My Visit to the ER, Rachelle's emailing again & Obsessed people

Visiting the 'ER'
I was in an emergency room last Tuesday, and I actually ended up on the operating table. Yep. I kid you not, and it was all because of the Phil Spector trial. Yep. The reason I was there was because of someone I met early on at the trial, and because of them I was on the operating table on Tuesday. Thankfully, I'm okay, but maybe that's because it was County General's ER, which is located on the Warner Brother's lot in Burbank. Maybe I should back up and start from the beginning.

You may remember me talking about two trial watchers I met early in June, Margaret and her son David. We met in the hallway outside 106, and we had lunch together several times, all of us in deep conversation discussing the merits of the case and the testimony of the day. Margaret and I have a lot in common. We both sew, adore kitties and love watching trials. Since Margaret didn't want to take the Metro Gold Line train by herself, her son David came with her to court several times in June and July. David was the one who overheard "W" say "You snooze, you lose," when she sat down beside him at the morning break on June 11th, trying to take an accredited reporter's seat, who had left to stretch their legs and/or call in to their office. (You can find that story in this entry, here.)

When we first had lunch, Margaret had mentioned that David was on "hiatus," and that's why he could come to court with her. When he had to go back to work, he emailed me through the blog, and we kept in touch. I remember him telling me that he worked on a TV show, but I couldn't remember which one. As we kept in touch, I found out that he worked on the NBC show ER, but I didn't know what his job/title was. When the trial was all over, he invited me to have lunch with him and Margaret, to catch up on what was happening and we worked out a day and time. It was then that I found out that lunch would be on the Warner Brothers lot. We had a last minute change of plans when the October 23rd hearing was moved to the 22nd, but fortunately that worked out fine.

David set a time for 1:00 pm, and told me at which street and gate a drive on pass would be waiting for me. When the guard asked to see my driver's license to verify that I was Betsy Ross, I had to say, "Because you need to make sure I'm the real one, correct?" The guard had given me a map with a red marker showing me the route to get to my assigned parking space. I'm sure I would have been lost without it. When I passed through the security gate, David was right there driving one of the four-seater golf carts everyone uses to get around the lot and Margret was with him. I show him my pass with the parking lot space assigned to me, and off we go, David leading the way. It's a good thing he did because even with the map, I realized I would have been totally lost. Once we get my car settled in, I got on board the golf cart, and away we went.

As we exchanged our hellos, I said to David, "I know you work on the show, but I don't know what it is you do." David tells me he's an associate producer, and he's worked on ER for five years. It's then that I tell him that ER is one of my most favorite shows, I've watched it ever since it debuted, and I never miss an episode. David replied, "That's great! Sometimes, when friends and relatives come in from out of state, they like to visit the lot but they aren't necessarily fans of the show. So you really know the story lines, and characters." "Oh yes, I really love the show," I replied. " I was watching the last episode and I was in a panic when at the end of the episode, they panned in on Abby really looking at that bottle of wine. I was, 'Oh no Abby! Don't drink it!' So, please don't tell me what happens!" David smiled and said, "Oh I won't!" On our way to the cafeteria, David points out various ER 'points of interest' sets. I get to see the "L" overhead train tracks, the set that is across the street, (for some reason the name of that particular set escapes me; I'm drawing a blank on that right now) and we stop at the exterior set for when ambulances are bringing in new patients. It was quite surreal for me to be walking around on the set of a show that I've watched and loved for over ten years. As you might have guessed, everything appears bigger on TV.

We then stop off at one of the sound stages where they are filming, and outside, David introduces me and his mother to John Stamos. He's very gracious, and greets each of us with a hug and a cheek to cheek kiss. Back on the cart, we weave through a maze of streets to get as near as we can to "Ashely Blvd." where the cafeteria and commissary are. We pass on the fine dining in the commissary, and head into the cafeteria. This is better than some restaurants; Warner Brothers studio, feeds their employees well. Inside, it's almost like what you might find in an upscale mall, with several different types of food/sections. There's Poquito Mas, a Pasta & Soup section (I can't remember what it's called), a grill, an exceptional salad bar, a desert section, and a drinks section. I head directly to the grill to get a burger sans bun with onion on romaine lettuce. I add a side salad of romaine from the salad bar, grab a vitamin water, and David pays for lunch for all of us at the cashier. (Thank you, David!) We find a table in the quietest area, and settle in to eat lunch. I give David and Margaret a detailed run down on everything that happened at the trial (and behind the scenes) from the middle of August until Judge Fidler ruled a mistrial on September 26th.

