Might have to just throw this on a loop.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Sylvia's Back Piece
The one day in Hawai'i when I didn't take any tattoo pictures, I did pass out a few fliers. One I handed to a woman sitting in a chair at the Safeway Center on Kapahulu Avenue.
She had what appeared to be an incredible back piece, the top of which was visible to passers-by.
Sylvia later e-mailed me and shared a link to a site that featured a photo of the tattoo, along with an explanation of the piece. I have extracted it here for the enjoyment of the Tattoosday audience.
First, the tattoo:
Sylvia explains:
What's wonderful about this tattoo to me is that Sylvia has incorporated so many cultures and motifs into the design which, as she acknowledges, is based on the wonderful mix of heritage and ancestry that comprises her background. This is very typical of people who live in Hawai'i, which is host to such an explosion of multicultural intermingling.
I love how the honu/sea turtle brings all of the elements together. The eagle, dragonfly, bear paw, wolf, buffalo, and shark all join to provide a rich tapestry of images that each speak to a different aspect of her heritage.
Sylvia's tattoo was inked by Joseph Garcia, Trigga Happy Tattoo in Waipahu. Eagle, Dragonfly, Bear Paw, Turtle, Wolf, Buffalo, and Shark.
Thanks to Sylvia for responding to me initially and for sharing her tattoo via her post here. We here at Tattoosday appreciate your contribution!
She had what appeared to be an incredible back piece, the top of which was visible to passers-by.
Sylvia later e-mailed me and shared a link to a site that featured a photo of the tattoo, along with an explanation of the piece. I have extracted it here for the enjoyment of the Tattoosday audience.
First, the tattoo:
Sylvia explains:
"My tattoo represents my ancestry...from the family of the 'Royal Hawai'ian Ole' (chanters of the Alii court), from the snowy mountains of Japan, the homeland of Portuguese Bean soup, and the inter-mix marriages of American Indians and Puerto Ricans. I believe the seven I have on my back describe who I am the best. Most locals have meaning for their tattoos but we also have people like Lindsay who just go with their flow. Many families have several signs that make up their families even as far as the Scottish Clan "Duncan" like me..."
What's wonderful about this tattoo to me is that Sylvia has incorporated so many cultures and motifs into the design which, as she acknowledges, is based on the wonderful mix of heritage and ancestry that comprises her background. This is very typical of people who live in Hawai'i, which is host to such an explosion of multicultural intermingling.
I love how the honu/sea turtle brings all of the elements together. The eagle, dragonfly, bear paw, wolf, buffalo, and shark all join to provide a rich tapestry of images that each speak to a different aspect of her heritage.
Sylvia's tattoo was inked by Joseph Garcia, Trigga Happy Tattoo in Waipahu. Eagle, Dragonfly, Bear Paw, Turtle, Wolf, Buffalo, and Shark.
Thanks to Sylvia for responding to me initially and for sharing her tattoo via her post here. We here at Tattoosday appreciate your contribution!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Eric's Tattoo: Zero the Fool and an Obsession with Time
I met Eric on Seventh Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets earlier this month.
This tarot card on his left forearm jumped out at me:
Eric is a mixed media artist whose website can be seen here. He is an illustrator and is currently in school studying toy design. The tattoo he has is primarily based on a linoleum block he had created that recalls the Tarot card "The Fool". Because it is an unnumbered card in the deck, it is often referred to as "Zero" or 0.
The Fool often represents the beginning of a journey, oftentimes a "foolish adventure". He had this tattooed to commemorate his decision to move from Boston to New York City. While the decision may not have been foolish, it did mark a new journey in Eric's life.
The card was tattooed by Hannah at Regeneration Tattoo in Boston.
One may have noticed that there is work around the tarot card, as well, so it's only fair to show the piece as a whole:
And the tattoo extends up the arm a bit from the pocket watch on the right:
The additional elements in the tattoo speak to Eric's obsession with the passage of the time. Snowflakes are only temporary as they fall from the sky and melt, or become mixed with other flakes and lose their singularity.
The flowers are imagined creations representing growth. Eric's floral images are inspired by the artwork of Henry Darger.
He also notes that the time piece is cracked and broken:
This, he says, represents the fight against the obsession and paranoia over the passage of time.
The work around the tarot card was all tattooed by Kelly Krantz at the now-defunct Hold Fast Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. From what I can tell, Krantz is not currently affiliated with any one tattoo shop.
Thanks to Eric for sharing his thought-provoking tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
This tarot card on his left forearm jumped out at me:
Eric is a mixed media artist whose website can be seen here. He is an illustrator and is currently in school studying toy design. The tattoo he has is primarily based on a linoleum block he had created that recalls the Tarot card "The Fool". Because it is an unnumbered card in the deck, it is often referred to as "Zero" or 0.
The Fool often represents the beginning of a journey, oftentimes a "foolish adventure". He had this tattooed to commemorate his decision to move from Boston to New York City. While the decision may not have been foolish, it did mark a new journey in Eric's life.
The card was tattooed by Hannah at Regeneration Tattoo in Boston.
One may have noticed that there is work around the tarot card, as well, so it's only fair to show the piece as a whole:
And the tattoo extends up the arm a bit from the pocket watch on the right:
The additional elements in the tattoo speak to Eric's obsession with the passage of the time. Snowflakes are only temporary as they fall from the sky and melt, or become mixed with other flakes and lose their singularity.
The flowers are imagined creations representing growth. Eric's floral images are inspired by the artwork of Henry Darger.
He also notes that the time piece is cracked and broken:
This, he says, represents the fight against the obsession and paranoia over the passage of time.
The work around the tarot card was all tattooed by Kelly Krantz at the now-defunct Hold Fast Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. From what I can tell, Krantz is not currently affiliated with any one tattoo shop.
Thanks to Eric for sharing his thought-provoking tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Step by Step: Tattoo
I finished this piece tonight... Thanks for the tip bruh... Most people forgot about tipping their tattoo artists... Meant a lot
Sharpie marker time...
Outline & solid blacks done....
Shaded the hands against the brick wall
Shaded the face & skull and finished the piece
Posted from my iPhone
Sharpie marker time...
Outline & solid blacks done....
Shaded the hands against the brick wall
Shaded the face & skull and finished the piece
Posted from my iPhone
Location:City of Ink
Erin's Yellow Roses for Her Grandmother
Earlier this week, I met Erin and she shared this, one of her six tattoos:
Erin explained that these yellow roses on her left forearm are for her grandmother, her favorite person. Her grandma's favorite roses are the yellow variety.
Erin credits artist Jesse Gabriel at Halo Tattoo III in Syracuse, New York for this work. Work from Halo has appeared previously here on Tattoosday.
Thanks to Erin for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Erin explained that these yellow roses on her left forearm are for her grandmother, her favorite person. Her grandma's favorite roses are the yellow variety.
Erin credits artist Jesse Gabriel at Halo Tattoo III in Syracuse, New York for this work. Work from Halo has appeared previously here on Tattoosday.
Thanks to Erin for sharing her tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Friday June 4th
When Yellawolf & Hollyweerd performs the same show.. It's always amazing! So be there
Posted from my iPhone
Posted from my iPhone
Location:Smith's Old Bar
Friday, May 28, 2010
Guitar Friday: The Bend
by M A N @roquesdoodle
You've heard it. And chances are you've seen it as well. It's a technique known as bending and it is (as far as I'm aware, anyway) unique to the guitar (and similar fretted instruments).*
The bend is quite simple; fret a note and then bend the string by either pulling or pushing the string across the neck, thus raising the pitch. Unlike sliding your finger up the fret board, bending gradually raises the pitch of the note, allowing you to control how quickly or slowly you reach your target note.
It takes a bit of practice to master, but once you have it down, you can accurately bend a half-step, whole-step, pre-bend (bend a note before plucking the string, then release the bend, lowering the pitch), bend double-stops, play unison bends (the most famous unison bends probably being the final solo notes of Stairway to Heaven), and on and on.
It's usually one of the first techniques a player learns and is often a staple in every player's toolbox (hell, I can't play anything without bending). You won't find much bending in jazz or classical, but bends abound in rock, country, and especially blues. It's a simple technique, but it adds so much flavor to the music. If you play, find a favorite lick that has bends in it and then try and play it without the bends. Chances are it will sound anemic. The inverse also applies as well. If there's a lick you're playing that sounds a little sterile, bend some of the notes. You'd be surprised how much a simple thing like a bend can spice up your playing.
Because the technique is so common, there really isn't any point in linking or embedding any videos since just about any video will show a player bending. But if it's something you've never paid attention to, go back and watch some of your favorite players and see how often they bend. You might be surprised how often they do.
* I'm aware that many other instruments are able to "bend" notes: saxophones, harmonicas, trumpets, etc. But I'm referring to the physical act of bending a string.
On a separate note, I recently noticed the fleet of guitar talent that American Idol has had gracing its backup bands. Within the span of a few weeks they had Jeff Beck, Orianthi, Steve Vai, and Nuno Bettencourt throwing down in the band. This is the only season of AI I've ever watched, so were there others that I may have missed?
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Chest Piece
This is the "Temptation" chest piece I did yesterday at City of ink... He asked me for negative space and lots of flow...He has another appointment tomorrow to go down to his art...I will keep y'all updated
Posted from my iPhone
Posted from my iPhone
Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Hail to the Chief
It's Fleet Week in New York City this weekend, so it only seemed fitting, with just a few Hawai'i posts remaining, that we share the following offering from Jack, a Chief Petty Officer (E7) in the U.S. Navy.
Jack's was the final tattoo I spotted at Pearlridge, on what turned out to be a record-breaking detour for me (five tattoos from five different people in just under two hours).
Jack's tattoo was fresh, as he had just completed a sitting less than a couple of hours before I ran into him, so the tattoo had that film of ointment that added a little glare to the picture:
The skull at the center of the tattoo is wearing a hat similar to those warn by Navy chiefs.
The artist for this piece is known as "Buddha" out of Liquid Metal Tattoo in Aiea, Hawai'i.
Thanks to Jack for sharing this, his newest of over ten tattoos, with us here on Tattoosday.
We here at the site salute not only all the men and women in uniform visiting New York during Fleet Week, but to everyone in all branches of the Armed Forces as we enter into Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to all for their service to our country!
Jack's was the final tattoo I spotted at Pearlridge, on what turned out to be a record-breaking detour for me (five tattoos from five different people in just under two hours).
Jack's tattoo was fresh, as he had just completed a sitting less than a couple of hours before I ran into him, so the tattoo had that film of ointment that added a little glare to the picture:
The skull at the center of the tattoo is wearing a hat similar to those warn by Navy chiefs.
The artist for this piece is known as "Buddha" out of Liquid Metal Tattoo in Aiea, Hawai'i.
Thanks to Jack for sharing this, his newest of over ten tattoos, with us here on Tattoosday.
We here at the site salute not only all the men and women in uniform visiting New York during Fleet Week, but to everyone in all branches of the Armed Forces as we enter into Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to all for their service to our country!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Netflix Friday #7: INVADER ZIM
Yes, I bloody know it's Thursday. But Mike does Guitar Fridays. I could change this to Netflix Thursdays, but I'd much rather just post on Thursdays, and chalk it up to whimsy.
Invader Zim is streaming instantly. Oh, you lucky bastards.
"But John," I hear you say. "I can tell from the cover art -- quirky kid's cartoon. I already watch (and am amused by) Adventure Time with Finn & Jake and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. I do not need more quirky kiddie time-waster."
You are adorable. Adventure Time and its ilk are genially surreal, the kind of cartoons engineered to appeal to a moderately stoned audience. Invader Zim is E.T. written by David Cronenberg and directed by Takashi fucking Miike. *
Do me a favor, just try the first episode, "The Nightmare Begins". The relentless alien Irkens are setting off on their next galactic invasion plan. To prevent any more of his legendary screw-ups, they exile pint-sized sociopathic Invader Zim to ... well, nowhere. To die alone in space.
This was presented as a children's cartoon.
