Thursday, May 26, 2005
Stupid Comment, Wrong Texan, Tired Shows
So Law & Order: Criminal Intent had one of the franchise's typical "ripped from the headlines " plots on Wednesday involving judges being killed by alleged white supremacists. It was obviously spun off the -- unconnected -- murders of a judge's family in Chicago and of a judge in Georgia.
As detailed by Drudge, L&O:CI used the story to slip in a slam at House Majority Leader Tom DeLay:
Is there any doubt that the L&O franchise seems to be running on fumes right now? The Trial By Jury spin-off that debuted earlier this year was unwatchable -- even with some good performances by Bebe Newirth -- and wasn't renewed. That's almost heresy for a Dick Wolf production. It just goes to prove that you can go to the well too many times. Meanwhile, the really annoying Vincent D'Onofrio, star of L&O:CI is only going to be in half of next season's episodes, citing exhaustion (and, says Page Six, being distraught over Bush's re-election). Chris Noth will reprise his role as Mike Logan to take the lead in the other episodes.
Salon runs a piece on the only part of the L&O universe that still seems to have some energy -- SVU (Special Victims Unit). Yet, even there, the season's finale had a not-too-subtle slam at the Army for distributing a malaria medicine with supposedly awful side-effects. The Salon article is the story-behind-the-story.
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As detailed by Drudge, L&O:CI used the story to slip in a slam at House Majority Leader Tom DeLay:
In the season finale, Detectives Goren and Eames suspect an imprisoned white supremacist is behind the shootings of a judge's family, but their investigation widens when an appellate judge is later murdered...Look, this site has criticized DeLay a few times, but this is just plain stupid. Even as a cheap shot, it fails. For one thing, they picked the wrong Texan to "target." It would have been more accurate to say, "put out an APB for somebody in a John Cornyn T-Shirt." After all, he was the Lone Stater who actually made the inartful connection (later retracted)-- on the Senate floor, of all places -- between judicial overrreach and courtroom violence. Ah, but of course, no one knows who John Cornyn is. And, all Republicans look alike -- or think alike -- or something, right?
ADA RON CARVER (COURTNEY B. VANCE) : An african-american
judge, an appellate court judge, no less.
MAN: Chief of DS is setting up a task force. People are talking about multiple assassination teams.
DET. ALEX EAMES (KATHRYN ERBE): Looks like the same shooters. CSU found the slug in a post, matched it to the one that killed Judge Barton. Maybe we should put out an APB for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-Shirt.
Is there any doubt that the L&O franchise seems to be running on fumes right now? The Trial By Jury spin-off that debuted earlier this year was unwatchable -- even with some good performances by Bebe Newirth -- and wasn't renewed. That's almost heresy for a Dick Wolf production. It just goes to prove that you can go to the well too many times. Meanwhile, the really annoying Vincent D'Onofrio, star of L&O:CI is only going to be in half of next season's episodes, citing exhaustion (and, says Page Six, being distraught over Bush's re-election). Chris Noth will reprise his role as Mike Logan to take the lead in the other episodes.
Salon runs a piece on the only part of the L&O universe that still seems to have some energy -- SVU (Special Victims Unit). Yet, even there, the season's finale had a not-too-subtle slam at the Army for distributing a malaria medicine with supposedly awful side-effects. The Salon article is the story-behind-the-story.
