Transcript of Mike Hickman chat (March 15 2001)
(please excuse the lack of proper fomatting in this transcript)
Christy Chat of
March 15, 2001
With Special Guest
Tom Blomquist
The fans chat with Christy
Executive Producer Tom
Blomquist at the PAX Christy
Chat room. (These transcripts
have been edited to remove OT
chatter and to position Q & A for readability.)
time 9:10 pm EST
tom-b enters Christy Chat
Cindy K says Hi Tom glad you could make it
deeiaemt says HEYYYY Welcome Tom!! Great to have you
bl31 says Hi Tom
christyiscool says Hi Mr. Blomquist!
daniaele says hi tom
ChristyB says Thanks for coming!!!
lbcdawn1 says its HIM
michelle b k says hi tom
Meredith says Hi Tom
debra s. says Welcome, TB.
tom-b says Hi everybody. Thanks for having me.
Cindy K says OK I get first question. Tom, you ready?
tom-b says Ready...
Cindy K says Tell us about Margaret MacNeill just what
was the deal with her in the
old series and why was she brought back?
DavidDame says great question
deeiaemt says Good Question Cindy
Cindy K says (Music from jeopardy plays)
michelle b k says We have scared him already
lbcdawn1 says your stalling sir!
christyiscool says haha
YankeeeGRITS says did he leave?
Meredith says GO Tom
christyiscool says he's typing, guys!
YankeeeGRITS says that long?
ChristyB says Have patience everyone!! :)
tom-b says Well, it seemed to us (Pat Green and the other
writers) that having her
be dead was a great device for the book -- but it denied
Neil and Alice the chance
to feel their grief in the present. Good drama on a series
feeds on stuff happening
in more than the past. Having her show up let them be so
angry, hurt and stunned.
It also helped define Christy's relationship with them.
rebekkah says wooooowwwwwwww.
deeiaemt says Good Answer Tom!!
rebekkah says nice explanation!
tom-b says Sorry I took so long. I'm new at this.
Cindy K says OK that seems reasonable
daniaele says good answer
YankeeeGRITS says geez, so how will David play out?
tom-b says David dies in the fire with Neil.
michelle b k says you are so bad...
bl31 says touchÈ
deeiaemt says NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
deeiaemt says ME NEXT--What's our chances for a series and
what can we do to help??
tom-b says The chances for a series are totally dependent
on the ratings in May.
Even then I'd think that more movies might make better
economic sense for Pax.
Cindy K says AS opposed to a series?
debra s. says Now that the movies are in the can, do you
regret filming in VC and
not the Appalachians?
tom-b says As for Vancouver, I have no regrets. It was
fabulous there. The people,
the scenery. It all fit so well.
DavidDame says Will you be the head writer for the new
series?
tom-b says Nobody's asked me yet.
lbcdawn1 says well assert yourself man!
Michelle b k says LOL
debra s. says Does Pax make money from the movie videos or
Zondervan and Hallmark?
tom-b says There are a bunch of partners. Hallmark bought
the video rights. Trimark
bought some foreign TV rights. Pax owns the USA window.
PeaceArch has Canada and some
other territories. I'm not at all sure how they split the
profits, if there are any.
rebekkah says wow. that's a lot of sharing.
SongBird75 says Tom back to Margaret a moment. In RTCG
Neil tells Harriet she is dead.
Is she really dead in the new movies
tom-b says Yes. She died of TB, in keeping with her
illness on the CBS show.
ChristyB says Good!
debra s. says RIP, Mags.
deeiaemt says Yeah..no more Mags
lbcdawn1 says hip hip hooray!
ChristyB says I mean, not that she died, but that she
isn't going to unexpectedly
show up again...
tom-b says We had always planned to see that happen if the
CBS series had continued.
ReginaK says Dead Mags....how sad = (
lbcdawn1 says oh this is awful rejoicing in her demise
(wicked grin)
daniaele says so long mags
rebekkah says lol dawn!
DavidDame says The Margaret in the book was not a terrible
person
daniaele says true
deeiaemt says Dawn--AS if us fan fic writers haven't been
taking care of MAGS for
quite a while!!
tom-b says Consider how emotional it would have been for
Neil and Alice to sit at
her bedside and experience her death all over again. It
would have been amazing.
rebekkah says yeah... that could've been a really cool
scene.
DavidDame says Why didn't you do flashbacks?
tom-b says Flashbacks are okay as a device, but they just
didn't fit with the
original style of the show.
debra s. says Whose idea was it to film two separate
endings and what will happen
to the one not used in the movies?
tom-b says The separate endings was my idea. I wanted to
give the actors in the
triangle a chance to experience everything first-hand.
