the great leslie

Judith Regan received a dubious honor on Friday: now two Law & Order episodes have been based on events in her life. That's pretty significant for a book editor.

Ms. Regan, as you may know, was the head of ReganBooks and had intended to publish the O.J. Simpson confession. That circus gave her fifteen minutes of national fame, but she's sort of infamous in New York. And she is known as the bitchiest of all the bitches in the book publishing world. 

Judith got whacked on the episode that aired Friday night. Or, rather, the editor of a murderer's confession was killed in her apartment, and the author, this time a pro-baseball player, is the prime suspect. Not only did the script call for the editor's murder, she was depicted as a neurotic who was constantly yelling and abusing the people around her. The detectives interviewed her assistant...ouch! But not untrue to life: Ms. Regan's assistants have nothing good to say.

Ms. Regan's first Law & Order was a few years ago, when a high-powered editor was questioned in regards to screwing the police commissioner. Well, actually, she was first accused of killing another one of the commissioner's girlfriends, who also happened to be one of her authors. (She was yelling and flailing her arms in the scene where she's being interviewed by detectives at her office, another tribute to her charming disposition.) But, it turns out she was just sleeping with the commissioner and he was the one who did the murder. (In real life, Ms. Regan was the commissioner's editor, an affair ensued, and scandal obviously followed).

Two months from now, Law & Order will be about the breakdown of a young starlet, found dead with a shaved head and new tattoo. It's the height of fame. Well, that or going on the Simpson's to get your animated head blown off.