Actor Miguel Ferrer Dies at Age 61 after Quiet Battle with Cancer

When Deadline Hollywood reported the death of actor Miguel Ferrer today, at age 61, the first thought was one of sorrow that those who love to watch “NCIS:LA” had suspected for some time now. The man who played NCIS Assistant Director Owen Granger had gone through some visible changes in the past year.

For the first three weeks of January, the entertainment world has lamented the loss of favorite actors, and the usual diatribe has been devoted to “isn’t it a shame that” and yet, we the audience never met these icons in person, so to claim something as “our loss” is a clear sign of what their work product has meant to us, and to so many others, as wanting to identify and associate with an actor’s passing.

Yes, age 61 is clearly “gone too soon” for anyone, but in Miguel’s case, it is unquestionably gone too soon as this talented man had so much great work ahead of him, including voice roles and that, along with the impact of his loss to his family and friends, is substantive.

Being the oldest son of two icons is far from easy. Born to actor Jose Ferrer (Oscar winner, 1951) and Rosemary Clooney (legendary singer), Miguel had grown up in the midst of Hollywood but, strictly from perception at a distance, he is one who wasn’t pressured to enter the business, but willingly did so, while exploring a diverse level of talents and skills. He was an accomplished actor, voice artist and musician.

Like many second-generation Hollywood actors, people often assume that there’s some special advantage in having famous family members preceding them in the business. There is none. Reality was that in 1967, Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney divorced, and all five children lived with their mother afterwards, with Miguel then only age 12. From Rosemary’s own autobiography, the children grew up far from being under close parental supervision but each has found their own way forward.

One especially fun fact from the IMDB data base notes Miguel is credited on drums on Keith Moon’s album, “Two Sides of the Moon.” Now, remember “Owen Granger” and try to match that up with Keith Moon. Pretty funny, right? It’s acting. All acting, especially as he kept his recent health challenges to himself. From actor, to drummer, to ‘voice’, in 1999, Ferrer was nominated for a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for Children in Disney’s “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride Read-Along” (1999).

Although many people know him primarily as “Granger” on “NCIS:LA” or as “Dr. Garret Macy,” costarring with Jill Hennessy on “Crossing Jordan,” Miguel was a veteran dramatic actor in television, but he was also famous for the movie “RoboCop” and “Twin Peaks.” Ferrer was also a musician, among his many talents. In his early years, Ferrer played drums in bands, including those with his mother, and with Bing Crosby, godfather to Miguel’s brother, Gabriel. As a younger musician, he cofounded the band, “The Jenerators,” with actor/singer/songwriter Bill Mumy (“Lost in Space,” “Twilight Zone”).

Although Miguel’s illness was never disclosed by anyone at “NCIS:LA” or “CBS,” it’s clear the series creator Shane Brennan was aware of his health challenges. At the beginning of his work on the current season of “NCIS:LA,” Miguel Ferrer tweeted “Middle of shooting 802. Starting off as the best season yet by far. Stories and action second to none. Some damn good acting too,” on July 26, 2016. Recently as the eighth season has progressed the NCIS–LA office has been searching for a (so far unfindable) mole. Just last Sunday, the episode “Hot Water” showed Granger being stabbed by an assailant while he was in police custody. The next episode, “Under Siege” will not air until Sunday, January 29.

[Right: Photo of Miguel Ferrer and Daniela Ruah by Ron P. Jaffe/CBS, used with permission]

In one of Miguel’s last Instagram posts, 17 weeks ago actually, he shared a poignant picture from 1979 with Todd Fisher, taken at Telluride. It received 599 likes. Who knew that 14 weeks later, Todd would lose his sister, his mother, and his friend? There’s great overlap between the two families no doubt as well as those of others, as many all grew up in similar situations and circumstances, in the public eye at times, and many continue to work in the business today.

Realistically and clearly, we don’t know these people, personally, whose deaths we all tend to fall into a pattern of lamenting across social media. But we feel like we do when we invite them into our homes each week on TV. They are there at our invitation. So, it is a natural reaction then to offer our condolences in memory and in respect of their passing.

