“REVENGE” – ABC TV’s Biggest Scandal! Shhhh!

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My Dear Friends,

REVENGE – Have you ever thought about it? Be honest with yourself. I won’t tell.  Shhhh!  As you ponder your own thoughts on this devilish topic, I invite you to discover some FUN & thought provoking inside scoop from the hit ABC TV night time drama, REVENGE. Recent ratings show that there is an increasing number of young males watching regularly in the 18 to 49 year old demographics. That is no surprise to me. Hey guys – us girls know you want REVENGE and that makes us happy because we can watch it together. Cool! So if you are new to the show or a long time fan your little Cyndi Sleuth can bring you up to speed. Shhhh!. 🙂  Find out the “real – life” scandal behind the show’s production. tee hee!  Can you possibly find joy in REVENGE? Hmmmm!? Read on…

The My Cyndi’s Secrets™ infotainment report includes an eclectic mix of Hollywood entertainment, sports, cool events, self help tips and a lot of FUN! Our mission is to share JOY!  That’s infotainment!

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(Photos by K. Mitchell )

REVENGE – Ahhhh sweet revenge! I love it! Of course I am talking about the hit ABC TV night time drama by the title of the same name.  Recently I experienced an inside perspective  of the show at An Evening with Revenge at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood presented by The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The theatre was packed with television industry insiders.  Your Cyndi Sleuth was there. The evening featured a panel including REVENGE creator and at the time executive producer Mike Kelley and cast members Emily VanCamp (Emily Thorne), Madeleine Stowe (Victoria Grayson), Henry Cherny (Conrad Grayson),  Josh Bowman (Daniel Grayson), Nick Wechsler (Jack Porter), Gabriel Mann (Nolan Ross), Ashley Madekwe (Ashley Davenport), Connor Paolo (Declan Porter), Christa B. Allen (Charlotte Grayson),  and Barry Sloane (Aiden Mathis). The panel was moderated by Emmy® Award-winning journalist Mark Steines.

You may be a bit surprised by my enthusiasm because REVENGE hardly seems like a topic for My Cyndi’s Secrets. I mean our members are known to be upbeat, positive and filled with joy. The word revenge on its own seems so decidedly devilish. However, I confess that I am personally a big fan of the hit show. There’s something about this drama that makes me never skip an episode and I am grateful for my DVR. The fact that it does so well in the ratings makes me think that there are others who want REVENGE. 😉

You see, I believe that in the deepest, darkest, part of our souls; there probably isn’t a person alive who can say that they have never had thoughts of – how shall I say it? uhhhhm – “getting even”.  Perhaps your spouse has done you wrong or you have an “ex” BFF whom you once hung with on weekends but he stabbed you in the back. How about that co-worker who took credit and was rewarded for work that you actually did?  Maybe you lost that acting job to an actor with far less talent than you after he or she planted a bad seed about you.  These people that have done you wrong may even appear to be rewarded for unethical behavior which really gets your goat. Grrrrrr to all the above!    Society along with our faith and values teaches us to control these unsettling feelings of revenge in a civilized way. “Turn the other cheek”, the bible says.  Over time most of us develop a method to help us deal with our dark feelings of revenge. Some people choose a healthy outlet such as working out or stress management while others resort to destructive behavior such as drinking too much, overeating or drugs. Perhaps watching REVENGE on ABC serves as a safe fantasy outlet. Hmmm!  It’s something to think about.

For those who have never seen the popular show, it centers on the lead character, Emily Thorne played by Emily VanCamp.  The character Emily Thorne turned the Hamptons upside down a few summers ago when she made her splash into this exclusive upscale community. The Hamptons have not been the same since. By outward appearances she is an extremely pretty girl with a sweet innocent look.  Her charm and generosity helps her to get access to the  private and restricted circles of Hampton’s high society.  But ahhhhh – looks can be deceiving for Emily is anything but what she seems. In fact, she is hiding behind an assumed identity with one and only one agenda – REVENGE! Her unnerving focus is that of avenging her father who was murdered in prison while serving time for a heinous crime he did not do.  Each week we see Emily facing off with the Graysons ; a powerful and influential family responsible for her dad’s death. All the while we have empathy for Emily who struggles with her right to find true love. She sees her heart as a distraction.  A Distraction? Heck – I   see it as some fun sexy scenes between her and the handsome men in the cast. LOL!  If you put all that aside; I wouldn’t want to get on the bad side of any of these people.  Conspiracy, intrigue, romance, lies, great music, fabulous costumes and lots of cool ninja moves make this a wonderful escape on a Sunday night. So bury the hatchet on your own feelings of “getting even” and escape into the world of REVENGE! The show airs on Sunday nights at 9pm ET/PT on the ABC Television Network.

