Victor Raider-Wexler

Julian Nitzberg made his directorial debut with this low-budget 16mm "white trash black comedy." The drug bust of speed-merchant Dean (Judson Mills) is taped by a reality TV show in the style of Cops. When this footage is telecast, Dean's mom dies of a heart attack, so his wife Sandra (Mary Sheridan) has to raise money for both bail and a funeral. After Sandra and younger sis Amanda (Mary Lynn Rajskub) get wasted on pot and wine coolers, they don weird costumes to conceal their identities and exit to rob a local convenience store. But another thief beats them to the store. Unaware that she knows this thug, Sandra shoots, killing him, and they dig an immense hole to hide both the body and the bloody automobile. Shown at the 1998 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Discovering that Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) is pregnant, Benton (Eriq La Salle) has trouble concentrating on the job, and as a result is chewed out by Carter (Noah Wyle). Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Weaver (Laura Innes) agree to disagree while escorting three interns around the ER. And after taking special interest in a police sergeant (Kevin Tighe) who is hiding the seriousness of his illness from his superiors, a distracted Carol (Julianna Margulies) goes public about her fatal mistake on the night of the nurse's walkout -- and is promptly suspended from her job. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Autolycus (Bruce Campbell) steals the magical arrows of Artemis' bow, then unwittingly sells them to Discord (Meighan Desmond), the handmaiden of war god Ares. One of these arrows is shot at our boy Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) -- who promptly transforms into a pig. As Autolycus and Iolaus (Michael Hurst) scramble around to set things right, "Porkules" is amorous pursued by female pig Katherine (voiced by Alexandra Tydings, taking a break from her usual role as love goddess Aphrodite). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this independent comedy about the pitfalls of romance in the 1990s, Katie (Marla Schaffel) is a 25-year-old aspiring songwriter living in Los Angeles. Katie is also a virgin; she's been saving herself for the perfect man, but with the passage of time, she's becoming more firmly convinced that he doesn't actually exist. Katie frequently commiserates about the sad state of her love life with her friend Janet (Meredith Scott Lynn), who left her virginity behind a long time ago in the pursuit of a good orgasm but isn't having any more luck in landing her dream man. Katie is good friends with Ben (Mitchell Whitfield), a sweet but nebbishy guy who is crazy about Katie and wants to move their relationship from the platonic to the romantic. Katie, however, doesn't think he's the right man, and she prefers to keep him at arms length; she's shocked (but probably shouldn't be) when Ben ends up sleeping with Janet. When Katie meets Richard Webber (Michael Harris), a successful British songwriter, she thinks that she may have finally found the handsome prince she's been waiting for, but she soon discovers that he's merely a charming frog with a lot of empty promises. Julie Davis, who wrote, produced, directed, and edited I Love You . . . Don't Touch Me!, also appears in a supporting role as Lisa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In another headline-inspired episode of Law & Order, a baby is accidentally murdered by a teenaged hired killer (Justin Crozier). Though assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) is understandably outraged by the concept of kids killing kids, he is more interested in nailing the person who hired the youthful assassin. The trail of evidence ultimately leads to a low-life drug dealer and a supposedly respectable real estate agent. S. Epatha Merkerson, who later became a Law & Order regular in the role of Lt. Anita Van Buren, is here cast as Mrs. Denise Winters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a short story by the late Philip K. Dick, this science fiction-thriller reflects the writer's familiar preoccupation with themes of concealed identity and mind control. Tom Cruise stars as John Anderton, a Washington, D.C. detective in the year 2054. Anderton works for "Precrime," a special unit of the police department that arrests murderers before they have committed the actual crime. Precrime bases its work on the visions of three psychics or "precogs" whose prophecies of future events are never in error. When Anderton discovers that he has been identified as the future killer of a man he's never met, he is forced to become a fugitive from his own colleagues as he tries to uncover the mystery of the victim-to-be's identity. When he kidnaps Agatha (Samantha Morton), one of the precogs, he begins to formulate a theory about a possible frame-up from within his own department. Directed by Steven Spielberg, who hired a team of futurists to devise the film's numerous technologically advanced gadgets, Minority Report co-stars Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, and Neal McDonough. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Tired of being given nothing but "fluff" pieces, Rebecca Chandler (Jennie Garth), a reporter for the Indianapolis Sentinel, demands to write a story with some teeth in it. Unfortunately, her dyspeptic editor Bob Bolton (Victor Raider-Wexler) doesn't see things Rebecca's way, thus he dispatches the reluctant newshound to Hamden, Indiana, there to cover a sappy human-interest story about a mysterious "Secret Santa" who each Christmas bestows money and necessities upon a selected needy person. Not only does Rebecca hate the assignment, but she hates Hamden--especially since she was originally slated to have gone on a Hawaiian honeymoon with her ex-boyfriend. Thus, our heroine is hardly full of the Christmas spirit when she arrives in Hamden and is forced by the holiday tourist crunch to take a room in a nursing home where a fellow named Russell (Charlie Robinson), who has already managed to get on Rebecca's bad side, is the main helper-outer. Inevitably, Rebecca's cold heart is warmed up, not only by the looney but likeable Russell, but also by an unusually perceptive nursing-home resident named Miss Ruth (played by the great Barbara Billingsley). However, Rebecca still has a story to file, and she thinks that she has zeroed in on the elusive "Secret Santa", fingering local millionaire John Martin Carter (Steven Eckholt) as the most likely suspect. But even if Carter is the man in question, the townsfolk aren't about to help Rebecca expose their unknown benefactor--it seems that over the years they've come to believe in the Secret Santa, and they're not about to shatter their own illusions for the sake of a cheap headline! Adapted for television by Beth Polson and Robert Tate Miller from their own novel, Secret Santa first aired December 14, 2003, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the infamous seventh-season finale of Seinfeld, George's fiancée, Susan (Heidi Swedberg), makes the fatal error of licking all the cheap envelopes George (Jason Alexander) has purchased for their wedding invitations. As if that's all that happens! Elsewhere, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) thinks he's in love with his female counterpart, Jeannie Steinman (Janeane Garofalo); Kramer (Michael Richards) hopes to earn a quick hundred bucks by getting a bank clerk not to say hello; and look, it's an unbilled Carol Leifer (but not the real George Steinbrenner). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the closing episode of Seinfeld's eighth season, George (Jason Alexander) decides to take the summer off after getting his severance package from the Yankees. Kramer (Michael Richards) lands a job as a seat-filler at the Tony Awards, leading to a potentially nasty situation with an angry Raquel Welch. As it turns out, however, it is Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who bears the full brunt of Raquel's wrath. And Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) is about to collapse from exhaustion, thanks to his girlfriend (and no, it's not what you think). Season eight ends as it began, in the hospital. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season One of The Drew Carey show concludes with the launching of a brand-new plot tangent that will permeate most subsequent seasons. Upon discovering that Winfred-Louder has been purchased by a Dutch business group, Drew and his fellow workers worry that they'll all soon be unemployed. Hoping to create a market for their talents, the gang pools their savings and opens up their own microbrewery. Believe it or not, it is Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader), far from the brightest bulbs in the batch, who come up with the idea of a coffee-flavored beverage called "Buzz Beer." As it turns out, everyone's job at Winfred-Louder is safe--well, almost everyone's. This episode marks the only on-screen appearance of Drew's billious boss Mr. Bell (Kevin Pollack). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Taking note of Larry's (Garry Shandling) increasing depression in the face of slipping ratings, the lack of an Emmy nomination, and an impending divorce from wife Jeannie (Megan Gallagher), Artie (Rip Torn) and Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) decide to fix their down-in-the-dumps friend on a series of dates. Despite a bevy of attractive prospects, the only one Larry can truly find a connection with happens to be the same one he parted ways with in the past...his ex-wife, Francine (Kathryn Harrold). Special guest stars in this two-part opening of The Larry Sanders Show's second season include Deborah May, Eric Briant Wells, Victor Raider-Wexler, Kathy Ireland, and Los Lobos. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The rousing, true-life story of a single dad who went from living on the streets to owning his own brokerage firm is brought to the big screen by superstar Will Smith, appearing for the first time opposite his real-life son Jaden Smith. Set in early-'80s San Francisco, the film charts the hard times and eventual comeback of Chris Gardner, a suddenly single salesman who has custody of his son, but finds that providing for the two of them is a challenge in the increasingly unstable economic climate. He struggles to work his way from unpaid intern at Dean Witter to something more substantial, even as life continues to offer him setbacks. Making his Hollywood debut, Italian director Gabriele Muccino was championed by Will Smith for the project. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide