and well I can- Hear the bells - are Ringing joyful - and triumphant
__________________________________________________
VM 2.20 "Epic" scene at the alterna-Prom. V says she really likes this song.
Mike Doughty: Music
Mike Doughty huh? I thought sounded like Soul Coughing. ah ha. he is Soul Coughing. oh. was. Soul Coughing - Wkp: was a New York-based alternative rock band active in the 1990s. They found only modest mainstream success, but had a devoted following and largely positive responses from critics; Steve Huey describes them as "one of the most unique cult bands of the '90s ... driven by frontman M. Doughty's stream-of-consciousness poetry, Soul Coughing's sound was a willfully idiosyncratic mix of improvisational jazz grooves, oddball samples, hip-hop, electronics, and noisy experimentalism (described by Doughty as 'deep slacker jazz').
1 this is good in that VM scene. I like it a lot. and it is on the soundtrack. track 2 "I Hear the Bells" by Mike Doughty
2 also, in some scene they had "Breathe Me" the Sia song from the Six Feet Under finale montage but in VM it was a different version. quicker I think. here go: Breathe Me (Four Tet remix) by Sia (Colour the Small One, 2006): Flashback of Veronica and Logan's make-out session interupted by Dick and Lucky. - The Music Of Veronica Mars: Episode 2-18: "I Am God"
3 and in season three the episode I saw where V is not trusting Logan and at end he comes to the help desk they are playing that hu-hu-hu-hu-h-huuu and it breaks my heart and it breaks my-- song that I bkmrk each time it comes on the radio and I did find the singer's name but d n remember right now. here go: And it breaks my heart - Regina Spektor
so that's three nice pop-indie songs used: M Doughty, Sia, Regina Spektor
and season one: Crimson & Clover. A Momentary Thing. and? there was another I liked v mch. oh. not so much but yes liked it: No Blue Sky (Cold outside, But I don't blame the weather.)
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Sound Bites 10/2005: Gratuitous Indie Rock TV Cameos
It's not just The O.C. and Gilmore Girls name-checking the indie rock these days. Dandy Warhols ' front-man Courtney Taylor-Taylor had a cameo in last night's excellent episode of Veronica Mars, performing a karaoke version of Nazareth's "Love Hurts" (!) at Neptune's local hangout Java the Hut. It was better than almost anything on the Dandy's new album, Odditorium or the Warlords of Mars . Of course, the Dandy Warhols' "We Used to Be Friends" is the Veronica Mars theme so it's not that surprising that he would appear on the show, but it did stick out somewhat like a sore thumb. If you're not watching Veronica Mars , you're missing one of the best shows -- probably THE best, alongside Lost -- on television right now. In the first season the titular teen sleuth solved a weekly mystery while having working on the season-long plots of who killed her best friend, who slipped her roofies and took away her virginity, and what happened to her runaway mom -- all while dealing with high school and a love triangle where you actually kind of liked both suitors. And the Season One finale was just brilliant, about as perfect an episode of TV as you could get huh the dramatic fire scene wasn't cheesy? or something?. This year so far is firing on all cylinders, upping the ante plot-wise while breaking out of the first season's small-case-big-case episodic formula. yeah I like how second season the small cases seem less separate more tied in to the overarching mysteries & central characters. right?
Sound Bites 12/2005: A Series of Sneaks:
I'll say it again: Veronica Mars is, currently, the best-written show on television -- a crown formerly held by Gilmore Girls. (It's still #2.) Another title Veronica Mars seems to be aiming for is Coolest Music on a TV show, once also held by Gilmore Girls , then usurped by The O.C . The show isn't there yet but they're trying.
Earlier in the season, Courtney Taylor-Taylor of the Dandy Warhols (whose "We Used to Be Friends" is the VM theme song) had a cameo on the show in a scene at a karaoke bar. Word is Spoon's Britt Daniel will appear in a similar karaoke cameo singing Elvis Costello's "Veronica." I liked it, liked the song v mch.
Seriously. Veronica Mars may look like a dumb teen detective series, but it's the classiest hour on television. Veronica Mars - The Complete First Season is now on DVD. Season Two is even better, with the "mystery of the week" much more integrated ah yup into the bigger, season-long mystery which is getting about as juicy the game hens she roasted last on last night's episode. (In addition to being whip-smart, funny and easy-on-the-eyes, did I mention Veronica can also cook?) If you want to jump in mid-season, fansite Mars Investigations will get you up to speed...
Asking the Wrong Questions: The Girl Detective On Her Second Outing: Scattered Veronica Mars Thoughts: FOOTNOTE [4] Although sometimes the writers take pity on us, and sprinkle helpful hints in the soundtrack. In 'Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle', Veronica is inspired to help Logan and Weevil by the karaoke singer who serenades her with Elvis Costello's 'Veronica', which includes the lyrics
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her
own and a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure
if her name is Veronica
It's not just The O.C. and Gilmore Girls name-checking the indie rock these days. Dandy Warhols ' front-man Courtney Taylor-Taylor had a cameo in last night's excellent episode of Veronica Mars, performing a karaoke version of Nazareth's "Love Hurts" (!) at Neptune's local hangout Java the Hut. It was better than almost anything on the Dandy's new album, Odditorium or the Warlords of Mars . Of course, the Dandy Warhols' "We Used to Be Friends" is the Veronica Mars theme so it's not that surprising that he would appear on the show, but it did stick out somewhat like a sore thumb. If you're not watching Veronica Mars , you're missing one of the best shows -- probably THE best, alongside Lost -- on television right now. In the first season the titular teen sleuth solved a weekly mystery while having working on the season-long plots of who killed her best friend, who slipped her roofies and took away her virginity, and what happened to her runaway mom -- all while dealing with high school and a love triangle where you actually kind of liked both suitors. And the Season One finale was just brilliant, about as perfect an episode of TV as you could get huh the dramatic fire scene wasn't cheesy? or something?. This year so far is firing on all cylinders, upping the ante plot-wise while breaking out of the first season's small-case-big-case episodic formula. yeah I like how second season the small cases seem less separate more tied in to the overarching mysteries & central characters. right?
Sound Bites 12/2005: A Series of Sneaks:
I'll say it again: Veronica Mars is, currently, the best-written show on television -- a crown formerly held by Gilmore Girls. (It's still #2.) Another title Veronica Mars seems to be aiming for is Coolest Music on a TV show, once also held by Gilmore Girls , then usurped by The O.C . The show isn't there yet but they're trying.
Earlier in the season, Courtney Taylor-Taylor of the Dandy Warhols (whose "We Used to Be Friends" is the VM theme song) had a cameo on the show in a scene at a karaoke bar. Word is Spoon's Britt Daniel will appear in a similar karaoke cameo singing Elvis Costello's "Veronica." I liked it, liked the song v mch.
Seriously. Veronica Mars may look like a dumb teen detective series, but it's the classiest hour on television. Veronica Mars - The Complete First Season is now on DVD. Season Two is even better, with the "mystery of the week" much more integrated ah yup into the bigger, season-long mystery which is getting about as juicy the game hens she roasted last on last night's episode. (In addition to being whip-smart, funny and easy-on-the-eyes, did I mention Veronica can also cook?) If you want to jump in mid-season, fansite Mars Investigations will get you up to speed...
Asking the Wrong Questions: The Girl Detective On Her Second Outing: Scattered Veronica Mars Thoughts: FOOTNOTE [4] Although sometimes the writers take pity on us, and sprinkle helpful hints in the soundtrack. In 'Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle', Veronica is inspired to help Logan and Weevil by the karaoke singer who serenades her with Elvis Costello's 'Veronica', which includes the lyrics
Well she used to have a carefree mind of her
own and a delicate look in her eye
These days I'm afraid she's not even sure
if her name is Veronica
Thursday, June 28, 2007
TWoP - VM 2.7 - Nobody Puts Baby in A Corner - The 09 Is Even Worse Than You Thought - recaplet p1:
Things start off with a Couch Baron shout-out, so I'm feeling pretty comfortable with this fill-in gig already. occured to me today & so I searched ggl ("couch baron" logan veronica awkward endurance)
Lamb arrests Veronica and Duncan, and then goes back to check their story -- revealing his family was just a little "09er" itself -- and releases Veronica and Duncan, only to park his cop car in front of the Mannings' house and just hang out a while. Ordinarily I'd think that's a little extreme, but this is Neptune, and their child was totally locked in a secret room inside her closet, so hey, Lamb? You wanna maybe beat them up or something? I don't know if "parking in a menacing fashion" is really going to cut it.
..recap proper..
You don't know from anxiety until you try to sub for a beloved and hilarious recapper on maybe the most continuity-obsessed show in the history of television.
We open on Veronica cuddling down with Duncan at the Presidential Suite, very much enjoying tonight's screening of The Big Lebowski and talking along with the dialogue.I am not Mr Lebowski, man. I'm the Dude. or Duder, or Dudorama if you're not into the whole brevity thing. Duncan is so unimpressed and bored and trying to make out, and it's striking how unsurprising it is that Veronica loves this film. And that Duncan is bored by it. heh well Jacob recapper you are doing fine so far, seem to know the characters.
Logan plops down on the couch, whinging that Duncan's watching The Big Lebowski without him, and Duncan placates that he didn't know when Logan was coming home. The math of Veronica goes like this: about 60% awkward-interrupted makeout, 20% happy to see Logan because he's awesome, and 10% confused as to whether this has anything to with her. She tries to be all middle-child huh and starts the movie up again: "You just missed the supermarket scene."
Logan: "I was reading Third Wheel: A Beginner's Guide? And we should come up with, like, some kind of codeword, for when you guys are feeling frisky and don't wanna be disturbed." "Like 'scram'?" asks Veronica, and Logan grins beautifully as he delivers the most in-your-face Couch Baron/Wing Chun shout-out yet: "I was thinking 'awkward.' But 'scram's good. Or 'amscray.'" that's great, the relationship btw twop & the show maker, but the thing is I never liked that 'awkward' bit (couch baron talking in prvs recaps about how wing says that when faced with an awkward encounter eh). and it is pretty out of character, isn't it, for Logan to pick this codeword? it's not very funny and he would not recognize this as awkward, right, bcs that acknowledges emotional investment. hmm so what did they say in the forum about this, in the episode forum the night it aired?
I can't really read Dunc's or Veronica's face. Are they irritated because Logan's there at all? Because that's pretty harsh. Normally, I think the people Logan comes into contact with are a little soft on him, but -- dude, he just walked into his house, and the temp went down 60 degrees, and he hasn't even said anything balls-out awful yet. Maybe it's just general awkward vibe, which you know Logan's been pokin' pokin' pokin' since he moved in. Poor screwed-up, gorgeous kid. I saw this & went back to see if he meant Logan, thinking he'd mean Duncan 'gorgeous', but no he did mean Logan yes.
Things start off with a Couch Baron shout-out, so I'm feeling pretty comfortable with this fill-in gig already. occured to me today & so I searched ggl ("couch baron" logan veronica awkward endurance)
Lamb arrests Veronica and Duncan, and then goes back to check their story -- revealing his family was just a little "09er" itself -- and releases Veronica and Duncan, only to park his cop car in front of the Mannings' house and just hang out a while. Ordinarily I'd think that's a little extreme, but this is Neptune, and their child was totally locked in a secret room inside her closet, so hey, Lamb? You wanna maybe beat them up or something? I don't know if "parking in a menacing fashion" is really going to cut it.
..recap proper..
You don't know from anxiety until you try to sub for a beloved and hilarious recapper on maybe the most continuity-obsessed show in the history of television.
We open on Veronica cuddling down with Duncan at the Presidential Suite, very much enjoying tonight's screening of The Big Lebowski and talking along with the dialogue.I am not Mr Lebowski, man. I'm the Dude. or Duder, or Dudorama if you're not into the whole brevity thing. Duncan is so unimpressed and bored and trying to make out, and it's striking how unsurprising it is that Veronica loves this film. And that Duncan is bored by it. heh well Jacob recapper you are doing fine so far, seem to know the characters.
Logan plops down on the couch, whinging that Duncan's watching The Big Lebowski without him, and Duncan placates that he didn't know when Logan was coming home. The math of Veronica goes like this: about 60% awkward-interrupted makeout, 20% happy to see Logan because he's awesome, and 10% confused as to whether this has anything to with her. She tries to be all middle-child huh and starts the movie up again: "You just missed the supermarket scene."
Logan: "I was reading Third Wheel: A Beginner's Guide? And we should come up with, like, some kind of codeword, for when you guys are feeling frisky and don't wanna be disturbed." "Like 'scram'?" asks Veronica, and Logan grins beautifully as he delivers the most in-your-face Couch Baron/Wing Chun shout-out yet: "I was thinking 'awkward.' But 'scram's good. Or 'amscray.'" that's great, the relationship btw twop & the show maker, but the thing is I never liked that 'awkward' bit (couch baron talking in prvs recaps about how wing says that when faced with an awkward encounter eh). and it is pretty out of character, isn't it, for Logan to pick this codeword? it's not very funny and he would not recognize this as awkward, right, bcs that acknowledges emotional investment. hmm so what did they say in the forum about this, in the episode forum the night it aired?
I can't really read Dunc's or Veronica's face. Are they irritated because Logan's there at all? Because that's pretty harsh. Normally, I think the people Logan comes into contact with are a little soft on him, but -- dude, he just walked into his house, and the temp went down 60 degrees, and he hasn't even said anything balls-out awful yet. Maybe it's just general awkward vibe, which you know Logan's been pokin' pokin' pokin' since he moved in. Poor screwed-up, gorgeous kid. I saw this & went back to see if he meant Logan, thinking he'd mean Duncan 'gorgeous', but no he did mean Logan yes.
TWoP VM 2.9 recap p1 Meeeeooooow! (Ffffft!): 3 items from recaplet on p1
1#Kendall drops by the Neptune Grand to see Duncan, and it doesn't look like anything happened between them before it doesn't? bcs he rebuffs her now? but she was nude in his room I dunno, but it does lead to Trina and Kendall having a Buffy-reunion smackdown, although it's Logan who gets one of the best lines of the entire series. what was that? I did like the bit about the joke being on Trina who came over to borrow his video camera " and does like a good exit line" - but one of best lines in the series? *see below. A second Neptune Grand smackdown ensues between Veronica and Celeste, teaching the Buffy alumnae how it's done. nice.
2#The prom baby, it turns out, is Trina, but her mom isn't Celeste -- it's a mute woman who's worked at the school for years. Also, Trina's dad is the principal. Surprisingly, both these revelations bring out the best in Trina, and in the end, Clemmons is principal, and what's more, that was his plan all along. I knew I liked him.
recap last page 14 : Cut to Clemmons switching out his "Vice Principal" nameplate for one that reads "Principal." He smiles in satisfaction. Nice, even though I'll miss the "Vice" part of his title. It sounded so bad-ass and yet hilariously incongruent incongruent bcs it's always him dealing with the students and we previously never saw the principal?. Until now, that is.
