A Chat with Diedrich Bader and Parvesh Cheena (“Outsourced”)

The publicity train for “Outsourced” keeps rolling on, and I have no problem catching it whenever I have the option to do so. Even though I’d already talked to Diedrich Bader and Parvesh Cheena during the Winter 2011 TCA Press Tour, I hadn’t talked to them together, so when NBC offered them up as part of the satellite tour for the show, I said, “Sign me up.” Now, granted, I thought I was going to be getting a video clip of their side of the conversation, and I didn’t, which is kind of a bummer, but the guys’ ability to ad-lib and bounce off each other is in great evidence here, so I’m still glad I took the time to chat with them again.

Diedrich Bader and Parvesh Cheena: Hi, Will!

Bullz-Eye: Hey, guys , how’s it going?

DB: (Suspiciously) Say, didn’t I just talk to you the other night?

PC: (Laughs) Good to talk to you again!

BE: Well, you guys are making your 10:30 PM debut with an episode filled with Bollywood dance numbers, singing, guitar playing…the perfect opening salvo for the new timeslot.

DB: Absolutely. We’re entering with a bang. And a sitar.

PC: And a tabla, too!

Parvesh Cheena

BE: So, now, was this huge episode by design, or was it already in the works before you got word of the move?

PC: Well, I had a little bit of creative input, and it was very nice, because I said, “Anisha can kind of sing, and her character’s so quiet, anyway, so we might as well give her a little bit of something to do.” But primarily it was more for me to showcase my t-shirt making ability for my fans. The Guptees. Our album will be dropping later this spring, by the way. It’s called Hey, Hey, We’re the Guptees.

DB: By the way, none of this is true. He just made up all of that.

PC: No, no, no.

DB: Uh, yeah. (Laughs) We were going to do a big musical episode, and we kind of wanted to start off the new timeslot with a splash, and…you’ll see what a deep bench we have, talent-wise, because Anisha can really sing, and Parv…does what he does.

PC: He’s just a little sore because I did not use any of his original choreography.

DB: (Growling) Yeah.

PC: I decided to go with Fred Tallaksen, who is a big choreographer here in LA. He choreographed two of Madonna’s tours.

DB: (Sarcastically) Oooooooh, Madonna! Who’s Madonna?

PC: (Dismissively) All right, Diedrich, sorry she’s not Lady Gaga…

BE: So there are worse places to be than following “30 Rock.” Are you guys pleased to be part of NBC’s great 3-hour comedy experiment?

PC: Yeah, it’s going to be awesome: comedy night done right all night.

DB: (In awe) That’s so good!

PC: Thank you. I came up with that, too, so it’s nice to know that I’m gaining a little bit more traction in marketing and branding.

DB: Oh, yeah, he’s very good at that. He’s like Madonna.

PC: Lady Gaga, I thought, was your favorite. You can’t have both.

DB: No, that’s true. But they’re basically the same person.

PC: No, Diedrich. No, they are not.

BE: Diedrich, your fellow cast members seem to have been mildly surprised to discover what a consummate professional you are. Have you always taken your comedy seriously?

DB: No. I don’t take it seriously at all, and I think that’s very helpful. I don’t learn my lines or know any of the cast members’ names. Or anyone, really. I just come in and I do what I do, which is offend everyone as much as I possibly can. And then I leave after I’ve slapped most of the cast.

PC: He’s called me many different names.

DB: Who are you, anyway?

PC: On set, he’s called me Parvaish, Gupta, Bara, Rajel, and a bunch of others.

DB: And sometimes I just say, “Hey, you, get me a cup of coffee.”

PC: And I do.

DB: Yeah. He does.

PC: Because I was taught to respect my elders.

DB: (Bursts out laughing)

BE: Parvesh, Rizwan Manji said that you once took a video of the inside of his nose. Do you have directorial aspirations or just an odd nasal fetish?

PC: No, actually, I do have… (Takes a deep breath) Being a director is one aspect that I’m very good at. I do also do, like, the crevices of the human body. In between the toes is going to be my next visual. For all of those who like feet, I’ll be video-taping Rebecca (Hazlewood’s) and Anisha (Nagarajan’s) toes. So that is a definite niche market.

DB: Oh, yeah. ‘Cause it’s Anisha.

PC: (Bursts out laughing) It’s the niche of Anisha!

BE: Speaking of Anisha, she’s of the belief that Gupta has been slapped by just about every character on the show. What do you think it is about him that brings out physical violence in others?

