You probably know her best as Laurie Keller on “Cougar Town,” but we’ve been loving Busy Philipps since way back in her “Freaks and Geeks” days. She first caught our eye as the bad girl we all wished we could be, Kim Kelly. And, of course, we watched her when she popped up as Joey’s freshman roommate Audrey on “Dawson’s Creek.” Since then, Busy’s been, well, busy. She’s racked up tons of great television and film roles and somehow managed to have eek out some time to get married, become a mother and accompany her best friend Michelle Williams to every major award show. How does she do it?

Because we’re so impressed, we’ve recruited Busy as a guest advice columnist here at The Frisky. She answers a bunch of readers questions on everything from keeping the romance alive in a long term relationship, living together before marriage, her favorite travel destination, and whether she would support her daughter Birdie pursuing an acting career.

Stop by The Frisky to read her answers to fan questions!

While the characters on Cougar Town seemingly lead lives of leisure (to the point where the creators revealed that every episode takes place on a Saturday or Sunday), the ABC comedy has faced constant struggle at every turn. From its widely despised title to its timeslot shuffling, the Cul-de-Sac Crew was never living on easy street.

Despite all that (or perhaps as a result of it), the recently wrapped third season was easily the series finest, deftly balancing broad comedy with deeply resonant emotional storylines. And the shining jewel of season three was Busy Philipps’ winning performance as Laurie Keller, who remained adorably immature despite maturing significantly.

ETOnline caught up with the actress, who could finally add an Emmy nomination to her mantle of accolades on July 19, to discover her favorite season three moments, talk about the show’s controversial move to TBS and find out how risque the show will get now that it’s on cable!

ETOnline: This season of Cougar Town was much more interested in the emotional stories of these characters — was that a conscious choice, or just the natural evolution of the storytelling?
Busy Philipps: I think one of the things that Bill [Lawrence, creator] has been able to do so well on this show is create an entirely new sensibility than Scrubs had. This isn’t just Scrubs with new actors, Cougar Town has a heart to it that’s all its own. There was a warmth to these people and I think a lot of that stemmed from nerves that this would be our last season. Tonally, that’s where some of it was coming from. But also, as a cast, we really love each other and I think the fact we want to keep making this show for the rest of our lives comes through the television.

ETOnline: We learned a lot more about Laurie this year. Did you have any favorite moments in particular?
Philipps: I really loved that scene in the kitchen [from the finale], where Laurie is going to let Travis lick frosting off her finger and is suddenly like, “What am I doing?!?! I always do this to you!” You see the honesty between them in that moment, and I thought it was so great for her to acknowledge that was so important. But it is complicated and I like how messy it is. And maybe it’ll get more complicated next year

ETOnline: The show has always hinted that there is more between Travis and Laurie than just friendship, but the finale really took a big step towards making that a reality. In the past, you haven’t always been in favor of that storyline. Have you come around now that Travis is 21?
Philipps: I feel like his age makes it more appropriate, certainly. Also, can we just acknowledge that Travis has aged faster than any character on TV, ever?

ETOnline: I’ll give you that one.
Philipps: It’s fair to say. But I just think that’s the natural evolution of the characters given how it’s been written. I was super anti the first season and a half, but as their relationship has evolved on screen, I do find myself rooting for them a bit. The other thing is though, I kind of love Wade. He’s such a great guy and such a nice match for Laurie too. I’m torn. Busy is torn too.

ETOnline: Laurie also opened a bakery this year — in real life, you’re a very proficient baker. Was that storyline inspired by your real love?
Philipps: Yes! I think that’s one of the things Bill Lawrence is very aware of. Not only does it make the character feel more real, but at a certain point, you need new ideas and at a certain point, you start pulling stuff from your actor’s real lives.

ETOnline: Looking at the season, what was your favorite episode?
Philipps: The Groundhog Day episode was one of my favorite episodes we’ve ever done. What I loved also is that Courteney [Cox, who plays Jules] didn’t get it. Like, in real life. She thought the writers were just doing the same jokes over and over again. She hadn’t actually seen Groundhog Day either and told Bill that maybe he should push the writers a little more to be original. That was just hilarious, and totally a Courteney thing to do. I also loved the season finale. I thought the wedding was really sweet and able to hit all these incredible notes without being over the top, or sappy. It made me cry.

