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SPOILER ALERT !!
Denny Crane.
“Boston Legal,” a.k.a. “Fleet Street” a.k.a. “The Practice: Fleet Street” is David E. Kelley’s “Practice” sequel revolving around the James Spader, Rhona Mitra, William Shatner, and Lake Bell characters we met last season. Mark Valley (“Keen Eddie”), Rene Auberjonois (“Deep Space Nine”) and the blonde Julia Roberts, Monica Potter (“Along Came A Spider”), join up for the new show.
Everybody’s quick to agree Spader deserved his big Emmy win, and that's one bandwagon on which I can jump. But I add Emmy-winner Shatner was no less deserving for turn as strange but formidable senior partner Denny Crane.
There’s very little not to like about the show, which is the same thing I said about Kelley’s “Ally McBeal” opener eight autumns ago. “Ally” enjoyed two inspired seasons before it went completely off the rails. Let’s hope this one maintains its balance a bit longer.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
Everybody’s quick to agree Spader deserved his big Emmy win, and that's one bandwagon on which I can jump. But I add Emmy-winner Shatner was no less deserving for turn as strange but formidable senior partner Denny Crane.
There’s very little not to like about the show, which is the same thing I said about Kelley’s “Ally McBeal” opener eight autumns ago. “Ally” enjoyed two inspired seasons before it went completely off the rails. Let’s hope this one maintains its balance a bit longer.
The Hollywood Reporter says:
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… "L.A. Law" on crack. That isn't a cause for complaint but, rather, celebration. … fun to watch and impossible to anticipate … groundbreaking drama that reflects the spirit of the times. … James Spader's portrayal of Shore won him a well-deserved Emmy and the character revitalized [“The Practice”], but there was always a nagging feeling that he operated in some parallel universe. Not anymore. Shore is completely within his element in ABC's "Boston Legal," an entire law firm dedicated to Vince Lombardi's tenet that winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. … Kelley proved last season that there's still a thirst for a smartly executed legal drama at 10 p.m. Sundays. His latest effort should keep viewers coming back for more. Variety says:
Maybe producer David E. Kelley should always have a legal series on the air somewhere, simply because he's so good at it a lascivious, incorrect, self-absorbed boor who somehow manages to be appealing in spite of (or, God help us, because of) those traits. The problem, alas, is that he and his colleagues are stuck hitting the same old notes - down to Shore's rule-breaking solution to a seemingly intractable situation. What, no Eugene to come in and verbally box his ears? … smart, sexy and watchable enough, but for all that, Kelley seems to have exhausted much of his pixie dust supply. … TV Guide says:
… It will be closer in politically correct tone to Ally McBeal than to the melodrama of The Practice … Spader is a lascivious hoot and Shatner indulges his ham bone with great glee. The welcome addition of Keen Eddie’s Valley may stop the show from going completely loony tunes. The Los Angeles Times says:
There are at least two reasons to watch "Boston Legal," which premieres Sunday night on ABC, and their names, in alphabetical order, are William Shatner and James Spader. They are not the only reasons … "Boston Legal" hits more than it misses. … The only false note is the romance Kelley has assigned him with fellow attorney Lake Bell ("Miss Match") — to heighten the rivalry with square-jawed ex-boyfriend Mark Valley ("Pasadena") and because sex is a subject Kelley cannot leave alone. But Spader's appeal is peculiarly nonsexual; his real chemistry here is with Shatner. Indeed, there's something sort of Kirk and Spock about them — Shatner puffed up like a blowfish, Spader deadpan and not quite of this Earth. … Aged an unbelievable 73, Shatner delivers a typically big performance, but one perfectly appropriate to a character who conceives of himself as larger than life. Yet at the same time, it's his most modest work ever. Shatner has an unusual ability to play off his own pompousness, which makes him extremely likable, and for all kinds of reasons, not the least of them having to do with one's memories of earlier Shatners, he is a joy to watch — that certain joy of watching the actor and the character at the same time. It helps that he is given clever things to say. … USA Today gives it three stars (out of four) and says:
Every David E. Kelley show has one important star you never see: David E. Kelley. … I had no particular use for the Shore and Crane duo when they were shoehorned into The Practice, pushing aside old favorites and depriving them and their show of a fitting finale. … Taken on its own purposely outrageous terms, Boston succeeds as a decent legal comedy led by two broadly amusing characters. Their act isn't for everyone, but there's no denying Spader and Shatner are well-matched scene-stealers. … As with all Kelley shows, Boston is likely to provoke strong and opposite reactions, sometimes from scene to scene. The show undoubtedly goes too far, but that's Kelley's signature style. You hire a star, you get the star's act.10 p.m. Sunday. ABC.
