MONDAY

8 – 8:30 PM: How I Met Your Mother

8:30 – 9 PM: Rules of Engagement

9 – 9:30 PM: Two and a Half Men

9:30 – 10 PM: Mike & Molly: a comedy from Chuck Lorre (“Two and a Half Men,” and “The Big Bang Theory”) about a working class Chicago couple who find love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. Officer Mike Biggs (Billy Gardell) is a good-hearted cop who sincerely wants to lose weight. Mike’s partner, Officer Carl McMillan (Reno Wilson), is a thin, fast-talking wise-guy, who despite his teasing encourages Mike on his road to slimness and romance. While speaking at an O.A. meeting, Mike meets Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy), an instantly likeable fourth-grade teacher with a healthy sense of humor about her curves.

For Molly, focusing on smart choices isn’t easy because she lives with her sexy older sister, Victoria (Katy Mixon), and their mother, Joyce (Swoosie Kurtz), both of whom flaunt their healthy appetites and slender figures. Mike also faces temptation at the diner he and Carl frequent, where they’ve become friends with the Senegalese waiter, Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi), who finds trying to eat less a foreign concept. For Mike and Molly, thanks to their mutual love of pie and the desire to resist it, finding each other may have been worth the “weight.” Chuck Lorre and Mark Roberts are executive producers.

10 – 11 PM: Hawaii Five-0: a contemporary take on the classic series about a new elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands’ sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin), a decorated Naval officer turned cop, returns to Oahu to investigate his father’s murder and stays after Hawaii’s governor persuades him to head up the new team: his rules, her backing, no red tape and full blanket immunity to hunt down the biggest “game” in town.

Joining McGarrett is Detective Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan), a newly relocated ex-New Jersey cop who prefers skyscrapers to the coastline but is committed to keeping the Islands safe for his 8-year-old daughter; and Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), an ex-Honolulu Police Detective wrongly accused of corruption and relegated to a federal security patrol, who is also a former protégé of McGarrett’s father. Chin’s cousin, Kono (Grace Park), is a beautiful and fearless native, fresh out of the academy and eager to establish herself among the department’s elite. McGarrett vows to bring closure to his father’s case while the state’s brash new FIVE-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, is determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state. Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are executive producers.

TUESDAY

8 – 9 PM: NCIS

9 – 10 PM: NCIS: Los Angeles

10 – 11 PM: The Good Wife

WEDNESDAY

8 – 9 PM: Survivor

9 – 10 PM: Criminal Minds

10 – 11 PM: The Defenders: Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell star in a comedic drama about two colorful Las Vegas defense attorneys who go all-in when it comes to representing their clients. Nick and Pete are the local go-to guys with an eclectic client list who are still looking to hit their own jackpot. Leading the law firm of Morelli & Kaczmarek are Nick Morelli (Belushi), an earnest, hard-charging attorney who represents his clients to the best of his ability, no matter how big or small the case, and his partner, Pete Kaczmarek (O’Connell), whose passion for the law is matched only by his love of fast cars, beautiful women and expensive clothes.

Joining them in their growing law practice is new associate Lisa Tyler (Jurnee Smollett), an enthusiastic young attorney looking to put her exotic dancing days behind her; and their young assistant, Sophie (Tanya Fischer), a spunky and sweet ingénue who is eager to please her bosses. As Lady Luck shines on their legal careers, the partners have their hands full when it comes to their personal lives. While Pete is busy cruising the Vegas Strip for his latest romantic conquest, Nick is focused on repairing his fractured marriage to his estranged wife, Jessica (Gillian Vigman), while remaining present in the life of their young son. No matter the offense, Nick and Pete aim to prove that when the stakes are high they’re willing to bet the house on the clients they defend in Sin City. Carol Mendelsohn, Niels Mueller and Kevin Kennedy, Joe and Harry Gantz, and Davis Guggenheim are the executive producers.

THURSDAY

8 – 8:30 PM: The Big Bang Theory

8:30 – 9 PM: $#*! My Dad Says

Based on the popular Twitter feed by Justin Halpern, this comedy stars Emmy Award winner William Shatner as Ed Goodson, a forthright and opinionated dad who relishes expressing his unsolicited and often wildly politically incorrect observations to anyone within earshot. Nobody is immune from Ed’s rants, including his sons, Henry, a struggling writer-turned-unpaid blogger; and Vince (Will Sasso), the meek half of his husband/wife real estate duo with domineering Kathleen (Nicole Sullivan). When Henry finds he can no longer afford to pay rent to his pretty roommate — and secret admirer — Sam (Stephanie Lemelin), Ed reveals a soft spot and invites Henry to move in with him. Henry agrees, knowing that the verbal assault will not abate and now there will be no escape. Describing their father/son relationship is tricky – but Ed will easily come up with a few choice words. Emmy Award winners David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are executive producers. Emmy Award winner James Burrows directed.

9 -10 PM: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

10 – 11 PM: The Mentalist

FRIDAY

8 – 9 PM: Medium

9 – 10 PM: CSI: NY

10 – 11 PM: Blue Bloods: a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the New York Chief of Police and patriarch of the Reagan brood, which he heads as diplomatically as he does the force, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry (Len Cariou), during his stint as Chief. A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), a seasoned detective, family man and Iraqi War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases.

