The TV Zone

Can I do ANYTHING else for Jimmy Fallon to remind readers that his new show starts Monday, and that I even wrote a piece on the whole thing for Sunday's Fanfare?

Anything...? Yes! Post this last vlog before the big show, which went up yesterday. This one's noteworthy because it features an interview with the Boss Himself, Mr. Lorne Michaels...Check it out...

Taylor Swift is on "CSI" next week and...here's a first look...

Will true love bloom? Or for JB, is true love doomed?

Nice chat with the producer of "24," Howard Gordon, just concluded, and a couple of worthwhile notes out of it...

HoGo's promoting the 2-hour special this Monday and - forgive me dear reader, but I still haven't put it in the DVD player yet. But the people on the call were extremely enthusiastic. So I'm sure it's good.

You know where we are in the season, right? 'Nother attack pending? Tony needs Jack's help? Debaku in the hospital? And...MAYHEM ON THE WAY!!!

Good old "24.'

Love it.

Here's the news from HoGo:

- "Likelihood of an eighth season is extremely high..." No surprise there - numbers are good, and show is creatively doing well too.

- Jack and Renee Walker MAY have some sort of relationship next season, and per HoGo, "it's not a romance in the traditional sense of the word. [How could it be? We're talking about Bauer who is someone for the whom the sweet lure of true love must forever be sublimated by the fact that madmen are bent on destroying the world...but I digress].It's a lot more broken and jagged than what you might imagine [not me! I couldn't imagine it in any other way.]

Per HoGo, Annie Wershching "has done a spectacular job" this season. I agree one hundred percent.

- The Monday two-parter "really does transition from the first half of the season to the second half of the season. People can watch this not having seen too much of what came before, and participate in the latter half. It's a good place for people to jump in.'

Plus, Jon Voight's evil Jonas Hodges jumps in himself with both feet Monday.

"ET" is reporting that Ed McMahon has been hospitalized with pneumonia, and this does not look good at all.

Here's the "ET" brief:

"A family member tells ET that the 85-year-old has been at a Los Angeles area hospital for nearly one month, and is being treated for pneumonia. ET can confirm that McMahon has been in the intensive care unit and was recently diagnosed with systemic bone cancer. His wife Pam has been by his side, and a source tells ET that his wife's "deep faith is helping her through this difficult time."

(Pix: AP)

Kris Allen, that's who.

Good for him, though I can't honestly say I know that much about him. Can't vouch for this but I think he got 42 seconds of airtime during Hollywood, compared to an hour and a half for Matt Giraud.

And look where it got Matt.

Speaking of Matt, who do you think will make it from this group into next week's wild card round?

- Click here to see photos of all the 'American Idol' semifinalists performing.

The obvious choices:

Giraud.

Jesse Langseth, Johnny Lang's little sis

Head to the jump if ya wanna read my rap in Newsday (while it's still for free...)

Continue reading ""American Idol:" Kris Whooo? " »

She's OK!

She can dance!

Don't worry!

Anybody!

But I'll tell ya, ABC sure did (worry, that is) when it looked like she might be sidelined by tendinitis.

Jewel just announced on her blog that she can dance...Good thing, because she and her husband, Ty Murray, are perhaps the biggest draws this season.

Here's the full post:

"So, I went to the physical therapist yesterday and I can say that I am feeling better! He said if I take time now to heal that I will be good to go by next week. I hate missing these days, but it's all for the best in the long run, because I'm in it for the long haul and I wanna win it! :)

Ty and Chelsea are taking advantage of out-practicing me now! Haha.... We don't really feel that competitive against each other, we really just feel supportive and sympathetic for how hard the process is, and we are glad to share it together; but we do like to joke about it being a race. Like yesterday on the Billy Bush show, Ty said that he thinks his best chance of beating me is if I get pregnant during the show so I would be too tired to dance! Talk about a strategy! Haha... Of course, that would be fine with me if it did happen, so either way would be a win!

Anyway, I'm excited to get back to work next week dancing, hopefully it didn't cause me to get too far behind all the other contestants- I only had 3 weeks to prepare, and now it will be only 2 weeks - which isn't much considering how much I have to learn. All I can do is what I'm doing and to try and have fun- which I am! I will enjoy the days off to hang with my husband, and our family.... Anyway, talk to you soon and thank for your well wishes. I will keep u all posted! See you March 9th for my first dance."

