‘The Cabin in the Woods’ comes from the minds of Joss Whedon (‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Firefly’ The upcoming ‘Avengers’) and Drew Goddard (‘Buffy’, ‘Angel’, ‘Cloverfield’) and if the movie is any indication their minds are a fun place to be, as well as a bit screwed up.

I feel I must start with a warning: the movie is more fun if experienced with little to no knowledge upfront. One of the best parts of the movie for me was sitting there for the first hour or more and having absolutely no clue what was going on.

The film follows 5 college kids who go to spend the weekend in a cabin in the woods, only to meet terror and tragedy while there. It’s the typical, and most used, horror setup around. But there’s a twist, one which trailers appear to give away, but which in all actuality is spilled in the very first scene of the film. The cabin in the woods is under the control of some mysterious, government looking agency, which is pulling the strings.

The five kids are your typical horror movie characters, Curt, the jock (Chris Hemsworth, who can also currently be seen in the other Whedon film ‘The Avengers’), Dana, the good girl (Kristen Connolly), Jules, the naughty one (Anna Hutchison), and Marty, the stoner (Fran Kranz, who steals the show in every single scene he is in.) Unlike most horror films which have these stereotypical characters, the gang here is a little more than what they seem, and each one has a distinct reason for being part of the film. To say anymore about the plot would be a disservice anyone who hasn’t seen the film. As I said, not knowing makes the movie better.

What you do need to know is that this is not only a horror film, but also a comedy, and on a much deeper level a commentary on the current state of horror films. A movie that some people will be able to watch, enjoy and move on, and which others will debate about for years to come.

The movie won’t be for everyone, but for horror fans, especially those who can go in with no expectations and an open mind, it will almost certainly be an instant classic.

The first thing one should know about ‘Project X’, a new teen comedy in theaters which hit theaters last week, is that it’s produced by Todd Philips, director of ‘The Hangover’ and it’s remake sequel. That alone will tell you if you have any desire to see this film. Like those movies ‘Project X’ is a comedy fueled by alcohol and drugs, and filled with terrible language, and a fair amount of nudity.

JB, Costa, & Thomas

Unlike those films, ‘Project X’ is centered on a trio of high school kids, Costa, the abrasive loudmouth who plans the party, Thomas, the quiet somewhat shy kid who’s turning 17 and whose parents are going out of town, and JB, the overweight nerdy kid, who hope to make a name for themselves by throwing the greatest house party ever. In the words of Chris Rock “This is gonna make House Party look like House Party 2!” and how. The party quickly escalates to such epic proportions that no one involved will ever be the same. I don’t want to ruin any of the fun, just know over the course of the party there’s an angry little person, fireworks, a taser, and a flamethrower, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

The movie also has a sweet love story at its center between Thomas and his longtime friend Kirby. Their romance is complicated by Thomas being oblivious and having a crush on the school hottie Alexis, who comes on to him at the party. It’s the typical “best friend longing for more” storyline that’s been in countless teen flicks, but it works here very well, although I felt it could have been fleshed out a little more.

But mostly the movie is about that party. It’s clear that everyone involved had a blast during the five weeks of filming, and the mostly unknown cast does a great job. Towards the end the party gets so massive, that it almost seems absurd, unless you know that the movie is at least partially based on a real party a 16 year old threw in Australia which ended with the police out in riot gear.

In the end ‘Project X’ is a movie that takes on a different form depending on your age. For teens it’s a comedy about the greatest party ever thrown. For college kids it’s nostalgia for high school and possibly the parties they attended or wished they’d attended. And for grow ups whose own kids are heading towards high school it’s a horror story of what can happen when you trust your kids while you go away. For those of us between college and being the parents of a teen it’s a fun ride for 90 min that will likely fade from memory fairly quickly.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Most of the time a movie lives or dies by the level of acting that is brought to the picture. It can have the best story and most amazing action pieces, but if the actors involved don’t convey the emotions their characters are feeling authentically, then the audience doesn’t care and the movie falls apart. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, just look at the Transformers series for proof that movies with terrible stories and acting can still sell millions in tickets all because of some good explosions.

