Best DS DVD Interviews?

[Nancy]

Methinks folks are taking Lara's vampire speech too seriously.
I don't think it was meant to be anything other than
entertainment.

David, I think the crux of the issue is that it wasn't at all entertaining to watch, at least for some of us.   Whatever the intent, some people did not find it worth watching.

It didn't "educate" me about vampire legends, but it was fun to watch.
As Ms. Lawrence & Mr Ellis pointed out, Lara's gorgeous & has
STAR quality.

It was not my idea of fun but I am pleased it was for you and anyone else who enjoyed it.  I don't think anyone debates LP's "star quality" but it doesn't mean we have to love everything she does.  Her fans aren't going to like her less if she does some things that aren't entertaining or interesting.  It's like the JF video at the festival; he has lots of fans but there are fans who don't understand why he picked Shakespeare to do and were not entertained by the video, yet glad to see him active.  It doesn't mean they like him any less because of his selection of material or presentation of it in a venue where they might have expected something else.

Nancy

[rainingwolf]

Methinks David is alone in his opinion. 

Nope......( I liked it, too.) I also loved the John Karlen and KLS interviews..both were entertaining and informative.

[David]

 
Nancy:

I LOVED your latest blog post.
Right on!

David

[stefan]

I remember seeing LP on a Nightstalker episode as a witch type person. She must have been typecast to some extent. KLS would have been perfect in another soap. I wonder why she didn't go that route?

[Raineypark]

KLS would have been perfect in another soap. I wonder why she didn't go that route?

 I have to admit I don't know WHAT she did after DS....but I'd guess the most likely reason was to avoid being type-cast as a "Soap Opera" performer.  Better to be on Broadway, or in a film, to prove her versatility.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

KLS did tons of guest-starring parts on primetime TV shows. Certain shows seemingly loved her so much that they featured her in more than one guest role over the course of the series. She also had small parts in a few major feature films and bigger parts in some independent films.

Lara Parker had the same basic career after DS, too. Though she did do the cable nighttime soap New Day In Eden as well as the daytime soap Capital

[Nancy]

KLS did tons of guest-starring parts on primetime TV shows. Certain shows seemingly loved her so much that they featured her in more than one guest role over the course of the series. She also had small parts in a few major feature films and bigger parts in some independent films.

KLS has had quite a respectable career.  Most professional actors are never known at all to the general public but manage to make a living for themselves through work and many teach acting as well.  KLS certainly exhibits drive and knowing how to play the game.

Lara Parker had the same basic career after DS, too. Though she did do the cable nighttime soap New Day In Eden as well as the daytime soap Capital

I feel that the reason Lara Parker didn't work as much as KLS and/or become more visible after DS was not liking or willing to play the game you need to play to network and get work.  What you see is what you get with LP.  That's not always a plus when you are interviewing with casting people if you happen to be in a lousy mood or think the part you are going up for is beneath you or stupid.  She doesn't hide much.   The Hollywood game is very artificial and LP is anything but artificial. That's why I believe she didn't get more work though, obviously, I don't know this for sure.  It's only an opinion based on things I have heard from more knowledgeable individuals.

Nancy

[Charles_Ellis]

Also, let's not forget that Lara was also busy raising her two sons, getting divorced a few years after DS went off the air and then marrying her current husband, and becoming a mother for the third time.  In short, she had a life outside showbusiness.  As we all know, she didn't let grass grow under her feet if she became dissatisfied with Hollywood, she went back to school and also began a writing career.  She has gained a vast knowledge on the subjects of literature and mythtology as a whole, and she has imparted some of what she has learned in her interviews on the DVDs.  The lady knows what she's talking about- don't knock her!  I have nothing but the deepest respect for Lara, and it's a pity that some people here don't.  Ok, I may have stoked the fires of controversy here, but it's something I had to get off my chest.

[rainingwolf]

Also, let's not forget that Lara was also busy raising her two sons, getting divorced a few years after DS went off the air and then marrying her current husband, and becoming a mother for the third time.  In short, she had a life outside showbusiness.  As we all know, she didn't let grass grow under her feet if she became dissatisfied with Hollywood, she went back to school and also began a writing career.  She has gained a vast knowledge on the subjects of literature and mythtology as a whole, and she has imparted some of what she has learned in her interviews on the DVDs.  The lady knows what she's talking about- don't knock her!  I have nothing but the deepest respect for Lara, and it's a pity that some people here don't.  Ok, I may have stoked the fires of controversy here, but it's something I had to get off my chest.

