Without Lee: Some of the cast & crew from Rizzoli & Isles tweets about Lee Thompson Young

I put some tweets together from the cast & crew
in memory of Lee Thompson Young.

Season 4 SPOILERS

Here are some spoilers I've found from around the internet.

• If you ever wondered what it would be like if Maura and Jane switched places, then an upcoming Rizzoli & Isles season four episode is for you. When a suspect with information decides that Jane is not a "nice lady," Maura is the only one he trusts and thus, she will be the one interrogating him. Jane doesn't let Maura just waltz in there unprepared, of course. That's where the fun starts. (EOnline)

• Episode 3x01: Family issues and politics take center stage after a community parade turns deadly. Maura struggles with her own family issues. Casey makes a surprise visit along with some shocking news. (tv.com)

• Bass and Joe Friday are BACK! (Janet Tamaro)

• As for the new season as a whole, Angie Harmon enthuses, “We’ve gone back a bit towards the pilot, as far as going more dramatic. The playful banter is still there, but the cases are a lot more serious — which I’m excited about.” (TVLine)

• Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco will recur as Lt. Det. Rafael Martinez, the newly appointed head of the Boston Police Department's drug unit who has a personal and professional history with Jane. (TVGuide)

• Paddy Doyle (John Doman) is back and standing trail for murder. It's no secret Maura's family storyline is one of my favorites in the show. Here's what we know:

In Episode 4 Paddy stands trial and Jane has to testify against him. Plus we learn that Doyle and Cavanaugh grew up in South Boston together, and Doyle worked as Cavanaugh's confidential informant to help get drugs out of the area. (TVGuide)

On the first day of Paddy’s murder trial, Maura gains insight into her father from Hope (Sharon Lawrence). Korsak opens up about Cavanaugh’s tragic past. And in an unexpected twist, Maura must decide which side she’s on when she and Jane unravel a shocking secret about Paddy and Hope that affects them all. (TNT)

• Maura and Cailin (Maura's half-sister) start to bond so much that the teen ends up staying with Maura. (TVGuide)

• Rondo will be in Episode 5!

• Giovanni is back.

Janet Tamaro - Hoyt, Maura fencing, 15 episodes

Question from Bay Keech:
Hi there, I have a question. Would Jane have to deal with Hoyt again after his death in season two?
Janet's response:
One of the challenges of this show (because each episode is "closed-ended" and must stand on its own) is it's difficult to circle back and reference episodes new viewers may not have seen. I do my level best to keep our returning fans happy, but I also to try not to exclude new fans. So the short answer is probably not.



Question from Tish Buford:
Jane had asked Maura once in a previous episode if she played sports. One of Maura's answers was fencing, by any chance would we ever see Maura perform fencing in an episode?
Janet's response:
Just after I read this question, Sasha Alexander (who plays Maura Isles) asked me the same thing!! So, yes, I suspect we’re going to see Maura fence.


Question from Melanie Reber:
Janet, Can you please tell us fans why there is so little of Rizzoli & Isles each season? I as well as others (I'm sure) would like to know why the girls don't get as many episodes as other TV shows?
Janet's response:
Many cable networks order anywhere from 6 episodes to 15. TNT orders 15 "Rizzoli & Isles" episodes, which is a heck of a lot better than 6. Thanks for your interest, though. Glad to know you’d like more.



