Law & Order’s Sam Waterston: The Ecoist

Here’s a clip of Sam Waterston from The Sundance Channel’s The Ecoist, where some of today's most active and recognizable environmental activists share ideas, information, and enthusiasm about their cause of choice. Sam talks briefly about his work with Oceana and protecting the world’s fish and their habitat.

Visit The Sundance Channel website for more information on the Ecoist.






Ecoist video clip featuring Sam Waterston

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Law & Order SVU’s B.D. Wong Shares Acting Tips with Iowans

Quad-Cities Online reports that B.D. Wong, who Law & Order SVU fans know as forensic psychiatrist Dr. George Huang, spoke this weekend at the North Scott Senior High School in Eldridge, Iowa. He shared his information about his life and shared acting tips.

Law & Order actor speaks at North Scott in Eldridge
By Anthony Watt


B.D. Wong, of Law & Order fame, shared tips about acting and told some stories from his life for Quad-Citians during the weekend.

Mr. Wong-who plays Dr. George Huang, the forensic psychiatrist Special Victims Unit off-shoot of the series-- made appearances throughout the Quad-Cities as Quad City Arts' Cary Grant Artist in Residence.

Friday, he spoke at North Scott Senior High School in Eldridge and took questions about his life and his acting experiences, including how to get ready for auditions.

Preparation is the key, Mr. Wong told the audience of about 60 people, including many theater students. The more prepared actors are with the song or script they will use use for an audition, the better off they will be.

"You're the instrument that you're playing, and if you're cramped up in some way, you're not going to play the instrument right," he said.

Other questions included the kind of music that influenced him: the swing, folk and Broadway musicals his father played when Mr. Wong was a child.

Another was the actors who influenced him: George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu on the original Star Trek series, because he played one of the few dignified Asian characters on television at the time.

Mr. Wong, a Chinese-American, was born in San Francisco. He said he struggled with the lack of Asian-American faces in the media, and the stereotypical portrayals of those that were visible in the media-often as cooks, servants or "wacky exchange students."

"His passion for his occupation comes through," said Joni Kuehl-Schneider, 42, Long Grove, Iowa, who was there with her daughter Anna, 14.

Anna, who is a drama student, said she liked the variety of his experience from movies and television to musicals and other theater because it shows the kind of talents an actor has to have to do those things.

"I though it was interesting to see someone who is pretty much famous to me," she said.

Mr. Wong graduated from San Francisco State University. He was named Bradley Darryl but shortened the name to initials.

He is the only actor to receive the Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Clarence Derwent Award, and the Theatre World Award for the same performance -- his Broadway debut as Song Liling in "M. Butterfly."

His other accolades include critical acclaim for his part as the intellectual, blanket-dependent Linus in the Broadway revival of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

His film credits include "Father of the Bride," "Jurassic Park," "The Freshman," "Seven Years in Tibet" and Disney's "Mulan."

He'll soon direct his first film, "Social Grace," a movie about an Asian-American woman's struggle to break into the New York debutante circle.

Television roles include the HBO film "And the Band Played On" and the sitcom "All-American Girl," and he was seen in a 2007 mini-series about the life of Marco Polo, "The Discovery of the World."

Openly gay, Mr. Wong had a long-term relationship with talent agent Richie Jackson. In 2000 they had twin sons born through a surrogate mother. One of them died 90 minutes after birth.

In 2003, Mr. Wong wrote a memoir about his experience with surrogacy. His relationship with Mr. Jackson ended in 2004.

The first Cary Grant residency was in the 1987-88 season, after the sudden death of actor Cary Grant from a massive stroke before he was to perform in the Quad-Cities.

Many who had bought tickets to his performance elected to keep them and devote the money toward establishing a residency. Cary Grant's widow made a gift toward that endowment. Artists of the stature of Tony Award-winning Edward Albee have filled the residency every two seasons.


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Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.

Law & Order Court House Steps Site of Real-Life Accident

I always said that I thought the Law & Order courthouse steps is one of the deadliest fictional places in the Law & Order universe. How many times have we witnessed someone get shot right on those steps, or even just inside the main lobby area? I lost count over the years. I recall one episode – the name escapes me – where Jack thought they were actually shooting at him and it really rattled him.

This time, though, there was a real life accident on the courthouse steps. Thankfully, neither Sam Waterston nor any of our Law & Order favorites were close by. But you can bet I have made a mental note that when I visit New York City, I will be extra careful if I go to visit that courthouse. In all seriousness, I hope everyone involved in the accident is OK now.

(Let's see how long it takes before this gets worked into a "ripped from the headlines" story. )

Here’s the real story from Associated Press:
Man Pinned Under Car On "Law & Order" Courthouse Steps


NEW YORK (AP) -- A car hurtled up the courthouse steps made famous by "Law & Order" on Friday, injuring six people, one of whom was pinned beneath the vehicle and had to be freed by firefighters.

