Brothers and Sisters: Bloggers and Sisters

Set Diary Part II: Salacious Tales from the Set

Hello Brothers & Sisters in Bloglandia,

I’ll be giving you a peek at another day on the set of Brothers & Sisters.  It’s interesting because I’d never been down to the set for more than fifteen minutes, and usually it was to get bacon for Oscar, our script coordinator, who’s fueled by the fatty pork flesh.  I knew it’d be a lot of hurry-up-and-wait, crudités at the craft service table, and more hurry-up-and-wait.  But then I looked on the call sheet and saw that they were shooting a really cool scene with Sally Field, Calista, and Dave Annable.  Who wouldn’t love to watch that talented trifecta?  So I made my way down to Stage 6, where the Walker house is.  Richard Coad, the 1st AD, informed me that they were lighting the kitchen for the next scene.  “Takes 20 minutes,” Margery, our dutiful script supervisor, quipped.  Alright, I’ll come back.  But not without observing a little of the lighting process first.  As I made my way to the kitchen, I saw a couple of camera men standing around and asked them if they could give me some insight on life on set. “Today we had clam chowder.  Yesterday we had turkey chili. Maybe tomorrow they’ll have clam chili,” one of them told me.  Gotta love the camera ops. 

After 20 minutes, I went down again and made a beeline for Video Village, where I saw the comforting and familiar face of Molly Newman, who co-wrote this episode, entitled “Love is Difficult,” with our fearless leader Robbie Baitz.  I sat and watched as Michael Lange, the director, observed on the camera monitors labeled A and B.  Richard Coad’s commanding voice yelled, “Okay everyone, very quiet please.  On a bell.”  Then we hear what sounds like a school bell ring.  “Ready and…rolling!” 

Calista and Dave have great chemistry both on and off camera; they really do act like brother and sister.  In this scene, Kitty is making Justin a BLT, and then Nora walks in. “Would you listen to something from my writing class?” she asks her kids, who are less than thrilled.  She begins to read from her notebook and her warm voice fills the room.  All I can think is, wow, this is unbelievably cool.  She nails it in just two takes.  That’s it!   It lasted all of five minutes.  I kinda wish it were longer.  “She’s Sally Field,” Margery explains to me.  Oh, right.  What did I expect?

Now onto the next scene, a Sarah/Joe scene taking place on the other end of the set.  I ask Molly what the scene’s about. She just looks at me and says, “Naked sex.”  Now this should be interesting…

The crew shifts gears to Sarah and Joe’s bedroom.  It’s softly lit by candle, and the bed looks so comfortable I want to climb in and take a nap on the 400-thread-count sheets. 

I see Michael Morris, one of our producers, talking to Pyper, prepping him for the scene.  I walk over and Pyper greets me with a kiss on the head.  We’re all family here.  A few moments later, Rachel walks in with curlers in her hair, clad in a robe.  After noticing the thirty or so crew guys hanging out, she asks for a private rehearsal.  I don’t blame her.  “Private rehearsal!” a loud voice calls out.  The crew scatters to different corners of the stage, giving our girl a little privacy.  This was my cue to head to the craft service table.  Nothing too exciting -- egg salad and cold clam chowder.  So I head back quietly, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible as I peek in on the private rehearsal.  It’s just Molly and the two Michaels along with Rachel and Pyper who are underneath the sheets.  I hear Rachel say something about how the scene is supposed to be about feeling alone.  Michael Lange gives her direction as Pyper props himself up in a missionary position.  I told you this was interesting… 

Mr. Lange tries to make it as comfortable as he can for Rachel, who is clearly a professional.  Pyper’s just enjoying his job.  Then they rehearse.  I won’t go into great detail since we just had a mandatory sexual harassment seminar that Touchstone made us go to, I’d hate to create a hostile environment.  What I will say is that I now have a newfound respect for actors after watching what could have been a terribly awkward moment.  These two made it look effortless.

“Rehearsal’s up!” Coad yells.  The crew comes in, ready to get back to work.  And with that, I decide to head back to my sanctuary on the 4th floor.  So there it is, another day on the set of Brothers  & Sisters.  Sure, not every day is this exciting.  I guess like Pyper, I just got lucky.

Speaking of getting lucky, stay tuned for a brand new episode airing this Sunday February 11th titled “Valentine’s Day Massacre” penned by Cliff Olin & Peter Calloway.  We have a few surprises you won’t want to miss. Trust me.

