The Official Crystal Chappell Message Boards • View topic

10zlaine · **Posted:** Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:37 pm

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/we-l ... -alex.html

On Episode #2 of WE LOVE SOAPS TV, Roger Newcomb and Damon L. Jacobs welcome celebrity co-host Evan Alex Cole, who plays Hunter on AS THE WORLD TURNS. Cole talks about his first six months and the soap and previews his upcoming storyline. In our latest "Soaps on the Street" segment, we ask people in Central Park if they can tell the difference between real headlines and DAYS OF OUR LIVES stories. We later put our guest co-host to the test as he plays "Real vs AS THE WORLD TURNS."

Our west coast correspondent Stephanie Burke pays a visit to the set of VENICE to talk with Crystal Chappell, Harrison White, Nadia Bjorlin, Kim Turrisi, Gina Tognoni, Jessica Leccia and Michelle N. Carter. We also go on location with AS THE WORLD TURNS to Greenville, South Carolina, and preview the upcoming the show's Never Surrender Tour including interviews with Michael Park and Mark Collier.

Look for extended interviews with cast members from VENICE and AS THE WORLD TURNS in the coming days.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Wed Nov 04, 2009 9:36 am

Exclusive interview with VENICE star Gina Tognoni
by Roger Newcomb

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/indi ... -2009.html

We Love Soaps west coast correspondent Stephanie Burke visited the set of VENICE last week and you can catch a sample of her interviews on the latest episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV. Full versions of each interview will be online throughout the week starting with Gina Tognoni, who plays Sami. You can watch Tognoni's interview below.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Thu Nov 05, 2009 12:41 pm

WE LOVE SOAPS TV Extra: VENICE's Harrison White

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/we-l ... rison.html

We Love Soaps west coast correspondent Stephanie Burke recently visited the set of VENICE and spoke with several members of the cast including Harrison White (Jamie). We debuted a portion of the interview on the new episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV, but you can watch the complete interview below.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:27 am

WE LOVE SOAPS TV Extra: VENICE's Crystal Chappell

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/we-l ... .html#more

We Love Soaps west coast correspondent Stephanie Burke recently visited the set of VENICE and spoke with the creators/producers Crystal Chappell and Kim Turrisi along with several cast members. In the video below, Chappell discusses the challenges of VENICE, provides some insights about her character (Gina), and talks about the success of The V Shop.

In the video below, Turrisi discusses how writing for the web is different from other mediums, diversity and more.

Win · **Joined:** Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:02 pm **Posts:** 3358

Quote:

Last week I took a trip to Venice. No, not Venice, Italy ... Venice Beach, Calif., to go on location and behind the scenes of Crystal Chappell’s new Web series, Venice. The highly online soap is slated to debut later this month. I caught up with the all-star daytime drama cast to get some insight, scoops, previews, and thoughts on this project that has captivated the LGBT audience, starting with Chappell, who says the series took on a life of its own, in part due to her time as Olivia, half of the same-sex pairing Otalia on Guiding Light.

To read the full article click on Advocate.com

10zlaine · **Posted:** Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:46 pm

WE LOVE SOAPS TV Extra: VENICE's Nadia Bjorlin

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/we-l ... nadia.html

We Love Soaps west coast correspondent Stephanie Burke recently visited the set of VENICE and spoke with several cast members including Nadia Bjorlin, who was a pro going from from playing Jenna to Lara on her first day when Elizabeth Keener became ill. You can watch the full interview below.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Sun Nov 08, 2009 11:39 pm

WE LOVE SOAPS TV Extra: VENICE's Jessica Leccia
by Roger Newcomb

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/we-l ... ssica.html

We Love Soaps west coast correspondent Stephanie Burke recently visited the set of VENICE and spoke with several members of the cast including Jessica Leccia (Ani). We debuted a portion of the interview on the new episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV, but you can watch the complete interview below.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Tue Nov 10, 2009 12:41 pm

WE LOVE SOAPS TV Extra: VENICE's Michelle N. Carter
by Roger Newcomb

http://www.welovesoaps.net/2009/11/we-l ... helle.html

We Love Soaps west coast correspondent Stephanie Burke recently visited the set of VENICE and spoke with several members of the cast including Michelle N. Carter (Michele). We debuted a portion of the interview on the new episode of WE LOVE SOAPS TV, but you can watch the complete interview below.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Fri Nov 20, 2009 9:25 am

Michelle N. Carter takes five questions with Examiner
by Mary Montanari

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2598 ... h-Examiner

Examiner: How do you know Crystal Chappell and how were you approached to sign on for this series?

