CBS President, Nina Tassler, talks about Alex O'Loughlin

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos spoke to CBS President Nina Tassler regarding the network's future shows and stars. She asked Nina specifically about Alex O'Loughlin.

CBS Scoop
by Kristin Dos Santos

Last but not least, although Nina Tassler says how in love she is with Alex O'Loughlin—just like so many of you!—he has still not been cast on a new CBS series. Says Tassler, "Hopefully we will [place him on a show]. We do have an idea, so hopefully we will see that soon."

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b79070_CBS_Scoop__John_Mayer_s_Variety_Show_Is_a_Go_.html

Alex O'Loughlin talks about Moonlight & other projects ~ past & future

The lovely Melody (from Hollywood The Write Way) has published a new, fantastic interview with Mr Alex O'Loughlin! When you have time, leave a comment to let her know what you think of their chat.

Alex O'Loughlin Interview

As a huge Moonlight fan, it was a top mission of mine (ever since Hollywood The Write Way was created) to interview Australian born actor, Alex O'Loughlin. After CBS cancelled Moonlight earlier this year, thousands of fans were left wondering what that meant for Alex O'Loughlin. How soon would it be until we saw him as a lead on the small screen? This past August, fans got their answer - well sort of. Keep reading to see what our favorite vampire has to say about his upcoming projects, Moonlight, and more.

Tell us about the one year deal you recently signed with CBS.

Alex O'Loughlin : Moonlight came to an end, which was very sad and then I just went away for a couple of weeks to Mexico. When I came home, there were a few offers from different studios and networks. The deal that sat the best for me was what CBS was offering. They were open to negotiation points that I wanted to bring in, which was great and I discussed where I would like to go with my career. Since then, I have been developing an original series with executive producer and head writer on Criminal Minds, Simon Mirren that we have been putting together under Mark Gordon. It is an original concept that we are in the middle of pitching at the moment. It will be a one hour drama that I will be producing and starring in. It is a story of redemption but from a very different point of view.

What is the plot for your next film, Whiteout and explain your character?

Alex O'Loughlin : It is based on a graphic novel. I play an Australian pilot living on a base with a group of people. I am an ambiguous character, I am not quite a cheeky guy, who is up to a little more than we know. It is directed by Dominic Sena, produced by Joel Silver, and I worked with such a great group of people. It is a thriller set in Antartica. I am very excited to see it, I actually have seen very little of it so far.

Do you remember the day that you found out you got the role for Moonlight?

Alex O'Loughlin : Yes, I do! I was in Montreal and I got a call from Joel Silver. He said that he needed me to get on a plane and come to NY immediately. I think it was 5pm and the stores were closing at 5:30pm so I had to race into town and get a suit. I had to book a flight in about 45 minutes, get on a plane to NY and then as I got to NY I was told that the cast from the Pilot had been let go. You know what, I am talking about when I found out the show got picked up, not when I found out that I got the role.

That is okay, you can talk about whatever you want.

Alex O'Loughlin : (laughs) So I didn’t have a cast! I also found out that they were no longer calling it Twilight, they would be calling it Moonlight and there were a few changes in the script. Then I found myself standing on stage at Carnegie Hall and the police did not know who we were or what we were doing…and that was the beginning of Moonlight.

Walk us through the last day of filming Moonlight.

Alex O'Loughlin : I kind of blocked it from my memory a bit. The last few days kind of string together for me. They were very busy and we were shooting like mad, finishing at all hours of the morning. The sun would come up and we had been there for 18, 19, 20 hours. The end of the last day everyone was kind of dragging themselves to their cars and leaving to go home and get some sleep. I wish I could tell you it was a little more poetic but we believed that we were coming back. It was sad.

What characteristics did you bring towards your character that were not displayed in the script?

Alex O'Loughlin : I tried to bring a sense of humor and a sense of irony. People around him did not understand the irony in situation. I tried to bring more of a passion to him. All of that being said, this was very well written. The writers and original creators were amazing. There were so many different avenues that I could have gone with my character but their writing, it made my job easy so I have to thank them a lot.

Tell me what you would have liked to see happen, not what you think would have happened if there was a Season 2 of Moonlight as far as the Mick, Beth, Coraline love triangle.

Alex O'Loughlin : I would have liked to have seen Mick & Beth start exploring a relationship together and see where that goes. Also throw Coraline in to spice things up and put an obstacle in Mick & Beth’s way for dramatic purposes. Coraline wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and there was a lot to explore there. I also would have to explore whether Mick’s true nature as a vampire, as an immortal creature that lives on human blood would ever come to the surface and if Beth would mind being in more danger than if she was not with Mick.

Do you have a favorite quote from Moonlight?

Alex O'Loughlin : I do, Lola says “Remember darling, half the world is night.” (Episode: B.C.) I love it! I write it on some photos when people ask for autographs. (laughs) I love it!