3#And finally, Veronica stops by the hospital to get Koontz's things, and discovers that Meg is pregnant. I guess I owe the posters a Coke.
and Meg wakes up. And is pregnant. Yup, they went there. (show page recap list vignette )
recap last page 14 : Well, I was hoping they wouldn't go there, but I will admit that it was well-foreshadowed without being anvilicious (outside of this episode with the school carry-around-a-baby assignment and prom baby, but I suspect that was intentional). the foreshadowing? The Meg bitchiness, the Duncan visits, the laptop right Meg's sister bringing it to Duncan. also her parents hating him (but that could simply have been bcs he broke up with her. why did he break up with her?? I suppose we won't here him say and so it's just the more or less obvious reason that he was still into V and now knew she was not his sister ) -- I was hoping that whatever secret Duncan and Meg had ok wasn't this, but it's hardly a surprise.
Veronica leaves. Will she EVER rip Duncan a new one? huh? what, has he had it coming to him bcs acting distant, unwilling to talk about Meg (as re hospital visits) ~ ?
. . . TwoP 2.9 Meeeeooooow! (Ffffft!) recap p4: Veronica: 'Yeah, thanks anyway. I can't act.' Give the girl an Emmy for that line delivery right there.
Trina tells Veronica she's got presence, and that they should talk later, but right now, her company needs her.
She overacts, "The play is my master and I am its whore."
I'd make a comment, but frankly, I'm so pleased by seeing not a trace of Willow in that scene that I'll let it pass... [.. p5 ..] ...in favor of noting that the choice of person to cut to off that line is Kendall. Heh.
She's appeared at Duncan's door in order to hit on him. When he tells her Logan's not there, she says he should loosen up, since she's been in both their beds. There was disagreement on the boards about whether this indicated that Duncan actually did something with Kendall. I think, from her too-coy reference and the way Duncan acts around her in this scene, that the answer is no, but there's no, um, hard evidence either way.
Kendall then offers to take Duncan for a ride, which isn't actually a euphemism -- she's got Big Dick's Maserati, which she's trying to sell by telling him he'd look so great in it.
Duncan: "Can't I just be loved for me?" Well, I admit I've been recapping for few hours here, so I could have missed a recent fundamental turnaround in board opinion. But I still feel pretty safe in giving this answer: probably not.
Kendall offers to teach Duncan to drive stick without leaving the couch, which I'm sensing leads us back to euphemism territory,
but Duncan firmly picks her up and plants her next to him. She asks if they "chemically castrate you boys over at that school," and it's this little exchange that makes me think nothing happened between her and Duncan.
...Kendall kisses Logan, which he's not too psyched about, and then talks about the car while employing lots of double entendres. Trina butts into the conversation, and after some commentary about Logan's penis size. she does?? I don't remember, what did she say? oh: Trina: Are you, like, sleeping with my little brother?! What is he, thirteen?! Kendall: Thirteen? He wishes.
After a bit more snark, Logan introduces the two "girls": "Rode Hard, meet Put Away Wet." I'm still laughing from that line of Logan's. * ah so that's 1# "one of the best lines of the entire series" of mention in the recaplet. I did not note it bcs don't get it. I tht it was "road hard" like one of them was hard worn; that's cleared up now. but, Put Away Wet? Seriously, I cracked up, loudly, on first viewing, which doesn't happen to me very often even with this show.
1#Kendall drops by the Neptune Grand to see Duncan, and it doesn't look like anything happened between them before it doesn't? bcs he rebuffs her now? but she was nude in his room I dunno, but it does lead to Trina and Kendall having a Buffy-reunion smackdown, although it's Logan who gets one of the best lines of the entire series. what was that? I did like the bit about the joke being on Trina who came over to borrow his video camera " and does like a good exit line" - but one of best lines in the series? *see below. A second Neptune Grand smackdown ensues between Veronica and Celeste, teaching the Buffy alumnae how it's done. nice.
2#The prom baby, it turns out, is Trina, but her mom isn't Celeste -- it's a mute woman who's worked at the school for years. Also, Trina's dad is the principal. Surprisingly, both these revelations bring out the best in Trina, and in the end, Clemmons is principal, and what's more, that was his plan all along. I knew I liked him.
recap last page 14 : Cut to Clemmons switching out his "Vice Principal" nameplate for one that reads "Principal." He smiles in satisfaction. Nice, even though I'll miss the "Vice" part of his title. It sounded so bad-ass and yet hilariously incongruent incongruent bcs it's always him dealing with the students and we previously never saw the principal?. Until now, that is.
3#And finally, Veronica stops by the hospital to get Koontz's things, and discovers that Meg is pregnant. I guess I owe the posters a Coke.
and Meg wakes up. And is pregnant. Yup, they went there. (show page recap list vignette )
recap last page 14 : Well, I was hoping they wouldn't go there, but I will admit that it was well-foreshadowed without being anvilicious (outside of this episode with the school carry-around-a-baby assignment and prom baby, but I suspect that was intentional). the foreshadowing? The Meg bitchiness, the Duncan visits, the laptop right Meg's sister bringing it to Duncan. also her parents hating him (but that could simply have been bcs he broke up with her. why did he break up with her?? I suppose we won't here him say and so it's just the more or less obvious reason that he was still into V and now knew she was not his sister ) -- I was hoping that whatever secret Duncan and Meg had ok wasn't this, but it's hardly a surprise.
Veronica leaves. Will she EVER rip Duncan a new one? huh? what, has he had it coming to him bcs acting distant, unwilling to talk about Meg (as re hospital visits) ~ ?
. . . TwoP 2.9 Meeeeooooow! (Ffffft!) recap p4: Veronica: 'Yeah, thanks anyway. I can't act.' Give the girl an Emmy for that line delivery right there.
Trina tells Veronica she's got presence, and that they should talk later, but right now, her company needs her.
She overacts, "The play is my master and I am its whore."
I'd make a comment, but frankly, I'm so pleased by seeing not a trace of Willow in that scene that I'll let it pass... [.. p5 ..] ...in favor of noting that the choice of person to cut to off that line is Kendall. Heh.
She's appeared at Duncan's door in order to hit on him. When he tells her Logan's not there, she says he should loosen up, since she's been in both their beds. There was disagreement on the boards about whether this indicated that Duncan actually did something with Kendall. I think, from her too-coy reference and the way Duncan acts around her in this scene, that the answer is no, but there's no, um, hard evidence either way.
Kendall then offers to take Duncan for a ride, which isn't actually a euphemism -- she's got Big Dick's Maserati, which she's trying to sell by telling him he'd look so great in it.
Duncan: "Can't I just be loved for me?" Well, I admit I've been recapping for few hours here, so I could have missed a recent fundamental turnaround in board opinion. But I still feel pretty safe in giving this answer: probably not.
Kendall offers to teach Duncan to drive stick without leaving the couch, which I'm sensing leads us back to euphemism territory,
but Duncan firmly picks her up and plants her next to him. She asks if they "chemically castrate you boys over at that school," and it's this little exchange that makes me think nothing happened between her and Duncan.
...Kendall kisses Logan, which he's not too psyched about, and then talks about the car while employing lots of double entendres. Trina butts into the conversation, and after some commentary about Logan's penis size. she does?? I don't remember, what did she say? oh: Trina: Are you, like, sleeping with my little brother?! What is he, thirteen?! Kendall: Thirteen? He wishes.
After a bit more snark, Logan introduces the two "girls": "Rode Hard, meet Put Away Wet." I'm still laughing from that line of Logan's. * ah so that's 1# "one of the best lines of the entire series" of mention in the recaplet. I did not note it bcs don't get it. I tht it was "road hard" like one of them was hard worn; that's cleared up now. but, Put Away Wet? Seriously, I cracked up, loudly, on first viewing, which doesn't happen to me very often even with this show.
boy everyone loves this line:
I Heart TV: my mother, the fiend (veronica mars 2.9): The meeting between Trina and Kendall (aka the Buffy reunion) was okay, but Logan had the best line with 'Rode hard, meet put away wet.'
also noted in this blogpost, good questions:
It was awesome to learn some more about the Jake-Celeste-Lianne history, but I still want to know more. How did Lianne end up with Keith? How did Lianne and Jake end up fooling around again, and how many times did it happen and for how long? When and why did she start drinking, if she was such a great person in high school? We never did find out whether Celeste was pregnant--if she had been faking it all along, why didn't Jake then dump her and get back together with Lianne? There's a lot more we can learn about this whole situation, and I hope we will. I have the idea we will not but I'd like to.
Speaking of Celeste, there has to be another side to her. Yes, she's mean to her servant, but it is pretty nice that she would offer to send her to grad school afterwards. When Lianne's old friend mentioned that Celeste had to move away and attend Pan High, I thought maybe there was something there. Maybe she was really rich and her family lost all its money? Why does she hate Lianne so much, if she stole Jake from her to begin with? And one thing that has always, ALWAYS bothered me about Celeste is that we've never even been given a hint of why she hated Lilly, her own daughter. Obviously parents have favorites, but it seems like it was a little extreme. Why? No one on this show is all evil! hmm. well sheriff lamb comes close but today I saw somewhere - this blog? no I think it was marsinvestigations.com or whtvr that site url is re 2.7 lamb going back to the abused girl's house. and there was discussion about how the way he treated V re raping her was bcs he did not believe her. also I had thought why didn't they do tests - 'a rape kit' - but I wonder, does that help identify if it could have been any number of guys? probably you *can't* "round up the sons of all the best families in town" or any whole group of guys and ask them for samples to test - or can you?
What's Alan Watching?: Eko... Eko... Eko...: Far too many highlights to list 'em all, so I'll give just a few: the Cordelia vs. Willow smackdown (though the best line in that scene -- and possibly the season -- was Logan's 'Rode Hard, meet Put Away Wet.' everybody loves this line why exactly); Logan and Weevil doing the whole '48 Hours'-style 'We'll team up, but only after we kick the crap out of each other' thing in the men's room; the (now former) vice-principal manipulating Veronica into doing his wetwork; and Trina Echolls showing actual emotion (her hug with Lunchlady Doris put almost as much dust in my eye as the Rose/Bernard hug last week on 'Lost'). The alternate ending link no longer words I wonder what it was on AOL.com was an interesting little bonus feature, but I'm glad the real show didn't go in that direction. Without spoiling it (and, if you haven't seen it yet, the only change is in the last two minutes), it would paint Veronica and the show into an uncomfortable corner that would take weeks, at least, to get out of.
now watching second season. dvd arrived on 6/26 Tue. inventory was 6/27 Wed. in those two evenings I watched hmm the first nine episodes...
________
read re
2.8 V & Logan scene: See What Happens When You Don't Take Backup?
See What Happens When You Don't Take Backup? - Because without him, Veronica almost gets in some serious trouble at the hands of the Fitzpatricks. Fortunately, she did take Logan, who saves her, causing her to freak out. Huh?
2.6 Wiedman & V team up finding ADulongpre :Five More Years!
Five More Years! - Lamb edges out Keith in the sheriff's race, and displays his usual level of grace at the result. Keith pokes around and makes an interesting, if malodorous, discovery about the bus crash. He also threatens to kill Haaron if he hurts Veronica. Veronica's safe, however: she's working with Wiedman to track down Amelia, Abel Koontz's daughter. Turns out she's dead, but she'll be seeing the killer in the afterlife quite soon, if Wiedman has anything to say about it.
[Veronica Mars recap list p2]
________
read re
2.8 V & Logan scene: See What Happens When You Don't Take Backup?
See What Happens When You Don't Take Backup? - Because without him, Veronica almost gets in some serious trouble at the hands of the Fitzpatricks. Fortunately, she did take Logan, who saves her, causing her to freak out. Huh?
2.6 Wiedman & V team up finding ADulongpre :Five More Years!
Five More Years! - Lamb edges out Keith in the sheriff's race, and displays his usual level of grace at the result. Keith pokes around and makes an interesting, if malodorous, discovery about the bus crash. He also threatens to kill Haaron if he hurts Veronica. Veronica's safe, however: she's working with Wiedman to track down Amelia, Abel Koontz's daughter. Turns out she's dead, but she'll be seeing the killer in the afterlife quite soon, if Wiedman has anything to say about it.
[Veronica Mars recap list p2]
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Logan and Veronica: "What Are We Doing?" "I Have No Idea." -p1:
April 2005
-Thank you. Also, best.thread.title.EVER.
Couch Baron I changed the topic title to make it more balanced, because I don't want people who hate this pairing to feel their opinions are unwelcome. I wonder what it was! maybe ~ 'we wuv you beary much' -?
Logan and Veronica: "What Are We Doing?" "I Have No Idea." - TWoP Forums p444: I have always been curious. every time I read that line (which is at top of page) I hear the voice of the boyfriend from 1.20 who Carmen recorded on the phone What was this threads name before HD? Momentary Thing? --I think it was 'Logan and Veronica: SQUEEEEEEE!' then some admendments adding 'boo? meh?' (or something like that) after the 'squee'. The 'What are we doing?' wasn't changed until long after HD, sometime in mid-late season 2, if I recall correctly. --It was, to be exact: "Logan & Veronica: Squee? Hurl? Meh?" hmm well so that was a later change. cb's comment is on page 1 so the unbalanced topic title he speaks of was only briefly there. maybe it started out just as 'squee' then he added the rest. then changed it altogether a year later.
bluedahlia have I read things by bluedahlia re another show? maybe familiar? anyway I am with you: I have nothing profound to add except, Right now these two just make me endlessly Swoon, I still get butterflies rewatching the Camelot Scene. yeah that scene. it's all about that scene. his gaze at her. But what I really love about LoVe is the witty snark+ swoon factor+ great chemistry and acting all around.Game, Set, Match as far as I'm concerned.
ostentatious Well well, lookie here! A nice place to set up camp! (drops her knapsack and settles in for the duration). ... This hookup was not yanked out of anybody's ass in response to online fan response to Logan or to the idea of the pairing. You can download any of the L/V fan music vids and watch the progression play out for you in 3-5 minutes, from the very first ep. The only other character with whom Veronica has had even close to as many scenes is Keith, and all of the L/V scenes have been intense in some way; there really are no light L/V scenes. If you mapped out the first season on a piece of paper you'd see that Veronica's most important - most attended to, most *written* by the writers - connections are Keith, Logan, and Wallace, in that order.
April 2005
-Thank you. Also, best.thread.title.EVER.
Couch Baron I changed the topic title to make it more balanced, because I don't want people who hate this pairing to feel their opinions are unwelcome. I wonder what it was! maybe ~ 'we wuv you beary much' -?
