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Post by snish on Nov 5, 2011 18:04:47 GMT -8
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now part of WWW history! (And part of one of the nicest, most fun group of people we've ever met!) Today we were part of a scene--I can't tell you which one or Patty will kill me. We spent no less than 5 hours in the makeup room! I kid you not! I mean, I was only an extra and they spent a whole hour doing my face. Diva spent the entire day in the purgatorial corset, and I wore a wig that made me afraid to turn my head lest it fall off! And... I WAS KISSED BY ARTEMUS GORDON! Yes, there is a photo and you will see it sometime I'm sure. Eat your hearts out, Angels! Hahahahahaha! So, yeah, it's been a great experience and we still have half a day left. I don't believe we'll be on camera tomorrow because they're planning to film some scene that doesn't need extras. But we'll be on the set for a while and maybe we can make ourselves useful. The thing that has surprised me is that it's not bothering me at all to see someone else playing the roles of Jim and Artie. Honestly, I thought I would hate it. But it's fun! And I think it's because this production has so much more of the flavor of the series than... you know what. So, signing off for now unless I think of something else and come back. Pretty tired. It's hard work sitting around being made up!
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 5, 2011 18:18:55 GMT -8
SHUT UP! LOL I want to be kissed by Artemus Gordon so bad it ain't even funny! *My heart might taste better with a salad and fries and Good Season's dressing *
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 5, 2011 18:20:07 GMT -8
You know Snish I was thinking the same thing, about Jim and Arte not being our sweethearts Ross and Robert. I think it's because Jim is like us, a fan, and it's like playing dress up with fanfiction. And video. FUN!
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Dieter
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Post by Dieter on Nov 5, 2011 18:39:38 GMT -8
Glad to hear it's turning out so well!! Looking forward to hearing more about it--then seeing the whole show when it's complete, of course!!
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Post by California gal on Nov 5, 2011 19:33:03 GMT -8
Still envious as heck, but so glad you are having a good time and all is as good as or better than you expected.
We can hope that this "episode" is a great success so that Jim and Patty do more, and perhaps even more of us can get involved with a little time to prepare (i.e., save $$).
Looking forward to hearing more from you.
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Post by snish on Nov 6, 2011 4:26:16 GMT -8
Still envious as heck, but so glad you are having a good time and all is as good as or better than you expected. We can hope that this "episode" is a great success so that Jim and Patty do more, and perhaps even more of us can get involved with a little time to prepare (i.e., save $$). Looking forward to hearing more from you. It's been noted that they didn't give a lot of advance notice for this shoot. I'm sure next time they'll do better, because now they know that people are willing to come. Honestly, they were surprised that we showed up, when all we had to do is get in the car and drive for a while. And I'm surprised Patty didn't post any more pictures! I know she got some good ones. On to another day of show biz...
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Post by snish on Nov 6, 2011 4:28:12 GMT -8
I love that you are doing hair in a kitchen. It's actually Patty's hotel room. She has a two-room suite that's overflowing with costumes and makeup and hair stuff--and people, half the time. It seems to be the command center for the production.
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Dieter
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Post by Dieter on Nov 6, 2011 7:42:31 GMT -8
Is James doing his own stunts or using a stunt man??
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Post by PattyW on Nov 6, 2011 14:53:45 GMT -8
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Post by MissRedhead on Nov 6, 2011 15:01:46 GMT -8
ohhhhhhhh Ross' own costume... what I wouldn't give to touch that!!!! oh... my... um... where was I, now? oh yes... *keels over*
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Post by California gal on Nov 6, 2011 16:48:31 GMT -8
I see someone getting kissed by Artie! Great pictures, Patty. Thanks.