Especially with new actors
in two of the roles... it just seemed to be the most fair
way to approach everything.
deeiaemt says I love the two endings idea!!
deeiaemt says But the suspense is killing me!!
debra s. says Yeah, Tom. But I bet it was traumatic for
Stewart to film after all
these years with Christy! LOL!
Unknown user lost in archive says Will we see more from
the novel in the upcoming
miniseries?
tom-b says Yes, there will be more of the novel. But if
you think about it, there
isn't much left that hasn't been covered one way or the
other.
DavidDame says How about a square dancing scene... or Ruby
Mae's wedding
deeiaemt says That was a great scene
rebekkah says and ruby mae's wedding....
deeiaemt says I would LOVE to see Ruby Mae's wedding
daniaele says me too!
janmkelly says Ruby Mae's wedding just wouldn't be the
same, after Christy is married.
tom-b says Ruby Mae wasn't married off because we needed
her at the mission house
in the series and in the movies. She serves a valuable
purpose in the stories.
ChristyB says Good point!
janmkelly says I can think of a lot that hasn't been
covered. I was a little
disappointed that these movies basically started near the
end of the first year -
where the novel left off.
tom-b says We started where we did because you can't
ignore the lives these
people lived for 21 hours of the series. We had to move
on.
rebekkah says tom, is there any way we can get a hold of
the music that was
temporarily on the Christy site with the flash beginning?
tom-b says I have no idea about the music. Somebody at Pax
found that.
rebekkah says eek! I've been trying to figure out that
music forever now.
debra s. says The C.Marshall sequel to Christy that was
found . . was it just
an outline, a rough draft or an unfinished manuscript?
personage says good question, debra!
tom-b says I think it was an outline. I've never seen it,
but I'd sure like
to someday.
lbcdawn1 says I don't know that I would want to see it
rebekkah says I think I would.
deeiaemt says I would love to see it
rebekkah says i think it would be sorta like reading a
journal
Cindy K says Tom could you tell us if Pat Green or any of
others from the
original series team has seen the first movie
tom-b says Yes, Pat saw it and was very pleased to see
what had become of her hard
work. Pat taught me everything I know about Christy and
her approval meant a lot.
Cindy K says I'll bet. She is a great writer!
janmkelly says What exactly was meant by "untold
chapters"?
tom-b says The untold chapters refer to the typhoid events
and everything that
follows. The word "chapters" was something that Pax came
up with... I only meant
for them to promote the unproduced events.
personage says Is there any thought at all to doing
something w/ Cmarshall's
other novel, 'Julie'?
tom-b says I don't know about Julie. But if somebody does
it I hope they do
it right.
Meredith says When was it decided who Christy will marry.
Has the movie
ending already been put together ?
tom-b says Christy's wedding choice was decided a year ago
when Nancy and
Jeff LeSourd told me about the manuscript.
rebekkah says what a secret to keep for such a long time!
Meredith says Who is privy to that information?
SongBird75 says Wow a year ago someone can keep a secret
deeiaemt says And how much would it cost to get it????
YankeeeGRITS says a secret can not be bought for any price
Meredith says Can the people in the know be bought? LOL!!!
tom-b says Very few people know who she marries. Maybe
five or six people.
SongBird75 says Cool Can you imagine how those Five or six
are feeling
deeiaemt says Tom, And how much money are we talking about
to buy that info
tom-b says How much do you have?
Meredith says We could take up a collection
lbcdawn1 says hmm...lets pool our resources ladies...
tom-b says Nah, forget it. According to some, I've already
made my millions off this.
ReginaK says I have a quarter and a ball of lint I found
in my pocket.
Noodle says Is that really Tom B?
michelle b k says yes that's him
Cindy K says It's Tom for sure. That last comment could
only come from him
janmkelly says I'm assuming that we will lose Fairlight.
tom-b says You assume correctly.
debra s. says Tom. So how did you go from Swamp Thing to
Christy? Different
stories for sure.
tom-b says You didn't see Swamp Thing swimming in the
mission pond?
rebekkah says wow, swamp thing!?! the things you learn
every day
personage says LOL
debra s. says Very funny TB
ChristyB says haha
deeiaemt says LOL
personage says LOL
deeiaemt says I think I did see it at Ida and Mr.
Sweetwaters wedding
debra s. says But the swamp IS rather green and nasty at
the original site now.
janmkelly says I'm hoping that there is a little more
development between all
characters. I'm afraid that those who never read the book,
or viewed the series
would be lost to figure out the relationships between the
characters.
tom-b says The character development is the hard part of
this -- balancing the book
and the old series. We've tried to weave in references as
well as subplot material
to continue everyone's development. I don't think you'll
be disappointed by the end
of the last show.
janmkelly says Will we see a "softer side" of Bird's-eye?
