Fox hosted online chats with the cast of “The O.C.” while the show was on hiatus. Here’s what Adam Brody had to say last night. Turns out this cute boy likes Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley and journalism. And, as predicted, he’s a wise-ass in person, just like on the show. Do I see a pattern here?

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10/27/2003 7:02:04 PM
Chat Moderator : Welcome to The OC live chat, hosted by Bolt! Today’s chat is with Adam Brody, who plays Seth Cohen. Hi Adam!

10/27/2003 7:02:29 PM
Syracuseplaya5 : How did you get the part of Seth on The OC?

10/27/2003 7:04:07 PM
Adam Brody: By going through numerous auditions. It’s a little bit different auditioning for pilots than for regular parts, because they can tack on about three extra auditions per role. You have to get it approved by more people, I guess. They put you through the ringer more, it sucks. But that’s behind me. I got to work with Doug Lyman in a director’s session, and that was cool because I *really* liked him before I even worked with him, just from his movies. And then I read for Fox… Ben already had the part, so I got to meet him read with him, which was cool, and weird.

10/27/2003 7:04:54 PM
Deerenee212 : Hey Adam! I’m a big fan. I saw Grind, and I thought it was awesome. How long have you been skateboarding? What is your favorite trick?

10/27/2003 7:05:54 PM
Adam Brody: I’d never skateboarded seriously, I skateboarded more for transportational means, ever since I was 12. I grew up in San Diego, and a lot of kids of Southern California skateboard. My favorite trick… I can’t do that many, but what I can do is the heel flip. Although one-fourth of the time, I fall. On my elbow. Or back, or whatever.

10/27/2003 7:06:11 PM
dannyl0723 : In what ways are you and your character Seth alike? And how are you different?

10/27/2003 7:07:41 PM
Adam Brody: We have a lot of the same style, and because they allow us so much input on the show, we’re into the same music and clothes, mostly. The ways we’re different – I’m 23 and Seth is 17. His relationship with his dad is kind of strained, but his dad’s just a good guy who’s trying to help. I was like that when I was 17, but now I look back on it and I realize how kinda selfish I was. I have a better relationship with my father now… I have the relationship that Seth will eventually have with his father. Well, with both parents.

10/27/2003 7:08:29 PM
Staticlullabye : Hey Adam! I have to say that I love your work, and I think that you’re such an amazing and talented actor. I’ve heard that you’re into emo music. If so, what are your favorite emo bands, and what other kind of music do you enjoy?

10/27/2003 7:10:38 PM
Adam Brody: Some of my favorite favorite bands are Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes…I love and am saddened by the loss of Elliott Smith. Ben Folds is one of my heroes. And I love a local LA band called Rilo Kiley. Other music that I love… I really love ’40s ’50s ’60s jazz… Dean Martin and Sinatra and those guys. And I love Chet Baker, he’s my favorite from the past.

10/27/2003 7:10:54 PM
NirvanaChicky : Adam, I love your lines on the show! Are all the lines scripted or do the directors let you improv sometimes?

10/27/2003 7:12:26 PM
Adam Brody: We improv a bunch, it’s great. It’s such a rarity for television or filmed entertainment in general. They’re pretty loose with it and they let me have fun. We sorta have this deal where I do it the way they wrote it, and then I do it again, the way I want it. It’s great, I love this deal. I always try to make up lines that add something, because I’m totally afraid that I’ll make the scene worse, and then they’ll take my privileges away.

10/27/2003 7:13:07 PM
roboman342 : What’s it like working on The OC set? Are you close with your fellow castmates?

10/27/2003 7:14:36 PM
Adam Brody: I’m incredibly close, and not just the kids, as you would think, but with the parents too. We’re playing a little younger, and they’re playing a little older. Kate just turned 40, I’m 23, and everyone’s closer in age than we appear. Same with the producers — the creator of the show, Josh Schwartz, is 27. Every weekend I hang out with at least a few people from the show. Maybe it’s too much, maybe it’s overkill, but it’s fun.