ETOnline: Looking ahead to next season, is there anything you haven’t gotten to do with Laurie that you’d like to try?
Philipps: Full frontal nudity [laughs]. Everyone keeps asking if we’ll be racier now that we’re going to be on cable and I think we’re all just gonna show our boobs every episode. If you have a problem with great racks, you probably won’t want to watch the show. You know, I’ve gotten to run the gamut in three seasons. I really get to do everything with Laurie, it’s kind of a dream.

ETOnline: Speaking of season four, which will move to TBS with a new showrunner, how are you feeling?
Philipps: I’m excited and nervous. I think it’s OK to have a mix of emotions. Change can be a very positive thing and, look, Bill and Kevin [Biegel, co-creator] will always have their voices represented. They are not disappearing completely but I’m excited to see what other stories our new writers and showrunner want to bring to the table. I haven’t met them yet, but I’m excited to see their take on the show — maybe it will be something we haven’t explored yet.

Cougar Town premieres on TBS in early 2013.

yahoo.com

We had a wonderful time sitting down with the lovely Busy Philipps. She talks with us about her web series, Jason Nash is Married, of course Cougar Town, other upcoming projects, and how rad her daughter is! Hope you enjoy our interview with Busy.

Congrats to her and the rest of Cougar Town on getting picked up for a another season over on TBS! This interview was conducted just before the announcement.

To celebrate summer and the launch of Bacardi’s Classic Cocktail Light collection, a new line of low-calorie, ready-to-serve beverages, actress Busy Phillips is taking center stage.

The new face of the products, which are 95 calories and come in mojito and piña colada flavors, Philipps lives a healthy lifestyle and finds the light rum to be a perfect fit for entertaining.

Though she has a hectic schedule, between shooting her television show and making appearances, the mother of one finds the time to enjoy her hobbies, which include spinning and baking.

When asked about entertaining and if she is a cook in her own home, Philipps responded, “I can’t cook at all, that’s what my husband is for. I am the baker in the family. Baking is my Zen activity.”

After digging a bit deeper, The Daily Meal learned that Philipps doesn’t only like to bake, but she’s pretty damn good at it. “You have to see my Twitter. I make crazy, tiered cakes in my house,” she told us. She has also made birthday cakes for her daughter Birdie — including a James and the Giant Peach cake which she tweeted a photo of a few weeks ago.

Philipps has been spinning for about 12 years now, and is a bona fide gym rat — she currently belongs to about three different gyms in Los Angeles. But even with her hectic lifestyle, she emphasized that making time for her family is her favorite hobby.

thedailymeal.com

Busy Philipps won’t be shedding any tears if ABC cancels Cougar Town.

She doesn’t want the show to end, but is hopeful the fan-favorite series will find a home on TBS if Courteney Cox and the gang do get the boot.

And it’s safe to say that Philipps is no fan of how ABC has treated Cougar Town…

“It has not been fun to feel like the ugly stepsister of the network,” Philipps told us today at Paul Frank’s Mommy & Me celebration at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

“They moved us around, they took us off the air for months,” she continued. “I do feel a little disappointed in how they’ve treated the show. If TBS is willing to launch the show in a real great way and we would actually have like billboards and commercials, that would be really cool.”

Producers have been talking to TBS about a two-season pickup if ABC gives them the boot, according to Deadline.

Philipps says she’s “really excited about the possibility” of switching networks. “I feel like if it really happens it’s kind of going to be like best case scenario for all of us,” she said.

Hopefully the rest of the cast is as gung-ho about the move as Philipps is. “The terms of the matter are we don’t have a choice,” she laughed. “Gung-ho or not, get on the train!”

A rep for ABC declined to comment for this story.

eonline.com

Why hasn’t Michelle Williams done a guest spot with her bestie Busy Philipps on Cougar Town?

You think it would have happened by now.

So what’s taking so long?

