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Post by scottryan on Jul 14, 2021 9:30:35 GMT -5
Hi, everyone. I just found out about this group from an email I got from a reader. I thought I would pop in and see how you were enjoying the book. I am going to try to answer a few of your questions. 1. The book doesn't focus more on episodes that David is the star of, over if Maddie is the star. The book focuses on what people remembered and more so, which writers I was able to get interviews with. I didn't get an interview with writer Bruce Franklin Singer or director Christopher Hibler, so I didn't have as much on EFDIAV episode. I promise you I reached out over Twitter, facebook, Linkedin and through contacts from Jay or Glenn, to EVERY director and writer that is still alive. (According to one review of the book, I interviewed Orson Welles, so technically, I reached out to dead people, as well.) I love Dave & Maddie equally and the book isn't slanted towards or against either character. That was why I gave them each a chapter early on so all the crew could comment about both. I didn't make choices about what was discussed, the interviewee's did. 2. As for the lack of Season 5 info. I felt that the book comes to an emotional peak when Glenn is fired. It was going to be really hard to top that arc when Glenn trails off from the story. To me, the story of the series (And therefore the book) ends there. I still gave Season 5 a chapter, but I tried to make it as short as possible because the moment when ABC flipped on Glenn, that is the true end of Moonlighting. It doesn't mean I don't love Annie. (I do.) I also like quite a few episodes in Season 5, but the book isn't an episode guide. I decided early on to set myself free of the plot of the series because most readers aren't going to remember the cases or the plot. Once I did that, compiling the book became a much clearer path for me. 3. I feel bad if the book seems like it blames Cybill. I tried very hard to write in my final essay about forgiveness for ALL THREE: Cybill, Bruce and Glenn. Here is a question for you guys? Why does no one focus on Roger Director's stories about Bruce? I think people want to see Cybill as the bad guy. I don't see her or the book that way. It wasn't any one person. It was a ton of things that collapsed the series. It is a complex set of events. 4. The TV show I mentioned isn't about Moonlighting. It is an adaption of a different book my company published. (But don't think that I didn't wonder if it got picked up if I could get Jay Daniel to produce it!) 5. When I am interviewed, I will never say something bad about an episode because all these writers matter to me. So you should take that into consideration when I say that I thought LE was brilliant. I do think the idea of them getting cancelled is wonderful. I begged Chic to find that script. I want to know what those last words are more than you do. I tried very hard to see if anyone had it. No one did. I only talked to Chic once, and it was a great talk, but I never had contact with him again. He is a very, very busy guy. He also wouldn't tell me who wouldn't say the lines, but like most of you, I think it was Bruce because of how it was filmed. But that is just my opinion. 6. It means the world to me that you guys are discussing the book. I am happy to answer any questions you guys have. I will try to check back in here. Any promotion you can do is helpful. To be honest with you, book stores are not interested in carrying the book because they think no one remembers the series. So any posts you do can really help. I too want a BluRay release to own. I have even begged Glenn to let me help. I hope the book can spark that, but so far not many waves have been made. Thank you all so much for caring about the series and talking about the book. Feel free to ask me anything. It takes a lot to hurt my feelings so bring it on. (Also, this is the funniest thing I have ever read: "Yes, def don't agree with the writer's opinions about everything, but luckily the book is just a bunch of quotes from everyone who worked on the show and not about Scott Ryan's opinions " I might want to use that on my business cards.) Thanks, Scott Ryan
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Post by fanofmoonlighting on Jul 14, 2021 10:03:28 GMT -5
Hi ScottRyan, thanks for joining the site and answering some questions! I now have a better understanding of why certain things are talked about in the book and some things aren't. As far as Season 5 goes, I actually enjoy some of the episodes, but I know a lot of fans feel like it just wasn't Moonlighting anymore. So I was wondering what the people that made the show thought of it. It's too bad no one would really talk about it. And I personally don't like Annie or her storyline, so I also wanted to know who came up with that idea and why. But if you couldn't find anyone to talk about it, then I guess I'll never know. I would have been ok with the last episode if David would have responded to Maddie in some positive way. That's really all I needed to have closure on their story and a somewhat happy ending. It would have been really great if you could have gotten that script! Thanks again for posting!
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Post by Marlena on Jul 14, 2021 12:11:55 GMT -5
Hi Scott, it's so nice to see you posting on the board. I had brought up this question once before on here, but I'll ask you directly. Why do you think it is that we never see any behind-the-scenes photos/videos of the cast and crew of ML? I know there were the bloopers that aired during the credits on two episodes, but there had to have been so many more than that. I know some shows have gag reels that they show at wrap parties at the end of each season. I did see the ML series wrap video on youtube, but I guess that must be the only one, and there was really so little of Cybill and Bruce on there. Also...behind-the-scenes photos, there are so few of them. I can think of one where Cybill, dressed as Maddie, is talking to her young daughter, Clementine. It's such a great photo. I wish there were more like this, especially photos of Cybill and Bruce together on set.