Zim stumbles upon Earth and decides to conquer it. He wears a backpack that allows him to scuttle around like a spider on spindly nightmare legs; his sidekick is a retarded killing machine/robot disguised as an adorable dog with undead eyes; he passes himself off as a green-skinned bug-eyed middle schooler, which often allows him to experiment on the living bodies of his ten year old classmates. Their. Living. Bodies.
This was presented as a children's cartoon.
Take your pick of moments that will leave you slackjawed with joyous horror.** The surrealist nightmare world of the "Skool". Hamstergeddon, the class pet gone horribly wrong. (where my Lovely Wife and I first heard the phrase we still bellow: "Have some of THIS!") The policeman with the transplanted mind of a squid. The fast food joint known as McMeaty's. The time travel episode where Zim, through proper application of rubber piggies in the time stream, reduces a ten year old boy to a shuddering cybernetic cripple. "A Room with a Moose". The one-two punch of the Halloween and Christmas specials -- the Christmas special is the one where Zim enslaves the world with an army of robotic Santas, while wearing an organic Santa flesh-suit. Santa. Flesh-suit.
This was presented as a children's cartoon.
There are a few clunkers in there, episodes that are more concept piece than story. But creator Jhonen Vasquez was doing something truly original and uncompromising: there was nothing like Zim on TV before its arrival, and nothing like it since its departure. He Made a New Thing.
Allegedly, high DVD sales and rerun ratings mean Zim may be coming back for another run this year. If that's true, time to bone up. If not, revel in what exists.
Invader Zim, streaming instantly on Netflix, is your Memorial Day Weekend recommendation. I know we've got some fans out there, so tell you what -- in the Comments, lay out the "Watch these 10 episodes" list for new viewers who may not want to plow through all 46 episodes.
Oh, and what the hell, it's a sci fi theme. Toss in any sci fi book recommendations you may have.
*Actually it's written by the filthily talented and bent Jhonen Vasquez, creator of the comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. But you get the metaphor.
**And I mean "joyous". Zim is laugh-out-loud funny. Oh, it's a high-pitched, nervous laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.
Invader Zim is streaming instantly. Oh, you lucky bastards.
"But John," I hear you say. "I can tell from the cover art -- quirky kid's cartoon. I already watch (and am amused by) Adventure Time with Finn & Jake and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. I do not need more quirky kiddie time-waster."
You are adorable. Adventure Time and its ilk are genially surreal, the kind of cartoons engineered to appeal to a moderately stoned audience. Invader Zim is E.T. written by David Cronenberg and directed by Takashi fucking Miike. *
Do me a favor, just try the first episode, "The Nightmare Begins". The relentless alien Irkens are setting off on their next galactic invasion plan. To prevent any more of his legendary screw-ups, they exile pint-sized sociopathic Invader Zim to ... well, nowhere. To die alone in space.
This was presented as a children's cartoon.
Zim stumbles upon Earth and decides to conquer it. He wears a backpack that allows him to scuttle around like a spider on spindly nightmare legs; his sidekick is a retarded killing machine/robot disguised as an adorable dog with undead eyes; he passes himself off as a green-skinned bug-eyed middle schooler, which often allows him to experiment on the living bodies of his ten year old classmates. Their. Living. Bodies.
This was presented as a children's cartoon.
Take your pick of moments that will leave you slackjawed with joyous horror.** The surrealist nightmare world of the "Skool". Hamstergeddon, the class pet gone horribly wrong. (where my Lovely Wife and I first heard the phrase we still bellow: "Have some of THIS!") The policeman with the transplanted mind of a squid. The fast food joint known as McMeaty's. The time travel episode where Zim, through proper application of rubber piggies in the time stream, reduces a ten year old boy to a shuddering cybernetic cripple. "A Room with a Moose". The one-two punch of the Halloween and Christmas specials -- the Christmas special is the one where Zim enslaves the world with an army of robotic Santas, while wearing an organic Santa flesh-suit. Santa. Flesh-suit.
This was presented as a children's cartoon.
There are a few clunkers in there, episodes that are more concept piece than story. But creator Jhonen Vasquez was doing something truly original and uncompromising: there was nothing like Zim on TV before its arrival, and nothing like it since its departure. He Made a New Thing.
Allegedly, high DVD sales and rerun ratings mean Zim may be coming back for another run this year. If that's true, time to bone up. If not, revel in what exists.
Invader Zim, streaming instantly on Netflix, is your Memorial Day Weekend recommendation. I know we've got some fans out there, so tell you what -- in the Comments, lay out the "Watch these 10 episodes" list for new viewers who may not want to plow through all 46 episodes.
Oh, and what the hell, it's a sci fi theme. Toss in any sci fi book recommendations you may have.
*Actually it's written by the filthily talented and bent Jhonen Vasquez, creator of the comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. But you get the metaphor.
**And I mean "joyous". Zim is laugh-out-loud funny. Oh, it's a high-pitched, nervous laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.
Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - Honu Thursday
One of the most popular symbols in modern Polynesian tattoo is the green sea turtle, or honu, as it is known in Hawaiian.
I saw a lot of honu tattoos while I was in Hawai'i, but I didn't snap any photos of them until my last day on Oahu, when I was wrapping up my trip with a last minute stop at Pearlridge. More specifically, I was at the Pearlridge Longs Drug Store, a great place to stock up on chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and other tasty local snacks that are hard to find on the mainland.
While wandering the aisles, I spotted not one, but two honu-adorned locals, who were kind enough to share their tattoos with me.
First was Ash, who didn't say much about the four honu on his left leg, other than the fact that he has "always loved turtles," and that his brother was the artist who did the tattoos.
Next was Chantel, who has this lovely tattoo on her upper back:
This not only has the honu element, but also has a floral aspect, along with a Yin and Yang design.
When I asked her where the design came from, she laughed and said she had seen it on a sticker plastered to the back of a car. She liked it so much, she got some paper, traced it, and brought it into a shop called Big Fat Tatts, where the artist sketched it and cleaned up the lines.
Thanks both to Ash and Chantel, for finally getting me my photos of honu tattoos, just a few hours before returning to New York.
I saw a lot of honu tattoos while I was in Hawai'i, but I didn't snap any photos of them until my last day on Oahu, when I was wrapping up my trip with a last minute stop at Pearlridge. More specifically, I was at the Pearlridge Longs Drug Store, a great place to stock up on chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Kona coffee, and other tasty local snacks that are hard to find on the mainland.
While wandering the aisles, I spotted not one, but two honu-adorned locals, who were kind enough to share their tattoos with me.
First was Ash, who didn't say much about the four honu on his left leg, other than the fact that he has "always loved turtles," and that his brother was the artist who did the tattoos.
Next was Chantel, who has this lovely tattoo on her upper back:
This not only has the honu element, but also has a floral aspect, along with a Yin and Yang design.
When I asked her where the design came from, she laughed and said she had seen it on a sticker plastered to the back of a car. She liked it so much, she got some paper, traced it, and brought it into a shop called Big Fat Tatts, where the artist sketched it and cleaned up the lines.
Thanks both to Ash and Chantel, for finally getting me my photos of honu tattoos, just a few hours before returning to New York.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A Peek at the Final Issue of Holly Rose Review
Tattoo by Sean Herman, from the June issue of Holly Rose Review
issue of Holly Rose Review.
Holly Rose is the brainchild of Theresa Senato Edwards (who herself is a tattooed poet), who has given us four deliciously beautiful online issues that embrace both tattoos and poetry. The online literary 'zine juxtaposes brilliant tattoo work with the poems of an assortment of diverse and talented writers. Each issue bears a theme, and the last (and sadly, final) issue is "Worry".
What's unique about Holly Rose is the juxtaposition of poetry and tattoos. It's an illustrated volume, but Edwards assembles poems that not only speak to the theme, but almost seem as if they could be captions to the body art displayed. Issue four features tattoos created by Luba Goldina, Sean Herman and Maxime Lanouette. And their work seems to transcend the description "tattoo" as the illustrations serve as works of art that correspond to the themes illuminated by the accompanying poems.
But not every poem has a tattoo with it, which is fine, as it makes the appearance of ink more special, and allows the reader to focus on the poetry, as well. An added bonus is the audio player found on some of the
poems' pages, so the reader can not only read the poem, but hear it in the author's voice. One page even features a video of the poet reading her work.These added dimensions make Holly Rose a truly magnificent experience.
All four issues are currently available for perusal on the website http://www.hollyrosereview.com. If you're not a fan of poetry, check it out anyway and see some amazing tattoos. Maybe you'll discover some poetry you'll enjoy. Issue four features work from Dorianne Laux, Jayne Pupek and Changming Yuan. Issue three contains work from Christine Hamm and Joseph Millar, both participants in the 2010 Tattooed Poets Project. Issue two has poetry by Martha Silano and Daphne Lazarus (whose tattoo appeared here).
It's easy to get lost in the site, admiring great tattoos and reading fabulous poetry, so head on over to Holly Rose and see what a lovely pairing tattoos and poetry make!
Mel's Star Shines from Down Under
Earlier this month, I ran into Mel coming out of Penn Station.
She has amazing work, and it was soon clear why. Mel was visiting from Melbourne, Australia, where she works as a tattoo artist at Get Smart Body Art.
I was drawn particularly to one of her newer tattoos, this dot-style Tibetan-inspired design:
I told her it reminded me of the style of Thomas Hooper, an artist at New York Adorned whose website (here) showcases some astonishing work, including tattoos made from the dot-style technique.
Mel noted that it was an original design that was inked using a rotary tattoo machine, with the purpose of achieving this effect. Thomas Hooper's style, she acknowledged, inspired her to attempt this ambitious tattoo.
In all fairness, she collaborated with Mick Kelly, at Get Smart Body Art, who did the actual tattooing.
Thanks to Mel for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
She has amazing work, and it was soon clear why. Mel was visiting from Melbourne, Australia, where she works as a tattoo artist at Get Smart Body Art.
I was drawn particularly to one of her newer tattoos, this dot-style Tibetan-inspired design:
I told her it reminded me of the style of Thomas Hooper, an artist at New York Adorned whose website (here) showcases some astonishing work, including tattoos made from the dot-style technique.
Mel noted that it was an original design that was inked using a rotary tattoo machine, with the purpose of achieving this effect. Thomas Hooper's style, she acknowledged, inspired her to attempt this ambitious tattoo.
In all fairness, she collaborated with Mick Kelly, at Get Smart Body Art, who did the actual tattooing.
Thanks to Mel for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
LEVERAGE #215 "The Maltese Falcon Job" Answers
Straight in...
@Monica: Did Bonnano live or die??
He lived, and he now has an even more ... interesting relationship with Nate Ford.
@The Writer: I'm curious about the "cliffhangeriness" of this season's finale. While I don't personally think this year's ending qualifies as a cliffhanger in the truest sense of the term (though apparently Gina disagrees), I got a much stronger sense at the end of this episode that there's more coming to the story than I did at the end of the first season. Was this deliberate? I can't remember the timing, but did you know you were picked up for a third season before you finished shooting this episode? Would/did knowing you had another season coming affect how you wrapped up this one?
We were picked up for a third season while we were shooting the "Hardison and Eliot search Bonanno's house" scene. Very funny phone call, actually. Michael Wright called, asked to be put on speakerphone. Christian and Aldis held the phone while everyone else listened in. Fifty people crammed into that tiny living room.
And no, as stated, knowing we had a third season would not have changed what we wrote.
@Larry Fleming (hi Larry!): How hard was it to get access to that cargo ship?
Not hard at all. it was being re-fitted, so it was just sitting there.
@Macie: Did Nate call himself a thief just to spite Sterling? Or did he just finish being in denial? If the latter is the answer, what made him realize that?
he finished being in denial. I'm not sure when Nate realized it. Maybe when he realied that these people were all he had in the world, and he'd rather be one of them than alone.