The sole Reagan woman in the family, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), is a N.Y. Assistant D.A. and newly single parent, who also serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father. Jamie (Will Estes) is the youngest Reagan, fresh out of Harvard Law and the family’s “golden boy.” However, unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and is now a newly minted cop, a career change seemingly supported by his beautiful girlfriend, Sydney Davenport (Dylan Moore), a first year lawyer. Jamie’s life takes an abrupt turn, however, when he’s asked to become part of a clandestine police investigation even his father knows nothing about, and one that could impact the family’s legacy. Emmy Award winners Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green and Leonard Goldberg are executive producers.

SATURDAY

8 – 10 PM: Crimetime Saturday

10 – 11 PM: 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY

7 – 8 PM: 60 Minutes

8 – 9 PM: The Amazing Race

9 – 10 PM: Undercover Boss

10 – 11 PM: CSI: Miami

Canceled:

* Accidentally on Purpose
* Cold Case
* Gary Unmarried
* Ghost Whisperer
* Miami Medical
* The New Adventures of Old Christine
* Numb3rs

New at midseason:

* Still-untitled Criminal Minds spin-off: Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker stars in a drama about an elite team of agents within the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit who use unconventional methods of investigation and aggressive tactics to capture the nation’s most nefarious criminals. Unit chief Special Agent Sam Cooper (Whitaker) is a mentally and physically fierce natural leader who is not afraid to put his career on the line in order to stand by his convictions.

Cooper strives to avoid political bureaucracy and has handpicked an eclectic group of profilers to work outside the confines of Quantico: Former British Special Forces soldier Mick Rawson (Matt Ryan), confident and handsome, works as a highly-skilled marksman with an undiluted eye for rooting out evil; John “Prophet” Sims (Michael Kelly), a former convict with a street-smart edge and a calm, Zen-like presence, who is determined to make amends for past sins; and Gina LaSalle (Beau Garrett), an attractive, tough agent armed with a cunning sense of perception. This exceptional group of FBI operatives is strong in their beliefs and steadfast in their mission to bring the country’s most dangerous criminals to justice. Chris Mundy, Edward Allen Bernero, Mark Gordon and Deborah Spera are executive producers.

* Regarding the decision to place the new reality series “Undercover Boss” in the plum spot following the Super Bowl, she said that it was a combination of good timing and a good series. “We’re very high on the show, but we spent a lot of time talking about what the right strategy would be,” she said. “We’ve seen five or six episodes of ‘Undercover Boss’ by now, and there is a tone and a quality to the show that we felt was a great fit after the Super Bowl. It is aspirational. It is a feel-good program.
Everybody who is sitting and watching the Super Bowl, be you 8 or 80, can stay right there and enjoy the program. I think 15 years ago, that spot was used to launch new programming. Obviously, in the last 10, 15 years it’s been used more as a platform to get greater exposure for existing shows. But we thought, ‘You know what? We have a great project, we’re very high on it, and we think we’re going to launch another big-branded reality show.'”

* Obviously, NBC’s continued fall from grace via the great failure that was “The Jay Leno Show” was a topic of conversation that everyone wanted Tassler to weigh in on. “Through it all, we have to realize that ABC, CBS and FOX…we’ve all fared, I think, very well during this experimental phase for NBC,” she said. “But if we can harken back to when there was that grand proclamation about 8 o’clock at NBC…? Remember? We all wrote about that: 8 o’clock was over at NBC. They were going to have a whole different strategy developing for 8 o’clock. And then along came 10 o’clock, and they were going to have a whole different strategy for 10 o’clock. You know, I think ultimately, there is no substitute for developing great shows, working with great talent, and getting your program on the air.”

“The unfortunate thing is that our creative community was to some degree somewhat bruised by this,” she continued. “I think that the talent as this was taking place, a lot of people were put out of work. A lot of people really saw this as having a pretty negative impact on our business. But I think right now for us, it just allowed us to get a bigger piece of the ad revenue pie at 10 o’clock, and again, what I have the most trouble with is for their company, their decision to do what they did, to sort of turn that and say that his is a reflection on the whole network business, I think is misguided. Our business is thriving right now. We are enjoying success with new hit shows, as is ABC, as is FOX. So I think at the end of the day, it was an experiment that obviously did not work, but for us, like I said, there’s no substitute for just developing and producing and launching great shows.”

There’s certainly no question that a couple of CBS earned some additional success from viewers’ indifference to “The Jay Leno Show.” As Tassler observed, “We moved ‘The Mentalist’ to 10 o’clock on Thursday night and launched ‘The Good Wife,’ so 10 o’clock has been good business for us.”

“So, Bill, did you hear CBS canceled my show again? Goddammit!”

* The same, however, cannot be said for at least one of the network’s 9 PM shows, “Three Rivers,” which Tassler confirmed has been canceled, despite liberal use of the word “hiatus” in most statements. “We’ve all known each other long enough to say when something’s on hiatus, it’s code for something else,” she said, earning a huge laugh.

She sobered the room a bit, however, with her next statement. “The reality is we are very proud of that show, and it’s not too often that you get mail that lets you know as a network that eight lives were saved as a result of the organ donation that people became aware of because of that show,” she said. “At the end of the day, knowing the fact that that show was on the air and had that kind of impact is pretty extraordinary.”

