Law & Order SVU

[Guest DuchessIvanaKizznhugg]

Any Law & Order SVU fans here?

 

I won't spoil this week's episode for you (the series airs a day earlier here than in the U.S.), but it continues to demonstrate how outstanding television drama is done. QUITE the episode. The new assistant D.A. introduced last week continues to bust everyone's chops (she's SUCH a prick), and the case itself is engaging with more plot twists than a.....pretzel?

 

And besides, watching Elliot(Chris Meloni) for an hour isn't the worst way to spend part of an evening.

 

Link to episode synopsis and preview clip here: http://www.daemonstv.com/2009/09/28/law-order-svu-sugar-season-11-episode-2/

 

and Chris Meloni here

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae139/DuchessIvanaKizznhugg/tumblr_kokwgkHKuL1qzjyibo1_500.jpg

 

Edited September 30, 2009 by DuchessIvanaKizznhugg

[Guest zipperzone]

I agree. Meloni is one of the highlights of TV and getting even better as he ages. Too bad they can't concoct a few scenarios where is takes his shirt off - or more would be even better. I'll never forget those scenes from OZ.

[samhexum]

I watched THE BLACKLIST last night, then was too lazy to get up & go back online afterwards, so I watched SVU for the first time in years (since Ray Donovan’s brother abducted Olivia). Lousy episode… I knew what was going to happen right from the start. And it was almost a rehash of an old episode (guest-starring Tessie Harper): A teenage girl shows up at the home of a family whose young daughter went missing years ago, claiming to be the missing child. Instead, she was just trying to escape an abusive parent (in this case, a meth-head mom, in the prior case a father who kept her locked in a basement vault and raped her for 6 years). In both cases, it turned out a sibling had killed the missing daughter years before.

 

But the most notable thing about the episode is that it had a scene that was supposed to take place at a diner on Jamaica Ave. From the brief exterior shot and the supermarket across the street and the barriers erected to prevent mid-block crossings, I recognized it as The Flagship Diner on Queens Blvd, a block and a half from where I used to live. (Back then I could walk more than I can today, & occasionally went in there for an omelet).

 

Many classic diners in Queens and Brooklyn have closed in recent years, as the land they sit on has been purchased for apartment building construction. The Flagship is not long for this world:

 

A Briarwood diner that has served Queens residents for more than five decades is facing a bitter court battle with its new landlord who is trying to get rid of it before its lease expires in more than two years, the owners said.

 

For 53 years, The Flagship Diner, at 138-30 Queens Blvd., has been a popular hangout for the community, as well as lawyers and court officers working at the nearby Queens Criminal Court.

 

But the owners said the diner has been forced to fight for its survival ever since Jamaica-based White Rock Management group purchased the site for $6.125 million last year, with plans to knock down the eatery and replace it with a seven-story, mixed-use apartment building featuring 64 units.

 

Shortly after acquiring the property, White Rock Management filed an application with the Department of Buildings to demolish the diner, which was approved on July 26 last year, and then another application to replace it with a new building, which was approved on June 9 this year, according to city records.

 

The diner’s owners said they were hoping to keep their business open until their lease expires in October 2019.

 

But Jimmy Skartsiaris, who co-owns the eatery with Vincent Pupplo and Frank Lountzis, said the new landlord began harassing them “the minute he bought the building.”

 

First, the landlord wanted to buy them out, offering each of them $100,000, but they turned it down, the owners said.

 

Since then, they said, the landlord sent them several “notices to cure,” requiring them to address a variety of issues within five days if they wanted to avoid eviction.

 

The owners said they were forced to hire a lawyer who was able to obtain a “Yellowstone injunction” for each notice which temporarily suspends the time period during which they must address the issues.

 

The first notice pertained to 13 boiler-related violations the diner began receiving in 1993, some of them issued before the trio bought the business in 1994, according to the owners and the Department of Buildings website. Twelve of those violations are still active, according to the DOB, and the owners are currently working on resolving the issue, they said.

 

The landlord then sent them another letter saying that their parking lot, sidewalk and back steps are in disrepair and have to be ripped up and replaced within five days, followed by a note accusing them of not having proper liability insurance — claims that the diner owners denied.

 

“In my opinion they are trying to bankrupt us in court so that we can’t stay in business,” said Vincent Pupplo.

In August, the restaurant owners decided to strike back and filed a lawsuit in the Queens County Supreme Court accusing the landlord of harassing them. They also want the landlord to pay their legal fees. The first hearing was scheduled for Sept. 19.

