Posted on 08/16/2005 5:04:13 PM PDT by sionnsar
[Episcopal News Service] A new television drama featuring the struggles of an Episcopal priest with family, church politics and Jesus, his mentor and friend, and even his own nagging reliance on painkillers, is planned for the NBC 2005-2006 mid-season line-up. “This challenging new series is our first announced drama for mid-season as we continue to seek different, out-of-the-box projects," said Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment, when announcing the new series. “The Book of Daniel' is bold and surprising storytelling told by a great cast led by Aidan Quinn,” Reilly added. The new series also offers the Episcopal Church a rare product placement opportunity at a time when TIVO devices make it possible to excise paid commercials from home viewing. In 2004, the value of television product placements (a product or brand name inserted for marketing purposes into entertainment fare) increased by 46.4 percent over the year before, to $1.88 billion, according to the research firm PQ Media. A pilot episode for “The Book of Daniel,” was filmed at All Saints Church in Pasadena, where Quinn portrays Daniel, a young, liberal priest and father who clashes frequently with his conservative bishop, Dr. Beatrice Congreve, played by Ellen Burstyn. The series, set in upstate New York, would also feature Quinn’s frequent conversations with Jesus, played by actor Garrett Dillahunt. Among his parishioners is long-time actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller. The Rev. Susan Russell, an associate rector at the Pasadena parish, said the plot for the series is hopeful. “It is one more indicator of how much issues of faith and religion are ‘in,’ right now,” said Russell, who is also national Integrity president. “How cool is it that a progressive Episcopal priest has a shot at being a prime-time drama protagonist,” she added. “How surprising might it be to many who tune in to find out there actually IS a church where women can be bishops – clergy can be human – and there’s enough Good News around to extend to everybody?” Quinn, a frequent star of television and film for two decades, has appeared in numerous episodes of NBC’s Third Watch, and such films as Desperately Seeking Susan, The Handmaid’s Tale, Cave Dweller and many others. The show’s producer and writer is Jack Kenny, a Julliard graduate and former professional actor. He has collaborated on Dave’s World, Caroline in the City, and co-wrote “Titus” the 2000 Christopher Titus comedy, with his partner Brian which ran for two years on Fox. Kenny has also directed episodes of “Titus,” the WB Network’s “Reba,” and Titus’ recent comedy special for Showtime, “Norman Rockwell is Bleeding.” Russell noted that, in her conversations with Kenny, he indicated that he wanted to focus on places where “faith and life and family connect, particularly through an Episcopal lens.” In a previously published interview, Kenny acknowledged that he has worked on a variety of shows and added that, in writing: “You can serve any product, whether it’s a kids’ show or an edgy adult comedy. The same kind of work goes into it, but your goal is a little different.” The day and time the series will be aired will be announced later, Reilly said.
the odds that single conservative bishop in the ECUSA is a woman is longer than what is needed to hit the MegaLotto.
Thanks for the ping. I needed a smile today - and while it was more of a grimace, it has convinced me to step away from this PC and go DO something!
With a wink and a nod to Stephen Vincent Benet, Aidan Quinn plays Daniel Webster in the series, an Episcopal priest with a monkey on his back, who regularly converses with a street-smart Jesus (Deadwood’s Garrett Dillahunt). Together, Daniel and Jesus explore family problems, church politics, and Daniel’s addiction to prescription painkillers. It takes the concept of accepting Jesus as your personal savior, well, literally.
Ellyn Burstyn, an Oscar winner for 1974’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, plays Bishop Beatrice Congreve, with whom Daniel butts theological heads. Susanna Thompson (Once and Again) is on board as Daniel’s martini-drinking wife Judith. Alison Pill is their daughter, and Ivan Shaw, their adopted Asian son.
But for gay men, it’s the Webster’s son, Peter (Christian Campbell) who is the page-turning character in Daniel’s book. Not only is Peter Webster gay; he’s a Log Cabin Republican. As the series opens, Peter is nursing a recently broken heart, and still struggling with the long-ago death of his twin brother.
The pulchritudinous, joyously heterosexual Christian Campbell, most recently seen cavorting in a G-string in Showtime’s camp extravaganza Reefer Madness, and currently on the London stage in tick…tick…BOOM!, has been melting gay hearts since 1999’s Trick. The indie picture--in which Campbell played Gabriel, a Sondheim wannabe looking for a place to get it on with his chiseled one-night stand--was the darling of that year’s Sundance Film Festival, and an art house favorite.
Back then, the actor told Prodigy Internet “I was never concerned about playing gay, but my management was.”
In The Book of Daniel, Christian Campbell’s Peter Webster brings something brand new to broadcast, dramatic television: the gay Republican. The only other occasion in recent history when television has offered up a gay Republican was during Election season last year, when the cable network Trio explored how Log Cabin Republicans were splitting over supporting Bush in the one-hour documentary Gay Republicans.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.