[Pix: AP]

Welcome to the department of "D'Oh": Fox has finally officially said "The Simpsons" will go through seasons 21 and 22.

The network/studio had already signed the cast for four years, which would take the classic through 23 and into 24; Here's what Al Jean said last September:

"We signed the cast for four years, including this one, and the Emmy [that the show just got] was wonderful, and I really feel like creatively we're still doing terrific work,and I don't see an end..."

He added: "I'm optimistic we'll go through that four-year contract..." If this happens, "that'd take me through season 23 and technically spillover into the 24th."

More "Simpsons" factoids, gratis Jean: "'Gunsmoke' had over 600 episodes and 'Lassie' over 500; we just recorded 445. We still have a little ways to go."

Meanwhile, "Survivor" just got picked up for two more seasons, through # 20.

Here's a thought: Why not take the show back to Borneo (Palau Tiga) for the 20th?

Fox presser on the jump...

Continue reading ""Simpsons": 21, 22; "Survivor," 19, 20" »

We've got the full line-up of first guests on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

Here it is, with commentary:

**Monday, March 2 – Show 0001 - Guests include Robert De Niro, Justin Timberlake and musical guest Van Morrison [Timberlake, announced yesterday, to draw in the young 'uns...]

Tuesday, March 3 – Show 0002 - Guests include Tina Fey (NBC's "30 Rock"), Jon Bon Jovi, and musical guest Santigold [Tina is one of the favors Jimmy F said he was calling in ... maybe Bon Jovi owes him a few hundred bucks, too ...]

**Wednesday, March 4 – Show 0003 - Guests include Cameron Diaz, Billy Crudup, and musical guest Clap Your Hands Say Yeah [Cam's getting married to that Brit model; maybe they can be the first contestants on the new Jerry Seinfeld show...]

Thursday, March 5 – Show 0004 - Guests include Donald Trump (NBC's "The Celebrity Apprentice"), Serena Williams and musical guest Ludacris [Uh-oh, just four days in and Jimmy has already been enlisted to flack for the primetime schedule.]

**Friday, March 6 – Show 0005 - Guests include Drew Barrymore, Chace Crawford, and Mario Batali [Barrymore's got that new reality show for VH1 about tough love, or somethin'; and Chace is on hand of course to talk about/promote those new episodes of "GG."]

**Monday, March 9 – Show 0006 - Guests include Rose Byrne and musical guest The Lonely Island [Rose, splendid Rose, is welcome on any talk show any time, as far as I'm concerned; the LI guys are pals of Jimmy's and have already done a funny vlog for him...]

**Tuesday, March 10 – Show 0007 - Guests include Emily Blunt, Michael Stipe, and musical guest Pussycat Dolls ["Devil Wears Prada" babe Blunt is eye-candy for all the young dudes Jimmy needs to succeed here..]

**Wednesday, March 11 – Show 0008 – Guests include Russell Brand, Kevin Rose &
Alex Albrecht, and musical guest The Virgins [Diggnation, Attack of the Show dudes Rose and Albrecht play to Fallon's tech/geek fascination, which you'll see a lot of here...]

**Thursday, March 12 – Show 0009 – Guests include Tracy Morgan (NBC's "30 Rock") and Malin Akerman [Tracy, another favor. Hope he arrives sober..no, hope he doesn't...]

**Friday, March 13 – Show 0010 – Guests include Brian Williams (NBC's "Nightly News with Brian Williams"), Kristen Wiig (NBC's "Saturday Night Live"), and
musical guest Trace Adkins [A pure gift to the mother network; looking forward to Wiigy though...]

[Pix: Frazer Harrison of Getty captures Emily...]

Another remarkably bad night on America's - the world's! - most popular TV show.

Honestly, there were only two very good performances. A couple of OK ones, and then...

The night fell off the cliff into the ravine.

What's going on with this season of "American Idol"?

Check out Newsday's "Idol" blog a little later this afternoon, when all our resident "Idolistas" put together their picks. Here are my three choices ...Those Who should go on, followed by Who Will Go On...

* Adam Lambert: Did exactly what you have to do at this stage of the comp, which is take a hugely popular song, a hugely familiar one, and turn it into an entertaining Frankenstein's monster. He looked like Elvis, then turned into Clint Black, and finally into Gene Simmons. Oy...But a terrific, stagey and fun outing.

