Show Notes for Boston Illegal Radio
"Live Big" 2x16 February 21, 2006
Host Dana Greenlee; Co-host Georgia Murray [GeorgiaMurray.net]

"Live Big, Part 1 of 2" mp3 download [74 min; 26 mb]
"Live Big, Part 2 of 2" mp3 download [58 min; 20 mb]

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1. Intro
A story of fathers, daughters, partners, a new beginning, a final end, old flames, reconciliation, forgetting your life and living big.

Rundown:
Deconstruct “Live Big”. We’ll get Debb from Montreal on the phone to revisit our Parallel Univ/Trek in the courtroom. She’s found similar themes of weddings and parental estrangement. Finally, BL news of the week. Georgia peppers our conversation with insights from her work on this episode. After dissecting, LB, Georgia talks about her music and about her life at Nimmo Bay.

Breakdown:
Let’s take this by storyline: 1) A wedding & a best man: Ivan, Missy and Shirley – and show tunes 2) Fathers and Daughters - Paul reconnects with Rachel 3) Alzheimer’s as a story point: The story of Ryan Myerson 4) Balcony

Episode Conversation
side: DEK wrote this script with Tom Selleck in mind. Kelley returns to write for the first time since BL2.10 ("Legal Deficits"). This marks the 23rd episode of the show written or co-written by Kelley (out of 33).
Directed by Bill D'Elia- Executive Producer D'Elia has been working with Kelley since Chicago Hope (1994), but has occasionally directed episodes of non-Kelley shows, in particular three episodes of The West Wing. D'Elia has previously directed three episodes of Boston Legal - BL1.1 ("Head Cases"), BL1.14 ("'Til We Meat Again"), and BL2.4 ("A Whiff and a Prayer"). He also directed two episodes of The Practice, TP8.8 ("Concealing Evidence"), and TP8.18 ("The Case Against Alan Shore").

Reference
Tom Selleck .... Ivan Tiggs
Meredith Patterson .... Missy Frank
Maury Chaykin .... Ryan Myerson
Adam Arkin .... A.D.A. Douglas Koupfer
Jayne Brook .... Rachel Lewiston
Michael Ensign .... Judge Paul Resnick
Stacy Galina .... Jody Young
Ashley and April Rios .... Fiona
Nick Toth .... Minister Bill
Georgia Murray .... herself
Peggy Etra .... foreperson

1. A wedding & a best man: Ivan, Missy and Shirley – and show tunes
SB-1 Ivan Tiggs: That is some fine ‘South of the border’ Schmidt. [1:10]
Side: Tiggs and Schmidt Law firm partners; TV Guide had a nice 2-page spread on Selleck's guest appearance.
Side: Selleck is best-known as the star of the long-running '80s TV series Magnum, PI.  1987's "Three Men and a Baby" (directed by Leonard Nimoy). Monica's boyfriend in 9 episodes of Friends. Selleck is also a producer of various film/TV projects, including the recent "Jesse Stone" movies, in which he also starred.
Side: Thanks to ‘cbfan’, posted in forum: plot sounds exactly like an old Murphy Brown episode: Seems Like Gold Times
Jerry Gold returns from Germany and it seems just like old times for Murphy and Jerry and the gang. [...] Jerry and Murphy end up in bed together and Murphy tells him she does not want a relationship. Jerry says like wise because he's getting married. After Murphy tries to kick Jerry out of her house he tells her he wants her to be his best man because he cares so much about her. Murphy agrees with much begrudging.
SB-2 Ivan Tiggs: To Shirley. She has a funny laugh. I didn’t tell you. … Bambi’s mother got shot.
Side: she says ‘penis’. The ‘v’ word is a storyline in Ivan the Incorrigible.
Side: Meredith Patterson as Missy Frank - Patterson has been appearing on Broadway and in full-length features since 1997.
SB-3 Shirley: How are you and Ivan… compatible? … Oh, God., Tsunami. Holocaust. Trent Lott.
SB-4.Reception Missy Frank: If I could have your attention… singing [1:25]
Side: Cut dialog – scene originally began:
Shirley: It’s a fraud, Ivan.
Ivan: Oh, please.
Shirley: First of all, you’re not religious.
Ivan: I like church.
Shirley: As a place to pick up women, which is probably how you met her, you two are nothing alike.
Ivan: I find in relationships, it’s the differences you celebrate
SB-5.Shirley: Really love this girl, Ivan (they kiss) [:50]
Conclude storyline: marriage, reprise Something Good/Maria and the Captain in vows, Shirley smiles.

