I don't think we have any threads dedicated to the news, right? Because usually whenever there's something it gets it's own thread but maybe it's better if we have one news thread? If you don't like the idea then I guess we can bury this thread but I do have something to share!

Exclusive: Michael Trucco Goes from BSG to SVU
Nov 10, 2008 05:42 PM ET by Matt Mitovich
Starbuck's toaster of a husband is up to no good right here and now on present-day Earth.

Sources tell TVGuide.com exclusively that Michael Trucco (aka Battlestar Galactica's Anders) has been cast in the Dec. 9 episode of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, playing a guy who is suspected of slipping women a drug that causes them to forget everything that happens to them — to the point that they don't even realize they're victims.

Appearing in the same episode will be Ryan Dunn (from Jackass) and Kelly Hu (X-Men 2).

I like the idea already. On some boards, they do have SVU news for a thread, but none in here.

Thank you for sharing the link.

This is yesterday's news:

"On Sunday night, the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre celebrated its 80th anniversary with a gala celebration at Tavern on the Green. Actor Christopher Meloni, best known for his work on NBC's Law & Order: SVU, was the evening's master of ceremonies."



http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/16196

I also like this idea, but about the article...slipping women a drug that causes them to forget everything that happens to them--to the point that they don't even realize they're victims...that would pretty much leaves us with GHB or Rohypnol, neither of which are new to SVU.

Unless they make it up to be some new wonder drug, but yeah, I'd have to agree w/ you.

Ryan Dunn though? That's not bad. He always made me laugh on Bam.

NBC goes "Green."

Mariska and Chris will both participate in NBC's "Green Your Routine" Campaign. They will both be featured in new PSA's.


http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20081111nbc01


[11.11.08 - 07:05 AM]
'GREEN IS UNIVERSAL' LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN: "GREEN YOUR ROUTINE"
Released by NBC
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

'GREEN IS UNIVERSAL' LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN: "GREEN YOUR ROUTINE"

PART OF COMPANY-WIDE PROGRAMMING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS EFFORT,"GREEN WEEK," KICKING OFF NOV. 16

Unprecedented Number of NBCU Talent Unite Behind Single Cause In Green TMYK PSAs

New York, NY- November 11, 2008- "Green Is Universal" today announced the launch of a new consumer campaign, "Green Your Routine," which will roll out across the entire company during "Green Week," a massive, multi-platform programming and community affairs effort beginning Nov 16th - 23rd. Throughout the week, 42 NBCU brands will feature 150 plus hours of environmentally themed programming across the company's television and digital platforms.

"'Green Your Routine' is about educating consumers that it's easy, practical and economical to be green," said Beth Colleton, Vice President of Green Is Universal. "Asking consumers to help 'save the planet,' or 'clean up the oceans,' sounds daunting to the individual. If everyone pledges to green even one simple aspect of their daily routines, such as walking to work, shopping with a reusable bag, or taking a shorter shower, together we can make a difference in our own lives and impact the environment."

Throughout Green Week, the new campaign will be visible across many of the NBCU properties both on-air and online, and will feature NBCU talent talking about how they green their own routines, as well as contests encouraging consumers to participate.

In addition, an outpouring of NBCU talent participated in "Green Your Routine" The More You Know (TMYK) PSAs - this marks the most NBCU talent to ever unite behind a single cause. Those who participated include:
Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU);Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal); John Krasinski (The Office); Jaime Pressly (My Name is Earl); Linda Cardellini and Scott Grimes (ER); Brooke Shields, Lindsay Price and Kim Raver (Lipstick Jungle); Jane Krakowski and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock); Masi Oka and Zachary Quinto (Heroes); Amanda Tapping (SCI FI, Sanctuary); Zachary Levi and Josh Gomez (Chuck); Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott (Oxygen, Home Sweet Hollywood); Tiki Barber (NBC Sports); Coolio (Oxygen, Coolio's Rules); Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order); Patricia Arquette (Medium); Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio (Bravo, Top Chef); Alison Sweeney (Days of our Lives); Debra Messing (USA, Starter Wife); Ann Curry, Meredith Vierra and Al Roker (TODAY).

Behind-the-scenes footage from these PSAs will also run on NBC.com, on the Taxi Entertainment Network, NBC at the Pump and The University Network.

To help consumers "Green Their Routines," Green Is Universal is launching a line of eco-friendly products associated with popular NBCU television shows. Items include reusable shopping bags featured on "The Today Show", and "Heroes" t-shirts made from recycled materials. The merchandise will be available online through the NBC Universal store at www.nbcuniversalstore.com, and through the newly launched Green Is Universal store, beginning November 13th, at GreenisUniversal.com/shop. Five percent of all sales generated from green merchandise at the end of the year will be donated to the NRDC. All online purchases will also be shipped in eco-friendly packaging. The store is powered by NBCU's e-commerce partner, Delivery Agent.

"Green Week" kicks off during "Sunday Night Football," once again turning the logos of NBC Universal green across all properties. Highlights include:

NBC Sports: Green week officially launches on NBC's "Football Night in America during the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins game. Commentators, including Bob Costas, Chris Collinsworth, Dan Patrick, Jerome Bettis, and Tiki Barber, will discuss how they each personally green their own routines.

On November 22, NBC will air a carbon neutral Notre Dame and Syracuse game, but the competition won't just be on the field. For the entire month of November, both campuses will participate in the NBC Universal Green Your Routine challenge, hosted on Carbonrally.com. Students, alumni, faculty, and fans will have the opportunity to take eco-challenges and help reduce carbon emissions and save energy. NBC Universal will donate $10,000 to the winning school, which will be designated to their campus sustainability efforts.

In addition, NBC Sports will host an online video contest, in which students from Notre Dame and Syracuse will produce short commercials promoting sustainable practices. The best submissions will be displayed on the NBC Sports website, www.NBCSports.com

NBC News: The TODAY show is airing Part II of its critically acclaimed "Ends of the Earth" series, where the show's anchors will report from distant, exotic locations on the effect global warming has had on our water supply. The TODAY anchors will also share their personal green routines, and encourage viewers to log their daily green routine online. Additionally, "Nightly News" Environmental Correspondent Anne Thompson will examine the energy challenges for the new administration, such as the national electricity grid, clean coal technology and nuclear waste.

Local Media Division: NBC Universal's ten owned-and-operated stations will produce eco-themed segments both on-air and online, as well as "Green Your Routine" tips during local weather updates. Also, LX.TV Open House is going green with a special half hour episode highlighting some of the best eco-friendly homes on the market across the country. The show will air on the NBC television stations at various times during "Green Week."

