I'd seen the promos for this episode of Law & Order: SVU over the past week heralding the special guest appearance of Aidan Quinn. I was intrigued. Would Aidan (lovable movie star whose heyday was arguably the '90s) going to play an against-type villain as previous guest stars Martin Short, Henry Winkler, John Ritter, Cindy Williams and Matthew Modine have done? Or would he remain the lovable Aidan from Benny & Joon?OK, the first thing I had a problem with (and maybe this is just me): If I come across my kid covered in blood, I am not going to let her come back with me into the apartment while I look around. Seriously. He didn't even know if the guy who caused all that blood was still inside! Couldn't he have left her with a neighbor while he did a quick pass to check out the wife? Also — and if this is rude let me know, because I don't want to be un-P.C. here — is there a reason this family wouldn't have gotten this kid braces? They can obviously afford it.One hig...
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Aidan Quinn by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com; Julianna Margulies by KC Bailey/Fox
No, not in real life — on TV! Aidan Quinn has been tapped to play Julianna Margulies' husband on her forthcoming Fox courtroom drama Canterbury's Law. He replaces Linus Roache, who asked out of his contract to become Law & Order's new assistant DA. Quinn's recurring character is a former assistant U.S. attorney who began teaching law after his son with Margulies went missing. The gig marks a reunion for the actors, who costarred in the 2002 Bruce Beresford-helmed drama Evelyn. As I previously reported, Margulies' real-life pregnancy — which for some odd reason still hasn't been officially confirmed by her reps — will not be written into the show. According to sources, the plan is to get as many episodes in the can as possible before Margulies has to get lowered onto the set by a crane.
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August Schellenberg in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Annabel Reyes/HBO
Nominations for the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, to be broadcast Sept. 16 on Fox, were announced Thursday morning. Here are the major races in the miniseries or TV-movie field.Lead Actress in a Miniseries or TV-movie:Queen Latifah (Life Support)Helen Mirren (Prime Suspect: The Final Act)Mary-Louise Parker (The Robber Bride)Debra Messing (The Starter Wife)Gena Rowlands (What If God Were the Sun)Lead Actor in a Miniseries or TV-movie:Robert Duvall (Broken Trail)Tom Selleck (Jesse Stone: Sea Change)Jim Broadbent (Longford)William H. Macy (Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King)Matthew Perry (The Ron Clark Story)Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or TV-movie:Greta Scacchi (Broken Trail)Anna Paquin (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee)Samantha Morton (Longford)Judy Davis (The Starter Wife)Toni Collette (Tsunami: The Aftermath)Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or TV-movie:Thomas Haden Church (Broken Trail)August Schellenberg (Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) Aidan Qui...
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Question: I was most disappointed to learn this morning that The Book of Daniel was being dropped from NBC's schedule, but what really irritated me was the crowing being done by the self-righteous group the American Family Association, which is apparently taking credit for forcing NBC to make the move. It is a shame. I was truly enjoying it, uneven as it sometimes was, due to the outstanding cast — particularly Aidan Quinn and Susanna Thompson. Damn, that scene with the mafia guy making a pass at Daniel was funny. Doesn't it make you crazy when those bigoted right-wing groups smugly assert this kind of move is due to their influence when it's really all about the numbers? NBC saw constantly declining numbers and made the decision to give up the chance to build viewership. I highly doubt they'd have paid attention to any so-called watchdog group if the show had proved a cult or breakout hit, so why should they do so when it's a low-rated show? What do you think?
Answer: The only thing
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Question: I have already heard some fans of The Book of Daniel talk as though anyone who dislikes the show is automatically "intolerant" or "close-minded," but that is, in itself, an example of intolerance. Not everyone who dislikes this show does so because they hate homosexuals, disapprove of religion being a part of a TV show or think that clergy are actually perfect in real life. My objections to the show are based on the show. I felt like it was just trying too hard. It was trying so hard to present "real" people and establish an irreverent tone that it simply piled flaw after flaw, secret after secret, and problem after problem into one family without bothering to take time to really explore or go beyond the big reveal.
