Michael Easton (7/97 413 Hope St)
Excerpt from Ultimate TV 7/24/97: Michael Easton, on Synchronicity | 413 Hope St.
MICHAEL EASTON JOINS THE CAST OF '413 HOPE ST.'
Michael Easton ("VR.5," "Two," "Days of Our Lives" ) joins the new one-hour drama series 413 HOPE ST., scheduled to premiere Thursday, Sept. 11 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Easton will portray Nick Carrington, a former drug addict-turned-counselor who oversees the sports program at 413 HOPE ST., it was announced today by Peter Roth, President, FOX Entertainment Group. Easton joins the ensemble cast that includes Richard Roundtree ("Shaft," "Seven," "George of the Jungle"), Shari Headley ("The Preacher's Wife," "Coming to America"), Kelly Coffield ("In Living Color," "Jerry Maguire"), Vincent Laresca ("Devil's Advocate," "Romeo & Juliet") and Tony Award-winning actor Jesse Martin from the Broadway hit "Rent."
© Ultimate TV
Excerpt from Baltmore Sun 9/11/97: Michael Easton
Here's hoping for 'Hope Street' Preview: Fox's new drama, debuting tonight, has a lot of potential and a gene pool that includes Damon Wayans, 'Homicide' and 'St. Elsewhere.'
September 11, 1997|By David Zurawik | David Zurawik,SUN TELEVISION CRITIC
Damon Wayans is the name Fox has been using to promote "413 Hope Street," a gritty new ensemble drama about life at a teen crisis center, and it's a good choice. Wayans, the wildly talented comedian of "In Living Color" fame, is the creator of the series, and his writing and producing efforts here are impressive.
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The other strong story line involves an AIDS therapy group at the center and the work of a counselor (Michael Easton) who tries to save a teen patient from despair.
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'413 Hope Street'
What: Series premiere
When: Tonight at 9
Where: Fox (WBFF, Channel 45)
Starring: Richard Roundtree
© Baltimore Sun
Excerpt from St. Louis Post Dispatch 9/11/97: Michael Easton
Fox Offerings Tonight Are Mix of Good, Bad
By Pennington, Gail St Louis Post-Dispatch (MO)
NEW from Fox tonight: a drama that's not as good as it ought to be, and a comedy that's not as bad as it might be. The drama is the well-meaning (but often trite and preachy) "413 Hope St." (8 p.m. on Channel 2), created by Damon Wayans and set in a teen crisis center in New York City. On the positive side in this good-hearted show, there's Richard Roundtree as stern Mr. Thomas, who founded the center on the site where his son was murdered for a pair of tennis shoes. The strong, multi-ethnic cast also includes Jesse Martin as psychologist Antonio, Sheri Headley as counselor Juanita, Kelly Coffield as lawyer Sylvia and Michael Easton as coach Nick. Clients include Quentin (Stephen Berra), an HIV-positive teen, and Melvin (Karim Prince), a flamboyantly gay young man. In the opener, a battered junkie-prostitute (Karina Arroya) leaves her addict boyfriend for the sake of their baby, seeking shelter at Hope Street. Meanwhile, a meeting of the HIV support group leaves Quentin in more despair than ever. Crises, mainly predictable ones, ensue. For comic relief, white-bread Sylvia tries to teach African dance to an appalled group of black teen-age girls. Despite its flaws, "Hope St." is already vastly better than the similarly themed "Crisis Center," which aired briefly on NBC last spring. With fresher writing and fewer sermons, it could develop into an exciting show, not just an admirable one.
© St. Louis Post Dispatch
Excerpt from Soap Opera News 9/23/97: Michael Easton, on Synchronicity
Easton Exposure: Former DAYS heartthrob Michael Easton puts his career hopes on Hope Street
By Jeffrey Epstein
"I never select the right role," sighs Michael Easton (ex-Tanner, DAYS). "It's a joke with all my friends. If there's the best role on TV as well as a quirky, offbeat one, I go for the quirky offbeat one that won't last three weeks. I'll do anything if I like the part."