@Caitlin: 1.) IS NATE GOING TO BE OKAY?! 2.) Did Eliot know that Nate was shot and just didn't tell the others because he knew if he did, they wouldn't leave Nate? 3.).Was this season aired in the original order that you had intended for the episodes, or did TNT put them out of order again? 4.).Did Sophie hear all of Nate's message to her, or just part of it? Cause personally, I started crying when he said that she was his compass, that was just perfect. 5.).How badly did you want us hating Tara? Cause truthfully, I was hoping Parker was gonna chuck her off the building. 6.) Is Sterling going to become a regular, cause I don't know if my poor heart can take it...
1.) Yes. 2.) No. Hmm ... Maybe. 3.) Original order. The Sophie arc made switching hard. 4.) Whatever means the most to you. 5.) Hey, Tara was just doing it for their own good! 6.) He's busy working on every other show on earth.
@Anonymous: whats with Nate being shot. I mean why? Whats the point? I mean he was giving himself up anyway. He didn't die. I guess it somehow ties into the next season?
When I wrote this, there was no guarantee that we had a third season. Nate Ford dying as he reaizes he's a thief is a perfectly good ending to the last episode of the show.
It still is.
@Ally: What was the plan Nate told the team? That they were going to wipe the slate clean with the FBI files, so there was nothing to connect any of them to any crimes, and then make a break for it?
Plus hand over Kadjic and the Mayor, for bargaining position. But yeah, you got it in one.
@wah_keetcha: because I'm a poor person I just bought Season 1 (yay for Tax returns) and will we ever be seeing 'young Hardison' with the braces and all that again? You had me dying when I saw that deleted scene. Or a young Eliot? Or a young Sophie? We see plenty of Parker, and one Nate, anymore 'young thief' moments?
In S3 you get more Young Parker, Young Nate, and one surprising Young Eliot ...
@maga templeton: did sterling not get word that sophie was 'dead' between the second david job and seeing her on the cargo ship? bc that would explain his not batting a lash when he had the whole team on the ship.
Oh, he heard about it. And didn't believe a word of it. There's actually a bit we cut in "Zanzibar" when he addressed that.
@Anonymous: Ok,what was the stuff you tied Christian's hands with?Since he had to snap them after the first 3 guys he K.O.ed,I'm guessing it wasn't real rope.Was it?
It was a real zip tie, and Christian really snapped it. Turns out, it's more a matter of will and technique than strength.
@alecj: Is it weird i want Parker to choke me a little?
I'm sure there's already a website ...
@Daisy Bookworm: how long before this was filmed did Gina have her baby? I noticed the strategic camera angles hiding her front for most of the episode (for all but one shot, in which her hands are in her pockets and the jacket is cut to billow out) and that just made me curious. She looks great, though, whether this was filmed one week or two months after the baby. Or even before.
Gina was 7 1/2 months pregers with Lil Miss Grifter when we shot this. Combination of strategic camera angles and digital morphing. Although, oddly, Gina didn't look pregnant from behind for the entire time. Carried it all straight forward.
@Cindyd1000: Wonderful way, wonderful episode to end a season about identity. I learned a lot about Sterling's that I didn't really see before and certainly more about Parker. I believed she would kill Tara, so either she's capable of it or, if she was bluffing, she's becoming quite the consummate bluffer.
1.) Sterling and Nate were indeed best friends, and Mark acted the hell out of that moment. 2) Not. Bluffing.
@Nikki: My questions so far are: (1) We assume that Nate will somehow get out of this mess. Will it be by his plan, the team's, or some bargain with Sterling or the feds? If you can say. (2) What happened to the mayor? Did everything effectively break the deal he had with the FBI? (3) Was that the mystery side door in Nate's apartment I saw a fed walk through?
1.) A combo platter. And, sort of, none of that. 2.) Oh, the Mayor's in jail. The Feds decided to take that scalp. 3.) Yes. He'd just come from the fanfic universe where Eliot and Hardison and Parker work for SHADO.
@Maya: Am I right that Nate decided to give himself up in that moment when Sophie disconnected, when he thought she'd never come back to him and he has nothing to live for anymore?
Got it.
@Anonymous: Just one question: was the Sophie-ex-machina REALLY necessary? Seriously? No other way to resolve the plot? No other way to bring her back in?
Sophie ex-machina? no way. We've set up her role as Nate's compass in the previous seasons, and planted clues along the way in her relationship with Tara. To a great degree, Sophie was fulfilling her destiny with the team there.
@Toni: What did the mayor tell Kadjic the second time he called that made him turn on Nate? As far as the mayor knew, Nate was exactly who he was telling Kadjic he was, right?
"Kadjic, I'm alive, and the son of a bitch in front of you is conning you."
@Larry Fleming: You do a lot of infiltrating the Police and now on this episode, the FBI. I know you are not telling us trade secrets, but do you have a technical advisor connected with either service?
We have a police technical advisor, and get help from a variety of ... unofficial fans. It's amazing what you can find out with a phone call.
@Anonymous: How come Eliot's phone didn't work in the cargo hold but Kadjic's did? Fun Train only goes so far as an excuse.
Kadjic's phone didn't work that well, to tell the truth -- he only just heard the Mayor's voice, but not really what he was saying. We'd planned on looping the Mayor in there, but artistically preferred just playing Paul Blackthorne's reaction.
Man, does David Shore take shit about House's residents performing MRI's?
@Brooke: I got the sense that they allowed the mayor to escape on purpose, to trap him with Kadjic. But did they allow him to call Kadjic on purpose and if so, why? or was that a mistake?
- Who was Eliot trying to call?
- What was the exit strategy sans Sophie? Just Eliot beating the shit out of everyone?
- How much of Nate's telephone confession/plea/love declaration (SO well done btw) did Sophie really hear?
- Is Bennano alive?
1.) No, the Mayor was not supposed to escape. That call was a very nasty complication. 2.) The FBI, to let them know to move in. They had Nevins' phone number, remember? 3.) Exit strategy was to F.O. without Kadjic knowing who set him up. The Mayor's phone call derailed that. 4) Enough. 5.) Yes.
@Ally: Question: what was the impetus for calling this ep The Maltese Falcon Job?
The Maltese Falcon is all about making bad deals with bad people, deciding who to send down for the crime, and ships. It just struck me as a whim, and I went with it.
@Moonette: 1) That ship looked awful big to be trying to leave port on it's own. Wouldn't it need a tug? 2) Can we have Season 2 on Blu-Ray please? :)
1.) Actually, as I understand it, the back of that ship IS the tug, and the front is just the equivalent of a barge. 2.) No, sorry. The DVD's are pretty as is, though.
@Dee: 1. What was the German that Tara used when making her call? 2. Does Nate realize that Sterling's enabling his drinking (and using it against him)led to his team's vulnerability?
1.) "Hi, it's Tara. Yes, it has been a long time." 2.) I wouldn't say it led to his team;s vulnerability. I would say Sterling took advantage of the vulnerable position Nate's drinking had already put the team in. Err, into. Dammit.
@Brian: Perhaps a meta-question: Is there any chance you're going to be able to post the scripts to this or any other episode online? I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to take a look at the blueprints underlying such a complex and wonderful show.
I'd sure like to try. I hope to have a few up this fall.
@Patrick: 2.) So not only do you make it a plot point that there's no reception on the ship but have the Mayor call the arms dealer in the same room where Elliot couldn't get a signal – you actually have a scene where Elliot holds his cell away from him, looking for a signal, and a guard snatches the cell and immediately calls his boss on it! Come on, how's that supposed to work? 3) Why did all the FBI agents surround and target Nate in the final shot? He was cuffed to the rail and laying on the floor, bleeding, and they treat him like he's a terrorist with a hostage.
2.) Not Eliot's cell, a nextel of the guard's. 3.) The FBI showed up to arrest a ship full of arms dealers ... and you keep your goddam gun on a suspect until they're cuffed, face down and frisked. I assure you, real FBI agents would have been equally as diligent.
@scooter5203249: -1.)Does Maggie's remark to Nate in The Zanzibar Marketplace Job - (something like) "I like the man you've become; too bad you don't" - tie in with the Maltese Falcon Job ending? Nate proclaims that he's a thief because he finally likes the man he's become? 2.) What's with the GPS when Parker and Tara are heading to the docks? 3.) How come Nate is the only team member that ever gets shot? First The Bank Job, now The Maltese Falcon Job.
1.) Absolutely. Maggie can see Nate's in denial. She's smarter than he is. 2.) That is a fine thing to have in your car. You should buy a Hyundai with just such a system. 3.) He's Catholic. He subconsciously believes he deserves to get shot.
@ChelseaNH: Also, since legal procedurals have been around for decades, we're pretty well aware that there's never just a single copy of the evidence. Sure, there's a single item with a fingerprint on it (although I doubt Kadjic's case was built on that kind of physical evidence) but there are always lab reports and photographs. So the twist of having the team destroy all of the evidence against Kadjic so that Nate has leverage (heh) with Sterling is -- a stretch. Although it did take me until this morning to realize it.
Actually, you break chain of evidence, you run into some serious problems. Pretty much everything else is computerized -- which is why Parker was busy plugging Hardison into the mainframe, so he could wipe the databases.
@ChelseaNH: But the stuff on the server brings me to my other observation, which is something that has long bugged me about deleting evidence off servers; to wit: backups. (This was also an issue in The Top Hat Job.) I don't know if writers don't know about backups or if they ignore them because it complicates matters in a non-cinematic way, but for that kind of information, you're not going to have a single point of failure or a single point of deletion.
I hate to break it to you guys, but most of the FBI runs off computers from the 90's. Our research is ... depressing.
@Joe Helfrich: Why didn't Nate just give the barkeep he considers family a key and instructions to go collect important items from the apartment if he's out of touch for two weeks? (Yes, I know, because you needed a way for Sterling to nab him, and it helped humanize Nate right before you tried to make us think that he was going to throw the team under the bus. But still.)
I'm pretty sure it never occurred to Nate how much that memento would mean to him, until the prospect of losing it arose. Which you could read to mean Sterling knows Nate better than Nate knows himself.
@medrawt: When Nate is giving himself up, Eliot says something to the effect that the chopper is just x yards away, and "I can take them." While we've just seen Eliot neutralize 13 armed guards (well, we didn't get to see all 13!), that was one/two at a time, in close quarters where he could use surprise. Although the secondary wave of FBI types hasn't shown up yet, they're out in the open, there's multiple law enforcement types with weapons drawn arrayed around our team. I have a hard time imagining that even Eliot, in the universe of this show, could plausibly disable all those people without getting himself or someone else on the team shot. (Maybe if he took a hostage? But that turns into another stream of questions, right?) On the other hand, I could imagine that Eliot could disarm one of the agents and then, if necessary, shoot the rest with minimal risk that anyone on the team gets seriously hurt (of course, he doesn't know that Nate's already hit). But that would be an incredibly dark, crossing-multiple-personal-boundaries sort of thing for Eliot to do. So am I misreading the situation? Or is Eliot meant to actually be skilled/superhuman enough for scenario 1, or desperate/intent enough for scenario 2?
The answer is a spoiler.
@Rayhne: Uhm .... now a question. How many takes did it take to do the elevator sequence? And did Mark just ad-lib the expressions and body language?
We just rolled camera, and Mark ad-libbed all the reactions.
@Raligh: ) THANK you for bringing Sophie back as Annie Croy. (Kroy? Croi? Croix?) That is my very favorite of her personas (probably followed by Olivia Smythe-Patel and Michelle the French Rave Girl). Question: Will Miss Croy make another reappearance? I'd love it if some of the team's roles became characters in their right. Kind of like Sam Axe's ubiquitous Chuck Finley.
I could seriously write Annie Kroy 25 hours a day. And yes, some aliases will recur, although I'd reference the Rockford Jimme Joe Meeker -- which may well be what they're homaging on Burn Notice.
@Graeme McMillan: How much do I need to beg before someone would seriously consider some Leverage comics?
We're looking into it. I have some sweet concept art on my iPad.