After lunch, we head off to meet David's brother Kevin, who is working on a new TV show. Many times at lunch during the trial, David and Margaret would jokingly call Kevin "the good son." The show Kevin is working on is called Moonlight. Kevin introduces his mother and myself to several of his coworkers, and shows us all the sets on the show. I'm quite fascinated by the two story high, back drop black curtains that surround the main set. On the other side of them is a continuous, full blown city skyline. It for when they are filming inside the set, it appears as if the actors are in a building up high, and you can see the skyline of the other buildings through the "windows" of the set. Margaret and are are totally blown away at the artistic design of the sets on Moonlight, and when we drop by one location, cast and crew are in deep conversation on one set, so we don't get to see that one up close. Kevin points out to us the gentleman who designed all the marvelous sets.

In the house/apartment of the female lead, I notice that there are quite a few Asian touches scattered throughout the set. I'm a big fan of anything Asian, ~my own home is entirely decorated in an Asian theme~ and I closely inspect two painted glass framed images of a royal looking man and woman hanging on the wall of living room set. Margaret makes the observation that it all looks like it could be easily lived in. Everything is quite "authentic" looking. That you could just walk onto the set, plop yourself down on a sofa, and think you were home. Several sets not in use had linen coverings with labels to note which piece of furniture they were for. I ask David if they were to keep people off of the furniture, and he said that the covers were basically just to keep everything clean, because people come through these sets all the time, and this just makes it easier.

After getting to see all the sets for this show, we head on over to where they are currently filming on ER. On the drive over, David mentions several films that he's worked on, and that he worked with O.J. Simpson on his last film, Navy Seals. So we talk about OJ a bit and his latest legal trouble. "He was the nicest guy," David said. "There was a time when my mom and dad were at this film industry event with me, and O.J. was in deep conversation with my dad about sports. This happened one month before Ron and Nicole were murdered." How forkin' spooky is that?

When we reach the sound stage we make doubly sure out phones are turned off because they are filming. The actors are set up in the area where there are several beds for patients. We are watching from a part of the set not being used, which is the waiting area. There are a ton of people walking around behind the scenes, and I recognize a few of the favorite characters who have been with the show for a long time like John and Chuny, and a recent actor J.P. Manoux, who plays the part of Dr. Hauschka, Neela's overbearing taskmaster.

Every bed is filled with someone in it, wearing a hospital gown, and John Stamos (Dr. Gates), Linda Cardenllini (RN Sam) and Chuny are working on a patient. The director is off in another part of the set that I can't directly see, and he's shouting out stage directors to Sam. There is a goof and they have to shoot it over again. David had asked someone earlier to bring him his camera out from his desk area, and John Stamos graciously gets his picture taken with all of us. David then leads us on a trip to other ER sets. We pass by small rooms that look like they are small rooms with the remains of treating a patient already on the floor, complete with fake blood. We get to another area, and David takes us to their set for the second floor, and OR1. Operating 1. And that's how I ended up on a real operating table with real equipment in there. David took my picture from the observation booth. I had the best time, and I hope we get together again soon. David said that if the writer's strike happens, he may be showing up at some of the Spector pretrial hearings until it is resolved.

Rachelle mass emails, again.
Last week I got a few emails at my blog from different people telling me that they received an email from Rachelle Spector, asking them to go look at her website and see how she's supporting her husband. You just have to shake your head with a heavy sigh and hope that we don't see as much, or hear as much from the current Mrs. Spector until round two.

Obsessed people.
I normally don't write about Internet crazies, but something reached a limit for me today and I thought I might as well share. I mean, Kim of The Darwin Exception has kept me totally entertained with her stories about the woman who calls her "Kimmer" and the neighbor lady without any heat. So I thought I might as well share with you the latest drama about this sad woman from Patasa, or some place out in the underdeveloped world like that, who just sees red when the word "Sprocket" crosses her path.

This sad little old lady has followed me from crime forum to crime forum, for gawd knows what reason, and trashes me up one side of the room and down the other. I have zero clue what I could have ever done to her, to cause her to have all this pent up animosity, directed towards me. She is a sad creature to be sure, and I would show her some kindness and/or pity if she wasn't just drop dead crazy as a loon. What I've often seen her do, is, when someone challenges her on why she hates me so much, she never answers the question. She doesn't have one. She changes the subject and starts waxing poetic about how sad her life is, and how terrible it is that most of her time and energy is spent on her crippled daughter. She recently posted over on the CTV forums that her daughter was in an automobile accident over a year ago, and now her ankle is fused and she will "never walk normally again, never run again, never dance again." And on and on the pity party goes about how sad it is about her daughter, and I'm still not getting it as to WTF that has to do with why she can't stand me, and has to trash me every place that I hang out.

And then today, she sent me a threatening message, promising to send the police to my door, if I didn't STOP doing SOMETHING....some persecution, whatever, for some who knows what Genever-induced paranoid rambling perceptions she has, that are most likely self induced. Now I understand, that what happened to her daughter is sad, and I wouldn't want that to happen to anyone, but give me a forkin' break. Whose life does not have challenges? Far worse things have happened to other people and they get over it and move on with life. They go on to live productive and happy lives. Besides, it's not like the kid is dead and buried and her killer has not been brought to trial yet five years down the road. This old lady should be grateful she's not standing in Mrs. Clarkson's shoes.

