Alex O’Loughlin’s Year in Review: 2011

Having spent 2011 making a home in Oahu, and being away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland, Alex O’Loughlin attended fewer events than fans are used to, and he made no talk show appearances. We nevertheless have been able to enjoy a plethora of candid shots, behind-the-scenes photos and videos as well as numerous solo and cast-oriented photoshoots – more so than in any previous year.

The year 2011 also brought Alex memorable first experiences: owning his first home, getting a first second season and winning his first Australian award. Let’s look back at the notable dates and highlights!

January 3 – The New Year kicks off nicely for fans with a double paparazzi sighting at LAX. Wearing a John Lennon “Working Class Hero” tee from favorite retailer Worn Free, Alex is snapped at the airport where he boards a flight back to Honolulu after his Christmas break. Ever courteous, he remains unfazed when TMZ too gets him in their sights, which results in an entertaining video!

Later that night, the first new Hawaii Five-0 episode of the year airs (1.12 Ke Kinohi) and it will break the DVR playback record previously set in November 2010 by 1.07 Mana’o (+3.498 viewers) and before that, by the pilot episode in premiere week (+3.377 million viewers). An additional 3.90 million viewers will watch Ke Kinohi on the DVR. Source: CBS.

January 5 – Pauley Perrette announces during a live broadcast that Hawaii Five-0 is the People’s Choice winner in the category “Favorite New TV Drama“. Fans, cast and crew are understandably ecstatic!

January 19 – Alex still manages to surprise new fans with the fact that he is actually an Aussie, and despite his roots and involvement in Australian films and TV dramas in his early career, in-depth media coverage back home is still quite rare. Breathing new life into Steve McGarrett is slowly but surely cementing his standing as “Australia’s latest leading-man export”, and the show’s January 30th premiere on Channel Ten sparks off a series of articles and interviews.

The first to be published is “Alex Lives Like a Lord” in the Herald Sun. And on a lighter note, Anooska Tucker-Evans’ “Awkward Moment” with Alex in The Sunday Mail is also worth a mention…

Other related articles: The Daily Telegraph, The Advertiser, Northern Territory News, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian, The Sunday Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Sunday Mail, The Sun-Herald, Who.

January 23 – A repeat airing of episode 1.14 Kai e’e directly after the AFC Championship game — in which the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the New York Jets, 24-19 — nets Hawaii Five-0 an impressive 19.34 million viewers as well as the week’s top ratings among scripted programs in adults 25-54 (6.8/17) and adults 18-49 (5.6/15). In terms of viewers, Five-0 was surpassed only by NCIS’s 21.09 million. Source: CBS.

January 28 – The 7PM Project interviews Alex (“you’ll recognize the accent, because he’s an Aussie”), whose enthusiasm for the show and the island of Oahu is quite contagious.

February 27 – Hawaii Five-0 continues to employ a lot of Hawaiian talent. Eighty percent of the crew and all extras are locals, as are sixty percent of the guest stars, says Peter Lenkov. Additionally, a former Navy SEAL and a former HPD detective are attached to the show as consultants – both are locals.

On Sunday, February 27 Peter Lenkov makes good on his TCA panel promise of the previous summer with a first actor’s workshop to help ensure a continuous pool of local talent to draw from. Some 300 local (aspiring) actors are keen to receive first-hand advice and tips from the cast, producers and casting director. Alex sums up the purpose of the seminar as follows:

“This is us trying to unify Hawaii and make everybody a part of our show. And we need your help as much as you need ours.”

March 3 – March is a cold, wet and windy month for the majority of us in the northern hemisphere, but our temperatures rise when we feast our eyes on the cover of the second issue of the Australian edition of GQ Style and the behind-the-scenes video that precedes it.

In the magazine’s in-depth interview, Alex talks candidly about various topics, including dealing with fame and living with his OCD and ADHD.

March 17 – As InStyle magazine’s April Man of Style, Alex covers bromance, romance, Moonlight and fashion. Fans down under will be able to enjoy it too when the article is also published in the May issue of the Australian edition.