CNBC : "The Suze Orman Show" takes a look at whether you can afford to go green and features a special "Can I Afford It?" segment focused on all things green, including solar panels, a smart car, etc. Daily green segments will also be featured on "On the Money" and "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch." "Mad Money w/Jim Cramer" will discuss green stocks and profile green CEOs. "Fast Money" will feature green trades to watch, including a special Commander Planet segment where "Fast Money" trader Pete Najarian scours the earth for plays that help both the planet and consumer's profit.

NBC Primetime: Seven NBC primetime shows will feature green storylines including "Lipstick Jungle," "Kath & Kim," "My Own Worst Enemy," "Knight Rider," "Life," as well as a special pre-Green week episode of "Law & Order" to be broadcast Wednesday, Nov. 12.

NBC Daytime: In "Days of Our Lives" the newly elected Mayor highlights his new initiative to clean up Salem's waterfront.

The Weather Channel will air green-themed programming throughout the entire week, including episodes of its "Forecast Earth" series focusing on climate change challenges, alternative energy, green home building, water conservation, and green education. Additionally, green living tips will run on-air, online and on mobile at www.weather.com. Plus, The 2008 Forecast Earth Hot List will be announced online at www.weather.com/forecastearth to recognize the 10 most influential people or entities in the fight against global warming.

iVillage will host a "Green Your Routine Community Challenge," where users can sign up for daily tips on how to become greener.

USA Network will broadcast a Green Week Marathon, an eight-episode program entitled "Recycling the Best of Monk" as well as multiple airings of a green vignette featuring an all-star cast of USA's eco-minded characters from "Burn Notice," "Psych," and "Monk." On November 14, USA will re-launch green.usanetwork.com, highlighting green celebrities through "Ecoist Corner" with "The Starter Wife" actors David Alan Basche and Hart Bochner, Robert Redford, Jack Johnson, Bono and Ali Hewson, Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carey. Additionally, "USA Characters Go Green," will offer exclusive interviews with "The Starter Wife" and "Monk" stars sharing their passion and practical tips to save the environment.

SCI FI will air "Lost City Raiders," an original movie set 40 years after the cumulative effects of global warming. In addition, it will air new green-themed episodes of "Cha$e," "Ghost Hunters," "Stargate Atlantis," and "Sanctuary." SCI FI's "How You Can Save The World" blog, www.howyoucansavetheworld.com, will also be green-focused.

Bravo: Former top Chef contestant and food producer on the show, Leeanne Wong will give green tips in interstitials that will air throughout the week. Bravo will also "recycle" green episodes of their popular series "Shear Genius," "Top Design," "Project Runway," "Real Housewives of Orange County." Bravo's website will feature green blogs and video from stars such as Jenni Pulos (Flipping Out), Patti Stanger (Millionaire Matchmacker), and The Real Housewives of NYC. Also visitors can test their green IQ in a new online quiz.

Oxygen will air vignettes featuring Coolio greening his daily routine and offering viewers simple tips to green their own; and Oxygen.com will incorporate "go green" tips throughout the website. In addition, the network will "recycle" green episodes from "Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood," and "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency." In a special post-green week episode airing Nov. 25th, Coolio takes a green cooking class with his daughter Jackie and gets educated on the green benefits of a raw food diet. This episode will also be streamed on the Oxygen website.

Telemundo will re-launch the "Alerta Verde" campaign anchored in Al Rojo Vivo with Maria Celeste, featuring green themed plotlines incorporated into a series of other shows including "Titulares y Mas" and "Caso Cerrado." Telemundo Network will partner with Telemundo 51 in Miami in an event hosted by Vanessa Hauc at a local school to discuss topics related to the environment and how to support green practices.

Universal Parks & Resorts will launch "Green Your Routine" programs at the division's Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood destinations, involving guests, employees and to the parks' respective communities. Activities include a solar golf cart test and a green office product fair.

NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution: "Access Hollywood," will feature a daily green segment featuring a variety of things celebrities do to help the environment and go green. "Jerry Springer" will have a week full of Green Final Thoughts. "The Chris Matthews Show" will be examining green political topics during its weekly roundtable sessions, and "The Martha Stewart Show" will be doing segments on nature and conversation. "The Steve Wilkos Show" will utilize the talk show's daily "Email Steve" segments to feature green topics, as well.

Community Affairs: NBC Universal Foundation will award the Student Conservation Association, National Environment Education Foundation, New York Restoration Project and Los Angeles Conservation Corps with green grants to support public secondary education programs in underserved communities. NBC Universal Volunteers will also host tree-planting, conservation and restoration events in New York, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Dallas, Chicago, and Washington, DC.

In addition, NBC Universal, WNBC, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Green NYC initiative have partnered to present "Green Screens," a two-day electronic recycling event throughout the five boroughs of New York City on November 15-16th. Additional partners include Time Warner Cable, Daily News, and CENYC. All recycling will be handled by Electronic Recyclers International. More information can be found at www.greenisuniversal.com/greenscreens.

About "Green is Universal:"

Launched in May 2007, "Green is Universal" is NBC Universal's ongoing green initiative dedicated to raising Green awareness, effecting positive change to the environment, and substantially greening its own operations.

Thanks for the info.

Law and Order star puts focus on Day One's work

by: Amanda Milkovitz
Friday, Nov. 14, 2008

PROVIDENCE –– Her name is Cindy, and nearly 30 years ago she was walking home from college in Providence when someone grabbed her from behind.

A stranger dragged her into the bushes, tore off her clothes and raped her. And then he tried to club her to death with rocks.

The 20-year-old woman barely escaped with her life. And when she was brought to the hospital, a doctor called on a new agency to help the young rape victim.

It was the Rhode Island Rape Crisis Center, now known as Day One, a phrase meant to signal the organization as the first place for sexual assault victims to get help. The center was created 35 years ago to advocate for sexual assault victims of all ages, to educate the public about the crimes and to work toward prevention.

Back in 1973, the atmosphere was different for victims, who were sometimes shamed or blamed for the crimes, and when marital rape wasn't considered a crime. The center was established to support and empower victims, and it eventually grew to include the Children's Advocacy Center for evaluation, evidence gathering and treatment of young sexual assault victims. Just last year, Day One provided services for 14,000 people. About 66 percent of the victims were children.

Cindy still remembers the kindness of the Providence police officers, who caught her assailant, and the justice she found in the courts, which sentenced her 16-year-old attacker to six years in prison.

Above all, Cindy remembers the never-flagging compassion and help from the center's advocates, how they guided her and her family through the aftermath. "At no point in time did they leave my side, or my family's side," she said yesterday, outside a fundraiser luncheon held at The Westin Providence to commemorate Day One's 35th anniversary.

