PHOTOS: Yvonne, Vik & Scott at the Do Something Awards

Chuck cast members Yvonne Strahovski, Vik Sahay and Scott Krinsky attended the Do Something Awards the weekend before Comic Con. The Do Something Awards honor the best young world-changers, 25 and under, that are making the world a better place. Yvonne was a presenter at the event, which aired on VH1 and can be viewed online at vh1.com. We have some photos from the red carpet and the show itself posted in the Gallery.

PHOTOS: ChuckTV.net at Comic Con

We’re on our last legs here, but wanted to share some photos from the NBC party tonight at Comic Con. We’ll also have a video later of us doing the peacock with Zachary Levi. If we didn’t break the camera filming it. Hey, we’d just spent 10 hours in Ballroom 20.

Chuck Comic Con 2010 Panel Details

Warner Bros. just released their Comic Con 2010 details, including the scoop on Chuck at this year’s geek fest. The panel will be Saturday, July 24 @ 10AM in Ballroom 20. Confirmed to attend are cast members Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin, Joshua Gomez, Sarah Lancaster, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay, and Scott Krinsky, plus co-creators Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. Alan Sepinwall and Daniel Fienberg from HitFix will moderate the panel.

A “special video presentation” is being touted in addition to the Q&A. They won’t have begun filming season 4 yet, so what could that video be? We will be on hand for both the panel and the press room to bring you all the scoop! Plus, we’re planning another Chuck fan get-together after 2009′s fun evening. In the comments below, please let us know when you’d prefer to meet:

• Thursday evening (7? 8?)
• Friday evening (7? 8?)
• Saturday evening (7? 8?)

For those keeping score at home, yes, 3 (former?) Buy More employees will attend. Also, if you are planning to go to Yvonne’s charity tennis tournament Saturday evening, you have plenty of time to get up to Los Angeles and get in a few practice swings.

Watch The Full-Length JEFFSTER! Music Video

Bummed that all that pesky action interfered with seeing the JEFFSTER! music video during the Chuck season finale? Have no fear, Mo Ryan from the Chicago Tribune felt your pain and snagged the exclusive on the full-length video. Visit The Watcher to see, and hear, JEFFSTER! perform “Blaze of Glory.” It’s as hilariously awful as you’d expect from these two.

Chuck vs. the Podcast 58 – Jeffster Special Part 2 – Behind the Scenes

Here’s part 2 of our 100 minute monolithic Jeffster Special!

Part 1 featured fun video interviews with the men of Jeffster, Scott Krinsky (Jeff Barnes) and Vik Sahay (Lester Patel).

Now, part 2 takes us behind the scenes…  first, we talk with musician Eugene Edwards, who performs guitar and bass on Chuck and also on Jeffster songs, and also sings guide vocals on the Jeffster temporary tracks.  Then, Chuck composer Tim Jones takes us into the studio, and demonstrates many before and after versions of Jeffster songs, explaining his process, and gives many funny and interesting anecdotes.

Of course, there’s also a ton of Jeffster music, including some never heard before versions and mixes.

We also have a new contest, to give away a pair of Chucks!

Miss any episodes? You can find them all at chuckpodcast.blip.tv, and every time you watch it helps to support us!

Also, if you like the show, please consider supporting us with a monthly vote at Podcast Alley.

Chuck vs. the Podcast 57 – Jeffster Special Part 1 – The Actors

It’s finally here — our 100 minute monolithic Jeffster Special! We’ve even done a custom opening in honor of the phenomenon known as Jeffster.

Part 1 features fun video interviews with the men of Jeffster, Scott Krinsky (Jeff Barnes) and Vik Sahay (Lester Patel). Hear from their perspective how Jeffster has impacted their characters, and what their process is like preparing and performing a Jeffster song.

Then, part 2 will take us behind the scenes… first, we talk with musician Eugene Edwards, who performs guitar and bass on Chuck and also on Jeffster songs, and also sings guide vocals on the Jeffster temporary tracks. Then, Chuck composer Tim Jones takes us into the studio, and demonstrates many before and after versions of Jeffster songs, explaining his process, and gives many funny and interesting anecdotes.

Of course, there’s also a ton of Jeffster music, including some never heard before versions and mixes.

Behold, Part 1!

Miss any episodes? You can find them all at chuckpodcast.blip.tv, and every time you watch it helps to support us!

Also, if you like the show, please consider supporting us with a monthly vote at Podcast Alley.

Friday Five: Vik Sahay’s Top 5 Lester Moments

This week’s Friday Five comes from a special guest poster: Vik Sahay submits his five favorite Lester moments. From the set of his new film, Afghan Luke and The Burgundy of Hash, currently filming in Canada Vik writes, “It may not come as a huge surprise, but 3 of the 5 top Lester moments for me, are about rock ‘n roll.

1. The singing of ‘Africa’. First song. Birth of ‘Jeffster!’. Plunging into the unknown…
2. ”Mr. Roboto’. Jeffster! starts to play bigger and bigger venues…from their desk at the Buy-More to Awesome and Ellie’s wedding. Lester begins to find a flamboyant stage persona. Gets called an ‘Indian Lesbian’.
3. ‘Fortunate Son’. Lester redefines center-stage when his rock anthem ignites a revolution. He blossoms into his full rock-star glory.
4. Lester almost convinces Jeff that Jeffster! shouldn’t be and ‘Africa’ shouldn’t be sung, by fast-forwarding to his tragic demise, with the following quote, “Yeah, sure it’s going to blow their minds, but uh, where does all this lead? Stadium, groupies, creative differences? And then what? Jeffster breaks up? That’s you and me, Jeff! And then what’s my fate? Some chambermaid finds me in some hotel room having accidentally asphyxiated while making love to myself! It’s not worth it! “
5. Fight Club. Lester channels Tyler Durden, and inspires a cult of masculinity within the Buy More.

