Leslie Bibb Feels Blessed to Star in ABC's 'GCB'

Leslie Bibb Feels Blessed to Star in ABC's 'GCB' By Jessica Gardner March 8, 2012 Photo by ABC Leslie Bibb on "GCB" Leslie Bibb, star of ABC's suburban satire "GCB," has Oprah Winfrey to thank for her first big break. In 1990, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" had a nationwide modeling contest. Bibb's mother sent in pictures of her 16-year-old daughter. She was chosen as the winner by Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Iman, and John Casablancas. Before the contest, while Bibb was growing up in Virginia, it never occurred to her to pursue a career in the arts. "It just didn't seem very realistic to me," she says. "I thought I would go to UVA, then law school, and then go into politics." When she went to New York that summer, after her junior year of high school, to pursue modeling work as a new client of the Elite Agency, the people and the industry there amazed her. She went back to Virginia for her senior year, spending about a week a month in NY. Then she started college at the University of Virginia but felt out of place. "Remember that saying on 'Sesame Street,' 'Which one of these things is not like the other?' she says. "Like you have circles, and then there would be a square? I felt like a square with all the circles. I didn't fit in. When I went to NY, I took a summer Meisner intensive at [William] Esper Studios. When I walked in, it was like, 'Oh. I found my tribe. For the first time in my life, I found who I'm supposed to be with.' I think actors are a tribe. Either you understand it or you don't. For me, it made sense. It just fit. I love acting, actors, talking about acting, watching movies, seeing plays. I just love it. It's one of my greatest joys."Bibb, who is probably best known for playing Carley Bobby in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" or the lead in the WB TV series "Popular," attributes part of her success to her training and work ethic. "If I get an audition, I do the same process that I do if I've booked the job," she says. "Sometimes financially it's difficult because I'm putting as much work into it even if I'm not getting the job. But I think it's important because when you finish school, your auditions become your scenes you've been allotted from your acting teacher."Bibb says sometimes she'll "steal" scene ideas from film and TV actors she admires. "Nobody's reinventing the wheel with stories; they're just told a little differently," she says. "I watch movies to inspire myself while I'm creating a character. And not just current movies. You need to have an arsenal." Then, because she studied Meisner, she breaks down her character's subtext, actions, and intentions. "I go back to the basics," she says.Scared in a Good Christian Way It terrifies Bibb how invested she is in "GCB" becoming a hit. She says she has loved it ever since her manager, John Carrabino, told her the original title"Good Christian Bitches." She plays Amanda Vaughn, a single mother who moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew up for a fresh start. "I need to stop wanting people to love [the show], because it leaves me very prone to being disappointed if people don't get it," she says. "I don't think I've ever felt this way about a TV show. I think with 'Popular,' I took everything for granted. Now I have a real appreciation for work and writing that is this good and this fun." Bibb says that working with creator Robert Harling ("Steel Magnolias") has been the most fulfilling part of her "GCB" experience so far. "I just think the sun shines out of that man's ass," she says. "Bobby's door is always open for his actors if you have a question or suggestion. That is such a blessing. I find that to be not the norm in television."Another thing that has scared Bibb is working at the fast pace TV demands. As an actor who says she is very demanding of herself in breaking down a script, Bibb has had to adjust her method. "I want to keep the integrity of my work ethic even if I have to turn it over so fast," she says. "The thing about television is, it's like you're running a marathon every day, and you're constantly in training. You're ready to run at any moment. You're always in motion. You're always conditioning yourself. That part is awesome."In the last seven years, she has enjoyed playing comedic characters in films such as "Zookeeper" and "Talladega Nights." "I remember saying to Will Ferrell, 'When I put on this wig and fake nails, it's like I can say whatever I want and nobody can get mad at me because I'm being Carley Bobby," she says. It has been a little nerve-wracking, however, for Bibb to play the straight person among the larger-than-life types enacted by "GCB" co-stars Kristin Chenoweth and Annie Potts. But Bibb understands that, in comedy, the straight man is just as important as the crazy character who gets the laugh. "In 'Arthur' you needed Liza Minnelli to sustain Dudley Moore, and in 'Wedding Crashers' you needed Owen Wilson in order to sustain Vince Vaughn," she says. "Maybe I don't have the wig and all of the craziness, but I'm adding to the comedy. With comedy and improv, our egos can start to overshoot what the scene is really about and what aids the script. You want that last laugh. You start to do all this shit that may be funny, but it's not serving the actual movie. Look at Drew Barrymore in 'The Wedding Singer.' She's so funny, but Adam Sandler comes off even funnier because of what she does. You can't worry about not getting the zinger. You are. You're just as important."Keeping Good Company Bibb had an interesting recent experience when her teacher, Maggie Flanigan, allowed her to audit a second-year class at Esper Studios. Flanigan said to her students, "Don't hang out with bad actors." Bibb laughed, then approached Flanigan after class and told her: "You know, I don't think I would have gotten it when I was in school, but you're right. I know it sounds silly and pompous, but you need to surround yourself with the real deals, the people who love the process. Same thing with movies, watching great performances, and going to see great theater: It's exciting, inspiring, and it keeps you in a creative light."OUTTAKES Has appeared in such films as "Law Abiding Citizen," "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2," "Confessions of a Shopaholic," and "The Skulls"Receives tweets from fans as far away as Croatia telling her that "Popular" was their favorite show. Recently, she realized how similar her character in "GCB" is to her character in "Popular": "I started talking about the character, and I was like, 'Holy shit, this is like Brooke McQueen!' If Brooke McQueen was from Dallas, it's like her growing up and having to deal