She was one of about 400 people attending the $125-a-plate fundraiser luncheon, and about 100 people purchased $500 tickets for a private reception and photo with the event's keynote speaker, actress Mariska Hargitay, who plays sex-crimes detective Olivia Benson on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Hargitay is also the president of the Joyful Heart Foundation, which offers rape survivors "healing retreats" in Hawaii that include swimming with dolphins.

As Hargitay spoke at the luncheon, she recalled letters from fans who told her that they had been sexually assaulted but were afraid to seek help. (Peg Langhammer, Day One's executive director, says that although statistics show that one in eight Rhode Island women are sexually assaulted, it's estimated that more than 74 percent of sexual assaults are never reported to the police.)

"They said, 'I was raped when I was 15. I'm 40 now and I've never told anyone.' … 'My father is doing things to my sister and I want him to stop. Will you help me?' " Hargitay said of the letters. She paused in the silence and appeared to become teary. "I'm a crier," she explained to the crowd. "But [sexual assault] is just so prevalent. It's so good we get to talk about this."

Hargitay said that the letters, coupled with her own trauma of the death of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, who died in a car crash when Hargitay was 3, and her own life-changing car crash at 34, motivated her to form the nonprofit foundation to help sexual assault victims heal by swimming with dolphins.

"I look back on the two accidents that profoundly changed my life, and I feel sad about them," said Hargitay, now 44. But she said she was grateful for the moments that came after her crash –– her marriage, her son, her role on Special Victims Unit.

"I didn't know that I'd be on a TV show that would be so much more, or that I'd give voice to victims of sexual assaults," Hargitay said. "I didn't know that I would be part of the effort to change the way a country dialogues about this."

She praised the work of Day One, and the courage of Cindy, who attended the event with her family and who appeared in a video for Day One shown at the fundraiser.

Cindy spoke to a Journal reporter and in a video on projo.com, although she asked that her last name and out-of-state residence not be identified; she still fears her attacker will find her. But as her husband stood nearby, Cindy spoke with strength as she related how the attack had changed her life.

"Believe in yourself. Make every moment count. Don't wait," she said. "Because you never know when it can be taken away from you."



Actress Mariska Hargitay, left, of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Peg Langhammer, executive director of Day One, a sexual assault and trauma resource center, pose for a photo before the luncheon where Hargitay was speaking.




The Providence Journal / Mary Murphy

Rhode Island News

Thanks Blaze!



Does anyone remember the car crash she had at age 34 on her THS episode? I barely remember it, just about her mom and her step-mom's plane crash that she recovered from. I also remember Mariska's parking tickets.

I think that plane crash was the one Mariska was talking about. That would have been a life changing crash. (at least I think so )

No, I don't know that she's ever talked about this accident before...at least I had never read or heard anything about it before yesterday. Mariska was referring to a car crash she was in on a road trip to Las Vegas when she was 34. I'll write more details later (unless Emm beats me to it), but I have to finish a paper and presentation tonight.

Hope this is what you're looking for:

Sidelights:

Since taking the SVU job, Hargitay has made New York City her home. She headed west, however, for her 2004 wedding to actor Peter Hermann in Santa Barbara, California. They met on the set of SVU, and Hargitay recalled that she had been instantly smitten, and said on their first real date that "I just about passed out when I saw him, " she told InStyle journalist Sarah Stebbins. "I thought, That's my husband." She turned 41 a few months later, the same month she won the Golden Globe, and hopes to become a mother. She no longer harbors a fear that she will die young, as she for many years before she turned 34—the age her mother was when she died. She did, however, endure a motorcycle accident that same year, but emerged from it with nothing more than a sprained ankle. "That's when I told myself, You're not going to die; you're not your mother, " she explained to James Servin in another InStyle interview. "That's when my whole life changed."

http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmake...ay-Mariska.html

Jury to Hear About Suicide in MySpace Cyber-Hoax Trial
By Howard Breuer

Originally posted Friday November 14, 2008 07:00 PM EST

Megan Meier Photo by: Fame WriteAd(757767, 1348086, 240, 190, -1); Jurors in a cyber-hoax trial will hear evidence a Missouri woman's messages on MySpace provoked the suicide of a 13-year-old neighbor, a judge in Los Angeles ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge George H. Wu denied a defense motion to exclude evidence that Megan Meier reacted to Lori Drew's messages in October 2006 by hanging herself.

Megan thought she was communicating with a cute 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans, who liked her but then suggested the world would be better off without her.

Wu had said he was leaning the other way because Drew is essentially charged with a form of hacking, not with causing suicide – although prosecutors say they need the suicide evidence to demonstrate intentional infliction of emotional distress.

But on Friday, Wu noted the case was just made the subject of an episode of Law & Order: SVU.

"It's impossible to get a jury that doesn't know," said Wu, who instead suggested attorneys focus on finding jurors not unduly influenced by what they might already know about the case.


Defense: Evidence Inflammatory
Defense attorney H. Dean Steward said that will be impossible.

"They will see a series of computer messages ending in the death of a young girl and they're going to look to convict my client, me, and anyone sitting next to me," Steward argued to Wu. "What will come from this is not a morally reasonable verdict, but a morally outraged verdict."

Jury selection is scheduled to start Tuesday.

Drew, who lives in a St. Louis suburb, could get up to 20 years in prison if convicted of one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization. Jurors will be offered the option of convicting on a misdemeanor, the court also decided Friday.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20240731,00.html

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit cast members Dann Florek, Michaela McManus and Tamara Tunie have also been named as guest hosts, along with Fringe's Lance Reddick and Law & Order star Linus Roache.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a136361/g...guest-host.html

International Emmys to honor "Law & Order" creator
By CHARLES J. GANS – 1 hour ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Producer Dick Wolf is receiving a special honor at the 36th International Emmy Awards for extending the long arm of his "Law & Order" franchise into almost every corner of the globe.

Sam Waterston, who has appeared as prosecutor Jack McCoy in more than 325 "Law & Order" episodes since 1994, is on tap to present the International Emmy Founders Award to Wolf at Monday night's awards gala.

He will be joined onstage by his co-star Linus Roache, as well as Dann Florek, Tamara Tunie and Michaela McManus from the spinoff "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

"It's just stunning. People see `Law & Order' everyplace," said Bruce L. Paisner, president of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "Every place in the world they have police and some kind of criminal justice system."

The award to Wolf, the creator and executive producer of "Law & Order," will cap an evening in which 40 nominees from 16 countries will be competing for International Emmys, honoring excellence in TV programming produced outside the United States, in 10 categories.

British television productions picked up a leading eight nominations, including "Life on Mars" which is bidding for its second best drama series award. David Suchet received a best actor nod for his portrayal of media mogul Robert Maxwell, while Lucy Cohu is up for best actress for the true-life drama "Forgiven" about a suburban housewife who discovers her husband has been abusing their 12-year-old daughter.