 

White Rock Management did not return a phone call seeking comment.

 

Meanwhile, the diner also started a petition asking customers for support, which they said was signed by more than 1,300 patrons as of the end of August, Skartsiaris said.

 

On Sept. 12, at 11 a.m., the owners were also planning to organize a rally in front of the diner asking locals for support.

 

“It’s not fair to the people and it’s not fair to us,” Skartsiaris said, adding that the 24-hour restaurant employs around 35 workers.

 

Customers said they can’t even imagine that the diner may one day close.

n coming to the Flagship Diner almost every day for over 35 years. (DNAinfo/Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska)

 

“It’s a big part of my life, I feel comfortable here,” said Joe Moskowitz, 72, a retired teacher who has been coming to the Flagship Diner almost every day for more than 35 years. “I know everybody here, this is my home away from home. To me, this is a landmark.”

 

Gayle Malone, 44, a marketing strategist, called the Flagship Diner “the soul of the community.”

 

“I don’t know what we will do without it,” she said. “Where will people gather if they can’t come here?”

 

A review from May of this year:

 

In a city that was once celebrated for its 24-hour culinary delights, the diners of yore are on the decline.

 

In the ethereal childhood memories of every New Yorker’s youth, mom and dad would pack the family into the station wagon and head down the boulevard to the local diner for a Sunday breakfast. Patrons would slide into those booths and a nice lady would call you ‘honey,’ bring crayons for the kids and serve you pancakes with a smile. It’s an iconic scene that Hollywood has preserved on celluloid for years.

 

Briarwood’s Flagship Diner is one of the last bastions of the city’s old school diners. Vinny Pupplo, one of the diner’s four owners, looks around and sees it as “the classic New York diner.”

 

“Most of the classic New York diners have gone the route of cutting corners,” said Pupplo as his nine-hour selection of 1950s and 1960s pop music plays overhead. At the Flagship Diner, everything is made in-house. He said that the owners still buy their own beef for the diner’s classic cheeseburger, grind it and press it to make sure that the customer is getting the very best.

 

The eatery has a baker on duty nearly 50 hours a week to make fresh desserts.

 

“Everything you see, [our baker] makes it,” said Pupplo. “And it’s not like cardboard, it’s actual good stuff.”

 

He said that Forest Hills residents come in every day to buy a couple of his baker’s prune Danishes since they can’t find the level of quality anywhere else.

 

Pupplo said that all of the seafood purchased by the diner is fresh. He added that he would never outsource picking out the food for the diner.

 

“You lose all quality control,” he said. “Most diners are not making their own stuff. You get institutional preservatives. Here, what you see today is in the garbage tomorrow.”

 

Pupplo points out that each of the owners have more than 30 years of experience at Flagship Diner.

 

The restaurant opened in 1965 and has seen many changes, but the menu has not been altered too much.

 

“The old staples are still there,” Pupplo said. “We make them the way they’re supposed to be made.”

 

Younger patrons from the neighborhood come in on the weekend for the diner’s $13.99 brunch entrée.

 

Pupplo said he is proud of the long list of styles that the eatery has created for eggs Benedict, homemade challah bread or homemade whole grain French toast.

 

“We do everything well, breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Pupplo said. “Our Greek food is authentic. It’s made by Greeks. Our Italians food is authentic. I approve of it. We make baked ziti properly. It’s the way it’s supposed to be made. The way you would make it at home.”

 

But not everything lasts. The Flagship Diner is running strong today—but, last year, local media ran with the story that the land owner sold the property to a developer and the diner would be forced to vacate when its lease ran out in 2019.

 

“It was like a knife in my heart,” Pupplo said when he saw the coverage. “Everyone thought we already closed. I still get 10 calls a day [asking if they are open].”

 

There is a still chance to enjoy the Flagship’s service. Pupplo said that many of his staff have been serving at the diner for 20 to 30 years, know the menu by heart and eagerly await their daily customers.

[+ Avalon]

I don't miss Meloni at at all. The recent episode of a lost girl returning home after several years only to be discovered that she is an imposter and the real one had been killed years earlier by a sibling is similar to a previous episode they did.

[samhexum]

I am happy with some of the changes at SVU; I'll leave it at that for those who haven't seen the first 2 episodes yet.  Mariska's moving around pretty well with her bum ankle.

