Mega Python and Gatoroid (Okay, Debbie Gibson and Tiffany) Discuss SyFy's Latest Original Movie

For too long it seemed as though we'd see Debbie Gibson and Tiffany go head-to-head—wait for it—only in dreams. Thankfully, Syfy is pitting the '80s pop princesses against each other in Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, the channel's latest original movie (which premieres this Saturday, January 29). Gibson plays Nikki, a radical animal rights activist who clashes with park ranger Terry (Tiffany). Together, they inadvertently unleash monstrous ecological abominations—with terrible CGI consequences.

I spoke to Gibson and Tiffany about playing up their rivalry, facing mega-fans, and bringing back the '80s.

TV.com: Is Mega Python vs. Gatoroid about the title showdown, or is it really more Nikki versus Terry?

Tiffany: At first, it's about Nikki versus Terry. And then things get out of control. I create the Gatoroid. I feed the steroids to my gators after the pythons are released into the Everglades. And they're wrecking the natural balance. Some other things happen that kind of throw me over the edge, so that's where the whole Mega Python and Gatoroid stem from. But originally, before that, Terry and Nikki are catfighting—they're getting on each other's nerves. And then we really do have a catfight and a wrestling scene. We throw some cake at each other—and some pie in there. We have a good old time.

Do you think fans want to see you play off this supposed Tiffany-Debbie Gibson rivalry?

Debbie Gibson: Absolutely. I feel like we're giving the fans what they want, in the sense that they always imagined there was a rivalry. There were definitely people who were more cynical, who wanted there to be a rivalry. People getting along is so uninteresting, isn't it? Especially teen queens. We obviously are giving the people what they want, and settling our supposed rivalry with the backdrop of this crazy plotline and mega-critters.

How would you explain Mega Python vs. Gatoroid to someone who has never seen a Syfy Channel original movie before?

Debbie Gibson: Oh, my God. I mean, the Syfy original movies are just good fun, kitschy, campy—they don't take themselves too seriously. Lots of effects and creatures created in [post-production]. They're very imaginative. It's like, Syfy, they're in on their own joke. They're just the masters of movies with this kind of tone that harkens back to the old monster movies, and gathers people around the television on a Saturday night with buckets of popcorn. It's just escapism at its best, really.

Would you rather face off against Mega Python, Gatoroid, or a crazed fan?

Tiffany: Well, gosh, probably—I don't know, because my crazed fans have always been nice. And I really haven't had too many problems. But those gators, they'll get you. I'll tell you right now. They had us going. So I'd probably pick the fan at this point.

Debbie Gibson: Most of the fans are very cool, but there is the one off, super-duper-crazy, like mega-fan.

Tiffany: That's our next movie! Thank you so much.

Debbie Gibson: I actually would choose the python.

You both have done so many specials about the '80s. What made that decade so awesome, and why do we all still love it?

Debbie Gibson: It's funny—Tiffany and I sang at the Canal Room the other night with a band called Rubix Cube. First of all, we have enough distance from it now. Like, 10 years after, you don't have perspective on it and it's something you want to forget, in a way. And now, with twentysomething years having gone by, you can look back on the '80s and laugh and smile and enjoy the fact that it was so unashamedly innocent and fun. The music was melodic and feel-good. And the fashion was loud and over-the-top. Much like this movie, it wasn't trying to be something it wasn't.

Tiffany: You could be an individual, I think, more in the '80s. You could be as wild and as loud as you wanted to, or as simple, really. And I think it was a different time. Life has gotten kind of complicated now, especially for me, with a child who's in college. Back then, it was much more lighthearted. I think as society has progressed, it's harder to find those moments to escape a little bit.

Well, hopefully movies like Mega Python vs. Gatoroid will help bring that feeling back.

Debbie Gibson: And I think that's the connection, and why it makes sense putting us in a movie like this. We have that in common with the SyFy movies. It's all about looking back fondly at an era and making fun of it a bit, and it's just kitschy and campy and doesn't take itself too seriously.

Tiffany: Like us!