TV VIEWERS VOICE

The best part about going to California for Viewers Voice is going on the sets of television shows. Our last trip in March we went over to the sets of three quality TV drama series. I’ve already wrote about going over to “The Guardian” in a previous column and now I’d like to tell you about another series we went too; “American Dreams” which airs on Sundays at 7:00-8:00 p.m., CST on NBC.

Before I tell you about “American Dreams I’d like to explain how we get the privilege of go on these sets; many of you have asked. A good publicist is interested in helping to promote their programs to all the viewers and not just the young males. They welcome us with open arms because they know we represent all ages of viewers and we work to keep good quality programming on the air.  Many times we are welcomed on closed sets because of the creditability of Viewers Voice and what we have accomplished in our eleven years of existence.

 The two NBC publicists from “American Dreams,” Wendy Luckenbill and Jaimi Sorrell, were great in helping us to plan the visit. They made sure we had access to just about anything we wanted to do.  My only regret was we didn’t allow enough time to get everything thing we wanted because we had an appointment to also go over to the set of “Jag” later that afternoon. By now I should know not to plan two set visits in one day.

We arrived on the lot where they tape “American Dreams” around 11:30 a.m., on a Friday morning. The weather was glorious around 70 degrees. The security on the lot wasn’t quite as tight as previous sets we’ve been on. We parked in their garage and from there went to the press room to wait for Ms. Luckenbill. She was a little late in arriving but publicists have tight schedules and we understood perfectly. When she arrived we went directly down to the lot where “American Dream” is filmed. It was like walking in a daze the street was so familiar. We went inside the building where the rooms of the Pryor house are and walked around and took some photos. It seemed funny to see the dinning room and table where many Pryor family discussions take place.

For those of you who have yet to watch “American Dreams” you don’t know what you’re missing. It’s a drama set up against the memorable, upbeat sounds of the sixties and depicts a more innocent America as seen through the youthful Pryor Family of Philadelphia  

There’s fifteen year-old daughter Meg (Brittany Snow, “Guilding Light”) who strains against her “good girl” image and yearns to be more like her experienced teenage friend, Roxanne (Vanessa Lengies, “Popular Mechanics for Kids”), as they achieve their goal of becoming dancers on Dick Clark’s locally produced “American Bandstand.”

Helen, the mother is played by three-time Emmy nominee Gail O’Grady from “NYPD Blue” and the rock-solid patriarch father, Jack is played by Tom Verica from “Providence” and “State of Grace.” Ethan Dampf (“Collateral Damage”) portrays the youngest son, Will, and newcomer Sarah Ramos stars as Patty, the prissy little sister who can do no wrong. Will Estes (“7^th Heaven”) portrays JJ, who resents his father imposing his dream of seeing his teenage son play football at Notre Dame.

We had very little time to do many interviews from “American Dreams” but we did manage to get Will to do one for us. Growing up in Los Angeles, He always enjoyed acting, starring in various commercials and sitcoms throughout his childhood. However it wasn’t until his high-school graduation that he considered making a career out of acting.

Will is best known for his role as Seaman Ronald Rabbit Parker in the World War II adventure film “U-571” starring opposite Matthew McConaughey and Jon Bon Jovi. I

Interviewing Will was a delight, he seems to have his head on his shoulders right in a business that can sometimes be overwhelming. I asked him how he enjoyed being on “American Dreams” a story of the sixties. 

Estes: “Ya, it’s fun, it’s great, the sixties is neat we have so much attention paid to detail. The clothes to the sets; the outdoor set was built into the side of the soundstage which was a big garage door, I don’t know if they ever did that before?”

 It always amazes me all the detail that goes into building a set for a drama. You’d have sworn you were back on the streets in the sixties.

I then asked Will how he would have fit into the sixties compared to now.

Estes: “I like it, it was cool, it was a time when all guys wore hats and suits to work and I like that sort of thing. I like that, I think it was classy. The music was great. It was a simpler time which I think is attractive to anybody given the things that are going on in the world now.”

You can watch the rest of Will’s interview on “The Viewers Voice TV Show” on local access, channel 14 in West Allis, on Monday nights at 6:00 p.m...

I think the thing that really excites me about “American Dreams” is the way they have brought “American Bandstand” back to life. They have brought on some great young artist to portray the old Bandstand idols, like Bobby Darin, Fabian and so on. We went over to the stage where they have recreated the Bandstand set and they let us take tons of video footage and we will play that on our TV show. Dick Clark who hosted “American Bandstand” is one of the executive producers of “American Dreams” 

“American Dreams” is a great quality show you can sit down and enjoy with your family. The good news is that it was picked up by NBC for next year. The show could still use your support by letting the executives of NBC and the sponsors know how much you enjoy “American Dreams.”  Until my next column let your voice be heard.