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Today's cuppa: Italian roast coffee

On Monday, May 17, in "A Deadly Game," the season-two finale of ABC's sophomore hit "Castle," legendary TV writer/producer -- and successful mystery novelist -- Stephen J. Cannell (in purple shirt in photo) makes his third appearance as himself and as part of the regular poker circle of fictional mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion, in photo at right), which also includes real novelists Michael Connelly and James Patterson (also as themselves).

"They're terrific," says Cannell, also a longtime friend and mentor of "Castle" executive producer and director Rob Bowman. "They're fun. They only take about three or four hours to do. I get to work with other great novelists, and I get to act with Nathan. It couldn't be more fun."

(BTW, the two might just work together on something else. Click here for details on their mutual interest in remaking "The Greatest American Hero.")

Asked what he likes about Fillion, Cannell says, "He has so many interesting qualities that you don't often find together. You often can get a good-looking leading man who can do humor, or you can get a good-looking leading man who can do action.

"But not only can he do both of those things, but he adds things that you would actually think would be unattractive, like arrogance. His character is arrogant. To pull off arrogance and make yourself lovable while you're doing it -- it's a lot harder than it looks."

In fact, Fillion does it so well, that he's not even sure he'd like Castle if he met him -- and he also has great sympathy for Castle's unofficial partner, NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, on right with Fillion in photo below).

"I don't think," he says, "if Castle were a real guy, that I would hang out with him that much. He'd probably get on my nerves. His advantage is, for the audience, people get to see him at home. He's a pain in Beckett's side all the time, God bless her -- woman's tortured, tortured, tortured.

"People enjoy seeing someone get under someone else's skin like that."

In the critically acclaimed but short-lived Fox series "Firefly," Fillion played the brooding yet witty starship captain Malcolm Reynolds.

Asked what Reynolds might think of Castle, Fillion says, "Hah. He'd certainly punch him in the face a lot. But we get to watch Castle go home (to his mother and daughter), and that's where the show lands. We can forgive Castle a great deal of his antics and his behaviors, because we get to see what kinds of things actually do matter to him.

"We can all relate to that. I don't believe in being the supercool dude who's unfazeable and just on top of it and super-duper cool all the time. I believe in the guy who's not that cool. As cool as he thinks he is, he's not that cool.

"That's me -- only I'm aware of how uncool I am, how many times a day do I go, 'Shortcoming, yep, shortcoming.'"

Fillion is also very aware that he's not a novelist, but only plays one on TV. That goes double for the "Richard Castle" novels, which, despite the book-jacket photo, are not written by Fillion.

"I was approached in one bookstore," he says, "and they said, 'We only have three copies left, could you sign them?' 'Sure.'

"I always sign as Nathan Fillion, because that's the autograph I practiced since high school. If I were to sign 'Richard Castle,' it just wouldn't look right.

"He's probably got a very flourishy 'Nathan Fillion,'" says Cannell.

And, by the way, Cannell didn't write the books either.

"They do have these Castle books," he says, "and I blurbed the book. Everybody thinks that I wrote it, or that Michael Connelly wrote it, or that James Patterson wrote it. Of course. none of us did.

"But I think the guy who wrote the books did a really good job. It's a secret, because as we know, it's supposed to be written by Castle. I don't know that I'll ever get around to co-writing a book with Castle, but we'll see."

Fillion may not be a novelist, but he does have a talent aside from acting.

"I am the Napmaster 2000," he says. "It's a gift, napping. It doesn't really matter where. I once slept on a rock in the rain during a shoot. We had 15 minutes, it was a rock, it was raining, and I was out.

"Know what they used to do to me? I would fall asleep in the chair (on set). I'd wake up, and there'd be a Polaroid on my chest of me, right then, sleeping on my chair, but littered with empty pizza plates, toilet paper wrapped all around.

"They'd dress me all up, take the photo, clean me all up, leave the photo, and I'd be oblivious."

Click here for a Zap2it story I did with Cannell, talking about Fillion and the idea of him starring in a big-screen remake of "Greatest American Hero"

Tonight's cuppa: Typhoo decaf tea.