Brazil had five nominations, including "Mandrake" (drama series) about a criminal lawyer from Rio De Janiero, Pedro Cardoso (actor) for the comedy "The Big Family," and Irene Ravache (actress) for the romance "Eternal Magic."

Argentina and Japan each had four nominations, followed by China and Denmark with three apiece. Jordan and Peru had their first-ever nominations.

Paisner said the International Academy wanted to get the jump in honoring Wolf with its Founders Award before "Law & Order," now in its 19th season, overtakes "Gunsmoke" (1955-75) as the longest-running prime time drama series in U.S. television history.

The Founders Award is presented annually to a person who has made a difference in the worldwide television business. "Law & Order and its spinoffs — in the original U.S. and locally franchised versions — have been sold to almost 300 television markets around the world, Paisner said. Earlier this year, deals were inked to make locally produced versions using existing U.S. "Law & Order" scripts in Britain, France and Russia.

But Paisner says there is a growing two-way exchange as television quality improves outside the U.S. and a growing number of channels need programming.

"Lots of shows are coming from other countries and ending up here," said Paisner. "Everything from `Ugly Betty' to `The Office' started someplace else and they're now becoming mainstays of the U.S. television schedule." he said.

There have also been Americanized versions of several past International Emmy winners, including "Life on Mars," "Little Britain," "Supernanny, " and "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares."

Paisner said the global economic crisis is likely to accelerate the trend of International Emmy nominees and winners being picked up in the U.S. and other countries.

"In tough economic times, you tend to look for surer things and something that has already been developed someplace, that's played to audiences and worked ... if you're a television executive that's the kind of thing you're going to look to," said Paisner.

The event, hosted again by Roger Bart (Broadway's "Young Frankenstein"), will feature several celebrity presenters from U.S. film and television, including Judith Light ("Ugly Betty"), Willie Garson ("Sex & The City") and John Waters ("Hairspray"), as well as actresses Malu Mader of Brazil and Cecilia Suarez of Mexico.

The academy is the largest organization of global broadcasters, with more than 600 members from nearly 70 countries and over 400 companies.

On the Net:

• International Emmys: http://www.iemmys.tv/
• 
  http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...nil6WQD94KPRHO0

http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php...me=nbc11268.htm

2008-11-26


NBC Lines Up January '09 Premieres


UNIVERSAL CITY, November 26: NBC has unveiled its January 2009 grid, which features a heavy lineup of reality, including the dance competition Superstars of Dance and hidden-camera show Howie Do It, while Lipstick Jungle has not been slated.



Also absent from the January schedule are Medium, Kings, Life, Chuck and Heroes. NBC will make a second announcement covering February and March premieres at a later date.



The two-hour debut of Superstars of Dance, from the producers of So You Think You Can Dance?, will be broadcast on January 4 at 9 p.m. The series resumes in its regular day and time on January 5 at 8 p.m. The show's season finale will air on January 26. Superstars of Dance will be followed on Mondays by Momma's Boys, the new series from executive producer Ryan Seacrest.



On Tuesdays, beginning January 6, NBC will broadcast The Biggest Loser: Couples, followed by the latest season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.



Howie Do It, a hidden-camera show starring Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel, debuts on January 9. The show will air Fridays at 8 p.m. Friday Night Lights will return to NBC's Friday-night lineup on January 16.



NBC will showcase the new specials Saturday Night Live Sports Extra on January 4 at 7 p.m. and Saturday Night Live Film Festival on January 18 at 9 p.m. Dateline NBC will feature a Presidential Inauguration Day Special on January 20 at 10 p.m. An original movie event featuring The Last Templar is slated for January 25 and 26. NBC will air this year's Golden Globe Awards on January 11 at 8 p.m.



—By Kristin Brzoznowski

About B.D. Wong. This is an article from last week.

AmFAR Celebrates 10th Annual Fall Gala By Dennis McMillan
Published: November 20, 2008

Master stylist Troy Anicete, designer Kenneth Cole and MC BD Wong. Troy dressed BD from head to toe in Kenneth Cole fashions, including his UP's, which Kenneth Cole appreciated. Photo by Rink.On Nov. 15, supporters of amfAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research) across the Bay Area gathered for the Foundation's tenth annual San Francisco Fall Gala, raising nearly $400,000 for amfAR's AIDS research programs. The event was presented by Wells Fargo and chaired by Stephen Brady, Julie Candice, Tim Hanlon, Lance Holman, Lisa Sardegna, and David Carillo. The Gala began with guests gathering for cocktails and a silent auction, followed by dinner prepared by Chef Mark Sullivan of Spruce.

Host B.D. Wong, Tony award-winning TV, film, and theater actor, welcomed 300 guests to the Four Seasons, saying, "AmfAR is on the threshold of extraordinarily important and monumental breakthroughs in this ongoing struggle to eradicate AIDS." Wong pointed out he was dressed "head to toe in Kenneth Cole [famed fashion designer and amfAR chairman of the board], including my underwear."

Cole presented Awards of Courage, recognizing the recipients for their outstanding contributions to the global fight against AIDS. Dr. Mervyn Silverman (who has been on the amfAR board and has served as president since 1996, and serves on 25 other boards) and fashion icon Dita Von Teese (spokesperson for the acclaimed MAC AIDS Fund Viva Glam campaign) were recipients. Silverman was honored for his leadership in HIV prevention, among other accomplishments. "It was a blessing for me to be the director of health [from 1977-1985] in one of the most important times in medical history, the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic," said Silverman. "To have the opportunity to work with some of the most selfless and courageous individuals to try to fashion an appropriate response to this pandemic was a profound experience for me, and continues to this day." Von Teese was recognized for dedicating her charm, talent, and time to international HIV/AIDS fundraising and awareness efforts. With the support of Von Teese, MAC has raised more than $128 million to fight AIDS since 1997. She has spread her message throughout the world that safe sex is sexy. She said she was shocked to discover that young people between the ages of 19 and 25 are among the fastest growing population to be contracting HIV. She said that insisting on using condoms every time is "a form of sexual power and self respect."

California State Assemblyman Mark Leno (who received the amfAR Award of Courage in 2004) was on hand to grant amfAR a special resolution from the State Assembly, which he presented to Cole. Leno called Wong "a hometown hero." Leno noted that since 1985, over $275 million has been raised by amfAR to put forward over 2,000 research grants. He spoke of the two founders of amfAR as "an interesting collaboration between a kind of maverick Hollywood movie star [Elizabeth Taylor] with her passion on the West coast for finding a cure for AIDS and a formidable East coast scientific doctor [Dr. Mathilde Krim]."

