Rob Thomas and Tina Majorino 9/25 teleconference with Bloggers

Feel free to link to, or copy this transcript, in part, or full.

When doing so, please credit as follows:

"Transcribed by She, at http://goodtv.vox.com."

It might be more accurate to refer to this as a "Gist-script" than a transcript.  At least that's what She says.  The following is a DRAFT transcript of the teleconference between internet bloggers; the creator and executive producer of The CW's Veronica Mars:  Rob Thomas; and actor Tina Majorino, who, as Cindy "Mac" MacKenzie, has just become a Veronica Mars series regular, in the show's third season.  Ms Majorino does double duty in the role of Heather Tuttle on HBO's Big Love.  The teleconference was held Monday, September 25, 2006.

In the course of trying to link to the bloggers who participated in the Teleconference, She came across an excellent, detailed (but shorter than this) summary of the Teleconference at TheTVAddict.com, here [link].  For what it's worth, She transcribed the interview before She found The TV Addict's summary (which is so detailed and accurate in its quotes that it's nearly a transcript).  In fact, She probably wouldn't have bothered transcribing, had she seen Daniel's entry, first.

NOTES:

• The very beginning and end of the conference failed to record.  At times, words are unclear for a variety of reasons.   
• This is mostly word-for-word, but She has taken some liberties.
• She's left out some of the um-uh sorts of vocalizing, and some of the stammering.
• Rob Thomas is a TV writing genius, who might benefit from a course in public speaking (or maybe She should never try to transcribe his spoken words, again.  Stick to writing, Rob).

SPOILERS:  There is talk of new characters, casting spoilers in the upcoming episodes, and general mystery plot discussion.  It contains the type of "spoilers" you might encounter at a convention panel, or in a magazine interview, as well as free discussion of episodes from prior seasons.  Read at your own risk.

At the beginning of the audio available to me, Sienna is already into the introductions.

...

Audio begins.

SIENNA:  [Veronica Mars'] Rob Thomas.  We also have Tina Majorino, who plays the character, Mac.  So Damien, if you will explain how to ask a question.

DAMIEN:  Thank you, ma'am.  Ladies and gentlemen, if you would like to ask a question, please press the "1" key on your touchtone telephone.  If your question has been answered, or you wish to remove yourself from the queue, please press the pound key.  Again, ladies and gentlemen, to ask a question, please press the "1" key at this time.  Our first question comes from Jennifer, from tubetalk dot blogspot.  You may ask your question.

Dial tone.

DAMIEN:  Okay, we seem to have lost Jennifer.   Our next question comes from Abigail, from beepergirl dot LiveJournal (sic [it's beppergirl.livejournal.com]).

ABIGAIL:  Hi, so this is for Tina.  I was just wondering what you've thought about Veronica's--you know--friendship with Mac?

TINA:  I think that it's actually one of my favorite parts of the whole show.  I love their relationship, because it's great to see two really strong--strong personalities getting along so well, and they're really there for each other, without it getting too like girlie--sorority girl--kind of relationship.  So, it's real and they're both really smart, and they can count on each other.  I love their relationship.  I think it's great.

ABIGAIL:  Thank you so much.

Silence.

ABIGAIL:  So...do I press the pound?

DAMIEN:  Thank you. Our next question comes from Scott from Scooter dot McGavin (scooterksu.blogspot.com).  May you--ask your question.

SCOTT:  Hey Rob and Tina.  This is partly for Rob.  I was just wondering--one of the--one of the things I really like about the show, is how some of the characters keep on returning again and again, like with Mac, for instance--you saw her one time, and she just came back.  I was just wondering--going into college, are we going to see any other of the alums show up at ?  And along those lines--for Tina--would you like to see the Mac/Butters relationship continue into college?

TINA:  (giggles)

ROB:   Tina, do you want to handle that one first?

TINA:  No you can go first.  Go ahead. 

