Pal-ey, Pay-ley, Paw-lee

By Gladys Rodriguez

[Editor's note: We have postponed our regularly scheduled post-episode blog until tomorrow, as Monica and Alison, the writers of "The Other Walker," are hard at work on episode 122, and their assistant, Brian Studler, is infected by a virus of indeterminate ferocity.]

Today some of the writers and our cast will be participating in The William S. Paley Festival sponsored by the Museum of Television & Radio.  As I understand it, the festival gives fans and critics a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of the featured TV show.  The audience will watch episodes or highlights of the show and participate in a Q&A with the cast and creative team. That sounds like an awesome time! We even SOLD OUT the festival, how ‘bout that!  We’re a hot ticket.  Last I checked, tickets on craigslist were going for around $80, but that was a few days ago.  Those lucky enough to have snagged a ticket or two will be in for an inspiring night. 

In other news, we got a memo from Sparky last week about DVD crews being on set to shoot b-roll for our Season One DVD Bonus feature.  They’ll be shooting interviews with some cast members and producers. Maybe they’ll come up to the 4th floor and show us in all our glory, eating butt muffins (as Cliff Olin calls them) and champagne and caviar. Maybe we’ll even add a hidden segment for all you Bloggers and Sisters fans starring Dave the PA. That would be hilarious. It’s been a bit quiet here due to the Hurricane Berlanti being on the set of Eli Stone, his new pilot. But I feel it’s going to be a great week. We’ll start breaking episode 24 soon and then just one more to go. Woo-hoo!

Loose Change:
There is a virus going around that has knocked out two of our assistants and is going after Carl… Congratulations to Dan Silk for being immortalized in TV history in last night’s episode… Dave the PA got a serious haircut that demands respect [A suspect observation.--Ed.] … Emily the office PA and I will be scoping out the hot actors coming in to read for McCallister’s brother at 4pm today YUMM ;) Who do you think it should be?
Well that’s about it for now. Have a great week. 

Comments

[Kong Chang]

Todd McCallister should go to Dan Futterman :D or James Marsden :D

I'll be at the Paley myself. I can't wait to see the casts and creators of this wonderful show! :D

KC
Maintainer of Luke MacFarlane Fansite

[anomaly]

the festival sounds awesome. wish i could be there.
please (with lots of e's) put in some hidden DVD stuff featuring dave the PA. that would seriously be amazing.

and hmmmm...rob lowe's brother. definitely gotta be someone hot. what about chad!? it's authentic, at least

[will]

Dan: Please do not get a big head regarding your "immortalization" in TV history. I would venture to say less than 200 people actually got the "in-joke" & you will be forgotten much quicker than rapper Vanilla Ice or Milli Vanilli. (I quite forgot the reference myself until Gladys kindly remembered it for me.)

One last: To the other posters on this board, please forgive my strong opinions. I know I'm an #s#hole sometimes. And I have unattractive qualities, like I think I know it all, etc., issues I'm honestly trying to work through. But I truly disliked this episode & yet remain a fan. I disliked the writing in the Christmas-Hannekuh episode, too, but got over it.

I don't mean to kiss Robbie's *ss, but HE has the soul of a poet & he really did it for me in the episode 2 weeks ago ("Love is Difficult"). Showed me the beauty & scope & impact & political potentials this little show could have. His writing is like Tennessee Williams for me ("Streetcar Named Desire") compared to the lesser offering we received last night ("On Golden Pond"). I grew up with the written Broadway word (Tennessee Williams, Carson McCullers, Edward Albee, John Guare, Wendy Wasserstein) & am extremely partial to the music of poetic dialogue.

[Fred]

Come on guys lets be creative. My vote for Todd McCallister is either Chad Lowe, or Matt Long.

I've got to say its a bit hard to watch the Kevin/Chad/Dan Silk story line. I know folks that went through that, and I saw first hand the damage it wreck on their relationship. It'll be interesting where they take that.

Some needs to cut poor Sarah a break, she gets all the dirty jobs. I cringed when she took Rebecca into her office last night. Cringed I say Cringed!

[will]

Dan Futterman was a pretty forgettable Jonathan (Kitty's love interest 2 or 3 men ago).
Is he really being considered for Kevin's new boyfriend - the senator's brother?

My fellow gay "Will & Grace" watchers will remember Dan on season 5 as "Barry" in a wacky & truly inspired 4-parter, "Fagmalion: Gay it Forward". Those 4 episodes are my absolute favorites in the entire W&G series, with Dan playing a kind of newbie, whom Will & Jack "teach" to be gay (they start by giving him the Broadway cast recordings to "Gypsy": Ethel, Angela & Tyne).

[TBMeow]

Not my favorite episode last night. Mostly because not enough of the Senator. And the shot of him with glasses in bed was cut. I'm not happy with the editing right now. That said if he's not going to be in the storyline have him be in D.C. to give him some authenticity. Otherwise he's going to have the worst voting record in Senate history.
For as much as I'm here for Rob Lowe I don't have a preference for his brother. Hey this show has done such an amazing job with casting who am I to criticize or even suggest? I will say not in favor of Chad - and he's busy with 24 anyway - good for him!
Yes the Senator's brother does have to be "cute."

