[colorful_dust]

Thanks for linking that in here Sally.

[Poupa]

NP!

Any news on the ratings?

[colorful_dust]

I don't know how it's doing on Direct TV this year.

[Enigma]

I haven't heard/read anything about the ratings. I'd love to find out though.

[ice79]

The Runner-Up
Friday Night Lights’ Zach Gilford would like to be first choice. Just once.
Read more: Zach Gilford Ends His Role on 'Friday Night Lights' -- New York Magazine

[Enigma]

Thanks for the article.

[colorful_dust]

Thanks for the link!

[Poupa]

Kudos To Peter Berg and ‘Friday Night Lights’by Chris Burgard “Friday Night Lights” has won a Peabody Award, a Television Critics Association Award and an Emmy. We have been watching the show for all four seasons, but last week it really won a distinguished place in the hearts of my family. That probably doesn’t mean a hill of beans to a whole lot of people, but when you work in Hollywood, in a culture that tends to treat flyover country like the red headed stepchild, and compares your religious beliefs to those of Al Quaeda, it rocks when you can sit down as a family and watch a show that reminds you of how you grew up: A show that honors the core values that you try to raise your kids with. Peter Berg My Dad used to say, “Once the kids stop saying “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am”, it all starts to go to hell.” When I was a kid, I just thought he was hard on us. When my kids use “Yes, sir” and “Yes, ma’am” at the mall, the stares that we receive from the other parents lead me to believe that they may feel the same way. The kids in “Friday Night Lights” speak in the same fashion. Yeah it is a Texas thing, but those kids show a respect for their elders that one doesn’t always find in Southern California, or many other places outside of small town USA. Likewise, in crafting Dillon’s military family for the show, Peter Berg did not make quarterback Matt Saracen’s constantly deployed Army father an excuse to bash the previous administration or comment about the war effort. Instead he focused on the emotional conflict that wrestled inside of this young man and how his family, coach and friends rallied to aid and strengthen him. When his father is killed in action, Matt must confront his deepest inner conflicts, but by facing them, and his father’s shattered body, he is able to painfully, but eloquently, deliver his eulogy. Matt now faces the world as a man. Coach Taylor asked his players to do him a favor and take a knee. “You might have heard that Matt Saracen’s father passed away….I thought it might be nice if we said a word for him and his family.” Coach Taylor looks to one of his less talented players who also happens to be Matt’s best friend: “Lance?” Lance looks to his teammates, “You all wanna bow your heads?” He then leads them in The Lord’s Prayer. The next few screen moments are filled with team unity, kindness, compassion and sadness for their buddy. I was pretty blown away to see open prayer on television. Even though the moment was true to the story, prayer in school isn’t big in Hollywood. This episode was still on my mind, and in my TiVo queue, as I traveled out of town to cover a State High School Football Championship. We had open access to the team on the field and in the locker rooms. So I was surprised when the coach asked us if we could take the cameras into the hallway for a bit while they said a prayer. At first I thought the request stemmed from a desire for privacy. We obliged. But I later found out it was about the law. I had forgotten that it is illegal for a public school to pray together. This coach was looking out for his school and his kids. “We may be a small farm town, but the ACLU reaches us too.” He advised me. How did we come to this? I was raised believing that we were a nation founded on the principles of religious freedom, yet our current reality is that US citizens need to pray behind closed doors or risk arrest? I went to a Catholic high school, so praying before a game was standard fare for us but even my buddies in the public high school said a Hail Mary before every game. Heck, games have been won on Hail Marys. Brett Favre does it all the time. “Friday Night Lights” works because it has a great cast and tells great stories, but if today’s public high school football players can’t pray in the locker room, at least they can see it on TV thanks to a guy with the talent and cajones of Peter Berg.

Big Hollywood Blog Archive Kudos To Peter Berg and ‘Friday Night Lights’

[colorful_dust]

Thanks for the blog Sally. The scene talked about was simple and beautiful.

[Poupa]

YW!

“Friday Night Lights” (started 2006) – Perhaps nowhere did America seem more real in the past decade than in Dillon, Texas, where residents confronted the Iraq war, racism and unemployment as they cheered on their beloved Panthers. The documentary style of “FNL” offered up a startling authenticity, transporting viewers to pungent locker rooms, rundown houses and the local Applebee’s. But it was the superb cast that elevated this hour-long drama into something truly special. Zach Gilford was a marvel as gawky rookie quarterback Matt Saracen, while Kyle Chandler, as coach Eric Taylor, could convey volumes with a single exasperated look. And his relationship with wife Tammy (Connie Britton) gave us one of the most realistic marriages ever portrayed on TV.

'Gilmore Girls,' 'Lost' named by Canadian Press among top TV shows of decade - Winnipeg Free Press

Lastly, DirecTV’s Friday Night Lights last Wednesday delivered its finest hour since its Season One finale. Zach Gilford as nice guy Matt Saracen was absolutely heart-wrenching in a story that found the recent high school grad coping with the sudden loss of his estranged father, a career soldier who died in Iraq. In most drama series, characters typically respond to the deaths of family and friends with a big boo-hoo and a few hugs. But Lights avoided any such clichés: Matt kept most of his emotional turmoil inside, even after viewing the ravaged remains of his dad, until he became quietly unglued at the Taylor home, trying to explain what he was feeling to girlfriend Julie, former coach and father figure Eric and Eric’s wife Tami. There were no “everything is going to be okay” hugs, which rang completely true for these very realistic characters. Instead, in one of this series’ typical grace notes, Eric silently accompanied the quietly crying Matt as he walked home. I once wrote that an Emmy Award wasn’t good enough for the performance Bryan Cranston delivers in Breaking Bad. Instead, I thought he should receive an Oscar for his work on that show. I felt the same about Gilford after last week’s FNL.

Ed Martin: Dexter, Friday Night Lights and Sons of Anarchy Bring a Decade of Outstanding TV Drama to a Close

[Enigma]

Thanks Sally.

[metal heart]

that article sally posted was an interesting read! i felt like in the son, coach saying a prayer for matt was one of the most kindest things anyone has done on this show. despite my own personal beliefs, to think it's illegal to capture that in real life is just crazy to me. what happened to freedom of speech?

[Lazy]

Really good interview with Zach:

Zach Gilford says goodbye to 'Friday Night Lights' -- for now | Show Tracker | Los Angeles Times

Not really spoilerish unless you haven't seen the latest episode. From my understanding, he is coming back for two more episodes, sometime before the finale and then in the finale.

[colorful_dust]

Thanks for all the articles Sally and Laura.

[Enigma]

Thanks for the new stuff.