Happy Hour With Julian Crane

Guest: James E. Reilly

Hosted by NBC-Live

May 10, 2000

 

NBC-Live: Welcome to #NBC-Live!
NBC-Live: Welcome to the very first "Happy Hour
NBC-Live: with Julian Crane." Ben Masters, who
NBC-Live: plays the inimitable Julian Crane, is with
NBC-Live: us tonight for a very special evening.
NBC-Live: For the first half hour, Ben will be hosting
NBC-Live: "Dear Julian," in which you can write in
NBC-Live: any of your problems or concerns, and
NBC-Live: Ben will share his wisdom with you.
NBC-Live: During the second half hour, we will be
NBC-Live: joined by a very special mystery guest.
NBC-Live: The first person to guess the guest will
NBC-Live: get a "Passions" prize!
NBC-Live: Welcome, Julian!

Julian_Crane: Welcome! I'm so happy you young ladies were able to attend
this evening!

stressedoutmom: Dear Julian - I am the mother of two teenaged daughters. One
of them is becoming quite infatuated with a young man who just may be my illegitimate son. What would you do?

Julian_Crane: Since I'm not sure who's the father of MY children, I really
can't give you any advice on that!

spilledmilk: Dear Julian - My first love, who broke my heart many years ago,
is now back in the picture and all over me. I try to act as if I'm not interested, but I am. And to make it worse, my unsuspecting wife spends her days baking cakes for
my ex and everyone else in the neighborhood! Help! Do you have any advice?

Julian_Crane: If your ex-love is still of fit mind...and BODY...I would
suggest you get all you can out of her, and keep it a secret between the two of you. Deny everything!

fantasygal: Dear Julian - My only friend is a doll. Literally. Perhaps I
need to acquire better social skills. How should I go about this?

Julian_Crane: Why don't you come by the mansion? I have some toys that we
could both play with.

likablelad: Dear Julian - I don't know who my mom and pop are. Other than
that, it's alright. I kinda dig on this girl I just met, but her mother, who seems nuts, is always dissing me. What would you do?

Julian_Crane: My God! Are you for real? For all you know, *I* might be your
father! And if that's the case, I never want to lay eyes on you in my entire life!

McKenzieFan: Dear Julian - I have a problem. There is this guy who owes me
$230. Should I give him the "Goodbye Earl"?

Julian_Crane: Hmmm...what are your measurements, darling? If it's something I can help you with, perhaps I'll pay the poor fellow's debt to you. And then you can owe me...and perhaps *somehow* we could come to some sort of agreement on the...payment.

Morning_Glory_16: Dear Julian - In school I find myself wondering off thinking about the men of "Passions" and I was wondering is there any way to help me stay focused? Can you stop being so darn cute! LOL

Julian_Crane: You are probably referring to that group of young foolish fellows on this show. What you undoubtedly need is a firm teacher to keep your mind on the subject at hand. Someone, perhaps, a bit older than you, my dear. :-) Just study hard.

shuisfan-guest: Dear Julian - My daughter is involved with a guy from the other side of the tracks. What would you do?

Julian_Crane: Well, if this fellow is not of your social class, you obviously don't want him dating your daughter. But if YOU find him attractive, perhaps you could date him, on the sly.

MrsTravisSchuldt: Dear Julian - What would you do if your dear Mrs. Crane
saw you with your maid again?

Julian_Crane: I think that myopic is losing her sense of sight, because of all her twisted plots against poor Eve. So the old bat wouldn't have any IDEA that I was with my sweet Suzanne. We could frolic, make love, and enjoy delicious sins of the flesh for hours, undisturbed.

KMCG8R: Dear Julian - You drink oh so much alcohol on the show. How does it
not affect your speech, actions, and vision? We should see a 'drunk Julian' chasing after Eve - now wouldn't that be much better?

Julian_Crane: How do you know that I'm not blind and thoughtless and half
drunk when I'm chasing after Eve? I find the most luscious forms of physical encounter are only enhanced by a young Scotch. Or two.

Starshine_tw495: Dear Julian - Which drink is your favorite stress reliever
after a hard day of scheming for Allistar?

Julian_Crane: A nice sherry is always a delicious way to relieve a day's
stress. However, on a really tough day perhaps a quart of Scotch whisky would be the better of the two.

silverchick33: Dear Julian - I was wondering how a young lady like myself
should go about seducing a man of your stature?

