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Post by Observer2 on Nov 29, 2004 23:37:53 GMT -5
It’s been mentioned on a couple of other boards that FOX News has picked up this story and reported it on the TV. Of course, FOX News is extremely slanted to the far right, owned by Rupert Murdoch, and would love any excuse to trash an anti-Bush actor. If CBS, ABC or, of course, NBC start running the story, then we might need to worry. But FOX News? Just consider the source. And speaking of the source, someone on vincentdonofrio.com ran a more complete version of the story than I had seen before, which included a nasty little tag line, indicating that the writer of the story approved of the idea of replacing D’Onofrio. I think that tag line may explain a lot. Probably someone at Broadcasting & Cable has an attitude about D’Onofrio, like our little friend Matt Roush at TV Guide (though Roush claims his attitude only applies to Goren, that he likes him in other roles). That kind of attitude would explain why someone at an otherwise normal publication would be willing to cite Page Six – or any other source, however unreliable – just to be able to say something negative about D’Onofrio. Since the publication seems mostly mainstream, it might actually have some impact if people were to write/email the publisher to complain about their staff citing Page Six as though it were a reliable news source, and letting them know it affects how people see the publication as a whole. The website is: www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp
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Post by Patcat on Dec 2, 2004 8:47:41 GMT -5
There's a report from the AP that Jerry Orbach has been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. It's being treated and he's going on with working on TRIAL BY JURY, playing golf, and general living.
Patcat
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Post by NikkiGreen on Dec 2, 2004 12:38:26 GMT -5
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Post by NikkiGreen on Dec 2, 2004 17:59:00 GMT -5
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Post by janetcatbird on Dec 3, 2004 17:26:32 GMT -5
Yes, I certainly wish Jerry ORbach the best. Diagnosed in the spring...could that be a reason he decided to leave the mothership? Oh well, really none of my business. Hope he does well.
Oh, Jesse L. Martin off? Really have not seen any of the original this season. All the theatre fans here will be bouncing off the walls to know they're filming "Rent". I'm sure I could splurge for a movie ticket, if not $60 for a theatre seat.
As I mentioned earlier Emmy Rossum, who had an appearance in "Ritual", Season 7, plays Christine in the movie version of "Phantom fo the Opera" that comes out this month. Trust me, I will see the flick if no one else will, so I can fill y'all in on the latest addition to "Law & Order: The Original Cast Recording".
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Post by NikkiGreen on Dec 9, 2004 12:02:30 GMT -5
So, I was watching mothership last night, which featured a very brief appearance from Don Cragen. So, when did he get demoted? As far back as I can remember (~15 years ago), he's always been a Captain. Even now, Stabler et al refer to him as "Captain". The people handling the opening credits referred to him as "Lieutenant Donald Cragen". As for the case...guilty or not, I was rooting for a "not guilty". www.nypost.com/entertainment/21135.htm
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Post by Patcat on Dec 9, 2004 12:33:04 GMT -5
Well, I thought the husband of the social worker might have done it. Still think that's a possibility.
And I'd have to see the episode again, but I thought the reference to "Lieutenant Cragen" was to Cragen's rank when the original case took place.
And I had a really weird dream last night. Dennis Farina was working as a super for my old apartment building. I asked him why he was there, and he answered, "Well, the acting business isn't that secure." Now, I like Dennis Farina (and think he's getting better in L&O), but I can't begin to understand what he was doing in this dream. And I don't usually dream about actors, just the characters they play (lots of Goren dreams, which I don't want to go into--girl needs her privacy, ya know (g)).
Patcat (high on chocolate and soda from a holiday party)
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Post by NikkiGreen on Dec 9, 2004 12:53:09 GMT -5
The reference was during the opening sequence when the names of the guest stars were appearing on screen. It finished with "Dann Florek as Lieutenant...". He was Captain when Logan and Greevey first handled the case (in Season 1 Indifference) Bravo Canada restarted with Season 1 ~three weeks ago. The Blue Wall is on tonight. Season 2 opener, where Greevey is killed, is on tomorrow night. I guess if you're going to be high on something, chocolate is the way to go. ;D
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Post by janetcatbird on Dec 29, 2004 11:02:01 GMT -5
I just saw the news report that Jerry Orbach died of prostate cancer. Such a sad thing...even apart from Lenny, the interviews and things showed him to be such a neat guy. I cartainly will be thinking of his family and friends, I hope they'll be supported through this rough time.
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Post by janetcatbird on Jan 12, 2005 23:40:16 GMT -5
So, what'd everyone think of Serena Southerlyn's final case? I will hold off on the wishy-washy analysis until people sound off.
On a previously mentioned topic, Emmy Rossum does a nice job in "Phantom of the Opera". Young enough to be believable in the naivete' and confusion of the character, but also talented enough to sing what she needed to.
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Post by domenicaflor on Jan 13, 2005 1:03:46 GMT -5
I didn't even know Serena was a lesbian! Go figure She certainly is cute. I thought the case was wishy-washy and that the episode was an excuse for the DA to play Donald Trump on L&O with the "You're fired!" routine. NOT a good send-off. L&O can do much better. Case in point, the Alex Cabot send-off. D.
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Post by romulanavatra3 on Jan 13, 2005 22:14:01 GMT -5
serena a lesbian i really have to say i just cant picture this one. i mean what the!. her chracter really never showed any real direct signs of being lesbian( at least it wasnt overtly obvious to most people). so what actually was the reason for serena getting sacked. i have not yet seen this but i gather it was not actually to do with her personal prefernces(i dobut branch would be that stupid, i mean talk to about a perfect excuse to claim unfari dismaisal not to mention all the other implication it would carry). reagrds all rom.