Logan and Veronica: "What Are We Doing?" "I Have No Idea." - TWoP Forums p444: I have always been curious. every time I read that line (which is at top of page) I hear the voice of the boyfriend from 1.20 who Carmen recorded on the phone What was this threads name before HD? Momentary Thing? --I think it was 'Logan and Veronica: SQUEEEEEEE!' then some admendments adding 'boo? meh?' (or something like that) after the 'squee'. The 'What are we doing?' wasn't changed until long after HD, sometime in mid-late season 2, if I recall correctly. --It was, to be exact: "Logan & Veronica: Squee? Hurl? Meh?" hmm well so that was a later change. cb's comment is on page 1 so the unbalanced topic title he speaks of was only briefly there. maybe it started out just as 'squee' then he added the rest. then changed it altogether a year later.
bluedahlia have I read things by bluedahlia re another show? maybe familiar? anyway I am with you: I have nothing profound to add except, Right now these two just make me endlessly Swoon, I still get butterflies rewatching the Camelot Scene. yeah that scene. it's all about that scene. his gaze at her. But what I really love about LoVe is the witty snark+ swoon factor+ great chemistry and acting all around.Game, Set, Match as far as I'm concerned.
ostentatious Well well, lookie here! A nice place to set up camp! (drops her knapsack and settles in for the duration). ... This hookup was not yanked out of anybody's ass in response to online fan response to Logan or to the idea of the pairing. You can download any of the L/V fan music vids and watch the progression play out for you in 3-5 minutes, from the very first ep. The only other character with whom Veronica has had even close to as many scenes is Keith, and all of the L/V scenes have been intense in some way; there really are no light L/V scenes. If you mapped out the first season on a piece of paper you'd see that Veronica's most important - most attended to, most *written* by the writers - connections are Keith, Logan, and Wallace, in that order.
Logan Echolls... Rock Hard? p56 :
-Back to the 'Logan is pretty' from a few pages ago... I agree with Jeansheridan, Debraanne & Depudor.
The necklace has got to go; he is totally mesmerizing though [not] a truly pretty-boy like Casey from Drinking the Koolade.
--Oh, totally. Less pretty, more magnetic.
-Back to the 'Logan is pretty' from a few pages ago... I agree with Jeansheridan, Debraanne & Depudor.
The necklace has got to go; he is totally mesmerizing though [not] a truly pretty-boy like Casey from Drinking the Koolade.
--Oh, totally. Less pretty, more magnetic.
Logan Echolls... p70 arabian:
"Logan's stares at VM are always very intense but they linger a bit too long for someone who feels only anger or hatred. I thought this again in the 'annoy, tiny blonde one' scene. He looks at her just a bit too long as she's walking away."
Yes, magnolia88! He HAS always stared at her just a tad too long. Going back to the pilot is actually where I first picked up on it. Plus, due to the other small changes, I think the idea to pair Logan and Veronica began when RT first saw JD and KB together and softened the original pilot accordingly. I wrote up a whole post on those changes here.
And about the looks specifically, in a post I wrote about the pilot, there was this bit:
[in the after the break-up] flashback scene, when Veronica turns from her locker and sees Duncan walking by and basically ignoring her, Logan is with him. And guess what he's doing? You got it ... staring at Veronica. Logan. Does. This. A LOT.
...Also, Logan is also the first one who we recognize who sees her at the party. A bigger deal is made of Duncan (because he's been macked upon), but Logan is who we first see staring at her. Of course, staring at her.
And then about You Think You Know Somebody, I wrote:
I loved the whole thing with her telling him to walk in front of the car to test whether they were better -Are you gonna play nice now? he says; Walk in front of the car, we'll see. she says- her revving the engine, him smacking the car with his jacket saucily - I think I read someone in the episode forum calling this saucy and that's right and then the kicker, him staring at her a few beats longer.
Why do I call that the kicker? Because as I was watching their scenes (all of them actually), I noticed that .. almost every single scene with them ends with Logan staring at her just a few seconds longer than he should. (She does a bit longer staring than she should also, but not to his extent.) I don't know if that was in the script of if it was an actor or director choice, but it certainly seems to give credence that there may have been some latent attraction there all along. He has an intense gaze, it may always be the kicker, the thing that makes him mesmerizing. he does probably stare at others too ?
If you watch all of their scenes back to back (I have them all downloaded and will have a little LoVe marathon every now and again), you really see just how much Logan was always staring at her just that little bit too much.
"Logan's stares at VM are always very intense but they linger a bit too long for someone who feels only anger or hatred. I thought this again in the 'annoy, tiny blonde one' scene. He looks at her just a bit too long as she's walking away."
Yes, magnolia88! He HAS always stared at her just a tad too long. Going back to the pilot is actually where I first picked up on it. Plus, due to the other small changes, I think the idea to pair Logan and Veronica began when RT first saw JD and KB together and softened the original pilot accordingly. I wrote up a whole post on those changes here.
And about the looks specifically, in a post I wrote about the pilot, there was this bit:
[in the after the break-up] flashback scene, when Veronica turns from her locker and sees Duncan walking by and basically ignoring her, Logan is with him. And guess what he's doing? You got it ... staring at Veronica. Logan. Does. This. A LOT.
...Also, Logan is also the first one who we recognize who sees her at the party. A bigger deal is made of Duncan (because he's been macked upon), but Logan is who we first see staring at her. Of course, staring at her.
And then about You Think You Know Somebody, I wrote:
I loved the whole thing with her telling him to walk in front of the car to test whether they were better -Are you gonna play nice now? he says; Walk in front of the car, we'll see. she says- her revving the engine, him smacking the car with his jacket saucily - I think I read someone in the episode forum calling this saucy and that's right and then the kicker, him staring at her a few beats longer.
Why do I call that the kicker? Because as I was watching their scenes (all of them actually), I noticed that .. almost every single scene with them ends with Logan staring at her just a few seconds longer than he should. (She does a bit longer staring than she should also, but not to his extent.) I don't know if that was in the script of if it was an actor or director choice, but it certainly seems to give credence that there may have been some latent attraction there all along. He has an intense gaze, it may always be the kicker, the thing that makes him mesmerizing. he does probably stare at others too ?
If you watch all of their scenes back to back (I have them all downloaded and will have a little LoVe marathon every now and again), you really see just how much Logan was always staring at her just that little bit too much.
Logan Echolls: Soft Underbelly...Or Rock Hard? p70:
depudor:
"The only major player whose behavior never let on that he might hide an important piece of the puzzle due to self-interest is Logan. Now you could argue that this is because he's the exception to the rule, but it's more likely that the fact that he lied would make an excellent last-minute reveal."
This is an excellent observation. And I agree that Logan is hiding something because...
"...it would also be Troy Redux. And Logan is nobody's redux."
On the contrary: the whole show is redux. Small cases are microcosms for larger storylines, subtly weaving the ethos of this universe, how the mysteries get solved. The clues aren’t in fingerprints or matchbook covers; they’re in being able to recognize patterns, to see the big picture, let go of your feelings/biases and judge objectively who people are. We see this pattern over and over again. The stories we’ve followed all season are like matryoshka dolls, nesting in each other.
Take the pilot as an example. We meet a girl (Veronica) and a boy (Wallace). She helps him; they form a relationship. I thought, “Ooh, a love interest…” Then we meet our bad guy (Weevil), and conflict ensues. But then, Veronica helps the bad guy, sparks fly, and next thing we know, the story twists around – now the bad guy is the good guy, who comes to her rescue by defending her against a new bad guy (Logan). That pilot is a microcosm of the rest of the season, wherein our heroine helps the bad guy (Logan), sparks fly, and the story twists again, and now he’s the good guy, coming to her rescue to defend her against the forces that threaten her. excellent.
What is Veronica Mars if not a high-concept, escalating pattern of redux? I don’t think Troy took the concept of “You Think You Know Somebody” with him when he left Neptune. I think it’s lurking in the shadows, waiting to return when we least expect it. nice.
Logan Echolls ... p 55 :
depudor Sometimes you want to be insightful, sometimes you want to be dirty.
ETA Does anyone know the make/model of that yellow SUV Logan drives?
contrarianfreak No no no, you want to be both at all times. lovely. no no no. at all times. check out other posts by contrarian freak as well as depudor? good writing re Vm esp Logan, great.
Ostrich Nissan XTerra with surf attachment thingie, apparently.
depudor Thanks, Ostrich. Wow, that's a cheap car. Starts at $22K, and even after I added every single option available (What? I'm curious! heh like rg) it was still under $30 grand. I would think a movie star would buy his kid a nicer set of wheels than that. No wonder Logan hates his daddy. The reason I bring it up is that I'm seeing that yellow XTerra everywhere in L.A. right now. I passed three of them yesterday on just one street. I kept having to fight the instinct to turn around and follow them. is depudor a girl I wonder?
Ostrich In the pilot script, it was a Lexus, I think. I'm sure the XTerra was cheaper for the production company.
depudor OK, now I'm going to cry. It must be so hard to make a show about rich people when you don't have any money. Meanwhile ER gets $13 million an episode to have people run around on one set with everybody wearing the same outfit. It's not fair.
But they really do need to buy Logan some new clothes.
So speaking of Aaron and money, you can tell a lot about the Echolls clan by looking at their house. It's very unimaginitive, very nouveau riche, plain with no sense of personality. Everything is just white and bland, not bland in a Mies van der Rohe less-is-more kind of way, but in a "We couldn't decide what color to paint the walls, so we just left them white" way. Also, none of the shelves have books on them; they have pictures. And almost all of the pictures are of Aaron. The leopard-print throws? Yeah.
Contrast that to the Kane house, which is a really cool place to look at. They clearly have a very expensive decorator. The style is contemporary/FLW/Zen fusion, with some very distinctive pieces that manage to fit together in a unified aesthetic. Smart people live in that house, people who care about art because of what it says, not because of what it says about them. I don't know if I'd call it old money, but it's definitely money that isn't surprised anymore when it looks in the mirror. It makes sense that Rob intended Duncan to be a real intellectual, with an interest in Eastern philosophy and a yen for his life to have purpose. It's too bad that none of that made it into the scripts or came through in the performance. well said.
Logan grew up in a family where everything is about the surface. nice. He clearly was never expected to have any intellectual pursuits, and consequently he's not an intellectual. But that could be why he's more grounded, more connected to life, than Duncan. Logan doesn't live inside his head, because there's not a lot going on in there. He's much more about people, relationships, parties, having a good time, beating people up, getting laid, crying. He deals in emotion and gratification, with high highs and low lows and not much of a center. He acts on his instincts and feelings without any introspection. He's kind of a Neanderthal in the guise of a metrosexual. If all of his emotional issues get worked out, he may end up being really boring in the long run. huh. nah that kind of anger doesn't leave you totally. and he's smart, he's super quick witted.
huh and this is addressed as the discussion continues onto next page 56
"Logan's taking calculus and physics in his junior year. That puts him on the upper track, fwiw."
depudor I do think he's very smart; he's extremely witty, and that says a lot. well there I go. But I doubt his family is academically inclined or that either parent went to college. I just don't think he's an intellectual like Duncan. He's not reading Kafka and meditating on the nature of his own existence. His cultural references are always movies and TV shows, not artists or philosophers or politicians. I'd be surprised if he watches the evening news. Duncan, on the other hands, is interested in politics and philosophy and law, and even though he's fairly closed off from those around him, I bet he knows what's going on in the world outside Neptune; I bet he knows how much his parents gave to the tsunami relief fund. So I certainly don't mean to imply that Logan's dumb; I had a roommate in college who got a perfect score on her SATs her - so d is a girl probably but was not an intellectual in any sense and never will be. She had two interests: her boyfriend and knitting.
depudor:
"The only major player whose behavior never let on that he might hide an important piece of the puzzle due to self-interest is Logan. Now you could argue that this is because he's the exception to the rule, but it's more likely that the fact that he lied would make an excellent last-minute reveal."
This is an excellent observation. And I agree that Logan is hiding something because...
"...it would also be Troy Redux. And Logan is nobody's redux."
On the contrary: the whole show is redux. Small cases are microcosms for larger storylines, subtly weaving the ethos of this universe, how the mysteries get solved. The clues aren’t in fingerprints or matchbook covers; they’re in being able to recognize patterns, to see the big picture, let go of your feelings/biases and judge objectively who people are. We see this pattern over and over again. The stories we’ve followed all season are like matryoshka dolls, nesting in each other.
Take the pilot as an example. We meet a girl (Veronica) and a boy (Wallace). She helps him; they form a relationship. I thought, “Ooh, a love interest…” Then we meet our bad guy (Weevil), and conflict ensues. But then, Veronica helps the bad guy, sparks fly, and next thing we know, the story twists around – now the bad guy is the good guy, who comes to her rescue by defending her against a new bad guy (Logan). That pilot is a microcosm of the rest of the season, wherein our heroine helps the bad guy (Logan), sparks fly, and the story twists again, and now he’s the good guy, coming to her rescue to defend her against the forces that threaten her. excellent.
What is Veronica Mars if not a high-concept, escalating pattern of redux? I don’t think Troy took the concept of “You Think You Know Somebody” with him when he left Neptune. I think it’s lurking in the shadows, waiting to return when we least expect it. nice.
Logan Echolls ... p 55 :
depudor Sometimes you want to be insightful, sometimes you want to be dirty.
ETA Does anyone know the make/model of that yellow SUV Logan drives?
contrarianfreak No no no, you want to be both at all times. lovely. no no no. at all times. check out other posts by contrarian freak as well as depudor? good writing re Vm esp Logan, great.
Ostrich Nissan XTerra with surf attachment thingie, apparently.
depudor Thanks, Ostrich. Wow, that's a cheap car. Starts at $22K, and even after I added every single option available (What? I'm curious! heh like rg) it was still under $30 grand. I would think a movie star would buy his kid a nicer set of wheels than that. No wonder Logan hates his daddy. The reason I bring it up is that I'm seeing that yellow XTerra everywhere in L.A. right now. I passed three of them yesterday on just one street. I kept having to fight the instinct to turn around and follow them. is depudor a girl I wonder?
Ostrich In the pilot script, it was a Lexus, I think. I'm sure the XTerra was cheaper for the production company.
depudor OK, now I'm going to cry. It must be so hard to make a show about rich people when you don't have any money. Meanwhile ER gets $13 million an episode to have people run around on one set with everybody wearing the same outfit. It's not fair.
But they really do need to buy Logan some new clothes.
So speaking of Aaron and money, you can tell a lot about the Echolls clan by looking at their house. It's very unimaginitive, very nouveau riche, plain with no sense of personality. Everything is just white and bland, not bland in a Mies van der Rohe less-is-more kind of way, but in a "We couldn't decide what color to paint the walls, so we just left them white" way. Also, none of the shelves have books on them; they have pictures. And almost all of the pictures are of Aaron. The leopard-print throws? Yeah.
Contrast that to the Kane house, which is a really cool place to look at. They clearly have a very expensive decorator. The style is contemporary/FLW/Zen fusion, with some very distinctive pieces that manage to fit together in a unified aesthetic. Smart people live in that house, people who care about art because of what it says, not because of what it says about them. I don't know if I'd call it old money, but it's definitely money that isn't surprised anymore when it looks in the mirror. It makes sense that Rob intended Duncan to be a real intellectual, with an interest in Eastern philosophy and a yen for his life to have purpose. It's too bad that none of that made it into the scripts or came through in the performance. well said.