* Regarding the decision to pit “Survivor: All Stars” against the Olympics, Tassler responded, “We are so high on this season of ‘Survivor’ that we think it’s certainly going to continue to do well in its time period. I think it’s sort of a mixed bag between new shows and repeats, but our strategy is to continue putting the shows out there, letting the fans come to the shows as they see fit, and whoever is going to watch the Olympics is going to watch them anyway. They’re also different audience bases. So I think we’ll be fine.”

* When asked about Charlie Sheen’s recent arrest and domestic abuse charges, Tassler indicated that it had not resulted in any problems at the network or on the show, describing things as “business as usual.” “Right now we’re being very sensitive to the fact that this is a very personal and very private matter for Charlie,” she said. “There’s been no impact on the network right now. The show is proceeding along its regular project schedule and taped a show last night, so right now there’s been no impact. I really have to credit Chuck (Lorre); he runs a wonderful show.”

* Tassler concedes that “American Idol” remains in her mind “still the Death Star,” but that the network’s counter-programming of “NCIS” will stay the same. “‘NCIS’ does well against it,” she said, “but (‘American Idol’) is still a force to be reckoned with.”

* Fans of the network’s Canadian imports, “Flashpoint” and “The Bridge,” will be pleased to know that CBS is sitting on 18 and 13 episodes of those series, respectively. They will be less pleased, however, to learn that it’s not yet confirmed when we’ll actually see any of them. “We had a high-class problem this season: we had a terrific fall launch, we had a lot of shows that we’re working, so we had more content than we had real estate for,” she admitted. “So we’ll wait and see what happens. We’ve got both shows, and obviously, they’ll make it to air at some point, but right now, the schedule is stable and doing well. Like I said, it’s a high-class problem.”

* Despite both being the work of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, there are no current plans for the network’s new drama, “Miami Medical,” to cross over with “CSI: Miami.”

* Insofar as the future of “The Amazing Race” goes, Tassler said that it will last for as long as it continues to perform. “We had a great season this year, in particular,” she said. “Bertram (Van Munster) is a magician, and when he goes out in the field and when they’re investigating and designing new routes…I mean, they’re very, very smart about the way they select their routes and are very plugged in as far as the situations and countries around the world. They have never been a complacent production. They are always looking for new challenges. And the beauty of having a reality show like ‘Race,’ like ‘Survivor,’ like ‘Big Brother,’ these brands that continue to succeed, is because each cycle, when you go into the casting process, you really get an opportunity to almost reinvent yourself. So the combination of great casting, with Bertram finding wonderful, unique and unusual routes, I think just contributes to the longevity of the show.”

* “Let’s Make a Deal” is doing “comparatively better” than “Guiding Light” had been doing in that timeslot. “What’s really interesting is I think we’re looking at daytime through a whole new prism,” said Tassler. “We are looking at it perhaps as it once was, which was a pretty diverse daypart where you had talk, you had soap, you had game. And then as we look ahead, we are considering that, as well. ‘Price is Right’ is hitting all-time highs. It’s doing really well. ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ and ‘The Young and the Restless’ are doing well. ‘Deal’ is doing well. So for us, it is looking at it with a fresh, new perspective and saying we have an opportunity to mix things up a bit, which is what we are doing.”

“I tell ya, Billy, they just don’t get me!”

* Tassler admitted with a smile that she doesn’t yet have a date for when “CSI” might finally adjust to William Petersen’s loss and find Laurence Fishburne’s character, but she acknowledged that they’re doing better and that Fishburne himself is coming along, too. “I think you can’t deny that Fishburne is a powerful actor and a force to be reckoned with,” she said. “What has happened last season to this season, he certainly has assimilated more into the ensemble. Audiences have found that as he’s more comfortable with his team, the team is more comfortable with him. And you are really now able to build greater intimacy with the relationships. And I think, yes, we have changed his wardrobe, which does reflect, to some degree, how comfortable he is now with the team and with the ensemble. But from all of the fans and our research entertainment panel, I mean, clearly people feel that he has arrived. He’s settled. He’s part of the team, and people are now able to see him actually have more humor. And I think as you look forward to the episodes that are coming up the second half of the season on ‘CSI,’ you’re going to find more irreverence. You’re going to find those sort of more iconic stories that we’ve done in the past that just kind of turn the whole Vegas experience on its ear.”

* Both “Numb3rs” and “Medium” remain in contention for pick-up next year, the former being somewhat of a surprise, given that it seemed to be a veritable certainty that it would be its final season, but Tassler explained, “We just had to cut back on the number of episodes because we had to make way to get ‘Miami Medical’ on the air.”

Now that “Medium” has found a new home on CBS…well, Caron’s still polite, but he doesn’t mind acknowledging that he had some problems with the way the show was underpromoted in its time on NBC. (He also didn’t mind getting off a one-liner about how “the last time we came here, NBC made us walk here.”)

“You know, it’s so hard in this environment to launch a show and sustain a show,” Caron acknowledged. “I think we’re all incredibly grateful to NBC, we were on their air for five years, and nobody wants to take shots. I think there were times along the way when everyone, even people inside NBC, thought, ‘Gee, maybe if we gave that show a little more attention, if we publicized it a little more vigorously, it might actually do better for us and might bring more viewers to the network.’ I don’t think there’s been any great secret there. It’s been written about; it’s been talked about. Having said that, we had five fairly fruitful years at NBC. Looking back, could things have been done differently? Absolutely. Ben (Silverman), who is actually a friend, said some harsh things I’m sure he regrets about our show…and, by the way, you guys play no role in this whatsoever.”