Julian_Crane: Merely saying hello to him in a bar. I'm sure a young lady of
your talents would easily be spotted as the sensual, craving nymph that you are.

NellieBly-guest: Dear Julian - Which is more important, looks or money?

Julian_Crane: Well, it seems a lot of people can BUY looks with money. But
then of course, if you have looks you can GET money. Especially if your a young lady with looks - you can get money from me! Come by the back door of the mansion; I'll have some money waiting for you, darling!

roscoe-guest: Dear Julian - My girlfriend says I don't treat her nice enough. Should I spend the extra $10 and get the jacuzzi tub or buy her some Turtles for our next rendezvous?

Julian_Crane: If she hasn't put out yet, I wouldn't do either.

Morning_Glory_16: Dear Julian - Thank you so much. I think I just might take
your advice. *wink wink* I have another question - what would your ideal woman be like?

Julian_Crane: Not very bright, beautiful luscious body, no money, so she would come to rely on me. She'd always be up for a bit of tutorial, firm as it might be, and she also likes the movie "Love Story".

quiettime: Dear Julian - On all accounts, I have what is seemingly the perfect life. A beautiful wife and family and a good job. Unfortunately, I get these bouts of uncontrollable rage and the only place I can go for solace is in the shed in my backyard. Where do you go for solace? Any suggestions?

Julian_Crane: I also go to the shed in your backyard for solace.

gooberpoob-guest: Dear Julian - Do you have any predictions for the future?

Julian_Crane: I predict that the sap will run, the roses will bloom, and all
the young nymphets of Harmony will come to my
bedroom.

McKenzieFan: Dear Julian - I have a question for you - what is your idea of
the perfect romantic date?

Julian_Crane: It would begin in a hardware store, probably in the
'Restraint' section. We would move by limo to that wonderful little inn on the outskirts of town that has the 220-volt circuit breaker in the bridal suite, and we would tempt each other until the birdies sang at dawn.

Samantha_Lynn: Greetings, Ben! Welcome! I'm glad you could come! Any hints
on who the mystery guest will be?

Ben_Masters: It's a man. :-)

Samantha_Lynn: Dear Julian - Do you know how to sing the blues? LOL!

Julian_Crane: The luscious Dr. Eve taught me not only how to sing the blues,
but touch and feel the blues deep in my soul.

Snuggypoo: Dear Julian - I used to work for a man who I've grown very fond of. His wife had me fired because she caught us in bed together. I really want to see him again so we can play
some games. What should I do about his wife?

Julian_Crane: Avoid the witch and keep playing your naughty little games.
The delicious sins of the flesh are all we really have. Everything else is propaganda.

KMCG8R: Hey, Ben! How was your trip to Mexico ? Where exactly did you go and
what did you do? Love ya! :)

Ben_Masters: I love you too! :-) I went to Cabo San Lucas. It was beautiful.
I did nothing except enjoy the local fare.

Ben_Masters: Here's another hint to for you about our mystery guest. He's
not a resident of Harmony.

NBC-Live: We have a winner! And our mystery guest is here! We'll announce
the winner at the end of the chat, in about
30 minutes. Stand by.
NBC-Live: As you all know, James Reilly is the man
NBC-Live: behind "Passions." He is the head writer and
NBC-Live: creator of the show, and everything you see
NBC-Live: on screen has sprung from his very fertile
NBC-Live: imagination. He is one of the most respected
NBC-Live: writers in daytime television today.
NBC-Live: Please welcome tonight's mystery guest,
NBC-Live: James Reilly, to our happy hour!

James_Reilly: Welcome, fans! I hope you're enjoying "Passions"!

passionsgal-guest: How did you come up with all of these very different
characters and storylines?

James_Reilly: Well, basically I've been in soap opera for 20 years, and I
knew the type of characters and storylines I'd enjoyed. Modeling them after that and some crazy characters I knew, I came up with the four core families.

martimmy-guest: Where did the idea for Timmy come from?

James_Reilly: Timmy came up when I was writing the first week of shows. I
don't know where he came from, but I started to laugh at the idea of a doll coming to life with Tabitha. I didn't know if I was going crazy or if this was something the network and the fans would like, but I decided to put him. And the fans all love him! :-). Ben, he may turn out to be Julian's son! ;-)

sheridanohsheridan: Are any of the characters based on people you know or
real life people?

