I added a bunch of old TV caps to the gallery. Check them out below!

Freddy’s Nightmares- Freddy’s Tricks and Treats

Baywatch- Second Wave

Wiseguy- Romp

Booker- Black Diamond Run

Ellen- The Mugging

Ellen- The Mugging Stills

It didn’t take long for Henry Ian Cusick to get back on TV. The veteran actor was a staple for many years as Desmond Hume on ABC’s “Lost,” and now he is attempting to work some magic as a guest star on NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Cusick’s character of Erik Weber will make her debut during the season premiere September 22 at 9:00 Eastern (8:00 Central). The premiere will immediately be followed by another episode featuring Cusick.

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to talk with Cusick and Neal Baer about the guest appearance.

–

Matt Carter: Henry, after being on such a successful show for so long, how important was it to get back on TV soon? What drove to this project in particular?

Henry Ian Cusick: I was looking to get back into TV right away — I was looking to get away from Desmond. I was no longer Henry Ian Cusick, I was Desmond. So I wanted to shed that skin. Then when I met Neal and he called me into his office I was very charmed by him. I talked quickly to the writers [about the characters] and I was sold, really. It was as simple as that. I like them, I like their idea, and it seemed like a really cool thing to get involved with — so I went for it.

So how would you two describe the character of Erik Weber?

Cusick: He’s a graphic designer that you meet very early on in the episode, and he’s very taken right away with Mariska Hargitay’s character and tries to help them out.

When we witched it to him, we needed someone who is extremely charming because Benson had a number of men interested in her over these twelve years and we needed someone who really has charm and could serve as a counterpoint to Stabler because he’s just as smart as Stabler, and we immediately thought of Ian for that. That’s what interesting particularly about the second episode — Ian carries us through both episodes, and we don’t really see someone often who can pull Benson in his own direction and be a competitor with Stabler, and I like that element of him too …If you go to our bubble tweet on Twitter, you will see that there’s this moment between Maloney and Ian that’s really intense because Ian is standing his own ground. That was really important to us to. (See the video here.)

–

Stay tuned for more coverage of “Law & Order: SVU” leading up to its season premiere.

Credit: Examiner

On the Beach in hawaii
September 4, 2010

Pictures have been deleted.

Crossover alert! In Law & Order: SVU’s September 29 episode, Mariska Hargitay’s Det. Olivia Benson leaves New York for Los Angeles, where she joins forces with Skeet Ulrich’s Det. Rex Winters—the central character in the new Law & Order: Los Angeles (which debuts that night at 10/9c, on NBC).

It’s an issue close to Mariska’s heart that brings Benson to L.A.: a case about a rape survivor (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) who, several years earlier, submitted to an invasive exam for a rape evidence collection kit that was ignored by police. The episode took shape when a real rape survivor shared a similar scandal at a fund-raiser for Mariska’s Joyful Heart Foundation, which supports survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. “I’m so honored that the SVU writers see the value in telling this story,” says Mariska. “And it’s very cool how they’re weaving our two shows together.”

With her contract expiring at the end of the season, Mariska says she’s open to negotiations, as is costar Chris Meloni, who says, “We’ll all have a chitchat and see what’s best.” But Mariska would also welcome relocating Benson to LO:LA. “I’m born and raised in L.A., so I’m definitely up for doing more,” she says. “I go where the work is. My L.A. friends all want me to be on LO:LA.” That includes new pal Skeet. “We could use an experienced detective,” he says. “That would be fantastic!” Watch out, Stabler!

Credit: TV Guide

A “Law & Order” star teams up with Me & Ro to help victims of rape and domestic violence

A dinner with Joyful Heart Foundation officials and local supporters marked a homecoming for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Mariska Hargitay, who was in town last week for a series of private appearances on behalf of the organization she founded.

The idea for starting the foundation, which offers support to survivors of rape, domestic violence and child abuse, came to her on a visit to Hawaii in 2000, when she went for a swim and emerged from the ocean knowing what she had to do.

She said no one incident led her to the decision to start the Joyful Heart Foundation. Instead, a combination of factors led her to her mission.

At the time, she was one year into what has turned out to be a long-running role on the NBC series as New York City Detective Olivia Benson, assigned to investigate sex crimes. In order to convincingly play the detective, Hargitay went through training and became a crisis counselor.

