So is everybody ready for season eight?

I've got a few tidbits to share, a couple of which have already popped up in other threads, but I'd like to tie them all together here.

Item 1: The schedule for the upcoming season.

Mr. Monk's Favorite Show: August 7th 2009
Mr. Monk and the Foreign Man: August 14th 2009
Mr. Monk is Someone Else: August 21st 2009
Mr. Monk and the Critic: August 28th 2009
Mr. Monk Takes the Stand: September 11th 2009
Mr. Monk Goes Camping: September 18th 2009
Mr. Monk and the Dog: September 25th 2009
Mr. Monk and the Voodoo Curse: October 9th 2009
Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk: October 16th 2009
Mr. Monk Goes to Group Therapy: October 23rd 2009
Mr. Monk and the UFO: October 30th 2009
Mr. Monk Is the Best Man: November 6th 2009
Mr. Monk and the Badge: November 13th 2009
Mr. Monk and Sharona: November 20th 2009
Mr. Monk and the End, Part 1: November 27th 2009
Mr. Monk and the End, Part 2: December 4th 2009

As you can see the 16 episodes for the final season will be shown without the traditional summer/winter break.

Item 2: Tony Shalhoub had a press conference call last Tuesday which I sat in on and transcribed for The Monk Fun Page. Many websites and media types, who were also in on the call have already posted the Q&A, some of them in it's entirety. I don't offer anything different, except for my unique perspective and a little editing that I think makes it a bit easier to read. Here it is: Tony Talks.

Item 3: Actor Interviews. I have a couple of them so far from actors who will be guest starring in the upcoming season.

Gary Weeks will be guest starring in "Mr. Monk's Favorite Show" as Mr. Cooper. Burn Notice fans will remember him from season two of that show. He was Fiona's substitute boyfriend, Campbell, in a few episodes.
Gary's Interview

Michael Patrick McGill will be guest starring in "Mr. Monk and the Voodoo Curse" as Sgt. Steiner. Sharp-eyed fans may recognize him from his brief role in "Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank" as one of the beat cops in the opening scene.
Mike's Interview

Item 4: According to one of the publicity people who was hosting the Q&A above, the live action Little Monk webisodes "will premier during an all new episode of Monk on Friday, August 21st with a two minute sneak peak. Viewers can then go online for the conclusion along with additional webisodes to run weekly." Aaron Linker will star as little Monk.

Really informative post Teresa, I'm really looking forward to this season. Mr Monk & the Badge sounds very intriguing I must say.

Thank you so much, Teresa! Great work as always .

Thanks for the post. Glad to see that Sharona will be in episode 14, the third episode from the end, so I'm hoping she will have an important role in something like providing a clue in solving the Trudy murder case. Tony Shalhoub, in his important, recent, big conference call interviews, said that the first 11 episodes will be "standalone," and the last 5 will be "connected." (In the same interview, he said that Sharona would return in the 12th episode. I guess that was a mental error.)

Here are the pertinent quotes from the interview:
" What the writers have in mind is to do, you know, as you said, our normal standalone episodes for the first, I would say, 11, because we’re doing 16, as usual. So the first 11, I would say, are going to be standalone, and then the last 5 is when we’ll be kind of connected. They’ll have a connected tissue, and we’ll start to get into the wrap up, not just of Monk, but of some of the other characters as well. Then what they want to do is the final two episodes, number 15 and 16, it’ll just be one story, a two-part, you know, aired in two segments. Just to follow – that episode, I mean that two-part will involve the wrap up of Trudy’s murder, you know, the solving of Trudy’s murder."
http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Inte...ason-18928.html

Thanks for the post, Teresa!

I have one thing in mind, only, and please correct me if I'm mistaken: at "the Foreign Man" we learned Samuel - I guess that's the guest star character's name - will help Monk to solve Trudy's murder. Will this happen right there, at the begining of the season? Then Monk will have all other episodes to strart his healing process? Then get back his badge back near the end?

Mi

I think you misunderstood because Samuel's wife was killed in hit and run and Monk will help him to find the killer. Also Samuel, by himself in his own investigation, is looking for his wife's killer(s).
And Monk can connect with his emotions because their cases are similar. They both lost someone they loved...and didn't find the killer(s) yet...

Really an episode called Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk? Thats the first episode who's title doesn't start with "Mr. Monk"

Welcome back, Jake. It's good to see The Monk Site is up and running again.


What he said was "I believe it’s episode #12, which we’ll start shooting in September" and he didn't sound that sure about it when he said that. Usually his memory is quite good. He's one of the few actors I've ever met who knows all the episode titles right off the top of his head.


