Season Pass

‘Saving Grace’: “Holly has taken Grace to a whole higher level’

Kathy Lyford — 2009-06-08T13:49:27-07:00

Here are the answers to your questions for “Saving Grace” creator-showrunner Nancy Miller.

“Saving Grace” begins its third season on TNT next Tuesday, June 16.

It's the fourth series created by veteran TV producer-writer Miller, who — like Grace — is from Oklahoma.
Previously she was executive producer-creator of “Leaving L.A.” (starring Christopher Meloni, Melina Kanakaredes and Hilary Swank) and Lifetime’s Annie Potts starrer “Any Day Now.” She also created and produced “The Round Table,” which starred the fabulous Jessica Walter and aired on NBC in the early ’90s.

She’s served as co-executive producer TNT’s “The Closer” and NBC’s “The Profiler.” Other shows she’s worked on include “Threat Matrix,” “The Monroes” and “Against the Grain.”

Miller (pictured at right) answered all the questions asked. She chose as her favorite the question from Sue Claire, about writing strong female leads. Sue, your DVD is on its way!

Thanks to all of you for participating and thanks to Nancy for her great answers. Enjoy season 3!

Q. You have been creatively involved with TV series with female lead characters, such as "Saving Grace" and male leading characters. Is there a difference in the presentation, writing or other aspects of the creative process in the two types of shows? (Sue Claire)
A. There isn’t really a difference. Although everyone tells me that I create men who are too romantic. My answer is that I create men the way they should be! Man or woman, an actor is an actor. So working-wise, the experience is different but very much the same. Probably like any job, guys and girls have different ways of expressing themselves but we all want the same thing — to be loved.

Q. I am amazed by this character, except she was on the OTHER side of the law. I have lived in OKC. I know this character, and it’s uncanny how Hunter portrays her. How did you research or derive this character? (T. Bell)
A. I lived through my 20's! Grace, and all the characters I create are portions of myself, my friends, people that I know, articles I have read, etc. It sort of goes into my brain as mush and comes out in some form of a character. All characters on shows continue to evolve and change just like we do. I also have a brilliant staff of writers that come up with ideas, and of course Holly has taken Grace to a whole higher level.

Q. Can you describe your feelings over landing an Oscar winner for “Saving Grace”?
A. I was, and still am, in disbelief. I am still looking for the punk to be revealed. I also feel very thankful and am even a little proud.

Q. Would you ever consider a spinoff? The characters are all very rich! (Annette)
A. Ummm...let me think....YES! I would be delighted.

Q. First, I loved that you showed the terror of a character facing their own state sanctioned murder. My question is; What kind of double standards have you encountered with standards and practices? (Casey)
A. Standards & Practices operate on a different level than us creative folk. Their job is much different and they have to think of things that I don't think of. I just have to think about what is true to the story I am telling. They have a very difficult job, especially with a show like ours that is constantly pushing the edges. TNT's Standards and Practices has been wonderful to work with, and trust me, I have been on other shows where that wasn't the case!

Q. I love how Grace’s smoking, boozing, & all around sexiness stands out against her historical background — the OKC bombing, child molestation, rape — all that rage & pain — how does she manage to stay so funny & empathic? Thank you for many hours of great TV. (Arlene)
A. I think our greatest moments of humor often come from our deepest pain. And being one who has experienced pain like Grace has, she knows what that feels like, and she doesn't like anybody to have to feel what she felt. Also, being a cop, if you can't laugh, you will curl up in a ball and die from what you see on the job every day. So that dark humor Grace has comes from that place; the place of God, I have to laugh or I will cry and never be able to stop.

Q. Holly Hunter's character smokes, drinks and sleeps around...all to excess and is very tough on her family sometimes. What do you, as a writer, do to keep her character likable? (TV Watcher)
A. It is very easy for me to keep Grace likable. I love Grace. I understand her. I’ve never met anyone perfect in my life, so I am never trying to meet that standard. Grace has so many qualities to love, so many aspects that I admire. I know if I ever needed a cop, or a friend, I would hope I could find someone half as dedicated and loyal as Grace.

Q. What would you say is Grace's worst trait and her best?
A. I think Grace’s worst trait is that she sleeps with married men. Her best traits are her humor, loyalty and her utter joy of white-hot living.

Q. I like the portrayal of the friendship between Grace Hanadarko and her friend as played by Laura San Giacomo. How do you think this adds to the dynamic of the show? (Sue)
A. I think it makes it more real. TV shows rarely show friendships between women. I have a lot of great friends and we have a blast together, so I wanted to portray what I know in my own life. I have a friend like Rhetta, and we have known each other since 4th grade. A lot of the Catholic school stuff is some of the trouble my friend Mary and I used to get into!

Q. What inspired you to write a show with such strong religious overtones? (Jean)
A. I wanted to explore God. With my last series (“Any Day Now”), I explored race. And I like to take these taboo subjects and have fun with them, do them with an edge. I have to write about something that has meaning.

Q. Is the show in other countries yet? (Annette)
A. Yes, it airs in over 200 countries including France, India, Australia, Mexico and Italy.

Q. Did you always intend for this to be a cable show or did you try to sell it to broadcast networks? How would the show have to change on broadcast TV? (Kathy)
A. It could never be on network, not the way Holly and I want to do it. I never pitched it to the networks because it would have had to completely change and soften into something that would no longer interest me.

Q. Besides Grace, who is your favorite character to write for and why?
A. This sounds like a copout, but I really enjoy writing for each of the characters and these actors. It may surprise you, but Earl is the toughest. How do you write an angel?! Without making the stuff coming out of his mouth sound sanctimonious? So although I love writing for Earl, and for Leon, those scenes take the longest.

Q. What shows inspired you as a young writer or even before you became a writer?
A. I was a TV junkie and still am. I love TV. I hate a lot of the shows that are on but TV is so powerful. I watched “The Patty Duke Show,” “The Flying Nun,” “Bonanza,” all those shows growing up as a kid. Today I enjoy “Weeds,” “Rescue Me” and “The Shield,” which was a great show.

Q. What literary works do you look to for inspiration?
A. All the Southern authors.

Q. If you had the opportunity to go back to rewrite one particular storyline or scene which one would you choose and why?
A. Oh, man, great question. I know there are many but right now it's tough to think of one. Actually the one scene that comes to my mind is not from Saving Grace but another one of my pilots.

NOTE: For those fans of the show who live in L.A., my colleague Cynthia Littleton will be moderating a "Saving Grace" panel on Saturday, June 13 at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills. Creator-showrunner Nancy Miller and stars Holly Hunter, Laura San Giacomo, Bailey Chase and others are confirmed to attend. There will be a screening of the season 3 premiere at 7 p.m., followed by the panel discussion and Q&A. Tickets are available at the Paley Center's website.

‘Bones’: 'Brennan is so much smarter than I am'

Kathy Lyford — 2009-06-05T15:35:51-07:00

Hart Hanson has answered your questions about "Bones." We had an overwhelming response and so not all of your questions were submitted to him but I tried my best to represent the most burning questions. Whenever possible, I combined similar queries.

"Bones" has been picked up for two more seasons so you have more adventures of Booth and Brennan to look forward to.

Executive producer Stephen Nathan did not participate but I still included his picture. (Hart's on the left and Stephen's on the right in the pic below.)

"Bones" obviously has a loyal and fervent following. We appreciate your participation. Enjoy.

We're still sorting out the prize. The winner will be contacted by email.

Q. What is something you really want to do on the show but feel you would break the budget with if you even attempted to have it done? (Natashadelovely)
A. Oh, there’s so much we could do with more money. We’d like to be out in the world more, we’d like cooler effects, we’d like to use the Angelator more, we’d like to give David more action sequences, we’d like to do a “train” episode … it’s a very long list. In fact, we’d like to utilize some of our favorite guest stars even more. But this is a harsh world and somehow we have to use intelligence and creativity in place of budget to get the effects we want — money is a lot easier.

Q. Will the writers approach the writing process differently now that “Bones” has been picked up for 2 seasons instead of 1? (Miraya) And how much will the cliffhanger affect the creative direction of the show for season 5? (Quratulain)
A. Being picked up for two seasons will indeed have an effect on the unfolding storylines within “Bones.” We may be able to get a “run” at a few things that we’d be guessing about otherwise. And the cliffhanger from last season may mean something different to us than it did to the audience. But having fudged that answer brilliantly (didn’t need budget for that, did we?) yes, the cliffhanger from Season 4 has a very definite effect on Season 5.

Q. Mr. Nathan has experience as an actor. Would he act in one of the episodes you write? Would you want to see Mr. Nathan in front of the camera? Now be honest. You guys are a great team! (Brian)
A. In fact, I am one of Stephen Nathan-as-an-actor’s biggest fans. Not counting his stint in Musical Theater. Even Stephen cannot get me to enjoy that stuff. I'm handicapped in that way. But I think Stephen is a terrific actor and my prophesy is that he will do it again, as an (even older) old fart.
We were just about to utilize Stephen in a role on “Bones” but it occurred at about the time we knew that a writer’s strike was going to occur and it just seemed wrong to deny an actor who didn’t moonlight as an executive producer the pay. So it didn’t happen.

Q. Any plans for any other crossover episodes and if so, with which Fox series would you most like to cross? (Corinna)
A. There are no actual plans for a crossover though we nave notions and ideas. Perhaps this is the year when “House” and “Bones” could find a crossover opportunity. Both Stephen and I are big pals of David Shore and Katie Jacobs (exec producers on “House”) and one of us is a fervent admirer. Also, we’re paired up with “Fringe” so that could possibly turn out to be a natural. Also, everyone on “Bones” now suffers deep and inappropriate crushes on Seth McFarlane.

Q. Hart, what are your thoughts on becoming a Twitterer? What has surprised you most? Who was the one to talk you into Twitter? (re: Hart Hanson runs a Twitter: twitter.com/harthanson) (ForensicMama)
A. I am completely freaked out by Twitter. I started out thinking that I would simply give a little insight into the behind the scenes nature of “Bones.” But the response was so fast and large … I went from 50 followers to THOUSANDS in a very short period of time. Now there’s pressure to come up with stuff that is at least a little bit interesting. And sometimes I see my own Twitterings and wonder who the hell this smart-ass guy is talking so much about my day. I’m going to stick with it because Stephen Fry recommended it, because Paul Feig makes me laugh so hard on his Twits (Tweaks?), because it gives me an excuse to connect again with Amy Brenneman, and because I’m kind of interested in the phenomenon.

Q. “Bones” has some pretty enthusiastic fans. Do either of you “nerd out” for any show or movie? (Lisa)
A. My favorite show of all time, ever, without a doubt, is on BBC America and it’s called “Top Gear.” It’s everything you could ask in a TV show. I clap my hands whenever the theme music starts.

Q. Is there any character you find the easiest to write for? One that just seems to develop itself/take on a life of its own? (Tara)
A. We have this incredible cast of actors and they have all given their characters very distinct voices. That is a gift to any writer. That being said, and possibly because I’m the showrunner, writing for Dr. Cam Saroyan, is very therapeutic for me. Writing for Brennan is very hard because she’s so much smarter than I am.

Q. Will the tone of the show shift back a little toward drama (more like S1 and S2)? I really like the comedy but I would also appreciate more serious episodes again. (CantBelieveI said that); I think the writing has changed … toward comedy where it is hard for the audience to feel anything for the victims or the case. Any plans to address it so each case is humanized for the audience? (Quratulain); When was it decided that the show would forgo the drama in favor of goofball/wacky comedy? Did you worry that fans who signed on to the show as a drama wouldn’t stick around for the change? (Deb)
A. Our early discussions for Season 5 have included a plan to make the episodes more … um … EPISODIC. What that means is that we have to do our character storylines within distinct episodes. If we do our jobs correctly, you won’t even notice this but you may notice that the episodes will tend to be a bit more grounded. That being said, “Bones” is, for the most part, a “crimedy.” It’s part romantic comedy, part crime drama, part character-driven procedural. We’re pretty sure that the tone of “Bones” is one of the things that keeps our audience loyal. Do we worry people won’t stick around? Yes! That’s ALL we worry about, it feels like.

Q. I’ve heard that the fourth season is the roughest season for a show — a metaphorical hump. Does the fifth season of a show carry with it a new set of challenges? If so, what are your strategies for overcoming those challenges? (ForensicMama) S4 seems to be a transitional season for both Booth and Brennan. Can the same be said of the writing team? (1 critic)
A. I’ve never heard that the Fourth Season is the toughest. There does seem to be something horrible and malignant about EPISODE six in each season. Or maybe that’s just a coincidence. Each and every season carries a set of challenges unique to the series, in my opinion. What’s so tough? Not repeating yourself, for one. Not getting into a formulaic rut. Ensuring that characters continue to unfold in interesting ways. Keeping actors interested in their characters… it’s all a tough go.
We are very much looking forward to Season 5 though — we have proven ourselves in many ways and we as a theater company are more confident than ever.

Q. Many viewers loved the season finale, others reacted more harshly, even angrily. Thoughts included:

The cliffhanger is too cliffhanger … could you make it up with some fluff in season 5 so i can forgive you? (Sarah)
I HATE YOU… The last episode was WRONG. (Shrikha)
I think you two “need to grow a set” LOL. Either get Booth and Brennan together or don’t. Make a descision. But don’t mislead the fans into thinking they hooking up, it was just too cruel. (SHAZ)
Did you get cold feet? Fans want B&B naked in bed. (Tara)
Please dont make the I-don’t-remember-anything line on Booth for more than 5 episodes because this show mainly relies on Booth and Brennan’s chemistry. … “Bones” is my favorite show and I don’t want to see it go down in flames. (Alexa)

Two of you to summed it up best and posed your feelings in the form of a question:

Q. Are you taken aback the uproar of the S4 finale? (Mary) Just wondering what Hart must be feeling in response to the strong emotions he has sent the fans into … they seem to be very good or very negative. (Jennifer)
A. Hmmm, this is the kind of question that gets me into trouble. The fact is, if hardcore fans “really” didn’t like our season finales, we wouldn’t have more fans now than we did before. But we do. Ergo, fans felt something at the end of Season 4. The emotion they felt may not have been “joy,” for example. But they felt something. And that’s our first job, to make our audience feel something. That’s the tightrope we walk. If I did what everyone wanted me to do, then Brennan and Booth would have been married by the end of Season 1. My job is to make people want them together, not necessarily to put them together in the way the audience thinks they want.