Michelle: I have been friends with Kim Turrisi for a while. And she basically said that I am writing a part for you and you are going to do it. And I can’t really say no to her I read the script and she was nice to say read it and see if you like it and let me know what you think. I read it and I immediately called her from Idaho this summer and said I love it, I want to do it. She wrote so well and just reading the script I was so connected to Gina immediately and just her ability to be herself and everything that she is going through so many people have the same problems and I just really felt her and I felt my character too. It is so close to me that is just me being me that I was just like definitely, I just get to play and have a good time. And I think a lot of people are going to relate to the story of Venice and they are going to see themselves in any of the characters and they will be able to relate to the show. And I think they are really going to love it.

Examiner: Based upon what you know about your character in this moment in time, give us a snapshot of who you are playing.

Michelle: I am playing the character of Michele and she is Gina’s sassy assistant, her confidante, her right hand, the one who keeps her in line and checks her every now and then. You know just being sassy and having fun and I can relate to it and I enjoy bringing the sass and the funk to it.

Examiner: Do you believe web based series such as Venice will allow more creativity for actors and writers than network productions do and have you ever participated in this type of production before?

Michelle: I have not participated in this type of production before. I believe that the new media is now media and it is happening and it is going to open doors for so many people to do their own projects, projects that they want to do. It is going to allow them their freedom to move forward in projects they may not have been able to do before because they were held back by studios or other people keeping them from being free enough to do their own projects. And I think that it is really going to take off and you are going to see a lot more people doing it and I think it is going to be great. I think so many people have stories that they want to tell and that they aren’t able to do it for whatever reason, but I think that this medium is going to be the answer to that. I really do.

Examiner: Tell us something special about Crystal. Also, in your spare time, if you could just rifle through her cosmetic bag to reveal one of her beauty secrets, I would appreciate it. If you don’t feel like grabbing her purse or breaking into her dressing room—no worries. Just mention something that dazzles you about Chappell.

Michelle: My answer sounds like Harrison’s, but I am not mad at him because I am going to have a similar answer. I met Crystal through Kim Turris and she is just so sweet and so giving. I have said that before and people have heard me say it but it is true. She is so giving and she just makes you feel like you have known her for years and that is just wonderful not having known me from Adam. But, in the scenes that we have shot already and being in the scene with her and just looking into her eyes, I am not even kidding you, it just breaks you down. Looking into that woman’s eyes would just wreck a car. I am not even kidding. The eyes have it--just saying for me.

Examiner: Right out of the gate, Venice has developed a reputation for reaching out to fans via web sites such as Twitter. This has certainly been a huge factor in building anticipation for the show’s launch and has been enormously popular with fans of the cast members joining Venice. Who knew Crystal Chappell would be engaging directly with her fans so religiously in this manner? Tina Sloan recently Tweeted on Twitter of course, that the character she is playing on Venice is funny. She mentioned this was different for her and she was thrilled with how that character of hers was being written. Sloan was clearly having fun with her Venice experience and fans were thrilled to hear about it. Are you Tweeting and how important to you if that interaction with your fans?

Michelle: They announced me back in September on Twitter and the day they announced me I had to start Tweeting and I had vowed that I was not going to Tweet and that I was going to stay away from it., just like I vowed I was going to stay away from facebook. That didn’t happen. When I did start Tweeting I realized it’s an addiction…it’s a problem. I enjoy our Twitter peeps so much. I have to connect with them everyday. And you know what? I think the social networking sites are so important and who knew that we would be able to use them so much for this business. I think it is such a great concept and to pimp out our business and our shows in this way, the fans can stay connected. The fans are constantly in on what we are doing. We keep them abreast of the situations all the time. We keep them informed and they feel like they are part of the whole project by tweeting them from set and tweeting them at home and letting them know we are doing this. They love it. I love my Twitter peeps and they know I love them. I stay in contact with them all the time. And it helps them feel like they are really a part of the projects. So, Rock On.

Win · **Joined:** Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:02 pm **Posts:** 3358

Quote:

It has just been announced that the track: Venice Beach has been licensed to be the theme song for the highly anticipated Web Series: VENICE, which debuts December 4th, 2009. The series is Co-produced/written by Kim Turrisi & Co-produced/written/stars, actress, Crystal Chappell; and is inspired partly by Chappell’s character, Olivia Spencer’s storyline, on the longest running daytime drama in history: Guiding Light.