Wong introduced Cole who spoke of a billboard he had put up in New York that stated: "A precedent we can all be proud of. Congratulations Barack Obama." He said should the election results be a worst case scenario, he had also prepared a billboard to state: "Out with the old; in with the older." He spoke of the recent miraculous case of an AIDS patient in Berlin who after a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia was free of all traces of AIDS.

Cole said, "Amidst these daunting and overwhelming challenges, I've had the privilege of working with many real heroes and to witness miracles." He said grimly that there are an estimated 40 million people living today with the virus, "most of whom will likely die of AIDS unless we find a cure." He added, "We know a cure is within our grasp and will only come from innovative research, which is what amfAR does."

Later in the evening, the black tie crowd danced to a rousing performance by multi-platinum recording artist Taylor Dayne.

San Francisco based auctioneer, Durwood Zedd, conducted the live auction, which included several unique items. Cole auctioned off a "Marriage Package," offering first-class travel and accommodations to Connecticut, where same-sex couples from out of state can legally wed. During the bidding, two 18-karat gold Tiffany wedding bands and dinner in New York with B.D. Wong were spontaneously added to the package. Two couples jumped at the chance, thereby raising a total of $16,000. Dita Von Teese added to the auction's momentum by offering up a private strip lesson for auction, which sold to two lucky bidders for $7,000 each. amfAR recognized American Airlines for its commitment to the fight against AIDS and its generous support of amfAR's mission.

The Foundation for AIDS Research (at one time known as the American Foundation for AIDS Research, but is now international) is one of the world's leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy.

CEO of amfAR Kevin Frost closed the program by speaking about recent breakthroughs in the field of AIDS research, as well as advancements that have renewed hopes that a cure for AIDS is within reach.

http://www.sfbaytimes.com/?sec=article&article_id=9486

HILARY SWANK - SWANK PAYS TRIBUTE TO BEST PAL HARGITAY IN NEW MAGAZINE PIECE

HILARY SWANK has paid tribute to best pal MARISKA HARGITAY in a new magazine expose on the LAW + ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT star, revealing the actress has always been there for her highs and lows.

Swank was asked to contribute to a piece on her friend in the new issue of Ladies Home Journal, and she jumped at the chance to sing Hargitay's praises.

The double Oscar winner says, "Mariska has helped me through life-changing times, but also helped me find the moments of celebration.

"She's a real girl's girl. She's not threatened by strong women and that's rare in this business."

Swank admits she stays with Hargitay whenever she's on location in New York City: "Last time we literally sat in her closet 'til 3am, talking, going through clothes and laughing - and she had a 7am call time! She's my family."

12/02/2008 10:06:56 PM

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/artic...20piece_1088337

Okay, while this is not directly SVU news, I think this piece of news indirectly affects SVU. I was reading an article about Jay Leno on Yahoo! earlier and one bit of info caught my attention:



That would mean no SVU at 10 on Tuesdays right? I'm worried if there's a time change or a (gasp) possibility of no SVU at all? I'm just worried about the show. Would SVU do potentially better in a different time slot? Can anyone who knows SVU's ratings offer an opinion? And if NBC scales back their programming, would they cut SVU? I mean, Mariska does get paid what, about $400,000 an episode? I'm just a concerned SVU fan. I hope this economic problem doesn't kill my favorite TV show. Am I just paranoid? Well, thoughts on the article?

Read the rest of the article here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081209/ap_en_tv/tv_nbc_leno

I just heard something about this on the Today show this morning, but although granted I wasn't paying a lot of attention, I though I heard something about it just being on Monday night. I do remember that it didn't conflict with SVU because that was my first thought (of course). Again, I don't know how accurate this is because I wasn't paying a lot of attention. From my understanding, SVU is set to come back the first week of January.

I was only half listening on "Today" this morning too. I thought what they said was NBC was cutting 5 hours of dramatic programming off the schedule.
The word on the internet (I just read TVGUIDE.com) is that Leno WILL be on every night at 10 pm.
However...I thought it said this was beginning next fall.

I'm hoping KatRose or someone else with 'insider info' will post at some point today to decipher what's going on...

I have no clue. SVU could be pushed to another time slot, 9 PM if they decide to continue on. Isn't Leno retiring the Tonight show in June of 2009 before Conan O'Brien takes over? By that time, season 10 would be over in May.

I prefer David Letterman!

That's what I read too. I was thinking more along the lines of next fall IF there is a season 11. I know SVU is losing ratings, but would SVU do much better if it was on earlier in the evening? SVU is considered a drama (right?) so I just hope they don't cut it out of their lineup and if they did do that, they could do what they did to CI when they shipped it over to USA. I want to know more about this. Which programs would they cut?

Jay Leno will be on every weeknight at 10PM starting in the FALL OF 2009. This obviously means that all of NBC's current weeknight 10PM shows will be moved (if they aren't canceled.)

Here is the complete posting from MSNBC.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28119153/

Jay Leno to get 10 p.m. talk show
Comic could have jumped to another network after ‘Tonight Show’ exit
The Associated Press
updated 7:27 a.m. PT, Tues., Dec. 9, 2008

Jay Leno is staying at NBC, and he’s moving to prime time.

The network announced Tuesday that Leno will host a show five nights a week at 10 p.m. ET, after he leaves the “Tonight” show next year. The network had announced nearly five years ago that Conan O’Brien would move to “Tonight” and succeed Leno.

(Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC.)

The deal not only prevents Leno from moving to another network and competing with O’Brien, it also has the potential to be a big cost savings for NBC. A talk show is considerably cheaper to produce than the dramas that usually air at 10 p.m. ET.

Leno could now deliver his nightly monologue and sketches to more viewers. Generally about 50 percent more people are watching TV at 10 p.m. than at 11:30 p.m.

Dramas used to be a mainstay of network schedules, and NBC’s own history at the time slot includes “ER,” “Hill Street Blues,” “Law & Order” and “L.A. Law.”

Yet dramas have been fading in recent years. One reason is digital video recorders; more people are watching shows they taped earlier than the live 10 p.m. shows.

Ten years ago, “ER” was the top-rated show in television, with an average of 25.4 million viewers. This season, its last, “ER” is averaging 9.9 million viewers and is ranked No. 33 in prime time.

Besides “ER,” NBC this season airs “Law & Order” and its “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” spinoff in the 10 p.m. time slot — both shows that could easily move to an earlier hour. “My Own Worst Enemy” and “Lipstick Jungle,” shows in the 10 p.m. hour on Monday and Friday, have already been canceled.

NBC had said last summer that Leno’s last “Tonight” show would be on Friday, May 29, and that O’Brien would take over the following Monday, June 1.