@Quinnell: Parker and Tara driving over the bridge. Were they actually driving or was that green screen? I couldn't tell and it's usually pretty easy to spot. And related to that why is it so hard to make 'fake' driving look convincing?
Actually driving. And I think it's hard to fake because driving requires subconsicous micro-corrections you just can't quite do intentionally.
@IMForeman: So, when Leverage returns, will it be "The Prison Job" where they bust Nate out of the clink? They could send Elliot in as a fellow prisoner, as he's the natural suspect for bodyguard and taking down opposition, but it's funnier if it's Hardison. Like he can only hack the Prison from the inside. Taking down a corrupt Warden while they bust him out... "Let's go steal us a Prison."
Remarkably close. We knew what ep 301 was, if we were given the shot.
@24jg13: What happened to the 250,000 in the warehouse? Sterling said they (Nate and Tara) got away with it but they left the warehouse without any case and needed to take the money from Nate's account to finish the con on the ship, so who has the money?
Funny story. Originally, the van went inside the warehouse, and blew up the 250k. Blocking did not allow us to do this. So we needed, on the fly, to rewrite the bit.
@Shelley: What will be the timing for the season three opener? Will it pick up soon after we left everyone or will it be weeks or months?
We tend to play the hiatuses in real time. So about six months later.
@Macie: When the guy asked Sterling who Nate was, and Sterling said "I don't know," did that mean that he doesn't' know who Nate is anymore, or was he trying to let Nate off the hook?
Why did the team look angry when they were walking away? I get why SOPHIE was, but the rest of them, I didn't understand.
1.) The former. 2.) Nate played them His sacrifice was not part of the plan he told them.
@Anonymous: How many takes did Tim and Gina have to do of the kiss? Did they discuss how they would do it with the director or did they just go for it? :P They totally nailed it, this is one of the best TV kisses ever.
With two actors like that, you kind of just get out of their way. Not too many takes. Tim was handcuffed, Gina was pregnant, and the morning was unspeakably hot.
Wow, that wasn't too bad at all. Now go check out the TNT "Behind the Scenes" video for some cool stuff to tide you over until Episodes #301 and #302 on June 20th. They finally fixed their streaming video and I promised I'd sing its praises, considering how much bitching I did on conference calls all last year.
@Monica: Did Bonnano live or die??
He lived, and he now has an even more ... interesting relationship with Nate Ford.
@The Writer: I'm curious about the "cliffhangeriness" of this season's finale. While I don't personally think this year's ending qualifies as a cliffhanger in the truest sense of the term (though apparently Gina disagrees), I got a much stronger sense at the end of this episode that there's more coming to the story than I did at the end of the first season. Was this deliberate? I can't remember the timing, but did you know you were picked up for a third season before you finished shooting this episode? Would/did knowing you had another season coming affect how you wrapped up this one?
We were picked up for a third season while we were shooting the "Hardison and Eliot search Bonanno's house" scene. Very funny phone call, actually. Michael Wright called, asked to be put on speakerphone. Christian and Aldis held the phone while everyone else listened in. Fifty people crammed into that tiny living room.
And no, as stated, knowing we had a third season would not have changed what we wrote.
@Larry Fleming (hi Larry!): How hard was it to get access to that cargo ship?
Not hard at all. it was being re-fitted, so it was just sitting there.
@Macie: Did Nate call himself a thief just to spite Sterling? Or did he just finish being in denial? If the latter is the answer, what made him realize that?
he finished being in denial. I'm not sure when Nate realized it. Maybe when he realied that these people were all he had in the world, and he'd rather be one of them than alone.
@Caitlin: 1.) IS NATE GOING TO BE OKAY?! 2.) Did Eliot know that Nate was shot and just didn't tell the others because he knew if he did, they wouldn't leave Nate? 3.).Was this season aired in the original order that you had intended for the episodes, or did TNT put them out of order again? 4.).Did Sophie hear all of Nate's message to her, or just part of it? Cause personally, I started crying when he said that she was his compass, that was just perfect. 5.).How badly did you want us hating Tara? Cause truthfully, I was hoping Parker was gonna chuck her off the building. 6.) Is Sterling going to become a regular, cause I don't know if my poor heart can take it...
1.) Yes. 2.) No. Hmm ... Maybe. 3.) Original order. The Sophie arc made switching hard. 4.) Whatever means the most to you. 5.) Hey, Tara was just doing it for their own good! 6.) He's busy working on every other show on earth.
@Anonymous: whats with Nate being shot. I mean why? Whats the point? I mean he was giving himself up anyway. He didn't die. I guess it somehow ties into the next season?
When I wrote this, there was no guarantee that we had a third season. Nate Ford dying as he reaizes he's a thief is a perfectly good ending to the last episode of the show.
It still is.
@Ally: What was the plan Nate told the team? That they were going to wipe the slate clean with the FBI files, so there was nothing to connect any of them to any crimes, and then make a break for it?
Plus hand over Kadjic and the Mayor, for bargaining position. But yeah, you got it in one.
@wah_keetcha: because I'm a poor person I just bought Season 1 (yay for Tax returns) and will we ever be seeing 'young Hardison' with the braces and all that again? You had me dying when I saw that deleted scene. Or a young Eliot? Or a young Sophie? We see plenty of Parker, and one Nate, anymore 'young thief' moments?
In S3 you get more Young Parker, Young Nate, and one surprising Young Eliot ...
@maga templeton: did sterling not get word that sophie was 'dead' between the second david job and seeing her on the cargo ship? bc that would explain his not batting a lash when he had the whole team on the ship.
Oh, he heard about it. And didn't believe a word of it. There's actually a bit we cut in "Zanzibar" when he addressed that.
@Anonymous: Ok,what was the stuff you tied Christian's hands with?Since he had to snap them after the first 3 guys he K.O.ed,I'm guessing it wasn't real rope.Was it?
It was a real zip tie, and Christian really snapped it. Turns out, it's more a matter of will and technique than strength.
@alecj: Is it weird i want Parker to choke me a little?
I'm sure there's already a website ...
@Daisy Bookworm: how long before this was filmed did Gina have her baby? I noticed the strategic camera angles hiding her front for most of the episode (for all but one shot, in which her hands are in her pockets and the jacket is cut to billow out) and that just made me curious. She looks great, though, whether this was filmed one week or two months after the baby. Or even before.
Gina was 7 1/2 months pregers with Lil Miss Grifter when we shot this. Combination of strategic camera angles and digital morphing. Although, oddly, Gina didn't look pregnant from behind for the entire time. Carried it all straight forward.
@Cindyd1000: Wonderful way, wonderful episode to end a season about identity. I learned a lot about Sterling's that I didn't really see before and certainly more about Parker. I believed she would kill Tara, so either she's capable of it or, if she was bluffing, she's becoming quite the consummate bluffer.
1.) Sterling and Nate were indeed best friends, and Mark acted the hell out of that moment. 2) Not. Bluffing.
@Nikki: My questions so far are: (1) We assume that Nate will somehow get out of this mess. Will it be by his plan, the team's, or some bargain with Sterling or the feds? If you can say. (2) What happened to the mayor? Did everything effectively break the deal he had with the FBI? (3) Was that the mystery side door in Nate's apartment I saw a fed walk through?
1.) A combo platter. And, sort of, none of that. 2.) Oh, the Mayor's in jail. The Feds decided to take that scalp. 3.) Yes. He'd just come from the fanfic universe where Eliot and Hardison and Parker work for SHADO.
@Maya: Am I right that Nate decided to give himself up in that moment when Sophie disconnected, when he thought she'd never come back to him and he has nothing to live for anymore?
Got it.
@Anonymous: Just one question: was the Sophie-ex-machina REALLY necessary? Seriously? No other way to resolve the plot? No other way to bring her back in?
Sophie ex-machina? no way. We've set up her role as Nate's compass in the previous seasons, and planted clues along the way in her relationship with Tara. To a great degree, Sophie was fulfilling her destiny with the team there.
@Toni: What did the mayor tell Kadjic the second time he called that made him turn on Nate? As far as the mayor knew, Nate was exactly who he was telling Kadjic he was, right?
"Kadjic, I'm alive, and the son of a bitch in front of you is conning you."
@Larry Fleming: You do a lot of infiltrating the Police and now on this episode, the FBI. I know you are not telling us trade secrets, but do you have a technical advisor connected with either service?
We have a police technical advisor, and get help from a variety of ... unofficial fans. It's amazing what you can find out with a phone call.
@Anonymous: How come Eliot's phone didn't work in the cargo hold but Kadjic's did? Fun Train only goes so far as an excuse.
Kadjic's phone didn't work that well, to tell the truth -- he only just heard the Mayor's voice, but not really what he was saying. We'd planned on looping the Mayor in there, but artistically preferred just playing Paul Blackthorne's reaction.
Man, does David Shore take shit about House's residents performing MRI's?
@Brooke: I got the sense that they allowed the mayor to escape on purpose, to trap him with Kadjic. But did they allow him to call Kadjic on purpose and if so, why? or was that a mistake?
- Who was Eliot trying to call?
- What was the exit strategy sans Sophie? Just Eliot beating the shit out of everyone?
- How much of Nate's telephone confession/plea/love declaration (SO well done btw) did Sophie really hear?
- Is Bennano alive?
1.) No, the Mayor was not supposed to escape. That call was a very nasty complication. 2.) The FBI, to let them know to move in. They had Nevins' phone number, remember? 3.) Exit strategy was to F.O. without Kadjic knowing who set him up. The Mayor's phone call derailed that. 4) Enough. 5.) Yes.
@Ally: Question: what was the impetus for calling this ep The Maltese Falcon Job?
The Maltese Falcon is all about making bad deals with bad people, deciding who to send down for the crime, and ships. It just struck me as a whim, and I went with it.
@Moonette: 1) That ship looked awful big to be trying to leave port on it's own. Wouldn't it need a tug? 2) Can we have Season 2 on Blu-Ray please? :)
1.) Actually, as I understand it, the back of that ship IS the tug, and the front is just the equivalent of a barge. 2.) No, sorry. The DVD's are pretty as is, though.
@Dee: 1. What was the German that Tara used when making her call? 2. Does Nate realize that Sterling's enabling his drinking (and using it against him)led to his team's vulnerability?
1.) "Hi, it's Tara. Yes, it has been a long time." 2.) I wouldn't say it led to his team;s vulnerability. I would say Sterling took advantage of the vulnerable position Nate's drinking had already put the team in. Err, into. Dammit.
@Brian: Perhaps a meta-question: Is there any chance you're going to be able to post the scripts to this or any other episode online? I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to take a look at the blueprints underlying such a complex and wonderful show.
I'd sure like to try. I hope to have a few up this fall.
@Patrick: 2.) So not only do you make it a plot point that there's no reception on the ship but have the Mayor call the arms dealer in the same room where Elliot couldn't get a signal – you actually have a scene where Elliot holds his cell away from him, looking for a signal, and a guard snatches the cell and immediately calls his boss on it! Come on, how's that supposed to work? 3) Why did all the FBI agents surround and target Nate in the final shot? He was cuffed to the rail and laying on the floor, bleeding, and they treat him like he's a terrorist with a hostage.
2.) Not Eliot's cell, a nextel of the guard's. 3.) The FBI showed up to arrest a ship full of arms dealers ... and you keep your goddam gun on a suspect until they're cuffed, face down and frisked. I assure you, real FBI agents would have been equally as diligent.
@scooter5203249: -1.)Does Maggie's remark to Nate in The Zanzibar Marketplace Job - (something like) "I like the man you've become; too bad you don't" - tie in with the Maltese Falcon Job ending? Nate proclaims that he's a thief because he finally likes the man he's become? 2.) What's with the GPS when Parker and Tara are heading to the docks? 3.) How come Nate is the only team member that ever gets shot? First The Bank Job, now The Maltese Falcon Job.
1.) Absolutely. Maggie can see Nate's in denial. She's smarter than he is. 2.) That is a fine thing to have in your car. You should buy a Hyundai with just such a system. 3.) He's Catholic. He subconsciously believes he deserves to get shot.