Logan grew up in a family where everything is about the surface. nice. He clearly was never expected to have any intellectual pursuits, and consequently he's not an intellectual. But that could be why he's more grounded, more connected to life, than Duncan. Logan doesn't live inside his head, because there's not a lot going on in there. He's much more about people, relationships, parties, having a good time, beating people up, getting laid, crying. He deals in emotion and gratification, with high highs and low lows and not much of a center. He acts on his instincts and feelings without any introspection. He's kind of a Neanderthal in the guise of a metrosexual. If all of his emotional issues get worked out, he may end up being really boring in the long run. huh. nah that kind of anger doesn't leave you totally. and he's smart, he's super quick witted.
huh and this is addressed as the discussion continues onto next page 56
"Logan's taking calculus and physics in his junior year. That puts him on the upper track, fwiw."
depudor I do think he's very smart; he's extremely witty, and that says a lot. well there I go. But I doubt his family is academically inclined or that either parent went to college. I just don't think he's an intellectual like Duncan. He's not reading Kafka and meditating on the nature of his own existence. His cultural references are always movies and TV shows, not artists or philosophers or politicians. I'd be surprised if he watches the evening news. Duncan, on the other hands, is interested in politics and philosophy and law, and even though he's fairly closed off from those around him, I bet he knows what's going on in the world outside Neptune; I bet he knows how much his parents gave to the tsunami relief fund. So I certainly don't mean to imply that Logan's dumb; I had a roommate in college who got a perfect score on her SATs her - so d is a girl probably but was not an intellectual in any sense and never will be. She had two interests: her boyfriend and knitting.
Monday, June 25, 2007
The man behind Veronica - Salon:
By Heather Havrilesky
--You mentioned at the Paley Festival that your original idea for the noir novel involved a male protagonist. When you decided to make the protagonist a girl, did that change the story and if so, how?--
At some point in there, I started really thinking about the big picture, like if I'm going to try to tap into any kind of zeitgeist, what is that? I had what I thought was a cool notion about placing teens in a noir universe, but what am I saying, what does that mean? This idea that I was attracted to, and had been thinking about since I taught high school, was this vague notion about teenagers being desensitized and jaded and sexualized so much earlier than I feel like even my generation 15, 20 years before had been. That seemed like a perfect thing to try to shine a spotlight on. [That concept] was interesting to me when the protagonist was a boy, but when I started thinking in terms of a girl who had seen too much and experienced too much at too young of an age, it became even more potent to me. It just seemed that much edgier and more difficult to swallow, in a good way. So, I can't remember exactly when I shifted, but that was why I shifted.
--It's fun to watch a character who kind of feels like she's above high school.--
The thing that I like about her is that she's been stripped of all of the teen girl insecurities that weigh so heavily on girls who are 14, 15, 16: how they dress and who they're seen with. I taught high school journalism for five years and was the yearbook advisor, so I was around so many teenage girls. And I thought, Well, wouldn't it be interesting if somebody had gotten so far down that she just didn't give a fuck anymore, that that sort of pressure didn't mean much to her?
--Did you worry about making Veronica believable in the early stages of writing the show?--
Yeah, particularly as a private detective. I didn't want to give her any sort of superpowers, any things that I didn't believe she could possess. I started with this notion that her dad was out trying to make a living, but he's got one too many cases, so he tells Veronica, "Just sit right here, and take a picture of whoever comes out of that room." And that's how it starts. And because she's such a pariah at school, she doesn't have friends, she's only close to this one person in her life, she just starts hanging out at the detective agency and she just picks things up and picks things up and becomes valuable to her father there. There's a bit of a buy -- you wonder when she's doing her homework and other things -- but I wanted to make it as believable as possible. Most of the back story is there in order to create a world in which you believe this 17-year-old girl hangs out at her dad's job and learns the real tricks of this trade.
--There's really a lot of humor on the show. How conscious of a choice is that?--
That was a struggle, because it's such a weird balance on the show. I think my favorite description on the show was by the Village Voice, who called us the first show to ever try to blend "Heathers" and "Chinatown." what's Chinatown? And that's pretty dead-on. The dialogue on the show is pretty stylized. I adored "Freaks & Geeks," and that's a show where the dialogue is not stylized, where those kids sound absolutely like teenagers all the time. They were never allowed to say anything pithier or wordier or more out-there than you'd expect a 16- or 17-year-old to say. We give it a little more freedom in terms of, OK, we're going to give Veronica the line that, if you had a day to think about it, you would get.
But when you have a murder in the backdrop, a rape in the backdrop, a missing mother in the backdrop ... I was nervous about tone and how well we could blend the comedy and the wordiness with the real sort of drama at its core. It's a learning process. I ended up cutting a lot of lines out of the pilot that I just felt like were too self-conscious, too much an attempt to go for the joke, so much that it took away from scenes.
I like the rhythm of comedy in dramas me too, if that makes sense. In other words, I don't want to write setup, punch, setup, punch, where the joke dictates the scene, I want to find comedy in which the drama is actually driving the moment in the scene.
--You wrote for "Snoops" and then left the show. What was the issue there?
You know, I left before the season even started, really. I was supposed to be the show runner, and it was going to be the first show where David Kelley handed over a show to someone else, and he didn't write all the episodes and make all the decisions, and we just never -- he and I didn't get on the same page about what this detective show was going to be. And you know, in an article that came out at the time, when I left the show, I thought he was really fair about it. He told Entertainment Weekly, "Rob really wanted a sort of a comedy and character-driven show, and I really wanted a plotted, drama-driven show." Which is sort of accurate -- I did think that the show needed to wink. I felt like, you know, you've got three sexy women wearing a nipple cam, David, I think we have to play to the comedy a little bit. hmm and if this intrvw is the year of season 1 VM that's also season 1 BLegal (both were in season 3 this past year right?) which is totally comic, winking, even over-the-top I had them making quips on the way to a rescue in an early episode, and he said, "Rob, that takes all of the drama out of it."
I felt like we were going to be closer to "Moonlighting," and he wanted, I suppose, to be closer to "Rockford Files" or something -- which still had a degree of comedy and was certainly a warm show. So that was a creative difference we couldn't get past. I will say that I'm actually happy that I got my female P.I. show on, because I'll put mine against his.
--Well, that's the ultimate revenge, I guess.
Yeah, but it makes me feel like a small person to say it out loud.
We're all small people, I think. You said at the Paley presentation that you read Television Without Pity regularly. Have you ever taken a suggestion from its readers?
I haven't taken a plot idea, but we certainly react to what they're responding to. I mean, it does influence what we do here, without a doubt. We try to be really careful with our continuity and with our clues. They catch everything. So part of it is just that voice in the back of the head, when you could have a lazy TV moment, and you realize, "No, no, the fans notice." So it's good that they're there for that. And also, who are they reacting to? Who do they like? Who do they not like? It does make a difference. And certainly if they say something like, "This character's boring me," I notice. For me, it's like, well, we better give him something cool to do.
But it doesn't always have an effect. They've been pretty negative about Deputy Leo, and my belief is they're down on Deputy Leo because they want Veronica with somebody on the show -- they want her with Logan already they did? in season 1 while she's w Leo, they want her with Duncan. So they see Leo as delaying their satisfaction. And I think that's really the resentment, because I find him to be just an amazingly charming, fun great actor and great presence on the show.
--Yeah, I love Leo.
Oh, well good. And so just because the viewers aren't raving about him, you know, I'm not going to write him out [of the show] just for that, because I think he's good, I think he makes the show better. I think it'll make a moment when Veronica does move on that much more satisfying.
--Are we going to solve the mystery of Lilly Kane's murder by the end of this season?--
Absolutely. It's shooting now. Actually, we're in the last couple days of shooting the second to last episode, in which we will find out what happened the night Veronica was raped. Then in the season finale, we find out who killed Lilly Kane. In these last seven so this interview is before last 7 episodes: 16-22 so after airing of 1-15 Risky Business which okay is where I thought it was going to be Logan knocking on Veronica's car window at the spring dance and it was Leo instead, I think we're going to have three or four truly great episodes. And none of them are weak, but I think there are going to be a couple in here that blow people's minds.
--Would you say that the season-long narrative arc is one of the hardest things about doing a show like this?--
Yeah. I can't imagine that any other TV show right now is harder to break I think that means 'plan out'than our show. Maybe "24"? But that would be the only one, and I even think ours may be harder, because we have two things going on. Detective shows are harder to break than any other kind of show in the first place. We want to do this in a way that the viewer gets access to the same clues as Veronica over the course of the episode. Unlike a lot of shows, we don't introduce you to the bad guy at the beginning and tell you whodunit, and in those shows the fun is catching them. In our show you find clue A, clue B, clue C, you meet people who might be a red herring, might be a suspect, might be a witness. You have to lay out the facts and the beats very carefully. We always want Veronica to do something very new and fresh and clever to get to this information, and that's always a challenge. So just doing the enclosed episode, that's one challenge that's hard.
--Do you have an idea for the main mystery for the next season?--
Yeah! It was a trick to find something that we felt would make Veronica as emotionally invested as she was with Lilly Kane, and to feel like something new and fresh that didn't feel like Season 1, and we think we've got it.cool.
By Heather Havrilesky
--You mentioned at the Paley Festival that your original idea for the noir novel involved a male protagonist. When you decided to make the protagonist a girl, did that change the story and if so, how?--
At some point in there, I started really thinking about the big picture, like if I'm going to try to tap into any kind of zeitgeist, what is that? I had what I thought was a cool notion about placing teens in a noir universe, but what am I saying, what does that mean? This idea that I was attracted to, and had been thinking about since I taught high school, was this vague notion about teenagers being desensitized and jaded and sexualized so much earlier than I feel like even my generation 15, 20 years before had been. That seemed like a perfect thing to try to shine a spotlight on. [That concept] was interesting to me when the protagonist was a boy, but when I started thinking in terms of a girl who had seen too much and experienced too much at too young of an age, it became even more potent to me. It just seemed that much edgier and more difficult to swallow, in a good way. So, I can't remember exactly when I shifted, but that was why I shifted.
--It's fun to watch a character who kind of feels like she's above high school.--
The thing that I like about her is that she's been stripped of all of the teen girl insecurities that weigh so heavily on girls who are 14, 15, 16: how they dress and who they're seen with. I taught high school journalism for five years and was the yearbook advisor, so I was around so many teenage girls. And I thought, Well, wouldn't it be interesting if somebody had gotten so far down that she just didn't give a fuck anymore, that that sort of pressure didn't mean much to her?
--Did you worry about making Veronica believable in the early stages of writing the show?--
Yeah, particularly as a private detective. I didn't want to give her any sort of superpowers, any things that I didn't believe she could possess. I started with this notion that her dad was out trying to make a living, but he's got one too many cases, so he tells Veronica, "Just sit right here, and take a picture of whoever comes out of that room." And that's how it starts. And because she's such a pariah at school, she doesn't have friends, she's only close to this one person in her life, she just starts hanging out at the detective agency and she just picks things up and picks things up and becomes valuable to her father there. There's a bit of a buy -- you wonder when she's doing her homework and other things -- but I wanted to make it as believable as possible. Most of the back story is there in order to create a world in which you believe this 17-year-old girl hangs out at her dad's job and learns the real tricks of this trade.
--There's really a lot of humor on the show. How conscious of a choice is that?--
That was a struggle, because it's such a weird balance on the show. I think my favorite description on the show was by the Village Voice, who called us the first show to ever try to blend "Heathers" and "Chinatown." what's Chinatown? And that's pretty dead-on. The dialogue on the show is pretty stylized. I adored "Freaks & Geeks," and that's a show where the dialogue is not stylized, where those kids sound absolutely like teenagers all the time. They were never allowed to say anything pithier or wordier or more out-there than you'd expect a 16- or 17-year-old to say. We give it a little more freedom in terms of, OK, we're going to give Veronica the line that, if you had a day to think about it, you would get.
But when you have a murder in the backdrop, a rape in the backdrop, a missing mother in the backdrop ... I was nervous about tone and how well we could blend the comedy and the wordiness with the real sort of drama at its core. It's a learning process. I ended up cutting a lot of lines out of the pilot that I just felt like were too self-conscious, too much an attempt to go for the joke, so much that it took away from scenes.
I like the rhythm of comedy in dramas me too, if that makes sense. In other words, I don't want to write setup, punch, setup, punch, where the joke dictates the scene, I want to find comedy in which the drama is actually driving the moment in the scene.
--You wrote for "Snoops" and then left the show. What was the issue there?
You know, I left before the season even started, really. I was supposed to be the show runner, and it was going to be the first show where David Kelley handed over a show to someone else, and he didn't write all the episodes and make all the decisions, and we just never -- he and I didn't get on the same page about what this detective show was going to be. And you know, in an article that came out at the time, when I left the show, I thought he was really fair about it. He told Entertainment Weekly, "Rob really wanted a sort of a comedy and character-driven show, and I really wanted a plotted, drama-driven show." Which is sort of accurate -- I did think that the show needed to wink. I felt like, you know, you've got three sexy women wearing a nipple cam, David, I think we have to play to the comedy a little bit. hmm and if this intrvw is the year of season 1 VM that's also season 1 BLegal (both were in season 3 this past year right?) which is totally comic, winking, even over-the-top I had them making quips on the way to a rescue in an early episode, and he said, "Rob, that takes all of the drama out of it."
I felt like we were going to be closer to "Moonlighting," and he wanted, I suppose, to be closer to "Rockford Files" or something -- which still had a degree of comedy and was certainly a warm show. So that was a creative difference we couldn't get past. I will say that I'm actually happy that I got my female P.I. show on, because I'll put mine against his.
--Well, that's the ultimate revenge, I guess.
Yeah, but it makes me feel like a small person to say it out loud.
We're all small people, I think. You said at the Paley presentation that you read Television Without Pity regularly. Have you ever taken a suggestion from its readers?
I haven't taken a plot idea, but we certainly react to what they're responding to. I mean, it does influence what we do here, without a doubt. We try to be really careful with our continuity and with our clues. They catch everything. So part of it is just that voice in the back of the head, when you could have a lazy TV moment, and you realize, "No, no, the fans notice." So it's good that they're there for that. And also, who are they reacting to? Who do they like? Who do they not like? It does make a difference. And certainly if they say something like, "This character's boring me," I notice. For me, it's like, well, we better give him something cool to do.
But it doesn't always have an effect. They've been pretty negative about Deputy Leo, and my belief is they're down on Deputy Leo because they want Veronica with somebody on the show -- they want her with Logan already they did? in season 1 while she's w Leo, they want her with Duncan. So they see Leo as delaying their satisfaction. And I think that's really the resentment, because I find him to be just an amazingly charming, fun great actor and great presence on the show.