ROB:  Well I'll tell you this, Butters is supposed to be still in high school, this year.  He was a junior last year, so he won't be in college.  No plans on bringing Butters back right now.  We are finding that usually, it's when--whenever there's someone we really like, we just keep using them again and again.  Last year, in one of our final episodes, when Veronica and Wallace visited , we met the president of the Phi Sig Fraternity, Chip Diller, and he's (actor David Tom) in a bunch of episodes, this year.  We just asked a couple of guys, who--one plays sort of a--the expert on everything cheating, in college, that--that we're really digging using, so I have a feeling he'll pop up from time to time.  And then a lot of people--I mean the best--the best example of it would be Ryan Hansen, who plays Dick Casablancas.  He was a guy who had one word in his first episode, which was, "Logan!" and then two words in his next episode, which were, "All fours," and we just sort of fell in love with the guy, and now he's a very key player on our show.  So when we find an actor-character that we like, we tend to just keep going back to them.

TINA:  As far as the Butters thing goes, I think for me it was really fun to work with the actor who plays Butters, but I think that the way that Mac feels about Butters is that he's very strange and annoying, so I don't think that relationship would work out.  But I think it was a lot of good comedy with Butters.  I thought it was fun.

SCOTT:  Okay.  Thank you.

DAMIEN:  Thank you, our next question comes from Dan, of duckyxdale dot com.  Sir, you may ask your question.

DAN:  Hey Rob and Tina.  Rob, I kind of asked you this last year, at the Bloggers' Press Day, in San Diego .

ROB:  Huh?  [possibly "Uh huh..."]

DAN:  But I was wondering, now that Veronica's at college, if there's going to be more gays and lesbians worked into the show, and in part because of the relationship that Mac had with Beaver.  Is there a possibility that Mac could be--you know--switching teams?

ROB:  No plans on Mac switching teams.  There are a couple characters on our show that I think--a couple of key characters this year who are new--who--whose sexuality I think--how do I put this--whose sexuality we don't make a meal of.  We don't do stories about them being gay, but I believe they are gay.  And I'm not talking about the actors; I'm talking about the characters that they play, but we haven't written a gay storyline this season.  

DAN:  Okay.

ROB:  I'm sorry.  That may have been part of your question.  Was there more to it?

DAN:  No, that--I mean you answered both parts, thanks.

ROB: Okay, great.

DAN:  Thanks.

ROB: All right.

DAMIEN:  Thank you, our next question comes from Jennifer of lawyer dot net.  Ma'am, you may ask your question.

JENNIFER:  Hi Tina and Rob.  First, I just want to say Tina, I love the song "Away With Me," from your band, AM Project.

Away With Me AM Project Tina Majorino

TINA:  Oh, thank you!

JENNIFER:  So I'm really happy to be a listener of yours.  Anyway, my question is for Rob.  After seeing the reaction that Jackie got last year, has that influenced you, in how you're introducing and writing new characters--especially Parker?

ROB:  Um...huh.  I don't think so.  You know, I haven't thought about that.  It--certainly Parker is a different flavor than Jackie was, last year.  I mean, she doesn't come on with that same sort of vibe, but that wasn't some reaction to the fans' negative reaction to the way we brought in Jackie, last year.  I mean I that's--it would almost--if it had an effect, I think it would almost be at the sub-conscious level.  I have not consciously thought, "Oh, I need to be careful; I need to make everyone likeable and immediately huggable or the fans will be displeased."  I do take certain things into consideration--sort of lessons that I've learned over time, like generally speaking, anyone who we put between Veronica and Logan--the fans take an immediate dislike to.  Anyone who stands in the way of that relationship gets mercilessly criticized.  I mean, actors who I've adored in the roles--the girl who played Hannah, I thought was wonderful, and Max Greenfield, who plays Deputy Leo, I thought was wonderful, and yet they've gotten hammered.  So I just--I try to figure out what I think is working, and stick to my gut on that.

JENNIFER: Okay, thanks.

ROB:  All right.

DAMIEN:  Thank you, our next question or comment comes from Nick at [cowboy?] dot net.  You may ask your question.

NICK:  Hi, Rob.  Thanks very much for talking to all of us, today. 

