TNT Yahoo Audio Chat - 12/18/00

moderator_tnt1: There are a lot of Pretender fans out there and a lot of excellent questions on deck. Remember, you can test your Pretender trivia skill and your Centre savvy in our online contests at http://pretender2001.com.

moderator_tnt1: We'll be getting everyone connected in just a few minutes. So think back to your favorite plotline, character or episode and get ready to go straight to the ultimate source for behind-the-scenes-insight.

moderator_tnt3: THE PRETENDER 2001 makes its world television premiere on TNT Monday, January 22, 2001. Find out where it all began. For film information visit http://pretender2001.com.

moderator_tnt1: We're getting ready for TNT's Pretender chat, featuring the minds behind the series and TNT's upcoming feature-length film, THE PRETENDER 2001, Craig Van Sickle and Steven Long Mitchell. We will also be joined my a mystery cast member, live from the set of the second Pretender movie so get those questions ready!

moderator_tnt3: Don't miss TNT's The Best of The Pretender Marathon, Monday - Friday at 7 p.m. ET/PT through December 29. For schedule information and episode descriptions, visit http://tntpretender.com.

guest_tnt2: Craig: Hi everybody
guest_tnt2: Steven: Hello

Chickydoodles:  Craig, Steve and Mystery Guest, are you aware of all the hard work the Pretender fans put into promoting the show?

guest_tnt2: Steven: We are absolutely sure of all the work that the fans have put into the show and that is why we are back, thank you so much.

boobootish:  TNT has done more for The Pretender than NBC ever did. How are they to work for?

guest_tnt2: Craig: TNT has been just wonderful, the amount of promotion they have put behind the series, the movies and just the level of ideas and creative ideas that they have brought to the whole endeavor.

guest_tnt2:  We are looking to a long relationship.

Chickydoodles: How did you manage to get so many wondeful and talented actors on The Pretender?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  We got very lucky.  As Michael T. Weiss goes he was the perfect actor for the role and this role was the perfect role for him.

guest_tnt2:  Andrea Parker is one of the best kept treasures in Hollywood and we are lucky we found her.

guest_tnt2: Craig: Having been on the set today I can also say that these people genuinely love working together and that shows as well.

tp_phil: Will we see Angelo in the first or second movie ?

guest_tnt2: Steve: You will see Angelo in the second movie and he plays a pivital role.

foiler28:  The writing for The Pretender is amazing.  Its story arc really kept fans coming back for more.  Was this arc intended initially?

guest_tnt2: Craig: Yes.  Steve and I have always had a long term story plan for the series but I would like to add that as the series progressed the creative team the other writers and producers along with us kept that basically growing and took it in many directions.  So it is a little of both.

tp_phil:  Will we see father , mother , sister of Jarod in one of the movies ?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  Yes.  But you will have to tune into to find out who.

malachibruyninckx: What is Ms. Parker's first name?

guest_tnt2: Steve: Ms. Parker also wants to know that.  The name that comes before her second name.

guest_tnt2: Craig: And her father calls her Angel.

larile:  How did you find Jamie Denton to play Mr. Lyle

guest_tnt2: Steve: When we wrote the character Mr. Lyle he was such an evil character we really wanted to cast against that and go with a Jimmy Stewart type and Jamie came in and knocked our socks off.

cdomina: How will you decide whether to wrap the show up in Movie # 2 or continue the plot line?

guest_tnt2: Craig:  As is always the case we will answer many questions and we will ask many more.

guest_tnt2: Our feel is we are positive thinkers and we feel there is a future beyond movie two and the audience will be satisified either way.

guest_tnt2: Steve: The support of the viewers has been so great we feel that with continued support this thing could go on for a long time, hopefully we will be doing our part to satisfy them.

youngmissparker: Do you intend to make anymore series?  Cobra and Pretender are great - do it again!

guest_tnt2: Steve: Well I don't know what Craig thinks but I do.  We very much do and look forward to announcing something very soon.

guest_tnt2: Craig:  Something we feel the Pretender audience will really enjoy.

mogulmouse: Where did the "Cree Crawl" song come from and what does it have to do with Jarod and Ethan, etc

moderator_tnt1:  Stay tuned for a mystery guest live from onset of the second Pretender movie.