* Allison Iraheta: Again, the formula - take a hugely, ridiculously popular pop song and belt the bugger out. It's a generation-spanning song, known to people in their '80s and people who are 8; smart choice and well performed.

* Jesse Langseth: I was instantly bored with the judge's catty commentary on this one - the woman's got a voice and look and style, and knows how to sing. I think she's interesting too - vocally AND visually. I hope she goes forward.

Now, who will...

* Adam

* Matt Giraud: Too bad...

(AP Photo)

As your probably know by now, Jerry Seinfeld has a new production deal with NBC - "The Marriage Ref" has been picked up.

Right, like NBC wasn't going to pick this up.

This is a network that picks up every reality show.

And not Jerry's?

It's been in development for months, and Jerry has been warming up audiences to the idea as well. Check out this "Tonight Show" appearance from last fall - it's a peak at Jerry's new show.

No, he won't have an on-air role, or will he? Hard to imagine NBC would want something from Seinfeld without some sort of on-air identification, at the very minimum voice-over. So we'll see...

(Happily Married Man, right)

What do we know about this? Very little, and NBC is saying very little. Here's Seinfeld's statement to the trades last night:

"This is not a therapy show, it’s a comedy show,” the 54-year-old comedian said of his new show The Marriage Ref. “After nine years of marriage , I have discovered that the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich.”

Press release is on the jump.

And for proof, this...

(Pix: Jemal Countess/WireImage.com)

Continue reading "Seinfeld Back On NBC, Sorta" »

This guy, left, or that guy, below...?

"The Celebrity Apprentice" is back this Sunday, and a tough-minded correspondent named Charlie has got me to thinking: Who IS more famous? The 2008 "CA" crew or the 2009 "CA" crew?

We're not talking super-fame here. No one has won an Oscar. Kate Winslet is not on board, for example. But...there ARE some first-rate athletes (former ones, I should add) and some good country singers, and Gold medalists, etc.

There are also some low-rent celebs.

No reason to name names.

Here's Charlie's comment on my story in tomorrow's Newsday - I didn't take it personally, or at least too much. I wrote that this year's batch is more famous than last year's batch. He took umbrage to that observation...

"Are you kidding me? Easily more famous then the 1st ? What kind of drugs are you taking? This bunch of mostly degenerate washed up bunch doesn't even come close or can even hold up a candle to the 1st! Rodman is doing any show that will have him now a days! He goes from celebrity wrestling to this? Joan Rivers and her daughter are both washed up and are still looking for 5 minutes of fame. Dice has been washed up for yrs and his gimmick is so old already! A Deal or no deal model? Come on already! A poker champ? This season is gonna suck and you must be on some serious drugs to think that this group of out of the spotlight people is more famous and better then the first! '

Charlie from Duluth has inspired me to respond...So, which is more famous? The 2008 one or the 2009?

Here's a quiz. We'll go by the "household name" yardstick, which loosely translated means, when talking to your spouse or children, you ask, "have you EVER heard of this person? "

"Y" is yes; "N" is no...

2008:

Trace Adkins (N)
Stephen Baldwin (N)
Carol Alt (Y, barely, but probably N)
Marilu Henner (Y)
Vincent Pastore (N)
Lennox Lewis (N)
Nadia Comaneci (Y)
Gene Simmons (Y, barely)
Tito Ortiz (N)
Piers Morgan (N)
Tiffany Fallon (N)
Omarosa (N)
Jennie Finch (N)
Nely Galan (N)

Now, this season's, 2009:

Andrew "Dice" Clay (Y)
Clint Black (Y)
Annie Duke (N)
Tom Green (N)
Natalie Gulbis (N)
Scott Hamilton (Y)
Jesse James (Y)
Claudia Jordan (N)
Khloe Kardashian (Y)
Brian McKnight (Y)
Joan Rivers (Y)
Melissa Rivers (Y)
Brande Roderick (N)
Dennis Rodman (Y)
Herschel Walker (Y)
Tionne Watkins (Y)

Final score:

2008: 10 Nos.
2009: 5 Nos.

Anyone agree? Call Charlie. Please.

