Thursday, July 31, 2008

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Legacy” Episode Information and Previews


Here is the episode information and the previews of Law & Order Criminal Intent episode “Legacy”. It stars Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe.

“Legacy” Air Date August 3, 2008
A student's death leads the detectives to uncover a private school's online culture, obsession with grades and secretive nature.

My recap and review of Law & Order Criminal Intent “ Legacy “ can be found here.



USA Promo


Preview Clips









Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Elisabeth Rohm: Hometown Hero

Elisabeth Rohm ("Serena Southerlyn," Law & Order) has been involved with the American Red Cross on the “Dog Days of Summer” campaign to help people keep their pets safe during the summer heat. According to a press release from PR Newswire said, "The Dog Days of Summer campaign is a great way to educate the 67 million American dog owners about how to keep their furry family members safe this summer," said Elisabeth Rohm, actress and American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet Member.


The video of Elisabeth talking about her work with the Red Cross, can be viewed here. They refer to her in the headline as one of their “Hometown Heroes.”



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Chris Noth Filming In East Village

Chris Noth was spotted yesterday filming an episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent in New York's East Village. Enjoy some pics from Celebslam!










Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Criminal Intent Gets Two New Producers

With the departure of Executive Producer Warren Leight from Law & Order Criminal Intent, it looks like it’s going to take the work of two people to replace him. It could also mean that we may get different approaches to the show, with each producer corresponding to each of the two lead actors (Vincent D'Onofrio and Jeff Goldblum). Here’s the story that was reported exclusively by Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily:


New 'Law & Order: CI' Exec Producers

EXCLUSIVE: Talk about flattering. I've just learned that Warren Leight has been replaced by not one but two executive producers on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Sources tell me that Dick Wolf's plan is to break the 16-episode season into two sets of 8 episodes each. Walon Green will exec produce the 8 episodes starring Vincent D'Onofrio, while Robert Nathan will exec produce the episodes starring newcomer Jeff Goldblum who replaced Chris Noth. And of course Wolf supervises everyone. I broke the news back on May 31st that, within days of USA Networks renewing CI and in the middle of hammering out his new CI deal, Leight jumped to HBO's In Treatment. (See my previous, Leight Leaves 'Criminal Intent' For HBO.) But CI is in great hands: both Green and Nathan are Law & Order veterans.



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order SVU Season Premier News

Super scooper Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly says that Luke Perry, Sara Gilbert, and Julie Bowen will be in the Law & Order SVU season premier. But, he also reported a few weeks ago (link on my blog, here) that James Brolin and Chris Elliot were going to be in the premier. Either one of his stories is wrong or this season premier will be loaded with guest stars and have multiple story arcs. Here’s his latest news on SVU:


Exclusive: Perry, Bowen, Gilbert Summoned to 'SVU'


You know what they say: Where there's smoke, there's usually a red-hot casting scoop.

There I was, enjoying a late-night dinner Sunday on New York's Upper West Side when who, pray tell, should walk by but Dylan McKay himself — Luke Perry! I quickly asked myself, "Self: What's Luke Perry doing in the Big Apple?"

A few phone calls, two picked locks and one well-placed bribe later, I got my answer: He's in town shooting an episode of Law & Order: SVU. And not just any episode: Perry's appearing in the hit procedural's Sept. 23 season premiere, an hour that also features guest turns by Sara Gilbert (Roseanne, ER) and Julie Bowen (Lost, Boston Legal, Ed).

According to sources, the plot revolves around a couple (Perry and Bowen) that stands accused of abusing their foster child. Gilbert plays the boy's biological mother.

The episode also marks the debut of SVU's new ADA, played by One Tree Hill knockout Michaela McManus, and deals with the repercussions of Benson's attempted rape, and answers some lingering questions surrounding the possible transfer of Ice-T's Fin.

Bottom line: This episode is going to be smokin'!




Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order UK Signs Freema Agyeman

According to various news sources, Freema Agyeman of ‘Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” has signed on to play a prosecutor on the UK version of Law & Order. As previously reported on this blog (here), Jamie Bamber of Battlestar Galactica fame will also be appearing. The show is set to be on UK’s ITV.

An article from Wired.com on this subject is below. What was really a nice surprise to me is that the video they refer to in their article is none other than my very own “doink-doink” recording. Now how cool is that?



Who, BSG Stars Lay Down London's Law & Order
By John Scott Lewinski July 26, 2008

What would that Law & Order "clonk-clonk" noise (see video) sound like with a British accent?

We'll find out this fall when the Dick Wolf-produced legal franchise heads overseas with ITV's Law and Order: London. Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones in Doctor Who and the second season of Torchwood) is signed on to portray the show's in-court prosecutor.

Agyeman was originally scheduled to join John Barrowman as a regular part of the Torchwood cast for the show's short, five episode third season, but her new lawyer gig might prevent her from chasing aliens and monsters in Cardiff.

Chris Chibnall, the show-runner for Law & Order, was formerly head writer of Torchwood and stole Agyeman away from that Russell T. Davies-created show. There's no official word yet if Agyeman will be able to find time to take part in Torchwood's production schedule.

Jamie Bamber (Apollo from The Sci-Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica) will join Agyeman in the Law & Order cast with the show set to premiere in late fall.







Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Ten Count” Fights Boredom, Loses

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Ten Count” should have been called “down for the count” as it opened strong, but seemed to go through the motions as the show progressed.

This case revolved around the murder of Gabriel Gardela, an amateur boxer, who is killed outside a bar after he won a boxing round against the favorite to win. As the brother of this boxer, Peter Gardela (Enver Gjokaj) a boxer himself, is someone that Mike Logan (Chris Noth) used to mentor with PAL on Staten Island, Mike decides to have the case switched to the Major Case squad. While investigating the crime, Logan and Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson) question the boxer’s trainer Gus Kovak (Miguel Ferrer), a competing promoter Mr. Gold (Law & Order “repeat offender” Tony Roberts), the brother’s girlfriend and manager of both brothers’ money Christina (Karolina Wydra) , and the boxer Calvin Lewis (Da’Mond Taylor), the #2 middleweight that Gabriel beat in his last bout. It seems clear to Logan and Wheeler that Gabriel was set up to be murdered, but was the motive money, jealousy, betrayal, or a possible payoff to fix a fight?