After roles in the short-lived sci-fi show VR.5 and the Fugitive-like series Two -- he played twins, one good, one evil -- Easton hopes to break the chain as a member of Fox's new ensemble drama 413 Hope Street. He plays Nick Carrington, an ex-heroin addict cut off from his wealthy family. Nick is now a counselor at a teen crisis center, running the sports program. "He'll be counseling Carlos, whose addiction cost him his wife and baby," says Easton, who consulted youth and drug counselors in preparation for the role.
After Two wrapped last January, Easton went to New York to relax, believing the show would be renewed for the upcoming season. He recently heard otherwise. "I was out of work for about a month," he reveals. Easton used his downtime to read scripts, although he wasn't sure he wanted to return to primetime immediately. "I wasn't planning to jump back into TV, but then Hope Street popped up," he says. "It was a great script, and I said, "'I want to be a part of it.'"
Soap Opera News
Excerpt from Variety 10/22/97: Michael Easton
Networks Yank 'Timecop,' '413 Hope St.'
By Jenny Hontz
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - The first new dramas of the season have crashed and burned. ABC on Tuesday canceled the Monday night drama "Timecop,' and Fox has pulled its Thursday drama "413 Hope Street" off the air during the November sweeps period.
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Fox won't say it has officially canceled the drama "413 Hope Street," but yanking it for sweeps is certainly a bad sign. The show, one of only five new Fox series on this fall, will air this Thursday, but a string of reality specials will be plugged into the Thursday 9 p.m. timeslot during sweeps. There's no word on when or if "413" will return to the schedule, but it's possible that "New York Undercover," which aired in the timeslot last season, will replace it. Fox ordered "New York Undercover" as a mid-season backup. In four episodes, "413 Hope Street" has averaged a 5.2-8 in households and a 3.4-9 in the key adults 18-49 demographic. During the same period last season, "New York Undercover" averaged a 7.0-11 in households (26% higher) and a 4.7-12 in young adults (28% higher) in the same timeslot.
© Variety
Excerpt from The Cincinnati Post 12/16/97: Michael Easton
FOX UNLOADING 'LIVING SINGLE,' '413 HOPE ST.'.(LIVING)
The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH) December 16, 1997 | Paeth, Greg
Fox Broadcasting won't waste much of next year unloading a couple of series that haven't performed well in the ratings. Fox announced Monday that the final two episodes of ''Living Single'' and a final episode of ''413 Hope St.'' will be broadcast on New Year's Day.
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In the final episode of ''413 Hope St.,'' a solid freshman drama that never found an audience, Nick (Michael Easton) fears he might be responsible for a tragic accident, and Angelica (Dawn Stern) joins the teen center as the new dance instructor.
© The Cincinnati Post
Excerpt from Prodigy 9/17/97: Michael Easton, on Synchronicity
Transcript of the Prodigy Chat with Michael Easton
September 17, 1997 22.00 EDT
SYSTEM Greeter You are now in Auditorium "Michael Easton". You have READ/WRITE access. You may ask up to 10 questions, until this auditorium reaches its maximum of 2500 questions.
Moderator (Speaker) Michael Easton, perhaps best known for his starring roles on NBC's "Days of Our Lives," FOX-TV's "VR.5," and the syndicated series "Two," now stars in FOX's new one-hour dramatic series "413 Hope St." Easton portrays a rich kid who rejected his wealth, got hooked on heroin, kicked the habit after a near-death experience, and now counsels kids on the dangers of drugs. The show airs Thursdays at 9PM ET/PT... OK, folks. HERE'S MICHAEL EASTON!!!
Michael Easton (Speaker) Hi everyone!
Moderator (Speaker) Great to have you here, Michael... Thanks for joining us tonight!
swimguy (Prodigy Member) Tell us about "413 Hope Street"--how did you get involved in the show and what's your character all about?
Michael Easton (Speaker) "413 Hope Street" is Fox, Thursdays @ 9 p.m. It's produced by Damon Wayans and the show is about an inner-city youth clinic that counsels young people in NYC on drug addiction, AIDS, teen pregnancy, etc. I play a counselor who is himself a recovering heroin addict. The show also stars Richard Roundtree, best known as Shaft, and it's loosely based on a clinic in NYC called "The Door."
swimguy (Prodigy Member) Have you gotten to work much with Damon Wayans? What's your impression of him?