Ahem.

Medium: Season 1 – 4.5 stars
Medium: Season 2 – 4 stars
Medium: Season 3 – 4 stars
Medium: Season 4 – 4 stars

I’m just saying: there are critics who’ve been supportive of the show, and I’m definitely one of ’em.

Okay, back to business.

“Truthfully, we’re grateful to NBC,” said Caron. “We had a nice run there. But the good news is we’re on CBS now, and for the first time in three years, we’re going to do 22 episodes. We’re beginning a season, knowing when we’re premiering: in the Fall and doing 22 episodes. And as a storyteller, that’s a huge thing. It means I can say to you, sir, ‘And on Halloween, we will be doing thus and so.’ That’s a luxury we’ve not had for three years, and those are the sorts of things that are frustrating when you’re doing a show. But it beats not working.”

Indeed, it does. But as happy as he was about bringing the show to CBS (it’s perfect, really, since it’s a CBS production, anyway), Caron did at least try to keep the show where it was by writing a cliffhanger ending to the Season 5 finale…not that the plan actually worked.

“What I was trying to do was write an ending that was so provocative that it would be impossible to cancel the show,” he explained. “You saw how that worked out. It was sort of me being a wiseguy, frankly, and really trying to stack the deck in such a way. And for what it’s worth, NBC was complicit. We don’t make the shows in secret. I said, ‘This is what I’m going to do: she’s going to have a brain tumor, she’s going to go into a coma, and we’re going to put up a sign that says, ‘To be continued.’ And they said, ‘Great.'”

Caron gave us a big scoop, by the way.

“There’s so many of you here, I guess I can let the cat out of the bag: she comes out of the coma,” he revealed, with a grin. “And she’s on a different network. It’s the damnedest thing!”

Caron’s pleased about the series that “Medium” has been paired with on CBS, but how can he not, really? I mean, could there be a more perfect companion show than “Ghost Whisperer”?

“I think ‘Ghost Whisperer’ is clearly a show that people really like,” he acknowledges. “And, frankly, given our history, it’s nice to follow a show that people really like. And ‘Numb3rs’ is also a very, very well-done show. So it’s nice to be part of a night of entertainment that clearly works for people.”

In terms of what else we can expect from the upcoming sixth season, Caron played things relatively close to the vest, but he did offer up a bit of information, specifically about the episode which will air immediately prior to Halloween as well as a tidbit about an upcoming guest director.

“It’s actually the vestige of an idea that I had way back when I was doing ‘Moonlighting,'” he explained. “When I was doing ‘Moonlighting,’ we had bought the rights to this old AIP drive-in movie, ‘Mothra vs. Godzilla,’ and we were going to mat Bruce and Cybill into it, but it was one of those ideas I just never got around to doing. So this year we’ve actually gotten the rights to the original ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ and we’re going to insert Patricia into it. It’s going to be sort of the landscape of her dreams during that particular episode. That’s one of the things that we have going on.

“As always, we have interesting people come to play with us, interesting people coming to direct the shows and act in the shows. Marc Webb, who just finished directing ‘500 Days of Summer,’ the one thing he wants to do is direct an episode of ‘Medium,’ so I said, ‘Well, okay, if you really want to.’ And he’s going to come play with us. You know, we mix it up as we go along. Ours is a show that we really try and leave ourselves open to the possibilities that come along, as opposed to locking ourselves in for an entire season with a game plan. It’s always worked for us, particularly because we have three young people who are constantly changing and growing, and we want to take advantage of those things.”

In closing, I thought I’d include some comments that Caron and Arquette had to say about the suggestion that NBC’s biggest issue with “Medium” was that there wasn’t enough of a fan buzz about the series. In fact, when the matter came up, Arquette leapt into the fray before Caron could even open his mouth.

“I just want to say that the same way that we were sort of led to believe we were going to get picked up, I think our audience was also led to believe that to some extent,” she said. “And I know on all of the bloggings and all of the fan sites, that was early stories that they had picked up and then ran with that. So I don’t think our audience ever felt we were in jeopardy of not getting picked up.”

“I think it’s probably a more complicated conversation than we have time for here,” noted Caron, “but the short version is I think sometimes people make a mistake and think we are in the buzz business. We’re not in the buzz business. We are in the broadcasting business, which when you do it right is a very long-term business. You are talking about telling a hundred-chapter story.

“Also, because there are so many different ways for audiences now to communicate with storytellers, I think that we get sort of myopic. We say, ‘If we are not getting Twitters, then we are not being effective.’ The truth is, people communicate in a whole variety of ways and different audiences in different ways, and we consume, we experience shows in different ways. So, you know, a great example being…and I’m not casting aspersions, but ‘Chuck’ is a really, really good show that NBC has attempted to launch twice and only really been able to bring a certain locus of people to. Now, those people have created a tremendous amount of buzz about that show, but that hasn’t translated into people actually watching the show. So, at the end of the day, you have to say, ‘Okay, very effective buzz, but what does that say about the worthiness of the show on the schedule?’ Our show…I don’t know quite how to quantify the buzz. Clearly, for NBC, we didn’t create as much buzz as ‘Chuck,’ but we did attract more viewers. So it was their choice to make.”

