I obviously can't link to it but TV Guide posted an interview with James Lafferty over the weekend.  Lots of the typical stuff you'd expect him to say: he likes this storyline but knew Naley would never split, he sees them staying together forever, they are surviving without CMM and HB, Robert and Shantel are great, etc.  But what was most interesting to me was his description of Dan--part villain, part hero.  It really reminded me of what some of you were saying recently when people were discussing Dan and if he's a redeemable character or purely evil.  I don't think I can copy and paste what James said exactly but you can easily find it if you're interested.

James actually did a lot of press in the last week (mostly in anticipation of the 10/26 episode, which he directed), as there's also interviews with Zap2it, Fancast and TVAddict.  I imagine there's more to come, too.

In the Zap one, I thought it was interesting that he said he thinks Nathan's biggest objection to a Clay-Quinn pairing is not concern for Quinn or David (which he does say is a factor as well) but that it will distract Clay from focusing on Nate's career.  I didn't think of that and I didn't see Nathan thinking that.

And in the Fancast one, which mostly repeats info from the prior 2, James teases that something from Nate's past is coming back, which will make for more drama.  No idea what that is.

The TVAddict one was the skimpiest of all, though I do give them credit for not presenting it as a straight Q & A like the others did.  The highlight for me in this one was James saying that he doesn't feel any more pressure this season or like he has that much more work because it's always been an ensemble show, and Shantel and Robert have filled the void of losing 2 cast members.

I can see that Nate would be concerned. He was pissed when Clay was with Quinn and turned off his phone after Hales was arrested.  Right now Nathan needs Clay more then ever and does not need him to be distracted, especially by his sister-in-law. He and Clay are friends but first and foremost Clay is his agent and he needs him to focus.  Pro-athletes want someone to focus totally on their career.

You're right, Arpagian.  It just wasn't the vibe I got last episode--I felt like he was more upset that it was Quinn, than how it would affect his career.  But I see what you're saying!

Oh exactly, of course Nathan and Haley are going to be pi$$ed off at the thought of a Clay/Quinn pairing, and that goes without saying since Quinn is Haley's sister in the midst of marital problems and Clay is Nathan's agent who he's paying good money to focus on him as you said, and not his sister in law, so you can see the conflict building.  

Plus remember that Nathan still isn't signed to a new contract yet, which is definitely not helping Clay's cause, because in Nathan's mind, the more time he spends with Quinn the less he is focusing on his career, which is supposed to be Clay's top priority.  This all gets back to what Mark is hoping to accomplish with the Nathan/Clay dynamic and exploring what happens when you mix business with friendship!!!  Now you're adding in family dynamics as well, so you can see the problems brewing, lol!!!

James also did one (gulp) JustJared.  In this one, again it's more of the same but also a little talk about SportsArc and James confirms he's signed on for the eighth season and would consider going beyond it.

Yep, don't even get me started on JustJared, but I'm loving all the recent interviews that James has been doing, he's always a great read.  I read all the other ones last week, and then this one just got posted as well!!!  Plus at least they finally acknowledged who the show is centered around and who the main couple/dynamic is, so for once, Jared got something right, lol!!!  

And how can you not love James talking about Naley, as him and Joy both have such immense love for them it's unbelievable.  Love how he gushes all about the new Naley house---believe me, it's unbelievable.  When they were constructing it, incredible is all I can say, and it's why we haven't gotten any of the upstairs scenes (Naley's bedroom) until tonight's episode because it took them all summer to complete the sets as it spans over 2 separate soundstages.  It's massive, and I love it that James was talking about when him and Joy film there, it seems so surreal at this point to think about how far Naley have come and the life they've built together since they were broke teenagers in a one bedroom apartment, hehe!!!

Plus James is so passionate about SportsArc as well, so it's always nice when he gets to talk about that, and the future of OTH.  All the cast is signed on through next year as well, so yeah---none of that is surprising.  They were all talking about S8 at the beginning of the summer, as this show really is the little engine that could, and Mark has done a great job of reinventing it, and reinvigorating the cast.  Trust me---nobody has missed a beat this year.  There is a new energy among the cast that hasn't been present in a while, and I'm glad that James continues to talk about how great things are!!!

What or who is JustJared? Am I totally out of the pop culture loop?

He's a gossip blogger that post insane crap about celebrities at every turn and the people that follow that stuff, believe it, and post about it, are even more ridiculous and scary, lol!!! 

But as far as an interview goes, he actually did a good job with James, and his interview was great and only enhances plenty of things that I've been saying about this season and the direction of the show, so if you haven't read any of James' recent interviews including this one, then do so, they're great!!!