Interview by G.L. Giles
Roth Cornet is a creative powerhouse with far-reaching projects including films, commercials and staff writing for major entertainment outlets like the AMC Movie Talk Podcast and Screen Rant. To add to that, she covers A-listers at red-carpet events and press junkets and has also had wonderful sit-down interviews with celebrities from Ridley Scott to Will Smith. Her long list of accomplishments doesn’t stop there, either; she has also acted, written and produced for the comedy web-series “Fanboy Funhouse” on craveonline.com. In addition, she has had a hand in cross-platform commercial campaigns and DVD features for majorly successful movies and television shows including The Nightmare Before Christmas, My Name Is Earl and Family Guy. Moreover, she offers wonderfully in-depth coverage of the new season of Doctor Who on AfterBuzz TV, so Whovians everywhere take note!
It’s great to be interviewing you for Target Audience Magazine, Roth! You have accomplished so much and in so many arenas that I’ve decided to focus on one for all the Whovians out there: your wonderful Doctor Who Afterbuzz TV AfterShow! So, with that in mind, what are you most excited about seeing this season on Doctor Who?
As we move into the Christmas special and the second half of the season, I am really anxious to see how the Doctor responds to the loss of the Ponds in his life. Will he continue on the dark path that he seemed to be on in the early part of the season? Will he heed River’s warning and make sure that he pulls himself back from the brink via the (in all likelihood) soothing effect of his new companion Clara/Oswin? As to that I am keen to see what this new companion will offer the Doctor. I very much enjoyed Jenna Louise Coleman’s introduction at the start of the season, and my hope is that Clara will be just as interesting and nuanced a creature as Oswin was. I would like to see a fundamentally different companion. I enjoyed the idea that Oswin challenged the idea of what a Dalek is or can be. I hope Clara is just as interesting. Finally, I am really anxious to see what Steven Moffat brings to the table for the 50th Anniversary. Will “the” question finally be answered? And if so, what will that mean for all the beings that have and do live across space and time?
One of the things I like about your Doctor Who Afterbuzz TV Show is that you’re not afraid of being somewhat contentious. I’m somewhat, too, from time to time. For example, though I love the new season and Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, I think his character may be used a bit too much for comic relief at times. Do you agree? What other scenes (if any) have you found a bit too twee? Or do you think that it’s to be expected to a certain extent since it’s a family show?
That’s interesting. I do think that Doctor Who does need to traverse multiple tones at once in order to truly remain a family show. The ability to do so is perhaps what I find most impressive about the series. I think what I would like to see more of is a focus on the overarching storylines and a bit less on one-off episodes. But that is just a matter of personal taste.
Are you also a fan of Torchwood, the Doctor Who spin-off? Do you think Torchwood will ever reach the popularity Doctor Who has since it’s targeted at a more mature audience only?
I do like Torchwood, yes. You know, I think that the character of the Doctor is just so iconic, so complex and brilliant that he opens a pathway (as we have seen) to an almost infinite arena of storytelling and development. It’s inherent that the series will refresh itself with new companions and a new Doctor every few seasons which brings a new set of rich and dynamic relationships. So, I think it’s hard for any other show to compete with that.
Doctor Who does rely on some popular science fiction tropes like time travel, but the episodes are often wonderfully unpredictable. Add to that, the relationships between the characters and character development is really unparalleled. Do you think these brilliant combinations of elements now are responsible for taking it from having rather cult-like devotees to a much more mainstream appeal?
Also an interesting question. I think that, in general terms, the audience for genre fare has always been around, and some films or television series hit in a larger way than others, as is true for all genres since the inception of film and television. Having said that, there are times that certain genres gain popularity. It may be Westerns for a time and then gangster films and then science fiction. Ultimately, I feel like the rise in Doctor Who’s popularity is more a matter of accessibility. The Internet has widened the scope for all manner of media. It’s a great show, so if people have access to it, then many are bound to love it.
Switching gears a bit, I read that you are also a fan of another science fiction television series: Fringe. For the die-hard Fringe fans like me out there, is there any chance you might start covering it on AfterBuzz TV AfterShow as well?
I’ve been asked that and I would LOVE to, but I’m not sure there is a space in the docket this season. Maybe we can do one big wrap up show. I’d love that.
What do you have in the pipeline for the rest of 2012? For 2013?
Plugging away with work, God willing! I’d love to continue to cover film and television as an on-camera interviewer and commentator as well as continue with my written editorials. But, I’d also love to move back into a more creative content creation role as well.
Where can Target Audience Magazine readers go to see your interviews, you on AfterBuzz TV, etc.?
Please do follow me on twitter @JRothC and feel free to Facebook me. I post most, if not all of my stories, editorials, interviews and podcasts there!
To see Roth in action, check out this episode of AfterBuzz TV on Doctor Who episode, “Asylum of the Daleks”: youtube.com/watch?v=ezQRoBC2DXk