Because of the toughness tempered by sensitivity and compassion Hargitay brings to the show, in light of Benson’s back story as a child born from a rape, “I started getting fan mail different from what I’m used to,” the Emmy-winning actress said. “They’re usually along the lines of, ‘Hey, you’re cute; can I get an autographed photo?’ But now, people were disclosing to me, ‘Your show saved my life; I was abused by my father since I was 5.’

“It became my vision and passion to do something to help these women heal from their trauma,” she said during an interview Wednesday at Neiman Marcus, where she joined jewelry designer/CEO Robin Renzi of Me & Ro, who showed her Joyful Heart jewelry and fall collections. A percentage of funds raised from sales of Joyful Heart jewelry benefits the foundation, and to date, Me & Ro’s contribution has totaled more than $300,000.

The partnership between the two women began when Hargitay discovered a Me & Ro pendant that read “Fearlessness” in Sanskrit on the front and in English on the back. “She was wearing it backward,” Renzi said. “Maybe she doesn’t remember, but I remember.”

Hargitay wore the piece on “Law & Order: SVU” and viewers grasped its message, which has come to define Detective Benson.

Although the two had never met, Hargitay called Renzi with the idea of a partnership to help Joyful Heart’s fundraising efforts.

“Robin was one of the first people who signed on. Before I even finished my sentence, she said yes,” Hargitay said.

For Renzi, the decision was easy. For one thing, they are both warm, compassionate kindred spirits and Renzi said, “She cries a lot and so do I.”

Beyond that, Renzi explained, “One of my closest friends was a victim of sexual abuse from her stepfather, and I’ve known her since I was 19, so it’s an issue that’s very close to my heart.

“Sexual abuse is horrible because you lose power and you lose yourself to someone else who tries to take it away from you, and people are ashamed to talk about it. So what Joyful Heart does is talk about it, and the discussion changes everything,” Renzi said.

“Can you imagine someone watching TV and seeing someone like Mariska, who’s accessible and approachable and in charge, saying, ‘You do not need to be ashamed.’ That’s so important.”

THE JOYFUL Heart Foundation was formally launched in 2004 to serve communities on the Big Island, Los Angeles and New York, and last year started outreach work on Oahu, partnering with such agencies as Child & Family Services, Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii, the Queen Liliuokalani Children’s Center, Sex Abuse Treatment Center of Hawaii, and the YWCA, and investing $2 million in the community.

“We tread gently, carefully. We ask to be invited,” Joyful Heart Foundation chairman Tom Nunan said. “New York is tough, but Hawaii is even tougher and you only have one chance to make an entrance.”

According to the foundation’s Hawaii program manager, Lisa Denning, Joyful Heart does not want to usurp local agencies but is there to pick up after crisis treatment. “We take a holistic approach to healing. We want to help people dig deeper, rediscover their joy and passion in life, and a safe way to be in their bodies again, discover what makes them feel alive again,” she said.

Not knowing what’s involved in running a foundation didn’t deter Hargitay, any more than suffering from a sore throat stopped her from a spate of press interviews, during which she sipped tea to battle the effects of 14 1/2-hour work days on the “Law & Order” set, and cross-country travel to appear on the Emmy Awards telecast last Sunday.

There is too much work to be done, and one issue at the top of her list is dealing with the “rape kit” backlog that, if processed in a timely manner, might identify and lead to the arrest of more rapists. (A rape kit is used to gather DNA and other evidence from victims.)

After more than a decade, “Law & Order: SVU” shows no signs of running out of story lines, often adapted from real cases. “Sadly, they won’t, because when I tell you that studies have found one in four women have been abused, you look around and what does that tell you?” Hargitay said.

“I feel like I was handed this opportunity to shed light on darkness, and Hawaii has been key to all of this.”

