All the latest news on JAG...1997

• There will be a JAG novel coming out in March of 1998. Written by Robert Tine, it's titled JAG:The Novel. No word on the plot yet. For more info check out Amazon.Com. (12/20/97)

• The next scheduled first run ep will be shown on January 6th - it's titled "Someone To Watch Over Annie." The week following that will be "Intent To Die", which is just finishing filming now. The Jan. 6th ep is obviously the return of Annie Pendry into Harm's life, and Intent To Die, I've heard, focuses on Chegwidden. (12/20/97)

• CBS is not showing Ghost Ship on Dec. 2nd. Instead a first season ep, Smoked, will be aired. The following week, Dec. 9th, will be a new ep entitled Defenseless. In it Harm and Mac defend an ensign who claims she felt threatened by another officer and that killing him was simply self-defense.

• JAG ratings for the last two eps: Impact (aired 11/18/97) scored JAG's second highest rating ever (behind the pilot ep.) Impact rated a 10.6/16 share. It ranked 24th out of 112 shows for the week. The People vs. Rabb (aired 11/25/97) rated a 9.6/15 share.

• From USA Today 11/25/97:
  'JAG' ROCKS: Now in its third season, CBS' military drama JAG is thriving on Tuesdays. Last week, it won the 8-9 p.m. ET/PT time period with a 10.6 rating, beating out NBC's Mad About You and NewsRadio and ABC's Home Improvement and Soul Man. (One ratings point equals 980,000 homes.) The numbers were the show's highest since its NBC pilot. The episode also prompted a flurry of phone calls to CBS, when the character Mac (Catherine Bell) announced she was leaving the military to join a civilian law firm. "We got one e-mail from a father of a 10-year-old girl who said she looked up to Mac as a personal role model and cried herself to sleep after she announced she was leaving," says executive producer Donald P. Bellisario. (posted 11/26/97)

• Nielson Ratings for the 10/21 ep "The King of the Fleas" -- 8.8 -- 14 -- and the 10/28 ep Vanished - -- 10.2 -- 16--. The 10/28 ep scored the highest JAG rating yet - it came in second place, behind Mad About You, in front of Soul Man. (Ruthlessly stolen from Coach Biloxi Boy :) 10/29/97)

• Los Angeles KTLA, Ch 5, had an interview with DJE Tuesday, 9/23 (the Season Premiere of JAG). Here is a transcript (from the tape) of the interview with Carlos Amezcua and Barbara Beck)
  Barbara: Hey, nobody looks better in a uniform, except maybe Carlos, than this man. He stars as a Navy officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corp, otherwise known as JAG.
  Carlos: You know if you go up to San Diego you always want to wear one of these uniforms it seems like...but anyway, tonight JAG begins it's third season on CBS. Please welcome David James Elliott.
  Barbara: Nice to see you again. Welcome back!
  DJE: Thanks. Thanks.
  Barbara: The show's doing well. The last time we talked to you we talked about, well is this really going to be a true, I mean, is it really going to be a true show. Are you really going to do the research and make this the sort of thing that really happens. Are you finding that that is the case?
  DJE: Yea. Yes. I mean obviously our first objective is to entertain you know...
  Barbara: Uh, no!
  DJE: So we have to take artist license on occassion, but generally or on the whole we're exactly that
  Barbara: I'm pleased with that.
  Carlos: How's the love life on the show?
  DJE: There apparently is going to be one.
  Carlos: Something's starting, going to happen?
  DJE: It's never really gone that way yet. He's a very serious guy.
  Carlos: It's your buddy's wife or something that you fall in love?
  DJE: Well yea. He doesn't need a wife, his neighbor has one.
  (Barbara laughs) (DJE smiles)
  Carlos: This show is very interesting.
  Barbara: The past is coming to haunt you this season.
  DJE: Yes. We also find out about Harm's father once and for all which has been a continuing theme for the first two years and we find out at the end of this year the truth about that.
  Barbara: Now I don't know if that is in this clip, but let's take a look
  Carlos: JAG
  (Clip from "Ghost Ship" - Mac is receiving computer info from Bud in front of the USS Hornet)
  Carlos: Very precise.
  (DJE smiles)
  Barbara: Are you ever tempted to war the uniform out?
  DJE: I do some times. Yea.
  Barbara: See how things go. Because you REALLY look goodin that uniform
  DJE: Oh, thanks. Thanks.
  Carlos: People give you the salute. Tell us a little aboutyourself. Where are you from originally?
  DJE: Canada
  Carlos: From Canada. Really.
  DJE: So it's kind of fun wearing an American Naval Uniform.We always watched a lot of war movies as a kid
  Barbara: Well JAG airs tonight at 8 PM on CBS. Can you give us a proper salute (DJE salutes)
  Carlos: Oh, look at that!
  Barbara: You are great!
  Carlos & Barbara together: Thank you so much
  Barbara: Good to see ya. Thank you so much!
  Carlos: David James Elliott. Thank you so much!
  (Posted to Maeve Aislin's JAGnik Central Message Board; Posted here on 10/9/97)

