Watching Bones

PETA is having their 2008 Sexiest Vegetarians contest again! Be sure to go and cast your vote. I guess I can’t tell you WHO to vote for, but I will put a bug in your ear that Emily Deschanel is on the list! I didn’t see any of the guys from Bones on the list, but at least we can support Emily!

There may have been many, many complaints from us Bones fans about the way the season ended. There was much we felt was left our or unexplained to our satisfaction, however we can’t completely disown the final episode. It most definitely had it’s redeeming moments that were classic of the Bones we know and love.

Sure, the Booth-is-dead thing could have made an entire episode in itself, but hey, they were pressed for time. Sure, we could have done with a few more episodes to build up and/or help explain how in the world Zach converted to a cold-blooded killer, and what the heck happened to him while he was in Iraq, but hey, they were pressed for time. It really sucks that so much great storyline got tossed due to the strike that seems to still be biting us in the butt even after it’s over. But, like I said, our show is still around, and although it’s back on hiatus until the fall, we were left with some gratifying scenes. Don’t believe me? Maybe you don’t remember this one…

Did anyone else notice he was reading a Green Lantern comic book? The character he voiced in the new Jusitce League movie?

Or how about this one? Repressed feelings anyone? I don’t think anyone except maybe Bones and Booth don’t know these two are meant to be together (and that would mostly be because of denial and repression!)

These are just two of some of the great moments from the season finale. I guess the best part is that we have next season to look forward to.

Just wanted to share this article with you - it’s an interview with Eric Millegan in the Lansing State Journal. He talks with them about the night he got the news that his character was being written off the show and how a good night went from bad to worse. It’s a neat insight into the fateful day for one of our favorite squints and how the news was broken to him.

I am a little confused about the “Gormogon logic” they talked about very briefly in the article - something about killing a few to help the many. Maybe I just need to rewatch some of the older episodes when the Gormogon storyline began… That’s something I’m hoping they pick back up on next season as they hopefully bring Millegan back for a few guest spots - the whole “how” he was convinced to join the Gormogon and what brought him to that point. Guess we can only hope!

Millegan reflects on ‘Bones’

U-M, Interlochen alum went from Broadway to TV

Eric Millegan was getting ready for a fine evening.

The “Bones” co-star and University of Michigan theater grad was courtside with his favorite basketball team, the Portland Trail Blazers. Then:

• He learned he would soon be unemployed.

• He learned he’d been helping a serial killer.

• And the Trail Blazers lost.

“That went from one of my best days to one of my worst,” Millegan said.

He’s had time to get used to it now, but viewers may need a while. The season finale aired Monday, packing a surprise.

There was Zack Addy (Millegan), former child prodigy and current sweet-faced scientist. He had been secretly helping Gormogon, the serial killer.

“When I first found out, I was like, ‘That’s ridiculous!’ ” said Millegan, 33.

Then he agreed it’s possible: Zack takes pride in being ruled by logic; he fell for the Gormogon notion of killing a few people to help the many.

By the end of the hour, Gormogon was dead and Zack was being shipped to a mental institution. He might return, Millegan said, but not as a regular.

So Millegan is back to job-searching. He has more turf to search than most, all the way from Hollywood to Broadway.

Before any of this, he was a sweet-voiced teen who grew up in Oregon, but has some of his best memories from Michigan.

He spent three summers at the Interlochen Arts Camp - “the most amazing time in my life” - and won a scholarship to the University of Michigan’s elite musical-theater program.

Those were good years, he said, especially after he became open about his homosexuality. And after graduating, he became busy in musicals.

On Broadway, he was a disciple in the “Jesus Christ Superstar” revival. Elsewhere, he starred with Estelle Parsons in “Harold and Maude” and starred in the early workshops of “Spring Awakening.”

Then came “Bones” and Millegan was considered a fresh face. “I’d been in the business for 10 years,” he said.

Zack was the assistant to “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel), who had an almost maternal fondness for him. Derided as “squints” by the FBI guys, they were better at lab work than at human contact.

“It’s been such a journey,” Millegan said. “I don’t think any character has changed as much, except for Brennan.”