ROB:  Oh!  No problem.

NICK:  I have a kind of general question.  I know a lot of shows that start out with characters in high school have a lot of difficulty making the transition into college.  I'm thinking particularly of Buffy, and it seemed like after a year they almost had to drop the idea of them being in college because it became just so awkward for the plots.

ROB:  Uh huh.

NICK:   And I was wondering if you had thought about that when you started the show and--I guess, clearly, you would have had to, assuming it was picked up for more than two seasons--and if you had that in mind for a long time, and if you had ways you had ways of thinking how to get around all the potential pitfalls.

ROB:  Uh...yeah.  But I think the biggest way we're getting around the potential pitfall is that we haven't kept the characters in high school for four years.  We allowed them to play their junior year and senior year--that we're allowing them to progress as normal beings will.  I think one of the other things that high school shows that go to college suffer from is that they are shows that are built around coming of age and coming of age stories, and so they have to sort of shift what their intention is as their characters go to high school, whereas we worked--we worked a high school show in the more traditional soap opera sense of it.  You know, we're a noir/mystery so I don't think to a certain degree that the same rules apply.  If anything, the nice thing for us this year is that it actually opens up stories that I don't think we could have done were Veronica to still be a high school student. 

NICK:  Well, I'm really looking forward to it.  Thanks.

ROB:  Oh, great!  Thanks.

DAMIEN:  Thank you.  Our next question comes from Cathy of Give Me My Remote dot com.  Ma'am you may ask your question.

CATHY:  Hey Tina and Rob, thanks for doing this, tonight.

ROB:  All right.

CATHY:  I was wondering if we're going to see any after-effect of Beaver's actions last season, mainly with Mac and Dick, and those closest to them [possibly 'him'].

ROB:  I'm sorry, we just had somebody buzz us in here and I didn't hear all the question.  One sec. [Addressing someone in his office]  Alex, can you close this door?

ALEX:  Oh, yeah.  Sorry.

ROB:  Um.  I'm sorry.  Can you repeat that, please? 

CATHY:  Sure.  I was just wondering if those closest to Beaver--or Cassidy--Mac and Dick--if we're going to see them deal with the after-effect of his actions last season?

ROB:  Um.  Yes. Absolutely.  And you know I'll say that there's a--there's a double-edged sword to it.  You absolutely see Dick reacting to his brother's death.  As we start the season, he is a wreck.  Now, and I--and I want to play some of the reality of that, and then at the same time, the best thing about Dick in our show is the comedy he brings to it, and this sort of very fun, bad boy kind of frat boy energy, and so spending the half season with Dick wallowing would--I would understand the reality of it, but it wouldn't be particularly good for the show.  And Mac is also dealing with some fallout from what happened.  I mean--uh, and we actually hit both those topics really hard in the first episode, this season.

CATHY:  Great.  Thank you.

ROB:  All right.

DAMIEN:   Thank you.  Ladies and gentlemen--ladies and gentlemen, again, to ask a question, please press the "1" key on your touchtone telephone.  Our next question comes from Elizabeth from Primetime Princesses dot com.  Ma'am, you may ask your question. 

ELIZABETH:  Hi.  This question is for Tina.  I'm kind of following up on the last question.  After what Mac went through in the season finale, how do you feel about effects?  How do you feel about how you're playing the character?

TINA:  I think that there have been a lot of changes in Mac, since the season finale.  [NOTE:  feedback and other interference makes some of this answer unclear].  But I think it's something--it's quite a challenge, because you want to keep the character the same and that's where people can still relate to her as they were, before.  You don't want to change it too much.  So, it is challenging trying to put across too much [FEEDBACK] because of the hard time she was going through, but you know you still want her to be the same Mac that everybody enjoys watching. It's really been fun.  It's been a great storyline to be a part of it.  It's really challenged me as an actor, you know? 

[FEEDBACK and semi-dead air].

DAMIEN:  Thank you.  We have a follow up from Abigail from deepergirl dot LiveJournal [sic:  blogger is the same beppergirl.livejournal.com, referred to as "beepergirl" above].  Thank you, you may ask your question.