Read full article

Win · **Joined:** Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:02 pm **Posts:** 3358

Win · **Joined:** Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:02 pm **Posts:** 3358

DECEMBER 8, 2009 ISSUE

10zlaine · **Posted:** Tue Dec 01, 2009 1:40 pm

Advocate.com goes behind the scenes on the set of the lesbian soap opera Venice, the new Webseries from Guiding Light star Crystal Chappell.

View the video here at www.advocate.com

10zlaine · **Posted:** Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:52 am

INTERVIEW: Jen Foster Breaks Out with Venice Beach on Venice
by Tiffany N. D'Emidio

http://eclipsemagazine.com/hollywood-insider/13703/

Singer, songwriter, all around music maven Jen Foster thought she was simply submitting her song “Venice Beach” to the website of an up-and-coming web series discovered by some of her fans. Little did she know how this seemingly small action would set into motion an explosion of excitement, exposure, blown up servers and an even broader fan base. Of course I’m talking about the highly anticipated web series from Soap star Crystal Chappell, Venice the Series [Launching Friday, December 4th 8pm PST].

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jen recently to discuss her latest album Thirty-Nine as well as the overwhelming success of the updated version of he song “Venice Beach” featured in the promo for Venice the Series. Jen was an absolute delight and has agreed to give away some cool swag so please, fans of Jen Foster, be sure to check the end of this interview for contest details.

EM: Besides writing I’m an artist and whether I’m drawing or painting or on the computer, I typically have my iPod set to shuffle and without fail the music is what makes me more creative. It’s amazing the effect that music can have on me. What does that for you?

Jen Foster: Yeah that’s funny because obviously if I’m trying to write a song listening to music is a distraction. A lot of times I’ll get a song idea just from flipping on something like my iPod and just get a little inspiration. I have so many kinds of music on my iPod. Do you? Do you have a pretty eclectic taste?

EM: Yes, I do. Everything from Jazz to Rock to Country…a little bit of everything.

JF: Yeah me too and but different things inspire me I guess. Basically there’s a song in anything if you just pay attention if you just observe. I’ve always been an observer of people, one of those people who like to sit in airports and watch people and see how they act so there’s always a song idea. I draw a lot from just personal experiences. Obviously love is a big topic to write about so I pull a lot of things from my past love relationships.

EM: So how has online media affected your career?

JF: You know I’ve always known about Twitter, I’ve had a presence on Twitter because I have an online girl that kind of helps me with a lot of that stuff. I post a lot of the personal stuff and she’ll post if there’s an update if I won an award or whatever. Until the Venice thing (Venice the Series theme song), I found out through the Venice producer (Kim Turrisi) that they’re like “Oh we get on Twitter and we interact with fans and it’s awesome” and I was like “Alright I’m gonna try to do that”. I had to ask my girl Christy how that works and she talked me through it on the phone. Then I was on that whole night that the Venice promo was released and it was like WOW this is such an amazing opportunity to meet people and connect and network.

EM: I think you’ve experience with Venice and more specifically Crystal Chappell, has an enormous following that has really exploded over the last year and half. The fans of Venice have a motto, which is “We Break Shit” and I believe you have experienced that first hand if I’m not mistaken. [we both laugh]

JF: I absolutely did! You know I put the song Venice Beach up for sale on Bandbox and they (the fans) pretty much broke it down. It was awesome!! Here’s the thing that happened. The next morning after we put the song up for sale on Bandbox I get a letter. The first thing I see in my inbox is an apology from the CEO of Bandbox and I had not been in touch with them at all. I was unaware that people were having issues. He said he got all these letters from Jen Foster fans that wanted to buy this and he was so sorry and this was unacceptable and he was going to pay me $1.50, which was the price we had set the single, he’s going to pay me $1.50 a single if people write him he’ll send them the song for free and he’ll pay me $1.50 for it. So it’s like wow, how cool is that! They had a server issue. I’m not sure if it was my fans or what or these Venice fans or not but whatever the case may be Bandbox was wanting to make things right and I feel like they went above and beyond to make sure we were happy. I can’t thank them enough. I’m really impressed with the professionalism. And I mean my God girl, in two days since the Venice thing had gone up…two days, two thousand dollars of online sales. It’s insane!

EM: That’s fantastic! So speaking of Venice, how did you become involved with the project?