Do you think these things exist? Are they in a warehouse somewhere? Or do you think the reels were destroyed? Photos never taken?
I don't know, maybe with such a negative vibe going on set, nobody felt like getting their picture taken.
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Post by sandra on Jul 14, 2021 14:16:21 GMT -5
Hi Scott,
I find it disheartening to read that book stores think that nobody remembers the show. I mean, what are we all doing here over thirty years later then? Boards are still active, fan fiction is still being written to this day and the release of the DVD's was mildly succesful back then, wasn't it? People still remember. I'll do what I can to promote the book here in Europe. And hey, I've been showing the DVD's to a friend and she has yet to turn thirty. This show could definitely transcend the test of time and then some. Moonlighting is not dead. It's still alive and kicking. We just need to pass it on.
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Post by Marlena on Jul 14, 2021 14:39:51 GMT -5
6. It means the world to me that you guys are discussing the book. I am happy to answer any questions you guys have. I will try to check back in here. Any promotion you can do is helpful. To be honest with you, book stores are not interested in carrying the book because they think no one remembers the series. So any posts you do can really help. I too want a BluRay release to own. I have even begged Glenn to let me help. I hope the book can spark that, but so far not many waves have been made. Thank you all so much for caring about the series and talking about the book. Feel free to ask me anything. It takes a lot to hurt my feelings so bring it on. (Also, this is the funniest thing I have ever read: "Yes, def don't agree with the writer's opinions about everything, but luckily the book is just a bunch of quotes from everyone who worked on the show and not about Scott Ryan's opinions " I might want to use that on my business cards.) Thanks, Scott Ryan I find it interesting, hard to believe and so sad that book stores say they don't want to carry the book because no one remembers the series. Forget for a moment that Moonlighting itself was a major hit in the mid-80's, and is entertaining to watch over and over again even after multiple viewings. If for no other reason, you would think people today would have some interest in how Bruce Willis got started in the business. I mean, he is arguably the biggest name in action movies over the last 30+ years. This is the show that catapulted Bruce Willis to stardom, made him a household name. He played one of the most funny, likeable television characters ever. I just don't get it. I showed Moonlighting recently to my two daughters, ages 18 and 12. They both liked the show, watched the entire series, got invested in it, wanted Maddie and David to boink, and hated Annie Charnock. That was my own little personal experiment, but YES, this show can be enjoyed by young people today if given the opportunity to see it. It should be streaming for all to enjoy. As a side note, I am a collector of the Funko POP figures and a few years ago I sent an email to Funko asking if they would produce figures of the Moonlighting characters. Of course, I never got a response, but even with this, I just don't get it. I mean, they make figures of Golden Girls, the Jeffersons, the A-Team, Fantasy Island, etc. Makes no sense. I was at Target the other day and I saw that Funko has this series called Mini Moments. It's a set of 6 separate pieces that you put together to create Jerry Seinfeld's apartment from the show. Each set comes with a mini figure of one of the Seinfeld characters. I just looked at it, and thought to myself...what I wouldn't do for a set like that of the Blue Moon office complete with little figures of Maddie, David, Agnes and Bert.
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Post by fanofmoonlighting on Jul 15, 2021 9:37:42 GMT -5
Marlena, I guess it isn't as popular anymore because it is hard to find. It isn't on any streaming sites and the DVD's are out of print I think. I mentioned to friends recently that I was rewatching the show and they asked me where it was playing. I had to tell them that it didn't seem to be playing anywhere, I just happened to have bought the DVD's years ago. So most people aren't seeing it around so they have probably forgotten about it.
That's cool that your kids liked the show. I showed it to my husband and two kids. My husband thought it was just ok and one of my kids hasn't decided yet if she likes it. The other kid seems to enjoy it, but she's a bit too young to watch most of the episodes so I've only shown her a few. So I guess it doesn't appeal to everyone. I too wish they would bring out figures of them (although I know some people think those things are corny). But maybe there are copyright issues. I don't know much about that. I've heard Disney owns it now so it would be nice if they put it on Disney Plus. Does that make Maddie a Disney princess. LOL!
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Post by Marlena on Jul 15, 2021 12:01:17 GMT -5
Ha! I love that, Judy. Maddie as a Disney Princess, now there's an idea for a fanfic! And as far as being "corny" goes, I'm okay with being the corniest, dorkiest nerd out there if I could ever get a set of Moonlighting POP figures. Besides, if you ever saw my collection of X-Files stuff, you'd see that I'm already super "corny".
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Post by fanofmoonlighting on Jul 15, 2021 13:29:56 GMT -5
Glad you like that Marlena! That would be an interesting story. And I don't think its corny, I love things like that. I just meant some other people might think so.
