CRIMINAL MINDS: THOMAS GIBSON SHINES

The above picture of Mandy Patinkin as Jason Gideon, Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss and Thomas Gibson as Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds episode "Ashes and Dust" is copyrighted by Cliff Lipson/CBS and reproduced on this blog with their expressed permission.

Criminal Minds: Once the meeting Mandy Patinkin problem was taken care of I was able to go back into the studio and continue watching the cast and crew shoot the remaining scenes of "Ashes and Dust". During a set change I had my first real conversation with Thomas Gibson. Thomas had been on the set since very early in the morning and was obviously tired but he was gracious, kind and very funny. He asked me a lot of questions about the blog and admitted that he has not been all over the internet but was actually starting to wet his feet. A friend of his from college had produced a student film decades ago and someone had sent him the link to it on Youtube. He watched the video and it encouraged him to reconnect with the friend he hadn't spoken to in so long. He commented on how amazing the internet is. I told him that I was having a wonderful day and would be returning the next day to meet Mandy. I told him that there was a box of gifts and letters in his trailor from our group. I knew he did not have much time before they were going to call him back onto the set so I pulled out of my bag the things I most wanted him to sign which he did graciously. When he found out there were more things needing his signature he promised to make more time for me in the morning. He talked about his wife and children and how much he was looking forward to the hiatus. Hiatus is a word you hear all over the studio right now. They are all ready for a break from working such long days. We spoke for a few more minutes and then the set was ready and they resumed filming. Watching Thomas Gibson at work is a treat. It is watching the best of the best giving his best take after take after take.

I was watching the filming when Andrew Wilder (I will DEFINATELY be talking about him some more soon) walked over with a gentleman he wanted me to meet. One of the two guest stars in "Ashes and Dust" is Sean O'Bryan. Sean is amazing and I will be talking about him tomorrow as well. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: EVEN DOGS LOVE THE SHOW.

Jan, a member of the Criminal Minds Yahoo Group, has a very creative dog named Quentin. Quentin sent a personalized greeting card to every member of the Criminal Minds cast. Kirsten Vangsness mentioned the card in her latest CBS blog entry and A.J. loved hers when she opened it infront of me. Quentin is quite a special little canine. :)

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/criminal_minds/blog2.php?id=04

CRIMINAL MINDS: PAGET BREWSTER SAVES THE DAY.

The above picture of Mandy Patinkin as Jason Gideon and Thomas Gibson as Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds episode "Ashes and Dust" is copyrighted by Cliff Lipson/CBS and reproduced on this blog with their expressed permission.
Criminal Minds Day One: When I found out that Mandy Patinkin had left for the day I was beyond upset. Paget Brewster was enjoying one of her very few breaks of the day by sitting outside her trailer talking on her cellphone and reading. When she saw that there seemed to be a problem she hung up her phone and asked what the problem was. "A" explained to her that I had really wanted some time with Mandy and he had already left for the day. I explained that he was one of the major reasons I had even made the trip and that I had scripts and photos for him to sign. I also started welling up in tears. By this time I am not sure who was more upset...me or Paget. She just kept saying how upset Mandy was going to be when he found out this happened and how bad she felt. She offered to take everything I had with me and to personally have him sign it all and have it immmediately sent to me. I told her how much I appreciated that but that there were some things I had waited years to say to him. I told her that I wanted him to know how much, as a Jewish mother, I appreciated all his acts of tzedukah and how he was a role model within the Jewish community for his untiring efforts to support Israel, and how much I have always admired his work. After another round of "Mandy is going to be so upset about this" she came up with the most perfect solution of all. She asked what time my flight was the next day and then pulled out her call schedule and it was worked out that I would return to the set the next day to spend another five hours on the set. She also said she would make it her personal business to make sure he knew what the situation was and that one way or another I was going to get my time with Mandy. "A" agreed to this plan which was a major inconvience to her schedule since she had not planned on being on the set another day with me. She never said it but I knew that she was going to have to shuffle her whole next day around. She agreed with the same style and grace that I had come to rely on since our very first email months earlier. In blunt terms: "A" and Paget Brewster are classy women and I can never thank them enough for everything. Next: My first day is still not over and I get to spend some time with one of the guest stars of "Ashes and Dust" and the wonderful writer, Andrew Wilder. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS SCREENCAPS SITE:

Criminal Minds: Stacy has started a very exciting new Criminal Minds screencaps site. Here is the link: http://www.criminalmindsonline.net/
You can email her with any questions you may have about copying screencaps from the site. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: OOPS I FORGOT.