10/27/2003 7:15:31 PM
spiderygirl : What is your most memorable moment from high school?

10/27/2003 7:17:11 PM
Adam Brody: When I was 18, I made a surf video for all my friends, who were good surfers. It was sort of a painstaking process — this was before digital film, so everything had to be done through an editing machine. We rented out a YMCA that had a big screen, and 200 people came, and everyone was cheering and yelling for everyone’s waves. It was great. It was the most energy I’ve ever felt in a room. It’s cool to go to movie premieres and stuff, but at the time, I’d never done anything like that. And surfer movies are great, because unlike regular movies, you’re actually supposed to scream and shout. It’s like a concert, with blasting music and everything. My parents were blown away. So, yeah, that’s probably the highlight of my high school years.

10/27/2003 7:17:45 PM
strwberryfields : How much has your life changed since you’ve been on The OC?

10/27/2003 7:20:10 PM
Adam Brody: We do all get recognized, here and there, depending on where we are, but we’re also sort of in our own little world. I don’t know that it’s changed that much, so far. We’re at work every day, and when we go out, it’s dark, and we’re just sitting in the corner talking to each other, so it really hasn’t been that different. Other than being stopped more… the really cool thing that I like so far is getting a pat on the back from people you respect and like, like other actors that you’ve noticed and you think are good, but they didn’t know who you were three months ago. Like I was at a party on Saturday, and Zach Braff — who’s this guy on Scrubs who I think is a really good actor — he came up and congratulated me. That’s probably the best part about it, being congratulated by your peers, or people who you think are really talented.

10/27/2003 7:20:21 PM
poplockdancer : Okay, I know you probably get this a lot, but are you single?

10/27/2003 7:20:43 PM
Adam Brody: I am.

10/27/2003 7:21:15 PM
brunette_babe27 : What was the first luxury thing you bought with the money you are making from the show?

10/27/2003 7:22:51 PM
Adam Brody: I haven’t splurged on an actual item, like I haven’t gone out and bought a new car or anything like that. But it’s more the day-to-day things, like it’s great to not have to think twice about, like, “Oh, I’d like to grab this pair of jeans, but they’re kind of ridiculously overpriced.” I can just grab them! It’s amazing! That’s what I do. And not really feel guilty about it. Like, going to a restaurant and not really worrying about “Well, I would really love the salmon, but I should probably just get the burger.” Now I can just get the salmon. It’s great. So yeah, I have been splurging, but more on the little things — no big purchase yet. I’m saving up for an elephant.

10/27/2003 7:23:06 PM
StarGazer5531 : Hey Adam. What made you want to start acting? And what was your very first acting gig?

10/27/2003 7:25:23 PM
Adam Brody: What made me want to start acting was basically that I’d always been interested in it — because who doesn’t like TV and movies? — but I got a job at Blockbuster when I was 18, and although it was the boring job I’ve ever had, it was sort of inspirational, putting away these movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer with those kids on the front of the box. Their lives looked so much more intriguing than mine, and I needed to try it. The first paying job I had was like a five line part on the Young and the Restless.

10/27/2003 7:26:03 PM
Twister2004 : Hey Adam, I saw an interview where you said that your perfect date would be to go see an old movie. What is your favorite old movie?

10/27/2003 7:28:33 PM
Adam Brody: My favorite old movie, that’s a great question! I have to think for a second… ummm…. Well, I like Jimmy Stewart a lot, he’s great. I saw Casablanca for the first time semi-recently, and the great thing about that is it’s so hard not to laugh. All of those sayings like “here’s looking at you, kid” or “of all the bars in all the towns…” You’ve heard these things millions of times. I hadn’t seen the movie, so I never saw the origin. Seeing them played straight is hilarious. These phrases are so famous now, and it’s weird to see them not in The Naked Gun, but totally serious. And I really love old horror movies. I own Dracula the original, and I can’t get through it, but I still think it’s great. I love having it on in the background… I want to open a drive-in. For everyone who doesn’t live in LA, there’s none here. There’s a famous cemetery here where they play old Hitchcock movies, in the graveyard! It sounds amazing, I really want to go.