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Post by janetcatbird on Jan 14, 2005 14:48:46 GMT -5
Admittedly my viewing is hit-and-miss, but I had never seen any indications either. I suppose it could have been in the character's background from the beginning, but for the viewers Serena's sexuality is coming out of nowhere.
I noticed at the beginning of the season that she seemed to be getting more upset, more tired with the strains of the job, and I thought they were gonna go for burnout. Heck, that's got to be a stressful job, after four and a half years Southerlyn would be exhausted. I too, was groaning at "You're fired", surely the writers could come up with something that wasn't so cliche, hackneyed or eye-rolling.
Rom, best I could tell Branch dismissed Southerlyn because she wasn't right for the job. While her technical skills are good, she seemed too emotional in her responses and that was interfering with her ability to carry out the proper legal proceedings. He said himself "You'd make a great advocate", and reccomended that she find a position that she can be properly enthusiastic and passionate about, because she wasn't going to have those opportunities as a part of the District Attourney's office.
Since Southerlyn is a lesbian, it is understandable that she ask her boss whether that was an issue--he's an old-fashioned, conservative guy and she had to wonder what was going on. In previous episodes that invovled homosexual characters and controversies, Branch always seemed a bit huffy with the topics--I'm not sure he's homophobic or a complete bigot, but he definitely prefers to not deal with the issue. (Jack, on the other hand, seems to be apathetic as long as no laws are broken.) Presumably the three lawyer characters knew her orientation before the audience did, so even if we were clueless it's a reasonable question. I don't remember any unusually strong response from Southerlyn in any of the cases, which surprises me, because normally the characters will exchange glances or obscure comments to indicate that something is resonating with a personal life. If Law & Order wanted to have a gay/lesbian character on the show, they wimped out by not mentioning it beforehand. Obviously she shouldn't get more personal time than anyone else, but just treat it like you do Jack's flings--you know it's there, if not the specifics. Oh well, she's gone now.
As to the rest of the episode, I liked Fontana's reaction to the hip hop recordings--I thought Ed Green was gonna wet his pants at one point. And that shot of the car with the subwoofers going--nowhere near the same level as the "Cherry Red" guest of honor, but still a light, fun moment. (Personally I don't listen to the stuff, though I trust I'd be a bit more polite than Fontana!)#nosmileys
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Post by Observer2 on Jan 14, 2005 18:26:02 GMT -5
I don’t usually watch the mothership – I’m still hoping for improvement in CSI:NY. (Actually, the last ep of CSI:NY I watched had three – rather thin – plot lines, but managed to make it through the whole 45 minutes without a single major plot flaw or obvious inconsistency – a first among the eps I’ve seen, though I have missed a couple.)
Anyway, my sister, who used to watch L&O pretty regularly, wanted to watch this one, so I caught parts of it, including the ending.
I was certainly surprised – but also intrigued. I checked out the Data Lounge, and found that at least a few of the lesbian posters there felt that there had been hints more than once that the character was lesbian. On the other hand, even there, most people felt it came “out of the blue.”<br> So, to me, the question is, was it a cheap, meaningless (or even insulting to lesbians, since the character was not well liked in many circles) throw-away line for shock value; a ploy (setting the scene for her return in guest spots as a liberal, feminist, lesbian defense attorney); or a deliberate bit of social commentary?
My frame of reference is limited, since I don’t watch often; but to me it seems that L&O has drifted away somewhat from its socially progressive viewpoint as it has added the more conservative, right-wing characters in dominant positions (and, by the way, if anyone can tell me whether and/or why the new detective outranks Green, and why the new actor gets top billing over Martin who has been there for years, I would be really grateful). In any case, if this was intended as a bit of social commentary, I would find that somewhat reassuring. Because the fact is that you can’t always tell lesbians by looking at them. Plenty of people work with, socialize with, and even attend family gatherings with lesbians, without ever being aware of it. I would love to have seen some of the reactions to that scene across the country... “She can’t be a lesbian!!” “...she’s too pretty!!” “...she’s not mannish enough!!” “...that’s ridiculous!!” etc.
So to me, even if it was “out of the blue,” that doesn’t necessarily make it seem unrealistic, or off the wall. But I don’t know how effective it would be at really getting through to people who don’t already get the point. And I do note that some people at the Data Lounge seem to feel a bit offended – a character fired for incompetence, played by an actor many consider ‘wooden’ and incompetent – and that’s the character who is suddenly revealed as gay. You know, I can see their point...
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Post by janetcatbird on Jan 15, 2005 16:47:10 GMT -5
It's an straight person's perspective, so take it for what it's worth, but there seemed to be an insulting implication that gays/lesbians couldn't function in mainstream jobs. Like their only option is to find something--I don't know if extreme is the right word, but sort of off the beaten track in order to feel content. As a fan of the show, I was upset at, like you mentioned, the shock value. Law & Order has done just fine for 15 years without having to stoop to reality show, soap opera tactics. I've read that Dick Wolf is determined to beat the 20 year record, does he honestly feel this is the only way to do it?
Just curious, Observer but what were the possible signs you've seen in the discussions? There is a sizeable gay population at my school, but you hear more about the guys in dance or theatre departments than the lesbians, and since I don't know of any other true L&O fans I don't have anyone to talk to about it.#nosmileys
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