OITNB in the Media

[maraleia]

Casting news http://tvline.com/2014/06/20/mary-steenburgen-orange-is-the-new-black-pornstache-mom-season-3-spoilers/

[AmyTinaMindy]

Interviews with the several members of the  cast on Afterellen! Danielle and Samira are just adorable and I absolutely adore their real life friendship. 

http://www.afterellen.com/the-cast-of-orange-is-the-new-black-talks-love-lesbians-and-season-2/06/2014/

[bravelittletoaster]

Two pretty solid pieces by Paste:

 

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/06/orange-is-the-new-norm-variations-on-the-phenomena.html

 

and the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/06/26/orange-is-the-new-black-and-the-meaning-of-love/

 

about the depiction of the "Phenomenal Woman" and love on the show, respectively.

 

Oh, and they did a new season 2 trailer that's more Piper oriented:

 

[which intrigues me in re: Netflix's research and motivations...]

Edited June 27, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[Gusto]

Loved reading the articles, especially the one about Phenomenal women on OITNB. It sure gives a great insight from the actors behind these roles.
 

[which intrigues me in re: Netflix's research and motivations...]

 

I'm intrigued as well. Because from watching this promo alone one would think Piper was still the lead character in S02, with other characters only supporting the storyline (which we all know is not the case). There may have been some backlash from viewers and Netflix is now responding to that by putting together this new promo in order to get people watch the new season. I think?

 

All I know is that I was quite dissapointed with some of the structural changes in S02. And honestly not just me, friends and colleagues who also watch the show, they all pretty much had the same reaction (which was great to hear because I thought it was all in my head). I was talking to a friend earlier and he's watching ep 2.06 and kept asking me about Piper, where is she, why is she sidelined and wanted to know if things change for the better in the next few episodes. I hated to be the bearer of bad news.

I just hope they put Piper in the spotlight again cause the show works much better that way.

[bravelittletoaster]

TV Line talks to cast members about their most memorable scenes / moments shooting season 2:

 

http://tvline.com/2014/06/25/orange-is-the-new-black-season-2-photos-best-moments/

 

and Laura Prepon sat down with Cosmo:

 

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/exclusive/orange-is-the-new-black-laura-prepon-interview?src=rss

 

Talks a bit about dating [or more to the point not dating] & here are the OITNB relevant parts:

 

Alex had a limited presence this season, but it’s confirmed that you’re back on for season three in pretty much every episode.

Yeah, it’s really exciting. I can’t wait because I really missed the girls when I wasn’t there, and I missed my character so much.

Has Alex softened up a little in these two seasons?
I think we’re really seeing this vulnerable side to her. You see her in season two be scared for her life. She’s a tough girl. You don’t normally see someone like her in that position. You get to see a totally softer side to Alex. It kind of rattles you a little bit.

I’m sure viewers can’t wait to see the banter between Alex and Nicky again.
I know! Nicky’s such a cool character.

She did an impression of Alex this season that was spot-on.
I did see that. I think she basically just lowered her voice and pulled her shirt out to have bigger boobs [laughs]. I thought that was really funny, because I’ve had a deep voice since I was a little kid. When I was 12 years old, I sounded like this.

If you had to choose Piper or Nicky as Alex’s love interest for season three, which would you prefer?
I would definitely say Piper because she loves her, so if that were to happen — I’m not allowed to say anything — I would say she would choose Piper. But people are gonna have to wait and see. So far, we’re on episode three, and it’s shaping up to be a really incredible season. I feel like with season one, you have to do a lot of reiterating and exposition just to keep the audience knowing who people are. Season two, you expand on that with awesome storylines. And then, season three, the audience knows who everybody is so then you can really blow it out the water.

Edited June 28, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[bravelittletoaster]

MSN did an interview with Uzo and Taylor about season 2:

http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/tv/a-darker-shade-of-orange

 

On filming Suzanne's knock-out punch of Piper:

“Literally, I was very close and I was like, ‘I’m sorry if I hit you,’ but she was like, ‘You’re not gonna hit me,’” says Abuda on throwing a punch at her co-star. Swapping her signature mini hair buns for a side part and lipstick during her visit to Toronto, Abuda’s real life transformation is more crazy hot than crazy eyes, a phenomenon that’s quickly become known as the “the Aduba double-take.”

