The Rock finished a long day of filming in Miami at 1a and there were some fans waiting to meet him. So he rolled down the window and asked if they wanted his autograph. When they said that they did, he told them, “F*ck that sh!t!” as he rolled up the window. Of course DJ was kidding because that is just how us University of Miami Hurricanes roll, sarcastically!
When season 4 of Grimm ended, Juliette’s dead body was seen lying on the floor, and the producers confirmed that she was dead dead. Then during the season premiere, her body was missing and many of us wondered could she still be alive? The answer to that question was teased to us before the show went on Christmas break last month. We saw a woman looking like Juliette wearing a blonde wig, so is it her? Tonight at 9p on NBC, we will finally get some answers, and I recently was on a conference call with Bitsie Tulloch where she answered how she kept the news a secret for almost 9 months.
Back in March, the producers called to break the news to her about the fate of her character. She shared with me how it all went down, “There’s kind of a funny story because I in particular, I’m close with a lot of the crew. And at various points over the proceeding four years, I would like call the producers and say, ‘Well, where are we going with this storyline?’ And they’re like, ‘How do you know about that?’ And I would say, ‘Well, I’m not telling who, but somebody told me.’
“So I had certain members of the crew who would just like flat out tell me because they will see an outline for an episode before the cast sees the script. So what end up happening is the producers were releasing the outline to the crew and you know the production crew up in Portland that afternoon. The conversation went down in March.
“They’re releasing an outline and they had to call me because they knew the second the crew got a hold of that outline that they were going to be telling me, calling me and being like Juliette dies. Do you actually die? Are you off the show? And they didn’t want me to think at any point that I was actually dead.
“So they called me and they said, ‘Just so you know, we know that your friends with everyone. And so they’re probably going to tell you, you’re going to get called. But we’re releasing an outline today where Juliette dies. But don’t worry, you know you’re not off the show. Our idea is that you’re going to be reborn as a sort of reworked into a Nikita like character.’
“So that’s how that conversation went down. And then it was fine. And I was just curious to read about then new character and what she was going to be like.”
Her character has been gone for six episodes, and she shared with us that the producers debated how long to keep her off of the show. One scenario was when Nick woke up in the season premiere after attending her funeral; they wanted that be a dream and everyone would be questioning where is the body. One producer wanted her back in the third episode. Then they decided to wait until the sixth episode for her to return, and that was the longest they were going to wait.
Then when it was time for her to return to show, and the producers now had to keep her presence on the set a secret so that no one would leak the information.
She explained one of the ways they did that, “On the scripts, typically it would say Juliette, Bitsie Tulloch in third position. And when this new character came about, we had to basically come up with an alias which was my legal first and middle name which is Elizabeth Andrea. And then they bumped me down to like positon 10 or someone so nobody would guess that it was me in case somebody got a hold of the script.” Not only was she using an alias, her name and her dog Henry’s name were removed from her trailer door, so everyone would think she was gone gone. When it came time for filming, she filmed on closed sets.
That was how they kept her presence quiet on the set, but what about if she was seen walking around Portland where they shoot. They had an excuse for that too. She confirmed on the call that she is dating her former lover on the show, David Giuntoli in real life. If she was seen walking around town, she could just tell everyone she was up there to visit her boyfriend.
And that is how she kept her reappearance on the show a secret. It worked because I had no idea she was coming back to the show, did you?
Tonight, you can find out how and why she is back on the show. Let’s just say, it is due to the new deadly threat that is threatening everyone in Portland. This is the most dangerous threat that they have ever faced on the show and I am not sure how they are going to get out of this situation…
It is getting rarer and rarer for a broadcast show to hit the 100 episode milestone and tonight at 8p on ABC, Last Man Standing does just that. I recently attended the cake cutting ceremony and I got to speak to some of the actors about what hitting the 3 digit number of episodes means to them.
This is the second time that Tim Allen has been on show that has lasted over five years, how does he feel about it? He said, “I love doing what I do. This is a huge, I get scared and I’m uncomfortable and I am not worth all this.” Then he added, “I am so happy what we got here because it means the world to the studio I work for. Business-wise it is good for us that it is a milestone.”
Even though they were taping the 100th show that night, he was already focused on 101. He said, “It is the next episode to me, and making sure that the characters are right and that the crew gets what they need. I do like shepherding this group. This is a huge event.” After this huge event, where does he see the family sitcom going, “Let’s say 200 episodes?”
A big part of why this show has lasted as long as it has is the chemistry between him and his TV wife is perfect. How does Nancy Travis feel about hitting “The Big 100”? She told me, “It is very surreal that we hit 100 episodes because it feels as if it flew by. It doesn’t feel old. It still feels new. That’s due largely to this group, the cast and Tim. I still think we could do another 100.” Where does she want her evolving character to go in the next 100 episodes, “I would like to see my character explore more in the marriage, and maybe explore conflicts and different relationships with adult daughters. I would love to see my character explore what it means to be a woman who is older and trying to figure out where her life is going and where she wants it to go.” Vanessa has gone through a lot of changes on the show, and most recently she quit her high paying job to become a teacher. Not only that, her youngest daughter is about to go college, her middle daughter has some big changes going on her life tonight and her oldest daughter is married with a kid. Soon Mike and Vanessa Baxter will most likely have the house to themselves after almost a quarter of a century, so there is a lot we can see happening for them.
Like hanging out more with their next door neighbors the Larabees, which is something I am not sure Mike wants because Chuck and him have a love/hate relationship. Jonathan Adams became a series regular on the show last year after two years of recurring. What does this milestone mean to him? He said, “It’s incredible. I mean, I have never done it before. I have never been to the 100th episode of anything. I’ve done the first season or I’ve made it to season three and no…” Then he added, “100 episodes is phenomenal and I am really happy to be here and be a part of it. I am just over the moon.”
His TV wife, Erika Alexander, also was on a show that aired over 100 episodes. I am sure you remember seeing her in Living Single that made it to 118 episodes. She understands how important this number is for a show as she told me, “In this day and age, with technology the way that it is and with so many shows you can watch. What it is, it is a real, it is more than just a celebration, it is an acknowledgement that something valuable is going on here and that it is needed. And that people do show up to shows that are not necessarily on cable or streaming. I really believe that’s a powerful thing in this day and age.” What does she credit the show’s longevity on, she explained. “That is down to Tim Allen’s appeal and the long standing history he has with his audience and building an audience and renewing that audience’s trust and comedy and family values. I think that is wonderful.”
Everything about Last Man Standing is wonderful. It reminds me of All in the Family. It is shows about a loving family with different points of view, who can argue with each other over them but they are always there to support themselves through the good times and the bad. That and there are a lot laughs during each episode and that is what is a sitcom is all about.
So if you missed the first 99 episodes, then you can easily start with tonight’s episode and watch the past ones on Netflix or syndication. If you have been watching the show since day 1 like me, then this is a must not miss episode.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Last Man Standing for hitting the 100 episode milestone, here is to the next 100!
The Weinstein Company released a new TV spot for their Oscar nominated movie Carol, and ABC refuses to air it as is. They say that the scene with Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara is not suitable for broadcast television. A press release says that ABC will air it if, TWC “provides more coverage on both (ladies).”
Can’t say I blame the network because at :17 seconds in you can see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s nipple. Everyone knows, you can show a lot of things on television but a nipple is not one of them. That is why the actors are given special skin colored underwear to wear during sex scenes.
Nathan Fillion is a handsome fella, so it should be no surprise that he has no problem attracting the pussies. Case in point, he shared a sweet photo of himself getting the purrfect kiss on the lips from a cat. What is his secret? A mouse! I use tuna fish, but hey whatever works!