Sadly, the investigation plods through all the suspects, with virtually no building suspense. It seemed as if both detectives weren’t into the case, despite the fact that one of the suspects was someone Logan had mentored. Logan did seem to be somewhat conflicted when Captain Ross (Eric Bogosian) cut him out of questioning Peter. But Noth played it a little too low key for me. Even with his altercation with Gus, he seemed a little forced in his rage. I suppose that I am still struggling over how this season of Criminal Intent has backpedaled on Logan. For someone who wanted so badly to be back working in Manhattan, he seems to have lost his spark for the city and for the job. Yes, Logan probably doesn’t want to get in trouble and find himself “exiled” again, but I suppose I miss the Mikey that had that touch of sarcastic humor, the kind that used to bring a smile to his own face when he delivered his remarks. Maybe working in the Major Case squad is guilty of causing its detectives to become too angst ridden? I hope not, because I don’t really want Jeff Goldblum to start on the show with too much depressing baggage.

Many of the suspects they have become dead ends, when it looks like they can’t blame it on Christina as money doesn’t appear to be a motive, or Peter, who, they suspected may have believed his brother and Christina were in a relationship behind his back. But when Peter who finally breaks down and admits his brother didn’t like women, the whole love triangle theory goes away. Peter gets rattled when the word “gay” is mentioned, because one just can’t be a gay boxer. Since his brother was dead, I don’t see why he would have held that back, since his brother was dead, unless he thought it would reflect badly on himself.

It seems clear, though, that Gus is driving Peter to a “killer instinct” to purge Peter of impulse control that Logan put into Peter’s head when Logan mentored him. Gus indicated that Peter was unable to “close” a fight because he was too soft to do so. Sadly, at the end of the show, Gus is beaten to death at the hands of Peter, who realizes, as did the detectives, that Gus hired the people to set up and murder Gabriel. Unfortunately, this little piece of drama came a little to late for me.

There were also a few distractions in the show. One was Tony Roberts, who besides looking old, didn’t look very well. He just looked a little too thin in his face. It could be just age, but still I couldn’t stop wondering if he was ill. The other issue was that really odd ruffled blouse that Wheeler was wearing during the last half of the show. It just seemed, well, un-detective like. Yes, I know I shouldn’t be the fashion police, but I think the wardrobe person who picked that for her should be charged with a fashion crime.


As Logan and Wheeler were driving to the gym to catch up with Gus, we see Logan recapping the case in his mind. To me, this could mean the writers/director thought the case was either was too complicated and this would bring everybody up to speed, or it was an attempt to show Logan’s mind at work. It seemed to me like an attempt to add some drama to an otherwise slow paced episode, and it didn’t do much for me.

Miguel Ferrer, however, seemed very well cast as the boxing trainer/manager who seemed to have some anger issues all his own. It wasn’t enough, though, to save the episode for me.

I am not sure if it is Chris Noth’s apparent lack of interest with the show (evidenced by his leaving), or if the character of Mike Logan is being conceived and written badly, but in this episode he and Wheeler had zero chemistry. And for two partners who have to work closely together, there needs to be some spark that keeps them interesting. They both seemed to be phoning it in.

Hopefully they will finish off Mike Logan’s tenure with some more exciting cases and episodes for him. Right now, I’m not going to buy into speculation that he’s going to be killed in his final episode, because I think it’s the easy way out for the show. It would be much harder and more interesting, for example, for them to work in something for Mike where he finds himself banished again to Staten Island or elsewhere, or transferred or promoted to another job due to injury on the job. But death for Mikey would be an insult to all Law & Order fans, especially after they’ve essentially already killed off the personality of Mike Logan that made him such a compelling character.

On a side note, I am not sure what’s going on with the USA Network, but there don’t seem to be any embeddable videos available for “Ten Count” anywhere at this point in time. If they show up, I’ll put them here. It seems even USA wants to forget this episode as well. (Links to USA’s site, where you can view some clips, are here and here.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Law & Order Criminal Intent August Episodes


The episode titles, and limited information on some episodes, have been released for Law & Order Criminal Intent for August. I will update the episode information as it becomes available.


“Legacy” Air Date August 3, 2008
A student's death leads the detectives to uncover a private school's online culture, obsession with grades and secretive nature.


My recap and review of Law & Order Criminal Intent “ Legacy “ can be found here.


“Neighborhood Watch” Air Date August 10, 2008
The case of a mutilated body found in a creek produces a whole neighborhood of suspects when the investigation reveals the man was not welcome in the community.

“Last Rites” Air Date August 17, 2008
(This is scheduled to be Chris Noth’s final episode. Logan questions the system after reopening a 16-year-old homicide case at the request of a priest (Denis O'Hare).

My recap and review of “Last Rites “ can be found here.



“Frame” Air Date August 24, 2008
Season 7 ends as Goren finds a picture at his mother's grave, leading him to suspect his nemesis Nicole Wallace has returned. Starring Vincent D’Onofrion Kathryn Erbe and Tony Goldwyn.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Christmas in July for Law & Order Fans

I’ve been sitting on this little video for a while. It’s really a Christmas and Winter Holiday themed video, starring favorite Law & Order franchise “faces” like Sam Waterston, Vincent D’Onofrio, Mariska Hargitay, Chris Meloni, Kathryn Erbe, and others. But, since December seems so far away, I thought I’d share it with you now rather than wait any longer. After all, with the summer heat in full force right now, it can’t hurt to be thinking of snow, can it?

(PS: A “CSI Miami” version can be located on my “I Like To Watch TV’ blog, here.)




Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Ten Count ” Episode Information and Previews

Here’s the episode information for the Law & Order Criminal Intent episode “Ten Count”. It stars Chris Noth and Julianne Nicholson. Video previews are not up yet anywhere that are available to embed here, but if/when they become available, I’ll add them.


Ten Count” Air Date July 27, 2008
When the brother of a young man Logan used to mentor is shot outside a nightclub, he and Wheeler investigate the world of amateur boxing, where setups and payoffs make life outside the ring just as dangerous as life inside it. With Miguel Ferrer and Tony Roberts.


