Sunday at the Alamo Drafthouse
This is the recap of the Sunday night event at the Drafthouse. Due to the magic of wi-fi, wyk was able to do a live AIM chat from the Drafthouse with a couple of MI.netters who weren't lucky enough to attend. We've spliced together the AIM chat, stuff from wyk's memory, and info from a couple of other people to create this recap. Hopefully our memory is a little bit more reliable and/or truthful than the 09ers who attended Shelly's party. But if not, we will totally refund the cost of the recap.
Intro
The Daylight Titans play for thirty minutes. After their set, Rob, Kristen, and Jason make their way to the stage. Kristen and Jason take their seats while Rob stands and serves as MC.
Rob says after last night's event, one of his friends reminded him that he should have introduced the cast. The crowd laughs and Rob begins to introduce the cast.
Rob: "So without further ado, the amazingly talented and just dead sexy...Jason Dohring." The crowd erupts. Kristen laughs at Rob's unexpected switcheroo.
Rob: "The awesomely talented and even more sexy...Kristen Bell." The crowd erupts.
Rob: "And finally, the drop dead gorgeous Michael Muh...." The crowd lets out a collective "awww" since Michael isn't there. (Michael explained at the unofficial Marsathon that he had to leave early because he had to be on set at 5 a.m. Monday morning.)
Rob asks the crowd how many of them were there last night. Crowd erupts and tons of people raise their hand. A few seconds later, Kristen and Jason jokingly raise their hands too. Rob says he admires that, but he warns that he will give the same material. "The material's old. New suit." The crowd erupts and various audience members ask Rob how much the suit costs.
Rob: "Like a guy in an $8,000 suit needs to answers questions like that. COME ON!"
Rob mentions the fact that they originally intended to have a full-scale, season one Marsathon, but the WB legal department stopped it. The crowd boos. The legal department said that they would have been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars if they showed a marathon. He mentions that the clips only contain the series regulars.
Clips from the Show
Clip 1. Rob introduces the first clip: the original cold open from the pilot. Rob was very proud of the pilot. He wanted the opening to introduce Veronica in a cool, noir way: wet pavement, seedy town, first-person narration, etc. Unfortunately, Les Moonves gave them a note: "This is a high school show, start in a high school." Instead of showing Veronica being a PI, they had to use a voiceover to tell us that Veronica was a PI. Rob mocks the anvilicious VMVO "Other students work at the Gap. I'm a private eye." The clip is shown.
There are two things in the original opening that Rob are particularly proud of:
1) He choreographed the lovemaking in the window because he didn't think the director's version looked like sex. "Never a prouder moment for me."
2) He also did the music cue as the motorcycle gang arrives using GarageBand.
Clip 2. Rob says the network had issues with the fact that the lead character of the show was a date rape victim. The network kept cutting the scene down. The scene that aired is about half the length of the version Rob cut.
He mentions that Kristen auditioned with the scene where Veronica tells off the bikers who are harassing Wallace. Rob used that scene for the audition because he wanted someone smart and badass. When Kristen filmed the rape scene four times and cried on cue each time, Rob knew he had a star.
Kristen jokes: "I'm a robot."
The original rape scene is shown. There's a VMVO in that scene that never made it to air: "I suppose that for me, this particular adolescent milestone wasn't what you would call magical. I didn't even know who I shared it with."
Rob put up a fight over the original opening. The original opening tested great. The network said they would test two versions and the better version would air. He intentionally wrote the worst VMVO possible in order to sabotage the second version. "That's when my private detective senses got the better of me." Luckily that version never aired, but unfortunately it tested better and the LA Times saw it. The reviewer criticized that line as being clunky. Rob: "Karma got me."
During the first 6 episodes, UPN really leaned on them. UPN cut the vandalized car bit from the rape scene in the pilot. By the end of the year, they let them do what they wanted. That's why Rob was able to include the vandalized car scene in the "Previously on Veronica Mars..." for "A Trip to the Dentist."