Also, the Season Finale of Season 4 was not universally disliked. It was contentious, certainly. And it in no way pleased everyone. But I do stand by it. I always thought of that finale as a very, very inside joke with our very dedicated fans and I think, for the most part, those people got it. Here’s the real question: are there enough of those harcore, loyal, longtime fans to justify dedicating an entire season finale to them and them alone? Even after four seasons? Maybe not. Probably not. But man, it was fun to make that episode which means that maybe it was a little too self indulgent. I don’t want to be self indulgent.

Many of you asked about spoilers…

Q. How do you deal with the constant leaks of spoilers? Does that encourage you to change things last minute or keep more details to yourself until later in the scriptwriting process? Do your fans reactions to those spoilers affect your thought process? (Maggie) Did you feel it necessary to tell the press and fans lies regarding the season finale in order to protect its integrity? I was so complimentary of you and the show for being honest with what was going to happen (sex), but still keeping the bulk of the plot secret (how). But now I am just saddened that a) the lies occurred and b) that someone felt it necessary to lie in the first place. I know spoilers are rampant on the Internet, but what did this accomplish other than alienating fans and causing them to be even more distrustful of the television industry? (Laura) Hart, (in TV Guide) you said “no dream sequence, no undercover assignment, not even alcohol, they’re actually in bed having sex, they won’t be able to just walk away from what happened. It will have serious ramifications” On E! you said “Solemn promise it’s not hallucination. We found out that sex is very closely related to having children.” Can you see why the fans are mad? (Tara)
A. I know it’s semantics, I know it’s splitting hairs, but I didn’t lie about the finale. All I said is that they would have sex (they did) and it wouldn’t be a dream (it wasn’t). And in absolute candor … I am never, EVER going to announce in advance when major story points will occur. The most common question I get asked is, “When are Booth and Brennan going to get together?” folllowed by “Are Booth and Brennan ever going to get together?” The answer to both questions will come out of the series. You have to watch. I’m not telling. I’m not answering. That’s what the series if for. So if you want a straightforward, direct, simple answer to those questions, I am the last guy you want to ask. And that’s the last honest reply you’ll get on the subject. Maybe. Most likely. No, definitely. Probably.

Q. Do the writers take any of their inspiration for the B&B vibe, the comedy, and the action from the old Myrna Loy/William Powell film series, “The Thin Man”? I’m often reminded of those films when watching episodes where B&B banter while solving the whodunit. Enjoyed the finale! (Dianab) (Yoda also noted a “Thin Man” vibe) Did you watch “X-Files” and how much did you learn from Chris Carter? (Seriously, nine seasons and only four kisses, obviously you learned something.) (Alexandria; Emma also mentioned parallels to “The X-Files”). I was wondering if you could give a few examples of real-life inspiration in “Bones” episodes? (ForensicMama)
A. I absolutely love the “Thin Man” movies. “Bones” is part of a long line of shows. I always found the banter between Adam and Eve to be hilarious (until they ate the apple — that wrecked everything). I watched “X-Files” religiously, “Moonlighting,” “Gilmore Girls” … but I’ve often thought “Bones” is equally influenced by the original “Star Trek” and the Aubrey/Maturin stories written by novelist Patrick O’Brian. Also the Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn movies … also “Bringing Up Baby.” I could go on…

Q. Some the science lately has been incorrect or sometimes quite far off the mark (granted, most of your viewers would not catch the complexities of this, but you do tend to attract a science oriented crowd and we do catch the errors). Do you use a scientific consultant on a regular basis and if so, what are the qualifications of your consultant? (Jen) How much research do you do for each episode about the forensics involved with each murder? Have you ever had any experience in forensics or any affiliation with the FBI or military? How much of Booth’s ideals about America and patriotism parallel your own? (Jacey) As the series progresses, do you find it difficult to find new and interesting ways to involve the scientific part of “Bones” into the episode’s plot? What are some of your sources and how do they play a part in the writing process? (Maria) How involved is Kathy Reichs in the story lines and plot development? Is she involved in any character development, particularly the characters of Booth and Bones? (Tracy)
A. With all due respect, our science is pretty damn good, especially in comparison to the other forensic shows. We compress time and it happens from time to time that the fritzlegurber being referred to in dialogue comes up a gritzlefurber on the screen, but those are usually honest mistakes made in the haste of production.

Kathy Reichs herself looks at every script. We have a dedicated team of researchers and many, many technical consultants including a techie on stage with the actors.

We are also fortunate to have more than a couple of real forensic geeks on the writing staff. I hope I don't sound defensive but without naming other forensic shows, I gotta say, we kick everybody’s ass scientifically.

Q. In dealing with Brennan’s past how much of her personality have you based on the psychological information gathered from actual foster children? (Jacey)
A. I worked on “Judging Amy” for years and amassed quite a bit of knowledge about the foster system. Also contacts.

Lots of folks wondered about the “Moonlighting” effect with regards to the Booth/Brennan relationship:

Q. Do you think with David and Emily’s personal and professional chemistry
and with outstanding writing that “Bones” might be able to break that
“so-called” curse? Why or why not? (Dan Kelley)
Related thoughts:

As the creator of the show do you yourself fear your leads getting together? Or would you like to eventually see them end up together? (chubbybadass)
I’m hoping that B & B will finally admit and give in to their feelings for one another rather than dance around the issue. (Tracy Mc.)
How long are you going to exploit these HUGE elements delivered in the finale during next season? Should we expect a whole new kind of chemistry? (Cristina)
Don’t you worry that if you do not make a will they or won’t they choice , it will hurt the show anyway? (Rosie)
Are you guys afraid of the “Moonlighting” Syndrome? (1critic)

A. See my answer above? If I tell you what I think then you’ll know what I’m going to do and you won’t see the need to watch “Bones” anymore and that would be bad.

Q. It seems there have been changes in the characters this season. You’ve portrayed Brennan as oblivious, sucking at interrogations, lacking empathy, unable to recognize basic facial expressions. It seems as though she was somebody else.She used to be so multi-faceted and special.Where did that go? The goofiness you added in Booth hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Was it done on purpose,for some reason we haven’t seen yet? Is there any chance we’ll get our beloved characters back,the way we got to know and love them? (Jen)
A. I respectfully disagree that Brennan’s character has become increasingly oblivious. I think she is getting better at human interaction, not worse.

Q. Would it be too much to ask to let Booth do his job properly? He doesn't need any help to do so, let from alone Sweets. Remember Booth is the guy who reads people, can tell when people are lying, uses his gut. Remember the essence of the character that you created? You are doing a real disservice to Booth by letting other people do his job i.e Sweets and Brennan, interrogating suspects and figuring out the murderer. (Amber)
A. See what I mean? The above question assumes that Brennan is getting better at interrogation while the preceding question assumes she’s getting worse at it. You guys have to get together and then holler at me. I think we've done a pretty good job of having Sweets be right sometimes and wrong sometimes. On more than one occasion Sweets has suggested Booth take a tack in an interrogation only to watch as Booth goes another way and gets the answer. Sometimes Booth listens to Sweets. We like to think that Booth listens to the Sweets on the theoretical stuff and not so much on the life-lessons stuff.

Q. What does the title of the last episode (The End in the Beginning) mean? What significance does it have? (Hannah; also Leanne)
A. It’s a very, very literal title. That’s all I have to say about it. It was inspired by John Milton’s line: “The childhood shows the man, As morning shows the day.”

Q. In what way has the network made a significant impact on the show, in an episode by episode basis as well as an the show as a whole? (Maria)
A. The network is our client. They are heavily involved. We get network notes on every single step of the show from the inception of the idea to the final cut. It can be a very contentious relationship. We are often at odds. That means they have a huge impact on the show.

Q. I have always enjoyed the cultural, ethnic and social diversity featured on ““Bones”” in both its cast and the plots of some episodes (especially the interns this season). How do you think this diversity adds to the show? (Combined TV Watcher and Suzanne)
A. Well, it’s the world, isn’t it? Weird as network drama can be, it succeeds inasmuch as the audience finds a world they recognize within the series.

Q. Are there any past episodes you would submit for a “do over” if you could? (Corinna)
A. Every single one. Every — single — one.

Q. From what we’ve seen of on-set footage, things seem pretty laid back behind the scenes. Can you share some examples of any frantic moments? And, are there any notorious pranksters or running gags on the set? (Lisa) So I was wondering are the cast and crew as good friends as it seems in the behind the scenes videos? (Megan) The actors have commented on many occasions about the playful and joking atmosphere. How much of the characters’ banter do you have to script and how much can you let that talented group of actors loose with your idea? (Alexandria)
A. We are a very harmonious group — for a TV series. There is plenty of conflict going on behind the scenes, believe you me. What’s true is that the cast are extremely fond of each other. David and Emily, especially, are in so many scenes together. I’ve never understood how such a brotherly/sisterly vibe offscreen turns into a sexually charged romantic vibe onscreen. I don't want to look too closely at that, it might be creepy.

Visiting directors love working on “Bones.” I have always thought of a TV show as a Company. A few hundred years ago we’d all be driving around in wagons, putting on shows — only without any females. TV is better.
We have a very good deal with the actors. They say the words that are in the script and we are open to improv above and beyond that. So far it works well for us.

Q. I’m curious about the writing process as you put together the cases for the episodes. Do you create the method of death/body condition first (possibly based on an interesting/unique forensic technique in a forensic journal that you can then use to solve the case) or do you build the case first and then backtrack to create a body to match your desired scenario? (Jen)
A. Every story arises differently. The only commonality is that there is a room full of creative, smart, invested people yelling back and forth at each other. I try to stay out of there.

Q. One thing I have really enjoyed about season four is how the crimes are used to spur character development. How do you develop murder cases to mirror the character issues? Which do you plan first? What kind of “fact checking” process do you use? Do you sometimes just choose to change the facts of the series for purposes of the story? (AngelBuffMel)
A. The personal stuff tends to arise after we have the murder case laid out. The murders themselves inspire what goes on between our characters.

'Saving Grace': Touched by an angel

Variety — 2009-05-21T19:23:09-07:00

We’ll next be conducting a Q&A with “Saving Grace” creator Nancy Miller, so get your questions in soon.

Holly Hunter receives some smart heavenly advice in “Saving Grace,” the TNT drama series that returns for its third season June 16. Hunter plays Grace Hanadarko, an Oklahoma City police detective who partied hard and saw her life spinning out of control before angel Leon Rippy (known to many from his stint behind the bar on “Deadwood”) persuaded her to get her act together. TNT is finding sizeable audiences for their original series — “The Closer,” “Raising the Bar,” “Leverage” — and “Saving Grace” taps into the zeitgeist of eccentric women characters on cable who don’t necessarily get things done in traditional ways, but always with panache and on their own terms.

Here are the guidelines:
1) Hit the comment button below and ask your question by May 27.
2) Please keep the questions about the creative process, Nancy's background and influences or the characters and don't ask questions about future plotlines, which would never be revealed anyway.
3) You may ask more than one question but we are looking for quality, not quantity. Asking more will not guarantee that you’ll get an answer. In the spirit of fairness, we try to give plenty of folks a chance. I'll choose the best questions to send to Nancy and from those, she'll choose the 10-15 that she wants to answer.
4) Read through the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating something that’s already been asked.
5) Be clever and have fun.
6) The person who asks the question Nancy likes best will receive a signed season 1 DVD.

Please note: Only 50 comments show up at a time but I will see all the responses. Don’t worry if yours disappears. It doesn’t mean I deleted it.

— Kathy Lyford and Stuart Levine

'Bones': Let's go back to the lab

Variety — 2009-05-12T18:38:13-07:00

PLEASE NOTE: The deadline for questions has now passed. I'm sorting through them and sending them on to Hart. All questions will be considered. (Only the 50 most recent show up here.) Check back soon for the answers. Thanks.

Our next Q&A is with the “Bones” creative team — creator-showrunner Hart Hanson and executive producer Stephen Nathan, who just happen to be two of the funniest guys I know.

With its smart characters, witty banter and playful take on solving the most gruesome of crimes, Fox’s “Bones” has become a must-see on Thursday nights, or any other night the network airs it. Over the course of four seasons, the “will they or won’t they" vibe that surrounds main characters Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan has been deftly handled — walking the line between interesting verbal foreplay and the audience’s demands to get on with it already — without losing any of the red-hot chemistry. With its eclectic cast of supporting characters, Bones is more complex and engaging than the average crime scene procedural — it’s proof that as the series has grown and matured, its payoffs are more satisfying.

The Season 4 finale is Thursday so it’s the perfect time to submit your questions.

Here are the guidelines:

1)    Hit the comment button below and ask your question by May 19.
2)    Please keep the questions about the creative process and don't ask questions about future plotlines, which would never be revealed anyway.
3)    You may ask more than one question but we are looking for quality, not quantity. Asking more will not guarantee that you’ll get an answer. In the spirit of fairness, we try to give plenty of folks a chance.
4)    Read through the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating something that’s already been asked.
5)    Be clever and have fun.
6)    The person who asks the best question will receive a special prize to be determined.

