As the junket continues, people start settling into a certain routine. Those who were wearing suits and ties, or dresses and heels, start wearing hoodies and flats, with looks of familiarity between junket staff and international reporters growing by the day.

VIDEO BLOG #1 "Welcome to LA"
VIDEO BLOG #2 "Protein Style"
VIDEO BLOG #3 "Grissom Would Approve"
VIDEO BLOG #4 "The Secret Garden"
VIDEO BLOG #5 "Viva Las Vegas"
VIDEO BLOG #6 "Ahead by a Century"
VIDEO BLOG #7 "That's a Wrap"

Somehow today Los Angeles grew cloudy, nearly threatening to rain, but never materializing. 

It didn’t matter to us inside though, even if it was Sunday, myself and the other gathered writers were eager to continue another day of interviews.

My favourite parts of junketeering is the possibility of the unknown: you never know quite what someone is going to say, especially somebody who you never see outside the bounds of the on-screen character -- especially when they are sitting at the table next to you. The other thing that really surprises me is how “real” the celebrities seem: they look exactly the same as they do on-screen, but someone how... smaller. 

So far, one of the things I’ve enjoyed learning the most about is the “real-life” inspiration behind “The Defenders,” Marc  Saggese and Michael Cristalli. The pair were the subject of a documentary and were a part of a reality TV series pitch, which in turn inspired a larger fictional plot about the pair. 

Of course, Saggese and Cristalli wanted to star in their own TV series, and were even given a shot at doing their own auditions! However, the pair did not win out over eventual stars Jim Belushi (who was the first person cast on the series) and Jerry O’Connell.

Belushi even recalls when he was first offered the part of Pete -- the younger, womanizing lawyer of the pair. The actor recounted the story as he questioned if he was even right for the part of a so-called “hottie,” and spent a couple days pumping himself up that he could take on the part... but when he finally accepted, the producers realized the misunderstanding, and Belushi then felt a little rejected. But in the end, he’s a perfect fit for the role of Nick, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else taking his role.

As we head into the final day of the junket here in Beverly Hills, I’m nervous and excited to chat with some of the biggest stars on TV: Tom Selleck, David Caruso, Eva LaRue and “CSI: NY” newcomer Sela Ward. Feel free to tweet me your questions @CTV_Tyrone and I’ll do my best to get them asked!

Keep an eye out on Shows.CTV.ca for more programming related news and information, and I’ll have proper full-length features up on these stories and more in the next couple weeks.