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Rhona in Nip/Tuck

Rhona Mitra will play a detective named Kit McGraw in Nip/Tuck, starting Sept. 20. The season 3 promo shows a few provocative scenes with Kit and Kimber. Video available to download at http://niptuckfans.com
 >> more images 1  2

New Season Two Promo and Images

Boston Legal season two promo aired during the Aug. 16 repeat of 'Schmidt Happens'. Clips were from 'Black Widow', premiering Sept. 27.
Season Two Premiere: "Black Widow" promo
520 bitrate; streaming only/no downloads (:30)
>> more images

Mark Valley Moonlighting

ABC's "Emily's Reasons Why Not" stars Heather Graham. Emily's has a relationship with Reese (Mark), a roguishly handsome, two-timing, baseball player/author. Polar opposite of Brad Chase. [Thanks to Bev for this news]
Watch 'Emily's Reasons Why Not' promo clip 340 bitrate; streaming only/no downloads (1:46)


Calling All Taras
Alan Shore certainly will miss calling upon Tara in most every episode over two seasons. Our own Alan/Tara girl - 'Imamess' - has preserved a montage of Taraness for posterity. There's a clip from The Practice, all mentions of Tara in 22 episodes, and a clip from the 17 episodes of Boston Legal. Can you count them all? In which show did Tara get called upon most? Can you match episode to clip?
Watch The Practice: 'Calling All Taras' (2:18)
Watch Boston Legal: 'Calling All Taras' (1:38)
800 bitrate; 640x480; windows media streaming only/no downloads
Listen to The Practice (2:18) 2 mb mp3
Listen to Boston Legal (1:38) 1.5 mb mp3


ABC TCA Party

July 27 / Rene Auberjonois, James Spader and William Shatner arrive at the ABC TCA party at the Abby on July 27, 2005 in West Hollywood [source: Getty Images/Mark Mainz]
>> more images

TCA Summer Press Tour 2005

July 26 at the Beverly Hilton: "Boston Legal" Session - Candice Bergen, Mark Valley, Bill D'Elia, James Spader, David E. Kelley, William Shatner, Julie Bowen and Rene Auberjonois at ABC's Summer Press Tour. [© ABC/ADAM LARKEY]
>> more images

Flashback!

Watch clip from "Extra"
QuickTime video, slide show and text from a segment aired on "Extra" October 29, 2004.

Boston Legal Returns

Boston Legal Promo Clip
Play :(15 sec)
Airdate: July 6, 2005
This is the first one for promoting the shows' return with season one repeats beginning August 9, aired during the finale of "Dancing with the Stars". Second season begins Sept. 27.

NEW!  Fan Fiction

Fan Fiction [added July 6, 2005]
Departure by Michelle
"He still embodied the calmness of the morning sun, unflinched by the chaos around him, he sat, absorbed in his space, clinging to the moment as long as possible, reluctant to succumb to the fast paced meeting which was about to ensue."
(9 pages; July 6, 2005; pdf)  more >>
larger image


Preview Music Video

Watch "Save Alan Shore: Ride a Cowboy"
(1:30) Watch the preview of a new music video in progress, based on Hoss Shore's trip to Texas in "Death Be Not Proud".

Alan Shore: The Women in His Life - Hannah

Watch "Alan Shore: The Women In His Life: Hannah"
 (12:51)  wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads
Edited & compiled by Imamess of JSMP

Hannah: I give you a few weeks here, tops. You don't understand authority, you're arrogant. My suspicion is you're corrupt and probably unflinchingly selfish, and -
Alan: Foreplay like this can only lead to sex.
Hannah: You're disgusting.
Alan: You're quivering.
___
Hannah: I'll buy you a beer later and critique what I think you did wrong.
Alan: I don't accept criticism, Hannah, although I do enjoy harsh discipline.
___
Other women in the series can be seen further down this page.

How It All Began: Denny Crane

Watch wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads (24:28)

This is a series of clips from season 8 of The Practice introducing Denny Crane. William Shatner won both a an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance in these scenes. Video credit: Imamess


Spotlight Series

Spotlight on Brad Chase, pt. 1 (13:36)
wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads
Edited & compiled by Imamess

This video launches our Spotlight Series, setting a character center stage with only scenes they are in. We begin with Brad Chase [Mark Valley] and his scenes from ep. 1 - "Head Cases".

Epilogues: The Balcony Scenes

The Balcony Scenes, pt. 1 (13:52)
The Balcony Scenes, pt. 2 (14:23)
wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads
Edited & compiled by Imamess of JSMP

Spader recently conjectured why David Kelley has made The Balcony Epilogue a Boston Legal tradition: "There were a few episodes in the middle of the season where I think it was his favorite thing to write. It was almost as if he was writing the show to get to that. When he was first discovering those scenes, he really fell in love with that."

