More Than Words

In memoriam

2011-09-11T00:47:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Vincent!

2011-06-30T22:45:00.000-04:00

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!

2011-04-02T00:48:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-10-09T00:11:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-11T00:10:00.000-04:00

Remember

Major Case Design

2010-09-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-07-21T22:34:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-06-30T01:33:00.001-04:00

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!

2010-06-02T23:55:00.003-04:00

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

2010-05-17T00:28:00.003-04:00

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.

Baby Blue

2010-03-20T18:30:00.000-04:00

Bobby Goren in a suit. Ah, what could be nicer? Sometimes there's a tie, sometimes not. Sometimes that tie clip is very prominent, and sometimes it is distinctly absent. His shirts are always wonderfully coordinated to the suit, which brings me to my personal favorite...the blue shirt.

Sometimes the blue shirt is a pale baby blue, sometimes azure, nearly the color of a gorgeous summer sky. And he looks beautiful in them. I've collected a few shots of Bobby looking beautiful in blue. Enjoy!

Let it snow!

2010-02-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

For the second weekend in a row, Virginia is under a winter storm warning. Not exactly unheard of here in the Commonwealth, but still uncommon enough to cause a run on everything from bread and milk to snow shovels and rock salt.

As for me, well I was supposed to be traveling up to Richmond for my birthday on Monday, but Old Man Winter is putting the kibosh on my plans, so I've done a little rearranging and come up with an alternate plan. I'm going to be spending my weekend snuggled up with someone very special.

Yep. You guessed it!

With Seasons 1-4 of Criminal Intent on DVD, I'll have enough Bobby Goren to keep me more than occupied on a long, cold winter weekend! Down my way, I don't think it'll be as much snow as last weekend, though. Good thing I took pictures!

P.S. Don't try this at home. Trust me.

Computer Challenges

2010-01-25T22:07:00.008-05:00

"What IS it with this thing today???"

Ever had one of those days? You know, when your computer gives you those annoying error messages every time you tell it to do something? Well, I got to thinking...what kind of error messages might our friends in the Major Case Squad get? Check them out!!

THE END

Who Let The Dog Out: A Crime Story

2010-01-20T23:06:00.002-05:00

The case of the escaping dog – and Detective Goren has already begun to work the case. Our very own Boy Genius will have this thing solved in no time! He’s already taken my statement, which is as follows:

"Before I left for work this morning, I put Ginger in her crate and closed and locked the gate. She was barking, as per the usual, but I knew that after a few minutes, she would realize I was gone and then she would be quiet again. Sasha was in the living room, watching me go, and giving me that sly puppy-dog look that said she was up to something. Then, when I came home from work at approximately 6:45 PM, Ginger herself greeted me at the front door!! Sasha was not far behind. So...HOW did Ginger escape???”

"Good question,” says Detective Goren. “Let’s examine the evidence and talk to the witnesses. We can charge the suspects with attempted escape and general mischief, a Class A misdemeanor.”

The evidence:

Bedding from the crate in the middle of the living room floor.

Gate lying on the floor in the bedroom in front of the crate. Also in evidence is the fact that Ginger was at the door to greet me this evening!!!

The Witnesses:

The Suspects:

Ginger – code name The G-Force – AKA The Escape Artist

Sasha – code name The Fixer – AKA The Flight Risk

Additional charges:

Attempted Evidence Tampering

Witness Intimidation

Kidnapping a Witness

The Sleuth:

Detective Robert Goren - code name The Intimidator - AKA The Boy Genius

With Detective Goren on the case, this crime will soon be solved and the perpetrators will be appropriately sentenced for their part in this crime.

So this is Christmas....and look what I've done....

2009-12-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

To get us in the spirit of fun this Christmas.....

Okay girls...who wants to sit on Santa's lap?????

Just for laughs...

2009-11-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

So, I've been on this captioning pictures kick for the past couple of weeks. I've been amusing my friends and more than likely making myself look like a slightly crazy nerd, but what the heck! In light of recent events, the laughter has been good. So here are some of the chuckles I've been sending out lately. Enjoy!

"New" CI - New opening narrative

2009-11-03T22:59:00.001-05:00

So, with NBCU/USA's decision to gut my favorite show in favor of a "lighter" tone, I thought that the show's narrative needed an overhaul. The current narrative reads like this:

Well, the "new" and not-so-improved Criminal Intent certainly cannot use THAT as their opening. It just doesn't fit with those new fluffy blue skies over at USA. So...here is an opening narrative that will be much more appropriate:

Endgame

2009-09-27T20:59:00.014-04:00

This seems like a fitting title though it is sad that my very first blog post will be about something so disappointing and unfair. I am shocked and dismayed, and quite disappointed in those in charge at NBCU/USA/Wolf Productions for their shoddy treatment of my favorite show Law & Order: Criminal Intent. From recent reports, it seems as though they are dumping Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eric Bogosian, for reasons which I am still trying to fathom. It seems to be all about the money folks.

And how are they doing this? How are they treating our beloved Bobby Goren after eight seasons? And his steadfast partner Alex Eames? Are they giving them a full season to say goodbye to their fans, during which time their fans can say goodbye to them properly? NO!

Reports say that they are writing Goren out after the season opener, and it's unclear when Eames and Ross will go. They are, in effect, completely disrespecting not only the show and its fans, but the actors as well.

NBCU/USA/Wolf Productions: You should be ashamed of the sloppy way you are treating these fine actors and this wonderful show. Truly ashamed.

You have lost your fan base with this decision and sunk your own ship. It's truly detestable the way these three fine actors have been treated and also how their characters have been discounted, as though they do not matter to the show.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent has always been character driven. As one astute observer has stated in recent days, the show was never about watching the cops catch another bad guy. It was about watching Detective Robert Goren catch said bad guy. Watching him manipulate the suspects, play with them like a cat toys with a mouse before it pounces in for the kill. That has always been the magic of Criminal Intent, and always will be.