Clip 3. After the "sex was fantastic" is shown, someone yells, "Love you Kristen." Someone else yells, "Love you Rob."
Clip 4. Last Friday, the AFI honored VM as one of the 10 best shows of the year. During the presentation, they showed a clip from each show. Someone, not Rob, picked the AFI clip. Rob was disappointed in the scene selection. While the other shows had these great dramatic clips, they used the clip where Veronica gives the boys a smackdown for picking on Mandy.
funky-donut: Ew, yeah, that's not the greatest clip. I mean, Veronica was great, but it doesn't really capture the show.
If Rob could have picked the clip, he would have picked the scene when Veronica tells Keith that Rebecca was married and arrested. They show the clip.
Clip 5. Rob reveals that all of his computer error messages are VM sound clips. "Clue in, Donut" or "Whoop-dee-freaking-do" are his error messages. The upcoming clip contains one of his favorite line readings ever on the show. If the scene wasn't so long, he would use it as an error message. The scene has Jason and "the yin to his yang," Weevil. The writers love Weevil and Logan together. They do back flips to get them together. Rob sheepishly ponders, "Could Weevil go play poker with him?" The crowd laughs. "In the hands of a talented writer...yes." Rob asks the audience to cover their eyes because the editor forgot to cut out the guest star in the clip. He shows the library detention/cojones scene. The audience says, "Never underestimate the size of my cojones" line.
funky-donut: Hee. Hoyay fans, eh?
Inigo: And you lot rejected asking Diane about the hoyay!
Clip 6. When Rob was 10, he was a big Spider-Man fan. There was a storyline where Peter Parker was cloned. Peter holds the test results that prove whether or not he's the clone while sitting on top of a "smokestack...or a chimney." Kristen laughs and the audience claps because Rob corrected his verbal faux pas from yesterday. Rob thought it was cool that Peter tossed the test result. He mentions the fact that the following scene drove TWoPers nuts. He thought the shredded paternity test was a testament to how much Veronica loved Keith. Plus, "it's good for you" to find out the answer at the end of the season and not in the middle of the season. He shows the scene of Veronica shredding the test results.
topanga: How's Kristen's mood? I always worry about her.
wyk: The cast is much quieter today. KB only said one thing.
chris1010: That's what you get when you insult TD.
Inigo: That's a shame.
Clip 7. The next clip is the scene where Weevil asks Logan for an invite to the poker game. The writers often put notes in the scripts to tell the actors how they want the line to be said. Francis came up with the Californian surfer voice himself.
Clip 8 and 9. Rob shows a new clip tonight. He shows part 1 and part 2 of the scene where Veronica goes to Logan's poolhouse to ask about the poker game. Yesterday he only showed part 2, the part after the flashback. Today he shows part 1, the part when Veronica enters the poolhouse.
When Rob conceived the show, Logan was going to be the antagonist, the bad guy for five years. The Veronica-and-Logan relationship was the last thing on his mind. But when the writers saw Kristen and Jason together, they thought, "Oh my God, that's gotta happen." The fans roar in agreement. Jason's line delivery of the final line was all Jason; there was no writer's note. The clip is shown. The crowd erupts when Logan says "alpaca." At the end of the clip, the crowd says the "Annoy like the wind" line. After the clip, Rob mentions he hated Veronica's jacket in that scene. He also dislikes the "I heart guitar" shirt from season two.
The writers keep trying to come up with new ways to do repeated activities. He says the writers beat their heads trying to come up with new ways for Veronica to steal a phone.
Clip 10. The voiceover and searching for the combination stuff from the blue paint safe scene was originally shot for the pilot. The scene was too long in the "Pilot," so they cut that stuff out. They show the clip.