JF: This one started on Facebook for me because I got a couple of Facebook messages from fans that had heard about the Venice series and thought of my song “Venice Beach” and that I needed to submit it and wrote me very nice letters encouraging me to do that and they referred me to Venice the Series Facebook page. So I went there and we submitted the song and it was not very long, I think it was maybe a week later that I heard back from Kimmy (Kim Turrisi) the producer and the writer for the series. She asked for my number and she gave me a call and she said, “It’s as if you wrote this song for our series” She said, “It’s perfect for it and we want to use it” We started the whole licensing process with Derek my lawyer and their lawyer and it wasn’t a tough thing to do at all. I’m just so appreciative of the exposure and I knew this thing was going to be a huge deal. I wanted to make it work no matter what and so did they. It’s just been an amazing ride ever since! There’s talk of possibly a video of some kind and there’s some ideas behind that. There’s definitely interest in some other songs of mine but that remains to be secured but we’re in talks about another song of mine in particular at this point and it’s just like wow, it’s opening so many doors. All of them seem really down to earth and cool.

EM: So your song “Venice Beach” from Venice the Series is for sale and you also have a CD out right now as well. Would you like to talk about “Thirty-Nine”?

JF: I started the “Thirty-Nine” project in 2007. My mother getting sick really kind of postponed things and I had to go up to Maine to be with her and there were a few scares that happened along the way so we thought the end was near several times before the end actual actually happened so that became my priority. So the record took quit a while to make. I’m very proud of it; we had an amazing band on the record. I had Sheryl Crow’s guitar player Peter Stroud, a couple guys from The Wallflowers were in the band and we had the drummer for the Dixie Chicks and The Wreckers so it was just really killer ensemble that we put together. I was able to do that because my producer, who lives in Nashville, he used to work with Fleetwood Mac and had a lot of experience making records from the engineering perspective in LA and he worked with these guys and became very close to them. He sent them some of my old music and they loved it; we made this record for a pretty low budget with these all-star players, it was pretty neat.

The original version of “Venice Beach” is a piano version. I really wrote the song for piano. I always wanted to do a version of the song that was a little more rocking too, sort of a more guitar based version and I ended up going to LA to do that and I recorded that. When this whole Venice thing came up I sent them both versions. I sent them the piano, which was on my record, and I sent them what I was calling the alternate version, which is the guitar version that they ended up using. Now the alternate version has almost become the main version because it’s getting publicity. It was unreleased prior to Venice deciding to use it. This was something I sorta had in my back pocket. Hey I have this alternate version I’ve pitched it to film and TV, we haven’t gotten any bites but hey I’m gonna send you this and I’m going to send you the piano and they loved the guitar version. So Monday when this whole thing came out with the promo it was like I released the single.

EM: Would you like to talk a little bit about The Writer’s Share project?

JF: Oh yeah! I’d love to! I’m very close with my lawyer. I know that sounds funny but he’s actually a really great guy. Lawyer’s I know get a bad rap in general but I’m actually close friends with Derek. He’s the president of T.J. Martell Foundation, which is for Cancer and AIDS research and they’re really making great strides with T.J. Martell Foundation so it’s really a reputable organization. Derek knows how I feel about Cancer research because my mother died last year from endometrial cancer so going through that process with her I pretty much canceled a bunch of shows and left in the middle of recording a record to be with her and my family as she made that transition. It was a really moving experience so it’s real important to me with my music to give back and this is an opportunity to do that to sort of take the gifts I have with music and the people that I know in the music world and hopefully do something that will raise money and help people. So that’s kind of what the Writer’s Share is all about. It’s bringing together writers…it’s amazing the first event we had we had Richard Marx from the 80’s who most people remember him with a mullet. He doesn’t have the mullet anymore.

EM: He’s actually a very talented songwriter. Most people don’t realize he’s a songwriter.

JF: No they don’t and that’s kind of what I want people to realize that some of the people in the music business that you might not think have all that talent, they really do. Richard writes with Justin Timberlake and Keith Urban. He’s got his hands in a lot of different projects. He’s a behind the scenes guy and writing songs that we aren’t even aware of and then you think of “Right Here Waiting for You” and “Endless Summer Nights” he played all that stuff too so it’s like wow this guy’s had a lot of hits. So he was on my right side and then Mike Reed was on my left side playing piano. Mike Reed wrote one of my favorite all time love songs which is “I Can’t Make You Love Me” with Bonnie Raitt. It’s just a heartbreaking song. Mike played that and I have to say that he sang it with such passion. I’d almost say that he sang it as good as Bonnie Raitt. But he would say, “Don’t say that kid!” because he’s loves Bonnie. We’re just trying to bring a really high caliber of writer and artist to these events and therefore pull in a lot of people and raise a lot of money for T.J. Martell Foundation. That’s kind of the goal.

