That's why I'm asking everyone, with more urgency than I ever have before, to please contact CBS NOW. They are announcing their Fall lineup on Wednesday morning, May 14th, so time truly is short. It's too late for snail mail, so please, head to your e-mail and your telephone without delay! The next 16 hours or so are crucial, and may swing the balance back over in Moonlight's favor.
Mr. Les Moonves: lmoonves@cbs.com (This was still working as of 45 minutes ago. Other executives' e-mails stopped accepting new mail.)
Audience Services: audsvcs@cbs.com (Also still active.)
Phone:
CBS Paramount 323-956-5000
CBS Television City 323-575-2345
CBS 212-975-4321
Audience Services 212-975-3247
Please, e-mail and call. I'm asking for just a few minutes of your time. Please, please, please, and thank you.
See Moonlight-United.com for more information.
- Mood:alarmed
In the meantime, I found a blog called trivialTV that provides real Nielsen ratings for all shows from 1983 to the present. Since TV By the Numbers and others are perpetually comparing Moonlight to Close to Home, the last show to occupy that same time slot on CBS--yeah, I don't know what it was about, either--I thought I would do a little digging into history. I looked at the ratings for May 8, 2007. According to Trivial TV, Ghost Whisperer, which was part 2 of a two-parter, garnered 9.1 million households, Close to Home got 10.3, and Numb3rs (with their accursed 3 that always screws up my typing) got a solid 10. Now come forward a year to last Friday, May 9. As posted in TV by the Numbers, Ghost Whisperer had 8.74 million viewers, Moonlight 7.68, and Numb3rs 9.13, each handily winning its time slot. None of these is as good as the previous year's ratings for the same time slot. yet they still blow the competition out of the water.
So, why are overall numbers down, as they are for all of the networks? According to David Bauder of the Associated Press yesterday, the writers' strike has much to do with this. I'll let you read the full article, but the gist of it is that when the networks ran out of new programs, a lot of people turned to cable and satellite for their electronic entertainment, and not everyone returned when the series did. This is why some people have speculated that the writers' strike may actually have helped some series, by making the networks more willing to give them a second chance. We will see; but I remain optimistic about Moonlight's chances.
- Mood:
optimistic
Basic Characteristics of Moonlight Vampires
- Vampires don't have a heartbeat, and no circulation (this is a recent decision by TPTB).
- Apparently because of this, vampires sleep in freezers. It is also more comfortable for them to be cold when they sleep. They don't breathe when they sleep, which explains why they don't suffocate while inside the freezers (this last point is also newly clarified by TPTB).
- Vampires can't fly or turn into bats (although some enjoy bat-related humor), but they are very strong, and can perform some pretty incredible jumps.
- Whenever they are injured, they need blood to heal--and subsequently they heal quickly.
- Vampires can drink or inject blood. Drinking seems to be preferred.
- Vampires can go out in the sun for short periods of time; it does weaken them, however, and they should get inside and drink blood as soon as possible; otherwise, it will kill them.
- Vampires can drink alcohol.
- Vampires can technically eat food, but it has no taste, and they can't digest it.
- All of vampires' senses are enhanced, except, apparently, the sense of taste (see 8). They can smell other vampires, and can guess their approximate age by the stench of decay (which humans can't smell). They can also identify vampires they know by smell alone.
- The usual Hollywood standards--crosses, holy water, and garlic--don't have any effect on them.
- Vampires "vamp out" when they feed, fight, or engage in, er, other physical activity.
- Yes, vampires can have sex.
- Silver is poisonous to vampires; enough of it will kill them.
- A wooden stake through the heart will paralyze, but not kill a vampire.
- Fire kills vampires. Vamps turn to ash when they come into contact with flame. However, there have been 2 (and possibly 3) instances of vampires surviving and healing after being burned (Mick's wife/sire, Coraline; mystery vamp Lance; Mick's friend, Josef). There may be superior bloodlines within the vampdom that have special abilities, but this has not been directly addressed--yet. This aspect will likely be explored more during the hoped-for second season.
- Decapitation kills vampires.