guest_tnt2: Steve:  The Cree Crawl song actually in the future movies we will actually really explore that and answer those questions in future movies.

guest_tnt2: Craig: It is based on a mysterious childrens fabal.

cdomina: Will Jarod's clone reappear?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  Standby.

pretenderfan2000: Any "dead" characters coming back?

guest_tnt2: Craig:  What exactly is dead?  You know again we don't want to give away too much in future movies.

guest_tnt2: Steve: But there are lots of surprises ahead.

scully3a:  Where do you get the ideas for the show?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  We have a secret source whose name is Jose Quevo, just kidding.

guest_tnt2: Steve:  Well many twins when they are separated fight over that liver.

musicfannatic21:  Craig & Steve-What disagreements do you have with each other?

guest_tnt2: Craig:  In the case of the series we shot an episode in 8 days with an 8 day prep.

guest_tnt2: In the case of the movies they have average about 18 production days with an equal amount of prep.

theslayer412:  How old is Jarod supposed to be now?

guest_tnt2:  Steve: Jarod is not sure how old he is as he is not sure when he was actually born.

guest_tnt2:  But those questions will be answered when he reunites his entire family.

musicfannatic21: what's the most challenging thing you had to overcome with this series and movie?

guest_tnt2: Craig:  I would say as far as the series goes, one of the interesting challenges was finding the right balance between telling Jarod's story and finding the equivalent fanatic in the center story.

guest_tnt2:  The movies it was fun in that we moved the show to Toronto, so Steve and I were able to revisit some of the actual locals that we used in the pilot which was also shot here.

guest_tnt2: For example in movie one we were able to go back to the actual centre which made for very interesting scenes and surprises.

ditty_: will there be any love interest with Parker?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  Yes.

guest_tnt2: The rest is a secret.

shiba_saki:  Was it hard or easy getting the full cast to come back to the set for Pretender 2001?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  It was very easy as Craig said earlier.   We somehow managed to create an incredible family and they are as passionate about their characters as we are about writing them.

seaside_rainlilly: Will the Jarod character have a love interest in either movies?

guest_tnt2: Craig:  Yes.

guest_tnt2: Steve: It's a secret.

ewallace2001: How do you pick Jerod's professions?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  It's in many ways it is whatever is appropriate to the story and things that we think will interest the character as well.

dorothy_kalman:  does jarod ever find his mother

guest_tnt2: Craig: We will say that the fans will not be disappointed.

KD2011: Is there a reason for Jarod's new hairsyle?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  How Michael T. Weiss showed up and wanted to have his hair for the movie.

guest_tnt2: Craig: We have certain legalities that we have to adhear to therefore ideas should be presented through an agent and that is just studio policy.

guest_tnt2: Craig: When presented with ideas in that way we definitely give them a good look.

pretenderfan2000: Do you prefer "movies" as opposed to a weekly series?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  it is really 2 different animals and they are both interesting in their own ways.

guest_tnt2: The movies allow us to tell a more complex story.

guest_tnt2: Craig: Interestingly enough the 2 movies in many ways feel very much like feature films in their scope.

mogulmouse: Who's Idea was the "Inner Sense?"

moderator_tnt3: It's official! TNT's THE PRETENDER 2001 site has officially launched. Look for interviews, behind-the-scenes info, media and two ways to test your Pretender skill and enter to win an Intel digital camera. For all your Pretender series needs, including the Best of The Pretender listings, visit http://tntpretender.com.

guest_tnt2: Steve:  Well we were both sitting there one day and we both heard voices and we were not sure who actually said it.

biteme0917:  Don't you ever run out of professions for Jarod?

guest_tnt2: Craig: Not really.  I mean there's several professions that we have never touched on that we would like to and interestingly enough even within professions i.e. law enforcement, there are so many variables within that profession that we have been able to expand on.

guest_tnt2:  If ever given the chance he will be a rodeo clown.

guest_tnt2: Steve: That would have to be in a movie, the t.v. show wouldn't hold that one.

marjikim:  do you have any plans to do pretender conventions, like the scifi cons?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  That very well could happen.

shiba_saki: Were there any major obstacles when you were filming in Toronto, Canada?

guest_tnt2: Craig: Not really.  We decided to hire Fred Keller as director primarily because he was part of the Pretender family.

guest_tnt2:  There are some union legalities as far as how many people you can bring up from the U.S.

guest_tnt2: The look and the production of these movies has really picked up right from where we left off.

guest_tnt2:  Again from even a bigger scope.