He savored the three years of steady employment. Shortly after the writers’ strike was settled, before actors were called back to work, he went to that Trail Blazers game.

Then he got a call, asking if he could come in the next day for a meeting.

“I’m like, ‘Hmmm. I’m paranoid and this does not sound good.’ ”

So Millegan insisted on the news then. He learned that his character was leaving.

Some good came, he said, including the quiet moment between Zack and Brennan. “It’s a great scene; the whole episode was really good.”

And some bad came, including a return to unemployment. Also, the Trail Blazers finished with a .500 record and missed the playoffs; sometimes, things just don’t work out.

Eric Millegan seems like such a classy guy. The fact that he was gracious enough and cared enough and took the time to send out an email to explain a little bit to his fans this past Monday’s episode, well, that just supports the theory. He’s even shared some of his potential future plans with us, so we’ll know where to look for him in the future. Best of luck to you Eric - we’ll miss you greatly and hope to see you back on the show as a guest star soon and often!

Okay. If you’ve seen the season finale, you’ve found out what I found out two months ago. I will no longer be a series regular on “Bones.” Creatively, they decided to carry out this storyline in which my character, Zack, was the apprentice to the Gormogon serial killer. The storyline landed Zack in a psychiatric facility and so he is no longer working at the Jeffersonian. This wasn’t my choice, but I embraced the challenge as an actor.

Over the last two months, I have been auditioning for some very interesting projects and I will keep you informed as to how it all goes. I’m also planning on bringing my cabaret show to NYC before the year is over. Once the date is set, I will let you know. I want to apologize to all of you for the times, over the last two months, in which I’ve had to be vague about still working on the show. I know that I told TV Guide that no one was leaving the show and well, you never know, my character is alive and there’s always the chance that he could return. Maybe they’ll have to visit Zack to help solve a case! I couldn’t tell you the whole truth because I was sworn to secrecy by the producers to tell no one about my leaving the show until now. I hated not being able to tell you (it really really s ucked) but well, unfortunately, it was my job to keep the secret.

There you go. I will really miss being on the show and I will really miss working with my friends David, Emily, Michaela, TJ, John, Tamara, Patricia and company. I loved working with Hart Hanson, Stephen Nathan, Barry Josephson and all the other producers, writers, and directors. I enjoyed working with the crew and it was an honor to be a member of the FOX family for 3 years. Finally, thank you for your continued support.

Still not over the shock of Monday’s bombshell? Yep, me neither. As excited as I was that they were going to be bringing in a new grad student(s), I certainly didn’t want to see it happen at the expense of one of our own. Zach turning out to be the Gormogon’s apprentice really sucks, although the episode was played excellently by the cast.

Apparently, Eric Millegan wasn’t terribly excited about being written off the show, although he doesn’t seem actually upset about it either. He talks about how it was an exciting way to go. One would wonder if they wrote him off because he wanted to pursue other projects, but he assures us that that wasn’t the case. Below is an interview Millegan did with TVGuide. It gives us a better look into how long they’ve known and what they thought about the way his character was ending his time on the show.

TVGuide.com: OK, so I have to say this out loud. Zack is the Gormogon apprentice.
Millegan: Yup.

TVGuide.com: I’m still cringing. How far in advance did you know about it?
Millegan: Two months ago. They met with me and told me and I was like, “What? Zack eats people?” And they told me that I don’t eat people, I kill them — I never reached the eating stage. And I was like, “Oh, My god.” But I was kind of excited because I knew it was going to be an exciting send-off.

TVGuide.com: So you’re leaving the show?
Millegan: Yeah. But they said, “You know, you’re not going to get killed, so we’ll still have the option of bringing you back.” It was shocking, and I just had to follow it and know that this is what’s happening. Zack ends up carted away to a psychiatric facility, but there is the possibility that the others may come visit me.

TVGuide.com: So we might see you next season then?
Millegan: Well, I’m not a series regular anymore, but it’s possible that I’ll be back from time to time. I can’t say much more than that, unfortunately.