BTW, Maddie Corman, the actress who played Jenna's mother, is Jane Alexander's daughter in law.  Her husband Jace directed many episodes of the LAW & ORDER franchise...  until he was arrested for possession of kiddie porn.  She decided not to divorce him, however.

[Merboy]

It's an excellent show but its been on since Cher was a fetus... seriously, and it's on every other channel on cable TV nowadays, the remote controls now should have the button "SVU" on them so you can get right to the next episode fast!  Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay (have they both won Emmys for their performances?) are marvelous.

[samhexum]

2 hours ago, Merboy said:

 Chris Meloni and Mariska Hargitay (have they both won Emmys for their performances?) are marvelous.

She has, he hasn't.  I don't believe he ever got a nomination, though he should have for the 10th season episode with Ellen Burstyn as his mother. (the best episode the show ever had) I believe she'll be making an appearance this year on his show.

I may have mentioned this before, but Elliot has half-siblings he may not even know about.  Bonnie Plunkett (Allison Janney on MOM) and her gay, black half-brother Ray had a mother named Shirley STABLER, who was played by Ellen Burstyn.

Edited September 26, 2021 by samhexum

[samhexum]

2 hours ago, Merboy said:

it's on every other channel on cable TV nowadays, the remote controls now should have the button "SVU" on them so you can get right to the next episode fast! 

I watched Thursday's 2 episodes on PEACOCK Saturday morning and NO COMMERCIALS!  I believe that service is free, so you should try watching it there.

Edited September 26, 2021 by samhexum

[+ RJD]

Just about all of Dick Wolf's shows are successful.  SVU is on their 23rd season and still ranks in the top 20 each week, so they're doing something right.  I remember reading an article that said Mariska Hargitay was given an ultimatum in the second season to either let her hair grow back (she cut it very short) or be terminated.  Although there have been many characters come and go, I don't think the show could survive without the Benson and Tutuola characters. 

I still have a crush on Danny Pino who played Nick Amaro for three seasons.  I also just read he's returning to the show for their 500th episode in October.   

Peter Scanavino played a murder suspect in season 14 before joining the cast as Sonny Carisi in season 16.   

Their cross-over episodes with Chicago PD (another Dick Wolf show) usually makes for some good TV.   

[BSR]

On 10/1/2021 at 12:26 PM, RJD said:

I still have a crush on Danny Pino who played Nick Amaro for three seasons.

Ah, brings back such memories.  I used to watch "Cold Case" just for Danny Pino, just about the handsomest guy I've ever seen.

Edited to add: I never saw him take his shirt off on "Cold Case," so frustrating, LOL.  But I found this just now ...

Edited October 3, 2021 by BSR
Added pic

[samhexum]

On 10/1/2021 at 3:26 PM, RJD said:

I still have a crush on Danny Pino who played Nick Amaro for three seasons.

Peter Scanavino played a murder suspect in season 14 before joining the cast as Sonny Carisi in season 16.  

And Diane Neal raped a male stripper in an early episode before she played Casey.  The L&O franchise is famous for that sort of thing.  Jeremy Sixtoes played a defense attorney on the 17th season L&O finale then started playing Cyrus Lupo the next season.  Annie Parisse played a stripper before she played Alex Borgia.

On 10/2/2021 at 9:43 PM, BSR said:

Ah, brings back such memories.  I used to watch "Cold Case" just for Danny Pino, just about the handsomest guy I've ever seen.

Edited to add: I never saw him take his shirt off on "Cold Case," so frustrating, LOL.  But I found this just now ...

I believe that pic might be from when he played a drug lord on THE SHIELD on FX.

Amaro was back (with a beard) for the series' 500th episode this past Thursday.   Cragen appeared (via zoom), too.

Edited October 24, 2021 by samhexum

[+ RJD]

7 hours ago, samhexum said:

 Jeremy Sixtoes played a defense attorney on the 17th season L&O finale then started playing Cyrus Lupo the next season. 

🤣🤣🤣

7 hours ago, samhexum said:

And Diane Neal raped a male stripper in an early episode before she played Casey.  The L&O franchise is famous for that sort of thing.  Jeremy Sixtoes played a defense attorney on the 17th season L&O finale then started playing Cyrus Lupo the next season.  Annie Parisse played a stripper before she played Alex Borgia.

