It looks like 2007 is turning out be a very good year for Forest Whitaker The Oscar nominee and by most accounts front-runner has turned in yet another bravado performance as the mentally unstable former ER patient Curtis Ames I dont think it is a stretch to assume that later this year this gifted actor will be adding an Emmy to his growing collection of acting accolades Whitaker really has an uncanny ability to capture the humanity and vulnerability of emotionally tortured characters Though I havent had a chance to see The Last King of Scotland yet I have heard he works similar magic with his charismatic portrayal of the supremely unsympathetic Idi Amin Even while you hate Ames for torturing our beloved Dr Kovac you never lose sight of the fact that the man is operating from a deep reservoir of resentment pain and lossI have to admit that I wasnt at all surprised with the denouement of this particular story line I knew that ultimately Ames was go
read more
I have to say theres nothing like a big sweeps event to help digest all the turkey mashed potatoes stuffing and to-die-for corn cakes in my house all courtesy of my husbands amazing culinary skills Hope you ER fans enjoyed a yummy Thanksgiving feast of your own before settling in for a brand new episodeTonight in keeping with the spirit of the season I would like to focus on the theme of thankfulness First I am so thankful that Maura Tierney continues to get a chance to shine Tonight she was right back in the spotlight as Abbys plans for an idyllic holiday with her new family were derailed As if getting dragged away for a pointless transport wasnt bad enough she had to deal with being dropped into a ravine to assist at the sight of a horrific bus accident The scenes with young Milo and his mother were heart-breaking but I had a feeling that Abby would go back for her with an assist from her surly transport partner Together they saved the da
read more
Hey ER fans better late than never right Thanks for your patience while we got the blog up and running Thankfully the 13th season of our venerable Thursday-night must-see kicked off right where the finale left off with Jerry Luka Abby and Sam all in various states of peril When we last saw Sam she was being tossed into a van by Steve and his fellow prison escapee Rafe For you Six Feet Under fans Rafe was played by Michael Weston the guy who brutalized David in a similarly creepy role a few years back And Mary the ER trainee turned gun-toting accomplice was played by Natasha Gregson Wagner daughter of the late Natalie Wood Their escape resulted in Jerry being shot and Luka being paralyzed and intubated helpless to assist a bleeding unconscious Abby As a devoted fan the sloppiness of some of the writing and character development in recent seasons has been frustrating This show is at its absolute best and always has been when we are watching the day-to-day
read more
The Great White Way will get a lot of freckles when Julianne Moore returns to the New York stage in David Hare's The Vertical Hour, making its world premiere Nov. 30.... Per Playbill.com, Scrubs' Judy Reyes completes the cast of Neil LaBute's off-Broadway play Some Girl(s), joining Eric McCormack, Fran Drescher, Maura Tierney and Brooke Smith.
read more
ERRay Liotta did it last season, and so did Cynthia Nixon: When they guest-starred on ER, the entire hour revolved around their characters. Ray won an Emmy for his brilliant portrayal, and Cynthia should've been at least nominated, but wasn't. James Woods continued this tradition and was just as awesome as ALS patient Dr. Nate Lennox. I loved how the flashbacks kept going further and further back in time, so we could see the gradual deterioration of his character, but what made it even more interesting was seeing the various ER characters as they dealt with him throughout the years. Just because I was naturally curious, I checked my ER records and yes, Goran Visnjic was indeed on the show back in 2001. (He's been on since 1999, my, how time h
read more
ERI love Maura Tierney! What an awesome episode for her. She says so much with just one look. And who knew Abby and Luka would make such a nice couple? Luka was being the epitome of the perfectly understanding and supportive boyfriend — just what Abby needs at such a stressful time. To keep a baby or not to keep a baby? Interesting timing with the 15-year-old rape victim also having to make that decision. Nice, satisfying ending with Abby telling Luka, "I didn't do it; I couldn't. I want to keep it. I want us to have this baby." Luka grabbing Abby's hand and holding it, of course, made me cry. I rarely get through an ER episode without at least one teary eye. It was also a great episode for Goran Visnjic. It surprised me a bit to see him so stern with Neela and telling her his personal
read more
Question: How about some dish on ER's sole reason to watch: Maura Tierney. Is Abby finally going to get some lovin'?
Answer: Yes. She'll get some nooky-nooky around mid-November. And I think you'll be surprised by with whom she gets it.
read more
First I need to correct the handful of people who last week thought I was saying that Jessica Hecht played Ross' ex-wife on Friends. If you go back and check, you'll see that I wrote "Ross' ex-wife's wife." Had to get that out of the way. So tonight was another episode that hit home for me. My dad had prostate cancer just like Dr. Dubenko, and had the same risky surgery. My dad survived, but he is unfortunately in that 25 percent group Dubenko was mentioning. It was so sweet that Abby wanted to be such a friend to him. But just a friend. The scene where she politely rejected his request to help him with his problem before and after the surgery ("I'm gonna have to take a pass on that") was priceless. Boy, do I love me some Maura Tierney. But I also love me some Linda Cardellini. So glad Sam finally spoke up for herself against Cruella De Vil, or rather, Kristen Johnston as Eve. So funny to hear Luka whine to Kerry as he complai
read more
So after going to the live Will & Grace taping and getting a bite to eat at the after-party, where I told the cast how fabu they were, I was really in the mood to go home to watch my favorite Chicago-based medical drama. Actually, I wasn't — I had it TiVo'd, so I would have preferred to watch it at a later time, but an assignment is an assignment, right? Luckily, I got all my laughs out of my system at the taping, since this was an especially intense and depressing ER. You can't get much sadder than an injured surrogate mother who gives birth to a baby with toxic brain defects, causing the new parents not to want it anymore. Nice to see Amy Aquino back guesting on the show, but this was the second episode in a row without Kerry Weaver. At least Laura Innes directed it. Interesting how Sam and Luka chose to spend time away from each other, thus giving Goran Visnjic more screen time with Maura Tierney, which hasn't happened in ages.
read more
Remember when there was a new Darren on Bewitched? How about when Chris on The Partridge Family changed? Then there was a new Steven on Dynasty and, of course, a new Becky on Roseanne (and then back to the old). Now we have a new Alex on ER. Alex, just to remind you, is Samantha's diabetic son, and he's now being played by Dominic Janes. Maybe Oliver Davis had to do full-time work on Rodney? Anyway, I noticed it right away, even though at first they were using clever camera work so he was only seen from far away. I laughed when the detective told Sam (after Alex's photo was distributed): "Nobody recognized your son." Of course they didn't; he's being played by someone else. Glad for Sam's sake that she finally found him and that he's OK. But her journey getting to the missing Alex included a scene that brought back nasty memories for me. I must admit that I once fell asleep at the wheel — not a pretty time in my history.
read more