“You really have to make eye contact and you’re really communicating. And you’re telling them what’s going to happen so it works,” adds Schilling. “If you’re not, then it either looks really shitty because you both get scared or…”

“You hit someone!” the two laugh in unison.

 

Uzo on Suzanne's season 2 development:

“Life is so complicated and I think what the show does is show the complexity of everyone,” says Abuda on the transformative story arc that unleashes her inner animal. “We fall in love with everyone and then we see the flaws, that no one is perfect, that good people can make mistakes. That’s why a lot of these women wound up here, you know? After watching her backstory, we see that she’s never really fit in before and is trying to heal some of those wounds for herself. She meets someone who reminds her of home [Abuda points at Schilling in reference to Suzanne’s white parents], of where she’s from, but I think a lot of people hadn’t given her time before Vee. Because Suzanne is so desperate to earn love, she shelves some of her thinking and acts aggressively in order to get this one woman, but it costs her.”

 

And Taylor on Piper cutting ties with Larry:

“It’s changing the way she’s living on a daily basis. All bets are sort of off,” says Schilling. “The rules she thought she was playing by before and even was holding onto for some of season one and season two are just gone now. There’s nothing. It’s like a brand new world. What does a world look like when there’s no one to impress or try to live for, you know? Who are you living for?”

Maybe Alex? Backstabbing knows no bound between these two as, after Alex rolls over her for a plea deal, Piper does the unthinkable in the season finale. An act of revenge perhaps, but as Schilling explains, these soul magnets will always draw each other back.

“I think it’s a desire, you know?” Says Schilling on Alex’s possible return to jail time in season three. “I think she’s testing out what it means to get what she wants. What are the consequences and what matters? And what does it mean to get what you want, having come from a place where it’s all for show, and what you think you should be doing? So, I think she’s testing the waters.”

[bravelittletoaster]

Prepon and Biggs were paired for media day and were the day's MVPs in terms of entertaining interviews [iMO].  Here's a good example of their rapport as they discuss Team Alex vs. Team Larry:

 

http://www.shewired.com/television/2014/06/26/orange-new-blacks-laura-prepon-jason-biggs-talk-piperalex-chemistry-lesbian?page=0%2C0

[maraleia]

Piper Kerman at the White House http://www.deadline.com/2014/06/orange-is-the-new-black-piper-kerman-white-house/

[bravelittletoaster]

I really recommend checking out this moronic piece the Atlantic ran whinging about the lack of male representation on the show only to watch the author get the shit flamed out of him in the comments section:

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/06/why-it-is-a-bad-thing-that-orange-is-the-new-black-leaves-men-out/373682/#comments

 

.

 

On the other hand:

 

http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/06/30/op-ed-orange-new-black-proves-be-model-queer-tv

Edited June 30, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[kieyra]

I've heard about the Atlantic piece but I just can't. I can get my pointless sexism on reddit. 

[bravelittletoaster]

This is a good rebuttal to the Atlantic piece from the Washington Post:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2014/07/01/want-to-change-culture-pick-better-targets-than-orange-is-the-new-black/

 

It is easy to ask things of shows like “Orange Is the New Black” and “Girls,” which debuted to controversy about how white its cast was, in part because the creators of those shows, “Weeds” veteran Jenji Kohan and director Lena Dunham, have already demonstrated that they are interested in social issues.

These shows are also relatively small players in the television environment, which makes them seem like manageable opponents. And because of biases in television criticism that give more attention to smaller, more boundary-pushing shows, it may seem like it is important to target shows like “Orange Is the New Black” that are already doing many things right, and easy to write off a show like “NCIS,” which draws an enormous audience, but gets little ink.

But if you care about nuanced portrait of the men who make up so much of the U.S. prison population, your enemy is not “Orange Is the New Black.” It is every crime show that ends when an offender gets convicted. If you want a more racially diverse television environment, the enemy is not “Girls.” It is every television executive who built a network by catering to viewers of color, only to abandon them once the channel was high-profile enough to begin drawing white viewers.