--Yeah, I love Leo.
Oh, well good. And so just because the viewers aren't raving about him, you know, I'm not going to write him out [of the show] just for that, because I think he's good, I think he makes the show better. I think it'll make a moment when Veronica does move on that much more satisfying.
--Are we going to solve the mystery of Lilly Kane's murder by the end of this season?--
Absolutely. It's shooting now. Actually, we're in the last couple days of shooting the second to last episode, in which we will find out what happened the night Veronica was raped. Then in the season finale, we find out who killed Lilly Kane. In these last seven so this interview is before last 7 episodes: 16-22 so after airing of 1-15 Risky Business which okay is where I thought it was going to be Logan knocking on Veronica's car window at the spring dance and it was Leo instead, I think we're going to have three or four truly great episodes. And none of them are weak, but I think there are going to be a couple in here that blow people's minds.
--Would you say that the season-long narrative arc is one of the hardest things about doing a show like this?--
Yeah. I can't imagine that any other TV show right now is harder to break I think that means 'plan out'than our show. Maybe "24"? But that would be the only one, and I even think ours may be harder, because we have two things going on. Detective shows are harder to break than any other kind of show in the first place. We want to do this in a way that the viewer gets access to the same clues as Veronica over the course of the episode. Unlike a lot of shows, we don't introduce you to the bad guy at the beginning and tell you whodunit, and in those shows the fun is catching them. In our show you find clue A, clue B, clue C, you meet people who might be a red herring, might be a suspect, might be a witness. You have to lay out the facts and the beats very carefully. We always want Veronica to do something very new and fresh and clever to get to this information, and that's always a challenge. So just doing the enclosed episode, that's one challenge that's hard.
--Do you have an idea for the main mystery for the next season?--
Yeah! It was a trick to find something that we felt would make Veronica as emotionally invested as she was with Lilly Kane, and to feel like something new and fresh that didn't feel like Season 1, and we think we've got it.cool.
Neptune in Print: Veronica Mars Books - TWoP Forums p2:
Arsy80: I was fortunate enough to get an advance, unedited version of this in order to do a pre-release review of the book and I liked the essays a lot but I also really loved the forwards. I honestly believe Rob expresses himself on paper much better than he does in interviews where his answers can be kind of all over the place and often, as a someone who defends the show a good bit, I kind of feel he makes things worse. I liked having the chance to read thought out explanations for how he views things and during the hiatus when there was a good bit of freaking out, his Logan/Veronica forward gave me a lot of confidence in that particular ending. I feel like he eats a lot more crow, and acknowledges mistakes the show has made, in those forwards than he does in press interviews.
Book Review: Neptune Noir: Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars Edited by Rob Thomas: Neptune Noir includes 18 different essays, plus an introduction to the book by Rob Thomas, and a few paragraphs by Rob preceding each essay. The essays focus on the exact areas one would think: girl power, class, racism, parental relationships, friendships, high school, noir, and story structure. While individually many of them are well-written, they tend to cover the same ground over and over, using the same episodes of the series to support their opinions. The essays all seem to come from the time between the end of the second and start of the third season (with Rob’s comments coming during the filming of the third season), so there really isn’t all that much material to work with (less than 50 episodes), and it shows.
By a large margin, the most interesting parts of the book are Rob Thomas’s introductions. He is quite clear in them about what his intents were when creating certain scenes and story arcs and what the “happy accidents” were.
These introductions are the beginning point of a fascinating dialogue between author and producer, fan and creator. Were it to be expanded (letters back and forth, transcripts of conversations between author and producer, etc.) it would make for an even more fascinating experience.
One of the best essays, perhaps for it being completely different than all the others, is Lawrence Walt-Evans’s “I’m in Love with My Car: Automotive Symbolism on Veronica Mars.” Walt-Evans takes a close look at the different type of vehicles that all the characters on the show drive (and they do all drive) and then applies those cars to the personality traits the characters exhibit. His argument is that this show is the one show on television where every vehicle choice is thought out and defined and an extension of the character’s personality. cool.
Taken individually the many essays that comprise Neptune Noir: Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars provide a fascinating look not only at the show, but at its fanbase as well (make no mistake, many of the authors are fans). There are moments however when they seem to be trying to hard, when authors as fans push arguments that seem to be justifications, excuses, for them liking the series so much (I would include Misty Hook’s “Boom Goes the Dynamite: Why I Love Veronica and Logan” among these) rather than a more scholarly piece.
Book Review And Give-Away: Neptune Noir:
Chapter: Boom Goes the Dynamite: Why I Love Veronica and Logan
Written by: Misty Hook, Ph.D. - Licensed Psychologist
Synopsis: Dr. Hook analyzes Logan and Veronica’s relationship. She breaks down their chemistry, body language and shared experiences. She finds parallels between their personal histories, including their families eh and explains why they’re so easily drawn to one another. As a fan of the Logan and Veronica relationship, I felt that Hook really pinpointed all of the reasons why these two are so great to watch on screen together.
Sample: The audience was supposed to hate Logan for all the horrible things he had done and was doing to Veronica but you couldn’t help but want to see more of the two of them together; there was the sense that their mutual animosity wasn’t telling the whole story. .. Although there are other couples who possess good sexual chemistry, I can think of no other couple who responds so completely to one another at such a basic physical level. Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring deserve the credit here, as we can almost see Veronica and Logan’s relationship unfold through only their body language.” mmhm ok.
Arsy80: I was fortunate enough to get an advance, unedited version of this in order to do a pre-release review of the book and I liked the essays a lot but I also really loved the forwards. I honestly believe Rob expresses himself on paper much better than he does in interviews where his answers can be kind of all over the place and often, as a someone who defends the show a good bit, I kind of feel he makes things worse. I liked having the chance to read thought out explanations for how he views things and during the hiatus when there was a good bit of freaking out, his Logan/Veronica forward gave me a lot of confidence in that particular ending. I feel like he eats a lot more crow, and acknowledges mistakes the show has made, in those forwards than he does in press interviews.
Book Review: Neptune Noir: Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars Edited by Rob Thomas: Neptune Noir includes 18 different essays, plus an introduction to the book by Rob Thomas, and a few paragraphs by Rob preceding each essay. The essays focus on the exact areas one would think: girl power, class, racism, parental relationships, friendships, high school, noir, and story structure. While individually many of them are well-written, they tend to cover the same ground over and over, using the same episodes of the series to support their opinions. The essays all seem to come from the time between the end of the second and start of the third season (with Rob’s comments coming during the filming of the third season), so there really isn’t all that much material to work with (less than 50 episodes), and it shows.
By a large margin, the most interesting parts of the book are Rob Thomas’s introductions. He is quite clear in them about what his intents were when creating certain scenes and story arcs and what the “happy accidents” were.
These introductions are the beginning point of a fascinating dialogue between author and producer, fan and creator. Were it to be expanded (letters back and forth, transcripts of conversations between author and producer, etc.) it would make for an even more fascinating experience.
One of the best essays, perhaps for it being completely different than all the others, is Lawrence Walt-Evans’s “I’m in Love with My Car: Automotive Symbolism on Veronica Mars.” Walt-Evans takes a close look at the different type of vehicles that all the characters on the show drive (and they do all drive) and then applies those cars to the personality traits the characters exhibit. His argument is that this show is the one show on television where every vehicle choice is thought out and defined and an extension of the character’s personality. cool.
Taken individually the many essays that comprise Neptune Noir: Unauthorized Investigations into Veronica Mars provide a fascinating look not only at the show, but at its fanbase as well (make no mistake, many of the authors are fans). There are moments however when they seem to be trying to hard, when authors as fans push arguments that seem to be justifications, excuses, for them liking the series so much (I would include Misty Hook’s “Boom Goes the Dynamite: Why I Love Veronica and Logan” among these) rather than a more scholarly piece.
Book Review And Give-Away: Neptune Noir:
Chapter: Boom Goes the Dynamite: Why I Love Veronica and Logan
Written by: Misty Hook, Ph.D. - Licensed Psychologist
Synopsis: Dr. Hook analyzes Logan and Veronica’s relationship. She breaks down their chemistry, body language and shared experiences. She finds parallels between their personal histories, including their families eh and explains why they’re so easily drawn to one another. As a fan of the Logan and Veronica relationship, I felt that Hook really pinpointed all of the reasons why these two are so great to watch on screen together.
Sample: The audience was supposed to hate Logan for all the horrible things he had done and was doing to Veronica but you couldn’t help but want to see more of the two of them together; there was the sense that their mutual animosity wasn’t telling the whole story. .. Although there are other couples who possess good sexual chemistry, I can think of no other couple who responds so completely to one another at such a basic physical level. Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring deserve the credit here, as we can almost see Veronica and Logan’s relationship unfold through only their body language.” mmhm ok.
Neptune in Print: Veronica Mars Books - TWoP Forums:
JD seems to me to be aiming for a more charismatic flippancy; Logan is sexually confident enough to flirt with anyone from Weevil to Veronica to the bathroom door. That doesn't really make him 100% camp although he is fond of the odd twirl so she may has something there
JD seems to me to be aiming for a more charismatic flippancy; Logan is sexually confident enough to flirt with anyone from Weevil to Veronica to the bathroom door. That doesn't really make him 100% camp although he is fond of the odd twirl so she may has something there
The Jason Dohring Interview p2f :
making this little bcs it is int but detracts some from my feel for Logan
CB: Now, you have a reputation for being pretty serious about the craft of acting.
JD: ...What I was happiest with -- the work on Veronica Mars that I liked best -- was the pilot. I don't know, just, like, the little tiny moments, like driving up in the car ? in the school lot, asking her to come surfing, and does she drink like her mother ?, and Veronica didn't look at me, and I'm like, 'Hey! Hey!' and she looked at me, and my attention was totally on her. cool. I was just so there -- I felt quite secure at that time that everything out of my mouth would have been character-driven, in a way. A couple of things I did were embellishments of what was in the script.
I love how physical Logan is, with guys as well he oozes physicality. in the pilot at lunch he sits on Duncan's lap and plays at sensually rubbing his own chest. and a few episodes later, on the bleachers, he leans back and puts his head on the knee of another guy when he asks Duncan, "Your boy Troy was going to join us for happy hour... you think he got waylaid by Veronica?"
CB: What do you do to keep improving as an actor?
JD: I just try keeping an eye open for new stuff, listening, watching movies. A lot of movies, you can see all the clichés that people talk about, but then you watch a fucking Brando movie or you watch Montgomery Clift, these guys were so attentive to moments that you see in everyday life with dialogue, you see what they act and then you think of what that would have been on the page, and you go, "How did he get that?" Clift, especially, broke up speech in different rhythms, and you see that in life, man! People don't complete a thought so often, and it's awesome! I love that stuff. It's really exciting to me. So you can learn from that.
CB: Being a fan of Brando, are you a fan of the Method, then?
JD: I wouldn't say so, because I don't use past memories in the present to create feelings, but you can know what something's like, and create it in the present, you know, without kind of going back there. I think over time-- I know that good acting can be done through the Method -- I think Sean Penn is un-fucking-believable. yeah. But I don't know how great of shape he's in as a person now, and Brando was sort of the same way.
CB: You started to mention this earlier, but what are your favorite movies?
JD: Oh, boy. You know, I almost...don't really watch movies for pleasure. It's more that there are just actors that I like, whatever they're in. Gary Oldman's awesome, anything that Jack Nicholson does I think is great...and all for different reasons. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is just awesome. Such a good movie...I don't know, I'm looking at my shelf, I've got them all in alphabetical order...State Of Grace, I love. I thought Frida was rad -- I think Alfred Molina's one of the best living actors right now. East Of Eden's rad. I loved Kids w Chloe Sevigny?; that had some of the best acting I've ever seen in my life.
CB: So you spend a lot of time preparing your scenes.
JD: Yeah. But it's fun, dude, because the little things that you guys see -- I love that! That's why I act. You're limited only by the words on the page. You have to say those words, but whatever way you say them, whatever subtext, what's really going on, the feelings underneath -- you have room to express them, and that's what I really love about Logan's character; there are so many different emotions.
CB: A little more on the dark-type roles: obviously one reason you like them is that they're more interesting to you as an actor. But they must bring out so much more raw emotion in you; is that part of the process you enjoy?
JD: I guess so. I like to feel that something's alive in acting, like something's really going on.
CB: [When filming the pilot] Did you hang out on the set when you weren't filming? See what the show was all about?
JD: Well, I had a good idea -- but I wound up going back to L.A. in the middle of it to do that Cold Case episode. So I was really working, actually. But I studied Rico -- I love that guy. Working with good actors is so fun -- that's all I want to do.
CB: A lot of readers probably aren't totally familiar with what it's like working on a TV show -- the process of filming, doing six or eight takes just to get one scene, stuff like that. Describe your typical workday.
JD: It can be anything from one scene, which I did yesterday morning -- I worked from 6:30 in the morning to 8:30 or 9 AM on one scene, and then had the rest of the week off except for tomorrow. So it's a two-day work week, which is very different from Kristen's schedule -- [she] works fourteen hours a day, every day. It depends how many scenes you're in, but I like it when I get a whole day of scenes, because I get into a rhythm, you know? I remember in the episode with Anthony Anderson ["Lord Of The Bling"], I had all these scenes at my house, and it was great -- a couple of days shooting all day, every day, and it was so fucking fun! I really get into it. And you will do several takes, or sometimes you'll do -- that scene the I love you beary much scene where Veronica and I are kissing and we come through the door and talk about my mother, my mother's urn that has sea water in it, that whole scene is one shot.
JD: That movie with Robert Redford, All The President's Men, he has a six-and-a-half minute scene all on him. He said a cool thing -- we were up at Sundance and he screened it for all the people that were there, and someone in the audience asked how he did a scene like that. He said instead of worrying about it, he looked at it just as something cool to do, a cool exercise. I try to think the same way.
JD: I didn't know for the first couple episodes exactly why he was pissed off with Veronica, but he was just that kind of guy that does that to people in general. And then the backstory developed, and it was like, "Okay, cool, I see why that is." that he blamed her for telling Lilly saw him kissing the new girl? and bcs her father was making everything worse for the Kanes, right?
CB: At the beginning of the show, a lot of people had a very negative opinion of your character.Now, your fan support is pretty tremendous. Did that turnaround surprise you?
JD: It's kind of funny, because if you look at people in real life and think that they're mean or nasty, if you knew what got them there, all of a sudden you can have sympathy, and I think that's exactly what happened in "Return Of The Kane," where you see Logan's family situation.
CB: Yeah, I think the belt scene was a definite turning point.
JD: Yeah, isn't that amazing? But then it can go back and forth, which is great. I don't have one way or another that I want to play it, good or bad -- I think the more that you can keep it on the fence, the better. You can swing one way, and people think there's no way you're redeemable, but then you go the other way, and people feel for you. And that's what I think is cool about it -- do I root for him or not? But I think underneath it all, he's good.