CONTEST RULES:

1. Sign up for a Bandbox account using the widget at http://www.jenfoster.com/onlinestore.aspx using your Twitter Username as your Bandbox ID

2. Sign into Twitter (you will have to sign up for Twitter account if you don’t already have one), follow @jenkfoster and post the following Tweet:
“I got a Bandbox account at http://tinyurl.com/JFBandBox for cool new music directly from Jen Foster ( @jenkfoster ) – Follow along!”

We will choose a winner randomly from all of the tweets posted for two weeks beginning today, December 3rd. The prize package will be the following:

1. A signed copy of Jen’s newly released CD Thirty-Nine
2. A signed copy of the Alternate Single version of Venice Beach (selected as the theme song for Venice The Series) – CD burned and signed from Jen’s personal collection.
3. A Jen Foster T-Shirt

10zlaine · **Posted:** Mon Dec 07, 2009 12:41 pm

Interview: Crystal Chappell Delivers with “Venice the Series”

http://www.cherrygrrl.com/interview-cry ... %E2%80%9D/

Most of you already know this… but this past Friday evening marked the premiere of Crystal Chappell’s new webseries, Venice the Series. To say that there was some excitement leading up to the event would be quite an understatement. In September Chappell appeared on CNN and fans crashed the network’s website with their overload of questions for her. In May, Chappell opened a Twitter account and to date she has over 11,000 people following her. Venice premiered just 4 days ago and so far the YouTube channel that hosts it has received almost 90,000 views and 700 comments – the large majority of which are full of praise for the sexy, intelligent, and high-quality show.

Many of Chappell’s fans have been with her since her days playing Olivia Spencer (one half of the popular “Otalia” lesbian storyline with Jessica Leccia as Natalia) on Guiding Light. Lesbians, in particular, adored the characters and the actresses who brought them to life. When the long-running soap was taken off the air, Chappell decided to take her acting, producing, and writing skills, recruit Leccia and other veteran TV actors like Galen Gering (Passions), Lesli Kay (Bold and the Beautiful), Jordan Clarke (Guiding Light), Nadia Bjorlin (Days of our Lives), Gina Tognoni (Guiding Light), and others, join forces with long time friend and artistic partner Kimmy Turrisi and director Hope Royaltey, and create a web soap opera series that fulfilled the talented actress’s commitment to portraying strong, decisive, and real characters and, most importantly, embraced of the overwhelming fan support that came out of “Otalia.”

Here, we discuss the new series with Chappell, learn more about her return to playing Dr. Carly Manning on Days of Our Lives, and more.

Cherry Grrl (CG): First of all, we are so sorry for the recent loss of your fan club president and friend, Cathie Wagner. She was clearly an important person in your life and will be missed by many. What is it that you want people to know about her and what she meant to you?

Crystal Chappell (CC): Well thank you. Cathie was a very important member of the team. She has been my friend for a very long time. One of the things I loved most about her was her ability to make everyone feel welcome.

CG: Suffering a loss like that must be very hard, especially considering all that you are working on right now. You recently reprised your role as Dr. Carly Manning on Days of Our Lives, for one. What has that been like to return to the show and the character?

CC: I have been having a great time because the character of Carly was off the canvas for a long time and I was able to reinvent her. In my opinion, she is a lot more fun.

CG: Unfortunately, returning to Days followed the end of Guiding Light and your role as Olivia Spencer. Have you missed playing that role?

CC: Yea absolutely. I miss playing Olivia. She was just a fabulous bitch. Those kinds of characters are always the most fun to play. And certainly the Otalia storyline was exciting for me and I was sorry to see that send.

CG: What was your favorite thing about playing Olivia?

CC: She was a hard-ass, but with a heart underneath it all. She could be tough and vulnerable, and I liked her sense of humor.

CG: When you learned that her story would include a lesbian plotline, what was your reaction?

CC: Well I was thrilled. There wasn’t anything like it on daytime television. I was also pleasantly surprised that people were on board to tell that kind of story.

CG: Were you ever apprehensive about or uncomfortable with playing a lesbian?

CC: No, not at all. She was a very open person and the bottom line is I wanted them to tell a love story. It is my favorite kind of story to tell, whether you are gay or straight.

