Brothers and Sisters: Bloggers and Sisters

Thursday Photo Play, Pt. 2

Sorry it's a little late today. Busy Busy Busy.

Today is Matthew Rhys' last day of filming, and as a way of saying thank you he paid for both an ice cream truck and a coffee truck to come to set and provide delicious reward to cast and crew. We cherish him and wish him all the best as he leaves to film his new movie starring Keira Knightly and Sienna Miller.
See you next season Matt. We love you.

Set PA Todd with M Rhys at the Pizza Truck

E VanCamp and D Annable get some pizza

R Griffiths gets some mommy time in between takes

The actor's chairs for resting during down-time

Lighting set-up in the dinning room.

The Walker Foyer is taken over by the camera dept.

A look at the Walker's cluttered backyard.

-art alamo

Winding Down

To answer some of your questions regarding the blog, season two, and other various items of interest:

-    Production started today on the season finale. At 9 am this morning cameras started rolling on episode 125. This means that at the end of next week we will be officially on hiatus.
-    There will most likely not be any blogging to speak of during the break. I will do my best to sign on regularly and publish any comments people post, but there won’t be any news here to report about, so no new posts.
-    It’s a time-limited situation to be sure. The writer’s office returns in the beginning of June. So really, it’s only a month break before getting started on the second season.
-    Per popular request, I’m going to try my best to institute Thursday Photo Play as a weekly regular. That being said, there are only 2 more Thursdays before the break. Ain’t that always the way . . .
-    This weekend is our big wrap party. Sparky Hawes, our Associate Producer, has been hard at work planning a most excellent shindig. Look for a post next week with fun pics of the event.

That’s all for now.

-art alamo

Don't Shoot the Messenger

Hey everybody. Just a few things to share on this lovely Thursday morning.

Unfortunately, it is not a new episode on Sunday night. This Sunday, April 22nd, will be our last repeat of the season.  Starting Sunday the 29th will be new episodes every week straight through to the end. I understand how frustrating it can be, what with the losing of momentum and all. Trust me, we feel the same way. We appreciate everyone's patience and tolerance. Just one more week!

When new episodes do start up, there are four more until the end of the season. For a tease of what's to come, here are the episode titles for the remaining shows -
Episode 122 - "Bad News" written by Monica Owusu-Breen & Alison Schapker
Episode 123 - "Grapes of Wrath" written by Sherri Cooper-Landsman & David Marshall Grant
Episode 124 - "Favorite Son" written by Benjamin Kruger & Daniel Silk
Episode 125 - "Matriarchy" written by Greg Berlanti & Jon Robin Baitz

We're very excited about delivering a killer ending to our first season. Without revealing the exciting things to come, I will say that the finale brings some peace to existing story lines, but also sets the stage for some big things in season 2.

Also, a side note about comments.  We appreciate and relish in hearing your thoughts and maintaining a dialog with our viewers. I do my best to publish all comments with a few exceptions. If the comment is obscene, overly hateful or nasty I will not publish it. I do not wish to edit people thoughts or feelings, but there is a level of appropriateness that needs to be respected. In addition, for sensible reasons, we ask that you not use the comments section to propose your own story lines or write fan fiction. We appreciate your desire to contribute to the creative content of the show, but for various reasons ask that you refrain in this regard.

Happy Thursday!

-art alamo

Sunday Recap, Odds and Ends

Some big developments on Sunday night's episode, just to recap a little:
-    Rebecca claims that Joe kissed her while she was at the house getting a guitar lesson. If true, this threatens to rip open the already strained-beyond-capacity denial of marital problems between Sarah and Joe. Not to mention that of all people to cross the line with, Rebecca is a heightened slap in the face to the struggling Sarah. But did it happen the way Rebecca claims? We have yet to see the interaction, or hear Joe’s side of the story. Just how trust-worthy is Rebecca? We still don’t know exactly what happened in Chicago that led to her impromptu return. Time, as they say, will tell.
-    Welcome Jason McCallister. Pull up a chair and stay awhile. There was an overwhelming positive response to the introduction of Senator McCallister’s gay brother Jason. After an ill advised set up and a disastrous first encounter, it may be awhile before we know if sparks will fly between Jason and Kevin. But it was nice to see someone take Kevin to task for his sometimes over-opinionated diatribes.
-    I think we can all agree that the incomparable Matthew Rhys does an incredibly accurate and disturbingly funny imitation of a dinosaur.