— Posted by Kathy Lyford and Sara Farr

'Big Bang Theory': 'We didn't anticipate how protective the audience would feel about our guys'

Variety — 2009-05-05T15:43:17-07:00

“The Big Bang Theory” co-creator/executive producer Bill Prady answered every one of the questions that was submitted before the deadline. He even addressed the questions that Jim Parsons’ couldn’t answer.

With the season finale of the CBS comedy looming Monday, it seemed like the perfect time to post the results.

Before "TBBT," Prady (far left in the picture to the right, flanking the cast with Chuck Lorre) wrote for shows such as "Dharma and Greg" "Gilmore Girls" and began his Hollywood career working for Jim Henson Productions. He is a fan of many things the characters on the show like, particularly "Star Trek." He was previously a computer programmer and said he worked with people who were very bright but couldn’t fit in well in the world and that this was the genesis for the characters we’ve come to love

Before we get to your questions, I'd like to share with you some tidbits we gathered at the “Big Bang” panel at the Paley Festival, which my colleague Cynthia Littleton moderated.

The original working title of the show was “Lenny, Penny and Kenny.”
The show was not “pitched” in the traditional way. Normally a writer would go to the network with an outline of the premise, the characters and a vision for where the show would go in the future. For what eventually became “The Big Bang Theory,” Prady and Chuck Lorre wrote a script, hired some actor friends and “put on a show” for CBS honcho Leslie Moonves. “It was crazy,” Lorre said. But it worked.
Kaley got teary-eyed every time someone on the panel or a guest in the audience gave her a compliment. It was really quite endearing. My favorite line of the whole panel — from Jim Parsons to Cuoco — “Did you think these people were going to throw fruit at us?”
Asked why the show works so well, Lorre and Prady agreed that everyone, no matter how confident they may seem, at some point feels as if they are on the outside looking in and so the audience can easily identify with the characters.
The staff calls the scenes between Penny and Sheldon “Peldon" or “Shenny" scenes
Parsons, told by his manager that he was being asked to audition for a Chuck Lorre pilot, thought it was a Chuck Woolery pilot.
Musing about how difficult it is to find the perfect actor for even one role in a pilot, Lorre said he felt they'd captured "lightning in a bottle five times" with the "Big Bang" gang. We couldn't agree more.

And now, on to your questions. I’ve chosen the elevator question as my favorite because it made me giggle. Nicola, I will contact you about your prize.

Q. As much as I love the awkward staircase conversations in “TBBT” I want to know if the elevator will EVER be fixed? It would be so funny to watch someone get trapped in there with Sheldon. (Nicola)
A. Our broken elevator does two wonderful things for us. First, it eliminates the traditional sitcom L-shaped apartment building hallway and second, it allows us to do “walk and talk” scenes without having to create a city street or similar set. We’re proud of the set, which required we jackhammer a hole in the floor of Stage 25 (to make room for the stairs going down). I can’t tell you whether it will ever get fixed, but if it does, I’m sure things won’t go well.

Q. Has there been any thought of possibly stretching out a storyline over the course of multiple episodes? The Sheldon worshiper story was very clever but it was wrapped up way too quickly; I would’ve loved to see it continue for a few weeks. (Anthony)
A. We may. The way television is watched these days doesn’t lend itself to long arcs, and we want our series to always invite new viewers to it. It’s a tricky balance to strike.

Q. Do you think Sheldon will ever win the Nobel prize? If so, do you think he’d bring Penny as his date? (Sarah)
A. Sheldon certainly does. I don’t think he’d bring Penny. My money would be on his mother.

Q. Will Sheldon and Penny ever have a romantic connection? The have such amazing chemistry together. Hopefully not soon because their bickering is so much fun. (Mega, Laura C. Sophie, Fran)
A. I have a hard time imagining Sheldon with anyone in a romantic connection! Even his friends aren’t sure what his “deal” is! The fact that he and Penny have any kind of social relationship is pretty significant for Sheldon. In the second season opener, Penny casually noted that she felt that she and Sheldon were “friends,” a comment Sheldon examined carefully. I’m not sure how many friends Sheldon’s made in his life — that Penny is one of them is noteworthy.

Q. “The Big Bang Theory” draws energy from a well-crafted underlying structure. So it was cool to hear your interview (with Bob Andelman) last year, in which you explicitly described your sense of that structure:

“I think Johnny, to me, is the emotional center of the show. Penny tugs Leonard out into the world, and Sheldon tugs him away from the world. Leonard and Sheldon are near the middle, not the extremes, and Koothrappali and Wolowitz bracket them on either side.”

Did you already conceive of the show in these clear terms, in the months leading up to the 2007 pilot (or even leading up to the first pilot)? Was the collaborative creative process rather smooth, or did the show’s concept evolve more dynamically, around 2006, with different creative viewpoints tugging toward opposite poles? And how does the development process compare with the creative atmosphere on the series now? (Tony)
A. OK, Tony, this question felt a bit like an essay question on a film school exam, but I’ll give it a try. The basic dynamic between Leonard and Sheldon — that Leonard wanted to participate more in the world and that Sheldon didn’t — was a component of the original (unaired) pilot. I’d be hard pressed to say whether there were detailed, conscious discussions about it, or if it naturally fell into place.
I’d describe the creative process of the show’s development as rather herky-jerky. The 2006 pilot, while including the basic Leonard/Sheldon dynamic, had huge conceptual mistakes that we steered away from when we made the second pilot.
Finally, the key difference between development and production is speed and pressure. Remember, you have a year to make the first episode and two weeks to make every one after that!

Q. Elaborating on what Tony just asked, can you tell us more about the original pilot that was shot and then scrapped? How did it differ in tone and how different were the characters? Do you think you’d be as happy with the show if the original version had been picked up to series? (Kathy)
A. The key difference in the original pilot was the conception of the female lead. The original character (called “Katie” in that version) was envisioned as a street-hardened, tough-as-nails woman with a vulnerable interior. The idea was for the guys, who would approach her with honesty, to draw the real, sensitive Katie out. What we didn’t anticipate, though, is how protective the audience would feel about our guys. Early screenings of that version of the pilot led audiences to beg that the “mean lady” would stay away from the “sweet guys.”
We also added Wolowitz and Koothrappali in the second pilot. The idea was, if they like these first two guys, let’s give them two more. I also like the way Wolowitz and Koothrappali “bracket” Leonard and Sheldon by being more withdrawn (Koothrappali) and more socially confident — albeit in a deluded way (Wolowitz).
And no, I like the show we’re doing now and can’t imagine anything else.

Q. What are your parameters for choosing a guest star? Do you write guest characters with an actor in mind? Since you had a Battlestar Galactica actor on one episode (and Summer Glau from “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” in another), I was wondering if you’d ever get any “Stargate” actors. David Hewlett would be fantastic on “TBBT” as he’s the king of the sci-fi geeks. (Elyse)
A. We generally look for the best actor for the part. For example, we cast Michael Trucco not because of his Galacta cred (which, we agree, is awesome), but because we knew he’d do a great job. The same is true of actors like Laurie Metcalf and Christine Baranski.
In the case of Summer Glau, we had a specific story in mind involving the guys meeting an attractive actress from the world of science fiction. Narrowing it down to those who were available and who were willing to have a sense of humor about themselves led us to Summer — fortunate, because she was also our first choice!

Q. Do you guys have any plans on ever making an episode about how Sheldon, Leonard, Raj and Howard met or a flashback featuring kid versions of the gang. (Wendy, Claudia, Dairy, Stephanie)
A. I’m not a big fan of flashbacks, but I’d never rule anything out.
Btw, Chuck Lorre actually sparked to this idea at the panel and said he thought it was a good idea.

Q. Though I’m sure it won’t be ending for a very long time, at this point, how would you envision the show ending? Where would you like to leave our favorite four geeks and a girl by the end of their run? Have you mapped out the overall development for each of the characters or are you winging it or both? Are there long-term goals for any of the characters on the show? Even if you can’t give details, I’d love to know if there’s anything big in store for our favorite nerds. (Trevor and Shannon)
A. We don’t map out things ahead like that. We try to follow the natural progression of the characters — i.e. if that just happened, what might happen next? Locking yourself into big pre-planned season or series arcs can result in trying to force the characters to go where they don’t want to go.
That being said, the final episode will absolutely involve the characters developing super-powers and joining the Justice League. Or the X-Men.

Q. Are Sheldon and Leonard named after the brilliant (producer) Sheldon Leonard of “The Andy Griffith Show,” “The Danny Thomas Show,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “My Favorite Martian” and “I Spy?” (Binnie)
A. Yep. Chuck and I are both fans. Chuck’s idea.

Q. Will we ever meet Penny’s family? Come to think of it, will you ever tell us her last name? (Stephanie)
A. Yes, and yes.

Q. Sheldon appeared far more human and sexualized in the pilot compared to the Sheldon we see today. Do you feel that Sheldon is asexual, like a lot of people claim, or is it more that Sheldon hasn’t met the right person yet who can cope with all his idiosyncrasies? (Kirsty)
A. We’re as mystified as Sheldon’s friends about his “deal” (see above).

Q. I was wondering if Raj is ever going to be able to speak to women? He seems like such a smooth talker (even when drunk) and I think it’s hilarious how he manages to get the attention of girls. (Dairy)
A. Raj may someday seek treatment for his selective mutism. The fellow I knew whose malady we based Raj’s on, never did.

Q. You’ve written for many TV shows, with characters who have wildly different “voices” and personalities. Somehow each character’s personality and voice is consistent across many episodes and seasons. Could you share some insights or advice on the process? When different writers script episodes, the characters stay consistent. Do some writers or crew sort of shepherd some characters as the filming day approaches? Does someone oversee the scripts for consistency? Do the writers do it entirely on their own? It’s remarkable. (John)

A. The final word on every script is the “showrunner” or head writer. Scripts are constantly rewritten to ensure a consistent voice, but the job of a good television writer is to be able to write in all the voices that comprise a series’ ensemble.

Q. I was wondering what made you choose Jim and Johnny as your main (actors)? What about them appealed to you? (Sara)
A. We knew Johnny, and felt his sweet — often self-effacing — nature would be a perfect fit. Jim just came in and auditioned and the rest is history.

Q. Being a self-proclaimed “Queen of the Nerds,” I find the gaming/comic/sci-fi jokes and references on “TBBT” to be well thought out, well placed, and absolutely hilarious. That said … when will the guys introduce Penny to the wonderful world of table-top gaming? Warhammer or D&D? Who do you feel would make the best GM? Congrats on the success of BBT, thanks, and keep up the excellent work! (Nikki)
A. Short answers in the order asked:
That Talisman game is available anytime she wants to try it.
D & D (I’m old school)
Sheldon (according to Sheldon)

Q. Where has Stephanie gone? She just disappeared and never ever came back. I loved her character. She kept Leonard away from Penny. She and Leonard are great together … Leonard is kind if chasing a hopeless dream in Penny. (Jennifer and Fran)

A. Stephanie was a chance for Leonard to learn that just because someone loves you, doesn’t mean you’ll love them back. It’s a big piece of growth for the Leonards of the world to make the decision to wait for the person you want instead of going with the person who will have you. I hope he’s making the right choice.

Q. Will there be a resolution with the situation with “The Nemesis,” Leslie? It bothers me a bit that she seems to often get the better of Sheldon. (Emodius)
A. Don’t you think that someone should get the better of Sheldon from time to time?

Q. Will we ever see a reference to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series?! Raj’s cap in the pilot was a nice touch, but Douglas Adams deserves much more, don’t you think? (Anita)
A. OK, we’ll try. One of my very first jobs was working as a researcher on a television program the Muppets were going to do called “The Muppets Look at the World of Technology.” The program was never produced, but I got to spend a lot of time with the writers — including Douglas Adams. He was one of the tallest and nicest men I’d ever met and was very generous with advice for a young, aspiring writer. So long and thanks for all the fish, Anita.

Q. Hi Bill, I’m from Czech republic. Even though in “Big Bang” was reference about “Czechoslovakia” I do hope you know that we aren’t Czechoslovakia no more. But only Czech republic. ;-) Have a nice life! I like you. Bye Veronika
A. Promiòte, Veronika — Bill

‘Lost’: ‘Our greatest wish is that fans feel it was all worth it’

Variety — 2009-04-21T14:13:21-07:00

You Losties are amazing —188 responses, most of those containing multiple questions for the show’s honchos, Carlton Cuse (left, below) and Damon Lindelof. Let me tell you, it was no easy task to whittle those queries down to 20 to send to the guys. Of those 20, each showrunner picked five to answer.

We didn’t want to leave anyone out, but Damon and Carlton agreed to answer 10. Rest assured we made every effort to combine as many similar questions as possible so that we would represent the most-asked questions. That said, if your question began with “Will we ever see…?”, it didn’t make the cut since the guys were explicit in not wanting to reveal future plot points.

With season five down to just a couple of episodes before the two-hour finale on May 13, the “Lost” scribes have been piling on the revelations (Castaways worked for the Dharma Initiative back in 1977! Ben actually saved Rousseau’s daughter!) and filling in backstories at breakneck pace (Glimpses of Charles Widmore in his prime have been eye-opening, and last week's episode on Miles' history was a retro gem). The time-travel aspect has been smartly fleshed out, with Hurley and Miles debating its rules in comic style. And Damon and Carlton have revealed via podcast the chosen name for the season finale’s key scene (The Fork in the Outlet).

The “Lost” showrunners have been busy this season, locking in the show’s core characters and throughlines, keeping track of elaborate continuity (witness the kerfuffle over Charlotte's age) and laying the groundwork for a grand wrap-up of all the show’s mysteries in season six. It’s rare for a TV series with such an intricate and serialized storyline to maintain such rabid fan interest and confidence in the storytelling, but Damon and Carlton clearly bring their own rich appreciation of drama, sci-fi and genre to the endeavor, as reflected in their ongoing love for the Stephen King universe and Damon co-writing the sequel to Par’s upcoming reboot of “Star Trek.” It’s clear from their responses to your questions that they’re both showrunners and fans themselves, and that “Lost” proves an iconic favorite.