I have rewatched a couple
of the first episodes of the series, and I have to admit,
he scares me! You did a
fine job of acting Mike!
personage says yes, I definitely think Mike did a
wonderful job
michelle b k says Mike wanted to be here he sends hellos
to everyone
tom-b says You will be amazed by what happens to
Birdseye... and what Mike Hickman
does with him.
ChristyB says We miss him... :(
rebekkah says mike can do anything with BE
ChristyB says I hope we see a conversion with Bird's Eye
and Neil!!!
noodle says tom-b, was the time for the 3 movies normal in
tvland, did not seem
like enough time to me
tom-b says The three movies idea was Jeff Sagansky's. He
felt that we could advance
the story to a good degree in that time... and give
ourselves a fair tryout for future
shows.
YankeeeGRITS says Tom, did you know the statistics
beforehand (David 1/10, Neil 9/10)
before you wrote the actually ending?
tom-b says I had no idea about the stats... but it
wouldn't mattered. CM picked the
guy, not me.
YankeeeGRITS says I see
deeiaemt says Good question Yankee...Will 9 of us be
disappointed or only 1 of us
christyiscool says is that a hint???
lbcdawn1 says yeah well she best have picked the RIGHT one
ChristyB says Nice try barb!
noodle says How long did it take for all the action to be
filmed?
tom-b says What do you mean, action?
noodle says The filming of the actors, I guess, I'm just
an ole Virginia redneck,
ya know
tom-b says We filmed from August 20-November 4. Not much
time for three movies.
daniaele says wow
rebekkah says wow, that is pretty quick
christyiscool says yeah
rebekkah says I can't fathom that
noodle says That was my point exactly, thanks for
answering mr.b
Bethinoz says Tom did you pretend that the road home
wedding proposal didn't take
place.?
tom-b says No, I assumed that Christy said no... and he
was now bringing it up
again. I think there might even have been some dialog to
that effect that we cut
because we felt it was self-evident.
janmkelly says Can't get much more dramatic than the book
ending!
Bethinoz says true except a Neil Christy wedding
tom-b says Regarding the book ending -- it was terrific
for a book. But a series
and sequel movies must, by definition go on and on. That
means that what CM
conceived for the single novel must become part of the
larger continuing picture.
Even SHE planned a sequel because she had so much more to
say about these people.
personage says if you end up doing a series, will you tape
in canada or the states?
imokay says Tom didn't it cost more to film in VC?
tom-b says Filming in Canada is much less expensive than
the US, unfortunately.
debra s. says Whose idea was the Storm of the Century.
Stewart doesn't lose ANOTHER
cabin, does he? LOL!
tom-b says The storm was something that I thought worked
for what was happening in
the story as we were telling it. It is symbolic of the
turmoil in Christy's life...
it is highly dangerous and dramatic... and it's something
that we never could have
attempted on the old show. Finding new things to do in
these stories is challenging,
following a series that was so well regarded.
Cindy K says Tom what will happen to the alternate ending
will we ever get to see it?
tom-b says The alternate ending has already been
destroyed, along with the rest
of the unused negative.
rebekkah says :)
bl31 says That's as it should be Tom
SouthernDav says really? you should have kept them and
sold it for profit
rebekkah says aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Meredith says That is so sad.
rebekkah says destroyed!?!
imokay says Maybe you need to tell us what we missed???
noodle says Didn't think the alternate ending could be on
the DVD??
rebekkah says what a tragedy!!!!!
debra s. says You did destroy the RIGHT one, right Tom!?
LOL!!!
bl31 says Can you imagine the FEAR in these people's faces
if they did that
debra s. says Tom, did you keep any bloopers for future
CF?
janmkelly says Regardless of how the movies turn out -
I'll always have my book
- and in my mind, I know her choice!
tom-b says I have some tapes of dailies -- I'll look for
bloopers for you.
personage says that would be so cool - to have bloopers at
CF!!
personage says this is probably a dumb question; but
anyways; was the storm real
or did you have to 'make' it?
tom-b says We had to make the storm. In order to show rain
on film you have to make
A LOT of rain and light it correctly. As Lauren mentioned
in her journal, we used a
bunch of rain machines and fire hoses. It was huge!
noodle says Why was the recent showing of RTCG edited the
way it was.
tom-b says I hated the editing of the movie. They did it
to make room for more
commercials.
rebekkah says commercials are evil. every year there's
more and more commercials
and less shows.
noodle says I hated the editing too, I'm glad I have a
recording from Nov.
personage says yeah I was disappointed at the editing too
noodle says TomB, was Mac's curse, and discussion about
religion edited out because
of public criticism
tom-b says The editing was totally arbitrary, done because
someone thought that
material was expendable. There was no criticism.