10/27/2003 7:29:35 PM
draymocha17 : What was it like to work on Gilmore Girls? Will Dave ever be back?

10/27/2003 7:30:22 PM
Adam Brody: Gilmore Girls was fun, but Dave died in an explosion. Just kidding! The people were really nice there. I don’t think Dave’s gonna be back because there’s a scheduling conflict, since I do this show now every day.

10/27/2003 7:30:36 PM
hey_adam : Do you get to keep the clothes you wear on the show? Do you have a favorite shirt of Seth’s?

10/27/2003 7:33:02 PM
Adam Brody: I don’t get to keep the clothes, however I’m sure if I wanted to, I could work something out and take some stuff stuff at the end of the season maybe. There was a shirt about gravity that I liked — “Gravity: It’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.” There’s also a Modern Amusement one with tablature on it that says Now Start a Band, in three chords. And I really like all the truly vintage t-shirts, not the ones that are made to look like they’re vintage.

10/27/2003 7:33:25 PM
azn_cheerleader : Hey Adam, what do you look for in a potential girlfriend?

10/27/2003 7:34:59 PM
Adam Brody: A sense of humor. What’s great about a sense of humor — people that have a sense of humor are confident. You have to be pretty confident to make an ass of yourself. What I also really like is a girl with a good sense of style — it doesn’t have to be pricey or Gucci or anything as long as it looks great.

10/27/2003 7:35:25 PM
alteregos : I hear that you wear brown contacts. Is that true? If so, why?

10/27/2003 7:36:04 PM
Adam Brody: Cuz I’m albino! No, my eyes are hazel, I don’t wear contacts. Someone else just asked me that in an interview — I don’t know where that rumor came from.

10/27/2003 7:36:25 PM
RainingOnMe : If you had to join the circus what role would you take?

10/27/2003 7:37:35 PM
Adam Brody: The trapeze artists are pretty amazing. Minus the risk factor, that seems like fun.

10/27/2003 7:37:56 PM
ts172 : What’s your favorite TV Show past or present?

10/27/2003 7:39:00 PM
Adam Brody: The Daily Show. Although I used to be on it, but now I’m scared, because John Stewart is always making fun of LA and actors…he’s always talking about how interviewing some kid from Dawson’s Creek is the lowlight of his day.

10/27/2003 7:39:35 PM
izzybell8386 : Hey there Adam! I love the show soooooo-o much and I think you are such an amazing actor! How many days do you have to shoot one script? Also, do you have any funny stories to share about any bloopers while filming a particular scene?

10/27/2003 7:41:48 PM
Adam Brody: Um, first of all, it takes eight days to film, not counting the weekends. There’s a scene me and Ben did where we’re locked in a poolhouse and I get claustrophobic. And so this girl closes the door on me in the scene, and I actually got hit by the door and it really hurt. So when you see that scene in an upcoming episode, you should know it’s for real.

10/27/2003 7:42:33 PM
Desilu123 : What’s your favorite kind of cheese?

10/27/2003 7:42:43 PM
Adam Brody: Cheddar!

10/27/2003 7:43:23 PM
i_laugh_indoors : Hey Adam! You’re probably going to hear this many times, but you are honestly my favorite on The OC. You’ve got some really slick dance moves. (i.e. the bar sequence in Grind and a few little dance outbursts on The OC.) I’m wondering, did you have formal training, or does it just come to you naturally?

10/27/2003 7:44:38 PM
Adam Brody: Oh god no. I had no formal training. No, those were all done against my will. I didn’t want to do any of those scenes, and they made us, so I just went for it… so there’s your suburban Jewish kid dancing. Which makes me think, if I put the time and the effort into it…

10/27/2003 7:45:01 PM
Michelle_18_01 : If you weren’t an actor what would you be doing now?