2. Fathers and Daughters - Paul reconnects with Rachel
SB-6: Shirley and Paul having drinks in a nightclub. Paul: So why not do it? Be in his wedding.
Georgia talks about filming scene, song, memories. Also sang “City Lights” and “World Goes Round”
SB-7 Paul: It was as if that song was pointed right at my head. I did her homework with her [:55]
SB-8 Paul & Rachel: I was not going to enable you any longer! [escalating] ends - How dare you take that from me? [2:00]
Side: EMMY MOMENT!
Side: Jayne Brook as Rachel Lewiston - Brook has been appearing on film and TV since 1987 and first worked on a David E. Kelley show in 1993 with a recurring role on LA Law. She later played Dr. Diane Grad Chicago Hope, alongside Adam Arkin. Since then, she's had recurring roles in series such as Sports Night, The District, and John Doe. Most recently, she appeared earlier this season on two episodes of Everwood.
SB-9 [World Goes Round] Shirley: Should we request that other song? [1:11]
Georgia talks about “World Goes Round”, memories of filming scene. [1977 film "New York, New York", Liza Minnelli sang; written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. Barry Manilow covered this song.

End of Part 1 concludes with a bit of Georgia's acoustic version of "Thanks, Again".

Part 2 of 2 [http://www.boston-legal.org/audio/Boston-Legal-2x16-LiveBig-2.mp3]

3. Alzheimer’s as a story point: The story of Ryan Myerson
SB-10 Ryan Myerson: Alzheimer’s was her worst fear. [:46]
Side: Alan refuses the case at first, advises to stick with first lawyer. Denny sitting very stoically throughout; obviously something else at play.
Side: Maury Chaykin as Ryan Myerson - Chaykin has acted on film and TV for over 30 years with roles in several major films to his credit. Chaykin had a memorable role as a mad army commander in 1990's Best Picture Oscar-winner "Dances With Wolves" and more recently, played the title role in the A&E series Nero Wolfe (2001-2). A Canadian citizen, Chaykin has won several awards for Canadian film/TV work in his career.
SB-11 Alan, A.D.A. Douglas Koupfer Judge Paul Resnick: Do you to have a prior relationship? [:28]
Side: Koupfer is Adam Arkin, who will be directing 2x11 'Stick It', first actor/director in Boston Legal history. Name change: A.D.A. Douglas Koupfer in final script, but was Albert Ginsberg in Nov. 18 script. He appeared as Attorney Albert Ginsberg in Season 8 of The Practice (Episode 2 - "The Chosen"), worked at Sheila’s (Sharon Stone) old firm and was suing her.  Arkin has had a long television career and has worked extensively with David E. Kelley in the past. His first film appearance came in 1969 at the age of 13, when he had a cameo role with his actor father Alan in "The Monitors". His first work with Kelley was on two episodes of LA Law and then on Picket Fences, and finally in a lead role for six seasons on the series Chicago Hope. He also did directing work on Chicago Hope and later directed an episode of Ally McBeal.
Side: Michael Ensign as Judge Paul Resnick - this episode will mark Ensign's fifth appearance on the show, all as Judge Resnick (previously, he appeared in episodes 1.3, 1.5, 1.13, and 2.6). Ensign's first TV appearance was in 1972, and his numerous credits include appearances on all three Star Trek spinoffs, LA Law (1991), Murphy Brown (1995) and Chicago Hope (1998). Also roles in Titanic and Seabiscuit.
SB-12 Alan: You okay? Denny: I’m tired of my Alzheimer’s being a story point. [1:00]
Late at night in office, weighing heavily, pensive Denny. Reveal about Dennys father.
SB-13 Ryan Myerson: She loved to read more than anything else in the world. And in the last few months, she couldn’t even do that.
Side: Cut dialog
Alan Shore: She couldn’t read.
Ryan Myerson: She could read magazines or newspapers, but her comprehensive skills for longer works… by the time she’d get to one chapter, she’d have forgotten all the chapters that came before. Books were impossible. That destroyed her. Alan Shore: Were there other indications of… mental incapacity?
Ryan Myerson: She’d constantly lose things. She couldn’t drive anymore because she lacked the focus. Paying real attention to anything was next to impossible. She was emotionally unstable. The week before she… … she decided to go for a walk, one she’d taken thousands of times on our street. She got lost. Fighting some emotion. She couldn’t find her way back.
Side: Cut dialog
Alan Shore: Suicide isn’t a crime, Mr Myerson. Assisting one is. Why did you choose to help her in this?
Side: During Koupfer’s cross of Myerson about killing his wife to make it easier on him, Denny leaps to his feet. Objection! That startles the courtroom. Denny is immediately embarrassed at his own eruption. The room is somewhat stunned. Judge Thurmond: The objection’s overruled. Are you alright, Mr Crane? Alan just looks, giving Denny room to say more if necessary. He doesn’t. Later, calls it his pop tart move.
Wrap up: Not Guilty, but there’s a look between Ryan and the nurse Jody Young / Stacy Galina (Chandlers ex on Friends; ha – Selleck is Monica’s ex)