ABIGAIL:  Okay, so this is for Rob.  I was wondering if you were going to have any other artists on the show next season--because you know like last season, you had Courtney from Dandy Warhols, and...so...all right...

ROB:  Uh huh?

ABIGAIL:  And so I was just wondering if you were going to have any other artists coming?

ROB:  Oh.  Um...we don't have any plans, yet.  The--right now I'm writing the episode 9.   I'm writing episode 9 which is the conclusion of our first mystery arc, and there's definitely a space for a band to play.  And I'm trying to sift through, in my mind--I'm going to direct the episode as well--whether I want to try to get a name band or whether that--you get too big of a band--you know, like if you have Radiohead play a frat party at Hearst University, it doesn't really make sense.  And it always--it takes so many shooting hours to do a band, correctly.  It like adds five shooting hours, which really slows it down on an episode that will be packed, already.  What we've found--last year, we wanted to do it a lot more.  The plan was to have probably--over 22 episodes--six different artists come in and do karaoke in there, and what we found is that it slowed production down so much, that we really couldn't afford to do it.  And it got a really mixed reaction from the fans.  You know, I think a lot of fans who--if they weren't a big fan of the artist that we brought on--were just like, "Why are 90 seconds of my show being eaten up by something I don't care about?"  And so it wasn't a big success last year.  So I haven't been terribly inclined to spend sort of all the production time to make it happen again this year.

ABIGAIL:  Okay.

ROB:  All right? 

ABIGAIL:  Okay, thanks.

ROB:  No problem.

ABIGAIL:  Bye.

DAMIEN:  Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.  Again, to ask a question, please press the "1" key on your touchtone telephone.   Our next question comes from Jennifer from tubetalk dot com.  Ma'am, you may ask your question.

JENNIFER:  Hi, Rob.  Hi, Tina.

ROB:  Hey.

TINA:  Hi.

JENNIFER:  How're you doing? 

ROB:  Good.

JENNIFER:  Rob, this question is for you.  We had--obviously--last season, a major death of a character.  Is there anything planned this year in terms of a death, and the second part of my question is, you said earlier, last year, that there were going to be three story arcs this year, instead of the long season arc.  Have you planned out what mystery is going to occur in each of those, and if so, can you tell us about the first two, or even all three?

ROB:  [laughs]   Man, you ask me a lot of really good questions, none of which I want to answer.  I'll give you some answers, but probably not nearly as much as you want.  We do know what the three mysteries are going to be.  And I can tell you that they're all three going to have a very different feel.  And, I think most people know, because I've been very willing to share, that the first one is the ongoing mystery of the serial rapist, but I want the second one to surprise people.  I don't want to say what it is.  I want it to--you know--surprise people.  And I--the things I will say is that you will get introduced to the second mystery in the final episode of the first mystery, which is episode nine.  And also, I'll tell you a little bit about the inspiration for it, which--I think will only make sense after you see what it is, and if you actually check out this movie.  But, there was a--Steven Soderbergh did a--this low budget digital video murder mystery called "Bubbles," I think, "Bubble."  Yeah--and there are pieces of it--there are ways it is set up that I really liked, and I wanted to have a mystery in which, for the first time on Veronica Mars, you start seeing--you see the build up to it, as opposed to just being introduced to the crime, after it.

JENNIFER:  Okay.  Thank you.

ROB:  All right.  No problem.

JENNIFER:  Oh, can I follow that up with another question?

ROB:  Sure.

JENNIFER:  The briefcase, is that going to be addressed in the first story arc?

ROB:  Yes.  It absolutely is.  It's going to be addressed in the first two episodes.  And...

JENNIFER:  Okay.  Thank you.

ROB:  All right.

DAMIEN:   Thank you.  Our next question comes from Sunil, from spectral... spectralbovine...

ROB:  [laughs]

DAMIEN:  [laughing] dot livejournal dot com.  I'd like to apologize if I've messed it up.  You may ask your question.

