Justified

Until recently, very few people had ever heard of raspberry ketones, the aromatic compounds that give the berries their distinctive smell. Today, health food stores have trouble keeping the capsules or drops of the stuff on their shelves. Almost overnight, an obscure plant compound became the next big thing in weight loss - and all it took was a few words from Dr. Oz. In a February episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," Mehmet Oz told viewers that raspberry ketones were "the No. 1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat. " Once Oz calls something a "miracle," it doesn't remain obscure for long.

The Boy Scouts' long-standing refusal to admit gay members is deplorable and offensive. But it's also legal. Just because we - or California legislators - might disagree with the discriminatory path the Boy Scouts has taken doesn't mean the organization should be singled out from other nonprofits to lose its tax-exempt status. A bill that passed a state Senate committee this week would do just that. Under SB 323, , carried by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), the Boy Scouts of America (though unnamed in the bill)

Where: FX When: 10 p.m. Tuesday Rating: TV-MA-LV (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17 with advisories for coarse language and violence)

Carol Champommier vs. the United States of America . That's not a phrase that Carol Champommier ever expected to see. She's a schoolteacher, not an activist; a rule follower, not a renegade. But Champommier is suing the United States because a federal agent shot her son to death in a parking lot encounter that played out like a scene from an action movie, where two unrelated story lines coalesce in violent tragedy. Government lawyers contend the shooting three years ago was reasonable - that 18-year-old Zac Champommier tried to run down an officer with his car, creating a "deadly, immediate threat" that justified gunfire.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is threatening to kill hundreds of bills unless the Legislature delivers one bill on water. Is that heavy-handed? No question. Is it bullying? Sure. Hostage-taking? Political terrorism? Of course. Misuse of power? Definitely not. It is a proper use of power. It's ugly. But it's an available political tool that the governor would be derelict not to use when an issue as critical as water is at stake. This isn't about some narrow scheme important only to a narrow interest.

MT. EMMY: To scale the heights of the Emmys, wrap yourself in raves and pack lots of buzz. This week's altitude readings are by Greg Braxton, Matea Gold, Meg James, Rene Lynch, Mary McNamara and Tom O'Neil. PEAKING HAT TRICK: Timothy Olyphant, who often wore a hat as Seth Bullock on the HBO western "Deadwood," never scored an acting nomination. But he's back in a hat in FX's hit "Justified" playing U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, and he's received raves from critics and fans alike.

You have to wonder if the pitch for FX's new tough guy drama "Justified" included the phrase "think 'McCloud' meets 'Dexter.' " Based on the Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole" with its popular I-only-shoot-to-kill protagonist, "Justified" is a May/December marriage between TV crime fighters. Like Dennis Weaver's iconic Sam McCloud, Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is a plain-spoken fellow, with a big cowboy hat and no time for fancy pants bantering. But like Dexter Morgan, Givens also believes that there are some folks out there who will just never learn.

For Timothy Olyphant, who plays U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, hearing talk of award nominations — for him and for "Justified" — is welcome news. "The show continues to be a pleasure, and I like the idea that it's finding an audience," he says. "You hear the echo back, so that means a great deal. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't." The former "Damages" actor shared other thoughts on the series, based on the works of Elmore Leonard. As an actor, is there a particular challenge to playing a character that's established in the minds of readers?

Danger MOUSE'S use of the Beatles' material for his own "art" is both illegal and morally wrong ("Stop the Music," by Richard Cromelin, Feb. 14). Calendar asks the question, "Is a record maker justified in using unauthorized materials if that's the only way to fulfill a vision?" Let me pose to Calendar and Danger Mouse another question: Is a burglar justified in breaking into your house and stealing your stereo if that's the only way he has found to make a living? My advice to Danger Mouse is to find another type of "vision" that hopefully does not steal from another person's creativity and violate copyright law. Will Ray Burbank

John Julis' Aug. 12 letter implies that there is some shame to having the actions of a police officer formally reviewed after a shooting. Professionals in most fields have major decisions reviewed in the normal course of business. An engineer will have her design for a bridge reviewed before it is built, to ensure that it does not pose a danger to the public. Because we cannot ask our public safety officers to submit their decisions to review before the fact, we rely on post facto review boards to ensure that their training and decision-making were effective.

