Speaking of which....the dailies Maureen put together were awesome. For those really interested in the process of television it was fascinating. The lighting in the Bali Hai lounge was so low, because of the video, that I didn't even try to take any photos.

The sound was out for 45 min of Stan's presentation and being the professional he is he mimed, then talked through most of it for the fans. Stan answered questions regarding his new movie called "The Flunky". Other stars are Dean Stockwell, Gary Coleman, Farrah Fawcett, Alex Rocco, Jimmy Van Patten, Gina Lee Nolan. Another Van Patten is directing.

Jim's footage was Glory Days, but they also aired some of the footage from the Armageddon. You know with one. The temptation scene. Jim talked about how he had received a call from David Abramowitz essentially asking permission from him to write it, because if he was uncomfortable with the subject they could go another way. I find this awesome. I'm not sure the head writers of other shows would show that kind of sensitivity and go that extra mile for the comfort and feelings of their actors. To me just another indication of how very special Highlander was. Jim talked about his feelings regarding the loss of his legs, how he's come to a reconciliation with himself and how he feels it's an important issue to put out there for others. Peter came in early, just in time to view this scene and was very moved. He told us he had never seen that scene until this very minute and that he thought it was the finest work he had ever seen of Jim's. Peter commented that the scene was just as difficult for Peter Hudson as James Horton/Ahriman. (For those that have never met him, Peter Hudson is a very nice, soft spoken gentle man with a wonderful sense of humor.) It was difficult for him to play a character so cold and brutal regarding the subject matter. Jim said he and Peter Hudson spent some time in a bar talking over the scene and did some extra rehearsing. (I think it's some of Jim's finest work too.)

There were no dailies from "Indiscretions" so Maureen put together only the Jim and Peter clips. They claimed it greatly improved the ep. Jim was always throwing an occasional comment in :"Joe's a little thick" at the appropriate time. Sure to bring the house down.

Peter talked about the jimmy scene in which he and "Joe" are driving around looking for "Amy". Here he is in a strange vehicle driving around unfamiliar streets of Paris during rush hour with Jim at his side and the camera man and the director in back telling him "turn left here...no here"....in a car with the steering wheel on the left and the gear shift in the wrong place......because Peter has only driven in ENGLAND. He told us to watch the background during those shots as there is no continuity at all.

Peter also told us that in France they don't use Candy glass. When the stunt woman went through the window in the Flashback it was real glass and she sustained several cuts.

Peter talked about the quickening scene being the very last scene of Highlander shot. That Adrian had finished filming a week before and was gone and Jim was off getting a drink. He was 30+ feet up standing on a metal plate about the size of a trash can lid with fire shooting up behind him while on the opposite catwalk all the bigwigs where observing with champagne glasses in their hands. And a spark landing on his face and beginning to feel his face burn and he's thinking....they're not going to set this shot up again. So being the trooper he is he finishes the scene.

The idea of a Methos and Joe show came up again during the Q & A. I got the idea from both Bill Panzer and Peter Wingfield that they were not thinking of an ONLY Methos show when they talked of a Methos show. I got the idea that it would be a Methos AND Joe show. Specifically so Methos had someone to play off of. And that it wouldn't be ABOUT them every week, them being the center of an episode, but that they would be the reason that stories happened, stories perhaps about some guest immie or other. Never was anything said about changing the character of Methos into a hero. In fact just the opposite, keeping the character true to form.

We saw Peter's scenes from Methuselah's gift. There were several versions of the interrogation "Get me a sword" scene. Also a few of the break-in to Watcher Headquarters and some funny shots with the cat. A very mellow cat. He said they wanted to shoot the cat running out of the room but the cat would just sit there. They'd shout and throw things and the cat would still just sit there. (Obviously Peter is unfamiliar with W.C.Fields.) Adrian was 'meowing' for the cat in the dailies.

Also many versions of the "You try to be her" scene with Liz. Different each time. All very powerful. In one scene Peter just walks away in the middle. He says that an actor should never say lines he doesn't feel are honest, doesn't feel are motivated.......or can't remember.