UPDATE: The winner of the signed DVD set is (drumroll…) Derek, who asked the first part of the question about the predetermined end date. The scribes couldn't pick a favorite question and neither could we so we put everyone's name in a hat and picked a winner that way. Congratulations Derek! DVD will be along to you shortly.

Thanks for the spectacular response and enjoy the answers. Here we go:

Q. When the show is all said and done, how do you want the show to be remembered … and about 20 years after the show has ended would you both be willing to be involved in the remake/relaunch of “Lost,” and if so, what would you do differently? What has the show taught you? (Combined Ramsey Lawson and Jon P.)
DL: I think our hope is that looking back on the entire run of the show, that people remember the EXPERIENCE of watching it — what it actually felt like to be mystified and frustrated and surprised — as opposed to just where it landed storywise. When all is said and done, we’ll have consumed six years of our fans’ lives and our greatest wish is that they look back on that time and feel that it was all worth it. As far as whether we’ll want to revisit “Lost” 20 years from now, the answer is probably no… though it would be pretty cool to see what someone else might come up with!

Q. Have you had any regrets about previous character deaths coming too soon, and whether you might have wanted (in hindsight) to have given them a little more time on the island? (Corey)
DL: The one that comes to mind is Mr. Eko. That was a situation where we had some pretty cool ideas as to where we were gonna take the character, but unfortunately, Adewale was not really interested in working on the show beyond Season Two. This forced us into a position of having to kill him “prematurely,” and even though we had no control over him leaving, we probably could have executed (pun intended) the death itself with a little more finesse.

Q. How much did it mean to the writing of the show to know exactly how many episodes you had left to tell the story? (Derek) … The ‘end date’ agreement you reached with ABC was groundbreaking for network television and REALLY saved “Lost” from spinning its wheels indefinitely. It also made the show pretty much “cancel-proof,” as you now know exactly WHEN the show will leave the air. Do you feel like “Lost’s” agreement will set a trend that other networks/producers will adopt? (Cheif Brody)
DL: Negotiating the end of the show and effectively cancelling ourselves in the process was without a doubt the single most awesome thing that ever happened to “Lost.” As writers, we had reached a very frustrating impasse… we had already told our beginning and we knew the ending we wanted to work toward, but all we could actually write was the middle. We knew the show would hit a new gear once we ditched the flashbacks and started to tell the story of the people who left the island, but we also knew we couldn’t START that story until the audience knew we were heading down the proverbial mountain. Fortunately for us, (ABC Entertainment Group president) Steve McPherson and (then ABC Studios president*) Mark Pedowitz at the network put aside their business sense and understood that creatively, ending the show was absolutely necessary. Who knows if other shows will adopt the conceptual framework of a “limited” series (they’ve been doing it in the U.K. for decades and it’s awesome), but it really liberated us as storytellers.
*Note: Pedowitz is now special adviser to Disney-ABC TV Group prexy Anne Sweeney

Q. A while back, I remember reading you guys made a Sawyer episode with Jolene Blalock, but for some reason, decided to switch it to a Michael episode. My question is: Why? Will we ever see that footage, incorporated in some other way? Was the Sawyer-centric story ever told or was it just abandoned? Can we get it as an extra on one of the upcoming DVDs maybe? (Chase)
CC: This happens all the time in both film and TV, scenes or storylines are shot that just don’t work out as you hoped. We’ve been fortunate to have a really high success rate on “Lost.” In fact, that was the only time we dumped an entire storyline. No fault of the actors — it just wasn’t properly conceived. We have no plans to put it on the DVDs because unlike most deleted scenes, which just don’t fit into the body of a particular show, this storyline was not at the quality bar we have for the show.

Q. I was wondering how long “Lost” would have run in its most straightforward narrative, if you had been able to produce it that way. If you had been given free rein to run the show and let it unfold as you wanted, would it have only been four seasons long? Five? If not, how much further along in the storyline would we be right now? What parts of seasons two and three would have been more truncated? (Ryan/similar question asked by Foobeka)
CC: At the end of the day “Lost” will have run for exactly the right amount of time. At one point we’d talked about 100 episodes being ideal but as we got further downstream we came to appreciate the extra 20 or so hours. It’s funny now, the question we are being asked the most has shifted from, “Do you guys know what you’re doing?” to, “Do you guys have enough time left to tell your story?” People used to be worried that “Lost” was spinning its wheels. Now the concern is, are we gonna be able to wrap it all up in only one more short season?

Q. What works may have influenced you?:
You’re obviously huge fans of Stephen King… I was wondering how the ending to “The Dark Tower” informs yours. (Simplevincent)… I have read that “The Stand” is very influential to the mythology of “Lost.” (William) Are you guys fans of Irish literature as “Lost” seems to have similarities to a number of famous Irish stories, including of course ‘Ulysses”? (Brian) … The “Star Wars: Episode 4” influences are on display. True? (.35) … I have wondered if one of your big influences came in the form of a wicked British children’s show called “Children of the Stones,” particularly with time and cycles. (Spymunk and JimK). I am struck by the similarities in scope and tone between “Lost” and “The Prisoner.” (Jeanette) Of all the books referenced in the show, which fathered your show’s structure the most? (Mischa)
Are any of these, indeed influences and are there others not mentioned here?
CC: For both Damon and me Stephen King’s “The Stand” was the most influential model for “Lost.” Because “Lost” is not the tenth carbon copy of a medical, legal or cop show there wasn’t a clear roadmap for how to make it work for 100 episodes by looking at other TV shows. So instead we turned to “The Stand,” a 1,000-page novel with a high-concept idea at the core: most of the world’s inhabitants have been killed by a super flu. What we loved about the book was that what sustains the 1,000 pages is not the mythology of the super flu but the stories of the characters. The mystery of what was happening on this island had to be secondary to the mystery of “who are these people?” In terms of creative inspiration we owe a debt to many other sources: the Bible, “Twin Peaks,” “The Prisoner,” the Narnia Chronicles, and of course “Star Wars” and all of its mythological antecedents, Kurt Vonnegut and Flannery O’Connor.

Q. Can you comment on why the show’s signature flashbacks have been replaced by the “three years later/earlier” title cards? I think you could have kept the flashback device the way it was and the audience would have understood. Right now it feels a little like spoon-feeding and I’d like to think I (and your viewers) are smarter than that. (Max)
DL: Our viewers are extremely smart… in fact, WAY smarter than us. That being said, when we’re doing flashforwards and flashbacks while the island itself is flashing through time, we felt it was necessary to use the title cards just so WE could keep the story straight. The good news is that we usually only do it once a show to remind the audience where our characters are relative to each other, but once we’ve established it, we just go back to the good ole WHOOOOOOSH.

Q. How much goes into maintaining continuity on such a complex show? (Alberto) (Adam adds that “your continuity guy is a god.”)

CC: A lot. We have Gregg Nations who works for us and is in charge of continuity. He keeps detailed records of everything that happens on the show. He doesn’t have what’s going to happen; only what HAS happened — but he meticulously checks everything we publish in each script against that historical continuity. Not that we don’t make mistakes once in a while but given the enormous complexity of our show, our error rate is low.

Q. I am so happy to watch your long-term planning start to really pay off in the story. Have you had the idea to actually film scenes or at least parts of scenes long in advance due to age or set changes? If you could have in season one, would you have filmed a couple shots of 10-year-old Walt looking down into a pit saying “Get up John”? (Cole)
DL: We’re really concerned about shooting scenes WAY in advance for a couple reasons. The first is straight up security… if such a thing leaked, the spoiler sites would find out HUGE plot reveals way before we want them to. The second reason we don’t do this is that while the overall story of the final season has been planned for almost five years now, we still enjoy the organic process of actually writing these scenes in the order we’re filming them.

Q. What challenges do you face in creating a nearly deserted island? Do you ever need to digitally remove planes, boats, or houses in post? (CelebritySkinned.com)
CC: “Lost” would not be possible without the tremendous advances in visual effects technology in the last few years, especially the drop in costs and the ability to do complex visual effects on a TV budget and schedule. The island of Oahu where we shoot the show is very beautiful but also very populated and developed. We remove roads, telephone poles, houses, boats and surfers in nearly every episode. But even more importantly, VFX allow us to make Hawaii look like literally any place in the world. We’ve used our VFX team to turn Oahu into Iraq, Berlin, Paris, Tunisia and even a snowy winter in Red Square. In fact, in the entire 100-plus episode history of the show we’ve only shot four scenes off the island, mainly due to actor availability.

— Kathy Lyford and Brian Cochrane

Non-episodic photos:
Lindelof and Cuse at ABC's press tour. Photo by Adam Larkey/ABC

Daniel Dae Kim, exec producer Bryan Burk, Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and Jorge Garcia at Comic-Con in summer ’08.

100th episode cake designed by Duff Goldman and his crew from the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes.”

'The Big Bang Theory': Can't get enough of those nerds

Variety — 2009-03-27T16:11:00-07:00

Good news all you fans of “The Big Bang Theory”: We had so much fun with the Jim Parsons Q&A that we’re doing one with the show’s co-creator Bill Prady.

We chatted with Bill after a taping back in November and he’s enthusiastic about answering your questions regarding the awkward genius quartet (Sheldon, Leonard, Wolowitz and Koothrappali) and their gal pal Penny.

The show has continued its hot ratings pace and has been picked up for two additional seasons.

As always, here are the guidelines. We’ll send questions to Bill in about a week. I’ve saved some of the queries you all sent in for Jim Parsons that he didn’t have answers for (see the first comment below). We’ll see if Bill can provide you with the info you’re seeking, especially the ever-popular “Will Sheldon and Penny ever hook up?” question. I don't know how much future plot Bill is able or willing to give away so phrase those questions carefully.

1) Hit the comment button below and ask your question by April 3.
2) You may ask more than one question but we are looking for quality, not quantity. Asking more will not guarantee that you’ll get an answer. In the spirit of fairness, we try to give plenty of folks a chance.
3) Read through the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating something that’s already been asked.
4) Be clever and have fun.
5) The person who asks the best question will receive a special prize to be determined.

'Friday Night Lights': The passion from our fans and critics is incredibly important

Variety — 2009-03-18T18:46:51-07:00

UPDATE: On Monday, March 30, NBC and DirecTV inked the deal that will bring us two more glorious seasons of this remarkable show!

At long last, here are the answers to your questions for “Friday Night Lights” showrunner Jason Katims (pictured accepting a Vision Award in June).

Loyal readers will recall I first opened up the opportunity for questions prior to the NBC show’s third season premiere on DirecTV's 101 Network back in October. At the time Jason was too involved working on our favorite show to get to your questions. Then, he was swamped with writing “Parenthood,” his pilot for NBC and Imagine.

I was persistent (some may call it annoying) and with the help of his marvelous assistant, we’ve received the answers we’ve been waiting for. A big thanks to both Jason and Jamie. And I can’t thank you readers enough for your patience.

Those who love "Friday Night Lights" know that the level of devotion you feel for the show can become an obsession. There’s nothing quite like it on television. The show can break your heart every time out. This piece from the Canadian Press does a great job of summing up fans’ feelings.

And yet, the ratings have never taken off (go figure) and as each season approaches its finale, we fans are left wondering if there will be more. Well, recently there has been scuttlebutt on the Web about a two-season renewal in the works. That’s right, TWO seasons. Nothing has been decided thus far and I don’t know any more than you folks, but if you read Jason’s answers carefully you’ll see that he seems optimistic about the future of the show. I have complete confidence that if/when it returns it will be every bit as riveting as it’s been for the first three seasons.

Of course, not all our favorite characters will be back if the series does complete yet another Hail Mary. It is, after all, a show with high school at its core. Kids graduate; people leave small towns.

EW’s Ausiello Files hints at which cast members we could count on seeing in seasons 4 and 5.

Indeed, already this season we fans have had to say goodbye to two favorite characters. At EW’s PopWatch, Scott Porter blogged about leaving the show and Jason Street behind. And Gaius Charles talked about Smash’s exit with TV Guide.

I used the questions that were most relevant at this point in NBC’s airing of the season and Katims answered 10 for us. I'll start with the question Jason and I chose as our favorite. Congratulations Anne, your signed DVD of Season 2 is on its way.

Enjoy!

Q. If you could choose one episode/moment (excluding the pilot) that captures the very essence of the show to sell the show to a new viewer, which one would you choose, and why? — Anne
A. I’d choose Episode 304 — “Hello Goodbye.” It’s the episode that bids farewell to Smash and has such a poignancy to it. But what makes the episode recommend itself is that there are so many other things going on simultaneously. Tyra meets Cash; Landry confronts Tyra as he is recovering from dental surgery; Tami loses the Jumbotron battle. It’s meaty and smart and all the characters and stories seem to be firing on all cylinders. Gaius Charles and Jesse Plemons give two of their finest performances.

Q. The show is incredibly respected by critics and there is a fan-base who loves this show and would do anything it could to keep the show from going off the air. As the person running the show, what is it like when you hear that people love your show, but the viewership just isn’t there, or that you may not get picked up for another season? As fans, we all know how much we hate to hear these things, but when you have to go to work every day and hear these things, how does it affect you and the cast and crew? — Alyson

A. The spirit of the cast and crew on "FNL" is ridiculously positive. It’s the most relaxed, sane, happy set I’ve ever walked onto. Everyone feels such passion for the show. I think that comes partly from shooting in Austin. Everyone’s one step removed from Hollywood, and I think for us that’s allowed us to hunker down, make a show that we love, and appreciate every second of it.