If I'm not going to get much of the Senator I'm going to enjoy my childhood favorite - Sally Field. She never disappoints. And Nora had to be protected? Please - she and Justin handled the revelation better than anyone. Love her.

Thanks again for Rob Lowe being back on our tv screens. And 4 weeks is a long time.

[Fiordiligi]

Looking forward to hearing more about how the Paley Festival went last night, not to mention photos!

Thrilled to hear that you're already talking about the DVD; this will be extra-precious to me as I'm in the UK where the show is not yet being broadcast and rely on friends to send me recordings.

As for the casting of Senator Robert's brother, you will have a hard task finding anyone gorgeous enough to even come close to Rob. Finding the big blue eyes will be a start though.

Best wishes

[Carrie]

I can't wait for the season 1 DVD, I just hope it doesn't take forever to come out.

I'm not worried about the casting of McCallister's brother. If these are the same casting people that gave us Rob Lowe and Jason Lewis, I think we are good.

[Pauly]

will, dan futterman was kitty's boyfriend in the ORIGINAL (unaired) pilot. the same pilot that featured betty buckley as nora and jonathan lapaglia as kevin.

[Kong Chang]

Will, Will, Will, how often do I need to smack you upside the head? Get your facts straight.

Dan Futterman played Jonathan in the original pilot. The Jonathan in the redone pilot was played by Matthew Settle. As Pauly stated, the original pilot also had Betty Buckley as Iva Walker (changed to Nora Walker) and Jonathan LaPaglia as Bryan Walker (changed to Kevin Walker).

KC
Maintainer of Luke MacFarlane Fansite

[will]

Pauly:
Thanks. I stand corrected. I wonder what the chances are that this original unaired pilot can be made available online for us fans. I'd like to see Dan & what Betty does with Norah. (curiosity value)

[will]

Kong Chang:
I'm not a "fact" man. Sometimes facts escape me.
I'm a sensitive, chimerical & highly frustrated artist.

Go easy on me.
And KC: You know all inside dope. What's up with the 4-week hiatus? And what's the scoop on B&S returning next year? There is an appalling lack of info on these blogs.

[will]

And a quick note on the GAY AGENDA:
It is so very important that B&S stays on the air - & not simply for the obvious "entertainment value". But that Kevin Walker remains alive & AVAILABLE to younger gay audiences as a vibrant, fully realized gay man. I'm not talking "role model" here. I don't think he should shoulder that burden.

But he should be present. And searching. And ready to negotiate whatever colorful journey the writers should throw his way. We simply don't have many network gay characters that are in Kevin's league & as those "Will & Grace" episodes indicated, it is hugely important we older gays pass on the message, give BACK to the community, "indoctrinate", to use a politically-charged word, the teenagers in Kansas like we once were & ...."gay it forward".

If this sounds like a "gay agenda", it is. And this is not a bad thing.

[Christine]

I think it should be Gabriel Byer who read for the part of Kevin. He's pretty like Rob Lowe

[Stevenscollege]

Hey Will your not a facts man, a bit like your President (zing!!!), sorry, but anyway your comments to Dan were a bit caustic every time you watch B&S or buy the DVD or watch re-runs you`ll know Dan Silk was named after a real person, so will I and all of us who comment on this blog, so technically his fame will live on for decades. What is up with this 4 week wait, I dunno, you Americans first Iraq now this (im kidding). As for the last ep. I wont second guess any ones reaction when they`ve found out they have a half-sister you never knew about but I have to say since everyone found out William had a 20-odd year affair, an entire separate life he kept secret I would think him fathering a child with his mistress was the logical outcome of his selfishness, I dont think id be suprised.

[Alix]

I personally think McCallister's brother should be played by Ioan Gruffud (did I spell that right?) but that's just me...

[Kong Chang]

Will,

I noticed you're not much of a "fact" man. :P Considering you're the one who posts the most on this blog, you might as well start getting your facts right. :)

The 4-week hiatus of repeats is not that bad really. First two weeks are repeats of "Mistakes Were Made Part 1 & 2" and then the 3rd week of repeat is episode 11 "Family Day". The 4th week of repeat is unknown, but it ain't that bad. Plus this 4 week hiatus/repeat will allow the production to play "catch up" and be ahead of schedule for once and end production by early April with episode 23 (and giving the actors about a 3-4 months of rest).

When we come back from 4 weeks of repeats, at least we'll get 7 consecutive weeks of new episodes all the way from April 8th to May 20th. I think that's a good fair trade, no?

I agree there is not that much info on this blog. I wish they were a lot like the "Grey's Anatomy" blogs with updated podcast with the creator/writers of the particular episode. Maybe in season 2, they will offer something like that. I definitely would like to hear the writers speak of their episode in like an hour's worth of podcast for every episode.

KC
Maintainer of Luke MacFarlane Fansite

[Lee]

Sorry if this is a double post:

I read that ABC was producing a half-hour special on "Brothers & Sisters" for local affiliate and ABC Family airing near the end of March.