As many of you know by now, we did in fact win a GLAAD Award on Saturday evening!! The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation saw fit to bestow upon us the award for Outstanding Drama Series. Very exciting. Below are pictures from the event. As always, click the image for the full size version.

Ron Rifkin, Patricia Wettig and Matthew Rhys

Balthazar Getty, Rachel Griffiths and Dave Annable

Jason Lewis and GLAAD President Neil Giuliano

Thank you to everyone at GLAAD. We'll do our best to keep up the good work!

And lastly, on a much more serious note, everyone here would like to extend our hearts and sympathies to the friends and families of the victims of Monday’s horrific and senseless Virginia Tech shooting. There is no way to comprehend such a tragedy. Family members of those slain or injured have united to declare this Friday, April 20th, a national day of recognition and solidarity by having "Orange and Maroon Effect Day.” The day was started several years ago with Tech fans wearing orange and maroon to Virginia Tech athletic events. They are encouraging everyone to honor those killed in the heartbreaking incident as well as show support for Virginia Tech students, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni, and friends. They have our support. In addition, car bombs in the Sadriya neighborhood of Baghdad yesterday killed 171 mostly Shiite Muslims and injured more than 150. Unfortunate as it is that there will be no outcry for national mourning in this country, human suffering and the death of innocent civilians is a tragedy wherever it occurs, and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone. We have to take care of each other. Be well.

-art alamo

Insert Tired "I'll Be Back" Joke Here

I have to tell you all about one of the more surreal moments to happen behind the scenes so far. This past Monday the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger - he of epic terminating infamy - visited the cast and crew of our show.  He came not merely as a spectator, but to bestow upon the show a "Certificate of Recognition." According to his speech during the ceremonial presenting of the award, the "Recognition" we are receiving is for keeping our production in California, helping to create and maintain jobs and revenue for the state.  With so many productions choosing to outsource to Canada or elsewhere, he saw fit to bestow upon us a certificate to show his appreciation for our ongoing efforts to employ the unionized members of the greater Los Angeles area.

He stayed for a while after the presenting of said certificate and watched the filming of a few scenes. It was a delightful honor and refreshing break from the ordinary to have him here and to receive this honor, and we thank him immeasurably.  Below are a few pics from his visit.

From Left to Right: Rob Lowe, Arnie, Ken Olin, Robbie Baitz and Greg Berlanti

Sorry about the lack of light . . .

Calista and Dave Annable Get in on the Gov Action

Look for a post later today about last Sunday's episode and other goings ons around here.

-art alamo

GLAAD To Be Noticed

For those that are interested, there is an interesting article on the state of gay characters on television in the Hollywood Reporter. Below are the excerpts that specifically refer to the show. For the full article go to:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/news/e3i539b9b9d3539a4ca80537cb03e52e60e

Kevin Walker, one of the lead characters on ABC's drama "Brothers & Sisters" (created and executive produced by Jon Robin Baitz), is frequently singled out as the most substantial depiction of a gay man on network primetime television to date. Part of what makes the character -- played by Welsh actor Matthew Rhys -- so rich, advocates say, is that his sexual orientation isn't his entire raison d'etre but simply part of a complex fabric of personality.

"The gay-character story line is no longer the novelty," says Brian Graden, entertainment president of MTV Networks Music Group and president of Logo. "The character on 'Brothers & Sisters' is as complicated and human as everyone else."

The Walker character enters the conversation in a year when lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals remain only a tiny proportion of regular characters on network series -- less than 2% -- according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which is set to host its 18th annual GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. Yet, the quality of some characters' lives continues to improve, showing them to be people who are successfully integrated into their family and work environments, much like a large proportion of gay Americans."

Then later in the article:

"There have been wonderful, realistic portrayals on cable, and they sit right next to network channels," says "Brothers & Sisters" executive producer Greg Berlanti. "They're one click away, and you have to compete with how real your stories are (on broadcast). If their stories are outlandish, you have to be effective to compete and stand out. They're playing by a different set of rules, but I think one elevates the other."

Berlanti also credits a younger generation of executives who grew up seeing gay characters on television and who are now attaining positions of power. "I think that people 30 and younger, for the most part, are much more open. The same is true of execs. As the new generation comes in, they want to see stories that are truthful and realistic."