CB: I'd guess that's why so many fans find him appealing. Do you think it's also because in this secretive, noir show, he's kind of readable? I don't think he's that readable. but hella expressive gaze and voice and physicality The guy who's impulsive and sort of wears his heart on his sleeve?
JD: Like that he's kind of vulnerable, in a way? Yeah. he's got tremendous vulnerability It makes him human and you can kind of relate to it, and I think people are basically good -- if someone's pure evil, that's not a part of me. I can't get that. But even if someone's evil, if they have a lot of -- this is kind of a weird concept -- intention, or a drive to do something, people can latch onto that as admirable. I think also -- [Jason's voice falls to a stage whisper] I stole this, too -- but like, I think Natalie Wood said that James Dean was always looking to understand. And I think that if you're looking to understand, it almost implies that you're not getting understanding. And the viewer sees that and is like, "Oh my God -- if someone just held him!" And the audience sees all the backstory, but the people in Logan's life don't see all that. The viewer wants to help that guy, but nobody else sees that.
CB: Going back to Logan and Veronica, a lot of the fanbase wants to see them together. You mentioned what the obstacles to that happening are, but is it something you want to see?
JD: Well, I think for acting's sake, I'd like it to go back and forth. It's the most dramatic. I love working with [Kristen], but the good scenes without the bad wouldn't be good. I like both, and I think we're on a pretty good path now. If that's how it ends up being written, I'll be thrilled, but on the other hand, I'm happy enough playing against her in the evil way -- it might even be more fun, because we're actually really liking each other underneath it all. The antagonistic scenes are great.
CB: Another character you've had some memorable scenes with is Weevil. I know that you and Francis are good friends, and you two always seem really on in your scenes together -- do you guys try to one-up each other?
JD: Yeah, I think there's definitely some one-upmanship going on. I don't know -- I think I get the better lines, so I think he just has to take it sometimes.
CB: Going back to what you said about Kristen, you and Weevil can be so antagonistic, yet it seems like underneath you do like each other.
JD: Oh, totally. In Neptune, especially with the elite of the different groups, I think there's a mutual respect. Even in the fight scene, which I loved, you could feel it. But Francis is great, so when you do a scene with another guy and you're both trying to be the best actor you can...it's really who can be the most present. I was realizing that the other day -- if you can be aware of everything the other guy is doing, that makes you a better actor. If I can be aware of everything and understand it and be able to receive it, that makes for good acting, and if everyone's doing that, then the show is really alive.
CB: Let's talk about Amanda Seyfried for a minute.
JD: Dude, this girl is such a good actress. People have no idea how good she is. She has a freedom that's unbelievable -- there's no attention on herself whatsoever coming across. She's a scene-stealer, man! huh
CB: Rob mentioned that he gave you some notice you'd be doing shirtless scenes, and that you hired a trainer. Did you bulk up a lot?
JD: Well, I guess halfway through the first season, I started working out, but I'm not trying to get all crazy with it. But it's cool to be in shape, I guess. I'd lifted a little bit before, but I didn't really know quite how to do it -- it makes a huge difference. I learned how to get in shape without getting certain muscles too big that make you look like a meathead. But Charisma is so much more in shape than I am. And she's so damned tan, too. My Irish skin did not contrast well.
CB: Now you and the rest of the cast, especially last year, were great about traveling a lot to promote the show. How did it feel when you guys got the payoff, so to speak, of the renewal? What did you all do to celebrate?
JD: It was so awesome, man. You know, I guess...the one thing I was sad about was that Kristen was working so hard, and it was like, here's another year of that, so it's kind of like...I don't know, my attention was with her. I hoped we could kind of...expand the show to other avenues, just for her sake. But we were in New York, and I think we all went out to dinner and just had a great time. I couldn't fucking believe it, man. It's such a pyramid -- how many pilots are written, how many are picked up to get made, how many are picked up to become shows, and then re-picked up for multiple seasons...you just have so few.
..We'd just go to like, these places where...our first one in Seattle, it was just unbelievable. We pulled up in like, two different Hummers, these girls were just screaming, and I don't even think they'd seen the show. It's like, I remember not being able to get the time of day from anyone, and all of a sudden you're on TV and it's way different. But it's cool when people understand what you're doing -- I love it when you guys post and you see the little things that we do.
CB: Speaking of Logan's dad, what was your reaction when you heard that you were going to be working with Harry Hamlin?
JD: You know, I guess L.A. Law was kind of before I started watching, you know, regular TV, so I didn't quite know who he was, exactly. But I told my parents, and they were like, "Unbelievable!" And I guess I had heard, but didn't really remember until recently, when that People magazine came out [and] he was "Sexiest Man [Alive]." But we never talk about anything outside of...we talk acting and stuff together, but I never ask about career stuff or anything. He's another very serious guy, but very nice.
CB: Were you surprised by how much he brought to the show?
JD: Yeah, man! I heard that it was some of his best work. But I gotta tell you, at one point I watched Clash Of The Titans, and I thought he was fucking awesome in that movie! For that role, he was so fucking vulnerable, heroic, and I think he was...his natural quality or dynamic, his innate character came through so much in that, I was like, "Dude, this guy is fucking awesome!"
making this little bcs it is int but detracts some from my feel for Logan
CB: Now, you have a reputation for being pretty serious about the craft of acting.
JD: ...What I was happiest with -- the work on Veronica Mars that I liked best -- was the pilot. I don't know, just, like, the little tiny moments, like driving up in the car ? in the school lot, asking her to come surfing, and does she drink like her mother ?, and Veronica didn't look at me, and I'm like, 'Hey! Hey!' and she looked at me, and my attention was totally on her. cool. I was just so there -- I felt quite secure at that time that everything out of my mouth would have been character-driven, in a way. A couple of things I did were embellishments of what was in the script.
I love how physical Logan is, with guys as well he oozes physicality. in the pilot at lunch he sits on Duncan's lap and plays at sensually rubbing his own chest. and a few episodes later, on the bleachers, he leans back and puts his head on the knee of another guy when he asks Duncan, "Your boy Troy was going to join us for happy hour... you think he got waylaid by Veronica?"
CB: What do you do to keep improving as an actor?
JD: I just try keeping an eye open for new stuff, listening, watching movies. A lot of movies, you can see all the clichés that people talk about, but then you watch a fucking Brando movie or you watch Montgomery Clift, these guys were so attentive to moments that you see in everyday life with dialogue, you see what they act and then you think of what that would have been on the page, and you go, "How did he get that?" Clift, especially, broke up speech in different rhythms, and you see that in life, man! People don't complete a thought so often, and it's awesome! I love that stuff. It's really exciting to me. So you can learn from that.
CB: Being a fan of Brando, are you a fan of the Method, then?
JD: I wouldn't say so, because I don't use past memories in the present to create feelings, but you can know what something's like, and create it in the present, you know, without kind of going back there. I think over time-- I know that good acting can be done through the Method -- I think Sean Penn is un-fucking-believable. yeah. But I don't know how great of shape he's in as a person now, and Brando was sort of the same way.
CB: You started to mention this earlier, but what are your favorite movies?
JD: Oh, boy. You know, I almost...don't really watch movies for pleasure. It's more that there are just actors that I like, whatever they're in. Gary Oldman's awesome, anything that Jack Nicholson does I think is great...and all for different reasons. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is just awesome. Such a good movie...I don't know, I'm looking at my shelf, I've got them all in alphabetical order...State Of Grace, I love. I thought Frida was rad -- I think Alfred Molina's one of the best living actors right now. East Of Eden's rad. I loved Kids w Chloe Sevigny?; that had some of the best acting I've ever seen in my life.
CB: So you spend a lot of time preparing your scenes.
JD: Yeah. But it's fun, dude, because the little things that you guys see -- I love that! That's why I act. You're limited only by the words on the page. You have to say those words, but whatever way you say them, whatever subtext, what's really going on, the feelings underneath -- you have room to express them, and that's what I really love about Logan's character; there are so many different emotions.
CB: A little more on the dark-type roles: obviously one reason you like them is that they're more interesting to you as an actor. But they must bring out so much more raw emotion in you; is that part of the process you enjoy?
JD: I guess so. I like to feel that something's alive in acting, like something's really going on.
CB: [When filming the pilot] Did you hang out on the set when you weren't filming? See what the show was all about?
JD: Well, I had a good idea -- but I wound up going back to L.A. in the middle of it to do that Cold Case episode. So I was really working, actually. But I studied Rico -- I love that guy. Working with good actors is so fun -- that's all I want to do.
CB: A lot of readers probably aren't totally familiar with what it's like working on a TV show -- the process of filming, doing six or eight takes just to get one scene, stuff like that. Describe your typical workday.
JD: It can be anything from one scene, which I did yesterday morning -- I worked from 6:30 in the morning to 8:30 or 9 AM on one scene, and then had the rest of the week off except for tomorrow. So it's a two-day work week, which is very different from Kristen's schedule -- [she] works fourteen hours a day, every day. It depends how many scenes you're in, but I like it when I get a whole day of scenes, because I get into a rhythm, you know? I remember in the episode with Anthony Anderson ["Lord Of The Bling"], I had all these scenes at my house, and it was great -- a couple of days shooting all day, every day, and it was so fucking fun! I really get into it. And you will do several takes, or sometimes you'll do -- that scene the I love you beary much scene where Veronica and I are kissing and we come through the door and talk about my mother, my mother's urn that has sea water in it, that whole scene is one shot.
JD: That movie with Robert Redford, All The President's Men, he has a six-and-a-half minute scene all on him. He said a cool thing -- we were up at Sundance and he screened it for all the people that were there, and someone in the audience asked how he did a scene like that. He said instead of worrying about it, he looked at it just as something cool to do, a cool exercise. I try to think the same way.
JD: I didn't know for the first couple episodes exactly why he was pissed off with Veronica, but he was just that kind of guy that does that to people in general. And then the backstory developed, and it was like, "Okay, cool, I see why that is." that he blamed her for telling Lilly saw him kissing the new girl? and bcs her father was making everything worse for the Kanes, right?
CB: At the beginning of the show, a lot of people had a very negative opinion of your character.Now, your fan support is pretty tremendous. Did that turnaround surprise you?
JD: It's kind of funny, because if you look at people in real life and think that they're mean or nasty, if you knew what got them there, all of a sudden you can have sympathy, and I think that's exactly what happened in "Return Of The Kane," where you see Logan's family situation.
CB: Yeah, I think the belt scene was a definite turning point.
JD: Yeah, isn't that amazing? But then it can go back and forth, which is great. I don't have one way or another that I want to play it, good or bad -- I think the more that you can keep it on the fence, the better. You can swing one way, and people think there's no way you're redeemable, but then you go the other way, and people feel for you. And that's what I think is cool about it -- do I root for him or not? But I think underneath it all, he's good.
CB: I'd guess that's why so many fans find him appealing. Do you think it's also because in this secretive, noir show, he's kind of readable? I don't think he's that readable. but hella expressive gaze and voice and physicality The guy who's impulsive and sort of wears his heart on his sleeve?
JD: Like that he's kind of vulnerable, in a way? Yeah. he's got tremendous vulnerability It makes him human and you can kind of relate to it, and I think people are basically good -- if someone's pure evil, that's not a part of me. I can't get that. But even if someone's evil, if they have a lot of -- this is kind of a weird concept -- intention, or a drive to do something, people can latch onto that as admirable. I think also -- [Jason's voice falls to a stage whisper] I stole this, too -- but like, I think Natalie Wood said that James Dean was always looking to understand. And I think that if you're looking to understand, it almost implies that you're not getting understanding. And the viewer sees that and is like, "Oh my God -- if someone just held him!" And the audience sees all the backstory, but the people in Logan's life don't see all that. The viewer wants to help that guy, but nobody else sees that.
CB: Going back to Logan and Veronica, a lot of the fanbase wants to see them together. You mentioned what the obstacles to that happening are, but is it something you want to see?
JD: Well, I think for acting's sake, I'd like it to go back and forth. It's the most dramatic. I love working with [Kristen], but the good scenes without the bad wouldn't be good. I like both, and I think we're on a pretty good path now. If that's how it ends up being written, I'll be thrilled, but on the other hand, I'm happy enough playing against her in the evil way -- it might even be more fun, because we're actually really liking each other underneath it all. The antagonistic scenes are great.
CB: Another character you've had some memorable scenes with is Weevil. I know that you and Francis are good friends, and you two always seem really on in your scenes together -- do you guys try to one-up each other?
JD: Yeah, I think there's definitely some one-upmanship going on. I don't know -- I think I get the better lines, so I think he just has to take it sometimes.
CB: Going back to what you said about Kristen, you and Weevil can be so antagonistic, yet it seems like underneath you do like each other.
JD: Oh, totally. In Neptune, especially with the elite of the different groups, I think there's a mutual respect. Even in the fight scene, which I loved, you could feel it. But Francis is great, so when you do a scene with another guy and you're both trying to be the best actor you can...it's really who can be the most present. I was realizing that the other day -- if you can be aware of everything the other guy is doing, that makes you a better actor. If I can be aware of everything and understand it and be able to receive it, that makes for good acting, and if everyone's doing that, then the show is really alive.
CB: Let's talk about Amanda Seyfried for a minute.
JD: Dude, this girl is such a good actress. People have no idea how good she is. She has a freedom that's unbelievable -- there's no attention on herself whatsoever coming across. She's a scene-stealer, man! huh
CB: Rob mentioned that he gave you some notice you'd be doing shirtless scenes, and that you hired a trainer. Did you bulk up a lot?
JD: Well, I guess halfway through the first season, I started working out, but I'm not trying to get all crazy with it. But it's cool to be in shape, I guess. I'd lifted a little bit before, but I didn't really know quite how to do it -- it makes a huge difference. I learned how to get in shape without getting certain muscles too big that make you look like a meathead. But Charisma is so much more in shape than I am. And she's so damned tan, too. My Irish skin did not contrast well.
CB: Now you and the rest of the cast, especially last year, were great about traveling a lot to promote the show. How did it feel when you guys got the payoff, so to speak, of the renewal? What did you all do to celebrate?
JD: It was so awesome, man. You know, I guess...the one thing I was sad about was that Kristen was working so hard, and it was like, here's another year of that, so it's kind of like...I don't know, my attention was with her. I hoped we could kind of...expand the show to other avenues, just for her sake. But we were in New York, and I think we all went out to dinner and just had a great time. I couldn't fucking believe it, man. It's such a pyramid -- how many pilots are written, how many are picked up to get made, how many are picked up to become shows, and then re-picked up for multiple seasons...you just have so few.
..We'd just go to like, these places where...our first one in Seattle, it was just unbelievable. We pulled up in like, two different Hummers, these girls were just screaming, and I don't even think they'd seen the show. It's like, I remember not being able to get the time of day from anyone, and all of a sudden you're on TV and it's way different. But it's cool when people understand what you're doing -- I love it when you guys post and you see the little things that we do.