The best defense against a Moonlight vampire seems to be having a really strong vampire friend. If your vampire friend is not present and you are attacked by a vampire, run to the nearest populated area. Vampires will seldom attack a person in public, since they must keep their vampirism secret in order to survive. If you cannot get away, try to put a wooden stake through the attacker's heart, or employ any of the vampire-killing methods described above. However, since vampires have superior strength and healing ability, please note this will be nearly impossible. I advise keeping a cell phone with GPS-tracking handy, and having your vampire friend on speed dial.
The penultimate episode of Moonlight airs tonight on CBS at 9 Central. Please remember to watch, and then contact CBS to ask for renewal. Contact information can be found at renewmoonlight.com, or you can use the Feedback form linked to at the bottom of any page at CBS.com.
- Mood:bloodthirsty... in a good way!
- Mood:
embarrassed
For those of you who don't know, Chuck stars Zachary Levi as the genius title character whose life has taken a couple of unexpected turns. Framed for cheating on an exam and kicked out of Stanford, Chuck Bartowski now lives with his sister, Ellie (Sarah Lancaster) and her boyfriend Devin "Captain Awesone" (Ryan McPartlin), while working for $11 an hour as a computer repair guy at the local Buy More. In the Pilot, Bryce Larkin (Matthew Bomer), Chuck's former best friend and the guy who got him kicked out of school, breaks into a secret government facility, and downloads the contents of the Intersect. The Intersect is a computer that contains, in pixelated graphic fomat, the combined data of every U.S. intelligence agency. Bryce then destroys the Intersect and e-mails the data to Chuck, just before NSA Agent John Casey (Adam Baldwin) arrives and delivers a kill shot.
Blissfully unaware, when Chuck gets Bryce's e-mail, he thinks it is an olive branch. He opens the e-mail (and gives the correct responses to a role-playing game the two used to play), and is bombarded with image-after-encoded image, putting Chuck in a kind of trance. By the time he comes to, his photographic memory has subconsciously taken in every bit of data. CIA agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey come to investigate, realizing Chuck is an innocent pawn. But since he is now the repository of all U.S. Intelligence--in effect, he is the Intersect--he is given a choice: either continue to live his normal, unremarkable life and help agents Walker and Casey combat espionage and a variety of baddies, or get taken to a "safe location," an underground facility where he will live the rest of his useful life, providing the information from the Intersect without benefit of family, friends, fresh air, or sunshine.
Guess which he chooses.
Hence, we have a Nerd Herd repair man with around-the-clock government supervision. Agent Walker establishes cover as Chuck's out-of-his-league-gorgeous new girlfriend and takes a job in the mall where he works; Casey gets a job as a salesman for the Buy More and moves into Chuck's apartment building. In their off-hours, they fight crime and thwart international incidents, all aided by the flashes of information Chuck gets when he sees someone or something that stirs the Intersect into action. Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez) rounds out the cast as Chuck's hapless best friend, who also works at the Buy More, and has a crush on Chuck's sister, Ellie.
I was over at Hey! Nielsen earlier and noticed a comment from someone last fall, after the show had just started. This poster noted Adam Baldwin's talent, but criticized the show as having a "lack of chemistry" and "contrived situations." The first charge is always hard to combat without delving into "Yes-it-is-No-it-isn't" territory. I'm not even sure if this poster meant between Chuck and Sarah, or between Chuck and Casey, or among all of the characters combined. So, I will just agree to disagree on that one, and move on to "contrived situations." Well, we are talking about television here. Of course it's contrived. It's made up. And, secondly, this poster seems to be misunderstanding the genre entirely. Chuck is a post-modern, self-reflective spy satire: that is, it both embodies the characteristics of the spy genre and makes fun of them. The very nature of satire means you aren't supposed to take the work too seriously (even if it exposes, at its root, a serious problem). In short: it's supposed to be funny.