Jimmy Fallon is taking over the 12:30 a.m. time slot that O’Brien is vacating.

Here is some more input on the Leno situation.

From Broadcasting & Cable:
In a surprise move, Jay Leno is taking over the 10 p.m. slot on weeknights on the network.
The move would be a cost-effective manner in which to essentially cut down the amount of hours it must program with fare from the entertainment division. Jeff Zucker foreshadowed the move at a UBS media conference Monday, saying that NBC has to look at options including programming less primetime hours.
It would be a much-needed victory for struggling NBC in the wake of a massive round of layoffs and a re-organization of the entire way the network and studio are structured as the network continues to languish in fourth place.

And the NY Times:
No broadcast network has ever before offered the same show in prime time five nights a week. Such so-called “stripped shows” have been a staple of daytime broadcasting.

The offer of a new weeknight show for Mr. Leno at 10 p.m., an idea that NBC executives said Monday came from the NBC chief executive,Jeff Zucker, not only allows NBC to retain Mr. Leno’s services, but also means the network may be able to greatly reduce costs of developing and producing other prime-time shows.


Everything I have been reading boils down to this: NBC is in deep trouble and they are looking for some way to stay to keep from going under. This is a desperation move.
What does this mean for SVU? It is on the short list of shows tha people think should survive. But that is with the proviso that Chris and Mariska stay with the show. If they decide not to resign for Season 11, it is unlikely SVU would continue. NBC might gamble that it could continue with new detectives but feedback from fansites should tell them it is not likely to do well.
SVU is currently NBC's highest rated non-sports program. But it's not doing as well as it was two years ago when Chris and Mariska's contacts were being negotiated. Nor as well as last years when Dick Wolf used SVU and other cost cutting measures to keep L&O on the schedule. I'm not sure what he has left in his bag of tricks to keep Chris and Mariska on the show, and the show on NBC.
-------------------
Dragon_Girl Posted Today, 10:58 AM
That's what I read too. I was thinking more along the lines of next fall IF there is a season 11. I know SVU is losing ratings, but would SVU do much better if it was on earlier in the evening? SVU is considered a drama (right?) so I just hope they don't cut it out of their lineup and if they did do that, they could do what they did to CI when they shipped it over to USA. I want to know more about this. Which programs would they cut?

Whether SVU would do better in an earlier time slot would really depend on what it was following, assuming it would be on at 9, and what it was up against. It's current ratings wouldn't stand up against the other shows currently in that 9PM time slot.
Could SVU move to USA? That would be a possibility if Chris and Mariska leave and they want to see if the show would survive with new leads. But the actors on CI don't pull the same type of paychecks that Chris and Mariska do (roughly $300,000 per episode each). Even if SVU did well on USA, the advertising revenues wouldn't be enough to make that cost effective.
The short lists of what drama/comedy programs people think NBC should keep generally include:
Chuck - 1 hour
Heroes - 1 hour
Office - 30 mins
30 Rock - 30 mins
Earl - 30 mins
Law & Order: SVU - 1 hour

I don't mind if they change it into a different timeslot; as long as svu remains on the tube, and so is my "heartthrob", I'm happy! In my personal opinion, usa network shows better promos than nbc.

From New York Times:

NBC will keep Jay Leno five nights a week, but in prime time, competing not with David Letterman, but with shows like “CSI: Miami.”

if (acm.rc) acm.rc.write(); The network will announce Tuesday that Mr. Leno’s new show will appear at 10 o’clock each weeknight in a format similar to “The Tonight Show,” which he has hosted since 1992.

Five years ago NBC announced that it would hand the job of host of that franchise show to Conan O’Brien in May 2009. Since then the network has maneuvered to try to keep Mr. Leno, who continues to be the late-night ratings leader, fearing that he could leave and start a new late-night show on a competitor’s network. “The Tonight Show” is seen at 11:35 weeknights.


Mr. Leno, 58, was known to have suitors, including ABC, the Fox network and the Sony television studio. But he was apparently persuaded to stay at NBC after aggressive personal wooing by Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric.

Retaining Mr. Leno will undoubtedly be seen as a coup for Mr. Zucker, who has faced some serious questions about the wisdom of guaranteeing “The Tonight Show” to Mr. O’Brien and possibly losing Mr. Leno to another network.

Details of Mr. Leno’s agreement and the new show were provided by NBC executives who were briefed on the matter and who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about the project until the network made its announcement.

The new show, which will begin next fall, is expected to be set in Mr. Leno’s longtime studio in Burbank, Calif. Mr. Leno is expected to retain many of the most popular elements of his “Tonight Show,” including his monologue and bits like “Headlines” and “Jay Walking.” One “Tonight Show” staff member said the new program would not be a variety show.

Mr. O’Brien, currently the host of NBC’s “Late Night,” will move “The Tonight Show” to a new studio on the NBC Universal lot in Universal City, Calif., in May. Mr. Leno, who is known to want to work as much as possible, would then miss only three months on the air, and would use that time to prepare his new show.

An executive involved in the discussions with Mr. Leno said that Mr. Leno finally came around to the idea that the television business had changed and a show like his could be a success in prime time.

Running the same show in prime time five nights a week would be a novelty for a broadcast network. Such so-called stripped shows have been a staple of daytime broadcasting.

The offer of a weeknight prime-time show is one that Mr. Zucker has favored for some time. In 2002, when David Letterman, Mr. Leno’s competitor at CBS, was contemplating whether to renew his contract, Mr. Zucker offered him a show at 8 o’clock weeknights. He turned it down.

Executives involved in the decision said Monday that because ratings have decreased and costs are becoming more critical, NBC could reap an enormous financial benefit from this move.

Though Mr. Leno will command an enormous salary, probably more than $30 million a year, the cost of his show will be a fraction of what a network pays for dramas at 10 p.m. Those average about $3 million an episode. That adds up to $15 million a week to fill the 10 p.m. hour. Mr. Leno’s show is expected to cost less than $2 million a week.

In addition, NBC will get more weeks of original programming. Network dramas typically make 22 to 24 episodes a year. Under this deal, the executives involved in the discussions said, Mr. Leno will perform 46 weeks a year.

That cost differential will probably be enough for NBC to absorb any fall in ratings from its current slate of dramas. Mr. Leno has averaged 4.8 million viewers for his show this year, with a rating of 1.3, or 1.7 million people, in the category of viewers ages 18 to 49, which most advertisers favor.

Few shows now at 10 p.m. could be considered hits. They include “CSI: Miami,” and “CSI: New York” on CBS and “Law & Order SVU” and “E.R.” on NBC. “E.R.” is about the leave the air. “SVU” will probably move to 9 p.m. next fall.