with Mary Cherry and Nicole Julian." Leslie Bibb Feels Blessed to Star in ABC's 'GCB' By Jessica Gardner March 8, 2012 Leslie Bibb on "GCB" PHOTO CREDIT ABC Leslie Bibb, star of ABC's suburban satire "GCB," has Oprah Winfrey to thank for her first big break. In 1990, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" had a nationwide modeling contest. Bibb's mother sent in pictures of her 16-year-old daughter. She was chosen as the winner by Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Iman, and John Casablancas. Before the contest, while Bibb was growing up in Virginia, it never occurred to her to pursue a career in the arts. "It just didn't seem very realistic to me," she says. "I thought I would go to UVA, then law school, and then go into politics." When she went to NY that summer, after her junior year of high school, to pursue modeling work as a new client of the Elite Agency, the people and the industry there amazed her. She went back to Virginia for her senior year, spending about a week a month in NY. Then she started college at the University of Virginia but felt out of place. "Remember that saying on 'Sesame Street,' 'Which one of these things is not like the other?' she says. "Like you have circles, and then there would be a square? I felt like a square with all the circles. I didn't fit in. When I went to NY, I took a summer Meisner intensive at [William] Esper Studios. When I walked in, it was like, 'Oh. I found my tribe. For the first time in my life, I found who I'm supposed to be with.' I think actors are a tribe. Either you understand it or you don't. For me, it made sense. It just fit. I love acting, actors, talking about acting, watching movies, seeing plays. I just love it. It's one of my greatest joys."Bibb, who is probably best known for playing Carley Bobby in "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" or the lead in the WB TV series "Popular," attributes part of her success to her training and work ethic. "If I get an audition, I do the same process that I do if I've booked the job," she says. "Sometimes financially it's difficult because I'm putting as much work into it even if I'm not getting the job. But I think it's important because when you finish school, your auditions become your scenes you've been allotted from your acting teacher."Bibb says sometimes she'll "steal" scene ideas from film and TV actors she admires. "Nobody's reinventing the wheel with stories; they're just told a little differently," she says. "I watch movies to inspire myself while I'm creating a character. And not just current movies. You need to have an arsenal." Then, because she studied Meisner, she breaks down her character's subtext, actions, and intentions. "I go back to the basics," she says.Scared in a Good Christian Way It terrifies Bibb how invested she is in "GCB" becoming a hit. She says she has loved it ever since her manager, John Carrabino, told her the original title"Good Christian Bitches." She plays Amanda Vaughn, a single mother who moves back to the affluent Dallas neighborhood where she grew up for a fresh start. "I need to stop wanting people to love [the show], because it leaves me very prone to being disappointed if people don't get it," she says. "I don't think I've ever felt this way about a TV show. I think with 'Popular,' I took everything for granted. Now I have a real appreciation for work and writing that is this good and this fun." Bibb says that working with creator Robert Harling ("Steel Magnolias") has been the most fulfilling part of her "GCB" experience so far. "I just think the sun shines out of that man's ass," she says. "Bobby's door is always open for his actors if you have a question or suggestion. That is such a blessing. I find that to be not the norm in television."Another thing that has scared Bibb is working at the fast pace TV demands. As an actor who says she is very demanding of herself in breaking down a script, Bibb has had to adjust her method. "I want to keep the integrity of my work ethic even if I have to turn it over so fast," she says. "The thing about television is, it's like you're running a marathon every day, and you're constantly in training. You're ready to run at any moment. You're always in motion. You're always conditioning yourself. That part is awesome."In the last seven years, she has enjoyed playing comedic characters in films such as "Zookeeper" and "Talladega Nights." "I remember saying to Will Ferrell, 'When I put on this wig and fake nails, it's like I can say whatever I want and nobody can get mad at me because I'm being Carley Bobby," she says. It has been a little nerve-wracking, however, for Bibb to play the straight person among the larger-than-life types enacted by "GCB" co-stars Kristin Chenoweth and Annie Potts. But Bibb understands that, in comedy, the straight man is just as important as the crazy character who gets the laugh. "In 'Arthur' you needed Liza Minnelli to sustain Dudley Moore, and in 'Wedding Crashers' you needed Owen Wilson in order to sustain Vince Vaughn," she says. "Maybe I don't have the wig and all of the craziness, but I'm adding to the comedy. With comedy and improv, our egos can start to overshoot what the scene is really about and what aids the script. You want that last laugh. You start to do all this shit that may be funny, but it's not serving the actual movie. Look at Drew Barrymore in 'The Wedding Singer.' She's so funny, but Adam Sandler comes off even funnier because of what she does. You can't worry about not getting the zinger. You are. You're just as important."Keeping Good Company Bibb had an interesting recent experience when her teacher, Maggie Flanigan, allowed her to audit a second-year class at Esper Studios. Flanigan said to her students, "Don't hang out with bad actors." Bibb laughed, then approached Flanigan after class and told her: "You know, I don't think I would have gotten it when I was in school, but you're right. I know it sounds silly and pompous, but you need to surround yourself with the real deals, the people who love the process. Same thing with movies, watching great performances, and going to see great theater: It's exciting, inspiring, and it keeps you in a creative light."OUTTAKES Has appeared in such films as "Law Abiding Citizen," "Iron Man," "Iron Man 2," "Confessions of a Shopaholic," and "The Skulls"Receives tweets from fans as far away as Croatia telling her that "Popular" was their favorite show. Recently, she realized how similar her character in "GCB" is to her character in "Popular": "I started talking about the character, and I was like, 'Holy shit, this is like Brooke McQueen!' If Brooke McQueen was from Dallas, it's like her growing up and having to deal with Mary Cherry and Nicole Julian."

