EntertainmentNow that the baton has been passed from “The Closer” to “Major Crimes,” will the new show maintain good momentum, or fade as the weeks go by?   If we are to believe star Mary McDonnell, it will run its own race with lots of kicks ahead for fans. We caught up with the esteemed actress as she was basking in the afterglow of having completed production of her series’ first 10 episodes.  She was dying to share them, she said, …

EntertainmentSo, the long goodbye is almost over.  After a year of talking about the end of “The Closer” and the beginning of “Major Crimes” — the departure of  Kyra Sedgwick and the promotion of Mary McDonnell — the transition finally is taking place tomorrow night (8/13).  Beginning at 9 o’clock, “The Closer” ends with a  heartfelt finale, followed by “Major Crimes’” debut at 10. Will this old-cast-with-new-lead gambit prove a success, as in, say, Kirstie Alley coming aboard “Cheers” or …