‘Act of Valor’ is an exception to this rule as well, but in a different way. The movie, about a team of Navy SEALs taking on a terrorist plot to infiltrate American with suicide bombers, has a few seasoned actors, but is mostly made up of real, active duty Navy SEALs. While several of the SEALs do a good job acting (the actor who plays Senior Chief Miller* does a particularly wonderful job in a scene which takes place on a yacht), their inexperience shows on screen and it leads to scenes which feel wooden.

But all of that is overwritten by a tightly written script which features some incredible tense, and realistic, action sequences. It’s these missions that keep the film moving and keep the audience engaged. Whether the team is infiltrating a terrorist compound in order to save a captured CIA agent or raiding a yacht, every single action sequence keeps the audience bound to the edge of their seat, waiting to see what happens next.

Although some of the acting falls flat, the storyline of Lt. Rorke and Chief Dave, the main two SEALs, does a lot to show the human side of what is happening everyday with American soldiers. Men leaving their wives and kids behind in order to risk their lives to fight for our country. Some of whom never return. It’s these two characters that the audience comes to know the most, and it’s their loses which make the film hit home.

While ‘Act of Valor’ has some faults, it is a great film that everyone should see, if only to catch a glimpse at what the men and women of our armed forces are doing everyday to protect the lives we have.

*The full names of the Navy SEALs who participated in the movie were not released.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lachlan Buchanan plays a stranger who may hold the key to Ali's disappearance.

Spencer talks with Jason

Toby walks with Jenna as Spencer watched stunned!

Spencer confronts Toby

The Liars

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tonight Psych returns to USA with ‘Indiana Shawn and the Temple of the Kinda Crappy, Rusty Old Dagger.’ I’ve seen the first episode back and it’s everything you’d expect with Psych taking on Indiana Jones. Plus it features the return of Despereaux (guest star Cary Elwes), a cameo from John Rhys-Davies and guest star Aadchen Amick! I had a chance to talk with Shawn and Gus, or at least the actors who play them James Roday and Dule Hill, about the new season, what’s in the works for next season, and more.

Q: Hey, guys. Congratulations on the well-deserved seventh season pick-up.

James Roday: Thanks, bro.

Dule Hill: Thank you very much.

Q: So sometimes the banter between Shawn and Gus seems so natural. Is any of that improvised?

James Roday: Yes, yes, we’ve sort of – we’ve got a nice balance of scripted stuff and improvisation since the very beginning. I think it’s part of what sparks the show and keeps things lively for Dule and I, and luckily we’ve been doing it long enough that we can make it – we can generally make it sound like it belongs in the scene.

Q: As you know, there’ve been a lot of parodies and tributes done on Psych so far. Are there any other ones coming up in the future that we should be looking for?

Dule Hill: Well, James Roday has directed one, I think airing second. Maybe you might want to fill them in on what that is, there, James.

James Roday: Thanks for bringing that up, man. We’ve got an episode called “Here’s Lassie” up second, which is our tribute to The Shining, not so much the book, more the Stanley Kubrick adaptation – film adaptation of the book, and that turned out pretty well. I think the highlight is easily Dule Hill’s impression of Shelley Duvall. Everyone can look forward to that.

Dule Hill: Yes, I see the opener too, I guess as an homage to the Indiana Jones series.

James Roday: Yes, that’s true. That’s absolutely true. And then we also send up The Bachelor.

Dule Hill: Oh, that’s right.

James Roday: That comes later in the season.

Dule Hill: Yes, that’s right.

James Roday: So we do our version of the reality looking for love thing. And then we close down the season with a little nod to Chinatown, which we call Santa Barbara town.

Dule Hill: Santa Barbara town. See the play on words there, Chinatown, Santa Barbara town? See how we do it?

James Roday: So, yes, you’ve got some tributes to look forward to coming up.

Q: Can you both talk about filming “HEEEEERE”S LASSIE”, and what horror film element that was brought into the episode scared you the most?

James Roday: I can tell you that we got pretty lucky with the set of twins that we found. You know, I think initially we were going to go with sort of more traditionally and closer to what you have in the original movie. And then they had come in and auditioned for a different episode, and I think it was Steve’s episode and he remembered them. And he was like you have to watch this.

