AOL's interview with Maura Tierney (Abby)

[Maybe]

April 15 -- When 'ER' wraps its 15th and final season in 2009, it will
mark the end of Maura Tierney's 10th year on the show. Going from
obstetrics nurse to doctor, her Abby Lockhart has weathered
alcoholism, a heartbreaking reunion with her bipolar mom (guest Sally
Field) and relationship woes with Luka, Carter and Luka again. Tierney
shared with AOL TV's Kimberly Potts her favorite 'ER' storyline, her
thoughts on how Dr. Abby should exit County General, and more.

1. What's your reaction to the news that 'ER' will end after next
season?
I think it's a great thing for the cast and the crew. And I think it
is a great thing that John Wells and all the rest of the writers know
that's its ending and have time to prepare for it and finish it in a
way that's thoughtful.

2. Are you personally ready for the show to end?
You know, I've been on the show for a long time. And I'm not going to
do the full season next year. I'll be in a few episodes. I'm not
exactly sure how it's gonna structure out, so, yes and no. I had a
really great time there, but it's been almost a decade, and part of me
is ready to move on, but part of me is going to be very sad about it.

3. Which one of Abby's storylines is your favorite?
There are two. The work with Sally Field was extremely satisfying to
me, because she's just so talented and I learned a lot from her. The
writing was great, and I think those episodes really [shaped] who this
character was and why she was sort of screwed up. I also loved working
with James Woods. It was just for one episode, but he's delightful and
a wonderful actor, and I had a great time with him.

4. What would be your dream scenario for how Abby's storyline wraps
up?
I want them to kill me. And they won't. They refused to kill Abby. But
no, I totally trust [the writers].

5. What's up for Abby in the last few episodes of this season?
She's dealing with big consequences of her behavior and saying I'm
sorry doesn't always make everything okay. Which I like, because it's
really not a neat ending, and clearly there were issues in the
relationship between [Luka] and Abby, and her getting sober again
isn't necessarily going to address all of them.

6. Are you interested in jumping into another TV series right after
'ER'?
Maybe not for a while. I mean, I feel the same way I felt when
'NewsRadio' ended, which is that I didn't want to do another sitcom
right away, because I loved the show. I couldn't imagine another
sitcom that would come to me that was as good or as fun as that. And I
feel the same way now about 'ER.'

. You've been doing lots of big-screen work lately. Who's your
character in 'Baby Mama'?
I play Tina Fey's sister, and it's about her trying to have her first
baby, and finding out that she can't have one. And I'm her sister,
who's uber-fertile. It was really fun, and with Tina, Amy Poehler,
Sigourney Weaver and Holland Taylor, it was a great generational span
of crazy women.

8. Are you still playing poker after your 'Celebrity Poker Showdown'
championship?
No. Absolutely not. I don't like poker. (laughs) I mean, the poker
gods just came down and handed me that [and] it was so awesome that I
could win so much money for [a] charity. But I don't really like
poker. I'm not a very competitive person by nature, so I'm a bad poker
player in terms of, when I win, I feel guilty, and when I lose, I'm a
poor sport.

Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

[Anybody]

In article

Post by Maybe
April 15 -- When 'ER' wraps its 15th and final season in 2009, it will
mark the end of Maura Tierney's 10th year on the show. Going from
obstetrics nurse to doctor, her Abby Lockhart has weathered
alcoholism, a heartbreaking reunion with her bipolar mom (guest Sally
Field) and relationship woes with Luka, Carter and Luka again. Tierney
shared with AOL TV's Kimberly Potts her favorite 'ER' storyline, her
thoughts on how Dr. Abby should exit County General, and more.
1. What's your reaction to the news that 'ER' will end after next
season?
I think it's a great thing for the cast and the crew. And I think it
is a great thing that John Wells and all the rest of the writers know
that's its ending and have time to prepare for it and finish it in a
way that's thoughtful.
2. Are you personally ready for the show to end?
You know, I've been on the show for a long time. And I'm not going to
do the full season next year. I'll be in a few episodes. I'm not
exactly sure how it's gonna structure out, so, yes and no. I had a
really great time there, but it's been almost a decade, and part of me
is ready to move on, but part of me is going to be very sad about it.
3. Which one of Abby's storylines is your favorite?
There are two. The work with Sally Field was extremely satisfying to
me, because she's just so talented and I learned a lot from her. The
writing was great, and I think those episodes really [shaped] who this
character was and why she was sort of screwed up. I also loved working
with James Woods. It was just for one episode, but he's delightful and
a wonderful actor, and I had a great time with him.
4. What would be your dream scenario for how Abby's storyline wraps
up?
I want them to kill me. And they won't. They refused to kill Abby. But
no, I totally trust [the writers].