CB: Speaking of Logan's dad, what was your reaction when you heard that you were going to be working with Harry Hamlin?
JD: You know, I guess L.A. Law was kind of before I started watching, you know, regular TV, so I didn't quite know who he was, exactly. But I told my parents, and they were like, "Unbelievable!" And I guess I had heard, but didn't really remember until recently, when that People magazine came out [and] he was "Sexiest Man [Alive]." But we never talk about anything outside of...we talk acting and stuff together, but I never ask about career stuff or anything. He's another very serious guy, but very nice.
CB: Were you surprised by how much he brought to the show?
JD: Yeah, man! I heard that it was some of his best work. But I gotta tell you, at one point I watched Clash Of The Titans, and I thought he was fucking awesome in that movie! For that role, he was so fucking vulnerable, heroic, and I think he was...his natural quality or dynamic, his innate character came through so much in that, I was like, "Dude, this guy is fucking awesome!"
Amazon.com: Veronica Mars: Music: Original TV Soundtrack
Perfect mixtape for one of the best shows on TV... November 4, 2006
By Shannon : Unlike many shows geared towards teens, "Veronica Mars" actually has a brain and a heart. And also unlike other teen shows, it doesn't use music as a marketing tool. Horrible shows like "The OC" and "One Tree Hill" essentially pack their episodes full of anemic "indie" music and then try to sell it to you. It isn't about creating a mood. Its about making money. "VM" is completely the opposite of this. This is clearly a show made by people who love music and don't flaunt it every chance they get. Key moments are often met with perfect soundtrack choices that enhance the mood, tell a story and make sense for the show. Fourteen of these songs are included on this amazing soundtrack.
Fantastic beyond belief, March 1, 2007
By R. Gaeta "Night_Hawk07" (Joliet, IL USA) -
I'm a complete "Veronica Mars" loyalist, having religiously watched the show since season 1. It was a no-brainer for me to buy the soundtrack but I was surprised by how much I would enjoy it. Usually TV show soundtracks have half the songs that you actually like, and the other half are songs you can't even remember being on the show and seem like filler. This CD is unique in that it is one of the only CDs I own where I like EVERY single track. It's amazing.
SONG: "We Used to Be Friends" by the Dandy Warhols
WHEN IT APPEARED: This is the show's theme song. It appears before every episode, though they have rearranged it to a moodier, darker piece for the show's third season.
MY OPINION: A great, bouncy rock song that perfectly tells the story of this show. It will have you dancing and singing along in no time.
Track 1: We Used to Be Friends
Probably my least favorite on the album only because I've heard it so many times. It's still catchy and a great song, though
SONG: "I Hear the Bells" by Mike Daughty
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.20 "Look Who's Stalking" (Logan and Veronica talk at the alterna-prom)
MY OPINION: A gorgeous, moody song that went perfectly with an excellent scene. The lyrics are especially interesting in this one.
Track 2: I Hear the Bells
Fantastic song by Mike Doughty. The lyrics are interesting and the melody is addictive. It reminds you of when it appeared in the show and makes you think of Logan and Veronica back in the day.
SONG: "I Know I Know I Know" by Tegan and Sara
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.16 "The Rapes of Graff" (Logan and Hannah get physical)
MY OPINION: Catchy, girly, sexy and unique.
Track 3: I Know I Know I Know
One of the main reasons for me wanting this soundtrack. I remember hearing it in the episode when it originally aired. It's insanely catchy and a great song to listen to in any mood.
SONG: "I Turn My Camera On" by Spoon
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.03 "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang" (Veronica spies on Kendall)
MY OPINION: A great, funky song with a pounding beat that gets under your skin.
Track 4: I Turn My Camera On
Perfect song to emulate Veronica's job as an amateur sleuth. It has an atmospheric, funk pop feel that is extremely enjoyable.
SONG: "No Sleep Tonight" by the Faders
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.05 "Blast from the Past" (Homecoming band)
MY OPINION: Great rock song that always makes me stomp along and cut loose.
Track 5: No Sleep Tonight
Song with a great beat. A great song to listen to if you want to get in a good mood.
SONG: "Dakota" by Stereophonics
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.08 "Ahoy, Mateys!" (Logan pulls a gun on the Fitzpatricks at River Stix)
MY OPINION: One of my favorites on the soundtrack. Really catchy, gravelly and sexy.
Track 6: Dakota
My favorite track of the album. A mellow and amazing song that evokes times past. It sort of reminds you of the past.
SONG: "Sway" by the Perishers
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.17 "Plan B" (Veronica and Logan dance at Sadie's)
MY OPINION: A gorgeous, aching love song. Beautiful.
Track 7: Sway
Great love song. I wasn't too keen on it at first, but it grew on me.
SONG: "Long Time Coming" by the Delays
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.01 "Normal is the Watchword" (Duncan keeps visiting Veronica and leaves her the fortune cookie)
MY OPINION: Really great, sort of fun and an awesome melody.
Track 8: Long Time Coming
Another highlight of the album. Has a funny feel to it but is very enjoyable.
SONG: "On Your Porch" by the Format
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.02 "Driver Ed" (Jessie meets her father's mistress and Veronica sleeps with Duncan)
MY OPINION: Really chill and quiet. Great for relaxing.
Track 9: On Your Porch
Perfectly captures the turmoil and themes of the TV show. A somber and inspiring track.
SONG: "Ocean City Girl" by Ivy
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.08 "Ahoy, Mateys!"(Duncan's dream about Meg and finally reading her letter)
MY OPINION: Very pretty and haunting, with a relaxed, romantic feel.
Track 10: Ocean City Girl
Didn't like this song at first, but the mood it puts you in is very relaxing. Great song to just chill to.
SONG: "Momentary Thing" by Something Happening ***********************************************
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 1.18 "Weapons of Class Destruction" (Logan and Veronica kiss for the first time)
MY OPINION: Great song, perfect for the moment and perfectly explains the rush of new love
Track 11: Momentary Thing
Screams of Veronica and Logan. Great song to bring up memories.
SONG: "The Way You Are" by 46bliss
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 1.11 "Silence of the Lamb" (Mac's real mother comes to see her with her adopted family; Clarence Wiedman gets the photos from Veronica)
MY OPINION: Incredibly haunting and thoughtful. Gorgeous song.
Track 12: The Way You Are
One of the most unique songs on the album. It's dark tones are absolutely addicting and thrilling to listen to.
SONG: "Lost & Found" by Adrienne Pierce
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.21 "Happy Go Lucky" (Wallace and Veronica share a moment at the end of high school)
MY OPINION: A cute, catchy song that makes me smile.
Track 13: Lost & Found
A nice, sweet song that perfectly captures some teen angst.
SONG: "Lily Dreams On" by Cotton Mather
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 1.22 "Leave It to Beaver" (Veronica dreams of Lilly and finds peace)
MY OPINION: PERFECT dreamy song for Veronica to say goodbye to Lilly. Great way to end a season and a soundtrack.
Track 14: Lily Dreams On
I couldn't think of a better end to end the soundtrack. Words cannot express how beautiful this song is. It also ended the first season with a dreamy feel. The song can actually bring tears to one's eyes if you think about how devastating it was for Veronica to lose her best friend.
Overall, an unbelievably fantastic soundtrack. It matches the brilliant nature of the TV show.
Perfect mixtape for one of the best shows on TV... November 4, 2006
By Shannon : Unlike many shows geared towards teens, "Veronica Mars" actually has a brain and a heart. And also unlike other teen shows, it doesn't use music as a marketing tool. Horrible shows like "The OC" and "One Tree Hill" essentially pack their episodes full of anemic "indie" music and then try to sell it to you. It isn't about creating a mood. Its about making money. "VM" is completely the opposite of this. This is clearly a show made by people who love music and don't flaunt it every chance they get. Key moments are often met with perfect soundtrack choices that enhance the mood, tell a story and make sense for the show. Fourteen of these songs are included on this amazing soundtrack.
Fantastic beyond belief, March 1, 2007
By R. Gaeta "Night_Hawk07" (Joliet, IL USA) -
I'm a complete "Veronica Mars" loyalist, having religiously watched the show since season 1. It was a no-brainer for me to buy the soundtrack but I was surprised by how much I would enjoy it. Usually TV show soundtracks have half the songs that you actually like, and the other half are songs you can't even remember being on the show and seem like filler. This CD is unique in that it is one of the only CDs I own where I like EVERY single track. It's amazing.
SONG: "We Used to Be Friends" by the Dandy Warhols
WHEN IT APPEARED: This is the show's theme song. It appears before every episode, though they have rearranged it to a moodier, darker piece for the show's third season.
MY OPINION: A great, bouncy rock song that perfectly tells the story of this show. It will have you dancing and singing along in no time.
Track 1: We Used to Be Friends
Probably my least favorite on the album only because I've heard it so many times. It's still catchy and a great song, though
SONG: "I Hear the Bells" by Mike Daughty
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.20 "Look Who's Stalking" (Logan and Veronica talk at the alterna-prom)
MY OPINION: A gorgeous, moody song that went perfectly with an excellent scene. The lyrics are especially interesting in this one.
Track 2: I Hear the Bells
Fantastic song by Mike Doughty. The lyrics are interesting and the melody is addictive. It reminds you of when it appeared in the show and makes you think of Logan and Veronica back in the day.
SONG: "I Know I Know I Know" by Tegan and Sara
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.16 "The Rapes of Graff" (Logan and Hannah get physical)
MY OPINION: Catchy, girly, sexy and unique.
Track 3: I Know I Know I Know
One of the main reasons for me wanting this soundtrack. I remember hearing it in the episode when it originally aired. It's insanely catchy and a great song to listen to in any mood.
SONG: "I Turn My Camera On" by Spoon
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.03 "Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang" (Veronica spies on Kendall)
MY OPINION: A great, funky song with a pounding beat that gets under your skin.
Track 4: I Turn My Camera On
Perfect song to emulate Veronica's job as an amateur sleuth. It has an atmospheric, funk pop feel that is extremely enjoyable.
SONG: "No Sleep Tonight" by the Faders
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.05 "Blast from the Past" (Homecoming band)
MY OPINION: Great rock song that always makes me stomp along and cut loose.
Track 5: No Sleep Tonight
Song with a great beat. A great song to listen to if you want to get in a good mood.
SONG: "Dakota" by Stereophonics
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.08 "Ahoy, Mateys!" (Logan pulls a gun on the Fitzpatricks at River Stix)
MY OPINION: One of my favorites on the soundtrack. Really catchy, gravelly and sexy.
Track 6: Dakota
My favorite track of the album. A mellow and amazing song that evokes times past. It sort of reminds you of the past.
SONG: "Sway" by the Perishers
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.17 "Plan B" (Veronica and Logan dance at Sadie's)
MY OPINION: A gorgeous, aching love song. Beautiful.
Track 7: Sway
Great love song. I wasn't too keen on it at first, but it grew on me.
SONG: "Long Time Coming" by the Delays
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.01 "Normal is the Watchword" (Duncan keeps visiting Veronica and leaves her the fortune cookie)
MY OPINION: Really great, sort of fun and an awesome melody.
Track 8: Long Time Coming
Another highlight of the album. Has a funny feel to it but is very enjoyable.
SONG: "On Your Porch" by the Format
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.02 "Driver Ed" (Jessie meets her father's mistress and Veronica sleeps with Duncan)
MY OPINION: Really chill and quiet. Great for relaxing.
Track 9: On Your Porch
Perfectly captures the turmoil and themes of the TV show. A somber and inspiring track.
SONG: "Ocean City Girl" by Ivy
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.08 "Ahoy, Mateys!"(Duncan's dream about Meg and finally reading her letter)
MY OPINION: Very pretty and haunting, with a relaxed, romantic feel.
Track 10: Ocean City Girl
Didn't like this song at first, but the mood it puts you in is very relaxing. Great song to just chill to.
SONG: "Momentary Thing" by Something Happening ***********************************************
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 1.18 "Weapons of Class Destruction" (Logan and Veronica kiss for the first time)
MY OPINION: Great song, perfect for the moment and perfectly explains the rush of new love
Track 11: Momentary Thing
Screams of Veronica and Logan. Great song to bring up memories.
SONG: "The Way You Are" by 46bliss
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 1.11 "Silence of the Lamb" (Mac's real mother comes to see her with her adopted family; Clarence Wiedman gets the photos from Veronica)
MY OPINION: Incredibly haunting and thoughtful. Gorgeous song.
Track 12: The Way You Are
One of the most unique songs on the album. It's dark tones are absolutely addicting and thrilling to listen to.
SONG: "Lost & Found" by Adrienne Pierce
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 2.21 "Happy Go Lucky" (Wallace and Veronica share a moment at the end of high school)
MY OPINION: A cute, catchy song that makes me smile.
Track 13: Lost & Found
A nice, sweet song that perfectly captures some teen angst.
SONG: "Lily Dreams On" by Cotton Mather
WHEN IT APPEARED: Episode 1.22 "Leave It to Beaver" (Veronica dreams of Lilly and finds peace)
MY OPINION: PERFECT dreamy song for Veronica to say goodbye to Lilly. Great way to end a season and a soundtrack.
Track 14: Lily Dreams On
I couldn't think of a better end to end the soundtrack. Words cannot express how beautiful this song is. It also ended the first season with a dreamy feel. The song can actually bring tears to one's eyes if you think about how devastating it was for Veronica to lose her best friend.
Overall, an unbelievably fantastic soundtrack. It matches the brilliant nature of the TV show.
Thorns, The - No Blue Sky Lyrics:
Cold outside, But I don't blame the weather.
No one's calling. No one's at the door. But I can't stay inside all day, blinds pulled to the floor.
There's no blue sky in my town lately. Everybody looks at the ground. And where I am is making my hazy. But the sun never looked so pretty going down.
It ain't right. Feels like forever. So many changes, I stopped keeping score. But if you want me, You know where I will be. I don't get out much anymore.
There's no blue sky in my town lately. Everybody looks at the ground. And where I am is making my hazy. But the sun never looked so pretty going down.
wow that's apt for VM, esp for where it is used Duncan on the raft in the pool in the early epis (#3 maybe?) where his antidepressant taking is a B story. I'm sorry this is not on the soundtrack
The Thorns - Wkp:
The Thorns are an acoustic rock band formed in 2002 as a project of Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge, and Shawn Mullins.
The band toured the United States and Europe throughout 2003 in support of their eponymous debut album.
If ever a group's moniker were wrapped in florid irony, surely it's this bright, buoyant summit meeting of contemporary popmeisters Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge. Backed by an all-star studio ensemble that includes Jim Keltner, Greg Leisz, Brendan O'Brien, and Roy Bittan, the three nominally insulated musicians don't so much claim the legacy of Crosby, Stills & Nash on the harmonic riches of "Think it Over" and glorious "Now I Know" as find a musical common ground that can't help but echo history in its folk-rooted vocal glories (although it's hard to imagine the baby-boom icons wrapping themselves around the chunky funk of the title track here or the pointed impressionistic allegory of "Dragonfly.") Yet The Thorns forges an ego-sublimating higher ground that's anything but nostalgic. Fans of the three musicians may recognize their various sensibilities at work throughout, but it's a rewarding collaboration that virtually defies deconstruction. Don't be misled by the name--this is a beautiful, musically fragrant bouquet.
