[MADtv] Alex Borstein

[crushonmary]

all of this drama backstage! madtv REALLY needs an E! true hollywood story...

[MADtvFanatic13]

LoL, thats a good idea

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

I think that for something like that to work, there would have to be 2 sides to the stories and nothing so completely ONE sided.


Otherwise it just doesn't work.

[MADtvFanatic13]

hmm, true

[Dartanian]

Personally, I don't give a frog's fat A what happened between Debra and Alex. It's their business. I'm sure Alex has her reasons for "disliking" Debra.

[Debrafan]

I've met both Alex and Debra. They are both very nice and very good to their fans. Not everyone gets along all the time. That dosen't make one nicer than the other.

[SNLsux]

U guys should check out my siggy....It is about Ms. Swan

[MADtvFanatic13]

ive seen it its really funny

[SNLsux]

thanx, i sent it to mad tv, so keep an eye out...it might be used for new sketch with alex as a guest. (impossible, but one can dream...)

[lpshean]

Alex just rocks in Family Guy. IMO, Family Guy makes me laugh more than the simpsons.

[crushonmary]

Originally posted by lpshean
Alex just rocks in Family Guy. IMO, Family Guy makes me laugh more than the simpsons.

yeah. the simpsons have gotten stale...

[MysterE]

We talk one-on-one with Family Guy's Lois Griffin.
by Ken P.
September 9, 2005 - To fans of the animated hit Family Guy, Alex Borstein is best known as the voice of the wife with a wild streak (and object of baby Stewie's matricidal desires), Lois Griffin. In addition to voicing nearly a dozen other roles (including Loretta Brown, Barbara Pewterschmidt , and Asian Reporter Tricia Takanawa), she's also been a writer on the series since its third season. Borstein was also a long-running castmember on Fox's MadTV, creating many memorable characters (who can forget the unique logic of Ms. Swan?) in her 5 years on the show.

After being cancelled by Fox at the end of its third season, Family Guy found a brand new audience as a part of Cartoon Network's [adult swim] block. And, spurred on by massive sales of the first three seasons on DVD, Fox greenlit a direct-to-DVD movie and eventually the series' return to prime time with a brand-new fourth season.

That original direct-to-DVD movie, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story!, will soon be available from Fox Home Entertainment.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



IGNFF: It's my understanding that, based on the success of the Family Guy reruns on [adult swim], Fox initially approached Seth (MacFarlane, creator or Family Guy) to do just the direct-to-DVD movie. What was your initial reaction to that door opening?

ALEX BORSTEIN: Well, the way I was brought into the loop, was that I found out through Seth that things were kind of a-stir… a-brew? I don't know what you'd say… and he called me up at home and just said, "You know, there's rumblings that this thing might actually come back…" And I was like, "Fudge you!" I said, "Come on… You know what, Seth? Don't mess with me. Don't tell me something like that unless it's real. Call me when it looks like it's actually gonna happen." And, I don't know, a few weeks later, my phone rang, and he was like, "Well, it's actually gonna happen." And I flipped out. To answer your question, I'm not sure if they called him initially about the DVD. That sounds familiar… I think they were hearing something like that…

IGNFF: I believe the actual renewal of another season wasn't until after that…

BORSTEIN: Right. I mean, I still barely believe it. It's just bizarre…

IGNFF: Well you'll wake up eventually…

BORSTEIN: I hope so!

IGNFF: You've been a writer on the series for the past few seasons, and wrote part of the movie as well – what were some of the ideas that were batted around before finally deciding to build the story around Stewie?

BORSTEIN: Well, I think it was always kind of a given that it was going to be Stewie or Brian. Stewie's kind of our star, I think, so we couldn't not do it without him. I think it makes for the best kind of story – and because it's Stewie, anything's possible. With Lois and some of the other characters, you kind of have to stay true to some modicum of reality. But with Stewie, sky's the limit. He's a baby who can talk, who can walk, who can fly, he can drive – he can do anything. So I think it's the best kind of movie star you could want… He can do his own stunts.

IGNFF: How would you describe the plot of the movie?



BORSTEIN: It's interesting… Do you know how it came to be? It's made up of three episodes that will also be airing separately as well. We knew that was going to be the case, so we broke the stories to fit – and it was actually quite a task. It was one of the hardest things that any of us had ever done as writers. It was really difficult. But we knew we wanted it to be an adventure, and we knew we wanted to take him on the road, so that's what we did. We said, "Okay, Stewie… You're going to be getting in a Winnebago with a pervert named Quagmire."

IGNFF: But so many movies have used that plot!

BORSTEIN: Exactly! A baby and a pervert… together.

IGNFF: Being direct-to-video, you're freed from the restraints of standards & practices and network TV. How much raunchier/adult should people expect the movie to be?