DefDiff1: Are the actors helping shape the direction of each character more or less now as the story has grown?

guest_tnt2: Craig: I would say that each of them has really a growing sense of who their character is.

guest_tnt2: One of the fun aspects is that they sort of take what's on the page and make it uniquely their own while they will also have wonderment of where Steve and I are taking it.

guest_tnt2: So it is really a genuine collaboration.

Lady_Zoe7: Awhile ago (in another chat room) you guys had mentioned a website that you were creating- was that a reference to TNT's site, or is it another site yet to be revealed?

guest_tnt2: Steve: It is a baby site that is actually up now, although I found one big misspelling that we have to fix, Imagiquestentertainment.com.

guest_tnt2: And it will continue to grow.

guest_tnt2: Steve: As far as we go our site will have a way to do that soon.  I don't believe that part is up yet.

guest_tnt2: I think the actors have their own separate individual sites to send email messages to.

jeanniej71: Does Michael T. Weiss give input on who he'd like his character will be while an episode is being written?

guest_tnt2: Craig: Not really although he will say hey you it would really be great if I could be a rodeo clown for instance.

guest_tnt2: On a few occasions we have done that.

guest_tnt2: The writing process has its own time schedule that doesn't always allow for that input to be included.

theslayer412: Why, after all they've been through, is Miss Parker so hostile to Jarod?

guest_tnt2: Craig: It's really frustration.  She's torn between this person she is persuing and the fact that he has so many answers that she needs.

moderator_tnt2: We're standing by for our Mystery Guest live from the set of the second Pretender movie.

KD2011: Will Lyle's "eating habbits" be addressed in the movies?

guest_tnt2: Steve: Dem some and then some.

victoriavt:  Who writes the music for the show and can I get it on disk?

guest_tnt2: Craig:  The composer is Velton Ray Bunch and to my knowledge there isn't a disk.

guest_tnt2: Steve:  No there might be one at some point.  I know he was talking about it.

leftyblueyez: does the cast hang out after shooting shows are they personal off the set

guest_tnt2: Craig: Well I have it on very good word that the entire cast went dining and dancing the other night.  And it's not everyday you see Mr. Raines and Jarod doing the bump.

verve4435: what do you use for a model for the center

guest_tnt2: Steve:  My childhood!

guest_tnt2: Craig: It sort of stands as symbol of the dark side of Oz and secret corporate America.

uncy14k9: who will be guest starring in the movies?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  Most of the regulars and reoccuring cast are back.  Peter Otterbridge is one of many fine Toronto actors in our cast.

lady_pretender2001: Is Micheal anything like Jarod in real life?

guest_tnt2: Craig: Certainly very intelligent and creative and very very talented.

guest_tnt2: Steve: Yet he doesn't know how to eat an Oreo cookie or do the bump.

mischiefmkr2001: how long have you two been working together??

guest_tnt2: Steve:  Since the previous Bush Administration or before, a long time.

leftyblueyez:  does micheal T. weiss do all of his stunt work

guest_tnt2: Craig:  In the first movie he did quite a bit of it.  And occassionally in the series but mostly done by stunt people in the nature of production.

amandaxus:  Are you planning any other, new pretenderesque projects?

guest_tnt2: Steve: The next couple of projects in the pipeline will very much satisfy the Pretender core audience.

guest_tnt2: If you check our website it will announce when they are coming.

soulwomen17057:  What is up with Sam the sweeper?

guest_tnt2: Steve: Sam in real life just had a baby.

guest_tnt2:  Hopefully we will be seeing him again in the future.

