This earlier post on the Conrad Black trial noted that syndicated writer Mark Steyn is blogging the trial and, if you haven’t been checking in on Steyn’s blog, you’re missing some rollicking good fun. Check out this post from Wednesday’s festivites in which he notes:

The government called its first witness this afternoon: Gordon Paris, Conrad Blackís successor as chairman of Hollinger International. In Homeric terms, heís the first Paris to turn out a Trojan horse. I sat behind Mr. Paris as he waited to take the stand and, to judge from the back of his neck, heís been working on his tan; his jet black hair was so luxuriously gelled I could see my face in it. For a man whoís taken his companyís share price from $21 to $4, he was looking good. If he felt sheepish about the most recent quarterly loss and the suspension of the dividend, his coiffure certainly betrayed no signs of it. The healthy glow led me to expect a performance as slick as his hair, but, in fact, he answered in a kind of semi-tranquillized drone, vaguely reminiscent of Eugene Levyís spaced out has-been folkie in A Mighty Wind. [. . .]
But the government attempted to introduce in evidence a chart showing Conrad Blackís share of ownership escalating up the chain from Hollinger International through Hollinger Inc to Ravelston Corporation and asked Mr Paris to testify that these figures were accurate.
Mr Paris did so, and the defence pounced. How did he know these figures were accurate? When did he see the chart?
Well, heíd been shown it a few days ago.
So had he verified the numbers from public records?
ìI certainly knew from my experience,î said Mr Paris, ìthat those numbers were reasonableÖî
ìReasonable or accurate?î asked the lead Black attorney, Edward Genson.
ìI was toldÖî
ìWho told you?î
Mr Parisí gelled hair strands seemed to wilt visibly. ìThe government,î he conceded.
Gotcha. Chicago Legal had suddenly morphed into just about every other Perry Mason episode between 1957 and 1972 where Perry gets the star witness to admit that heís testifying to the truth of something he only knows the truth of because the district attorney told him it was true.

Steyn’s summary post on the first week of the trial is here.