Leave a comment about the Balcony scenes.
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A Look Back

Watch ABC's September 2004 video promotion of Boston Legal prior to the Oct. 3 premiere. This was on the ABC site for most of the season, but recently removed.
Watch   (1:30)

InStyle May 2005 "The Defense Rests"

Rhona Mitra gives a tour of her Venice, CA beach house - along with Oscar, her French bulldog.
Read the article: 1 2 3 4 5 6 [pdf files]

How It All Began: Alan Shore - His Arguments

Watch wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads (20:35)
Download mp3 audio 19 mb; 128k (20:35)
This is a series of clips from season 8 of The Practice of Shore addressing the jury, including his Emmy-winning performance in ep. 15 "Mr. Shore Goes To Town". Video credit: Imamess

Alan Shore: "It's a win-win, so let's sit back, enjoy ourselves. One low life down, one to go. That concludes my opening statement. How am I doing so far?"
Also, watch the music video based on "Mr. Shore Goes To Town" - "Hey, Dedham, Nice Shot"

Abbreviation

ABC has modified the formal cast photo as of May 18. Missing:  Rhona Mitra, Renee Auberjonois and Monica Potter.
A little Photoshop manipulation brings Julie into the picture.

Click to share your comments about the Boston Legal cast changes.
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Alan Shore: The Women in His Life
Clips from The Practice, Season 8
[Airdate: Sept.- May, 2003-2004]
Video created by Imamess of JSMP
wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads

What are your favorite clips? Click to leave a comment:
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Watch "Alan Shore: The Women In His Life: Ellenor"
Part 1   (21:56)
Part 2   (19:04)
Ellenor: "Alan, you are seriously self-destructive."
Alan: "Isn't everybody?"

In our continuing clipfest, we now turn to Ellenor Frutt. Many fans were charmed by Ellenor and Alan's relationship, imaging its' origins and composition. Watch Imamess' presentation of clips following their storyline from The Practice.


Watch "Alan Shore: The Women In His Life: Sally"
Watch Sally   (16:56)


Watch "Alan Shore: The Women In His Life: Diane"
Watch Diane   (21:35)


Watch "Alan Shore: The Women In His Life: Sheila"
Part 1   (20:58)
Part 2   (15:29)


Watch "Alan Shore: The Women In His Life: Tara"
Part 1   (21:51)
Part 2   (22:32) 
Part 3   (17:48)

"I embezzled. Allegedly"
A Look back at our initial meeting of Alan Shore

Watch 'I embezzled. Allegedly'
(2:20) wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads.
The Practice, Season 8, Ep. 1 "Alan Shore's Introduction" aka "Something came up at Carruthers" [Airdate: 9/23/03]

"You smell good"

Watch 'You smell good'
(4:34) wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads.
Two scenes from "Hired Guns" [Airdate: 12/19/04]

 "I'm sick of it" / "Are you sick of me?"

Watch 'I'm Sick of It'
(5:49) wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads.
Three scenes from 'Til We Meat Again
[Airdate: 2/13/05] Full transcript of episode 1 2 3 4
[Thanks to "Imamess" at JSMP]


Boston Legal's Valley and Potter on "They Started on Soaps"


Watch They Started on Soaps (4:05)
wm stream; 340 bitrate / no downloads

News

[August 19, 2005]
Vote in the 57th Annual Primetime Emmys - sort of
Turn the tide in this unofficial vote for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Currently, Kiefer and Hugh are at 45% while James is in third at 5%. Help out Shatner as Supporting Actor as well, in third behind two Lost actors. Get in there and vote!
[Thanks to Janette for sending this in]

Patrick Dempsey [Gray's Anatomy] on Boston Legal
TV Guide Insider
TVGuide.com: I bet the boys over on Boston Legal were pretty disappointed too, seeing as you kicked them off of Sunday night.
Dempsey: [Boston Legal has] a great cast and it's well written...even though we kicked their asses. We literally got calls the next day joking, "We're out of our time slot! Screw you!" But seriously, there's a great camaraderie amidst all of it, everybody supports each other. And I think their show will do much better on a different night, certainly. I'm happy to see that James [Spader] can remodel his house now and not worry about unemployment. I've known him for years, and he's happy and he's cool. It's all good.
[Patrick also goes on to credit his role as Paul Stewart on The Practice - season 8, 3 ep arc - as helping his recent success.]

[August 15, 2005]
The Creatives [site editor post]
Boston Legal is about much more than characters. It stems from writers, producers, show runners and editors. A new page of this site will spring up focusing on the creatives of the series. The following three stories sort of nudged that decision along:

Producer Kelley targets morning TV with new show
Hollywood Reporter/Reuters
Hot off the yellow legal pad of David E. Kelley is a pilot script that has generated considerable buzz around town. Sources said the project is an hourlong comedy-drama in the vein of Kelley's "Ally McBeal" set behind the scenes at a network TV morning show. [Thanks to B for this news tip]
>> read more

'Legal' eagle pacts Paramount TV: Kaufer inks two-year deal
Variety
TV scribe Scott Kaufer ("Boston Legal") has sealed a two-year deal at Paramount Network TV to develop and produce new series. Under the seven-figure deal, Kaufer and his Chartwell Prods. label will focus on developing one-hour series that he said would blend drama and comedy. He'll also be executive producer on UPN's upcoming drama "South Beach." There he'll serve alongside the current producing team of Phillip Levens, Tony Krantz, Jennifer Lopez and Simon Fields.