Clip 11. When Cupid was cancelled, Rob went to work for David Kelly's show Snoops. The really cool thing about working on a David Kelly show was the networks wouldn't write notes about the script. They let David do what he wanted. In the beginning, Rob had to battle the studios about VM. After 5 or 6 episodes, UPN backed off. Rob says it's the most creative relationship he's been in. The people that Rob has to battle each week are Standards and Practices. Because of Janet Jackson, CBS has the strictest standards of any network.
chris1010: I still don't get how they got ATttD on air. Drugs, Alcohol, Sex and Incest.
A recent example of a fight Rob had with the censors occurred in the christmas episode where Veronica has wine with dinner. In the original script Keith asks Veronica if she is drinking wine, and Veronica just says "Cheers." Rob agreed to change the line to: "No, it's not wine." There's also a bottle of grape juice on the counter. According to the censors, it's okay to let Dick do telegiualla shots off a girl but Veronica can't have wine with Christmas dinner because it shows that Keith is a bad parent. The audience moans.
chris1010: oh
funky-donut: That's the best spelling of tequila I have ever seen!
Inigo: An 18 year old can't drink wine in America. You are kidding me!
funky-donut: It's illegal.
chris1010: Is it 21 all over America?
funky-donut: Yes.
Inigo: Bloody hell.
funky-donut: Well, it's not like kids don't drink before they're 21, it's just not legal.
Inigo: One of those laws, a bit like speeding. Everybody does it and everybody pretends they don't.
funky-donut: Exactly, Inigo.
Inigo: I'm just amazed that in a show where there are a lot of bad parents, the suits worry about Keith letting Veronica have a glass of wine at Christmas.
funky-donut: Yeah, it's pretty retarded. All the other bad shit that happens, and they're worried about a holiday glass of wine.
Rob admits that they get stuff by the censors since the censors don't know the latest lingo. Prior to the upcoming clip, his proudest moment was a moment in Cupid when Piven says, "Let's try for some flesh-and-bone women." When the episode aired it was "Let's try for some flesh and BONE WOMEN." He cites that as a career highlight. The crowd cheers. He cites the next scene as his new career highlight. The rim job scene airs. Rob takes a bow and says, "Thank you," after the scene. He thanks Kristen for her "perfect, perfect" line delivery.
Clip 12. Rob says the next scene doesn't need setting up. It's Rob's gift to us. The clip of the kiss begins. Crowd erupts as soon as Logan appears on screen. They kiss. Crowd erupts again. Crowd erupts when Veronica walks down the stairs. Crowd erupts at end of scene.
Rob admits he wasn't quite happy with the scene. The scene is too sweet. He wanted a hungry scene.
Jason: "He wrote devour." Crowd cheers.
Rob admits he wanted devouring. In the bathroom scene, "Jason devoured." Crowd roars. John Kretchmer, who directed that episode, is going to direct the season finale.
Clip 13. He is very proud of the art department for the following scene. It's the Havana, Cuba scene. The crowd cheers this time when scruffy Teddy appears.
funky-donut: Oh, yay!
chris1010: wow
Inigo: Thank god!
funky-donut: Sunday night must have been the night divvied up to the Duncanlovers!
chris1010: Or people felt ashamed about yesterday.
funky-donut: As they should.
Inigo: Absolutely.
Clip 14. Rob shows a scene that they didn't show Saturday. It's the scene when Dick shows ogan his surfboard and Weevil confronts Logan. The crowd erupts when Weevil appears. They cheer when Logan grabs Weevil by the collar. When the clip ends, Rob grandstands, "HoYay!"
wyk: Sorry about the typing. I'm a lousy typer, speller, and it's dark.
topanga: We're kinda used it--we know how to translate.
Inigo: You just know we are going to get a scene with Logan and Weevil in a prison cell.
funky-donut: Heh. It's cool, wyk, your spelling is cracking me up.
chris1010: Oz, The High School Years.
funky-donut: Heh.
topanga: Oz--hee.
Inigo: Although I was kind of wondering about Dick's organ for a second.
funky-donut: Yeah, that one gave me pause for a minute too.
topanga: Ewww.