Obviously, there are many many more, but at this moment, at this time, in this minute, these are the ones that grab me.”

Are those your standout Lester moments? I’m still partial to Lester turning parcheesi into a gambling tournament. Also, in case you missed the link above, Vik has an official Facebook page now!

Vik Sahay Says Lester is “Grappling With His Manhood”

Vik Sahay is earning a reputation for giving a good interview, and his latest are no exception. First, he talks with The TV Addict (aka our buddy Daniel) and reveals that Lester is dealing with some developments of his own this season:

Are you as tired about talking about Chuck and his ‘journey’ as we are?
Vik Sahay: So bored of it!

Honest, Chuck this, Chuck that, yadda, yadda, yadda. What’s in store for Lester this season?
If I had to sum up Lester this season I would say… grappling with his manhood.

[Awkward Pause]
Not… not literally.

[Nervous Laughter]
Lester is dealing with himself as a man, his male friendships, who he is, and the boundaries that he wants to create with the people around him. What I love about the show is that as the central character [Editor's note: He who shall not be named!] grows up and starts to come into his own, to certain small degrees — as much as Lester can — all the characters start to feel that kind of personal growth so to speak.

(Read the full interview here…)

Vik also opened up to Kidult about finding his roots and his experience in India:

Rumor has it you’re a self-proclaimed acting geek. Are there any Indian actors you studied or admired growing up?

When I was growing up, I wanted nothing more than to fit in. I think that’s normal. Looking back, I feel like I was running away from it all. It wasn’t until I went to India, and worked with Roshan Seth and Seema Biswas in particular, that I completely fell in love with their skill, depth, artistry and just ability to immerse themselves in their work.

(Read the full interview here…)

Chuck Season Finale Spoilers (aka Be Careful What You Wish For)

The Chuck season finale is still a couple of months away, but Ausiello has some scoop for us on a very important part of the finale that defies description. They say a picture is worth a thousand words…

It’s the first ever JEFFSTER! music video, and it also happens to be an important part of the finale. Per Ausiello:

“It’s the worst music video of all time,” declares executive producer Josh Schwartz, who declines to reveal the title of the song. He does, however, offer these two clues: The track was once featured in a horror movie, and it ties into the episode’s big climax. “The way the original song was used in the movie is the way we’re using it here,” hints Schwartz. Adds fellow exec producer Chris Fedak: “The song narrates the action.”

(Sam C H, is this what you had in mind when you called for wardrobe cuts? I’m thinking no.) So, guesses on the horror movie, song, and/or context?

Friday Five: Most Memorable Interviews

In the almost three years ChuckTV.net has been around, we’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview all of the regular cast members, most of the supporting cast, several guest stars, writers, directors, the composer, and producers. Today’s topic is a trip down memory lane highlighting my most memorable interviews over the last couple of years.

1. Sarah Lancaster (December 2007) – This was our first interview for the site and Sarah was a delight to talk with. She and I are native Kansans, which allowed for instant bonding, and she was so excited to talk about the show. When we spoke with her, Chuck had been granted a full season, but the writers’ strike was underway, so no one knew how that was going to play out. Looking back at the questions and answers more than two years later reminds me what hooked me on the show in the first place. (This was pre-podcast, and Liz & I didn’t know how to record things for posting on the Interwebz yet, so this interview is text only.)
2. Tim Jones (February 2008) – Gray’s interview with Chuck composer Tim was the first time I’d heard someone talk about what goes into making music for a television show. Since then I’ve learned to recognize certain pieces of the score as themes for characters and situations which adds to the richness of the experience. On top of that, Tim’s just an all around nice guy and we’ve enjoyed keeping up with him over the years. (Listen to the interview here.)
3. Rally Time – 16 Cast & Creative Team Members (April 2009) – I know, this is more than one interview, but what list is complete without it? With less than a week until the season and possibly series finale aired, we pulled together 16 interviews with the cast and creative team of Chuck to thank fans for their renewal efforts and tell them why they should watch the finale. It was a crazy few days, especially watching Gray conduct several of the interviews and put together the final product.
4. Comic Con (July 2009) – Another compilation of interviews, this time celebrating the upcoming third season. We were in the press room at Comic Con in San Diego, face to face with the cast and producers. It’s one thing to talk to these folks on the phone, wearing sweatpants and holding a list of questions to refer to as needed. In person, in a very noisy room, on three hours of sleep? It was pure adrenaline!
5. Vik Sahay (November 2009) – This may be my favorite Chuck interview of all time. At least that I participated in. I was battling a cold and really tired the day we were supposed to talk, and I was worried that the interview would suffer as a result. If anything, it might have been better than if I’d been more prepared. Vik keeps you on your toes, so buzzed on Dayquil and with just a loose outline could be the secret to having a successful interview with this guy.

We’ve had some really terrific interviews with the Chuck gang. This was a lot harder to pare down to five than I expected! If the topic hadn’t occurred to me at 10PM on Thursday, I might have been organized enough to get Liz and Gray’s most memorable five. Perhaps we’ll save that for another Friday.

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