The Main Line

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"But Seriously Folks"

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"Last season was about the aftermath of a nuclear attack in our small little town," says Barbee. "Season 2 is about the country and saving a system of government and a way of life. It's about occupation, resistance and then revolution."

- Carol Barbee - Baltimore Sun

““People, and by people I mean our bosses, probably prefer to not get all political,” Mr. Turteltaub said. “But that said, ‘Jericho’ is not ignoring the political and social landscape.’ ”
Specifically, he said, the show raises questions about trust in government and the implications of having unchecked power in an unstable area. The producers had prepared a plotline about military contractors months before the private security firm Blackwater was in the news concerning its involvement in the deaths of Iraqi civilians.”

- John Turtletaub - New York Times

“Jericho” is at its most provocative when it touches on the political maelstrom that might follow in the rebuilding after a nuclear attack.
Next week, the new government hands Jericho’s teachers textbooks that dramatically rewrite the last century. “At what point is this a country we no longer recognize?” Eric (Kenneth Mitchell) asks.”

Boston Herald

“Anyone who wants to see metaphorical connections to real-life America today is free to do so...
The show itself, however, does much of its best work in the shadows, where nothing is that clear. “

New York Daily News
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The Main Line

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The Main Line

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Love in the time of Terrorist’s
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When my wife and I were courting we did so in relative secrecy. She was visiting from another country when we met and hence had no one to tell. I did not want her to feel pressured by meeting my friends and family. Long story short we decided to marry and the time came for her to meet my mother. September 11th of 2001 was a gorgeous day on the east coast; a real bluebird. My fiancée and I rose early and dressed with NPR in the background. We got in our little gold Honda Civic and drove the 40 minutes to my mother’s house through the crisp morning. We talked on the journey instead of listening to the radio.

When Mom opened the door the first thing I noticed was her hair was soaking wet and dripping all over her bathrobe. You can tell with your mother something is wrong faster than anyone. (A sibling comes in a close second.) Something was definitely wrong. She said: “We are being terroristically attacked!” My wife to be, her future mother in law and I all sat with cats and watched as thousands lost their lives.

For a long time movies and television gave a wide berth to the subject of terrorism and all the while “terroristically”, the unknown adverb, was working its way into our psyches. The people of our country understood something we hadn’t before and slowly we began to write this newfound perspective into our stories. The composite sketch of what a terrorist looks like has now been torn up and redrawn so many times that the resulting culprit could look like any of us. I think the best terror related fiction keeps this in mind and acts as both a mirror and window.



Jericho on CBS – Tuesday nights at 10pm

Station Stop

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Featured Links

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Jericho Boss to Drop Bombshells at WonderCon

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Jericho Fans: Not At Fault

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Jericho: Eyeballs Online

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ROLL CALL: AD TRACKERS - savejerichonow.com

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Blackjack Fairgrounds: The second Jericho blog carnival

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You Want a Plan? Try this.

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FILMNUT: Live interview with Brad Beyer

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CBS looks to 'book 'em' online

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"Bjo Trimble: A Saving Enterprise"

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TV Advertising Hit by Digital Competition

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The Main Line

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The Save Jericho Campaign has come full circle; again the show is in trouble. Nielsen viewers apparently are not fans of Jericho or at least apparently not fans enough to stay up past 10. The timeslot CBS chose is being blamed both far and wide for the shows lack of traditionally rated audience. Many are comparing the ratings from last year to now and suggesting that Jericho has less audience for season 2. While this may be technically true I am fairly certain there are more folks watching televison at the 8 o’clock hour than at ten. Science Fiction, which is about the closest umbrella genre you could use to encompass Jericho, has always had a hard time culling viewers on TV. Battlestar Galactica, a critically acclaimed repurposing of late seventies SciFi hokum has only ever managed a weekly viewership of around 3 million. That is slightly lower than Jericho of late and says something about the way the show is perceived.

