Mariska and Meloni On SVU Set - Pictures

I hope you all have a Happy New Year! To help you usher in the year on a high note, here are some pictures of Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay taken in December during the filming of Law & Order SVU, in Central Park.

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Chris Noth Cuts "The “Cutting Room”

The Gawker reports that Chris Noth (Law & Order Criminal Intent) will be closing his jazzy restaurant and bar ‘The Cutting Room” which is in the Flatiron district.

The Gawker says, “Per a press release we received, the SNL afterparty venue closes January 13 with a performance by Joan Rivers. There's just no room in New York anymore for the pet venues of wealthy celebrities! From the release: “The Cutting Room is closing due to an untenable rent increase, with the building's landlord demanding more than double the current rent. It is only the latest New York intimate performance venue to close; in recent years, venues from Fez to CBGB have shuttered due to the hostile real estate market.”… Noth is going to try and open "later this year," according to the press release. Uh, well, there are only three days left. But real estate types in New York are pretty desperate right now, so you never know…”


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

S. Epatha Merkerson Sued By Agents

According to TMZ, S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order) is being sued by the Gersh Agency. She is accused of withholding the talent agency's 10 percent commission. The suit claims Merkerson earned $2,229,084 for "Law and Order" and that it had an "oral deal" for 10 percent of Merkerson's earnings.


Maybe I’ve been watching too much Law & Order, but I don’t put much faith in “oral deals.”





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

Fred Thompson Moves To Radio

I always thought that former presidential candidate, former senator, and former fictional Law & Order DA Fred Dalton Thompson had a face best suited for radio. Now he gets his chance to add “radio talk show host” to his resume when the 2-hour The Fred Thompson Show debuts on March 2, replacing "The Radio Factor With Bill O'Reilly."

His radio show will contain commentary on Fred’s conservative views on politics, plus topical issues with guest interviews and listener calls. The show will be broadcast from the Westwood One studios in Washington DC, and will air live from noon to 2 p.m. on weekdays. If it's anything like his presidential campaign, it will likely put listeners to sleep!





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

Richard Belzer Attends Valkyrie Premier

Richard Belzer (Law & Order SVU) attended the premier and after party for the New York premiere of the Tom Cruise film "Valkyrie" at The Time Warner Center in New York City on December 15, 2008. Here’s a photo of “The Belz” at the event, along side actor Terrence Stamp. (By the way, I’ve heard the film is a dog – no offense intended to any dogs out there.)

Terrence Stamp and Richard Belzer

Getty Images

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

Jeff Goldblum From Coast to Coast

Jeff Goldblum has been very busy lately, hitting the New York NBC talk and morning shows, and still having time to shop in California for the holidays.

Splash News captured a few photos of him shopping in at Barneys of NY, in Beverly Hills, CA and you’ll find some of those photos below.

Besides being on NBC's Late Night with Conan O’Brien on on December 17, he also appeared on The Today Show on December 18, helping out with their toy drive and talking about his film, “Adam Resurrected”. The video from that appearance is also below.

Hopefully, one day we will actually get to see him in his new role on Law & Order Criminal Intent!

Jeff Shops in California

Jeff On The Today Show

Video – Jeff Goldblum on The Today Show December 18



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

Happy Birthday to Dick Wolf

A very happy birthday to Dick Wolf, big daddy of the Law & Order franchise, who turns 62 today. Let’s all let out a collective wolf howl in his honor to celebrate!

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

Dann Florek Speaks At Eastern Michigan University

As I mentioned here last October, Dann Florek (Law & Order SVU) was to speak at the Eastern Michigan University Winter Commencement ceremony, which was held on December 14, 2008. Dann attended EMU from 1969 to 1975 and is married to an EMU alum.

You can see and listen to Dann’s speech by following this link, and be sure to select Dann’s speech from the listing on the left of the page . He tells an interesting story about having to take chorus class as a punishment, but how it helped lead him to acting. Thanks to “Patty” who provided me with this link so I can share it with everyone!