Clip 15. The next clips come from ATttD. Rob says it's his favorite episode. A couple of years ago, Rob had a script that he thought would get picked up. During that time while he was looking for writers for that show, he read a script by Diane. When VM got picked up, he knew he wanted Diane for the show.
It's the door scene when Veronica tells Logan that she was raped.
Inigo: Woobie!
Clip 16. Rob says he reads the boards. He thinks the fans have been tough on Teddy/Duncan. He adores this Teddy Dunn scene. It might be his favorite VM scene. zimshan yells, "Teddy rocks."
chris1010: Cool
funky-donut: Yay for Teddy lovers!
It's the Duncan and Veronica confrontation scene from ATttD. blixie yells out, "Baby," after Duncan says that "Hi, baby."
topanga: One of the best scenes ever.
alliterator: "Veronica, I wish I could quit you!"
funky-donut: Heh. Any Lamb scenes? Isn't MM there?
chris1010: They can't show MM scenes because of SAG rules.
topanga: What SAG rules?
chris1010: Don't know the rules, just read it somewhere. They can only show scenes that include regulars. The reason they don't have MM as a regular is that it's to expensive.
alliterator: Get rid of Tessa Thompson.
chris1010: So true.
funky-donut: For reals.
funky-donut: And Dick needs to Die.
alliterator: But Beaver can stay.
Rob is flabbergasted that Patricia Arquette wins the Emmy but Kristen isn't even nominated. Crowd boos. "Come on! There's no one better. She's amazing".
alliterator: Patricia Arquette has buck teeth.
Inigo: That's just one of those unreal things.
alliterator: Strewth.
Clip 17. Rob admits that the writing for the Keith and Veronica paternity reveal scene is bad. The actual dialogue isn't one of his finest moments.
alliterator: Aw, I liked it.
funky-donut: What? No, I love that scene!
chris1010: Me to.
He says EC and KB are the sole reason that scene works. "They make me look good even when I'm not that good." The paternity reveal scene airs.
alliterator: Well, okay, that might be true. With any other actor, it might have fallen flat, but that just shows that Rob is really good at casting.
funky-donut: I don't even remember what they said, just that I love it.
topanga: The way Kristen broke down and said "I knew it" --so little girl-like. Very sweet.
funky-donut: I liked that she signed away her rights with no hesitation -- even though she didn't know she wasn't signing away anything.
Rob says Diane is a great writer.
alliterator: Also the truth.
topanga: I wonder how she handles the pressure.
Clip 18. He reveals that he and Diane had a disagreement in the finale episode about the "Who's at the Door?" cliffhanger. He's proud that he was right.
alliterator: Oh, that little thing.
alliterator: I hope people yell, "Wallace!"
topanga: That's right, it should have been Wallace.
Rob was a big Twin Peaks fan. Unfortunately, by the second season he realized that the writers had no idea where they were going. Someone yells out, "Lost." He mentions that the people at Lost are VM fans and they have said nice things about VM.
Rob knew from day one that they would solve Lilly's murder in the last episode. At the end of the season, the network told him they wanted a cliffhanger. The writers banged their heads thinking of a cliffhanger. Rob came up with "Who's at the Door?", but Diane said that idea wouldn't work. Rob does an evil laugh. "Ha, ha, ha. There's a reason I get the big office." The clip airs.
Inigo: Hee.
alliterator: And the $4000 shower.
topanga: I didn't like the resolution. But I'm over it.
alliterator: Yeah, the cliffhanger was good, but the resolution was just okay.
If they had an extra-packed DVD, he would have included outtakes showing a series of guys at the door.
Kristen reveals that while filming the "Who's at the Door?" scene, they put the smelliest, weirdest grip at the door. There's a guy nicknamed Coyote who goes around wearing a wolf mask and handing out incense. "He kept being at the damn door."
Rob said Kristen kept asking him who was at the door because she wanted to know how to react, what should be her line of sight, etc. The truth is that Rob didn't know; he just knew that it was a cool ending. He could figure it out during the summer. Rob told her that she can fake her reaction since Duncan and Logan were about the same height.
topanga: People studied KB's facial expression and tone of voice to try to deduce it. We were all wrong! She had no idea.
