'Today’s TV Addict' Top 5: Questions with Pan Am Super-Spy Goran Visnjic

Dabbling a bit with political intrigue in his latest role as Niko Lonza, a Yugoslavian diplomat who catches the eye of one of the flight attendants in PAN AM, Goran Visnjic previewed his guest starring role in an exclusive interview with theTVaddict.com.

1.Can you describe who Niko Lonza is and what part he has to play in the upcoming episodes?

GORAN:  I play a Yugoslavian diplomat who works in the United Nations and he meets one of the stewardesses on the flight from New York to Monte Carlo.  Basically, Kate (played by Kelli Garner) needs to get close to him because he is her only way into the fancy casino in Monte Carlo and she has a CIA assignment inside there.  But when Kate is done with her assignment, they have this connection and they start dating, and over the course of a couple of episodes, it turns into a love story.  But then towards the end of the 4-episode arc, you will have figured out that things are not as simple as that: the CIA has their agenda, as does the Yugoslavian Secret Police.

2. Sounds a little bit like a cat-and-mouse game.  Sounds fun!  As you probably did not actually film in Monte Carlo, where did you actually film and how much fun was that?

GORAN:  It was actually quite impressive.  We filmed in New York.  The city, the architecture is so beautiful.  There are so many different locations in the city and around the city.  S we were on Long Island at one of the old mansions.  It really looked like an early 19th Century hotel from Monte Carlo and was really beautiful.  There were these great cars, like old vintage cars, and it was really fun.  It was actually quite spectacular.  The interiors of the casinos were done in the same place and some artwork and interior design was just amazing.  I thought it was really beautiful.  Unfortunately, we did not go to Monte Carlo, but we did the second best thing.

3.Was it a bit surreal as an actor to actually step into the shoes of a character in that era, when the world was on the cusp of the race to the moon and political ambitions were kind of pushing people towards covert wars and social tensions?  Since we currently live in a world where that doesn’t exist for us anymore.  So how does it feel stepping into that era for awhile?

GORAN:  I have to say, it was very interesting for me coming from Croatia, which was at that time — 1963, it was part of Yugoslavia and we had our own political problems.  That is why I guess the interesting thing for the writers was to use Yugoslavia, and not use another country from the Communist Bloc. Because Yugoslavia was never part of the Iron Curtain.  It was actually a neutral country — never Communist.  So to introduce a character who is a diplomat from that country, it kind of open up possibilities for interesting political stories, spy stories and emotional stories.  You have this guy who is able to travel around the world first-class and go to Monte Carlo casinos because he’s not coming from a Communist country.  As far as Kate’s character, Niko’s government would never allow him to date an American girl.  So it’s kind of very different.  It’s interesting that we kind of forgot how things were barely 40 years ago.

4. How did you find out about this role and what drew you to it?

GORAN:  Jack Orman and Lydia Woodward actually worked on ER.  They were on ER when I started with the show, so we’ve known each other a long time.  They wrote some really cool stuff.  Actually I think Lydia wrote my first episode on ER.  I’ll never be able to forget that one!  And I knew definitely then coming aboard that the writers would be cool and when we were discussing the character, they were really open to suggestions and ideas and talked about conflicts at the time that happened nearly half a century ago in Yugoslavia. Plus, I had seen the pilot episode, which was really awesome and it was an easy decision.  I really didn’t have to think much about it.

5. Was there one specific thing that made you go, “Oh, I have to play that character!”?

GORAN:  It was that side that I wanted people to see — how Yugoslavia functioned in the early ’60′s.  People from the East, from the Iron Curtain, viewed Yugoslavia as a westernized country completely.  They were kind of like envying us; and then people in the West were seeing Yugoslavia almost the same as the rest of the Communist countries, which it wasn’t.  It was a Communist society, but much more relaxed than the Soviet Union.  So it was kind of interesting to portray someone coming from this country and who was still able to travel around and this and that, but then you still feel that he does come from this oppressed system where nothing unauthorized is said or done.  It was really interesting and important to me to portray that character.  I’m actually grateful to Jack and Lydia, that they put in as much into this part and still kept it really interesting and not politically boring.  It was just the situation he was coming from.  They made it really interesting — a love story and a spy story.