I forgot to post a picture of the handcuffs Kirsten Vangsness gave me earlier in the day. The cast and crew of Criminal Minds are given gifts from time to time during the season and she thought I might like to have hers. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: THE SEARCH IS ON FOR MANDY PATINKIN.

Criminal Minds: At this point in the day I had had the opportunity to spend quality time with everyone but Thomas Gibson and Mandy Patinkin. When we walked back to the set there was Thomas but Mandy was not there. I can't tell you how bad I felt when I heard someone say he had left for the day because he had a concert rehearsal scheduled. "A" said lets go as we rushed outside to the trailers to try to catch Mandy before he got into his car. Everyone's trailers are parked one next to the other and there is a woman outside to keep an eye on them and assist the stars if they need it. She was also the person who informed us that he had just driven off the lot. I had never made any secret that one of my very main objectives in taking this trip was to spend a few minutes talking with Mandy and finding out that the quick hug earlier in the day was all I was going to get didn't go over very well with me. I was crushed. I was also about to have a major meltdown. And Paget Brewster was about to show me just how special a person she is.

CRIMINAL MINDS YAHOO GROUP CHAT INFO:

The Criminal Minds Yahoo Group chat is Saturday, March 10th at 5pm est. Lets get together and talk about Matthew Gray Gubler, Kirsten Vangsness, Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster, Mandy Patinkin, A.J. Cook and Thomas Gibson. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PAGET BREWSTER

The above picture of Paget Brewster as Emily Prentiss on Criminal Minds episode "Ashes and Dust" is copyrighted by Cliff Lipson/CBS and reproduced on this blog with their expressed permission.

I hope that Paget Brewster has a wonderful birthday. I did not take any candid solo pictures of Paget during my visit to the set. It wasn't because I did not want to but rather because my time with her was so limited and I had to make decisions on whether to talk with her or take her picture. I choose wisely. Paget is a very gentle person. She loves her character, Emily Prentiss, and working with this cast and crew. She does read this blog and we discussed some of the reasons many of the people who post on the blog have taken awhile to warm to her character. It is easy to tell an actor or actress that it is nothing personal when you have taken some time to accept their character but they invest a part of themselves into their characters and they do want their character to be liked and accepted. I watched Paget shoot for hours on end and never did I see her act in anything other than a professional manner. She is so sweet and kind to her castmates. It is no wonder she is adored by everyone on the set. Tomorrow you will read about a meltdown I had on the set and how Paget's empathy saved the day for me. I can also tell you that she was genuinely surprised that she had received presents and cards from our group. She gladly signed every picture I asked her to for the Yahoo Group. I liked this woman and after watching her work I respected her very much as well. I hope she has a wonderful birthday and Paget if you are reading this: Thank you again for everything. I will never forget your kindness. Never! :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: OMG WE ARE MISSING AN ACTOR!

The above picture of Thomas Gibson as Aaron Hotchner on Criminal Minds is copyrighted by Cliff Lipson/CBS and reproduced on this blog with their expressed permission.

Criminal Minds: After Kirsten left we went back to watch Mandy Patinkin, Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster and Thomas Gibson continue shooting scenes from "Ashes and Dust". It became obvious real quick that we were missing an actor. Next up in this diary will be: Where's Mandy?, Having a Meltdown, Paget Brewster is a genius and savior and day one isn't over yet. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: KIRSTEN'S ATTIC PARTY.