My recap and review of “Ten Count “ can be found here.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Law & Order UK Snags Jamie Bamber

Now THIS is how Dick Wolf should be casting the US Law & Order franchise. E Online reports (story and link below) that Battlestar Galactica’s Jamie Bamber will be joining the cast of Law & Order UK. Bamber, who played Lee “Apollo” Adama on BSG, peppered his performances with shirtless scenes, much to the delight of even non-scifi fans. Yes, I know we have Chris Meloni doing the same as Stabler on Law & Order SVU, but Bamber would put even him to shame.

So, UK readers, I’m envious. Maybe we can arrange for a few crossover episodes every now and then?


Keep that towel up, sir! This is a clean blog.



Exclusive: Holy Frak! Battlestar Galactica's Jamie Bamber to Star in Law & Order: UK

Boy, those Battlestar Galactica kids are not going to lack for post-space-opera employment. Tahmoh Penikett (Helo) is on Dollhouse, Tricia Helfer (Six) is on Burn Notice, and Jamie Bamber (Apollo) broke the news to me tonight at the NBC Universal party that he is joining a new series in the Law & Order franchise!

According to Jamie, "I'm doing a series in England called Law & Order: UK, and I'm being a cop. And, yes, the show is London judiciary and London cops. It's got the same premise as the original American Law & Order, same everything, just with a UK production company and UK actors. My partner's going to be to be a British guy named Bradley Walsh."

The series, which begins production this August in London, will air first on ITV in the United Kingdom.

Pretty awesome news for the Brits, but does this mean we won't get to bump into Jamie any more on this side of the pond? "I bought a house in Studio City just as the real estate market in this country crashed, so I will be a Californian forever, as my allotted dollar becomes rupees. No, truly, I love America. I'm treating Law & Order as a location job, and I'll split my year." Yay!

If Bamber's involved, I so want to see this series, I don't care if the judges wear silly wigs. Am I the only one who thinks this sounds a bit fantastic? Post your yays or nays in the comments, and stand by for video (coming very soon) of my interview with Jamie, where he talks more about his new L&O gig and Battlestar's end.

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Vanishing Act”: Magically Delicious



The Law & Order Criminal Intent episode “Vanishing Act” which aired last night was quirky and funny, slightly reminiscent of the occasional humorous X-Files episodes. I almost expected the X-Files “Stupendous Yappi” to appear.

It opens with two very different magic acts, one by the popular Criss Angel-type magician Miles Stone, and the other with the has-been The Great Carmine (Christopher Lloyd). Stone is doing a stunt where he is buried for over 30 days. Carmine is doing a trick using a “blade box” where a woman hides in a box and appearances are she’s being skewered with swords. The problem is, both stunts go awry when Stone appears to become ill in the underground casket, and when the casket’s opened, Stone is not in there. Simultaneously, Carmine opens his own magic box to find Miles Stone in there, skewered with Carmine’s swords.

This episode was highly entertaining as Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) gets an opportunity to impress Eames (Kathryn Erbe) with his own repertoire of magic tricks, purposefully giving away some of the secrets of the trick, which real magicians agree never to do. Goren and Eames question Carmine, and find that his original assistant disappeared from the job for a vacation, and her replacement also seems to have vanished after Stone’s body is found. They have to bring in Carmine and hold him. But Goren not willing to break the magicians code with Capt. Ross (Eric Bogosian), and he teases him in this humorous exchange:

Ross: You have a theory, detective?
Goren: Well, I’d tell ya but…you know (shrugs)…
Ross: “The Code.”


They find it’s hard to hold a magician in police custody, when Carmine distracts a cop and manages to get the key to the cell, and he escapes. But they soon catch up with him when Goren finds him hiding in a “doll house illusion”, a trick that Goren always wanted. When Carmine tells him his assistant also worked for Dean Holiday, they question Holiday (James Frain), who, along with Stone, was trained by The Great Carmine. Holiday’s big help seems to be his advice that there is always a trick, which bring Goren and Eames back to the casket in which Stone was buried. It appears to be sealed using electromagnetism, and when disabled, the box opens. But Stone needed a tunnel in which to escape, and returning to the crime scene, they find one, which leads to a room where a duplicate casket is being held, complete with video feed, and later they find an escape route.

Jacob (Will Janowitz), who was in charge of Stone’s act, is talking with Theresa (Kristen Connolly), the apparent real name of Carmine’s mystery assistant. He’s worried that she’s leaked the secret but insists she hadn’t. When Goren and Eames later question Jacob at the secret location where Stone really was performing his trick, he denies knowing Carmine’s mystery woman. Eames, tired of their suspects and their vanishing acts, arrests Jacob for lying to the police. But, for Stone to survive, someone who knew what they were doing had to insert the central line used to deliver Stone’s IV, which was tainted with a potassium chloride, likely killing Stone. Goren and Eames find that it’s none other than their mystery woman, Theresa, who did it. But questioning her doesn’t turn up much, and she asks for a lawyer. The detectives hunt down the woman she replaced, Mercedes, who was out of the country on a cruise she won in a contest. They find this suspicious, and they return to Holiday, where Mercedes had also worked, and tell him Mercedes didn’t win a cruise, but someone wired the money from Atlantic City (where Holiday had his show) to pay for her ticket. During questioning, they become more and more suspicious of Holiday.

Returning to One PP, with Theresa’s lawyer present, she comes to the realization that she had been duped into leaking the details of the Stone’s burial trick to Holiday, who had tempted her with talk of making Jacob a star. Using that same enticement, he also got Theresa to work, without Jacob’s knowledge, for a few days for Carmine. She denies having any involvement with injecting potassium chloride, but does tell the detectives she has a relationship with Jacob, when Jacob had previously denied knowing her. While questioning Jacob, he’s feeling betrayed by Theresa, and when they confront each other in the hall, he’s clearly upset. But while Goren thinks they were involved in Stone’s death, he thinks they were unwitting accomplices.