SUNIL:  All right.  Hi Rob.

ROB:  Hey, Sunil. 

SUNIL:  [UNCLEAR] Hi Rob.  Where are you guys, with the noise in the background? 

ROB:  Well, I'm at the Veronica Mars offices, and I'm not sure where Tina is.

TINA:  I'm at my house. 

ROB:  Oh.  I just--I just read your e-mail there, Sunil. 

SUNIL:  Okay.  Well, can you--can you answer any of that here? 

ROB:  Uh, did you--uh, I wasn't thinking about the questions in it.  I just got the overall feel of the reaction, there. 

SUNIL:  All right, we'll do that later.  I'll talk to Tina now, because I never talked to Tina, before. 

ROB:  All right. Thanks [UNCLEAR].

SUNIL:  [UNCLEAR] I read [UNCLEAR] a recent interview, and I wanted to know what book you were doing a book report on, for Rob's book.

Rats Saw God

TINA:  It was Rats Saw God.

SUNIL:  Did you get a good grade?

(Rob laughs.)

TINA:  I did.  I actually got an A+ on that paper, and my teacher was very impressed that I actually got to talk to the author.  So... (laughs).

SUNIL:  And my question is, that back in the day, you were in Andre, and you acted with a seal. And now you act with Kristen Bell, and I wanted to know who was a better actor, and who was better at balancing a ball on their nose.

TINA:  Um...Kristen's the better actor, and the seal's probably better at balancing something on his nose, 'cause I've never asked Kristen to do that, and I don't think I ever would.

ROB:  (laughs.) I don't know.  Kristen might give it a shot.  She is a very talented woman.

TINA:  She is, but I just would feel uncomfortable asking her. 

(Laughter.)

SUNIL:  [UNCLEAR] entire question I can't ask is about the credit, the--can you talk about maybe what was involved in the new credits, and what decisions were made, and why?

Veronica Mars Season 3 Credits Title Sequence Fullscreen

ROB:  The new main titles?  Well, we kind of had to change them because the ones we've been using have been so high school oriented with, you know, notebook paper and little doodles, which didn't feel like college.  I have--I've never been a big fan of our main title sequence.  You know, it just seems like a very generic clips-teen-show main titles.  And I wanted to do something a little more artsy, and I wanted to play to the noir element, and I wanted to age it up.  I wanted it to feel like Veronica's a little more grown up.  So, um...

SUNIL:  That credit sequence has won the Tubey award on TWoP, two years in a row, actually. 

ROB:  Um well, I think that like--you know, it's like Adam Clayton always used to win Rolling Stone bass player of the year and it's because the fans loved U2 and not because Adam Clayton is a particularly great bass player.  Or at least, that's my theory.  That's my working theory. 

SUNIL:  That's my theory as well.

Rob laughs.

DAMIEN:  Thank you.  Our next question comes from Jennifer, from lawyer dot net.  You may ask your question.

JENNIFER:  Hi.  It's me, again.  I already got to see the episode that's airing this next week, and I just noticed that the apartment lighting was so much lighter than normal.  It really looks like there's sunlight coming through...

ROB:  Uh huh?

JENNIFER:  And I was just wondering if that's a deliberate choice, because normally, it looks like it's this vague 24 hour [UNCLEAR] you really can't tell what day--what time it is,  when you're inside the Mars apartment...

ROB:  Uh huh...

JENNIFER:  It really looked like there was sunlight coming through and is this a deliberate choice, or does it have anything to do with now being on The CW after Gilmore Girls--trying to draw new viewers?  Is this just a new thing you're doing?

ROB:  It could be a lot of things.  And I--I honestly am not aware, but it could be that because you got a preview copy that you got a non-color timed copy, where we haven't done the finished post-work, on it.  We have not made any sort of conscious effort to make it brighter or sunnier in the Mars apartment.  I will say that sometimes it gets too moody for me and I'll give you an example.  We--in episode four, we're supposed to do this sort of time-lapse sequence, in which we see Veronica working in her room on this case, and it's supposed to be the late afternoon, like four or five in the afternoon, and then Keith comes home at midnight and enters her room.  And when I saw it cut together, I'm like--because we always shoot that bedroom of Veronica's so moody and dark, it doesn't feel like we've gone from afternoon to midnight.  It feels like 20 minutes has passed, and so I'm having them like re-color time it, to make afternoon actually lighter, and midnight a little darker, so it will actually look like time has passed there, in Veronica's bedroom.