James_Reilly: I hope not, because I would be afraid to know some of them!

nathan8: Is there any character on the show that you particularly identify
with?

James_Reilly: Oh, wow! Um...well, strangely - you might call my psychiatrist for me - but sometimes I think it's a little bit of Kay, sometimes it's Julian, sometimes it's Timmy. It depends on my mood for the day. Literally, it would be everyone. Everyone I identify with. Especially the dark forces down in Tabitha's basement.

Samantha_Lynn: Hi, James! You are a great writer! What new stuff do you
have planned for the show?

James_Reilly: This summer is going to be explosive for every character on
the show. There's going to be the 'prom from Hell', as Tabitha calls it, and major revelations. Major story points will be revealed throughout the summer, and major
coming-together of couples you want to see together. And major revelations
from the past!

curious99: How did you get started writing for soaps?

James_Reilly: Totally by accident. It was luck. I came to California and insulted the girlfriend of a very major force in daytime, and he enjoyed it so much that he wanted me to work on the soap opera.

Ben_Masters: Put their names in!

James_Reilly: Oh, no!

Ben_Masters: James, I've done a lot of work - good and bad - as an actor,
but I really want to know where you get some of these incredibly MAD ideas for Julian that make me laugh when I read the script? I'm so surprised at the strange twists
that Julian takes sometimes. I'm wondering if it comes from the graveyard of
your personality, as Donald Pleasance once said.

James_Reilly: I have no idea! I wake up, or sometimes I have dreams about
the characters on the show, and I live in Harmony. So, in a sense, I see things happening and I report as an eyewitness. Really, I'll imagine at night what happens in Harmony, and the next day I'll tell the writers. When I see the characters - and I learn about the characters from the actors playing them - one small movement will let that characters take off.
So, really it must be Ben's fault - when I see him do something, it springs off to the character. I just report it.

Nicoleta-guest: Ben, how is the role you have on "Passions" similar and
different from your own character? Is it fun to play the 'evil one'?

Ben_Masters: It's fabulous to play the evil one! It is a lot different from my character, although I do bring some of my darker shades into it, I suppose. For many years I played the young guy that you would trust to give the keys to the car. That's so boring. I love Julian, and like James said, I go to sleep thinking about this character. He amazes me, and I have great fun playing him.

James_Reilly: If we want to see the evil one, we also have to wait for Allistair to show up. Wait for Allistair and Julian to come together.

Julian Crane: I've always felt that I have stuff in my closet to take care of him!

futureactor: Have you ever written for anything else besides soaps?

James_Reilly: Never. Nothing. I love soap too much. I've been offered other
things, but I can't write. I write for 20-some characters now and I couldn't betray them by writing something else. I love soaps too much. I love stories that never end.

Ivy-Crane: Ben, I know you post on talkpassions.com a lot. Do you have fun
interacting with the fans?

Ben_Masters: I would have more fun if they would send me candid photos of
themselves! Yes, I DO have a lot of fun. :-)

NBC-Live: We have a winner of our mystery guest contest - Samantha_Lynn was
first to guess that James Reilly is our mystery guest tonight. Samantha, would you please send your email address to us so we can contact you, using the questions bar at the top of your screen. Congratulations.

Samantha_Lynn: James, do you answer fanmail? You, too, Ben.

James_Reilly: We get a lot of fan mail. I try to answer it, but sometimes
writing the show gets involved. If it's a fan mail for pictures or something, I can pass it on to the office, but sometimes the backlog gets too much, and I apologize to anyone I
haven't written back to, but Harmony takes up a lot of my time. I would advise you to write to the actors themselves. You can write to the actors at CBS, 4024 Radford Avenue , Studio City , California , 91604 . Please state the actor's name and "Passions" on the outside of the envelope.

Ben_Masters: And enclose a $20 bill if it's to me. Joking! ;-)

luvzpassionsbad: How did you come up with the name "Passions"?

James_Reilly: Strangely, I couldn't think of a name for the show, and I was going to send the bible in to the network calling it "Soap X" as a working title. I knew it had to be short - a one-word name ideally, and I was sitting at lunch going through all the possibilities - "Romance," "Love," "Secrets," "Intrigue," "Mystery," and finally the name "Passions" came into my head, and it fit a lot of categories.You can be passionate about a lot of things in life. I submitted it as a title for the show, and it stayed there. Everyone enjoyed it; everyone loved it.