There was extensive footage of the train fight which was shot all in one take from cameras at several different locations. (And the occasional crew member appearing in a shot.) He said Liz and he were drained after the all the takes. There is one take in which she complains that her arm is just gone.

Peter talked about Adrian's directing style. He wants one shot in the can, then he says do it again...only different. (Adrian apparently has gone over budget a bit also.....but with wonderful results.)

We also saw some scenes from "Timeless". It was really raining when Alexa meets Methos in the park. And Peter told us the Methuselah stone was a really cheap cheesy piece of plastic.

Duende was an episode that came about when Anthony brought the concept of the magic circle to David Abramowitz (after pitching it to Zorro.) We saw several versions of the sauna and at least eight versions of love scene, confrontations with MacLeod and the final fight. Extensive final fight footage. And the occasional crew member appearing in a shot. Anthony explained how an actor can cheat a little extra screen time. In one of the confrontation scenes he asked "Theresa" to wait at the car door instead of entering the car. Then after his final line he walks to her, kisses her on the forehead, hands her in and then turns and gives MacLeod one final look. Voilá. Extra screen time.

Anthony told us that the very artistic slow motion scene in which he pushes the actress down the stairs and it then cuts to a slow motion shot of the apples (very artistic) was filmed in an art school during a 'new wine' festival. (He says they all poo poo the wine as being inferior but by the end of the day most everyone is drunk.) The students are all standing around the upper balconies watching the shooting. So he pushes the actress and she tumbles down a few steps to a nice soft mat. Then he hears all these mumbles and curses from the observers "Aw, dolors, bastard!"..... and decides to beat a hasty retreat.

The sauna scene was filmed in the same place as the flamenco club, no heat and they were quite cold. The steam is really smoke and their sweat was just oil sprayed on. Anthony said the sauna scene was quite important to the character of Consone in that it was the only time he could convey the friendship Consone had with MacLeod. Consone was not a man that made friends easily nor did he have many, so the relationship he developed with MacLeod was important. And Consone's choice to end that friendship and the reasons behind it were important to the story. He also talked about Adrian's very artistically draped loincloth and his decision to stay seated through most of the scene.

The love scene is Anthony and "Theresa" in the back seat of a limo driving around Paris for hours with the director and the camera man in front of them. Very intimate he says with a laugh. The last scenes were quite funny, with the director leaning in front of the camera asking him what he thought he was doing to this innocent girl and then Anthony and the actress singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.". Anthony said that after 20 years this was his first love scene. At least the first one where the woman isn't handcuffed or tied up.

The final duel was a nightmare. The magic circle hadn't been treated because it had rained all day. (They had spread Coca-Cola on it for the inside shots to give them some grip but that wouldn't work outside. Also Anthony's boots for the salon scene were two sizes too big.) Adrian was using an aluminum blade but Anthony's blade was steel because of the flamberge style. The rain and the slick surface made the fight particularly dangerous. The surface had to be squeegeed off between takes. There was one version that showed all the crew in warm coats and rain slickers huddled under canopies and umbrellas. There is one scene when Anthony's feet literally go out from under him and he becomes horizontal and then drops out of the camera's view. Then you hear an expletive and see a little fountain of water spew up into the frame. Then Adrian points at him and says to the crew "See? Didn't we tell you?" In another take they do the section you see in the blooper reel. The Can-Can chorus line to "Singing in the rain". In fact in all the fight dailies you can hear quite a bit of colorful vocabulary. Some of this was a result of Adrian's perfectionism and the fact that he and Anthony had had very little time to rehearse. But mostly it's the weather and the slippery surface they're fighting on. Finally we saw the entire finished fight from beginning to end with the music, the editing, the 'added' rain. Because of the back lighting after dark sometimes you couldn't see the rain so for continuity they had to add it in in post production. Anthony says the fight in Duende is unique in that F. Braun found a way for Consone to win....but still lose. He was quite pleased that despite fears of the gruesomeness of MacLeod pulling himself onto Consone's sword it was still in the final script.

Closing ceremonies brought us an unexpected delight. Yet another concert by the Jim Byrnes Band. They are just wonderful to listen too. Good thing too. (Did I mention the six years of ballroom dancing? I think I want my money back.)

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Kruise '99