'Lorax' Tops Weekend Box Office Over 'Project X,' 'Act of Valor'

'Lorax' Tops Weekend Box Office Over 'Project X,' 'Act of Valor' By Frank Nestor March 5, 2012 Photo by Universal Pictures Illumination Entertainment "The Lorax" "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," a children's tale getting an expert-atmosphere message, assigned the weekend box office for Scar. 2-4, 2012, by grossing greater than $70 million. Featuring the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, and Taylor Quick, the animated tale beat its raunchy competition, "Project X," which dedicated to three teens throwing an crazy party to ensure that they may be awesome. The last weekend's box office champion, "Act of Valor," slid lower to 3rd place with $13.7 million. 'Lorax' Tops Weekend Box Office Over 'Project X,' 'Act of Valor' By Frank Nestor March 5, 2012 "The Lorax" PHOTO CREDIT Universal Pictures Illumination Entertainment "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax," a children's tale getting an expert-atmosphere message, assigned the weekend box office for Scar. 2-4, 2012, by grossing greater than $70 million. Featuring the voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, and Taylor Quick, the animated tale beat its raunchy competition, "Project X," which dedicated to three teens throwing an crazy party to ensure that they may be awesome. The last weekend's box office champion, "Act of Valor," slid lower to 3rd place with $13.7 million.