And we watched the audition, and it was like, oh my gosh. We’re going to do this instead, which was better because it allowed us to sort of put our own little spin on it. But they were I thought pretty effectively creepy. They were lovely ladies, and a hoot to have around, but I thought it was pretty – I thought it was just as creepy as the little girls in the movie quite frankly.

Dule Hill: Yes. And the little boy too. The little boy breaking his little pinky, that little finger – that was pretty spooky for me, especially when we’re down there in the laundry room and he comes by the window. It’s like – that was pretty spooky.

James Roday: Little kids and twins, man. You can’t go wrong with those, you know what I mean?

Dule Hill: Two of the scariest things in the world.

Q: You guys talked a little bit last fall before this season debuted about a clue-themed episode. Is there any word on that project?

Dule Hill: James Roday?

James Roday: That I can say with a reasonable degree of confidence is still happening. The reason that we were unable to do it in season six was sort of a perfect storm of scheduling issues with some of the pieces of talent that I think we could all agree you have to have on board if you’re going to do a clue episode.

So we basically just put a pin in it and pushed it to season seven, if there was going to be a season seven, and now that there is one, I can say here with confidence, barring some unforeseen glitch, you’re going to get your clue episode next season.

Q: Shawn and Gus seem to be growing up, the show is still hilarious, but there are some more serious moments, such as Shawn dealing with death in tonight’s episode and the engagement ring. Are we going to see more of these type of moments?

Dule Hill: I think you have to. I mean, I think, you know, we’ve been on the air for six years, going into our seventh. And you know, it would be false for us not to. I mean, the fact is they are trying to hold onto the past and to be never growing up, but the fact is they are growing up.

And as you see, you know, with Shawn, you know, and getting more serious with Juliet, and even Gus trying to find his own significant other and things like that, I think that’s a – the general, or – that’s going to be the arc of the characters. Otherwise I think it’d just be getting boring if we kept doing the same exact thing as season one.

Q: So it’s been a while since Gus has had a real love interest. How long until he gets a steady romantic love interest?

Dule Hill: That’s a good question. I hope that, and Roday might be able to answer it better, but I hope that next season, we’ll get a chance to see Gus be in some kind of relationship that lasts over an episode or two.

I wouldn’t want to see him being in a relationship all season. I think that would not be fun, but hopefully we’re going to see what it’s like when he’s in some kind of relationship over a short period of time, and not just one episode and – or swinging and striking out.

James Roday: Yes, I think this is the year, man. This is the year that Gus gets some good loving.

Q: And of all the girls that you’ve got to have a romantic relationship with so far, who’s been your favorite to work with?

Dule Hill: Well, that’s kind of a loaded question there, because I would have to go back to ‘From Earth to Starbucks’, because that was my wife.

Q: Good answer.

Dule Hill: I’m no idiot. I’m no idiot.

James Roday: It takes the fun out of it a little, seeing as how I pretty much have to say Maggie, so there you go.

Dule Hill: But also too, because in that episode came the line, “Did you hear about Pluto?”…

James Roday: That’s true.

Dule Hill: …which was not scripted, I don’t think. I think that was something that, you know, we just came up with on the day and dropped it in there.

Be sure to tune in tonight at 10/9 c on USA as Psych returns with more mystery, more intrigue, and more hilarious moments than you can handle on a weekly basis.

Just before the mid-season premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead, I got to spend some time talking with T-Dog himself, IronE Singleton about the show, the fear of being killed off, escaping his old life, and just how crazy Nicolas Cage really is.

If you don’t know a lot about IronE, here’a bit of his background. IronE (real name Robert), was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, he lost his mother when he was a senior in high school, and watched his brother spend most of his life in Georgia’s prison system. But rather than give up IronE fought to have a better life than the one he grow up in. IronE Singleton overcame his troubled childhood to attend the University of Georgia on academic and football scholarships, where he completed a double major in Theater and Speech Communications.

Since then he’s played the menacing thus Alton in ‘The Blind Side’, co-starred with Bow Wow and Ice Cube in ‘Lottery Ticket’. And next month he will be seen alongside Nicolas Cage, Guy Pearce and January Jones in ‘Seeking Justice’. Now he’s found a home on AMC as The Walking Dead’s T-Dog.