The synopsis I read said that it was going to bring viewers up to date
on the series.

Is this true?

Lee

[ilovemylife]

Dear Alix of March 06, 2007 at 02:22 PM,

In regards to your words:
"I personally think McCallister's brother should be played by Ioan Gruffud (did I spell that right?) but that's just me..."

I agree with YOU! I have been posting about Ioan Gruffudd (Yo'wahn Griffith) for McCallister's brother since February 5 on my blog and elsewhere. I have wonderful photos of Ioan posted. You can also hear him speaking Welsh with Matthew Rhys and read an interview done with Matthew and Ioan together.*

I saw Mr. Gruffudd, again, today starring in the film, "AMAZING GRACE". He is simply awe-inspiring in his portrayal of William Wilberforce, the abolitionist and social reformer. And the others in the cast are out-of-this-world, too. Truly magnificent and an inspiration that I take into my heart and to my soul. We had the “Amen” crowd in the theatre, today. People clapped in the middle of the film. If any of you go to see this film, do not leave until AFTER the bagpipes have totally played through all of “AMAZING GRACE” with a shot of the entire Westminster Abbey in the background. It’s ISN’T over when they START rolling the actors’ credits and their photos. And PLEASE, go to the movie’s website amazinggracemovie.com and link to AMAZING CHANGES’ “Loose Change to Loosen Chains” Campaign to free slaves of today around the world. A fifteen year old boy, Zach Hunter, is behind this effort. It takes so little to use your voice for something truly important for the sake of humanity.

. . . . Of course, THE FANTASTIC Ioan Gruffudd may not be available for or interested in being our beloved Kevin’s love interest, Todd. And he isn’t younger than Matthew, but older by one year. But, I’d love to see it all happen.

Re: Sunday’s show
I always try to see every one’s view point. But it escapes me that there are
complaints about “The Other Walker” episode. So, let me just say, personally I liked it very much. The acting was superb. Again. I liked seeing Kevin/Matthew get hot and all up in Saul’s/Ron’s face. I liked Saul’s acting- a lot, in this episode. I actually enjoyed the Kevin and Chad/Jason scene with the “litigious hot” and “tsss” response. And this is saying something for me to admit. I’ve been critical of Chad/Jason, elsewhere.

Sally spoils us. She is so great that it is easy to take her for granted. Justin/Dave, Tyler/Marika and Nora/Sally together were a treat for me. And I thought Rachel was shining in this episode. For me, it’s JUST . . . TV, but w h a t GREAT TV! I love it when quality shows up. And it shows up every week for me on BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

We have our personal reactions and opinions and
this
is
just
mine.

* http://ilovemylifebrothersandsisters.blogspot.com/

Where, oh where is Maxine? Miss her.

[Jeffrey Bryan]

Hmmmm.... The Gay McCallister? I love the Matt Long suggestion (he's talented and gorgeous and certainly looks like a Lowe) but I think he'd look too young next to Matthew Rhys. My vote (and I'm sure I'll get lynched for this) is Ian Somerhalder. I doubt he'd take it for fear of typecasting (he's played gay twice before) and I believe he is a really talented actor (Hate Boone, not the actor who played him).

[CeCe]

Lee said: "going to bring viewers up to date on the series."

Can I volunteer to date Kevin? :-D

That's probably not what you meant, huh?

I would love a special like that, but I think it would need to be longer than a half hour!! I second Lee's question, "Is it true?"

[Kenny Fisher]

who's emily and how did the casting go?

[amanda becket]

ya'll sound like youse gots some fun peeps up in that bros n hos hood. i'm just sayin why dont mccalister's bro be a brother from a differnt mother? introduce some color, my friends.

[will]

I would like to expand on my "gay it forward" comment.
The world hasn't changed all that much in the past 25 years in regards to gay equality (especially to teenagers growing up isolated in Silver Creek, Nebraska, say; or Keokuk, Iowa; or Casper, Wyoming). Unfortunately the same homophobic mindset that had a grip on this country in the small cities & towns in the "red" states in 1982 is still alive & kicking when it comes to gays now (the "blue" states are changing at a quicker pace, yes).

If we can put ourselves in the shoes of these 14 & 15 year-olds who are just coming to understand their sexuality, kids in towns that might have a shopping center & a movie theater & a gas station, where you hang out at the Tasty-Freeze.... "Isolation" & "misunderstood" & "lonliness" are adjectives that come to mind. So Kevin Walker is for them (as well as us adjusted savvy city-slicker types).

These are the kids who may watch Chad & Kevin together in bed, joking around & drinking morning coffee & think to themselves that there's a world out there that might accept them - and, yes even find them NORMAL. This kid in Nebraska may close his bedroom door shut (after all, his mom or sister might HEAR him as Kevin & Chad exchange sweet nothings) but the door in his mind - shut down to the possibility of asking the cute 16-year-old 3rd baseman on the high school baseball team - ....swings open.
OK, might be unwise to ask the 3rd baseman out. But that's how "Brothers & Sisters" gays it forward.

[CeCe]

McCallister's brother? Hmmm. How about Ian Somerhalder!?! *drools*