Five Questions

The Bachelor Pad Weatherman reveals all: Jonathan Novack spills on his tell-all,his comedy career and Ali

Jonathan Novack in his Bachelor Pad pose.

Photo by Kevin Foley/ABC
Jonathan Novack back in his real weatherman days.
Say it with Novack's latest T-shirt!

Jimmy Kimmel and everyone else may refer to him as "The Weatherman" but we still think of Jonathan Novack as our hometown heartthrob.

He may not have won Ali's heart on The Bachelorette, but he's returning to TV Monday in a hybrid reality competition and dating show called The Bachelor Pad (airing on ABC at 7 p.m.). Novack gave an exclusive interview to CultureMap about Houston, his future, and his thoughts on Ali and Roberto.

CultureMap: This must have been a crazy summer for you. What are you up to now that The Bachelor Pad is wrapped?

Jonathan Novack: I've been out to L.A., where I had some meetings, shot the 'Men Tell All' episode, found a place to live in West Hollywood and did some stand-up at the HaHa Comedy Club.

I also just had a show last week at the Houston Improv with Slade Ham, who was headlining. I did about 10-11 minutes — it was awesome, went really great. Next week, Aug. 12-15, I'm performing at The Laff Spot opening for Jimmie Walker.

Since the show, I started blogging, tweeting, I've been delving into social networking, selling T-shirts that say 'I heart the weatherman' to benefit the ASPCA, trying to figure out some charity-type things I can do, seeing what I can get involved with out in L.A. I've been in Houston for three years and it's hard to leave. I feel rooted here, I'm bummed. I've got a lot of friends here, it's been a really good time in my life.

CM: Have you always wanted to break into the entertainment business?

JN: I've been in the news business on-air for nine years, and I've always wanted to do entertainment-type stuff, whether it was an Antique Roadshow segment on Channel 2 or hosting the local version of The Biggest Loser. I feel like now is the time to see if I can bridge over to entertainment.

If I'm in Houston the challenges are much more difficult. People know me now, I've got my agent, a publicist, and if I want to go I've got to do it now. I'm sticking with TV though, auditioning for hosting gigs and things like that.

CM: What did you think about The Bachelorette finale? Do you think Ali made the right choice with Roberto?

JN: I said it from the beginning, from when I got sent home, people would ask me who I thought Ali would be with or should be with and I said Roberto. He was the most stand-up guy in the house, and they seemed to have a connection. I'm glad it worked out for Ali — I couldn't be happier for them.

CM: Is it different to watch yourself on these shows? Was there anything they didn't air that you would have liked to show?

JN: It's tough to watch, when I see it on TV, to be honest. It's interesting. It's totally different than seeing myself if I'm doing a weather cast. For starters I have no control. Since I've started in the news business I've always been the one to put a story together, and with this I have to kinda sit back and see what gets aired.

As far as what didn't make it to TV, there was a thing that happened between Jesse B. and Craig M. I don't think people realized Craig M. was trying to get into a fight with him and for that reason people thought it was just me and him, but the only reason I said anything to Ali was because the guy was seriously off his rocker and trying to start stuff with everyone. I don't know if they had the time to show a lot of that, though.

CM: How did you come to be on the show?

JN: I was nominated for the show a year and a half ago and they called me up. I never watched it, I didn't know who was on it, but I did a little investigating. I knew Ali and Gia, and was hoping one of them would be Bachelorette, but you don't know who it's going to be, so you go into it as an experience, and maybe it'll work out with whoever they pick, but you have to just say, "Hey, this is a life experience and lets see what happens."

Check out a Pad peek and get more of the shirtless Novack:

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Movie Review

Supergirl fails to take flight in a movie weighed down by grief

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

Last year's Superman reboot brought a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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