The TV Guide article quotes guest star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje: “My character comes from Nigeria to America to find out what happened to his wife, who was killed in a hit-and-run,” Adewale says. “In the process I come across Monk, who lost his wife in a similar manner. It’s a sweet, sad story that reignites Monk’s fervor to solve her murder.” Monk helps Samuel solve Samuel's wife murder not Trudy's, but I guess the investigation will get Monk focused on Trudy's murder again paving the way for the last few episodes when he'll actually solve it.



Yes, that's a first allright. I think we may see a few firsts in the final season. And, sadly, a whole lot of lasts.

Thanks so much for all of the information

I must say, the titles are very interesting! AND I noticed two things I've been wanting to see for the past few seasons: 1. an episode with a dog 2. a birthday episode.

As for the final 5 episodes...all of those titles are absolutely epic. I mean, Mr. Monk is the Best Man!? That has really got me curious! And I think it's fitting that Sharona gets her name in the title of an episode since she was there first. But, wow, I think I'm going to cry just reading the words, Mr. Monk and the End.

Thanks, Teresa for the good things you posted.
But I can't deny I feel so sad everytime I see all the news about Monk. Now they seem to be coming so fast, that I wonder if, and I'm afraid that, the same will happen to the episodes, which means so suddenly all this magic will be gone...I just saw the new video on the front page and apparentely the producers won't try to make it easier: it's touching and great and painful...and it's unbelievable it's really the end

Thank you for providing the complete list of episodes. With such titles as "The Badge," "Sharona" and the climatic closing pair unadorningly labelled "The End" the envitable can no longer wishfully be deniable by us fans!

I think that the placement of the "Sharona" episode is of some importance for I feel it conveys to us that despite everything that led to her leaving, the writers still accept how vital the actress who played Sharona has been to the success of the series and that placing it just before the final concluding episodes brings a fitting, respectful closure to her role. I applaude everyone involved in making this happen.

KF

Teresa...as always you pull everything through for us...thanks for the complete list of episodes. I share with KF about the placement of the episode with Sharona. She was a very important character and that episode should be full of sadness...glad to see Bitty back and sad that it will mark the beginning of the last few episodes.

As the beginning of the new season is about to start I shed a tear each time I see a Monk commercial. Yes, it's time to say good bye to our friend but sad to see him leave.

LTM

Thank you Teresa for the great news

I just found today Tony Larkin's audition for the "Mr. Monk is someone else" episode

Teresa., thanks again for the post, especially the list of episodes. Just curious, where did you find/get that list?

USA Network publicity sent it to me.

Tony Larkin? That's interesting. I wonder if he got the role. He's Tony nephew and he got the part as the shushing Monk in "Mr. Monk and the Miracle." Somehow I think that this may be the role that went to Eric Balfour in the episode. I guess we'll find out on August 21st. Tony L. sure does look a lot like Tony S. to me. Quite the family resemblance.

Thanks for posting this Tonyfan

That was great!! Thanks for finding it!! I hope he got the part!!

Thanks Tonyfan and Teresa for the great info and posts.

so "Little Monk" is webisode, it would be nice if they showed his mother also. Actually one episode with her would be good, she appeared very little and still it was funny!

You know what was weird? They have that a week AFTER his birthday. Why not just make it the day of? Adrian does share Tony's birthday.... right?

Just a reminder, Tony Shalhoub will be appearing on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson tomorrow night on CBS. That's on at 12:35am ET/PT.

I'll wager that Craig will ask Tony how much he's like the character of Monk or if he's more OCD now than when the show began or a similar type question that Tony hears in every interview.

How could we forget this? and i can hear his answer already but it seems like Tony has a thousands of answers for this certain question, i guess he always thinking on another answer when he's going out his home because there will be always somebody who's asking him about it

Craig Ferguson...the same one who played Mr. Wick in the Drew Carey Show...
he could play himself in Monk but it's too late now...what a shame...
Beside that...I can't wait to watch the Late Show with Craig...I hope someone will upload this on youtube

That's true! They always ask the same questions! Where's creativity, or knowledge about his career, or at least interest about his new plans? Are these people journalists? Or only showmen who make questions just as a step for their own jokes? I'm tired of the same questions! I think we, Tony's real fans should make the questions instead.

I've got an interview on The Monk Fun Page with Taylor Longbrake an actor from the season premiere, Mr. Monk's Favorite Show. Taylor is 12-years old and making her television debut as Cathy Cooper. Her proud mother Melissa took a lot of photos while Taylor was on the set. They're at the end of the interview.

OMG! Everyone must listen to the youtube video posted on this site of this sweet little girl singing the song "Why"!!!! It brought me to tears, and I had chillbumps! Listen to it!!!!

Thanks, nice song. I just want to alert you all that after you click the link, the first link on the top of the new page is not for the song (and that link doesn't work anyway). You have to scroll down quite a ways to reach the You Tube box to play the video/song.