One of the funniest standout stars of the 2012 fall TV season has been Toks Olagundoye, a Nigerian-born actress who plays the wife of an alien leader in ABC's charming new sitcom "The Neighbors" (Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.).

In "The Neighbors," all of the Zabvronians living in  self-imposed exile inside their gated New Jersey community are named after professional athletes. Olagundoye's character, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, is married to Larry Bird (Simon Templeman) and they have two sons: Reggie Jackson (Tim Jo) and Dick Butkus (Ian Patrick). The Zabvronians are forced to mingle with humans for the first time when a New Jersey family moves into their subdivision. The humans and the aliens (primarily the Bird-Kersee family) both learn from each other's cultures.

We recently spoke with Olagundoye by phone. Below are excerpts from that conversation.

A fond farewell to John Barry, the great soundtrack composer, who has passed on at age 77. The man won five Oscars and created some of the most iconic scores Hollywood has ever heard, none moreso than 1967's "You Only Live Twice" (an orchestral hook later used to good effect on English pop star Robbie Williams' 1998 hit single "Millennium"). All I can say is that heaven's soundtrack just got a lot more elegant.