In 1988, the news cycle didn't work with the same rapidity that it does today, when a story can go from the center of global attention to virtually nonexistent in a matter of days or even hours.  Almost 25 years ago, big stories became big stories without so many competing 24-hour news networks, all manner of social media, immediate meme-dom, and the eventual backlash. 

It was a year that included an American presidential election and the release of Die Hard, but one particular story that captured the imagination and attention not just of America but of the world at large was that of three California gray whales surrounded by encroaching ice in the Arctic Circle.  Multiple nations and even conflicting interests united to find a way to get the whales, known affectionately as Fred, Wilma, and Bam Bam, through miles of ice to the safety of the open ocean.

Operation Breakthrough, as it was known, was chronicled by Tom Rose in the 1989 book Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World's Greatest Non-Event.  That book inspired the new film Big Miracle, which dramatizes the events and stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski, who respectively play a Greenpeace activist and the journalist who first discovered the whale family.  With the new family-friendly drama arriving this Friday, both stars were recently on hand for a Los Angeles press conference, along with fellow actors Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Vinessa Shaw, and director Ken Kwapis.  IAR's own Jami Philbrick was present to get these creative figures' thoughts on telling the story of Fred, Wilma, Bam Bam, and all those who aided in their journey.

In addition to his successful stage and film work, actor Titus Welliver has appeared on some of the most iconic and beloved television series of the last decade and a half. While he was a regular on HBO’s acclaimed series Deadwood, Welliver has been mostly featured as a guest star on such popular and critically acclaimed shows as NYPD Blue, Prison Break, Supernatural, Life, The Closer, Suits, The Good Wife, and Sons of Anarchy, where he played the season-three villain Jimmy O’Phelan. But the actor is definitely best known by television audiences for his role as the Man in Black (A.K.A. – the Smoke Monster) on ABC’s mysterious island-set series Lost.

Welliver’s television domination will continue this week with the conclusion of his three-episode arc on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which culminates with Wednesday night’s episode entitled Willows in the Wind. The actor will reprise his role on the long-running CBS series as Mark Gabriel, the CEO of a Blackwater type company. In fact, Wednesday January 25^th marks a big night for the accomplished actor because in addition to his episode of CSI airing, it is also the premiere of Fox’s new series Touch, which stars Kiefer Sutherland and features Welliver in a pivotal recurring role. The actor will also be appearing on an arc of NBC’s Grimm, as well FX’s upcoming series Powers, which is based on writer Brian Michael Bendis’ extremely popular comic book series of the same name.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Titus Welliver, who has truly been one of my favorite actors for a very long time. While we had a chance to discuss his latest film Man on a Ledge, and his role in Ben Affleck’s next directorial effort Argo, that portion of our conversation will run later in the week so that I can tell you now about what the actor had to say regarding all of his upcoming television projects. Welliver spoke candidly with me about working on multiple television shows, if he would like to return to being a series regular, his role on CSI, why Kiefer Sutherland’s performance on Touch will surprise you, which comic book character he will be portraying on Powers, his character on Grimm’s dark history, why he thinks the well reviewed series Life was short-lived, and what one fan of Lost said to him about his legendary role on the now-classic show.