Criminal Minds Trip Diary: Day One: Before our visit concluded Kirsten told us that she wanted to have an attic party. It seems that the apartment she lives in is in an old house. In a closet in her apartment is an attic entrance. In talking with the owner of the house she found out that nobody has been in the attic in many decades. Kirsten wants to invite her friends over for an attic party. Everyone would go up to the attic with a flashlight one at a time since the closet entrance is small. Her whole face lights up when she tells us how cool it could be because maybe there is really neat stuff up there and if not even the adventure would be fun. I think any party Kirsten hosted would be pretty damn cool. I did have this weird mental picture of Shemar Moore or Thomas Gibson getting stuck in the attic entrance hole and having to be surgically removed since they are both big men. I hope that Kirsten has her party and that we get to hear every fun detail. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER.

Happy Birthday to Matthew Gray Gubler (Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds).

CRIMINAL MINDS: GREAT NEWS ABOUT ED BERNERO.

Here is a link to some wonderful news about Ed Bernero, Executive Producer of Criminal Minds. :)

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117960804.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

CRIMINAL MINDS: WONDERFUL CBS PRESS RELEASE

A REBROADCAST OF "CRIMINAL MINDS" IS WEDNESDAY'S #1 SCRIPTED PROGRAM IN VIEWERS

"Criminal Minds" Tops All First-Run Competition Including "Lost," the Premiere of "Wedding Bells," the Time Period Premiere of "Crossing Jordan" and "Medium"

A rebroadcast of CRIMINAL MINDS was Wednesday's top scripted program in viewers, topping all first-run competition including "Lost," the premiere of "Wedding Bells," the time period premiere of "Crossing Jordan" and "Medium," according to Nielsen Live Plus same-day ratings for March 7.

At 9:00 PM, CRIMINAL MINDS (R) was first in households (9.0/14), viewers (13.84m) and second in both adults 25-54 (4.9/11) and adults 18-49 (3.9/10). CRIMINAL MINDS won the 9:30-10:00PM time period in adults 25-54 (5.1/12 vs. 4.9/11 on FOX).

The 13.84 million viewers for CRIMINAL MINDS topped "Lost" (12.34m), "Wedding Bells" (12.48m), "Crossing Jordan" (8.03m) and "Medium" (8.67m).

At 10:00 PM, a rebroadcast of CSI: NY was first in households (7.8/13) and second in viewers (11.64m, -0.70m behind first run "Lost"), adults 25-54 (4.1/10), adults 18-49 (3.5/09) and adults 18-34 (2.5/09).

Information from cbs.com

CRIMINAL MINDS: KIRSTEN OPENS HER GIFTS

Criminal Minds Trip Diary: Day One: Kirsten Vangsness is a fascinating person to have a conversation with. She is open and holds nothing back. One of the first things she asked me is if I had met her friend Gina Garcia Sharp. I told her that I had and how Scott and Gina had helped Kris get some background work to earn his Sag card. Then Kirsten told me how she landed the job on the Criminal Minds which makes me adore Gina even more than before. Gina and Kirsten have been friends for many years. When the pilot for Criminal Minds was being cast Gina was able to help Kirsten get the part which only had a few lines but Kirsten was happy about the opportunity. So off to Canada she went to film the pilot. Kirsten was very nervous and did not think she was doing very well and then one of the Producers asked her if she could do her lines in a funny way. When the Pilot was finished Kirsten returned to LA, continued working multiple jobs trying to earn a living and was actively auditioning for roles. The part of Garcia had been filled with a male actor but in a late decision it was decided that the cast was male heavy and that the part should be recast with a woman. Gina called Kirsten and asked her if she was interested and the rest, as they say, is Criminal Minds history.

Kirsten is a fun person to be around. She is easygoing and sincere. She also is a modern day version of Mary Poppins. When she opened her purse to look for something you would not believe the things she took out of it. We all just laughed but she said she likes to be prepared for every possibility. She had everything in her purse but the kitchen sink and I am not really sure that wasn't in it. I was wondering what she was looking so hard for and it turned out to be a thank you note for me. I was as moved then as I am now writing about it.