Now for some fun stuff! Let’s go to the Television Academy for some behind the scenes scoop! Shhhh!

Here is a shot of Emily VanCamp (Emily Thorne) and me at the academy. After the panel she told me that the character she plays  on the show is a lot different than the real life Emily. It must be fun playing  such an interesting character. She laughed about how in this role she could effortlessly sleep with one man  and then move on to the next. She explained her characters involvement  with the other characters as  what she  playfully calls a, “Love Square“! During the event Emily Van Camp expressed her attitude about Emily Thorne being what she calls, “The Hamptons Whore“! OMG – it truly was an interesting night. Whatever you may think of the character of Emily Thorne, the real Emily VanCamp is a delight in person and obviously well liked by the cast and production crew.

REVENGE was created by Mike Kelley. It was a privilege to meet and chat with this creative genius.  At first the entire cast was surprised to learn that Mike would not be coming back as a showrunner for season three of REVENGE. At the time of this print REVENGE has tapped a new showrunner and that is Sunil Nayar, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  For those who are not familiar with  Hollywood Speak, a “showrunner” is someone who is responsible for the day to day operation of a television series. It’s a pretty big deal and  this is a  position that is often called “The Executive Producer”. Well call it whatever you like Mike Kelley has been a big part of this show and his imprint is still proudly stamped in the shows success.

Here I pose with the renown Mike Kelley. He revealed what is perhaps the biggest scandal about the show REVENGE.  I emphasize that a major part of the show is that it takes place in “The Hamptons“. The humor and fun of the show is that none of the cast on the panel has actually been to “The Hamptons”. Only Emily Thorne admitted to having been there and that was for just one day. Let’s just say that Hollywood magic can do wonders. Shhhh! My Cyndi’s Secrets! 😉

Following is a shot of Connor Paolo  and me. In REVENGE, the characters that Connor and Christa B. Allen play have  had an on and off again love relationship. I keep routing for their characters. to succeed in matters of  the heart.

Thought you would enjoy this behind the scenes shot of the celebrities walking the red carpet.

Here I pose with the talented and very good looking Josh Bowman who plays the part of Daniel Grayson. It is interesting to watch his character evolve. Originally  he was very altruistic and then he started becoming more and more like his father…. And that is not necessarily a good thing. The plot thickens.

It was also fun meeting and chatting with another handome and talented actor –  Jack Wechsler. Here I pose with Jack. Gosh I love my job! 🙂

Nolan Ross is one of the most intriguing characters on the show and the role is played by  Gabriel Mann. The TV Academy audience loved it when Gabriel lifted his collar up to create the typical Nolan “signature” look! Here I pose with Gabriel.

Here are a couple of photos taken outside of the TV Academy. Hope you enjoy them.

Outside the TV Academy are several statues of famous TV Stars  and industry legends that have entertained and inspired us over the years. In the next photo I have fun posing with a statue of  great  actors Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton who played the beloved characters of Archie and Edith Bunker in the ground breaking 1970’s situational comedy TV Series, All In The Family..

I hope you have enjoyed this journey into the subject of getting even. Each of us still needs to be civil and do our best to get along with each other. However, thanks to show creator Mike Kelley and the awesome cast and production crew we can all sit back, relax and get a “healthy” dose of  REVENGE on the ABC Television network on Sunday evenings at 9pm ET/PT!

And until next time……Strut your stuff on the red carpet of life! Shhhh!

Life is too short so I say – InJOY!

Love ya,

 Cyndi Targosz

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