Cindy K says Tom what is your favorite memory of working
on the series?
tom-b says My favorite memory of the series was writing
with Tyne and Kellie...
they are wonderful friends and brilliant women.
personage says they totally are!!!
Justpeachy! says I saw Kellie's art exhibit at Yale
Cindy K says That's nice to hear
SouthernDav says Tom, what did you like most about filming
the movies?
tom-b says I liked meeting the LeSourds best -- that was a
real treat. And
watching Lauren grow into the role was something we all
enjoyed. She's a very
special young actress.
lbcdawn1 says well I was a skeptic of the lesourds..but
they came across very well
Meredith says How did you first get involved with Christy?
tom-b says Pat Green knew my work from other shows and
thought I'd be the right
guy to write Judgment Day. When that script was well
received by CBS and the rest
of the gang they sent me packing for TN.
Cindy K says It is a great episode
christyiscool says Tom- What was the hardest or worst
part, for you, of creating t
he movies
tom-b says The hardest part about doing the movies was
trying to live up to
everyone's expectations (including my own) on a reduced
budget. Money was no
object on the old show, but it was a constant factor in
these.
personage says yeah, I bet
rebekkah says I think you did fab with money constraints
ChristyB says me too!.
Marilyn says Tom-I want to know about the notes Catherine
Marshall left for
the sequel as the questions are flying by.
tom-b says I thought I answered the CM question. I never
saw the outline, but would
like to. All I needed to know for sure, though, was who
she wanted Christy to marry.
noodle says TomB, are you concerned about a strike with
the Writer's guild
debra s. says Tom, did James know beforehand what he was
getting himself into with
the triangle? Was he forewarned?
SouthernDav says Tom, did you ever even suspect that
Christy would be the success
it was?
tom-b says Here are several answers at once: everyone here
is very worried about
a strike.... no I didn't know James before, he came as a
result of a very extensive
search... and I think we all knew the old show would be a
success from the first
time we read Pat's amazing pilot script. The incredible
all-star cast didn't hurt!
Bethinoz says James was nice boy next door sort of guy
noodle says I loved James Waterston in the movie. Who else
were you considering??
Justpeachy! says Why did CBS keep switching the time?
tom-b says CBS switched times because they didn't believe
in the show. And that
made us all furious.
rebekkah says I don't blame you!
rebekkah says you have a right to be furious!
deeiaemt says It made the fans furious too, Tom
Justpeachy! says But the reviews for the first series were
so good! How could
CBS abandon it?
christyiscool says Just goes to show what trash the media
is becoming
debra s. says What Tom Says about CBS is what I head. I
think that was right
after Jeff S. left and Peter T. came on board.
janmkelly says That was probably the hardest thing to get
an audience. We had a
hard time knowing when to watch!
ChristyB says How could anyone NOT believe in Christy???
deeiaemt says Tom--Have you ever read any of the Fan
Fic...we have all the scripts
you could ever want in case of a writer's strike
tom-b says I've stayed away from the fan fic for legal
reasons .
rebekkah says ah... legal stuff. ick.
christyiscool says darn
deeiaemt says Well, if that writer's strike hits ;-)
ChristyB says You're really missing out... The fanfic is
awesome!!
deeiaemt says WE got ya covered
Cindy K says Ok we know you can't tell us about the
wedding but is there anything
in particular that we should be watching for in the
miniseries?
tom-b says Fairlight and Jeb in the typhoid story will
knock you out -- so will
Stewart in the conversion moment. And Lauren takes Christy
some places that
you will not believe.
deeiaemt says WOW!!
Cindy K says Wow
rebekkah says so there is a conversion
daniaele says wow
ChristyB says Yeah!!! Conversion!!!
christyiscool says argh! Now your making it harder for us
to wait! :-)
personage says oh COOL
Meredith says Is it May YET?
tom-b says Of course there's a conversion... that was
important to the novel.
But don't expect it to be a literal translation of the
book.
debra s. says Man, it sounds like it was so emotional on
everyone to film t
he miniseries.
sarahbeth says Jeb is my favorite. Bruce just seems like
Jeb--a great character.
janmkelly says I love Jeb! He, too, as doctor, could have
walked off the pages
of the book.
SouthernDav says Tom was the ending as wonderful as you
would have liked it to be?
tom-b says I am absolutely thrilled with the ending. All
of the characters wind up
someplace other than where they started... and that's the
most satisfying thing a
writer can say.