DMBlover19: Hey, Ben baby...welcome home and happy birthday, darling! My question is if you could be stranded on an island with one person, who would it be and why? :-)

Ben_Masters: First, let me say I have not received that intimate thing you
said you sent me. Secondly, it would be YOU of course, my love, romping and enjoying the delicious sins of the flesh. :-)

JsSecretLvr-guest: When will we finally meet Allistair? And can we kill off
the tarantulas, please?

James_Reilly: Well, Allistair will have other little pets, and we will meet him. When he comes back, something major will happen when he arrives - something I'll bet no one can figure out! : -)

Party_Of_1-guest: Is there an address where fans can reach the cast?

James_Reilly: It's 4024 Radford Avenue , Studio City , California 91604 .
Please put the character or actor's name and "Passions" on the envelope.

RKATW-guest: James, how many years in advance did you begin writing
"Passions" before it was put on screen?

James_Reilly: I started writing "Passions" after I left "Days of Our Lives"
in November 1997.

Starshine_tw: Ben, what will be the theme for next weeks "Happy Hour"? Love
ya lots!

Ben_Masters: Love and Romance, my little vixen. ;-)

Kooldady1: Did you know "Passions" would be such a big success when you
started the show?

James_Reilly: I loved it so much, and I loved the characters, and I knew
other people would love it also. I'm glad to know you like it, too.

abbagale-guest: Mr. Reilly, would it be possible for Charity to come into her good powers while Kay is trained by Tabitha? Then they could fight each other using the awesome powers of good and evil.

James_Reilly: Well, we have to remember that Kay is Charity's cousin, and so
she has Standish blood in her. All the Standish women have powers of one sort or another, so we have to stay tuned to see.

dawson407: What is it like watching all the ideas in your head turn into
reality? Is it fun?

James_Reilly: Absolutely. You have a dream, and within a few months that
dream is on the air.

darlena: I've noticed that throughout your career you've had a penchant for writing about sci-fi, the mysterious, and the unexplainable. Why do you think you're so drawn to this?

James_Reilly: Because it is a mystery. It's interesting, and you can get away with so much when you go into that other realm, and the audience responds to it, like they did on "Days" when Marlena was possessed by Satan.

Snuggypoo: Ben, does anyone ever play a prank on another person? What is
the best prank someone has played? Who played it on who?

Ben_Masters: To be honest, there isn't much time for pranks, other than the pranks that the characters play on each other. And after we get finished pranking those, we're exhausted!

KMCG8R: Hey, Ben! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday from a few days ago! Happy Birthday to you! :) Did you get our surprise, Ben, from your Florida girls?

Ben_Masters: No, I didn't! I think perhaps someone around this place is
stealing from my postbox!

NBCLive: We are almost out of time for this week. Thank you, Ben and James, for joining us this week. Do you have any last thoughts to leave with our audience tonight?

James_Reilly: Like I said before, this summer a lot of secrets will come out, from Theresa and Ethan talking of their love, to Sheridan and Luis being together 24 hours a day, to people's paternity coming out, to murder and mayhem. All this summer, every day. :-)

Julian_Crane: Thank you all, my beautiful friends, for coming into the library this evening. I promise this week I won't finish this decanter of fine port. I'll be more lucid. Thank you.

NBC-Live: Thanks for joining us for tonight's "Happy
NBC-Live: Hour with Julian Crane." And very special
NBC-Live: thanks to our mystery guest, "Passions"
NBC-Live: creator/head writer, James Reilly. Please
NBC-Live: join us next week, May 17 at 9pm ET / 6pm PT
NBC-Live: for our second happy hour!
NBC-Live: We promise another exciting evening,
NBC-Live: and another great mystery guest!
NBC-Live: Do you have comments or questions
NBC-Live: about this chat or anything you've
NBC-Live: seen on the NBC television
NBC-Live: network or www.nbc.com ?
NBC-Live: e-mail us:
NBC-Live: NBClive@nbc.com
NBC-Live: Produced by NBC and Talk City, Inc.
NBC-Live: All rights reserved. Copyright 2000.