I dare say that millions of “Medium” fans believe it was the wrong choice…but, hey, the show is still on the air, it’s on the network that actually owns it, and it’s actually paired with a show that it should be paired with. Seems like a win to me.

Here’s the extent of information that I was able to glean from the panel:

* Bryan Fuller’s latest departure from “Heroes” was dismissed as being due to the fact that he’s at a point in his career where he’s really wanting to create his own shows, so NBC is focusing on their development deal with him. As for “Heroes,” Bromdstad said that Fuller helped Tim (Kring) get back on track, helped everybody decide where they were going, and that the show is doing exceptionally well creatively.

* The start of “30 Rock” has been delayed due to Alec Baldwin’s movie schedule, which is why the network is kicking off “Community” in its timeslot. The 8 PM timeslot will therefore be filled with six Thursday night “Weekend Update” specials, three of which are currently on the schedule.

* We are assured that, despite the fact that some shows which were previously airing in the 10 PM timeslot are now being moved to 9 PM out of necessity, there should be no issue with their content in their new time periods.

* The network’s new zombie series, “Day One,” is being embraced due to the sci-fi success of “Heroes.” “It’s a genre we cannot ignore,” said Bromstad, though she admitted that it does tend to be a little more of a narrow genre. Her most notable comment on the matter, however, was the acknowledgment that the network is viewing “Day One” as a “big event” for the network…but not necessarily one which would return for a second season.

* There is always talk of doing another regular “Apprentice,” but according to Telegdy, the most recent “Celebrity Apprentice” had a ratings jump from the previous, so we probably shouldn’t look for it to happen any time soon.

* “Friday Night Lights” will not be back until summer 2010. “We just think that ‘Friday Night Lights’ is a sensational show,” said Bromstad, “but it doesn’t have the ratings to justify it on the fall schedule.”

* Regarding “Southland,” the network has “incredible passion” for the future, but its future depends on how it does in the fall. “We’ve made some creative adjustments,” said Bromstad. “I feel like they tried to do too much in the first six episodes – instead of letting the audience become more familiar with characters, they became too serialized – so the show will focus on Regina King and Ben McKenzie, the crimes, and how they come together.”

* RE: “Medium,” “It was definitely a show we were considering picking up ’til the very end, but we had to make choices creatively and financially.”

* RE: “Chuck,” “The great thing is that they’re on a great track collectively. We’ve got 3 or 4 scripts in already, and it is something we can move around, but right now it’s not scheduled to come on until March.” The series has a 13 episode pick-up, and it’s possible that it could be bumped up, but “these are just discussions we’re continuing to have.”

Stay tuned for…

Antonio Elias: Hey Will, how are you doing?

Bullz-Eye: Pretty good. So, “Star Trek”, that’s got to be pretty awesome to have worked on that.

AE: Yeah, it was awesome.

BE: So how long were you actually on the shoot?

AE: Three weeks.

BE: Did you have to sign a legal document swearing that you would not tell anyone about anything that you had seen?

AE: More like six. (Laughs)

BE: Nice. So for anyone who hasn’t seen the film, in what capacity were you in the film?

AE: I play a character called Officer Pitts. I’m a Starfleet officer onboard the USS Kelvin. I’m on the bridge, in the opening sequence of the film.

BE: Nice.

AE: And I work directly with the captain of the ship and the first officer, which is George Kirk. Have you seen the film?

BE: Yeah, twice, actually.

AE: You know, the whole opening of the film was much, much longer.

BE: Oh, really?

AE: Like, they had…there was more dialogue. I had more dialogue, the captain had more dialogue. George Kirk even had more dialogue. The whole opening sequence was much longer; they cut it down by probably almost half I would say.

BE: Wow.

AE: But it still works out better. I mean, the movie just kicks off right away and just goes with the action, which is good. But, yeah, it was a cool experience.

BE: And one of your co-workers just got a really big gig, too.

AE: (Laughs) I know, Chris Hemsworth got “Thor”!

BE: Yeah!

AE: That lucky…uh, son of a gun.

BE: (Laughs) Now how did you fall into the film? Was it just a standard audition process?

AE: It was an audition process, yeah. I got an audition one afternoon, and my representation said, “Hey, you got an audition for ‘Star Trek.'” And I was, like, “Cool, who am I reading for?” “We don’t know, they won’t tell us.” I’m, like, “Okay, well, are there any lines for the audition? Am I going to get any lines?” “No, they’re going to give them to you when you get there.” “Okay…” So before they would give me the audition lines, I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. So I get the side, and it just said “first officer,” and it’s just generic “Star Trek” dialogue. There’s a ship that’s under attack, and I’m reading out this, that, and the other. The thing is that everybody at the audition was reading the exact same thing, both men and women. So I had no idea what the heck I was doing. I mean, I was just, “Alright, I’m going to go for it.” Afterward I felt like an idiot, because I’m, like, “Oh, man, I sucked.” And then I got a call a few weeks later saying that I booked a role. I said, “Well, what role did I book?” And they said, “Officer Pitts.” I said, “Well, great, who is that?” “We don’t know.” I couldn’t even get a script. So I shot three days without any dialogue. I wasn’t given a script, so I had no idea even if I had one line of dialogue at all. I didn’t get any dialogue until the day before I started filming my dialogue scenes.