Answer: This is a very fair criticism, and you're not the only one to take this view. The critical reception was mixed, some enjoying Book of Daniel's reckless and messy qualities and others finding it over the top and all too easy to resist. I like it because it's
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Heather Graham, Emily's Reasons Why Not
The Book of Daniel There's something about pairing Jesus with a Vicodin-popping Episcopalian priest that creates brouhaha. We expected the Bill O'Reillys of the world to complain (Someday O'Reilly is going to be driven to insanity when he awakens in the Twilight Zone surrounded by nice, sensible people), but apparently many in the Midwest found the subject matter so repellent that stations in places like Terre Haute pulled Daniel from their schedules. Another triumph for the easily offended. Normal-ites should ask a different question: Is The Book of Daniel worth checking out? I'd say it's a flawed but worthwhile experiment. Aidan Quinn makes a very human reverend, a man whose faith in God is directly proportional to the lack of faith he has in himself. D
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Heather Graham, Emily's Reasons Why Not
The Book of Daniel There's something about pairing Jesus with a Vicodin-popping Episcopalian priest that creates brouhaha. We expected the Bill O'Reillys of the world to complain (Someday O'Reilly is going to be driven to insanity when he awakens in the Twilight Zone surrounded by nice, sensible people), but apparently many in the Midwest found the subject matter so repellent that stations in places like Terre Haute pulled Daniel from their schedules. Another triumph for the easily offended. Normal-ites should ask a different question: Is The Book of Daniel worth checking out? I'd say it's a flawed but worthwhile experiment. Aidan Quinn makes a very human reverend, a man whose faith in God is directly proportional to the lack of faith he has in himself. D
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Susannah Thompson and Aidan Quinn, The Book of Daniel
Question: I have never written on behalf of anything on television before, but tonight I felt compelled. I'll apologize ahead of time because this isn't so much a question as a hope — a plea, if you will — and, well, a venting of sorts. Please tell me that there are some really wonderful reviews coming in on The Book of Daniel and that all the hoopla from the few "loud ones" are not getting all the attention. Please tell me that this series has a chance! I know you know this, but Aidan Quinn is a remarkable actor, and the rest of the show is brilliantly cast. The writing is witty, intense, tasteful, serious and, yes, even funny and entertaining at times. It is, of course, called entertainment, for goodness' sake, and it's fiction! Please tell me that NBC will not bow down to the vocal, narrow-minded population trying to make decisions for the rest of us about what we should and should not watch. Personally, I don't care for all the crime- and sex-related shows on television, but guess ...
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The Book of Daniel There's something about pairing Jesus with a Vicodin-popping Episcopalian priest that creates brouhaha. We expected the Bill O'Reillys of the world to complain (Someday O'Reilly is going to be driven to insanity when he awakens in the Twilight Zone surrounded by nice, sensible people), but apparently many in the Midwest found the subject matter so repellent that stations in places like Terre Haute pulled Daniel from their schedules. Another triumph for the easily offended. Normal-ites should ask a different question: Is The Book of Daniel worth checking out? I'd say it's a flawed but worthwhile experiment. Aidan Quinn makes a very human reverend, a man whose faith in God is directly proportional to the lack of faith he has in himself. Daniel's inte
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The Book of Daniel's Susannah Thompson, Aidan Quinn and Alison Pill
I'm pretty sure I'm still dreaming. As far as I can tell, this dream started a year and a half ago, so it's actually still June 2004, it's 3:30 in the morning, and I "wake up" with the first scene vividly playing out in my head: His daughter's been arrested. This guy (I hadn't even come up with names yet) has to go pick up his teenage daughter at a police station, way down in Riverdale, in the middle of the night. What the heck was she doing in Riverdale?! He's worried to death. He's angry. He's scared. But more than anything... he's uncomfortable. He is a WASP, after all — they don't go to police stations. And certainly not in the middle of the night! By the time he gets her and his wife home, it's dawn; they have to get ready for church. As he sits alone in his car, he reaches for the biggest obstacle in his life right now — his Vicodin. Then... Smash Cut to: the Pulpit. He's a priest! That's it. That's my way in. I finally found my way into a world that's bee
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