And that brings me back to the Phil Spector mistrial. How long is it going to take, to get a conviction, and justice for Lana's family? That's an injustice for you. Don't forget Lana. Go light a candle for her, as many times as you can.

Spector Goes Back To Court

Unedited draft entry.

I hardly slept last night. I had several things to do in the morning, and I didn't want to forget to do everything before I left the house. I had to find out where the library was closest to the court, so I could go write my story asap. And, I wanted to find out the name of the Judge in a case starting today in Van Nuys. Both tasks accomplished, I felt a bit better.

Mr. Sprocket fixed me a great breakfast, and I got out the door by 7:00 am. I wasn't sure what time the hearing would be, but I wanted to be there early just in case. As I enter the rear of the court building, there is a huge line all the way from the back, toward the entrance on Temple Street and there is only one scanner for the public. There's not the excitement I used to feel when I was going every day, and there was testimony. The line is going very slow, and I'm hoping there's not a crowd on the 9th floor.

As I round the second security checkpoint on the 9th floor, I see at the very end of the hall a familiar face. It's Dr. C. Carroll Adams, (CCA) and we give each other a big smile and a wave. He's still attending a trial in courtroom 107, and as he waits for that courtroom to start (promptly at 8:30 am), we chat a bit and get caught up.

I learn that it was District Attorney Cooley who over rode AJ's and PD's objections to accepting Juror #10 on the panel. Apparently, DA Cooley wanted to follow the advice of the jury consultant, who felt this Juror wouldn't be a problem. However, everyone, Cooley, the consultants, and our hard working guys AJ & PD totally misread Juror #1.CCA and I talk a bit about jury tampering, and whether or not this happened in the Spector case. There's no proof that any of the jurors were tampered with, and anything we think might have happened is just speculation.

CCA didn't know about Peter Y. Hong's transfer to the business section of the LA Times, and I'm hoping either Steven Mikulan or Ciaran McEvoy will show, so I can ask him if they know anything. CCA's courtroom finally opens, and he's off.

People approach this end of the hall but they all enter other courtrooms. The hallway is virtually empty. There are a few people on benches, waiting. Most have jury bades. Some swing their legs nervously, others pass the time reading. As some suits enter Fidler's courtroom, I try to guess which are attorneys and which might be DEA agents. When it get's to 9:00 am, I'm realizing that this thing isn't going to start until about 10:00 am.

A still photographer shows up, and Wendy, Fidler's clerk, tells him to set up in the jury box in the seat wher Juror #10 sat. It's 9:06 and I sit and wait. More attorneys enter the hallway, more potential jurors arrive but they are all for other courtrooms. A short, strange looking guy with short frizzy dirty blond hair, shows up wearing a T-shirt that says "Turkey Tournament 2006" on the back. His jeans are almost falling off of him, as he gets close to the courtroom door to read the notice left there from Spector round one. I try to think of a name to give him, and when I see his face I think that this could be a long lost Spector son because the guy has virtually no chin. I decide to call him chinman. He wanders off down towards the other end of the hall and I think maybe he was just wishfully lost.

Rod Lindbom, one of the family attorneys rounds the corner, as he comes down the hallway, and sees me he calls out "Sprocket!" His arms are open wide and he gives me a a big hug. It's really nice to see him and get such a warm welcome. We head into the courtroom and find out from the Bailiff that the hearing is at 10:00 am. I talk to him about who I've been told is still on the case beside Plourd, and he asks me if I want to go down on the elevator with him because everyone is in the cafeteria in one of the far corners. So we head down. John Taylor, Mrs. Clarkson, Fawn and one of Fawn's friends are all sitting at a table, and everyone gives me big warm greetings and asks how I'm doing. I reply that I am so sad that Mrs. Clarkson is still here. That that we are going to have to do a round two. They want to know what's going on the CTV message boards, and I reply, "Not much right now." I pass on my news of who I was told was still on the case, but it remains to be seen if they will be in court today. We all speculate on how long a rope Fidler is going to give Spector, and if anything will be accomplished today.

It gets closer to 10:00 am, and we head back to the 9th floor. I head on into the courtroom, and see Steven Mikulan sitting in his old spot. I go sit next to him. The Judge is on the bench but it is a hearing for another case. Spector, Child Bride Rachelle Short and Plourd are all sitting in the front row. A single bodyguard (I think it's Horace) is in the back row, sitting next to another black man, but he doesn't look like the type of security guard that Spector hires. He's not large enough. The attorney I was told would be still on the case is not here. Better go recheck with my source on that. Maybe the attorney was fired again. Sandi Gibbons, spokesperson from the DA's office comes in a few minutes later. Steven and I are the only ones covering the hearing, and Sandi thinks the fire kept most away. Last she heard, Linda Deutsch was supposed to cover this, but she isn't here yet. Ciran McEvoy shows up and talks to Rod. It's, almost like old home week, except Dominick isn't here. Last I heard, he was still in London, but he might be back in New York by now.

