I thought I learned by now never to be surprised by any of Psych‘s ‘Psych-out’ moments, but who would have guessed that I would bear witness to an acoustic performance of Tears For Fears’ ‘Shout’ (the Comic-Con remix) performed live by Curt Smith himself with vocal assistance from James Roday and Dule Hill? I’m not even sure Shawn Spencer could have foreseen such an epic performance.
Panel members included cast members James Roday (Shawn), Dule Hill (Gus), Tim Omundsom (Lassiter), Maggie Lawson (Juliet), Kirsten Nelson (Chief Vick), and Corbin Bernsen (Henry Spencer) as well as Executive producers Kelly Kulchak and Chris Henze and creator Steve Franks. Andy Berman moderated the panel.
I was expecting plenty of banter between Roday and Hill, but their thunder was stolen by Omundsom who was in no short supply of snark. He admitted that he is the first to break character while on set because he “laughs like a little school girl.” With his sharp wit and humor, I wouldn’t be surprised if he is the one who instigates all the laughter on set.
The panelists took time between jokes to answer some good questions, though some answers were quite simple. Take, for example, the pineapple. It was just something that was placed on the set, and when creator Steve Franks noticed it in the shots, it became a theme. Roday chalked it up to “who doesn’t like fresh pineapple? It’s delicious.” Who can argue with that?
Bernsen offered up some sage acting advice once passed down to him: “When you’re working, as an actor–stage, screen, or television, or even a convention on a panel like at Comic-Con–you must do this: Never wear underwear while you work. You must always be free and always let loose.” I’ll bet next time you watch Psych and see Henry, even in a fancy suit, you’re going to wonder.
Berman touched a bit on the real-life romance between co-stars James Roday and Maggie Lawson, asking Lawson to compare the fictional Shawn Spencer to the real life Roday. Her response? “Shawn Spencer is an extrovert. I would say Roday is more of an introvert. I’ll say that Spencer is a boy, and I’ll say Roday is a man.” Roday blushed and smiled from ear to ear (no need for words when his face says everything.)
Things seem to be going very well with Roday and Lawson, but what about Shawn and Juliet? Henze lets us in on an exciting list of guest stars, including LOST‘s Nestor Carbonell who is said to cause problems between Shawn and Jules (mum’s the word on exact details). Other guest stars for this season include: Franka Potente, Vanessa Minnillo, Adam Rodriguez, and Chi McBride. There’s also news that Roday will be sitting in as director of one of the episodes this season.
As the panel started to come to a close, the audience was treated to a second surprise performance. Award-winning tap dancer and choreographer Jason Samuels Smith came on stage with his tap shoes and wowed the crowd. A few moments in, Dule Hill jumps out of his seat to join him in a dance off. Both guys show off their incredible talent while the cast and audience cheer them on. Check out YouTube for the video–if you couldn’t be there to see it live, it’s the next best thing.
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