Here's my syndicated feature story on this special "Castle" two-parter ...

Nathan Fillion and Dana Delany (left) just can't stay away from each other.

 

On the short-lived 2001-02 Fox series "Pasadena," they played Glenn Collins and Catherine McAllister, who had an illicit affair.

 

When Delany landed on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" in 2007, playing Katherine Mayfair, there was Fillion as her younger husband, troubled gynecologist Dr. Adam Mayfair.

 

Now it's 2010, and Delany is still "Desperate," but now Fillion is the star of his own hit ABC drama, "Castle," which premiered in 2009 and airs on Mondays.

 

He plays mystery novelist Richard Castle, a charming rogue who, through his friendship with the mayor, has insinuated himself into the crime-fighting efforts - and life - of ambitious NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic).

 

On Monday, March 22, Delany and Fillion give it another go in a two-part episode of "Castle" (part two airs March 29), but this time, if romance is involved at all, it's not theirs.

 

Delany guest stars as Jordan Shaw, an FBI agent who, along with her partner (Leonard Roberts), teams up with Castle and Beckett to track an elusive killer.

 

"I'm sort of Beckett, older," says Delany, taking a break between shots on the show's New York police precinct sets (actually, on this day, in a very rainy Hollywood). "I come in, I'm successful. I'm good at what I do, and yet I'm also married and have a kid.

 

"She's been thinking she can't have it all, and she shouldn't get romantically involved with Castle. I'm an example of somebody who's been able to juggle that. Not that it's perfect, but I am able to do it."

 

In an earlier scene, Shaw and Castle were batting ideas in the case back and forth before coming to a sudden realization and then charging off to follow up on the lead - leaving Beckett looking (and probably meant to be feeling) like a third wheel.

[Photo: Nathan Fillion (l); Stana Katic (r)]

 

"It's strange, for Beckett," Katic says, "first of all, to have someone else take over a case, because she's always the tip of the spear in all the cases. As we move on in the story line, we discover that she's the focus of a serial murderer's interest.

 

"Beckett has always been the one that protects the vulnerable, and suddenly she's the vulnerable one."

And, of course, Shaw's muscling in on Beckett's territory - namely her odd relationship with Castle. As Fillion describes it, the two don't engage in normal courtship or dating; they get worked up instead over solving crimes together.

 

"That's their version of courtship," he says. "That's their version of foreplay. That's their version of romance.

 

"As you can see in the scene just now, Jordan Shaw starts seeing the value of Castle. The two of them start connecting on this level of, 'We're solving crime together.' There's a chemistry there. There's an electricity there.

 

"Beckett is, of course, as you would expect, 'What the ... how ... you don't ... you and I are supposed to ... that's not ... .'

 

"I like it. It's fun."

 

Delany played an FBI agent in an unsold pilot at the turn of the century - co-starring, coincidentally, Julie Benz, her "Desperate" character's new love interest - and she had to revive the skills she learned then for "Castle," more or less.

 

"We did a SWAT team scene," she recalls, "where I had on my high heels and a flak jacket on, and I'm running with my gun.

 

"One of the camera guys said, 'I really hope that if the FBI's chasing me, that it's you, because I think I could get away.' I said, 'I know.' "

Today's cuppa: PG Tips tea

Spent last night in Beverly Hills at the Paley Center for Media, which had a screening and panel discussion to celebrate ABC's comedy-mystery hit "Castle."

The episode shown was the first part of the two-parter -- airing consecutive Mondays, March 22 and 29 (airdates updated)-- featuring guest-star Dana Delany as an FBI agent who helps NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and her crimefighting consultant, mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), track a serial killer obsessed with Nikki Heat, Castle's fictional character based on Beckett.

Moderator for the evening was "Dancing With the Stars" host Tom Bergeron, who's guest-starring in an episode of "Castle" called "The Late Shaft" (shooting this week, airing April 12), playing a late-night host, with Fred Willard as his sidekick and Bill Bellamy as his rival.

