Some three months after former CNN News Group Chairman Walter Isaacson vacated his office overlooking the newsroom at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, his successor, Jim Walton, has finally moved in. What took so long? The Insider hears it was a combination of factors big (time-consuming planning and execution of war coverage) and not so big (he was giving up natural light in the old office).
At any rate, two weeks ago the walls in the No. 1 office-which Mr. Isaacson had not, apparently, put his own stamp on during the 18 months after he inherited it from former CNN chief Tom Johnson-were cleared of items that, apparently, were hung by Mr. Johnson. Among the photos on the wall now is one in which Mr. Walton, who has many mementos from his sports days, is feeding an apple to the legendary horse Secretariat.
How to Make a `Law & 0rder’ Quilt
This postscript to last week’s report on the party celebrating the 300th episode of Law & Order is for those who love nothing better than unscripted moments at scripted events-especially if it involves quilting.
At the L&O production offices in New York is a bulletin board filling up with brown and gold quilt blocks pieced by cast and crew members. The 50-plus blocks eventually will be stitched into a quilt that will benefit a charity still to be chosen. Last year, members of the show produced a quilt that was auctioned off on behalf of Tobacco-Free Kids.
The project was inspired by S. Epatha Merkerson, who has been quilting for more than 12 years-the fine and precise hand-stitching on her block shows it-and who gives away each quilt she makes to friends (single mom Camryn Manheim got a baby quilt). Among the blocks on display is one from Candy Hyland, a member of the props team. Among those still to come was one due from producer Kati Johnston, who has worked on 243 of the series’ 300 episodes.
And if you love an occasional wallow in schadenfreude, set your PDA alarm for April 30, when L&O does a riff on the well-publicized extremes VIPs will go to get their children into the right schools in the Big Apple. The clever title on the script by Roz Weinman: Kid Pro Quo.