In the absence of any real news at the moment, I direct you to the clip that's getting plenty of web chatter among the chattering classes...Chris Matthews' under-his-breath dismissal of Bobby Jindal, as the Louisiana gov was about to deliver the GOP response to last night's Obama S-O-U. The AP even released a story just now that confirmed Matthews' is in fact the "Oh God" guy...

Fox News has been having fun with THIS.

[Meanwhile, Katie Couric: While observing the famous trio at the lectern last night before the start of State of the Union speech, she marveled that there was the first black president, a woman speaker of the House, and "a white guy." So that's what you are, Veep Biden! ]

To which I say, the guy's DONE A LOT O

This is significant casting news; and big Long Island casting news.

Bay Shore's own...

Now, Manhasset's own...

LL Cool J - "Ladies Love Cool James," if you must know- will star in that "NCIS" spin-off. Variety had official confirmation this morning. This spin-off will be THE big spin-off of the season. It'll bow as a back-door pilot later this spring - no further details - while the Cool J casting was expected, insofar as he has a deal with the network.

The other shoe expected to drop on this show? Chris O'Donnell, who was also in talks with producers and we now await the press release any minute. In fact, O'Donnell is definitely in the show - he plays a lead named Callen. (Chris? No LI connections that I'm aware of, but he does have a house up in Maine...)

The "NCIS" spin-off was first reported by "EW's" Michael Ausiello last fall, who noted of the impending show: "In a move that will surprise only the brainless..." Yes, brainless or clueless. "NCIS" - spin-off itself of "JAG" - is one of the great surprises of the '08-9 season from heck: A show that gained not a few viewers but a lot of viewers and forced this franchise-spinoff-network-extraordinaire to cook up yet another franchise spin-off extraordinaire.

LL Cool J? Sure - controversial and I guess that's no surprise - but an interesting and pretty energetic guy nonetheless. He has (of course) done a lot of TV, and "In the House" is certainly the most noteworthy credit. But he's done everything else too - besides that platinum career of the '80s/90s that hasn't quite hit that plateau in the '00s, though there have been some big hits too, like '02's "10.") Hard to believe but he has even slipped into CBS's demo - just turned 41.

And did you know? He was born in Bay Shore....

There are a million Cool J clips on Youtube, but darned if I can find one of "In the House" days... He was also in (trivia alert!) "30 Rock," as Ridikolus...

So here's a recent performance from the House of Blues in Anaheim - he's been on tour the last few weeks - and as you watch, consider: This is the next big star of a CBS SHOW. It doesn't just seem to fit...

Here's another ancient clip, that kinda reveals this guy's diversity...He played Capt. Patrick Devo in "Toys." Here's the old trailer...blink and you'll miss Ladies Loves Cool James...

(Above pix: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Good news for a bunch of CW series. Here are the '09 fall pickups...

“Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “90210,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Smallville” and “Supernatural.”

Any surprises in this list? No surprises. But what about "Priveleged" and "Reaper," back next week?

And....and...and...

"Everybody Hates Chris?"

Meanwhile, here's a fresh promo for "GG," back mid-March. It's entitled "Basstalk." Amusing, for Bassfans..

Andy is back.

Yes, Andy. Who left. Moved back to the Evil Empire in California. Tried his hand at a couple of sitcoms - one of 'em, per my recollection, pretty good. Learned about the cold cruel fate of cancellation.

And probably wished he'd never left in the first place...

...And has now been re-united with Conan O'Brien.

Big news.

Herewith the details:

"Andy is one of the funniest people I know and we've maintained a close friendship since he left "Late Night," said O'Brien. "We have a proven chemistry that will be an incredible asset to "The Tonight Show." I'm looking forward to working with Andy on a daily basis again, particularly since he owes me $300."

Actor and writer Andy Richter rose to fame while having the best seat in the house on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" as O'Brien's sidekick since its premiere on September 13, 1993. Since his departure from the show in 2000, Richter starred in the Emmy nominated "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" for the Fox network, and most recently starred in the series "Andy Barker, P.I." for NBC. Richter has been very active in the feature film world as well. His many appearances include such films as Robert Altman's "Dr. T and the Women" and "Scary Movie 2", "Elf" and "Madagascar: (both 1 and 2), "Talladega Nights", "Blades of Glory" and "Semi-Pro". This summer, he can be seen in the Fox feature "They Came From Upstairs". Richter attended the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign and Columbia College, where he studied film and video."