Bergeron was pretty spoilery about his role on the show (out of respect for those not present, I'll leave those bits out), but from his detailed questions about "Castle" episodes, he's either a dedicated fan or was incredibly well-prepped.

I was on set for filming of several of the scenes in part one of the two-part episode and wrote a feature story -- watch this space for that later in the week. And, you can click here for a little preview story I did for Zap2it with Delany and Fillion.

The episode was a hoot and delighted the audience (who were pretty pumped to start with), and the panel spanned the "Castle" world with Fillion, Katic, Molly Quinn (who plays Castle's daughter, Alexis), Susan Sullivan (who plays Castle's mother, Martha), Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever (who play Beckett's cop underlings Esposito and Ryan), Tamala Jones (medical examiner Lanie Parish) and Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Capt. Roy Montgomery), show creator Andrew Marlowe and producer/director Rob Bowman.

I did a lot of interviews on set, so expect much "Castle" goodness to roll out in the future.

In the meantime, here are some quippy highlights from the evening ...

Fillion on reading for the role while wearing a pink polo shirt for "Desperate Housewives": "Stop looking. I'm this guy. Ignore this (shirt). I'm really cool."

Quinn on Fillion and Castle: "He's so much like Castle in real life. Susan's a little more classy (than Martha)." Sullivan: "I'm more classy."

Dever on Fillion and his "Firefly" character, Mal Reynolds: "'Firefly' was great, but he's more fun than that. He's not a harda--." Fillion: "He's not a harda--, with a hard a--." Jones: "I have a habit of grabbing Nathan's butt." Fillion: "What happens in the morgue, stays in the morgue."

Dever on his close relationship with Huerta: "I'm going to help him install his floors next week." Bergeron: "Get a room, you two."

This theme persisted. When a question came up about sexual tension, Marlowe said, "Between Ryan and Esposito?"

More on topic, Marlowe said: "She (Beckett) plays him (Castle) like a fiddle," to which Katic replied, "I think there's nothing sexier than swordplay." Eyebrows all the way up, Fillion said, "Wow."

Marlowe said that "Castle" hadn't yet received word on a season-three pickup, but he remained "hopeful."

The conversation turned to Twitter, on which @NathanFillion has well over half a million followers (some of which Jones admitted attempting to poach).

Bergeron commented that he had seen Quinn tweeting in the green room, to which she replied, "That was actually my first tweet!" Quipped Bergeron, "There's so many lines I won't use right now." "She's 16, Tom, 16," cautioned Dever.

Also, as Fillion pointed out, "Castle Twitters, and he follows me."

Sullivan recalled reading for the part, and being a lady "of a certain age," she didn't want to look down, so she briskly ordered the seated Fillion to rise. That, she said, "got me the part."

Bowman then talked about first recognizing Katic's acting abilities, "She was throwing it back at Nathan. She had a lot of moxie, great attitude ... we work on that sometimes." Then he admitted, cautiously, that Katic had "more than I expected."

Bergeron complimented Fillion on his girly scream (which can be heard in this Sunday's two-parter opener), to which Fillion replied, "Turn the hero into a goofy guy and touch the man's feminine side."

Fillion then recreated the squeal on command.

Talking about her relationship with Fillion, Quinn nearly teared up, saying, "He's really just like a second dad to me, because my dad's back in Texas."

Bowman explained how quick pacing and a lot of fast talking allows the show to pack 55 pages of script into 42 minutes of air time. For those not familiar with the length of TV scripts, that's like stuffing a size 10 foot into a size 8 shoe.

Also on display in the episode are copies of Castle's newest book, "Heat Wave," which comes out in paperback on July 27. Supposedly the next book is titled "Naked Heat," which caught Katic by surprise (apparently Beckett doesn't know yet either).

Today's cuppa; PG Tips tea (but I just bought Good Earth Sweet & Spicy on the recommendation of Emily Procter of "CSI: Miami," so watch this space ...)

Time to resurrect something I used to do for a now-defunct print column, a collection of random but entertaining quotes I collected on my travels. Enjoy!