They are done with the clips and the Q&A session begins.
In response to the person yesterday who told him to move because he was blocking her view, Rob jokes that he better move the chairs so he won't get yelled at. He asks fans who asked a question yesterday not to ask a question today in order to give other people a chance.
Q&A
Q: outoffashion gives Rob a guestbook that the fans have signed. She asks if Logan and Wallace will ever have a scene together again.
A: Rob says that he would like for that to happen soon.
topanga: Yeah--i'm wondering the same thing.
chris1010: The world will implode.
alliterator: funky, do you still believe in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny?
chris1010: Ratings
funky-donut: Yes?
alliterator: Okay, then.
Inigo: Ratings?
chris1010: Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and Nielsen Ratings
Inigo: Ah. Sorry. I slow.
Rob tells a story about how when Dawson's Creek does a hurricane episode where everyone is stuck in one room, the reason they do that kind of episode is to cut costs. He jokes that the writers want to write a murder mystery in an elevator in order to make a dirt-cheap episode with one set and no guest stars. If the writers ever do a "hurricane" episode of VM, there is a good chance that Logan and Walllace will have a scene together. He promises in season three there will be more Logan and Wallace scenes.
alliterator: Heh. If they could make a trapped-in-an-elevator episode that defied cliche, they should do it.
chris1010: The cheap jury plot didn't work.
Q: Someone asks what his plans are post-high school since many teen shows die after high school.
A: Rob says many of these teen high school shows are a coming-of-age show about the high school years, so when they leave high school, the show loses steam. VM is more of a noir mystery show, so he's not concerned about going to college. Another problem with these shows is that they are usually in their fifth year by the time the characters enter college, so the show is on its last creative legs. He purposely planned the first year of the show in the junior year, the second year in senior year, the third year in freshman year at college, etc. to avoid this pitfall. Rob says he wants to avoid KB as a 35-year-old sollege stufent. Kristin makes a face and says, "35."
alliterator: I just want to know what a "sollege stufent" is.
Q: Someone asks if Rob is going to do a musical episode like Buffy.
A: Rob has never seen the musical episode. At the beginning of the first season, he asked all the boys if they could sing, and they all said now. That ended any talk of a musical episode.
alliterator: Now? Are they singing?
chris1010: Now = no
funky-donut: Wallace did great singing Papa Was a Rolling Stone!
Several people in the audience including spadada yell out, "Wallace." Rob was surprised that Percy could sing since he said he couldn't. He has no plans for future Veronica/Kristen singing scenes, but if they do happen, it has to "occur more organically than the first time."
Kristen jokes that the singing would probably occur in a shower scene. Rob jokes that the writers try to insert a shower scene in every episode. The crowd cheers.
alliterator: We definitely need more of those.
funky-donut: Now, how to get Weevil and Logan in the shower together...
alliterator: I think many of the fan's brains would explode if that happened.
Q: Someone asks if the fan reaction at TWoP affects the show.
A: Rob reads the first twenty pages of the episode thread after the Eastern showing. Rob generally knows when it's a great episode and when it's a not a good episode. Rob LOVED episode 8. He was surprised that people thought it was a filler episode. Dan Etheridge described the boards as a tidal wave of love with millions of papercuts. The one comment that really resonated with Rob this year is that Veronica is less involved in the bus crash than with Lilly's murder. He realizes that Veronica hasn't dived into that investigation; in later episodes she dives in.
topanga: I loved 208--Ahoy Mateys! My favorite of the season--but no Wallace. *sniff*
Sometimes he ignores a mass reaction. When Leo appeared, the fans didn't like Leo. Rob defends Leo and says he loved the actor. Kristen says Veronica should have as many boyfriends as she wants. The crowd roars.
Rob ribs the fans because they think that "a date" means that they are dating. The fans were hard on Veronica because she was dating Leo and Logan at same time.