My older sister will not watch the show "Ugly Betty". She just cannot get past the name. I think a similar thing is happening with Jericho but in Jericho’s case it is that people just cannot get past the genre. Some of us saw the mushroom cloud on the commercials and were intrigued and others just saw post apocalyptic. That last categorization of Jericho I find very amusing as it seems that for hardcore fans of post apocalyptic fiction Jericho just is not post apocalyptic enough. Andrea Newton made reference to the usual suspects of that genre in the title of her essay The Apocalypse Will Not Have Zombies — or Ice. I recommend reading the essay as highly as the author recommends watching Jericho. Newton lays out how all of her preconceptions of the show were off base and then goes on to paint an accurate picture of the essence of Jericho's story.

That essence as it turns out is difficult at best to capture. Especially now that the shortened second season and shaved budget have forced the producers to streamline the product while attempting to stay true to the method of storytelling the fans have come to expect. As I watch each new episode of season 2 I am reminded of my feelings sitting in a dark movie theatre as a new installment of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy was released. That feeling then and now for Jericho was and is WOW! Wow, what a good job of riding the fine lines of the fans expectations and wow what a lot of heart went into this.

A wonderful symbol of the heart and soul of this show was introduced in the episode “Condor”. A flag belonging to the slain former mayor of the town is given to the mayor’s son. It Is the Gadsden flag seen at the top of this article. A replica of the flag Col. Gadsden presented to the Congress for use by the commander in chief of the American navy. On the yellow flag can be found a rattlesnake coiled to strike with the words “Don’t Tread On Me”. Benjamin Franklin was an advocate of using the rattlesnake as a symbol for America. In 1775 he wrote:

“I recollected that her eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids—She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance.—She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage.—As if anxious to prevent all pretentions of quarrelling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenceless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defence, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal:—Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her.—Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America?”

As usual the writers of Jericho have done their homework. What a fitting fortitudinous symbol for the people of a small Kansas town who find themselves in a heap of trouble with the fate of a nation hanging in the balance.

The Main Line

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EPIC 0202

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The Main Line

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“The little show that could” can’t without your help.

Nor can the movement...
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Whether you like the CBS television series “Jericho” or not you will benefit if the show survives to see a season 3. Why, because it has made a major television network unsure of its footing in the age of new media. CBS is starting to understand why sites like digg.com were embraced so readily by people online. Public opinion counts more than ever now that the internet has provided a forum for that opinion to be sculpted and delivered at high speed to any one who is interested. It appears, for the moment, that network television is interested in what we have to say but as in all great periods of change uncertainty is driving the decision making process. Those who stand to lose from change will be doing their utmost to see change postponed and this is why we must intervene, because we can and because change for the better should be built into new media from the start.

Jericho’s numbers for its season 2 premiere on the twelfth of February were not groundbreaking but the campaign which brought the show back was. We need the help of everyone within earshot to let the networks know our collective voice counts. Watch Jericho on Tuesday nights at 10 PM on CBS. Invest in the much larger movement at hand and help to change the way television is made.

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EPIC 0201

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J Minus Zero

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Click on Picture to Enlarge

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The Main Line

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The Last Ordinary Day.

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02/11/08 - CBS put to rest our familiar theme on the Jericho boards. I was able to pull a full size screen capture from my temporary internet files. If anyone would like a keepsake copy you can download the 1.5 megabyte file HERE..
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Station Stop

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Featured Links

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Kricka's Countdown

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The Lineman's Lamp - Jericho News - 02/04/08 - 02/10/08

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JERITOPIA Tonight Friday 2/8 - Jon Steinberg

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The Official Jericho Treasure Hunt!!

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Discussion: 2/6 - An Evening with Carol Barbee

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Moving Signatures - Post Requests Here

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Hi Everyone from Dale/Erik Knudsen

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JERITOPIA EVENT Tonight Thurs. 2/7 - Writer Matt Federman

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5 days to go!! from sprague/heather

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Jericho - Jake and Heather - Broken

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'Jericho' star talks of show's resurrection

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Free Jericho 2008 year-at-a-glance calendar

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Nobodysbaby and her visit with Brad Beyer

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Transcript - A Humble Townsperson Speaks - Jennie Sword

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Transcript - Karim Zreik Chats with the Jericho Fans

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The REAL Super Tuesday! - from Richard Speight, Jr.