“This is not a joke—we can give [Cougar Town cocreator] Bill Lawrence all the s–t we want for it,” Philipps said at last night’s Hooray for Hollygrove event presented by Juicy Couture at the Hollywood Museum. “At the beginning of the show, in the first season, I told him, ‘My friend Michelle Williams wants to guest star on the show.’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ And they never did anything with it!

“And then she was nominated for her third Academy Award and they’re like, ‘Hey, maybe one of your friends would wanna…?’” she continued. “I said, ‘I told you season one that she would do it! You lost her now to the third Academy Award nomination.’”

That doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. Philipps said it “would be amazing” to work on the show with Williams.

“It would be great,” she said. “I want her to play my bookish sister who hates me.”

Sounds good to us.

EOnline.com

Busy Philipps is a different kind of busy right now. The actress, who is coming off a hectic awards season that saw her support BFF Michelle Williams on nearly every red carpet in town, is currently on a rare break from her full acting schedule, so she’s transitioning back to being a full-time wife and mother. And she couldn’t be happier.

Wonderwall caught up with the “Cougar Town” star on March 13 in Santa Monica, Calif., where she was schmoozing with actress pals Kate Mara, Emma Roberts and Mena Suvari while toasting designer Tracy Reese’s debut with winemaker Clos du Bois, a new picnic basket line called Chic Piqnique. We asked Philipps about her newfound hiatus, her plans to have more kids, and the possibility that she may co-star with Williams again.

Wonderwall: You’re out for lunch on a weekday by the beach! What brings you out to Santa Monica?

Busy Philipps: I’ve been such a huge fan of Tracy [Reese] for years, and I have her clothes and I love her style, so when I heard she was having this event, it was like, “Wine and Tracy Reese? I’m on board!”

WW: Are you working right now?

BP: For the first time in a very long time, I’m off from work, which is intense. We finished shooting our season of “Cougar Town,” which airs Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m., and then I finished doing a movie in New York with Justin Long and Evan Rachel Wood and Keir O’Donnell called “A Case of You.” And now I’m looking for another movie or something to fill my days with. But you know, having a kid and a house that hasn’t been tended to in 10 months is gonna take a lot of time.

WW: Are those your priorities right now?

BP: Yes, organizing, spring cleaning and trips to Goodwill. All that stuff that I put off while I was shooting the show and making the movie. And picking up my kid at school and taking her to the park and art classes and all that fun stuff.

WW: Your daughter, Birdie, is getting so big!

BP: Yes, she’s 3-and-a-half.

WW: Any major milestones lately?

BP: When they hit 3, then the milestones kind of stop and each day they are progressively more just a kid — just more and more grown-up. Today she made us take the baby locks off the doors downstairs in the kitchen because she wanted to get her own bowl. She said, “Mama, I’m not a baby. I’m going to get my own bowl.” So we took them off and she got her own little cereal bowl.

WW: Do you pause and think, “My baby is growing up”?

BP: No, you know, I do have moments of nostalgia already for her babydom, but now I find that it is so incredible to watch a kid grow, because it does happen so quickly. Every cliche that parents repeat is true and I understand why they say it.

WW: Does she ask about siblings?

BP: She sort of mentions it, but when we explain to her that it means that she will have to share things, then she quickly recants and says she will be fine with just her cousins and her friends.

WW: And what does her mother say?

BP: I’m not craving another kid. I always thought I would have several children, but now that I have one, I’m like, “I’m good! I’m good for right now!” I’m still young, so I have time. I had her young, so there’s more time.

WW: Let’s talk about awards season. You and Michelle [Williams] were the darlings of the red carpet.

BP: That was so weird, right? (laughs)

WW: And you both always looked so fabulous. Do you have any plans to work together again? [They previously worked on "Dawson's Creek"]

BP: We talk about it all the time. My husband [Marc Silverstein] and his writing partner are sort of constantly thinking of ideas for us. We would love to do some sort of film together, and Harvey Weinstein says that he’s ready to do it! But I don’t know what it would be. We haven’t figured it out yet. We don’t talk about work all the time, but we know that it would be super fun to spend three months together working on something. So yeah, we hope so.

MSN.com