No, we don’t claim them as family, but to all who are quietly considering the preciousness of life and the fleeting moments that pass by us faster than sound it seems, may we each remember to be grateful that people spend a lifetime in the world of entertainment, giving us their very best to remember them by, so much so in fact that we pause to reflect on their passing, sharing news of same with others. They will always be remembered and regarded, along with reruns and rebroadcasts of their work.

May we then, perhaps, remember to say “thank you for a job well done” to people in our daily lives who we do know, who might appreciate hearing it now and then. Accolades are for everyone. The following message was posted across CBS Social Media late today:

Miguel is survived by two sons by ex-wife Leilani Sarelle, Lucas and Rafael, and he is survived by his widow, Lori Weintraub, as well as his brothers Gabriel and Rafael, and his sisters, Maria and Monsita, and all of their respective families.

Even though his name is currently a ‘trend’ on Twitter, when that fades, his body of work stands as his best memory for all of us to remember him, with great thanks for his talents.

One of his favorite quotes from his IMDB page:

(1999) "My favorite place in the whole world is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The whole experience in Wyoming is just fantastic. It's renewing. In the winter we'll go skiing, and during the summer there's golf, there's Yellowstone, there's just whatever. It's the best place in the world."

Vaya con Dios, Miguel Ferrer.

Seven years is a long time in TV life. Still, "The Good Wife" is gone too soon. (Jeff Neumann, Courtesy of CBS, used with permission.)

If you’ve been one of the millions who, for seven seasons now, have followed along the story of Alicia Florrick, mother, attorney and “good wife,” then on May 8, you could finally close the covers on the virtual book you were reading, put it on the table next to your chair, and perhaps replenish your wine glass. Her story was completely wrapped up, sort of, into a grand finale. You knew what she’d been through and you saw where she was headed.

Or, you could have thrown the empty wine glass straight into the fireplace, smashing it into shards and shreds representative of the completed puzzle that no longer had any missing pieces. With this ending of “The Good Wife,” CBS has just had sledgehammer taken and a gaping hole knocked into the anchor wall of their Sunday night programming.

The devastating emptiness on Sunday night wasn’t a shock; it was programmatic and anticipated. And, so it began as it ended, “The Good Wife”—tonight, it all came to a close with a slap, one that brought tears as a growth cycle in life came ‘round to complete itself. The first slap that brought the show to life was when Alicia slapped Peter, right after having stood by his side when he was convicted the first time.

And a lot of things happened in the past seven seasons. The growth of law firms, the growth of attorneys’ careers, and life, love, death, and law all were bent, broken, twisted, faded, and rediscovered all flowed and ebbed for 165 episodes.

Immediately after the end of tonight’s finale, a quick trip over to the CBS show web site provided a great video from Michelle and Robert King, who offered their insider perspective on tonight’s finale. “We started with this feeling that it should begin with a slap and end with a slap.”

And it did, reflecting “the transition of the character of accountability and power attained” by Alicia Florrick over seven years of this show. Juliana Margulies is the only actress who could have brought Alicia to life properly. Similarly, Christine Baranski is a brilliant character actress who is concurrently portraying Dr. Leonard Hofstadter’s mother, on another CBS show, “The Big Bang Theory,” but that’s just a measure of her versatility. She can do anything. You could say similar things about each of the major character actors who ensured the storytelling would truly come to life. Matt Czuchry was able to remind you there was character life in Cary Agos with far greater depth than Logan Huntzberger, a character he is reprising after much fan demand over at the long-awaited "Gilmore Girls" reboot.

But, back to Alicia. “The victim becomes the victimizer,” offered the Kings. Alicia starts out as the insecure, undetected victim of her husband’s larger-than-life scandal. Privacy dies, peace of mind flies out the window, and her husband is off to jail. She gets to go to try and find a job. She does, and she finds Will Gardner.

