Interactive Podcast with Julia Ling on November 8

Want to ask Julia Ling a question? Thanks to the success of our first live podcast with Chuck writer Phil Klemmer and editor Matt Barber, we’re doing it again on Sunday, November 8 at 2:30PM EST! The lovely Julia Ling has agreed to participate, so start prepping those questions. There are three ways to ask:

1. EMAIL – email questions to mail@chuckpodcast.com BEFORE 1:00PM EST SUNDAY, so we can gather them.
2. TWITTER – live questions open at 2:30PM EST.  Gray will announce a “Live Questions Open” on his twitter at that time, and do his best to Twitter which question is being answered.
3. SKYPE / LANDLINE – If you’d like, we can call you on Skype or your land-line and you can ask your question in person!  Email us with your name and phone number or Skype address before 1:00PM EST (also let us know an idea of what you will be asking), and we’ll call you Sunday between 2:30 and 3:00PM EST.

NOTE: Per contractual agreements, Julia cannot answer questions about season 3.

VIDEO: AOL on the Set of Chuck (First Interview with Brandon Routh!)

“Move over Beckman, bring in Shaw. He’s taking over Team Chuck.” – Yvonne Strahovski on Brandon Routh’s character

Oh boy, this should get tongues wagging. AOL’s Maggie Furlong visited the set of Chuck and talked to Zachary Levi, who demonstrates is calf-lift technique; Yvonne Strahovski, whose choice of dream guest star is AWESOME; and Brandon Routh, who acknowledges the intricacies of Casey’s grunts. Also, relationship stuff. Brace yourselves.

Reminder: the comment guidelines are there for a reason; play nice, Chucksters!

TVGuide.com Wants To Know Which Show Was Your Fave in 2009

With 2009 winding down (already!), TVGuide.com wants to know what your favorite show of the year was. Go to their site and leave a comment about Chuck; we’re guessing the comments will help shape their year-end list in a few weeks which would be some nice advance publicity for season 3.

Diedrich Bader To Guest, and Other News From the Set (SPOILERS!)

Warning: spoilers from the set of Chuck below. Don’t read on if you’re trying to stay spoiler-free.

It looks like we aren’t the only ones excited about Zachary Levi directing his first episode of Chuck; photos from the set of episode 3.09, “Chuck vs. the Beard”, have been coming thick and fast. Most aren’t all that spoilery, but check out this photo of Mark Christopher Lawrence, Zachary Levi and…Diedrich Bader?

Looks like the former Jethro will be guest starring in this episode, possibly as someone from Buy More management. I guess that makes sense. If you’ve watched The Beverly Hillbillies movie 18 times like some people (*ahem*), you’ll remember the scene where Jethro has a 6-foot sub sandwich delivered. He and Big Mike would have a lot in common.

What else can we determine from these photos? There’s a shot of Sarah and Shaw (Yvonne Strahovski and Brandon Routh) in what appears to be a serious conversation on a screen that Director Zac is watching; Zac is one dedicated guy as blocks a scene as the director and learns his lines as an actor at the Buy More; Morgan is now Assistant Manager to Big Mike at the Buy More; and there were some fake (?) beauty pageant contestants on set. See all the photos in the Gallery. We’ve also added assorted set photos from episode 3.08, “Chuck vs. the Nose”, including one of Zac and Kristin Kreuk posing together.

Photo sources include: Ali Adler, Caitlin Crosby, Zachary Levi, Mark Christopher Lawrence

Chuck Vs The Music

Chuck Vs The Music

Everyone searches for bits of magic in their life. It makes us feel alive in a spiritual sense. There is such a thing as food for the soul. One finds that in family, friends, pets, art, writing, movies, outdoor activities, or whatever. Probably the one that is most universal is music. Sometimes when I get in a funk, nothing can lift my spirits quicker than a few rousing bars of tuneage. Music is primal. It connects directly and swiftly to the emotional side of us in a way that no other creative endeavour can.

Paired with images, moving or still, music can make visual media soar to new heights. Or add subtle nuances. It all depends on how it is employed. As a person with a tin ear and an equally inept voice, music is akin to magic to me. It always amazes to see someone perform or create music. I have always kept the process of creating music at arm’s length. Music is magic and I do not want to lose that awe by peering too deeply behind the curtain.

