My biggest concern when I started this blog-post-a-day on Jericho was that I’d have enough news and links to get me through to the premiere.

Let me just say this about that:

HA!

To my absolute delight and dismay, there’s been way more than I can even come up with. Delight, because that means there’s tons out there in the blogosphere about Jericho and it’s getting lots of ink and bytes. Dismay, because I can barely keep up and, if I’m going to get my “real” jobs as a local news editor and a mom done, I can only blog about twice a day on Jericho, at most.

I hate sitting on any news, and the thought that I have had most of the content of this post since at least yesterday just bugs me as a newswoman.

Sigh.

Anyway, I’m going to start with the newest stuff first: last night’s chat on Jeritopia with Carol Barbee.

Of course, by the time I got into work this morning, I already had e-mails from Clarke and Terocious about the chat; each had focused on a totally different aspect.

Not shockingly, Clarke’s focused on a bits of Jeather/Jemily info Carol dropped like napalm in the chat. He posted a collection of her comments on the Jericho boards; I’ve excerpted some here:

I think you folks are going to love Heather’s story this year. Sprague did. Heather and Jake have lots to do together this season. She has a great storyline and is integral to the plot. I think having her serve a purpose, helping save the town, sends a great message to women and girls.

***
We don’t know who Jake will end up with. Hopefully, we’ll have many seasons to find out. They (Jake and Emily) start Season Two together.

***
Emily is Jake’s hometown sweetheart. She’s his family. They’ve known each other their entire lives. There will always be a bond there. That doesn’t mean he’ll always be with Emily.

Whew! After yesterday’s bomb by Karim about Jemily being an item through the seven eps of Season 2, I was getting a little worried.

Terocious asked Carol a very interesting question that I’ve often wondered about myself: Was the character of Bonnie Richmond originally written as deaf?

The answer, after the break.

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.”

I think that’s really interesting, because if Bonnie hadn’t been Shoshannah Stern, it’s a big honkin’ question mark as to how Stimi might have evolved, seeing as Bonnie was a big element in that whole relationship.

Thanks for auditioning, Shoshannah!

Reminder: Tonight’s Jeritopia chat is writer Matt Federman in the Town Hall at 10 PM EST. Transcripts of the Jennie Sword chat and Karim Zriek chat have been posted.

Next!

Following in the footsteps of Kenneth Mitchell, Brad Beyer and Alicia Coppola, Deputy Bill (Richard Speight Jr.) posted a thank-you on the Jericho boards, and it’s really funny and sweet:

Ahoy Jericho Freedom Fighters!

As our day of reckoning nears, I feel inspired to reach out to you once more and salute you for your successful efforts to resurrect our show. I say ‘our show’ because you have now become as integral a part of the process as the camera crew, the lighting crew, the producers, the writers, the actors … you name it. Without you, we have nothing. With you, we have a shot to show the bigwigs at CBS just how truly wrong they were to cancel us – and how very RIGHT they were to give “Jericho” a second chance. You have created this opportunity. And on February 12th, you will finally be able to see the fruits of your well-organized labor.

As we near the premiere, there’s one very important thing to remember – even though the show is available on-line, the brass at CBS has continually stressed the importance of bringing eyeballs to the TV screen. Getting a lot of viewers to tune in to CBS on Tuesday nights is the only truly effective way to show CBS how much support the show has. So let’s do just that. Let’s prove to them that we know how to dance the dance. Be sure you tell everyone you know to watch the show every Tuesday night. Make an event out of it! Dress up like Mary Bailey (yowzah!), mix up a batch of vodka Jerich-ini’s (and maybe a few Jerich-olas for those loveable non-drinkers), and throw “Jericho” parties for your friends and neighbors! Then every time Eric Green scratches his beard, everyone has to do a shot! That should get those wheels greased pretty darn quickly. Or have a post-apocalyptic costume party, where the fellas wear jeans and torn flannel shirts and the ladies dress up as Jericho deputies. It won’t be long before you’ll be hearing phrases like, “You have the right to remain sexy…” and “If lookin’ good is a crime, then guilty as charged! Uh-oh, Eric Green just scratched his beard again! SHOTS!” Then after you’ve all watched it on TV, you can all go on-line to CBS.com and watch it again, chat about it, download it off iTunes … whatever you want to do.

This is going to be fun. I can feel it. Maybe this is just the writer’s strike talking, but I think we can pull a Season 3 out of this. I know the writers are ready. I know the actors are excited. Especially Bob Stephenson. Dude calls me every day. I’m like, get a hobby Bob. Jeez! It’s a bit much, honestly. But he’s just so fired up. And so am I! Because I know that together, we can all make TV history. Together, we can inspire the industry to set new standards by which a show’s success is judged and measured. So let’s get ready. Set your clock. Mark your calendar. Call your friends. Post fliers at school. Make announcements at church. Hassle the local police. No, wait … scratch that last one. But you get the point. We’re only going to get one shot to make this work. There are no second chances. Well, except this Season 2 is actually a second chance, so I guess there kind of are. But I’m almost certain that there are no 3rd chances. So let’s do whatever we have to do to help “Jericho” make its mark.

That’s it from me. Thanks again for all you’ve done. Take care and I’ll see you all on Tuesday. Sort of.

Sincerely,
Richard Speight, Jr.
(a.k.a. “Bill”)

Here’s the best of the rest (don’t worry, more tomorrow!)

• Alicia Coppola is on Craig Ferguson tonight.
• Submit your questions to Margie & Edna, for their advice. Send your questions to: sweat1951@rock.com, put “Ask Margie and Edna” in the subject line. Questions may be edited for length, spelling, etc., and it’s possible that not all questions will be answered. “You may submit a question either for an existing Jericho character, or for yourself. However, if you submit a question for yourself, it must be as if you are living in Jericho or New Bern—no real world problems allowed.”
• The cast and crew of Jericho say thanks in this video on the CBS YouTube channel.
• Two special Jerichon events have been announced, with tickets available soon online. May 24 is The Last Ordinary Day BBQ & Dance and May 25 is the VFW breakfast. Tickets will be $13 apiece, or $24 for the pair. Seating is limited to 100 people per event.
• A group has been started for Jericho artists, a place for all you talented folks to exchange ideas and concepts for Jericho promotions. Go here.
• Want Jericho logos, designs, etc? Check out Mister Cosmic’s design emporium. Most are available for public download and use; just be sure to give credit or a weblink. Or, you can buy some original creations (if there are any profits in the end, a portion will be donated to charity.)
• Check out Jerichochannel.tv for lots of vids and more.
• Here’s a cool article by someone who wasn’t interested in Jericho at the start, but has become a total, full-fledged nut. Here’s a snippet:

First, the characters are all so rich. For me, the sign of a great show isn’t the leads, but whether I grow attached to the minor characters. Over the season, I loved Jimmy, the overweight cop of the Jericho Police Department who takes in the Hawkins family. I cheered every time James Remar’s name was in the opening credits, because it meant I’d get to see more of the brilliantly devious Jonah Prowse. I cried when Gracie died. I rooted for the Richmonds to find love, Stanley with Mimi and even Bonnie with that adorable idiot Sean.

Oh, and take the “Which Jericho Character Are You?” quiz on BuddyTV.com.

My result? Jake. Only Hawkins or Heather could have been a sweeter result.

Photos courtesy of CBS (Shoshannah Stern), CBS via maybei (Heather and Emily) and CBS via Richard Speight Jr. (um, that would be the one of Richard Speight Jr.)