ALAN JACKSON (not the country star) AND NICK SANTORA (not the alleged mob boss) YOU ARE MY ROCK STARS. (call me)

[Writers Plot]

posted by Leann Sweeney

Ever have one of those moments when you're all alone, you're watching the tube and a couple things come together that just make you grin like a donkey with a mouth full of prickers? That's what happened to me as I watched this week's episode of Murder by the Book on TruTV. Formerly Court TV. Those of you who've been to Wrtiers Plot before might remember how much I love Court TV, might recall a post I did on the Phil Spector trial. I think that trial should be eligible for an Emmy, by the way: Best reality/fantasy show, best performance by a prosecutor, best non-performance by a washed-up record producer, best hair and make-up on a criminal, best ... nevermind.

Anyway, the deputy D.A. who prosecuted that trial and made me laugh for an entire day after he asked a skank-esque witness who goes by the name Punkin' Pie if he could call her "Miss Pie"--well, that's ALAN JACKSON. And I found him again! There he was talking about another case he prosecuted on Murder by the Book. They were profiling a cold case murder of a wealthy race car owner and his wife that finally went to trial after about twenty years. And I am hanging on every fast-spoken word from Mr. Jackson. I like the smart ones, especially if they're excellent looking and smell wonderful. Okay, you can't smell people on TV but you know when someone surely must smell nice.

Good thing I wasn't too distracted by Alan Jackson and actually paid attention--difficult because I already knew the case from American Justice or some other show. But the writer who served as the host for this week was NICK SANTORA. Did I mention they feature a bestselling writer every week? (They do. Hosting that show is on my to-do list <g>.) So Nick's the author. Now, I'd say I'm pretty well-read as far as crime fiction but I wasn't recognizing this guy, not by name, not by looking at him. He is far less hunky than Alan and I thought it would come to me if I would just quit star-gazing at the prosecutor and put my brain cells to work. It came to me all right--when the voice-over announcer (yeah, they had one of those, too, but I'm sure he's NOT a rock star) said two words: Prison Break. Nick Santora writes Prison Break?

OH MY GAWD. I am in love twice in one show!

Nick Santora writes for Law and Order, too. Wrote an episode of The Sopranos. Triple rock star. But it was the Prison Break mention that had my jaw dropping. Who would have thought in a million years that I would ever be hooked on a show about guys breaking out of prison? Breaking out twice in four years? Can you say redundant? But the show simply has great writing. Not Masterpiece Theater writing. Thriller writing. Sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat-gnawing-on-your-nails writing. The kind I love because for me, it's the equivalent of a page turner.Since I am a life-long learner when it comes to writing, Nick Santora has been teaching me plenty this season.

And there they were together. Two for one. Alan Jackson and Nick Santora. Does it get any better? Not for me when it comes to escapism. My hero D.A. and a TV script writer. That's all I need some days.

(Boys? Call me.)