It's the kind of blue-skied mountains-meet-the-ocean day that Vancouver was made for. And the cast of Men in Trees (premiering tonight at 10 pm/ET ABC) is spending the whole day in a bar.
OK, so the Chieftain is not a real bar. It's a copy of a nearby bar, right down to the posters offering expert rifle cleaning and bear repellent, and it's where the fictional citizens of the fictional town of Elmo, Alaska, fictionally hang out.
But according to star Anne Heche, the friendly you-scratch-my-back-I-loan-you-my-sled-dog atmosphere that makes the ABC drama such heartwarming fun is anything but fictional.
"The cast and crew of this show really do comprise a real-life Elmo," says Heche, who plays Marin Frist, a New York City writer who finds solace, community and even love in Elmo. "We're all great friends with lots of humor and warmth betw
read more
During the seven long weeks since the last new ER episode news broke about the impending departure of Goran Visnjic That disturbing development got me thinking about what Id like to say to the Powers-That-Be over at the Peacock network about the future of our beloved show Herewith my plea along with some thoughts about tonights developments Dear NBCFor starters let me just say up front that I have been a fan of ER since those heady early Must-See-TV days Ive stuck by the show while all of my favorite characters Doug Carol Benton Mark Carter have taken their leave Heck even Kerry had won me over by the time she departed for Miami with son Henry in tow So I think Ive been patient and Ive given new cast additions a chance to grow on me Ive invested myself in the stories and the natural evolution of characters who came and went sometimes with little fanfare or explanation In my heart I keep trying to convince mysel
read more
I think I've used up all of my good karma for a long while, what with Men in Trees getting picked up and moved to after Grey's Anatomy, and the swift and crushing Bears victory on Sunday. To be honest, I'm not a huge football aficionado in general, but I am from Chicago, so I really have no choice but to be a rabid and unquestioning Bears fan. Our producer, Rick Wallace, also hails from the Windy City, so we've been spending a lot of Sundays at the local Vancouver sports bar, along with John Amos, who plays Buzz. Here's some Men in Trees trivia for you: John Amos used to play football for the Kansas City Chiefs!You don't have to wait until the Super Bowl to see some Bears action, because we have a very special appearance by a bear on tonight's episode of Men in Trees, "Bed, Bat and Beyond." From the title you may be able to guess that a certain winged creature will also be making an appearance. I know I've been talking about how much we all love each other up here on the show, but t...
read more
If you haven't been watching ABC's Men in Trees (now airing Thursdays at 10 pm/ET, following Grey's Anatomy), you are missing out on meeting the quirky residents of Elmo, Alaska — one of them being local bartender/millionaire-inventor Ben, played by Abraham Benrubi. While this reporter has had a total crush on Benrubi since his days as a lovable bully on Parker Lewis Can't Lose, others will recognize him from his years as ER's Jerry. After copping to a longtime crush, TVGuide.com asked the actor about emerging from behind the desk at County General and stepping into a big romantic love tri
read more
Hey ER fans better late than never right Thanks for your patience while we got the blog up and running Thankfully the 13th season of our venerable Thursday-night must-see kicked off right where the finale left off with Jerry Luka Abby and Sam all in various states of peril When we last saw Sam she was being tossed into a van by Steve and his fellow prison escapee Rafe For you Six Feet Under fans Rafe was played by Michael Weston the guy who brutalized David in a similarly creepy role a few years back And Mary the ER trainee turned gun-toting accomplice was played by Natasha Gregson Wagner daughter of the late Natalie Wood Their escape resulted in Jerry being shot and Luka being paralyzed and intubated helpless to assist a bleeding unconscious Abby As a devoted fan the sloppiness of some of the writing and character development in recent seasons has been frustrating This show is at its absolute best and always has been when we are watching the day-to-day
read more