@ChelseaNH: Also, since legal procedurals have been around for decades, we're pretty well aware that there's never just a single copy of the evidence. Sure, there's a single item with a fingerprint on it (although I doubt Kadjic's case was built on that kind of physical evidence) but there are always lab reports and photographs. So the twist of having the team destroy all of the evidence against Kadjic so that Nate has leverage (heh) with Sterling is -- a stretch. Although it did take me until this morning to realize it.
Actually, you break chain of evidence, you run into some serious problems. Pretty much everything else is computerized -- which is why Parker was busy plugging Hardison into the mainframe, so he could wipe the databases.
@ChelseaNH: But the stuff on the server brings me to my other observation, which is something that has long bugged me about deleting evidence off servers; to wit: backups. (This was also an issue in The Top Hat Job.) I don't know if writers don't know about backups or if they ignore them because it complicates matters in a non-cinematic way, but for that kind of information, you're not going to have a single point of failure or a single point of deletion.
I hate to break it to you guys, but most of the FBI runs off computers from the 90's. Our research is ... depressing.
@Joe Helfrich: Why didn't Nate just give the barkeep he considers family a key and instructions to go collect important items from the apartment if he's out of touch for two weeks? (Yes, I know, because you needed a way for Sterling to nab him, and it helped humanize Nate right before you tried to make us think that he was going to throw the team under the bus. But still.)
I'm pretty sure it never occurred to Nate how much that memento would mean to him, until the prospect of losing it arose. Which you could read to mean Sterling knows Nate better than Nate knows himself.
@medrawt: When Nate is giving himself up, Eliot says something to the effect that the chopper is just x yards away, and "I can take them." While we've just seen Eliot neutralize 13 armed guards (well, we didn't get to see all 13!), that was one/two at a time, in close quarters where he could use surprise. Although the secondary wave of FBI types hasn't shown up yet, they're out in the open, there's multiple law enforcement types with weapons drawn arrayed around our team. I have a hard time imagining that even Eliot, in the universe of this show, could plausibly disable all those people without getting himself or someone else on the team shot. (Maybe if he took a hostage? But that turns into another stream of questions, right?) On the other hand, I could imagine that Eliot could disarm one of the agents and then, if necessary, shoot the rest with minimal risk that anyone on the team gets seriously hurt (of course, he doesn't know that Nate's already hit). But that would be an incredibly dark, crossing-multiple-personal-boundaries sort of thing for Eliot to do. So am I misreading the situation? Or is Eliot meant to actually be skilled/superhuman enough for scenario 1, or desperate/intent enough for scenario 2?
The answer is a spoiler.
@Rayhne: Uhm .... now a question. How many takes did it take to do the elevator sequence? And did Mark just ad-lib the expressions and body language?
We just rolled camera, and Mark ad-libbed all the reactions.
@Raligh: ) THANK you for bringing Sophie back as Annie Croy. (Kroy? Croi? Croix?) That is my very favorite of her personas (probably followed by Olivia Smythe-Patel and Michelle the French Rave Girl). Question: Will Miss Croy make another reappearance? I'd love it if some of the team's roles became characters in their right. Kind of like Sam Axe's ubiquitous Chuck Finley.
I could seriously write Annie Kroy 25 hours a day. And yes, some aliases will recur, although I'd reference the Rockford Jimme Joe Meeker -- which may well be what they're homaging on Burn Notice.
@Graeme McMillan: How much do I need to beg before someone would seriously consider some Leverage comics?
We're looking into it. I have some sweet concept art on my iPad.
@Quinnell: Parker and Tara driving over the bridge. Were they actually driving or was that green screen? I couldn't tell and it's usually pretty easy to spot. And related to that why is it so hard to make 'fake' driving look convincing?
Actually driving. And I think it's hard to fake because driving requires subconsicous micro-corrections you just can't quite do intentionally.
@IMForeman: So, when Leverage returns, will it be "The Prison Job" where they bust Nate out of the clink? They could send Elliot in as a fellow prisoner, as he's the natural suspect for bodyguard and taking down opposition, but it's funnier if it's Hardison. Like he can only hack the Prison from the inside. Taking down a corrupt Warden while they bust him out... "Let's go steal us a Prison."
Remarkably close. We knew what ep 301 was, if we were given the shot.
@24jg13: What happened to the 250,000 in the warehouse? Sterling said they (Nate and Tara) got away with it but they left the warehouse without any case and needed to take the money from Nate's account to finish the con on the ship, so who has the money?
Funny story. Originally, the van went inside the warehouse, and blew up the 250k. Blocking did not allow us to do this. So we needed, on the fly, to rewrite the bit.
@Shelley: What will be the timing for the season three opener? Will it pick up soon after we left everyone or will it be weeks or months?
We tend to play the hiatuses in real time. So about six months later.
@Macie: When the guy asked Sterling who Nate was, and Sterling said "I don't know," did that mean that he doesn't' know who Nate is anymore, or was he trying to let Nate off the hook?
Why did the team look angry when they were walking away? I get why SOPHIE was, but the rest of them, I didn't understand.
1.) The former. 2.) Nate played them His sacrifice was not part of the plan he told them.
@Anonymous: How many takes did Tim and Gina have to do of the kiss? Did they discuss how they would do it with the director or did they just go for it? :P They totally nailed it, this is one of the best TV kisses ever.
With two actors like that, you kind of just get out of their way. Not too many takes. Tim was handcuffed, Gina was pregnant, and the morning was unspeakably hot.
Wow, that wasn't too bad at all. Now go check out the TNT "Behind the Scenes" video for some cool stuff to tide you over until Episodes #301 and #302 on June 20th. They finally fixed their streaming video and I promised I'd sing its praises, considering how much bitching I did on conference calls all last year.
LEVERAGE #214 & #215 Post-Game
Turns out directing a television episode kind of takes your full attention. Sorry for the space-out.
Well, the damn DVD is out so you can rewatch, so I should drag myself away from Episode 312 (airs 311) and dish out a little fan-service. Actually, no the fan service is in 306. And 307. Let's just say you might want to go rent The Defiant Ones.
In any event, the first half of the Season 3 Summer Finale is kicking my ass, so let me get some typing done where I actually accomplish something.
Actually started plotting this two-parter out fully knowing the last scene of the season. Nate Ford has been saying "I'm not a thief" for two years, and eventually that sort of denial is going to catch up with you. To a great degree, Nate's angst first season was caused because he can not accept he's not who he used to be. Nate has issues second season because he can not accept what he has become. I'm always a little confused by the people who called this a "cliffhanger" season finale. Absolutely wrong. As always, if the season ender wound up being the last episode of Leverage ever made, it would be a satisfying ending to the show. Nate Ford, finally accepting who he is, bleeding out on the deck for his new, broken family -- I could have finished the series there and been ridiculously happy. But then we never would have gotten to meet Nate Ford's dad, and that would be a shame.
Ep #215 actually paid off a lot of longstanding ideas we'd had for the show. I'd wanted to do an episode where we started with the team on the run since S1 (I was actually planning on directing it); the identical hotel room bit had been a wall card for quite some time; Apollo had explained the hotel room billing computer hack that fall: the Eliot counting beat had been something I'd talked to Kane about the previous year; tie all that in with the new Tara dynamic, and the script actually wrote itself pretty quickly.
So quickly, in fact, it was outlined and written before episode #214. If you look at #215, you can see that you require NO KNOWLEDGE of what went down in #214 other than "the mayor sold them out, and it's bigger than it looks". Production actually prepped off the matching outlines -- I did a dramatic (if by dramatic you mean "drunk") staged reading of both of them, and then promptly delivered a finished #215.
Setups are always harder.
#214 slapped me around like a red-headed stepchild until Downey reminded me that we had a perfectly good minor league baseball park in Portland. At the same time, a rather monumental graft case went down in New Jersey, involving mayors, rabbis, and organ smuggling.
Thank you, Writing Gods. I will slaughter a film school student to your golden idol next Midsomer.
#214 became our City of Industry. The Mayor's borderline over-the-top speech is adapted from actual wiretaps. People talk like this. I know, I don't believe it either! Richard Kind did an amazing job, managing to be gritty and believable in #214, and then transitioning to victim in #215 -- hell, transitioning in that one long, great half-circle shot Dean does in #214, revealing a backlit, tall, menacing and strangely hot Paul Blackthorne. (What? The man looks good in a suit. I'm allowed to notice that.)
The real fun, of course, was bringing Gina back. Sophie got an unbelievable sendoff in "The Two Live Crew Job", and I was honestly a little worried that it would feel cheap to bring her back. But then, as soon as Annie Kroy started talking, I could feel myself physically relax. The team's back together. Don't get me wrong, Jeri Ryan knocked it out of the park every week, and I'd go work for her -- not with her, for her -- in a heartbeat. But hearing those rhythms again ... ahhh.
It almost mitigated my guilt at making a 13 month pregnant Gina totter down tiny, near-vertical metal stairs into the belly of an oil tanker full of toxic chemicals and sharp objects. She was a trooper. We were frikkin' wrecks.
Mark Sheppard -- Sterling -- almost didn't show up in this (and damn, look at that entrance in #214. Nobody else on the show's gotten a better entrance). We were struggling to establish some new, terrifying Big Bad FBI agent, and in just 84 minutes, plus two bad guys, plus Agent Nevins, we just didn't have the real estate. We kept saying in the meetings "You know, this should really be Sterling ... but it's not insurance." Then, during one late night Skype session, the following onversation took place:
John: God-DAMMIT this would all be easier if Sterling were the Interpol guy.
Dean: Why isn't he?
John: What?
Dean: Why don't we just make Sterling Interpol?
John: ... is this one of those ideas that sounds brilliant because it is brilliant, or because it's late and we're tired?
Dean: BOTH!!
We back-wrote the promotion into the episode that was shooting, I believe, that very next day. The coda with the newscaster in Ep #212, "The Zanzibar Marketplace Job", was re-edited and looped to announce Sterling's move to Interpol.
Yeah, just like Lost, we plan waaaaay ahead.
Right, most everything else should be in the quetions. Let's see what you got, people ... oh, yeesh. You know what? I'm going to split this into two posts. This is bloody huge.
#214 Questions
@sammie323: Dean Devlin directed this one. Has he directed any other episodes?
Dean directed the pilot, establishing the look of the show, and also, ahh, about ten more. he does the season opener and season finale every year, plus a midseason spare. The episode he's shooting right now is the first time he's directed an episode I didn't write.
@Vanessa: Major kudos on the full-circle personal revenge theme. Last season started & ended with personal revenge. This season is full circle too with Lt. Bennano. Awesome job guys!
We got very lucky there. We were struggling for a victim, and it's only because Robert Blanche managed to take a day-player role in the season opener and turn it into a fan favorite (he's like a tall, brawny Columbo) did we have that resource. This is whay TV is fun. Actors! As much as I will embrace the arrival of the robot actors, some part of me will miss those spontaneous little surprises. A small part. Now, robot actors, say it exactly the way it sounds in my brain! MWA-ha-hah ...
Ahem.
@Barb: Eliot is pretty good at baseball for a guy who showed a pretty strong distaste of it. Any comment on if that was planned ahead/useful talent of Kane's/convenient for the plot/just for fun?
Some part of us was infintely amused at the idea that for years, Eliot had been using baseball bats, just never for their intended purpose. So, you know, natural swing.
Worth noting that I originally just had Eliot good at baseball, as part of his all-American heritage. Dean was the one who insisted that he not like it. When I, in a shocked voice, asked who the FUCK doesn't like baseball, Dean replied "Me." And then he explained his position with the speech I took verbatim and put in Eliot's mouth.
@Sean Fagan: Isn't professional baseball -- even for a minor league team -- a bit too public for someone who needs to hang in the shadows?
We actually discussed this. There's a reaosn Eliot's hair is long -- it's to throw off people who knew him back when. But mainly, well, I love baseball. And I would be hard-pressed to name three humans off the Red Sox farm team. It's suitably low key.
