"Defense of the Realm" [PG-13] - 4/14

"DEFENSE OF THE REALM"

CHAPTER 4

A crowd of whitelighters stared at the corpse sprawled in the middle of the corridor. Among them were two women - Natalia Stepanova and Barbara deVilliers. "Mon dieu!" the latter declared in shocked tone. "I cannot believe this has happened! One of the Elders killed?"

"Trust me, my friend, I am quite stunned myself," Natalia replied, shaking her head. "There will be an emergency meeting over this, of course."

Barbara stared at her fellow whitelighter. "How can you be so calm about this, Natalia? An Elder is dead! Murdered! This is the first time anything like this has happened."

"I am far from calm. In fact, I am worried." Natalia continued to stare at the corpse. "After so many attempts, someone has finally been able to kill an Elder."

"What attempts?"

Natalia continued, "Remember the warlock who had killed several witches, a darklighter and a fellow whitelighter in order to acquire an orbing power?"

"I remember," Barbara said with a nod. "I also remember that the whitelighter who had been killed was also named Natalia."

"Close. Actually, her name was Natalie," the Russian corrected. She pointed at a familiar, blond-haired whitelighter. "If Leo, over there, had not brought the Charmed Ones up here, the entire Realm would have been destroyed. And let's not forget the Titans." Both women shuddered. "And the attack on Elder Ramus, while he was preparing to retire." Natalie's mouth formed a thin line. "I had once warned the Council to prepare for possible chao after the death of the last Source. I only hope they will heed our warning."

Barbara harbored the same hope.

---------

"Olivia McNeill?"

A gasp left Olivia's mouth, as she whirled around to see who had uttered her name. The last person she had expected to see in her apartment was a slim, dark-haired young man in his early twenties. He possessed blue eyes that seemed very familiar.

"Who in the hell are you?" she demanded angrily. "And what are you doing in my apartment?"

The young man winced at her hostile tone. "I'm Chris. Chris Perry. Your new whitelighter. Didn't your brothers tell you about me?"

"No, they didn't," Olivia snapped back. "And I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have a whitelighter - new or old." She paused and gave the newcomer a hard stare. "What happened to Leo?"

The whitelighter - or Chris - shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "The Council had suspended him. I've taken over responsibility for all of his charges."

Olivia allowed one brow to form a dubious arch. "Taken responsibility?"

"Yes. His charges are now mine." Chris' face turned red.

Smiling coolly, Olivia said, "Since Leo wasn't my whitelighter at the time of his suspension, I guess that means that you are not my whitelighter now. Hasn't anyone told you?"

His blue eyes clouded with confusion, Chris shook his head. "The Halliwells and your brothers had never said anything about . . ." He broke off under Olivia's intense stare.

"So, you've met the rest of them."

Chris opened his mouth . . . and then shut it. Another moment passed before he finally answered, "Yeah. Um, earlier this evening."

"Really?"

"Yes, and about me not being your whitelighter . . . you have to understand. There has been . . ."

Olivia interrupted him. "Let's get something straight, shall we Chris? One, my official relationship with Leo and the Whitelighter Realm had ended while I was in college, twelve years ago. We've been friends since . . . well, until he and Paul Margolin had set me up to kill Cole nearly two weeks ago." Olivia took a step closer toward the young whitelighter. Who took a step back. "As far as I'm concerned, the Whitelighter Council can go to hell. As long as you remember that, we can get along just fine. Okay?"

A slack-jawed Chris stared at her in shock. "Uh . . . yeah. Okay."

"Good." Olivia paused, reluctant to ask the next question, but her curiosity got the best of her. "So, what exactly happened to Leo?"

"He was re-assigned," Chris explained. "To the Realm's Sorting Department. He'll be . . ." The whitelighter glanced up. Olivia knew what that meant. A summons from the Elders Council. "Uh, I've got to . . ."

Olivia sighed. "I understand. Nice meeting you, Chris."

The whitelighter shot her an uneasy glance. "Yeah. Nice meeting you, too." He orbed out of the apartment. Olivia continued to stare at the now empty spot. What was it about Chris that seemed so familiar to her?

---------

Piper glanced at the grandfather clock inside the living room. It read six minutes after ten. She frowned. Leo had informed her that he would be home at least by eight. He was now two hours and seven . . . eight minutes late. Exactly how many charges did he and Chris visit?"

"Piper, will you please stop staring at that clock?" Phoebe demanded.

The oldest Charmed One heaved a sigh. "I can't help it. Leo was supposed to be home by now. His dinner is getting cold."