Credit: Star Advertiser

@NealBaer Mariska, Meloni, Henry Ian Cusick: http://bbltwt.com/df9c4 Watch explosive moments… Sept 22nd… FOLLOW @nealbaer

“LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT”
“LOCUM/BULLSEYE”
09/22/2010 (09:00PM – 11:00PM) (Wednesday) : DETECTIVES OLIVIA BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) AND ELIOT STABLER (CHRISTOPHER MELONI) HELP A FOSTER COUPLE (GUEST STARS JOAN CUSACK AND PETER STRAUSS) FIND THEIR MISSING CHILD
A foster couple (Cusack and Strauss) call Detectives Benson (Hargitay) and Stabler (Meloni) to the scene of the crime when their ten-year-old adopted daughter disappears. It soon comes to light that she ran away to meet with a man named Erik Weber (guest star Henry Ian Cusick), whom she met on the internet and whom Benson and Stabler suspect of ulterior motives regarding the girl. Weber denies any wrongdoing, and also expresses romantic interest in Benson. However, as the investigation continues, the detectives realize that the girl’s foster parents may be hiding something that could change the entire course of the case. Also starring: Ice-T (Detective Odafin Tutuola), Richard Belzer (Detective John Munch), Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner), and B.D. Wong (Dr. George Huang).

DETECTIVES OLIVIA BENSON (MARISKA HARGITAY) AND ELIOT STABLER (CHRISTOPHER MELONI) ENLIST THE HELP OF A SUSPECT (GUEST STAR HENRY IAN CUSICK) FROM A PREVIOUS CASE TO CRACK A NEW ONE
Detectives Benson (Hargitay) and Stabler (Meloni) are called to the hospital after a 10-year-old girl is raped. They arrive to find her so traumatized that she cannot even tell them her name. With the help of Detectives Odafin Tutuola (Ice-T) and John Munch (Richard Belzer), they are able to identify the young victim. But they soon realize that her home life is far from normal as Dr. George Huang (B.D. Wong) discovers that her mother suffers from a rare condition that renders her unable to recognize that the young girl is, in fact, her daughter. When the detectives find themselves without a lead, Erik Weber (guest star Henry Ian Cusick), a man they met on their previous case, decides to get involved. But he may be overstepping his bounds. Also starring: Tamara Tunie (Dr. Melinda Warner).

Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

Mariska Hargitay was in town for a series of private appearances, including a dinner at Neiman Marcus’s Mariposa restaurant Sept. 1, to raise awareness and funds for the Joyful Heart Foundation, which she founded out of a desire to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.

Hawaii is where she conceived the idea, and the organization’s field office has been housed in Kona for five years.

She serves as president of the organization she founded in 2004, in part due to overwhelming response to the character she plays on NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” New York City detective Olivia Benson.

Hargitay said many who have endured abuse relate to the Olivia’s strenth and compassion.

On the show, Hargitay wears a “Fearlessness” necklace, as well as a lotus necklace, both created by Robin Renzi, designer and CEO of Me&Ro. Both carry significance for Hargitay, as well as the foundation, the lotus symbolizing beauty that rises out of mud, reaching for the sun.

Hargitay hadn’t met Renzi before starting to wear her jewelry, but the two became fast friends in a shared mission, and Me&Ro offers a line of Joyful Heart jewelry, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the foundation.

Renzi was also in town simultaneously to show the Joyful Heart and other collections in Neiman Marcus’s Designer Jewelry department. The Joyful Heart collection, including a Wing & Heart pendant created to commemorate the foundation’s 5th anniversary, will be on view at the store through Sept. 4, and Me&Ro will donate 10 percent of the net proceeds from the sale of Me&Ro jewelry to the Joyful Heart Foundation.

Read the whole story in Sunday’s Today section.

Joyful Heart Fundraiser in Hawaii
September 1, 2010

Credit: Star Advertiser

*EDIT* I just re-uploaded the pictures because you don’t need a password to view them. I don’t know why that happened but let me know if it’s still doing that!

“Law & Order’s” Mariska Hargitay made an appearance in Honolulu, in private meetings with board members and benefactors, on behalf of her Joyful Heart Foundation, and advocate and holistic healing organization for victims of rape and abuse. After two events earlier in the day, she spoke at a dinner at Neiman Marcus’s Mariposa Restaurant, Sept. 1, 2010. Video by Nadine Kam.

Also two more videos from yesterday (9/1/10) at Ala Moana Neiman Marcus:

Hollyscoop asked Mariska how long it took her to get ready at the Emmys. She appears around the :30 mark.

Hollyscoop TV- Emmy Awards Captures