drop ear

All the planning in the world, and somehow my DIY decision making went awry. Instead of using a drop ear that would allow me to screw in a shower arm, I simply stubbed out the 1/2" copper with an elbow, while securing the pipe to a cross backer board below. Do I need to cut out the drywall or...

My shower has had a slow drip forever. I finally decided to take the shower head and also the arm off tonight. The leak is still taking place without the arm attached. There is a slow drip from the drop ear in the wall, which the arm screws into. What would cause this? Were I to leave the...