I have added 192 episode stills from “The Mentalist” and 34 “behind the scenes” pictures to the gallery!

There’s no release date for season 1 of The Mentalist yet, but you can pre-order it on DVD at Amazon here. Go pre-order your copy now!

Hey everyone! I just added screencaptures from this week’s episode of The Mentalist entitled “Bloodshot” to the gallery. Simon was amazing as always:

GALLERY LINKS
- “The Mentalist” Screencaptures > 1×16 – “Bloodlust”

Simon will be on both “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Bonnie Hunt Show” to discuss his hit show, “The Mentalist,” this Monday, Feb 16^th!

Check your local listings or visit www.ellentv.com or www.bonniehunt.com for more information.

The CBS freshman drama The Mentalist is the biggest break-out hit of the current TV season. Simon Baker plays Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Although he is greatly valued by his fellow agents, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane’s usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon’s team includes agents Kimball Cho (Tim Kang), Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and rookie member Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti), who all think Jane’s a loose cannon, but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.

On a recent visit to the set of the new procedural, Aussie star Simon Baker, along with co-stars Robin Tunney, Tim Kang and Owain Yeoman, and creator/executive producer Bruno Heller, spoke to MediaBlvd Magazine about why they think their show is such a hit.

(more…)

On the Warner Bros. set of The Mentalist, Baker is relaxed and comfortable talking to the small group of reporters gathered on his home turf. It’s quite a departure from a few years ago, when Baker starred in another CBS drama, The Guardian. Then, he came across as resentful and angry, much like the repressed and depressed character he played.

“[The Guardian] was a harder show emotionally; playing such a depressed character did rub off on me,” Baker says in his native Aussie accent. “I never thought I’d be the kind of actor who would be affected by the role that I’m playing, but playing it day in and day out, it does, yeah. But [Patrick Jane] is such a fun character.”

Baker says The Mentalist is all about entertainment.

“When I was doing The Guardian, I wanted to act and move people and move the world,” says Baker, 39, before breaking into a grin. “I was young.”

In the crime drama, Baker plays Patrick Jane, a man who used his powers of observation to become a celebrity psychic. When his wife and child are brutally murdered by a serial killer, he starts working with a special statewide police unit to solve crimes. While he deals with the devastating aftermath of the murders and solves brutal crimes each week, there’s a playful spirit in both Jane and the show in general.

But the spector of the killer known as Red John is always there, and viewers learned recently that Jane spent time in a mental institution following the death of his family.

Creator/producer Bruno Heller says the show will stick to solving the crime of the week rather than concentrating on that overarching storyline.

“We won’t be going back to the institution much. With Red John, that’s always part of his journey, but we’ll go there sparingly,” Heller says.

The simple gray set looks like a basic office, except one wall is filled with gruesome shots of a murder victim. Oddly enough, the office of Teresa Lisbon, Jane’s boss (played by Robin Tunney), has not one but two doors. And in the break room there’s an odd assortment of ads on the bulletin board including a cute picture of a horse for sale.

But the main draw on this set is the star of the show, Baker. He’s wearing gray herringbone jacket and a rumpled blue button-up shirt that looks like it’s never met an iron. On anyone else, you’d think Columbo. As for Baker, he’s more dreamy, a slightly eccentric college professor with a killer smile.

“Most people under scrutiny don’t expect a policeman to be candid, genial and relaxed. If you are in a bad mood, and someone smiles at you, it’s infectious, and it can be a way to disarm a person,” Baker says. “I play around with that [as Jane].”

One of the charming aspects of the show is the easy relationships between the characters, which include Owain Yeoman as Det. Wayne Rigsby, Amanda Righetti as Det. Grace Van Pelt and Tim Kang as Det. Kimball Cho. And then there’s that sizzling connection between Jane and Lisbon.

“Some of it can be attributed to workplace banter. Also, at times it can be paternal and maternal and sometimes almost like siblings,” Baker says. “But I think my character is flirtatious just in general, so [the relationship] works on a lot of levels.”

As for Jane having something dark and twisty in his soul, Baker says dark doesn’t quite describe it.

“It’s just a painful place,” Baker says. “A sad, sorrowful place.”

And a vulnerable place that makes his character all the more intriguing, especially to woman eager to help him heal.

source: film.com

Hey everyone! I just added screencaptures of last week’s episode of The Mentalist entitled “Red Rum” to the gallery:

GALLERY LINKS
- The Mentalist > 1.12 – “Red Rum” Screencaptures

“The Mentalist” is driven by a large mystery: Who is the serial killer who murdered the wife and child of Patrick Jane (Simon Baker)?

Creator Bruno Heller says the answer won’t be coming soon and compares the plot to the one-armed man on “The Fugitive.” “You want hold off getting there until somewhere near the theoretical end,” Heller said.

The end won’t be coming soon. CBS will offer a new episode of “The Mentalist,” the season’s breakout freshman hit, at about 10 p.m. Sunday after the AFC Championship Game.

Why has this show become such a hit?

Baker wasn’t going to try to answer that question.

” Leave well enough alone’ is kind of the thing I keep hearing my Nana saying to me in my head,” Baker said. ” ‘When everything is going really well, just keep out of the way of yourself, Simon. Don’t get in front of yourself.’ I don’t want to touch it. It’s good. We are really happy.”

The nation’s TV critics visited the Warner Bros. set where “The Mentalist” films.

Crime procedurals are booming for CBS. Baker attributed the trend to a desire in society.

“We are in a time where people sort of look for closure,” the star said. “With a procedural show, you do get closure at the end of the episode.”

Robin Tunney, who plays agent Teresa Lisbon, agreed. “Osama bin Laden, they didn’t find him, whereas procedurals, we would have gotten him, right?” she said.

“Next season,” Heller said.

I asked Heller how he describes the relationship between Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon.

“Jane is a rule-breaker, and Robin is playing someone who is all about the rules, has to be,” Heller said. “So there’s an underlying dramatic tension there that drives that side of their relationship. On the other hand, they respect and love each other.”

What would Heller say to viewers who read more into that relationship or see more potential in it?

“That’s nice,” he said. “I think seeing it and reading it as opposed to having it is the fun bit.”

source: orlandosentinel.com

Hey guys! I just added screencaptures of this week’s episode of The Mentalist entitled “Red John’s Friends” to the gallery. Check them out below!

GALLERY LINKS
- 1.11 – “Red John’s Friends” Screencaptures