"I had a big fight scene yesterday. I'm a bit sore. Oh, it was just five bad guys. I just killed a few people." Yvonne Strahovski, "Chuck," NBC

"With my love of the Muppets, and Jason Segel's knowledge of the Muppets, we should probably just do a 150th-episode puppet show." Neil Patrick Harris, "How I Met Your Mother," CBS

'The inner little kid in me, little boy in me, loves all the running and gunning, because that's what every boy grows up dreaming of doing." Zachary Levi, "Chuck," NBC

"Mostly, I read nonfiction. I really like books about politics, but fortunately for me, I'm smart enough to not talk about politics, I just read a lot of books about politics." Chi McBride, "Human Target," Fox

"I have two tattoos, and I wish I didn't have either of them. I have a tramp stamp. No, this is the worst. It's horrible. It's something that really appealed to me at 19, OK? It's a little girl/angel/butterfly sitting on a branch, looking very pensive. Then I have the Japanese symbols for love and faith on the back of my neck." Danielle Fishel, "The Dish," Style

"Poland is such an interesting country. You go there, it's a very artistic, intellectual culture, but they've been so oppressed and surrounded by all these other cultures, where they were forced to create and also stay true to their roots and very strong. They're a very strong and stoic people." Danny Pudi (who's half Polish), "Community," NBC

"(Both Nathan Fillion and Zach Levi) can be smarmy and sarcastic when they want to be. The wonderful thing that I found out about those two men is their hearts are lovable, and they love people. Their hearts are open and embracing and welcoming. They don't have an ounce of self-consciousness that I've seen. I've seen them both in very compromising positions, and they are good-natured about." Adam Baldwin, "Chuck," NBC (and formerly of "Firefly," which starred Fillion, on Fox)

"My son is 15 years old, and my daughter is 21 months old, so when Alex was two, two-and-a-half, is when I started on 'Star Trek.' I feel like I missed so much of his childhood, because I was working all the time. Now, I realize it's very different having a baby at 40 than having a baby at 26, 27, whatever it is. You appreciate a lot more now, and you realize how fast it goes, and you realize they're this small for about five minutes. You literally blink your eye, and they're in high school." Jeri Ryan, "Leverage" TNT (and a recent episode of USA's "Psych")

"I was approached in one bookstore. They said, 'We only have three copies (of the Richard Castle book) left, could you sign them?' 'Sure.' I always sign as Nathan Fillion, because that's the autograph I practiced since high school. If I were to sign Richard Castle, it just wouldn't look right. I can sign my autograph 2,000 times, not looking at it, and it's perfect. That's learning." Nathan Fillion (right), "Castle," ABC

"Did you see the first episode? I think it opens with me bashing on my keyboard with my fist, which you know I love playing. It just gives Chloe an opportunity to hate on everybody." Mary-Lynn Rajskub, "24," Fox

Today's cuppa; Texas Turtle coffee (that's for Vogel)

Today, Feb. 22, is the real birthday of George Washington, Revolutionary War hero and first president of the United States. In his honor, a third group of TV stars (click here and here for the previous ones) share their picks for favorite Founding Father (and yes, Mr. Washington makes an appearance, though some of their other picks may surprise you) ...

John Walsh of Fox's "America's Most Wanted," developer turned father of a murdered son turned activist turned fugitive-hunting TV host: "Thomas Jefferson. He was a renaissance man. He has such great side interests -- architecture and farming, all the different things he was involved in. The dichotomy, of course, was that he owned slaves, but he was conflicted about that.

"He sorta got drafted into (the Revolution). I'm not making a parallel between myself and Thomas Jefferson, but sometimes you do what you have to do. Life takes you in the strangest, strangest ways. There's no real plan."

Sean Casey of Discovery's "Storm Chasers": "I'll have to say John Jay (picture below), because he doesn't get any publicity. He was the mayor of New York. I guess also Benjamin Franklin. He was an inventor, a renaissance man. He was the first reported storm chaser. He saw the phenomenon of a tornado. He was on horseback, and he rode after it, following its path. He went through trees, couldn't find it and came back."

