Question: My guess for your "Hit Show's Star Wants Deal of the Century" blind item is Anthony LaPaglia.
Answer: Nope, but you're driving in the right neighborhood.
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For the last five years, Aussie-born Anthony LaPaglia's life has been intertwined with that of his Without a Trace character, FBI missing-persons agent Jack Malone. On the CBS series' March 11 episode, "Deep Water," LaPaglia will be credited not only as the popular procedural's lead, but also as that episode's writer.
"I never really had a burning desire to write or direct or any of that," LaPaglia tells TV Guide during a quick on-set lunch break. "It's the fifth year of the show and while I like the acting part of it, I was starting to get a bit itchy. I was sitting around one day with the guy who does my make up, Mike Mills, and we were talking about different stories that were out there."
Without a Trace often focuses on stories based on real-life incidents, and it
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In October, CBS' Without a Trace (Sundays at 10 pm/ET) notched its 100th episode. Though not as high-profile as the Law & Orders and CSIs of the world, the FBI procedural has earned a loyal audience with solid writing and an engaging ensemble. Leading that cast is veteran actor Anthony LaPaglia. TVGuide.com touched base with LaPaglia as he wrapped up on shooting the series' fifth season and was out promoting The Architect, a gritty indie currently in theaters and on DVD that follows a community activist's struggles to get a dangerous subsidized housing project demolished.
TVGuide.com: The Architect tackles some pretty weighty issues, from class struggle to family dysfunction. Did t
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Question: I read your short iwrite-up of the Without a Trace finale in one of your Dispatches and was surprised that you didn't have more of a reaction. What has happened to this show? The writing has been so poor this season that it's almost criminal that their writers get paid. In my opinion, their writers had two approaches in Season 4: crib from old ER story lines or just toe the line by writing boring, exploitative cases that are comparable to the mess that is CSI: Miami. I don't see the writing getting any better since Hank Steinberg's pilot has been picked up and looks promising. I almost hope this show fails on Sundays — just to show CBS how far it has fallen. Trace used to be such a quality show, with subtle personal storylines and gripping cases. Now it is just plain bad — the agents never interact, the good story lines (Danny's PTSD, the Jack/Sam history) have been dropped, and boring, clichéd story lines have been bungled. If they continue with the Jack-Anne pregnancy story ...
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Question: First, thank you for your column. Your analysis is great, and though I do not always agree, I always appreciate the thoughtfulness you give to your columns. Without a Trace tried for a lighter tone last week (March 9), and I, for one, was delighted by the effort to try something different, especially considering the glut of procedurals out there. My wife and I were smiling and laughing out loud (which is better than we do with many sitcoms). While I would not like to see this all the time, Without a Trace seems to make an effort to change the procedural formula from the inside out. What did you think of the effort?
Answer: I thought it was a little clumsy, but I also appreciated the attempt at a change of pace. It wasn't as terrific as the episode earlier this season told from the point of view of a missing teen's parents (one of Trace's best hours ever), but it wasn't as awful as last season's pretentious dream psychodrama featuring Anthony LaPaglia in old-man makeup. Quite a
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