Christopher Meloni-related stories
Posted Jul 3rd 2009 10:32AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Law and Order, Casting, Reality-Free
More good news out of NBC's top drama.
Wentworth Miller is guesting on Law and Order: SVU, and this time he's not going to be behind bars. The
Prison Break actor will star in the September 23 premiere of
Law and Order: SVU, which is kicking off its 11th season on the NBC.
Wentworth Miller's casting comes on the heels of
NBC re-signing of Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni to two-year extensions as the show's mainstays, Detectives Benson and Stabler, as well as the return of Stephanie March as Alex Cabot and a four-show arc for Christine Lahti. I'd say that the powers-that-be are stacking the deck with prime talent to make sure
Law and Order: SVU maintains its top quality status.
Continue reading Wentworth Miller goes from Prison Break to Law & Order: SVU
Posted Jun 30th 2009 3:25PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Law and Order, Reality-Free
Well, that's a relief. After months of speculation that NBC would be bringing
Law & Order: SVU back for the 11th season without the two stars that have anchored the show, there's good news.
Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have re-signed with
SVU. They pair agreed to stick with NBC's top-rated Neilsen drama for two more seasons.
Good news is probably an understatement. It's really great news because with
SVU moving to Wednesday, 9 p.m., the show really didn't need to shake up the cast at this point in time. Stability mattered and NBC found a way to bring the two stars into the fold, offering them both the flexibility they sought.
Continue reading Meloni & Hargitay sign on for more Law & Order: SVU
Posted Jun 3rd 2009 8:00AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Law and Order, Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free
Wow, I gotta say that this was a great season finale. I wasn't really familiar with Stuckey, but what happened still shocked me (though I guessed what was going on halfway through). It was rather
Bones-ian, in a way.
This could turn out to be the last episode of
Law and Order: SVU for Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay, since
they are holding out for more money and NBC is thinking of replacing them. Of course, I don't think that's going to happen. Sure, all of the
Law and Order shows have had many cast members over the years, but I'm betting that the duo will be back for another season.
Posted Apr 9th 2009 5:10PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Law and Order, Reality-Free
And I can hear every
Law and Order: SVU fan screaming at the same time,
"Noooooooooooooooooooooo!"Michael Ausiello is reporting that stars Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay
are asking for more money (they currently get $7 million a year), and sources say that the network might replace them if the stars keep asking for that money. The show was recently
renewed for an 11th season.
I'm not too sure they couldn't be replaced. I mean, it would, of course, depend on who they go to replace them, but haven't they replaced the cast of the original
Law and Order quite a bit? Characters left, characters died, some actors died in real life, and they brought in new people. Though I wonder if Meloni and Hargitay, since they have been on the show for so long,
are the show and just can't be replaced. Or maybe they can just have it be
John Munch: Private Eye.
Posted Apr 4th 2009 8:19AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Law and Order, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
This doesn't come as a surprise, does it?
NBC has ordered an 11th season of Law & Order: SVU. It isn't a surprise because of all the shows on NBC's roster – not including
ER, which just had a celebrated swan song – are struggling in the ratings.
Law & Order SVU is the lone exception, still drawing nearly 10 million viewers and at least keeping NBC challenging in the Tuesday night ratings.
It's not as strong as it once was, but what show is on NBC? It would have been network hari-kari to let
SVU hit the road.
Continue reading NBC commits to more Law & Order: SVU
Posted Dec 15th 2008 1:06PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Hunks are in the eye of the beholder apparently. When I read -- drooled -- over the hunks chosen as the
50 Hottest Hunks Ever by our friends at AOL (that's a long time), I couldn't help but wonder about the guys that just missed the cut. I made a list. It was longer than the dozen men listed here, but these were the ones that I wanted included because they make my toes tingle.
Unlike Debra --
nice choices, Deb -- I've refrained from putting pictures of these hunks on my walls, but I sure have followed them from show to show, enjoying every moment when they were forced to take off their shirts or flex their muscles.
Bruce Campbell Oh, Bruce! He is such a hunk. Remember
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.? He was the epitome of the western hero, looking great in black with a cowboy hat, on a horse. And that killer smile. Now, on
Burn Notice, he's sort of an older hunk with the great Tommy Bahama shirts and perpetual five o'clock shadow, but still great looking. And since I was fortunate enough to meet him --
on a set visit -- I can tell you that he's a really an eyeful up close. I'd love to be in his arms any time!
Continue reading Overlooked hunks not in the Top 50
Posted Oct 3rd 2008 1:04PM by Richard Keller
Filed under: OpEd, Law and Order, Reality-Free
Something was amiss during the last three seasons of Law & Order: SVU. With Mariska Hargitay's pregnancy leave, changes in Christopher Meloni's character, the introduction and departure of some cast members, and the demotion of Detective Munch to a desk, the show seemed to have lost its way. It was tough to watch as more melodrama seeped into the show and pushed away the criminal procedurals that have made this Law & Order franchise so popular.
However, change may be on the horizon. With the first two episodes of the tenth season now under their belt, there's a feeling of normalcy that has returned to the show. A sense that the producers may be done tinkering with the program for the time being, despite the introduction of Michaela McManus as new A.D.A Kim Greylek. Some melodrama is still there - they are human beings after all - but the cases are first and foremost for the show.
Continue reading I'm liking the leaner, meaner Law & Order: SVU
Posted Aug 12th 2008 9:01PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Law and Order, Casting, Reality-Free
Recently, we told you about
James Brolin appearing in a guest role on Law & Order: SVU, as a man from Elliot's past. Now, there'll be even more development for Christopher Meloni's character when
Ellen Burstyn shows up on SVU to play Stabler's mother.