TVGuide.com: Was this all written for you because you wanted to leave the show, or are you simply following the fate of your character?
Millegan: Oh, I’m following the fate of my character. It wasn’t my choice — it was a creative decision to shake things up and make a good season finale.

TVGuide.com: So you only found out you were the apprentice after the strike?
Millegan: That’s right. About a couple weeks before we resumed shooting.

TVGuide.com: Were there more Zack storylines that would have been pursued, had there not been a strike?
Millegan: Yes. As you know, at the end of Season 2, I went off to Iraq. They wanted to address it all in Season 3, but because of the strike they never got to it.

TVGuide.com: I was wondering when the show was going to address Zack’s post-traumatic stress. I kept waiting to see how he was going to deal with it.
Millegan: Yeah, I’m sad that we never got to go there.

TVGuide.com: When you first heard about the Gormogon storyline, who did you think the culprit might end up being?
Millegan: You know, I didn’t think about it. People on the board started saying they thought it was Sweets, the psychiatrist. But that didn’t even dawn on me. And it never dawned on me that it might be one of us, either.

TVGuide.com: When did the rest of the cast know that it was going to be you?
Millegan: Not until I knew. After they told me, they told everyone else.

TVGuide.com: Was it hard to keep it a secret form the rest of the world?
Millegan: Yes. But it’s my job to keep it a secret. And one thing that was hard was that Mike Ausiello did an interview with me at TV Guide’s Sexiest Stars party, and he asked if I was leaving the show. I said no, and I didn’t say I was leaving because I wasn’t allowed to. But then everybody on the message boards ran with that, saying, “Nobody’s leaving the show!” And I just thought, “Oh no, people are going to be mad at me when they find out.”

TVGuide.com: The actor who plays the master Gormogon, we haven’t seen him on the show before, right?
Millegan: No.

TVGuide.com: So was it strange playing Zack as a bad guy?
Millegan: He’s not so much a bad guy. He’s more a victim of brainwashing. It’s Zack’s intelligence that got in the way, because Gormogon rationalized [his cause] with him.

TVGuide.com: Do you think by the end of the episode, Zack really understood how he’d been used by the Gormogon master?
Millegan: Yeah, I think it really hit him hard. And actually, there was a moment that was cut out of the episode of Zack saying he’s sorry right after he explains how to catch Gormogon. Just an “I’m sorry.” I saw the cut, and realized they’d cut that out and was like, “No! Zack has to say he’s sorry!”

TVGuide.com: What have you’ve enjoyed most about working on this show?
Millegan: Working with the people. David [Boreanaz], Emily [Deschanel], T.J.[Thyne], Michaela[Conlin] and Tamara [Taylor] have been just wonderful to work with, and we really bonded very closely. Emily and I are even going to be singing “I Got You Babe” together at an AIDS benefit in August. So I’m still going to be bonded to them.

TVGuide.com: I think fans are going to feel like there’s an important chunk of the family missing.
Millegan: I hope so. I hope people miss me.

I can’t believe this. I never saw it coming. Don’t know how really, the signs were there, but somehow it’s a complete shock that Zack Addy, the baby-faced, innocent, genius squint on Bones’s team is in fact the Gorgomon’s apprentice. I’m shocked. I’m disappointed. I’m a little bit in denial.

This is a sad, sad, day for us.

Like I said, there were signs. I’d heard the rumors that Eric Millegan may not be coming back next season - even after he said he wasn’t leaving the show. And there had been speculation, although the same discussion boards also offered Hodgins and Sweets as possible Gorgomon suspects. I didn’t take any of those seriously. How could it be Zack? I feel like we’ve missed a big part of his story - due in large part to that stupid strike that took away so much time from us! Is this in some how related to what he went through in Iraq?

The people in charge of the show have pointed out that since Zack wasn’t killed, they still have the option of bringing him back as a guest star - but short of having the staff of the Jeffersonian visit him in the looney bin, I can’t see them giving him a day-pass to help out on a case. Even as silly as having his ex-co-workers visit him may be, I suppose it would be better than not finding out the why’s and wherefore’s behind what happened. How in the world was someone as brilliant as Zack conned in to becoming the apprentice to someone so obviously sick? Bones said on the show last night that his intelligence got in the way. Well, I’d still like a better explanation than that.

