'Weeds' creator Jenji Kohan talks about whether Season 7 is the last and life as a showrunner

"Weeds" begins its seventh season Monday night, and rumor has it that it may be the show's last. Jenji Kohan, who created the series, says she doesn't know yet if this will be the last gasp for drug dealer Nancy Botwin (Mary Louise Parker) -- newly out of prison -- who flees California this season for the anonymity of New York City.








Kohan is a child of showbiz. Her father, Buz Kohan, was an Emmy-winning TV writer and her brother David co-created "Will & Grace." But she says she hasn't always had the easiest time making her way in the industry. She took time from writing and filming the rest of the season to discuss the dark dramedy and her career as a showrunner.

Is this the final season of "Weeds"?

I don’t know. My deal’s up in January and I haven’t heard anything yet from the network or the studio, so I honestly couldn’t tell you.

Are you writing as if it's the end?
I’ve got two plans [laughs]. My favorite thing is having options.

So you're creating two sets of endings depending on whether it gets renewed?

It is not easy. But I don’t want to get caught with my pants down, I want to do [the ending] right.

Did you start out wanting to be a TV writer?

My impetus was vengeance, initially. I had an ex-boyfriend who said I had a better chance of getting elected to Congress than getting on the staff of a television show. I don't like to be told I can't do something. So I quit my day jobs -- I had three -- and I moved in with a friend studying for her medical boards. I'd watch tapes of shows and write my spec scripts and she would study anatomy. Now she heals people ... and I'm still doing the exact same thing.

What shows were you watching then?









At that time, it was "Roseanne" and "Seinfeld." I’d grown up on comedies like "Cheers" and "Cosby" and "The Life and Times of Molly Dodd." ... I really was influenced by ["Molly Dodd"]. I found it whimsical and smart, it was one of my favorite shows. And one of my first internships was with Jay Tarses [creator of "Molly Dodd"]. I thought, 'I'm going to sit at his knee and learn the secrets of brilliant television. But instead I was mixing dressing into salads and buying capuccinos for a crew -- this was before Starbucks!

What was your first writing job?

My first job was "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." ... My ex-sister-in-law's father gave my specs in an elevator to an agent who lived in his building. I got very lucky. I came from a family that worked in this business, but when I expressed my interest they were like, "Go to law school."

Before creating "Weeds," you worked on several shows with women at their center, including "Tracey Takes On," starring Tracey Ullman, and "Gilmore Girls."

"Tracey" was a huge turning point for me. What I learned on "Tracey" was how to run a healthy show, where everyone was good at what they do and kind to one another and when they're done, they go home. Not to mention that I had someone running the room who I could hand a piece off to who would immediately perform it and let me know how it was. I also learned I am not a performer. We'd turn in our drafts and the whole room would take parts and read them out and perform them for Tracey -- but I was quickly relegated to reading stage directions. I was the joke slayer. I hear it all in my head but it just doesn't come out of my mouth right.


Did you have a mentor?
I wish I had. There were people who taught me what to do and not to do. I was very influenced by Tracey, I was influenced by Peter Tolan. ... He was one of the first times that, when I got rewritten, it was better. And he allowed me to slip out of the room to breast-feed, which was really kind.

You wrote for some big shows, but why did it take so long to settle into a series?

I'm a big personality, shall we say? I realized early on my path it would be easier if I were in charge. Right after "The Fresh Prince," I wrote my first pilot. "Weeds" was my 17th. I thought, if I have to climb the ranks, it's just a lifetime of being fired. I need to find a side door! Every season I would write between one and three pilots hoping to win that lottery. It’s not only that I don’t play well with others -- I can. [But] I wanted children, I wanted to call the shots in my professional life. It’s hard to do that on staff because you serve at the will of the king. So after "Fresh Prince" I wrote a pilot that was similar to "Friends," and that got me onto "Friends." Then I got fired from "Friends." So I went to Nepal and quit showbiz -- but then I wrote a "Frasier" spec in the Himalayas. That made me realize, maybe I'm not quite done.

Eventually "Weeds" got picked up.

I had one shot for ABC, I had 10 for CBS. After toiling in fields of network for a long time, I reached a point where I decided I was willing to trade money for freedom. Which brought me to cable! And it was worth it. It was about creating my own universe both in terms of the workings of the show and what you see on the air.

"Weeds" has shifted direction more than any other show I can recall -- from a somewhat realistic suburban dramedy to this almost absurd, dark humored series. Was that always the intention?

It was never the plan. The real shift came when I found the writers were getting antsy and talking about projects they wanted to write in the off-season. And I got a little jealous. I said, What do we have to do here to bring all the creative energy back into the room? And they basically said, We're sick of suburbia. So I said, Let’s burn it down!

How far ahead did you plan the narrative? You keep pushing things further and further.

Everything was a year at a time. We write ourselves into a corner, we all go away and relax and then we come back and say, how do we get ourselves out of this mess that we made?

You said you have two endings in mind. Are you ready to wrap it up after 7 seasons?

I know how hard it is to get here. I’ve been doing this for a really, really long time and I know how good I’ve got it. It’s very hard to let go of that.

Are you working on other projects?

