Charlene is also known as Briarpatch. She can always be found working for Jericho and helping others. She's active on the boards and active in promoting. Charlene is an interesting person and that will come out in this interview.
1. What is it about Jericho that has made you a fan?
This particular topic has been of interest to me for many years. I have read all the post-apocryphal novels out there and that whole scenario fascinates me. When I first saw the promos with the mushroom cloud in the distance, I was hooked.
One of my interests in real life is preparedness (aka survivalism). Unfortunately, that word brings a mental picture of a militia group shooting at everything in sight from their mountain fortress. My interest is more in the area of making my family safe in case of a disaster. We are trying to become as self sufficient on our little farm as is possible to be. We have our own rainwater collection system, heat with a woodstove, and have some solar power. We are working toward getting totally off grid in the near future. After Katrina we had the opportunity for a very realistic test of our preparations and found that we fared quite well. We also found some deficiencies in our plan and have worked to tweak our plans to do better next time. We believe we would do better than most if a situation such as in Jericho were to actually happen in America.
2. Who is your favorite character and why?
Robert Hawkins intrigues me. I love spy stories and espionage, so I am most interested in the story behind how this event happened. His undercover operation involved years of his life, including a long stretch in prison. And this was necessary to gain trust and get inside an organization that was about to commit the crime of the century. What kind of man does that take? I can’t wait to see the new episodes to see how he escapes the approaching army of the rogue government.
3. If I had never watched Jericho what would you say to urge me to watch?
If you are tired of reality television and inane sitcoms, here is something totally different that might cause your brain to come out of cryonic storage. Stimulate your thought processes with something challenging and introduce your kids to intelligent TV.
4. Would you join a Jericho Fan Club? Why or why not?
I think the answer to this is …depends on what is offered. I do participate in a fan club of sorts that is for a series of books by a favorite author. This group actually schedules face-to-face meetings so this would be very different from a mostly online fan club likely for Jericho. But I might, if the Fan Club offered me something I wanted.
5. What would you like to see a Fan Club do whether you would join or not?
I have heard some terrific ideas from various fans of Jericho. Online chats with the cast sounds good to me. I think I might be more interested in chatting with the writing team myself. I would like to know where their ideas came from and their thought processes for reaching the conclusions they reached.
6. Anything else you'd like to add about yourself or Jericho can go here.
I would like to say that I have had some really wonderful experiences while participating with various groups online. The experience working with the Jericho fans to save the show has been so very inspiring. I am an old political activist and I have felt the satisfaction of actually accomplishing goals with the help of other believers. This experience of going up against a giant corporation, fighting the fight even against overwhelming odds, and then WINNING has been a major high point for me. I say, Jericho Fans ROCK and I am proud to be among them.
Have you ever thought about what you would do if Jericho was your town? Would you be prepared? What if a town like New Bern came to take what little your family had? How would you survive? What if each of us and our families were prepared? Would there be a need for others to steal from you?
Tomorrow: A special interview with Rick Cox. Don't miss it.
1. You are with BlogTalkRadio. How did that start? Have you always done radio?
Been in talk radio over a decade now..the last few years I have been doing internet talk radio. Been with BlogTalk since October of 06..When I was 12 my best friend and I used to do talk radio shows with our tape recorders with the mics and all..Each year we would switch off on who's house we would do our New Years Eve countdown shows..we did impersonations and the countdown..Those tapes are out there somewhere..those tapes coming out would be like my version of a Paris Hilton sex tape..
Been in the hotel business in Chicago and where I live now in Las Vegas..also worked for a local pro wrestling organization..Did a magazine tv show about legends of wrestling..And created a tv show kind of like America's Most Wanted that did not sell, John Daly the former host of RealTV created the pilot and hosted the show..oh well.
2. How is BlogTalkRadio different from live broadcast radio?
Different in that its on the internet and that I do not have a program director telling me what to do my show about..Talking Jericho would never have worked on terrestrial radio..only on internet radio/podcast and maybe satellite would this have worked on.
3. What was your first thought when you heard Jericho had been cancelled?
I thought that CBS was nuts..pardon the word..I saw it had a huge following on the internet and enormous international appeal. I had Carol Barbee on my local show and it was very popular and then when she was on my BTR show, the audience numbers shot up..I knew with all the information I was looking at, that CBS made a big mistake with cancelling Jericho.