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It's just Shatner saying crazy things, Spader being all smug with no Eugene to act angry. No babes and there's no more trial storylines to use anymore. But if the guy that likes Gilmore Girls liked it, I'm in!
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I am so there. What more could a geek want?
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Could you just put your own opinions on the show instead of posting all those reviews by TV Guide and the HR?
I find your thoughts (as misguided as they are sometimes) more helpful than the lame reviews by those sources. -
Eleanor Frutt: Fat street, Eugene Young: Angry Black Attorney, Linday getting stalked: The series! The Practice: They become lawyers for the New England Patriots after Tom Brady is accused of robbing a bank, CSI:Boston; revolves around the mysterious deaths of Yankee fans, Lucy working at the rape counseling center; as a sitcom! Rebecca becoming a full fledged Jehovah's witness. Jimmy becomes a ballboy for the Cetlics,Helen Gamble moves to Los Angeles to become Jack Nicholson's Girlfriend and go to Laker games.
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Looking forward to seeing this. Plus Lake Bell is hot...Miss Match R.I.P.
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Finally people will get to see him do his thing. Been looking forward to seeing him and Spader go off the leash. Yeehaw!
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Where'd she go? She was one of the lawyers, and she was hilarious last season. Remember her fight with Eleanor? Did she walk off the set over money or something? Anybody????
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...Kirk AND Odo? I may have to check this out...
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He's entering his 5th decade on TV, and still rules.
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Oct 03, 2004 12:57:38 PM CDT
For those who can't get enough Shatner in their lives.
by floyd gondolli
I don't know about the States, but in the UK, William Shatner's new album 'Has Been' is out tomorrow. For a listen to his cover of Pulp's classic Common People, go to http://www.nme.com/features/110018.htm. I think you'll agree, it's GENIUS. Anyway, in a Hercules stylee, here is an album review from The Guardian's Friday Review. This CD is beyond good or bad. It is from a world where concepts such as "unique" and "indispensible" live happily alongside "hilariously, brain-tearingly wrong". (back to me now) If that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is.
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Shatner is irresistable to women. Sure, man.
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Denny Crane.
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Oct 03, 2004 10:06:59 PM CDT
The title sequence with the animation,and for that matter the th
by 007-11
But love the show.
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So what's her deal on the show? She's not in any of the cast photos and she's not on ABC's site, but she IS in the opening credits. Kristin over at E!online said that Marley Shelton was likely getting the boot from the show, but since I'm pretty sure Marley Shelton is doing West Wing this year, maybe she meant Monica Potter. In any case, I can see why they'd boot her--she's pretty bland so far. Considering the youngest guy on the show is about 40 and the oldest woman on the show is about 30, I'd say they could stand to add a few more veteran actresses to the mix.
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I didn't watch Picket Fences or Chicago Hope, but I hear they got strange. I did watch Ally McBeal, Boston Public, and the Practice, and they all got too strange/dumb to watch after a while. I don't know why Ally fell apart. Maybe the insanity that made it fun was too hard to harness for very long? It started really going to shit when they had her kiss the married ex-boy friend Billy--then had him go nuts and die. There was just nothing to laugh at there. Boston Public was always borderline for me, but sometime during the woman with a hook storyline, I checked out. The Practice...well, characters I liked become grossly unlikable and the cast shake up was the last straw.**********Anyway, I'll keep half an eye on this show, but I have to curb my enthusiasm because I know it's going to go bad after a couple of seasons.