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Nydiva
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Post by Nydiva on Nov 6, 2011 20:36:34 GMT -8
Okay. I juat rolled in the door a half hour ago. Really tired, but also really wired! What a weekend. The welcome we were given made it seem like we were part of the shoot forever; but the time went so VERY pleasurably by in a blink of the eye. I know I'm leaving stuff out, but this is a somewhat chronological tale of our adventure in the Wild Wild East. It'll have to be in a couple of parts because it's late and I'm about to fall asleep at the keyboard - so day 1 now with more to follow tomorrow. But first a pause for a message from our sponsors. In other words, the hugest to Patty, James, Paul, Emlee, Bill, Riva, Mark, Michael and everyone else whose names I've blanked on. Such an abundance of wonderful people to meet within such a short space of time. Not to mention Snish for heroically withstanding moi as a companion for 48 hours. That takes fortitude! Now onto the chronicles: I met Snish at the Beacon, NY train station around 9 am for the final four hour leg of the journey. I started out from Queens around 6 am and she started out from Wilkes Barre at 6:30. One of those "both on the cell phone as we walked toward each other" meetings. She's great! The long drive didn't seem so at all. We talked. And talked. And some more. About WWW, natch, Ross (of course), England, the upcoming shoot, more Ross, etc. We even listened to the one track of a musical Ross did. A pretty rare and pricey CD I managed to snag on Ebay a while back. It was a "patter song" and really didn't show off his singing voice, per se, but Ross in any form is welcome. We got to the motel - and no clerk. Just a sign saying come back at 3 pm. Well, nothing we could do. After a very fast lunch, we happy two managed to find the very nearby shoot location. We were directed to the second floor of the elegant John Hancock House and tiptoed up the stairs in case they were filming and had to keep noise down. Sure enough, they were. We whispered our identity to the lovelly Emlee Vasillos (who we later learned is the villianess of the piece) and once they called "cut", we were ushered in to meet the equally lovely, nice, welcoming Patty, who couldn't believe we actually showed up. We were doing our best mice immitation and trying to huddle quietly out of the way in the doorway of a back room, when Patty brought us out into the open, encouraged us to watch filming and then introduced us around. Oh - and she wanted to know where the dead body in our trunk went to!!!!!!!!!! Folks, they haven't finished the shoot yet and I'm already salivating to see the finished product. The dedication to the spirit of the show and the attention to detail is AMAZING. As you read earlier, they had one of Ross Martin's actual costumes. And me being me, I HAD to ask if I could touch it. Did I mention that a very, very nice actor, Paul R Sieber (MUCH more about him later) was in it at the time, and LOVED the fact that "Artie's Angels" (yes he KNOWS the term) were practically swooning over the costume alone. While we were talking to Paul, James Cawley (actor/author/producer) came over in an exact replica of the Jim West costume. He OWNS the original and had it duplicated down to the pocket for the hidden knife. James, too, was just incredibly welcoming. That's a term that's going to be repeated - a lot, but I can't remember feeling so welcome and appreciated just for simply showing up. James even brought over his own personal collection of rare WWW stills for us to look through. Somewhere along the line, we managed to inveigle James and Paul into posing with us. They were so tickled by our (probably overwhelmed) reaction that James wanted us to be put into costume after the dinner break to film small scene. Whoooboy!!! Anyway, we had dinner (I think, gawd I'm already spacing) with a few of the folk and then it was time for costume and hair. Being of the larger persuasion (dammit) there was only one dress that really fit me - with the help of a torturous garment known as a corset. Words fail describing getting me laced into that thing. Suffice it to say, breathing was NOT an option. In reality, it was uncomfortable but not unbearable. And it made me look like I was smuggling cannon balls in my bodice!! Ah well, a character actress be I! After that, it was time for hair. As Patty created my 1860's "do", the rest of the group wandered in and out of "headquarters" (Patty's efficiency bungalow). An hour or so passed. Finally it was getting so late that the question of just when we were going to start shooting was brought up. Turns out, it had been decided to wrap for the day. But that information hadn't filtered back to us yet. I wrenched myself out of the dress and corset (out of sight, of course) and we called it a night, with a "breakfast call" (meeting across the street at a local cafe) for 8 am. And now it's time for me to conk out - with a huge smile as I dream of the glorious time and wonderful people I met over this weekend. More tomorrow - IF I decide to get up that is!