Source: TNT

Janet Tamaro - song titles, the boys, and Maura's bedroom - Creator's Corner

Question from Kristen Cohn:
I've noticed several of the episodes names share their names with song titles. I'm thinking it's on purpose, but I'm not sure.
Janet's response:
Yep, it's on purpose. I decided after the pilot and the first episode to start naming episodes after song titles...because I could...;-)
----
Question from Nathalia Conti:
Relevant question: are we going to see Maura's walk-in closet and shoe collection this season?
Janet's response:
It's a VERY relevant question. Don't tell anyone, but I'm hoping we'll be able to build Maura's bedroom in Season 4. If you look behind the curtain here at Oz, you'll see that there currently IS no bedroom...so don't look until we have something to show you...ssshhh...it's our little secret.
----
Question from Alyssa Benalfew:
Will we see more Jane and Frost or Frost and Frankie interaction? Jane and Frost have nice moments and Frost and Frankie look like they could be great friends.
Janet's response:
I completely agree, and yes, we will see more of this adorable threesome. Frost and Frankie also do some very funny stuff together in upcoming shows. I personally love the ongoing brother-sister, towel, sibling-rivalry, "I love you but you annoy the heck out of me" relationship between Jane and Frankie.
----
Question from Victoria Baljo:
When you developed Rizzoli's character, did you use one person in your life to model her after or more than a few??
Janet's response:
Tess Gerritsen created Det. Jane Rizzoli for her books. I identified with the fictional Jane in Tess's books, but when I created the TV "Jane Rizzoli," I think without intending to, I imbued her with many of my own traits – and with many traits I see in Angie. Tess, who is a wonderful writer and a master of suspense and mystery, will tell you her books aren't funny. I can't live without humor and did not want to spend all the hours I spend working on this show without the relief of humor. I try to balance the show with enough of it to satisfy myself, my audience, and my great cast while still constructing a good mystery and serving all these wonderful characters.
Obviously, Jane isn't real, and Jane isn't me or Angie, but I've had to drop certain expressions I gave to Jane in dialogue because now I sound like I'm copying a fictional character...who says what I write for her to say ... I've got some Maura ticks, too. I'm constantly referencing studies, facts, figures and any research I can remember plus how did we live without GOOGLE? My children and husband are very nice about it, but I believe there's some secret eye-rolling that goes on ...

Source: Creator's Corner

Review: Rizzoli & Isles "What Doesn't Kill You" episode 301

It's been a while so let me start with reminding everyone that I don't recap the episodes, I simply talk about them. I assume if you're reading this you've already seen it. Most likely more than once. :)

I loved this episode! It was everything a season premiere should be. Picking up where season two left off was definitely the way to go. Lots of fans thought that's how the beginning of season two should have gone after Jane was shot at the end of season one. That didn't happen but "What Doesn't Kill You" had too in order for the rift between Jane and Maura to make sense.

What I really loved about how the arguments between Jane and Maura were written in this episode was that we see that they're both sorry. From Jane's emotional "I shot my best friend's father," to Maura's "The way I reacted, I just bit Jane's head off" show how sorry they truly are, yet when together they get defensive. I really loved Maura's apology when Jane rushed up to her in the hospital. Alas like in real life, hindsight is 20/20. Had Jane simply said, "I'm sorry too," before rushing into the internal affairs investigation it would have nipped the rift in the bud and been over. Three simple words and Jane could have saved everyone a lot of heartache, but where's the drama in that? ;)

Another lost opportunity to make-up was when Jane stood in Maura's office doorway and said "You're back." Twice. This time it's Maura who ignores the chance to mend fences and as we saw lands the gals in a "cat fight." Notice though when Cavanaugh sends Jane to inventory Maura's reaction is also a loud "what?" That leads me to the fact that Jane took the time to get the truth from Constance about Maura's adoption and took Maura to see her grave. They may be fighting but they still love each other.

Speaking of the grave, I have a side-note, does anyone else find that when Maura's crying they start crying? She kills me every time. 

The relationships between parents and children have become one of my favorite parts of the series. They're all complex, brilliantly acted, and have heart and depth to them. The first scene with Maura and Constance was touching. Maura's "Would you have taken me if you'd known I was Paddy Doyle's daughter?" broke my heart. In one sentence we see the insecure adopted little girl. Constance response was spot on. Maura is her daughter.

Angela... I mean who doesn't love Mama Rizzoli! I love that Maura truly has become a part of the Rizzoli family. For Angela to say Maura was her daughter too just confirmed what we already knew. Touching, heartbreaking scene. My personal opinion was Angela should have stayed at Maura's. My Italian mother would have given me a piece of her mind for even daring to tell her to leave her home. Then would have gone on and on about how we shouldn't be fighting, blah, blah, blah... But that was my mom. ;)

I loved the flashbacks. A friend told me she felt the "putting on the wire" one, although funny and enjoyable on it's own, didn't seem to fit the reality of the situation when looking back at the season two finale. I disagree in that we all have times when we're in emotional, tense, stressful situations and it gets lightened with humor, adrenaline, and even some excitement. It's Maura who's very light-hearted in that scene, and it's Maura who's been put through the ringer emotionally before the undercover operation. Although her mother was still in the hospital, at that point Constance had woken up and Maura knew she'd be okay. Also it was going undercover, helping solve the case, there's excitement, nerves and adrenaline that get all mixed together when put in that situation. I noticed Jane stayed fairly serious throughout and I think that was very well played by Angie. That's what kept the scene in reality. I believed Jane understood Maura's behavior having been in that position so many times in her career, and was probably reminded of her own first time.