10/27/2003 7:45:47 PM
Adam Brody: I’m getting interested in politics. Maybe something in that, or I love writing. Not that I’d go write a novel, cuz I wouldn’t. But maybe politics or journalism or something like that.

10/27/2003 7:46:18 PM
PortugueseBaby : In the show you are a “comicbook nerd.” Are you one in real life?

10/27/2003 7:47:30 PM
Adam Brody: Yes, and no. I do read comics. I collected them in junior high but didn’t touch them until a few years ago, when I was filming a series in Vancouver. I like to read ’em but I don’t collect them at all. Although I have to say I only really read X Men right now. There was a time when I tried to keep up with all them, but it was just getting to be too much. So yeah, I guess, I am a nerd.

10/27/2003 7:47:49 PM
sallysallysally : Are you going to dress up for Halloween this year? Who or what are you going as?

10/27/2003 7:48:53 PM
Adam Brody: I’m thinking of going as Ben Affleck, and I’m trying to convince Rachel or one of the girls to be J.Lo. It’s Samaire’s birthday on Halloween, so hopefully we’ll get out of work early enough to go to her party.

10/27/2003 7:49:21 PM
JadedBlues : How does your off-screen relationship with Rachel Bilson differ from Seth and Summer’s relationship? And how is it alike?

10/27/2003 7:50:04 PM
Adam Brody: Well, it’s different because off-screen she’s nice! She doesn’t have an attitude off-screen. We hang out, we’re friends.

10/27/2003 7:50:16 PM
LiTuPLiGhThOuSe : Hey Adam, which of these girls are more your type: Summer, Marissa, or Anna?

10/27/2003 7:51:15 PM
Adam Brody: Anna. They all have really cool qualities, but you know, Anna overall — she’s funny and smart. But that said, I could be happy with any of them.

10/27/2003 7:51:37 PM
angie_gurl_420 : Hi Adam, I’m like a big fan of yours! Do you have a Hollywood crush?

10/27/2003 7:53:02 PM
Adam Brody: A Hollywood crush…yeah, I do. I’ll give you some names: Jennifer Garner, Natalie Portman, and Keira Knightley can do no wrong. Oh and Scarlett Johannson, I just saw Lost in Translation.

10/27/2003 7:53:16 PM
LilyPrincess : What is your favorite thing about playing Seth?

10/27/2003 7:54:21 PM
Adam Brody: Well, if you’re gonna do something every day, it’s nice to play something that you’re really comfortable with and enjoy. We all want to stretch ourselves, but it’s nice to play something so close to home, often.

10/27/2003 7:54:41 PM
RAN1639 : I don’t want you to give too much away about the new season, but what can we expect from your character this season?

10/27/2003 7:55:54 PM
Adam Brody: Well, there’s a love triangle that unfolds…and also a lot of holiday spirit, ie Chrismakah…I combined ’em for my parents. That basically sums it up, we’re only about six episodes ahead.

10/27/2003 7:56:25 PM
OCforEVer88 : What has been your favorite episode you’ve made thus far?

10/27/2003 7:58:26 PM
Adam Brody: I was really proud of the Tijuana one, I thought that was really well done. We also have a holiday one that I haven’t seen yet, and that was a lot of fun to do. I’m all screwed up — we just finished our New Years Eve episode, and we already did the Thanksgiving one as well — but we haven’t even had Halloween yet!

10/27/2003 7:58:41 PM
berocca_girl : Hey Adam, do you ever visit your fansites or online message boards about The OC?

10/27/2003 8:00:19 PM
Adam Brody: I do check out The OC message boards, but I’m not too computer-savvy. I try to view the other sites, but stuff always freezes or something bad always happens and I have to restart the computer. They’re really nice though, they’re flattering for the most part.