Dana Delany of ABC's "Desperate Housewives": "I would say Jefferson just because I like the fact that he was an oenophile. Also, people criticize Jefferson now, but I understand the whole thing, that he came from an elite class, was and wasn't. He saw the value of his education, but he was also a man of the people. It was an interesting combination."

Mike Vogel of CBS' upcoming "Miami Medical": "Jefferson, his ideals, the conservatism that he espoused, at least as I know it, Jeffersonian democracy. Also, I like James Madison. When you look at the checks and balances that they had to go through just to get these guys to show up at a federal meeting, like of the federal government. They had to take it through every level of their state governments, to make sure their state would be OK with them showing up.

"They were so adamant about maintaining the rights of the states before turning it over to the national, federal level of government. Now, it's completely reversed. We're the little puppy dogs, looking up to big Mama, saying 'Feed me, feed me.' We've gotten it all backwards. Hopefully it will turn around."

George Duran, host of TLC's "Ultimate Cake-Off": "Some of my biggest accomplishments in life tend to be hidden commuter secrets during the NYC rush hour, and Francis Lewis Blvd. (or 'Franny Lew') is at the top of my list. This time-saving road was named after Francis Lewis, a governmental delegate from Queens who was once taken as a prisoner to France (shipped in a box!) and eventually signed our Declaration of Independence. This is a Founding Father who suffered for our liberty and continues to un-suffer my daily commute!"

Jon Seda of HBO's upcoming World War II miniseries "The Pacific": "George Washington, just because, to me, that was the foundation to all the rest of the foundation. It was new. It wasn't anything that was seen before -- starting out together, how the United States is one big family, and we're going to to through everything together. For me, he was the Founding Father of that."

James Badge Dale of "The Pacific": "John Hancock -- he was the jerk who signed his name bigger (HCTV: So, he said, King George could read it without his spectacles). No, Thomas Jefferson. I find him a very interesting man. The interesting thing about these men, the original band of brothers, is that they all had completely different opinions of what America is and what it should be and what is important and not important, and they were still able to come together and work together. I think there's a real important message in there."

Joe Mazzello of "The Pacific": "Piggybacking on what Jon was saying, I think what was amazing about George Washington was that he had this crazy idea -- 'I'm going to give up power.' They called him the king of America. No one thought it was real. They thought, 'If this man gives up power, he's the greatest man in the world. It's just such an amazing thing.

"Now, we take that for granted, yeah, every four, eight years, presidents go and then we get a new one. But up until through (Franklin Delano) Roosevelt, it wasn't even a rule. Men just did that. He started that off. That can't be overlooked, how amazing it was for him to say, 'I'm going to do this. It's my job, and I'm going to go back home and be a private citizen.'

"That notion, it's amazing. It was walking the walk. All of the guys, Jefferson and Adams and all of them, said, 'We don't want your tyranny. You can have it. Leave us alone. Let us be free.' Then George Washington walked the walk by saying, 'I'm giving up power and handing it over to the next man,' and just started that tradition -- something that is so mind-boggling."

Today's cuppa: English breakfast tea at the hotel, during the biannual Television Critics Association Press Tour

On Monday night, Jan. 11, former "Charmed" star Alyssa Milano appears in "A Rose for Everafter," a new episode of ABC's hit mystery-drama "Castle." She plays Kyra, a bride-to-be who is first shocked when a bridesmaid dies during her wedding, and shocked again when one of investigators turns out to be her old flame, mystery writer Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), who arrives with his police partner, NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic).

"The storyline is that they were college loves," says Milano. "Castle, in the episode, says I was the one that got away. It's really an unresolved relationship. They still have feelings for each other."

Evidence of that is the big smooch the two share, as seen in the photo at right.

"I was surprised ABC actually released that picture," says Milano. "I was like, 'Oh.'"

