April is National Poetry Month

And once again, I join the Academy of American Poets' celebration:

My weekly crime poetry site, The 5-2, begins a month-long blog tour with Poem of the Week "Criminal Foolishness" by Jerry House.

The proceeds from all April sales of my poetry books and 5-2 merchandise will be donated to the nonprofit Academy to support poets at all stages of their careers and to foster the appreciation of contemporary poetry.

Easter Morn

You may recall this Lent I opted to continue living without something I'd given up since January 1. I succeeded, and, because my sacrifice wasn't tied to forty days, I was more focused on the moment, the true spirit of the season.

"Banalana?"

My friend John Ricotta sent me the pictured scan from a round of the word game Balderdash played circa 1996 with fellow Hofstra lit mag staffers at John's ancestral summer house in Tannersville, NY. Balderdash involves making up definitions given actual, odd-sounding words. You earn points by coming up with the closest definition, guessing the correct definition from multiple-choice, or getting others to accept your definition. Clearly, none of that was on my mind.

NCIS: Los Angeles: "Red, Part Two"

OSP and Red team continue pursuing an elusive, unknown killer as the body count rises.

Part Two had more moments between Callen and Paris and the members of Red team, Scott Grimes bringing the comic relief. I don't get the sense that a Red series will be very different from NCIS: Los Angeles, but if Part Two's ratings hold up to Part One's, CBS could make a full night of NCIS, with Red in the Tuesday 10:00 P.M. slot that has lagged for years.

If Red doesn't go to series, I'd welcome Paris or Red team back on either NCIS or NCIS: Los Angeles.
UPDATE (May 15, 2013): CBS decided against bringing Red to series. The ratings were decent, but apparently the concept wasn't strong enough to sway execs. Instead of a full NCIS night, CBS is moving Person of Interest into the Tuesday 10:00 P.M. slot, so TV's three most watched dramas will air on the same night.

At The 5-2: "On Highway 66" by Doug Draime

This week, Doug Draime gives us a look at a stretch of rural Oregon.

There is now at least one entry for each day of our April blog tour.

Frequent contributor Charles Rammelkamp will choose the 5-2 Poem of the Weekfor July 8–14, 2013.

Love the Writing, Hate the Writer

I commented on Steve Weddle's weekly post at Do Some Damage.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES: "Red, Part One"

In this anticipated backdoor pilot for a spinoff, Callen and Sam rendezvous with a mobile Red team to investigate a murder in Idaho whose details match one in Los Angeles.

I admit up front I'm spoiled by the two-part, Season 8 JAG episode introducing the cast of NCIS. It was so different in tone, pacing, and cinematography that it almost didn't fit JAG. Odd fit aside, the aforementioned qualities are what I loved about NCIS for its first seven seasons.

In Season 6 of NCIS, the Los Angeles team was introduced in a two-part, backdoor pilot. By then, NCIS creator Don Bellisario had ceded control to Shane Brennan. Brennan and CBS developed NCIS: Los Angeles without Bellisario's input. Bellisario, in fact, sued CBS for compensation, the parties settling two months ago. I admit to being a Bellisario fan before opining that NCIS: Los Angeles's characters and chemistry weren't as well formed from the start. I say the same about Red team.

Lead agent Paris Summerskill (Kim Raver) had an interesting background in the performing arts and better romantic chemistry with Callen than anyone previously has. However, with ten minutes left in Part One, Paris's ex-partner, Roy Haines (John Corbett), was called back into action. Paris supposedly had chemistry with Roy, but she responded to his appearance by slugging him and sulking off. The rest of the team haven't distinguished themselves yet. Corbett does seem comfortable, as he usually does.

I realize I can't judge a two-parter by part one, but first impressions are important. Because NCIS hit the ground running, I had thought any spinoffs would do the same, but they haven't. That said, I prefer NCIS: Los Angeles Seasons 2, 3, and 4 to classic NCIS Seasons 8, 9, and 10. If "Red" makes a splash in the ratings, CBS is sure to afford it the same chance to grow on me.