The Whateverlah Blog

I really didn’t think  Stephanie March could nerd out more than she did while on The Today Show talking about shooting the SVU ep at the UN building. Apparently I was wrong, because this CNN article reports:

Despite the imperfections of the United Nations, “SVU’s” March could not have been more thrilled with her experience filming at the U.N.

When asked what she would like to be doing if she weren’t putting away fictional bad guys as assistant DA Cabot, March said, “I would love to work for the United Nations. I have a great job, but really all I want to do is actually work in the U.N. I’m pretty excited to be here. It’s been a lifelong dream to be a part of it in some way.”

d’aaaaw… innit cute? She couldn’t have just taken the dime tour of the UN building to be “a part of it in some way”?  /snark

Here’s what I always picture when I listen to her describe her experience of being inside the general assembly hall (click to enlarge image):  

Someone make this woman a Goodwill Ambassador already. Oh, what’s that? She needs an Oscar or summat? We’ll get right on that.

Yea, so I thought I’d sneak in one more unabashed lovefest for Stephanie March before the month runs out and I can no longer call it March Madness. (Where the hell did the month go?!)

E!Online apparently got God Executive Producer Neal Baer to talk abit more about who bites the dust at the end of this season. Nothing exciting and every answer he gives is vague and open ended. But there was one bit that I was really thrilled to read:

Neal did confirm that Michaela McManus won’t be back on SVU

Well, sweet lord, the world rejoyeth! This is clearly one of those cases where it’s not that the fans didn’t give the character a chance, it’s the fact that Wolf/Baer made a horrible casting choice, realised it a little too late and had to scramble to save what’s left of this season. I guess in a way we have to thank Michaela McManus in having a hand in helping to bring back Cabot.

I snuck a glance at the teaser for this week’s episode [YouTube]… you know the one where Miss Stephanie was all excited about on The Today Show cause she got to shoot at the UN Building. Looks to be like one o’ them preachy story about some global issue or another. God save us all.

Just finished my fourth viewing of the SVU episode. Four times? you say… four times only?? you say….

Listen, SVU isn’t Tennessee Williams for television. I get my kicks from it two ways: dissecting character motivation and ogling really good-looking actors who play them.

And the former I’ve done little of since season 5… everything after is watchable on mute to do the latter. Which is sad because, as you know, I am in love with Olivia Benson. Like, I wanna have your babies kind of in love. But that love only covers the early seasons. The Olivia of late makes me want to examine her neck for implants.

Far be it for me to judge anybody’s acting– oh hell, what am I saying? I live for this stuff.

While Mariska is fun to look at and all, she doesn’t hold a candle to Gillian Anderson in terms of acting. Not even close. I’ve a sneaking suspicion that because the non-sensical raving-mad angsty Olivia won her the Emmy it caused her and the writers to assume that we want more of that. The outcome – some seriously WTF character development.

One of the reasons I really get into a tv show is the belief that there is some payoff in the end for buying into the character’s story/motivation. You might call it tvgasm. When a show lets you down by having monkeys write scripts that take a left turn in Albuquerque then you’re left with your pants down with, well… to complete the metaphor, tv blueballs. 

As a fan of SVU, I’ve had tv blueballs since 2003.

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Promise. My last Alex Cabot / SVU / Stephanie March related post for the day.

The Keep Stephanie March on Law & Order: SVU Petition.   

URL: http://petitionspot.com/petitions/KeepAlexCabot

Sign it. Then spread the word.

How many times do you have to watch a single episode to take it all in?

Twice in this case.

The first run is to just stare at the force of nature that is Alex Cabot.

The second time around I might actually pay attention to the story.

I am so glad they brought back some old faces to ease her into her old job. And they even threw in a Cabot-Petrovsky Moment! *thud* Could it have been more perfect?

Well, actually, yea… the ‘splanashun of why she’s back needed more work. The story needed editing. But you don’t have to listen to me critique the writing.

Now…. is it (next) Tuesday yet?

Stephanie March on the Today Show this morning:

Ahhhh… 2 and a half glorious minutes of Stephanie being crazy, sexy, funny.

When asked about shooting on location, she nerded-out at being at the U.N. building and begging the guard to get into the General Assembly Hall. If you know me, you’ll know I’m in love now.

Annnnnd… she calls the L&O sound “DUN DUN” like me. Not “CHUNG CHUNG“, not “DOINK DOINK“, but DUN DUN. So there.

My new project ought to be Operation Bring Back Alex Cabot (For Good).

Promo the HELL out of the return of the “toughest DA”…

Also — Carol Burnett = YUS!

Also, also — it is rumored that Stephanie March will be on the Today Show on March 10th. *Please* let her be interviewed by Meredith. I’m betting all my Raisinets that the interviewer will mention Bobby Flay in one form or another.

ONE MORE WEEK.

Movieweb has a lengthier transcript of that press call (that sent a million A/O shippers into catatonic states) here: Stephanie March and Neal Baer talk about March’s return for six episodes. Some information is already reported in the earlier articles but it’s still worth reading for the new info on upcoming episodes.

(I had thought it to be a press conference and was sad that there wasn’t video footage but it’s all good now).

A couple highlights:

Neal Baer: I’m glad you brought up Liz Donnelly because Stephanie will be doing a very big show at the end of sweeps on March 31st with Judith (Light).

… remember what I said about Cabot versus Donnelly? *eg*

Now they just have to get Lena Petrovsky in there somehow then I could die and be happy.

When asked about Mariska after her pneumothorax:

Stephanie March: Oh I just saw her and she was showing me photos from things she’s going to do to her bedroom at her new house in the Hamptons. So I think she’s fine. … She’s bouncing around like crazy.