March 29 – Watch! magazine – a CBS publication – features the Hawaii Five-0 cast on its April cover and in a gorgeous multi-page spread. Behind-the-scenes glimpses of the photoshoot can be enjoyed in an ET video as well as in a CBS video.

March 31 - The global appeal of the stylish and contemporary Hawaii Five-0 reboot has not only put the beautiful Pacific islands back on the tourism map, but it also continues to contribute significantly to the growth of the local film and TV industry. The cast, producers and CBS are proud and moved to be honored by the Hawaii State Legislature at the State Capitol for “an excellent and successful first season”. A wonderful milestone for the team that works so hard to bring quality entertainment and a ray of tropical sunshine to our TV screens every week!

April 2 – There’s only one thing that could possibly top a shirtless Steve McGarrett… and that’s a shirtless Alex O’Loughlin. The island’s fauna can be truly breathtaking. 

April 15 – In the wee hours of this Friday morning, Peter Lenkov tweeted: 2:45am officially wrapped season one. It was an appropriate moment to look back at the show’s many milestones to date.

April 27 – Looking relaxed in shorts, Alex is spotted at LAX again, en route back to Hawaii.

May 5 – Alex has said in an interview that when he is alone, “I eat out more, just because it’s easy and you can do it pretty inexpensively.”  In the fourth set of paparazzi candids of the year, he is seen enjoying breakfast on the island while sporting an “Aloha for Japan” t-shirt and a brand new buzz cut.

May 16 – The Five-0 season finale airs on CBS — Alex promised us “surprises“, Peter Lenkov a “big pay-off” and Daniel Dae Kim “the strongest episode of the season“. The show delivers on all counts with a nail-biting cliffhanger that leaves the team disbanded and the fans very anxious for the start of Season 2.

May 18 –  Shortly before the CBS upfront presentation starts — an annual event for the advertisers — the network publishes its primetime schedule for the 2011-2012 season and we receive confirmation that Hawaii Five-0 will be back for a second season in the same timeslot of 10 PM on Mondays.

Alex, Scott and Daniel represent the show at the upfront at New York’s Carnegie Hall and attend the after-party at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Alex is also photographed by paparazzi outside his Manhattan hotel.

May 21 – A collector and a fan of Kent Williams‘ art, Alex hosts the opening reception of Kent’s “Convergence” exhibition at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in LA.

June 17 – Another stunning cover feature for the photogenic Hawaii Five-0 team – this time in issue #3 of Emmy magazine!

June 29 – CBS announces the 2011-2012 season premiere dates of new and returning shows in a press release. Hawaii Five-0 will kick off its second season on Monday, September 19.

July 8 – Almost entirely dedicated to Alex, AlexOLoughlinVideos.com goes live with a respectable collection of clips, promos, interviews, trailers and more. That global interest in Mr. O’Loughlin and Hawaii Five-0 continues to grow is evident; to date, over 1 million video views have been logged on the site since its inception.

July 11 – The August issue of Men’s Fitness (US edition) boasts our handsome Aussie on the cover! In addition to a print interview and pictures, there are also a video interview and a b-roll to enjoy.

Production on Season 2 begins for Hawaii Five-0 with a traditional blessing ceremony at the production’s HQ and sound stage in the old Honolulu Advertiser building on Kapiolani Boulevard. In his first interview, Alex is clearly in excellent spirits and happy to be back at work.

July 14 – The first behind-the-scenes photos of the second season appear when Alex is photographed at the Waiola Shave Ice site at Ala Moana Beach Park while shooting an important scene for the Season Two opener.

August 16 – When Men’s Fitness acknowledges you as one of the world’s fittest, you know it’s not the result of being blessed with great genes. Hard work, total focus and diligent planning are also required. Jeff Blair first helped Alex transform into the silver screen’s most buff cheese merchant in 2009 and the LA-based performance coach can also be credited in part with Steve McGarrett’s fighting-fit form. Clearly proud of his pupil, Jeff shares the keys to Alex’s success, that essentially boils down to having the right mind-set: Alex O’Loughlin’s 5 Habits for Success.