Fleet Street Blues: A license to have unusual, unique behavior in a realistic setting
Writers Guild of America by Denis Faye
[Ed. note: This interview with both Exec. Producers Scott Kaufer and Jeff Rake was published Oct. 1, 2004. Rake left BL Nov. 16 and Kaufer apparently just left to produce series for Paramount]

[excerpt] Scott Kaufer: Often, when a writer's working on a show and gets a call from an actor in his dressing room learning his lines, it's a dreaded phone call because the actor's coming from a place that isn't helpful to the material. He wants his character written in a selfish way or he wants something that has nothing to do with the work. We're very fortunate. I know this sounds Pollyanna-ish, but it happens to be the case that all the actors on this show, including Shatner and Spader, when they call us up, they have invariably been suggesting smart, very helpful things with their characters because these guys have a laser lock on who these guys are.
>> read more

[August 14, 2005]
Paul Lewiston Speaks: Boston Legal Tidbits from Actor Rene Auberjonois
Chris Bichler shares thoughts from Rene while attending the Toronto Trek 19 Convention in July. [Special report for Boston-Legal.org]


"I Am So Close: A ficlet" by Denise Bauer
"Don't let my appearance fool you. Get in my way and I'll knock you on your ass. You see, being a lawyer who happens to be a woman is an especially tough road to Partnership."


[August 9, 2005]
'Boston Legal' presents its case on a new night
Chicago Tribune
In a bid to re-acquaint viewers with the show, which has been off the air since March, ABC is re-running the series premiere of the quirky law drama on Tuesday. "Legal" is something of an acquired taste: If you don't appreciate the enjoyably hammy Shatner or the skeezy charisma of Spader, this is probably not the show for you. The casting also changed almost weekly in the first year; Mark Valley went from featured player to near-nonentity, unfortunately, and the ineffective Lake Bell was written out by mid-season. Kerry Washington and Rhona Mitra will also be gone in the new season. >> read more

After long recess, 'Boston Legal' moves to new location
Buffalo News
Kelley also expects to make a significant change in the structure of the show, making it more serialized than it was in its rookie season.  >> more

The Return of Boston Legal
San Jose Mercury News
In a sense, "Boston Legal'' didn't get much respect from ABC last season. "Boston Legal'' is back (10 p.m., ABC) in what will be its time period when the new season begins in September. Sure, it's a repeat but that's better than nothing for fans of the series who were, shall we say, less than happy about its sudden disappearance.

The repeat is a good example of "Boston Legal'' when it's at its best. The main storyline -- and it's quite funny while still making a point about the politics of race -- concerns colorblind casting of the musical ""Annie.'' There's also a very cool cameo from the Rev. Al Sharpton playing -- the Rev. Al Sharpton.

"Legal'' is facing a much tougher fight for viewership. It was one thing to do head-to-head with "Crossing Jordan.'' It's another thing entirely to take on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and a very high profile newcomer in CBS's "Coming Home.''

The show's creator, David E. Kelley, admitted the other day that "Legal'' is ''up against obviously tough competition. Last year on Sunday, we had a pretty cushy and protected time slot, so we're going to have to earn it.''  >> more


[August 6. 2005]

The site will go through some changes in the next few days - in time for the return of Boston Legal with repeats from season one on Tuesday, August 9. The home page will slim down and there will be a forum and image galleries and a page for each episode. See changes thus far:
. Head Cases page | Still Crazy page | Cast | Images | News | Beyond the Script



Justin Mentell stars as "Garrett Wells" on ABC's "Boston Legal." [credit: ABC/Carin Baer]

Ryan Michelle Bathe stars as "Sara Holt" on ABC's "Boston Legal." [credit: ABC/Carin Baer]  >> Ryan's biography

[Augut 4, 2005]

Vote in The Tubey Awards @ Television Without Pity TWoP is conducting their annual Tubey Awards. Give some support for Boston Legal! Voting ends August 7. Here are direct links to the categories with Boston Legal as choices. You can only vote once, if you were wondering, and you have to be registered at the site and logged in to vote. Best New Show of the 2004-2005 Season Best Drama of the 2004-2005 Season Show with the Most HoYay from the 2004-2005 Season [Don't know what this means? Check here] Favourite Character from the 2004-2005 Season Alan Shore or Denny Crane Most Overlooked Show of the 2004-2005 Season [think of the 'no respect/Grey's Anatomy fiasco] Best Relationship of the 2004-2005 Season Alan Shore & Denny Crane Favourite Actor from the 2004-2005 Season James Spader or William Shatner Favourite Actress of the 2004-2005 Season Candice Bergen Best Cast of the 2004-2005 Season Best Bad Ass of the 2004-2005 Season Alan Shore Most Unwelcome New Cast Addition of the 2004-2005 Season Awww... Monica Potter [Don't vote for this one!] Best Guest Star of the 2004-2005 Season Betty White Worst Stunt Casting of the 2004-2005 Season Al Sharpton [Don't vote for this one, either!] Worst Network Meddlers of the 2004-2005 Season ABC ???? [hahaha]

[August 2, 2005]

Boston Legal' to return on Tuesday nights
By Kevin D. Thompson, Television Writer
Palm Beach Post
[excerpt] "...Five episodes were bumped last season. Four of those, including the two starring Locklear, will air to start the show's second season. Kelley, however, isn't quite sure how Legal will fare in its new Tuesday home."