Here's an example. In the Halloween episode of the show, "Chuck Versus the Sandworm," Sarah gives Chuck a picture of the two of them at Comic-Con. "We were never at Comic-Con" he says; she replies that the CIA can make very realistic photos. That in itself is not funny; what's funny is that the actors were at Comic-Con, long before the show ever aired. I missed out on their panel, but I snagged a number of pictures of Levi and Gomez as they were chatting with fans. This is an example of a self-reflective inside joke, and part of the humor that is inherent in the show. Not everyone is going to get every joke, but even the average viewer should be able to see the humor in most scenes.
If you haven't discovered Chuck for yourself yet, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. NBC rotates 4 re-run episodes at a time on their streaming online player at nbc.com, and new episodes will begin in the fall.
- Mood:
optimistic
CBS is watching it's ratings closely to determine renewal for a second season. I am not content for fans to rest on their laurels and stop promoting the show. Since continued good ratings are key, and since there was a drop of several hundred thousand from the April 25th airing, I remain convinced that fans need to continue talking up the show whenever they get the chance. Post a bulletin on your MySpace page; join the Moonlight Facebook group; e-mail everyone in your address book; talk about Moonlight to your mail carrier, your dentist, and people you find yourself standing in line with. If you participated in the blood drive, wear your t-shirt. Blog about the show frequently, making sure you use the name of the show and the actors (Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring, Shannyn Sossamon, and Eric Winter) in the text, and in your keywords--see how I did that just now? :) Write about the show in the Off Topic sections of message boards/forums. Be polite. Don't put down other people's shows. Make sure people know there are only 2 new episodes left, so they don't put off viewing, thinking they will check it out "someday." Time truly is of the essence. If you love Moonlight, show it. And don't forget to contact CBS, let them know you are watching, and ask them for a second season.
Considered widely among fans as the master one-liner and king of snark, Josef revealed a surprising range of new depths. Early in the episode, he is the mentor, giving his best friend Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin) romantic advice, encouraging him to pursue his mortal love interest, Beth Turner (Sophia Myles). This is something of a departure for the normally cynical vamp, who previously counseled Mick not to get involved with a human. In episode 10, we learn that Josef speaks from his own tragic experience of falling in love with a mortal woman. He wishes Mick luck if he has any intention of trying to make things work with Beth. By this latest episode, Josef has already accepted the inevitable, and grants his friend his tacit approval, urging him to "do something about it, before it's too late."
It is towards the end of the episode where Jason really impresses, making a dramatic shift which combines caring friendship with ferocity. He and Alex deliver one of the most moving scenes of the series to date. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but this scene alone would make the entire season worth watching, even if there weren't ample other reasons. This episode also marks the first time we have seen Jason's character fully vamped-out. Previously, I had always considered the designer suit-wearing hedge fund trader to be the type to hire out for any heavy work. But here he proves that you don't survive over 400 years without being able to take care of yourself. In a Matrix-inspired fight scene--unsurprising, since Moonlight's executive producer is Joel Silver, who also produced the Matrix trilogy--Josef and Mick quickly and brutally take care of business. As Josef says after the fight, "Very dramatic. I like it."Recently, Rogers attended the California Independent Film Festival, and blogged about what she learned there: “Most notably, I learned about the importance… of a music supervisor in a film. Besides finding the music for a film, a big and very important part of a music supervisor’s job is to get… music rights. Without the proper clearance, lots of legal problems can crop up… that could have been avoided simply by… due diligence” (21 Apr 2008). But behind-the-scenes tips and legal issues aren’t all she writes about; her blog also keeps readers up-to-date on former I-Man actors’ and crew members’ other projects, often giving fans a timely heads-up about films, television shows, or live productions.
I met Amanda several months ago in California; a director friend of hers took us to lunch at the famous Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. (I think I offended the headwaiter there, but that’s another story. In fact, he probably wasn’t even a headwaiter; he probably had a French title.) While there, the director tried to convince us a man at the table next to us was John Travolta. He was sitting with his back to her, and she was going by his voice, which did, indeed, have a certain low raspiness similar to Travolta’s. However, I had a near perfect view of his profile, and while he did look like an actor I’ve seen before, trust me, Travolta he was not.
It was a good lunch. I think I had the duck.