Then the middle happened. So, final question posed and answered: “What is the next stage for Alicia’s life?” The Kings offered that Alicia was definitely not going back to support Peter; she was searching for Jason as she was strolling up (and back down) the hallway, encouraged by the virtual memory of Will Gardner to go on and move forward for the sake of her happiness.

The Kings explained, “If Peter had gone to prison, Alicia would have been tied to him forever, and to save her daughter…Alicia would be considered collateral damage staying with Peter, and so, too, would Grace be considered the same (Zach's character was brushed off in a weird way last week, out of sight, out of mind). So, Alicia’s decision came down to saving Grace, literally. Diane Lockhart had to be the collateral damage this time. Curt McVey (Gary Cole) was key to the prosecution and the defense, but the information that came out on the witness stand destroyed the relationship between Curt and Diane, and then between Diane and Alicia, irreparably. Alicia didn’t hold the knife, but she was the one who instructed Lucca to cross-examine him and essentially destroy his credibility. Hence, the genesis of the final slap.

Who does Alicia end up with? They said, "It’s clear she is going after Jason. We wanted it to be a little ambiguous. Three things in her life, Peter (weighted down with concerns, she's the good girl who likes to take care of others), Jason (representing weightlessness, giving her property on Mars. Not a person to take things seriously), and Will Gardner (we were fortunate to get Josh Charles back). He’s fantasy, the love that got away." That's their story and it's appears to this writer that they'd written the end of the story just about as quickly as they'd dreamed up the beginning, likely over a bottle of wine, since at least one bottle would make an appearance per episode.

The Kings offered that lessons Alicia learned included: “…Zealously represent your client, despite what the truth is…As Alicia has changed, she’s gained great strength, great confidence, done wonderful things for her clients and her family.” One curious observation: where were Jackie Florrick (Mary Beth Peil) and Veronica Loy (Stockard Channing) in the courtroom audience? Two of the most versatile character actresses in the show portfolio were missing; oh well, it was just a one-hour finale, but still you'd think they'd be there with lines or furrowed brows. They'd shown up before, for far less good reason.

The master storytellers offered sincere and repeated thanks to the fans and then they thanked CBS, in the same sentence, "because they both allowed us to tell a complicated story."

As the final cameras position themselves for the very end of the very end, Alicia Florrick finds herself walking down a kitchen hallway toward her future. Josh Charles’s character, Will Gardner, reappearing tonight was poignant, relevant, and not the least bit cloying. It was, in fact, quite sweet and fit right into what Robert King described as the trinity of people in Alicia’s life. It was actually a triune-pronged fire of decisions she had to walk through between Peter, Will, and Jason in her growth phase, was it not?

As Michelle said, “We hope that you can feel for that ending, that ending that is emotional and still embraces what Alicia’s future will be. I hope you have had even half as much fun as we’ve had.” We have.

And now what’s ahead for next year? Tea Leoni’s “Madam Secretary” may have to be retitled, “Madam Vice President,” and Sherlock Holmes will have to deal with the dull, deceptive relatives. Aw, who cares? “The Good Wife” is over, and the new brainchild from the Kings, “Brain Dead,” certainly doesn’t promise to fill that "Good Wife" gap. It's new, it's supposed to be a "comic thriller." That notwithstanding, we’ll give it the old CBS try, just for good measure.

Thanks to Robert and Michelle King for great writing, colorful characters, sassy dialogue and thanks to Mark Saks for casting, which was literally superb. Every character was brought to life by a brilliant contingent of actors. And how about our running series of “interesting” judges? “In my opinion,” they were the most fun of every episode. That, and the number of times Louis Canning (Michael J. Fox) and Colin Sweeney (Dylan Baker) were the characters you loved to detest added another layer of incredulity weaving in and out of the focused and directed law firm with the ever-changing name.

It’s been a solid run for all 156 episodes, and the creators were the ones to pull the plug rather than the network, so there’s that. We’ll all just be sitting here waiting for 1,000 days until you write us a reunion episode, and then we’ll call it even. Sound fair? The series had, at one time, at least nine executive producers: co-creators Michelle and Robert King, Ridley Scott and the late Tony Scott (2009–2012), David W. Zuker, Brooke Kennedy and Ted Humphrey, along with Leonard Dick, Keith Eisner, for over 100 episodes each.