@Monica: i have learned that i really need to pay attention to the credits at the beginning because if maybe i had i would have seen that Mark Sheppard would be in this episode and i wouldn't have been surprised to see sterling at the end.
You wouldn't have seen it even if you looked. Mark asked that his credit be removed, so as not to spoil the surprise. Ridiculously generous of him.
@Teresa: Also, is Lucille a tribute to BB King's Lucille?
Indeed it is.
@Becky: Which one of you came up with the 'Oh be still my heart, if my heart were in my pants' line?
If you read the blog, you know I tend to go to the "pants" well farily often. Chris Downey bailed my ass out and wrote a chunk of #214, but that one's mine.
@missabiggs0428: The team discovered that Culpepper was wired because they were getting feedback. If the feedback was caused by the FBI listening on the same frequency, wouldn't they(the FBI) have been able to hear the team talking to one another?
Nope, the frequencies were close enough to interfere, not precise. Also, Hardison does some funky encoding on the earbuds.
@Amakusa42: Doesn't Sterling have any sense of gratitude? So far the team has protected his old job, gotten him a new one, and made him an international news hero. Shouldn't he help them out?
In Sterling's mind he cut Nate a break, manipulated criminals into helping him recover stoeln property, and the international accolades are his because of his talent and hard work.
@Beth Pettit: I was curious if you guys ever considered doing anything with the Shanghai Tunnels that run under the city. It might be tight to shoot down there but they are an awesome location with a really interesting history.
They're really a bear to get equipment into. We talk about them every year, and who knows?
@Toni: I'm just wondering about how angry Hardison was over losing Lucille. That must be coming from a much deeper place than just a blown up van. Yes, Nate's drunk again, but he was drunk for most of the first season and no one was this angry. So are there more issues we haven't seen yet that will come out next week and next season?
He's not just drunk, he's letting his hubris and rage control him. Nate is way, way off his game. He's also not listening to the team, which he's never done before. Before, when he walked them into bad spots, he always had the game laid out. They coulg tell he was winging it, and they went along out of loyalty and faith.
@Brad: Speaking of being a Portlander, this may be a stupid question, but were those really the Beavers playing the Beavers, or did you use professional actors?
Yep. They really went out of their way to help us shot the episode, including putting Christian up at bat. He put one on the warning track, I am obligated to mention.
@Improper Bostonian: I do have a question...is the show staying based in "Boston" for s3? If so then I have a question for you...."Nate's" bar is (and I'm guessing) Southie. Guessing that from Nate being Irish and Irish Mob ref's. So you have an Irish pub in Southie (?) and there are no signs/pics of the Red Sox, Celtics or any Boston teams? Come on now......gotta show something.
Boston for S3, and you do not want to know what it woudl cost us to put a real team logo anywher ein that bar. Professional sports leagues are not fans of Fair Use.
@Clynngo: "Do you smell soup? I SMELL SOUP." Brilliant.
Annnnnd that one's Downey. It's his sitcom writing past, he does so love a good call and response.
@puspa: 1. Nate specifically mentioned he hated being in the hospital to Sophie? Would that be because he wants Sophie to find out who Det Bonanno was meeting before they shot him?
2. How does Detective Bonanno "know" Nate was behind some of the cases he got called in for?
1.) No, he was trying to appeal to Sophie's soft side, because she knows how hospitals upset him. it was, frankly, a shittily manipulative thing to say. 2.) He's Columbo.
@Richard Howe: Nate's going to jail, isn't he?
Nicely done.
@Dan Reads Comics: Hardison loves Star Wars, Star Trek, WoW, and baseball. He sounds like every computer geek I know. Is he a comics fan too (considering the showrunner, at least one of the team has to be)? Or is that up to Aldis? Also, will we see the true20 stats of the other characters on the show?
Hardison makes the Wednesday run every week. He's a big Jeff Parker, Mark Waid and Gail Simone fan. As far as RPG stats go for the characters, well, you don't need me for that anymore.
@Anonymous: 1 - what is the timeline for these episodes (ie how long has Tara been with them/Sophie been away)? The bottle job had snow (so would appear to be winter) but looking on google for confirmation I read that the baseball season runs from April to October over there. So, was there snow in Feb/March and then the baseball season started or what? Really anal I know, but if there was some time between them it would explain how Tara is now working better with the team
Assume there are multiple jobs in between the broadcast ones. You know, the ones covered in the comic books and tie-in novels. Each season is, um, smeared out over a few months of world-time, while we then play the hiatuses as straight real time.
@Irene: 1. During the fundraiser, Mayor (Kind) moves the balloons as Tara and Nate stand up. Was that supposed to mean something deeper? Or was that just ad lib because the prop was in the way of their sightlines when they filmed? 2. I remember Tara noticing "Lucille" smelled, but was there more to the story/that a longer running gag? Poor Hardison. (Still shouldn't pout when half the FBI is immediately behind you though).
1.) Nope, just a nice bit of staging on Richard's part. 2.) No one respects the van.
@babysmoke: Now the question: have you (and the rest of the cast/crew) had to defend Leverage vehemently whenever people say that you're copying Hustle? What do you say to them?
Eh. They do eight (very good) eps a season, they're not thematically or stylistically similar (they're straight criminals, not Robin Hoods), they tend to run straight cons, no action -- it honestly comes up less than you think.
@Jazz: 1. How many takes were needed to do the comercial that Ray Chapell did?
2. From the Pilot how did they get from the street to the top of the 44 story building?
1.) Just a few. As noted, my directing debut. 2.) Maintenance elevators to the roof, then back down to the sealed floor.
@Darkrose: Why does Hardison suggest again that they let the cops handle this right after he presumably looks up Culpepper? A local mayor shouldn't be that scary. Does he know something he's not sharing with the team?
A shot-up cop is bad enough. A shot -up cop tied to a corrupt mayor and a pissed off (and generally pissed) Nate is a definite no-go.
@David Hunt: First, my actual QUESTION: I want to second Sherri's query about why Sterling gave up his very lucrative job and corner office at IYS. I've been meaning to ask this since "Zanzibar." He obviously worked his ass off and stabbed several colleagues in the back to get there. Plus he's got to be giving up oodles of money. There's no way that Interpol can come close to matching what he's getting...at least monetarily. So what does Sterling want so badly that being in Interpol gives him? Or will we find that out next week?
Interpol in the Leverage-verse is not this world's Interpol. It is, basically, SHIELD. Or maybe UNCLE. It's the law-enforcement all-star team.
@lark8girl: here is much more to Sterling and this gives us plenty of opportunities in the upcoming episodes. Not only were they friends, Nate was just as much of a threat to the team when they were on their own as Sterling was. Nate's no saint and Sterling's not exactly the devil.
We cannot say this often enough. Sterling is the good guy.
@Ally: 1) You've said Nate is an addict in many ways, and clearly, there's an aspect of comitting these crimes that he's addicted to, even if he won't admit it. Is it just that "geting even" fills his angry place or is it also the thrill of the con? I'm sure I know the answer, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on that issue. 2) Did Tara really not care if Nate killed the mayor in the end or was she just playing Nate a little to get him out of his angry haze?
1.) Its both, and in S3 he finally gets to explore that. 2.) I honestly am not sure of the answer. I'd say she was fine with him killing the Mayor, although she wouldn't choose it as Option A.
@Anna: Tara calling out "Jabberwocky" as a codeword - yet another clue to her past? Why do I always get a rogue NSA vibe around her?
I'd say her training rhymes with "schmilitary bintelligence."
@Michelle Rodeghier: Parker kissing the van after they loaded it with explosives. My question is- was that written in the script, or did Beth come up with that on her own? It was so perfect, and so Parker- like to sympathize with Hardison!!
Beth came up with it. I was there when she did it, and I didn;t even notice until the first screening.
@Brouke: 1. A lot has happened since Sophie left. Will she, or any of the team, partly hold her responsible? As in, if Sophie hadn't left such and such wouldn't have happened. 2. Will we get to see what exactly Sophie has been doing while she's away?
1.)the team knows who's responsible for his drunk actions. 2.) Kind of.
@Rebecca: Does Beth speak Spanish? Is that how that part got in there, or was she using Gina's former language coach?
I'm not sure if Beth speaks Spanish. I was in the middle of plowing through my Spanish lessons, I'm pretty sure that was on the brain when I wrote the bit.
@Maureen: Question: Is it possible that Sterling is going to be coming around in season 3 to hire our team to occasionally work for Interpol? And are we going to be seeing more international "jobs"? That would take the show in a new direction and make the jobs stakes more risky. And it would also be very cool.
No, Sterling won't be hiring them. Yes to the "more international jobs."
Okay, the answers to #215 questions in the next post ...
Well, the damn DVD is out so you can rewatch, so I should drag myself away from Episode 312 (airs 311) and dish out a little fan-service. Actually, no the fan service is in 306. And 307. Let's just say you might want to go rent The Defiant Ones.
In any event, the first half of the Season 3 Summer Finale is kicking my ass, so let me get some typing done where I actually accomplish something.
Actually started plotting this two-parter out fully knowing the last scene of the season. Nate Ford has been saying "I'm not a thief" for two years, and eventually that sort of denial is going to catch up with you. To a great degree, Nate's angst first season was caused because he can not accept he's not who he used to be. Nate has issues second season because he can not accept what he has become. I'm always a little confused by the people who called this a "cliffhanger" season finale. Absolutely wrong. As always, if the season ender wound up being the last episode of Leverage ever made, it would be a satisfying ending to the show. Nate Ford, finally accepting who he is, bleeding out on the deck for his new, broken family -- I could have finished the series there and been ridiculously happy. But then we never would have gotten to meet Nate Ford's dad, and that would be a shame.
Ep #215 actually paid off a lot of longstanding ideas we'd had for the show. I'd wanted to do an episode where we started with the team on the run since S1 (I was actually planning on directing it); the identical hotel room bit had been a wall card for quite some time; Apollo had explained the hotel room billing computer hack that fall: the Eliot counting beat had been something I'd talked to Kane about the previous year; tie all that in with the new Tara dynamic, and the script actually wrote itself pretty quickly.
So quickly, in fact, it was outlined and written before episode #214. If you look at #215, you can see that you require NO KNOWLEDGE of what went down in #214 other than "the mayor sold them out, and it's bigger than it looks". Production actually prepped off the matching outlines -- I did a dramatic (if by dramatic you mean "drunk") staged reading of both of them, and then promptly delivered a finished #215.
Setups are always harder.
#214 slapped me around like a red-headed stepchild until Downey reminded me that we had a perfectly good minor league baseball park in Portland. At the same time, a rather monumental graft case went down in New Jersey, involving mayors, rabbis, and organ smuggling.
Thank you, Writing Gods. I will slaughter a film school student to your golden idol next Midsomer.
#214 became our City of Industry. The Mayor's borderline over-the-top speech is adapted from actual wiretaps. People talk like this. I know, I don't believe it either! Richard Kind did an amazing job, managing to be gritty and believable in #214, and then transitioning to victim in #215 -- hell, transitioning in that one long, great half-circle shot Dean does in #214, revealing a backlit, tall, menacing and strangely hot Paul Blackthorne. (What? The man looks good in a suit. I'm allowed to notice that.)
The real fun, of course, was bringing Gina back. Sophie got an unbelievable sendoff in "The Two Live Crew Job", and I was honestly a little worried that it would feel cheap to bring her back. But then, as soon as Annie Kroy started talking, I could feel myself physically relax. The team's back together. Don't get me wrong, Jeri Ryan knocked it out of the park every week, and I'd go work for her -- not with her, for her -- in a heartbeat. But hearing those rhythms again ... ahhh.
It almost mitigated my guilt at making a 13 month pregnant Gina totter down tiny, near-vertical metal stairs into the belly of an oil tanker full of toxic chemicals and sharp objects. She was a trooper. We were frikkin' wrecks.