Inigo: Oh, for like a day!
alliterator: But did she break up with Leo just as she got together with Logan?
alliterator: Oh, Veronica's just a playa.
Rob was "shocked" and "totally taken off-guard" by the anti-Jackie backlash caused by the fact that she went on a date with another guy after going on one date with Wallace.
Kristen: "Don't hate, you guys. Don't hate."
topanga: She said that!! Ha, it's Percy!! I'm telling you. He's so hip-hop.
wyk: Kristen is my hero.
Rob does his best Bible-thumping, foot-stomping, go-on-preacher-man impersonation as he gently mocks the anti-Jackie backlash. "She should be put on a truss." "Set on fire." "Dumped in the ocean." "HOW DARE SHE!!" "SHE WENT OUT WITH WALLACE AND ANOTHER GUY!" In his mind, Jackie dating another guy after just one date with Wallace wasn't supposed to be a big deal. In the fans' minds: "Jackie must die!" Rob admits he "misread the audience."
alliterator: But weren't we supposed to hate Jackie?
chris1010: Not that much.
alliterator: Her entire first scene is pretty much hate-worthy.
grim squeaker: I wonder why he thinks people hate Jackie solely because of the double-dating...if I remember correctly her real crime was dissing Pride and Prejudice. I know that I started actively disliking her when she badmouthed geeks...
P-C asks a question. Rob calls out, "Sunil!"
funky-donut: Hee!
alliterator: Rob loves Polter-Cow!
P-C asks what they, personally, as a showrunner and as actors, get from the fan interaction and whether they've ever regretted becoming so involved with the fandom.
alliterator: Oh, good questions.
topanga: good question.
Rob admits that "some of those papercuts felt worse than papercuts." Audience: "Awww." Someone yells, "We love you Rob." After Cupid was cancelled, Rob went through five hard years trying to get a show picked up. Before VM was picked up, he said if VM wasn't picked up, he was planning on moving back to Texas and going back to writing books. He was at the end of his rope. He appreciates this experience so much more the second time around. "I'll take the occasional criticism that cuts a little too deep in exchange for that tidal wave of love." Audience: "Awww."
Kristen says she would rather be on a show with 3 million rabid fans than on a show with 30 million ambivalent fans. It's an awesome feeling to know that that the fans care so much.
Jason thanks the fans for paying attention to all those little details and notes that the criticism only hurts when it's true.
Rob doesn't think that every scene, performance, and line in every episode is perfect. He knows sometimes things don't work as well as he wants them to. He admits he didn't read the board after episode 10 because he knew the episode wasn't very good. It was all exposition about a case instead of being about the main characters. It was his fault.
Inigo: A lot.
alliterator: Lots.
topanga: I posted many times that I liked ep 10 just to balance the hate. I LIKED IT.
alliterator: I liked it, too, topanga. But it is one of the weakest episodes of
topanga: Agreed.
Inigo: They got it the wrong way round. It was a fatal error.
Rob says the advantage of TV is that you can try different things out each week; sometimes the experiments work, sometimes they don't.
Q: Someone asks Kristen and Jason if the actors ever say, "My character wouldn't say that."
A: Kristen says the actors know not to change it on their own. It's "amazing and really freaky" that Rob can write from a 17-year-old girl's perspective. There have only been two times that she disagreed with a particular scene. The cool thing is that there is an open line of communication between the writers and actors. They do one take the way the actor wants, one take the way the writers want, and Rob then picks what works better in the editing room.
After Kristen's long, thought-out answer, Jason just says, "Yeah." The crowd laughs. Jason then says that if a line doesn't ring true, which is something that has never happened on this show, then he would put his own sarcastic twist on the line.
topanga: Percy never gets to ad-lib anything. No fair.
alliterator: Maybe you can ad his lib. Dirty!
Inigo: He's saving it for you, T.
topanga: Wait... Hey, Flo Jo, slow your ass down. "Your ass" was ad-libbed. Too bad it was a curse word. Oh well.
alliterator: At least Percy doesn't cuss as much as Jason.
