In memoriam

Happy Birthday, Vincent!

I can't think of a better way to say Happy Birthday to my favorite actor than by doing my part to fulfill a wish he posted during the Twitter chat last Sunday, during the finale of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Someone asked him if there were any actors that he would have wanted to work with on LOCI and he replied: "All the great ones. I wish we had more time."

Well Vincent, I'm here to say that I'll do whatever I can to make that wish come true because I wish you and the cast and crew of LOCI had more time, too!

So to all of my LOCI peeps out there, your Head Cheerleader is back again, pom-poms in hand, to pump you up for our new campaign to keep Criminal Intent on the air! Vincent told us in the chat last Sunday that if we want more Criminal Intent, it is up to US! Kathryn Erbe urged us to let the USA Network know we want more LOCI, and fans are already sending emails via the USA Network's feedback page HERE!

During the "Fluff Campaign" we sure made ourselves heard! So now we are back to encourage everyone to make it even LOUDER this time! We're going to flood USA's New York office with TIE CLIPS and SKITTLES! For all of the details, check out our blog post: Launching Operation Tie Clips And Skittles!

Happy Birthday, Vincent! Sure hope you like your present! We love ya!

Barbi -aka - Head Cheerleader

GO TEAM LOCI!!!

What a difference a year makes!

A year ago, we were all in tears...

We said goodbye...

And now...like a dream come true...

...we get to say "Hello again!"

The Dream Team is BACK!

A couple of weeks ago, we got the awesome news that Vincent D'Onofrio would be rejoining Law & Order: Criminal Intent and bringing Bobby Goren back for a final season. This news was more than enough to send all of us fans into a frenzy of celebratory dances and Facebook posts! Then we hit the blogs and the message boards.

Now, I must say, as happy as everyone was, the dances soon gave way to one burning question: What about Eames????

Because, truthfully, Goren and Eames go together like peanut butter and jelly...biscuits and gravy...movies and popcorn...

We wanted them BOTH back. And on Friday...we got our wish! The news was good...Kathryn Erbe is returning to Criminal Intent for a final season with Vincent D'Onofrio to reunite Goren and Eames. To say we are happy...that's the understatement of the century!

WE ARE ECSTATIC!!

Welcome back, Bobby and Alex!! We've missed you!!

September 11, 2001

Remember

Major Case Design

While watching Homo Homini Lupis (S1:14), I noticed something quite interesting and rather humorous. It seems the Colters took a design tip from the Major Case Squad about their home furnishings. Just take a look at the chair in these caps...

(And is it me, or does Bobby look like he's about to fall onto Maggie's bed and take a nap???)

Forget Beckham!

From the first lean...

......to the last.....

....and all the ones in between....

....nobody...but NOBODY....BENDS IT LIKE BOBBY!

*Credit where it is due: A couple of these caps are courtesy of my good friend T'Jara and from two other blogs by Vincent fans. Check them out! The Velocity Of Vincent and Life and Vincent.

A historical day!

June 30, 1959

When I got my Google Alerts today, there was a link to a blog called Historical Births. It came up with my alerts because, of course, Vincent D'Onofrio was listed among the famous folks who share this day as their birth date. My curiosity was piqued, so I checked out the blog and found a number of names listed that were instantly recognizable. Among them were:

Susan Hayward (1917-1975) - actress and one of Hollywood's original "Pin-Up Girls".

Lena Horne (1917-2010) actress and singer - a beautiful voice that was heard for the last time only this year.

Robert Ballard (1942) oceanographer - Known to us history lovers as the guy who found the sunken remains of the Titanic in 1985. 

David Alan Grier (1955) actor and comedian - Best known (by me) for his amazing skits on In Living Color, most especially the "Men On Film" skit with Damon Wayans.

Mike Tyson (1966) boxer - Should be best known for his nickname "Iron Mike" and being a heavyweight champion. Unfortunately, thanks to his little temper tantrum during a rematch with Evander Holyfield in 1997, he's much better known for biting part of Holyfield's ear off. I suppose now we'll have to call him "Chewy"...

Michael Phelps (1985) swimmer - Holds the record for the most career Olympic gold medals for any Olympian at 14 - 8 of which he won at the '08 Summer Olympics in Beijing, breaking Mark Spitz's record of 7 golds in one Olympics.

Still, with all of these interesting folks sharing the day, it is one in particular who holds my heart.

So here's a big

to my favorite guy, and a wish for many, many more. Vincent, you rock!

One more cheer!