Q: So Season 2 Part 2 is gearing up, what can you tell us about it?

IS: I’m excited about it. You just don’t know what you’re in for. I’m telling you you better brace yourself. You need to have a seatbelt because this thing is gonna take you on the rollercoaster ride of your life.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about what’s coming up with you character, T-Dog?

IS: T-Dog will be back at the farm , holding down the fort there and doing whatever needs to be done in order to maintain some type of decency. Just trying to survive this world, doing whatever needs to be done. You know the handyman.

Q: I know the show has diverged a bit from the comic series, but do you ever read ahead to see what’s coming?

IS: Yeah, I read ahead not just to find out what’s happening, and how to prepare as an actor, but just because I’m such a big fan of the show, I just love the reading and the writers are so fantastic. I’m thoroughly entertained when I’m reading.

Q: Were you a fan of the comics before the show?

IS: Unfortunately, I was not, hadn’t heard of it, sorry Robert. Robert Kirkman who is awesome I discovered how great of a guy he is, such a wonderful sense of humor. Its interesting that he can write such dark material given his sense of humor. I think that it tends to happen that way, writers tend to be the opposite of what they write. But, I wasn’t into the Sci-Fi stuff, or anything like that, or the horror type stuff because I was traumatized as a kid watching so many Friday the 13th movies, and Nightmare on Elm Street, at an early age, 5 or 6, so I try to stay away from that stuff.

Q: When you get a new script are you ever worried you might be getting killed off? With this being a show where anyone can die at any moment.

IS: Every episode I jump right to the back and say, let me see if T-Dog survives it. We’re all concerned in a sense because on this type of show you just don’t know if you’ll make the next episode. That’s what we signed up for. We knew that there was a possibility of being here one episode and gone the next. That’s why people have to tune in and find out who lives and who dies.

Q: One of my readers, Josh S., wanted to know if you know what was whispered to Rick at the end of Season 1?

IS: No, don’t know exactly, I don’t even know if Rick knows what was whispered to him. I don’t even know if Jenner knows what he whispered to Rick. It’s just part of the suspense to get people to ask the question “What did he say?” So you have to tune in to find out. And I think you’ll find out in the next six episodes.

Q: You film the show in Georgia, does you’re family live in LA, and if so is that difficult to split your time between them?

IS: A lot of the time I’m in LA, but my family still lives in Georgia, so I drove to the set everyday. I was able to stay at home with my family, and it kept me in Georgia the whole time. So I didn’t have to spend as much time in LA this past year.

Q: I can’t imagine having to spend that much time away from my family.

IS: We’ve gotten used to, but the great thing about it is during the off season I’m at home for months at a time, I can be home with them all that time. Most parents have a 9-5 and they have to go into the office and they’re not there with their kids throughout the day, their there at night when they get home, they get a couple of hours with them, may have to take them to practice and then eat dinner with them and the kids go to bed at 8 or 9 o’clock and that’s tough.

So for me I look at it as I’m able to be home with my kids for months at a time, getting to see them off to school, and see them come home from school, and for them to have both parents home I think that’s a good feeling. I never had that feeling, I don’t know what that’s like, but I imagine it’s a good one.

Q: You grow up in a tough situation and you had to make your own way, what does it feel like knowing that you worked hard and got out of the life you were born into and what it’s like knowing your kids will never know what that life was like?

IS: It’s emotional, I looked at a picture, my agent wanted me to send her a picture of me with my hair long (Ed. Singleton has grown his hair out for a project he’s working on in Toronto) So I sent her a picture and I was smiling on it and I looked at myself and I was instantly proud of me, and what God has allowed me to overcome and accomplish. I like who I see, I look at myself and there was a time I didn’t like me, I didn’t like who I was and what I was doing. And I look at that smile on my face and I was pleased with me and what God has allowed me to accomplish and it was very overwhelming and at that time I cried and shed a few tears and it’s a good place to be.