As much as I watch the show, I never realized Diane Neal and Annie Parisse played other characters before their A.D.A. roles.  I just did an IMDB lookup.  Their other character names were Amelia Chase and Jasmine Blake.  Dick Wolf has a stable of performers he taps for all of his shows.  The most obvious one whose two characters were/are more regular than just a single episode is S. Epatha Merkerson who played Lt. Van Buren in almost 400 episodes of L&O and is now Sharon Goodwin on Chicago Med (124 episodes). I also realized that Jack McCoy had some of the hottest female A.D.A's working with him.  Not one of them was Kathy Bates in Misery.  

7 hours ago, samhexum said:

Amaro was back (with a beard) for the series' 500th episode this past Thursday.   Cragen appeared (via zoom), too.

I watched it.  He still looks really good and his (in)famous Nick Amaro temper made a visit, too.  Dann Florek (Cragen) looked ill.  Hope he's ok.  I always liked his character.  

Edited October 24, 2021 by RJD

[samhexum]

27 minutes ago, RJD said:

As much as I watch the show, I never realized Diane Neal and Annie Parisse played other characters before their A.D.A. roles.  I just did an IMDB lookup.  Their other character names were Amelia Chase and Jasmine Blake.  Dick Wolf has a stable of performers he taps for all of his shows.  The most obvious one whose two characters were/are more regular than just a single episode is S. Epatha Merkerson who played Lt. Van Buren in almost 400 episodes of L&O and is now Sharon Goodwin on Chicago Med (124 episodes).

Thanks for reminding me... Sepatha (as I call her) was in an episode as a poor mother before she was cast as Van Buren.

Sixtoes and Alana De La Garza now play important characters on FBI.

He doesn't just recycle actors for acting roles.  Milena Govich (Nina Cassidy, the only female partner on L&O [Season 17] ) is a producer on FBI.   Monica Raymund (CHICAGO FIRE's Gabby Dawson) occasionally directs across the Wolf Universe.  She directed this past week's L&O: MA  (Law & Order:  Meloni's Ass).

 

Edited October 24, 2021 by samhexum

[+ RJD]

12 minutes ago, samhexum said:

Thanks for reminding me... Sepatha (as I call her) was in an episode as a poor mother before she was cast as Van Buren.

Sixtoes and Alana De La Garza now play important characters on FBI.

He doesn't just recycle actors for acting roles.  Milena Govich (Nina Cassidy, the only female partner on L&O [Season 17] ) is a producer on FBI.   Monica Raymund (CHICAGO FIRE's Gabby Dawson) occasionally directs across the Wolf Universe.  She directed this past week's L&O: MA  (Law & Order:  Meloni's Ass).

 

I often wonder what the relationship is like with the show after these characters depart their roles.  I liked the Gabby Dawson character and never knew whether her departure was voluntary or if she was released.  I guess since he brings them back for guest appearances and director/producer roles that answers the question.  On a related note, it looks like they wrote Jesse Spencer (Matt Casey) out of Chicago Fire this past week.   

[samhexum]

17 minutes ago, RJD said:

I often wonder what the relationship is like with the show after these characters depart their roles.  I liked the Gabby Dawson character and never knew whether her departure was voluntary or if she was released.  I guess since he brings them back for guest appearances and director/producer roles that answers the question.  On a related note, it looks like they wrote Jesse Spencer (Matt Casey) out of Chicago Fire this past week.   

Yup, after 8 years on HOUSE, immediately followed by 9 years of FIRE, he decided he needed a break, but agreed to return for 5 episodes to wrap things up.  He'll still live in Chicago with his recent bride.  I loved the scene from last season(?) when he had to pretend to have a bad Aussie accent.  His accent never slipped in all the years of playing Casey.  He'll be heard in a upcoming episode, presumably on the phone to Sylvie...  will she now be pursued by the captain (or whatever his title is) she dislikes?

[samhexum]

On 10/24/2021 at 11:03 AM, RJD said:

I often wonder what the relationship is like with the show after these characters depart their roles.  I liked the Gabby Dawson character and never knew whether her departure was voluntary or if she was released.

Somehow I don't think she left on bad terms. I also remember catching her name as the director of one of the Dick Wolf shows this season, but I don't remember which one.

Director

 2021 Law & Order: Organized Crime (TV Series) (1 episode)

- Unforgivable (2021)

 2020-2021 FBI (TV Series) (3 episodes)

- Trigger Effect (2021)

- Emotional Rescue (2020)

- Payback (2020)

 2018 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) (1 episode)

- Hell's Kitchen (2018)

 

Milena Govich also directs occasionally when she's not assistant producing.

 

Kelly Giddish's last episode will air Dec. 8.