I'm one of those viewers who watches this show for the relationships not the crimes. The crimes move the story forward, but there are other crime shows that I watch for the crime of the week and how they solve it, along with character relationships (CSI, Criminal Minds) but personally on Rizzoli & Isles I'd be fine if the crimes were the B storyline. There are, however times where I really enjoy the crime solving and this was one of them. I got the feeling early on that it was connected to Paddy and the shooting, so it wasn't just a "crime of the week" it was integral to the personal stories.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this season. If the episodes are like this one it's gonna be a great season!

On a technical note, I have to say that the look and feel of this episode was fantastic. I've since heard that there was a new director. I noticed the difference. Great camera work, angles, pulling focus, lots of movement... Kudos to the Director and DP. It looked really good.

This weeks episode, "Dirty Little Secret," should be intense if the spoilers are any indication.


For over 130 screen caps of this episode check out the Picture Gallery. They're broken up into four parts.

rizzles.xenite.net
sasha.xenite.net

Rizzoli and Isles Season 3 Articles, Interviews, SPOILERS Before Premiere

It's the big push before the Rizzoli & Isles season three premiere. Articles and interviews are popping up all over the net. Here's links and excerpts:

Sasha Alexander becomes more than just Angie Harmon’s partner in ‘Rizzoli & Isles’  

It's not easy to be the other woman in a cop show with Angie Harmon.
But Sasha Alexander has parlayed that spot into something impressive, playing medical examiner Maura Isles opposite Harmon’s Detective Jane Rizzoli on TNT’s “Rizzoli & Isles.”
The third season launches Tuesday night at 9, and it’s a critical juncture for the gals.
They’ve been friends for years and now they also work together. Or at least they did until the last episode of season two, when Jane shot Maura’s father.

Okay, that may not be the dealbreaker it might seem to be. Maura’s father is a psychotic mobster who has killed dozens of people and is wanted throughout the civilized world.
Still, he’s her recently revealed dad, so she would have preferred Jane didn’t shoot him.
“It’s a huge ride for Maura this season,” says Alexander. “The whole mystery of her father and his past is changing her. She’s always lived in this world where she’s in control of everything, and now it’s another world she’s uncomfortable in.”
Maura’s also mad at Jane.
“She’s in total shock as the season starts,” says Alexander. “She’s very angry at Jane. It’s going to take a while for them to find their way back.”
Yet the fact there could be a way back reflects the strength of “Rizzoli & Isles,” which has clicked into place as a show that’s part cop stuff, part smart comedy and part character drama.
Taking nothing away from Harmon, whose TV legal credibility goes back to “Law & Order” and “Women’s Murder Club,” Alexander has slowly developed an intriguing presence of her own.
“In the beginning, the show was far more centered on Jane,” says Alexander. “She clearly had the advantage.
“But then as we learned more about Maura, we found it wasn’t what we expected. She has a lot of family and personal issues.”
She’s also a brainiac.
“She’s smart,” says Alexander. “She’s collected a lot of facts. But at the same time she has almost no sense of the effect she has on other people. She will say something funny and not know it’s funny. She’ll hear people laughing and not realize the joke is on her.
“It’s a challenge to play a character with no sense of irony. But at the same time, people like her.”
That part isn’t hard to understand. In one scene this season, Alexander says, Maura and Jane have to hide in a closet when they’re almost caught during an undercover operation.
“Out of nowhere, while they’re waiting,” says Alexander, “Maura starts talking about the history of leather, and its historical significance in sexuality.
“We had to stop the scene every few lines because Angie kept laughing.”
Let’s assume in this case that Harmon speaks for all viewers.
“The thing about Maura,” says Alexander, “is you never really quite know where she’s going.”

Source

For Rizzoli & Isles, 'The Anger Is Still Fresh' - Can a Deadly Crisis Bring Them Back Together?

“We start Season 3 maybe 20 minutes later, so the anger is still fresh, the resentment of [what Jane did],” Sasha Alexander tells TVLine of tonight’s premiere (airing at 9/8c). “For both Jane and Maura it’s very unclear – like, What just happened?”

So, things are a little complicated between the ladies? “I would say a lot,” Angie Harmon corrects us with a laugh. “But if you’ve ever had a fight with someone that you love or care about, this is the show for you. It’s very high stakes that these two are fighting for.”

As such, don’t expect tensions between the two to smooth out in a jiffy – a wrinkle that delighted the series’ leads. ”I like the way [series creator] Janet [Tamaro] wrote it, because it’s not tied up in a bow after the first episode,” Alexander shares. Adds Harmon: “It takes a little bit to bring them back together.” 