"Well, he is a whitelighter, Piper. Since when has Leo ever kept a regular schedule?" Phoebe returned her attention to the magazine in her hand.

Staring at her younger sister, Piper realized that something seemed amiss. "Wait a minute! You're home!"

"So?"

"Didn't you go over to Cole's place?"

"Yeah, I did. He's busy." Phoebe turned a page. "Working on a case. We talked a little about Chris . . . and then he asked me to leave." She turned another page.

Piper frowned. That did not sound like the old Cole Turner, who would have dropped everything at the crook of Phoebe's finger. Times certainly have changed. Her husband orbed into the living room, before she could comment. One glance at Leo's expression told Piper that he was troubled. "Leo? Are you okay?"

"Uh . . ." The whitelighter regarded the two Halliwells with dazed eyes. "There's . . ." He glanced around. "Where's Paige?"

Piper cried out her youngest sister's name. A minute later, Paige emerged from the Sun Room. "I'm in the middle of a good movie. This had better be good."

Leo took a deep breath. "I have some bad news. There's been . . . well, there's been a murder."

Phoebe frowned. "A potential whitelighter?"

"Worse." Leo paused. "An Elder."

The news took the Charmed Ones by surprise. "What?" Piper exclaimed. "How is that possible?" The whitelighter explained that Elder Sylvester Monroe had been killed by an unknown person with a darklighter's arrow. Piper added, "What was he doing here on Earth?"

"He had been killed up there," Leo corrected. "In the Realm. I just . . . I can't imagine who would want an Elder killed."

Phoebe immediately replied, "A demon, for one. Or how about the Titans?"

"Phoebe, we had managed to deal with the Titan problem last spring. Remember?" Leo heaved a sigh. "Thanks to Chris and a few deities we had summoned."

Speaking of their new whitelighter . . . "Where exactly is Chris?" Piper demanded. "Shouldn't he be telling us this news, himself?"

"Piper! There's been a murder in the Whitelighter Realm, and all you can do is be concerned about him?"

Rolling her eyes, Piper muttered, "I never said I was concerned about him. Sheesh!" Then an idea came to her. "If this Elder Sylvester was killed up there, then a demon couldn't have possibly killed him."

"Unless he or she had stolen whitelighter powers," Phoebe said. "Like that warlock, over two years ago. Other than that, no demon is powerful enough to orb up to the Realm."

Piper realized that she might be risking Phoebe's wrath with her next statement. But someone had to say it. "What about Cole?" she quietly asked. "I mean . . . he's probably more powerful than any other magical being right now. At least more powerful than the Source used to be. Or an Elder."

As expected, Phoebe angrily rounded on her sister. "Are you saying that Cole did it? Is that it, Piper?"

"I didn't say that he had done it!" Piper lowered her voice. "I was simply contemplating if he was capable of going to the Whitelighter Realm all on his own."

"And killing an Elder." Phoebe's anger continued to simmer. "Why now, Piper? It's been a year since he came back from the Wasteland!"

Oh God! Piper bit back a sigh. She had forgotten how much a drama queen Phoebe could be. "Okay Pheebs! Take it easy. It was just a suggestion."

Paige added, "I have one." Everyone stared at her. "Maybe the Elder had been killed by another whitelighter. Like Mathilda, for instance."

Leo immediately came to his former superior's defense. "No way! Not Mathilda! She would never . . . C'mon! Mathilda? Killing a whitelighter? Why?"

"I don't Leo," Paige sarcastically replied. "Maybe she was pissed for being kicked off the Council. After her little plan to get rid of Cole had failed."

Phoebe nodded her head. "I can buy that."

"So can I," Piper added. Oddly enough, she could. She had never said a word to Leo, but she had been appalled by his participation in the attempt on Cole's life. It was one thing if the half-demon had genuinely posed an immediate threat to innocents. But there had been no immediate threat. Except from Mathilda, Paul Margolin, and sadly enough . . . Leo. Even worse, Leo and Paul had used Olivia McNeill in the worst possible way - against her will.

Leo stared at his wife in horror. "Piper!"

"What?"

"How can you . . .?" The whitelighter took a deep breath. "Whitelighters don't kill!"

Phoebe snorted with derision. "Yet, apparently they plot with witches to commit cold-blooded murder. And what about Nina Kriegler? You know, the bitch that had hired a telepath to screw around with my head? Wasn't she a former whitelighter?"