How about you - did any of you see this coming? I have to say that even my husband who’s usually annoyingly good at figuring out the plotline before it’s revealed on the show didn’t see this one coming.

We’ve heard the rumors, we’ve watched anxiously for some kind of clues about the ending, but tomorrow night we finally get to see what brilliance the writers have come up with for the season finale of Bones. Below, Zap2it has an interview with the cast and crew of Bones to give us a little (very little) insight into what we can expect to see. Oh, yeah, just in case you don’t want to know:

No, really, the article is great, but it’s doesn’t’ reveal anything terribly earth-shattering. Filled mostly with a lot of vaugeries and illusions to things we’ve heard elsewhere, the interview basically just whets our appetites for tomorrow night. Oh, and Hart Hanson works hard to steer us onto the wrong path and gets himself a little confused in the process, but that’s something you’ll just have to see for yourself. Read on below to see for yourself…

It’s April on the set of Bones. The beautifully dressed stage that represents the Jeffersonian is bathed in a murky haze and smells of manufactured smoke and Chinese food. The Gormogon killer has struck again.

[This story contains some spoilers and some speculation. Be warned!]

To be fair, craft services deserves the credit for the Chinese aromas. The Gormogon is only responsible for the odor of sulfur, which is pumping from long tubes onto the set, setting the stage for the show’s third season finale, which will air on Monday, May 19.

A bomb has gone off at the Jeffersonian, but I probably shouldn’t tell you who its victim was. I probably shouldn’t mention which regular member of the cast is wearing tattered gloves and having his or her hands slathered with KY-Jelly to simulate what looks to be a potentially crippling injury. I probably shouldn’t tell you what’s happened to David Boreanaz’s Booth in the aftermath of the bullet he took to the chest in last week’s episode, except to say that Boreanaz is the only major cast member I didn’t talk to for this story.

Any context for the explosion and the events of the finale might, in fact, might be damning.

As Bones creator Hart Hanson puts it, “We can’t have you getting the context. Because if you knew what happened at the beginning, it would be a disaster and if you knew what happened at the end it would be a disaster.”

The most important thing that can be revealed about the finale is that not only will the Gormogon return, but the killer’s reign of terror will come to an end after a season of steady investigation.

“He worked slowly into this,” reflects T.J. Thyne of the killer, whose appearances have been woven into the third season. “He’s been around a while at this point.”

“I’m glad he’s back, though,” adds Tamara Taylor. “It’s just such a creepy, creepy storyline.”

“Creepy” is, in fact, the first word that comes to several of the stars’ lips when attempting to describe the killer, known for his appetite for flesh-eating and skeleton sculptures.

“It’s pretty creepy, when you think about it,” agrees Emily Deschanel, whose Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan somewhat gives the show its name. “Maybe because I got buried alive by The Gravedigger, I’m more terrified of the Gravedigger? But now it’s hitting close to home with the Gormogon thing. It’s creepy, the secret society thing, killing all these people off, and just secret societies in general. And then you have people eating not just one person, but they’ve invited people to dinner, quote-unquote.”

In the process of catching Gormogon, the Jeffersonian team will inevitably have to reveal his (or her) identity, a process that’s stymied fans of the show throughout the season.

“There really haven’t been that many clues and I don’t think anyone could have guessed,” Taylor, who plays Dr. Cam Saroyan on the FOX drama, admits.

Thyne, known to fans as Dr. Jack Hodgins, insists, “I had a few hunches.”

He doesn’t offer to share.

Don’t expect Hanson to offer any hints either. Quite the opposite.

“I’m not telling you who it is, but it’s shocking,” Hanson offers. “It’s shocking and it’s not not someone you have never seen before. No. Yes it is. It is someone you’ve not… No. No. It’s not not someone you’ve seen before.”

Did Hanson just confuse himself? Or is the Gormogon indeed somebody we’ve met before this season?