Read more >>>

 'Rizzoli & Isles': Sasha Alexander teases the new season

Meeting Maura’s birth mother: The season premiere sets Maura on a path to find Dr. Hope Davis (recurring guest star Sharon Lawrence), who we’ll meet in the July 3 episode. “Maura, Jane, and Angela [Lorraine Bracco] stop in their tracks when they hear this woman speak. It’s like you’re listening to Maura,” Alexander says. “And Maura physically cannot talk around her. She’s so scared to interact with her because she doesn’t want her to know [she's her daughter], so it’s actually very comedic.” Even once Maura does speak, she’ll still keep her identity a secret. “There are moments when she’ll do something that somehow moves me, and I just burst into tears. She’s like, ‘Why are you crying?’ And Jane will be like, ‘She gets really emotional when we break a case,’” Alexander says. Maura will also learn she has a half-sister (Emilee Wallace). “She’s a pretty angry 18-year-old girl, and that’s gonna be an interesting relationship,” Alexander says.

 A possible love interest for Maura: Eddie Cibrian will guest star in the June 19 episode. “Maura meets him on her autopsy table,” Alexander says. “Let’s just say his ‘special part’ gives him away.” Wait, we need her to explain that. “We think his character just had a stroke and died, so he’s still in his clothes on the table, and the girls are commenting on how hot he is when he’s on the autopsy table. It’s so inappropriate,” Alexander says. Look for Cibrian to return later in the season.

 Read more >>>

 'Rizzoli & Isles' starts season on tense note, but there should be fun to come

Maura Isles is not in a good mood as the third season of “Rizzoli & Isles” launches Tuesday.
That will happen when your father just got shot and your best friend was the shooter.
Isles (Sasha Alexander) is ordinarily the most rational and linear of people. Like a good medical examiner should be.
And her friend Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) is ordinarily the most compassionate and considerate of buddies. Like a good Boston detective should be.
In this case, however, Rizzoli didn’t have much choice, since Maura’s father is a Mob killer who was holding a gun himself.
It sounds complicated, but it’s explained well, even to someone who’s a newcomer to the show. That’s one of the reasons “Rizzoli & Isles” has become one of the best cop shows on TV.
It works as light summer drama, with lots of great banter between the women, and it works as cop drama, since it has put both of them in very dangerous situations at regular intervals.
Best of all, though, it keeps peeling away layers on both characters. Neither, it turns out, is quite as immune to men as it might seem, and both are struggling with mother issues, for entirely different reasons.
That could get trite. Here, instead, it’s fast-moving and fun. Lorraine Bracco has loads of fun as Jane’s mom and Sharon Lawrence will come in this season as Maura’s.
In fact, the whole cast gets in the spirit — and let’s bet even Maura won’t stay mad all season.

Source 

 Rizzoli & Isles Season 3: Sasha Alexander Previews What's Next, Big Guest Stars And More

I caught up with star Sasha Alexander to hear more about how the best friends begin to repair their relationship, and she also dished about some new guest stars, including Sharon Lawrence, who'll be playing Maura's birth mother, and Eddie Cibrian, who's Maura's new love interest. Alexander also talked about her character's darker side, the show's efforts to keep the strong female characters from becoming sex objects and whether or not she would do a musical episode.
Our conversation took place on the phone during a quick break from a particularly insane day of shooting -- there was a big party scene, and things sounded like they were getting a bit out of hand.

"It's actually a very funny episode where Maura is hosting the medical examiner symposium, so all of these very nerdy doctor types come ... so it's basically all these funny guys with Maura," Alexander teased of the upcoming episode. "Let's just say a lot of different chaos ensues with Dr. Pike, played by Ed Begley Jr., which is hysterical. He's so hysterical -- he has some very funny storylines this season."
She also gave us more of a glimpse into Begley's on-set/on-screen antics: "And then Ed Begley tried to stick his tongue in my ear, but hey! No, it wasn't him, it was his 'character.' [Laughs.] Just another day at work!"
Keep reading for more on what makes "Rizzoli & Isles" tick ...