Piper realized that Phoebe had a point. And like her sisters, she gave Leo a challenging stare. Before he could respond, his head cocked upward. A summons from the Elders. "I have to leave," Leo finally said. He orbed out of the living room.

A sigh left Piper's mouth. As usual, her husband had disappeared on her again, thanks to the mighty Elders. Hopefully, this would be the last time - at least while Leo's suspension remained in effect.

---------

Nearly every whitelighter available had gathered in the Realm's great hall, for the big meeting. Leo noticed Chris standing several feet away from him. His attention became distracted by the appearance of Elder MacKenzie, who strode toward the podium.

"I have several announcements to make," the Elder declared. First, he announced Elder Sylvester's death. No one seemed surprised by the announcement. News of the Elder's murder had spread quickly among the whitelighters. "I can assure you that the party responsible will be discovered and swiftly punished," Elder MacKenzie added.

Low murmurs filled the vast hall. Leo had a good suspicion of what his colleagues were thinking. The warlock who had infiltrated the Realm over two years ago.

MacKenzie continued, "Meanwhile, I would also like to announce two new members to the Council." Two? Leo along with several other whitelighters frowned. What did Elder MacKenzie mean by . . .? T hen he remembered. Not only did they have to replace Sylvester, but Mathilda, as well. Two robed figures appeared next to the Elder. "Our first new member of the Council will be Serafina Villabos." The shorter newcomer removed a hood, revealing a handsome, bronze-skinned woman with thick black hair. "She has been willing to replace Elder Sylvester at such a short notice.

"Our other new Elder had been accepted by the Council sometime earlier," MacKenzie added. The second figure pulled back a hood, revealing a man of medium height, with violet eyes peering from a thin, sharp pale face. Leo blinked. Why did this new Elder seem familiar? "I would like to introduce you to Elder Johann Bauer, who has replaced Mathilda Everard. Please welcome both of our new members."

The audience broke into an applause. Including Leo. Yet, he continued to stare at the newly initiated Elder Bauer, wondering why the name and the face seemed familiar. He glanced at Chris, whose eyes seemed to regard the Great Hall with awe. Odd, for an allegedly experienced whitelighter.

Once the applause died down, MacKenzie continued, "I hope that you will all serve our new Council members with the same respect that you do toward the rest of the oth . . ." He broke off, as a whitelighter appeared and rushed toward him. The newcomer whispered something into the Elder's ear, causing the latter's face to turn white.

A brown-skinned whitelighter named Chauncey whispered in Leo's ear. "I wonder what that's all about."

"Doesn't sound good," Leo whispered back.

Sure enough, a shaken Elder MacKenzie faced the crowd. "I have some disturbing news. The bodies of Elder Godfrey Davis and Elder Isak Kulle have been discovered outside the Council's chambers." He paused, as if to collect himself. "Killed by darklighter's arrows."


END OF CHAPTER 4

"THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" (2008) Review

"THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" (2008) Review

Set in present time South Boston and Ancient China, "THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" is a martial-arts/fantasy film that was directed by Rob Minkoff. The movie also co-starred two of the most famous names in the martial-arts genre – Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The movie is basically about a South Boston teenage fan of Hong Kong kung fu films, who is transported back in time to Ancient China via a magical staff. There, he must undertake a quest to free the fabled warrior Sun Wukong aka "The Monkey King".

In a nutshell, "THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" is an entertaining action film with strong fantasy and comedy elements. Our two martial arts stars portray Lu Yan – the Drunken Immortal (Jackie Chan) and The Silent Monk (Jet Li), who help Boston teenager Jason Williams (Michael Angarano) free Sun Wukong (also Jet Li) from the clutches of an evil immortal called the Jade Warlord (Collin Chou).

"THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" is not perfect. To be frank, I only two complaints about the movie. One, the editing by Eric Strand seemed rather choppy. There were moments when the movie lacked a smooth segue from one scene to another. And two, I found the backstory for Jason’s character rather clichéd. It seemed straight out of the rulebook for typical teen angst films that started with 1979’s "MY BODYGUARD". You know what I am referring to - shy geeky adolescent who is terrorized by the local bully, has profound experiences before successfully confronting bully in the last reel. Come to think of it, I saw something similar in the fantasy-comedy, "STARDUST".

