I’ll always think of Clueless when I see Jeremy Sisto, but I’m kind of thrilled by his hiring for Law & Order, not least of which because I kind of liked Kidnapped (Ricky Jay on primetime network TV!) and was bummed that it got yanked so quickly.

Sisto will replace Milena Govich, the under-written WWE diva/detective from last season, whose character was the least interesting cop ever to appear on the show. I include here John Fiore’s Detective Tony Profaci.

The real question is what happens to Jack McCoy. One of these days I’m going to get around to arguing that Sam Waterston’s work with him is the finest example of sustained character work in the history of television. He never mails it in; he’s always finding interesting angles; he gives all sorts of generous room to the actors around him onscreen; and somehow, after 13 years, he has never become a caricature. What a stud.

So I was a dorkofascist for pointing out that the complaints we hear about the Galactic Republic in Star Wars weren’t particularly beyond the pale: Namely that the Republic had grown too big and sclerotic to be governable and responsive to the needs of individual planets.

Here’s a hippie Vermonster talking about why Vermont should secede from the United States: “The argument for secession is that the U.S. has become an empire that is essentially ungovernable–it’s too big, it’s too corrupt and it no longer serves the needs of its citizens.”

Sounds like someone is channeling Count Dooku and/or Senator Palpatine.

Not only does Ana Ivanovic look like a young Catherine Zeta-Jones, but during the second set of her round of 16 match this morning, her opponent hit a ball deep into the baseline, which the line judge called out. Ivanovic was right on top of the ball and she whiffed on it when it took at odd bounce. She immediately gestured to the chair umpire that the ball had been good.

She’s like the anti-Henin.

Now that Fred Dalton Thompson has left the show, let’s pause to give a huge round of applause for David Slack and Richard Sweren, who wrote #17.22, which may prove to be the final episode of modern era of Law & Order.

It’s been a rough season, but the season finale, “The Family Hour,” was unlike any episode I’ve ever seen from the show–it was fourth-wall busting absurdist theater with the writers taking two of the best TV characters from recent years–Oscar Bluth and Aaron Echolls–and dropping them into the Wolfiverse. Watching Sam Waterston’s Jack McCoy try to make sense of this weird What If . . . crossover was beautiful. It was Law & Order‘s Jose Cheung moment.

And if that’s the way the show goes out, I won’t feel cheated.

Galley Reader M.B. sends us this awesome link to the DVD re-release of the Karen Black Trilogy of Terror movies starring . . . the Zuni doll!

Surely this is right up Lileks’s alley, no?

Warner Bros. has started movement on a Teen Titans movie with Akiva Goldsman producing and BSG stud Mark Verheiden writing. The Hollywood Reporter says:

Goldsman said the tone will be consistent with such recent Warners’ comic book fare as “Batman Begins,” “Superman Returns” and the upcoming “Watchmen.”

That could be good news, I suppose.

Bonus: This is a shout-out to the conservative superstar intellectual who, after seeing me mention TT #36 in this essay emailed in saying, “Oh, the cover with Lightning and Thunder in the rain? I loved that cover.” So hot.

Double Bonus: Remember how coveted the Teen Titans books were back in the ’80s? Turns out you can buy the entire run for something like $200 now. Seriously. The 1980 New Teen Titans #1 is $24. The fancy, Baxter-paper line has #1 for $3.75 I paid $10 for that in 1985 dollars!

Despite what you may have heard, comic books are not a great financial investment.

* I poked fun at Serena Williams for how out of shape she was at the Australian Open, so let’s give credit where it’s due: She looks like a Mac Truck this week. She’s shed the weight and looks back in fighting trim–and it shows in how well she’s moving and running down balls. Good for her.

* In a radio interview earlier this week, John Feinstein was asked why tennis has died in America. His answer: Because the players are so totally inaccessible. Feinstein’s argument (I’m paraphrasing) was that in most sports, it’s hard to get close to the top players (Kobe, Tiger, P. Manning). But on the ATP, it’s not just the Sampras and Federer who are impossible to talk to, it’s guys sitting at #57 in the rankings, too. And because the players are so insulated from both fans and the media, fans don’t form attachments to them.

It’s an interested theory. (And if you haven’t read it, go read his Hard Courts right now. You’ll love it.)

* It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a player not named Hewitt act like a bigger jerk than Novak Djokovic did in the first round. Djokovic, the #6 seed, was beating up on Columbian Santiago Giraldo, a Lucky Loser qualifier, cruising through in three straight sets. Closing the match out in the third, Djokovic starts screaming, flexing, and posing after points like some weird, skinny Serbian version of Triple H.

I was kind of hoping Giraldo would get the Dragon on his ass.

* Meaningless bit of trivia: During his last seven Grand Slam victories, only three players not named Nadal have even managed to get a set off of Federer: Roddick, Baghdatis, and Agassi, who came the closest to pushing R. Fed to a fifth set.

AICN’s Harry K. has chosen HD-DVD. Which isn’t really news. But if you follow the link you’ll see an insane comments thread. I only got about halfway through before I gave up, so enter at your own peril.