And you also have to realize that while our ratings could be a lot better, the passion from our fans and critics is incredibly important. While the show isn’t a numbers success, we feel that we have been very successful in making a show that affects so many people in such a deep way.

Q. What can we, the fans, do specifically to help save “FNL” and make sure that the new deal that’s being discussed with DirecTV for two more seasons happens? — Elizabeth (also Robyn)
A. Hearing from the fans of a show can often have a powerful influence over a show’s fate. This would be a good time to write to NBC and DirecTV and let them know you have to have the show back.

Q. What affect did the DirecTV shared window have on the way the writing staff approached the show if any? — Kathy

A. There were a couple of distinct differences in doing Season 3. The first is the nature of the deal between DirecTV and NBC made it clear that we would be doing only 13 episodes. That was actually very exciting to me creatively. It reflected about the amount of games in a season of high school football. It created a very nice structure for us in breaking stories. We could build the “FNL” season around the football season. There was the initial quarterback controversy arc (Eps 1-5); then the movement toward Playoffs (Eps 6-8); and then the movement from Playoffs to State (Eps.9-13). It kept our storytelling very distilled and energized.

The other difference is the timing of the deal allowed us to get into the writer’s room much earlier than we normally would. We started breaking stories early April and didn’t start shooting until early August. That was a very luxurious period to break story, especially when we were only doing 13 episodes. It was great to be able to start production and already have an idea of what we would be needing toward the end of the season. From very early on we knew we were planning a New York trip in Episode 8, the State game in Episode 12, and Billy and Mindy’s wedding in Episode 13. We had the advantage of being able to plan for things way ahead of time, which was very important considering our budget constraints.

Q. The distinctive 360-degree shooting style of "FNL" gives the show such realism and energy. Did you go into the show from the beginning with that approach in mind, or did it evolve on the set? Any details on that shooting technique would be interesting to hear, as well as insights into how much/little the cast members ad-lib and do you ever change course of show because of an improv? — CL
A. The shooting style was started in the pilot by Pete Berg. My goal, along with our director-producer Jeff Reiner, was to try to honor Pete’s vision for the show. And eventually, as Pete would have done, to let the style evolve. And over the course of the three seasons the look of the show did evolve.

Yes, the actors are given a tremendous amount of freedom with the words. There is also a looseness to the way the show is shot. It’s mostly hand-held, with minimal lighting. We never rehearse or block a scene ahead of time. We just start rolling and the scenes get worked out as we go. It’s really a unique and wonderful process.

Q. If there is one thing you’d go back and change in any episode, in any season of “Friday Night Lights” that has to do with plot? In retrospect, is there anything you look back on and wish you’d gone in a slightly different direction? Is there something you wish you could have shown more of, a relationship or backstory perhaps? — Chloe
A. Is this a clever way of getting me to apologize for the murder story?

Of course there are stories that I wish I had done differently and characters that I wish I had taken in different directions. The beauty and curse of network television is how quickly it goes and how many stories you tell in a season. There’s rarely an episode that I don’t regret something — big or small — but I love TV, particularly having the privilege of being on a show as rich as "FNL." I wouldn’t trade it.

Q. I am a huge fan of the show, but I must admit there is one thing that always bothered me: the portrayal of African-American men. Smash is certainly presented as a three-dimensional character, with his ego being his major flaw. Could have been a stereotype, but you manage to balance it out. But it seems that other “FNL” African-American males have stereotypical flaws/personalities, as well (VooDoo, the cocky college football player Coach has to “babysit” at his hearing, and the football player who chases Smash after Smash almost sleeps with his girlfriend on a college visit.) Combine this with egomaniac Boobie Miles and the almost animalistic portrayal of the all-black football team from the “Friday Night Lights” movie, and you’re left with a brand that could have (should have) been more balanced with its depictions of African-American males. Do you have a different perspective on this? — DJ

A. I must say I’m very proud of the stories we have told about African-American men. I will say, the conceit of network television is to tend to write toward our series regulars. In this way Smash Williams, played by Gaius Charles, has received most of these stories.

Gaius has played this character with such love and conviction and has brought an integrity and honesty to everything he has done. We have seen him as an athlete, a role model, a Christian, a son, a brother, a boyfriend. We have seen him make bad choices (though understandable) and honorable ones. We have seen him grow and evolve. We’ve watched him learn to embrace his race while dealing with the subtle and at times not so subtle racism in this small Texas town.

I also feel that the character of Smash’s mom, played magnificently by Liz Mikel, is one of the most heroic characters on the show.

I do understand your frustration that there aren’t more three dimensional African-American characters on the show. Hopefully, the show will live on, and we will try to correct that in the future.

Q. Did it ever enter into consideration to give Eric and Tami a baby boy in “Last Days of Summer?” Was that always in your intention to have Coach, father to two daughters, to serve as a contrast to his role as football coach in which he acts as a father figure to many of his team? — Linda
A. There’s something about the guys on the team being Coach’s sons that is very powerful to me. There’s something interesting about the fact that he doesn’t have a boy of his own. There’s also something interesting about someone who’s in such a male world at work and comes home every night to a house of women. Also, I liked the dynamic it created for Tami and Julie — that Julie would feel a little bit replaced by Gracie.

Q. How much of the show was mapped out before filming began, and how much came out of other factors such as the actors chosen, their chemistry, or the response from critics and fans? — Danielle
A. We try to have the broad strokes mapped out ahead of time as much as we can. We leave room for changing the nuances and details as we see what comes back in the cuts. As far as the response from critics and fans, we’re usually so far ahead in shooting and writing by the time the show airs, that most of the stories people are responding to have already been committed to film.

Q. At the heart of the show is the wonderful relationship between Eric and Tami. What I would like to know is their backstory. How they met, fell in love, got married etc. Are we going to get more backstory on this great couple should the show, indeed, get picked up? — Christi
A. To me Kyle and Connie bring such a rich backstory with every scene that they do. You can just feel the history between them. In terms of learning more about their history, it’s a tricky thing to dramatize. As a writer you always have to be careful of lines that begin, “Remember when...” It’s a good cue for the audience to go pee or something. So we try to introduce it to have their past come back into their lives. For example when Tami’s sister visits, or when Tami’s old boyfriend (played by creator-executive producer Pete Berg) comes back to town. We’ve played with the idea of bringing Coach’s dad in. If we come up with a great story for it, I might do that.

And here’s a bonus answer, courtesy of Jason’s absolutely amazing assistant Jamie:

Q. What is the countryish song that is played in Episode 301 when Riggins and Layla are walking down the school hallway? E
A. ‘Hand it Over” by James Hunter.

P.S.

While I have all you "FNL" fans here, I'd just like to give a shoutout to the amazing supporting characters who've been with the show since season one. It wouldn't have been the same without: Brad Leland as Buddy Garrity; Kevin Rankin as Herc; Louanne Stephens as Grandma Saracen; Liz Mikel as Corrinna Williams; Blue Deckert as Mac Macgill; Stacey Oristano as Mindy Collette; Derek Phillips as Billy Riggins; Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Angela Collette; and, of course, David Cowgill as Slammin' Sammy Meade, who's mostly heard and not seen.

PPS. Check out reader Blake's "FNL" podcast here where he also has some nifty links to news and interviews with cast members.

'Lost': The giant jigsaw puzzle comes together

Variety — 2009-03-04T14:23:41-08:00

Season Pass' next Q&A is with "Lost" showrunners Damon Lindelof — who co-created the series with J.J. Abrams — and Carlton Cuse, who came onboard as exec producer after the pilot. This is your opportunity to query the creative team behind the show that helped revive a near-dead ABC in 2004. So ask your questions now.

Damon and Carlton spent the show's first four seasons layering on the mystery and the mythos about the island, the Flight 815 castaways, the Others, the Dharma Initiative, the four-toed statue, Smokey, Adam and Eve and a few dozen other plot threads. Now in its penultimate season, the scribes are steering the story arc toward revealing the answers and the “aha” moments that the fans have long demanded. And in between, just to keep things interesting, we're doing a whole lot of time traveling.

Damon and Carlton aren’t about to give away any plot secrets, so don’t even ask, but they would like to riff on questions about their influences and inspirations, the incredibly involved process of producing a mini “Lost” movie each week, favorite character moments or pivotal events in past seasons. Plus, Carlton always appreciates inquiries about his banjo playing. Or you can ask Damon about his poker skills. (I happen to have played poker with him and I believe he cleaned my clock).

Once the duo puts the finishing touches on the season finale later this month, they’ll answer your questions; but they will only answer 10 so make them good ones.

Please follow the usual guidelines:

1) Hit the comment button below and ask your question by March 15.
2) You may ask more than one question but we are looking for quality, not quantity. Asking more will not guarantee that you’ll get an answer. In the spirit of fairness, we try to give plenty of folks a chance.
3) Read through the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating something that’s already been asked.
4) Be clever and have fun.
5) The person who asks the best question will receive a DVD signed by the guys.

Posted by Kathy Lyford with a huge assist from Cynthia Littleton and Brian Cochrane

PLEASE NOTE: Only 50 comments appear here at a time but we have access to the others and we will sort through every question submitted, I promise.

'The Amazing Race': 'The outcome for us is a surprise every time'

Variety — 2009-02-17T18:28:59-08:00

Here are the answers to your questions for Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri (pictured below with the show's host Phil Keoghan) about "The Amazing Race," which bowed its 14th edition Sunday.

I have not yet chosen a favorite team in the latest incarnation, but it's hard not to root for filmmaker Mike White and his dad.

"The Amazing Race" has won six consecutive Emmy Awards for outstanding reality program — and remains the only show to ever win that category. In addition van Munster won the 2007 Directors Guild of America award and van Munster and Doganieri — along with producing team Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Hayma Washington, Amy Chacon and Mark A. Vertullo — won the 2005 Producers Guild of America award.

Van Munster's other credits include ABC's "Oprah's Big Give," the Discovery Channel's "Raw Nature," ABC's "Profiles From the Front Line," syndicated series "Wild Things" and Fox's long-running "Cops." Prior to her producing career, Doganieri, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, worked in advertising and in 1994 co-founded an Internet consulting firm.

I sat down with the ever so charming Bertram and his equally charming wife and partner Elise Doganieri at the "Race" offices a couple of weeks ago. The office was a real treat for this fan of TAR. It was like a museum of previous seasons with totem poles and puzzles and other reminders of challenges past. Plus, Bertram proudly showed me two of his Emmys and his DGA Award. You'll notice in the video behind Bertram and Elise is a painting that a local did based on the fish puzzle contestants did at a Roadblock in Zanibar during the All-Star season.

They answered all of your questions with enthusiasm. I've transcribed most of the answers here and will be posting the full videos shortly — as soon as I figure out the little glitch in the Flip software that makes everyone sound like they just inhaled helium.

We'll start with this short video where the lovely Elise announces the winner of the prize for favorite question. When I asked Bert for a prize to give out I expected a calendar or perhaps a DVD. What I got instead was this fantastic helmet from season 10 (pictured here) that one of the contestants wore in the horseback riding challenge in Mongolia. What a remarkable prize. Thanks so much Bertram and Elise!

Q. Are the non-elimination legs predetermined BEFORE the race starts? If not, how much in advance do producers know a non-elimination leg is coming up? — Penny
A. ED: The non-elimination legs are determined months in advance — before they even go on the road. Everything that happens on the road has been laid out before. The main reason is because it’s a race for a million dollars, a competition reality program. We can’t sit there and say "Oh, we’re really concerned that that team is going to get eliminated. Let’s make this a non-elimination leg." No, everything is thought out way, way before we go on the road.
BvM: Yes, it’s laid out that way.
ED: Signed off by CBS legal. You can’t change those things. It’s a great question.
BvM: It’s a great question and a lot of people ask it because they think "Are these guys manipulating this stuff?" No, this is laid out before and we go with it as it rolls.
ED: Even if we don’t like the outcome.
BvM: The outcome for us is a surprise every time. Let’s keep it that way.

See video - part one for more

Penny, I will contact you by email to deliver your prize to you. Thanks and congratulations! — KL

Q. What has been the toughest "hiccup" during filming that you’ve had to work around? — Amy
A. BvM: In the very beginning there was a degree of paranoia that the press would reveal who was the winner of a certain leg. Now that everyone, and this sounds really pompous, but everyone knows who we are. So we have to live with the exposure that we have and we actually like it and we use it to our advantage. We are grateful that a global audience watches but with that comes that everyone sees what we do.
ED: Weather really affects how the contestants run through the route. In season one we were in Tunisia and we had a major sandstorm at Pit Stop, where it just wasn’t safe to be sleeping there overnight.
BvM: It had wiped out our base camp.
ED: So we packed up the camp, the camels, the big 4-wheel drive and we moved everybody from that location, at 2 o’clock in the morning, to a hotel because the whole camp was being blown away. So those are what I call the hiccups. But because we lay it out so much in advance, we check the weather, we know when the sun rises and when the sun sets, we check everything.

See video - parts two and three for more

Q. Which have been your favorite tasks, and how do you guys come up with them? Do you "test" them out beforehand, and have any ended up going badly awry? — PC
A. BvM: We never, ever change any. One of my favorites was the one we did in Taiwan where we had these people on the teeter-totter with the car going back and forth and they had to drive through the water with the mask on. It’s very humorous. It’s safe, it’s funny. But that teeter-totter was a little funky. The challenges are born out of a lot of jetlag maybe. We are very possessive of the challenges (the two of us) create. We don’t let anyone near them.
ED: And we have very different ways of thinking. Bertram will come up with something and I’m like "What?" But I think it’s a good mix for the show. One of my favorite challenges was in, I think it was Vietnam, where they had to plow In a muddy field with a big ox. Oh, it was the Philippines. They had to plow for a clue and the contestant was getting so frustrated and he said "My ox is broken!" I’m always surprised. We have these ideas and what the contestants do with them is off the chart. You can’t imagine.

See video - part six for more

(Mike White bungee jumps in Sunday's episode.)

Q. What do the locals think of the tasks. — Kathy
A. BvM: They find it very amusing.
ED: What we like to show is the local doing this task, very simply, and then our contestants (try it) and they get so frustrated and the local is on the side just laughing hysterically because they can’t even believe that they can’t do it.

See video - part six for more

Q. What does Phil do when he’s just waiting around for teams to arrive at the pit stops? — PC
A. ED: He’s shooting some of his stand-ups, where he talks about other things in the show. He’s getting calls about how far away the teams are. But before that he’s on the road shooting the Detour locations and the Roadblock locations, and he’s racing to get to the Pit Stop. So he’s busy all day.
BvM: He has work to do but he also likes to be in the gym (laughs).

See video - part six for more

Q. Were you as surprised and annoyed as I was that Phil was not nominated in the inaugural reality show host Emmy category after the show’s streak of wins in the reality show category? — Kathy
A. BvM: Yes, I do have an opinion about it. I think Phil is really fantastic for our show. There’s no question about it. He brings a spirit and he’s the face of the show in many ways. He’s a terrific friend, and a professional. But the jobs the other guys are doing is different from what Phil does. The other guys are kind of the guiding lights of their shows. They move people through the show, they do a lot of talking; they talk, from one end of the show to the other. That task is, of course, very different from what Phil does. It also has to do with what is reality and what is not reality. We believe our show is "true reality" because we turn people loose and we don’t know what the outcome is.
ED: We have one of the hardest shows to produce so every job on the show we feel is really difficult and done quite well. So from Phil being the host to us creating the show and producing it… you know, he should have been nominated; he really should have.
NOTE: Bertram also laughed that after seeing the Emmys, it’s probably a good thing for Phil that he wasn’t part of that reality-host-nominees-as-Emmy-hosts experiment. If you’ve forgotten how truly awful the Emmys were, here is my review of the show.

See video - part one for more

Q. What have been some of the most memorable Pit Stops for you behind the scenes? — LJ
A. BvM: Memorable Pit Stops are the Taj Mahal; the pyramids of Giza. We went to Auschwitz and lit candles on the railroad tracks. These are the different locations that I’m very proud of. It’s not all fun and games. We did try to get people to think a little bit. We did go to Senegal and the door of no return where thousands of slaves were brought over to America and we laid flowers and we made people think. To me this is very important that we go through life and stop every once in a while for 15 or 30 seconds and think about how fortunate we are and how lucky we are. So we like to put these elements in the show. And a lot of (contestants) don’t realize because they’re in a hurry and they’re thinking about a million bucks, but I like it.
ED: Season one we had a great pit stop in the first episode. In Africa. We had the contestants around a big fire and they were dancing and we had locals playing music. It was really wonderful and they got to be really submerged into the culture. I like when we have a Pit Stop where we have something going on, but more and more, we try to keep those quieted down because we don’t want the contestants talking too much; we don’t want them to become too friendly.

See video - part four for more

Q. Do you think an all-girl team will ever win? — Amy
A. ED: Yes!
BvM: Yes, I hope so!
ED: Please. Are you out there?
BvM: Please do it. It’s not up to us, it’s up to you guys.
ED: I don’t know what it is. You know what? We’ve had an all-girl team win the Asian version. That should inspire our American contestants. It can happen.

See video - part five for more

Q. Is there any chance of ever going back to a 13-leg season? — Anthony
A. ED: Sure. Why not? Right now I think the format works really well with 11 or 12 legs because we started doing research, again, and we found that people didn’t love the non-elimination legs. So ultimately that’s why we cut it down — to have more eliminations. Because people want to see what’s going to happen at the end. It’s a little bit of a downer sometimes (when a team is safe). So I don’t know that we’ll ever add more cast because it’s a lot to travel with the amount we do now.
BvM: Elise is right, it’s a tremendous downer. Because (the contestants) start to figure out things among themselves. They think they know what’s going on. We, of course, know that they don’t. And CBS is fine with (11 legs).

See video - part four for more

Q. Is the Intersection coming back, or has it had its run? — Don
A. BvM: We don’t know yet. That’s the kind of stuff that in our "war room" we always talk about.

See video - part five for more

Q. What has been the most challenging country to film in? — Don
A. ED: I think in the earlier seasons when we first started doing the show, a lot of countries were challenges. Luckily Bertram had set up a network of little satellite office in a some of these countries so we started with those. But now that the show has gained a lot of popularity, countries really want us to come (film there). So at the beginning it was hard. People didn’t understand why we wanted to race through the streets and make bricks and put sidewalks in and plant trees and build houses with people and do all these crazy things the locals do. It got a little bit easier.
BvM: The other aspect of that was also we had to hire people who had very little experience in something like this. I’ve done this my whole life. We had to get staffing. The people that were most knowledable about doing the show and just really did it, and are still with me, were the cameramen; the cameramen and the sound men. These were the guys — because they’re streetwise and they were running around — they were actually with us, the experienced team, and knew how to get us out of a bind. And we had to really educate a huge staff on how to do this kind of stuff. But we’ve gotten better and better and better and better as a result. A lot of people were very worried to do a true reality television show. You have to give our producers the confidence and say "You can do this, don’t worry about it. Let it go. I’ll take the responsibility and the liability."

See video - part one for more

Q. So it’s gotten easier?
A. BvM: In a way… but now we’re picking countries that are more complicated — such as Russia.
ED: We kept thinking as the seasons went on "Well the show will get easier, you have it all down," but you still have to put in the same amount of work every season. So, although we know what we’re doing and we have a system now, you still have to go through every step. There’s still permits, there’s still insurance, there’s still casting, (BvM adds: there’s legal), scouting locations. Everything still happens so it still takes months and months to put the show together.
BvM: But we’re passionate about it. Very.

See video - part one for more

Q. The show seems to have a strong fascination with India . But my question is, why does it seem like the show keeps visiting the most poverty-stricken parts of the country while focusing more on the chaotic, over-crowded, "cows-on-the-roads" aspect of India rather than try exploiting the richness of its extremely diverse culture and heritage to the fullest? For a change, why don’t you film legs in the more developed cities like Bangalore and Cochin or the more culturally important places like Varanasi and the temples of Khajuraho? — Vikshant
A. BvM: I am the biggest fan of India. I love India. I’ve been going there most of my adult life. I’ve made tremendous effort and tremendous investment filming there. I have a very long-term, very great relationship with the various governments that give me permits. I love Calcutta. I thought it was a beautiful city. We have been all over Kerala province, which includes Cochin, which is gorgeous. We have been to Rajastan several times, which is one of the spectacular places with the most beautiful people in India. And of course we’ve been to Mumbai also and that’s a city people should be very proud of. And New Delhi. We haven’t been to Bangalore. We were going to Bangalore not so long ago (but) they had a big hotel explosion and that’s why, for safety reasons, we didn’t go there. We have been to Chennai; outside Chennai. If this person watches the show and sees the whole thing, it’s not about poverty-striken (areas), it’s about Indian daily life that we like to integrate into the show. Our show is also more of an urban show. And if you go to Mumbai, which is a fantastic, thriving city or you go to Chennai or Calcutta, it’s fascinating. I think it’s fascinating.
ED: The population is so great and part of the show is that we really want contestants to interact with locals. It’s a wonderful place for people to go. Like Bertram said, it’s one of our favorite places to go, I love India and we have great friends in India, people we’ve worked with almost every season. We like to show everything. We show everything of everywhere. We don’t like to hold back on anything.

See video - part five for more

Q. When casting All-Stars, what exactly were you going for in the cast? Was it intentionally set up to be like a regular season cast in terms of relationships, or did it just happen that way? Who were some of the teams that were seriously considered and just missed the cut? — Anthony
A. BvM: Personally, I’m not crazy about All-Stars, but that’s a personal thing. Because what we find out is that a lot of them consider themselves stars because they’re recognized in the supermarket. Now they start to tell us how they used to do it and "why did we change it this time?" They reason why we changed it in every race is to keep people off-guard, of course. That’s part of the trick. Some people are really fantastic about it, some people were a little prima donna-ish. When you do reality television, I like real people, that you’ve never seen before, that you pluck out of life, from all walks of life. To me that’s fascinating. I think maybe the viewers like it better too. I wasn’t crazy about it (the all-star season).
ED: When way we cast the all-star version was based on who we thought were the biggest characters and also the most popular with the fans. We did a lot of research on who people wanted to see come back. We’re very involved with the fans; we’re very close to the people who run TARCON, which is a fan group.
BvM: They’re fantastic.
ED: I asked them who they liked. CBS, of course, had their say who they liked. It was a collaborative effort and I think we came up with everyone’s favorites. We wanted 20 (teams) but of course you have to narrow it down at some point. I was really happy with (who we chose.)
BvM: At that point we had well over 200 contestants and we had to narrow that down to 22. It’s not that easy. When we cast this show, we really love all the people that we cast. We love them; that’s why we cast them. So if you have over 200 people that you love, it’s not that the other guys are our favorite children but, as Elise said, we had to go through the research and that’s how it came about. And an awful lot of people weren’t available, etc. A lot of people (from the first season) were six years older. Six years later you’re a different person.
ED: And a lot of people that were on the show originally were single and now them got married and they have children and it’s just a different.
BvM: There were a lot of people — the football moms — a lot of people we’d have loved to have.
ED: Soccer moms!
BvM: Sorry! That’s the Dutch thing in me coming out even though I’ve lived all of my adult life in America.

See video - part two for more

Q. Any chance of another all stars series? — Amy
A. ED: I think Bertram said it the best. We love seeing new people and fresh faces. I don’t know if we get a lot out of the All-Stars. It’s nice to have them at events and see them again but I don’t know if it really works again for "The Amazing Race."
BvM: And if you see the new cast of season 14, then you say "My God, they did it again." The cast is amazing. (Season 14 cast pictured.)
ED: There’s something really great about someone who’s never run the race before. Even if they’ve watched the show they think they know the show. But once they’re on the road, they’re shocked. So there’s that freshness about it and excitement, and sadness, and craziness and sleeplessness. They’ve seen every episode and they think they know what to expect but it’s very different when you’re out there.
BvM: The other thing is when people have done it once before they know what to say and what not to say; they give each other signals. They start manipulating their own reality. Which is also not good.

See video - part two for more

Q. Will you ever have an international version? Where each team comes from a different country. This would be interesting in how each group would deal with situations based on their background. — Dan
A. BvM: That has been brought up many times. With all the languages, it (would be) difficult. But it has been on the radar and maybe one time we’ll do it.

See video - part five for more

Q. I wonder why you don’t switch up the game more. I think it would make it more interesting to team up couples of complete strangers and watch that dynamic unfold — ie: a ultra conservative with a tree hugging liberal or a chain smoker with a health nut. Or perhaps find couples from Match.com or Harmony and let that relationship unfold. — Clark
A. BvM: We feel very strongly that they always have to be people who know each other very well because our show has to be up and running immediately. If two people don’t know each other then they’re feeling each other out and it may take two or three episodes before they are ready to have a real relationship. And that just wouldn’t work for us.

See video - part six for more

Q. I’ve noticed that in recent seasons the show has sort of shifted from portraying the relationships between team members (as well as between other teams) and more into little "sound bites" rapidly shifting from one team to another and not really getting to know them besides these little one-liners. Was this a conscience decision or just a natural progression? — Anthony
A. BvM: This person has a point. We have changed it. You’ll have more story (this season). There is some truth to that. And we have changed it.

See video - part five for more

(Sunday's cheese challenge pictured above.)

Q. Included with the music soundtrack are the audio cues like the gong and chimes for when someone made an error, buzz noise for a stupid comment or misreading a clue. We’re smart viewers. We don’t need to be shown 30 times that they made a wrong turn or what they are saying is incorrect. — Don
A. BvM: He’s a smart viewer. He’s 100 percent right. And that’s the reason why we’re changing it. We have the power to change it and we are.

See video - part six for more

Q. Will you please switch up the music soundtrack on the show? The same music has been used year after year and makes the show feel old and the episode like a rerun. — Don
A. BvM: We are doing just that. He has a very good point.

See video - part six for more

Q. I realize that the show is great the way it is, but I must echo some of the others in saying that a few small changes would be welcome. After a while many of the seasons began to blend in. While I certainly don’t like the idea of matching two random people together, sometimes the casting relies on too many of the same types — the bickering couple who needs to figure out whether or not they’re meant for each other; the hippies; the nerdy/unfit male team; and God knows when the last season was where we didn’t have two blonde girls racing together. In the early seasons, even if we had teams similar to past ones, the overall mix was something new. — Anthony
A. ED: There are only so many types of people in this world and we’ve pretty much covered every category. The other thing we’ve found is that these people may seem like the happiest couple on earth when we’re casting but we get out on the road and they’re screaming at each other. We’re sometimes shocked at who they become, or who they secretly are. Sometimes in order to get on the show they may show us a different personality. Once it’s narrowed down we meet in person about 30 teams of two and we narrow it down from there.
BvM: They may be very enthusiastic, very funny when you meet them but sometimes they get on the road and they say "I don’t want to do this anymore."
ED: I like the couples who say "We’re going to find out if we’re going to stay together or not." And they think it’s going to be some sort of fabulous honeymoon. It’s completely the opposite.
BVM: They think they’re going to visit the Tower of Pisa or have dinner in restaurants.
ED: Instead they’re sleeping in their raincoats on a park bench and complaining. And I’m wondering "Did you actually watch the show before you signed up?"