BE: Geez.

AE: Then I was, like, “Wait, I actually have a real part! There’s a good amount of dialogue in here! Wow, awesome!” I knew the casting directors, April Webster and Alyssa Weisberg. They had cast me in the second job I booked out here in L.A. It was a pilot for ABC called “A House Divided.”

BE: Right, I saw that on your IMDb.

AE: It starred Dylan McDermott and Jason Wiles. That was back in 2006, so I knew them from that. I hadn’t gone in for them again since then, though. Well, no, wait, I think I went in to Alyssa once for, like, a small, one line in “Cloverfield”…and I didn’t even get it! But I like to think they knew who I was, because I can imagine how competitive it was to get in that room for “Star Trek.” I mean, everybody wanted to be a part of that film. I like to think that, because they knew who I was and because they already cast me as a series regular in a pilot before, they saw my picture submitted and then they called me. I think that relationship helped me out a little bit, as far as getting the opportunity.

BE: A minute ago, you said you came out to L.A.. Where had you been living before?

AE: I was born in New Jersey, but I grew up in South Florida – Boca Raton – and I lived there until I was 21, and then I moved out here.

BE: How did you first get into acting?

AE: Well, when I was a kid…I mean, I remember I was still living in New Jersey, I lived there until I was six, and I always loved movies. I mean, my family always exposed me to old classic films like Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart…the real old, classic films. I just loved films in general. I would remember them. I would remember the dialogue, because I would watch a film, like, five or six times, and I would always do impersonations and act out scenes from films. I remember being in school in New Jersey and being with my friends on the playground during recess, and telling them, “You stand here, you stand there, and we’re going to act this out,” and I would direct it. I never asked to be an actor. My parents divorced when I was eight, and my mom enrolled me in acting camp that first summer, like a day camp, and I just went with it. We did a play at the end of the summer, and I got hooked. I mean, it was just so much fun to me…and it never stopped, so I kept doing theater. I did the summer camp for a few more years. I started doing professional local and community theater. And then when I was ten, I got a manager in Miami, and I started going out on auditions for commercials and things like that. I started doing that and I got my SAG card when I was 11.

BE: Wow.

AE: And I was still doing theater this whole time as well. I went to high school for acting. It was a private school. It wasn’t like an art school, but my tuition was paid because the owner wanted to develop a fine arts program. I couldn’t afford the school, so he gave me a scholarship – it was theater – and part of me was always…like, theater is what I really wanted to do. I mean, at one point, I wanted to move to New York and continue doing musical theater and things like that. But deep down I wanted to do films. So I think halfway through, I was, like, You know what? I think I want to go to L.A..” So it was a very natural process: started acting at eight, got my SAG card at 11, and everything just kind of happened really smoothly. I never had a moment where I said to myself, “Am I doing the right thing? Is this what I really want to do?” It was just, like, “Okay, this is it.”

BE: So when you came out to L.A. and you got the “House Divided” gig, did you just think the world was going to be your oyster…and then, suddenly, you had your heart broken?

AE: Absolutely. I mean, I had moved out here in 2004, and…the lucky thing that I had was that, the year before I moved out here, I lived in Orlando. I was attending a workshop with this man named Philip Karr, who used to be an agent out in Los Angeles. I was taking this auditioning workshop with him in the summer of 2003, and he has what he calls…well, he passed away, unfortunately, but his wife still does it with the workshop…The Backstage Tour. The L.A. Acting Workshop Backstage Tour. You can pay them, and they bring a group of actors from their workshop out, and you actually get to have a meet-and-greet with these agents, casting directors, and producers that they are all associated with, and you audition for them. So I did that program, and I got my agent that way. So, thankfully, I signed with an agent before I even moved out here, and I had my SAG card. That made it so much easier for me.

BE: Oh, yeah, I would think.

AE: So, like, my second day out here, I had an audition. But for the first few years, I was going out on a lot of auditions, and I was getting a lot of call backs, but I just wasn’t booking anything because I didn’t really have any current credits as far as TV, and I had never done a film before. So in 2006, I booked this small role on a show called “In Justice” that was on ABC, and then within a week of me filming, I booked the series regular on this pilot. I was, like, “Oh, my God, this is awesome! The world is my oyster! I’m really living now!” But I also had a really realistic outlook on it. Not like pessimistic or negative, but I was just, like, “You know what? The world could still be my oyster because I booked this, and if it gets picked up or not, this is another credit on my resume. It’s experience and I get to meet and work with these people.” And, you know, Dylan McDermott is a star; Jason Wiles is a star. So for me, it was like…the day that I got it was surreal, you know? It was absolutely surreal. And then, like, my last day filming “In Justice,” they flew me to Texas – first class! – and I got to meet all these people, and that’s when it really set it. “I’m going, man, I’m really doing this. This is weird!” But it was cool.

BE: So when the pilot didn’t get picked up, did you have a moment of horror, like, “Oh, God, now what?”

AE: You know, no, not really. I was disappointed, because I’ve seen the pilot – I have a copy of it – and it’s actually a really good show.

BE: I mean, it sounds like a very interesting concept. I was reading about it online.