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

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

Eric Bogosian Pens Letter Supporting SAG Strike

The web site Deadline Hollywood Daily published the following letter from Eric Bogosian (Law & Order Criminal Intent), which supports a strike by SAG members:


Dear Friends,

The New York Board of the Screen Actors Guild has released a statement of non-support for the upcoming strike authorization vote. I am writing to tell you that I was not part of the meeting in which this resolution was adopted, I did not vote for it and I object to it. Up to this point, I have kept quiet outside the boardroom. But since others think they have the right to speak for me, I must speak for myself.

I will support a “yes” vote for strike authorization. This is how I will vote and this is how I would recommend all membership to vote.

Is this the right time for a strike authorization? Yes. It is our only move. The contract is terrible. If you don’t believe me, go online and read about it yourself. [The AMPTP's contract itself is at: http://amptp.org/files/AMPTP_SAG_final_offer_063008.pdf
this link. ] Visit SAG homepage for this info.

The complicating factors are the current economy and the unknown efficacy of a strike authorization. Each person must vote his or her best insight and conscience. I am voting mine.

Make no mistake, there is no better contract three years down the line. Sooner or later, you have to stand up and be counted. And sooner is always better than later.

Perhaps you don’t care about what you get paid or residuals or French hours or any of that. All you want is a job on any terms. OK, but if you like health care, pensions, a safe working environment please acknowledge the fact that all of these things were achieved through union collective bargaining. In the past, membership stood up for what we have now. The essence of being in a union is collective bargaining.

If you are voting “no” for strike authorization because you think that our current board of directors are strike mongerers or hot-heads, please think again because you are simply THINKING WHAT THE AMPTP WANTS YOU TO THINK. We are asking for a straightforward negotiation on straightforward points. We must negotiate these now, or suck lemons until we can. And when will that be? Three years from now? Please note that AMPTP never makes a better deal until they have to. Caving in now will only encourage them toward further union-busting tactics. For ALL the unions.

And with that in mind, be aware that our union is the largest with the most money to be distributed via residuals. We are the prize for the AMPTP. Likewise, as we cave, so will they continue to pressure our sister unions to wilt under pressure.

We have every right to negotiate our own contract. Yes, our leadership is stubborn and brassy. So what? Who do you want representing you? The producer’s friends?

After the last election the national board includes members who are very critical of our leadership. As a result, the board represents a balanced view regarding any potential strike. If you can trust anyone to make a balanced judgement, this is the time. But leadership must have strike authorization to get the AMPTP back to the table.

Two last thoughts.

Firstly, we are a union, we are a voting membership. The producers are a commercial entity. The people with whom we negotiate are hired guns. They can be replaced if they don’t do their job. And up to now they haven’t done a very good job finishing this contract and their bosses know it. There are major motion pictures waiting to start shooting. They cannot proceed until there is a contract (and no possibility whatsoever of a strike). AMPTP is threatening us with a punitive situation. But the sword cuts both ways. This is our strength.

Secondly, the Internet is going to be vastly profitable to the AMPTP on a scale never before seen. The costs of doing business will go way down. The middle-men in foreign markets will disappear (you don’t need a distributor when you do down-loads and streaming). And the “units” will be exactly accountable. The advertisers will know exactly how many viewers will watch the TV shows and movies downloaded or streamed. And if we do this right, so will we. Our contracts have established that we should receive a percentage of revenue as “residuals”, why are we giving that up now?

I am truly sorry that the New York Board has chosen to fight the leadership for most of this year. They have done nothing to make a difficult situation easier. I’m all for debate, but in the boardroom, not in public. We elected our officials, let’s let them do their job.

For more info go to: youtube.com/empowersagvoteyes

Sincerely
Eric Bogosian


Since I am not a member of SAG I can’t really comment on the soundness of Eric’s letter and my publication of his comments should not imply that I endorse them or oppose them. I am concerned, however, that NBC’s shift away from dramas in the 10:00 PM prime time hour next fall will mean less jobs for union actors for television, and possibly over time, other networks will continue with more reality and other programming that also doesn’t require union actors. And, with the country in a serious recession at this time, and with deflation looming, TV watchers may not take kindly to a strike by actors, seeing that the recent strike by screenwriters turned program schedules upside down. My only advice to SAG is to proceed with caution and be careful not to cut off their collective noses to spite their faces.

By the way, Alicia Witt, who also was on Law & Order Criminal Intent, has a video below where she adds her own two cents to the matter:




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