Despite the above-mentioned flaws, "THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" is an entertaining movie. Jackie Chan and Jet Li proved that despite their different styles and approaches to the martial arts genre, they could generate screen chemistry together. Michael Angarano is perfectly disarming and funny as the Boston teen who finds himself in an unfamiliar world. Portraying his potential love interest is Liu Yi Fei as Golden Sparrow, a young female orphan who seeks vengeance against the main villain. Speaking of villains, both Collin Chou (the Jade Warlord) and Li Bingbing (Ni-Chang, the White-Haired Assassin) provided a solid villainous challenge to the four heroes.

On the surface, "THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" provides solid entertainment and martial arts action. However, I must commend on two matters. One, I really enjoyed the superb fight sequence between the two martial arts stars – Chan and Li. Whatever expectation I had about their fight, the two stars and fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping more than fulfilled it. I have not enjoyed such a fight scene since Jet Li’s fight with Donnie Yen in "HERO" or the two Michelle Yeoh/Zhang Yi fight sequences in "CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON". I would also like to point out the film’s cinematography shot by Peter Pau. The various landscapes of Ancient China, whether the characters are in the tropics, the forests, the desert or in the mountain regions, are exquisite.

In short, "THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM" is an entertaining film filled with solid action, drama, comedy, and great cinematography. As long as you are not expecting another "CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON" or "HOUSE OF THE FLYING DAGGERS", you will not be disappointed.

"X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" (2011) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS", the fifth entry in the "X-MEN" movie franchise. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, the movie stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon and January Jones:


"X-MEN: FIRST CLASS" (2011) Photo Gallery

"Defense of the Realm" [PG-13] - 3/14

"DEFENSE OF THE REALM"

CHAPTER 3

Olivia glanced at the sketching made by a fellow officer, Marcus Anderson, of the assailant who had murdered Stefan Kostopulos and robbed the store newly two weeks ago. "Grace," she said to the homeless woman who had provided the description, "are you sure this is the man that you saw?"

Grace nodded. "That's him, all right. He had taken off his hood, while leaving through the back door. Actually, it was a stocking." Her eyes fell longingly upon the white container of food on Darryl's desk. "Say, uh . . . is that it? My lunch?"

"In a minute," Darryl said. He turned to Marcus. "Check the drawing against the perps we have on file."

"Sure Darryl." Marcus gave a quick nod, took the drawing and left the squad room.

Darryl handed the plastic container to Grace. "Here you go. Knock yourself out." Grace eagerly took the tray and began to open it. "Uh . . . why don't you eat your lunch inside the breakroom? It's down the hall."

"Sure." Still clutching the container, Grace stood up. She hesitated and said to the two partners, "Hey, if you ever need any help from me, I'll be glad to be a snitch for you."

Olivia and Darryl exchanged looks. The former realized this was the homeless woman's way of acquiring another source of free meals. Darryl sighed, while Olivia smiled at the other woman. "Sure thing Grace," she said. "In fact, why don't you drop by around here, every day around one? To check and see if we have an assignment for you."

"Great!" Grace flashed a grateful smile, revealing two missing teeth. Then she scurried out of the squad room, clutching her lunch.

Darryl turned to Olivia and wryly commented, "Whaddaya know? Our own personal snitch. I wonder how many free lunches we'll be investing in over the next several months. Or years."

Olivia snorted. "Probably half or less-than-half the amount we usually pay on a weekly basis for lunch. I only hope that Grace . . ." She broke off, when Scott Yi and Carlotta Trujillo approached Darryl's desk. "Hey guys. Where have you been?"

"Going over Kostopulos' inventory," Scott wearily replied. "And matching it to what we've found inside the store. God, that man had a lot of stuff!" He was a young man of Chinese descent, with a narrow, handsome face and high cheekbones. Scott, a six-year veteran of the city's police force, happened to be two years younger than Olivia.

Darryl frowned. "Olivia and I were at the store, this morning. Where were you two?"

Carlotta Trujillo, a tall and attractive woman, whose parents had immigrated from Costa Rica over thirty years ago, dropped into the empty chair next to Olivia's desk. "Having an early lunch. Being inside that store was driving us crazy."

"Find anything missing?" Darryl asked.

"Oh, wait a minute." Carlotta sat up straight. "We found one or two items missing."

"Like what?"

Carlotta removed a folded spreadsheet from her purse. "Item 215," she said, as she handed the sheet to Olivia.

"Item 215?" Olivia glanced at the sheet. "And that happens to be . . . a medallion? Made from gold." She stared at Carlotta and Scott. "So, this medallion is missing?"

Scott nodded. "It's certainly not there."

"How do you know?" Darryl asked.

Carlotta handed him a small photo. "There's a picture of every item in the store. You should see the boxes where Kostopulos kept them. The medallion in that photo is missing."