Gladys R.
(Writer’s Asst.)

Watch Charlie Rose Tonight

Tonight, Charlie Rose features a conversation with Brothers & Sisters creator Robbie Baitz.

Jon Robin "Robbie" Baitz on Charlie Rose.

A celebrated playwright, an intimate friend to many, and perhaps the most impressive source of bon mots I've ever known -- when asked if a particular gentleman was laid back, Robbie replied, "Laid back? He's like a Camembert cheese!" -- Mr. Baitz is the ideal match for Rose's friendly inquiry and gentle search for the perfect anecdote.  Our show is certain to be a topic of conversation, but I expect the line of questioning to be broader and to span Robbie's career.

So look up Charlie Rose on your local PBS affliate and watch. It should offer B&S fans a lot of insight into the inception of our show and the culture that presides in the writers' office.

If you happen to miss the broadcast, it will be available for streamed viewing within a couple of days at
www.charlierose.com.

Your pal...Dan.

Set Diary I

Today we're introducing a new weekly feature on Bloggers and Sisters -- Set Diary. Each week a different blogger will stop by the stage with a pad, pen and keen eye for observation. This week, I sent Dave the PA. What's great about Dave is that though Craft Services takes up only one paragraph of description, I'm confident he was there the whole time. Can't say I blame him. Hanging around set when nothing's being shot (which is 75% of the time) is really exciting... if you have a good crossword puzzle. And since Dave's mission was to use nothing but his keen eye, I guess he was set up to bore himself half to death.

Anyway.  I think you'll enjoy his blog. I did.

This week, by the way, we're rerunning "Northern Exposure," written by David Marshall Grant and Molly Newman, and directed by Larry Trilling. The Ojai ranch house episode.

Tales from the Set
by Dave the PA

I thought yesterday was going to be another day of dealing with an annoying, endlessly delayed lunch order, but no – Robbie forced me to go to set and write a blog about it. Fool. He saw it as a punishment, I saw it as freedom.  I got to do that instead of getting him his drug of choice, a double non-fat short latte. Anyway…

I unshackled myself from this prison, took the elevator and walked into the Land of TV-making. Sure, I could think of a better title, but I’m lazy. So I walked into this enchanted stage to find only 12 people on the set.  It was a quick scene where Kevin gets a mysterious phone call from… I guess you’ll have to watch. At this point the set is a well-oiled machine, the gaffers were lighting Kevin’s apartment, the stand-in was walking back and forth while the fill-in director of photography was blocking the shot with camera operators and the grips. Glen Swain, the grip, was setting up and pushing the dolly in and out. He had his tape to make the marks, so he knows where to push take after take.

More people started to filter in, including Todd, the set PA. He was telling me what was going on, I think he likes hearing himself talk.  But I enjoyed hearing him yammer on and on about what was obviously happening in front of us. There is a lot of waiting on set, a lot of people sitting around until they are called to action. People were on the Internet checking out the Nicole Kidman accident on TMZ. That site is ridiculous; they film everything that is not important. 

So by this point, I feel like I’m in the way and I hate that with a passion, so I go to the safest place on set: The Craft Service Area.  Judy had a new, fancy vegetable platter. It was quite upscale and I quickly snatched up some Greek olives, a new addition. Of course, I didn’t use the tongs. I’m disgusting. But those olives were amazing. They also had strawberries with whipped cream, but they’re out of season. Even so, it would have been easy to fall for the berries... and yet, it would have been a letdown. Luckily I was strong, satisfied as I was with the olives.

A generic Craft Services table (ours is much better).

After tossing the plate, I made my way back to the set, walking through the Walker house to get to the apartment. It’s so surreal to walk through because you see all of these great pictures on the wall and for a second it feels like you have just walked into a real home. This is really a testament to the great job the set dec and prop deparments do. I walked back to set and ran into Balthazar Getty waiting for his scene, which was next. He gave me the pound sign. I don’t think he has forgiven me, though, for the time I came back from a coffee run and he jokingly tried to grab a coffee off the tray. Annoyed, I called his joke hacky. But he gave me the pound anyway. He probably forgot about the coffee thing. By this time Mathew Rhys makes his way to the set. He told me to “watch the master,” and then of course on the first take he missed his mark.