There have been no new hits at 10 p.m. on any network in almost four years; ratings for shows in that time slot continue to fall.

That does not mean that either the network or Mr. Leno has no risk in the move. Mr. Leno’s shows tend to fare best in their first half hour; if they were to decline too much in the second half hour, NBC’s affiliated stations would see their news shows adversely affected. And there may be some question about whether Mr. Leno’s show at 10 might diminish the stature of Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” at 11:35.

But Peter Lassally, the longtime late-night producer of shows starring Johnny Carson, Mr. Letterman and now Craig Ferguson, said that NBC came to Mr. Carson in the late 1980s with a similar idea, but that Mr. Carson turned it down.

“It’s all different now,” Mr. Lassally said. “The economic factors have changed so much it makes complete sense for NBC to try this.”

On Monday Mr. Zucker suggested at a news conference in New York that in the future networks might have to cut back the hours of prime-time programming. The program with Mr. Leno would effectively cut the number of hours NBC needed to fill each week from 22 to 17.

Mr. Leno had no comment. NBC executives also declined to comment. The network is expected to announce the deal with Mr. Leno in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Thanks for the info, I thought Jay Leno was retiring though, I guess not.

I doubt SVU is coming back for an 11th season. It has been going on so long, Mariska and Chris want to do so much more with their career, Mariska has talked about having another child and I know that the show can't go on without the characters Elliot and Olivia. They have been there since the very beginning and without them SVU wouldn't be the same. I just can't see it going beyond this season.

What was the point of Leno leaving the Tonight Show if he is going to remain on NBC.


This is seriously going to mess up the fall line up.

But Chris Meloni hasn’t decided about leaving the show, has he? Someone mentioned before that he’d do season 11.

I hate talking about this lol...it makes me sad not knowing if there is going to be SVU anymore. Do we know about contracts...shouldn't they be coming up soon in Jan or something?

I agree with you here...even though the L&O series has been known for their character turnover, I don't think SVU can survive that drastic a change.

Although shows in that time slot most of the time fail miserably, I have faith in SVU. The fan base for it is just incredible, and every one is so dedicated..erm[OBSESSED] O_o
As far as all the shows being put in such a position for JAY LENO, oh dont get me started. If you're going to retire from late night, just retire ALTOGETHER! Prime time is NOT his territory, and to be honest, as much as everyone loves Jay, I dont think he's going to do well at all. As for it supposedly being Svu's last season, I have to disagree, yeah it's been running for a while, and it's done amazing every year, I think they are going to end it with season 11. I dont know why i feel that way, i just do.
I know there are still episodes that have to air, and so much can go on in one episode, but SO MUCH has to happen and SO MUCH has to be said, and SO MANY things need to be confessed before it can end. Dick Wolf may be annoying at times, but he's not that cruel. and i'm not sure if any one watches ER but every time they advertise a new episode, or talk about ER they always say the SERIES finale. Wouldnt they be saying that with SVU too?
Haha,well, that was my opinion. I'm sure it might change. haha. But thats it as of now.

I think Chris will remain on the show if it feels right for him to continue on as Elliot Stabler for another year.



Me too, but sadly, it seems to be the issue that we have to face
Ausiello said that the contract negogations will start in January; I'm sure after the holidays are done and filming will resume.

If it doesn't move to another time slot on NBC, it should be moved to USA where it is already partly on...

THey barely show svu on USA now as it is.

"SVU" - Olivia, Elliot leaving

Sometimes the toughest career transition to endure is not our own. It's those of others whose roles have become an important habit for us.

In the January 12, 2009 edition of GLOBE, Drew MacKenzie reports that two "SUV" stars will be leaving the show this year. They are Det. Olivia Benson [Mariska Hargitay] and Det. Elliot Stabler [Chris Meloni]. Hargitay wants more time with her 2-year-old son. Meloni remains ripped over contract disputes with the show's powers-that-be.

No newsflash, these two will be hard to replace. Expect "SUV" to quickly fold afterward. "CSI: Miami" isn't the same after Medical Examiner Alexx left the program.

Source: Career_Transitions

Does anyone know how reliable Globe is, or where they are supposedly getting their information? Last we heard, contract negotiations weren't supposed to even start until this month. Maybe there's still hope? I hope that's not true!!!

Thanks Dacarz, but honestly none of this information is confirmed.
We'll find out later this month what's really going to happen. I believe when Arabesque went to see Mariska not to long ago she actually hinted on staying with svu.
Sure MH said she wants more time with August, but she did NOT say this was her lst year. I wish these articles would get their information correct, before they post assumptions with the potential to upset alot of people.
Only will I believe it when I hear it from the Cm and/or Mh.

They can't even get the 3 letters of the title correct, and we're supposed to believe these people? Yeah, right. SVU. S.V.U. Is it that difficult to get it right?

Okay (takes deep breath), now that I've just about had a heart attack. I'm going to calm down and attempt to go to bed now. Yes, Mariska really did sound like she wanted to renew her contract, which is why I'm still holding out hope. That was really only about 6 weeks ago and at the time she said that no one had even approached her yet about negotiations. Now the Ladies Home Journal article did scare me a little, but I also read someplace that what she said was actually in response to a question that was something along the lines of "what would make you hang up your badge", which to me would suggest that they brought up her leaving, not the other way around.

I could see her not correcting it so that TPTB think about the fact that she doesn't have to renew her contract in order to encourage more favorable terms for a new contract. At least that's what I'm hoping. I did do a quick google search to find out more about Globe Magazine and apparently it is a tabloid and is considered to be far from reliable journalism so here's to hoping that's it's just a little scare and we'll hear better news shortly.

Chris, I'm actually a little concerned about--he's been doing a lot of work outside of SVU recently. But until I hear from CH, MH, or NBC, I'm going to hope they're both staying.

I knew The Glode was a Tabloid. You can just tell by the article. There's no source, and they don't even have their information correct. Contract nego's haven't even started yet. You are correct about the MH leaving part, she was approached on the subject on what would make her hange up her badge.
I honestly think Cm is leaving. I'm not even going to beat around the bush, and I think MH may leave because of that also.

We shall see, only time will tell. It just annoy's me that these magazines( if you can even call them that) are so starved for information, they make it up and jump to conclusions.

You are right, DSR! I wouldn't trust THE GLOBE as far as I could throw it!!

Yeah, the Globe is not a very dependable magazine, a throwaway. As already mentioned before, I will agree: I will only believe the news of a departure from any of the cast members from only a reliable source like from the actors themselves, NBC, TV Guide.

Here's a new interview with Belzer... These Are Their Stories from NY Post

Here's an interesting interview by the New York Post with Richard Belzer of Law & Order SVU. He gives a lot of interesting information about what makes "The Belz" tick.