To see how the blossoming romance and love story between Niko and Kate plays out, be sure to tune in for PAN AM on Sunday, October 23.

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'Pan Am' Guest Star Goran Visnjic Reveals the Show's 'ER' Ties and Previews a Heartbreaking Romance (THR)

Television watchers will most likely recognize Goran Visnjic as Dr. Luka Kovac on the long-running medical staple ER. Now, the actor is taking a trip to the past and stepping into the jet-set world of Pan Am.

[Warning: Some spoilers up ahead.]

In the 1960s-set ABC drama, Visnjic plays Niko, a Yugoslavian diplomat from the United Nations who meets Pan Am stewardess/CIA spy Kate (Kelli Garner) on a flight from New York. The actor, who has appeared on Leverage and the indie Beginners since hanging up the doctor's coat in 2008, told The Hollywood Reporter that the four-episode stint on Pan Am was an easy decision to make -- partially because the people behind it worked on ER.

"[Creator] Jack Orman, Lydia Woodward used to write for ER," he said. "Lydia Woodward actually wrote my first episode of ER, so I knew they were awesome writers." (Woodward wrote Sunday's "One Coin in the Fountain," which marks Visnjic's first appearance on the show.)

Visnjic added, "They've actually been very open about creating this character. We've been discussing a lot about politics of the '60s. The most attractive thing about it for me is that they didn't make him black and white."

The Yugoslavian-born actor relished in the idea of playing someone who wasn't so easy to pin down -- and who didn't know the whole picture.

"In the beginning, Niko is part of Kate's CIA assignment, but once she's done with that, she continues to have a romance with this guy and they end up involved," Visnjic said. "Through the course of a couple episodes, we figure out that it wasn't so simple as she thought, that he might be part of the bigger assignment wasn't aware of in the beginning. Things really get complicated and it's a sad ending."

What's most intriguing about Niko is the fact that he has no knowledge of Kate's double life, but during that time, it made sense for the government to employ traveled stewardesses. "You really figure out that they're both played by much bigger forces in the global politics of that time," he said.

Though Visnjic never flew on Pan Am, it was his introduction to the jet age. "I believe my first 747 I ever saw was with the Pan Am logo on it, so it's a big part of the 20th century history," he recalled.

Pan Am airs on Sundays at 10 p.m. on ABC.

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Goran Visnjic Gambles with Romance & Politics on 'Pan Am' (TV Guide)

oor Kate. It's difficult to juggle a love life when you're a jet-setting stewardess and undercover spy. Luckily, Goran Visnjic, who once played Dr. Luka Kovac on ER, has the remedy for Pan Am's lovelorn flight attendant.

Beginning Sunday (10/9c on ABC), Visnjic will play debonair Yugoslavian diplomat Niko Lonza, who takes a personal interest in Kate (Kelli Garner) on a flight from New York to Monte Carlo. The precocious redhead has had a hard time of it lately; the CIA put her on notice for disobeying orders and her younger sister Laura (Margot Robbie) moved out. It's perfect timing to begin a new, ego-boosting relationship, even if it doesn't begin in the most romantic way.

"Just before she gets on the plane, she gets this assignment," Visnjic tells TVGuide.com. "Her CIA handler gives her a photo of Niko and he tells her, 'This is the guy who's going to help you get inside that casino in Monte Carlo, but he can't know what's going on. You just need to befriend him and use him to get inside this casino.'"

Once Kate finishes her assignment, she finds Niko again and begins their love affair in earnest, without orders this time. "She thinks that she's no longer putting Niko in any kind of danger from the CIA since he wasn't part of the actual assignment, but just a tool to get inside the casino," explains Visnjic. "That's why she thinks it's OK to fall in love with this guy because the CIA is apparently not interested in him."

Politically, Kate shouldn't have had anything to worry about by getting involved with Niko. Visnjic says, "[The writers] wanted to bring a character in who was going to be from a communist country in 1963, but also politically neutral because Yugoslavia at the time was not part of the Iron Curtain. He works in the UN and lives in New York."

