Watching Jericho

Alicia Coppola, our favorite sympathetic chicken neck wringing Mimi Clark on Jericho, is set to star in the movie “Black Widow” on Lifetime Television with Elizabeth Berkley (Saved By the Bell, Showgirls), says Reuters Online. Now, I won’t beat around the bush, I am looking forward to her role in “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” a touch more than say, a Lifetime “Woman in Peril” Movie of the Week, but at least this one seems a little bit interesting via the plot listed on Reuters Online.

“The thriller revolves around a journalist (Coppola) who suspects that her close friend has fallen for a woman (Berkley) who murdered her previous husbands.”

Yeah, I know, there has to be a murder and first off, a woman who’s up to No Good along with a woman who’s On To Her, but it is called “Black Widow”, so what do you want?

I went looking for more information on the movie via IMDB, but came up a little short, with the “complete plot synopsis” just being someone who seems to have some unresolved issues when it come to Elizabeth Berkley. Going through the Official Lifetime Television site seems to lead to nothing also, since every time I tried their search function it would return a blank screen instead of results. With the release date posted on the IMDB Profile for the movie, though (November 15, for those interested), I would have thought that I could find some promo information easier. Maybe it’s just me, though.

Jericho, Alicia Coppola, Mimi Clark, Black Widow, TV, television, CBS

I would be filing this post under the “WHAT are they thinking?!?!?!” category…

SyFy Portal is reporting that Pamela Reed, the rock of the town of Jericho as Gail Green, will not be returning to the show after the short, seven - episode season due to the fact that she was never offered a new contract by CBS. Why are they not offering her a new contract? Because of ageism, Pamela said at a recent panel on ageism at the Los Angeles Femme Film Festival.

“The average age of actors on that show is under 40, and those of us over 40 are gone,” the 58-year-old actress said, according to Film Stew.

SyFy Portal does go on to say that this doesn’t mean that she won’t be in the upcoming seven – episode short season, because those were shot before her contract expired, which makes me feel a little better about this, but only by a slim margin. I’m extremely disturbed that they decided not to extend her a contract because the character of Gail Green really is a cornerstone for the town of Jericho, and I’m trying to figure out how they will be able to not completely change the show and everything to do with the general feel since the characters will have lost both Johnston and now Gail. I’m also upset at this news because Gail, while occasionally a bit irritating, was one of those characters that I really loved and thought always moved the plot along for this atmosphere, and I think that the show will suffer from “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdomeâ€? disease if they only show the under - 40 crowd and how they deal with what has happened. (Disclaimer: I am part of that under – 40 crowd.)

Read the whole article here.

Jericho, Pamela Reed, Gail+Green, ageism, TV, television, CBS

Yesterday we posted about Shaun of Shaun O’ Mac Radio was hospitalized on Monday. I’m happy to say that he has been released now, and he posted to his Blog Talk Radio blog that he’ll be back on the air Monday, October 15.

I am so happy to see that’s he is back in the comfort of his home, and that he is taking some time off to help get better. Feel better, ok?

I got a very disturbing alert email from Jericho Times saying that Shaun (of Shaun O’Mac Radio) was admitted to the hospital yesterday (October 8, 2007) with excessively high blood pressure and a bleeding ulcer. I watched my grandfather deal with a horrifically bleeding ulcer when I was a kid, so I’m a little more aware of what he’s currently going through than the average bear, and I really hope that he gets the care that he needs and starts to feel better very soon. In the meantime, the Jericho community has really rallied around him, because without him, would we really have had the Nuts Campaign? While that is up for debate, I know that Shaun has been such a driving force in the Jericho community that if you’re a serious Jericho fan, you know who he is.

What can you do to let Shaun know that you’re thinking of him? The Jericho Times has a great list that they mailed out with the notice.

ALL RANGERS:

1. Please take a few minutes to pray for Shaun’s full and speedy recovery.
2. Send Shaun a postcard at University Medical Center in Las Vegas.
Click here: http://www.umc-cares.org/forms/postcards.asp
3. Donate what you can to send flowers to Shaun.
Click here: http://www.jerichorangers4ourtroops.com/jericho/index.htm

Shaun’s sister originally posted to his blog last night to let us know what was going on with Shaun. I really feel for them in this too, as I know it has to be horribly stressful for them.

And while you’re here, why don’t you head over to Shaun’s BlogTalkRadio blog and leave a little note for him there also. I’m a big believer in sharing positive energy.

Jericho, shaunomacradio, TV, television, CBS

James Hibbard over at TV Week gives us some insight as to when are we finally going to see the just-finished seven episodes for this season of Jericho, and what he says really isn’t all that encouraging.

CBS’ other midseason drama, “Swingtown,” is not going to be ready until next year, though network also has “The Amazing Raceâ€? and game show “Power of 10â€? available to fill one-hour slots. CBS scheduling head Kelly Kahl cautioned that the new freshman lineup is performing solidly and that no show is guaranteed the next opening.

“The best thing going for ‘Jericho’ is it’s done and ready to go,� Kahl says. “But it’s too early to tell what time period is going to be available.�

So basically what this boils down to is that production is complete, and now our much-awaited and highly anticipated seven episodes get to sit on a shelf somewhere until a slot opens up for them this fall, and there’s an outside chance that we won’t see them at all until January of this coming year.

January 2008.