The car jumped a curb, rear-ended a coffee cart and careered up the busy stairs of Manhattan's state Supreme Court building, pinning one man beneath its front end.

Firefighters covered the pinned man's face with a sheet to protect him from sparks and metal fragments as they used powerful electrical saws to cut through the 1999 Nissan sedan he was trapped under. Then they lifted the auto and pulled the man onto a stretcher before taking him away.

Six people, including the pinned man and the sedan's driver, were taken to hospitals; none appeared to have life-threatening injuries, police spokesman Christopher Filippazzo said.

The driver was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment and driving with a suspended license, police said.

The courthouse, an imposing 1927 landmark, is featured in the opening shots of the long-running TV show "Law & Order," and the exterior court scenes are shot on the steps where the accident occurred.

James Rossetti, deputy New York County clerk, called it "a miracle" that no one was killed. The accident occurred just before lunch hour in the bustling neighborhood.

A few hours after the crash, a pedestrian was hit by a taxi across the street and about 60 feet away, at Pearl and Centre streets.

Several court officers noted that Centre Street is an exit off the Brooklyn Bridge. They said they were surprised that even more accidents didn't occur in the area because of the speed at which some cars come off the span.



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Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.

Law & Order's Elisabeth Rohm is a New Mom

Elisabeth Rohm, who played Serena “Is this because I’m a lesbian?” Southerlyn in "Law & Order" is a new mom.

Here’s the Associated Press release:

“Elisabeth Rohm of "Law & Order" fame is a mom for the first time.

The 34-year-old actress and her fiance, entrepreneur Ron Wooster, welcomed a baby girl named Easton August Anthony in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, Rohm's publicist Tina Malhotra told The Associated Press on Friday.

Malhotra said the name came to Rohm in a dream, and that Anthony is Wooster's "other surname."

Rohm and Wooster, 40, plan to marry this October in Palm Springs, Calif.

Rohm portrayed assistant district attorney Serena Southerlyn on "Law & Order" from 2001-2005.”

Congratulations!


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

Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.

Criminal Intent’s Eric Bogosian and Theater’s Future

The Buffalo News did a nice piece on Eric Bogosian (Captain Danny Ross, Law & Order Criminal Intent) and his ideas on the future of the theater. Die-hard Law & Order fans know that Bogosian is an accomplished playwright, and that one of his plays, Talk Radio, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Here’s the story:

Eric Bogosian thinks small when it comes to local theater

By Colin Dabkowski - News Arts Writer
Updated: 04/09/08 11:32 AM


Eric Bogosian has an idea of where the theater is headed. “I really believe that the hope of the theater, the future of the theater, is in smaller, enthusiastic theater companies,” Bogosian said, bemoaning the failure of many regional theaters to produce relevant, challenging drama.

Smaller, more entrepreneurial companies, he said, are “the only way to go.”

The playwright, actor and novelist spoke to The Buffalo News between a rewrite session for his forthcoming play “One Plus One” and a shoot for a future episode of “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” in which he stars.

The small and enthusiastic Road Less Traveled Productions, a 6-year-old Buffalo outfit that focuses on developing and producing local playwrights, is hosting Bogosian on April 23 for the first of its planned “American Theater Masters” series in association with a production of Bogosian’s play “Humpty Dumpty.” During his visit, Bogosian will meet with Road Less Traveled writers and actors and host a meet-and-greet fundraiser for the company at the Shea’s Intermission Lounge. The local production of “Humpty Dumpty” opens Friday.

To many, Bogosian is known for his idiosyncratic, stream-of- consciousness monologues and the well-received plays “Talk Radio” and “subUrbia,” both of which were written more than a decade ago and just recently received their first Broadway productions. Most have probably caught a glimpse of his character, Captain Danny Ross, on the popular NBC series “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”

“Humpty Dumpty” is a vaguely apocalyptic thriller about a savvy, self-involved pair of couples whose lives come royally unhinged during a vacation in the Adirondack Mountains.

The show was first produced at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, N.J., in 2002 to lukewarm reviews and later at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. Beyond that, it has had a limited life, overshadowed by some of Bogosian’s larger projects — not to mention the wildly morphing tastes of Broadway producers. But it’s no less beloved by the playwright.

“I had to write this play,” Bogosian said.

He characterized the ebb and flow of his fame and critical reception — with two recent Broadway productions following a lengthy period barely under the radar in the New York theatrical establishment— as a fact of life.

“Every writer believes that if he isn’t embraced, then they’re not getting it, and when he is embraced and lauded, the writer believes that they get it perfectly. And probably neither thing is true,” Bogosian said, making comparisons to his neighbor Edward Albee and, of all people, Johan Sebastian Bach.