Yeah, “bouncing around like crazy” seems to describe a healthy Mariska aptly.

Once more: IS IT MARCH 10TH YET??????

About a few hours ago… probably while I was asleep, there was a sound that could be heard around the world; it was the sound of a thousand A/O shippers falling off their chairs fainting after reading a quote from Stephanie March during a press call:

Finally, when asked whether Alex and Olivia are in love and just not realizing it yet, March answered, “I’m not saying we’re not… I’m not saying we’re not in love.”

Read the whole thing from AfterEllen.

Sure, the actress could be yanking our chains and blowing smoke up our ass with those comments. A very cynical person would think she’s only saying that to entice more people to tune in. But I don’t feel so much like a sucker since I’m gonna watch it either way.

EDIT:

Just thought about a couple more things while eating breakfast:

1) the E/O shippers are gonna upchuck when they read this bit of news.

2) and, why is there no video of this press conference??!! GURGH.

NY Daily News has a write up about Stephanie March coming back to SVU.

No earth-shattering revelations, obviously. I’m not going to over-analyse what little new information that’s included in the piece. (She lies. She’s already parsed and reparsed every single word uttered by God Neal Baer and Ms. Stephanie.)

IS IT MARCH 10th YET?????????????

Getting to see pics of Stephanie March on set makes me happy. Cause how can I not be happy to see the trinity of lust together again?:

I have no idea what but this pic needs a caption…

A few more pics after the jump…
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From SVU’s production blog latest entry which was a twofer – announcing the return of Mariska and a cam-phone ‘razzi style photo of Stephanie March doing her thing:

Quick, let’s all speculate – is that Jack McCoy’s office? Who else could it be? Perhaps she’s in Judge Donnelly’s office? Man, she looks hot in that suit.

OK, so that last one wasn’t so much speculating as it was a foregone conclusion. teehee.

The BAD NEWS: According to the blog, the first eps to feature Ms. March will air March 10th and not, as previously reported, on February 17th.

*insert the MOTHER of ALL SnoopyHYappyDance here*

Ladies and gentlemen, eight months later Operation Bring Back Alex Cabot has met its objective!

From the Associated Press:
STEPHANIE MARCH RETURNS TO ‘SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT’
By LYNN ELBER

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Stephanie March is back on the job as New York prosecutor Alexandra Cabot on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

March will guest star on NBC’s top-rated drama for six episodes, beginning Feb. 17, series executive producer Neal Baer said Thursday. The show airs at 10 p.m. EST Tuesday.

The actress compared the program to “an old flame.”

“Every time I run into it I think, ‘Hmmm, what if?’ I look forward to spending some time working with a production that has always been so rewarding for me,” March said in a statement.

She starred on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for four seasons, leaving the show in 2003 as her character was forced into witness protection because of efforts to break a drug cartel.

In a 2005 episode, Cabot came out of the protection program to testify against the head of the cartel, who ultimately was killed in prison. March also briefly reprised the role of Cabot on NBC’s drama “Conviction,” which aired in 2006.

As Baer tells it, Cabot wasn’t ready until now to put her difficult experience behind her and return to work with her former special victims unit colleagues. He welcomed having Cabot’s “commanding presence” back in the courtroom, Baer said.

During Cabot’s return, prosecutor Kim Greylek (Michaela McManus) will be temporarily on assignment in Washington, D.C., working with the Justice Department.

March, who is married to celebrity chef Bobby Flay, appears in the upcoming movie “This Side of Truth” with Ricky Gervais and has guest-starred in series including “30 Rock,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Rescue Me.”

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Excuse me. I need to go roll on the floor in fits of giggles now. Meg has decided to join me in this.

Tina Fey was on SNL last nite again as Sarah Palin doing the Couric/CBS interview. Funny but not as subversive as the first time.

Paul Newman will be missed.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is, as you know, my sunday sobfest. It’s doing a dang good job of doing that this week.

Stephanie March has a theatre gig doing Boys’ Life which stars Jason Briggs. This doesn’t mean she can’t come back for a few episodes, right? RIGHT????!! We need Alex Cabot now more than ever!

I discovered I had ESPN Classic and the original American Gladiators is way more awesome.

And finally, I miss Battlestar Galactica so. damn. much.

except for me.

- So the new ADA who I know nothing about and don’t care to know about has a name – Kim Grayleck. The All Things Law and Order blog (which I don’t actually read) has posted some background info on the character released by NBC.

- Meanwhile, the actress who plays my favorite ADA, Stephanie March, has a part in a Ricky Gervais movie called “This Side of the Truth“. I mean, it looks like anyone and everyone has a part in this movie. And it’s going to be funny… cause it’s Ricky Gervais, right?

- This is the second time, that I know of, where March will play an comedic role – I’m assuming that her role in This Side will be satirical of the entertainment industry. Her recent turn in comedy was in 30 Rock playing Tina Fey’s character’s love-interest (well, ok, kinda).

- Funny thing about comedy… I always want to see actors I like in funny roles because funny is incredibly hard to pull off. See: The X-Files’ Bad Blood or early West Wing for high comedy standards.

- David Duchovny’s Evolution is still his best non XF work. Seriously.

- I’m still waiting on Gillian Anderson to host SNL.

- I’m dying, DYING, for Mariska Hargitay to take on character that is a complete 180 of what she’s doing now. From all the interviews I’ve seen, she exudes slapstick ability. Along the lines of Debra Messing and Lucille Ball, really.

- I miss Will & Grace.