4. BALCONY
end music: Jason Mraz's "Life is Wonderful" from his 2005 album "Mr. A-Z". First line: “It takes a crane to build a crane”
SB-14 Alan: Denny, when you launched yourself in court like a pop tart… [3:00]
Denny explains how his dad died, then Alan and Denny contemplate their own end.

5. Preview
2.17 There’s Fire SB-15 preview [:30]

6. Trek in the Courtroom
Themes: Parental estrangement, Wedding Belles and Alumni [read pdf and see images]

7. Chat with Georgia
Topics: Filming Finding Nimmo, aired Oct. 11, filmed in spring. CD, iSounds free mp3, hip-hop-folk EP, singing at New York Knicks and New York Rangers games/ Madison Sq Garden, GeorgiaMurray.net, CanWest newspaper article, CBC Radio interview
First mention of Nimmo in December 2004 "A Greater Good" [1:9; air date: Dec. 12], Denny needed to win a big drug company case so he could make enough money to buy Nimmo Bay: "There is this fishing lodge in British Columbia called Nimmo Bay. Best fishing lodge in the world, very expensive, costs lots of money. I want to buy it. It's in the Great Bear Rainforest."

8. News
Dana: Ratings Live Big - Households: 9.5 mil [10.4 mil last week]; 6.2/9 , 2.8 in 18-49 [3.3 last week], gaining from lead-in George Lopez [4.1/6 and 2.6 in 18-49]. A repeat of CSI pulled a 7/11. The Olympic skating competition was 17.7 at 10pm
Calendar
- March 3: Julie Bowen's [Denise Bauer] birthday
- March 22: William Shatner's [Denny Crane] birthday
- March 22: "William Shatner in Concert" on Living in TV Land
- April 4: David E. Kelley's birthday
- April 11: preemption for "The Ten Commandments"
Selleck will reprise his role as Ivan Tiggs in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (broadcast March 21) and both Ivan and Missy (Meredith Patterson) will be back for ep. 22 “Ivan the Incorrigible”, set to air April 3.


END: Theme - Thanks, Again / Georgia Murray

~ FIN ~