<snip>

Post by Maybe
Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

They can't kill her off. They need her for the spin-off "Abbey" show
where she and Sally Field are a sort-of anti-Gilmore Girls. ;-)

[Natalie Teeger]

On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:08:09 +1200, Anybody

Post by Anybody

Post by Maybe
Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

They can't kill her off. They need her for the spin-off "Abbey" show
where she and Sally Field are a sort-of anti-Gilmore Girls. ;-)

GG already had that. Abbey + her mom = Lorelai + Emily - the
bipolar disorder Abbey's mom had.

[Cory]

Post by Anybody

Post by Maybe
Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

They can't kill her off. They need her for the spin-off "Abbey" show
where she and Sally Field are a sort-of anti-Gilmore Girls.  ;-)

GG already had that.   Abbey + her mom = Lorelai + Emily - the
bipolar disorder Abbey's mom had.

Post by Anybody

Post by Maybe
Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

They can't kill her off. They need her for the spin-off "Abbey" show
where she and Sally Field are a sort-of anti-Gilmore Girls. ;-)

GG already had that. Abbey + her mom = Lorelai + Emily - the
bipolar disorder Abbey's mom had.

I still think Emily DID have a mental disorder of SOME sort.

;-P

--- Cory, wondering if Rob will chime in on this... ;-)

[Anybody]

In article

Post by Cory

Post by Natalie Teeger

Post by Anybody

Post by Maybe
Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

They can't kill her off. They need her for the spin-off "Abbey" show
where she and Sally Field are a sort-of anti-Gilmore Girls. ;-)

GG already had that. Abbey + her mom = Lorelai + Emily - the
bipolar disorder Abbey's mom had.

I still think Emily DID have a mental disorder of SOME sort.
;-P

Everyone on the planet has a mental disorder "of some sort". :-)

[dlcandc]

Post by Anybody
In article

Post by Cory

Post by Natalie Teeger
On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:08:09 +1200,

Post by Anybody

Post by Maybe
Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

They can't kill her off. They need her for the spin-off "Abbey" show
where she and Sally Field are a sort-of anti-Gilmore Girls. ;-)

GG already had that. Abbey + her mom = Lorelai + Emily - the
bipolar disorder Abbey's mom had.

I still think Emily DID have a mental disorder of SOME sort.
;-P

Everyone on the planet has a mental disorder "of some sort". :-)

A friend of mine says, "Everybody is their own kind of crazy". ;-)
----
Lori

[Natalie Teeger]

Post by Maybe
4. What would be your dream scenario for how Abby's storyline wraps
up?
I want them to kill me.

Please Please Please grant MT her wish.

Post by Maybe
And they won't. They refused to kill Abby. But
no, I totally trust [the writers].

I'm glad you do because I don't.

Post by Maybe
. You've been doing lots of big-screen work lately. Who's your
character in 'Baby Mama'?
I play Tina Fey's sister, and it's about her trying to have her first
baby, and finding out that she can't have one. And I'm her sister,
who's uber-fertile. It was really fun, and with Tina, Amy Poehler,
Sigourney Weaver and Holland Taylor, it was a great generational span
of crazy women.

Pkease tell me Tina Fay's character isn't one of the women who can't
have a baby so she asks her estranged sister to have it for her?

(Been there, done that.......ROJJ did that this season and the show
was cancelled faster than you can say Er Sucks.)