I made my way to Video Village, where the director, a Brothers & Sisters staple, Michael Lange, was sitting with Margery, the script supervisor, and Sarah Caplan, our line producer. Michael Lange was a little on edge. I think he drinks too much coffee; he has a cup in hand every time I see him. Since Robbie wasn’t there, I defiantly took his seat. Sarah let me share the headphones with her. They shot the scene in only three takes.  Matthew was right, he is a pro. He gave me a hi-five and he was out of there. So was I and a better person for it. On my way out, I took a couple more olives, this time with tongs, before I took the elevator back to reality.

A Blog that Wanders

Cliff and I finished 116, our second episode, and are back in the office, rested and happy to contribute to the blog again (although we’ve handed over the reigns of the blog to our incredible assistants).  Both of us are excited for 116 to air in a couple of weeks, but we’ll get more into that the Monday after our episode.

Often, I get asked, what’s it like to work in a writer’s office?  Most people, I think, envision a conference room with lots of coffee cups, a nerf football or three, and a bunch of people sitting around talking about whatever comes to mind.

Mostly, they’re right.  There’s no conference room (except to eat lunch), but we do talk about whatever comes to mind, while eagerly awaiting someone to show us a ridiculous youtube clip that we can laugh at and then talk about.

That makes it seem, however, that we don’t do much work.  We do, I promise.  The writers on script spend all their time writing and/or doing things that help them write (like eating and, occasionally, sleeping).  Monica and Allison, who just finished their latest script (which is fantastic, by the way), had the classic zombie-esque look to those in the middle of a script a few days ago.

Each person handles it differently. I know that for Cliff and I, there comes a point, towards the end of a long day, where both of us feel crazy.  Like we’ve gone nuts.  This sounds like I’m exaggerating.  I’m not.

We spend the entire day in an alternate universe, with people who don’t exist, writing lines that are revolve around events that are fake.  How does that make someone feel crazy?  The only way to do a passable job, is to convince yourself it’s real.   Then, to try to come back into the real world, to say, drive home, it’s a shock to the system – for a while, it’s hard to make sense of the universe that we’ve reentered.  Couple this with exhaustion, the stress and pressure of the expectations of our bosses, and it’s not so hard to imagine one could hallucinate.

Cliff had a hard time staying awake on the 405 to get back to his apartment (he may or may not have run over a deer or two).  I thought I saw a huge, 8 foot man on the side of the road, only to double take and realize that instead, I had seen air.

Thankfully (for some at least), we’ve survived this latest round of creative mind-altering.  And you know what?  We can’t wait to do it again.

The BLOT Thickens: GLAAD Weighs In

For months, our viewers have noted -- most with admiration, some with outrage -- the honesty with which "Brothers & Sisters" portrays its gay characters. The character of Kevin Walker has struck viewers in a number of different ways. He's been at times sincere, sarcastic, gossipy, sweet, a lech, a doormat and a sleaze. In relationships he's been both the repressed partner and the victim of a partner's repression. In his family, he's been a brother and a son, no more, no less. What he hasn't been is a symbol or a stereotype. All of this amounts to one of the most complexly written and performed representations of a gay man on TV. And that complexity enables the show to tell stories with real depth.

Matthew Rhys

It's precisely that complexity and depth that the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) recognized yesterday when it nominated "Brothers & Sisters" in the Outstanding Drama Series category. We'll be going up against "The L Word," "Hex," "The Sopranos," and "South of Nowhere." For a complete list of nominations, click here.

The GLAAD Awards will be televised on MTV's Logo Network on April 21, 2007.

From the Writers of Last Night's Episode

Today we have a double-post, courtesy of the writers of "Something Ida This Way Comes" -- Sherri Cooper and David Marshall Grant. From now on, we're going to try and have the writers weigh in on their episodes Monday morning.
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"Tales from the Blogger Virgin"
by Sherri Cooper

OK, so we writers have just been informed that we must now Blog about our episodes from here on out,  (is that even a verb and is it supposed to be capitalized?)  and of course, timing being what it is, DMG and I are up first, but because I’m the newbie here on staff, because alphabetically, it’s me before him, and mostly because David seems to have taken on Ida as his new alter ego and quickly ushered me off to take the initial stab, here I am.

Mulling over potential blog fodder (can I use it as an adjective?), struggling to figure out what exactly a blog entails (I know it’s a noun), and trying not to be paralyzed by mounting performance anxiety, but the truth is, I’ve never actually blogged before.   Yes, I am a Blogger Virgin.