[Ed. Note: Are they bumping or absorbing one of the five episodes? We know ep 2 "Black Widow", 3 "Schadenfreude" and 4 "Finding Nimmo" are safe. Ep. 5 "A Whiff and a Prayer" may be safe as its been reported the title has changed from "In Closing". Does that mean episode 1 "Race Ipsa" is the victim? This one addresses Lori's sexual harassment lawsuit against Denny, Alan convincing Chelina not to move to Texas and Tara's growing suspicions. If anyone knows, please report to us.]

Feeling Down Down Under
Janette from Sydney, Australia reports after viewing "Greater Good" [i.e. "pharmaceutical case", ep. 9, US air date Dec. 12, 2004], the latest ep to air in Australia, that no future episodes are scheduled.  Janette wrote: "I rang Channel 7 and spoke to Programming. The man said it was not being aired because of the low ratings. I asked him if it would be put on at another time or later on and he said it might be, but he wasn't sure, but it would not be in the near future. This is bad news."  [Ed. note: Bad news, indeed. 23% of this site's visitors are from Australia - coming in second after the US; If anyone has further details about Ch. 7's plans - or wish to contribute a report from their own country - please contact us.

Update to Aussie BL [Aug.2]: Janette again called Channel 7: "...Boston Legal is being rested for the moment. They will be running the rest of the Season of Boston Legal, but not in the same time slot. He said they had been discussing it yesterday. He said a few new shows will be starting and that it will be back on possibly in 4 weeks or so, when they find the right time slot."

Update to Aussie BL [Aug.8]: Marco from Australia reports: "I rang channel 7 today and they sad they'd be showing it again around December/January."


[July 30, 2005]
Is Drama Selling Out?
TV Guide / The Biz
During ABC's press tour, writer-producer David E. Kelley complained about how commercials have been cutting into hourlong dramas' program content. Back when he was writing for NBC's L.A. Law in the '80s, an hour drama was delivered at 48 minutes. His current ABC show, Boston Legal, runs 41 minutes. >>read more

Beyond the Script
The first time I saw Alan Shore... I didn't see the attraction
Brad obsesses, Alan enjoys himself, Lori explains and Carolina shows her tattoo.


[July 28, 2005]
David E. Kelley's "The Law Firm" premieres July 28 on NBC, 9pm. [Watch David's video interview]

ABC parties to ring in its new season
USA Today
The hottest gay club on Santa Monica Boulevard was closed to the public Wednesday night for a star-studded party ABC threw for its 2005-06 season.  >> read more

Emmy Episode Submissions
GoldDerby.com
As reported at GoldDerby, but unconfirmed, William Shatner submitted "Still Crazy After All These Years" and "Truth Be Told" as his performance for Emmy consideration.  James Spader submitted "Death Be Not Proud".  Lead actors submit to a jury of their peers (comprised of about 50 to 70 fellow actors) one sample episode from the past TV season as an example of their best work. Supporting stars submit two. [link]
Images: Still Crazy  |  Death Be Not Proud
Video:
Still Crazy 1st segment clip (4:00); 2nd segment clip (9:25)
Death Be Not Proud 5th segment clip (11:13)

[July 27, 2005]
Short ficlet by Carolyn
"Today, Alan’s under-the-table dealings consist of drumming his fingers on the heel of his shoe"

Ausiello's Press Tour Diary Day 7 (ABC)
TVGuide.com
by Michael Ausiello
[Ausiello's patently irreverent play-by-play of the Boston Legal panel presentation kept to his high standards of amusing me. Read the whole thing, but I'm excerpted the most important part]

Kelley says we “will see the emergence of Mark Valley's character a little bit more this year — hopefully, a lot more… Mark is very funny. We did not take advantage of that enough last year.”

[Editor note: More Brad? Well done, DEK. Well done]

David E. Kelley may move to cable to escape ad deluge
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
[excerpt] Kelley said that makes it tougher to create character-driven stories and tell emotional stories, particularly within the five-act structure that sometimes gives only eight minutes between commercial breaks.

"It was very tough, but it's the reality that we're dealing with, and we're going to make a go of it in our new time period," Kelley said. He added it was particularly difficult because he felt "Boston Legal" was coming to its best five episodes when the show was taken off the air.