Good for Andy. And good for Conan.

(Above Pix from Makefive.com, which voted Andy the 13th best sidekick in pop culture history; number one? George Costanza...)

As I think CBS said on the air last night, and TV Week has reported, Craig Ferguson will star in five mini-programs in primetime next week with ...Paris Hilton.

Why Paris? Why primetime? Why so much exposure for CBS's late late night guy (who is funny, of course)? Why Monday?

Easy! Monday is the day Jimmy Fallon starts at "Late Night" and CBS would very much like to remind you in the midst of its powerhouse Monday night line up that its guy has Paris and you should watch her...instead of Jimmy...

The ways of TV are indeed transparent ....

Here are details from the presser:

"Paris Hilton joins Ferguson in a cameo role in the five distinct primetime comedy spots on March 2, the last of which teases her guest appearance on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" later that evening. Jim Parsons makes a special guest appearance as his character, Sheldon, from "The Big Bang Theory" in the five unique spots on March 9. The spots are set in Ferguson's shabby, but not chic, faux home, where Hilton and "Sheldon" join him, separately, for TV dinners and a night devoted to watching CBS's five Monday night series. "

Paris and Craig? There's a little history - as she has for all late nighters, she has provided a rich and endless source of ridicule. First clip below is a representative Paris riff (and a funny one). Second, Paris makes her first appearance on "Late, Late" and Craig kinda apologizes for all the abuse. That one aired last fall...

Click to see photos of Paris Hilton and other celebrities at 2009 New York City Fashion Week.

Click to see photos of Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton at at Club Paris.

"24" is working for me.

Is it working for you?

I missed last night's episode, and for all I know, it's NOT working for me anymore, but I doubt that. (And yours truly will catch up later today.) I hear another mole has been uncovered - PLEASE DON'T TELL ME WHO. Though I think I can guess...

But here's the important thing: "24" is back firmly on "track" - track being the favorite metaphor of TV scribes who like to describe this classic as either on track or "jumping off the tracks..."

As we close in on the half day mark - the half day solstice passes overhead next Monday night when the two-hour special airs - I decided it was time to do one of my lists. This morning: The Ten Things That Are So Very Fine About This Season's "24."

And away we go, in order!

1.) Annie Wersching and Renee Walker. To me, she's this season's stand-out addition. The semi-conflicted FBI agent who bends the rules, tears up a bit when she does, and then - five minutes later - blasts away four guys in some basement. Like Jack, Agent Walker doesn't believe in falling into a Hamlet-like swoon. Jack needed someone like Walker - there's no sexual tension here at all (and Jack Bauer is truly the most sexless superhero on TV) but she offers that invaluable "hold on, pal. Think about what you're doing..." She's made JACK better.

2.) Washington: A city I'm hardly wild about, along with the rest of the country, but we DO feel like we're in a different world with a different set of insane problems. The B Unit has captured some gorgeous shots, and given the show a whole new dynamic. And here's the amazing thing! Just like LA, there's no traffic. Imagine that...

3.) Bad guy Dubaku, played just about flawlessly by Hakeem Kae-Kazim - who's had a fine career, mostly on South African TV, dating back nearly a quarter of a century but is hardly known here. Oh, that Dubaku's an evil rancid bastard, who will kill as effortlessly and as thoughtlessly as if buying an ice cream cone. I love the guy. Let me re-state: I love the guy in the context of "24." The show needs a complete moral vacuum for Jack to fill, and Dubaku's our man this season, so far.

4.) Janeane Garofalo: What a spectacular addition this season. This has worked perfectly for me. (And please don't tell me she's Mole No. 2...) That red smudged lipstick. The frumpy pantsuit. The office shuffle, from one computer to the next... One of the best lines this season: When Sean Hillinger (Rhys Coiro, and yet ANOTHER good add) tells her, "you're a little bitch," she walks away, and tosses this over her shoulder back at him: "YOU'RE a little bitch..."

5.) The new Chloe: New shag cut, a new kid, and a new sauce-free Morris is back as well.

6.) Tony Almeida: I put the return of Carlos Bernard down here only because I'm slightly conflicted about his character development. I thought the Bad Tony was more interesting than the Good Tony - that psychically scarred Robin (to Jack's Batman) who had turned into a Libertarian Monster after Michelle's death. I was intrigued about the Jack/Tony stand-off, and wondered if Jack had finally found a worthy adversary. But... Still, great to have Tony back. (I wonder - was Michelle REALLY killed in that blast?)