CG: What was it like to suddenly take on so many lesbian fans?

CC: Well look, this fan base has been absolutely terrific, supportive, bright, interesting and a lot of fun, so I consider myself very lucky to have such great people in my life.

CG: Clearly the character and the Otalia storyline was important to you, leading you to create “Venice: the Series.” When did you realize that you wanted to develop the series and why did you do it?

CC: I have always wanted to produce. Venice was born out of the end of Otalia. I have been writing a long time with my friend Kim Turrisi and we felt that a show like Venice would work considering how amazing and vocal the fans have been.

CG: The characters are not the same as on Guiding Light, so what can you tell us about them and their stories?

CC: Well you know all the characters are different. I play an out gay woman who has serious relationship problems. Jessica (Ani) plays a photographer who is very comfortable with who she is and who is in love with Gina, but gets her heart broken.

CG: What is it about your character, Gina, that you enjoy the most in terms of challenging you as an actress?

CC: She is really messed up, but I liked that in a character. The biggest challenge was to realize that Gina is the most serious of all the characters on the canvas. And I have enjoyed watching all the other characters and Gina just kind of anchors the show.

CG: What are you most excited about regarding this project?

CC: To see it actually play out. And to certainly see how the fans react.

CG: In what ways is the production of the webseries different from television? Do you have more freedom, etc?

CC: Yes you certainly have creative freedom and you know that makes it fun for everyone. The episodes are much shorter obviously than a television show. Other than that it was a pretty similar production to an ordinary television show.

CG: Guiding Light fans seemed to always want more from the Otalia storyline and the physical interactions between you and Jessica Leccia [Natalia] – they wanted it to me more on level with the heterosexual characters on the show. What were your feelings on that?

CC: I agree. I felt the same way. That was the hope going into the storyline, you know that all couples will be created equal. That’s why we have Venice.

CG: So will Venice provide those fans with more of what they were hoping for in that area?

CC: Well absolutely. Like I said, I am interested in being as honest as I possibly can. I want the truth of these characters to come alive so yes, you will see physical intimacy because that’s what happens between two people.

CG: How many episodes will there be and what are your future goals for the series?

CC: There will be 12 episodes. The goal is to have many more seasons of Venice. I hope it is a show that people like and to continue to watch. As long as they want to watch, we will continue to make it.

CG: You have a very large and very dedicated fan base. Why do you think it is that you have had this kind of effect on people and how does that feel?

CC: I really can’t answer why. I am just grateful that it is here. I hope the fans know how grateful I am. I think they do. I feel like I am part of a really special community that I genuinely like. I really find them to be interesting and fun. Like I said, I am just happy to be a part of it.

CG: What is something that your fans would be surprised to learn about you?

CC: Trying to think what they don’t know. I don’t know. I consider myself pretty ordinary. Maybe that is what they should know.

—

For more about Crystal and Venice the Series visit http://www.venicetheseries.com, follow the series on Twitter at http://twitter.com/venicetheseries, and follow Crystal at http://twitter.com/crystalchappell.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Mon Dec 07, 2009 8:29 pm

Harrison White from Venice takes five questions with Examiner
by Mary Montanari

http://www.examiner.com/x-25981-Venice- ... h-Examiner

Harrison White who has joined the cast of Venice recently took some time out of his busy life to answer five questions about the series, how he fell into this opportunity and what he thinks about the entire Venice deal. It was a pleasure to hear his take on the Venice deal and here's just a glimpse of how he feels about Crystal Chappell, his facebook and tweeting buddies and the relatively new web based platform actors now have to express themselves.

Examiner: How do you know Crystal Chappell and how were you approached to sign on for this series?

Harrison: I was turned on to Venice by my husband who is a hairdresser on Days of Our Lives. And he was talking to Crystal who does her hair and she was mentioning the show and he said my husband is an actor and you should ask him if he has something for him. And she was like oh God we have a role for him perfect and so they send me the script and I read it. And it’s fun. I wouldn’t call him a background character; he is just a really cool restaurant owner at this hotel that sort of knows everybody. I have a feeling that he knows everybody’s business and that makes him fun to me. And plus I love a character that sort of pops in, lots of energy, helps push the story along. I love those kinds of characters so I was thrilled about that. And on top of that, I have a great fondness for Crystal Chappell. She’s kind of hot.

Examiner: Based upon what you know about your character in this moment in time, give us a snapshot of who you are playing.