Shoom Zone Productions has come a long way since its inception, and shows great promise of achieving its goals. I’ve spoken to Amanda off-the-record about her work—she doesn’t write all the nitty-gritty details of the daily grind on her blog—and believe me, she is making great progress. I’m looking forward to that film.
However, no decision has been announced yet, though it is imminent. Please remember to contact CBS, let them know you love their Friday night line-up, and ask them for a renewal for Moonlight.
- watch, Tivo, or record Moonlight on your DVR (these latter 2 help the ratings), and
- write to CBS, tell them you watched, and ask them for a second season.
But it is Sweeps time, and competition is fierce. The show airs on Fridays, a night when many viewers don't stay home. Plus, a lot of people simply haven't discovered Moonlight for themselves yet. It's a great show that deserves a second season, but CBS is still on the fence. Ratings are key, and despite the quality of the April 25th episode, and the enthusiasm of viewers, they could be much better.
So, pleas, show a little love for Moonlight. Write to:
Mr. Les MoonvesLetters are better than postcards; postcards are better than e-mails; something is better than nothing!
CEO of CBS
51 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019-6188
(e-mail: lmoonves@cbs.com)
and
Nina Tassler
CBS Entertainment President
7800 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039-2112
Also, please go to renewmoonlight.com and click on "Contact CBS" for tips on the kinds of things you should, but also should not say.
The cast of Moonlight—Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring, Shannyn Sossamon, and freshman Eric Winter—and crew have been working very hard to produce high-quality work for their fans, particularly these last episodes. Let's give something back.
Thank you. I end with a cheer that always puts a smile on my face: Vampire solidarity! Rah! Rah! Rah!
Moonlight airs Fridays on CBS at 9 Eastern.
- Mood:
determined
The opening sequence of “Fated to Pretend” was both a present for fans (including as much of O’Loughlin’s bare chest as possible), and a way to bring new viewers up to speed. Even though a vampire, he is now temporarily human, and is enjoying the little things in life, like wolfing down a chili dog or walking on the beach. The beach picnic with Beth (played by Sophia Myles) provides a transition from the previous twelve episodes, and introduces a turning point in her relationship with Mick—dubbed “MickBeth” by hopeful fans. Although she had a boyfriend up until episode 11, she tells Mick she has realized something: she cares deeply about him, and tells him point blank to figure out “what he’s going to do about it.” This puts the emotional weight of the episode on Mick’s shoulders, as usual, but in a new way: previously, the show has been about Mick resisting his feelings for Beth; now, he must find the courage to act on them.

At this point, the plot shifts into detective mode and things speed up. Beth’s boss at Buzzwire, Maureen (Tami Roman), is murdered, presumably due to a story she was working; the problem is, she was working on three stories, and Mick and Beth must look into each. Two are fairly quickly dismissed, and Mick focuses on a suspicious-acting politician (Christopher Cousins, who portrayed Jack Carelli in an episode of The Invisible Man—2000). The twists, turns, and red herrings are a bit convoluted and hard to follow if all you really care about is the Mick/Beth relationship, but the plot does make sense. It also allows for some memorable moments and fun quotes. In questioning Josef about his connection to the murdered woman, Josef asks flippantly if the body was in the La Brea Tar Pits, because “That was the only person I’ve killed this week.” When Mick asks to speak to Josef’s publicist about the investigation, he simply replies, “Remember the Tar Pits?”
But Josef, the king of one-liners on the show, is not the only one who gets great lines. When Mick and Beth break into the dead woman’s apartment, Beth remarks “It’s too bad you can’t do that sexy vampire jumping thing,” to which Mick replies, “Yeah, well the jumping was kind of tied to the whole blood-sucking thing.” Also, there are a couple of very effective voice-over moments during a foot-chase. Voice-overs are difficult to pull off in any genre, but they work in this episode, and make this sequence exciting and humorous.
