No myth: Bones’ boss hires only the best

Bones‘ creator Hanson (middle) flanked by stars Deschanel and Boreanaz

So there I was last week, hobnobbing at L.A.’s SoHo Club with a room full of famous Fox folk, when who do I spot but Hart Hanson.
I had a great chat with the Canadian-raised creator and showrunner of Bones a year earlier when we both figured out we had probably crossed paths through Queen’s Park as undergrads at the University of Toronto. Hanson went on to graduate studies in B.C. then a stint as a Beachcombers writer before heading to fame and fortune in the States.
I was telling him about the recent Forest Rangers reunion (the only person in the room who might have been interested) when he introduces me to colleague on Bones, writer and executive producer Jonathan Collier. Collier has also penned episodes of The Simpsons, Monk and King of the Hill.
“The author?” Collier asks, extending his hand. I started to correct him.
“Of ‘Truth and Rumors,’ the book of TV myths?” Holy crap. Guilty as charged.
“You’re the guy who bought my book?!” I blurted.
Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV’s Most Famous Myths, was released as a $40 hardcover book six years ago through an American publisher. While it’s still available on Amazon, it was a frustrating experience for me because it was never sold in stores in Canada.

Dave Thomas

Collier, however, says there’s a copy in the Bones writing room. “It’s in several writers’ rooms down here,” he said, including The Simpsons. He even helped me remember one of the myths I busted: that Frank Zappa was the son of Mister Greenjeans (from the long-running CBS kiddie show Captain Kangaroo).
Not true, even though Zappa once wrote a song titled Son of Mr. Green Genes.
I’d love to update the book with some fresh rumors and get it out in a more affordable paperback version. Some day.
In the meantime, thank you Jonathan Collier for making my day.
Now, true or false: SCTV legend Dave Thomas is a writer on Bones.
The answer is true. No, you take off! Hanson said they brought him in last season, loved his script and he’s now a consulting producer. What would Bill Needle think? Would he dare trash Bones? Thomas makes anything he touches better, so good on Hanson for hiring a great Canadian, eh?
By the way, there was already a Bones/Dave Thomas connection. Bones‘ star David Boreanaz’s dad was known for years to those of us who grew up between Toronto, Ont., and Buffalo, N.Y., as Dave Thomas, host of Rocketship 7.
Me thinks I do have to update that book.