10/27/2003 8:00:57 PM
Chat Moderator : Do you have any parting words for your fans?

10/27/2003 8:03:30 PM
Adam Brody: First of all, I’m thrilled that you all like the show. We work really hard — everything you see on television and movies, everyone puts a lot of time and effort in it, and most of it is received rather poorly. And it’s too hard to put a lot of yourself into something and get a C minus. So it’s been really great to work hard on something that you love and to have everyone respond and really like it, it’s amazing. I hope that in the future we keep fulfilling what we’ve set ourselves up to do — which is to make a great show. I’ve seen about six episodes more than you all, and I think I can say that the shows are just getting better and better!

As a homeowner’s right of passage, I applied for a Sam’s Club membership card Saturday night. I was approved, but not until the woman saw my driver’s license. She didn’t believe I was at least 18 years old.

“I’d like to apply for a Sam’s card.”
“Um, you need to be at least 18. Are you?”
“Um, yeah. I’m about a month away from turning 25.”

The lady was a little embarrassed at this point, which I can somewhat understand. Now, I’m used to being carded when buying a drink at a restaurant or alcohol in a grocery store. But this? I don’t even look 18? This is crazy.

I just came home from a delicious dinner at my aunt and uncle’s house. My aunt is a fantastic cook; I’m unable to say no to her food. Here’s what I devoured in just under an hour:

a thick slab of turkey breast
two helpings of mashed potatoes
gravy
broccoli and cheese casserole
corn
cranberries
a bottle of Orange Two Dogs beer

And for dessert? Chocolate cake: My absolute FAVORITE dessert.

I’m so full right now, it’s scary.

Burp.

Voice Recognition Software Yelled At

NEW YORK—Fidelity Financial Services’ Gwen Watson, 33, shouted angrily at her IBM ViaVoice Pro USB voice-recognition software, sources close to the human-resources administrator reported Monday. “No, not Gary Friedman! Barry Friedman, you stupid computer. BARRY!” Watson was heard to scream from her cubicle. “Jesus Christ, I could’ve typed it in a hundredth of the time.” After another minute of yelling, Watson was further incensed upon looking at her screen, which read, “Barely Freedman you God ram plucking pizza ship.”

From an Oct. 22 article in USA Today.

Oh, just look at the curly hair and brown eyes.

Sigh.

***

Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) on Fox’s hit The O.C.

Who is he? Buddy and new “brother” to the cool lead character, Ryan, and never intended as the hot guy on the show.

Why he’s a cool geek: He’s a little bit goofy and a little too outspoken. Cool guys are usually men of few words. But when Seth tells his dad he’s going to the geek-hot Comic-Con gathering and instead drives all the popular kids to Tijuana to party, that’s totally cool. For once, the nerd is the sexy guy in an ultra-hip, prime-time soap. As Newsweek observed, he’s just plain “adorkable.”

11 a.m., ABC, versus Penn State at Iowa City. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

GO HAWKS!

With regard to my previous post: The morning is always better than the night, at least when you’re flying solo. Now that I’m awake for the day, I have much to accomplish, much ahead of me. I can hear the dishwasher finishing its final rinse cycle, cars zooming down my street. If I stand in my kitchen and look out the east window, I’ll catch a breathtaking sunrise in about an hour.

It’s going to be a good day.

My house is quiet tonight. Too quiet. It’s odd how deafening the silence is. Perhaps I notice how quiet my house is when I’m lonely, such as on nights like this. One of the worse things about living alone — although I ADORE my house — is coming home after a long day without anyone to greet me. The house is dark and cold. There’s no one else here. It’s just me. Nothing has been moved. Nothing has been touched. I hear no TV or radio.

I’m not looking for someone to cook dinner and do my laundry. I’d love to walk in the door and into the arms of someone I love. I want to tell them (him) about my day and hear about their (his) day. How wonderful is that? I’ve been there before. It is good. It’s warm and comforting. It’s home to me. It’s when everything beyond your front door is temporarily filed away. It’s just the two of you now with no one to face but each other.