Court in session
USA Today
New this season: Julie Bowen of the sugarcoated Ed had one request: 'Please don't make me nice,' " Kelley says. "We'll try to honor that."  >> read more

[July 26, 2005]
"Entertainment Tonight" segment on Boston Legal.
>> Read the article   >> Watch the VIDEO now
Shatner: "It takes time for a show to settle in," he says. "If it were a stage show, you would be changing the show as the audience reacts to it. Here it takes several months before you get the audience's reaction. Now we have gotten that -- the strengths and what you want to eliminate that isn't working -- we are refining our wonderful show. I think it is better than ever."

ABC rolls into the Beverly Hilton Tuesday and Wednesday for its presentation at the Television Critics Association Press Tour in what is something of a victory lap .   Watch for news.

[July 25, 2005]
Lake Bell Talks About Boston Legal - sort of
TV Guide Insider by Michael Ausiello
Press Tour Day 5 - "Surface"
What’s the most surefire way to make Lake Bell squirm in her seat? Wait until she’s in a room with 250 people (including her current employers) and ask her how come David E. Kelley fired her from Boston Legal. “That’s a fair question. Fair question,” she says hesitantly. “I’m not really an authority to really talk about it. I don’t know what David… I don’t really know how to answer that question, actually. I think he just… I think that show… I don’t really know anything about that show anymore because I’m not on it anymore. But yeah, it’s all I guess I can say. Sorry I don’t have a cooler answer than that. I actually don’t know.” Am I the only one sweating right now?

'Law Firm' Makes Latest Reality Show Case
Zap2it
David E. Kelley's other baby.

{July 22, 2005]
ABC Media Net launches new site design, including Boston Legal page. All past press releases have now been reinstated and site url's have changed.

[July 21, 2005]
Twosome pass bar for 'Boston Legal'
Hollywood Reporter/Reuters
Two more actors are joining "Boston Legal" as regulars when ABC's Emmy-nominated drama returns for its second season in the fall.

Three New Cast Members Join Boston Legal
Futon Critic

Ryan Michelle Bathe [IMDb] and Justin Mentell [IMDb - website] will play junior associates in the law firm at the center of the David E. Kelley series, which likely will have its second-season premiere at the end of September.

Bathe will portray Sara Holt, a brilliant woman who is sometimes given bizarre assignments. The actress' TV credits include appearances on NBC's "ER" and UPN's "Girlfriends" and "Half & Half."

Mentell will take the role of Garrett Wells, an ambitious young lawyer who sometimes doesn't know when to back off. His credits include Fox Searchlight Pictures' upcoming film "Roll Bounce."

Julie Bowen (NBC's "Ed") was previously announced as an addition to the cast. She'll play Denise Bauer, a tough, smart senior associate who is on the track to making partner and won't let anything -- including a messy divorce -- stand in her way.

[July 18, 2005]
What Shatner Did on Saturday
Associated Press
William Shatner was a guest at the wedding of actress Sandra Bullock and Jesse James of Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage" at a ranch near Santa Barbara July 16.

Season 2, Episode 5 seems to have been retitled "A Whiff and a Prayer". Previously, "In Closing". [SpoilerFix.com]

[July 14, 2005]
LEGAL BRIEF
TVGuide.com
Sources tell TVGuide.com that ABC's Boston Legal has retained newcomer Justin "Jtell" Mentell, 22, to join the cast as a new associate at Crane, Poole & Schmidt. He'll debut this fall.  [IMDb]

James Spader and William Shatner nominated for an Emmy!


Larger images  1  2
Watch the 4 min. video of announcement
 

[July 13, 2005]
Watch the 2005 Primetime Emmys Nominations Live Via Webcast
The 57th Annual Primetime Emmys will be announced Thursday, July 14, beginning at 5:39 a.m. PDT. Watch the live four-minute ceremony webcast at http://www.emmys.org. Michael Imperioli and Jami Gertz [in Less Than Zero with Spader] are the host. Check here later in the day for streaming video when the cast and show are nominated.

Watch all the coverage of the 2004 Emmy nomination, ceremony, acceptance speech and backstage interview.
videos & images

[July 13, 2005]
Endless amusement at search engine keywords used to find Boston-Legal.org:
boston sexual offenders [AOL image search delivered our website images of Denny Crane. Paul Lewiston and Shirley Schmidt!]
boston sexual offenders [same for Google]
lesbian tara wilson and lori colson [yes, thank you, surfer from Malta!]
video clips of sex [Yahoo; finds our JamesSpader.org site]
elevator sex movie [Google; finds our JamesSpader.org site]
What happened to Boston Legal? [this phrase shows up as a search term nearly every day. I kid you not! Check it out]
Shield TV show ranking [inexplicably]
2005 emmys [Google; 5th result is our Boston Legla site]
57th emmy nominations [Google; 4th result]
57th emmy award [Google; 4th result]
Best Drama Emmy Nominations 2005 [2nd result]

The 2005 Emmys and Boston Legal

Why Emmy should love them
Visit our 2005 page for Boston Legal and relive the wins of James Spader, William Shatner and Sharon Stone through video, words and images.
Boston-Legal.org Emmy page
James Spader for Lead Actor, Drama Series
Mark Valley for Supporting Actor, Drama Series
57th Primetime Emmy Awards 2004-2005 documents

[July 12, 2005]

TV comedy is not a laughing matter
Houston Chronicle
[excerpt] Boston Legal's Betty White sees other reasons for the dearth of TV comedy.

