PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: PALEYFEST 2008: 25TH ANNUAL WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL: DAMAGES {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Paley Center for Media's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors "Damages," a drama series about ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes and the legal firm she runs in New York City. Stuart Levine, managing editor at Daily Variety, moderates. Barbara Dixon, director of The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles, offers opening remarks, then acknowledges William C. Paley, son of the festival's namesake. Next, Levine introduces Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, each of whom is a series co-creator/executive producer/writer for the show. The trio sets up a thirty-minute package of season one highlights, which is subsequently screened.
Clips include: Arthur getting Ray to help negotiate a settlement in the class action suit pending against him; Patty firing Tom over his "catastrophic screw-up" as a horrified Ellen listens; Patty discussing Michael's possible expulsion from school with Ellen; Tom telling an icy Patty that Martin offered to make him a partner; Arthur revealing to Ray that he trusts and appreciates him; Patty taking Ellen to task for acting on her own initiative on the case; Patty deposing Arthur, and getting the upper hand as he stalks out of the room; Ellen coming to understand Patty's tactics as she's assigned to negotiate with George; Ray telling Gregory that they can no longer be in contact, then trying to kiss him goodbye; Patty insisting that Ray should deliberately throw his case, after which Ray kills himself; Patty telling Arthur that she has enough evidence to get him sent to prison, then offering a settlement deal; the murder attempt on Ellen's life while she was staying at Patty's apartment; Ellen coming to the conclusion that Patty tried to have her killed; Patty telling Ellen about her regrets and asking her to return to the firm; and a revenge-seeking Ellen conspiring with the FBI to "take down" Patty.
Afterward, Levine introduces the panelists: Zelman, the Kessler brothers; and cast members Glenn Close (Patty Hewes); Ted Danson (Arthur Frobisher); Tate Donovan (Tom Shayes); Zeljko Ivanek (Ray Fiske); Noah Bean (David Connor); and Anastasia Griffith (Katie Connor.) Rose Byrne (Ellen Parsons) was scheduled to appear but was unable to attend.
The panelists discuss topics which include: how the show was conceived; what makes this "lawyer show" different from others; the nature of the producers' pitch meeting to the FX network; if Close thought she might ruin her film career by doing television; whether Danson had trepidations about returning to a television series; what quality the producers sought during the audition process from potential cast members; why Ivanek's character was forced to use a New Orleans accent; liberties which writers and actors enjoy from being on the FX network; how Close segued from her commanding work on "The Shield" into playing another larger-than-life character; the manner in which Close learned not to be "intimidated" by her morally challenged character; why the writers refuse to think of Patty Hewes as a villainess; if it's difficult for the writers to keep track of a non-linear story arc; why Close is allowed to hone her character's dialogue; and the reason that leads Close and Danson shared no screen time until the first season's midway point.
Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics: casting changes for the second season; if the television show "Murder One" inspired the way that "Damages" let a legal case play out over an entire season; whether all of the plot's intricacies had been figured out before shooting began; why audiences sympathize more with tough-minded characters if they're male; how "not having anyone to root for" angered some viewers; and the way in which Close ensures that Patty won't become a psycho cliche a la "Fatal Attraction."
This selection from the Alan Gerry Cable Collection has been made available by the Gerry Foundation, Inc.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: March 24, 2008 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:42:22
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:92179
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Barbara Dixon … Host
- Stuart Levine … Moderator
- Glenn Kessler … Panelist
- Todd A. Kessler … Panelist
- Daniel Zelman … Panelist
- Glenn Close … Panelist
- Ted Danson … Panelist
- Tate Donovan … Panelist
- Zeljko Ivanek … Panelist
- Noah Bean … Panelist
- Anastasia Griffith … Panelist
- Rose Byrne
- William C. Paley