Lady_Zoe7:  Will there ever be a Pretender 'bloopers' tape made available (we rabid fans would love to see the cast messing up on occasion!)?

guest_tnt2: Steve: Possibly.

smcb1209: Will Young Jarod be in the movie?

guest_tnt2: Craig:  The original young Jarod is in movie number one.  But young actor Ryan Merriman is not.

nifer022: about the Centre -- what's the building in real life?

guest_tnt2: Steve: It is the water treatment facility of Toronto.

kerbear2222: have you ever done cameos in an episode?

guest_tnt2: Steve:  We have not . . . yet.

littlegirlblue_7: Is Andrea anything like Miss Parker?

guest_tnt2: Steve: Andrea is every like Ms. Parker and more.  She is a wonderful human being.

moderator_tnt2:  And our mystery guest is....

verve4435:  what was your favorite pretender episode?

moderator_tnt2:  Our Mystery Guests are Andrea Parker and Jamie Denton!

moderator_tnt2: Send in your questions for Andrea.

guest_tnt2: Andrea: Oh I'm more evil than that woman would ever hope to be.

guest_tnt2: Craig:  And that is why you got cast.

guest_tnt2: Andrea: The shoe fit.

guest_tnt2: Craig: We were scared not to cast you.

moderator_tnt2: Send your questions for Jamie Denton!

guest_tnt2: Jamie: You are asking me that with Craig and Steve on the line.   I think we are finding out the future will be fascinating and that were is all the twisted feelings he has for his sister.

guest_tnt2: Steve: I think Ms. Parker is merely an apetizer in Mr. Lyle's life.

guest_tnt2: Jamie: That's actually really interesting.  We are getting hte impression more and more that Mr. Lyle relationship is not the cozy one it was in the beginning.

guest_tnt2: Jamie: He would be a lawyer.

guest_tnt2: Richard: Oh hi everyone.  We are walking out to the set at this very moment.

moderator_tnt2: We are now joined by Richard Marcus.

guest_tnt2: Richard:  It's wonderful out here tonight, a clear night.

guest_tnt2: Richard:  Well he's a very strange man and I appreciate his bizarrness.  I like his strangeness.

moderator_tnt3:  THE PRETENDER 2001 makes its world television premiere on TNT Monday, January 22, 2001. Find out where it all began. For film information visit http://pretender2001.com.

guest_tnt2: Richard: Oh well he had a said childhood.  His parents were not nice to him.  They were very mean and cruel.

guest_tnt2:  But I think there is something about Raines that is inherently not too nice.

guest_tnt2:  Sorry must go now.  It has been a pleasure.

guest_tnt2: Craig: I am a Libra.

guest_tnt2: Steve:  I am a Scorpio.

guest_tnt2: Steve:  I would say if not our favorite, very close, Not Even A Mouse.

guest_tnt2: Craig: Bloodlines, too.

sjames_centre: Were you able to reproduce the great sets from LA since I know they were destroyed when the show was cancelled?

guest_tnt2:  Steve: A lot of them.  But again we were actually able to shoot at the real Centre, that set you could not recreate in L.A.

foiler28:  Miss Parker is a pivotal character to The Pretender.  Did you expect her to become such a powerful and masterful presence?

guest_tnt2: Steve: She was pretty much that from her first line in the pilot.  It has been wonderful to see that character grow in the series.  We expected nothing less from Andrea.

guest_tnt2: Craig:  He will be in movie number two.  He plays a very pivitol role.
guest_tnt2: Steve: And Paul Dillon who plays Angelo is a very fascinating actor.

guest_tnt2: Craig:  We always felt it was something very special and everything as the series has evolved and it is basically the fans that make it the phenominon.

guest_tnt2: Steve:  It has always been a project of passion and it is pleasure to see it being received by the fans in such a wonderful way.  It is very very rewarding.

moderator_tnt1: If you had one wish for the life of the series, what would it be.

guest_tnt2: Steve: That we have the time to end it the way we want to and end it in a way that the fans have followed so long and to satisfy the character of Jarod.

guest_tnt2: Craig: Our greatest appreciation for tuning in and we hope everyone tunes in on January 22nd and continues their allegence to the show.

guest_tnt2: Steve: Bear with us while we are getting our website up.  You will be able to get your information there.

guest_tnt2: Craig: Thank you.
guest_tnt2: Steve:  Thank you.

moderator_tnt3: Don't miss TNT's The Best of The Pretender Marathon, Monday - Friday at 7 p.m. ET/PT through December 29.  For schedule information and episode descriptions, visit http://tntpretender.com.