Rough start for the ladies this season -- it's obviously not an easy situation for them to deal with, since Jane shot Maura's mobster father. What can you tell us about the state of their relationship when we return?
I think it's a pretty raw moment for both of them right when we return because it just happened, so there's a lot of confusion and a lot of raw emotion for both of them. And that gets even more complicated -- for Maura, she's now got her father in the hospital and her mother, and she's dealing with the fact that Jane just shot her father. For Jane, she ends up in a bit of hot water because they're doing an investigation on this, and because she knew that Maura's father was Paddy Doyle, she's sort of implicated in it as a possible suspect.
But the show is called "Rizzoli & Isles" -- these two can't stay mad at each other for too long, can they?
No, but I love it because I think that when you see the second episode and when they do come back together, they've really earned it in a way that I think is just going to deepen their relationship. I like it -- I think conflict is good. I've loved this storyline with Paddy Doyle ... I think it's really an interesting mystery that has been sort of unraveling about Maura's life, and it's provided us with some really cool stories. So it's interesting how it's now come around to it being Jane that stops him. I think it's really paid off in an interesting way.
And now we'll also get to meet Maura's biological mom as well -- I cannot wait to see Sharon Lawrence on the show.
I know! I haven't seen the episodes, but she was really great to work with. The first time she arrives, Jane and Maura and Angela are there and this woman appears, and the way she speaks is so Maura-like -- she has this hilarious monologue talking about birchwood, which is so random. They don't know that this is her, but just by the way she speaks and her mannerisms, they're like, "There's no way this woman is not related to Maura." It's a really wonderful moment, and Sharon and I had kind of an uncanny resemblance.

 Read more >>>

Janet Tamaro talks about actor input

Question from H'eather Rizziggleose:
Are the cast members given any input on the scripts? Do they ever ask for different dialogue or disagree with something that's been written?


 Janet's response:
I think of the actors as my partners. We've been doing this together for nearly three years. Because so much time and effort goes into each script (weeks and weeks), by the time they get the script, it's pretty close to what you see on screen. They're very respectful of my/my writers' process – as I am of theirs. If there is dialogue or action that is "bumping" them (Hollywood talk for, "This doesn't make sense"), we will have a conversation and sort it out.

Source: Creator's Corner

Rizzoli & Isles - Books vs Television

From the Liverpool Daily Post:

Do the names Rizzoli and Isles mean anything to you? If you're a fan of Tess Gerritsen's crime books, they should do. The international best-seller author created the detective (Rizzoli) and coroner (Isles) series a decade ago and they are, arguably, the best crime books out there.

Which, as a fan of the books, makes watching Rizzoli and Isles (Alibi, Fridays, 9pm) a dangerous pastime. If films can ruin a good book, what damage can a TV series do? Answer: Not much if it essentially disregards everything about the books other than the scenario.

In the books, Rizolli and Isles are both quite prickly characters. In the TV series, Rizolli is still a spiky Boston detective but also has a strong comedy element, helped in no small part by the regular presence of her mum. Isles is a cold character in the books, in the TV series she is something of a friendly know-it-all.

It's more Cagney and Lacey than Rosemary and Thyme in terms of famous female crime-fighting duos, and has more in common with Scott and Bailey than Silent Witness. But the plots are good and cleverly worked through.

Whereas CSI normally involves a piece of forensic evidence coming to light around 10 minutes from the end, Rizzoli and Isles relies on one of the duo pulling random bits of evidence together.

That's how they convicted the district attorney for shooting a key witness in a trial she was leading against a gang boss.

Isles pieced it together when the tyre track at the scene had a distinct nail outline in it – very similar to the nail she'd found in the DA's tyre when she'd changed it for her at the scene of the crime.

Now, you wouldn't get the old men in New Tricks changing tyres.

Its crime? Only fun. It’s nothing like the book. And all the better for it.

I started reading the books after watching season one of the television series. I would have to agree on the fact that making the characters different in the series makes it easy to love both. They're different entities entirely. Janet Tamaro borrowed the concept from Tess Gerritsen then made the characters her own. Although I will admit, having watched the series first, no matter how Jane and Maura are described in the books, I see Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Sorry, Tess! :)

What are your thoughts? Comment below. :)

Janet Tamaro on stories for Season 3

Question from Taylor Clancy:
What are you going to be focusing on this coming season? More of Jane & Maura's relationships or personal lives? Any new drama?

Photo: Doug Hyun

Janet's response:
Yes – and so much new drama, I'm worried we won't be able to tell all the stories I've got planned. Jane will have some heartbreak. Maura's family life will get more complicated. Frank Sr. will be back to throw a few big rocks into the middle of the lake, as will youngest kid, Tommy. That's just a little taste of this upcoming season.

Photo: Danny Feld

Source: Creator's Corner