Mark Sheppard -- Sterling -- almost didn't show up in this (and damn, look at that entrance in #214. Nobody else on the show's gotten a better entrance). We were struggling to establish some new, terrifying Big Bad FBI agent, and in just 84 minutes, plus two bad guys, plus Agent Nevins, we just didn't have the real estate. We kept saying in the meetings "You know, this should really be Sterling ... but it's not insurance." Then, during one late night Skype session, the following onversation took place:
John: God-DAMMIT this would all be easier if Sterling were the Interpol guy.
Dean: Why isn't he?
John: What?
Dean: Why don't we just make Sterling Interpol?
John: ... is this one of those ideas that sounds brilliant because it is brilliant, or because it's late and we're tired?
Dean: BOTH!!
We back-wrote the promotion into the episode that was shooting, I believe, that very next day. The coda with the newscaster in Ep #212, "The Zanzibar Marketplace Job", was re-edited and looped to announce Sterling's move to Interpol.
Yeah, just like Lost, we plan waaaaay ahead.
Right, most everything else should be in the quetions. Let's see what you got, people ... oh, yeesh. You know what? I'm going to split this into two posts. This is bloody huge.
#214 Questions
@sammie323: Dean Devlin directed this one. Has he directed any other episodes?
Dean directed the pilot, establishing the look of the show, and also, ahh, about ten more. he does the season opener and season finale every year, plus a midseason spare. The episode he's shooting right now is the first time he's directed an episode I didn't write.
@Vanessa: Major kudos on the full-circle personal revenge theme. Last season started & ended with personal revenge. This season is full circle too with Lt. Bennano. Awesome job guys!
We got very lucky there. We were struggling for a victim, and it's only because Robert Blanche managed to take a day-player role in the season opener and turn it into a fan favorite (he's like a tall, brawny Columbo) did we have that resource. This is whay TV is fun. Actors! As much as I will embrace the arrival of the robot actors, some part of me will miss those spontaneous little surprises. A small part. Now, robot actors, say it exactly the way it sounds in my brain! MWA-ha-hah ...
Ahem.
@Barb: Eliot is pretty good at baseball for a guy who showed a pretty strong distaste of it. Any comment on if that was planned ahead/useful talent of Kane's/convenient for the plot/just for fun?
Some part of us was infintely amused at the idea that for years, Eliot had been using baseball bats, just never for their intended purpose. So, you know, natural swing.
Worth noting that I originally just had Eliot good at baseball, as part of his all-American heritage. Dean was the one who insisted that he not like it. When I, in a shocked voice, asked who the FUCK doesn't like baseball, Dean replied "Me." And then he explained his position with the speech I took verbatim and put in Eliot's mouth.
@Sean Fagan: Isn't professional baseball -- even for a minor league team -- a bit too public for someone who needs to hang in the shadows?
We actually discussed this. There's a reaosn Eliot's hair is long -- it's to throw off people who knew him back when. But mainly, well, I love baseball. And I would be hard-pressed to name three humans off the Red Sox farm team. It's suitably low key.
@Monica: i have learned that i really need to pay attention to the credits at the beginning because if maybe i had i would have seen that Mark Sheppard would be in this episode and i wouldn't have been surprised to see sterling at the end.
You wouldn't have seen it even if you looked. Mark asked that his credit be removed, so as not to spoil the surprise. Ridiculously generous of him.
@Teresa: Also, is Lucille a tribute to BB King's Lucille?
Indeed it is.
@Becky: Which one of you came up with the 'Oh be still my heart, if my heart were in my pants' line?
If you read the blog, you know I tend to go to the "pants" well farily often. Chris Downey bailed my ass out and wrote a chunk of #214, but that one's mine.
@missabiggs0428: The team discovered that Culpepper was wired because they were getting feedback. If the feedback was caused by the FBI listening on the same frequency, wouldn't they(the FBI) have been able to hear the team talking to one another?
Nope, the frequencies were close enough to interfere, not precise. Also, Hardison does some funky encoding on the earbuds.
@Amakusa42: Doesn't Sterling have any sense of gratitude? So far the team has protected his old job, gotten him a new one, and made him an international news hero. Shouldn't he help them out?
In Sterling's mind he cut Nate a break, manipulated criminals into helping him recover stoeln property, and the international accolades are his because of his talent and hard work.
@Beth Pettit: I was curious if you guys ever considered doing anything with the Shanghai Tunnels that run under the city. It might be tight to shoot down there but they are an awesome location with a really interesting history.
They're really a bear to get equipment into. We talk about them every year, and who knows?
@Toni: I'm just wondering about how angry Hardison was over losing Lucille. That must be coming from a much deeper place than just a blown up van. Yes, Nate's drunk again, but he was drunk for most of the first season and no one was this angry. So are there more issues we haven't seen yet that will come out next week and next season?
He's not just drunk, he's letting his hubris and rage control him. Nate is way, way off his game. He's also not listening to the team, which he's never done before. Before, when he walked them into bad spots, he always had the game laid out. They coulg tell he was winging it, and they went along out of loyalty and faith.
@Brad: Speaking of being a Portlander, this may be a stupid question, but were those really the Beavers playing the Beavers, or did you use professional actors?
Yep. They really went out of their way to help us shot the episode, including putting Christian up at bat. He put one on the warning track, I am obligated to mention.
@Improper Bostonian: I do have a question...is the show staying based in "Boston" for s3? If so then I have a question for you...."Nate's" bar is (and I'm guessing) Southie. Guessing that from Nate being Irish and Irish Mob ref's. So you have an Irish pub in Southie (?) and there are no signs/pics of the Red Sox, Celtics or any Boston teams? Come on now......gotta show something.
Boston for S3, and you do not want to know what it woudl cost us to put a real team logo anywher ein that bar. Professional sports leagues are not fans of Fair Use.
@Clynngo: "Do you smell soup? I SMELL SOUP." Brilliant.
Annnnnd that one's Downey. It's his sitcom writing past, he does so love a good call and response.
@puspa: 1. Nate specifically mentioned he hated being in the hospital to Sophie? Would that be because he wants Sophie to find out who Det Bonanno was meeting before they shot him?
2. How does Detective Bonanno "know" Nate was behind some of the cases he got called in for?
1.) No, he was trying to appeal to Sophie's soft side, because she knows how hospitals upset him. it was, frankly, a shittily manipulative thing to say. 2.) He's Columbo.
@Richard Howe: Nate's going to jail, isn't he?
Nicely done.
@Dan Reads Comics: Hardison loves Star Wars, Star Trek, WoW, and baseball. He sounds like every computer geek I know. Is he a comics fan too (considering the showrunner, at least one of the team has to be)? Or is that up to Aldis? Also, will we see the true20 stats of the other characters on the show?
Hardison makes the Wednesday run every week. He's a big Jeff Parker, Mark Waid and Gail Simone fan. As far as RPG stats go for the characters, well, you don't need me for that anymore.
@Anonymous: 1 - what is the timeline for these episodes (ie how long has Tara been with them/Sophie been away)? The bottle job had snow (so would appear to be winter) but looking on google for confirmation I read that the baseball season runs from April to October over there. So, was there snow in Feb/March and then the baseball season started or what? Really anal I know, but if there was some time between them it would explain how Tara is now working better with the team
Assume there are multiple jobs in between the broadcast ones. You know, the ones covered in the comic books and tie-in novels. Each season is, um, smeared out over a few months of world-time, while we then play the hiatuses as straight real time.
@Irene: 1. During the fundraiser, Mayor (Kind) moves the balloons as Tara and Nate stand up. Was that supposed to mean something deeper? Or was that just ad lib because the prop was in the way of their sightlines when they filmed? 2. I remember Tara noticing "Lucille" smelled, but was there more to the story/that a longer running gag? Poor Hardison. (Still shouldn't pout when half the FBI is immediately behind you though).
1.) Nope, just a nice bit of staging on Richard's part. 2.) No one respects the van.
@babysmoke: Now the question: have you (and the rest of the cast/crew) had to defend Leverage vehemently whenever people say that you're copying Hustle? What do you say to them?
Eh. They do eight (very good) eps a season, they're not thematically or stylistically similar (they're straight criminals, not Robin Hoods), they tend to run straight cons, no action -- it honestly comes up less than you think.
@Jazz: 1. How many takes were needed to do the comercial that Ray Chapell did?
2. From the Pilot how did they get from the street to the top of the 44 story building?
1.) Just a few. As noted, my directing debut. 2.) Maintenance elevators to the roof, then back down to the sealed floor.
@Darkrose: Why does Hardison suggest again that they let the cops handle this right after he presumably looks up Culpepper? A local mayor shouldn't be that scary. Does he know something he's not sharing with the team?
A shot-up cop is bad enough. A shot -up cop tied to a corrupt mayor and a pissed off (and generally pissed) Nate is a definite no-go.
@David Hunt: First, my actual QUESTION: I want to second Sherri's query about why Sterling gave up his very lucrative job and corner office at IYS. I've been meaning to ask this since "Zanzibar." He obviously worked his ass off and stabbed several colleagues in the back to get there. Plus he's got to be giving up oodles of money. There's no way that Interpol can come close to matching what he's getting...at least monetarily. So what does Sterling want so badly that being in Interpol gives him? Or will we find that out next week?
Interpol in the Leverage-verse is not this world's Interpol. It is, basically, SHIELD. Or maybe UNCLE. It's the law-enforcement all-star team.
@lark8girl: here is much more to Sterling and this gives us plenty of opportunities in the upcoming episodes. Not only were they friends, Nate was just as much of a threat to the team when they were on their own as Sterling was. Nate's no saint and Sterling's not exactly the devil.
We cannot say this often enough. Sterling is the good guy.
@Ally: 1) You've said Nate is an addict in many ways, and clearly, there's an aspect of comitting these crimes that he's addicted to, even if he won't admit it. Is it just that "geting even" fills his angry place or is it also the thrill of the con? I'm sure I know the answer, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on that issue. 2) Did Tara really not care if Nate killed the mayor in the end or was she just playing Nate a little to get him out of his angry haze?
1.) Its both, and in S3 he finally gets to explore that. 2.) I honestly am not sure of the answer. I'd say she was fine with him killing the Mayor, although she wouldn't choose it as Option A.
@Anna: Tara calling out "Jabberwocky" as a codeword - yet another clue to her past? Why do I always get a rogue NSA vibe around her?
I'd say her training rhymes with "schmilitary bintelligence."
@Michelle Rodeghier: Parker kissing the van after they loaded it with explosives. My question is- was that written in the script, or did Beth come up with that on her own? It was so perfect, and so Parker- like to sympathize with Hardison!!
Beth came up with it. I was there when she did it, and I didn;t even notice until the first screening.
@Brouke: 1. A lot has happened since Sophie left. Will she, or any of the team, partly hold her responsible? As in, if Sophie hadn't left such and such wouldn't have happened. 2. Will we get to see what exactly Sophie has been doing while she's away?
1.)the team knows who's responsible for his drunk actions. 2.) Kind of.
@Rebecca: Does Beth speak Spanish? Is that how that part got in there, or was she using Gina's former language coach?
I'm not sure if Beth speaks Spanish. I was in the middle of plowing through my Spanish lessons, I'm pretty sure that was on the brain when I wrote the bit.
@Maureen: Question: Is it possible that Sterling is going to be coming around in season 3 to hire our team to occasionally work for Interpol? And are we going to be seeing more international "jobs"? That would take the show in a new direction and make the jobs stakes more risky. And it would also be very cool.
No, Sterling won't be hiring them. Yes to the "more international jobs."
Okay, the answers to #215 questions in the next post ...
Tattoosday Goes To Hawai'i - All in the Family, Part 5 (Ulu's Amazing Plumage)
In January 2008, when Tattoosday was a mere infant blog, my mother sent me photos of some of the ink my cousins possessed.