See video - part six for more

Q. Is there even a slight possibility that we’ll get to see a crossover in the future with TARs meeting in one city or having Phil switch mats with TAR Asia’s Allan Wu from TAR Asia for a leg? LJ
A. BvM: No, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Messing with that stuff wouldn’t really work out because a lot of people don’t know who Allan is in this part of the world.
ED: A fun thing that happens sometimes is that we’ll be filming the original TAR and our Asian version will be running at the same time things will go up on the Internet and people think they see us running around with the American crew when it’s really the Asian race running at the exact same time in different locations around the world. So that’s kind of neat.

See video - parts four and five for more

Q. Do you have any idea whether there would be any more seasons of the popular Asian version? I’ve just turned 21 (the minimum eligibility for trying out on the show) and was hoping to try out for the show with my friend. We’d be extremely disappointed if it got cancelled now after having to wait for so long to become eligible. — Vikshant
A. BvM: Yes, we are producing Amazing Race 4 there, which is in the works now.

See video - part five for more

Q. Regarding broadcasting in high-definition, you’ve (Bertram) previously stated that "I don’t think it’s a priority." With the digital transition looming, phasing out of CRTs in favor of LCDs, and the continuous rise in high-def TV sales, do you foresee "Amazing Race" to ever be shown in high-definition in the future? — Taylor
A. BvM: There’s no reason we shouldn’t do it but right now the equipment is a little cumbersome for us. The battery packs on these cameras are very, very heavy. We have human beings who have to shoot the show 7 days a week, 24 hours a day so there’s a technical aspect. If you’re in one location filming, that’s much easier of course. But we are racing around the world — 40,000 miles in 21 days, shooting 12 (episodes), so there’s a practical aspect to it. And I’d like to mention we are the only reality show that has one two Emmys for cinematography in a reality show and it was unrelated to the HD part.
ED: Bertram has a very good point, Just think, when you see a contestant running, that there is a cameraman running right alongside with a 40-pound camera on his back. I wish we could do a behind the scenes because people would just be sitting there with their mouths open watching how these guys do it.

See video - part six for more

Q. Is there a chance of all the past seasons being released on DVD ? Amazon.com’s burn-on-demand program is a perfect fit for Amazing Race; please look into it! — Anthony
A. BvM: It’s a good question. I’m not that involved with DVD sales and that kind of stuff. We have an occasional meeting about the subject but it’s not really in our corner to decide.

See video - part one for more

And here are all the videos. Enjoy.

Parsons branches out from Sheldon

Variety — 2009-02-12T11:26:53-08:00

One of our favorite Q&A subjects, "The Big Bang Theory" star Jim Parsons has a new video at Funny or Die.

In it, he plays a guy who does his best to punch up eulogy speeches, with questionable results. Very dark, and very different from Sheldon.

Check it out here:

Eulogy Punch-Up Artist w/ Jim Parsons - watch more funny videos

'Big Love': 'The Henricksons are just another unconventional family'

Variety — 2009-02-04T18:20:29-08:00

Here are the answers to your questions for "Big Love’s" Bill Paxton, who plays polygamist patriarch Bill Henrickson on the HBO drama.

HBO just announced today that they have picked up the show for a fourth season. So congrats to Bill and the whole "Big Love" family!

Paxton grew up in Texas, the son of a business owner. He explained that his dad’s office, at a manufacturer of fine hardwoods, was much like Bill H.’s office at Home Plus, which overlooks the sales floor. Paxton opted to move to N.Y. and become and actor rather than take over the family business. Ironically, his dad, John Paxton, has since become an actor, with roles in all three "Spider-Man" pics.

Paxton, a married father of two is, like Bill H., a family man, albeit a much more conventional family than the one depicted on the show.

Paxton teases that in the current season (episode 4 airs Sunday), Bill H. will be put through about "every crisis a man can go through." He also was pleased to report that the Obamas watch the show and joked that perhaps the Henricksons will become "America’s other first family."

Our favorite question is the first one here, asked by Kevin, who wins a DVD set of season 2. Kevin, I will email you to get details.

Q. How would you describe Bill to someone else? I ask because my own feelings toward him started to change in the second season. Without saying too much about my own feelings, I'm curious to hear how you approach the character. — Kevin
A. He’s an American businessman, a visionary; he’s ambitious, law-abiding. He has a great sense of history and is a student of his own history and faith. He’s family oriented and takes his responsibilities seriously. He’s in a tough situation because he doesn’t have the same opportunities as other businessmen, because of his lifestyle. That’s how he justifies in his mind getting into the gambling business. Because those people are not judging him for his lifestyle. They know about it and they accept it.

Q. If you had to choose, which lady would you like to have as your wife in real life? — Marc
A. Well, if you are a polygamist you have to love all your wives the same, just as a parent loves all his children the same.

Q. Then, let’s phrase it this way: Which trait of each wife does Bill H. find the most attractive? — Kathy
A. Barb (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn) is the closest to being his contemporary and she’s his first love. They share the longest history. He relates to Nicki (played by Chloe Sevigny) because of their shared understanding of being raised on the compound. And he loves Margene’s (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) spontaneity and freshness. (Pictured: Goodwin, Tripplehorn, Paxton and Sevigny on the red carpet.)

Q. Having been asked that question, does it seem easier to reconcile yourself to the position of real polygamists not wanting to choose — or not having to choose? — Stanley
A. This lifestyle just kills Bill H., physically. It’s like a free ticket to an insane asylum. But doing this show has broadened my views on polygamy.

Q. If you had a personal invitation to spend a few days with a family in a real polygamous community would you accept? If you did accept, would go representing the show or just yourself? — Lori
A. Possibly. That might be interesting. Why not?

Q. Do you feel that the life your character plays should be against the law? — GLR
A. No.

Q. If all the abuse was eliminated could this lifestyle be acceptable? — GLR
A. Certainly.

Q. I would like to know what experiences Bill has had with reactions or comments on the show from the Mormon community. — Kent
A. None, actually. There was a big concern before the show started about the audience’s reaction and the network actually ran a disclaimer when the show first aired. But the show really teaches tolerance of other cultures that may be foreign to us. The Henricksons aren’t Mormon; they’re a family of people who came from a Mormon background. Their problems are really problems that touch every walk of life. The show is really a lens through which to examine contemporary life.

Q. Are there some funny times on the editor’s floor that we would all love to hear about? — Stanley
A. Well, any time Jeanne (Tripplehorn) starts laughing, we may as well send the cast and crew to lunch because it’s going to be an hour before we get anything done. Jeanne has a wicked sense of humor and if something strikes her as funny she just comes apart at the seams. It’s very funny.

Q. Bill, during the filming, have you had any trouble keeping your wives names straight? — Stanley
A. No, but sometimes I have trouble keeping the younger kids’ names straight.

Q. I assume that plural marriage was not something that any of you thought much about prior to this series. How has your view of plural marriage changed from the time your agent first pitched the show to you until now? — Stanley
A. I’m intrigued by the way the audience has changed their views. At first people were like "What is this?" I think it really put a face on the folks in Texas (referring to the raid on Warren Jeffs’ polygamist compound last year). The show is about family, solidarity, strength, religion and teamwork. On a theoretical level, at least, I think I understand the lifestyle better now.

Q. Do you think the program could work on another cable channel or broadcast network? Perhaps it’s better to ask, why do you think it fits so well with HBO? — Kevin
A. HBO has developed a reputation for developing original, groundbreaking shows with high quality production, directing and writing. Everything is done on a motion picture level. It’s the first series that any of us (Bill and the three actresses who play his wives) has ever done so we consider ourselves very lucky. HBO has also explored unorthodox families from the Sopranos to the Fishers on "Six Feet Under." The Henricksons are just another unconventional family.
Note: As one reader points out, Ginnifer Goodwin was, in fact, a regular on "Ed." Thanks, Darrin, for the head's up. KL

Q. Although I enjoyed watching the show in the first two seasons (based on the interesting family dynamics of the characters), I ultimately couldn't get over the "ick" factor of the of the realities of the compound. I understand that the program probably shows what actually goes on in Warren Jeffs’ (and others’) polygamy compounds, but I find it difficult to stomach the storylines regardless as it’s just too far beyond mainstream life. Do you find some of these storylines hard to reconcile with your own ideas values, and what is your internal dialogue to not reject the same? — J.
A. It’s not for me to reconcile. I don’t play any character with judgment — as an actor, you can’t.

Q. Bill Henrickson abandoned the Mormon church but later returned to its teachings in terms of "the principle" (aka polygamy). However, he still seems to have disdain for the faith that created the principle. Is that true? And what drives Bill H.’s faith in polygamy? — Dana
A. He has a disdain for Juniper Creek and what it’s become. He believes the principle is good, when practiced the right way. Religions can all be idealistic. If you boil them down they’re all about "live and let live" and giving thanks.He has faith in the principle and looks at its original tenets in an idealistic way. He grew up on this oppressive compound and he feels a lot of shame, resentment, bitterness and anger toward it. Yet he came back to the principle and he’s trying to live by it.

Q. As an actor, do you believe that Bill Henrickson is driven solely by his adherance to the principle, or is he confusing selfishness with faith? — Jim
A. He’s just a man. His imperfections are what make him interesting. His intentions are always good but hell is paved with good intentions. He can never stay ahead. In the end, he’s just a man like any other man.

— Posted by Kathy Lyford

'Mad Men' illustrated

Variety — 2009-01-27T20:47:22-08:00

If you're a fan of "Mad Men," you've got to check out the slideshow of illustrations by artist Dyna Moe on her Flickr page. We think they're the bee's knees. As the artist explains, she started when Rich Sommer (Harry Crane) hired her to design his Christmas card. She was so inspired she then drew a new wallpaper for each episode.

Below are a few of my favorites. Check them all out as soon as you can. And, you can buy cards, posters and mugs at her Zazzle page. Color me impressed . . . and excited.

'Amazing Race': Make a pit stop here

Variety — 2009-01-26T13:29:39-08:00

Our next Q&A participant is “The Amazing Race” co-creator Bert Van Munster (and possibly his wife/partner Elise Doganieri if she’s available).

“The Amazing Race” is always on my must-see list. Aside from the usual mix of interesting contestants, it gives me the opportunity to learn about other cultures and see places I never would otherwise. Kind of like traveling from my sofa. And it remains the only reality show to win the Emmy in the six-year-old category.

The new season of the CBS show, its 14th edition, begins Sunday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. (New racers are pictured here.) You probably have plenty of questions about past seasons, where we’re going together this upcoming season or how they come up with those crazy tasks.

By now, you know the drill:
1) Hit the comment button below and ask your question by Jan. 29.
2) You may ask more than one question but we are looking for quality, not quantity. Asking more will not guarantee that you’ll get an answer. In the spirit of fairness, we try to give plenty of folks a chance.
3) Read through the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating something that’s already been asked.
4) Be clever and have fun.
5) The person who asks the best question will receive a prize.

'Biggest Loser': 'They can all change their lives'

Variety — 2009-01-13T13:59:09-08:00

Posted by Kathy Lyford

"The Biggest Loser" co-creator Mark Koops has answered your weighty questions.

Mark (pictured with trainer Bob Harper) is also managing director of television production company Reveille, which produces "The Office," "The Tudors," "Ugly Betty" and many other series.

He's rightfully very proud of "The Biggest Loser," a series that has changed many lives over its six seasons.

Season seven, "Biggest Loser: Couples," began last Tuesday. Jerry, the oldest contestant ever, collapsed and was taken to the hospital. He returned to the ranch and is still in the game. And the season features the biggest contestant ever (Daniel) and the biggest female contestant ever (Carla). Producers also unveiled a rather ingenious twist. Of the 22 folks we were introduced to, nine were sent home to continue the program there. Those whose partners are still in the game in a month, will be invited back to the ranch.

Here are you questions and the answers. We'll have a couple of prize winners this time. I'll notify them via email. (I apologize if your question was left off; we had some technical issues with our software affecting comments during the week we were compiling questions.)

Q. Why is it that your show has less of the gamesmanship and nastiness than other reality shows? (With the obvious exception of last season’s Vicky, of course.) — Betty
A. I think it is genuinely because they all want to change their lives. that may sound trite but it is true. the contestants become their own self-help group and one person’s success becomes the group’s success. They recognize that only one person can win the game, but they can all change their lives, change the lives of the ones they love and inspire you, the viewer.

Q. Who is your favorite contestant ever and why? — KJ
A. I think "The Biggest Loser" family will always have a soft spot in our heart for season 2 winner Matt Hoover, especially because he married a fellow contestant who we loved too. And then of course Ali Vincent our first female winner quickly followed by Michelle, our winner from last season.

Q. While Jerry’s (pictured with wife Estella) collapse this week on The Biggest Loser 7 season opener served as a lesson in why people need to take control of their weight and health, does it ever concern you about how hard the contestants are pushed? Do you ever tell the trainers, hey, back off a bit? — Dan
A.I can genuinely say I think the trainers are the best in the world. they know when to push and when to ease off. They always have the health of the contestants as their first priority. In addition, we have a medical staff both on site and consulting on the show, who are continuously monitoring the contestants to ensure every precaution is taken. that’s why you’ll occasionally see contestants being held out of challenges, etc.

Q. How difficult is the casting process? Are you looking for personalities or people who need the most help? And do you feel bad when you have to turn people down? — Jean
A. It is the hardest thing in the world to say no to potential contestants. It is heartbreaking. When casting, our first priority is to find contestants who really want it, who really want to change. And yes, obviously they need to have enough weight to lose!

Q. Are the people who work on the show all physically fit? Is there a lot of peer pressure on everyone to stay in shape? — Mark
A. I wish we were all as fit as the contestants become. I think we are all inspired by working on the show to follow the same path. We have also had several examples of production personnel who have successfully lost weight.