[Anybody]

Post by Natalie Teeger

Post by Maybe
. You've been doing lots of big-screen work lately. Who's your
character in 'Baby Mama'?
I play Tina Fey's sister, and it's about her trying to have her first
baby, and finding out that she can't have one. And I'm her sister,
who's uber-fertile. It was really fun, and with Tina, Amy Poehler,
Sigourney Weaver and Holland Taylor, it was a great generational span
of crazy women.

Pkease tell me Tina Fay's character isn't one of the women who can't
have a baby so she asks her estranged sister to have it for her?
(Been there, done that.......ROJJ did that this season and the show
was cancelled faster than you can say Er Sucks.)

Friends did it years ago ... although it was a brother asking Pheobe to
carry the babies.

[Dropping The Helicopter]

Post by Maybe
April 15 -- When 'ER' wraps its 15th and final season in 2009, it will
mark the end of Maura Tierney's 10th year on the show. Going from
obstetrics nurse to doctor, her Abby Lockhart has weathered
alcoholism, a heartbreaking reunion with her bipolar mom (guest Sally
Field) and relationship woes with Luka, Carter and Luka again. Tierney
shared with AOL TV's

??!? What's an "AOL TV"? Some 1000-lb chest of drawers with a 3-inch
circular black-and-white screen and an annoying voice that tells you
"You've got crap programming!" every time you turn it on?

And I thought AOL went out of business back in the early oughts, around
ought-1 or ought-2, what gives?

Post by Maybe
Kimberly Potts her favorite 'ER' storyline, her
thoughts on how Dr. Abby should exit County General, and more.
1. What's your reaction to the news that 'ER' will end after next
season?
I think it's a great thing for the cast and the crew.

Sweet cheeks, no one shall benefit more than the weary former fan.

Post by Maybe
And I think it
is a great thing that John Wells and all the rest of the writers know
that's its ending and have time to prepare for it and finish it in a
way that's thoughtful.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAAHHAHAHHAAHHAAAA!!!!

I'm sorry Maura, you know I love you, but we both know it has not been
possible for TEERPTB to put "thought" into ER for at least five years.

Post by Maybe
2. Are you personally ready for the show to end?
You know,

[nods "yes" vigorously]

Post by Maybe
I've been on the show for a long time. And I'm not going to
do the full season next year. I'll be in a few episodes. I'm not
exactly sure how it's gonna structure out, so, yes and no. I had a
really great time there, but it's been almost a decade, and part of me
is ready to move on, but part of me is going to be very sad about it.

[vigorous nodding continues]

Post by Maybe
3. Which one of Abby's storylines is your favorite?
There are two. The work with Sally Field was extremely satisfying to
me, because she's just so talented and I learned a lot from her. The
writing was great, and I think those episodes really [shaped] who this
character was and why she was sort of screwed up.

IIRC:

1. There was one episode's worth of Crazy Mom material spread over 15
to 20 episodes.
2. It was in fact Stockard Channing, not Sally Field as is commonly
believed, who played Abby's Crazy Mom.
3. I will grant that Crazy Mom was way better than Crazy Brother, who
in turn was better than Crazy Suzan's[1] Sister. That however is all I
shall grant.

[1] You guys seen these Crazy Susans? They're putting them in all the
kitchens these days, and they're awesome! They really expand your
storage space while making it way easier to get at your stuff at the
same time! Check them out, I was skeptical myself at first but they
made a believer out of me!

Post by Maybe
I also loved working
with James Woods. It was just for one episode,

One. Awful. AWFUL. Episode.

Post by Maybe
but he's delightful and
a wonderful actor,

[COUGHoutrageoushackCOUGH]

Post by Maybe
and I had a great time with him.
4. What would be your dream scenario for how Abby's storyline wraps
up?
I want them to kill me. And they won't. They refused to kill Abby. But
no, I totally trust [the writers].

I KNEW IT ALL ALONG AND NOW I HAVE PROOF!!! Note "[the writers]", in
brackets, meaning those words were ADDED BY THE EDITORS OF AOL TV!!!
E.R. HAS NO WRITERS FOR MAURA TIERNEY TO CLAIM TO "TOTALLY TRUST"!!!