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. "What do you know? He managed to keep all that stuff organized in some way." Darryl handed her the photograph. She stared at the medallion with the strange inscriptions. "This looks as if it belongs in a museum, instead of a store."

"Scott thinks it may have been some kind of antiquity," Carlotta added. "Maybe even a religious piece."

Darryl stared at the other man. "Really? I didn't realize you were some kind of art historian, Scott."

A pink flush colored Scott's face. "I, uh . . . I dabbled a little in the subject, while in college. I'm no expert or anything." He sighed. "I don't know. I guess it looks like something out of Indiana Jones. And I can't image what that inscription meant."

"I know this museum curator," Carlotta added. "I used to date him, a few years ago. Maybe he can help. Want us to question him?"

Darryl shrugged. "Go ahead. And when you finish, I want you and Scott to look more into the Liederhoff case. Ask Liederhoff's assistant if anything similar to this medallion is missing." He returned the photo to Scott.

"Okay." Carlotta patted Scott's arm. "Let's go, partner." As she headed toward the door, Scott remained rooted to the spot, staring at the photo in his hand with a frown. Carlotta paused to call for him. "Scott?"

"Yeah, I hear you." And Scott followed his partner out of the room.

Meanwhile, both Olivia and Darryl exchanged knowing looks. "Did you see the inscription on that medallion?" the latter asked. "Looked similar to what was on that box I had nearly opened."

"The language on that medallion looked a hell of a lot older," Olivia commented. She paused momentarily. "Didn't Liederhoff's assistant tell us that a rare medallion that Liederhoff owned was also missing? Strange, isn't it? If these two missing medallions have anything to do with the occult, it looks like we have more than a simple double murder-robbery on our hands."

Darryl heaved a long sigh. "I was afraid you were going to say to say that."

-----------

Later that evening, Phoebe and Paige stared at the two whitelighters with disbelieving eyes. "Say that again?" the middle sister demanded.

Leo took a deep breath. "You girls have a new whitelighter. This is Chris. Chris Perry."

Paige shook her head. "I don't understand. Your wings got clipped again?"

"No. The . . . uh, the Elders had decided to let me keep my wings," Leo morosely added. "I just won't have any charges for the next six months. I'll, uh . . . I'll be assisting the Mad Queen . . . I mean, Ludmilla Kamilova in the Sorting Department."

Phoebe asked, "The Sorting what?"

Leo explained that the Sorting Department assigned whitelighters to their new charges. A fellow whitelighter named Ludmilla Kamilov ran the department. He sighed. "She can be . . . pretty difficult."

"How long will you be working in this . . . Sorting Department?" Everyone turned to Piper, who had asked the question.

Leo hemmed and hawed. "Six hours a day," he answered. "That's about eight or nine hours a day, here on Earth."

"So, you'll be working regular hours, every day? Including weekends?"

According to Leo, he would be forced to work four Earth hours in the Whitelighter Realm on Saturdays. Nearly beside herself, Piper silently relished over Leo's new assignment. One glance at her younger sisters told her that they did not share her opinion. Especially Phoebe.

"So, you'll be stuck in some bureaucratic division, while this guy," Phoebe pointed at Chris, "will be acting as our new whitelighter? How is he supposed to handle both his charges and yours at the same time?"

Both Leo and Chris exchanged glances, before the former replied, "Chris doesn't have any charges, at the moment. I mean, he didn't before he was assigned to mine. At least not in this time period."

"Time period?" Piper wondered if she had heard right. "Uh, Leo . . .?"

The other whitelighter added, "I'm from the future. About twenty-three years in the future. I . . ."

"He had come to the past to warn the Elders about the Titans," Leo quickly finished. "Before they could attack. Unfortunately, Chris lost his only means back to the future. He's stuck here."

Paige murmured, "Too bad."

Chris' face turned red.

"I'm sure that he'll do a good job," Piper added, coming to Chris' defense. The others stared at her. "What?"

Resentment flaring in her dark eyes, Phoebe murmured, "Nothing. I guess you have nothing to be upset about."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Piper demanded. But Phoebe remained silent. Which suited Piper just fine. In fact, Leo being forced to work eight hours a day like any working man suited her just fine. For the first time since Leo had lost his wings, they had a chance of having a normal relationship.

"Well, I have to introduce Chris to the rest of my old charges," Leo said, breaking the silence.

Piper gave her husband an affectionate peck on the cheek. "I'll see you later." Leo and Chris orbed away.