I already shared Keali'i's sleeves here, but included in that email from Mom was this astonishing piece from his kid sister, my niece, Ulu:
I reached out to Ulu (which is a shortened version of her middle name, Uluwehi, which is abbreviated from her full middle name, Kamali'iwahineuluwehi) and we exchanged messages, but we never connected to discuss the tattoo. Then, last month, I was in Hawai'i, at the home of Ulu and her husband Travis.
For the record, despite my inkspotting ways, I was never sure if I'd have the opportunity on this trip to document all my nieces' and nephews' ink. I knew I'd be seeing them, but my purpose for doing so was not tattoo-related.
But as you may have read over the last week, there I was at Ulu and Travis's place, hanging out with family, and the subject turned inky, and out came the camera.
Still, I wasn't sure I would be seeing the tattoo from my mom's photo - Ulu was wearing a dress and I'm always walking on eggshells when it comes to lower back tattoos. But I was taking pictures of everyone else's tattoos and Ulu's back piece was mentioned. She happily changed into sweats so I could take a closer look at this amazing peacock feather tattoo:
One of the things I had always wondered was how far around the feather went. I got my answer soon enough:
As you can see the tattoo dips gracefully down after it rounds the hip. I'm glad I got to see this side because I was able to capture the detail in the color and the tiny pink butterfly near the tip of the quill:
Ulu got this, aside from the beauty of it, to cover up a "tramp stamp" [her words, not mine - no angry comments, please]. The original piece is covered by the eye of the peacock feather.
The artist responsible for this incredible tattoo is Libra, who freelances in Hawai'i, but occasionally does guest spots at 808 Tattoo, and was at East Side Tattoo Studio at the time this was done.
In that original email from Grandma Diane (my mom), she also included the tattoos of Travis, Ulu's husband.
I had never met Travis before, but was welcomed by him as one of the family. I took my own photo of the forearm ink he wears, also by Libra, in honor of his and Ulu's children, Ezra and Trinity.
My deepest and most sincere thanks to both Travis and Ulu, not only for their hospitality and kindness, but for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday.
This concludes the "All in the Family" subset of the Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i series. A warm mahalo to all of my nieces and nephews for letting their mainland uncle help share their tattoos with the Tattoosday community.
Previously in the Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - All in the Family series:
Part 1, A Preface
Part 2, Keali'i's Sleeves
Part 3, Ikaika, In Progress
Part 4, Lehua's Eternal Tribute to Poppa John
I already shared Keali'i's sleeves here, but included in that email from Mom was this astonishing piece from his kid sister, my niece, Ulu:
Photo by Diane Scrafton Cohen Ferreira
For the record, despite my inkspotting ways, I was never sure if I'd have the opportunity on this trip to document all my nieces' and nephews' ink. I knew I'd be seeing them, but my purpose for doing so was not tattoo-related.
But as you may have read over the last week, there I was at Ulu and Travis's place, hanging out with family, and the subject turned inky, and out came the camera.
Still, I wasn't sure I would be seeing the tattoo from my mom's photo - Ulu was wearing a dress and I'm always walking on eggshells when it comes to lower back tattoos. But I was taking pictures of everyone else's tattoos and Ulu's back piece was mentioned. She happily changed into sweats so I could take a closer look at this amazing peacock feather tattoo:
One of the things I had always wondered was how far around the feather went. I got my answer soon enough:
As you can see the tattoo dips gracefully down after it rounds the hip. I'm glad I got to see this side because I was able to capture the detail in the color and the tiny pink butterfly near the tip of the quill:
Ulu got this, aside from the beauty of it, to cover up a "tramp stamp" [her words, not mine - no angry comments, please]. The original piece is covered by the eye of the peacock feather.
The artist responsible for this incredible tattoo is Libra, who freelances in Hawai'i, but occasionally does guest spots at 808 Tattoo, and was at East Side Tattoo Studio at the time this was done.
In that original email from Grandma Diane (my mom), she also included the tattoos of Travis, Ulu's husband.
I had never met Travis before, but was welcomed by him as one of the family. I took my own photo of the forearm ink he wears, also by Libra, in honor of his and Ulu's children, Ezra and Trinity.
My deepest and most sincere thanks to both Travis and Ulu, not only for their hospitality and kindness, but for sharing their tattoos with us here on Tattoosday.
This concludes the "All in the Family" subset of the Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i series. A warm mahalo to all of my nieces and nephews for letting their mainland uncle help share their tattoos with the Tattoosday community.
Previously in the Tattoosday Goes to Hawai'i - All in the Family series:
Part 1, A Preface
Part 2, Keali'i's Sleeves
Part 3, Ikaika, In Progress
Part 4, Lehua's Eternal Tribute to Poppa John
Monday, May 24, 2010
It never stops...
Thoughts are unlimited...everything comes in..mixes up and come out beautiful...nothing is wasted...memories are gas fueling flames of untamed thought patterns... Different from yours... But understood by my kind...artist they call us...the creators of worlds...the masters of turning nothing into something...worshipped by some.... Hated by those who don't understand... We are visual angels....taking orders to create by the Most High.. We are artist and it never stops
Posted from my iPhone
Posted from my iPhone
The reason I walk...
A lot of people ask me "Miya, everytime I see you, your walking by yourself" that's because I walk for a reason...it's because I'm never in a rush unless I'm tryin to go see a movie or caught a flight out of town...I rarely get alone time so this is the perfect way to enjoy "peace of mind" and think of some new art ideas...and really enjoy not hearing other peoples voices....people miss so much of the small things driving... Maybe it's just my Asheville hippie side but I want to feel the sun... I want to feel the cold.. I want to enjoy each of the Earth's seasons...for example today.. Me & Rabbit were walking over to my art studio... And I almost stepped on a baby bird, because I was listening to UGK radio on Pandaro...I tried to help the bird but it started crying for it's mother...she showed up and I kept it moving...didn't feel like being attacked by birds today...but it's those small things that inspire my art and my life.. God send us lessons in strange way sometime... It's up to you to dicipher the message.
Posted from my iPhone am
Posted from my iPhone am
Location:Atlanta GA
Lotus Dragonfly: SLEEVE
This is my 2nd session on this arm...it's started off as a cover-up.. She gave me 100% creative control on the colors, ideas, shit everything....so it didn't feel like "WORK" this is something I would have done for free... But she still paid me..my back started hurting so I decided to stop right at the dragonfly...the next season I will add more colors...Tuki Carter showed me a coloring shortcut that cut my tattoo time in half so I got a lot more skin covered in a shorter time... Thanks bruh!!
Posted from my iPhone
Posted from my iPhone
Location:City of Ink
Mike Giant: Rebel 8
When I think about FREEDOM, I always think of tattoo artist, visual artist, and fashion designer, MIKE GIANT...I always blog about Mike because there are a few artist that are REALLY "free" and he is one of them...I have watched his company" Rebel 8" grow over the years..and I was told he only started his company with $400...thats an example of NOT making up excuses...I just wanted to take the time out to say THANK YOU Mike Giant for inspiring me to be a better businessman...and not me afraid to express who I am to the world...you are my all time favorite artist, never stop and cont' blessing the world with your vision...I'm taking notes and oneday I will have that FREEDOM you have...see you there "Rebel 8"
Mach Five's "Just Go"
Mach Five's "Just Go" from Corey Davis on Vimeo.
Kevin Nottigham & Greedmont Park presents Mach Five's "Just Go", a short film about a gangster named Domino who will stop at nothing to deliver a mysterious suitcase. The video, directed by Corey Davis, is off their latest mixtape, “Millenia”, which receives a stamp of approval from A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg.Grip Plyaz- "What is Purp, Wind, & Fire"
My homie, Grip Plyaz just dropped this video explaining his new album "Purp, Wind, & Fire"...Grip is one of my favorite artist out Atlanta..he ALWAYS spit that real shit..I think I became an instant fan after hearing that song "Fuck dat Hipster Shit!" if you miss that real Atlanta soul with that edge of street appeal check out Grip Plyaz, and shout out to Governed By Loyalty...keep doing yall thang! Rep dat "A" bruh...we need it!
Grip Plyaz Explains Purp, Wind & Fire from Governed By Loyalty dot Com on Vimeo.
Homeless Pitbull
I was walking through 5 Points and this homeless dude asked me for some money...he had this pitbull with him that got my attention... I keep running into dogs with 2 different color eyes... Some of y'all might remember "Lola the English Bulldog" from the DC post.... She also had those crazy eyes... I wonder if it's a sign or somthing
Posted from my iPhone
Posted from my iPhone
Location:5 Points, ATL
A Cat Named Do
I met Shawn in Penn Station near the Amtrak terminal earlier this month. He was doing what most people are doing when I stop them in Penn Station: waiting for a train.
He was with who I will presume to be his wife and toddler son. I noticed he had tattoos on his arms so I approached him and told him about Tattoosday.
With his wife's encouragement, he pulled up his shirt to reveal this astonishingly unique tattoo:
Shawn drew this design himself. As a person who liked cats, this feline is based on a cat that he once had named "Do" (as in "How do you do?").
"What happened to Do?" I asked.
Shawn looked over at his son and said, sadly, "Do was not a family cat."
Some feline house pets do not like new babies and do not hide that fact. Since we are taught as a society that babies are more precious than pets, they gave Do up to another home. The cat to the left of Do in the tattoo is "Do's shadow".
Not just any cat tattoo, Shawn's design is artistic, with clocks for eyes and machinery rumbling away in Do's insides.
Shawn also has ink on his back, one leg, and arms (including a sleeve).
This piece was tattooed in 12-14 hours by Davie mac at Davie Mac's Tattoos in Niagara Falls, New York.
Thanks to Shawn for sharing Do with us here on Tattoosday!
He was with who I will presume to be his wife and toddler son. I noticed he had tattoos on his arms so I approached him and told him about Tattoosday.
With his wife's encouragement, he pulled up his shirt to reveal this astonishingly unique tattoo:
Shawn drew this design himself. As a person who liked cats, this feline is based on a cat that he once had named "Do" (as in "How do you do?").
"What happened to Do?" I asked.
Shawn looked over at his son and said, sadly, "Do was not a family cat."
Some feline house pets do not like new babies and do not hide that fact. Since we are taught as a society that babies are more precious than pets, they gave Do up to another home. The cat to the left of Do in the tattoo is "Do's shadow".
Not just any cat tattoo, Shawn's design is artistic, with clocks for eyes and machinery rumbling away in Do's insides.
Shawn also has ink on his back, one leg, and arms (including a sleeve).
This piece was tattooed in 12-14 hours by Davie mac at Davie Mac's Tattoos in Niagara Falls, New York.
Thanks to Shawn for sharing Do with us here on Tattoosday!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
BEST CRY EVER: A & E show "Intervention"
I know I shouldn't be laughing at crackheads...but hey somethings in life are just funny..so I hope no one takes this too serious..I'm human and I do LAUGH..lol I hope he is clean and off drugs today...and hit up youtube for the remix in autotune.
Mike Flo – The Gospel [Video]
I love to see my friends and family connect...proof that we can stand on our own without asking for help from outsiders...unless those outsiders are the ones supporting our art and buying our music...Miko Flo is like a brother to me..a MAN who isn't afraid of expression and a freedom fighter for us all...and Corey Davis did a beautiful job with matching Mike's words with the visual...the use of the christian church was genius!!! None of my close friends follow a religion but to use a church in this video was PERFECT!...so listen to the words to this song...Corey, you did it again lil' bruh...don't stop keep those videos coming and I will cont' to post them.
In the words of Corey Davis (taken from Greedmontpark.com) "Here’s another video I shot for Mike Flo [of the RBG Family, emcee and DJ for Dead Prez] at a Church in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. From his Less Is More LP with Leo Goetz. So far it’s one my fav’s, check it out!"
Mike Flo - The Gospel from Corey Davis on Vimeo.
In the words of Corey Davis (taken from Greedmontpark.com) "Here’s another video I shot for Mike Flo [of the RBG Family, emcee and DJ for Dead Prez] at a Church in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. From his Less Is More LP with Leo Goetz. So far it’s one my fav’s, check it out!"
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