Q&A WITH RICHARD BELZER
THE UNCONVENTIONAL ACTOR/COMIC/WRITER (PHEW) TALKS DOGS, ANCIENT HISTORY AND BEING TOO FUNNY FOR THE ARMY
By LARRY GETLEN
January 4, 2009


Richard Belzer is best known for playing detective John Munch on "Law and Order: SVU" (and on any other series that'll have him - he's played Munch on more shows than any actor has played the same character in TV history). But his start in show biz was on the stage. Belzer is known for his unconventional attitudes - he proudly embraces the term "conspiracy theorist" - and this has made him one of the top comedians throughout the '70s. Last year, Belzer brought his comic sensibility to publishing with "I Am Not A Cop!" a book that featured an actor named Richard Belzer who plays a TV detective named John Munch. But for those who'd like to see that sensibility in its original habitat, Belzer appears with Richard Lewis at Town Hall on January 17.

You've played Detective John Munch on 10 separate tV shows. At this point, do shows want Munch on just because of the record?

I think it's more flattering than that. People are so enamored of the character that when they see in a script, "detective," they think, let's bring Belzer in. They did that on "The X-Files," on "Arrested Development," on "Sesame Street." It's been so much fun.

You recently released a novel with yourself as the main character. Why did you take that approach?

I've always been fascinated by the confluence of celebrity and reality, and I'm a big fan of film noir. I wanted to combine all those elements into a kind of 21st-century, noir-mystery comedy. The idea that I'm an actor who plays a detective on TV who gets caught up in a real crime appealed to me because it gives me fictional license, but I can use a lot of reality. It's kind of a reality novel.

You started your movie career in the cult classic "The Groove Tube," from the early '70s , which was druggie and raw. Can you imagine a movie like that succeeding today?

No. We laid out the joke in a very prosaic way because we were kind of the first people to do satire of movies and television at that level.

The "Weekend Update" format for "SNL" and the "Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow" tag line came out of "The Groove Tube," didn't they?

Yes. One of Lorne Michaels' direct influences in creating "Saturday Night Live," by his own admission, was "The Groove Tube."

It's hard to imagine, but you were in the Army. How did you get along there?

I was discharged - under honorable conditions - for being non-adaptable to military service. I was deemed too funny to carry a gun. I was in for seven months, went through basic training, got a top secret clearance to become a radio intercept operator, went AWOL once. I was too funny for words and was asked to leave. I didn't want to kill anybody. Call me crazy.

HOw did having testicular cancer change your life?

There are a lot of cliches about near-death experiences, how they make you appreciate life more. I think they're much exaggerated. It was very sobering and you do learn to value things you hadn't before, but life is so complex. You still have to earn everything. I wouldn't recommend having cancer for the wisdom.

* "[Bob] Cousy was one of the early players to dribble behind his back and do behind-the-back passes. He was a legendary ball player in the '50s and early sixties that I tried to copy."

* "I take photos. I shoot a lot of landscapes and flowers, people and animals. I'm getting ready to publish a book of my photographs. I'm using Panasonic Lumix with a Leica lens. It's a small digital camera that takes incredible pictures, and it's become an opiate for me. It gives me hours of unending joy."

* "If you Google my name and 'Bebe,' there's thousands of entries of my dog on red carpets. The photographers will say, 'Bebe, over here!' They don't care about me anymore."

* "I have a house in Bozouls, in the southwest of France. It's a little farming village. [My wife and I]have a beautiful 500-year-old stone mill house on a waterfall. The day-to-day lifestyle of French country living is totally antithetical to anything I do in America."

* "I'm a big, big fan of black and white film noir. Films like 'Out of the Past' and 'Murder, My Sweet.' The idea that the films of the '30s and '40s were coming out of the Depression and World War II, I'm fascinated by the psychology of what purpose they filled. Some of them were light and frothy, some were anti-prison-abuse films, and Hollywood was really raw and evolving."

* "I'm a bag [I think they meant big] fan of Roman history, particularly the period prior to and after Julius Caesar's reign. On some level they were so incredibly advanced and yet barbaric at the same time. Things haven't changed much."

Richard Belzer bashes NBC
Source

If NBC is getting beaten up on PBS' day of press tour -- by one of NBC's own stars, no less -- how bad are things going to get when actual Peacock executives show up at the tour next week?
I arrived late in day one of PBS' day, and therefore missed Ian McKellen suggesting that Gandalf might be gay, but I got here in time for a panel on George Carlin posthumously receiving the Mark Twain Prize, featuring Carlin's daughter Karen, plus comedians Richard Belzer and Lewis Black.

While it was a lively session overall, with Belzer recalling his early impressions of watching Carlin on stage, things slowed towards the end, and a reporter asked the Belz what would happen to his day job on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" now that NBC is preparing to give five hours of primetime a week to Jay Leno.

"Fortunately, 'Special Victims Unit' is the only hit dramatic series left on the big peacock," he said. "So I'm not worried, frankly. We're very lucky to be starting our 10th year. We'll be moving to 9 o'clock, obviously.

"Jay Leno is, of course, going to be on every night, meaning thousands of people will be out of work, actors, producers, writers, wardrobe people. It may be good for comedy in limited way, but it's a terrible, terrible trend for network television to take five hours of primetime... I'm not denigrating Jay or the show. I just think it's a network that is desperate."

After noting that "I'm already signed" to a contract and therefore can say what he wants, Belzer called the Leno move "the last gasp of a dying network that could turn out to be brilliant in terms financially, but in terms of actors and writers and producers, I think it's a tragedy."

Haven't ever posted in this thread before, so here's to hoping this is the right format for doing this...if not, let me know.


Stephanie March Returns to "Special Victims Unit"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090108/ap_en_...9qXC8SNpIlpMhkF

LOS ANGELES – Stephanie March is going back to work as New York prosecutor Alexandra Cabot on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

March will return to the NBC drama for six episodes, beginning Feb. 17. The show airs at 10 p.m. EST.

The actress said Thursday she looks forward to spending time with a production that has been rewarding for her, and compared it to "an old flame."

March starred on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" for four seasons, leaving the show in 2003 and returning for one episode in 2005. She briefly reprised the role of Cabot on NBC's "Conviction," which aired in 2006.

You so beat me to this by a few seconds!!!
Thanks

You are right

Wow... I'm very happy and excitied for this but I'm wondering what her plot would be? What does this mean for Greyleck?

WHO??




Yes, I know it is not nice, but I don't care, I am so excited she is coming back, even for a few episodes!!!

I edit my very first post here on the little area to post the news of Stephanie/Alex returning to SVU. I think maybe whenever the biggie news comes out, I'll do that.