PC: You know, I like to think of it as a mirror that’s held up to everybody. Gupta really just wants you to be the best, and sometimes people aren’t ready for it.

DB: This is something that the writers took from real life. We like to beat up Parv as much as we possibly can. I was just chasing him around a little earlier, before the interview started. I didn’t catch him, so I’m hoping that when we cut I can catch him and just slap him around. It’s kind of a thing: the writers pay attention to our real lives. That’s what’s exciting about the show.

PC: Apparently, it’s something like, “If you catch him, you get to slap him around a couple of times.”

DB: That’s right. It’s kind of a game. Now, the crew’s taken it on, because, you know, we love our crew, so they’ve started to beat up Parv, too.

PC: But it’s also helping me, because I was 225 pounds before.

DB: He’s lost a lot of weight. A whole other Parv, basically.

PC: It’s true. I’m down to 210. So something’s working.

DB: It’s really exciting. For all of us. Although he is faster now. But, you know, we’ve all lost weight. We’re all coming down together.

PC: I’d like to think that the fat has converted to muscle. It’s all right here in my thighs.

DB: Right. (A beat) You can think that.

BE: Lastly, what can we expect from the rest of the season? Or at least for the next couple of episodes, anyway?

PC: Oh, you have a big episode.

DB: I have a big episode coming up where Charlie finds out that Tanya and Todd are dating, and it breaks his heart. And he kills somebody.

PC: So I’d like to start saying my goodbyes to everyone. It’s been really fun being on national television.

DB: Oh, way to let it out of the bag. I guess you’ve got the scoop, Will: we kill Gupta.

PC: Yes, but since this is India, I am reincarnated the next episode. And, you know, we don’t lose a beat.

DB: He’s like a phoenix. He rises from the ashes again and again and again.

PC: Yes. (A beat) Actually, I like to think of myself as a cat.

DB: Of course you do.

  

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Review: Frederick Benjamin Grooming Products

We recently received product from Frederick Benjamin Grooming and we were happy to give them a look. What came to us was a very nice package containing Shampoo, Conditioner and Daily Hydrator. The sleek white bottles with orange and silver accents had upscale looks and I was looking forward to using these three products.

The Frederick Benjamin Shampoo had a refreshing scent and was very thick so no need to overdue the amount needed. The company states that the shampoo is an invigorating cleanser that rinses excess oil, tingles the scalp and unclogs pores. Again, the scent smells so good I would buy it just for that alone! Moving next to the Frederick Benjamin Conditioner that is also an invigorating moisturizer and it worked well into my hair. The conditoner does well to combat dry scalp and hair and left my hair looking damn good and feeling plenty soft according to my bride! I then took it one more step and applied the Frederick Benjamin Daily Hydrator which you leave in and I did just that. The Hydrator added texture to mair hair and was grease free which is a must for my hair.

Overall the Frederick Benjamin hair products we reviewed were all very well received here at Bullz-Eye.com and BarberShopBlog.com and at aorund $12 each they are priced better than other salon preferred hair products.

  

Killing Machines: The Cars of “Death Race 2”

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"Death Race 2" stars plenty of well-known names, including Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames and Sean Bean, not to mention some delightful eye candy in the form of Tanit Phoenix and Lauren Cohan. But for some, the real stars of this prequel to the 2008 "Death Race" are the tricked-out cars which are loaded with all sorts of machine guns, rocket launchers and whatever other kind of artillery you can think of. We were invited to the "Death Race 2" set last March in Cape Town, South Africa, and as part of our tour, we got an up-close look at these cars-turned-tanks. Check out some of our favorite photos in the gallery below, and be sure to take a look at our complete recap of the trip, including interviews with many of the names listed above as well as a travelogue with details about our time as an extra in the movie.

  

Chrysler shows off new products at the 2011 NAIAS

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The 2011 NAIAS was a big deal for Chrysler as they showcased an impressive stable of new and refreshed products highlighted by the reveal of the new 2011 Chrysler 300. Chrysler partner Fiat also enjoyed alot of attention focused on the launch of the iconic 2011 Fiat 500. Bullz-Eye was fortunate enough to view these vehicles up close and participate in round table discsussions with brand CEOs, managers and designers from the Chrysler/Fiat group.

Check out our recap of the 2011 North American International Auto Show!

  

Friday Video – Queen, “One Vision”

It’s three-day weekend happy hour. You don’t really think we’d bring the joint down with a somber-ass song like “Pride (In the Name of Love),” do you? Hells no. This song is about Martin Luther King Jr., too. And as an added bonus, it rocks. The dream lives on, Reverend.