Goren has discovered, comparing the video from the video feeds used for Stone’s burial trick, that Stone was actually dead long before the trick showed him in distress. Returning to Holiday’s show stage, Goren tricks Holiday. He uses Holiday’s massive ego against him, by attributing the whole Stone trick to others. This causes Holiday to eventually confess, his own desire for credit for the trick with Stone’s death taking over his common sense.

This was a great case, not being overly complicated by too many characters. While the outcome was somewhat obvious, it was a highly entertaining trip to get to the end, with Vincent D’Onofrio portraying the fun side of Goren, who seemed gleeful at tipping off the secrets of the magic. It seemed to be the perfect episode to further diffuse the tension between Goren and Eames, a matter that Holiday tried to bring back up to the surface but Eames wasn’t playing his game.

It’s very rare, especially as of late, for Criminal Intent to be a little on the light side. The past season the show seemed to have been spiraling down further into the troubled psyche of Robert Goren. While I would never want a show like Criminal Intent to become a silly crime comedy like “Monk,” an occasional break from the depressive timbre of the show can’t hurt. Even Capt. Ross seemed to loosen up a bit, something they should do more often. This episode also seemed to put Goren and Eames back on track as partners, with Goren having some fun and Eames looking like she’s glad about it. And frankly, seeing Goren actually enjoying working a case was just – magical.



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Waterston, Goldblum: Green in Orange County

The Orange County Register reports that long time Law & Order star Sam Waterston and Law & Order franchise “newbie” Jeff Goldblum appeared at a “soiree” to benefit Oceana. Sam Waterston serves on the board of Oceana. The article and related photos on Sam and Jeff are below.

My only editorial comment on this issue is that it doesn’t seem very “green” to bring in the celebrities by helicopter, even if carbon offsets are purchased for carbon offsets. I guess I have an issue with carbon offsets...but I saved that rant for my editorial blog, here.



Stars come to O.C. to raise green for green cause
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Orange County Register

LAGUNA BEACH Harrison Ford, the actor best known for playing an archeologist, was honored for his work as an environmentalist at a soiree here that raised more than $1 million for the celebrity-supported environmental group, Oceana.

The SeaChange Summer Party, which charged a minimum $500 for tickets, drew 450 of Orange County's wealthiest dolphin lovers and tortoise protectors, to the Cahill Estate, a sprawling estate modeled after 15th-century Tuscan palazzos.

In addition to Ford, other celebrities – some of whom were helicoptered to the party from Los Angeles - included Ted Danson, Diane Lane, Diane Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Beau Bridges and Sam Waterston.

Jim Simon, president of Oceana, said the group paid $1,000 to buy carbon offsets to compensate for the global warming gases produced by the party, money used to reduce methane and develop wind energy.

Ford, 66, who most recently starred in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," was recognized for serving on boards of several green organizations and donating 389 acres for a conservation easement to the Jackson Hole Land Trust in Wyoming. In early 2008, Ford had his chest waxed to showcase the pain involved in deforestation.

"Did it hurt?" asked Terri Seymour, a correspondent for Extra, the entertainment show.

"No," Ford said, totally unflappable.

"What? Bikini waxing hurts!" Seymour said.

"Keep it to yourself," Ford said.

Also honored were John Picard, a Corona del Mar advocate of environmentally-sustainable architecture, and actor Sam Waterston, star of TV's "Law and Order."

Waterston said there's nothing wrong with people coming to see celebrities for a good cause.

"It's a great thing to be semi-famous to be able to help with this," he said.



WATERSTON: Sam Waterston talks with cameras at the SeaChange Summer Party held at the Cahill Estate, in Laguna Beach, to benefit Oceana and honor Harrison Ford, Sam Waterston and John Picard for the work that they have done to help preserve the planet and our oceans.
Photo: Ken Steinhardt The Orange County Register



GOLDBLUM: Jeff Goldblum poses in slow-motion for photographers at the SeaChange Summer Party.
Photo: Ken Steinhardt The Orange County Register



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Law & Order Franchise Emmy Nominations

The 2008 Emmy Nominations were announced today. I scanned the complete list, and here’s how the Law & Order franchise fared:





Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit • NBC • Wolf Films in association with Universal Media Studios
Mariska Hargitay as Olivia Benson







Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit • NBC • Wolf Films in association with Universal Media Studios
Robin Williams as Merritt Rook (in episode “Authority”)







Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit • NBC • Wolf Films in association with Universal Media Studios
Cynthia Nixon as Janis Donovan (in episode “Alternate”)








Congratulations to all!


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Vanishing Act ” Episode Information and Previews

Here’s the episode information and previews of Law & Order Criminal Intent episode “Vanishing Act”. It stars Vincent D’Onofrio and Kathyrn Erbe.

“Vanishing Act” Air Date July 20, 2008
Goren and Eames enter into the sleight-of-hand world of prestidigitation when a celebrity illusionist vanishes during his own magic stunt. Shaun Robinson and Paul Shaffer appear as themselves. GUEST STARS: James Frain as Holiday, Christopher Lloyd as Carmine, Shaun Robinson as Herself, Paul Shaffer as Himself

My recap and review of “ Vanishing Act “ can be found here.


USA Promo




Preview Clips








Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

NBC Introduces SVU’s Michaela McManus


Here’s a release from NBC which gives a few tidbits about Law & Order SVU’s new addition, Michaela McManus. She’ll be playing the new ADA Kim Grayleck.


Introducing Michaela McManus


As promised, we wanted to give our Blog fans first dibs at our new cast member: Michaela McManus.

Michaela comes to us from the TV series "One Tree Hill" and we couldn't be happier to have her! She is originally from Rhode Island but went to Fordham University for undergrad and NYU for grad school, so we consider her a NY native.

Her character: ADA Kim Grayleck has a great back-story. She is a hot-shot young DC up-and-coming lawyer who has recently separated from her husband, also a government lawyer. Her marriage is at an end because Grayleck used information her husband gave her in confidence to blow the whistle on a Congressman involved in a sexual harassment case. She had been dealing with the policy-making side of sex crimes for years and worked for the Federal Office of Violence Against Women. So she works hard to keep things like what her husband leaked about the congressman from happening.