I’m like “My God, how did that happen?” It was nothing short of a miracle because I think back on it and it seems like another world going through all that stuff and to be here right now, shooting another movie, when a lot of my friends didn’t make it, they’re in prison right now or dead. And not only did I make it out of there, I made it out of there mentally and spiritually. It’s not just the physical removal, because it’s bigger than that, some people there were removed physically, but are still there mentally, they have that mindset, and the still do what they used to do. And I don’t do the things I used to do. It’s an emotional experience and I have those moments a lot.

Q: Now, you’ve got a new movie coming out next month, Seeking Justice, can you tell me about that?

IS: Yes, yes Seeking Justice with my man, Nicolas Cage, and Guy Peirce and January Jones are in it and I play a henchman by the name of Scar. I play Scar and I work for Guy Peirce’s organization and we basically spend the movie trying to track down Nicolas Cage’s character and take him because he didn’t keep a promise that he made to us.

Q: Is Nicolas Cage as crazy in real life as he comes across in some of his movies?

IS: Ha. No, he’s a really nice person, he’s very gentle, very soft spoken person and we didn’t talk much, because we were shooting the whole time, we didn’t have many moment. I shot for a week, maybe two weeks and he was back in his trailer once he finished shooting, because I think he had like 10 other movies he was preparing for, so we didn’t spend a lot of time off-screen. But, what I got from him is that he’s a very gentle, soft-spoken kind individual.

Q: It looks like we’re out of time, I have appreciated talking with you.

IS: Much love to you and you’re readers, and I hope to speak to you again in the near future. God Bless.

I have to say IronE has an amazing story and was one of the nicest, and most humble, guys I have had the pleasure of talking to. Catch him every Sunday night on AMC’s The Walking Dead at 9/8c.

“Finding Joe” a new documentary which takes a look at Philosopher/Mythologist Joseph Campbell has a new trailer which can be seen below:

Joseph Campbell was a professor at Sarah Lawrence College for 38 years. His seminal work, “A Hero with a Thousand Faces” was published in 1949 and greatly influenced generations of artists and writers, including Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Jerry Garcia and others.

Rooted in deeply personal accounts and timeless stories, Finding Joe shows how Campbell’s work is relevant and essential in today’s world and how it provides a narrative for how to live a fully realized life—or as Campbell would simply state, how to “follow your bliss”.

The film features interviews with visionaries from a variety of fields including Deepak Chopra, Mick Fleetwood, Tony Hawk, Rashida Jones, Laird Hamilton, Robert Walter, Robin Sharma, Catherine Hardwicke, Sir Ken Robinson, Akiva Goldsman and many more.

So what did everyone think of last week’s season premiere of Psych? Personally I loved it, it had some incredibly hilarious scenes, but also had some of the tensest moments of the series, specifically when it looks like Shawn’s been caught and faces Lassiter and the lie detector. Although, it wasn’t too much of a surprise to know that Henry had taught Shawn how to defeat a lie detector.

Having seen two of the episodes coming later in the season (specifically the vampire themed Halloween episode which airs in 2 weeks and William Shatner’s episode) I can say that this season is looking pretty incredible and you’re not going to want to miss a single moment of it. And I am definitely looking forward to tonight’s Hangover inspired episode!

Too prepare for tonight’s episode and the rest of the season check out the interview with Creator Steve Franks below. Much like last week’s interview with Roday and Dule, Franks spilled some details on the season, while also keeping things hilarious.

Q: Is there a confirmation for Season 7, I was just wondering, because James Roday alluded to the seasonal finale of Season 6 having a big cliffhanger. So if there wasn’t a Season 7, would you conclude that in a movie or something like that?

Steve Franks: When we were finishing up the season finale, we had something big planned that we didn’t think work well enough and something we sort of saved. And as we looked at the way the story is developing, along the course we found like a really, really cool cliffhanger. And we ended up shooting that as our finale.

So if we didn’t get a Season 7, I think we could create a situation where fans would want a riot on Wall Street as well. So it was only after the fact that when I watched it, I’m like “Oh my God. There’s no way they can’t pick us up for a Season 7 now.”

I’m always thinking about the movie. And actually, when we go in to talk to the executives I don’t know if it would be on the table. But I have not only a way we could do the movie, but I have sort of the world and the story of it.