Bob Toomajian worked for 16 years as Kaiser Permanente's drug purchasing manager for Southern California, giving him an insider's knowledge of how medications are priced before reaching consumers. When it comes to patented name-brand drugs, he told me, pharmaceutical companies try to get away with the highest prices possible. On the other hand, they're typically recovering millions of dollars in research and development costs, so those sky-high prices are perhaps understandable. It's a different story for generic drugs, Toomajian said.

This is the first of a series on some of the top character actors in Hollywood. Over the years, Nick Searcy has played everything from a German shepherd in an off-Broadway musical rip-off of "Cats" called "Dogs" to astronaut Deke Slayton in the Emmy Award-winning 1998 HBO miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" to a drag queen who performs as Cher and Christina Aguilera in the 2007 sports comedy "The Comebacks. " It's all in a day's work for a character actor such as Searcy, who can change personas in a flash but always brings a down-home authenticity to all his roles.

A federal agent has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing for fatally gunning down a fellow agent who had fired shots at a supervisor, authorities said Friday. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, whose name has not been made public, shot and killed Ezequiel Garcia in February 2012 after Garcia opened fire during a meeting about his job performance. He fired at least six shots at his boss before he was shot dead. Kevin Kozak, the Los Angeles field office's second in command, was severely injured.

Nearly half of all California households can now afford the median-priced home in the state - but that's no help if they can't get mortgages. Six years after the subprime mortgage meltdown, banks remain tight-fisted, even with solid borrowers - a fact they attribute to shifts in government regulation and demands that they buy back bad loans. Mortgage credit has not eased much since 2007, according to Federal Reserve surveys of loan officers, even while low rates and the housing recovery have borrowers lined up seeking financing.

Former Lakers guard Derek Fisher signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder last week, joining the team for another playoff run. Earlier in the season, Fisher had signed with the Dallas Mavericks but asked out of his contract to spend more time with his family. On hearing Fisher was re-signing with the Thunder, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban gave a snide remark to the Dallas Morning News . "Look, I understand completely," Cuban said sarcastically. "From the time Derek was here to his signing with OKC, his kids are older, they can deal with things better.  So I understand him having more comfort in being away from them.

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Feb. 10 - 16, 2013 in PDF format This week's TV Movies       SERIES Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan:  Dom searches a remote cave in Venezuela rumored to house the world's largest centipede in this new episode (7 and 10 p.m. BBC America). Bobby McFerrin: A YoungArts Masterclass:  Four student vocalists receive instruction from the singer and later join him on stage in Germany (7:30 p.m. HBO)

I am a Republican who did not vote for Bill Clinton, but I am now all for him, as we all should be, since the majority did vote for him. He is trying to keep his promises. I am 75 years old and I feel that the cancellation of the small cost-of-living increase in Social Security benefits is justified and will hardly be missed by the elderly. I also believe that an increased gasoline tax is not only justified but necessary for less pollution and less traffic. We would also be made healthier with more walking, bicycling, etc. In order to fight joblessness and the deficit, we must all make some sacrifices.

After reading "Abortion vs. Adoption" I realized what it must have felt like to be an abolitionist in the 1850s. In 1857 in the Dred Scott Decision, our learned Supreme Court declared that blacks were not legal "persons" and were the "property" of the slave owner who could do with them as he pleased, including kill them. In 1973, seven aging men on the Supreme Court declared that the unborn were not legal persons and that a mother could do with them as she chooses. Although it took centuries, Americans eventually came to realize that slavery could never, ever be justified by any arguments.

Question: My homeowner association board acts with impunity because, the members say, they "can. " The reason the board gave me for its untenable actions was that "a person serving on an HOA board cannot be sued. " Is that so? Answer: There is no law in California that prevents an association's board of directors, the association or even its employees and vendors from being sued in any court. Whether or not such lawsuits are justified is decided by the court. The board cannot act with impunity merely because members believe they "can," and efforts to do so usually result in the board's removal or a lawsuit.

The first day for California lawmakers to introduce bills in the new two-year session was Dec. 3, the day they took their oaths. The Legislature then immediately recessed for the holidays and did not reconvene until this week, but through December the desk remained open for bills to be submitted, and there are now hundreds that will be scheduled for hearing, examined by the Legislative Analyst's Office, or quietly killed by Assembly or Senate leadership....