Law&Order: SBU (Special Belzer Unit)Comic-actor-authorset to book em on Ll

BY FRAI{K TOVEGSpecial to Newsdcy

ike his long-runningpolice-detective charac-terfohn Munch from"Law & Order: SpecialVictims lJnit" - and

from "Homicide: Life on theStreet," "Law & Order: Trialbyfury," "The X-Files," "ArrestedDevelopment," "30 Rock" andelsewhere - comic RichardBelzer is a conspiracy theorist.

Unlike him, the actor-provo-cateur is a published conspiracytheorist:'IJFOs, fFK, and Elvis:Conspiracies You Don't Haveto Be Crazy to Believe" (Ballan-tine,2000) and now SkyhorsePublishing's "Dead Wrong:Straight Facts on the Country'sMost Controversial Cover-fJps"with co-author David Wayne.

With that new book as theanchor, the CinemaArts Centrein Huntington presents the

retrospective and book signing"An Evening With Richard 'TheBelz' Belzer," featuring discus-sions with the star, a screeningof the 2OO6'SV[J" episode"IJncle" with |erry Lewis, andsegments from the drily furmyWeb series "Belzervisiorl"

Belzer,68, began his career asa reoorter with his hometowna reporter with his hometownBridgeport (Corur.) Post. Afterbeco-ming a cult-stiu standup inNewYork in the'70s, he begandoing film and TV. In 1992,Barry Levinson cast him as .e..tvtun'ch on "Homicide." f,,lt*

RichardBelzer willmake hispoints atCinema Arts.

"Dead Wrong" covers themuch-tilled territory of thedeaths of Marilyn Monroe, theRev. Martin Luther (ing Jr.,John F. Kennedy and others.l'm sure I'm not the first to

suggest that a comedian isn'tnecessarily a history professor.

I'm a comedian and actor,but also a journalist and au-thor. I was a newspaper report-er, and my partner, DavidWayne, is a historian andmicroanalyst of how the mediacovers events.I've been in-volved u-r studying this materi-al for many years, and peoplecan say what they want aboutme, but I'm just reporting facts.

For example?The book conclusively

proves that Marilyn Monroewas murdered, and a Kennedydid not murder her. People canbe skeptical - people shouldbe skeptical - but the book isbulletproof and we're proud ofthat. Forensic evidence, inter-views with FBI agents andpolice - we consulted all

kinds of information.I wantpeople to be provokedand let them questionme, so people can drawtheir own conclusions.No one's punched any

WHO Richard BelzerWHEN I WHERE 7:30tonight at Cinema ArtsCentre, HuntingtonTICKETS $35 (includesreception); 800-838-3006;cinemaartscentre.org

holes in any of these stories -this is what really hqppened.

Ah, but what's the conspiracybehind Munch appearing on 11

TV series, plus your playinga Munch-like detective in"A Very Brady Sequel"?

There's something about thecurmudgeotly, dissident copI'm lucky to play, and who'svery close to who I am,anyway, that for some reasonhas gotten the affinity of a lotof show mnners.

And lwould be derelict in myduties if I didn't ask about your"Say heil" salute last Wednes-day on "Good Day New York."

Satire is satire. And it wasalmost like a dumb collegeprank - Fox is 24 hours a dayspewing vile, so I gave them asatirical iab.

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