Watching Bones

Getting into the heads of the creators and writers of our favorite shows is always interesting. Seeing how they come up with the story lines and where they take the characters is something that’s just neat. In a recent interview, Hart Hanson talked about coming up with the character’s backgrounds and personal lives. While it’s easy to assume that they’ve got all this stuff planned out, he revealed that although they pretty much had Booth and Bone’s stories in place, the rest of the cast is developing as the show goes, and is a kind of “reverse engineering.”

It’s neat to know that as the show continues, the actors and the relationships they build while playing their characters affects the turns the show takes. So, I guess while I’d love to see some better resolution to the Angela/Hodgins relationship, it’s interesting to see that because of how Hanson and the others involved in working on the show feel that Michaela Conlin has developed her character so well that she has made them rethink where they’re taking Angela. Hart said “In fact, she’s been so much fun to watch that is has had an effect on the storyline; that we think well, wait a minute; maybe we should go here now or instead of slamming back into what we first had in mind.”

So, although I’d love to see Angela and Hodgins work through their issues better - even if they don’t end up back together again (I’m really unsatisfied with how they “resolved” their breakup), maybe watching to see where the character development takes the show could make for an even better resolution in the long run!

Also, as much as we may be upset about the introduction of a little brother-Booth/Bones relationship, it should help build and change the shape of the existing older brother-Booth/Bones relationship. It’s interesting to hear that Hart Hanson has said that while they started out with a plan to do one thing with the Bones/Jared relationship, when the actors got together, there was a different chemistry between them that they didn’t expect. I like the idea that “originally, the idea was that Jared would be weaker, a more of a little brother than he is… but it turns out that Jared can stand there toe to toe with Booth and it just gives us a better story.”

Can’t wait to see where the show goes!

Bones without Booth? What kind of show would that be? Well, that’s the show we almost got, if it hadn’t been for the chemistry between Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. Turns out that originally, the show was slated to have Brennan as a single lead with Booth’s character as just a limited supporting role. Booth was planned to be in 13 of the 24 episodes in the first season, while Brennan was going to interact with other cops in addition to Booth.

While it took a little while to cast the leading man, David Boreanaz was suggested to Hart Hanson and he jumped at the chance to sign him. He said, “I thought he could be funny. I underestimated him. He can be very funny.” Brennan’s character turned out to be an even bigger challenge. Emily Deschanel was recommended by a friend of Barry Josephson’s who had worked with her on the movie Glory Road. She fit the role, but unfortunately she wasn’t quite as easy a sell for all those involved.

Apparently, Boreanaz wasn’t thrilled with Deschanel at the very beginning, and “challenged” her to step up to the role. According to Hart Hanson, “David had another actress he liked, that he thought should be the lead. David’s a very strong-willed man. So he… I wouldn’t say sabotage… he challenged Emily to rise to the occasion by advancing on her.

David’s about 6′1″, and about 200 lbs of shoulders with pecs attached, and the ‘package’ and knees… very, very… he’s a guy… And he advanced on her in the network test. And Emily stepped into it. She stepped right toward him. And then they had one of the exchanges that we used in the pilot. And it was when even a thick-head like me went ‘whoa.’”

It’s a good thing Emily is the actress she is, or we might just be watching some other version of Bones!

At the Banff World Television Festival recently, Hart Hanson gave attenders an earful about the show and what we almost had - from the beginning and if we hadn’t have had the writer’s strike to screw us out of so many episodes this season. What he had to say was pretty enlightening.

I know that we’re all upset about losing one of our favorite squints, and the thought that Zack turned evil is completely wrong, but hey, it’s what we’re stuck with. But, how would you like it if instead of having Zack go off the deep end and only available for occasional guest spots, he ended up completely gone - as in dead and gone? Originally, Zack wasn’t intended to be the Gormagon’s apprentice, but a victim of the serial cannibal. The thing that really sucks about this is that the reason Zack ended up the apprentice is that the strike caused the writers to have to wrap up the season quickly, so instead of saving the storyline to develop better next season, we ended up with a chopped version which didn’t really mesh with the rest of the season, plus we lost Zack. (Although I guess really we were going to lose him anyway…)

Apparently though, regardless of his mental state of being, Eric Millegan’s guest appearance status has been confirmed for season 4, so we can at least count of seeing him again. (Yay!) So far the ideas include visits to the mental hospital and gloves for Zack’s melted fingers.

One of the funny things about all this is that although Zack’s departure from the show has garnered a most definite negative response, the season finale was the highest watched episode of Bones to date, and since then the Fox Bones site has more traffic now, and more response of their forum than ever. I guess it’s no secret that controversy sells!

Well, we’ve been promised more background on Booth’s family, and it looks like we’re going to get it after all, just not this season. Understandably due to the strike, the writers are working doubletime to readjust the final episodes of the season and are having to streamline the stories. Regardless of the extra work, everyone is excited to be back to work, and some are even a little emotional. “The moment I drove on the lot for the first time in three months, I got a little choked up,â€? said Executive Producer Hart Hanson. He went on to say that as far as Booth’s storyline goes, “Booth’s family story is just gone. It will go into Season 4… We don’t want to give it short shrift.”