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But "Boston Legal" is one show in and it's already a circus. No firm of that size and stature is going to be taking on any divorce cases, but big-dollar civil litigation is boring to watch, I guess.
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I like the outfits in to which they stuff the female stars, though.
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I really, really enjoyed Spader as Alan Shore on "The Practice," and of course Shatner having fun as Denny Crane...but then I saw the series they've built around these characters.
First, the music: horrible. Not the opening credit music, but the blues music they string throughout the whole damned show. It's distracting and sounds stupid when the singer's words "comment" on what's going on in a scene. Horrible idea.
Second, can we please, please, PLEASE shoot ALL directors that use that handheld, jerky zoom, lots of cuts directing style (except on the show NYPD Blue, where it originated)!!! It's distracting and looks amateurish, and it doesn't add to the "immediacy" or "hipness" of the show. It's just plain bad and should be stopped and replaced with a more elegant style.
Third...what the FUCK is that embarrassment of humanity Al Sharpton doing charging into a scene, completely out of place, and giving some horrible, self-serving, embarrassingly over-the-top speech that should have gotten him thrown in jail rather than applause?!!!! What an incredibly BAD idea! Good God, since when did David E. Kelley become preachy (no pun intended)?!
Needless to say (though I will anyway), I was very disappointed with the show. Yes, I liked Alan Shore (except when he smiled and looked proud during the Sharpton crap-a-thon) and Denny Craig (Shatner's still a hoot). But the rest of it...wow, what a fall from greatness. I guess those suits at ABC finally got to Kelley and made him go against his better judgment. Either than, or his better judgment just took a fast U-turn for the worst! -
Oct 04, 2004 1:42:46 PM CDT
Lake Bell looks like a man and her character sucks. Replace her
by big bad clone
Ms. Bell has a hot body but her face has that "Jessica Simpson is/was a man" look to it.
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i loved the last season of The Practice. I love Shatner and Spader. And I REALLY love that guy from "Keen Eddie". And I REALLY REALLY love "Annie". But this episode was hard to sit through (and I was skipping comercials with TIVO). Lets hope the heart-string drama is saved for the premieres and finales. If you're going to have beautiful people running around pretending to be professional lawyers, probably best to stick with the comedic side.
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Oct 04, 2004 4:37:40 PM CDT
Shatner and Spader were great, but what's up with all the "too h
by spyguy
Note to David E. Kelley and Company: Lose the jarring incidental music and the annoying MTV-style camerawork. I realize you have your work cut out for you to make this show interesting when Spader and Shatner aren't on screen, but crappy editing combined with offbeat music is definitely not the way to do it. Also, give Rene Auberjonois more to do, especially by letting him mix it up with Shatner. Odo vs. Kirk makes for great viewage...
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Why do I even have a TV?
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You asked when Kelly became so preachy... have you ever seen anything this guy has done before? For christ sake, Picket Fences was preachier than Billy Fucking Graham.
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Oct 04, 2004 6:02:06 PM CDT
every single show on American TV is about lawyers, doctors, or p
by beamish13
and I'm pretty damn tired of it. There's 4 Law and Order's and 3 CSI's and you people STILL aren't satisfied?
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In complete and humble praise of Rhona Mitra.....(sigh) I think I'm gonna have to repeat/rewind her cinematic nekkidness in Verhoeven's "Hollow Man". God Bless the DVD!
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It might have been a cheap stunt, but Al Sharpton's appearance on the show last night was reasonably amusing.
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Oct 05, 2004 1:59:43 PM CDT
Omg, I want to be a 76 old guy and have sex with that hot Britis
by judge briggs
even though it's unbelievable.
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