The Trial of Danny Baram ... Guilty or Not Guilty?!?! Plus: Emmy thoughts

Consider for a moment, if you will, the man behind this blog. A common man, a man of the people, a man who Fights the Good Fight. A nice Jewish Boy, raised by two upstanding parents in a small suburban town. A guy who may have a slight, emphasis on SLIGHT, rebellious streak in him, sure, but someone who most would call easygoing, unassuming, and all around, a good person.

So how does a guy like me manage to get into so many predicaments like I went through back in March, where I was unceremoniously pulled over by an ill-tempered cop, given a ticket for an illegal U-turn, and then, to top it off, slapped with a MISDEMEANOR for driving with a CT driver's license rather than the required CA-issued variety.

Read all about my knee-jerk reactions and incensed ranting about the events of that fateful night here.

But anyways, these kinds of things just don't happen to anyone else I know. They don't happen to people I know who legitimately ARE rebellious, who DO push the limits, who often set themselves up for these kinds of things. And YET, there I was at 8:30 this morning, at the Van Nuys courthouse, sitting in a large courtroom filled with all manner of criminals, miscreants, and generally sketchy people. Me, wearing a blazer and khaki pants, surrounded by shabbily-dressed repeat offenders, most of whom had no alibis, no legitimate excuses, and no ability to speak English.

I'm not trying to sound condescending towards the other people in that courtroom, I'm just trying to point out that it was pretty crazy sitting through hearing after hearing in the courtroom's open format, listening to a parade of people who had racked up multiple failures to appear in court, multiple unpaid violations, and who often had long criminal records. I felt like I was taking one for the team, like I was the token guy who moved to CA from out of state after college and was being held up as the example of how not immediately registering for a CA license is serious business. Of course, over the last few months, as I've told people the story of my misdemeanor charge, all I ever here is "oh, yeah, I drove for years without a CA license," or "hmm, I've lived here three years and have yet to get a CA license."

Well here I am - I'm the posterboy. Congratulations, Hollywood, you've found your fall-guy. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving fellow.

So there I am, sitting in the courtroom for what seemed like forever, listening to the gruff judge's various attempts at dark courtroom humor, not laughing because I'm mostly trying to figure out what the hell is going on, what do I say, what am I supposed to be doing, and all that good stuff. On one side of the room were all the non-English Spanish-only speakers, who had the benefit of translators. Amazing how a courtroom has an entire section, just as big as the other half, for people who barely speak a word of English. On my side were a number of rough-looking types, and this one young-looking girl sitting next to me who was obviously prepping to turn on the charm once she had her chance to speak to the judge. (She did, actually, and amusingly the judge and other officials actually LAUGHED when she said how she had failed to appear earlier because she "was in school and her parents said she shouldn't leave because her grades were most important." Which led the judge to reply: "What kind of school do you go to, a monastary?") For some reason I pictured a situation where you'd sit before the judge and have a minute or two to kind of state your case. I didn't realize that you get called up before a podium with everyone else watching and listening, are immediately asked if you plead guilty or not guilty, and can only really get a word in by interjecting while the judge is telling you his decision. As I sat and waited for my turn, I thought of all kinds of different things to say, but mostly just concentrated on a few key points that I wanted to get across:

a.) that I was driving with a valid CT license - it wasn't as if I had no license at all
b.) that I was essentially participating in a year long, non-full time internship program, and did not realize that I was considered a a permanent resident, since for all I knew I would be out of CA after that year as an NBC Page was up
c.) that following the citation, I immediately applied for and got my CA driver's license, scoring 100 % on the application test
d.) that while I accepted the charges for the illegal U-Turn citation, I sincerely hoped for a dismissal or reduction of the misdemeanor charge due to the reasons stated above

Luckily, I was able to pretty quickly rattle off these points, kind of. The weirdest moment was when I presented my now-invalid CT driver's license to the judge, and for a second it's validity was brought into question, since the hole punched in it to show that it's invalid obscured the date of expiration.

Haha, like after all that I was going to present a fake or expired driver's license?

Luckily, the judge saw fit to dismiss the misdemeanor charge "in the name of justice." (damn right in the name of justice ...) But I was still slapped with a hefty $236 fine and the option to complete traffic school to have the infraction erased from my driving record. Fun, fun, fun, but yeah, it could have been worse. But, then again, that cop could have been nice in the first place and not slapped me with a CRIMINAL OFFENSE. Jerk.

But going to court today was both an eye opening and somewhat terrifying experience. It really was amazing, for instance, how many of the cases came down to whether or not the person managed to win over the judge's sympathy, and not any real, concrete legal precedent. Most people had their fines or whatever reduced because they had taken steps to correct their problems, taken a class, or whatever. Some people seemed to receive similar penalties for totally varying issues. One guy whose only crime was driving a motorcycle without a helmet (dangerous, sure, but more self-destructive than anything else), seemed to get the same treatment as a woman who drove with her infant without the proper child-seat (much more careless, to be sure).