Another person not prone to giving away excessive information is John Francis Daley, whose baby-faced shrink Dr. Lance Sweets also first appeared earlier this season, which more than a few viewers suspect isn’t a total coincidence.

“I can’t really get into it, but everyone gets to go to a pretty dark place by the end of the season,” Daley says.

Michaela Conlin, whose Angela Montenegro has spent much of the season trying to track down her first husband to open the door for new nuptials with Hodgins, says that there are certain advantages to the murky places the finale gets to go.

“This episode in particular, it’s a very intense episode,” Conlin says. “When I read it, I nearly fell off my chair. I think it’s incredibly surprising for many reasons and shocking from start to finish. The great thing about these episodes is that we’re all working together in the show. A lot of times the show will be split between David and Emily and maybe T.J. and me, but this episode is a lot of us working as a team and those are always… they promote a lot giggling on the show.”

Perhaps the combination of giggling and intensity is why Thyne says, “It’s been a rollercoaster, this episode. Emotionally, it’s been a crazy rollercoaster for the actors as well as the characters. There’s a lot happening.”

And where will the episode find our heroes when it ends?

“Devastated in the beginning,” Taylor says. “Devastated at the end.”

In honor of David’s birthday, I thought I’d share a blooper reel that as Boreanaz fans you should enjoy. Sure, it’s bloopers of Angel, but hey, Boreanaz is Boreanaz. And besides, it’s hilarious! I think my absolute favorite is the shots of him dancing. I can’t even begin to describe it - you’ve got to watch for yourself. I’d love to see him in a comedic role. Not Adam Sandler goofy, but something where he could have a lot of fun in. (I’m sure he has plenty of fun on Bones, but you know what I mean.) He looks like he would definitely make the set a great place to be!

If you’d prefer to stay on topic with Bones bloopers, be sure to check out the video I posted back in March. Definitely a must-see. Plenty of Boreanaz goofiness, and of course he’s joined by the rest of the cast!

This Friday, May 16th, is David Boreanaz’s birthday. He’s 39 years old this year. Happy Birthday David! Hope it’s a great one!

I realize the episode has already aired, but I always enjoy seeing the actors talk about their work and give us some behind-the-scenes info. It’s just kind of neat to see how they work together to give us the finished product that we see every Monday night.

Here’s a quick interview from Emily Deschanel about the episode The Wannabe in the Weeds. She talks about having nightmares that made her a little “jittery” about singing. She also mentions that she and David Boreanaz are Idol fans. Brandon Rogers also talks briefly about having met Deschanel and Boreanaz previously.

And here’s a quick video interview with Emily and then Emily and David together. I love their chemistry - the fact that they work hard on the show is benefited so much from the fact that they’re also friends. They talk about David giving Emily pointers and “notes” about the singing she does in the episode. Guess his previous karaoke experience came in handy here…

We got to see Emily Deschanel sing recently on The Wannabe in the Weeds episode of Bones where our dynamic duo starred alongside of two American Idol former stars. Too bad we didn’t get a chance to see David Boreanaz up on stage showing his vocal talents! However, if you’re a fan of Angel, that’s something you got the chance to experience in several episodes when Boreanaz’s character Angel sang karaoke for an empath demon so he could get information about an innocent.

So it’s not the same as seeing Agent Booth sing (that’s for sure) but it’s still a sight to see. Although you can immediately tell there are huge differences in the two roles in question, I just thought I’d share the video for those of you unfamiliar with David’s past karaoke experience. And for those of us who’ve already enjoyed it, well, here it is again for your listening (and comedic) pleasure!

Check out the interview that Men’s Fitness did with TJ Thyne. It’s a neat look into who this guy is. I’ve always thought that TJ seemed like a really neat, down-to-earth kind of guy, and this interview really supports that impression. In the interview, he talks about how he started in the business, his love for film, TV, and stage, his relationships with co-workers and fans alike, and of course, his fitness routine.

