THIS `SHARK' HAS TEETH JAMES WOODS WILL SAY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING ON NEW CBS DRAMA.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic Take after take of a scene for CBS' new legal drama ``Shark'' is being shot, and each has a different ending. James Woods as Sebastian Stark, a former hotshot defense lawyer now working for the DA's office, ad-libs a comic insult toward the judge each time. In this take, the judge questions his outburst; Woods, as Stark, replies, ``I'm sorry, sir -- I had a little gas.'' The crew cracks up, and director Rod Holcomb Rod Holcomb is an American television director. He has directed episodes of television series such as Quincy, M.E., The Six Million Dollar Man, Battlestar Galactica, Fantasy Island, The A-Team, ER, The District, The Lyon's Den, Lost, Invasion and Numb3rs. declares, delighted, to no one in particular, ``He never can fail!'' Woods' acerbic sensibility has helped ``Shark'' -- which already has been picked up for a full season -- become one of the fall's bona fide [Latin, In good faith.] Honest; genuine; actual; authentic; acting without the intention of defrauding. A bona fide purchaser is one who purchases property for a valuable consideration that is inducement for entering into a contract and without suspicion of being hits. It is matching time-slot competitor ``ER's'' viewership; its retention of lead-in ``CSI CSI Crime Scene Investigator CSI CompuServe, Inc. CSI Commodity Systems, Inc. CSI Commodity Systems Inc. (Boca Raton, FL) CSI Crime Scene Investigation (CBS TV show) CSI Christian Schools International : Crime Scene Investigation'' approximates first-season levels of ``Without a Trace,'' now a huge success for CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. . While Woods exults that ``Shark'' represents a high-water mark high-water mark n. 1. Abbr. HWM A mark indicating the highest level reached by a body of water. 2. The highest point, as of achievement; the apex. in a career that won him two Prime-Time Emmys, a Daytime Emmy, a Golden Globe and two Oscar nominations, he concedes it comes at a bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. time. His brother Michael died the week production began, just after the two had enjoyed a cross-country road trip together. The past, the future ``If you had asked me six months ago what my life was going to be like; if I told you I was going to be one of the last surviving members of my family and that I would be in a TV series that I couldn't enjoy more, I would've said, `I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what you're talking about,''' Woods says. ``It's inconceivable. Let me tell you, life throws you curves you can't imagine, and I got the worst and the best in the same week. We started shooting this episode, and I have to say, this series kind of saved my life. ... Work as therapy ``Honestly, if I weren't doing this show, and I was out on my own, I'd just be sitting in a corner, really. I have no reason to do TV -- I mean, I'm alone (Woods recently dated aspiring actress Ashley Madison, with whom he appeared on an episode of HBO's `Entourage'). The only people who are here are my elderly mother, and I certainly have enough money to take care of her, and my two nieces and my nephew -- I have no reason to work. ``I'm so kind of beaten up by this whole situation,'' he continues. ``But when I work, I put on my cheerful face and do what I have to do, and I'm around decent people who really get it -- they're very, very supportive, spiritually supportive. I get up and I can do scenes where people laugh. And we have a good time and then I close that off and I go home and sort of deal with what I have to deal with.'' Actress Jeri Ryan Jeri Lynn Ryan (born February 22, 1968) is an American actress who came to fame as the ex-Borg Seven of Nine on . Biography Childhood Ryan was born Jeri Lynn Zimmerman in 1968 in Munich, Germany, to American parents; she has one older brother, Mark. , who co-stars as DA Jessica Devlin, tasked with reining in her celebrated yet ethically dubious employee, marvels at her co-star co·star also co-star n. A starring actor or actress given equal status with another or others in a play or film. tr. & intr.v. co·starred, co·star·ring, co·stars To act or present as a costar. : ``His energy level is astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, . When my son was 2, he didn't have that much energy, and I'm not even kidding. He's exhausting to keep up with, but it's amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ; I've never seen anything like it.'' ``He is this guy,'' offers series creator Ian Biederman. ``He has a nice sense of moral outrage that works in all of his work. He's not always the bad guy, but he's this guy who straddles the line, which makes him fascinating. A bad guy doing good things is cool to watch.'' Morality play morality play, form of medieval drama that developed in the late 14th cent. and flourished through the 16th cent. The characters in the morality were personifications of good and evil usually involved in a struggle for a man's soul. Now in its sixth week, the series has explored the moral ambiguities Stark has ignored to become successful. The episode being shot today demonstrates that Devlin, despite her predilection for riding the high horse, has some skeletons in her closet as well. ``There's pros and cons pros and cons Noun, pl the advantages and disadvantages of a situation [Latin pro for + con(tra) against] , obviously, to this character, and I was acutely aware of that when I signed on,'' Ryan says. ``I loved her strength, that ... she does not suffer fools. She has absolutely no respect for his tactics and lack of ethics in the courtroom. But at the same time, there's only so much finger-wagging you can do before it gets really, really tiresome to an audience. ``That's why it's nice to see a different dynamic between the characters, particularly in this episode.'' Woods decides to use the occasion of this character development to take a cheeky shot at his writing staff. ``Oddly,'' he says, ``you're here in the 20-minute window when I'm not saying every other line that's in the scene. This is Jeri Ryan's first big episode where it features her, so she gets to do all the courtroom stuff. So it's kind of a nice relief. ``But they still had me sitting in the courtroom, so what was the point?'' he adds in mock self-aggrandizement. ``I might as well be talking. I said to the writers, `Look, the trick is you write him out of the scene so he has 20 minutes to go home and do his laundry. If he's here and not talking, then (expletive), he might as well be talking. I am the star of the show. If I have to be here, I'll say the stuff. It doesn't help for me to be here and sit on my ass and have someone else talk.''' Alleviating his cheek, he adds, ``God love 'em. I have warmhearted feelings for all of my wonderful writers and wonderful cast and great producers. It's the first time, I have to say, that the writing is so dedicated to my voice and what you imagine I would be.'' Dialogue with teeth Woods admits to being highly flattered that the show's writers adhere so assiduously as·sid·u·ous adj. 1. Constant in application or attention; diligent: an assiduous worker who strove for perfection. See Synonyms at busy. 2. to his own sensibility. ``It's the first time I've felt in my life like I'm `a star,' in quotes,'' he says. ``This is the first time where I've felt like, the way everything's set up, well, yeah, the show doesn't work without you. It's really tailored to you, and guess what -- you actually have an audience of people who like you. ``I'm mystified mys·ti·fy tr.v. mys·ti·fied, mys·ti·fy·ing, mys·ti·fies 1. To confuse or puzzle mentally. See Synonyms at puzzle. 2. To make obscure or mysterious. by the fact that people actually know me, and I'm starting to get that thing that actually makes me laugh out loud -- people will call out, `Hey, Shark!' Now I actually have a nickname that'll follow me forever.'' David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com SHARK What: James Woods stars as a charismatic defense lawyer working for L.A.'s district attorney. Where: CBS (Channel 2). When: 10 p.m. Thursday. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) `Shark' attack James Woods' new drama takes a bite out Verb 1. bite out - utter; "She bit out a curse" let loose, let out, utter, emit - express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words); "She let out a big heavy sigh"; "He uttered strange sounds that nobody could understand" of TV ratings (2) no caption (James Woods) (3) Jeri Ryan is the district attorney -- and boss to the character played by James Woods -- in ``Shark.'' |
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