I’m not completely out of the cultural loop, it’s just that I went off and procreated.  And then I was busy, doing the whole mommy thing from home, until just this past November, when Greg and Robbie dragged me in from the neighborhood sandbox.

I’m still dumping sand out of my shoes as I sit here mulling over other people’s blogs and “Something Ida This Way Comes.”  Which, incidentally, was a bottle episode.  Which, come to think of it, seems apropos, given that I spent much of the last two years dealing with bottles.  Baby bottles that is.  Granted, TV Bottles are something completely different, but I did warn you I’m new at this, right?   

Anyhow, a Bottle Show is an episode where we use only our own sets, and a very limited guest cast in order to save production money.  And so the challenge with a bottle episode is to not only come up with a story you can tell using only the show’s basic elements, but also one that won’t feel… well, bottle-y.  Generally, it’s best to do a big event in a bottle show, an event where you can hang all your stories in and around the same sets, and where it makes sense for all your characters to converge.   Enter Nora’s birthday. 

The truth is, the more we talked about it, the more it felt right that the Walker kids would do something special for Nora on this landmark birthday, her first birthday without William.  Their first birthday without their dad.  And wouldn’t it be fun to finally meet Nora’s mother?  And so we had the seeds of the episode.

Conveniently, I had just thrown my own mother’s 60 surprise party this past summer, and so I had all sorts of fodder to pull from – yes, the surprise got botched, and hours before my mom arrived, I discovered our colorful palette suddenly made the dinner table look like a scene from King Arthur’s court...  And so we had a fun “runner”.

As for Kitty and McAllister… We knew that Kitty would invite the Senator to Nora’s party because, well, he is saving the day with his chef.  But after all the family chaos, the drama with Kevin, the sex tape, and then Sarah walking in confused, she wants to escape, and bringing him into her closet for a drink seemed like the natural thing to do.   And as we thought about this scene, we realized Kitty’s closet would be filled with clothing from her past life in New York--there’d be winter sweaters, and winter clothing, and of course, fabulous shoes.  Because, let’s face it, she was living in New York.  And she’d have the footwear to go with that.  And as we talked about it, we realized her shoes could tell stories about her past.  I know mine can.  My pre-baby shoes reveal a time of dancing on tables between a tortured playwright and a club promoter, a Halloween party, an ex-boyfriend...  And so Kitty shares bits of her past and there’s a connection between her and McAllister.

As for Ida… Well, I’m gonna pass the baton to David on this one.   
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"Picking Up Where She Left Off"
by David Marshall Grant

Let me start by saying, isn’t it annoying when people claim to be ill prepared for a task, or rusty, or lacking any of the requisite experience and then turn out to be incredibly good at it? Like that kid in high school who said he didn’t have time to study and then got an A on the final.

Or the friend who says she hasn’t played tennis in years and then beats you in straight sets. All I’m trying to say is Coop has nothing to worry about.  Aside from being a natural blogger (see above) she’s a great writer (see “Something Ida This Way Comes.”)  We really had a blast with this episode. It broke (that’s TV for figuring out the story. Berlanti says it’s funny when I use TV lingo.  I only do it because this is my first time (Oh, my God, am I pulling a Cooper?) writing for TV and I just can’t get enough of the vernacular. Like “bottle episode.” Coop covered that, but isn’t that cool. “Bottle episode.” Who knew? Or “act out.” That’s, pretty obviously I guess, the last line before the end of an act. I could go on, but you get the picture.) Anyway, I was trying to say the story broke easily and it was clearly going to be a little wackier than usual. So we just let our hair down and tried to have as much fun as possible.

Of course in TV anything is possible and once we were done with the blue pages (more lingo: the second published draft of the script is in blue. The next draft is pink… And then get this, golden rods. I don’t know why I love that one the best, but I do), we were told that Calista was really sick and had to be taken out of two scenes. So Coop and I figured out how to give two whole scenes to Kevin that were originally hers. Can you guess which ones? And after that was all figured out we went on vacation so it was nearly three weeks before we were back shooting. The whole thing became a little disjointed in our minds, so it was such a pleasure to watch the final cut and see what a good job Michael Lange did directing and, of course, what the actors did acting. A word about our actors… I don’t think it’s possible for a show to have a better group of them. We really have the most insanely talented, funny, deep, sexy, charismatic group of performers one could ever wish for. Every week they make the scripts better than they were on the page, which is what you dream an actor will do. And being an erstwhile one myself, I can tell you it’s often the other way around.

