A word from Anna: “It doesn’t necessarily matter what your answer is to the question: What is art? So long as you have one.”

“Fringe” has two alternate universes, double versions of most of the major characters and plenty of secrets. Today it was a regular old action scene that had star Anna Torv frazzled. Scheduled for a conference call with the media, Torv handled Olivia Dunham’s business as quickly as possible, and told the press how her world has become one big police emergency.

“We’re at a train station,” Torv said. “We’ve got a hostage situation today. So we’ve got police cars. That’s the terrible thing. There’s all these flashing lights and ambulances and police cars. I was driving home the other day and saw flashing lights and police cars and thought, ‘I’ll keep going.’ It was only when I got home that I realized oh my god, that was a huge accident. That’s not funny.”

More after the jump…

Currently on “Fringe,” our side’s Olivia is being brainwashed “over there” to believe she is the alternate Olivia. Her bizarro self, called anything from Fauxlivia to Altivia, is playing our Olivia, unbeknownst to anyone else. At least there’s job security for Torv. If one of the Olivia’s gets killed, she’s still got another one to play.

“Right?” Torv agreed. “That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.”

It’s been cool for “Fringe” fans to see double Torv and shake things up on both sides of the wormhole. Torv says the real payoff is coming later. “I think that will come when they both get home. I think that’ll be the test. That’s the interesting part about this too because obviously we’ve been following our Olivia and our team for two years now. When you start to see the other side, solving cases and interacting with each other, you realize they’re both just fighting their own cause. Neither is good or bad or right or wrong. That’s hopefully the second half of the season. I’m looking forward to playing them as they are, in their own world. I think that’ll give me a little bit more of an understanding.”

Olivia might have some issues with Peter making out with Fauxlivia, let alone when Peter finds out. “I think that’s fun. The whole Olivia/Peter thing, of course you want them to be together. It’s set up that way. What do you do when all of a sudden you two guys end up together? Then it becomes, what, a romantic drama or comedy? The fact that they’ve been able to get a little bit of that and now it’s one step forward and 10 steps back, I think it’s brilliant. I think that obviously this is an assignment for alternate Olivia but Peter’s a charmer. I don’t know what she’s going to think.”

The double identities are just getting started. Fauxlivia is killing witnesses and seducing Peter (Joshua Jackson) in our world, and “over there” Olivia is learning to shoot straight and make friends with characters long dead in our world.

“I haven’t really had the chance to play the alternate Olivia properly for herself. It’s been sort of our Olivia thinking she’s the alternate Olivia and then alternate Olivia pretending to be our Olivia. It’s been tough to walk that line. What’s been interesting is my attitude or how clearly I’m now seeing Olivia. I don’t think you get those opportunities where you get to sit back and look at a character from a different perspective. Each has their own impression of the other and they haven’t met really properly. It’s been tough but fun. Also I would have loved if we had gone right out there and made her a completely different character, but the differences are subtle. They both ended up in the same job, they both ended up to the point where they had the same partners. It’s just gentle little shifts and it’s been fun.”

Short of putting a goatee on “evil” Olivia, the differences aren’t supposed to be as obvious as perhaps other evil twin stories would make them. That’s where Torv has to really sell it so we know which Olivia we’re watching, even if the other characters don’t.

“More often than not, it’s the things that you wouldn’t expect to be challenging. It’s the ones where they’re doing the same thing, them walking up to a crime scene, how does Olivia handle it and how does Fauxlivia handle it? Sitting around gathering information, those are the bits you go what are they thinking, what are the differences in their thoughts? Not so much the bigger stuff.”

“Fringe” airs tonight and next Thursday before a hiatus for baseball.
 

Tonight is all about short, horny, crazy people. It’s Verne Troyer Day!!!

CHECK OUT WHAT TO WATCH AFTER THE JUMP

NOTE: ALL TIMES EASTERN & PACIFIC!!!

THE OFFICE
Network: NBC
Time: 9 – 9:30PM

Reasons to watch: Michael’s mental state is questioned and Andy screws up in his attempts to woo Erin. Weird. I always thought A Cappella guys got all the girls. I’m totally quitting The Gold Throats.

FRINGE
Network: FOX
Time: 9 – 10PM

Reasons to watch: The team deals with a hostage situation which they find has a connection to Massive Dynamic. Hostage situations may seem like big inconveniences but they are an excellent source of free pizza.
 

SUPERNATURAL
Network: CW
Time: 9 – 10PM

Reasons to watch: The Wincheste Brothers are tricked into attending a Supernatural convention based on the stories that are based on their lives. It’s a hokey good time until a ghost shows up and they must spring into action. Lately the plotlines on this show have seemed so corny on paper but somehow each are executed perfectly. Tonight should be no exception.

SEX REHAB WITH DR. DREW
Network: VH1
Time: 11PM – Midnight

Reasons to watch: Dr. Drew tries to ruin all of our favorite hornball celebrities. YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE, DREW!!

WHO’S ON LATE

LENO
Penelope Cruz

LETTERMAN
Amanda Peet; scientist kids; The Cribs perform

CONAN
Al Gore; Jason Mraz performs

KIMMEL
Eric Dane; Streeter Seidell and Amir Blumenfeld; Switchfoot performs

FERGUSON
Paula Marshall; Nick Griffin; Trace Adkins performs

FALLON
Kate Walsh; Penn and Teller; Goodie Mob performs