I'd be nice and return the favor!

Me with Daniel Ingram at the MLP Coronation Concert in Feb.
Yes, this guy is seriously that photogenic in real life.

DerpyHoovesNews.com: http://www.derpyhoovesnews.com/about-com-kids-cartoons-daniel-ingram-interview/

RoundStable.com: http://www.roundstable.com/2012/11/15/daniel-ingram-talks-to-about-com/ 

Pop over and give these sites some love. Tell 'em TV Mom sent you! And THANKS BRONIES!

Phineas and Ferb interview!!!

Image courtesy Disney Home Media.

Yes, I *finally* got around to transcribing my interview with Phineas and Ferb creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh! I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'm not going to give any lame excuses... I just hate doing transcription sometimes. I love doing the interviews, but man WHERE is the technology where I can automatically get a transcript of my phone conversations with these incredible people??? (Stupid technology, not keeping up with the futuristic world in my head.)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it! I used a lot of the questions I got through my TV Mom Facebook page (see the side bar over there ---->) from you readers!

Check out the full interview over at the About.com page!

Interview with Sarah Finn, Exec. Producer of Strawberry Shortcake

Image courtesy The Hub.

I recently got a chance to talk with Sarah Finn, the Executive Producer for The Hub's Strawberry Shortcake series about all the fantastic news going on with Strawberry and the gang. If you missed it, they recently brought back Huckleberry Pie (the boy!) and have kicked off the third season on Saturday mornings. TV Boy finally agreed to watch the show now that there is a boy AND he came with dogs... right up his alley!

Check out my full interview over at About.com!

Animaniacs full circle!

Image courtesy Warner Brothers.

I've had a month of reliving my childhood with the Animaniacs on The Hub. While strolling through my favorite television memories of the '90s, I realized that the great thing about Animaniacs being back on television now is that a whole new generation of kids gets to fall in love with it.

With that in mind, I wrote up a quick little character profile for most of the main characters on the show. That way, kids today and parents who might not remember or have seen the show can get a feel for who the characters are and what is the cut of their jib, so to speak. It's by no means an exhaustive list because there are SO many characters on the show, but I felt these were the main important ones (or rather, the ones that are either mentioned or appear in the opening credits).

To wrap up this first month of 2013 here on The TV Mom blog, I wanted to again provide links to all my fantastic interviews that go with Animaniacs!

• Jess Harnell, Voice of Wakko
• Tress MacNeille, Voice of Dot
• Rob Paulsen, Voice of Yakko

Be sure to check all of my interviews out if you haven't already! There are some great insights into the show and characters! Besides, I really enjoyed talking to these amazing actors, and I want you to enjoy reading them!

My Interview with Rob Pauslen aka Yakko!

Image courtesy Warner Brothers.

I finally got my interview with Rob Pauslen transcribed and posted at About.com! Phew! This was a long one... almost four thousand words! And what's sad is, we got cut off! I could have probably talked to Rob for hours and written a book! Ha!

So here is the BIG FAT LINK to read the interview in its entirety over at the About.com kids cartoons page! We talk Animaniacs, Pinky and The Brain, and TMNT. You don't want to miss it!

And if you like that, be sure to check out Rob's website at RobPauslenLive.com to listen to Rob talk with tons of his voice actor pals. I can't wait for his app to come to Andriod so I can carry him around in my pocket. (Wait, that's weird... eh, oh well!)

At some point, I'm going to try to figure out how to upload my interview audio files somewhere on the web just for my blog readers. Talking to voice actors is fun because they break into character randomly, without me even asking! Somewhere down the line, I promise!

All new episodes of TMNT return on Nick

Image courtesy Nickelodeon.

Starting tomorrow, January 25, at 7pm ET/PT, Nick is having a "Total Turtle Takeover" with the premiere of the new episode, "I, Monster", in which the turtles must battle against the Rat King who threatens to takeover not only the city, but Master Splinter's mind! Check out this exclusive clip of the new episode!

New episodes will begin running on Saturday, February 2 at the Turtles' normal time of 11am ET/PT. There will also be a new DVD released by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment in late February featuring the beginning of the new series. I'm hoping I get picked for a review copy!

And, Turtles fans, stay tuned to the blog tomorrow when I post the Rob Pauslen interview (who does the voice of Donatello)! We talk Turtles, old and new, as well as the return of Animaniacs. You won't want to miss it!

My Interview with Tress MacNeille

Image courtesy Warner Brothers Studios.

Have I mentioned just how much I love my job? How awesome it is? I, a lowly little freelance writer and mommy blogger, manage to score interviews with amazing cartoon legends like Tress MacNeille. You might recognize her as the voices of Dot Warner (pictured), Daisy Duck, Agnes Skinner on the Simpsons, Babs Bunny, Chip (from Chip and Dale), or Merriweather the blue Disney fairy from Sleeping Beauty. I tell you what... when I got the email that she agreed to an interview with me... I think I squealed loud enough that Tress herself could hear me in California all the way from here in Ohio. And all thanks to the Animaniacs returning to television on The Hub.

So, without further ado, here is the BIG FAT LINK to my interview with the one and only Tress MacNeille on About.com! Click it! Read it! Be jealous of me!

Upcoming interviews!

So by now you've read my interview with Jess Harnell (and if you haven't, do it!), the voice of Wakko Warner from Animaniacs... but unless you're following The TV Mom Facebook page, you probably don't know that I've been given the opportunity to interview the other two voices from the show... Rob Paulsen and Tress MacNeille!!!!! Squeeee! I haven't been given firm dates yet, but keep an eye here on the blog and on the kidscartoons.about.com page for more information! Or, as they say in TV land: Stay Tuned!

Image courtesy The Hub/Warner Bros. Studios.

Welcome Back to TV, Animaniacs! PLUS My interview with Jess Harnell

That's right, fellow kids of the '90s (or even parents who HAD kids in the '90s), Animaniacs is BACK on TV! Hard to believe that 2013 is the 20th anniversary of the show (eek, we're not all that old yet, are we???), but The Hub network has brought it back in all it's "Zany to the Max, baloney in our slacks" glory after the success of the airing of the Christmas special, Wakko's Wish, over the holiday season.

Image courtesy The Hub/Warner Brothers Studios.

I, for one, am totally excited that this is back on the air. I've been dying to introduce TV Boy to this show pretty much since I gave birth to him, because it's so clever and so funny (a sentiment that after last night's hour-long premiere he thankfully shares), and there really hasn't ever been anything else like it in my lifetime.

As part of the welcome back to the show, The Hub offered me the chance to chat with one of the voice actors, Jess Harnell, who does the voice of *my favorite Warner*, Wakko. Now, I have to be honest here, (as I posted on my personal Facebook after the interview), it was seriously like talking to my favorite cartoon character on the phone. The interview was THAT awesome. I wish it wasn't such lousy audio quality, or I'd post parts of it for you readers to listen to because Jess just broke into character several times during our conversation, and it just made me downright giddy. Heck, listening to it again today to transcribe it made me giddy all over again. Alas, that will be a treat I shall reserve for my family and close friends.

Because he totally started off the call with "Helloooooooo Tori!" in good old "Hello Nurse!" fashion. And I totally giggled.

Jess Harnell and Wakko Warner, courtesy The Hub/Warner Brothers.

So, without further ado, here is the link to my interview with Jess Harnell, who I shall now dub one of my voiceover actor idols thanks in part to his awesome chat with me. Jess, if you're reading this, thank you for making my year so fantastic so early on... 2013 will have a tough record to beat for the remaining 357 days left in it.