Cindy K says That does sound great Tom!
janmkelly says While Diane Ladd fits more of the physical
description, I miss
Tyne Daly.
tom-b says Tyne is very special. But I think we were
well-served by Diane. She
brought something different to the part, instead of trying
to mimic Tyne.
rebekkah says mimicking never works, imho.
Little Princess says yeah
janmkelly says Yes, Bird's-eye sure fits the part, too. As
I said before, he
frightened me!
deeiaemt says BE is the BEST
rebekkah says that's the job of an actor - to become the
character
deeiaemt says He walked right off the pages too
daniaele says I agree Barbara
SouthernDav says Tom, deciding who to play Christy and the
cast is a tough enough
choice. Who did you have in mind to play Christy in the
beginning
tom-b says I had nobody in mind to play Christy. We knew
that we'd have to look
everywhere and that it would be tough. I had my doubts
that we could ever find
anyone like Kellie. Lauren was a Godsend.
Justpeachy! says You didn't find another Kellie. You found
a unique new Christy.
personage says I very much like both girls.
ChristyB says me too, Nat!
daniaele says me too
imokay says Why wasn't this Christy a little more like
Kellie??
ChristyB says They show different aspects of the
character!
rebekkah says probably because it's another actress,
another interpretation
christyiscool says hey!
christyiscool says some of us liked kellie martin
personage says b/c Lauren made it her 'own' christy
Bethinoz says I think Lauren's character is closer to the
book's
Little Princess says i think we had and have 2 very good
actresses, both very
talented, and good for the part
rebekkah says if you mimick, you're only doing less than
what someone else has done
Justpeachy! says The new Christy was more uncertain, more
realistic for a girl
her age
ChristyB says I loved Kellie's performance, but I thought
Lauren was closer to
the "book" Christy
janmkelly says I think Kellie Martin did a wonderful job.
But likewise, Lauren
has fit the part well, too.
personage says they both did wonderful. however, imho,
Lauren's canadian accent
stuck out like a sore thumb
rebekkah says accents can be tricky
Marilyn says Tom-did the Canadian actors have any problems
with the mountain
dialect?
tom-b says The Canadian actors took to the accent very
quickly. Michael Lilly
did a fantastic job in guiding them.
Cindy K says yes he did
deeiaemt says I think Lauren had a daunting task..taking
over after KM
did such a great job..she did really well
personage says Lauren did great, she held her own
Little Princess says i think they were both great
Cindy K says Tom do you know if Kellie has seen the new
movie?
tom-b says I don't know if Kellie's seen it. I ran into
Tess the other day
and she liked it. She also met Ingrid at an audition the
other day and
was very impressed.
ChristyB says Tom can you tell us if BE will have a
conversion scene too?
ChristyB says Tom, so DOES he convert???
tom-b says I never said that Mike converts. I only said
that he's great.
Cindy K says Oh! Good for Mike
tom-b says Birdseye has some important scenes in the next
two. It was so
cool to have Mike come up and play with us.
deeiaemt says Yeah!! Cause we all love MIKE
Keri says I got to meet Mike Hickman about 6 years ago and
he was so nice!
I'm glad he's back.
lbcdawn1 says what about opal? What was she holding in the
opening
tom-b says She was holding a log... like the woman in Twin
Peaks.
Cindy K says haHa
tom-b says Seriously, that was the baby we gave her in the
old show.
Cindy K says ok that makes sense
Marilyn says I missed Frank Hoyt Taylor as Bogg.
ReginaK says I missed Boggie = (
personage says marilyn - SO DID i!
ReginaK says Me too! I missed Boggie Classic....
tom-b says I missed Frank Taylor, too. We all did. He's
one of the really g
ood guys.
ReginaK says I'm the Bogg Babe. I *had* to mention him.
(vbg) Or I could
not call myself a real fan
Justpeachy! says Will Christy have a baby in the new
series?
deeiaemt says Will it have red hair????
ChristyB says Will the baby be delivered by his/her
father?
tom-b says Christy has already had her baby in secret. It
looks like
Bob Allen.
lbcdawn1 says ahhhhhhhhh
personage says LOLROFLOL
daniaele says ha ha
Cindy K says ha ha Tom you are being bad.
rebekkah says lol tom
Justpeachy! says Why was old Christy SO old?
tom-b says Old Christy was old because she had to be. Do
the math.
lbcdawn1 says good answer score one
imokay says You did match up old and young Christy good!!
janmkelly says I liked the intro - with Leonora &
Catherine - I love the
prologue - each time I read, reminds me of the drive to
the mission site -
although I believe the roads aren't as good as those
portrayed!
tom-b says thanks for liking the opening. I thought that
it was one of the
most powerful parts of the book... and telling it all
through old Christy's
eyes made sense to me.
rebekkah says it was a really fantastic opening.
rebekkah says especially with the scenery... whether
native or not. :)
Justpeachy! says I loved seeing Old Christy! It was a
wonderful way to
tie the story together
tom-b says We continue the "bookends" of old christy for
each of the
other two movies.