Asked how it went, Milano says, "Literally, of course, because this always happens, it was the first day of work, so it was a lot more awkward and uncomfortable than if it had been the tenth day of work, when I had known everybody. But it was fine. I don't really remember that much about it.

"Don't tell Nathan. He'll be so upset."

ABC has also picked up "Romantically Challenged," starring Milano. for midseason. Since the actress is a prolific contributor to Twitter, she will now have to balance a full-time job with her social-media interests.

"I make time for Twitter, no matter what," she says. "It's such a part of who I am now. The only time I'm not tweeting is when I'm sleeping or on a plane or don't have Internet access."

She's already been using Twitter to promote her "Castle" appearance, as has Fillion.

"I've been tweeting about it since I started. Nathan and I both tweeted a lot from the set together. He loves it. It lives us such a great platform to get information out there, not just self-promotion information, but cool information about things that are going on in the world.

"Everyone's really excited about the episode."

As fans of "Castle" may surmise, Beckett isn't overly fond of Kyra.

"Although she would never, ever show it," Milano says, "there is definitely some jealousy there. But the Beckett character's way too stoic to actually show Kyra, my character, that she's jealous, but you definitely get the vibe that she may be upset about that."

Today's cuppa: Stash's Christmas Morning tea chased with office coffee

This morning, I hopped on the phone early with Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, the stars of ABC's literary caper drama "Castle," airing Mondays.

He plays Richard Castle, a top mystery novelist (he even has a new book out) with a taste for real-life crime-solving; she plays Kate Beckett, an NYPD detective who winds up with him as her partner.

Here's a chunk of our Q&A (Fillion's NF; Katic's SK; I'm KO):

KO: How goes it so far?

NF: So far, so good. We're on episode -- what, now? Six? Seven?

SK: Eight. Just starting eight today.

NF: Wow. Time flies. We're having a good time. I think it's safe to say we're in full swing, second season. Our feet are found; we're into it, neck-deep and swimming.

KO: Since Beckett is really a cop and Castle's not, does he mind having a woman order him around?

NF: Castle is surrounded by women. He's never really had an authority figure in his life, so that's one of the reasons he's attracted to Kate Beckett, because she is an authority figure. That's what his life is lacking, what he doesn't have and, I think, enjoys.

KO: What does Beckett think of Castle this season, as opposed to the first season?

SK: First season, he was a nuisance, an annoying gnat that she had to deal with. Aside from that, she had a crush on him. Then, as the season progressed, and especially this season, after we dealt with that big, horrible breach of trust that he committed first season, we learn that she really values him and enjoys his sense comedy and enjoys him as a person and a part of her life.

KO: Does she still have a crush on him or has she moved beyond that?

SK: The crush is being played out this season, more than any of the other episodes last year. Yeah, that's the only thing I'm going to tell you, though. Don't ask me for more!

KO: Will the as-yet unsolved murder case involving Beckett's mother continue to be discussed?

SK: We touch on it a bit. We really dealt with first episode of season two. We touch on it a bit, I think, this episode or next. As far as from what I hear from the writers room, we'll have to deal with it before the end of this season, because it's looming. It seems like audiences really want to know what happened.

We're going to learn more about Beckett's home life. That will have to come out eventually as we move on with the series.

KO: Would you like to see Beckett depicted doing more girly things -- like shoe shopping or getting a manicure -- or in leisure time?

SK: Oh, my gosh, please! Yes. I would love it. Anyone who is a working woman has one kind of character that she can be at work, especially if she's in charge. She has to hold a certain kind of decorum. Then she can let loose when she goes home, and she's with girl friends or guy friends and dates and with family. I can't wait to see a bit more of that.

I know so far they've been writing in more of this wild streak that Kate has. We'll learn more about that this season, and that's been fun to play.So I'm hoping that we get to go into her home life and see the other side of her as well.

KO: How does Castle feel about Beckett as opposed to last year?

NF: More of the same. Just as in real life, when you spend time with someone, you grow and learn more about them. He comes to respect her and admire her even more.

KO: Does Castle have a crush on Beckett?

NF: Do ya think? He wears his crush on his sleeve.