Nowhere is that emotional response to music felt as deeply when you are engaged in watching something where you are already invested in the characters. So when an episode of Chuck runs a scene supported by music the emotional response is even more intensified. I distinctly remember getting goosebumps when the tinkling opening strains of, ‘Signs,’ by Bloc Party started playing during the final moments of Chuck Vs The Lethal Weapon. It was a perfect marriage of sound and vision topped off by Chuck’s promise to Sarah and the reveal of what was behind the Tron poster.

On its own, without the music, those scenes are powerful enough. We see Chuck and Sarah struggle with their feelings for one another against the deadly dangers of the spy world. We also get that cathartic moment of release when we see the Tron poster reveal and learn that Chuck has been taking steps to get control of his life back. But when those scenes run with, ‘Signs,’ playing, man they really soar.

One of the characteristics to admire about Chuck is how seamlessly the music is worked into the show. It always feels natural and never forced. In other shows their music use often seems clunky or contrived. A tip of the hat to the Chuck creative team for making these moments so special and for making it look so easy.

In no particular order here are my favourite music moments from the first two seasons of Chuck. Feel free to add your list or mention ones not in my list:

1)  Chuck Vs The Lethal Weapon:                  Signs by Bloc Party.
2)  Chuck Vs The Truth:                                    Fresh Feeling by The Eels
3)  Chuck Vs The BreakUp:                              Fake Empire by The Nationals
4)  Chuck Vs The BreakUp:                              Skinny Love by Bon Iver
5)  Chuck Vs The Broken Heart:                     Bloodbank by Bon Iver
6)  Chuck Vs The Fat Lady:                              Keep Yourself Warm by Frightened Rabbit
7)  Chuck Theme Song:                                    Short Skirt, Long Jacket by Cake
8)  Chuck Vs The Ring:                                     Now We Can See by The Thermals
9)  Chuck Vs The Nemesis:                             No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses
10) Chuck Vs Tom Sawyer:                             SleepDriving by Grand Archives

Scott Rosenbaum Heads to “V”

As part of his new, two-year deal with Warner Bros., Chuck executive producer Scott Rosenbaum is taking over the reins of ABC’s new version of the sci-fi series V, which debuts tonight with the first of 4 episodes before going on hiatus until spring. Looks like he’ll finish production on at least the first 13 episodes of Chuck before V resumes production in January.

Mark Christopher Lawrence Podcast Interview From Fiction Addict

Hosted by Fiction Addict can be found here.

An excellent podcast interview with the ever ebullient Mark Christopher Lawrence. In the 30 minute plus interview MCL talks about some of his other projects, his career, books he likes to read, and of course, Chuck.

Chuck Me Mondays: Three-way!

It was either that or “threepeat”, and we’ve already used that once. This week’s Chuck Me Mondays viewing assignment per CMM HQ is:

“Chuck vs. the Third Dimension” (not streaming but available on Amazon or )
“Chuck vs. the Suburbs” (Hulu)
“Chuck vs. the Best Friend” (Hulu)

The hashtag is #ChuckOnNBC. Visit CMM HQ for more information.

Nominate Chuck for the People’s Choice Awards!

Nominations are open for the People’s Choice Awards, giving Chuck fans the opportunity to nominate our show in several categories. We suggest the following nominations:

Favorite TV Comedy – Chuck

Favorite TV Comedy Actor – Zachary Levi

Favorite TV Comedy Actress – Yvonne Strahovski (write-in)

Favorite TV Obsession – Chuck (write-in)

You can vote as often as you wish, so let’s get going!

It’s Official: NBC Orders 6 More Episodes of Chuck!

As was rumored earlier in the week, NBC wants more Chuck! Mark Christopher Lawrence (aka Big Mike) posted the following announcement of the pickup on his Twitter account this morning:

It is official! The announcement was made today on set. Chuck gets 6 more episodes! Thank you Chuck fans!!!

Rejoice, Chucksters! And keep getting the word out about this fab show via the Check Out Chuck and Refer a Friend campaigns.

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