“I’m now at that point which I’ve seen other writers be at, where you just take it all with a grain of salt and realize that you’re not writing for the critics, you’re not writing to get huge crowds or to have a hit. You’re not writing to make money. You’re writing because you have to write.”

It’s that same relentless compulsion that fuels much of Bogosian’s work, and, judging by the steady stream of frenetic thoughts and phrases that ushered from the playwright’s mouth during this half-hour interview break, probably most phone conversations, too.

Road Less Traveled picked “Humpty Dumpty” from Bogosian’s substantial catalog both because it was an easily cast five-hander and, as the company’s artistic director Scott Behrend said, a thematically current look at our increasingly paranoid world.

When the foursome’s Adirondack cabin and the surrounding area lose electricity and ominous gunshots are heard in the distance, the two couples in “Humpty Dumpty” must fend for themselves without the help of cell phones or laptops.

And in this piece, as the title makes clear, Bogosian is thinking big. Left without life-sustaining technology, all the king’s Blackberries and Mac- Books are unable to resurrect a society that teetered off the high wall the instant someone yanked the plug out of the wall.

Bogosian began writing the play in 1999 as a commentary on the then-impending Y2K “crisis,” an overblown, media-driven frenzy now rendered quaint and almost laughable in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001. After the attacks, which Bogosian said almost forced him to set down his poison pen for good, he revised the play to include a more universal idea of human vulnerability.

“[It] speaks to how we develop status based on things that really have nothing to do with survival skills,” Bogosian said of the play. “That was the thing we were thinking on 9/11. I mean, if this thing kept going, what was gonna happen to us?”

Bogosian’s commentary on American paranoia seems rooted as much in a criticism of his yuppie archetypes (the bulk of our society, he seems to say) as his own spine-tingling conception of world affairs.

“If you really look at what is going on, it’s not as if there’s an al Qaida out there that’s conspiring to kill us all. It’s that we have a very, very fragile, complex mega-society that can be attacked from a lot of different directions. It could be a computer virus tomorrow that could shut the whole schmegege down. Many things could happen,” Bogosian said, going on to cite the Oklahoma City bombing, the Washington, D.C., snipers, the Unabomber, the threat of an anthrax attack and, finally, Hurricane Katrina.

That’s a lot to worry about.

And one couldn’t blame Behrend, who directs the play, for approaching it with a little paranoia of his own, especially since the playwright will be in attendance April 23. But he doesn’t seem worried.

“We’re putting our best foot forward I think in all areas for this production,” Behrend said. “I like to look at this piece as a real sort of mirror for a lot of our social foibles right now, especially in terms of getting sucked up into our cell phone, e-mail, technology-driven society and what that does to our relationships.”


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Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.

S. Epatha Merkerson Narrates PBS Documentary

S. Epatha Merkerson is narrating an “American Masters” PBS documentary called “Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun” airing Wednesday, April 9, 2008. It’s about Zora Neale Hurston, novelist, trailblazer for black women, a scholar, and artist. According to the New York Times Hurston “also pioneered a very 21st-century genre: the unreliable memoir…In her speeches and writings — including her autobiography, “Dust Tracks on a Road,” which is liberally quoted by the film’s narrator, S. Epatha Merkerson — Hurston shaved a decade from her age and substituted the all-black town of Eatonville, Fla., where she grew up, for her actual birthplace in Alabama. The film doesn’t speculate about her reasons, but we can: perhaps when being a black woman in the Jim Crow South means that you finish high school at 27 and don’t become the first black graduate of Barnard College (with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology) until 36, you find it practical to obscure your age.”

Check your local listing for air times.

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

Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.

Meet Law & Order’s Anthony Anderson

S. Epatha Merkerson and Anthony Anderson
Photo from the NY Post
The New York Post recently did an article on the new detective at the 2-7. He’s Anthony Anderson, and he’ll be taking the spot soon to be vacated by Jesse L. Martin. Here’s the Post article, and what was billed as the first photo of him on Law & Order.

NEW 'ORDER'


FIRST PHOTO OF NEW COP ON 'L&O'
By MICHAEL STARR

April 1, 2008 -- HERE'S your first look at Anthony Anderson, the newest addition to "Law & Order."

Anderson, who starred on Fox's "K-Ville" last season, joins the cast as Det. Kevin Bernard.

"He's a former IAB [internal affairs] officer who didn't sign up for that job - they recruited him right out of the academy and told him he could become a homicide detective in two years," Anderson told The Post.

"It's what he really wants to do," Anderson said. "Bernard feels he can really make a difference as a homicide detective."

