You are saying it gets blocked, BECAUSE a criminal trial may be pending? Or because of other reasons?
Yes. I'm saying the judges in the Durham courthouse will have a little talk, and they'll decide to abate the civil case until the criminal case is tried, and they may do that before having an evidentiary hearing.
If you start the civil case in your home state and county, pursuant to venue statutes which provide that the home of the plaintiff is the proper venue for a slander case, you force the Crystal show to come to New Jersey or New York to face a judge that isn't worried about his name being on Crystal's phone.