August 22 – Readers of HAWAI’I magazine vote for the “best Hawaii-filmed TV series” and the reboot of Hawaii Five-0 wins that particular distinction when the September/October issue of the magazine appears.

August 24 – The birthday boy turns 35 today!  

September 8 – The October issue of Cosmopolitan finally hits the stands in the US. And we care because Alex is featured in a hot fashion shoot! The spread will also go on to grace the pages of the November issue of the magazine in the Czech Republic, Portugal, Russia, Thailand as well as the Spanish edition in the US.

September 10 – Once again, thousands of excited fans turn up to greet the cast of Hawaii Five-0 and enjoy a special screening of the Season 2 premiere episode in Waikiki. Sunset on the Beach has quickly become the ultimate fan event and it attracts Five-0 aficionados from all corners of the globe, including Asia, Australia and Europe.

September 19 – Season 2 premieres on CBS and Ha’i'ole is watched by 12.19 million viewers and earns a solid Nielsen rating of 3.4 for live and same-day viewing in the 18-49 demographic. Add the DVR viewership numbers to that and you get a total of 15.79 million viewers and a 4.6 rating for the key demo. Welcome back, Five-0!

September 20 – Another day that fans have been looking forward to for months: the release of the Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 DVD in the US and Canada! With over 2.5 hours of extra features to enjoy, one of the most popular is undoubtedly the antics of the cast in the gag reel, but the more serious material offers a wealth of information about Alex and how he approaches his role: Alex O’Loughlin: Gung Ho for McGarrett.

October 3 – Aussie magazine TV Week runs a great 4-page Alex feature that is popular with fans. The article reveals that Alex did part of the interview while having to rush his puppy Dusty to the vet. Magazine content is often planned far in advance of publication, so by the time fans read the article, Dusty’s broken leg was already healed — as would be evident from behind-the-scenes video footage and pictures taken on October 3.

October 16 - Alex O’Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Lauren German, Taylor Wily, Peter Lenkov and Steve Boyum join a captivated audience at the Halekulani Hotel for “An Afternoon with Hawaii Five-0“, a panel event organized by the Hawaii International Film Festival in which the Five-0 ohana answers questions from the moderator and audience members. The afternoon is a huge success – fans find it insightful and entertaining, and the cast and producers love the interaction and feedback.

November 14 – In honor of Veterans Day, Alex and cast mates Daniel, Scott and Masi help military school children plant a teaching garden at Hickam Elementary. The boys have a lot of fun getting their hands dirty and talking about fertilizer, palm trees and BIG coconuts! 

November 15 – As was the case in 2010, Alex once again makes People’s 100 Sexy Men in 1 Minute!

November 22 – Shortly before the Hawaii Five-0 production breaks for Thanksgiving, Alex is back home at the Sydney Opera House to collect the well-deserved GQ Actor of the Year 2011 award from none other than long-time friend Jack Thompson, whom he first worked with in Oyster Farmer, and subsequently Man-Thing and FEED. The GQ Man of the Year commemorative issue appears with three separate covers, one of them of Alex looking very James Bond-ish in a tuxedo. The magazine also includes an excellent interview complete with new pictures.

Alex did not travel to Australia alone; known for keeping his private life to himself, the actor who was still single several months before (“It’s just me and my dog Dusty at the moment”) is accompanied by the lovely Malia Jones, whom he calls “amazing”.

December 16 – The last day of filming in 2011 before the Hawaii Five-0 production closes for the holidays.

December 27 – To round off 2011 nicely, Women’s Health puts five juicy questions to Alex in their first 2012 issue. The good-natured Aussie answers them with aplomb… and a cheeky smile!

As far as Alex O’Loughlin Rocks is concerned, 2011 was an excellent year and for that my heartfelt gratitude goes especially to Skylar, Anita, Pinkiepie, Jacqueline and of course, CBS. Thank you also to everyone who shared scans, information, words of encouragement and their enjoyment of this site. Your support never goes unappreciated and I hope that 2012 brings you all much happiness, love and prosperity!