Bernard is replacing Det. Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin), who's leaving the show. Bernard's first appearance on "L&O" will overlap with Green's final appearance, scheduled to air April 23 on NBC. Bernard will be paired with Det. Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto), who's also new to the "L&O" family.

"He's not a hard-ass," Anderson says of Bernard.

"He's a fair guy trying to find his way in a new station house - and trying to get away from the stench of the 'rat squad' of internal affairs."

Anderson, 37, is no stranger to TV and movie fans. In addition to "K-Ville," he starred on The WB's "All About The Andersons," which was loosely based on his life.

He also gave a riveting performance in a guest-starring role in "The Shield" opposite Michael Chiklis and Glenn Close. Anderson's big-screen resume includes roles in "Scary Movie 3," "Barbershop" and "Kangaroo Jack."



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here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.

Happy Birthday Chris Meloni (Law & Order SVU)

Born April 2, 1961, Chris Meloni would go on to become one of the most recognizable and popular stars of the Law & Order franchise. Of course, fans of the HBO series “Oz” probably still can’t get the image of his role as Chris Keller out of their minds. I have to admit I’ve only seen a part of only one episode of Oz, but believe me I have seen my share of Meloni pictures from that series. None of which, by the way, you will see on this blog, because I really want to keep it clean.

Here’s some personal data:

He has a brother (Robert Meloni Jr (born c. 1957), and a sister Michele Meloni (born c. 1955)

His wife’s name is Sherman Williams (born c. 1960; married c. 1995), and they have two children: daughter: Sophia Eva Pietra Meloni (born on March 23, 2001 in L.A.), son Dante Meloni (born January 02, 2004)

He was educated at the following:
St Stephen's High School Alexandria, Virginia
University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder Colorado, BA history
The Neigborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre New York, New York


Here’s some significant milestones for Chris, from Hollywood.com:


2002 Portrayed Mark Fuhrman in TV-movie "Murder in Greenwich" (USA), which is based on the unsolved murder of Martha Moxley

1999 Played the sports-obsessed Coach Bob, opposite Julia Roberts in "Runaway Bride"

1999 Cast as Detective Elliot Stabler on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC); earned an Emmy (2006) nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series

1998 Reteamed with Terry Gilliam for a small role in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

1998 Played a bounty hunter in a two-part episode of NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street"

1998 Along with "Oz" co-star Rita Moreno, acted in the film "Carlo's Wake"

1998 - 2003 Cast as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama "Oz"

1997 Had a recurring role on Steven Bochco's "Brooklyn South" (CBS)

1997 Played the Daryl Hannah's ex-husband in "Mario Puzo's 'The Last Don'" (CBS)

1996 Was featured in the crime thriller "Bound"

1996 Had a recurring role on Steven Bochco's "NYPD Blue" (ABC), as Jimmy Leary, the target of an undercover investigation who romanced cop Kim Delaney

1995 Starred in the one-act play "Who Made Robert De Niro King of America"

1995 Appeared in Terry Gilliam's thought-provoking time travel tale "12 Monkeys"
1994 Appeared in the Dana Carvey vehicle "Clean Slate"

1994 Had a supporting role in "Junior", starring a pregnant Arnold Schwartzenegger

1993 Cast in the TV-movie "Without a Kiss Goodbye" (CBS), as the husband of a woman wrongly convicted of poisoning their infant son

1991 Co-starred in the CBS miniseries "In a Child's Name"

1991 - 1994 Voiced the recurring character of Spike on the ABC animated series "Dinosaurs"

1990 Had featured role in the NBC TV-movie "When Will I Be Loved"

1989 - 1990 Was a regular on HBO's "1st & Ten: Do it Again", playing an ex-con turned quarterback

1988 Early TV credit, a small role in an episode of "The Equalizer"

1981 Dropped out of college during his junior year to move to L.A. to pursue acting; returned to Colorado after six weeks

Raised in Washington, DC

Began acting career while in college, appearing with repertory theater companies in Boulder and Denver, Colorado

After college, moved to NYC to study acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse
Appeared in TV commericals

Had recurring part on the NBC daytime drama "Search for Tomorrow"

Played Frankie, one of the title brothers in the NBC sitcom "The Fanelli Boys"



Happy Birthday Chris!

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Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.

Law & Order Special Letters Unit

Here’s a perfect video to share for April 1. It’s Sesame Street’s Law & Order, Special Letters Unit, spoofing Law & Order SVU. If you haven’t seen this before, take a look and I'm you’re sure to enjoy it. The Sesame Street Muppet they use for John Munch (Richard Belzer) looks exactly like John Munch. Well, except for the green face.

Have fun!

Law & Order, Special Letters Unit





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here.

Also, see my companion Law & Order site, All Things Law & Order.