Harrison: I am playing Jamie, the manager of a hotel/restaurant and he sort of knows everybody. He is the fun happy guy and I like him a lot. He is just full of energy to me. I love him. He’s the kid of guy you want to hang out with.

Examiner: Do you believe web based series such as Venice will allow more creativity for actors and writers than network productions do and have you ever participated in this type of production before?

Harrison: I think new media is an important media. This is like my third venture into internet. I did a thing for VH-1 called Home Purchasing Club. I did one episode for them and then for MSN last year up till the Presidency, I did a series called the Republicrats, which was a lot of fun. I am a huge fan of the new media thing. I am hoping that we finally get a way to work out what those monies are going to be for that for the artists, in sake of the artists, but the best part about new media is is the opportunity for people who do not have the kind of budgets that network television has or even cable television has to do things and yet still get that work out there. And I think in my point of view that some better work and real honest voices…because once it is chopped down by network it sort of changes the molecular of what someone has originally started out with which could be a fabulous project and then by the time it gets to network it is a completely different concept. But the beautiful thing about new media is that you can get out your content and your truth can actually be spoken on whatever story you want to get out and that is the thrilling part about new media for me. It can be seen from beginning to end through by the person who conceived it.

Examiner: Tell us something special about Crystal. Also, in your spare time, if you could just rifle through her cosmetic bag to reveal one of her beauty secrets, I would appreciate it. If you don’t feel like grabbing her purse or breaking into her dressing room—no worries. Just mention something that dazzles you about Chappell.

Harrison: I know her through my husband, who is doing hair for her for Days of Our Lives, but I have watched her on Guiding Light as well and my thing about her is…I have two. First of all I get to kiss her several times doing this series which makes mehappy. Every time I see her, I get to kiss her. Yum. Hi, the best lips in the business. I’m sorry. Second are her eyes for me. Cause they are gorgeous. I am all about that color and the way she looks at you.

Examiner: Right out of the gate, Venice has developed a reputation for reaching out to fans via web sites such as Twitter. This has certainly been a huge factor in building anticipation for the show’s launch and has been enormously popular with fans of the cast members joining Venice. Who knew Crystal Chappell would be engaging directly with her fans so religiously in this manner? Tina Sloan recently Tweeted on Twitter of course, that the character she is playing on Venice is funny. She mentioned this was different for her and she was thrilled with how that character of hers was being written. Sloan was clearly having fun with her Venice experience and fans were thrilled to hear about it. Are you Tweeting and how important to you if that interaction with your fans?

Harrison: I started tweeting two days ago. I had 16 followers. And then Kimmy said--follow Harrison. And next thing you know I had 300 and something in the next day. It is ridiculous. I love stuff like that. I have been really strong on my My Space page which I use literally for my web site. So, if you want to know about me, go there. My stuff is right up there. If it is stuff I have done I have it up there already on there. And then Facebook, I do that with my friends and it is also a way for me to network. And now twittering--I can’t help myself. I can’t stop twittering. It is ridiculous. And I love the twitter peeps. They are awesome. I’m like Oh my God, let me see; let me tell them what I am doing now. It’s really nice. It is kind of voyeuristic, but I love it!

Win · **Joined:** Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:02 pm **Posts:** 3358

click on the logo for the full interview

DC: Honey, yes they are! Will fans of Venice see more of your character Sami in the future now that Crystal Chappell has said there will be second season?

GT: Yes. I have yet to read a script. I'm sure its going to be great. They are getting ready to begin shooting it, and I'm really excited. I love that folks are letting me know they are watching Venice and Hillary's [B.Smith] is on it too. So I love that.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Tue Apr 06, 2010 10:18 am

Part 1 – Crystal Chappell & Kim Turrisi Venice Interview

http://www.ausxip.com/video/archives/1314

Part 1 of 2 AUSXIP Interviews Crystal Chappell & Kim Turrisi
Interview date: 10 March 2010

A few weeks ago AUSXIP had the pleasure of doing a Q&A with the creators of Venice The Series, Crystal Chappell & Kim Turrisi. In part one of this two part interview, Crystal and Kim talk about the creation, casting and challenges of bringing Venice The Series to the web.

