2000
Subj : Re: Kovac vs. Clemente.... minor spoilers
To   : alt.tv.er
From : Dropping The Helicopter
Date : Fri Sep 23 2005 05:37:00

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.er

Sharon wrote:

> For NBC's ER, it has been a long time since the days when George Clooney, 
> Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle and, hell, even Abraham Benrubi wandered the 
> halls of County.

?!?!  Wasn't Kubiak in like every episode last season?

> But just as in the real world, transition happens.

One man's transition is another man's tragedy.

> Case in 
> point: As the medical drama gets under way with its 12th season (premiering 
> tonight at 10 pm/ET), a flurry of new faces will scrub in, at least one will 
> bid farewell and there may even be a return or two.

The "return" will be Carter, unless he dies or in some other way is able 
to get out of his contractual obligation.  The "or two" simply cannot 
happen, or the earth will implode into a substance so dense that not 
even light can escape.

> Helping TVGuide.com sift 
> through who's who and new are coexecutive producer Janine Sherman Berrois 

....who should be so embarrassed she joins a convent...

> and, arriving later during the interview, executive producer David Zabel.
> 

....who should be tried for Crimes Against Humanity and hung by the neck 
until dead.

> 
> TVGuide.com: Is there any special strategy for this season? Or is the 
> feeling, why tinker?

Janine Whoever: "Well Tom, our special strategy this season is to make 
this season of ER every bit as great as the previous season!  To that 
end, we've fired all the actors who haven't quit already, and dropped 
typewriters from a helicopter to eager chimpanzees in South America... 
or wherever chimpanzees live... and are waiting with bated breath for 
their action-packed scripts to come in the mail!  And before you ask, 
yes, we did check beforehand that South America had mail service!"

> Janine Sherman Berrois: We are going to be going with what's working,

WHICH IS NOTHING.  YOU HAVE NOTHING THAT'S WORKING JANINE, IF THAT IS 
YOUR REAL NAME.

> focusing on our residents, with Abby and Pratt and Kovac.

....they're the only folks we got left!"

> And, as you know, 
> we've brought in John Leguizamo as Clemente, a new attending,

TVGuide: "You brought on *who* as a new attending?"

Janine: "John Leguizamo."

TVGuide: "...  Who?"

Janine: "John Leguizamo.  You know, the creepy-looking freak that nobody 
can tell if he's an actor, or a comedian, or what?"

TVGuide: "No, no, I... I know who he is, I just... I thought that I had 
to have misheard you, or perhaps I had a seizure or something."

Janine: <Vacuous silence>

TVGuide: "I can barely keep myself from strangling you to death with my 
bare hands.  But let's continue.  'Clemente' you say?  That's Spanish 
for "hot", no?"

Janine: "Ci."

TVGuide: "Well what will you be focusing on with this 'hot' new 
attending freak?"

> so we'll be 
> focusing a lot on the conflict between him and Kovac.
> 

TVGuide: "Oh, ohohoh, I see, so Kovac beats him to death.  Now that's 
what I call 'Must-See TV'!"

Janine: [Vacuous giggling]

> TVGuide.com: What is it that they clash over?
> Berrois: They're going to be having a fight over who's going to be chief of 
> the department.

TVGuide: "Right, right, because you dipshits destroyed the show so badly 
that Susan left."

Janine: "That's right Tom! You see, ...

> Kovac is kind of this reluctant leader, but when he steps up 
> and realizes he knows this place and has been here for a long time, he is 
> going to try to stand his ground and take what could be his. But he's got 
> competition.
> 

TVGuide: "Competition in the form of... John... Leguizamo."

Janine: "Exactly!"

> TVGuide.com: Is Clemente a renegade of sorts?
> Berrois: He comes in as this innovative doctor who has a lot of insight and 
> ideas on using technology to upgrade and improve the department. He's one of 
> those people who don't walk the company line; he gets right in management's 
> face and wants to make changes.
> 

TVGuide: "And that's when Kovac beats him to death?"

Janine: [Blank stare]

> TVGuide: Here's the all-important question: Does he get along with Weaver?

Helicopter: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

> Berrois: Who-ver?  Your words mean nothing to me, strange person.

> TVGuide.com: Do the ladies take a shining to Clemente's, um, "bedside 
> manner"?
> Berrois: I think they are absolutely intrigued by his boldness. Everybody at 
> first kind of thinks he's a little wacky, but by the end of the first few 
> episodes they grow to love him and are jazzed by his innovation. Neela, at 
> first glance, is a little bit attracted because her man, Gallant, is off at 
> war, and here is this new, fun, humorous doctor. But Clemente has a 
> relationship from the past, and that will come back and play into the 
> season.
> 

....but by that time, every last viewer will have committed suicide, so 
we aren't bothering to cast that part."

> TVGuide.com: I also see you finally got hold of John Stamos - if only for a 
> bit.

....a bit of HI-LARITY!"

> Berrois: Yes, we did! We're going to have him on as a paramedic, and we 
> couldn't be happier.
> 

....well, allow me to rephrase: the only way we could be happier is if we 
could snag the Olsen Twins!  AS DOCTORS!!!"