'Silent House' And Five Other Contained Horrors Films

When "Silent House" opens up, Elizabeth Olsen and her father have retreated to their lakeside home in order to fix it up for sale. But when a terrorizing presence reveals itself inside the house, Olsen finds her father incapacitated, and more shockingly, the house completely sealed off from the outside. As she tries to make her way out, she has to match wits with the home invader and explore every nook of an environment shes only barely familiar with. Its a classic horror premise: characters trapped in one place through a force supernatural or man-made, attempting to find an exit with little idea of what to do. In conjunction with "Silent House," weve collected a list of five other memorable scary movies in which theres no way out, sometimes not even at the end. Spoilers ahead! "Evil Dead 2" Purists will go for the first "Evil Dead," but the remake is better in almost every way. After Ash and his girlfriend head to a cabin in the woods for a romantic getaway, the bridge leading them there is destroyed, trapping Ash and the scholars who show up (his girlfriend is killed early on). While they worry about finding a way out, the evil magic of the Necronomicon turns everything upside-down: the dead rise, the trees attack, and Ash is forced to cut off his possessed hand and replace it with a chainsaw. Technically, the characters never find an exit in this one. At the end, everyone is dead except for Ash, who is immediately warped to the 14th century where the movies eventual sequel, "Army of Darkness" takes place. "The Shining" Probably the greatest movie on our list, "The Shining" isnt a typical horror movie. Its long and slow and the presence haunting the Torrance family is never really explained. But when the tension finally builds to its harrowing end game, its riveting to watch Wendy and Danny attempt to escape the Overlook Hotel with the murderous Jack in hot pursuit. After the hotels communication and transportation systems are destroyed, its only tragic luck that has Wendy and Danny eventually heading back to civilization. "13 Ghosts" "13 Ghosts" is not a great movie. But its filled with the type of goofy mythology and overcomplicated premise that can sometimes turn a mediocre horror movie into a memorable one. Especially when you consider that its filled with a "Whos Who?" of actors you sort of recognize from somewhere, like Matthew Lillard and Shannon Elizabeth. If you forgot, "13 Ghosts" is about a group of people who are trapped in an elaborately-designed basement containing 12 violent spirits, who are released one by one while the protagonists try to figure out what the hell is going on and make their escape from the shifting rooms and deadly traps. Theres a plot that only sort of makes sense, but the art direction is awesomely trashy, and the paranormal tension is real enough. "Cube" Its a simple premise: strangers are trapped in a cube-shaped prison, with no explanation of how they got there and no instruction on how to get out. The ingenuity of the concept and the unique visuals are enough to make up for the somewhat weak characterization: opening scenes like this one go a long way toward sustaining our interest, and it no doubt influenced a load of horror films, like the next one on our list. "Saw" For a moment, forget everything that followed: the ceaseless sequels, the 3D gimmickry, the increasingly inscrutable plots and back stories, the diminishing box office returns, the actors you couldnt pick out of a slideshow, the endless copy cats and the crummy traps. "Saw" may not have been a revolution upon its release in 2003, but it was a breath of fresh air with intricate plotting wrapped around visceral imagery and enough twists and turns keeping the audience guessing until its frightful conclusion. Who could forget when Jigsaw rises off the ground and terrifies the absolute hell out of all of us? The setting jumps around, but were talking about the bathroom where the movie starts, and the characters who are forced to make an awful decision if they want to escape with their lives. What are your favorite contained horror films? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

'Harry Potter' Returning To Home Video In Special Edition Set

Just as Harry Potter returned from the in-between at the end of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," the "Harry Potter" DVDs and Blu-Rays that we just lost forever for a brief period of time will now be apparating back on to store shelves near you. Okay, so that might have been a stretch for a metaphor, but the "Harry Potter" films are coming back to store shelves in a brand new collection. This bad boy is replete with the special features and memorabilia absent from last year's complete DVD/Blu-Ray collection, and comes tacked with a $500 price tag. Amazon posted the details about the "Harry Potter Wizards Collection" and even offered a $150 markdown, but didn't have any details about what the boxed set will officially include. Well, that's where I come in. Since the collection still has a vague "2012" release date, it seems fair to take a crack at puzzling out what could possibly be included that makes the special edition home video release so expensive. Click on after the jump to see my memorabilia and featurette wish list. One Of The Horcruxes It only seems fair that, if we're shelling out half a grand for a special edition "Harry Potter" boxed set, we get one of the items that helped bring down Voldemort. After all, there are eight of them. That's plenty enough to go around. A Wand That Works Actual Magic Yes, I do love my wand that I received from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but it's a bit lacking in the magical department. No matter how many times I try to cast "lumos," my apartment remains depressingly unlit. I'm sure that by now Warner Bros has found some way of making magic a reality, so it's likely included in this box. I'd also settle for a Deluminator. A Live Owl PETA would surely have a field day with this, but the special edition box looks big enough for an owl, rat or cat to fit inside of. Just pop in a few air holes and they'll be fine for the 0.002 seconds that these collector's editions will likely stay on the shelves. For $500 you could probably buy a purebred puppy, so why not a magical creature to live beside you while you live through your magical adventures? (#riphedwig) The Cast Reading All The "Harry Potter" Books Screw audiobooks, I want a videobook. Sure, some might argue that that is just a movie, but I'm talking all the actors sitting in a room reading us the entirety of J.K. Rowling's seven book series in character. And Rowling can get the lucky role of reading the narration. Well, her or Morgan Freeman. J.K. Rowling's New Book Hey, a girl can dream, right? Both Rowling's new book and this boxed set have vague 2012 release dates, so it only makes sense that the two could be released alongside one another. It could at least include a tease of what we have to expect. What do you want to see included in the "Harry Potter" boxed set? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!