And what’s worse: To be in the company of those you love and not be able to fully comfort them. To know you have something safe and good and warm and pure on the inside that could make that person feel better, even if for a little while; but you can’t share it. It’s a raw deal. My heart hurts.

***

To the one I carry inside my heart, with a little help from Bob Dylan.

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one there to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven’t made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I’ve known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue
I’d go crawling down the avenue
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on the rollin’ sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You ain’t seen nothing like me yet

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
Nothing that I wouldn’t do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love

I’ve been invited to a Halloween party Nov. 1. I was thinking of going as a Catholic school girl, but need to track down either a uniform skirt or jumper that would fit. Anyone out there have any ideas where I could find one?

Or, better yet, got any other costume ideas? Post ’em here or send me an email: wendy@shaggy-money.flywheelsites.com.

My good friend Jason introduced me to Elliott Smith earlier this year. “Listen to him on rainy days,” Jason told me. He’s right. Take his advice.

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Elliott Smith, Known for ‘Good Will Hunting’ Songs, Is Dead at 34

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 22, 2003
Filed at 7:31 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Elliott Smith, a singer-songwriter whose dark, introspective songs won him critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination, has apparently committed suicide, his publicist and coroner’s officials said Wednesday. He was 34.

Smith’s body was found by his live-in girlfriend Tuesday, Los Angeles County Coroner Records Supervisor Marsha Grigsby told AP Radio.

He sustained a single stab wound to the chest that appeared to be self-inflicted, she said.

Smith released five solo albums that received widespread acclaim from rock critics and garnered modest commercial success. “Miss Misery,” recorded for Gus Van Sant’s “Good Will Hunting,” was nominated for an Oscar in 1998.

Smith’s songs often were compared with those of Alex Chilton, Nick Drake and the Beatles, his favorite band.

Lyrically, they addressed dark subject matter such as drug addiction, troubled relationships and loneliness — though Smith tried to distance himself from the label of confessional songwriter.

“I don’t feel like my songs are particularly fragile or revealing,” he said in a 1998 interview in the Los Angeles Times. “It’s not like a diary, and they’re not intended to be any sort of superintimate confessional singer-songwriterish thing.”

However, Smith had recently spoken in interviews about his struggles with alcoholism. “When I lived in New York I was really a bad alcoholic for a few years,” he told Under the Radar magazine in an interview published in June 2003.

In an effort to quit drinking, Smith said he had undergone treatment which administers an intravenous solution meant to clear the bloodstream of toxins.

Smith was born Steven Paul Smith in Nebraska; his mother was a singer and his father was a psychiatrist. He spent most of his childhood with his mother in the suburbs of Dallas and then moved to Portland, Ore., while in high school to live with his father.

He studied piano and guitar as a youth and began composing songs when he was 13. He began calling himself Elliott in middle school, he later explained to a reporter, because Steve sounded too “jockish.”

A graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., he later joined a Portland punk band called Heatmiser. On the side, he recorded several solo albums — “Roman Candle” (1994), “Elliott Smith” (1995) and “Either/Or” (1997), all on independent labels — that won him a devoted underground following.

In 1997, he moved to New York, where Van Sant approached him with an offer to use several of his songs on the soundtrack to “Good Will Hunting.” The movie was a hit, bringing Smith’s music to a mainstream audience.

Smith subsequently signed with DreamWorks Records and recorded two albums; “XO” (1998) and “Figure 8” (2000) continued his critical winning streak, and took him to the middle reaches of Billboard’s Top 200 albums chart.

He told AP Radio in a 2000 interview that he didn’t mind being remembered mostly as the “Good Will Hunting” guy.

“I liked that movie. I thought it was really nice that Gus put my songs in it. There’s always some sort of name tag on any band, any person, so if that’s the one I have, that’s great.”