Rob says Jeremy Piven, the star of Cupid, was a great improv actor. Piven would give the writer's version in the wide shot, and his version in the close-up. This meant that Rob was forced to use the wide shot in some of the scenes in order to use the lines he wrote. Even though 8 out of the 10 times Rob used Jeremy's version, Jeremy would still call and complain about Rob not using his versions.
Rob says, "If Kristen has a problem with a line, the line probably has a problem."
topanga: do you think Kristen knows how awesome she is? She has to. When her bosses are kissing her butt...
The fan who told Rob to get of the way last night tries to ask another question. Rob realizes this person already asked a question last night, so he moves on to another person.
Q: Someone asks about the ongoing mythology theme in Rob's work: Hey Zeus, Neptune. The audience chuckles because this question was asked last night.
A: Rob says it's just a coincidence. He says he has no interest in mythology. Mars is named after the drummer in the Replacements. Neptune, California, is a play on Jupiter, Florida. Kristen hams it up. She shakes her head no, sarcastically nods her head in agreement, and makes all kinds of faces. The audience laughs, because Rob isn't aware of the faces that KB is making behind his back. Kristen: "He told me the same thing and I don't buy it for a minute."
topanga: She's good at that. Making faces.
alliterator: Oh, right, it's a coinkidink. Sure, I'll be over there with the pyramids.
Inigo: Hee, hee *wrings hands together gleefully*
Andy, the lead singer of the Daylight Titans heckles Rob. "Why don't you tell them the story of Hey Zeus!" Rob says, "Let's not."
Q: Someone asks if Rob has any plans for collaborating with Joss Whedon.
A: Rob points out that Joss is much higher on the food chain than him. If they would ever work together, he couldn't call Joss, Joss would have to call him.
He mentions that he and Diane just finished a script for Joel Silver. It's a murder mystery on a boat. A remake of The Last of Shelia. Joel wants Lindsay Lohan to star. The crowd moans and boos.
Kristen: "Ouch."
alliterator: Lindsay Lohan? I would have booed too.
funky-donut: Heh.
chris1010: Shelia?
funky-donut: I think she means Sheila, but I don't know what that is.
Because of the crowd reaction, Rob begins to make stuff up. He says he wrote a sex scene for Kristen and Jason in the movie.
alliterator: I bet that made the fans go wild.
Inigo: Okay, now that's intriguing.
The Kristen character is on the Jason character's yacht. He comes out of the shower, and she's naked on his bed. The crowd roars with laughter and applause. She says, "I've learned a lot of tricks since college." He says, "I hope one of them is roll over." The crowd goes nuts. KB puts her head down and shakes her her head in total embarrassment. Rob asks if the audience would come to that movie. The crowd applauds.
alliterator: Hee.
Inigo: Is that Rob's script for the love scene - BWhaha.
alliterator: Kristen = Funny.
Q: Another Duncan-and-Veronica-is-boring-while-LoVe-is-swoopy-and-dramatic question. The fan mentions Veronica spitting on Duncan's chest.
A: Kristin said that was her ad-lib because she thought it was funny.
Rob said he liked the ad-lib too. There was a take without the ad-lib, but he picked the ad-libbed version.
Kristin says Rob will pick the improv 9 out of the 10 times.
Q: Fan keeps talking about LoVe.
A: Rob jokingly says, "You want to know when they get back together? Episode 19, put it on your calendar." Rob says they are aware of the chemistry. He wants the relationships to feel real and organic. Rob explains he is writing it to be a five-year series, not a two-year series. The audience cheers. Veronica was in love with Duncan for years, and we need to see that play out. Rob says there is always a sweet, nice boy in high school that you're attracted to. Rob: "I know I was." KB makes a face. He knows the bad boy role is the sexier character. There are things about the Duncan character that he wishes he could do over. The writers never intended to imply that Duncan was lousy in bed or that there were no fireworks. In his mind, they had sweet, tender high school first sex.