As you probably know already, the new episodes for the end of Season 3 will resume in April, and we’re going to enjoy six more episodes before we have to break for the summer. Among them will be the episode that was pulled from last season due to the VA Tech shootings.

Meanwhile, if you’re still jonezing for a Bones fix, TNT has picked up Bones reruns and is airing them as part of their weekly schedule. So, just a few more weeks of reruns and then we’re back to the real deal. Yay for us!

We love Bones. We love the cast, the storyline, the writing. We love the dynamic relationship between Booth and Bones that keeps us wanting more. We love Zach’s inability to relate to common people, Angela and Hodgins unconventional relationship and Cam’s ability to be a boss, friend and colleage all at the same time. Now, as we finish up Season 3 and look forward to Season 4, there may be a new thing for us to love…

According to an interview with David Boreanaz and Hart Hanson, the show has just received a go-ahead for 20 new episodes in Season 4, and the possibility of shooting abroad! Hanson said “Some of the contenders are Spain, Monaco, Italy — it just depends on how it gets put together.”

Now that Boreanaz is a producer on the show, he’s enjoying the ability to make a bigger impact on the show, which includes location. He’s finding out that being a producer isn’t all glitz and glamour though. “I’m actually busier now. I’m not scheduling myself out of any episodes. This has enabled me to do more things, expand my horizons, meet other people, make more impact.”

I guess we’ll have to wait and see where the show ends up as far as location, but regardless of where it is, I’m sure it will only get better!

Ever wonder what’s behind some of our favorite shows? Well, besides a good cast and crew, we already know, and have never felt their importance more so than recently, we know there’s the writers. Well, ever wonder about them? The writers, I mean. Who are these people that so brilliantly, and sometimes maybe not so brilliantly, bring these characters to life that we follow week after week, hopefully pining away for them as the seasons come to an end, waiting anxiously for the next season to start so we can pick up where we left off… Wow, these guys have a lot of sway over us, the audience!

Well, Bones Creator and Executive Producer Hart Hanson, has answered the question Why We Write in an article posted on the blog by the same name. His response is incredible, I can’t even give you a review that would bring it justice. I’m not really talking about mind-blowing, eye-opening stuff, but you really get a look into the mind of a creative vessel, if that’s what you would call it. Hart Hanson comes across as someone who would be a heck of a lot of fun to hang out with just to see what he was going to come up with next.

He beings his piece by saying “Obviously, I write because something in my psyche went horribly wrong. You know what I’m talking about. If I were a healthy, fully-integrated, functional human being I’d explore the ocean floor or build bridges or perform heart-transplants on blue babies. So would you.

My number one job? Blimp driver! C’mon! Drifting over big cool events waving down at throngs of the earth-bound? Flying at about the same speed as a wobbly drunk crossing the street? How sweet would that be?”

Later on, he says, “I write because I’m totally confused by the world. I never know what’s going on. I absolutely never know what absolutely anything absolutely means. I ask and the good-hearted, intelligent souls around me do their best to explain but I don’t get it.”

If you’re a fan of the show, do yourself a favor and go check out Hart’s answer to why he writes and get a little insight into the person who’s driving the show. You won’t regret it!

GotNews.TV has posted the following interview with Bones creator and writer Hart Hanson on the writers strike. Hart, along with Emily Deschanel, Micheala Conlin, and Eric Millegan address the strike and says that fans can help get things rolling again by writing letters, sending emails and by sending pencils. Yes, pencils. If you check out pencils2mediamoguls, you can send a box of pencils to the studios show your support for the writers. The hope is that they will come back to the table for more talks with a better outcome than we’ve had previously. The site says that the point of all of this is “we want the media moguls to start negotiating in good faith. We want the strike to end with a fair deal for both sides.”

Nikki Finke says, “Now is the time to save ALL our shows. Mail pencils to the AMPTP and to any studios whose shows you enjoy… Maybe we can help the studios see just how much support the WGA has. And maybe, just maybe, we can give them a graceful way out (not because they’re buckling under the writer’s demands, but because they care so much about their audience. Us. And isn’t that supposed to be their job?”

As much as I would hope that as the fans and viewers of the shows that we could make a difference, it seems that more often than not it comes down to the money. However, if they don’t keep the viewers happy, I guess that will hurt their pocket books in the long run… I hope that our efforts as fans DO have an impact, so definitely take the time to send a box of pencils if you can (it’s only $1) or send a letter or email. The site also has the names and addresses of the six media moguls - the men that run the multi-media conglomerates - and who are in charge and actually have the power to make a difference. They’re the people we need to contact - in a NICE, POLITE way please!

One of the really great things about the pencils2mediamoguls campaign is that any money left over will go to the Union Solidarity Fund, which supports the non-WGA members affected by the strike. I just think this is an awesome thing! Oh, and if you’re concerned about the waste of pencils, the vendor who is supplying them makes them from sustainably harvested wood (they don’t deforest) - Emily would be proud!