4. Tell us the story of how you became involved in the Nuts to CBS campaign to save Jericho.
The nuts campaign started the night after the season finale. I said since Skeet Ulrich as Jake said "nuts" lets send peanuts to CBS to show support for Jericho.. I had intended the nuts to be those packets you get on the jets..But then it just took off after CBS did cancel the show..I emailed Jeff Braverman of NutsOnline and gave him a heads up and the rest is TV history.
5. The Jericho campaign seems to have taken on a life of its' own. It continues, even now, to attract new viewers and new Rangers. What, in your opinion, caused all these viewers from all walks of life to band together and create one of the most successful renewal movements in television history?
Its is THE most successful renewal movement in history..The speed of which this thing ramped up was amazing..Viewers from around the world finally had enough of the networks just looking at the Nielsens when gauging the popularity of its tv shows..Jericho is a show with the most original premise in the history of television. The premise is grounded in reality, what happened to the US on Jericho can really happen anywhere in the world..
The show has a great cast, the writing is top notch and the production values rival theatrical movies every week..
6. Many fans want your radio show to be picked up by CBS. What would it mean to you if that happened? What could you contribute?
I LOVE Jericho and I hope that comes through loud and clear.. Would be honored if CBS were to call me and say "hey lets roll with this on CBS.com." Adding an audio or better yet a video LIVE internet radio presence would make the experience of Jericho more three dimensional. Imagine doing a live show with someone from the cast and crew before a Jericho episode airs and then doing another one the night after an episode airs. Three hours a week of Jericho two live internet radio shows bookending the actual episode of the show..calls and emails also giveaways..
Also could see doing brief podcasts with members of the crew that you don't normally hear from: set designers, camera men etc..Those could be shorter 30 minute type shows during the week..
Finally, doing live shows from various fan conventions would be great as well..I could go on but I think my excitement for that is there..
7. What are some things you'd like to see the fans do to promote Jericho?
Keep being positive..Also buying the DVD will be crucial to getting more episodes sooner from CBS..Remember the DVD sales is what brought Family Guy back to FOX after it was cancelled..I hope if CBS sees the strong DVD sales numbers, that they will order a few more episodes of Jericho to give the second season some more life.
8. You've gone out to meet some of the cast and crew twice. What did you learn from that experience? I am more comfortable with the cast than I was with the camera crew..I thought it would be the other way around. Skeet and the rest of the cast could not have been nicer to me. Carol Barbee and all of the rest of the producers and writers are all great people.
How was your second visit as compared to your first?
Visiting the set was great..walking around the Green living room was great. City Hall was very cool to see in person. Gracies Market, Hawkins house and the rest were incredible to see in person.
9. What do you think the chances are for a full second and third season of Jericho?
Not sure about a full second season maybe a few more episodes for the second season is all we can hope for but you never know. I would hope that between the ratings, DVD sales, internet popularity and international popularity that CBS will give Jericho a third season of 16-22 episodes. 10. Anything you'd like to add?
We all did our part in this campaign, and its not over with yet by the way..No matter how big or small the contribution that each of us made, it all added up into a historic movement that has changed television forever..
I was first drawn to Jericho when I saw that Skeet Ulrich was in it..He had done Miracles and thought if he was coming back to TV for Jericho, that Jericho had to be a good quality show. Skeet is the kind of actor that you dont see on sitcoms or just showing up for the paycheck..Skeet Ulrich is a man who enjoys the craft of acting and it truly shows on screen.
Then seeing the story unfold with the great characters..WOW !! I was hooked after seeing the pilot. Without a doubt in my mind Jericho is the best show on TV right now. I was hooked after seeing the pilot..
CBS should also take a bow for bringing the show back..CBS cares, rings truer to me than ever before..
Today I am starting a series called A Monster Interview. We have all worked together since before the Nuts campaign so I thought it would be fun to ask fans some questions about Jericho. If you would be interested in being interviewed please let me know on the Jericho board. I'm sweat629. Or, you can wait until I visit your board and make my pitch. I will get to all the boards eventually. Without further ado it is my great pleasure to introduce Skeeterbit.
