Archive for November, 2008

please standby.

Posted on November 12th, 2008 by
hadley

And now a message from the Podcasting Society of America (err specifically, the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles division):

We regret to inform you that due to the timely constraints of writing and shooting a kickass back-nine episodes, our informative and exciting weekly podcasts have gone on a temporary hiatus. While no podcasts were recorded for the Brothers of Nablus or Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today episodes, we will return next week with the inside track on our all-new episode, Complications.

Please standby. Oh yeah, and tune in on Monday at 8PM/7PMc as we find the Connors at the beginning of a new, Cromartie-free, chapter. But when a new set of nightmares take hold of Sarah, we find ourselves asking — has she finally gone off the deep end or is she actually on the track of Skynet?

bear mcreary: mexican folk tune.

Posted on November 11th, 2008 by
hadley

Partially imported from the blog of our very talented composer, Bear McCreary, is his take on last night’s episode’s grand finale, featuring a new rendition of Chavela Vargas’s La Llorona.

SPOILERS AHEAD: Tonight’s episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, aptly titled Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today, is a particularly unusual story. The plot is fractured into multiple accounts of the same narrative from the perspective of each of the major characters, the location was unique and, above all, the story culminates in the death of a principle character, Cromartie. (The episode’s title is actually the first line of dialog Cromartie spoke in the pilot!) While the multi-perspective storyline provided interesting musical challenges, it was the episode’s Mexican location that gave me the most room to explore.

Mr. Ferguson allowed me a second opportunity to produce a song for Terminator, after the season premiere’s searing Samson and Delilah with Shirley Manson. This time, I arranged a traditional Mexican folk tune called La Llorona.

I first heard about this song a few days before I saw the episode. I happened to be hanging out with the episode’s director Michael Nankin (whose skillful touch Battlestar fans will recognize from some of the best episodes of that series, including Maelstrom) and he told me that he was experimenting with the song in his cut. So, even before the spotting session with the producers, I was already thinking about how I could take a traditional Mexican folk tune and Terminator-ize it.

When I saw the sequence in question a few days later, I knew the inspiration would come quickly. The last act of Mr. Ferguson takes on the feeling of a Sergio Leone western. Leone’s collaborations with Ennio Morricone have been a tremendous influence on me, in particular on my scores for the Rest Stop films. So, I felt right at home musically, and simply had to find the right balance between traditional Mexican folk instumentation, the electric strings, metallic percussion, and of course, the vocalist.

The music begins at the top of the act, on the Dia De Los Muertos imagery that haunts this entire episode. As Cromartie walks into frame, a trio of Nylon string guitars enters, arpeggiating a pitch set of B, F, A and E that permeates the entire piece. As the two rhythm guitars spell out the chord in accelerating and decelerating patterns, the lead guitar plays a melody that centers loosely around B and C. The result is a very dissonant harmony that provides tension, but also contains the wide open 5ths and 6ths that are natural to guitar music. If the intervals got too clustery, it would still sound scary, but it would lose the traditional folk guitar feel that I wanted to preserve…

Find the rest of this entry on Bear’s personal blog….

wiki-wiki-wa.

Posted on November 11th, 2008 by
hadley

Last night Josh, Garret, and staff writer Dan Thomsen logged in for a little chat with (more than a thousand!) fans following the episode. Even if you missed it, you can still sort through all the questions and comments on the FOX wiki site.

Some highlights from the chat?

Why does John continue to risk Riley’s life by being in a relationship with her?
Josh Friedman: I think John’s an idiot to be involved with Riley but I think he’s got his reasons.

How long will Stephanie Jacobsen’s “Jesse” be on the show for?
Josh Friedman: Stephanie will be around for a while. She’s got some work to do. We love her.

If Cromartie had another chance and it was one-on-one with Cameron, who would win?
Garret Dillahunt: I do think I’d have a chance because she’s just too weak and small. And she’d be distracted by my good looks.

How did you find out you were going to die and how did you feel about it?
Garret Dillahunt: I was only sorry that we didn’t get to do the cross-dressing episode idea that Josh had for Cromartie. I think it’s a missed opportunity.

Check out the rest of the interview for more fun scoop…

catch it while you can.

Posted on November 11th, 2008 by
hadley

Tell us you didn’t miss last night’s big episode. Okay then, you saw it but you want to make sure your friends and family aren’t missing out on the fun? Here it is, in all it’s glory…

linked up.

Posted on November 10th, 2008 by
hadley

Thought it was time to check in with our friends across the internets and see what’s being said about this little series.

