‘Sweet Nothing in my Ear’ to air next week

From the Los Angeles Times:

During 32 years playing Linda the Librarian on “Sesame Street” actress Linda Bove introduced millions of children to sign language and issues involving the deaf community. Now Bove, who is deaf, is working behind the scenes to help actors portray roles involving deafness in a realistic, sensitive way.

For the upcoming Hallmark special “Sweet Nothing in My Ear” starring Jeff Daniels and Marlee Matlin, Bove coached Daniels on his role as the husband of a deaf woman and the father of a deaf son. She had just two and a half weeks to help him learn all his lines in American Sign Language — and to help him remember to keep his hands in the frame.

Bove also advised the production on issues pertaining to deaf culture.

“They asked me if a deaf person can sign in rubber gloves while they were washing dishes,” says Bove with a chuckle. “And I said, ‘Sure.’ I was happy they were sensitive enough to ask a question like that. I thought that was very sweet … There was a husband and wife who were in an argument. And they were, like, ‘Can a wife turn their lights off so she can’t see what he’s signing?’ And I said, ‘Absolutely, she can do that. Sure.’ “

The show explores a couple’s tension over whether or not their son should undergo surgery and get a cochlear implant. It will air on CBS on April 20.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 14th, 2008 at 4:44 am and is filed under celebrities, deaf/hard of hearing, entertainment, movies, television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.