From: tariel22	Date: January 7th, 2011 10:38 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I had to think twice to remember the code to turn pics into links! It's been awhile. :)

I really do miss the look of Smallville in those early years: the sets that were rich with detail and color, the extensive time spent on location, and the spectacular stunts and special effects. I think the show still does some amazing work, especially given the double whammy of budget cuts and increasing salaries, but very little can compare to the magic they made in the beginning.

You know, I never realized what a fuss the media made over Tom during that first year. It's been interesting to see the progression as I read all these old articles and interviews in chronological order. During S1 he was on every list, and in every teen magazine "hot guy" pictorial. In S2 the snark about his reluctance to answer certain personal questions started to creep in. By S3 they were calling him elusive and reserved, and then we got that rude interview in YM Magazine. After that articles about him were mostly limited to sci-fi and foreign magazines, and the interviews were few and far between, except for the obligatory publicity he did for his films. And as we all know, he only became more reclusive as time went on.

I have to believe that Tom has had a career strategy all along. I'm sure we'll never know what his grand plan has been, but it seems to be one that has cultivated his opportunities behind the scenes, both creative and business, rather than his acting. I've entertained all kinds of theories about why he stopped taking on other projects outside of Smallville, mostly in a desperate effort to convince myself that he really will continue to act once the show is over. :)

	From: tariel22	Date: January 7th, 2011 10:51 pm (UTC)		(Link)

I'm so glad some of them are new to you, too! I scoured old, defunct Smallville news sites, scrolling through endless archives to find every mention of an article or interview, and amassed a list of everything that sounded intriguing. Now I haunt eBay and used magazine sites for hidden treasures. :) As someone who found fandom at a very late date, it's been fun to discover the history of the show through these little snapshots of the past.

	From: tariel22	Date: January 8th, 2011 12:04 am (UTC)		(Link)

Watching the show year after year, it's been a little like living with Tom. The changes have been so gradual I hardly noticed them, focusing on that same gorgeous smile, those same expressive eyes, but then I look back at these early pics and realize how very much he has grown up. It amazes me how even now he can look ALL man one minute, commanding, heroic and powerful, and in the next look like an adorable little boy. :) He's changed a lot over the past ten years, but at the same time he has an ageless quality about him.

I literally just sat here for a full 5 minutes just staring at the details in the set pics.

I did that, too! Those two pics I posted are my favorites. I especially appreciate the bright light the loft is bathed in for the photo, unlike the dusky shadows we're used to seeing on the show.

Don't get me started on AlMiles. ;) I will say this, though: it was mostly Al with whom I had a problem. He always seemed to make the remarks I found so disrespectful to Tom, and to the Superman mythos. I have a tendency to lump them together, but Miles aggravated me less. Still, that just could have been because he tended to talk less. :) I do remember one interview I read where Miles emphasized that Smallville is Clark's story, and that it was their responsibility as showrunners to always bring the focus back to him, and I appreciated that. It's something I think the show lost sight of as the years went on and coming up with fresh storylines became more of a challenge.

	From: tariel22	Date: January 8th, 2011 12:13 am (UTC)		(Link)

Yay! I'm so glad you liked them as much as I did! That first scan from Entertainment Weekly is the earliest article I've seen to date that features Tom. I was very happy to find it. Sometimes I find links in old message boards to scans of these earliest articles, but of course invariably they're hopelessly out of date, and there's nothing to be found any more when I click on them. I've enjoyed tracking the magazines down, and half the fun is sharing the squee with my flist. :)