Article: James Spader keeps `Boston Legal'.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Mike Duffy

Appalling legal scoundrel or unscrupulous courtroom delight?

The twisted truth is that Alan Shore rather merrily blurs the line between appalling and delightful.

And as played with devilish sardonic wit and a scheming twinkle in his eye by James Spader on ABC's "Boston Legal," the raffishly amoral Shore is the most enjoyable thing to happen to courtroom drama in years.

Last season, Spader joined "The Practice" for that show's farewell tour, a very shrewd move by series creator David E. Kelley.

All of a sudden, what had devolved into an overwrought courtroom melodrama was fun again.

The show's ...

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