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Paradox Eyes
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Post by Paradox Eyes on Nov 7, 2011 2:25:40 GMT -8
An extraordinary adventure to be sure! I’m enjoying your sharing of it, Nydiva and would love to think more of us might be able to go in the future. How fun that you were able to be a part of it! Curiosity grows along with the suspense. I keep trying to guess if the story picks up at the end of the war or there are flashbacks. James is gorgeous in that dress uniform. (Aww…heck, he’s gorgeous in all the Jim West gear! ) The Artemus Gordon costume still looks terrific. That maroon outfit was always my favorite of his dress suits. It’s so cool that it can be a part of the new adventures! The stories, pictures and everything…Simply AWESOME! ;D ;D
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Post by MissRedhead on Nov 7, 2011 2:51:26 GMT -8
I'm an Artie's Angel through and tough but I agree with PE, that dress uniform is GORGEOUS!!!!!
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Post by snish on Nov 7, 2011 5:53:18 GMT -8
I see someone getting kissed by Artie! Great pictures, Patty. Thanks. I must admit, it was James's idea for Artie to kiss me, and what a nice idea it was! I love the photo of Jim in the hallway--that must have been taken after we left Sunday. They had a truly awesome filming location yesterday, wish you all could see it! Oh yeah, and that's my natural hair! LOL, NOT! Everyone was so kind to us, including the crew. 3 different crew people approached me and made sure I knew how to get to the filming location for Sunday. I mean, they didn't have to do that.
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 7, 2011 6:33:24 GMT -8
I have tears in my eyes reading all this...this production is blessed beyond measure. Too funny about Paul knowing the Arte's Angels Love that! It shows that this company really cares about the fans of the original. Looking at those photos I can see that they want to pay homage while producing their own show. And I agree with Red, that Jim looks fantastic in that uniform, Arte's Angel or not! LOL And Paul is fabulous in Ross's suit...I see you Diva, hogging up all the snuggle room on that suit! Snish, I think I'm not talking to you for a minute. LOL!
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Post by California gal on Nov 7, 2011 7:14:01 GMT -8
So good to hear that it's not just "people" making this film, but FANS!
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Post by snish on Nov 7, 2011 7:15:43 GMT -8
Well, since Apple isn't speaking to me, I'll just address my remarks to everyone else! Yes, James was very striking in the Civil War uniform. I think he felt a little left out because the only fans visiting the set were Artie's Angels. So next time you Jewels will have to make up for that! We got to watch Paul putting on his makeup to be Artie in disguise! He went into character and stayed that way for as long as we were there. It was even a little bit eerie, because his manner was so much like Ross in character. Alas, we had to leave long before they were finished shooting for the day, so now I'm dying to see what else they filmed on that location.
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Post by artiesniecewannabe on Nov 7, 2011 7:34:47 GMT -8
Ok, as a looooong time Gilbert & Sullivan aficionada, my antennae went up on the phrase 'patter song' -- please, what patter song? *salivating* Love the pics! This is me 'cause Snish got a kiss from Artie, heh heh.Oh, if only they were shooting in southmost Texas! *whimper*
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Nydiva
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Post by Nydiva on Nov 7, 2011 8:13:01 GMT -8
Well, since Apple isn't speaking to me, I'll just address my remarks to everyone else! Yes, James was very striking in the Civil War uniform. I think he felt a little left out because the only fans visiting the set were Artie's Angels. So next time you Jewels will have to make up for that! Bite your tongue, woman! I'd just as soon have BOTH of them to ourselves. Bad enough I had to share "Artie" with you! Hussy! Working on the chronicle for Day 2 and trying to remember as much non-spoiler detail as possible.
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Dieter
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Post by Dieter on Nov 7, 2011 8:42:16 GMT -8
All sounds awesome to read about!! I bet you both wish you were still there!! I just saw another cool picture of Artie in disguise on Facebook. I swear he looks just like Ross did in one of his disguises. Such a total resemblance!! I've got James and Patty as friends on Facebook now so will be looking for more pics they post, besides here and the other WWW board!
Great stuff!!! When is this episode maybe gonna be finished to watch?
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Nydiva
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Post by Nydiva on Nov 7, 2011 9:04:39 GMT -8
Sorry to take so long, I'm trying to put in as much detail as my dazed brain can remember.