BORSTEIN: It's pretty filthy! I have to admit, it's filthy. I'm going to probably have to warn my mother before she sees it. I don't know… I feel as long as it's done in the spirit of comedy and entertainment, I'm all for it. I have no point in my system or morals where I say, "This is too far."

IGNFF: At what point in the production process for the movie did they let you know that Family Guy would also be returning with new episodes to prime time on Fox?

BORSTEIN: When we started working on the movie, we already knew that the show was coming back.

IGNFF: Was it a burden to know that you had both the movie and new episodes to develop at the same time?

BORSTEIN: It was very difficult having that going on at the same time. The animation takes nine months to complete, so during the time that you come up with the story ideas, you're still constantly getting versions back from the animators, and you're trying to make it better and doing rewrites based on what you're getting back from overseas. So it's not really over, like a live action sitcom would be. Like, you write a draft and it's done. This kind of keeps going forever, because you keep making changes. It's like if a director of a normal movie had the opportunity to keep re-shooting, basically…

IGNFF: Like George Lucas…

BORSTEIN: Yes! I suppose… I suppose you could say Seth is his own little Lucas.

IGNFF: You should get him a t-shirt that says "Little Lucas"…

BORSTEIN: We're big Star Wars fans, as you may have noticed. The Family Guy bunch – we are all thick Star Wars fans. I think there are 3 or 4 references in the movie to Star Wars.

IGNFF: Family Guy is very much an ensemble show, in both the writing and acting. How would you compare the kind of ensemble atmosphere you get in animation to your time on MadTV?

BORSTEIN: It's really different, because there are about 15 to 17 writers that we work with every day at Family Guy. At MadTV, the writers and performers stayed pretty separate. We got to write a lot of our own material – obviously, we had characters and sketches and ideas, and things like that – and sometimes it was just easier to write it up yourself than try and sit down with a writer and try to pitch it to them, and explain your vision. You know what I mean? So, sometimes, MadTV didn't feel as cohesive a group. Family Guy is so tight… It's one of the few times that I've been on something where I'm a performer and a writer, and you're kind of accepted as both, equally. It's usually pretty hard to get the writers to take you seriously. They assume that you're really just a performer, or you're just doing some writing. It's a pretty rare opportunity. It's mostly guys, and it's an incredible group of guys, and it's just really fun. They force you to be funnier every day.

IGNFF: How does it feel to be one of the lone female voices in that writer's room?



BORSTEIN: There's two of us – myself and another woman, named Cherry, and it's tough. I mean, I won't pretend – it can be tough. It's hard to get your voice heard, both figuratively and literally, sometimes.

IGNFF: So do they look at you like you're some kind of strange, exotic creatures, or as oracles that possess knowledge they don't have?

BORSTEIN: A little of both. We are the keepers of the vaginas, so we have many secrets from them, and they're forced to be nice to us that way.

IGNFF: Well, at least you have something to hold over them…

BORSTEIN: Exactly! That's right! It is tough, though. The show's predominantly a male show, really. When you look at the characters on it, the highlighted characters are men, or boys, and the largest portion of the audience are male. Certainly there are a lot of female fans, but it's predominantly a male demographic.

IGNFF: How has Lois evolved as a character since you started the role, and how do you view her evolution?

BORSTEIN: She really has [evolved], and it's been really cool. When I first came on the show, I was just doing voices, and I met Seth through doing MadTV. One of the same people in development who developed MadTV was also developing with Seth, and introduced us. When I first started doing the voice, I had nothing to do with the show as a writer, and I kind of brought this voice to it and he liked it. As I started doing things in the booth, I would sometimes adlib a little, or add something here or there, and he liked it, and the writers enjoyed it. One of the writers in particular, who's now one of our executive producers – his name is Chris Sheridan – he was like, "You know, you should for this show. You'd be great, and we really could use a female voice in the room. It would be really great, and you should consider it." And I was like, "I would love to!" So I started kind of moonlighting on days that I wasn't working at MadTV, and doing some consulting and part-time, and when the season ended at MadTV, I went to Family Guy full time.

IGNFF: Was that part of your decision to end your time at MadTV?

BORSTEIN: No, I was doing both consistently so long as Family Guy was on for the first round. I had a five-year contract with MadTV, and then that was over. The contract ended in 2002, I think, and you're kind of in a position where you have to re-up – you can't just say, "Oh, I'll stay for a few more…" You're either there for a long time, or not, and it was just time. It would have felt weird. It would have felt like staying behind in high school when everyone else was going to college, you know? It just felt like, "You know, I want to see what else is out there and try different things." I wanted to do some movies, which I've gotten to do, and develop a lot of scripts, which it seems is the way I'm headed more. I'm still auditioning and doing other movie parts, but I really like the developing and the writing. You have more control over your destiny.

IGNFF: Do you have any plans for another one-woman show? [You can find out more about Alex's show, Alex Borstein: Drop Dead Gorgeous in a Down-To-Earth Bombshell Sort of Way," at her official website, www.alexborstein.com.]