"I don't think our sense of humor is as subtle as it used to be," says the veteran of The Golden Girls and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. "Now everything has to be slipping on a banana peel or bathroom humor to register with a big audience. I could be dead wrong, but I think the audience has a more juvenile sense of humor than it used to."

[Ed. Note: Or an over-reliance on sight-gaggy costumes?]

"Noel Holston On Television"
Newsday
Actor, dramatic series:
James Spader ("Boston Legal," ABC) won last year. Most probably he will be nominated again, along with Ian McShane ("Deadwood"), whose legend grows; Matthew Fox ("Lost"), Keifer Sutherland ("24") and Hugh Laurie ("House").  more >>

At TCA, the advice is don't worry, be cranky
The Hollywood Reporter
"It's a matter of perception whether anyone really benefits from the-now quaint exercise known as the semi-annual Television Critics Assn. tour." more >>

[Ed. Note: Although no mention of BL in this article by Ray Richmond, I found it amusingly sarcastic, the parasite/host relationship between critics and the purveyors of packaged entertainment. Looks like the 2005 TCA Tour will be focused on the networks around July 18, after PBS and cable.]

[July 11, 2005]
Boston Legal Begins Filming Again
Posted by: BillShatner at WilliamShatner.com

"I’ve begun filming on “Boston Legal” and I’m having a great experience developing the character of Denny Crane even further than last year. I try and take cues from the script and then add in my own interpretation of a situation. For example, on one recent episode, Denny is upset he is not getting to chair a case about guns. Circumstances come about, however, which result in him having to do the closing argument. Whereas he was eager at first, he finds himself losing his confidence and then finding it again once in a while. I find myself interpreting a character that is walking the line of being nuts and then not nuts. I don’t know what’s in store for the rest of the season but that’s part of the fun."

[July 9, 2005]
Denise Bauer is the name of Julie Bowen's character. Bowen's bio is now up at ABCMedianet.com.

[July 2, 2005]
The real deal
The Sydney Morning Herald
[excerpt] Boston Legal is some of David E. Kelley's best work, partly because the cast is so strong. He has managed to get quite an intoxicating cocktail out of his Ally McBeal-The Practice recipe.

James Spader and William Shatner get all the great lines. Revelling in their characters' putrid shenanigans, each episode flies by. But once the hour has passed, it is nearly impossible to recall what went on. Boston Legal is a televisual Chinese meal. Twenty minutes later you're looking in the fridge for something more satisfying. The cases are nonsense, and all the girls have breasts under their chins, waists smaller than Barbie's and legs ripped from a department-store window. One of those brilliant, gifted attorneys at law is made entirely of extruded rubber and nylon hair. We all know that the real Erin Brockovich didn't look anything like Julia Roberts, but nobody told David E. Kelley.

James Spader makes a flawed yet charismatic leading man, and I for one will watch him every week, on the off chance he takes a holiday in London and has the good sense to make a little mischief with our naughty, nasty commander.
read more >>

[June 27, 2005]
The Law Firm
David E. Kelley's The Law Firm series begins July 28. Unfortunately, according to 'Celebrity Justice', a tipster ruined the surprise of who is the Winner in an e-mail.

Shatner Speaks
The Montreal Gazette
A documentary, The Science of Star Trek, is being narrated and hosted by William Shatner. The show will air next season on The History Channel in the US, Discovery Channel in Canada and Channel 5 in Britain.

[June 26, 2005]
Shatner at opening night of the Hollywood Bowl's 84th season
Los Angeles Daily News
[excerpt] "Boston Legal's" William Shatner looked summery in yellow pants and a dark-blue tropical shirt that some backstage wags called the ugliest shirt they had ever seen.

Shatner said he’s been going to the Bowl ever since he came to L.A. He said he was even there for Neil Diamond’s "Hot August Night" concert and once introduced a sequence of whale sounds for a concert.

Asked if he caught Tom Cruise’s antics on the "Today" show, Shatner only sympathized with the star, saying, "If you’ve ever been on a tour publicizing a film, you’re half unconscious after a while. You can’t criticize him for anything he does or says."

When asked if he had any advice for the star, Shatner said it's helpful to remember that in the big scheme of things "you’re not very important."

After an introduction by Shatner, the evening kicked off with a tribute to the late film composer Jerry Goldsmith and a performance of the theme from "Star Trek, the Movie" by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

[June 21, 2005]
James Spader attended Egyptian Tourism Authority Private Reception and Viewing of the King Tut Exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art June 18. [images]

[June 13, 2005]
Rhona Mitra joins Nip/Tuck
TV Guide online: Mike Ausiello's Entertainment News
As FX's Nip/Tuck goes into production on its third season today, it'll be looking a whole lot prettier. According to The Hollywood Reporter, inexplicably dumped Boston Legal beauty Rhona Mitra is joining the cast as a hush-hush recurring character who insiders hint will be a detective investigating the attack on Sean.

