Ripped From Our Headlines

That was fast: Next week's season finale of NBC's "Law & Order" was clearly inspired by the Metrolink train disaster in Glendale this past January. Promos for the episode blare, "Ripped from the headlines!" And the synopsis sounds pretty familiar, down to the 11 deaths:

IN SEASON FINALE, COMMUTER TRAIN HURTLES TOWARDS DEADLY COLLISION WHEN MAN PARKS S.U.V. ON TRACKS -- In the "Law & Order" season finale, a commuter train is violently derailed when it strikes an SUV parked on the tracks, resulting in 11 deaths, leaving Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Falco (guest star Michael Imperioli, "The Sopranos") sifting through massive debris -- until they lock onto a depressed construction worker who maintains he only intended to commit suicide, not homicide. A.D.A.. McCoy (Sam Waterston) can't wait to get his hands on the case but his grip gets more slippery when the accused's attorney hints at an insanity defense -- and the suspect later shocks everyone in court. Annie Parisse, S. Epatha Merkerson and Fred Dalton Thompson also star.