After Gay Slur, Isaiah Washington Gets a New 'Bionic' Lease on Life

Smilovic said he could not answer "a theoretical question."

"Okay. To put it in different terms, do you think that the casting of Isaiah at this time shows any disrespect to the gay community?" the reporter shot back.

"Absolutely not," Smilovic said. "We embrace the gay community. We are hoping that they are going to watch the show and we are in no way making any judgments or statements . . . about what was said or what was done. This is about making a television series. It's about making some great entertainment."

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Dick Wolf, creator of the "Law & Order" franchise and the TV Industry Grump most loved by The Reporters Who Cover Television -- which is odd given that he consistently treats them like relatives who were collectively dropped on their heads as children -- was here Tuesday for his annual trotting out of new "Law & Order" stars.

This time his gang onstage included Jeremy Sisto, who is joining "Law & Order" as top cop. Wolf also announced that Linus Roache, Sisto's cast mate from canceled NBC drama "Kidnapped," is joining the cast as a prosecutor. Sam Waterston has been given a transfer on the mothership, to play the DA -- a job formerly held by Fred Thompson.

Naturally, the Thompson Question came up. The former senator has developed symptoms of a presidential bid, which would limit NBC Universal's ability to monetize episodes in which he's featured, owing to that pesky equal-time rule that requires broadcasters and possibly cablecasters, depending on which FCC staffer you talk to, to give equal airtime to other political contenders. NBC could handle this by giving all the other candidates roles in prime-time shows -- Rudy Giuliani on "The Office"?

Traditionally, at some point in every Wolf press tour Q&A, Wolf whips out a piece of paper or index card from a pocket and reads a statement he's written on it. It's a point of pride among the reporters to be the one who asks Wolf the question that produces the written statement. Yes, the press tour is weird.

Anyway, this time it was the Fred Thompson question. Wolf read the statement, presumably prepared with the approval of his bosses at NBC Universal:

The equal-time requirement applies when the person has legally qualified as an official candidate in a relevant state -- for example, having his or her name formally approved to be on a state's primary ballot -- not merely when he/she declares his or her intent to run. If Fred Thompson formally announces his intention to run for president, NBC will not schedule any further repeats of "Law & Order" featuring Mr. Thompson beyond those already scheduled, which conclude on Saturday, September 1st.

But what about Thompson's "Law & Order" repeats on cable? Wolf read:

The equal-time requirement does not apply to programming on national cable networks, including cable runs of the "Law & Order" programs.