It seems like we have new casting news and/or rumors about Law and Order: Criminal Intent every week or so. Here's the latest.
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio has been cast as the new captain on the show. She replaces Eric Bogosian who has left after a few seasons on the USA Network show. She'll join another new cast member, Saffron Burrows, who replaces Julianne Nicholson, who decided not to come back to the show after having a baby.
Last week we told you that Julianne Nicholson had decided not to come back to Law and Order: CI after having a baby, and in the same post we hinted that other changes might be coming to the USA show too. This could be those changes.
The Hollywood Reporter and set sources are both saying that Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eric Bogosian are all being written out of the show. That would mean that Jeff Goldblum would be the star of the show and that new cast members would have to be hired. D'Onofrio might make guest appearances in the future.
I can see Bogosian going, since he always seemed like a recurring character at best and you can replace those. But D'Onofrio and Erbe are the heart of the show, really, and it's interesting if Goldblum (who I always assumed would last for a season or two and then be on his way back to the movies) would be the lead character on the show now.
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This week we have spoilers for: 24, Castle, CSI: Miami, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Fringe, Grey's Anatomy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Law & Order: CI, Lost, Smallville and Ugly Betty. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
Fans of the Law and Order shows (all of them) are used to big cast changes and turnovers. When you have shows that last so long, you're bound to see characters leave and new ones pop up. Now it looks like we're about to have a new cast member on Law and Order: CI and an old one that won't be coming back.
And so ends the first season of Law and Order: Criminal Intent with Jeff Goldblum as one of the stars (alternating the lead role with Vincent D'Onofrio). There are fans who love the Goldblum episodes and those that only want to see the veteran D'Onofrio in the lead. I noticed that the plots of the Goldblum/Nicholson episodes seemed to be really ambitious, but I don't think that made them better.
What grade do you give Goldblum for his first season?
Sometimes when I'm watching USA Network, I'm as tickled with the promotions for the shows as I am the shows themselves. That's saying a lot, because as a rule, networks are not very clever about commercials hawking their shows. However, USA is the exception to the rule. Just yesterday, Kona wrote about the Psych promo that took a shot at The Mentalist -- completely justified, too -- and here's another that caught my eye. It's a tribute to Monk.
This is the last season for Monk, so USA gathered some of the stars -- in character -- from its other programs to give a little tribute to Adrian Monk. What a stroke of genius!
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Jeff Goldblum's disappointing start on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. My basic point was that he hadn't really found his character yet - that he hadn't gelled with the series - and he wasn't getting any help from poorly written episodes like the atrocious "rock star" opener.
After watching this week's episode, I have to say, everything was much improved, all around. Granted, the poetry was just as bad as the rock music from Goldblum's debut episode; they managed to force Goldblum playing piano into the plot yet again, and the ending confessional was overly dramatic.
But the bad poetry wasn't quite as distracting as the music in the first episode, the piano playing was at least tangentially related to the plot (although still a stretch), and fans of the series in all its forms must have learned to forgive the dramatic confessions years ago as part of the show's style.
I sent emails to two networks officials to confirm this jarring claim. Jeremy Gaines, MSNBC's vice president of communications, responded that he is certain the entry is a "hoax" and that he and other network officials were working to correct it. The section on Olbermann's death has since been removed from the page.
If you were on Twitter last week the day Michael Jackson died, you also might have seen the rumors that Jeff Goldblum had fallen on a movie set in New Zealand and died (there was also a rumor that Harrison Ford had died but that wasn't true either). Last night Stephen Colbert broke the news to fans, only to have Goldblum show up himself to dispute the report.
The funniest part is the live news report from New Zealand about Goldblum dying. I'd love to hear the answer as to why they said the police had confirmed it! (Video also here.)
When Chris Noth left Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Jeff Goldblum was announced as his replacement, I was kind of excited. I'm a fan of Goldblum's, and he's always entertaining, whether he's a guest on a talk show or doing something decidedly strange like his guest spot on Tim and Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!
So far, not so good. Last night's episode, which tried to weave together the stories of a washed-up celebrity chef, a hip hop mogul, and a flighty socialite, still didn't provide the punch I was hoping for. It was better than most of his episodes so far - and a good deal better than his first episode. And there are some elements I like; Goldblum's Detective Zach Nichols can't seem to keep from correcting his co-workers, seemingly with no ill will, but irritating them in the process.
Not sure why USA Network ran two new episodes of Law and Order: CI back to back last night. Since the show was delayed so much this season you would think they'd want to spread out the fresh episodes over the summer longer. But we got to see a Jeff Goldblum episode and a Vincent D'Onofrio episode on the same night so we can compare the two leading men.
Yesterday we showed you a clip of Stephen Colbert's outrage at President Obama swatting a fly during an interview with CNBC. And now he has support from a big name star who, well, has experience with being a fly. (Video also here.)
So...are you a D'Onofrio (Goren) fan or a Goldblum (Nicols) fan? I'm wondering if this "Goldblum this week, D'Onofrio next week" format is irritating longtime fans, or if longtime fans like having Goldblum in the mix too. Will they ever have Goldblum investigate a case with Kathryn Erbe?
Last night was a Nichols/Wheeler episode, with the duo investigating the death of a con man's partner.
Whoa, there's a confusing headline. Is it Law and Order: CI or is it In Treatment?! It's Law and Order: CI with an episode titled "In Treatment." Damn you, confusing episode title-makers! I can't wait for a show to have an episode titled "Open Thread." This was the second Jeff Goldblum episode (he's trading off each week with Vincent D'Onofrio - I still want to see both of them investigate a case together). What did everyone think?
So, what did you think of Jeff Goldblum's first episode? Was it worth waiting through the endless delays? I thought it was ... pretty good. I wasn't thrilled with the introduction of Goldblum's OH SO QUIRKY character (the bagels at the crime scene, the disclosure that he vanished from the force for a long time, etc), but it got better as the episode went along (still haven't warmed to Julianne Nicholson, though). However, I think the Nichols character would come off better if we hadn't already had several years worth of the odd line readings and head tilts of Vincent D'Onofrio. I think if the two investigated a case together it would be way too much.
It seems like we have new casting news and/or rumors about Law and Order: Criminal Intent every week or so. Here's the latest.
Fans of the Law and Order shows (all of them) are used to big cast changes and turnovers. When you have shows that last so long, you're bound to see characters leave and new ones pop up. Now it looks like we're about to have a new cast member on Law and Order: CI and an old one that won't be coming back.
Sometimes when I'm watching USA Network, I'm as tickled with the promotions for the shows as I am the shows themselves. That's saying a lot, because as a rule, networks are not very clever about commercials hawking their shows. However, USA is the exception to the rule. Just yesterday, Kona wrote about the Psych promo that took a shot at The Mentalist -- completely justified, too -- and here's another that caught my eye. It's a tribute to Monk.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Jeff Goldblum's disappointing start on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. My basic point was that he hadn't really found his character yet - that he hadn't gelled with the series - and he wasn't getting any help from poorly written episodes like the atrocious "rock star" opener. 
Keith Olbermann! Come on down! You're the next TV celebrity whose death has been falsely reported on the Internet!
When Chris Noth left Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Jeff Goldblum was announced as his replacement, I was kind of excited. I'm a fan of Goldblum's, and he's always entertaining, whether he's a guest on a talk show or doing something decidedly strange like his guest spot on Tim and Eric: Awesome Show, Great Job!
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