• From the Ultimate TV Website: CBS'S ALL-NEW TUESDAY NIGHT OF DRAMA SIGNIFICANTLY BOOSTS MALE DEMOGRAPHICS Network up +86% in Men 25-54 and +60% in Men 18-49 Versus Last Year "Jag" Scores its Highest Ever CBS Rating Premiere of "Dellaventura" Tops "The Practice"
  The premiere of CBS's all-new Tuesday night of drama (JAG, MICHAEL HAYES, DELLAVENTURA) posted significant increases in key male demographics versus the same night last year, Tuesday, Sept. 23 on the CBS Television Network . For the night, CBS was up +86% in men 25-54 (4.1 vs. 2.2) and +60% in men 18-49 (3.2 vs. 2.0) compared to the same night last year ("Promised Land"; CBS Tuesday Movie, "After Jimmy"). CBS was also up +12% in adults 25-54 and +2% in adults 18-49. At 8:00 PM, the season premiere of JAG (8.9/14, 12.42 million viewers), had its highest CBS rating ever. Compared to the premiere of "Promised Land" a year ago, JAG was up +12% in adults 18-49 (3.7 v.s 3.3), +17% in adults 25-54 (4.6 vs. 3.9), +63% in men 18-49 (3.6 vs. 2.2) and +66% in men 25-54 (4.5 vs. 2.7).... For the night in households: CBS 9.0/15 (+3% over the same week last year), NBC 14.0/23, ABC 11.3/18, FOX 3.8/06. In total viewers: CBS, 12.51 million (up +7%), NBC 19.38, ABC 16.96, FOX 5.45. (9/25/97; Posted to the JAG mailing list by Sherman!)

• From the 9/23 NY Post: <> (9/23/97; Posted to the JAG Mailing list)

• The following piece on Tracey Needham was forwarded to me - Thanks Kathleen!:
  < A: Actually, she has a new job. Also a former "Life Goes On" regular, she's one of the stars of producer Steven Bochco's new ABC show "TotalSecurity," which is scheduled to premiere Saturday, Sept. 27. Needham says her departure from "JAG" was a mutual decision by her and the show's producers, though she's resurfaced in some recent CNB repeats of episodesoriginally made for NBC. Catherine Bell will continue as the partner ofRabb (David James Elliott) when the military adventure starts its thirdseason Tuesday, Sept. 23 on CBS. >>
  There is also a tiny photo with the caption "Tracey Needham played Navy attorney on JAG" (the pic is fairly common; a headshot of Meg in the white uniform and hat. ) (9/16/97)

• There is an error in the TV Guide Fall Preview issue regarding the upcoming JAG plotlines. In the Love Connections section - D. Bellisario was misquoted - it's Harm who falls for the beauty he defends, but it is Mac who gets involved with a high powered attorney who tempts her to leave JAG. (9/9/97; Posted to the JAG mailing list by KIP35@aol.com)

• Read a review of JAG and it's chances for season 3 at the Mr. Showbiz site. (9/5/97)

• From the TV Guide Fall Preview Edition - Returning Shows:
  < The Big News: Executive producer Donald Bellisario wants "to grab some female viewers" by mixing more personal stories and courtroom drama with action. One emotional plotline: A Vietnam-era skeleton found entombed on a naval carrier leads Lt. Cmdr. Harmon "Harm" Raab (David James Elliott) on a journey in search of his MIA father.
  Love Connections: Harm falls for a beauty he defends in a murder case and gets involved with a high-powered civilian lawyer who tempts him to leave the Judge Advocate General corps. His relationship with Major Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie (Catherine Bell) suffers when his love life leaves little time for their friendship.
  Ripped From the Headlines: An F-14 pilot disappears while on maneuvers. A female aviator gets romantically involved with a crew chief and is brought up on fraternization charges.
  Guest Stars: Montel Williams, in a twist on the film "Courage Under Fire.">>> (9/1/97)

• According to an Associated Press wire release, Karri Turner will be joining the JAG cast as Ensign Harriet Simms. Turner had the recurring role of Ensign Simms in season 2, but is now apparently becoming a regular cast member. (8/30/97, thanks Sibella!)

• More information on Tracey Needham's new show, Total Security, which will be premiering on Saturday night, September 27th at 9pm. Tracey's character is the "beautiful, but lethal" Ellie Jones. (8/30/97, thanks Coach Biloxi Boy!)

• The following article was in the Saturday August 16 edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune and written by Diane Bell of the U-T:
  <> (Posted to the JAG Mailing List)

• Catherine Bell has a new movie coming out called "Crash Dive - The Chase Is On". It's going straight to Video.
• DJE worked on a movie called "Clockwatchers" during his JAG hiatus last season. The movie stars Lisa Kudrow and Parker Posey. It has opened in Australia, but I havent seen any indication that it has a US distributor yet. It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, but I have heard that it got some bad reviews.

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