He also talked about how Hollywood has moved a lot of production to Louisiana due to the tax breaks of bringing business into the area left devastated by Katrina, which I thought was neat. (He was there working on the film “The Pardon” in which he was Father Richard. The film is about Toni Jo Henry, the only woman ever to be electrocuted by the State of Louisiana. Sounds cheerful.)

TJ also has a few other films coming out soon. He’s finished work on the films The Human Contract and The Last Full Measure. Read on for the whole interview. (more…)

Now that the episode has aired, this isn’t exactly ground-breaking, but I wanted to go ahead and share it anyway. This is the full page shot TV Guide had in their magazine this week to promote this week’s episode of Bones. It was labeled a “Must-See of the Week,” which is how I think it should be every week, but hey, what can I do?

Hart Hanson was quoted as saying, “It’s funny because Emily is a good singer…and Brennan is not.” Well, I hope you enjoyed the hilarity of watching Bones perform! It’s a good thing she’s got a good day job! Too bad she couldn’t take Sweets and Booth’s comments to heart, but I understand why she wanted to believe her mom that she sang better than Cyndi Lauper! Too funny!

I wouldn’t mind seeing a clip of Emily singing for real though - since she’s gotten props from Hanson, I mean, it’s not like her mom swearing she was a good singer!

Tonight’s episode looks like it’s going to be another great one! Not only are we going to see several American Idol contestants on the show, but more interestingly, it looks like we’re going to get to see Bones sing!

According to the write-up on Fox’s site, tonight’s episode will guest-star Ace Young and Brandon Rogers from American Idol.

“Brennan and Booth probe the murder of an aspiring young singer, Tommy Sour (former AMERICAN IDOL contestant Ace Young), whose body was discovered on a rural roadside. They investigate the singer’s many fans and foes in the music circuit, and, in particular, one obsessed woman who redirects her affections toward Booth after Tommy’s death. As the team searches to find out who silenced Tommy once and for all, a shocking occurrence may change the Jeffersonian team forever as one member is caught in the line of fire in “The Wannabe in the Weeds” episode of BONES airing Monday, May 12″

There are several videos available to see quick preview clips of tonight’s episode, a few that I didn’t post because they were mainly musical performances (and not Booth’s or Bones’s). The funny part about those clips is seeing Booth cringe and say that some of the people actually think they’re good. Sounds true to life to the real American Idol!

It also looks like we’ll get to see more of Sweets. I love his lines about being mocked (by Booth). Poor guy. Can’t get any respect!

And Bones lets on that we should expect a great performance from her, because her mother told her that she sang better than Cyndi Lauper. Because moms always tell you the honest truth…

Don’t miss it!

Oh, and Happy belated Mother’s Day!

I can’t even begin to imagine how these people get their hands on the info they do - I crawl the web as often as my 15-month-old will let me for new scoops, but apparently I’m not looking in the right places (or I don’t have the right connections.)

The Bones Spoilers on LiveJournal have a slew of spoilers posted (hence the name), but on that they’ve got is just too good not to share. So, here goes:

Looks like some of the lines from the upcoming The Finger in the Nest has been leaked, and these guys were kind enough to share. One of the lines for TJ Thyne’s character Hodgins is: “First, my best friend who used to work here, with me, he got into some big trouble and… he’s locked up now and I miss him…”

Okay, we can assume he’s talking about Zach since we already know that Bones is getting a new grad student. But what’s he locked up for? Some of the speculation on the boards is that he’s Gormagon, but I don’t buy it. I’m going to guess it has something to do with the time he spent in Iraq - we never did get the full story on why he came home like he did. I don’t think he was a deserter or anything, and I don’t expect it to be anything huge, but who knows, I could be seriously surprised. And with awesome writers like the show has, I’m sure the way it pans out will be great.

Also, later he also says: And Angela - you know Angela, she and I used to - we were engaged to be married, and well, that went south, too.

I don’t know what to think about this one. If you believe Ausiello, we’ve been promised more kissing - but not necessarily from Bones/Booth, so I assumed it was the Angela/Hodgins deal. Maybe not? But really, can you see the writers breaking up our only satisfying relationship on the show? Oh well, guess we’ll have to wait and see! What agony!