Benjamin Bratt

When Peter and Benjamin Bratt were growing up in San Francisco, the city's Mission District was the soul of their compact universe. It was where their mother, a single parent, worked as a registered nurse and political organizer. It was where the boys and their siblings went to school and played in recreation centers. Named for the Spanish colonial Mission Dolores, it was a neighborhood of lowriders, Peruvian flute players, Native American and Latino activists, omnipresent street theater and vibrant murals that related the local history like "Aztec glyphs," Peter says.

SERIES The Big Bang Theory: Amy (Mayim Bialik) takes Leonard (Johnny Galecki) to a wedding as her date, in this new episode (8 p.m. CBS). How to Be a Gentleman: An etiquette columnist (David Hornsby) befriends his old high-school nemesis (Kevin Dillon) in an effort to relate to a younger readership in this new series (8:30 p.m. CBS). Person of Interest: The Machine leads Finch and Reese (Michael Emerson, Jim Caviezel) to a teenager who was killed two years ago. Taraji P. Henson also stars in this new episode (9 p.m. CBS)

For Benjamin Bratt, it's quite an honor: landing a role on a critically acclaimed TV show and having the character tailor-made to his bloodline. Bratt arrived this season on "Law & Order" in the wake of Chris Noth's departure from the cast. He plays Rey Curtis, a half-Peruvian Indian, half-white conservative police detective who clashes with the older, more liberal Det. Briscoe (Jerry Orbach).

When Peter and Benjamin Bratt were growing up in San Francisco, the city's Mission District was the soul of their compact universe. It was where their mother, a single parent, worked as a registered nurse and political organizer. It was where the boys and their siblings went to school and played in recreation centers. Named for the Spanish colonial Mission Dolores, it was a neighborhood of lowriders, Peruvian flute players, Native American and Latino activists, omnipresent street theater and vibrant murals that related the local history like "Aztec glyphs," Peter says.

"HAVE you ever proposed to a woman, and she said, 'Let me think about it'?" Jim Simpson is asking Benjamin Bratt. "No," the actor says, drawing a laugh from Julianna Margulies, who is sitting next to Bratt. "Of course, you wouldn't have," she says, appraising her dark-haired companion with a look that says: "What woman in her right mind would turn you down?"

Benjamin BRATT'S bicultural roots run deep, he says, affecting not only his professional choices but how he sees himself. Hollywood, as he's experienced it, has rarely been colorblind. So he was heartened when, despite the high stakes, Warner Bros. cast him opposite Halle Berry in "Catwoman," a film based on the venerable comic book character, to be released on July 23.

SERIES The Big Bang Theory: Amy (Mayim Bialik) takes Leonard (Johnny Galecki) to a wedding as her date, in this new episode (8 p.m. CBS). How to Be a Gentleman: An etiquette columnist (David Hornsby) befriends his old high-school nemesis (Kevin Dillon) in an effort to relate to a younger readership in this new series (8:30 p.m. CBS). Person of Interest: The Machine leads Finch and Reese (Michael Emerson, Jim Caviezel) to a teenager who was killed two years ago. Taraji P. Henson also stars in this new episode (9 p.m. CBS)

"Catwoman" is as swift and light on its feet as its heroine, Halle Berry. Though stylish and full of technical razzle-dazzle, no special effect or cliffhanging stunt overshadows Berry in the role as a mousy, diffident office worker reincarnated as the sexy, glamorous superhuman Catwoman. Berry clearly has fun playing an action heroine, yet her part also requires her to integrate two radically different personalities.

On the cover of the Feb. 28 issue, everybody knows the man on the left; a credit is hardly needed for Bill Cosby. The man on the right, however, is somewhat less recognizable. He is Gearey McLeod, camera assistant and member of IATSE Local 659. I spoke by phone with Gearey, who is on location in Louisiana, and described the picture, the composition of the picture and the caption--"The New Black Clout in Hollywood." His response was simply, "I may have a job, but I sure don't have clout."

“The Cleaner,” which follows the adventures of an "extreme interventionist," is a slightly exasperating new series from A&E -- its first original scripted show in six years, the network is proud to point out. There are some good things here, and some that are less good: It's a mix of the professionally done, the professionally overdone, the reasonably convincing, the surprisingly hackneyed and the occasionally absurd.

“The Cleaner,” which follows the adventures of an "extreme interventionist," is a slightly exasperating new series from A&E -- its first original scripted show in six years, the network is proud to point out. There are some good things here, and some that are less good: It's a mix of the professionally done, the professionally overdone, the reasonably convincing, the surprisingly hackneyed and the occasionally absurd.

"Catwoman" is as swift and light on its feet as its heroine, Halle Berry. Though stylish and full of technical razzle-dazzle, no special effect or cliffhanging stunt overshadows Berry in the role as a mousy, diffident office worker reincarnated as the sexy, glamorous superhuman Catwoman. Berry clearly has fun playing an action heroine, yet her part also requires her to integrate two radically different personalities.

Benjamin BRATT'S bicultural roots run deep, he says, affecting not only his professional choices but how he sees himself. Hollywood, as he's experienced it, has rarely been colorblind. So he was heartened when, despite the high stakes, Warner Bros. cast him opposite Halle Berry in "Catwoman," a film based on the venerable comic book character, to be released on July 23.

"HAVE you ever proposed to a woman, and she said, 'Let me think about it'?" Jim Simpson is asking Benjamin Bratt. "No," the actor says, drawing a laugh from Julianna Margulies, who is sitting next to Bratt. "Of course, you wouldn't have," she says, appraising her dark-haired companion with a look that says: "What woman in her right mind would turn you down?"

For Benjamin Bratt, it's quite an honor: landing a role on a critically acclaimed TV show and having the character tailor-made to his bloodline. Bratt arrived this season on "Law & Order" in the wake of Chris Noth's departure from the cast. He plays Rey Curtis, a half-Peruvian Indian, half-white conservative police detective who clashes with the older, more liberal Det. Briscoe (Jerry Orbach).

On the cover of the Feb. 28 issue, everybody knows the man on the left; a credit is hardly needed for Bill Cosby. The man on the right, however, is somewhat less recognizable. He is Gearey McLeod, camera assistant and member of IATSE Local 659. I spoke by phone with Gearey, who is on location in Louisiana, and described the picture, the composition of the picture and the caption--"The New Black Clout in Hollywood." His response was simply, "I may have a job, but I sure don't have clout."

Benjamin Bratt, left, brings formidable charisma and passion to his star-making portrayal of Miguel Pinero--the groundbreaking Nuyorican playwright and poet. "Pinero," directed by Leon Ichaso, is out on video today.

No More 'Blood': Director Taylor Hackford's saga of three cousins growing up in L.A.'s Latino culture has been renamed "Bound by Honor" after market tests using the former name "Blood In . . . Blood Out." The Walt Disney Co. release, billing Jesse Borrego, Benjamin Bratt and Damian Chapa, has no opening date yet, though it has been completed for months.