Also, the GLAAD Awards are this weekend, so keep your fingers crossed for us. Happy Friday everyone!

-art alamo

Photo Play Thursday

Spoiler Alert: The following pictures feature filming for an upcoming episode

Hey guys. Thought it would be a fun time to put a few pics up from set. Last Friday Sally Field and Patricia Wettig filmed a big fight scene. I don't want to give too much away, but the confrontation that many of you have been anticipating will be big, juicy and cathartic. Below, some fun behind the scenes photos.

The Infamous Craft Service Table. And this ain't the half of it . . .

The camera and lighting crews prepare. Hmm . . . this is a set we've never seen before . . . .

Long-time producer Michael Morris makes his directorial debut with Episode 123, "Grapes of Wrath." Here we see him on set reviewing dailies from the previous day's work.

Beneath the stage lights, Sally Field rehearses her big showdown with Holly as Michael Morris observes.

More  rehearsals. Patricia Wettig's Holly gives as good as she gets.

Immediately before filming begins are "Last Looks," where wardrobe, hair and make-up can do any last touch-ups necessary. Here we see Hair department head Michael White and set costumers David Butler and Maria Bradley with Sally.

And because everything is better when you end with an adorable dog, here is a picture of Molly Newman's dog Gus. He comes to work with her and is an informal mascot for the 4th floor writer's office.

-art alamo

No One Loves Artichokes That Much

Another wonderful new episode on Sunday night, another opportunity for people to weigh in on what the Walker’s have been up to lately.  Without further ado:

-    Big Gay News: Chad Barry Comes Out of Closet, Dumps Boyfriend! Chad and Kevin reached an impasse on last night’s episode.  There are a myriad of ways to interpret the end of Kevin and Chad’s affair, and many of your comments have been voicing your opinions as to why they broke up.  Is Kevin so commitment-phobic that he would throw away something good? It’s possible.  Kevin has been on a journey of finding his way in the relationship world, and unlike every other aspect of his life, it seems like he doesn’t quite know what he wants.  Kevin is headstrong and independent, intelligent and well suited for any challenge, so it must be incredibly frustrating to not have a handle on finding a relationship that goes the distance.  But I think we all have hope he’s coming ever closer. We can all relate to having parts of ourselves that seem foreign to us.  And Chad will be missed, but he has much growing to do himself. In response to a few of your comments about the effect that coming out of the closet has on a working actor, I think that it most certainly has repercussions on an actor’s career.  Some people asked for an example of being gay hurting an actor’s career, but I think it is in the lack of examples that the truth lies.  Unfortunately there are a scant few successful actors that are openly gay. One hopes that the tides are changing, but it is slow going, and in Hollywood it is still an accepted reality that being gay can hurt an actor’s chances at becoming a big A-list star.

-    Senator McCallister Might Not Be As Big a Hero As Previously Thought, But He and Kitty Say Those Three Little Words!  The Senator’s admission to Kitty at the end of the episode is quite the secret to reveal. He’s been getting a lot of mileage publicly, and politically, from the tales of his heroism as a helicopter pilot who ushered POW’s to safety.  Now we come to find out that he wanted to abort the mission, that it was his co-pilot who stayed the course. The co-pilot didn’t make it out alive and McCallister did save those people’s lives, so presumably no one knows about his moment of weakness. Will this prove to be a liability in his campaign for president? Only time will tell, but what Kitty knows deep down, and I think we as the viewers know as well, is that anyone can have a moment of hesitation, a panic, a knee-jerk reaction of self-preservation, but when it comes down to it, he did save those people’s lives. Whether accidental or intentional, he is a hero. Kitty, overwhelmed and flustered by her burgeoning feelings lets slip, in that oh-so-Kitty way, that she’s falling in love with him. Luckily she didn’t have to wait for long to hear those feelings reciprocated . . .

Throw in a fistfight and lots of artichokes and it was another stellar episode.  Big things on the horizon so stay tuned . . .

-art alamo

Why the Walkers are the Best Family Ever (and why my family will never star in an hour-long drama)

James A Doyle
Special Guest Correspondent to Bloggers & Sisters

My grandma (Gran-Sarah, as she is known) visited Los Angeles and the Brothers & Sisters set a few weeks back. I went through the explanation of the show, including all the characters and their raison d'êtres, and she remarked that family is the most important thing.