10zlaine · **Posted:** Mon Apr 12, 2010 5:51 pm

CRYSTAL CHAPPELL Exclusive Interview at 2nd Annual STREAMY AWARDS April 11, 2010

http://maximotv.blogspot.com/2010/04/cr ... ew-at.html

Crystal Chappell (Days Of Our Lives) talks about her web series 'Venice' at the 2nd Annual STREAMY AWARDS at Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles April 11, 2010 - Interview by Samantha Sterner

10zlaine · **Posted:** Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:34 am

Mile High Gala - one voice at a time
By Matt Kailey

http://www.outfrontcolorado.com/features.php?itemid=740

If "One Voice Can Change the World" - the theme of this year's Mile High Gala from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) - then imagine what a multitude of voices can do. Join the multitude on April 24 at the EXDO Event Center, 1399 35th St. in Denver, for HRC's annual Mile High Gala, a dinner and auction in support of LGBT equality.

This year's event kicks things off at 5 p.m. with a lively silent auction and music from the Denver-based and rapidly rising band Coles Whalen. Then at 7 p.m., Denver news personality Chris Parente emcees a dinner program that includes Colorado's own Mike Manning from The Real World D.C., slam poet and national activist Andrea Gibson, and a keynote speech from HRC Ally Award recipient and Emmy Award-winning actor Crystal Chappell of Days of Our Lives and the new Web series Venice. Follow up your dinner at a special after-party with DJs MLe and Markie.

The awards ceremony will honor the Pueblo Human Relations Commission with the Partners in Equality Award. The Paul Hunter Award will be given posthumously to Jim McNulty, founder of the Pride Guide.

You won't want to miss this important annual event. And in the meantime, you can get to know a little about Crystal Chappell right here.

Matt Kailey: You've been working in soap operas for more than 20 years, have won several Emmys and have been named the most powerful player in daytime television. What do you think makes a really good soap opera and a really good soap-opera character?
Crystal Chappell: A really great soap opera is made up of great stories and characters that are flawed but likeable. It always comes back to story. You want to be able to do as much as you can with characters and not limit them to a particular story or coupling. You need to be able to move them around so you have potential for a lot of exciting stories.

MK: Obviously, your acting talents are reflected in your Emmys, but other than your talent, why do you think that your characters have been fan favorites?
CC: That's a really good question. I do not know if there is any great secret. I always try to create characters that have flaws and are a little rough around the edges, rather than perfect. It is more relatable and more fun for the audience to watch. You always want to show their vulnerabilities and that they are capable of being hurt.

MK: You are coming to Colorado as the special guest for HRC's Mile High Gala, and many gay men and lesbians are huge fans of soap operas and of you. Why do you think that you are so popular with the LGBT community?
CC: I think it really began with the Otalia storyline on Guiding Light. It was a story that represented the gay and lesbian community, and at a time when there isn't a lot of gay content out there. I think it really has a lot to do with the exposure of that story, and I have many, many gay friends and am a big supporter of equal rights. I am very grateful for the encouragement that the community gives me to keep moving forward.

MK: You are now in a new Web series, Venice. What are the differences between working on a Web series and working on a soap opera?
CC: We shoot the Web series more like a prime-time show with specific setups, lighting, etcetera, and obviously the episodes are much shorter, so we are shooting less content with each episode being 10 to 12 minutes. On daytime, we have three cameras, you move quickly with usually one set at a time, shooting sometimes two or three shows in a day. Each show is roughly 38 minutes of content per show. So there is a lot more going on.

MK: You are also one of the producers of Venice. Why did you decide to move in this direction - a Web series?
CC: Well, you know, I wanted to have creative control, first of all. This is a very interesting time on television - you need to make things very inexpensively, so obviously the Web was the place to go financially. And since the show does represent the LGBT community, I especially wanted to maintain control of the content and remain as true as possible.

MK: You play a lesbian character on Venice. What is that like for you as a straight woman and how did you prepare for your part?
CC: I did not have to do much to prepare. I am equally attracted to men and women and I like both genders, so it is not an issue for me. You are attracted to who you are attracted to and fall in love with who you fall in love with. This is who my character is - a gay woman. It wasn't difficult to understand or portray her.

MK: What soap operas or Web series do you like to watch - besides your own?
CC: I try to check in with all of them as much as possible. There isn't one that I am drawn to. I just like to know what people are doing on the Web and network. Network television is trying to survive as long as they can. It has been inspiring to look at other Web series and see what they are doing and what they are coming up with.

MK: What else would you like to say?
CC: Again, I love creating Venice, and having the support of the fans has been my impetus to continue on with the series. I just couldn't do it without the support of these fans and I truly appreciate them - and let's just keep moving forward.