7.) Cherry Jones, President Allison Taylor: She has been a good president indeed, a fraught POTUS who just days into her reign must deal with a son's suicide; a husband's quixotic quest to find the truth; an invasion; Jack Bauer; the kidnapping of a prime minister; a couple of planes colliding over DC; a pesticide plant that nearly went poof; Dubaku; a renegade operation run by Bill Buchanan; the shooting of her husband; the stealing of the thingamajig that breached the nation's security wall...am I missing anything? And good Lord, it's only 8 p.m. Taylor is dealing with more in four hours than Lincoln dealt with in four years...Yet, she purses her lips, gets a little misty-eyed, and then says "charrgge....!"

8.) The plot: Yes, insane, as always, but somewhat believably insane. There's some real care and loving going into the season. You don't get the sense that the writers have broken into the liquor cabinet and drained the gallon of Maker's Mark...

9 .) The peril of the innocents: One of the great hallmarks of "24" is when innocent people are thrown to the wolves...by Jack! (A classic scene many seasons ago - when Jack commandeered that fast food restaurant.) Dubaku's girlfriend is one example here...the wife and child of that creepy renegade spy/agent is another. There the lady is, chained to a coffee table screaming, while Renee is bending over the crib...

10.) The oldie but goodies: I mentioned Chloe and Morris..and Tony...but also Aaron (Glenn Morshower.) I'm sure I'm missing someone. Wouldn't it be splendid if Charles Logan - the wonderful Gregory Itzen - found his back on to the show? Let's see...

(Pix: Fox)

Somehow this was expected, but not today - Peter Chernin is outathere.

The Kingdom of Rupert just announced.

How big is this showbiz news on a scale of one to ten, with ten being big, and one not? A nine.

Chernin - a New Yorker (Harrison, Westchester) and onetime Fox boss who endured the slings and arrows of difficult bosses and bad shows - rose to become head of the world's mightiest media company, only to endure the annual "Chernin May Leave News Corp." stories in the NYT and WSJ.

Now, he's gone. Here's the meat of the presser; hell, here's the WHOLE presser, on the jump...

I imagine there'll be a lot of stories that Chernin is leaving because of Murdoch's "inexplicable" love of print; or the "fact" that Rupert just refuses to get out of the way, so Peter can take over; or that this is another instance of Murdoch's "inability" to choose a successor.

The truth probably lurks behind door number two, but this has been talked about/rumored for years...

(Pix: AP)

Continue reading "Chernin Leaves News Corp: June" »

OK, so maybe I'm wrong. Maybe last night's unwatchable telecast WASN'T the lowest-rated ever, as I confidently predicted.

[Note to reader: Always beware when I "confidentially predict" something.]

But at least I'm not terribly far off. I could go with ABC's propaganda at this point, but I think I'll go with Fox's instead. ABC takes the glass-almost-entirely-full approach to the numbers, while Fox takes the glass-is-bone-dry-except-for-a-drop-or-two approach. That latter seems more interesting to me:

Here's the line from Fox's press release: "From 830-11p, the 81st Annual Academy Awards delivered an 11.2/26, showing modest improvements over last year’s ceremony which delivered the lowest-rated Oscars telecast ever with a 9.8/23 in the Fast Nationals and a 10.7/26 in the finals."

Good old Fox. Don't ya just love 'em! Now, about the "American Idol" numbers...

The final Nielsens are out after 3.

[Now, final finales tomorrow, but the news so far is not grim - about 36 million last night, compared to about 32 million last year...]

Time to hand 'em out...And here goes:

Host: B + (The only element of the night that worked - and yet he's on-stage barely at all; plus the yawning set conspired to reduce him to ant-size insignificance when he was on-stage. )

Set: C - (A Strange polyglot of style and styles that perfectly reflected the Academy's conflicted feelings over this night...should we go BIG or small?...GRAND or demur...intimate or OUT THERE...The arch, that glittery thing that reminded me of the onset of a migraine, was certainly eye-catching but was at war with the rest of the set decor for most of the night. Then, when awards were presented, directors cued as backdrop this jarringly tacky diaphanous bluescreen that reminded viewers of either floating jellyfish or dust motes...)