1. What is it about Jericho that has made you a fan?
I watched the pilot episode because of Skeet, but if the show had been a real stinker, I would not have kept watching. Strange as it sounds, the first thing that hooked me on Jericho was my intense dislike for my job which involves strict compliance with health care rules & regulations. Here was a town, with a clinic, treating the wounded literally in the street and not worrying about the stifling details that I am responsible for on a daily basis. After that, I was intrigued by the interpersonal relationships, how they were going to survive, and felt a connection with Jericho because I too live in a very, very small town.
2. Who is your favorite character and why?
Jake Green because I identify with the character. He’s surrounded by people who love him, rely heavily on him, but he feels alone and he’s hurting inside. I don’t think he feels worthy of their love, can’t forgive himself for the choices he’s made, and can’t reach out to those around him to ask for help to ease his pain. He’s so busy being all things to all people he has nothing left for himself.
3. If I had never watched Jericho what would you say to urge me to watch?
I would say that Jericho has something to offer all different types of people. It’s unique and diverse. Even before the “Save Jericho” campaign and the cast began to communicate with us, I felt the characters were easy to connect with much like friends and neighbors.
4. Would you join a Jericho Fan Club? Why or why not?
A few weeks ago I would have said, “Not on your life” because to me fan clubs were something that kids joined before the internet. Now I’m not so sure. I guess it will depend on what the fan club offers. Deep down I feel that CBS has already given us a fan club through the message board and blog, but I will support anything the Jericho fandom chooses to do primarily because I respect and admire those involved.
5. What would you like to see a Fan Club do whether you would join or not?
Provide information about the show and cast that cannot be obtained through the message board or Producers’ blog and is not immediately available to non-members or the media. Like what in the world is the tattoo under “May” on Skeet’s forearm or is the rumor about him having one on the back of his neck true? Or maybe photo shoots of the cast members’ homes so we can have a peek into their private lives to get to know them better. Jericho merchandise is already available and I have practically an entire Jericho wardrobe, but I would like something with the actual cast members on it and that would have to be sanctioned by CBS.
6. Anything else you'd like to add about yourself or Jericho?
Skeet Ulrich will never know it, but he probably saved my life by sharing the story of his, even though he says he doesn’t like to be himself in front of the camera. Also, I have done things in the past couple of months that I never thought I would do – all in the name of promoting Jericho and getting another season. This came along at a time in my life when I needed something entertaining to focus on; and I thank God daily for the people I’ve met on these boards for they are truly special individuals.
Since Jericho returns in reruns July 6 I thought it might be helpful to explain a bit about some of the characters. If you haven't watched Jericho before rest assured that I'm not going to tell you anything that will spoil it for you.
Jake Green ( played by Skeet Ulrich) is the Prodigal son of Jericho.We first see him arriving home, greeting friends and family, and being evasive about where's he been. We know there's a story here. We learn that Jake has returned home for his grandfather's funeral. We also learn that Jake has been gone from Jericho for 5 years although he gives a variety of answers to the question of where he's been. Was he really off playing baseball or was he in the military? Let's see, Jake, was that Army or Navy?
Jake goes to his father, Johnston Green, and asks for the inheritance his grandfather left him. When Johnston refuses to give it to him we know there's a mysterious story buried deep inside their words. Anyway, Jake decides he may as well leave town again so he hits the highway. Of course he doesn't get far before he sees the mushroom cloud. Distracted, his car collides with another. Thus begins the journey that will, once again, return him to Jericho.
In one later scene Jake is asked about his knowledge of water pumps and states that he was once a pool boy which you just know isn't true. There's another scene where Hawkins ( character to be discussed tomorrow) looks Jake up on the computer ( it works?)and learns that Jake's passport is flagged by the government. You'll like that part of the story too.
For all the info you could want on Skeet Ulrich check here:
Saturday 06/30 - National Flyer Day! Leave with 100 flyers. Come home empty handed. Post anywhere and everywhere you can: grocery Stores, restaurants, libraries, gas stations, convenience stores, any place that has a bulletin board or will let you tape up). Lots of little stores are owned by private owners and they won't mind!
Cost: 100 b/w copies off your personal printer and scotch tape (one roll $2?) Oh, and your time! You would be surprised how fast you will get rid of 100 flyers! Or make your own! Handwritten is fine. Get flyers here:
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