I don’t think that I really need to tell y’all that I am not the most patient person in the world, but seriously, if they are concerned about diminishing ratings and all that, why aren’t they putting Jericho, a show that has proven that it has a solid (and wonderfully eloquent) fan base out on the air this fall? As the article goes on to say, even Carol Barbee, Executive Producer Extraordinaire, is concerned about waiting too long to get Jericho back out on the air.

… Carol Barbee said she hopes the show will return soon. The producers and the network are conscious of making fans wait too long to resolve last May’s cliffhanger after watching the precarious ratings drops endured by serialized shows that took long hiatuses last winter.

“There’s definite concern [about viewer interest waning], which is why we hope to get on the air as soon as possible,� she says.

While I really do want a resolution from the season finale back in May, more than that, I just want my Jericho back on the air to back up all those nut sales from those interesting three weeks. Is that too much to ask? I’ve already gone through my favorite episodes on the DVD set, and I’m jonesing so badly for a little peek into Jericho that I think I’ve actually read all the fan fiction that the Great and Powerful Interwebs and Google can hand me.

But, this article does raise and interesting point. Where will Jericho go time and day-wise once it is back? I guess we’ll just have to wait until some show spectacularly bombs to find that out. Me? I didn’t mind the Wednesday 8ET slot, and my only problem with the Friday night slot was that the reruns were up against Season Three of Doctor Who over the summer, but I record Doctor Who regardless.

What time and day of the week would you like to see Jericho come back on at?

Read the whole article here.

Jericho, Nuts For Jericho, Save Jericho, TV, television, CBS

I got my cute little Google Alerts for Jericho this morning in my inbox, and I found a link that really got me. I mean, this is a great question, and I really wanted to share this with y’all after all of the things we’ve been through with the Nuts Campaign.

Arabelle’s Alley says that they asked on the CBS Jericho Message Board a while back on How the Nuts Campaign Changed You and was it for Better or Worse? They’ve posted some of the answers, which I just adore beyond words, and they’ve also posted a second set of them in a post entitled Jericho: Changed by the Nuts.

What’s so surprising to me when I read through these is just how much people were changed by saving Jericho. I mean, seriously, it’s a television show. One that I adore beyond reason, needless to say, but what happened with the Nuts Campaign really went far beyond what I expected, and it really became its own creation which is still really, deeply touching people even now. Friendships have been made that will outlast the television show itself, and lives have been changed in absolutely wonderful ways. People have stood up for something that they believe in, sometimes for the first time in their lives, and others became more involved in the online community and have made friends from all around the world. This campaign took Jericho from being just another canceled television show into a movement that doesn’t look like it will slow down for a long, long time.

And since I didn’t see the post on the message board originally, I’d like to add my answer here.

The Nuts Campaign showed me that if you give something to people that they are truly passionate about, they will react and make sure that they are being heard if you take it away. I’ve been a part of other “Save Our Show� campaigns in the past, to the point that I used to think that if I liked a show, it was a guarantee to be cancelled, but there’s really not been anything quite like the Nuts Campaign before. It really showed me that it was a good thing to believe in people and what they can do, given a chance.

So, how did the campaign affect you?

Jericho, Jericho Message Board, Nuts For Jericho, Save Jericho, TV, television, CBS

Jericho Message Board User Rubber Poultry has put together a beautiful graphic Thank You Card to the Cast and Crew of Jericho for all of their wonderful work on the show, and has asked anyone who would like to add their own personal message to comment in the post over there on the message board. I really love this idea, and since today is the Official Release Date for the Season One DVDs, I think it’s perfect for today’s post.

Rubber Poultry mentions in his post that he apologizes in advance for missing any names, as he pulled the information from IMDB (see the full cast and crew notation here) and my screen grab of it, reduced down for the content size restrictions of this blog, really doesn’t do it justice. Go see the full size version over on the message board, and see what a gorgeous job he’s done with it. Sometimes I wish I was more active on the message board over there, as there are some lovely people who I’ve talked with on Shaun’s Radio Show, Rubber Poultry included. But as with most of the message boards, once you miss just a day or two over there, you can be completely lost as to new threads and just sheer quantity of posts, which make it hard at least for me to keep up with.

Sign the card here. (You must have an account with the Jericho Message Board - CBS Official Site to post)

Hat-tip to Jericho~On~CBS.

Jericho, Jericho Message Board, Rubber Poultry, Thank You Card, TV, television, CBS

Tomorrow is the next Red-Letter Day for helping to Save Jericho! Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, tomorrow is the release date for Jericho:The First Season on DVD, and just like during the Nuts Campaign, We Need You!

I do apologize for all the capitalization in this post, but this is just as important as the Nuts Campaign in showing Nina Tassler and the rest of CBS that we are serious in wanting to save our show. I’ve already pre-ordered two copies of the DVD, one for myself, and one to give away on this here blog in the coming month. I’m also looking at maybe an every-other-month giveaway with a fresh copy of the DVD, just to add to the sales numbers, though I’ve got to figure out how much my budget will allow for this.

And, if you’d rather not wait for my contests (and even if you do want to wait for the contests), don’t forget that every sale of this is as good as having a Nielsen Box in your house in sending out a message that just because we won our seven episodes during the Nuts Campaign doesn’t mean that we are going to rest on our laurels for getting a third season.

Get one for yourself, get one for your friends who watched the show with you, get one for your friends that should be watching the show!

Jericho, First Season, DVD, release, TV, television, CBS