After losing her husband and many friends, too many people in DC developed a negative opinion about her biting the hand that feeds you. This sends Grayleck spinning. She reexamines her life and career and comes to the realization that it's the victims she wants to help. So she jumps ship to NYC and makes a lateral move into the Manhattan DA's office (she's no baby ADA, she's a proven trial attorney).

She's a crusader, she's a newly single woman not interested in dating, and she's going to pour all of her energy into her work. ADA Kim Grayleck is going to take on all comers!


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Criminal Intent “Reunion”: Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll – and Murder


Law & Order Criminal Intent’s episode “Reunion” had it all: sex, drugs and rock and roll. It also added in a dash of murder, which is what gets the Major Case detectives involved.

The episode opens with Rock-N-Talk TV show host Sylvia Rhodes (Joan Jett) getting a surprise when one of her show guests, rocker Jordie Black (Michael Massee) tells her on air that her son Milo (Noel Fisher) is going to be joining his band. She’s clearly concerned about the news, and later we see her son, in a highly agitated state, trying to contact her by phone. Before you know it, Sylvia is dead on her apartment floor.

Logan (Chris Noth) and Wheeler (Julianne Nicholson) get involved in the case, and Wheeler is somewhat star struck when she leans that Jordie Black, who was part of one her favorite group Twisted Strands, is involved in the case. Black and his wife Tara (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) live next door to Rhodes, and Black has some sort of relationship with Rhodes’ son, Milo.

The detectives find themselves first checking out the episodes prerequisite red herring, Rhodes’ assistant Ava/Bianca (Denise Ramirez), who had helped herself to one of Rhodes’ credit cards, but didn’t have anything to do with the murder. As the detectives continue to investigate, they come to believe that despite Jordie’s work with abused and endangered children, that he could be an abuser himself. Wheeler, of course, is having trouble believing it to be true. But, they also have some suspicions about Rhodes’ attorney, Bo Levy (David Patrick Kelly), who was working on a revised will for Rhodes, and Milo, who has a drug problem and who also seems to have been recently cut out of his mother’s will.

About halfway through the episode, though, my husband and I had both come to two separate yet accurate conclusions: that Milo was Jordie’s son, and that Jordie’s wife Tara was the murderer. While the episode seemed to have some twists and turns, it was no surprise at the end when these facts were indeed revealed. The only thing I didn’t suspect early on was that Tara and Milo were having an affair. I had just assumed she killed Rhodes out of jealousy about Rhodes’ connection with Jordie.

This episode showed that Mike Logan still has a little bit of life left in him, when he broke down the door to Milo’s apartment. But the real focus seemed to be on Wheeler, who was clearly a fan of Jordie’s band, much to Jordie’s surprise, since she appeared too young to even know about him. What the episode could have done without was the corny recording session segment, which showed Jordie in clear lip-synch mode, despite the fact that the style of microphone was used to try to cover up the fakery. They also spent a little too much time on Jordie’s singing and his song. There is nothing worse than a bad lip-synch job than maybe a bad lip-synch job of a bad song.

Joan Jett’s star billing was somewhat wasted here, as she was dead before the opening credits. That facts was made clear and spoiled long before the episode aired, when a photo was released of Logan looking over Rhodes’ dead body.

Still, while the story had some twists and turns, there seems to be some drama and intensity lacking from the Noth/Nicholson episodes. It was great to see Logan break down the door, but that was about all the surprise excitement we were going to see. Wheeler’s reactions to one of her favorite rock stars involvement in the case were also interesting, but not interesting enough to create any real conflict in the case. Eric Bogosian, though, pulled off another episode where he actually was not half bad. I am trying to figure out why he seems to blow hot and cold at times, and why I just can’t warm up to him. The best I can do is hope in every episode that he just won’t annoy me.

“Reunion” turned out to be a somewhat predictable episode, but it still wasn’t all that bad. Still, I wish that they could find a way to reunite Mike Logan with his edginess. I jus hope they don’t wait until his last episode to do it.



Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Law & Order: The Reality Version

Today’s weekend Wall Street Journal has a very interesting article on Law & Order's Dick Wolf’ and his battle with NBC over the profits for the shows. Could it affect the future of the franchise?

The article and a link are below. It’s long, but worth the read. It gives an excellent peek behind the scenes of those who control the show on both sides – Dick Wolf, and NBC Universal. It would make a great “ripped from the headlines” story, although I suspect Dick Wolf would have his own special spin on it. You know, something like Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) taking on a big network for a murder that happened on a show, or Stabler (Chris Meloni) and Benson (Mariska Hargitay) going after a pervert network executive, or Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) going after an embezzling, murderous network executive? I think those would all suit Dick Wolf just fine.


Law and Disorder

Producer Dick Wolf and NBC Are Battling Over the Profits
Of One of the Richest TV Shows Ever. These Are Their Stories

By REBECCA DANA
July 12, 2008; Page A1


NBC Universal and Hollywood producer Dick Wolf have built "Law and Order" into one of the most lucrative properties in the history of television, generating billions of dollars from the franchise's three procedural crime dramas. The 19-year-old marriage was never an idyllic one, but as long as both sides were getting rich, it remained intact.

Now, it's on the rocks.

This spring, Mr. Wolf faced off against his corporate bosses in two major legal battles over the series's revenue, prestige and legacy -- a high-stakes saga that played out largely behind closed doors. If it were a TV show, it would be called "Law and Order: Law and Order."

According to Mr. Wolf's friends and employees, the producer believes he has been systematically cheated by NBC. He thinks the company has sold the show at a cheap in-house price to its own cable outlets rather than getting the best deal possible by letting other networks bid on it. NBC denies this, and in a private hearing this spring, an arbitrator sided with the network.

Compounding the offense, Mr. Wolf's circle believes, NBC has both under-promoted and over-played his shows in reruns, risking viewer fatigue in favor of short-term ratings gains. To help prove his complaints, one of Mr. Wolf's assistants has been tasked with counting the number of seconds NBC devotes to promoting "Law and Order" -- and the number of seconds CBS devotes to promoting its "CSI" franchise. His findings: In a typical week "CSI" gets about 200 seconds worth of promos, double what "Law and Order" gets.