So I would want to do a Season 7 and a movie. That would make me happy. And I want to make sure if we do the movie… I’d want it to be something that was in theaters… not just do a direct to video, you know, like double episode of the show. I’d want it to feel special. I’d want it to feel like it was something that was worthy of being in the theaters. I think we have something that’s really fun.

Q: How do you feel the Internet has affected your show and your writing, especially with the new Hashtag Killer game?

Franks: As for the Hashtag Killer, it’s incredible. I can’t believe the numbers of people. And Lynn has them. We’re shocked and amazed and excited. And, you know, at first, you know, it seemed like it was just, you know, hey, here’s something that can get people to remember that you have your show, you know, that you’re coming back because we’ve been gone for ten months.

But it really turned into something fun and the people that worked on it, they did an incredible job of making it more than just, you know, a point-and-click game. Because when they first explained it to me, I’m like, “I don’t understand this at all, you know. We get to talk to the – how are they going to talk to people, you know.” And I didn’t understand the format of it. And this – you know, through a lot of meetings, I’m like, it soon became very clear, oh this just like our show, but it actually puts everybody in the middle of it.

And I’m like – and then I said, “Okay, well there’s no way we pull this off.” But I brazenly went along the ride… And, you know, it’s amazing the response we’ve gotten. And I kind of wish that I didn’t know the solution to it so I could play, too, because it seems like it’d be a lot of fun.

Q: Can you give us a hint of what we’ll see when Pierre reunites with Shawn and Gus in the Raiders of the Lost Ark episode?

Franks: You know every time Cary comes up, we know it’s going to be the most fun we’ve had during the season. [T]here’s always been like a little action element to the Despereaux episodes. In the first one, it was the ski chase. And the second one, it was hanging the guy off the building and the Batman special effects things, and the shoot-out at the cabin. And this time, my goal was let’s just get to those action pieces and let’s do more than we ever imagine this show could do.

So there are some – it’s just, it is a thrill ride beyond anything that we’ve done. It’s really fun. It’s really fast. And there’s some truly shocking moments in the show, along with some spectacular stunt pieces and Despereaux at his most fun, and Shawn cracking a whip and doing all the – and most importantly, me, fulfilling all my childhood fantasies and getting to sort of riff on my favorite movie of all time.

Q: I was watching the pilot last week and noticed you had references to both Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Phineas & Ferb. Are there a lot of writers on the staff with kids?

Franks: About half of us have kids. This is a great thing about this show. First of all, I’ve kept almost all the same writers. I think we’ve had five new writers in the history of the show. And usually it’s [because] we’re expanding it. So over the course of our show, all of our writers have had kids and have bought houses. So we’ve all like sort of become adults. So we’ve all become saddled with mortgages and grown up to take care of our kids. But, yes, there is – let me tell you, nobody watches more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse than I do. Maybe we should have a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse competition.

And Phineas & Ferb is the one that I enjoy the most because I think that show is so funny and so smart. And we have things called room jokes, which are jokes that we think only are funny to the writers, and that it more reflects on the process of writing. But Phineas & Ferb gets away with more room jokes than any show I’ve ever seen on TV.

I’m also a fan of Jake and the Never Land Pirates. I think it’s not too bad to watch. And – but I am glad that I don’t have to watch as much Special Agent Oso as I used to because, really, honestly, Oso is an incredibly incompetent agent. Because he doesn’t even know how to tie his own shoelaces. So I mean that bear has no business taking on all these multimillion dollar gadgets and doing spy missions and flying in the space when the guy can’t even tie his own shoes.

You know what, you know my one rub against Jake and the Never Land Pirates is at the end, they collected the doubloons and they go into their treasury chest. But every time you see the treasury chest, it’s neither more full or less full than any other episode. So I don’t know what they’re working towards. And that you know what, that’s one of those little details that you probably should have worked out before they started it. And then if the show runs seven years that treasure chest is almost full. So at some point, they’re going to have to get another treasure chest or they’re going to have to use some of the doubloons from the treasure chest that they’ve been filling up each episode, and buy something.

Q: You guys have a ton of guest stars this season. How do you get all these amazing actors? Do you approach most of them or do any of them approach you about being on the show?

