10 questions for legal-affairs correspondent Nancy Grace

Mike Pearson, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 30, 2007 at midnight

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She has been called TV's "Queen of Mean" and the most honest woman on television. "She" is Nancy Grace, 48, the former Atlanta prosecutor and Court TV anchor whose nightly legal affairs show on CNN Headline News dissects some of the most heinous crimes in America: murder, rape, kidnapping, a father placing a child in a microwave.

She's also quick to hold celebrities accountable for their misdeeds, verbally flogging the likes of Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and O.J. Simpson. Grace's often-abrasive style has made her the subject of parodies on shows as diverse as Saturday Night Live and Boston Legal. And, of course, a champion of victim's rights to her fans, who call the show with questions about various cases. The Rocky's Mike Pearson caught up with Grace by phone last week as she left an appointment with her OB/GYN. The Macon, Ga., native is expecting twins in January.

1 Some have criticized your abrasive style. How do you react to that?

"When you are covering cases of child molestation, abduction, murder, domestic homicide, I just see things different as a crime victim myself. (Her fiance was murdered in 1977.) I don't like the wool being pulled over viewers' or juries' eyes. We always hear about the presumption of innocence, which I firmly believe - unless and until the state pierces that presumption to prove otherwise. I feel victims don't have a voice in our system."

2 By my reckoning there are at least a dozen TV judge shows. How do you feel about that form of justice?

"To each her own. I don't want to hear pretend cases. I want to talk about real cases and real people. My father has three favorite shows he must watch each day: Lou Dobbs, me and Judge Judy."

3 Do you think you ever go overboard with your prosecutorial zeal?

"I think I'm just telling the truth. Now the truth can be pretty harsh sometimes. What should I do, sugarcoat it? Why? I've got one hour to cover a story . . . People tend to become a homogenized creation of the airwaves. I did not go to law school for that."

4 You've been parodied on Saturday Night Live and Boston Legal. How do you feel about being a pop-culture icon?

"I don't think I'm a pop-culture icon. I think I'm easy to make fun of, and that's OK. I laugh right along with it. I saved all the Boston Legals on my TiVo, but I haven't seen the one where I get hit in the head with a shovel, and then go right back on the air with a bandage on my head."

5 You seem to spend a lot of time on celebrity news, specifically Britney Spears. How does that jibe with your mission to help solve crimes?

"I don't see the celebrity news, I see the child custody issues. To me, when a celeb commits a crime that I feel is worth shedding light on - and celebs commit crimes every day - I feel very strongly. I've just seen so many cases where children were abused and mistreated. From what I've seen firsthand, cases that involve women and children get treated less stringently than other cases, and I really resent that. You know what, it's a relief not to always have (to talk about) a murderer."

6 How do you expect that motherhood will change you?

"I've already noticed it. Before I had the blessing of this pregnancy I always wanted a family and thought that was never going to happen to me. Prosecuting really became my life. I never believed that I would ever find love again much less have a family."

7 Are we experiencing a crime explosion in this country?

"Same amount of crime, just a greater population. It's a good thing to have light shed upon it. Watching the cases unfold makes it real. We just covered a case in Birmingham of a girl who pulled off the road into a parking lot to talk to her friend on her cell phone. People came up to carjack her and killed her. It's upsetting, and yet it's something I want to put on the air so (others) don't do the same thing."

8 I understand you've gotten a lot of baby gifts from your viewers.

"They're sending me the most wonderful things. A family out in Mesa, Arizona, who had twin girls, made two baby blankets that look identical, but are unique. I've gotten maternity shirts from a little old lady in Texas. I've now written over 300 personalized thank you notes."

9 Do you plan to return to courtroom litigation after television?

"TV is a fickle business. I never thought I'd be in it, so it's always a surprise. Sometimes I miss being in court and interacting with witnesses and jurors. I know I have no interest in civil work for money damages or defense work, so it would have to be in some prosecutorial capacity."

10 What TV shows does Nancy Grace watch to unwind?

"I like Monk. I love The Office and Murder She Wrote. I also like Dirt with Courtney Cox. I love Dexter because it's about a serial killer who kills bad guys. I love the forensic (aspect) of shows."

Nancy Grace

• When and where: 6, 8, 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., Monday-Friday, on CNN Headline News

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