Cindy K says Thats good continuity for us all
Justpeachy! says Good, I thought it was beautifully
written and acted.
Keri says great idea about using Catherine in all of
them--do we see
her after the wedding too?
debra s. says Tom, what are you working on now?
tom-b says I'm writing a script for "Sheena" right now and
teaching
screenwriting at AFI.
rebekkah says ooh, afi..... they filmed at my school
rebekkah says that's great
rebekkah says sheena?
rebekkah says tom, was there ever any weather problems
during filming?
tom-b says The weather in B.C. was fantastic. We only had
a few lousy days.
Meredith says Is this same set going to be available for
the series?
tom-b says If there's a series or more movies I have no
idea about the sets.
Someone else could be using them or tear them down for
something else.
debra s. says When did you first read Christy?
tom-b says I read Christy when Pat asked me to write
Judgment Day. I've
probably read it 5 or 6 times since.
Marilyn says Judgment Day was great-so sorry that Richard
Kiley passed on.
noodle says Richard Kiley was the original Don Quixote in
Man of La Manch
Marilyn says Dr Ferrand was played by Richard kIley
rebekkah says oh
rebekkah says yes, he was a fabulous actor
noodle says Have you read a Man Called Peter
tom-b says I never read A Man Called... but I liked the
movie.
Meredith says Who is your favorite character?
tom-b says My favorite character is either Birdseye or
Ruby Mae. Aside from
Christy, of course.
rebekkah says ruby mae.... lol!
ReginaK says I love RM.
rebekkah says what a character.
Justpeachy! says I love the idea that Ruby Mae was
Christy's "bundle"
tom-b says I also like Dr. Ferrand a lot -- he returns to
the mini-series
and is a very strong factor in the story.
rebekkah says neato!
daniaele says great
deeiaemt says Great!! I like Ferrand
rebekkah says i think he should be. there was enough
talking about him in rtcg.
personage says Ruby Mae: was Emily schulman asked to
retake her role, or did
you just go for a whole new one??
Justpeachy! says What is Emily Schulman doing these days?
tom-b says Emily is an agent now.
personage says oh cool
personage says she's another that totally brought Ruby Mae
out of the book
personage says off of the page and into life
debra s. says Tom, what did John Schneider think of RTCG?
tom-b says John could not have been more supportive or
pleased. It was
everything that he hoped it would be -- which is what he
told everyone when
he came to visit us on location.
Justpeachy! says I loved John Schneider in Amazing Grace
daniaele says me too
SongBird75 says How is John involved with Christy
tom-b says John was one of the Executive Producers. He
also obtained the
rights to the book and got Pax to agree to the movies.
deeiaemt says John Schneider was GREAT!!
Keri says is John interested in appearing on-screen in
Christy again?
ChristyB says Tom, will we get to see Christy and
Fairlight's relationship
develop more before the epidemic?
tom-b says There is a lot more with Christy and Fairlight
in the next movie.
The first movie just set the stage of their basic
relationship. The next stage
is intense.
ChristyB says Great! I missed their interaction!
daniaele says Yea!
personage says that's good. i think that's a crucial pt of
the book
Cindy K says Tom do you have a favorite episode from the
original series?
tom-b says I really liked The Hostage. Also Amazing Grace.
deeiaemt says Tom--The Hostage was great but I was hoping
there would be more
from Neil in that one
deeiaemt says My favorite was Green Apples
Bethinoz says my favourite is also green apples
Bethinoz says also the lie was good
Justpeachy! says Echoes has a message from my real life
and I loved Eye of the Storm
tom-b says Echoes was special for me because of Tyne. That
was her idea and
I was so glad to be the one she asked to write it with.
Justpeachy! says To see Freedom, KY was very moving on
Christy; I loved it.
Keri says Can you tell us which of the children will be
prominent in the
miniseries? Please say Creed and Sam Houston.
Meredith says Do we get to know more of the children in
the mini-series? I missed
Mountie in RTCG
tom-b says There's a lot more with the boys and the
Spencer kids in the movies.