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Post by northernlight on Jul 16, 2021 11:54:51 GMT -5
Hi Scott
Just to tell you how much I enjoyed reading the book. The criticism of Cybill clearly doesn't come from you and it doesn't come across that way either, but the comments from some of the people you interviewed for the book leave a bit of a sour taste. The criticism itself may well be justified, but the tone of some of it seems a bit mean-spirited. I'll have to re-read Roger Director's contributions.
As for season five, I found it disappointing and pretty depressing back in 1989, but while the end of season three is still my ideal cut-off point, I can tolerate it more now and just see it as part of the arc, even Maddie's dreadful wench of a cousin. I enjoyed the banter and repressed romance of it all and I'm probably in a minority when I say I was never concerned with them getting together as an actual couple. I just couldn't see how it could progress from that point without losing a great deal and I think I was right. There might have been some mileage in Maddie now being exasperated by David as a husband and father instead of a business associate, but that never even came close to getting off the ground. Maybe the way it all worked out, downbeat ending and all, was more true to life. That's what I tell myself now.
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Post by scottryan on Jul 17, 2021 13:27:56 GMT -5
This Wednesday at 9 PM Eastern, Moonlighting creator Glenn Gordon Caron and I will be guests on a Clubhouse Room talking about writing. The name of the room is Writing for Life. You can join and ask us questions. You do have to download the App. If I could figure it out, anyone can. www.clubhouse.com/club/writingforyourlife
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Post by quest1743 on Jul 18, 2021 7:47:38 GMT -5
My hope is that GGC will somehow give the millions of fans that made Moonlighting such a success an ending that would make them happy by writing an epilogue to the final episode.
I firmly believe that if the 62 episodes that we saw on our screens in the 80s were streamed on Amazon prime, Netflix or the Disney Channel, since they apparently have rights to the series, the show would be a hit all over again.
If that epilogue could follow the seasons that were produced on screen, it would be wonderful. My thought is Moonlighting could pick up where it left off on the church steps but with Maddie and David in silhouette as only one camera light might have been accidentally left on. You could still have Bruce Willis and Sybil Shepherd sitting in the exact spot where we last saw them and hear new words coming out of their mouths, written by GGC and spoken by the actors, if they would be willing to do that. I think their fans would really appreciate it.
Whether or not GGC or the two leads would want to visit moonlighting 36 years later in a movie might depend on how well the series and epilogue were received.
If Tinkerbell could be brought back to life by audience clapping, so can Maddie and David.
We need Moonlighting in this crazy world we live in.
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Post by sandra on Jul 18, 2021 9:14:33 GMT -5
I also believe that there would be plenty of viewers if any one of those streaming services you just mentioned picked up the show again. We definitely need the positive vibe of David Addison in today's world. Thank you, Scott, for mentioning the Clubhouse Room. I would say that I will definitely check it out, but... time zones! I can't be there *hangs head*. How about I ask all my questions here and those who will be able to attend take them to the Clubhouse Room for me...
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Post by Marlena on Jul 18, 2021 12:57:39 GMT -5
I will definitely try to listen in on that Clubhouse Room interview if I can get the app to download. I've got an older phone so we'll see if it works.
I guess it's the music that is holding up Moonlighting from being able to stream. And I get that, I understand it. But does anybody care other than the people on this board? Like is there someone in the business actively working on trying to get the music cleared, or are we just hoping for something that will never happen?
And I still think it's so strange that other 80's television shows get recognized by companies like Funko and Lego (I know, I'm talking toy figures again), but Moonlighting does not. I mean, they make MacGyver POP figures! Even if it is currently streaming, and I don't know whether it is or not, I find it hard to believe that there are people out there banging down Funko's doors for MacGyver POP figures. Meanwhile, you have one of the biggest television hits of the 80's, a show that was so popular it made the cover of Newsweek Magazine, and no Moonlighting POP figures. Why? I know that there are Die Hard figures, so I know Bruce is okay with being an action figure. Idk, could it be that Cybill doesn't want to give permission to use her likeness on an action figure? I doubt it because I think she'd like the attention it would bring her. People would want her to autograph it.
I also keep holding out hope that the Goldbergs TV show will do an episode that mentions Moonlighting. Maybe Beverly Goldberg was a fan of the show, or Barry Goldberg wants to be like David Addison. Adam Goldberg loved Die Hard, so you'd think he was likely a fan of Bruce Willis.
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Post by fanofmoonlighting on Jul 18, 2021 20:45:05 GMT -5
Marlena, you can put in a request on the Funko website. I'm thinking of doing that. It's not a guarantee, but it's a start.
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Post by sandra on Jul 21, 2021 9:16:24 GMT -5
Who's going to be at the Clubhouse Room tonight? As I already mentioned, I can't be there. However, I'm just dying to know what vision GGC had for David and Maddie when he first started writing (for) them. I'm sure you all want to know this as well, so please... can anyone ask and let me know the answer here tomorrow? *looking at you all with pleading eyes and praying hands* Scott, if you're reading this before you get on the app tonight: Which part of Moonlighting captivated you so much that you wanted to write a book about it? Anyway, have fun tonight!
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