For an over sixty, socially and politically conservative Southern lady, taking that lesson away from the Walkers speaks to the power of the show and its characters.  Especially because:

•    My family has never had a scandalous affair.  No mistresses, no secret lives, no hidden daughters -- a la Rebecca -- and certainly no tension between sisters and brothers from different mothers.
•    My family has no history of drug addiction.  Unlike Justin, the closest thing that resembled any sort of addiction was when my Aunt Jane had to quit M&Ms cold turkey.
•    There are no TV pundits-cum-politicos in my family.  My Bigdaddy did, however, work for the mayor of Memphis back in the day.  That mayor was considerably less charming than Senator McCallister.
•    No one in my family has ever dated a soap star.  Several of my aunts are featured sometimes in the weekly “society” magazine, though.
•    There have never been twins born in my family.  However, Julia Walker (nee Morris) grew up in Memphis and I think Gran-Sarah is friends with her mom.
•    Certainly, no one has ever been busted for marijuana-related misdemeanors.  Nora should have claimed medical use or something.
•    My family can’t hold their alcohol as well as the Walkers.  When wine or margaritas abound, people get giggly.

Something strikes me when watching Brothers & Sisters that makes me feel grateful for my large and crazy family.  If I ever had one too many nights of partying, moved my conservative talk show back home, tried to balance my husband and kids while saving the family business, struggle with wanting to start a family and my own business ventures, deal with my late lover’s family finding out about me and my daughter or trying to hold one shred of sanity as my late, cheating husbands mess comes to the surface after his death, I know I can always count on my family to help me out and get me through.

Thank you, Walkers.

JAD

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is On Fire . . . Literally

The building didn’t burn down.  Not a bad start for a Monday morning.  For those of you who don’t know what I’m referring to, this might help:

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN3035132020070401

Creator Jon Robin Baitz contemplating the disaster that is Southern California

So it’s the Monday morning after a new episode and a lot of people have commented on last night’s show.  I was thinking that Monday posts could be a good time to address/discuss your reactions. Keep in mind that while I work with the writers of the show, I do not write the show myself, and therefore I am a viewer/fan like you and my opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the writers of the show.

The majority of you have addressed one of two moments from last night. The first is Kevin’s change of heart about Chad’s movie premiere. First Kevin chastises Chad for his in-the-closet behavior, and then he bails on the public date after Chad’s manager scares him off.  Kevin’s behavior seems confused and temperamental, something that can be said of many of us, I imagine.  The myriad causes for Kevin’s behavior can be frustrating because we love and care about him and want the happy relationship for him that he seems incapable of maintaining.  Did he back out of the date because he wants what is best for Chad, worried about ruining this man’s career, or did he do it out of a fear of commitment and a reluctance to be someone else’s stability?  The truth is, I don’t think even Kevin himself could discern what motivates his actions, and I fear that if he could he wouldn’t like the answer.  More accurately, his reasons are difficult and messy and complicated.  Kevin is a good man with places to grow and emotional hurdles yet to overcome, and part of the joy and excitement he brings to the show is getting to watch the progress.

The second item on people’s minds involves a heartbreaking moment between Nora and Rebecca. At the end of what is surely the most awkward Walker family dinner to date, Rebecca is ready to storm out when Nora tells her:

     “You can be a part of this family, regardless how you got here.  He may not have been your father in any   
    way you knew, and clearly he wasn’t any kind of husband either. It wasn’t your fault Rebecca. And it
    wasn’t your mom’s. It was his.”

A lot of people have commented that this unfairly lets Holly off the hook. A few have been adamant that she is equally responsible for the 20 years of deceit and betrayal. Surely, Holly is no innocent in regards to her affair with a married man.  And in future episodes we’ll get to see that Nora and Holly still have unresolved issues that will continue to arise.  The way I see it, in that moment, Nora was reaching out to Rebecca the daughter, not Rebecca the product of an extra-marital affair.  Rebecca hurts from being neglected by her father, and the point that Nora makes is that the blame for that hurt lies on William. She is saying that it is his fault he wasn’t a father to her.  What will be interesting to see is how/if Rebecca will indeed become a part of the Walker clan.

Everyone be sure to check out this week’s issue of TV Guide, where our own Cliff Olin has an article about working on the show.  Brothers & Sisters -- where family is the name of the game, in front of and behind the camera. Also, a very happy Passover to everyone! Till next time.

-art alamo