Cold outside, But I don't blame the weather.
No one's calling. No one's at the door. But I can't stay inside all day, blinds pulled to the floor.
There's no blue sky in my town lately. Everybody looks at the ground. And where I am is making my hazy. But the sun never looked so pretty going down.
It ain't right. Feels like forever. So many changes, I stopped keeping score. But if you want me, You know where I will be. I don't get out much anymore.
There's no blue sky in my town lately. Everybody looks at the ground. And where I am is making my hazy. But the sun never looked so pretty going down.
wow that's apt for VM, esp for where it is used Duncan on the raft in the pool in the early epis (#3 maybe?) where his antidepressant taking is a B story. I'm sorry this is not on the soundtrack
The Thorns - Wkp:
The Thorns are an acoustic rock band formed in 2002 as a project of Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge, and Shawn Mullins.
The band toured the United States and Europe throughout 2003 in support of their eponymous debut album.
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If ever a group's moniker were wrapped in florid irony, surely it's this bright, buoyant summit meeting of contemporary popmeisters Matthew Sweet, Shawn Mullins, and Pete Droge. Backed by an all-star studio ensemble that includes Jim Keltner, Greg Leisz, Brendan O'Brien, and Roy Bittan, the three nominally insulated musicians don't so much claim the legacy of Crosby, Stills & Nash on the harmonic riches of "Think it Over" and glorious "Now I Know" as find a musical common ground that can't help but echo history in its folk-rooted vocal glories (although it's hard to imagine the baby-boom icons wrapping themselves around the chunky funk of the title track here or the pointed impressionistic allegory of "Dragonfly.") Yet The Thorns forges an ego-sublimating higher ground that's anything but nostalgic. Fans of the three musicians may recognize their various sensibilities at work throughout, but it's a rewarding collaboration that virtually defies deconstruction. Don't be misled by the name--this is a beautiful, musically fragrant bouquet.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
TWoP recap 1.15 Risky Business p1: Veronica tells Logan she'll let him know if the card's used again, and leaves. Logan quickly follows her... ...and inside, walks next to her awkwardly. He hesitantly but seemingly sincerely thanks her for 'helping out with this,' which is a marked shift in attitude from last episode. He even squeezes her arm. Veronica says she knows what it's like. Logan smiles in return, and walks off. Veronica good-naturedly shakes her head, no doubt thinking it's a good day to buy a lottery ticket. We pan in the direction Veronica's walking in... ...and see Veronica's approaching Duncan. A bunch of people are setting up for the dance, and he, as class president, tells them, "Don't be stingy with the glitter." Seeing Veronica, he inquires as to whether he just saw his best friend ask her to the dance, in case that wasn't clear. I would have thought Duncan would be more surprised, and interested, by the possibility of Logan and Veronica's ending their feud. Veronica jokes that she's just waiting for her phone to ring. Duncan tells her, "You never know," which is just another in a long line of comments from him that strike me as ever-so-slightly bizarre. yeah.
As Duncan walks away, VMVO tells us that her heart was eclipsed long ago, evidently by a flashback. We see long-haired Veronica slow-dancing with Duncan. Pete Yorn's "Just Another" plays, which, as you might remember, Duncan described as his and Veronica's song in the pilot, and can I say how totally this show kicks ass, yet again, some more? I mean, that was fourteen episodes ago. If not for ginko biloba, I wouldn't remember what happened fourteen minutes ago. Actually, I don't think I've had any today. Did I make that joke already? I didn't get that for a minute. then I really did laugh aloud. 'cause it's almost recursive: wait, did I make *that* joke already?
1.15 recap last two pages: Cyndi Lauper's original version of 'Time After Time' kicks up as Veronica's eyes point Meg to look behind her. She does, and sees Duncan, dressed as Duckie from Pretty in Pink, wearing the matching corsage. Meg looks back at Veronica with a mixture of hope and pity, and I think Alona Tal brings a combination of humanity mixed with a slight bit of shallowness to this role that's a welcome addition. VMVO says she doesn't need any more surprises for one night as she hustles out of the dance. She gets into her car and starts to cry. 'Time After Time' continues to play as someone knocks on her window. It's Deputy Leo, who's dressed as Don Johnson in Miami Vice, and has flowers for her. Boy, I learned about approach-avoidance dilemma in high school, but I've never seen it applied quite so well. I don't know if you can see it in the aired footage, but I saw some advance photos for this episode, and Leo was even wearing white shoes. Hee. Leo asks her if she's ready for a total eclipse of the heart, and Veronica melts. His timing is certainly better than his diction. what's wrong with his diction?
Leo tells Veronica she looks beautiful. Veronica takes a long look at Duncan and Meg. After she turns back, Duncan regards them appraisingly. All the surreptitious looking is interrupted by Logan appearing on stage in Tom Cruise-in-Risky Business-wear. Logan tells everyone to Wang Chung, or he'll kick their asses. I guess someone's all cried out.
As Duncan walks away, VMVO tells us that her heart was eclipsed long ago, evidently by a flashback. We see long-haired Veronica slow-dancing with Duncan. Pete Yorn's "Just Another" plays, which, as you might remember, Duncan described as his and Veronica's song in the pilot, and can I say how totally this show kicks ass, yet again, some more? I mean, that was fourteen episodes ago. If not for ginko biloba, I wouldn't remember what happened fourteen minutes ago. Actually, I don't think I've had any today. Did I make that joke already? I didn't get that for a minute. then I really did laugh aloud. 'cause it's almost recursive: wait, did I make *that* joke already?
1.15 recap last two pages: Cyndi Lauper's original version of 'Time After Time' kicks up as Veronica's eyes point Meg to look behind her. She does, and sees Duncan, dressed as Duckie from Pretty in Pink, wearing the matching corsage. Meg looks back at Veronica with a mixture of hope and pity, and I think Alona Tal brings a combination of humanity mixed with a slight bit of shallowness to this role that's a welcome addition. VMVO says she doesn't need any more surprises for one night as she hustles out of the dance. She gets into her car and starts to cry. 'Time After Time' continues to play as someone knocks on her window. It's Deputy Leo, who's dressed as Don Johnson in Miami Vice, and has flowers for her. Boy, I learned about approach-avoidance dilemma in high school, but I've never seen it applied quite so well. I don't know if you can see it in the aired footage, but I saw some advance photos for this episode, and Leo was even wearing white shoes. Hee. Leo asks her if she's ready for a total eclipse of the heart, and Veronica melts. His timing is certainly better than his diction. what's wrong with his diction?
Leo tells Veronica she looks beautiful. Veronica takes a long look at Duncan and Meg. After she turns back, Duncan regards them appraisingly. All the surreptitious looking is interrupted by Logan appearing on stage in Tom Cruise-in-Risky Business-wear. Logan tells everyone to Wang Chung, or he'll kick their asses. I guess someone's all cried out.
1-15: "Ruskie Business" 2005.02.22 - TWoP Forums p1:
-Oh, wow. So, at the end, when Meg was wearing that pink dress, my first thought was, “Wow, why is such a pretty girl wearing such a completely and utterly shapeless pink thing?” My second thought was, “Wait, when have I had that exact thought before?” Then, my third thought was, “Holy crap! Pretty in Pink!” And my fourth thought was, “I want to live at that dance.” Also, my bonus fifth thought was, “God, I love this show.” I’m just glad that I got that last one in before pantsless Logan shut down my regular thought process.
- Are you paying attention, Lost? That is how you move a show along. Absolutely fantastic.
-Now Veronica knows that Logan was abused. Trina in the hotel: isn't dad the big bad wolf? cigarette burns and broken noses? Nice reaction from Kristen Bell. Once again Logan's reactions were perfect. How else is he going to respond now that he knows his mom is dead?
-That was beyond gut-wrenching – start to finish. It’s the heartbreak episode, all about finding – and losing – your soulmates. The breakdowns in this episode are legion and are so well played.
Logan losing it made me want to rock back and forth in pain. VM at the dance … I could literally hear my heart crack for her. You KNEW Meg's mystery guy had to be Duncan, and it makes perfect sense: as I’ve said before, Meg basically IS VM back when VM and Duncan were in love and all was right with the world. yep good point SabinaRose, Meg is simply kind & pretty like VM in the flashbacks.
which is why at this point, VM & Logan work. they're angry, intense. Duncan is looking from calm, pretty.
.... .... ....
-Oh, wow. So, at the end, when Meg was wearing that pink dress, my first thought was, “Wow, why is such a pretty girl wearing such a completely and utterly shapeless pink thing?” My second thought was, “Wait, when have I had that exact thought before?” Then, my third thought was, “Holy crap! Pretty in Pink!” And my fourth thought was, “I want to live at that dance.” Also, my bonus fifth thought was, “God, I love this show.” I’m just glad that I got that last one in before pantsless Logan shut down my regular thought process.
- Are you paying attention, Lost? That is how you move a show along. Absolutely fantastic.
-Now Veronica knows that Logan was abused. Trina in the hotel: isn't dad the big bad wolf? cigarette burns and broken noses? Nice reaction from Kristen Bell. Once again Logan's reactions were perfect. How else is he going to respond now that he knows his mom is dead?
-That was beyond gut-wrenching – start to finish. It’s the heartbreak episode, all about finding – and losing – your soulmates. The breakdowns in this episode are legion and are so well played.
Logan losing it made me want to rock back and forth in pain. VM at the dance … I could literally hear my heart crack for her. You KNEW Meg's mystery guy had to be Duncan, and it makes perfect sense: as I’ve said before, Meg basically IS VM back when VM and Duncan were in love and all was right with the world. yep good point SabinaRose, Meg is simply kind & pretty like VM in the flashbacks.
which is why at this point, VM & Logan work. they're angry, intense. Duncan is looking from calm, pretty.
.... .... ....
TWoP 1.20 last page: Veronica tells him that she'll cut him down, but she wants a simple answer: who gave him the Rohypnol the night of Shelley Pomeroy's party? Tad's stunned, and Veronica says she knows he roofied his girlfriend, but Tad corrects her that it wasn't roofies, but was, in fact, GHB. This has been discussed to death in the forums, but my admittedly casual understanding is that, in the right quantity, GHB can be used recreationally, but that people are very sensitive to the dosage, and it is also widely known as a date-rape drug. But unlike Rohypnol, that's not its primary use, so whoever brought it to the party might not have intended it to be given to anyone for any malicious purpose. I'm not trying to absolve anyone -- it just makes the potential for a more intricate story of that night. Keep that in mind as you digest the fact that Tad's supplier was Logan. Instead of cutting Tad down, Veronica rips the bandage off his tattoo and walks away.
"Crimson and Clover" plays as Logan waits alone on the boat. He's wearing pants that don't really flatter his ass, not that the forum posters noticed or anything. Seeming to realize that Veronica isn't coming, he opens a some champagne and swigs it straight from the bottle. Champagne for one -- the loneliest drink.
YouTube - Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson and Clover
"Crimson and Clover" plays as Logan waits alone on the boat. He's wearing pants that don't really flatter his ass, not that the forum posters noticed or anything. Seeming to realize that Veronica isn't coming, he opens a some champagne and swigs it straight from the bottle. Champagne for one -- the loneliest drink.
YouTube - Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson and Clover
Ah, now I don't hardly know her But I think I could love her
Crimson and clover
Ah when she comes walking over Now I've been waitin' to show her
Crimson and clover over and over
Yeah, my, my such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover over and over
Crimson and clover over and over Crimson and clover over and over
Crimson and clover over and over Crimson and clover over and over
TWop recap VM 1.20 p1 copying this here for the couch baron style, not the show itself:Before I get started, I want to address something that was mentioned on the boards. Someone counted me in with the people who think Teddy Dunn has been doing a poor job as Duncan. I don't hold that opinion at all, and I've said so here and here and here. What I'm saying is, I think Teddy Dunn, while not ready to put together an Emmy reel, is doing a job that ranges from sufficient to pretty good, and I hope the last two episodes will play out in such a way to validate more of his acting choices, which happened earlier in the season with the medication and blackout revelations. But lest you think it's all hugs and puppies from me these days, Alyson Hannigan? I gave you a warmup episode, but since you still appear to be Willow, how about casting a spell to make you, you know, not? (heh)
We open on a shot of a stuffed Garfield doll hanging inside the windshield of someone's Jeep. I loved Garfield when I was, like, ten. Then I grew up and moved on to more adult things. Like Calvin and Hobbes, for instance. Anyway, there's a traffic snarl in the parking lot of Neptune High, caused by the apparent breakdown of our intrepid heroine's LeBaron. Veronica's working under the hood of her car as idiots honk their horns. And speaking of idiots, Dick Casablancas strolls up with a younger kid whom we'll learn is his brother Beaver. I'd be sad that the older brother wasn't named Wally, were his actual name not so undeniably fitting. Also, there's another sense in which Dick goes with Beaver, and if you think the writers didn't think of that, you haven't been watching the show. That also applies if you think that they wouldn't go there because it's a little incestuous and creepy. And one last point about names: I dropped the moniker "Ugly Owen Wilson" for two reasons. One, as I implied earlier, there's just something very satisfying about calling this character "Dick." And two, I recently saw a current picture of the famous original, and I have to concede that the nickname "Ugly Owen Wilson" is now woefully redundant. I'd go with "Poor Man's Owen Wilson," but that's a lot longer than "Dick," and I'm still in the first minute here.
We open on a shot of a stuffed Garfield doll hanging inside the windshield of someone's Jeep. I loved Garfield when I was, like, ten. Then I grew up and moved on to more adult things. Like Calvin and Hobbes, for instance. Anyway, there's a traffic snarl in the parking lot of Neptune High, caused by the apparent breakdown of our intrepid heroine's LeBaron. Veronica's working under the hood of her car as idiots honk their horns. And speaking of idiots, Dick Casablancas strolls up with a younger kid whom we'll learn is his brother Beaver. I'd be sad that the older brother wasn't named Wally, were his actual name not so undeniably fitting. Also, there's another sense in which Dick goes with Beaver, and if you think the writers didn't think of that, you haven't been watching the show. That also applies if you think that they wouldn't go there because it's a little incestuous and creepy. And one last point about names: I dropped the moniker "Ugly Owen Wilson" for two reasons. One, as I implied earlier, there's just something very satisfying about calling this character "Dick." And two, I recently saw a current picture of the famous original, and I have to concede that the nickname "Ugly Owen Wilson" is now woefully redundant. I'd go with "Poor Man's Owen Wilson," but that's a lot longer than "Dick," and I'm still in the first minute here.
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