Q."The Biggest Loser" has had a better track record at bringing couples together (Matt & Suzy, Marty & Amy) than "The Bachelor" or "The Bachelorette." Would the show ever consider a singles-and-looking edition with the intent of matchingmaking as well as weight loss? — Lindsey
A. This is definitely something we have discussed and we love our "Biggest Loser" weddings, but there is no current plan to have that be the whole focus of a (cycle).

Q. How cut off from the world are the contestants while they're at the ranch? I know their contact with family and friends is limited, but what about newspapers and TV? Do they know what's going on in the world while they’re away? — Dave
A.They are initially cut off completely from the world — no contact with anyone but each other and production. However, after the immersion period they do indeed get to call home off-camera as well as on-camera, and they obviously can keep up to date with what is going on in the world. For example, this season they did know Barack Obama (was elected) president.

Q.Last season, Vicky, Heba and Brady had such animosity toward teammates Phil and Amy, but Phil and Amy seemed like nice people and I never saw anything that indicated they deserved such treatment. Was there something that got edited out about that? What’s the scoop? — Sheila
A.The reality is when you put strong, contrasting personalities in a house for a long period of time, and they are sore, tired and going through what is a difficult and challenging process, there is definitely the potential for conflict. I think Vicky, Heba and Brady certainly didn’t always agree, but, as I think we witnessed at the finale, they had tremendous respect for each other’s incredible personal achievements.

Q.Occasionally, past "Biggest Loser" contestants have visited the campus during the current season. Is there any plan for a reunion of Biggest Loser contestants to see how they've fared in the time since they were on campus? — Terry
A. Tell NBC you want to see it! We love seeing our past seasons’ contestants appear on the show from time to time or come to the finale. they are inspirations to all of us and remind us that it’s never too late to make a positive change.

Q. How many contestants have gained back a significant amount of weight since being on the show? — Katy
A. We have definitely had failure as well as success, and I think that just goes to show that weight loss can’t be achieved with a magic pill. Instead it’s something you have to continue to work on. but I definitely think we have had more success than failure.

Q.How come you have never had a gay or lesbian couple paired on the show? — nws224
A. This hasn’t been a conscious decision, and we have definitely had a number of gay or lesbian individuals on the show. We are looking for great characters and great stories, so I’m sure we will.

Q. When the season starts on TV, how long have the contestants been at the ranch? A couple of weeks? A month? When they go home near the end of the season, do they need to lay low until the finale? — Renee
A. This varies from cycle to cycle but the rule of thumb is that they are on the ranch for approximately four months and then home for approximately four months, if they go all the way.

Q. Are the contestants given a specific diet that they have to follow while they are at the ranch or are they given a daily calorie allowance that they're supposed to meet each day? Do they do all their own cooking? — Coleen
A.the trainers, our doctors and nutritionist provide a daily caloric minimum — after all it is calories in versus calories out — but then they tweak the diet for each individual within those parameters as they want to set the contestants up for success. telling them they can never have their favorite foods is just unrealistic. Also, one lesson the contestants quickly learn is that eating enough calories is absolutely essential for weight loss given the level of exercise and cardio they are put through. The contestants do indeed do their own cooking with the help of the trainers.

Q. How many hours a day to the contestants exercise? And how often do they see the trainers? Every day? — TC
A. They exercise anywhere from three to four hours a day on average, but then as they become stronger they may work out up to six hours a day. The trainers’ commitment is incredible, and they are generally there six days a week.

Q. How will you be dealing with the arrest of current home contestant Shannon? Will you address it on the show? How will it affect her mother, who's at the ranch? — Lois
A. We do not plan to address this as a significant part of the show.

(Pictured above: Daniel, right, and his best friend David)

'Big Love' Q&A: Compounding the drama

Variety — 2009-01-07T15:33:47-08:00

“Big Love” star Bill Paxton is the next guest in our Q&A series. He’ll be answering reader questions here on Season Pass.

HBO’s drama about a polygamist and his three wives bows its third season Jan. 18. While many of HBO’s shows have long hiatuses, “Big Love’s” was extra long due to the WGA strike and hasn’t aired since August 2007. In the interim, the lifestyle portrayed on the show received a worldwide stage in April of 2008 when authorities raided Warren Jeffs’ polygamist compound in Texas and took more than 400 children into protective custody. According to TV Guide's print edition, the show will address that real-life event in its premiere episode.

I’ll be sitting down with Bill to present your questions on Jan. 14 so please submit them by Jan. 13. You know the drill by now but here are the rules:

1) Hit the comment button below and ask your question by Jan. 13.
2) You may ask more than one question but we are looking for quality, not quantity. Asking more will not guarantee that you’ll get an answer. In the spirit of fairness, we try to give plenty of folks a chance.
3) Read through the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating something that’s already been asked.
4) Keep in mind that actors are not always aware of future plot points.
5) Be clever and have fun.

The person who asks the question Bill likes best will win a DVD set of Season 2.

Posted by Kathy Lyford

(Paxton pictured above with his TV wives, from left, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Chloe Sevigny)

"The Biggest Loser": Chewing the fat

Variety — 2008-12-30T13:39:05-08:00

“The Biggest Loser” co-creator/executive producer Mark Koops will answer 20 reader questions here at Season Pass. Get your questions in soon if you want to be included.

Most folks’ New Year’s resolutions will include one or more of the following: Lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier. If you’ve ever watched “Biggest Loser,” you know that adhering to those principles can do wonders for your health and appearance.

We just finished watching the lovely Michelle (right) take the crown last season by losing 110 pounds. The next season, which starts Tuesday, features couples — parents and children, cousins, friends, siblings, marrieds and an engaged couple. It will include the heaviest-ever contestant and the oldest contestant to date.

Your questions for Mark can include anything about past seasons, the upcoming season, casting, challenges, contestants, etc.

Here are the rules:
1) Hit the comment button below and ask your question. We’re aiming to get the questions to Mark by Friday, Jan. 2.
2) You may ask more than one question but we are looking for quality, not quantity. Asking more will not guarantee that you'll get an answer. In the spirit of fairness, we try to give plenty of folks a chance.
3) Read through the other comments to make sure you’re not repeating something that’s already been asked.
4) The person who asks the question Mark likes best will win a prize, to be determined later.

Posted by Kathy Lyford

My best and worst of '08 television

Variety — 2008-12-29T16:52:43-08:00

It's that annual time to reflect on what worked on TV over the past year… and what didn't. Here is my personal list.

BEST

"Mad Men"
This intricately woven tale of 1960s ad men's work and home lives captured the imagination of an obsessively loyal fanbase. It's also one of the few things Emmy got right, awarding the show its outstanding drama trophy. And creator Matthew Weiner has become one of our favorite people this year. See our Q&A here.

DirecTV's deal for "Friday Night Lights"
A shared window plan between the satellite provider and NBC bought the critical darling another season. Those lucky few who subscribe to DirecTV have had the privilege of enjoying a season that approaches the greatness of the show's epic first season.

"Big Bang Theory"
This comedy about socially awkward geniuses has emerged as a surprise hit this fall after garnering fair ratings in the strike shortened 07-08 season. Creatively the show's never been better, with the razor sharp ensemble now firing on all cylinders and auds propelling it to season high numbers week after week. See our Q&A with star Jim Parsons here.

"Desperate Housewives"
Fast forwarding the ladies' lives five years added a much needed jolt to the flagging drama. See our Q&A with creator Marc Cherry here.

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin
Priceless

"Privileged"
A sweet dramedy that's too smart for the CW's core audience. More people ought to be watching.

"Worst Week"
Consistently laugh-out-loud funny.

"Dexter"
Jimmy Smits proved a suitable friend, then foil, to our favorite sociopathic hero. See our Q&A with exec producer Clyde Phillips here.

“The Office”
Anyone who works in an office has got to appreciate this painfully accurate laffer.

“The Biggest Loser”
As reluctant as I am to include a reality show in any best of list, I have to admit, this one hits on every emotion.

"The Capture of The Green River Killer"
This Lifetime mini was an engrossing and emotional account of the 20+ years search for a serial killer with stellar performances from Tom Cavanaugh and Amy Davidson. It's too bad the broadcast nets have given up on movies and minis.

WORST

The Emmy Awards
An embarrassment to the television community. Everyone involved should be ashamed. If you've blocked out how truly awful it was, read my review from that night here.

"Do Not Disturb"
Auds mercifully checked out early from this dreadful Fox comedy.

"Grey's Anatomy"
This show has lost whatever charm it once had and now just feels desperate.

"Knight Rider"
A bad idea, executed horribly.

"Crusoe"
Unwatchable.

"ER's" final season
I've been a fan for most of this hospital drama's 15 seasons but this last gasp has been a slow painful death.

"Boston Legal"
Someone needs to explain to me how this ever attracted an audience. I've never been so happy to see a show end its run.

Those are mine. What are yours?

For more best of lists, visit TVGuide.com's list of best shows and best TV moments. TV.com weighs in here. Our pal Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune has her say here.

Did you see other lists that resonated with you?

— Kathy Lyford

‘House’ Q&A: ‘You live alongside your characters’

Variety — 2008-12-18T16:59:45-08:00

Posted by Kathy Lyford

Here are the answers to your questions for “House” co-showrunner Katie Jacobs. She was pretty selective with the queries and answered the five that inspired her the most.

The show, about cranky diagnostician Dr. Gregory House and his co-workers and patients, has continued to rack up awards, most recently garnering is two Golden Globe nominations last week, for best drama series and lead actor Hugh Laurie, and two SAG nominations — for Laurie and the ensemble — just this morning.

Jacobs shares showrunner duties with David Shore — he runs the writers' room and she oversees the non-writing aspects of the show. She has also directed several episodes including “Half-Wit” with guest star Dave Matthews as well as the finale of both seasons three and four and this season's ninth episode — "Last Resort" — guest-starring Zeljko Ivanek, which aired Nov. 25.

Previously, Jacobs served as co-showrunner on ABC’s “Gideon’s Crossing,” starring the incomparable Andre Braugher, as well as CBS legal drama “Century City.” Before turning her focus to television, Jacobs produced several films, including Alan J. Pakula’s thriller “Consenting Adults” and the Carl Reiner comedy “Fatal Instinct.”

We'll start with the winning question. Diane will receive a DVD set of season four.

Q. How common is it for a non-writing producer to be a co-showrunner? It seems to make sense, since showrunning sounds like a huge job involving a lot of non-writing producing duties, but it doesn’t seem that common. Are you an anomaly? How do you split the duties with David Shore? — Diane
A. I feel like the show is best served by allowing David Shore and his writing staff as much writing time as possible. It is the voice of the show that makes it unique, the script and the words are king. Having said that, there are many other factors that contribute in making the show what it is. I spend most of my time casting, in post-production editing, selecting music, meeting with directors, writers, the network and actors… it’s a lot. But it’s an honor to run a show alongside David Shore.

Q. How far in advance do you plan a characters developmental arc? For instance, it has been revealed in the season 4 that House was abused as a child, and in season 5 that John House is not his birth father. Have you had these critical bits of info mapped out since the inception of the character? Or were they ideas that came to you as the character of House developed over the years? — Jodi
A. One of the most enjoyable aspects of scripted TV is that you live alongside your characters. Each of the characters, Cuddy, Foreman, Wilson etc. become part of you. Certain details are known from the beginning while others are mapped out as you go along. We just spent three days at a writers retreat figuring out the rest of the season.

Q. Are the opening credits images in “House” visual metaphors for the roles the characters represent in the show? — Libby
A. Initially when you do a title sequence you are trying to separate yourself out from every other show. You look to establish a unique visual brand along with a distinct sound. The shots in our sequence don’t have any “specific” meaning, but I do like the fact that in the last shot, David Shore’s name is where the head would be on a body. He is the brains of the show. Some images we initially wanted to use included a shot of a cane and one of a bottle of Vicodin. The network was not on board with those two choices and requested that we replace them. As a result the image with Jennifer Morrison’s name became the shot of rowers on a river — we needed another shot.

Q. Will we ever hear more about Wilson’s long-lost brother? — Mindy
A. Yes, we will hear more about Wilson’s brother. We have established him as homeless but we will reveal more about him before the end of this season.

Q. Earlier this season, House confirmed that his dad wasn’t really his dad… will we get to see more family drama with confronting his mom in the future perhaps? — PC
A. I’m not sure House will be “confronting his mom”, but it was a big discovery for House to, in fact, prove that his dad who he grew up with was not his biological father. That revelation, like everything else, has now become part of the fabric of his character.

(pictured, Jacobs directing an episode)

'Mad Men": It's got the look

Variety — 2008-12-17T13:45:18-08:00

“Mad Men” has definitely had an impact on my wardrobe. I've purchased several vintage dresses in the last couple of years and, more than ever, I lean toward 1960s-inspired new pieces as well.

But the show also makes me wistful for the furniture and tchotchkes from that era. Watching, or re-watching, an episode, often makes me yearn for a weekend trip to the flea market or prompts me to visit Ebay and do a search for “mid-century” items. In fact, I found a magnificent Danish Modern teak credenza on Ebay that now serves as my living room's entertainment center.

If you have ever felt that same twinge of nostalgia, you’ll enjoy this interview with “Mad Men’s” set decorator Amy Wells conducted by the publication Interior Design (owned by the same parent company that owns Variety).

Asked why viewers don’t see a lot of big-ticket mid-century pieces, Wells had this to say:

"I want to make 'Mad Men' look real, as if the people really have those pieces. It's important that they be imperfect, not iconic. A lot of people had Danish modern at the time because it was reasonably priced, and much of it still exists because it was so well made."

Check out the interview here and the accompanying slide show here.

Posted by Kathy Lyford

Photo: The Draper's bedroom