ChristyB says Yeah! I missed the kids!
janmkelly says Sam Houston? He was a favorite of mine!
tom-b says As for the kids -- Jeff Sagansky and I decided
that the focus of the
movies should be more on the adults and the families in
general... and not so
much about the children. As you saw, we had a lot of story
to tell as it was.
noodle says This is dumb, but will David get to ride a
horse? Alice, Mac, and
Christy did.....
debra s. says Were there any accidents or horse accidents
for the actors on
the miniseries?
tom-b says David rides a lot in the mini-series. But
thankfully, there were
no accidents among the cast. A few crew people smashed
their fingers with hammers
and the like... but nothing serious.
rebekkah says that's great that no one got really hurt
personage says hey tom, if you continue and do a series, i
volunteer to be
onsite medical crew!!
rebekkah says lol nat
Bethinoz says Me too
Lisa_ca_girl says natalie, they already have a doctor!!
lol
lbcdawn1 says I think you will have to fight for the right
to hold the smelling
salts though
Bethinoz says I will help with Opal's baby
tom-b says Stewart may require a lot of mouth-to-mouth.
personage says that's ok, i can assist
rebekkah says lol lisa
rebekkah says lol tom!!!!
personage says HAHALOLROLFLFLF
debra s. says Tom, I know CPR!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!
Lisa_ca_girl says I volunteer
personage says YOU definitely have a great sense of humor
personage says BTW i can handle that
lbcdawn1 says with all of us goofs..he has too!
Meredith says Time to get recertified!
SongBird75 says For sure
deeiaemt says Tom--I teach CPR!!!!!
rebekkah says i can't breathe..... :)
lbcdawn1 says its okay I'll hose down the fans!
debra s. says I will fight you for him Barb!! LOL!
tom-b says But the one who give CPR also has to assist the
toothless mountain guys.
personage says eeewwww
lbcdawn1 says with the tootsie rolls in their mouths!
personage says that's why we have masks with backwash
valves
Marilyn says With their mouths full of tobacco juice and
moonshine? No thanks, tom
debra s. says Okay, Barb can have the toothless guys
Cindy K says Tell us about the most fun you had during the
filming in Vancouver.
debra s. says To go along with Cindy's question . . . who
is the biggest cut-up on
the set?
tom-b says Actually, I think that Lauren's the resident
comedian. She has such
energy and humor. She really helped keep everyone going.
Justpeachy! says Lauren was wonderful in MTV's 2Gether. I
like her in comedy.
rebekkah says great...........
lbcdawn1 says So Tom, If you were a fly on the wall in
nay of the book scenes,
which one?.
tom-b says If I were a fly on the wall? I'd want to be
there for Fairlight's
death. But then again, I was when we filmed it. And I
never cried so much in my life.
personage says oh my
rebekkah says awwwwww
Keri says Oh, great, Tom if you can't handle it how can
we?
deeiaemt says OHHHH, I don't know if I can take that
lbcdawn1 says now that is personal...Tom you have just
gone up a notch in my book.
Justpeachy! says It's a good sign that you cried during
the death scene. The
writing must be good.
tom-b says Stock up on the tissues. It is an astonishing
moment.
daniaele says oh my
Meredith says This is the kinda stuff we love to hear Tom
personage says but it must make such a bigger impact to
see it live the way you do
lbcdawn1 says Its alright..I have 15 boxes of kleenex
ready to go
Bethinoz says Fairlight's death is hard to deal with on
pages I can't imagine
what it would be like in kife
noodle says I was hoping that part of the book would be
passed over.
tom-b says It's not so much the writing of the death scene
that does it -- but
the pure and honest performances. Well all loved Ingrid
and watching her suffer
was very hard. Especially for Bruce and the kids. It was
an exhausting day.
daniaele says wow
debra s. says So was it just Jeb and the kids and Christy
for the death scene
of Fairlight?
tom-b says Christy, Doc, David, Opal and Tom are there,
too.
Keri says Tom, will Pax re-air the miniseries after May 13
and 14? I am
graduating from college that day (13th) and I think I
might miss it
tom-b says Hey -- FORGET graduation! Where are your
priorities?!
rebekkah says lol tom
personage says haha TOm
daniaele says ha ha
tom-b says Seriously, I'm sure they'll run it again soon.
The videos won't be
far behind.
ReginaK says Graduate from Christy U, girl.
personage says oh yeah, that's right, forget you just
worked for four years to
walk down that isle
rebekkah says lol regina
Marilyn says Tom-what is your honest opinion of us fans?
Are our efforts what
got Christy back to TV?
tom-b says the fans have been incredible. Jeff Sagasky
said so himself. I've
been especially impressed by how much you guys know about
these characters.
personage says well, we've each only read the book like a
kajillion times....
deeiaemt says Tom--They are like family!!
Essay says And seen the series a bazillion times...
personage says not to mention my tapes are all worn out
personage says and i just got them in DECEMBER
Keri says My family and friends make fun of me because I
quote Christy on a
regular basis
Marilyn says Our all efforts have helped to put Christy
back on the air.