The moment the two whitelighter had disappeared, Phoebe rounded on the older sister. "How could you stand there and say nothing, Piper? Aren't you pissed off that the Elders have dumped some green whitelighter on us?"

"No Phoebe, I'm not," Piper coolly replied. "And you want to know why?"

Paige added sardonically, "Oh, I think we have a pretty good idea. You finally get to have more of Leo for the next six months."

"What? Is that a problem? I don't see why you two are upset. Both of you were pissed at Leo for his little plot against Cole and Olivia. Aren't you satisfied that he's now being punished?"

Both Phoebe and Paige opened their mouths to retort and ended up, looking speechless. A scowl appeared on Phoebe's face, as she snatched her purse from the sofa. She marched toward the door and opened it. "I'm going to see Cole." She left the house and slammed the door with great force.

Piper turned to Paige, who sighed. "I guess I'll watch some TV." The youngest Charmed One started toward the Solarium. Piper allowed herself a small smile and headed for the nursery.

-------

Blue lights appeared inside the office above the Golden Horn restaurant. Bruce and Harry glanced up from the book on the former's desk, and watched Leo materialize with a dark-haired stranger.

"Leo," Bruce said, frowning at his former whitelighter. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The blond whitelighter winced at Bruce's hostile greeting. "Hey, Bruce. Harry." He sighed. "Uh, I'd like you to meet Chris." He nodded at the stranger.

Harry coolly nodded at Leo's companion. "Nice to meet you. Chris who?"

Chris stepped forward, much to Leo's obvious discomfort. "Chris Perry. I'm your new whitelighter."

Bruce stared at Leo, while his brother snorted with derision. Noticing the frown on Chris' face, Bruce explained, "I guess Leo never told you. We don't have a whitelighter."

"Maybe that was true after Leo had received his suspension," Chris replied. "But the Elders Council . . ."

Rolling his eyes, Harry retorted, "Look, I don't wish to bust your bubble, Chris, but maybe my brother hasn't made it clear. Leo hasn't been Bruce and Olivia's whitelighter for years. Over a decade, as a matter of fact. And I've never accepted him as mine. Nor do we accept the Elders Council's authority. It's like a family tradition."

"But . . . all witches have a whitelighter."

"Actually, that's not true," Bruce replied firmly. He frowned, recalling something Chris had said. "Did you say that Leo has been suspended? What the hell is going on?"

Leo sighed, while Chris' glance fell to the floor. "I've been suspended from my duties," Leo explained. "I won't be acting as whitelighter to my charges for the next six months."

Harry frowned. "You lost your wings, again?"

"No, I . . ."

Chris interrupted. "The Elders have reassigned him to another duty in the Realm."

In other words, the Elders have punished Leo for the debacle surrounding Olivia's attempt to kill Cole. Bruce could hardly believe it. Whether they were punishing Leo for an unauthorized action or for the plan's failure, he could only guess.

Harry managed. "So, the Elders are making you pay for that mess regarding Livy and Cole, huh?" he said to the older whitelighter. "What about the Elder who had planned the whole thing? What's her name? Mathilda?"

Leo glanced away, while Chris answered, "She has been removed from the Council. She's no longer an Elder. As for me not being your whitelighter . . ."

"That's right partner," Harry added. "You're not."

"But . . ."

Bruce turned to his former whitelighter. "Leo, I think you better explain to your friend that he's wasting his breath."

A sigh left Leo's mouth. He jerked Chris' arm. "Let's go. We're through here." He orbed out of the office. A confused expression stamped on his face, Chris quickly followed.

Harry turned to Bruce. "Well, that was interesting."

----------

Elder Sylvester Monroe stifled a yawn, as he marched along the corridor toward his quarters. Another difficult day in the Whitelighter Realm. News had arrived of three whitelighters joining a faction headed by the rebellious Natalia Stepanova.

If he had to be honest with himself, Sylvester could say that the Whitelighter Realm was sliding into chaos. Slowly. This had been the case, ever since the Source's final death over a year ago. Whitelighters were either abandoning the cause of good in favor of evil and becoming darklighters, or were clinging to that upstart Stepanova's idiotic notion that whitelighters should encourage their charges to focus more on spiritual matters and less on fighting evil. After four hundred and six years as a whitelighter, Sylvester wondered if his world was falling apart.

At the next meeting, perhaps he should . . . Sylvester gasped out loud, when a sharp pain pierced his chest. He glanced down and discovered that someone had shot him with an arrow. The pain spread throughout his chest. When shortness of breath followed, Sylvester realized with horror that he had been struck by a darklighter's arrow.