Can you tell us your favorite episode of filming, The Shield on FX?

Alex O'Loughlin : The last one because I didn’t want to leave that whole experience. The Shield is so well written and all of the writers are so smart! To be able to kick doors open, work with guns, arrest people, have car chases… it is all so much fun. The dialogue was just as much fun because the writers are incredible. I really can’t pinpoint my favorite episode we shot because the entire experience was amazing. Every episode I did just got better and better.

Tell me about filming the movies, The Invisible and August Rush.

Alex O'Loughlin : The Invisible was shot in Vancouver and I was a lead but I was not the main lead. So I had a bunch of time off in Vancouver at such a beautiful time of the year when winter was approaching. My character worked out a lot since he had a lot of time on his hands so I ran 10-12 miles a day for 5 days a week, and shaved my head for the role. It was very physical but that was fun. There is one part in the film where Margarita Levieva’s character, Annie has me at gunpoint on the edge. When she kicks me off the small edge, she actually did that! I had a wire on me. The take that they used was actually when I almost lost my balance, so that was fun.

August Rush was a wonderful experience for me. I read the script all the way through while I was shooting The Invisible and I loved it and I read it again. I knew I had to be part of that film. I put down 2 tests at a studio in Vancouver. I played guitar and sang a couple of songs and did a few dialogue scenes. That was all actually for the lead role that Jonathan Rhys Meyers ended up playing. I spoke to the director, Kirsten Sheridan and she said that they needed a known name for the role but she would love to give me the role of Marshall. She re-wrote the character, she pumped that role up because it was a much smaller role in the beginning. We all lived together in NY and I had never lived in NY before so it was one of the greatest times of my life.

What is the most important thing that you have learned about yourself coming from Australia and making your way into Hollywood?

Alex O'Loughlin : I have learned to be able to back yourself up and give yourself what you need. It is such a cut throat industry where you get knocked down so much and get rejected so much. If you do not back yourself up, no one else is going to so you really need to learn to get up, shake the sand off your chest and keep going. Do not take yourself so seriously. All of this stuff is really wonderful if it all crumbles tomorrow, it is okay. I can go home and do something else. Not that I want to do that but it is about keeping the right perspective.

http://www.hollywoodthewriteway.com/2008/10/alex-oloughlin.html

Photograph ~ Alex O'Loughlin meeting the public while doing the Moonlight panel at the Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles (April 2008).

New audio interview with Alex O'Loughlin

Moonlight Detective has done a wonderful new audio interview with Alex O'Loughlin. He discusses the cancelation of Moonlight, trying to keep his fans updated, working on his next television project for CBS with Simon Mirren (head writer & executive producer of Criminal Minds), association with the American Red Cross coming to an end, a really funny synopsis of his new movie Whiteout, etc. One thing he mentions about Moonlight being canceled is worrying because the crew members were suddenly without their much needed paychecks.... such a sweet guy!

Lovely to hear Alex's delicious voice and Australian accent :)

Click on the link below to reach the website & listen to Alex O'Loughlin's interview (Windows Media Player or QuickTime is required in order to play the audio file)...........

http://moonlight-detective.com/?p=556

Photograph ~ Alex O'Loughlin talking to fans during the Moonlight Panel at the 2008 New York Comic Con

No date for debut of Alex O'Loughlin's new show

Speculating about Alex O'Loughlin's new tv show ~ when it will premiere.... what format it will have.... if he will be the lead or part of an ensemble cast, etc ~ has been occupying entertainment reporters & fans alike ever since his CBS talent holding deal announcement. TV Guide's, Matt Mitovich, published one such question that he received on the subject.

I think I will use one of my fave photos of Alex to go with this post :)

Today's News: Our Take

Got any news on what the new CBS show starring Moonlight cutie Alex O'Loughlin will be about, and when it will start? — Susan

Matt : Would that I did, if only because it would make me the most popular news blogger on the Web. Alas, insiders tell me it may be a while before Alex O's new gig is a go, seeing as new series development is an "inexact science." It's simply hard to predict what project he'll get attached to, or when it will come to be.

http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Mega-Buzz-Lost/800046221

Big "Thank You" message from Alex O'Loughlin!

A sweet "thank you" message from Alex O'Loughlin :) He is such a gracious man! As usual, he thanks everyone for the wonderful Moonlight/Alex O'Loughlin blood drives. For those who have been concerned (one way or the other) about his new talent holding deal with CBS, he also mentions the contract.

Ooooooooo.... Many of you have questioned my statement that Alex is 32 years old. He addresses his age in the message too :)

August 25th

Dear Family, Friends and Fans.

Hi there all!

I would like to preface by thanking everybody who has been involved with the various American Red Cross events recently, and to those of you who have helped make the actual blood drives happen, congratulations and THANK YOU!!!