Oh, and she's not your button-downed, upright all together mom. She's bipolar, which is to say that she has a serious psychological disorder.
TVGuide.com reported that it learned that Ms. Burstyn's guest role will be very dramatic -- "explosive" -- and is slated for one episode. Thinking about what's been happening on
SVU, the major storyline for Elliot has been revolving around his wife Kathy having another child.
The baby has brought the Stablers back together after a separation. Could Elliot's mother be coming to New York to see her new grandchild and something else go wrong? Hmm...
Continue reading Ellen Burstyn to guest on Law & Order SVU
Posted Jul 17th 2008 8:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Law and Order, Casting, Reality-Free
Of all the
Law & Orders -- and I watch all three --
Special Victims Unit is the one that indulges in more character-oriented storytelling. That's all for the better, as far as I'm concern, whether that means going inside Olivia's mind as she's struggled with knowing she was a child of rape, or suffering when Elliot's marriage was on the rocks.
When the new season of
SVU returns on Tuesday, September 23, we'll be getting some more character development with a special appearance by Emmy winner James Brolin.
Richard Belzer, who plays Detective Munch,
mentioned Brolin's guest appearance to
TV Guide, saying, "He's a great guy; he's got a big fight scene with Stabler, so that should be fun."
Brolin is playing a former military man who shares a past connection with Elliot. Hmm...was Christopher Meloni ever on
Pensacola: Wings of Gold? Brolin, by the way, turns 68 this Friday, July 18. Remember when he was the hot, young motorcycle-riding Dr. Steve Kiley on
Marcus Welby, M.D.?Continue reading Law & Order: SVU snags James Brolin for season premiere
Posted May 23rd 2007 12:31PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: OpEd, Law and Order, Episode Reviews
(
S08E22) Was it me, or was there just too much happening in this episode? "Screwed" was a culmination of not just this entire season, but of the entire series. And we're left, once again, to wonder whether the SVU squad is going to be disseminated.
The episode starred Ludacris, reprising his role as Det. Tutuola's stepson, Darius, from a
March 2006 episode. But, despite the stellar acting job from Ludacris, it wasn't about him at all. In fact, his alleged crime wasn't even the center of the story (I stopped trying to remember the Ludacris episode when I realized that it didn't matter). Instead, Ludacris was the tool the writers used to pick apart all the mistakes the SVU detectives have made over the years and leave us hanging about their fate. The detectives were the ones on trial.
Continue reading Law & Order SVU: Screwed (season finale)
Posted May 16th 2007 11:37AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: OpEd, Law and Order, Episode Reviews
(
S08E21) I hate it when the promos ruin an episode. It's hard to tell whether this episode of
SVU was a good one because I knew from the promos that the girlfriend was a "black widow". It took a really, really long time for the story to unfold and I felt impatient because I wanted to see the evil side of this girl.
Continue reading Law & Order SVU: Pretend
Posted May 9th 2007 1:14PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: OpEd, Law and Order, Episode Reviews
(
S08E20) Usually I would say that if Elliot Stabler gets naked, it's gonna be a great episode. I wouldn't call it "great", but it was "good". It's surprising, really, because the topic was incredibly emotional. A man killed his wife and children because his lies were getting out of hand. It's a believable premise because we've seen it played out too many times in the news media (even though L&O didn't promote this one as "ripped from the headlines").
The episode was Elliot-centric, which usually means his family is somehow involved. It was. He saw a man who was bored with his life in Staten Island, so he started making up a new life for himself complete with a fiance who thought he was a CIA agent. Of course, it imploded and, as Dr. Wong said, family killers are so narcissistic that they can't live with the shame of being caught in their lies.
Continue reading Law & Order SVU: Annihilated
Posted May 2nd 2007 12:04PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Law and Order, Episode Reviews
(
S08E19) This was the best episode this season, hands down. Det. Olivia Benson's entire world came crashing down around her. Her entire motivation for being an SVU detective was brought into question. There was an awful lot revealed in this episode about Benson's past.
The writers and Mariska Hargitay did a spectacular job convincing me that she had completely lost her mind. Det. Benson appeared to be blindly helping her brother evade the law because she couldn't believe that he was a rapist, just like their father. After the last episode with Simon, I fully believed that he was guilty and I thought she did too.
Continue reading Law & Order SVU: Florida
Posted Apr 4th 2007 10:19AM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Law and Order, Episode Reviews
(S08E18) Okay, I loved the dog owners in this episode. Their priorities were completely skewed. They found a dead teen-ager in their bed, but they were more disturbed by the fact that their dog hadn't been walked while they were on vacation.
This episode was about a subject they love over at
SVU: drunk, rich kids. This time, though, the kids aren't the worst of the worst. The real bad guy is a young mother who wants teen-age boys to think she's hot and for her daughter to be popular with her classmates. She buys the kids alcohol and medicates her daughter's problems with alcohol.
Continue reading Law & Order SVU: Responsible
Posted Mar 28th 2007 6:39PM by Anna Johns
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, NBC, OpEd, Law and Order
(S08E17) The writers of this episode were out to stick it to the right-wing Evangelicals, weren't they? They wrote an emotional script about the subject that gets so many people riled up: homosexuality!
Tim Daly seemed a little detached from his central role in this episode, playing Jeb Curtis, a reverend at New Souls Church in Long Island. I think his character was based on real-life Evangelical minister Ted Haggard, who admitted to doing meth and having affairs with men. Of course, Haggard never killed anyone to cover up his sins (at least not that we know of).
Continue reading Law & Order SVU: Sin
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