AE: Yeah. It’s actually kind of scary how ahead of its time it was, talking about unemployment being so high, gas prices are high, almost $5.00 a gallon. This was three years ago! Even at that time, obviously, I wanted it to get picked up, but I had a feeling…I’m, like, “This may be a little too controversial to get picked up.” And I remember hearing all the feedback for the pilot was really positive from ABC and the test audiences and things like that. So the fact that it wasn’t picked up was kind of a surprise. But I was, like, “Hmm, well, it makes sense.” But what happens when a pilot doesn’t get picked up…I don’t know if you know, but the studio can extend what’s called the series option and then the hold the actors another six months. They pay them again, and then they decide what they are going to do with the show. So at one point I was told it was going to be made into a mini-series and they were writing episodes for it. So I said, “Okay, well, it’s going to be a mini-series, cool. That’s awesome.” I remember going to an audition, and I found out from one of the other actors. Dylan McDermott’s best friend, actually. I got to audition for ABC for some other small role on a TV show, and the casting director goes, “Oh, I hear they’re making it into a mini-series.” For me, that kind of like validated what I had heard, and I was, like, “Oh, yeah, I’ve been hearing that, too!” And inside I’m going, “Yes! It’s really going to happen! Yes!” And then it never did. But I wasn’t, like, “Oh, no, what am I going to do now,’ because I never quit my job. I’m not the type of person that is going to book a commercial and be, like, “Alright, I’m a star now, and I’m going to quit everything and buy a BMW.” Unless I have $100,000 in the bank, I’m going to keep working.

BE: Now do you do theater work as well?

AE: No, actually, I haven’t done any theater work in probably seven years.

BE: Oh, wow.

AE: Yeah, it’s been a long time.

BE: So do you just regularly go to auditions for shows?

AE: I go to auditions regularly, and I also study, so that takes a lot of time as well.

BE: Yeah. By the way, I saw that you were in an episode of “Moonlight.” That alone should earn you the stamp of approval from all the vampire fans out there.

AE: I hope so! It’s a good show. I didn’t get to play a vampire, unfortunately.

BE: No, no. But just being in the company of vampires gives you instant credibility.

AE: (Laughs) Yeah, I know, right?

BE: I also saw that you finished “Spoken Word.”

AE: Yes.

BE: Which I don’t know much about it, but I saw that Miguel Sandoval is in there, and I’m a big “Medium” fan, so I approve of that.

AE: Did that get canceled?

BE: No, actually, CBS picked it up.

AE: Oh, that’s right, I’d heard that CBS picked it up. All these shows lately have been getting the ax, like “My Name is Earl.” and I’m, like, what is going on? Yeah, “Spoken Word” I filmed last year. I was in New Mexico from March until April of 2008. That was a really, really cool experience. That was my second feature film and my first lead in a film. I mean, I’m working opposite Rubén Blades, Kuno Becker, and Monique Curnen, who has a series that unfortunately was also just canceled, one over on ABC called “The Unusuals.” She’s great. I mean, she was in “Half Nelson” and “Dark Knight,” too. Going from a 150 million dollar film to a four and a half million dollar independent film is a completely different monster. But, like, for me, it was just as much of an amazing experience, and I learned so much about myself as an actor…like, what my weaknesses are as an actor and what things to work on. It was just really inspiring to work with actors of that caliber who have been around for so long, who have worked so much, and been so successful. To be in that company was just amazing. The film finished post-production just this past February. I spoke to the executive producer recently, and it’s being submitted to film festivals, and they are actively seeking distribution. So it’s slated for release next year, but…who knows? Maybe it will get picked up before the end of the year. If not, early next year, hopefully.

BE: Well, it has a pretty elaborate website for an indie film, so clearly they’re trying to keep a presence out there until it gets to theaters.

AE: Yeah! And I saw the film recently. They sent me a copy of it, and it’s pretty good. It’s really heavy, drama-wise, but it’s a nice little film, and I think…you read what it’s about, right?

BE: Yeah.

AE: Yeah, well, there’s a strained relationship between…I play the son of Ruben Blades and the brother of Kuno Becker. The men in the family have a strained relationship. I mean, there is a lot of guilt between them, shame and pride, and they don’t really express to each other how they feel. There is a lot of animosity between the brothers as well. Aside from Kuno’s character, you know, drug abuse and alcoholism spiraling out of control, I think, as far as the family relationships go, there are certain things there that I think a lot of people may be able to relate to. You know, families not getting along, not being able to communicate with each other, things like that. That’s kind of what hit home. Well, not really hit home, but I can understand that. Thankfully, I have a good family relationship! But I think there are some things in there that people will be able to relate to, as far as that goes.

BE: And to bring it back to “Star Trek” for just a second, can you believe how high your IMDb star meter is now, just from having been in the film…?

AE: (Laughs) Yeah, I know! I don’t normally check it. Like, when I first started it was something like 900,000. That was three years ago. And then I just got a text message from my publicist, and she goes, “Hey, your IMDb is at 1,800!” I was, like, “What?!?” And I went and looked it up, but then I was, like, but what does that even mean? Can someone please tell me?

BE: (Laughs) That means that because of the way they do their stats, by virtue of having been in the number one film in the country, you have skyrocketed.