Even actor Julianna Margulies became a producer in 2011, and was credited for 98 episodes. Yet, there are 20 more people who served as producers in some abbreviated, but relevant capacity. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of people worked to make these seven seasons happen. Then, there’s the sterling group of actors who took characters on paper and brought them to life, as only they could. Many will be forever tagged with their character’s name when someone recognizes them in public, for a while anyway.

So, whether you’re refilling your wine glass or sweeping up glass shards from the fireplace, the end is the end is the end. Go to "The Good Wife" web site on CBS.com and hear from the Kings for yourself. You'll be glad you did. To borrow a line from Edward R. Murrow, “Good night, and good luck, ‘Good Wife’ and thanks so much, Robert and Michelle King.” It’s been a grand ride.

Jerry Bruckheimer announces ‘CSI: Cyber’ added to CBS' fall lineup

On a quiet Friday afternoon, May 9, 2014, CBS executives decided to share good news about new shows ordered for next season. Right on the wings of learning “NCIS: New Orleans” was added to the fall lineup, even more good news traveled fast. This time it was via Twitter, as television producer Jerry Bruckheimer shared, “Thrilled to have CSI: CYBER on CBS next season.” That's how viewers learned the pilot was now officially a CBS show, also for this fall, co-produced by CBS Television Studios, and Jerry Bruckheimer Television.

                                         Photo by Monty Brinton/CBS, used with permission.
Read the full story here.

CBS gives green light to ‘NCIS: New Orleans’ series in Fall 2014 lineup ~ Let the Good Times Roll!

After the ratings success of the successful two-part new “NCIS” pilot, “Crescent City” debuted earlier this spring, the good news is in. In breaking news, May 9, 2014, TV Line’s Michael Ausiello shared the story that “NCIS: New Orleans” had been added to the CBS Fall schedule. This is the best news of the season for fans of the original “NCIS” and the spinoff, “NCIS: LA”, as there will be a third reason to smile (and tune in) each week. Show runner Gary Glasberg and “NCIS” star Mark Harmon will serve as Executive Producers of the spinoff. 

                                          Photo by Skip Bolen/CBS, used with permission. Read more of the story right here.

Patricia Arquette and cyber crime prove perfect combination for CSI series pilot

If you missed CSI last night, watch it on demand. This was the best episode I've seen in years. A pilot for their new spinoff with Patricia Arquette was first-rate. Had to write a review. Finally some good news to look forward to, if only CBS will say "Yes" to next season. Check out the review here.

Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for MOCA, used by agreement with examiner.com

CBS orders fourth CSI police procedural from Anthony Zuiker

CBS is planning fourth CSI spinoff from Anthony Zuiker and his team, this one based primarily on the work of Mary Aiken, a noted Irish cyber-psychologist. Question is: what song by The Who would work best for the spinoff's theme song? 

                                          Photo by Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

For my vote, it has to be "Long Live Rock" by who else? The Who, of course. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 
Click here to read the story.

Search for ‘Patient Zero’ on tonight’s episode of CBS’ ‘Intelligence’

Josh Holloway stars in CBS' "Intelligence" on Monday nights, 9 pm CST. On Feb. 10, the episode revolves around a search to find "Patient Zero" to contain a deadly virus. Only problem is, when Gabriel cyber-renders, he sees that the person had been a criminal who'd been executed a week earlier...show takes place in Texas.
Click here to learn more about Episode 6, "Patient Zero."

Promos for "Intelligence" on CBS Monday Nights 9 p.m. CST

This is the 5th promo for CBS' "Intelligence" that uses a quote from my review of the show on examiner.com. What a joy. Great episode coming up Monday night, 9 p.m. CST

View the promo here.

Have you watched back the episodes you missed yet? Here's a story that might help convince you. 
Click HERE to read.