It's been a wild ride on this roller coaster since I first picked up my pom-poms to become Head Cheerleader of the fan campaign to protest the major changes USA was making to my favorite TV show, Law & Order: Criminal Intent. I threw myself into the Fluff Campaign with gusto. I made the above postcard to send out to the network execs, sent numerous emails to not only the network folks, but to online news outlets and commented on countless blogs and articles. But my favorite part - well that has to be my Head Cheerleader duties! I had such a blast coming up with new and different ways to pump everyone up and keep the morale boosted.

Well, I'm going to pick up my pom-poms one more time and give a big shout out to everyone who made the CI Binder Project happen! A very special shout to my peeps Suzanne, Susan, Hannah and Antje. Months of hard work on the fan campaign turned into months of hard work on the Binder Project. We laughed, we cried, we sweated, we hoped - and our hopes were rewarded!

Three binders were put together. One for Vincent D'Onofrio, one for Kathryn Erbe, and one for Eric Bogosian. Letters came from all over the world - and artwork, too! Kathryn's and Eric's binders went out today to their respective agencies - and Vincent's was personally delivered by our very own Susan, who went to Joe's Pub in New York City on Friday night for the screening of Don't Go In The Woods (directed by Vincent). Read the full report of the delivery HERE.

And to top off that very special evening - not only did Susan get to meet Vincent (again!) but she also gave him special picture pages that she had printed out for each one of us on the Binder Crew so that he could sign them for us! Check it out!

A great big THANK YOU to all who participated in this project. We may have put it all together, but without your letters and artwork, and all of your comments on our Tributes page, there wouldn't have been anything to put together. SO....ONE LAST TIME...(because I have SO missed doing this!).....

GO TEAM LOCI!!!!!!!!!!

Frame Revisited

While manually capping "Frame" a few weeks ago, I adjusted my seatbelt quite often during my ride on the emotional roller coaster that was the Criminal Intent finale for Season 7. The above cap was my first one. I simply had to pause on that solemn moment of reflection as Bobby stood at his mother's gravesite.

What I was really looking for as I was capping the "teaser" was something that my friend Quietfire had once mentioned during one of our many discussions about this episode. She spoke of a moment when Vincent looked right into the camera and literally pulled us into Bobby's grief. And so began my quest for not only this pivotal moment, but the "frames" that would showcase the gift that Vincent has for speaking without saying a single word. I have said often enough that he can say more with one facial expression than many actors do with multiple lines of script.

The morning after Bobby tried to call Frank, we see him headed down a tree-lined sidewalk, paying a call on his brother. When he sees the police out front, he's curious as to what's happening, but when he's told that a junkie "took a header" out of his bedroom window, he knows it's Frank. He rushes through the crime scene tape, badge in hand, announcing "Major Case...Major Case..." so they will let him through. He strides purposefully down the alley, his shoes clapping against the cement, the sound echoing along the alleyway. And then...the moment he enters the courtyard and we get a look at his face, there are no words needed.

 

There's anger here...the kind that says, "Damn it! I always knew this would happen!" And maybe a bit of, "Why didn't I just come over last night when he didn't answer?" And there's apprehension, too, because he knows what he's going to find and he doesn't want to see it. 

Just before he lifts the sheet, he stops, pauses, with a look reminiscent of the one from the Season 6 episode "Blind Spot" when he opens the trunk of Alex's car and sees the tarp covered body, and for one horrifying moment believes it will be her that he sees when he lifts the tarp. Here there is also a hint of resignation because he already knows what he will find when he lifts the sheet, and along with that is a look of tenderness. The heart that loved his brother is being laid bare.

The first moment...the sorrow...the paradoxical disbelieving shock.

He's trying to pull himself together now, choking back the sobs, attempting to hold back the tears. Note the blind stare. His eyes are glassy now...the numbness is already setting in.

And now...the moment...Vincent looks squarely into the camera, pulling us directly into Bobby's pain and grief. We are no longer simply on-lookers...we are now a part of it. We are not observing...we are experiencing.

Just before the cut, it's over. He can't hold on anymore. I envision him hanging his head now, shoulders heaving as he tries to collect himself. Note the tears, and the way his eyes are narrowed as he fights for control.

This, my friends, is the beauty of an actor with a true gift for his craft. Bobby Goren uttered not one single word out loud throughout this entire scene. Instead, he spoke volumes in his silence thanks to Vincent's brilliant performance. Such exquisite sorrow. Beautifully done.

Bravo, Vincent. Bravo! Please consider this a standing ovation.