The American Red Cross is such a terrific and important organization that saves many lives every year and I am very proud to be associated in any way I can.

As you know yesterday was my birthday and thanks to everybody around me I had a really great day. In fact it was amazing. Another year older, but not necessarily wiser!

To answer some of your questions and just so the record is straight I am now 32, having been born in 1976 contrary to what other sources may tell us, which makes me year of the Dragon in Chinese astrology.

Never before have i received anything like the volume of kindness that i received this year. I have been inundated with messages, cards and gifts from so many of you and I am trying to get back to you one by one but it will take me a while so I really appreciate everyone's patience.

It's funny. Instead of Mom, Dad, Bro, Sis, Nan & Gramps etc... I now have 10,000 "thank you" letters to write!! Whoa LOL ;)

As you know I have now officially signed back with the CBS family for a new show opportunity. We are currently in development of a number of new ideas and this will keep us busy through till the end of the year.

I know this isn't much information but I'm under contract again and I'm afraid it's all I can give you right now.

Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with you all quickly on my way to work and say thank you for making yesterday great. It really was.

Warmest regards to you all

Alex O'loughlin x

Photograph ~ Mick St John ( Alex O'Loughlin ) from Moonlight tv show. Click on the picture above for a bigger version of the image.

BuddyTV ~ Catching up with Moonlight's cast

Valerie, from BuddyTV, has written an article about what Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles and Jason Dohring have been doing since Moonlight's cancelation.

Note : The piece mentions Sophia working on a film called Buddha's Little Finger. However, I have heard from several sources that she is no longer involved with this movie project.

CBS Adopts 'Moonlight' Actor, Cast Members Pursue Other Projects
by Valerie Anne del Castillo

While some have already packed their bags and tidied up their camp sites following the campaign to bring Moonlight back to CBS, quite a number of fans are still clamoring for the return of the much-loved series which starred Alex O’Loughlin and Sophia Myles. The series, which only survived a season with a little under an average of 7.5 million viewers, was cut by CBS earlier this year because the network claimed that the ratings weren’t sufficient enough for a renewal. Moreover, CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler admitted that unlike Jericho, the resurrected series with a passionate fanbase, Moonlight’s fans tend to support the actor behind it rather than the series itself.

"The response to Moonlight was actually more actor-centric, so I think it certainly measures our decision on the show," Tassler told reporters at the TCA last month.

Apparently CBS saw the potential in the Australian actor and has signed him on for a one-year deal (which includes CBS’ sister studios CBS Paramount and ABC Studios) which will have him playing the central character in the new series currently being developed by producer Mark Gordon, whose credits include Grey’s Anatomy, Army Wives and Criminal Minds. Moreover, the deal will also provide O’Loughlin with a few movie projects with CBS Films.

O’Loughlin will soon be appearing in the feature film Whiteout, while his Moonlight co-star Sophia Myles appeared in the recently released Outlander, in which she played Viking warrior princess Freya, who battles extraterrestrials. The film premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival. Currently, Myles is working on the film Buddha’s Little Finger, which is set to be released next year.

As for Moonlight co-star Jason Dohring, who played Mick St. John’s 400-year-old best buddy, he says that he is currently in the process of landing other acting projects.

"More recently since I’ve been done with Moonlight, I’ve sorted some stuff out in my career, just personally about where I want to go," Jason Dohring said in an interview with the Review Times last month. "I think that I worked out a couple things for myself, kind of what I want to create in the world with being a celebrity."

He adds that he would like to try taking the lead in the next project that comes his way. He explains, "It was like all of a sudden I realized I could do it and I was like excited to try to do that, be a leading man. And I saw the amount of good that you can do, that you can use that platform to effect change in the world and that was exciting to me."

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/moonlight/cbs-adopts-moonlight-actor-cas-22123.aspx?cf=1048576

TVWeek ~ CBS Sinks Teeth Into Moonlight Star

TV Week confirms something we have all been talking about.... Alex O'Loughlin's contract had been in the works for weeks before the announcement. We had the feeling something was up based on Nina Tassler's recent comments.

CBS Sinks Teeth Into 'Moonlight' Star
By Josef Adalian

CBS is taking another bite at the idea of a series featuring "Moonlight" star Alex O'Loughlin.

The network has signed Mr. O'Loughlin to a talent holding deal, according to a person familiar with the situation. CBS will try to develop a series built around the actor or, if that's not possible, cast him in another project in the works at the network.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler had signaled her intent to sign Mr. O'Loughlin to a deal back in July during the TV Critics Association press tour. One person familiar with negotiations said the broad outlines of an agreement had been in place for weeks.

"Moonlight" attracted modest ratings but a fiercely loyal fan base, particularly online. It's unclear whether news of Mr. O'Loughlin's potential return to prime time will mollify the hurt feelings of those fans, many of whom have been unsparing in their criticism of CBS over the decision to cancel the show.