> TVGuide.com: Is it left open for him to appear in more than two episodes if, 
> say, Jake in Progress fizzles at mid-season?
> Berrois: You know, people love John, and as long as we've got stories we're 
> open to having anybody back.
> 

....anybody that sucks, that is!"

All: [Laughs]

> TVGuide.com: How will the show be writing in the latest departure by Sherry 
> Stringfield?
> Berrois: Um, I think Susan is going to get a job most likely, lured away to 
> another hospital.
> 

TVGuide: "Wow, what a completely exciting and original way to get rid of 
a cast member.  ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......."

> TVGuide.com: Speaking of original cast members, any news on the Noah Wyle 
> front? Isn't Carter supposed to pop up a few times this year?
> Berrois: I'm not really sure on that one. We haven't [written anything yet].
> 

Helicopter: "BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!  HE 
*IS* DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR ANY POSSIBLE WAY OUT OF IT!!!"

> TVGuide.com: What can you reveal about Kristen Johnson's character?
> David Zabel: She's the head nurse and she sort of deputizes Sam, but at the 
> same time she deputizes her, she also starts using Sam to do all the dirty 
> business and Sam's not liking that. They butt heads over firing people and 
> changing the way things are run; there's a lot of workplace conflict between 
> them. She's introduced in Episode 3, but then during November sweeps the 
> tension between her and Sam kind of escalates.
> 

Zabel: "I am the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler, only orders of 
magnitude more stupid."

> 
> TVGuide.com: Sounds like a real b---buster, and not a sweet and tender type.
> Zabel: [Laughs] No, she's not the gentle type!
> 

Zabel: "I deserve to be hanged."

> TVGuide.com: I understand that Danny Glover will be back, as Pratt's 
> long-lost father?
> Zabel: Yes, he is in Episode 6, when his and [Mekhi Phifer's] story comes to 
> a head.
> 

Zabel: "Wait, did I say '6'?  I meant never.  Wait, did you say 'back'? 
  He was only on the screen last season for 2 seconds, and that was to 
open a door."

> TVGuide.com: With all the turnover, the show has come under fire at times 
> for not being able to get viewers invested in the doctors' lives, and risks 
> becoming a "patient of the week" showcase. Are you sensitive to that?
> Berrois: We've heard that criticism, but ER has always done a good job of 
> balancing the "patient of the week" with strong character story lines. This 
> year you're going to see strong story lines with all of our main characters, 
> ones that are somewhat serial. It won't just be about the guest sta
aae
r of the 
> week; it will really be about Abby and Sam and Kovac and Pratt.... The show 
> will focus on backstory and personal stories for all of them.
> 

Janine:  "Which actually puts us between a hard place and a harder 
place, Tom.  See, we can't do the 'POTW' stuff worth a damn any more, 
and as you and the rest of the thinking world has pointed out, we can't 
do the 'doctor backstory' stuff either.  Basically we're completely 
incompetent, and yet we pull down crazy wages!  Isn't that a kick?!?"

> TVGuide.com: Maura Tierney has always been a fave of mine. What's in store 
> for Abby? I mean, what hasn't she been through already?
> Berrois: As it relates to breast-cancer awareness, you're going to see her 
> dealing with a woman suffering from [the disease]. Then, as the season moves 
> on, Abby is going to put her career first and make a big place for herself 
> as an R2. What you'll notice in the premiere episode is she "gets it"and she 
> is good and she is smart and she does know how to teach, and I think that 
> will surprise her as she becomes a really great teacher for the interns 
> below her. And hopefully we're going to have some love in her life!
> 

....and that love will be Carter!  Plus we're going to force her out too 
some time in the near future."

> TVGuide.com: OK, let's talk about love. Any new or exciting pairings coming 
> up?
> Berrois: We're exploring Pratt's relationship with Olivia, the woman who 
> runs Cease Fire, but we're not going to play him as entirely committed - he 
> will continue to be like, the bachelor, and more women will come into his 
> life.
> 

TVGuide: "But won't that cause explosive somnolescence in the few 
viewers you have left?"

Janine: [Laughs] "We sure hope so Tom!"

> TVGuide.com: And as for Sam and Kovac...?
> Berrois: You're going to have to wait for the premiere for that!
> 

....did I say premiere?  I meant some other episode.  Sorry, I'm an 
idiot, remember!" [Laughs]

> TVGuide.com: Are there any of ER's famous "event" episodes planned?
> Zabel: Episode 8, airing during November sweeps, is going to be one of our 
> classic big-event episodes, focusing on Mekhi Pfeiffer and Parminder Nagra's 
> characters, Pratt and Neela. [For all the details on that episode and how 
> Stamos' paramedic will figure into it, be sure to check out next week's Ask 
> Ausiello.]
> 

Zabel: "Please put me out of your misery."

> TVGuide.com: Lastly, the new issue of TV Guide hints at a "big return." Can 
> you say yet who it is?

Janine: "Yes."
Zabel: "Yes, we can."

TVGuide:  "Great, well thanks both of you.  Now, let me show you why I 
brought this baseball bat with me...."

.

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