Agree totally-thanks for saying that, Charles Ellis.

[Nancy]

There are many people here on the forum who also have a vast knowledge of literature, mythology and know what they are talking about as well.  Some have as much as thirty years experience and devotion of study in the arts and literature.  One of the posters will have a doctorate in English in the near future.  I think that individual has adequate knowledge of English literature and mythology to enter into a discussion on the subject.  And then there is the fact that anyone can express displeasure about a performance or product he or she paid for no matter what the academic background.   

It is not unique for actors to raise families while pursuing a career.  That's more the norm than the exception.
Some push harder than others for the work.  It's not a failing if a talented actor isn't a household name. 

It was pointed out by another poster that Lara's participation on this DVD was billed as an interview and that's not what was provided on the DVD.  The lecture was not deemed enlightening by some posters including me. Some disagreed.  How this leaps to the perception of a lack of respect for the overall work and talent of Lara Parker is beyond me.  Not everyone is too star-struck to accept anything they paid for with blinders on and no fan should be hit with the label of being disrespectful for not being satisfied with a product or performance.  These actors are not gods anymore than a criticism of one or two points is a smear of an actor's work and talent.   

Nancy 

She has gained a vast knowledge on the subjects of literature and mythtology as a whole, and she has imparted some of what she has learned in her interviews on the DVDs.  The lady knows what she's talking about- don't knock her!  I have nothing but the deepest respect for Lara, and it's a pity that some people here don't.  Ok, I may have stoked the fires of controversy here, but it's something I had to get off my chest.

[Jackie]

I am curious as to how many people found it difficult to keep up with DS. By that I mean back in the days when we did not have VCRs or DVRs if you missed an episode, you missed it.  It started to get very difficult to give up that block of time each afternoon to watch the show as other things in life started happening too.  It can be a tough decision was to what to do - keep that commitment of watching the show each time during that time of day or doing something else you want to do.  I remember that being a dilemma for me back in the day.  Anyone else have that problem?

I didn't find it hard to take 1/2 hour out of my day to watch DS and still do the things I wanted to. My friends were watching DS before I was so that was no problem.  I did hate to miss an episode and one day my sister's boyfriend shut the TV off in the middle of one episode.  I was SO mad at him and my sister because they wanted me to do something right then and I told them to wait 10 minutes.  When I got the TV back on, the episode of over.  I was so furious.

[David]

I still think people are taking this whole Lara interview thing way too seriously.
I don't see it as an interview, I see it as staged entertainment.
Some people liked it, some didn't.

No biggie.
David

[Phil]

I think that is undoubtedly the single worst "interview" on any of the DS DVDs. Anyone could've delivered a "lecture" on the sexual nature of vampires. She didn't say anything that any lit major who's barely stuck their toes into the area of horror hasn't heard before.

Personally, I think the point of interviewing the actors is to draw on their experience as actors in the show, whether that involves their perception of their characters, their experiences while the show was in production, or their feelings about the continued popularity of the series.

Parker's ode to the sensual vampire, as I recall, is pretty much devoid of any direct reference to the series. It comes across as rather self-indulgent.

The content was kind of, uh, peripheral, but hell, I was just glad to see an interview that didn't look like a ransom video. Probably the first one that doesn't look like utter crap. I know most of them were shot in 91 or so, but production value DID exist before then.

And the one right before it with Roger Davis wearing shades and talking about Blade Runner was equally curious.

[Phil]

And I'll go ahead and say the Jim Pierson interview is one of the least revelatory (and he seems to have given himsself all the edit time - older actors just go on and on; Pierson's interview is a rapid-fire edit in comparison.) His interview is like he's explaining the show to someone who's never heard of it- "DS for beginners"  Not sure why it's buried a third of the way into the DVD release. Anyone who's made it to volume 8 surely already knows everything he's saying.

[David]

 
JIm Pierson is interviewed because he's so boyishly cute.

David