Pat Dixon walks in and he's got a fresh haircut. He looks handsome and stately as always. Rick Ocampo is already here and will be sitting second chair. AJ is not at this hearing today, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's still on a sabbitical. I've heard he's been traveling. Looking around the courtroom I see Meredith from the Court's Public Relations Office sitting by the door. Right at 10:00 am the clerk Wendy calls out, "Ready for the Judge?" Someone whispers, "What does it say when there are more lawyers here for the family than there are for Spector." It is noticably empty in the courtroom, even more so on the defense side of the room.

Plourd stands up and tells the Judge that there are two declarations. One from Spector himself, documenting his efforts to sign up a new attorney, and one from the potential attorney that has not been signed yet. He wants these to be submitted exparte and sealed, and Dixon objects. Dixon doesn't think there's anything in there that needs to be sealed. I look on over at Rachelle and notice that her hair straight down, not fixed and overly streaked again. Her outfit was unremarkable for once. Just black slacks and a half sleeve type of jacket/top. I didn't even see what Spector was wearing.

As the Judge is reading the documents, Linda Deutsch arrives. After reading the first document, the Judge grants the exparte and sealing of the document stating that it deals with financial arrangements Mr. Spector is going to get to obtain counsel. After he reads the second document, he grants the exparte on that one also. The Judge mentions that he does want Mr. Spector to have counsel that he feels comfortable and confident with, and with the sealing of the documents, Mr. Spector is not ready to reveal who his new counsel might be, and since the counsel still hasn't signed the document yet anyway. Dixon asks if the counsel will remain "Mr. X?" And someone replies, I didn't catch who, "Or Mrs. X." Plourd asks that a continuance be given until November 6th, and the Judge grants the motion. The Judge then says, "10:00 am, November 6th, oh-sixty." After he leaves the bench, all three of us turn to Sandi Gibbons for an explaination of the oh-sixty. She says that it's a straight waiver, and a set up of "sixty days from November 6th." That means that Spector has the right to a speedy trial in 60 days from November 6th. Sandi indicated that this would be the first of many continuances.

As I walk towards the elevators, I see Linda Deutsch in deep conversation in the middle of the hall with Chris Plourd. Ciaran and Steven and I all catch an elevator together, and Steven asks if we all have time to get coffee. Ciaran has to go to his office to follow up on this, but he can in a bit. I can't; I have to go shop for fabric, so we say our goodbyes until November. It's going to be more of the same, throughout the rest of the year.

I'll update this with a bit more info when I get home tonight.

The Polo Lounge, Legal hirings and things in the mail

On the bookshelf: Tearing Down the Wall of Sound, by Mick Brown, and Diana, by Tina Brown.

On the CD Player: Field Commander Cohen, Leonard Cohen, 1979 UK World Tour.

It's been reported that Phil Spector recently had lunch at the Polo Lounge, located in the Beverly Hills Hotel, accompanied by two women and two bodyguards. Did he leave the little child bride at home or was she one of the luncheon ladies? It is unknown at this point. Let's hope Spector is letting Rachelle out of that run down wreck of a castle once in a while, so she doesn't get treated the same way he treated Ronnie. I mean, a young bride has to show off her shoes every once in a while.

Meanwhile, Spector has been hiring and firing, and hiring again a member of his defense team from round one. I'm happy to report that it is NOT Linda Kenney Baden, and I'm sure there are many reporters out there who are relieved about that as well. Ms. Baden is a competent attorney, but her courtroom presence did grate the nerves of many people sitting in the gallery as well as those watching on the telly at home. It will be interesting to find out if the individual is still on board come October 22nd, the new date for the next pretrial hearing where all parties have been ordered back to Judge Fidler's courtroom, or if they will be fired again before that date.

Meanwhile, back at home, I got a delightful surprise in the mail on Saturday. This is very special for me, since I'm the one who often gives presents to people I meet, and it's usually something I've made on my sewing machine. Mick Brown was kind enough to send me an autographed copy of another one of his books I expressed an interest in, The Spiritual Tourist, A Personal Odyssey Through the Outer Reaches of Belief. I think I will have to put Diana by Tina Brown aside for now, and delve into this next.

For those of you who are interested in ordering from my collection of things I make, (or just want to write to me to say hello) please email me your inquiries here at the blog. You can a link to my email addy, here, on my profile page. The link is in the top left corner, and says "email."