A CBS Corp. spokesman declined comment when asked about the talent deal last week.

As part of the deal, whatever project CBS develops will be produced via CBS Paramount and ABC Studios in conjunction with producer Mark Gordon.

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/08/cbs_sinks_teeth_into_moonlight.php

What is a talent holding deal?

Cynthia, from SF Universe, gives her opinion of Alex O'Loughlin's new contract with CBS. She also explains a bit more about what a "talent holding deal" means. I like her idea for Alex's new show ;> LOVE noir... and we know he is good with that genre.

Alex O’Loughlin Stays with CBS
by Cynthia Boris

A number of sources are reporting that Moonlight’s Alex O’Loughlin has signed a talent holding deal with CBS. What this means is that the network will attempt to develop a new series for Alex and /or cast him in another project. Obviously, the first of the two would be the better option, but fans are saying why not just bring back Moonlight? Since Alex was the show, why bother creating something new when something old will do?

As much as I love Moonlight, I’m happy to see Alex sticking around for another shot at anything on TV. Too often actors get one go of it and that’s the end of that. I could totally handle him as a PI in a 40’s Noir drama, or maybe as a lifeguard in a Baywatch remake (I’m going for the ’shirt off’ aspect.) What ever it is, I hope it’s action packed and I hope its soon.

http://www.sfuniverse.com/2008/08/15/alex-oloughlin-stays-with-cbs/

News of Alex O'Loughlin's contract is spreading

Jane, at TV Squad, has written about her concerns regarding Alex O'Loughlin's one year contract with CBS.

Alex O'Loughlin inks deal with CBS...now if they could just create a show like Moonlight...
by Jane Boursaw

I can't decide if this is good news or bad news. Moonlight star Alex O'Loughlin is staying at CBS.

Unless you've been in another galaxy for the past year, you know that the Aussie actor cultivated an enormous fan base with his role as vampire P.I. Mick St. John on CBS' Moonlight. The uproar caused by the cancellation of the show in May can still be heard, well, in another galaxy.

At the Television Critics Association press tour in July, CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler said the popularity of Moonlight was due in large part to O'Loughlin's fan base. So I can appreciate the fact that CBS wants to keep him around. But it's what they'll do with him that has me worried.

Under the one-year talent holding deal, O'Loughlin will star in a new series project for CBS to be developed by producer Mark Gordon, whose ABC Studio-based company is behind such series as ABC's Grey's Anatomy, Lifetime's Army Wives, and CBS' Criminal Minds.

It'll make my blood curl if they saddle him with some wimpy Grey's Anatomy-type show. I'm not dissing the show - I'm a huge fan, even during its crummiest seasons. But I'd hate to see O'Loughlin land in some milquetoast ensemble show when he clearly has the chops to headline a unique, fresh series.

You know, like Moonlight. Now if they could just create a show like that for him to star in...

http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/08/15/alex-oloughlin-inks-deal-with-cbs-now-if-they-could-just-crea/

Hollywood Reporter ~ Alex O'Loughlin staying at CBS

Everyone has been asking what Alex O'Loughlin's next project will be. We all said that CBS would be completely insane if they let him go. Looks like the network agrees ~ they canceled Moonlight but obviously want to keep the star. The Hollywood Reporter just posted this new information.

Alex O'Loughlin staying at CBS
Has signed a one-year talent deal with the network
by James Hibberd

"Moonlight" star Alex O'Loughlin is staying at CBS.

The Australian actor has signed a talent holding deal with the network, sister studio CBS Paramount TV and ABC Studios.

Under the one-year pact, O'Loughlin will star in a new series project for CBS that will be developed by top TV producer Mark Gordon, whose ABC Studio-based company is behind such series as ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," Lifetime's "Army Wives" and CBS' "Criminal Minds."

O'Loughlin rose to prominence this past season as vampire PI Mick St. John on CBS' "Moonlight." He helped attract a passionate fan base to the ill-fated freshman drama, which was canceled in May. At the Television Critics Assn. press tour in July, CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler credited the show's intense fan appeal to the actor. Under the new deal with CBS, he also will be able to pitch theatrical projects to CBS Films.

O'Loughlin, who next appears in the feature "Whiteout," is repped by ICM and June Cann Management.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ide19bac7b91209a2e8bfdca53812a01e

Another update! Update from Deadline Hollywood Daily

Nikki has posted this update to Moonlight's ongoing story......

UPDATE: I hear MRC now has been asked to consider Moonlight for mid-season. This is such a shot in the dark it's barely worth posting. But I'm posting nonetheless.

ANOTHER UPDATE to her previous update ~ Nikki just added this to the above.... I've also been told that CBS continues to hold an option on the star of the show, Alex O"Loughlin, and that he's in demand for other projects.

http://deadlinehollywooddaily.com/