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JERITOPIA welcomes CAROL BARBEE Tonight Wed. 2/6

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All New Ranger Roll Call Poll

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Eric Green and Stanley tonight Shaun's Show

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JERITOPIA EVENT 2/5 - Karim Zreik Chats with Jericho Fans

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JERITOPIA EVENT 2/4 - A Humble Townsperson Speaks - Jennie Sword

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Hello from KENNETH MITCHELL / 'Eric Green'

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Thankyou for Season 2 from Alicia Coppola

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Hey everybody from Stanley

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.Exclusive: Carol Barbee Talks Season 2: Updated

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JERICHO DIGGS - Casual Fans No More

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Dan Shotz talks Season Two in a live interview: Updated

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The Linemans Lamp

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T h e...L i n e m a n ' s...L a m p

"Monkey Money"

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Visit Kricka's Countdown

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Kricka has created a whole bunch of fun Jericho posters to help us countdown to showtime. See them HERE

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Carol Rocks Jeritopia!

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Carol Barbee arrived in Jeritopia last night to find upwards of 58 Jericho nuts pumped and ready to receive their beloved head honcho. Xwarp rolled out the Red Carpet and the Q and A broke off into a gallop to rival the pace of our upcoming episodes. Schumi was an elegant master of ceremonies. She outdid herself organizing and releasing the questions of the crowd. An amazing job considering it seemed there were as many questions as folks in attendance. I got to ask Carol a question that has been on my mind for quite some time. I asked if Bonnie had been written as a deaf character before they cast Shoshannah Stern. Carol replied that Bonnie had not been written as deaf and that the scripted Bonnie Richmond more closely resembled the character of Skylar Stevens, so much so that they were difficult to tell apart. When Shoshannah showed up to read for the part of Emily “She was amazing (and too young for Emily) and we finally knew who Bonnie was.” There sure are a lot of interesting alternate realities to ponder in that story! The un-moderated beginning and end of the chat were something to behold as the welcomes and thank you’s scrolled spitfire across the screen. It was an extraordinary evening.

The people at Jeritopia have been working overtime this week to get the summaries and transcripts released for these chats. Already you can find those of Jennie Sword and Karim Zriek HERE and HERE respectively. Tonight the march toward season 2 continues in Jeritopia with a visit from writer Matt Federman in the Town Hall room at 10 PM EST. -02/07/08

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Eric and Stanley on Shaun Omac 02/06

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From Amy at Remote Access: "Eric Green and Stanley Richmond (Kenneth Mitchell and Brad Beyer in “real” life) will be on Shaun O’Mac’s radio show, live tonight. They’ll be on for “as much of the second hour of the program as they want to be on for,” starting at 11 p.m. EST. Go here for the show." -02/06/08

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"Part of the Family"

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If you are a Jericho fan Monday the 4th of February was something of a dream. Jeritopia held a scheduled formal chat with Jennie Sword. Scumi did teriffic job of keeping order in the court as usual and the Q and A went on for about an hour and a half. It was very nice to spend time with Towniejen in such an informal and downright civil gathering. She is a neat lady and I am sure that many of us will be watching as she steps through the doors which are opening for her. Thanks Jennie!

Now, this alone is enough excitement to send this old man to bed but the Jericho crowds continued to go wild in Jeritopia throughout the day yesterday and far into the night as Jeritpoia saw unscheduled visits from Karim Zreik, Jon Steinberg and Clare Carey. (Dan Shotz was in the room with Karim so it was almost like he was there.)

Meanwhile on the CBS boards Brad Beyer and Alicia Coppola were making contact of another kind in posting to the boards and thanking the fans all over again for season 2. Outstanding!

I think I am going to have to borrow a line from Carol Barbee here and I hope she will not mind:

“It is fun to be us this year!” - 02/05/08

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Jeritopia is Jammin'

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Jennie Sword, Matt Federman, Carol Barbee, Karim Zreik and Jon Steinburg are all coming to Jeritopia this week. I won’t repeat that but I should. This is unprecedented. I will repeat that: This is unprecedented. Jericho is truly a show of, by and for the people. Stop by the Jeritopia home page for starting times and turn out to support these incredible folks who are turning out in droves to support us. Amazing!!! -02/04/08

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Remote Access Launches Second Debate

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Amy Vernon of Remote Access is staging her second pre-premiere debate today. Jake VS. Hawkins is the topic and any and all opinons on the matter are welcome. -02/04/08

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