Articles by Barb Oates

It’s mid January in Pasadena, and Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are standing in a corner as HBO runs a promo reel to TV critics of its epic 10-part miniseries The Pacific. Hanks is beaming with pride. Then the lights go on and Hanks and Spielberg jump to the stage to begin fielding a firestorm of questions. The press conference culminates Spielberg, Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s six-year project, which they embarked on not long after their award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers. I ask Hanks what was running through his mind while watching the reel and he smiles. “It’s funny,” he […]

There’s a reason people love Ted Danson. It’s not just for his Sam Malone Cheers days or his Becker days or his numerous feature film credits, not even his acclaimed work on Damages. Danson is loved for being Danson. With a resumé and an award shelf that could turn one haughty, Danson has remained down to earth, candid and humble — a good guy with a good heart. Concerned about the struggling state of newspapers today, Danson asks how our parent company, Tribune, is doing, then sighs: “I don’t want to pick up and turn something on to read.” An […]

In HBO’s newest comedy, Hung, Thomas Jane (The Punisher) stars as Ray Drecker, a well-endowed high-school legend turned underpaid, uninsured, embittered high-school basketball coach who markets his best asset (reference the title of the show) in an attempt to piece his life back together. As you can expect, that doesn’t always go as planned. Jane, who is always a colorful and candid interview, recently talked to us about his role and life in general. Jane’s introduction to the series and the premise of Hung … Thomas Jane: I think Alexander Payne called me up and said, “I’m doing a show […]

Just about every mom has one or two signature dishes that are special to her family — a favorite that’s frequently requested by her children. And just about every mom struggles with finding new dishes to break up their mealtime monotony. Seeing as it’s Mother’s Day this month, we’ve gathered the favorite family recipes from a handful of Disney Channel stars to help spice up your menu. It’s hard to believe, but the Jonas Brothers, stars of the new JONAS series, do spend some time at home, where their mom, Denise Jonas, prepares one of their favorite dishes — Filet […]

Sean Astin lends the perfect voice and personality to the lovable, bumbling bear in training — Oso — in Disney Channel‘s newest series Special Agent Oso, airing weekdays beginning April 4. While dishing about Oso, Astin talked about his latest “knowing your age” comedy, Stay Cool, and more. I imagine Disney Channel must have sought you out for Special Agent Oso. How did that come about? Sean Astin: I was over in England working on the Color of Magic. I got this FedEx with Oso’s picture in it and a few different poses and characters and I just took one […]