She was amazed at the generousity of everyone who had taken the time to write her letters and send her pens and goodies. She said that she had no idea when she posted on her blog that we would do that for her. I thanked her, as I have in the past, for not mentioning she needed something larger than pens. She asked me why I thought people liked her character and we discussed that for awhile. Then she blew my mind. She told me and everyone at the table about the post I did on my daughter's 16th birthday and how wonderful it was and asked why I removed it after just a few days. I knew Kirsten had been reading the blog but I did not realize she had even seen that post since it only stayed up for a few days. She likes to read what the fans are saying and thinking about the show. She told me funny stories about the different outfits we was wearing in the pictures I brought for her to autograph and lets just say she is a hoot. Spending time with Kirsten was one of the highlights of my trip. She is a class act and I appreciate her mentioning me and this blog in her latest CBS blog update. We will see a bit more of Kirsten later in this diary. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: KIRSTEN VANGSNESS IS IN THE BUILDING!

Criminal Minds Trip Diary: Day One: We were watching them film when I noticed a blond haired woman on the other side of the set. A few moments later I was introduced to Kirsten Vangsness who had just arrived for our meeting. I look forward later today to sharing pictures with you of Kirsten opening her pens and gifts. For now just let me tell you that she is a wonderful, friendly young woman and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to visit with her. So off we went to Craft Services. I told you that place is full of action of all kinds. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: WALKING AROUND THE SET

Criminal Minds Trip Diary: Day One: While I was waiting for Kirsten Vangsness to arrive on the set for our meeting I watched them film some more scenes and I walked around taking pictures of everything I could find. Can anyone figure out whose desk this is? LOL :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: SAYING GOODBYE TO MATTHEW & A.J. TILL TOMORROW.

Criminal Minds Travel Diary: Day One: The picture above of Matthew Gray Gubler and myself was taken earlier in the morning while he was still shooting scenes of "Ashes and Dust". I have a wonderful stash of pictures of Matthew from that morning that I will post one day when we need a Gube fix. At this point in our day Matthew and A.J. were finished for the day and left the set. Shemar went back to the set for what was suppossed to be one line (hah) and Thomas Gibson had come into Craft Services for less than ten minutes to eat some lunch before he headed right back onto the set. I was having a great day. "A" and I went upstairs to talk to some of the Directors and Producers while we waited for Kirsten to arrive. I was introduced to Producer Charles Carroll. He is a very funny and nice man. He asked me what my favorite and least favorite episodes had been and an assortment of other questions. I told him that I had definate ideas on how the rest of the season was going to play itself out and he tried to unspoil me. It didn't work but he tried. All of the people I met asked questions trying to gauge fan reaction to certain things and Mr. Carroll was no different. Unfortunately he had a gentleman already in his office when we walked in because I would have enjoyed more time with him. I also met Oanh Ly who wrote "Distress". She was very nice. It was always nice to have a chance to meet one of the writers. They always appreciated hearing what you thought about their shows. After being introduced to a few more of the staff we headed back downstairs to watch them shoot and to wait for Kirsten. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS TRIP: SHEMAR MOORE SHOWS US THE RESULTS OF HIS DIET.

Criminal Minds Travel Diary: Day One: Before he left to go back to the set Shemar Moore decided to show us all how well his diet worked. I think it worked great. What do you think? :)

CRIMINAL MINDS YAHOO GROUP CHAT INFO:

The Criminal Minds Yahoo groups chat will be tonight at 10pm est. Tonight's repeat episode is "Last Word" which was great. Lets get together and discuss the episode and Mandy Patinkin, Matthew Gray Gubler, Thomas Gibson, Shemar Moore, Kirsten Vangsness, Paget Brewster and A.J. Cook. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: SHEMAR PLAYS WITH MATTHEW'S SOCKS.