[bravelittletoaster]

A look at teeth as a class and cultural signifier as seen in Pennsatucky's trajectory:

 

http://bitchmagazine.org/post/what-pennsatucky%E2%80%99s-teeth-tell-us-about-class-in-america

[bravelittletoaster]

Taylor sits down with Vulture to discuss season 2, Prepongate, cockroaches and shooting Piper's white privilege rant:

 

http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/taylor-schilling-orange-is-the-new-black-season-2-chat.html

[bravelittletoaster]

This is kind of cool--Laura talks acting [like more about craft and process etc] with NYC Castings:

 

http://www.nycastings.com/dmxreadyv2/blogmanager/v3_blogmanager.asp?post=laura-prepon-shares-her-acting-secrets#.U7xDbGuq45w.twitter

 

And a pretty good chat from Vulture with Kate Mulgrew about season 2 and working with Touissant:

 

http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/oitnbs-kate-mulgrew-on-the-season-2-finale.html

 

And another Vulture interview with the actress who plays Fig:

 

http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/orange-is-the-new-black-fig-interview.html

Edited July 9, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[bravelittletoaster]

Really good piece in the LA Times today about what Orange's nominations mean for the tv landscape especially in re: women that touches on a lot of the topics that get discussed in various threads here:

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-emmy-critics-notebook-20140711-column.html

 

On how the presence of women can actually impact genre:

Much has been made over the recent increase of female leads in television. Certainly, the great exodus from film to television began with women. When she couldn't find roles in movies, Sally Field came to television, as did Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Kyra Sedgwick, Mary-Louise Parker and Geena Davis. Women still working prolifically in film soon followed — Laura Linney, Toni Collette, Anna Paquin, Kathy Bates, Melissa McCarthy.

Their presence is not just a question of gender equity. As any good sociologist might have foreseen, this shift has changed how television tells stories, often blurring the lines between comedy and drama, between satire and pathos.

There is no better example of this emerging hybrid than "Orange Is the New Black." Last year the show's star, Taylor Schilling, was nominated for a Golden Globe for lead actress in a drama series and lost. While some critics were surprised that Netflix considered "Orange" a drama, others saw the category switch to comedy for the Emmys as an odds-raising calculation. Compared with "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones," "Orange," and its female-majority cast, could be dismissed as lightweight.

 

On the demand for women to be "likable":

In this age of broken heroes and fractured worldviews, the women we watch are still held to a higher standard than men. Unfettered by either the whore or madonna template, men can exhibit a far greater range of "bad" behaviors. Male leads don't even have to be likable. In this age of the antihero, TV prefers its men broken, complicated, intriguing. Likability can actually be a drawback.

Not so for female characters, for whom likability remains key. As some less-than-perfect female characters — Lori on "The Walking Dead" and Skyler on "Breaking Bad" — have proved, women still must display some measure of warmth, some degree of compassion, or risk audience vitriol. Don Draper can essentially abandon his children and still be the subject of our empathy, not so ex-wife Betty. Claire Underwood on "House of Cards" may turn out to be even colder and more calculating than her husband Frank, but she isn't allowed to have nearly as much fun either.

Comedy, as viewers discovered with "Sex and the City," allows female characters freedom not yet found in the "real" life of drama. Carrie and company could have lots of diverse and meaningless sex without being considered sluts because the humor thwarted judgment, made room for the women to be more finely drawn.

[bravelittletoaster]

Ha, a follow up to yesterday's piece by Larry Smith on his side of the OITNB story, here's an entertaining and enlightening interview between him and Jason Biggs --

 

https://medium.com/matter/the-larry-spin-off-is-going-to-be-awesome-de067bd2d53

[bravelittletoaster]

The New York Times is live streaming a roundtable called Powerful Women of TV at 6:30 pm EST today with Taylor as well as Lucy Liu, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Mira Sorvino here: 

 

http://timestalks.com/

 

The chat is archived and linked in this write-up about it here:

http://gothamist.com/2014/07/26/taylor_schilling_says_oitnb_gives_w.php

Edited July 27, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[bravelittletoaster]

The story behind making 17 key props from seasons 1 & 2:

 

http://www.vulture.com/2014/07/orange-is-the-new-black-props-explainer.html

[Lovecat]

Maxipads are incredibly versatile.  We used to tie them to the ends of sturdy sticks, dip them in kerosene, light them, and use them as torches for processionals at girl scout camp.

[sidekickgirl]

Just saw Constance Shulman (Yoga Jones) in an infomercial. She was playing the role of lady in the spa trying out a new anti-aging/wrinkle filler.