JENNIFER:  Okay, thanks for answering.

ROB:  No problem.

DAMIEN:  Thank you.  Our next question comes from Cathy, of Give Me My Remote dot com.  Ma'am, you may ask your question.

CATHY:  Rob, I have a question about Logan's character, this year.  He's obviously a pretty dark guy, with a--with a dark life, and although we do get to see him have fun, sometimes, he definitely has a past to deal with.  Do you think we're going to see him deal with his issues a little more and maybe mature a little more, and be the man that Veronica deserves and wants to be with?

ROB:  Um...gah--you know--I don't know.  I--you know, there's a needle that I want to thread, you know?  There's an old--there's an Onion--I don't know if you're a fan of The Onion--but there's an old story that I remember reading in The Onion that made me laugh, which was about...uh: Girlfriend Fixes all Boyfriend's Problems; Now She's No Longer Interested in Him. 

(Cathy laughs.)

ROB:  And--and there's a part of me that believes in that philosophy.  You know, that--the things I worry about on the show, I worry about characters getting too soft, too likable, you know?  Certainly, Veronica and Logan both possess some really good qualities, but I'm always interested in not softening their rough edges too much.  It feels like it would get bland and uninteresting, if they're always doing the right thing.  And Logan has had so much happen to him, that I think it would be sort of a miracle if he--and one I'm not sure I would believe, if he sort of got his life straightened out, and got on the straight and narrow, and did his homework and went to class, and graduated with honors, and then got a good job at a nice company.  It would feel a bit false to me.

At the same time, I want to make sure they grow.  I don't want to just repeat the same behavior.  You know, I don't want Logan organizing another bum fight, because that feels like a high school sort of thing to do--uh, I mean a high school thing to do, if you're--you know--a child who gets beaten by your father.  So it's a tricky line that we try to walk--with how much emotional maturity we're going to give our characters, and how much we're going to let them fix their character flaws. 

CATHY:  Great.  I actually have a quick follow-up for Tina, as well.  Tina, I was hoping you could talk a little bit about the difference between being a series regular on the TV show, and you've obviously had a long career, since you were a little girl--as a film actress--and if you could just talk a little bit about the difference between TV and film. 

TINA:  I think that as far as--you know, I get asked a lot about my decision to do television--you know--why I don't do a lot of film is because there--I find that I've been really blessed to be able to play such great characters on television, especially on this show.  It's really hard to find good quality roles in any genre of acting, I feel, at least roles that I'm willing to play at this point in my life.  So, that's kind of where the crossover happens--that it just so happens that these parts that I'm able to play on television have worked out really nicely for me.  But, as far as working--the differences between working in film and television, I think sometimes, it's a little more comfortable working in television, because you get a chance to become so much closer [background noise drowned out words] working on the show.  You're working with them for a long time.  I mean a whole--a whole nine months usually that you get to see people every day, and you get a little bit more familiar with them, whereas in film, it's just, you know, a three month burst usually, and then it's over with.  So, and it's nice knowing that you get to work--you get to go to work every day.  It's a little bit more consistent.  So there's a lot of comfort in doing TV--I feel like. I think that it's--it's nice to know where I'm going each day, and what I'm going to be doing.

CATHY:  Great.  Thanks.

TINA:  Um hm.

DAMIEN:  Thank you.  Our next question comes from Daniel, from [the] TV addict dot com.  You may ask your question.

DANIEL:   Hey, everyone.  Thanks for doing this.  I just wanted to ask a quick question to Rob, first.  Did you consciously, or--in your mind, have you consciously--when writing the first few episodes-- changed anything, knowing that you're on a new network, and following Gilmore Girls.  Is there anything that you've done differently, to kind of attract new--as many new fans as possible?