NBC believes Mr. Wolf is being greedy. Provided his shows survive a few more seasons, he will make around $750 million for his work on five shows in the "Law and Order" franchise. His contract gives him more power than perhaps any other producer in the industry. It includes a provision that Mr. Wolf believes entitles him to a multi-million dollar "kill-fee" if the network cancels any of his shows. NBC disagrees. NBC also says its rerun strategy is good for business because it is one more way to promote the franchise.

The main cause of the friction is the simple reality that "Law and Order," which is three years away from beating the record of "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running drama on television, has lost audience. Ratings have declined so much in the past few years -- as production costs have risen -- that NBC last year came close to canceling the original series.

This year, negotiations to renew "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," which airs on the NBC Universal-owned USA cable network, were held up for weeks, with Mr. Wolf refusing to take a pay cut. Neither side will elaborate on the terms of the final deal except to say that it involved significant cost cuts.

"One of Dick's virtues is that he can be strongly opinionated. He is a rhinoceros, and he attacks with his horn ready for combat," says Tom Fontana, the executive producer of a number of hit television shows, including NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street," and a close friend of Mr. Wolf. "What makes it difficult to work for NBC is that they're like a pack of wolves, always nipping at the rhinoceros's heels."



The backdrop of this drama is the evolution of the television business in the past two decades into an industry controlled by half a dozen corporate monoliths.

Mr. Wolf, who still shares in the profits of his shows, became a producer in an era when regulatory rules prevented major networks from owning the shows they aired in prime time. Those rules were formally repealed in 1996, paving the way for media consolidation and sidelining the role of independent and for-hire producers like Mr. Wolf.

Since the 2004 merger of NBC and Universal, for example, the company owns both the studio that makes "Law and Order" as well as the various TV networks that broadcast the shows.

This article is based on court documents and interviews with people on both sides of the standoff.

'Triumph of the Familiar'

Twenty years ago, neither side expected it would get so nasty.

Mr. Wolf, 61 years old, created "Law and Order" in the late 1980s when he was working as the head writer on "Miami Vice." He wanted to do his own cop show. Working with the then-president of Universal Television, Kerry McCluggage, Mr. Wolf came up with the concept of a show that would split in two: The first half would focus on police officers making an arrest; the second on a team of prosecutors taking the suspect to trial.

The pair took the project to the upstart Fox broadcast network, but Chief Executive Barry Diller rejected it. Mr. McCluggage says Mr. Diller didn't like the show's "locked perspective" -- its cops and D.A.s solved one distinct crime each episode, then moved onto the next one, with no character development along the way. Mr. Diller says the real reason he didn't think the show would work for Fox was because "it never particularly appealed to what you would call a young demographic," which Fox was targeting.


Mr. Wolf and the Universal executives had better luck at NBC, which premiered "Law and Order" in the fall of 1990. Before it aired, Mr. Wolf made one change. Compared to everything else on television, "Law and Order" moved at a lightning pace, with no scene lasting more than two pages. This was giving test viewers whiplash. Mr. Wolf added a "chung chung" chime and inserted a location card between scenes to let viewers take a breath.

Otherwise, the show has remained almost exactly as Mr. Wolf envisioned. A former advertising copywriter, he sees "Law and Order" as a brand. He tells his writers that the series should be like Campbell's Soup: many different flavors, all of which are of consistent quality and predictable taste. "Episodic television is the triumph of the familiar," he is known to say. One way Mr. Wolf maintains this consistency is by making most of the victims wealthy white people, which he believes viewers are more interested in watching. He limits the number of shows containing minority victims, including blacks and Muslims, to four or five episodes a season out of 22 to 24.

"Law and Order" built a healthy but unspectacular audience of around 15 million viewers in its first four years on television. It didn't have the "cachet of a Bochco series" -- producer Steven Bochco had "L.A. Law" and "Hill Street Blues" -- "or the sexy heat of Miami Vice," says Warren Littlefield, an independent producer who was president of NBC Entertainment in the 1990s.

But the fortunes of "Law and Order" began to change after Universal sold reruns of the first few seasons to cable channel A&E in 1994. A&E ran episodes several times a week, exposing "Law and Order" to a wider audience. And because of the show's self-contained storylines, viewers could tune in at any time without needing to know what happened on the previous episode.

Ratings on NBC climbed to around 16 million in the fifth season. The show also began to receive more positive critical attention, winning both a Peabody and the Emmy for best dramatic series in 1997.

The acclaim paid dividends in 1999, when Universal cut its second rerun deal, this time for a higher price with Turner Broadcasting's Turner Network Television. A&E had been paying $150,000 an episode for the first few seasons; in contrast, reruns of "ER" commanded around $1.2 million an episode around that time. Turner agreed to a deal that would start in 2001, paying $200,000 each for the same 181 episodes licensed to A&E, and $700,000 an episode for the newer seasons -- a total of $150 million.

On top of the syndication deal, Universal sold a second series in the franchise, "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit," to NBC.

Rerun Mania

Pretty soon, "Law and Order" reruns seemed to be everywhere.

In the late 1990s, Mr. Diller, the former Fox executive who had once rejected the show, took over Universal's TV business, which included its production studio and an array of cable channels. Because Universal owned both the show and the USA network, Mr. Diller was able to arrange a deal to run episodes of "Law and Order: SVU" on USA just days after they first aired on NBC -- an unprecedented rerun arrangement.

As a result, in 2001, when the Turner deal kicked in, episodes of the two "Law and Order" series could be found at different times airing variously on NBC, TNT, A&E and USA.

More was to come. Desperate to retain its audience after losing hits such as "Seinfeld" and "Friends," NBC began plugging the holes in its schedule with repeats of "Law and Order." By 2003, more than two dozen episodes of "Law and Order" were being broadcast on TV every week.

Mr. Wolf grew frustrated, believing that the networks were using his show to bring in viewers while doing little to encourage people to watch the new episodes airing on NBC. He complained frequently to then-NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker. Tensions grew.