BORSTEIN: Well, we are currently editing my show and are going to be releasing it on DVD. I kind of want to play with this whole power-to-the-people thing, like with NetFlix, and kind of self-distribute and see what I can do. I've been working on my website and it's been a huge hit – particularly the Family Guy fans have just been losing their minds on it, so we want to be able to offer something. So we want to try doing this self-distribution online.

IGNFF: Why do you think Family Guy continues to strike a chord with viewers?

BORSTEIN: I think part of it is that Family Guy came back at kind of a backlash time, with our current president, current state of the nation and where we are, 9/11, Janet Jackson and boobie malfunctions… It really came back at a time when I think people were like, "Oh my god, this is too much…" and they needed to laugh and just let go, and I think Family Guy really afforded people to do that. I also think our success is our fans. It's unbelievable. They're so loyal, and they're so up for anything. I mean, they will tune in and turn on and run out and buy this and look at that and read this… If an article's in a magazine, they buy it. They're speaking with their dollars, and they're so strong that we owe every single moment of our employment right now to our fans, and we know it.

IGNFF: So what do you intend to do with this zombie nation of yours?

BORSTEIN: Well, to be honest with you, we want to be really careful and not take advantage of their power… of their dollars. They're what got us back on the air. We kind of want to be careful. For instance, with this DVD, it's really funny, and we're totally proud and confident that this is something you'd want to pick up and own, and it's pretty cool how it joins these three episodes together… And the extra DVD footage is sooo filthy and funny that I think it's worthwhile. It's not like, "Oh, now go buy this greatest hits collection! Now buy this greatest hits collection!"


IGNFF: Are there any plans for another movie, perhaps on the big screen?

BORSTEIN: There are definitely talks – there's always talk. The problem is that our fearless leader, Seth MacFarlane, does the voices for us, he is the main artist, and he's one of the main writers on the show.

IGNFF: Are you saying you don't want to risk an aneurysm?

BORSTEIN: Exactly! The problem is he's got Family Guy, and now he's got American Dad, and it's just too much. If he did a feature, he'd need a whole 'nother lifetime. Plus we're touring with live shows, so it's hard. It's hard to pick and choose, and of course he doesn't want to say no to anything, because it's all terribly exciting , and he really likes satisfying the fans and keeping them happy, and giving them new stuff to see and watch. But I just don't see how we could do a feature right now.

IGNFF: But it's something you'd eventually like to do?

BORSTEIN: Oh yeah. Absolutely. It's always something that's "in the works." We'd have to get to a point where Family Guy had a very specific hiatus, and right now we don't have that.

IGNFF: Which is a good thing, considering you had that two-year "hiatus"…

BORSTEIN: Exactly! We had a really long hiatus, and now we're looking forward to working forever.

http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/649/649563p1.html

[MysterE]

Originally posted by MysterE
BORSTEIN: Well, we are currently editing my show and are going to be releasing it on DVD. I kind of want to play with this whole power-to-the-people thing, like with NetFlix, and kind of self-distribute and see what I can do. I've been working on my website and it's been a huge hit – particularly the Family Guy fans have just been losing their minds on it, so we want to be able to offer something. So we want to try doing this self-distribution online.

I thought the "Drop Dead Gorgeous" DVD project was already announced in the front page. Is it not?

[MysterE]

Alex Borstein has a small role as "Natalie" in George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck". It opens in Theaters today. Is anyone planning on seeing it?

[CrazyCracker]

Originally posted by MysterE


Alex Borstein has a small role as "Natalie" in George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck". It opens in Theaters today. Is anyone planning on seeing it?

I'll probably go see it, can't decide if I want to spend money on it though.

[Caffeine King]

Good Night And Good Luck made an estimated $420,000 this weekend in only 11 theaters with an average of $38,181 per theater!

[MysterE]

Originally posted by CrazyCracker


I'll probably go see it, can't decide if I want to spend money on it though.

I assume you were talking about Good Night And Good Luck CrazyCracker, you quoted me from a question I asked that was never answered though. Does anyone know?

Originally posted by MysterE


I thought the "Drop Dead Gorgeous" DVD project was already announced in the front page. Is it not?

[elscorcho]

Well this is what you posted in this thread:

Drop Dead Gorgeous In A Down To Earth Bombshell Sort Of Way

F.Y.I. Alex Live @ The Alex was shot with five cameras in hopes that we might get a small distribution deal and be able to screen the live concert in theatres across the country. If not, we will get them out on DVD and made available in stores or at the very least, online.

It's all a matter of doing a search

[CrazyCracker]

Originally posted by MysterE I assume you were talking about Good Night And Good Luck CrazyCracker, you quoted me from a question I asked that was never answered though. Does anyone know?

Yeah I was, I pressed the wrong quote button. My mistake.

[MysterE]

I don't have any access to media players at work. If someone could transcribe this Alex interview, that would be awesome.