As their relationship deepens over the course of a four-episode arc, they enjoy intimate interludes as well as light-hearted dates, such as one outing at an amusement park. "That was in an episode when they get back from Monte Carlo," Visnjic says. "You believe that these two people might have a beautiful future ahead of them."

Unfortunately, Kate is new to the spy business and doesn't actually know the deeper game at stake. "Right after that, something hits the fan and all hell breaks loose for them," says Visnjic. "The CIA gets involved with their relationship and also the Yugoslavian Secret Service. It gets really political and this love story turns into a spy story. It's quite intricate. Things are never as simple as they look."

The actor doesn't go into detail, but apparently Niko and Kate aren't destined to take a Pan Am flight on their honeymoon anytime soon. "I can't tell you much, but it's an interesting ending, a story of betrayal and a love story," says Visnjic. "It's not going to end well." Poor Kate.

Pan Am airs on Sundays at 10/9c on ABC.

Source via @KstewAngel thank you.

Photo: Markus Redmond & Billy Morrison at the Billy Idol gig (San Jose)

Photo Source @Markus_Redmond

Kate del Castillo co-hosts the 1st Billboard Mexican Music Awards

The first Billboard Mexican Music Awards on Thursday night showcased a new generation of regional Mexican artists who are leading the evolution of the genre. The awards show will reach out to wide audiences, offering a fresh take on Regional Mexican Music when it airs on Telemundo October 27, without alienating its many fans.

Actress Kate del Castillo, who hosted the show with Fernandez, channeled her tough-talking character Teresa Mendoza from the wildly popular telenovela "La Reina del Sur" for several short but riveting monologues.

"You listen to the music and it goes down to your bones," she said, in a dramatic introduction to torch singer Paquita la del Barrio. "Only Mexicans have that kind of feeling."

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Video: Preview of Kate del Castillo on 'CSI: Miami'

Kate's debut on this episode of 'CSI: Miami' will air on CBS (US) Oct 23 10.00pm (PT/ET).

YT KatedelCastilloFC via and thank you to @KatedCastilloFC 

Intandem attending the American Film Market (AFM)

Intandem is attending the American Film Market held in Santa Monica, CA USA from 2 - 9 November.

K-11 is included in their catalogue. This could mean that Intandem are looking for distributors. 

Good luck to K-11! 

Continue reading to the end of the post for more details on the AFM.

Click on the following link to see Intandem's Complete Film Catalogue.

In addition it appears that one of Intandem's movies,"Ecstacy", is being screened.

Background on the AFM:

The business of independent motion picture production and distribution - a truly collaborative process - reaches its peak every year at the American Film Market. Over 8,000 industry leaders converge in Santa Monica for eight days of deal-making, screenings, seminars, networking and parties. Participants come from over 70 countries and include acquisition and development executives, agents, attorneys, directors, distributors, festival directors, financiers, film commissioners, producers, writers, the world’s press all those who provide services to the motion picture industry.

Founded in 1981, the American Film Market (AFM) quickly became the premiere global marketplace where Hollywood’s decision-makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof. Unlike a film festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed — on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production — making AFM the must-attend industry event.

The AFM transforms Santa Monica. The Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel is converted into a busy marketplace. All 21 screens on the Santa Monica Promenade and the surrounding community become AFM screening rooms for the entire eight-day event and nine digital and video screening rooms are added just for the AFM.

Participants may view more than 800 screenings of approximately 400 films - 30 new films every two hours - the majority of them world or U.S. premieres. Titles range from big budget blockbusters that will be released by the major studios in the U.S., to lower budget art and genre films recognized at international film festivals, all destined for theaters and television around the world. With 7,000 attendees, 800 screenings, and seminars programmed by leading industry organizations, the American Film Market continues to be the pivotal destination for independent filmmakers and business people from all over the world.

The American Film Market is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance, www.ifta-online.org

Source 

Thank you to @KstewAngel for the heads up.