For me, it's been going on 6 years that I've been
associated with Christy
on the Internet.
deeiaemt says I don't think there is a person in here who
can't quote series
and book word for word
rebekkah says tom! i just thought of an important
question! with the storm scene
and the one at macneill's cabin with neil and christy, are
we to assume that
Christy does not get typhoid?
tom-b says I won't tell you if she gets typhoid or not. I
want you to be surprised.
rebekkah says i had a feeling you'd say that
tom-b says Also, Neil and Christy are not at his cabin.
rebekkah says what!?!
deeiaemt says NOT at his cabin. Maybe they are at THEIR
cabin?????
tom-b says Not at "their" cabin either.
debra s. says So, they are at "A" cabin, probably an
uninhabited one,
except for them, he,he.
deeiaemt says Sorry, Tom, but the suspense is killing us
all!!
SongBird75 says good try barbara
tom-b says Okay... they went to a cheap motel. But Neil
forgot the quarters
for the magic fingers thing so she leaves.
Lisa_ca_girl says oh no! no magic fingers! Grrrrr
personage says LOL again to tom
deeiaemt says LOL TOM
noodle says Lauren mentions that David will give a sermon?
tom-b says Yes, David gives the sermon of his career.
Philip Gerson wrote a
lovely piece that has dramatic impact.
rebekkah says alright. david needs a sermon
Essay says It's about time David gave a seriously good
sermon.
Justpeachy! says Did Lauren's family cry at the wedding
taping? I loved the
picture of them.
tom-b says I'm not sure, but I think that both Lauren's
mother and grandmother
were very moved by the wedding(s).
debra s. says Tom, do you know anything about the Wedding
Dress movie Lauren
and Tyne are filming?
rebekkah says that sounds so interesting, doesn't it?
tom-b says I don't know anything about Lauren's movie. I
just talked to her
yesterday and should have asked... sorry.
rebekkah says 's ok
lbcdawn1 says So Tom who on the set cooked the best?
Tom-b Actually Lauren's mom made a wonderful dinner for me
one night. Everybody
else ate in restaurants.
debra s. says Tom, what does James think of all this
fandom stuff? Is he afraid
of us? LOL?
tom-b says James is getting a big kick out of the fans.
When you get to know him
better you'll love him like we all do, I know.
noodle says Did anything happen during this project that
profoundly changed
your life....
tom-b says change my life? Well, yes... the fact that a
show can come back
from the dead and have such passionate response has been a
revelation.
rebekkah says i think it's extremely telling of what the
story of christy can
do for people
noodle says That really is inspiring isn't it. Great
answer and great results
sonjaSFM says Let's pray we all get more movies or a
series out of all our passion!
deeiaemt says Sonja--From your mouth to God's and Pax's
ear
Keri says Tom--sorry if you already answered this--but are
you going to be
at Christyfest? Do you know any of the actors who will be?
tom-b says Lauren said that she'd like to attend if she
can.
debra s. says Tom, have YOU been warned about how wacky
Christy fest
can be? I mean with the plays, the Margaret impersonators
and all?
ReginaK says ROFLOL
rebekkah says cool
Lisa_ca_girl says brave girl!
rebekkah says lol
tom-b says Margaret impersonators? Can I be one?
rebekkah says lol
ReginaK says You can borrow my wig, Tom.
Amber says LOL!
Cindy K says You have to fight Regina for that Tom
debra s. says You might have to borrow Regina's wig.
ReginaK says But, Tom, I warn you. Last year, Mags
massaged Bogg's shoulders.
You are going to have to top that.
debra s. says Tom, If you don't make it to CF you will be
missing what
could have been one of the highest points in your life!
Memorable!
debra s. says Will there be a big promo push in April?
With the books and
movie being realeased and all?
Songbird75 says When will the new movies start being
advertised on PAX
Tom-b I have no idea when the movies will start being
promoted. Soon I hope.
noodle says Tom, where did you grow up?
tom-b says I grew up in Mt. Prospect, Illinois.... outside
of Chicago.
tom-b says Well -- I guess I'll sign off now. thanks for
having me, everybody.
rebekkah says bye tom! was nice chatting
Cindy K says Tom thank you so much for coming
Amber says Bye Tom! Thanks Soo much!
SongBird75 says Thank you Tom
personage says BYE TOM thank you so much1
deeiaemt says Thanks Tom
personage says you rock!
Lisa_ca_girl says thanks tom
ReginaK says Bye Tom!
Meredith says Thanks Tom Come back soon!
Justpeachy! says Thanks, Tom. This was surprisingly
lovely.
debra s. says Thank you for coming.
tom-b has logged off chat.
time 10:40 pm EST