Day 2 (Saturday)
First, a few more names that I spaced out and omitted in my Day 1 report. A big shout out (and sorry) to CW, Gwen and Debbie. And I’m embarrassed to say that there were three very fine gentlemen whose names have permanently eluded me. There were so many people to meet and I have a rotten memory for names and faces. Numbers I remember (no idea why).
Oh, I totally forgot to mention that at dinner with the company James called Apple and then put Snish and myself on the phone. I mean, how thoughtful can you get? I’ll never be much of a Jim West aficionado, but James Cawley is another matter entirely.
On to Saturday proper. After a night at the Stone House Motel (which should be called the Stone BED motel), we met up with the company at the Hot Bisquit Diner directly across the street. Very country quaint and they mean business about their biscuits. But knowing what was in store for me (the dreaded corset), I had a very light breakfast.
Then onto makeup, hair and (ulp) wardrobe. A lovely lady named Riva was the makeup pro. While Shish went into makeup, I ironed costumes. Since each individual’s makeup took an hour minimum, I got a lot of ironing done. I was glad to finally be useful; but when it was my turn for makeup, I gladly handed the iron over to Snish! Riva was a miracle worker. Now Snish has huge gorgeous eyes, but mine are teeny and somewhat hooded. A challenge if there ever was one. I almost didn’t recognize myself when Riva was done.
Patty and Bill took turns with hair. Mine was just about long enough to be coaxed into a semblance of an 1800’s style; the wigs were reserved for those with “modern hair” - like Snish. She looked so glam, I was envious! While the rest of the ladies (and later the men) were made up, Patty strapped and hooked me into my cozzie. I could have NEVER gotten into that thing on my own.
Then we just sat around and waited to be called to the set location. There IS a lot of sitting around and waiting - but that’s prime time to chat and get acquainted. Aha - a group of people who haven’t yet been bored to death by my theatre stories! Paul and especially James were in and out the whole time. I can’t stress enough about how solicitous James was to us. WE felt like the stars. And he had a HECK of a lot of other things to do. Incredible, just incredible.
Despite an early-ish start, it was past 2 pm before we drove over to the next location (a community building with a gorgeous Federal style interior). Climbing into the car in long dress and corset was a challenge. I just wasn’t very “bend-able” at that point!
They took “continuity” pictures of all the extras (in case we would be required on another day) and everyone more or less snapped away with their own cameras as well. Some of the pics Patty posted were downloaded from my camera. That way the production can publish just what they want - which is eminently fair.
We watched the “principals” rehearse their scenes a few times, varying their “marks” and trying out different line readings. Subtle inflections really DO make a difference. The villain of the pierce was truly intense and scary (and excellent) - but I won’t give his identity away. That’s for Patty and James to decide.
Between rehearsals and “takes” (which averaged 3 to 5 per shot), Paul R Sieber (Artie) came over and made sure we weren’t getting bored (we weren‘t; we weren‘t). He was in total Artie mode and it was such an amazing, funny, surreal experience to interact with him in that way. He had us eating out of his hand (an expression - I wasn’t eating ANYthing while trussed up!!). He knew it; we knew it; we all loved it. Nobody, but nobody is Ross; but Paul is his own Artie and a pretty darn terrific Paul to boot. Oh - speaking of boots (the slippery kind), during once scene James and Paul had to race up a set of marble stairs. We heard this huge clatter (we were back in a hallway out of camera range) and Paul had fallen down a flight. We ran forward just in time to see Paul flat on his back on the landing. Thankfully he was fine - just a bit chagrined; and trooper that he is, there wasn’t even the slightest pause between the next take.