The TVAddict asks if Stephanie Jacobsen is really a robot sent from the future to kill John Connor? Io9 proudly exclaims that “this is how you do a science fiction show about religion!” And congratulations are in order as our own John Connor, Thomas Dekker, has been named by Hollywood Reporter to their list of the Next Generation of Talent. How very cool.

vote (for us).

Posted on November 10th, 2008 by
hadley

We’ve just been nominated for a People’s Choice Awards for FAVORITE SCI FI/FANTASY SHOW and we need your help. Please click below and register to vote. It’s quick and easy!

Thanks for your support!

People's Choice Awards
Go to PCAVote.com

tonight!

Posted on November 10th, 2008 by
hadley

What are you doing tonight? Oh, right! Checking out our new fiesta-themed episode!

Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today
8PM/7PMc
FOX

And don’t forget our special “chat” immediately following…

chatter box.

Posted on November 7th, 2008 by
hadley

ANNOUNCEMENT, ANNOUNCEMENT (and mild spoiler alert)!

We’ve told you that this Monday marks the end of the journey for one of our favorite T:SCC characters…

…well after this Monday night’s explosive new episode log on to our lovely sister site, http://terminatorwiki.fox.com , and get the details and deathly scoop DIRECT FROM THE ACTOR OR ACTRESS immediately following their last stand! Who will be making their digital debut appearance? Why, watch the episode to find out!

Our live chat will begin immediately after the episode airs on the east coast — that’s 9:00PM/ET (6:00PM/PT). See you there!

what’d you miss?

Posted on November 5th, 2008 by
hadley

So we’re all caught up on the story of Dinah and the Brothers of Nablus, but surely there are other goodies from this week’s episode that went unnoticed? Thankfully, you’ve got us goofy folk to share what we know.

As this episode was actually shot before The Tower…, this truly marked Stephanie Jacobson’s first days on set as Jesse. In fact, the first scenes she shot on our show were with Derek in bed! Nothing says “nice to meet you” like playing footsies under the covers.

The set used for Dr. Ostrowski’s dental office is actually the reconfigured set previously used for Ellison’s FBI office (as well as Dr. Sherman’s office). It lives on one of our sound stages here on the Warner Bros studio lot.

Speaking of reusing sets, the slick hotel pool where Jesse lounges may look like a location stolen from an episode of Entourage, but it’s actually the same pool (completely redressed) that we used to shoot all of the underwater footage during Cromartie’s Johnny Cash/FBI massacre last season. Props to our good gals and guys that cleaned out all of the old blood. We tease.

When Cromartie skips ahead of the line to talk to Rita, the social worker, at the halfway house, he tries to tell her that he’s her uncle. In turn, she responds sarcastically, “And I’m Angelina Jolie.” Ironically enough (we swear we didn’t know!), Jillian Armenante, the actress, is actually close friends with the star of Changeling — and even co-starred with her in the film Girl, Interrupted!

We did intentionally script the grocery items John and Riley pick up at the store. After all, the Connors only seem to eat a few things — pancakes (see: the series Pilot) and turkey meat (see: John’s snack in Gnothi Seauton). Buy what you know.

Cameron executes the waste of space robbers in the bowling alley because they are liabilities — they know where the Connors live, who they are, etc — right in front of Sarah. If this scene mirrors another one from earlier in the series, it’s intentional. When Cameron shoots Enrique in Gnothi Seauton, Sarah struggles with it and even slaps Cameron. But Sarah doesn’t react to the murders in Brothers of Nablus. Has she simply grown accustomed to Cameron’s strategy? Or did Andy Goode rebuilding the Turk actually teach her a lesson?

Robber Tristan Dewitt’s short film is called The Lightning in My Wires and won second place in the Sandusky Film Festival, 1993. Sounds… artsy. Meanwhile, the amazingly cool film Tristan pitches his friends at the bowling alley (Abraham Lincoln fighting zombies) is an actual film that a few members of this here T:SCC writers’ office have been working on for some time now. Keep your eyes peeled for it in the future…

Brothers of Nablus was written by Ian Goldberg of What He Beheld (and Related, the WB series) fame and directed by bigtime TV director, Milan Cheylov.

And who can forget Cameron’s fight to get back her purple leather jacket? True fans will recognize that jacket from the first season (she wears it to the high school a few times), as well as this publicity photo. Ahhhh, crazy robot.

summer-glau-terminator-chronicles-promo.jpg

the big one.

Posted on November 5th, 2008 by
hadley

Next week is big. Mr. Ferguson is Ill Today has everything you’ve been waiting for (…don’t trust us? trust that nifty FOX announcer man)!

Can’t miss. All new.
Next Monday
8PM/7PMc
Only on FOX