Struggling to maintain his breath, Sylvester tried to make his way to the nearest chamber. But the arrow's poison had quickly spread. He had not taken ten steps, before he finally fell to the ground and slipped into darkness . . . and death.


END OF CHAPTER 3

"THE LINCOLN LAWYER" (2011) Review

"THE LINCOLN LAWYER" (2011) Review

For years I began to wonder if Matthew McConaughey would be stuck in an endless series of mediocre romance comedies and light action thrillers. The last noteworthy movie I had seen him in was the 2008 comedy, "TROPIC THUNDER". Only, he was not the lead in that film. And the last noteworthy movie in which he was the lead actor was the 2006 drama, "WE ARE MARSHALL" and before that – the 2000 World War II thriller, "U-571". Then I saw "THE LINCOLN LAWYER" and whatever doubts I had about the future of his career were erased. For now.

Directed by Brad Furman and based upon Michael Connelly’s 2005 novel, "THE LINCOLN LAWYER" told the story about a successful Los Angeles defense attorney named Mickey Haller, who operates around Los Angeles County out of a Lincoln Town Car, driven by a former client working off his legal fees (hence the title). Haller has spent most of his career defending garden-variety criminals, until he lands the case of his career – a Beverly Hills playboy named Louis Roulet, who also happens to be the son of a real estate mogul named Mary Windsor. Roulet is accused of the brutal beating of a prostitute. At first, Roulet seems to be an innocent who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. But when Haller and his investigator, Frank Levin, discover that the prostitute’s injuries are similar to a past case of his that landed a previous client, Jesus Martinez in prison for murdering a woman, the seemingly straightforward case suddenly develops into a deadly game of survival for Haller.

After watching this movie, it occurred to me that the movie’s title bore very little significance to the actual plot. If anything, the idea that the Mickey Haller operated his law firm from the back seat of his Lincoln Town Car struck me as some kind of plot contrivance that almost seemed like a publicity ploy. Honestly. Both Connelly’s novel and the movie would have been better off with a title that related more closely with the plot. Perhaps I am being a bit of a nitpicker. Yet, before I actually saw "THE LINCOLN LAWYER", I honestly thought the car would feature as a major plot point for the story. Another problem I had with the movie was that at times, cinematographer Lukas Ettlin utilized in that quick-cut photography that tends to leave me feeling slightly dizzy. And I thought that the story’s conclusion may have been rushed a bit. But despite these mild annoyances, I enjoyed the movie very much.

One, it has become increasingly rare to find a major Hollywood movie set in the Los Angeles. There have been movies set in my hometown. But there are not as many as they used to be. And as an Angeleno, this has been a bone of contention for me. Thankfully, director Brad Furman and cinematographer Lukas Ettlin did a great job in revealing the City of Angels to movie goers without resorting to extremes in its portrayal. Two, Furman made great use of a first-rate cast filled with many whose careers I thought were either over or sliding into oblivion. Most importantly, both Furman and screenwriter John Romano did an excellent job of translating Connelly’s novel to the screen. Okay, I confess that I have never read the novel. Which means that I do not know how faithful Romano’s screenplay was to the novel. But whether the movie was a close adaptation or not, I must admit that it had a damn good story. The best thing I liked about "THE LINCOLN LAWYER" was that Haller’s defense of Roulet transformed into a nightmarish situation in which he found himself in an unwitting game of cat and mouse.

When I said that the cast was first-rate, I was not joking. The supporting cast included excellent performances from the likes of Frances Fisher, who portrayed Roulet’s controlling and over-protective mother; Michael Peña, who portrayed Haller’s former client claiming innocence of murder, while serving time in prison; Laurence Mason as Haller’s observant chauffeur/former client; John Leguizamo, who portrayed the slightly sleezy bail bondsman responsible for directing Haller to Roulet’s case; and Bob Gunton, who portrayed the Roulet-Windsor family’s obsequious attorney. I believe that the last decent movie that Josh Lucas made was 2006’s "GLORY ROAD". So, it was great to see him in a first-rate movie in which, once again, he proved how much of a chameleon he could be in his portrayal of the righteous prosecuting attorney, whose self-assurance is slowly whittled away. William H. Macy created a strong screen chemisty as Haller’s intelligent and witty investigator, who helps solve the case. And Marisa Tomei gave a strong performance as Haller’s ex-wife and a prosecutor who is torn between relief that she is no longer married to such a difficult man and lingering feelings for him.