Love when I see actors in "real" roles. LOL

[bravelittletoaster]

A write-up by the Hollywood Reporter on the Emmy panel yesterday moderated by Chelsea Handler featuring Jenji and the nominated actors [also Biggs and Delaria, randomly]:

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/orange-is-new-black-stars-723388

 

ETA:  Here's a better, more substantial write-up of the For Your Consideration talk by Variety:

 

http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/orange-is-the-new-black-chelsea-handler-emmy-panel-1201276164/

 

Little interview with Taylor at TV Guide, including some hints / spec on where Piper and Alex are in season 3:

 

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Orange-New-Black-Season-2-Piper-Taylor-Schilling-Alex-OITNB-1085284.aspx

 

 

When she makes that phone call to bring Alex back to prison, how much of that is because Piper needs Alex and doesn't want to be alone, and how much of it is her wanting to protect Alex?
Schilling: I think it's a bit of everything. I think that Piper's experiencing power in a way that she hasn't quite before. She's testing out who she is and what she wants and getting what she wants and seeing what it feels like to get what she wants. ... Her behavior and the way she's interacting with the world is shifting.

Laura Prepon told us last year that Piper and Alex's relationship is "toxic." Do you agree? Are you rooting for them, or do you think they're better off apart?
Schilling: I think that they have such a strong connection. I care about seeing them both happy. [Alex's reaction to Piper's phone call] will be a big part of Season 3.

Edited August 6, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[bravelittletoaster]

Good in depth cover story on Jenji Kohan by the Hollywood Reporter:

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/orange-is-new-black-showrunner-723403

 

And they talk to Jennifer Euston about what it was like to cast Orange, and what she looked for for certain roles:

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/orange-is-new-black-casting-723404

 

And a nice little piece from the LA Times, sitting down with Jenji, Uzo, Taylor, Laverne and Kate:

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/tv/la-et-st-en-orange-is-the-new-black-cast-20140807-story.html

Edited August 7, 2014 by bravelittletoaster

[lion10]

I saw this interesting article about OITNB.  I watched Oz before I watched OITNB so I've been comparing the two prisons and the various inmates.  I knew inmate-inmate sexual violence was a huge problem in men's problems and that guard-inmate sexual violence was a problem in women's problems, but I had no idea women's prisons had a big problem with inmate-inmate sexual violence.  I wonder if OITNB will touch on it in Season 3?

 

This is such a fantastic show overall, though.  So many issues I hadn't really considered are presented here in great detail.  

[bravelittletoaster]

I wonder if the fact that that person is talking about state prison vs. federal makes a big difference?  Because most accounts I've read of the federal penitentiaries for women suggest it's not actually that big a problem, and Kerman didn't witness much herself.   But I think in the case of women the state prisons probably house more hardened criminals on average than the federal pens, since the federal pens probably have non-violent drug offenders, fraud offenders and tax evaders, things of that nature.  Whereas typical violent crimes are going to land you in a state prison, not a federal one, I think....Just spitballin, not sure either way. 

[bravelittletoaster]

In completely different media coverage:

 

http://pagesix.com/2014/08/14/real-life-oitnb-character-lands-book-deal/

LOLOL, this is going to be interesting.  I actually really like and respect Kerman irl, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm looking forward to this soap opera playing out publicly this spring, just as Netflix is ramping up the publicity for season 3 to premiere in June 2015.  You gotta hand it to Harpers, they know exactly what they're doing with the timing.  They'll be able to piggy back on all the attention Orange will be getting anyways in May, and the interviews are liable to be amazing.  I'm gonna be reaching for the popcorn, anyhow.

[bravelittletoaster]

Your tax dollars at work:

 

http://www.avclub.com/article/someone-congress-messing-orange-new-black-stars-wi-208396

 

I would really love for this poster to be ID'd and publicly shamed, but I don't know specific IP addresses get.  God, there are a lot of nutbar losers in the House.

[OrangeCrush]

An internal investigation should be able to narrow down the IP to the office, if not the exact computer asset.

 

Agree totally. This is a perfect example of "abuse of power". However, given the fact that the U.S House of Representitives is under Republican control, even if the staffer and Rep. were named, it would be highly unlikely the Ethics Committee would do any thing or that the member or his staffer would even be critized given the homophobic/conservative/ridgid mindset of that bunch. The Republicans are so shamefully anti EVERYTHING except rich white guys!

[SaabStory]

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=885557

 

Lori Petty

[bluedevilblue]

I think that when your opponents are reduced to editing actresses' wikipedia entries anonymously, you've won.  But that's just me. 