"Hip hip, Helicopter Old Boy! Jolly good show!," you say. "Ermmmm...
but if she didn't in fact say "I totally trust the writers", what my
good man did she REALLY say?! HMMMMM??!??!"

What she really said of course is this: "I totally trust that The Evil
ER Powers That Be (TEERPTB), a writer-free and utterly evil
organization, will continue to do its level-best to embarrass every
player with any shred of conscience remaining on the show, spit in the
face of the loyal viewer, and once it's finally planted, take a massive
steaming dump on ER's grave.

Post by Maybe
5. What's up for Abby in the last few episodes of this season?
She's dealing with big consequences of her behavior and saying I'm
sorry doesn't always make everything okay. Which I like, because it's
really not a neat ending, and clearly there were issues in the
relationship between [Luka] and Abby, and her getting sober again
isn't necessarily going to address all of them.

So a complete surprise divorce. Wow, yeah, didn't see that one coming.
Cue "Austin Powers" steam-roller-vs.-dude-from-"Mad TV" scene.

Post by Maybe
6. Are you interested in jumping into another TV series right after
'ER'?
Maybe not for a while. I mean, I feel the same way I felt when
'NewsRadio' ended, which is that I didn't want to do another sitcom
right away, because I loved the show. I couldn't imagine another
sitcom that would come to me that was as good or as fun as that. And I
feel the same way now about 'ER.'

I just has a brainvalanche: The Evil Television Powers That Be, who as
we all know have been utterly devoid of ideas literally forever, should
float an "Alice" retread, with our heroine Maura Tierney cast as Alice!
The rest writes itself (which it of course would have to, since
writers appear to be a mythical race): Frank is Mel, Sam is Flo, Morris
is Sam The Butcher, and Crazy Chaplin Chick is Vera!

That one's a freebie Hollywood! You're welcome!

Post by Maybe
. You've been doing lots of big-screen work lately. Who's your
character in 'Baby Mama'?
I play Tina Fey's sister, and it's about her trying to have her first
baby, and finding out that she can't have one. And I'm her sister,
who's uber-fertile. It was really fun, and with Tina, Amy Poehler,
Sigourney Weaver and Holland Taylor, it was a great generational span
of crazy women.

Welp, I know what DVD a certain sharon(s) is getting this Christmas! ;-)

Post by Maybe
8. Are you still playing poker after your 'Celebrity Poker Showdown'
championship?
No. Absolutely not. I don't like poker. (laughs) I mean, the poker
gods just came down and handed me that [and] it was so awesome that I
could win so much money for [a] charity. But I don't really like
poker. I'm not a very competitive person by nature, so I'm a bad poker
player in terms of, when I win, I feel guilty, and when I lose, I'm a
poor sport.

FUN FACT: Maura Tierney once shot a man for snoring too loud.

Post by Maybe
Maybe...too bad they aren't going to kill her off

[r***@emailprivate.com]

On Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:14:56 GMT, Dropping The Helicopter

Post by Dropping The Helicopter
??!? What's an "AOL TV"? Some 1000-lb chest of drawers with a 3-inch
circular black-and-white screen and an annoying voice that tells you
"You've got crap programming!" every time you turn it on?

My understanding is AOL has video programming on their site which
is called AOL Tv.

Post by Dropping The Helicopter
And I thought AOL went out of business back in the early oughts, around
ought-1 or ought-2, what gives?

AOL is still around but not in the form it was. Years ago they
were huge and merged with Time Warner. Time Warner still owns them
but they dropped the name from AOL Time Warner.

Of course it didn't help that AOL was $24.95 a month but you
could DSL from Verizon for than $24.95.

Post by Dropping The Helicopter
1. There was one episode's worth of Crazy Mom material spread over 15
to 20 episodes.
2. It was in fact Stockard Channing, not Sally Field as is commonly
believed, who played Abby's Crazy Mom.

Wrong it was Sally Field. She even won an emmy for it.

[Maybe]

Post by r***@emailprivate.com
Of course it didn't help that AOL was $24.95 a month but you
could DSL from Verizon for than $24.95.

You can get AOL free if you have your own internet connection like
broadband, DSL or cable. Just go to AOL.com.

Maybe...who still has AOL but free!