As for Ida, all mothers are a little like her, aren’t they? Or maybe not. But what I thought was most interesting about bringing Nora’s mom one was she was also Saul’s mom. We are reminded that there are another set of brothers and sisters in this show and it’s them. And watching them do their scenes was like such a window into their childhoods. Suddenly you could see Nora and Saul as kids fighting on some other set on some other show so many years ago.

The only other thing I’d thought I’d tell you is that I have come off the famous fast (four days) only to go to the gym to do wind sprints (I know – what was I thinking?) and my back has gone out… way out. I am a pathetic sight as I hobble down the hallway. Bye from Burbank.

New Episode Sunday -- "Something Ida This Way Comes"

Hello hell0,

Don't miss Sunday's episode, when the kids throw Nora a surprise 60th birthday party at which the most surprising element is the presence of HER mom, Ida. And you thought Nora was a strong personality! Other things to look forward to: Justin's (temporary) return from Rehab By The Sea; Kitty and the Senator alone in the closet; and a very special Nora Walker tribute video goes horribly awry.

Monday morning, "Bloggers & Sisters" will feature a look behind "Something Ida..."  by none other than the writers of the episode:  Sherri Cooper and David Marshall Grant. I think you'll find it one of our most enlightening blogs thus far.

Have a great weekend.

Dan

Back 12 Preview

Good morning from Burbank... After a month away from the blogosphere, our titular creator, Robbie Baitz, returns to TVGuide.com today with a smashing preview of our second half.  You can read Robbie's blog here.

Be safe.

So Much More In Store

Whew. There have been so many posts regarding Kevin and Chad's relationship since Sunday's episode, I thought it wise to let the air clear an extra day. Everyone has something to say. But all the objections can pretty much be divided into three camps:

1.  Watching men kissing is gross AND wrong.
2.  Kevin's interest in a hot, shallow guy is not only unbecoming of his character, it serves to perpetuate a negative stereotype about homosexual males: their promiscuity.
3.  Kevin and Chad have no chemistry... at least, not as much as Kevin and Scotty Wandell!

The first position is unfortunate. It saddens me that there are people that feel this way, but I'm far more heartened by the fact that "Brothers & Sisters" has received, that I know of, no network or advertiser pressure to exclude these scenes. As many of you point out, Kevin's kiss with Chad is merely a different version of the heterosexual snogging we see on TV all the time. It is human intimacy, plain and simple, and it's nice to see Disney's support for normalizing it.

The second position is a bit unfair to Kevin as an individual, I think. How many of our single viewers, given the invitation to make out with someone they found extremely physically attractive, would pass it up? Some, maybe. But not many. As to whether this relationship will last... you'll have to wait and see.

The third position strikes me as overly sentimental. But that's just me.

Anyway, I went to a read-thru for episode 117 today, and it was nothing short of breathtaking. The script, by Robbie Baitz and Molly Newman, is one of the most emotionally deep thus far, and our brilliant cast only deepened it with their interpretation. When I think of the some of the big events, first-class drama and hilarity coming up over the next few weeks, I'm almost jealous of our faithful viewers. For I am spoilt by the things I've read and seen.

You're in for a great ride.

Your pal
Dan

Words From the Paige - A Normal Day in the Life of Kerris

Today it's my honor to introduce our first talent blog -- a piece by the charming and very well-mannered Kerris Lilla Dorsey, AKA Paige Walker. Enjoy!

First, I go to school, sometimes with Max. At school I learn science, cursive, and math, etc. My favorite subjects are math, reading, and spelling. My two favorite books are How to Be A Pirate and How to Speak Dragonese, both by Credessa Cowell. The hardest word I know how to spell is “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious." My favorite games to play at school are Set and Mad Libs.

Kerris with Robbie Baitz

After that, I get dressed into my wardrobe. Then I go into Hair, then Make-up. They just put chapstick on me, so it doesn’t take very long! Until they tell me to go on, I sit and read my lines. If I don’t have any lines, I sit and read a good book. I usually work about an hour, and then I go back up to school. Everyone is really nice. Maxwell is sort of like a real little brother. It’s funny, Maxwell and I crack up in between takes sometimes. Maxwell sometimes does really funny things and it makes me laugh really hard. At the end of the day, I have to leave and I’m sad, but I know I’m going back again soon!

--Kerris Lilla Dorsey, with help from Emily Silver