Criminal Minds Trip Day One: Matthew Gray Gubler should have known what was going to happen when he let Shemar Moore see the socks he had received. Shemar has a terrific sense of humor. When Matthew left the table briefly Shemar took one of the MGG TV Guides off of my stack and decided to do some writing on it himself. I will scan it and post it another day. Even Matthew hasn't seen it yet. I did not get any pictures of Shemar opening his presents but he was very appreciative and held on to his slinky for quite awhile. He is in the middle of moving into his new home and living out of boxes right now but was looking forward to playing with the slinky on his new staircase. We all talked for awhile. Most of the conversations I will not be posting about. They deserve their privacy as much as you and I do but I assure you that these are truly nice people. Looking back I have to remember Shemar's last words to me at lunch. "It was great meeting you but I have only one line left in one scene and then I am done for the day". *** I told you earlier that things on a set change very quickly. I left about 5 hours later and Shemar was still working.

CRIMINAL MINDS: PUTTING SHEMAR & MATTHEW TO WORK.

Criminal Minds Travel Diary Day One: By the time Shemar finished shooting and broke for lunch I had already had a nice visit with Matthew and A.J. After our special greeting Shemar grabbed some food and came back to eat. Matthew and A.J. made some remarks about him eating regular food again which confused me until Shemar explained to me that he had just finished a very strict diet. He goes on this diet a couple of times a year and it lasts for a few weeks. This meal was actually his first regular meal since ending the diet. I had to laugh when Shemar announced that the rice was way to salty and Matthew tried to explain to him that it was not the rice but rather because he had not eatten seasoned food in a few weeks. Shemar didn't think so and told Matthew to taste it which he did. Guess what? It was too salty. They were so adorable together. Like brothers. It was sweet listening to them laugh and joke with each other. When Shemar finished eating I put them both to work signing pics and tv guides for my friends and members of my Criminal Minds Yahoo Group. Next: I will show you pictures that show just how very well his diet worked, what Shemar does to Matthew's autograph when Matthew isn't looking and wonderful Kirsten comes to visit! :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: SHEMAR MOORE IS VERY KISSABLE!

Criminal Minds Travel Diary: Day One: As A.J. and Matthew sit across from us at the table I trade kisses with Shemar Moore. I wish I could find every picture of this man ever taken and have them erased from existance because no picture I have every seen of this man does him justice. He is perfect. Next up: Lets checkout the results of Shemar's recent diet and we all just sit, talk and...............:)

KIRSTEN VANGSNESS HAS UPDATED HER CBS BLOG

Criminal Minds Trip Time Out: I will return to my exciting adventure with Shemar Moore, A.J. Cook and Matthew Gray Gubler is a few minutes. I did want to point out that Kirsten Vangsness has updated her CBS Blog (there is a link on the right side of this page) and to thank her for her kind words. I have tons of pictures to post and say about Kirsten but for now lets just say that I adored her before I met her and I adore her even more after having met her. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS TRIP: SHEMAR MOORE JOINS US FOR LUNCH.

Criminal Minds Trip Day One: I told you previously that filming was behind on the set my first day there. As the actors were released from shooting for their lunch breaks they came into Craft Services to eat. I was already well into my visit with Matthew Gray Gubler and A.J. Cook when Shemar Moore entered the room. First let me say that this man immediately owns any room he enters. I don't mean that in any type of fangirlish way. It is just a feeling in the air when he walks into a room. As he was walking over to the table AJ called his attention to the shirt she had made and as Shemar walked over laughing to hug her I prayed that he didn't hurt her. She is really just that petite and he is a big man. Then he turned towards me. Instinct kicks in around Shemar and as I rose from my chair with my hand out to greet him he let loose: "Why does your blog have more pictures of pretty boy over there (points to Matthew) than it does of me?" Okay everyone repeat after me now........mortified. I started babbling that that wasn't true and we all love him on my blog and then he burst into a laugh and told me he was playing with me, that he loves the blog and......"come here and let me give you a hug".

I do not care if you have the perfect husband, boyfriend, lover, girlfriend, etc......until you have been hugged by Shemar Moore you have not been hugged. Please believe me when I say that this was just the start of my fun with Shemar. Later we will talk about what happens when you sit at a table with Shemar, Matthew and A.J. Also, Thomas Gibson enjoys his 8 minute lunch break and then Kirsten rules the roost! :)

NEXT IN MY CRIMINAL MINDS TRIP DIARY: SHEMAR MOORE JOINS US FOR LUNCH.