Franks: I have three lists. One of them is people we’ve heard are interested in doing our show. People we’ve heard that are fans of the show. And then we – which we sometimes find out through Twitter or we find out through our casting director, Julie Ashton. And then sometimes, then there’s no list of people we’ll never get in a million years, but let’s just keep them on the list. And that’s like David Bowie and people like that who don’t act much and all that.

And then there’s also people that we – and that usually how it happens is, you know, we basically – our casting director puts out, you know, a breakdown for a character. And then we get the list of available actors. And then we’ll go to them and sometimes their schedule won’t work. They’re working on something else. Or sometimes the dates won’t work or the time or maybe they’re – they don’t want to play the killer or they, you know, they want to do something differently. But we keep a very well-documented list of people who’ve ever said when we asked them if they want to be on the show, “Oh I like that show. I watch it with my kids. Oh I like that show. My wife and I watch it.” And we make sure that we go back to them.

And like a lot of the people – you know, Malcolm McDowell who’s in the premiere episode, he was originally going to be Yin last year. And he had – the dates just didn’t work out. He had a wedding reception that night. And he was actually on the move – he was going to move something and we’re like, “You know what, Malcolm, we will get you back.” And fortunately for me, he happened to be in my episode and he was so good. He was so good in it, you know.

And Shatner who comes up later in the year, we’ve always wanted to have Shatner on the show. We call all the time and finally he was available. And we had a really wonderful idea and a great script. And he jumped at the chance.

So it’s a lot of, you know, just keeping our ears to the ground. And as the show goes on, you know, our – we know that, you know, you got to fly up to Vancouver to be on our show. So we know that we have to offer something to the actors. And our guarantee – this is what I said to Malcolm McDowell in the first day. I said, “This isn’t the most fun you’ve had at least” – and Malcolm McDowell, it’s hard to say this is the most fun you’ve ever had because Malcolm McDowell’s had a lot of fun.

So to me, you know, I would say if this isn’t one of the most professional – fun professional experiences you’ve ever had, then we’ve done our job wrong. And we make sure we have a very open and fun engaging set, and that everyone is on the show has a blast. And we just say tell your friends. And whereas in Season 1 and Season 2, you know, it’s always like, “What? Which show? Psych? What is that? I’ve never heard of that?” Word has gotten around. And so it’s a lot easier to get people. And for us, it’s, you know, we treat them well. We give them great roles. And that’s paid off.

So it’s a multi-pronged approach. Paying attention, having people have heard of our show, making up our dream list of actors and having a great casting director who really thinks and really is creative and smart – and Julie Ashton is such a great person just to be around and she’s also kind of genius as a casting director.

Q: Do you have an idea for what the final episode of Psych would be?

Franks: I think I have something really good. And I think I have something that ties things together and brings us right back to the pilot in a great way. And I think that a good ending to a show, you know, resolves the question that’s posed in the pilot.

And I don’t know if I’m going to be the only one who loves it. But I have it. And I’ve never told anyone. So it has to stay in my head because Chris and Kelly, our other executive producers, are not great secret keepers. But I have a great way that I’d like to do it. And I like to – and I love when shows wrap themselves up that they, you know, that they bring everybody back and they sort of tie up all the loose ends. And it would be really nice if we have the luxury of knowing what the end of the show is and to be able to work towards that.

In the next 24 hours I’ll be posting interviews with stars James Roday and Dule Hill and Series creator Steve Franks.

In the meantime I’ve got a look at the brand new Season 6 Art and a link to the new Official Psych Tumblr.

Also, for hardcore fans of Psych I wanted to tell you of the new Psych Alternate Reality Game.  The game, Hashtag Killer, focuses on Shawn and Gus as the hunt for a killer who is taunting them via Twitter.   The game will feature original videos featuring the series’s stars and will include crime scene photos which will allow the players to interact and spot clues using powers of deduction, much like Shawn’s.

Further, fans can send and receive messages from Shaw and Gus and earn points by playing games and solving challenges.  Fans even have a chance to become the HTKiller’s next victim!!!

Check out the first video below (if for some reason it doesn’t work you can click the link)
The Hashtag Killer