But the two star performances came from Matthew McConaughey in the title role of Mickey Haller; and Ryan Phillippe as his latest client, Louis Roulet. McConaughey, who has spent too many years without a first rate leading role, owned this movie. Let me take that back. He did not completely own the movie, but he definitely made the Mickey Haller character his own. Hell, he practically conquered it. Sure, McConaughey utilized his usual brand of Southern charm in the movie’s first ten or fifteen minutes. But as the movie’s plot made a sharp turn, the actor dropped the charming façade and revealed his character’s range of emotions in dealing with his complicated new client. And speaking of the Louis Roulet character, I believe that it might turn out to be one of Ryan Phillippe’s best roles ever. Due to his superb performance, he transformed Roulet from a charming, yet bewildered client that projected an air of innocence to a dark and malignant man with a talent for manipulation.

Would I recommend that you see "THE LINCOLN LAWYER" before it disappears from the movie theaters? Absolutely. Thanks to director Brad Furman and screenwriter John Romano, the movie turned out to be a superb adaptation of Michael Connelly’s novel. And the movie was also blessed with a first-rate cast, led by outstanding performances from Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe. It is one of the better movies I have seen this year so far.

Top (10) Ten Favorite "JERICHO" Episodes

Below is a list of my top ten (10) favorite episodes of "JERICHO" (2006-2008):


TOP TEN (10) FAVORITE "JERICHO" EPISODES



1. (1.16)"Winter's End" - In this well written episode, Eric Green's estranged wife, April, goes into premature labor amidst energy and supply shortages. Also, this episode featured the introduction of New Bern and its sheriff/leader, Phil Constantino.





2. (1.08) "Rogue River" - Jake and Eric Green make a harrowing trip to the neighboring town of Rogue River in order to procure much needed medication for their ailing father and have their first encounter with Ravenwood mercenaries and John Goetz. Meanwhile, the Hawkins family is being questioned by Gray Anderson and the local law, due to them being newcomers.





3. (2.05) "Termination For Cause" - Upon receiving no help from the Allied States of America's Major Beck and his troops; Jake, Robert Hawkins and the members of Jericho's Rangers defend a badly wounded Mimi Clark from Jennings and Rall mercenary John Goetz (formerly of Ravenwood) and his thugs.





4. (2.04) "Oversight" - Mimi Clark becomes a target of John Goetz and his goons, when she discovers that he has been embezzling from his bosses - Jennings and Rall. Matters come to a tragic end, when Bonnie Richmond defends Mimi at the Richmond farm.





5. (1.18) "A.K.A." - Both Lennie James and Skeet Ulrich give tour de force performances when Jake learns the truth about Robert Hawkins and the circumstances behind the September nuclear bombings.





6. (1.07) "Long Live the Mayor" - In this underappreciated episode, Gray Anderson returns to Jericho with news of the nuclear fallout in the outside world. The news not only affects Washington D.C. accountant Mimi Clark, but also the Hawkins family. Meanwhile Johnston Green's illness becomes dangerously serious, and Jake and Eric decide to travel to nearby Rogue River for medication.





7. (2.07) "Patriots and Tyrants" - Jake and Robert head for Cheyenne to recover the remaining bomb that can be used as evidence against the new Allied States of America in the series' exciting finale. Their actions will set in motion a new civil war on American soil.





8. (1.15) "Semper Fidelis" - A platoon of U.S. Marines arrive in Jericho with promises of reconstruction for the town. Meanwhile, Robert discovers the truth about his former C.I.A. colleague, Sarah Mason; which leads to an explosive showdown inside the Hawkins home.





9. (1.20) "One If By Land" - Johnston and Robert set out to rescue Jake and Eric from New Bern's Phil Constantino and his deputies, who are bent upon attacking and invading Jericho.





10. (2.03) "Jennings and Rall" - To protect his identity, Robert tells Major Beck of the Allied States of America that he is an F.B.I. agent searching for a rogue agent (namely Sarah Mason). Also, Jericho receives news of a dangerous virus sweeping west of the Mississippi River and Mimi Clark becomes an accountant for Jennings and Rall.

"DOWNTON ABBEY" (2010) Season One Photo Gallery

Below are images from the new ITV television series, "DOWNTON ABBEY". Created and written by Oscar-winning actor/writer, Julian Fellowes, the series stars Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Dan Stevens, Brendan Coyle and Maggie Smith:

"DOWNTON ABBEY" (2010) Season One Photo Gallery