"All networks are alike in the fact that once they have a successful show, they want to keep it and repeat it over and over and make it at the lowest possible cost to them," says Mr. Diller, now chief executive of IAC/InterActive Corp. The relationship between a network and a producer is never "without tension."

End of an Era

In 2003, Mr. Zucker helped orchestrate NBC's acquisition of Universal from Vivendi SA. The merger was the last of a series of television mergers that had been sparked by the 1996 repeal of longstanding federal rules blocking TV networks owning shows they aired in prime time.

For NBC, bringing Universal under its wing was a way to get Mr. Wolf and "Law and Order" under its control. The show was Universal's biggest franchise, and the studio had recently been trying to squeeze more money for it out of NBC.

After acquiring Universal, NBC renewed all the "Law and Order" shows. It also syndicated the third show in the franchise, "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," to two of its cable channels, Bravo and USA, for around $2 million an episode. Mr. Wolf felt that the deal allowed Bravo and USA to run the repeats too frequently throughout the week. The show became so overexposed that viewers grew weary of it, some in Mr. Wolf's camp say.

"Literally all the bad things that the studios were saying the networks would do if they had the financial interest and syndication rules taken away, everybody kind of doubted. It sounded like hyberbole," says Mr. McCluggage, Mr. Wolf's ally in launching "Law and Order." "In reality, all those things have happened." Mr. McCluggage left Universal in 1991 but is still in close touch with Mr. Wolf.

In January 2005, Mr. Wolf began arbitration proceedings against NBC, claiming these syndication deals favored Bravo and USA over him. He said the networks were paying a lot less than they would pay for shows not owned by NBC. Though he received part of the profits related to the deal, Mr. Wolf claimed it was too little.

The arbitration at times became heated. NBC Universal included Mr. Wolf's ex-wife on a witness list, although she was never called to testify. The case was argued in secret over three weeks in February, and Mr. Wolf lost.

Prickly Stalemate

The producer and his staff have since settled into a prickly stalemate with the network.

NBC has balked at the rising costs of producing the programs, particularly the salaries for the top stars. Between 2002 and 2007, ratings for the original series dropped precipitously. They ticked up last season, when the show moved back to Wednesday nights after a temporary run on Fridays.

Cost-cutting steps taken by NBC have irritated some "Law and Order" staff. Among other restrictions, Starbucks coffee is no longer offered free, according to some of the show's writers.

Like other heavyweight producers, Mr. Wolf was once treated like royalty by network bosses who bent over backwards to keep him happy. Now, aside from his financial gripes, Mr. Wolf complains to colleagues about slights by the network. In 2003, for example, he asked NBC's Mr. Zucker to not schedule "Law and Order" on the same night as ABC was airing his new show, an updated version of "Dragnet." The network refused. NBC says it makes scheduling decisions based on what is most advantageous for the network.

Then last fall, Mr. Wolf went in for a meeting with Ben Silverman, the new co-chairman of NBC entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio, but was miffed when only Mr. Silverman's deputy showed up. NBC says Mr. Silverman doesn't always go to such meetings.

Mr. Silverman's first major programming initiative, which he announced April 2, was to put shows on the air that conformed to a theme of "escapism" and featured characters "trying to make the world a better place."

Since then, Mr. Wolf's production company, Wolf Films Inc., has received a note from the network informing him the shows are too "gritty," according to two people who work at the production company. NBC says the note referred to the picture quality of one episode, not the content.

Mr. Wolf earns around $300,000 in producer fees per episode of "Law and Order" and around $250,000 per episode for each of the two spinoffs. With three shows on the air for at least 22 episodes per season, that means he earns about $18 million in producer fees alone each year on top of an undisclosed cut of syndication and other fees.

The latest spat between the two sides was over a provision in Mr. Wolf's contract called the "48 Episode Guarantee." Mr. Wolf takes it to mean NBC owes him two years of producer fees, or around $15 million, when it cancels any of the "Law and Order" shows.

This year, NBC filed a case in Los Angeles Superior Court, arguing the clause requires the network to pay only a small fraction of that or nothing at all. This summer, NBC decided to try to settle the dispute with Mr. Wolf outside of court.

The original "Law and Order" celebrated a milestone earlier this year: 400 episodes on the air. NBC Universal executives wanted to host a small party for the cast and crew. Mr. Wolf proposed instead an expensive soirée at Cipriani in New York with every actor who has ever appeared on the series in attendance. The two sides were not able to come to an agreement and the anniversary passed quietly without celebration.


Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Law & Order SVU: James Brolin to Guest Star

Michael Ausiello, formerly of TV Guide and now at Entertainment Weekly, reports that James Brolin, husband of Barbara Streisand, will be appearing in Law & Order SVU’s season premier episode. He’ll be playing “an ex-military man with a connection to Chris Meloni’s Stabler… “ The episode will also feature Chris Elliott, who is accused of being a stalker

Hmmm. Since Stabler was in the military, could Brolin be a former commanding officer? Or, maybe Stabler comes from a military family and Brolin’s character is his dad? It’s anybody’s guess.

Brolin is no stranger to television. He was very popular in the 1960s TV series “Marcus Welby, M.D." where he played handsome Dr. Steven Kiley. More recently, he had a memorable role on “The West Wing” playing the annoying Florida Governor Robert Ritchie. Of course, Law & Order fans remember him as an astronaut, alongside Sam Waterston, in the sci-fi movie “Capricorn One.”

Ausiello Casting Scoop on Brolin

Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Reunion” Episode Information and Previews


Here’s the episode information and previews of Law & Order Criminal Intent episode “Reunion”. It stars Chris Noth, Julianne Nicholson, and Joan Jett.

"Reunion” Air Date July 13, 2008
When the host of TV's "Rock 'n' Talk" is bludgeoned to death by a champagne bottle, Logan and Wheeler's investigation into the seamy music world involves Jordie Black, Wheeler's favorite rock star from high school, whose secret past pushes Wheeler’s admiration to the brink. Guest stars Joan Jett and Kathy Brier (from “One Life to Live).