The legal system is just such a crazy thing, and going to a court and seeing how different kinds of people are treated differently makes me wonder ... And also, it's just amazing how some laws are just so reliant on people somehow knowing what is and isn't illegal. Like, how is the average person supposed to know what is and isn't legal in terms of specifics and technicalities? Say I move here from CT, don't know may people, and don't immediately meet many other out of state transplants. How am I supposed to even KNOW what the required time frame is to get a CA license, for example? Word of mouth? I mean, there has to be a better system in place.

So yeah, quite the experience. It also didn't help that the courthouse was in Van Nuys. Now sorry if anyone reading this is from Van Nuys, but man, the part of the town where the courthouse is located is just like the absolute toilet bowl of Los Angeles county. I mean, sure, Burbank has some dingy and slightly sketchy areas, but once you start driving into North Hollywood things take a turn for the crappy. You drive though NoHo's "arts district" which is like a smaller, sketchier, far less cool version of Allston outside of Beantown. Then Van Nuys is just like this industrial wasteland - an endless parade of rundown automotive shops and tiny Mexican restaurants. Everything is dirty and smoggy and grey. The courthouse itself is actually in this large, attractive plaza, but it's surrounded by just a complete mess of a neighborhood. No wonder Jack Bauer is always driving around Van Nuys on 24 -- it's a totally bleak, industrial sprawl of a craphole. Once again, aplogies to anyone reading from Van Nuys - I'm sure there are nicer parts than what I drove through today.

Anyways ...

Speaking of 24, some quick thoughts on today's Emmy nomination announcements:

- Overall, I think that Emmy did a better job than usual of picking its nominees, I guess possibly because of the new voting system they implemented or whatever. And yet, there were still some notable snubs, most notably for me is Veronica Mars, the best drama of this past season other than 24. Kristen Bell did outstanding work as the lead this year, and has got to be one of the few clear-cut dramatic female leads on TV who carries a show as she does. If the show survives past this coming season, then hopefully get her due, and Veronica Mars will be recognized as one of the best dramas on TV. Of course, Lauren Graham on Gilmore Girls is a perennial non-nominee. I felt that this past season she wasn't quite as sharp as during previous years of Gilmore, but still, she is long due for some recognition for bringing to life one of TV's most original and fun characters, Lorelei Gilmore. And seriously though, what about the OUTSTANDING supporting cast on Gilmore? Rory's grandparents are seriously due for some Emmy love.

But, at last, my man Brian Cranston, aka Hal on Malcolm in the Middle, finally gets his due. Cranston as Hal has made me laugh as much as any other TV character over the last several years, and it's about friggin' time that Cranston's classic blend of comedic timing and physical-comedy antics get some recognition.

Also, nice to see Arrested Development get a best comedy nod again, and of course you gotta love the hilarious Will Arnett getting recognized for his role as wannabe-magician Gob Bluth. Most years I'd pick this season's The Office as the best comedy on TV, and compared to his competition, Steve Carell is a shoe-in for Best Comedic Actor, but Arrested's 3rd and final season was just absolutely, ridiculously amazing. The only oddball thing is that Jason Bateman, who probably had his best season yet on Arrested, got no nom in favor of the likes of Kevin James and Charlie Sheen? Hmmm, okay ...

People are talking about why no love for Lost. But I don't think this season's Lost really deserved much acclaim. If Veronica Mars can't even get any love, than Season 2 of Lost, which had its moments but was pretty inconsistent, shouldn't really be in the running. This year, many of the strongest actors were overshadowed in the plot, or burdened by poor writing. For example, no single episode this season really spotlighted the amazing acting of Terry O'Quinn as a few did in Season 1. The character of Jack, a charismatic leading man who everyone could root for in Season 1, became mostly unlikable in Season 2. The standouts, character wise, were probably Sawyer and Michael, though probably not standout enough to really make a dent in the Emmy considerations. Michael Emerson as Henry Gale had some great performances, but he was only featured in a handful of episodes, so how do you categorize him? In any case, this wasn't a year that Lost really made a strong case to be in the running for the top awards.

But in my mind and in Emmy's mind also, apparently, this was the year of 24. It's cool to see the awesomeness that is 24 get so much recognition - it's one of the few cases of a show that was originally a cultish favorite become a mainstream and critical phenomena. Mr. and Mrs. Logan justifiably got supporting nods, and I also have a feeling that Kiefer will finally be presented with his GRAVITAS TROPHY, I mean, Emmy award. Now if only we could give some kind of special award for badassity to the late great Tony Almeda. I vote the Soul Patch for best supporting facial hair.

So yeah, overall, the only major issues I have with the Emmys are no love for Veronica Mars / Kristen Bell, yet again no love for Gilmore / Lauren Graham, and a weird snub of Jason Bateman despite Arrested being nominated for best comedy. But at least I have plenty to root for with 24 getting so many nominations. Let's hope the Chinese don't have a say in this year's awards ...

- Okay, I gotta jet. But more coming soon, I promise ... my Superman sequel ideas are on the way. As for this weekend -- Erica's in town, Pirates 2 is out ... should be a good one. Happy Friday everyone. PEACE.