I did not know who Shemar Moore was before watching him on Criminal Minds. Regular readers of this blog already know that I have been amazed at his incredible talent. Writing this travel diary has been easy until now and I knew immediately after meeting Shemar that writing about him was going to be my hardest task. I am not a writer and I have so much to say about Shemar. For tonight I will simply leave it at this: The first word that comes to my mind when I look back on meeting Shemar is Grace. There is a true aura of Grace that resonates from this man. You see it in his eyes, feel it in his hugs, hear it when he talks about his past and his future, watch it when he jokes around with his castmates, and you see it when you watch him work. So today we are going to see what happens when Shemar Moore joins me, Matthew Gray Gubler and A.J. Cook for lunch. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS TRIP: A.J. COOK KICKS IT UP A NOTCH!

Criminal Minds Trip Day One: Matthew Gray Gubler and I were talking about his gifts when all of a sudden A.J. Cook enters Craft Services. She had spent most of the morning in Wardrobe being fitted for her outfits for the "Honor Among Thieves" episode which was set to begin shooting the next day. Evidently in her spare time in Wardrobe she had found a picture and had it hot pressed onto the t-shirt she walked in wearing. Matthew almost died laughing. Everyone was laughing. Everyone wanted one.

Let me tell you a few of my observations about A.J.: She is beautiful. The type of beauty that makes you stare. She is tiny. I hope they never film in a windy location because she will blow away. The word thin doesn't even come close to describing her but not sick thin. Petite and perfect thin. And much like Matthew she has a smile that lights up the room and laugh that makes you laugh just because she is laughing. Of course I asked to snap some pics and she and Matthew were happy to pose together. I was pleased to hear that she knew about my blog and I watched while she not only opened her presents but she read each and every card that had been sent to her. When she told me that it meant a lot to her I knew that she wasn't acting and that she was genuinely touched. I told her that I wanted to know more about her so I could share the info on my blog. I told her that some of us just do not know very much about her. She looked at me and said that she did not know what to say because she is just an ordinary person. Please believe me readers.....A.J. Cook is no ordinary person. She is a funny, talented, beautiful woman who is beloved by her colleagues.

*click open the pictures to see her shirt more clearly*

MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER DISPLAYING HIS PRESENTS.

I am happy to report that Matthew liked all of his gifts. Every time he took another item out of the box he would say "oh look at this". He received a stack of fan mail and birthday cards which I am sure he read later that day. Opening the presents box with Matthew was fun but A.J. Cook (JJ on Criminal Minds) was on her way into the room and things were going to move very quickly from fun to WOW! :)

*click on the picture to enlarge it and see the gifts more clearly*

EMAIL FROM ED BERNERO, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF CRIMINAL MINDS:

I received this email response to my post on the blog thanking Mr. Bernero (Executive Producer of Criminal Minds) for allowing me to visit the set last week.
Hey Jill --

No need to thank me. You're a special person and we were all honored you took the time to visit. In fact, it is incredibly touching (more than any of you will ever know) that you, along with all your members, take the time to talk about our show at all. Making a show is an incredibly difficult task, but it is made easier knowing that fans like you all exist.

All the best --

Ed Bernero

INFO ON MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER'S CRIMINAL MINDS CHAIR:

FYI: Matthew’s chair originally just read Matthew Gubler… during Paget’s first week of work, she herself embroidered “Gray” onto it so it had his whole name! As I will tell you later in my set diary Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss on Criminal Minds) is an angel. I personally owe her an enormous debt of thanks. :)

CRIMINAL MINDS: TWO GREAT REASONS TO BUY THE TV GUIDE THIS WEEK!

In the TV Guide issue dated 3/12, but available on newsstands this week, we’ll have 2 Criminal Minds items:
*a “behind the scenes of the photo shoot” montage of various photos from the cover shoot that will feature all the actors

*a piece on computer girls on tv that will include Kirsten, Pauley Perrette from NCIS and Mary Lynn Rajskub from 24.

Obviously this is another must have issue of TV Guide. Bravo to them for loving our show! :)