Boston Legal Ratings in Australia
The Age / Melbourne
A new US legal drama, Boston Legal, which Seven expected to rate strongly, attracted only 720,000 viewers nationally, being beaten by CSI: New York on Channel Nine with 1.35 million.

Satire in Boston Legal
by David Papke, law professor at the Marquette University Law School
Excerpt: "...The chief satirical target in Boston Legal is the legal profession and, in particular, self-impressed and immoral lawyers."
read more >>


[June 8, 2005]

Boston Legal Calendar
Aug. 9: Boston Legal returns from hiatus and begin airing repeats of season one in the U.S.
Sept. 20: Season two premiere on ABC [tentative]
June 15: Some production begins at David E. Kelley Productions
July: Cast reports back to Raleigh Studios.

Bill Shatner posts on Shatner.com
"I'm looking forward now to the beginning of "Boston Legal's" next season which begins filming in July. They've moved the show to Tuesday nights (anyone watching Grey's Anatomy?) and Denny and I can't wait."
read more >>

Dramatic pause: Could last year's statuette shake-up signal Emmy's effort to spread the wealth?
Hollywood Reporter
Strong nomination consideration also will need to be given to episodes written by 26-time Emmy nominee (and 10-time winner) David E. Kelley for ABC's "Boston Legal"...
[picture] read more >>


[June 6, 2005]
Boston Legal premieres in Australia tonight - so several new articles from down under.

Legally binding
The Sydney Morning Herald
The comedy offsets (and benefits from) Spader's innate creepiness and Shatner's innate hamminess.
read more >>

 Ego-tripping lawyers
The Age / Melbourne
It must be payback time for David E. Kelley. With handwritten scripts on yellow legal pads for Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope and The Practice, the one-time Boston lawyer became one of TV's most prolific writer-producers. Now he has come up with another wonderful courtroom sleight of hand.
read more >>
 [Thanks to Sarah from Melbourne for this]


[June 2, 2005]
Emmy Award Preview
Hollywood Reporter
Drama series - Unprecedented quality is driving the genre.
Front-runners:
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS)
"Deadwood" (HBO)
"Lost" (ABC)
"The Shield" (FX)
"24" (Fox)
"The West Wing" (NBC)

Decent shots:
"Boston Legal" (ABC)

Lead drama actor might be the most competitive category this year despite the notable absence of three-time winner James Gandolfini of "The Sopranos" because of the series' ineligibility. Back to defend his 2004 crown is Spader (who won for "The Practice" and is likely to be nominated again for its ABC spinoff, "Boston Legal"). He faces "Lost" star Fox (never nominated for "Party of Five"), Sheen (a five-time nominee for "Wing"), three-time nominee Sutherland ("24"), 2002 winner Chiklis ("Shield"), "Deadwood" star McShane (who picked up this year's Globe in the category), Globe nominees Leary ("Rescue") and McMahon ("Nip/Tuck"), "Huff's" Azaria, "CSI: NY's" Sinise (a '98 Emmy winner for the TNT biopic "George Wallace") and 2004 Emmy nominee LaPaglia ("Trace").

In the drama actress race, it's tough to vote against "Wing's" Janney given that she has won four statuettes, including one in this category last year (the first three were for supporting actress). But we'll vote against her, anyway. Formidable contenders include 2005 Golden Globe winner and 2004 Emmy nominee Hargitay for "SVU," "Boston Legal's" Bergen (who copped five Emmy trophies for "Murphy Brown"). [link]
 

"Schmidt Happens" and "Death Be Not Proud" are the episodes submitted for Boston Legal Emmy consideration.  Episodic art: Choosing the right episodes.
Tell us what your pick is for an Emmy-worthy episode.

|

[June 1, 2005]

Where in the world is Boston Legal?
United States ABC
England Living TV
Australia Seven Network
Israel  HOT3
Sweden TV3
Denmark TV3+
Finland MTV3 - begins September 21, 2005.

Have we missed any? Tell us. Thank you to Mariposa from Stockholm, Sarah from Melbourne and Zhalieli from Israel for this information.

[May 28, 2005]
Boston Legal will begin broadcasting in Australia on the Seven Network on Tuesday, June 7. Showtime is 9:30pm. The contenders in that time slot are CSI: NY and a very popular show in Australia called Rove Live which is similar to David Lettermen. [Thanks to Sarah from Melbourne for this info]

[May 27, 2005]
Clothes To Go: Way Too Hot
CBSNews.com / AP
A security guard pleaded guilty Thursday to grand theft for stealing more than $60,000 in designer clothing worn by characters on "Ally McBeal," "The Practice," "Boston Public" and "Boston Legal." Police have said they found 350 items in Oliver's Long Beach home, including Gucci bags, Chanel suits and other expensive clothes and shoes from a locked wardrobe room at Raleigh Studios. The items were valued at $63,500.