USA Promo




Episode Preview Clips











Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Criminal Intent “Kissinger” Gets My Letter of Recommendation


This week’s episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent had probably the longest title in Law & Order franchise history: “Please Note We are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger.” Despite the long title, it was a fast-paced episode, filled with interesting twists, turns, and red herrings. It also seemed to end some of the awkwardness between the detectives.

It began with Wall Street analyst Skip Lowe (Jason Pendergraft) who seems to have his hands in a lot of things, including hooking up with men on the side. He’s walking his son Leo in a stroller in the park and it looks very late, making me wonder why he’d take his son in the park for a walk at such a late time. Skip is shot dead, and his son is left in the stroller.

As Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe) work the case, we find that it probably wasn't that late at night when Skip was murdered. Because night falls early at that time of year, Skip was walking his son home from the park, and he was late to pick him up due to his hookup at the gym. Goren and Eames also believe that he knew his murderer, because the gunshot indicated the murderer was up close and personal. While investigating Skip’s murder, they interview Marla Reynolds (Sarah Jane Morris), who was watching Skip’s son until he arrived to pick him up after his “encounter.” We also meet Marla’s mother-in-law Eleanor Reynolds (Jessica Walter), who seems to be wound a little too tight and slightly obsessed with her grandson. We also see Goren – AKA “Big Foot” – lure in Skip’s liaison at the gym for questioning.
But before they get too comfortable with that case, another murder in an identical style happens; Paloma Renzi is also found dead in the same area of the park, her son and dog left alone. Goren and Eames try to connect the two murders with a Wall Street scheme that they think Skip and Paloma had going, and shed some light on John Eckhart, who seems to have lost $50 million dollars recently and holds a grudge against Skip.

Things get muddled when Captain Ross (Eric Bogosian) alerts them to another murder that fits the profile – but it happened 10 days before in Far Rockaway, NY. The victim, Denise Myler, has no connection to the stock market. Instead, she was holding a job at a soup kitchen far from home, in an effort to help get her child a scholarship in the exclusive Carnegie Hill Day preschool. While investigating this murder, Goren and Eames come to the realization these murders have nothing to do with the stock market, and start looking at Carnegie Hill Day. They find that the wait list for the school seems to have turned into someone’s hit list.

The detectives seem a little miffed that the preschool never alerted the police to a coincidence with these murders, and find that the admissions director Janeane realized a connection but didn’t report it as she was trying to protect the school’s reputation. But they get the list of the school’s attendees and the wait list to investigate. They find themselves back with the Reynolds family, and an encounter with the suspicious mother-in-law, Eleanor. A great help to them was when Eleanor was fumbling for her keys, a gun drops out of her purse, which later they find is the weapon used for all three murders.

While interrogating Eleanor, Goren realizes she is on high blood pressure medication. Eleanor also seems to confirm for the detectives that she has a low opinion of her daughter-in-law Marla. Goren and Eames also realize that Marla seems to be a little afraid of Eleanor and possibly being unable to live up to Eleanor’s high standards. It seems for sure that Eleanor is the killer – after all, she had the murder weapon and was obsessed with getting her grandson into Carnegie Hill Day. She had also befriended Janeane, the admissions director, under the pretext of being a dog lover, when earlier she made derogatory comments about Paloma’s dog, implying she hated dogs.

Goren, however, notices Eleanor squirming because she needs to get to the bathroom, and he concludes that she must be taking diuretics with her blood pressure medication. This would make her an unlikely murderer, seeing as she could not be away from a bathroom long enough to commit some of the murders (Ross called it the “public restroom phobia defense”). When returning to the Reynolds' residence, they find that Marla has left her son in the home alone and went to Carnegie Hill. As Goren and Eames investigate Carnegie Hill, they discover Marla has tied up the teacher and the admissions director, and is holding the sleeping kids in another classroom, with a gun.

As Goren gets her to move away from the children, Eames gets the kids out of harm’s way. Goren then works his magic to make Marla feel at ease, but she still seems ready to kill herself. Goren makes her feel needed, and she surrenders her gun to him. He does a complete 180 and forcefully pushes her into submission and arrests her. Of course, she’s perplexed – she thought Goren liked her. We all know that Goren did what he does best: lulling the suspect into false sense of security so he can trap them.

This episode had quite a few good things going for it. Goren and Eames seemed to be back on a more stable footing. While they both still may be stinging underneath, they showed their professionalism by working the case well together, without any hint of bad feelings. Quite funny and appropriate was using the name “Big Foot” for Goren when trying to lure our Skip’s secret rendezvous partner. Of course, Ross showed some loosening up with this “restroom phobia” comment. In fact, Ross seemed the most natural and comfortable than he has all season. Eames also was perfectly dismissive when, while checking out Skip’s work computer, she told Skip’s co-worker “you can go now” to tell him to get lost.

While I was expecting this episode to be reminiscent of a previous Law & Order episode “Kid Pro Quo,” it wasn’t like it at all. In fact, I think this was a far more interesting case. Making things even better in this episode was the perfect choice of Jessica Walter for the role as the somewhat unbalanced mother-in-law. She turned in an excellent performance and really had me fooled that she was the murderer. I give the show tons of credit for not taking the obvious route there.

This episode is a sure winner, and it gets MY highest letter of recommendation.






Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Law & Order Criminal Intent “Kissinger” Episode Information and Preview

Henry Kissinger, I assume he's not in the episode!

Here’s the episode information and preview clip of Law & Order Criminal Intent episode with the long name. This has to be the longest episode title in Law & Order franchise history!

“Please Note We are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger” Air Date July 6. 2008: An exclusive preschool with a long waiting list is at the center of an investigation into the murders of three parents. Starring Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe.

My recap and review of “ Please Note We are No Longer Accepting Letters of Recommendation from Henry Kissinger“ can be found
here.


Episode Preview




Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information, here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Law & Order SVU’s Richard Belzer is “Louse”

If you like Law & Order SVU, and you like Richard Belzer, and you like the show “House” with Hugh Laurie, you’ll love this "spoof" production from “Belzervizion”. It’s called “Louse,” and stars Richard Belzer in the title role, along with former SVU actor Diane Neal in a supporting role. I think this is hysterical fun and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!




Check out my blog home page for the latest Law & Order information,
here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site,These Are Their Stories.