ROB:  Ah yeah, particularly in the first episode.  I--I will freely admit that I think that the first episode is sort of Veronica Mars for beginners.  Um, it's--the case is pretty straight ahead.  It's not a high-incident case.  It's a case used largely to meet our new characters.  And, you know, I tried to really front-load the episode with sort of fun, breezy banter, that would play nicely with the Gilmore Girls' audience and sort of, you know, welcome them, or invite them into the show.  The first episode sort of takes a--you know--sort of feeling more like our show in the final five minutes--not that I think it's a huge departure for the first forty.  But, it's certainly feeling more like Veronica Mars towards the end of the episode.  So yeah, that was really conscious, and then the second episode which, honestly, I think ranks up with some of our best episodes ever, and I'm really proud of it--it's an episode that Diane Ruggiero wrote--I think is Veronica Mars at its best.  It's what we do well.

DANIEL:  Oh that's great.  Thanks.  A quick question for Tina, if I may.  You're amazing on Veronica Mars as well as Big Love, and I just was wondering if your regular status on Veronica Mars will preclude you from going to Big Love for a second season.

TINA:  No.  It hasn't at all.  They've been really awesome about that, and are allowing me to do both shows, so I will continue to be a reoccurring guest on Big Love, as well as being a series regular on Veronica Mars.

DANIEL:  Great.  Thanks. 

TINA:  Thanks.

DAMIEN:  Thank you.  Our next question comes from Scott of Scooter dot McGavin at blogspot dot net.  You may ask your question. 

SCOTT:   Hi Rob, I was just--I remember from last season that Logan was interested in having Tom Welling play him in the Aaron Echolls story...

ROB:   Uh huh.

SCOTT:  I was just wondering that now that you're on the same network--would you be interested in giving him a call and see if he'd do a guest spot?

ROB:  Well it's interesting because--because Diane Ruggiero, since the CW--she's one of our writers here, who I just mentioned and now the only female left on the writing staff--has been begging for that cross over since we had The CW launch party and she actually saw him in person.   And I'm not sure she's started breathing again...

(Tina laughs.)

ROB:  It would be so tough to do.  It would be like somebody asking Kristen Bell to guest star on their show.  We work Kristen so hard and her free time is so valuable to her, and I imagine the same is true for Tom.  The network would love it.  They would adore it.  But I don't think they would go to Tom and say, "Please do Veronica Mars," just because they know how hard he has to work on his own show.  My wife and Al Gough's wife are friends.  We actually have dinner from time to time, and I may actually set a test buoy out on that particular question, because I think it would be great for us, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

SCOTT:  Okay, kind of a follow up.  Tom Welling aside, if The CW came to you and said you got the pick of the litter of any actors on any show, to do a cross over, who would you pick?  And Tina you can jump in this. Who would you like to work with--with a fellow CW actor?

ROB:  Uh.

TINA:  Oh, wow.  I don't even know.

ROB:  (laughs) Um.  I--you know--I think the one who would do us the--you know for me, the answer would be purely mercenary.  It's who would do--who would get the most people watching our show.  And if we could get the woman who plays Loralai (Lauren Graham) from Gilmore Girls on our show, I think that--that would be fantastic.  That would be a cross over that I would write backwards, to--to--to make happen.

MAC:  Yeah, I like her, too.  She's fantastic.  She's great.

SCOTT:  And would you be willing to send other actors out--like have--uh...

ROB:  I'd send them all.

(Laughter.)

SCOTT:  [UNCLEAR]

ROB:  They could choose whoever they want.  The problem is I don't actually get to order my actors to go do other shows.  So me saying, "Kristen Bell, go do Gilmore Girls," it really means little more than you saying, "Kristen Bell, go do Gilmore Girls."

SCOTT:  Would you like to see Lamb and Logan go at it in a steel cage match on SmackDown?

ROB:  Well, I would love that.  I would absolutely love that.