Oh gosh - just remembered a funny. Paul was kidding around about his Artie-as-actor costume. He said there should be a man’s version of Spanx to help out in snug costumes. Referring to his tights, Paul quipped: “Did you know that Artie created spandex?” He was hysterical. And by the way, ladies, he does have chocolate brown eyes. (Kill me now - Paul will probably read this, but I had to say it! LOL)
Then it was time for what I consider the best photo of the weekend. In between “set ups” everyone pretty much took “candids” of their own. Of course we wanted MORE with James and Paul. A friendly soul took one pic with me, Snish and Paul, then I stepped down to take one of Snish and Paul. James got into the action and said since she was an “Artie’s Angel” Paul should kiss her. I was at the foot of the stairs seething with jealousy! But the shot was soooo great, I couldn’t stay that way for long. However, I did inform James that, hey!, I was an Artie’s Angel too. Hmpff! I didn’t want to take up more time (they were ready to shoot again - and that‘s why we were there); so {{{{{sniffle}}}}} NEXT shoot (hoping, hoping, hoping it all works out) I expect some individual Artie action! Greedy, greedy, greedy! LOL!!!
The extras did a “lobby scene” (all I can say without spoiling). We took marks, were given entrance timing, and did several takes of strolling across a lobby. I learned a new term: “back to the ones”, which means they’re doing another take so go back to your start position. Of course I can’t guess just how the “establishing shot” will be edited, so that might wind up on the cutting floor. However Snish and I won’t. James decided he needed two extras for a scene he was in and chose US. How totally cool is that (and how totally cool is he)! Snish and I were elated. Patty said that guaranteed we’d be in the finished product. We’re even getting a credit on IMDB! Heck I wish I could go back to the shoot right now - regardless of whether I’m ever used on camera again.
Anyway it was getting late and time to break down the set up. I couldn’t wait to get back to the motel and b-r-e-a-t-h-e. I practically sprinted into headquarters to get out of that corset. And there WERE indentations up and down my torso. Afterwards, we went out to eat. And this time I could eat.
Back to the hotel and time to call it a night. I’ll work on day three later today. I’m hugging these memories to myself as I type.
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Post by artiesniecewannabe on Nov 7, 2011 9:13:32 GMT -8
Loving it, Nydiva!
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Post by lilyfortune on Nov 7, 2011 9:38:07 GMT -8
This is exciting beyond words! I'm so envious of you gals, I'd so love to be there but it's impossible so I'll have to experience it through those of you who are lucky enough to be there.....
Wow, Ross' actual costume!?! I would love to touch that too! I would prefer he himself were in it of course, if only that were possible........
I'm 100% Angel but I have to say Wanderer Jim looks great in that uniform! :-)
I also thought I'd be bothered by seeing other people in the roles of Artie & Jim but I'm not (not like the trauma of that horrible movie), it's all being done in the spirit of honoring the show and the characters we love and I can't wait to see the finished product. How is that going to be handled?
I like to think that if Ross was here he would wholeheartedly approve ;D
Many thanks for the pics and descriptions of all the fun!!
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Post by California gal on Nov 7, 2011 9:44:57 GMT -8
While the rest of the ladies (and later the men) were made up, Patty strapped and hooked me into my cozzie. I could have NEVER gotten into that thing on my own. Why do you think the "ladies" of that era had maids? Thanks for the wonderful account of your experiences, Diva. And if you think of more you can share, please do. I'm still envious but very, very glad you got to participate. Maybe if the rest of us start saving our pennies we might make it another time.
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Post by artiesniecewannabe on Nov 7, 2011 9:54:10 GMT -8
*needs an online translator for whatever-that-was that Ace is speaking in*
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Dieter
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Post by Dieter on Nov 7, 2011 10:02:42 GMT -8
Haha!! Yep--That's a foreign language I find hard to read. May as well be Chinese. Takes me about a half hour to read one paragraph now. ;D
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Post by MissRedhead on Nov 7, 2011 10:41:06 GMT -8
awesome updates Diva! I sooo wish I was there too!!
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 7, 2011 10:55:16 GMT -8
Let me say that I am loving Paul Sieber now, myself. I am so excited about this! Yep, Jim called me while Snish and Diva were with him at dinner so I got to speak to them! That was fun. I also know who the villain is and I think it's a great idea!
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Apple
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Post by Apple on Nov 7, 2011 10:58:59 GMT -8
Diva, I love your blow by blow reports too, and Snish, I'm talking to you again (I know, big whoop!) LOL!
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