AE: Hey, I checked it out. My rating is actually higher than some of the people that I’ve worked with in the past. I’m, like, too bad it’s not getting me any film offers right now! It’s still pretty cool to be, like, “Yeah, my number’s that high.” I mean, it’s crazy, right? But yeah, that’s pretty cool. When I saw that, that was a nice surprise. It was neat to see.

BE: And the last one: what was the most disappointing part of the opening sequence of “Star Trek” for you to see get cut? I mean, I guess it will end being on the DVD, but…

AE: Well, you know, just not being able to see everything that we all did, that we all shot. And, of course, it was my first film, so I want to see everything that I shot up there. Do you know what I mean?

BE: Yeah, sure. Was it character stuff that they cut?

AE: No, it was just more dialogue and a scene with the captain in the corridor of the ship. Like, the first shot you actually see in the film, you see the captain and myself. You see our backs walking onto the bridge of the ship. But there was a scene before that where the captain comes out of the elevator and I meet him in the hallway in the corridor. We walk down, and I’m telling him what’s going on, about this lightning storm in space and all this stuff. So that’s all one single steady shot cam, down the corridor and onto the bridge. I mean, in the film, when you first see Eric Bana’s ship, he comes out of that worm hole and he starts attacking the Kelvin right away. Before that, that didn’t happen. He kind of sat there for a little while, and we come across this ship. The captain asks me to try and hail the ship, and communicate with him. I try, and all my hails are met with silence. We talk about it and I scan the ship, you know, for damage. But there’s this whole little sequence about me trying to figure out what’s wrong with the ship and what it is, and Chris Hemsworth has more dialogue with Jennifer Morrison. Every character has a little bit more. It was just really cool to film. But it would have made the film probably two and a half hours long. That was really my only regret: not being able to see all that other stuff. Just to see how it turned out and see how it kind of goes with the film. Honestly, I’m just grateful that I’m there, that I’m in it. If one line was left in the film, I’m still grateful. Do you know what I mean?

BE: Totally.

AE: I mean, it’s “Star Trek”! It’s such a film and such a franchise. It has had so much cultural weight since the 1960’s. I mean, it’s part of our culture; it’s part of society. Even for me, not being a “Star Trek” fan, so to speak. Growing up, I was more of a “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” fan. But I still appreciated “Star Trek” for what it was, and I enjoyed the films when I would see them, so for me to be a part of that was amazing. It’s like a dream come true to be in it. And, also, that was my first film. So to be part of a huge blockbuster film and a franchise like “Star Trek” is just, like, who could ask for more?

BE: It’s a nice first film gig, to say the least.

AE: Oh absolutely. Nice gig, period.

BE: (Laughs) True.

AE: It’s amazing. When I was first on set, doing the walk through with Chris Hemsworth and Faran Tahir, who plays Captain Robau, the first day we were actually filming our dialogue on the bridge set of the ship, the detail on that set was unbelievable. It was just…everything just looked real. I remember we were walking through with JJ (Abrams) and his first AD, and I literally had to stop and was, like, “Guys, I’m sorry, but I’m totally nerding out right now. Am I the only one that’s nerding out right now?” They started laughing, because it was just so cool. It was, like, “What am I doing here?”

BE: I think it would be a little overwhelming.

AE: That’s an understatement, to say the least. I mean, I’m still excited about it. It’s still so surreal…and I filmed my part a year and a half ago!

BE: Okay, I promise I will wrap up after this, but…was there a wrap party? Did you get invited back for a wrap party? I don’t know how that works.

AE: There was a wrap party, and I was invited, and the invitation was really, really cool. It’s an envelope, and it has the “Star Trek” logo and it says “WRAP” in “Star Trek” font, and the A was the federation emblem, you know.

BE: Very cool.

AE: Unfortunately, I was in New Mexico filming “Spoken Word” when I got the invitation, so I couldn’t go. They rented out a hangar in Santa Monica airport. (Sighs) That must have been amazing.

BE: That sucks. But at least you got the very cool invite.

AE: Yeah, right. And I saved it, believe me! (Laughs)

BE: Something for the scrapbook.

AE: Actually, I save my scripts from everything that I do. I’m kind of a sentimental person. You know, for me, this is fun, and it’s a dream come true. I don’t ever want to lose that feeling of gratitude and fun, so I save everything.

BE: Plus, you can do the “Star Trek” convention circuit now, too.

AE: I know, right? Although I don’t know who’s going to care, because so much of my stuff got cut. But you never know. Sci-fi fans are the most hardcore fans out there.

BE: Dude, if you’ve got two lines in there, someone will create a back story for you in a future “Star Trek” novel, so don’t worry about it.

AE: I know someone that did an episode of “Enterprise,” like in maybe the show’s first or second season. A friend of mine, his roommate did an episode of “Enterprise,” and he had like the smallest part in one episode, and to this day he still gets fan mail.

BE: Yeah, in fact, one of our other writers did an interview with Annie Wersching, who is on “24” this season, and she did an episode of “Enterprise,” too, and she also gets fan mail!.

AE: And that’s great, to be honest with you, that your work is appreciated. You know what I mean? It’s kind of cool.

BE: I can only imagine. Alright, man, well it’s been good talking to you.

AE: Awesome. I hope I answered your questions well and you got all you needed.

BE: Yeah, absolutely. You did great.

AE: Alright, thanks, man!