SCOTT:  Okay, thank you.

ROB:  Thanks.

DAMIEN:  Thank you, our next question comes from Rae of Rambling Sofa TV Whore (sic [correct blog name: Ramblings of a TV Whore]) dot com.

RAE:  Hi there, um, two questions--both for Rob--sorry, Tina.  First is a follow-up to Daniel's question about The Gilmore Girls.  My question is:  I know in the past, you've said you hadn't actually watched any Gilmore Girls.  Did you watch any episodes to kind of research what they're like, now?

ROB:  I haven't, honestly. I--I--I'm embarrassed to say that, but I have not.

RAE:  Oh, you're embarrassed.

ROB:  (laughs) My wife is a fan, and yet when I've--she always says, "It's a bit girly for you."  You know, knowing my taste, she thinks it's girly for me, but I have not watched a whole episode.  I saw a big chunk of one the other day, when uh... You know we had the actor who plays Logan on their show (Matt Czuchry), on our show, and when we were talking about doing it, they sent me a clip of a story line with him in it.  He was--he's terrific on our show.  He's terrific on their show as well, in the clips that I saw, but he did a really nice job for us. 

RAE:  Okay, great.  And the second question was just--now that there's a few episodes done--I guess--and I assume that some of The CW network execs have seen 'em, do you have kind of a feel for how they're feeling about the show?

ROB:  They've been thrilled.  They--they have been absolutely thrilled.  They're--you know the things that they asked for were things I believe I would have done anyway, but it's um--you know largely, they wanted something that was a little less complicated, which--doing a 9 episode mystery, instead of a 22 episode mystery is simplifying it right there.  And you know, so, you know, instead of having a cast of 20 players that have bit pieces in the mystery, we--you know--have six.  So, it does narrow the scope a bit, but you get it--it comes really fast and furious.  It's funny, the whole writing staff has thought, "We're just finishing the first mystery; we should take a hiatus, now."  It doesn't feel real--you know, it feels weird for us, right now.  It's going to be strange this year, because we're going to have no opportunity to tinker with the mystery as we go, because we'll have the whole first mystery written and going, before we get any reaction from the fans on the first episodes.

RAE:  Right.

ROB:  One of the things that I did always enjoy about viewing with the fans, or posting, was seeing who they thought did it, and sort of figuring out how to play certain red herrings stronger, or do we need to be a little more clear with the real clues, or do we need to hide them--obscure them a little bit, and we won't have that ability at all this year, so it's all going on what we think works, so hopefully it will.  

RAE:  I'm sure it will.  Thank you.

ROB:  No problem.        

SIENNA:  Hi, everybody. This is Sienna, and as we are running close to 45 minutes, we are taking one final question.

DAMIEN:  Thank you, ma'am.  Our final question comes from Elizabeth of Primetime Princesses.  You may ask your question.

ELIZABETH:  Hi.  I was wondering.  I've had the soundtrack from Veronica Mars in my car for--forever, and I just love the music, so much.  I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about how you choose music to go along with specific scenes.

ROB:  I just lost the last sentence that you said.  Can you--you want me to tell you what?

ELIZABETH:  How do you choose music to go along with specific scenes?

ROB:  Okay.  Yeah, I'm happy to do that.  I will tell you this and it's one of the things that the studio and network hate it when I talk about, but...  I think one of the reasons that we didn't do a soundtrack last year--as we've run over budget, the first place they take--or, I shouldn't say, "they," -- or we have to make up budget on, is in music.  And in year one, I felt like we were getting in four, sometimes five songs in an episode, and last year, I think that number went down to two or three, and that's sort of held steady this year.  So, there's been less music in the show, which is something I'm not happy about.  I tend to write with songs in mind.  I sit there with iTunes open, and as I'm writing an episode and songs are occurring to me, I keep putting them in a play list for that episode, and then keep it on play--keep that set list playing...

Audio ends.

Transcribed by She, of goodtv.vox.com

Tuesday, September 26, 2006.

Posted by She (He did not help.  He may have laughed.)