[May 26, 2005]
Top actresses exit new series
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
"Boston Legal" is said to be looking to add another female character [in addition to Julie Bowen]


[May 20, 2005]
The Law Firm
Zap2it / NBC Summer shows
David E. Kelley's eight-episode unscripted drama "The Law Firm" will premiere on Thursday, July 28 at 9 p.m. The goal here is an attorney is eliminated at the end of each episode. They argue actual cases; the ruling is binding and so is the $250k financial windfall going to the last lawyer standing.

[May 19, 2005]

Spader, Shatner, Valley, Bergen and Julie Bowen from Boston Legal attend the ABC Upfront Presentation Party held at Damrosch Park Lincoln Center in New York City on May 18. More of James and Leslie. 1 2  large
[filmmagic; gettyimages, rexfeatures, splashnews]

[May 18, 2005]
Tara and Lori Leaving Boston Legal
Variety
ABC also used its upfront to announce that "Ed" star Julie Bowen would be joining "Boston Legal," with Rhona Mitra and Monica Potter leaving the show. Candice Bergen will be back, however.
[Variety is subscription only. For full text, see JSMP posting, "More Makeover Magic at ABC?"  Thanks, Vanilla]

[ed. note: The competition on CBS at 10 pm Tuesday is another legal show. Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Close to Home: a new mother and lawyer tries to protect her community in this legal drama.  A female attorney show. Might explain why ABC's McPherson said David E. Kelley is hoping to add a stronger female perspective to the show.

So we have Boston Legal, Law & Order and legal drama Close To Home.  Fierce.]

Bowen Bounces to 'Boston'
Zap2it.com
David E. Kelley is hoping to add a stronger female perspective to the show through her and Candice Bergen. "I think he wants to get some of that 'Ally McBeal' voice out," ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson says.

Lake Bell's new show "Fathom" is set for NBC Mondays at 8 pm in the fall.


[May 17, 2005]
Julie Bowen ["Ed"] Joins Cast
Newsday
Julie Bowen is joining "Boston Legal" (Tuesdays at 10, a new night), which means her character won't find love on "Jake in Progress" after all.

Thanks to the Yahoo Boston Legal Fan Group for this news.

Julie Bowen at IMDB

[May 5, 2005]

Must-see network TV from our view
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Boston Legal has people talking about it long after "Grey's Anatomy" bumped it from the lineup. [Its] success lies in compelling, enigmatic characters. It's no exaggeration to say that "Boston Legal" is largely fueled by the deranged actions of Denny Crane and Alan Shore. Nor is it an overstatement to say that the two men were quite often the only reason to watch the show.

[May 4, 2005]

Good TV fare is very rare these days
Press & Sun-Bulletin
ABC, which had the best new show of the season in Boston Legal, shelved it in favor of yet another hospital epic featuring people who behave like the cast from Camp Runamok in surgical gowns. But take heart, culture is on the march.

Living TV interactive campaign to tempt viewers
Revolution Magazine
LONDON – Living TV is launching an interactive ad campaign, which allows viewers on other channels to access footage from Living's most successful TV shows ... 'Boston Legal' ... will gain exposure from the ads. The interactive ads will appear during commercial breaks on ITV, Channel 4, E4 and Sky One and will ask digital viewers to press the red button to gain exclusive footage of hit Living TV shows and interviews with cast members.
[Ed. note: Now that's the way to innovatively promote BL!]


[May 3, 2005]
TV Gal Indulges in Character Swapping
Zap2it.com
TV Gal gives James Spader her highest marks by rating him 5 Smits ("...since Jimmy Smits replacing David Caruso was probably one of the best cast swaps ever.")

Where's Our Show?
Rocky Mountain News
If e-mails and phone calls were a barometer, ABC's Boston Legal might be No. 1 in Denver audience ratings.


[April 25, 2005]

FootnoteTV / newsaic.com
Deep, fascinating analysis of the issues and events that inspire television shows, including Boston Legal.  Site author Stephen Lee, journalist and attorney 

Best on box
Edmonton Sun
ABC - Easily the network of the year even if it's not No. 1 overall in the ratings.

[April 24, 2005]

Boston Legal crosses the pond, begins broadcasting in the UK. Mondays 10pm, April 25th.
See Living TV's very nice website

Just... Pray!

Thank you to UnclePhil2K from Live Journal's BL Fans for creating and sharing this.

[April 4, 2005]

Listen to the cast and creatives from Boston Legal share their thoughts on production and storylines during the William S. Paley Television Festival held March 15 in Hollywood at the Directors Guild Theater.
[Go to Event page]

[April 3, 2005]

Who’s on first? Networks jumble TV show schedules
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Last week, ABC introduced the new medical series,"Grey’s Anatomy" on Sunday night at 10 p.m., which must have been a jolt to fans of "Boston Legal" which is usually in that time slot. "Grey’s Anatomy will be on again tonight at the same time, but the network has not yet announced where or when "Boston Legal" will return.

So who’s on Sunday?

I don’t know.

Exactly.

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