 

Glad to see Lori Petty will be back.  Thought her character was hilarious in the brief time we spent with her. 

Edited August 24, 2014 by bluedevilblue

[ElectricBoogaloo]

OINTNB writer has divorced her husband and is now dating Samira Wiley

[bravelittletoaster]

Boy it took em a while to sniff out that story. They've been dating for months and months.

[bravelittletoaster]

David Fincher says the best characters are on TV, citing Piper and Orange is the New Black as examples:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/11158075/David-Fincher-The-most-interesting-characters-are-on-TV.html

[maraleia]

Backstage at the SAG awards

[maraleia]

More reactions by the cast about their SAG win http://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyorley/oitnb-won-big-at-the-sag-awards

[Lablover27]

Just stopping by to say I was so happy to see their wins!  I watched all seasons in 2 days.  If I was a dude, I would have grown a beard. :)  Love this show. 

[BetterButter]

Returns June 12/

[Lablover27]

Returns June 12/

Thank you BetterButter.  I came to this thread to ask when it is returning!  Don't let me forget. Quote on 6/12 so I will remember.  ;)  

[kdm07]

The official trailer is here!

 

Edited April 9, 2015 by kdm07

[JBC344]

You could totally see Uzo's slight weight loss in her face.  She looks great.  Seems like Season 3 is getting back to being a little lighter than season 2 was.

[Sakura12]

Suzanne: "It's not about sex, it's about love. It's about two people connecting...with four other people...and aliens" hahaha. That makes me want to read her story/poem. 

[junemeatcleaver]

lol Is Suzanne writing fanfiction?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

New trailer!

 

Two lies and a truth:

 

 

 

 

Promo for Orangecon:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

article about the Time Hump Chronicles

[mledawn]

So, Norma used to be in a punk band - as the singer.

[jellywager]

Wow! The media is really trying to push Ruby Rose (Stella) as the next how thing. I keep seeing articles on FB on how it is ok for one to think RR is hot even though one is straight. Another showed a video of RR doing a "gender fluid" video where she is dressed as a really pretty woman and then sits in a bathtub dumping buckets of water on herself (which she was in a bathtub, the bucket was unnecessary)then she washed off all this make-up to reveal all her tattoos, then she starts dressing like a man and starts getting really angry and silently swears and gestures to the camera in a threatening manner. Then when she is totally dressed as a man, she still looks like a woman to me. The last think I saw was that she met Justin Bieber and they were taking pictures with each other b/c they are long lost twins. (Which I don't like JB, but I thought that was kind of cute). So beware, the media wants you to lust after the "star" of OITNB.

[kdm07]

Wow! The media is really trying to push Ruby Rose (Stella) as the next how thing. I keep seeing articles on FB on how it is ok for one to think RR is hot even though one is straight. Another showed a video of RR doing a "gender fluid" video where she is dressed as a really pretty woman and then sits in a bathtub dumping buckets of water on herself (which she was in a bathtub, the bucket was unnecessary)then she washed off all this make-up to reveal all her tattoos, then she starts dressing like a man and starts getting really angry and silently swears and gestures to the camera in a threatening manner. Then when she is totally dressed as a man, she still looks like a woman to me. The last think I saw was that she met Justin Bieber and they were taking pictures with each other b/c they are long lost twins. (Which I don't like JB, but I thought that was kind of cute). So beware, the media wants you to lust after the "star" of OITNB.

 

Maybe it's just my personal taste but I don't find her attractive at all. Neither did I find her character in any way appealing. I hope by going to Max, that'll be the last we see of her.

[possibilities]

article about the Time Hump Chronicles

The article left out the pangolin and the squish mitten!

[kathe5133]

I thnk she is attractive, but being that sexual orientation is not a "choice"......  I'm straight.  There really isn't any woman alive who can "turn" me gay, and the implication that a phenomon such as that exists I find annoying.  And I find nothing sexy, be it male or female about being all "tatted up"!  YMMV.....

[LCanterbury]

Sorry - nothing to see here.

Edited July 4, 2015 by LCanterbury

[Cranberry]

Only the individual episode threads are safe from spoilers (we ask that people not discuss anything that happens after that particular episode -- or if they do, they put it in spoiler tags). All of the general threads can, and probably will, contain untagged spoilers for the whole season.