Overall, “Fated to Pretend” is a very satisfying episode. Because it tries to fit so much into 43 ½ minutes, it does feel compressed. The scene wherein Mick turns back into a vampire is beautifully choreographed, but faster than I expected. Still, it illustrates the bond between Mick and Josef, and ultimately strengthens it. And the developments in the Mick/Beth story arc are well-paced, spread out over the whole episode with a very natural feel. Mick’s vampire jump at the end struck me as very fake. I don’t think the fault is with O’Loughlin: he bends his knees and pushes off as in a jump. But there's just a little too much of a floating sensation—coming from the invisible wires, of course—and the wind billowing his clothes is obviously from a fan placed directly below him, increasing the phony factor. This is unfortunate, but is really the only discordant note in an otherwise fine episode.
Moonlight airs new episodes for the next three Fridays on CBS at 9 Eastern.
Other hints that don't really spoil much for the next 4 episodes include more flashbacks to Mick's life before he became a vampire, and some developments in Mick's relationship with Beth, played by Sophia Myles. Jason also told radio listeners that there would be some kind of a change in Josef and Beth's relationship, and that they will be keeping a secret from Mick. And by now everyone knows that Eric Winter will be joining the cast as the new Assistant District Attorney, who will prove a thorn in Mick's side.
For action, drama, romance, and even a little humor, tune in to Moonlight Fridays at 9 Eastern, 8 Central.
- Mood:Jazzed
Our immediate fear was some kind of tumor; those of you who know me know I am obsessed with my cat's health, because she already has kidney disease and heart disease. So, some other odd or awful disease is not what she needs. The vet turned off the lights in the exam room, and shone a black light at my cat's chin. I don't know what she was looking for, but I figured it was some kind of luminescent parasite, and left it at that. She flipped the lights back on, and pronounced Feline Chin Acne. It can be caused by a dirty food dish--the cat rubs its chin repeatedly on a bowl that has gotten greasy from the kibble. That's not really a problem for us, since I clean her bowl fairly regularly.
Instead, just like people, sometimes cats get stressed. Since mine is on so many medications, including pain medication (God bless the makers of Buprenorphine!), she is already under stress. But we also added a neutered male cat to the household a couple of years ago, and he has been getting more and more rambunctious. Whenever there is trouble, he wants to be part of it. So, when I go to give my girl her pain med, and she growls, he's right there. In fact, when I put my arm around her to put her in the cat carrier for her appointment, he was right there, climbing on top of my arm, on top of her. She took exception. It's a good thing he's so cute.
Treatment--two weeks of antibiotics, and she gets to be sequestered in her room in the daytime, while that pesky boy cat gets to sleep in the bathroom at night.
- Mood:
hungry
Frankly, I never really expected to get through; however, there wasn't a lot of promotion for this program, so a few dozen of us had Jason to ourselves. I shudder to think how fangirly I sounded: I talked too fast, expecting Shaun to cut me off, the way they do on traditional radio. But Jason was, naturally, relaxed, and took his time with me and with each fan who called. As time went on, more people called, and they had prepared some really good questions for him. I have serious question envy.
Jason comes off as being quite unaffected by his growing fame, and, what can I say? He is simply a really nice guy. The "20-minute" interview lasted about 50 minutes. You can hear the whole interview by going to Shaun O'Mac's radio page.
Jason plays the 408-year-old Josef on Moonlight, airing Fridays on CBS at 9 Eastern.
Oh, and you'll need to register with BlogTalkRadio if you want to participate online.
Alex O'Loughlin made a guest appearance on The Early Show Monday morning to promote the show. He talks a little bit about what viewers can expect regarding his character Mick St. John's relationship with Beth Turner (Sophia Myles). You can watch the full video here:
- Mood:enthusiastic
Vote for the Top Show of 2007 at Eonline. (Moonlight is woefully behind on this one, folks!)
And again, same web site, is Save It or Sink It.
One of the ubiquitous online petitions is here, although I admit I don't know how seriously anyone takes these.
Moonlight stars Australian actor Alex O'Loughlin as vampire detective Mick St. John, British actress Sophia Myles as the mortal Internet news reporter Beth Turner, Jason Dohring as Mick's best vampire friend, Josef Konstantin, and Shannyn Sossamon as Mick's ex-(ex?)wife, Coraline Duvall. New episodes start April 25th.