We talked about mentors: I really dont feel like I had that but I want my writers to feel like they did. So I’ve gone out on a bunch of projects with writers and hoping something hits. I have two pilots at Showtime that I’ve cowritten with two of my writers, one is with Mathew Salsberg and one is with Stephen Falk. I sold a show at Comedy Central with Dave Holstein, another one of my writers. ... I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire. I want to set up all of my writers because they can all run a show, every single one of them. And I hope in my old age they’ll hire me

Juneteenth celebrated in Five Points

By Caitlin Gibbons



Thousands of people came to Five Points today to celebrate Juneteenth, a day many have forgotten the importance of, some say.








Juneteenth marks the anniversary of June 19, 1865 when slaves in Texas learned they were free, two years after President Abraham Lincoln singed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The first celebration was held in 1867 in Texas and is celebrated nationwide. The celebration came to Denver in the early 1980s.

Kathy Witten said the festival used to be bigger.

Manual High School said she doesn't recall hearing about Juneteenth growing up. She sat and watched the parade with her adopted African-American daughter - and is in the process of adopting her birth sister - enjoying the experience.
"I'm trying to make a connection to their community and heritage," she said.





"It seems like it missed a generation," Witten said. "For the younger generations it seems like just another festival."

Witten said her father loved coming to the celebration every year and she is trying to pass the tradition
on to her 14-year-old son. She said she wants the celebration to be something he enjoys.
She works with a youth foundation and Friday talked to children about Juneteenth.

"Some of the kids were really surprised when they found out not all the slaves knew they were free," she said. "They thought it was a given and everyone knew."

Mixed in with the live music, vendors selling clothing and food trucks lining Welton Street were booths with information about the history of Juneteenth.

At the Blair Caldwell African American Research Library, actors were in costume ready to teach curious children and adults alike about the history of African Americans is Colorado.

Mayor-elect Michael Hancock said the Denver observance of Juneteenth is one of the largest in the country.

He grew up in the Five Points neighborhood, not far from Manual High School, the starting point of the parade.

He said he has been a part of the celebration since he was a little kid.

"It's part of the American experience," he said."We need to make sure all kids know the importance of Juneteenth and work to bring back a sense of pride to the occasion," Hancock said.

Marne Gulley, who teaches English at

Casino Royale Director Slams Quantum of Solace, Calls it 'Lousy'

While Bond 23 is finally in production under the direction of Sam Mendes (and with some hefty financial backing), Casino Royale director Martin Campbell has taken it upon himself to remind everyone that the last 007 film - poor old Quantum of Solace - was 'lousy'.

Currently doing the promotional rounds for his new film, Green Lantern, Campbell was asked in an interview with CraveOnline about his thoughts on the most recent Bond movie, which was directed by The Kite Runner's Marc Forster.








"Oh, I thought it was lousy. And hopefully this next one will be terrific. Sam Mendes is directing it and I'm sure it'll be terrific," said Campbell.

When asked whether he was disappointed that maybe Forster hadn't continued some of the themes that were in Casino Royale, Campbell replied: "No, I just thought the story was pretty uninteresting. I didn't think the action was related to the characters. I just thought overall it was a bit of a mess really."

Campbell does have form when it comes to 007 movies, having handled Pierce Brosnan's introduction to the series in Goldeneye, then coming back three films late for Daniel Craig's first outing.

The critics and fans would also agree with Campbell. Even though both his and Forster's film took around $600 million each, Casino Royale holds a mighty 94% 'Fresh' rating on RottenTomatoes whilst its moodier sibling only managed a lowly 64% score.

Last Minute Fathers Day Gift Ideas – Here’s the Best Strategy

Last minute shoppers still have hope for that great Fathers Day gift idea. Some of the best ideas can be found with a quick internet search. But first it is important to understand your target. We shared this technique earlier in the week. But for those who missed it, and waited until the last minute, here it is.
To this end, experts say the key to finding the right gift is to develop a plan for coming up with Father’s Day gift ideas. It’s all about understanding the man and listing his interests.








Once you have a good list of hobbies and interests, it becomes much easier to search the internet for ideas and products that fall within those categories. Typical gifts for Dad usually relate to power tools, the office or the golf course. But, to be a little more creative, experts suggest developing a profile.

Without trying to think of any gifts, first simply make a written list of all of the hobbies and interests of the Dad in question. You’ll be surprised with how many you may come up with. Common items might be various sports, both watching and participating, reading, cars, movies, music and so on.








If you man is into cars, check into some type of driving experience like NASCAR or the Richard Petty Driving Experience in Florida. A google search on topics like this may come up with things in your local area. Expand the search to include off-road, or 4 wheeling etc.

Does he like airplanes? Yes a pilots license is expensive, but many local airports have small flight schools (called FBOs) which typically sell “discovery” flights for about $50.00. It usually involves a flight lesson with an instructor including some ground instruction, performing a pre-flight inspection of the aircraft, and then about a 30 minute flight during which “Dad” flies the airplane under the direction of the instructor. You’ll never get the smile off of his face.

Finally, don’t overlook something few men will ask for but everyone would enjoy – a massage. There are many day spas in local areas which offer a 1 hour, full body, relaxing massage for about $30-$50. Really, what could be a better treat on a day meant to be a relaxing break for Dad?