Kristin jokingly chides the audience, "It's possible! It doesn't have to be dirty, you pervs!"
Rob says things are going to evolve.
alliterator: Well, we are.
Inigo: Perv and proud.
Q: Someone asks Jason if he wonders when Logan will ever catch a break.
A: Jason admits that Logan has been through a lot. He thinks Logan is in dull apathy. Logan is waiting for Veronica to bring it out of him.
Audience: "Awww."
Kristen jokes: "You all are fooled. This is what he does."
Q: Someone asks if Logan and Duncan are going to wear different colors.
A: Jason says they wore different colors because people couldn't tell them apart. He mentions the puka shells and how much the fans hate them. A few fans yell that they love the puka shells.
Rob jokes, "Logan is clearly an autumn."
alliterator: And Duncan will wear pink taffeta.
topanga: OMG, stop. Please stop!!!
Inigo: No! Pink taffeta is so Logan!
funky-donut: I don't know, I think Duncan's more of a red silk.
alliterator: Strapless red silk?
Inigo: Duncan's sky blue.
funky-donut: Yeah, he could just try on Veronica's dress...
Inigo: They could swap wardrobes. That would be sweet.
funky-donut: Hee. Veronica would look terrible in his sweaters.
Inigo: She's picked up a few argyll ones.
funky-donut: Yeah, but his would be huge on her, she's so tiny.
topanga: Veronica looks nice sweaters. She's got a nice bosom.
alliterator: No argument here.
Rob doesn't give notes to the wardrobe department unless he really dislikes an outfit. Rob confirms that in the beginning, the networks were concerned that new viewers would confuse which character was which. The writers constantly discuss: should they write the show for the die-hard fans or should they write the show to get another 3 million viewers?
alliterator: Diehard fans! Go diehard fans!
The writers know the fans are aware of the characters and the backstory, but the network wants stuff like "Celeste, mother of Duncan and the deceased Lilly" to help new viewers. He asks the viewers to give them slack for the obvious exposition. "We can't just do the show for the hardcore fans. We need some more people watching us to keep us safely on the air for the next couple of years."
Q: Someone asks about finding Diane through a spec script and how he put his writing team together.
A: Rob found Diane through a movie script that Nora Ephron optioned, not a spec script. The show has a very small writing staff. It's Rob and five other people. Rob likes having a small team.
alliterator: I actually think that helps keep the continuity together.
topanga: small in size or number?
funky-donut: Heh. They're all shorter than KB.
A: Rob read hundreds of script when he was putting the show together. It's tough to staff the show because he's looking for writers that can write procedurals, mysteries, character-driven stories, and witty dialogue. Rob will read pilots, features, anything that comes from agents in order to find the right writers for the show. The show lost a couple of good writers last year who weren't able to capture the voice that Rob wanted on the show.
Q: Someone asks which scenes he found particularly challenging.
A: It's easy for him to write scenes where the characters are being witty and coy instead of being emotionally raw or honest. He doesn't like "emotional exposition" like you find on WB and Dawson's Creek. He likes the characters to hide and dance around their feelings. He wants action to define a character rather than dialogue. Scenes like the Duncan and Veronica confrontation scene where characters share their true feelings are difficult for him to write.
Q: jujubee asks whether the whole Sept 24th vs. Sept 20th date on the flyers for the Life's Short party was a mistake or we are supposed to consider it when trying to figure out who did everything.
A: Rob begins, "You must rely on the time-space continuum..." Then he says, "Actually, there was a scene we cut with Veronica yelling at the Kinkos people for messing up the flyers. No, it was a mistake."
The episode starts. Questions have ended. The crowd, instead of singing along to the credits, just erupts each time a cast member was shown.
alliterator: Even Duncan? Awesome.
wyk: Yes, even Duncan. Although the applause die down a little when Tessa's name appeared. But as Kristen said, "Don't hate, you guys. Don't hate."