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Update
- #96
Hey All, Just some reminders and news I've learned about: 1. I wanted to remind everyone we are "flooding" Debra with letters and postcards - try to send more postcards since they are easier to read and can be seen by the agent, assistant(s) and Debra slightly faster than a letter. It is important we let her know we would love to see her back as Sloan because Prey seems to be "gaining momentum." Word your mail as best you can without mentioning a script or a network. 2. Please hold off on letters to networks, magazines, newspapers, entertainment sites, etc. about the movie until further notice. This is just being held back for a short time not indefinitely. As more information becomes available, as to the direction of the campaign or word on the movie, et al, I will post it for all of you, but please keep in mind there is a method to all this madness and a reason for keeping certain things quiet. 3. I wanted to mention that I learned from Judy Kelly that the Hallmark Channel will be reairing "Roughing It" on March 23 at 1 PM CST. So, get your VCR's ready, those of you fortunate enough to get that network, if you missed it the first time around. 4. As I scanned the entertainment sites I visit every day, I learned that D. B. Woodside, Prey's own Mark Ward, has been cast in a pilot for - GASP! - ABC/Touchstone called E.I.S. It has to do with the Center for Disease Control. How many of you see that one lasting on ABC given that networks' track record? I wish Mr. Woodside much success, though, because we support all the Preymakers in their endeavors, right?! 5. Lastly, I stayed up extra last night, pen and paper in hand and my highly valued Viewers for Quality Television tape running in the VCR, showing the New Series Panel Discussion for which Debra took part back in 1998. So without further ado, please read the following, use excerpts if you like in your letters or postcards, but no overkill on the excerpts, ok? Enjoy! Lee Ann aka Rueben! VQT Convention 1998 New Series Panel Discussion Including Debra Messing This is not an entire transcript of the panel discussion, merely excerpts of questions poised to Debra and her answers as they applied to Prey. Dorothy Swanson was the President and Founder of Viewers for Quality Television and she led the panel discussion, asking questions of those in attendance then about an hour into the panel, she turned the questions over to the audience. Dorothy Swanson (DS): How do you assemble a cast with chemistry or how do you create it? Debra Messing (DM): You can’t create it. I don’t think it’s something you can create. DS: Debra, you brought up Prey (she spoke earlier in the discussion about being in a drama "last year"), are you aware of the huge campaign (Debra shakes her head vigorously) that went on for that show (at this point I stated ‘is still going on’ and Debra glanced my way and reiterated same) on the internet and among viewers? DM: I was shocked, I mean, certainly I was gratified. DS: It was close to a cult. DM: It was, yes. DS: They were very, very passionate. DM: Incredibly passionate and, I mean, we were an hour drama at 8 o’clock on Thursday night opposite Friends and we thought, okay, don’t even air it because we have no shot’ DS: ‘They have asked me to ask you what would you do if they succeeded? (laughs from the audience because of her co-star Eric McCormack saying in a deep big brother voice ‘Don’t go there. You’re committed now’ DM: Yes, yes, I am, I mean, I was committed to Prey when I did the pilot for Will & Grace and NBC knew that if Prey was picked up again that I was going back to Prey and they would have to recast Will & Grace and reshoot the pilot and start from scratch and they were willing to take that risk so I took that risk and I was very, very sad when Prey ended because I loved doing that show. DS: That was the main thing to those fans 'was the chemistry' (said in unison by both women) between you DM: and Adam Storke...we aired mid-season, then 3 weeks into it the Olympics came on, we were pre-empted for 3 weeks, we didn’t have a chance so, in my mind, it was never really seen or had a chance, but when the fan mail came in and then this woman who was the president of the save the prey (she was corrected at this point by Dorothy and me, stating ‘Prey for Us’ and she politely stated the correct name) campaign contacted us and had all the ads in all the trade papers, don’t give up ABC, pick it up again and she, the president, just sent me a birthday card and in it she said ‘I know you have another job now but you just know that we are still working on getting that show back’ DS: I think that the point that should be raised is what an example this is how actors in a quality show can inspire viewer power... DM: ...and I think they had courage to do that or the will to do that because it worked for Party of Five. Later in the discussion after about 4 or 5 other VQT members asked questions, I got up and had my chance (please keep in mind that I am long winded, as if you guys hadn't already figured that out, right?! ha! ha!): LAG: I just want to digress for one second back to something Dorothy had brought up about Prey. I‘m a member of the Prey For Us campaign (at this point Debra gets a big smile on her face, waves at me, and says ‘Oh, Hi! Thank you!). Gina Evers is the President that sent you that card. I have more of a statement than a question. (Debra says ok.) I just wanted you to realize how much we loved that show and the chemistry that you and Adam Storke had together was incredible from the very beginning (Debra said ‘thank you’ several times during my diatribe). Most of us sat in awe watching your pilot, we just could not take our eyes off the screen because you were both SO good and we just wanted to make sure that you knew that. I guess I’m speaking on behalf of them because they couldn’t come. And what Eric said about people meeting from the internet (Eric McCormack had mentioned that during the first taping of the first Will & Grace episode, after their pilot, 10 fans of his from his days on Lonesome Dove came to the taping, meeting for the first time after corresponding on the internet and how amazed he was by that), I have two Prey fans (who were Carol Hallenbeck and Diane Golomb in case anyone was curious) who are coming here this afternoon that I have never met, I have corresponded with them over the internet and they’re coming here specifically because we want to meet because we love your show (Debra at this point was saying how nice or something to that extent). I guess I do have one hypothetical question (at which point Debra said "ok?): if an opportunity would ever come up that you would be able to reprise your role whether it would be for maybe a two-hour movie would that ever be considered like in your summer hiatus? DM: Absolutely, absolutely. I mean I was completely committed to doing Prey and when ABC cancelled it I was very disheartened and I felt like it never really had its fair share, its fair chance, but certainly if they wanted to do a movie or something I would be on board, and thank you. It means a great deal to me that people watched it and were invested in that short period of time. ME AGAIN: Okay, folks, those are her own words so let's remind her how much she loved doing the show and that we'd love to see her back! Thanks!
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