Michael Easton (Speaker) Damon's not actually working on the show. He's executive producing it, and spent some time at The Door when he was a young man. Damon is very hands-on when he's at the set. He's incredibly funny when he wants to be. If you do something remotely funny, his laugh is the loudest, and he has an amazingly insightful side as well. We're very fortunate to be working with him.
FredsHotStuf (Prodigy Member) Are you concerned at all with going up against "Seinfeld" in the 9PM Thursday slot?
Michael Easton (Speaker) I'm a fan of "Seinfeld," but I don't really worry about that. "Seinfeld" has their audience, and we're not going to affect them. We'll see...but I hope a show with good intentions that's trying to offer something different will find an audience. Peter Roth, who heads Fox, believes in the show, and hopefully he'll stay behind it.
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Moderator (Speaker) 413 HOPE ST. is a new Fox TV series that airs Thursdays at 9PM ET/PT. In a review of last week's debut episode, the NY POST gave the show 4 STARS! In addition to Michael Easton, the ensemble cast includes veteran actor Richard Roundtree. The show's executive producer is feature film star and comedian Damon Wayans... Please write to Michael Easton now with your questions and comments.
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swimguy (Prodigy Member) How's "413 Hope Street" doing in the ratings?
Michael Easton (Speaker) We had a really good opening on Thursday. The show finished no. 54 out of 112 shows, so they were pleased. I don't put a lot of stock in first week's ratings. Let's see what happens in the second and third week. "VR.5" did great the first week, but two weeks later, they disappeared. It takes awhile for a show to find its legs and for word of mouth to spread. So hopefully you'll all start talking about the show.
Moderator (Speaker) The "NY Post" gave last week's debut show FOUR STARS in their review!!!
FredsHotStuf (Prodigy Member) What are your feelings about recreational use of drugs or alcohol?
Michael Easton (Speaker) Alcohol is legal for people over 21; if it's not abused it's fine. Recreational drug use--it's tough. I watched an old routine the other night by a comedian named Billy Hicks--he said that anybody who said drugs don't do any good should go home and throw out all their albums from the 1960s and 70s., I don't use drugs, but I know some people who have gotten something out of it.
All2ThAgOoD (Prodigy Member) How did you get the part on the show?!
Michael Easton (Speaker) The standard audition...they had seen "Two." Fox acquired "Two," and they told us the show would be renewed. They changed their mind, so I was very disappointed with them for 3 weeks, then they called and asked me to meet with Damon Wayans and sent me this amazing script and I decided this opportunity doesn't come every day, so I went in at 10 a.m., met with Damon and everyone else involved with the show, and when I walked out, they asked me to go to the network at 5 p.m. So I went in, read for 30 people, and they told me I start tomorrow.
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All2ThAgOoD (Prodigy Member) Even though this is not about Michael Easton, did "413 Hope St." replace "New York Undercover?" Did that show get canceled??
Michael Easton (Speaker) I'm a big fan of "New York Undercover." It's a mid-season offering. We're doing 14 episodes, they're doing 14 episodes. I wish them well. I heard the show was moving to Saturdays.
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Moderator (Speaker) In case you've joined us late...
Moderator (Speaker) Michael Easton, perhaps best known for his starring roles on NBC's "Days of Our Lives," FOX-TV's "VR 5," and the syndicated series "Two," now stars in FOX's new one-hour dramatic series "413 Hope St." Easton portrays a rich kid who rejected his wealth, got hooked on heroin, kicked the habit after a near-death experience, and now counsels kids on the dangers of drugs. The show airs Thursdays at 9PM ET/PT...
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FredsHotStuf (Prodigy Member) What's it like to work with Richard Roundtree?
Michael Easton (Speaker) One of the nicest, sweetest people I've ever worked with. He is a commanding presence. A friend of mine worked with Sean Connery once, and Richard has a similar presence on the set, in that he's larger than life. He sets the tone for having a relaxed, casual cast.
© Prodigy
Excerpt from Starlog 4/99: Michael Easton, on Synchronicity
Thought Policeman
From there, Easton tried his hand at an assortment of jobs. He wrote and directed a film short called Daedalus is Dead, penned a volume of poetry entitled Eighteen Straight Whiskeys and paid the rent with a variety of acting stints ranging from Stephen Cannell's syndicated series Two and the acclaimed but short-lived drama 413 Hope St. to the independent films Cold Fire and Shadow of a Stranger.
© Starlog