Comedy sketches: D. (Maybe I was cranky because of the dust motes, but I found Tina Fey/Steve Martin endless - the sort of cute prattle that is designed to remind you just how charming and brilliant this charming and brilliant pair is but managed to add new dimensions to the word "cloy." Jack Black/Jenn, awkward...James Franco/Seth Rogen, insufferable...Stiller as Wacky Joaquin, obvious...)

Music: C - (Relentlessly downbeat and old-fashioned. Was the music director trying to invoke depression-era musicals with that plodding pastiche by Jackman and Beyonce? If so, objective achieved. I found it endless, and uninspiring. Busby Berkeley lite...)

Presenters: D - (The solos were serviceable, but Will Smith - the biggest star on stage, by far - seemed reduced amidst the rubble; even HE wondered why he was up there so long when Jackman shoulda been...Meanwhile, the star group grope. What was THAT! Did it not occur to anyone that - while it may seem like a lovely idea to have multiple-lived Shirley MacLaine speak lovingly and lengthily to an aspirant - most VIEWERS AT HOME HAD NOT SEEN THESE MOVIES. As the opener even joked, I gotta go see "The Reader." So, someone is saying something very nice on-stage to (say) Penelope Cruz, but viewers simply have no idea WHY. Best to have shortened these mini-speeches to a few words, then buttressed them with clips. A simple adjustment that would have worked wonders.)

Technical awards: D (Well, not technical, per se, but "best adapted screenplay" is hardly a main attraction; sure, it's vital to the membership, vital to the industry, but unessential to the viewers at home. So, they dress it up with Cute - Steve and Tina, for example - or Action, like some clip job to introduce special effects. This is the toughest job for ANY Oscars' telecast director, and I've long believed that speed and brevity are preferable to clogging up the middle hours with this stuff by dressing it up with set pieces that tell you just how important it is, or how it kinda works. You could easily shorten these interminable broadcasts by dropping these categories, or forcing them to the Saturday night off-broadcast ceremony where they belong. )

Overall: D. (I'm afraid the Academy was handed lemons this year and made lemons. It struggled mightily with the Zeitgeist, knowing the the top-nominated film was set in the slums, and that millions of viewers were out of a job. Yet Hollywood, by its fundamental nature, is out-sized, lavish, ostentatious, and deeply full of itself. Good Lord, if any of these people wanted something modest, they woulda gone into the accounting trade. This is Hollywood! This is Oscar! They DEMAND spectacle! We got that. But we didn't get that. The most spectacular movie? ("The Dark Knight"). Not even a best picture, because of course the Academy just HAD to make room for the message movies - "Milk," "The Reader," Slumdog," even "Frost/Nixon." There was not a single nod to spectacle in this front line, with the possible exception of "Ben Button," which everyone in the audience knew or suspected was a rip-off of "Forrest Gump" anyway. Jackman? As mentioned, he was good, very good even, but there were moments when I thought I had fallen asleep and woken up during the Tony Awards.
Ah well, next year...

Click for photos of the best 2009 Oscar dresses.

Click for photos of the 2009 Oscars red carpet.

(Pix: Peter Kramer, AP)

Why not?

I mean, why the hell not?

Everyone else does it - this live blog thing.

(Here's my tree-falls-in-the-forest question: If someone is writing a live blog during the Oscars, does that mean that someone is actually paying attention?)

Of course not. That's why you do a live blog - with the full and comfortable realization that no one is paying attention.

So here goes...

8:30: Interesting - first musical chords from "Lawrence of Arabia." Why? Nostalgia...

8:43: The opening number, what was not to like, honestly? Lively, energetic, funny, imaginative, different, charming, intimate, downscale...Jackman's opening number, any opening number, isn't just a scene-setter but a tone-setter, and get the tone wrong and you get the night wrong; by staging from a proscenium, and forging - or forcing - an intimacy with the audience - Jackman (who knows how to work those large unwieldy human masses) established a link. That's really hard to do. And this - the fact that the nominated movies are so small, and the fact that the stage is so small, was a wise bit of stage craft...

8:47: Good Lord, talk about blasting away the good will that Jackman worked so hard to establish...this long stuffy intro for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (God, you'd think this was a Nobel to be conferred)...the Academy puts us right back where we're so accustomed to being on this show - a place long of wind, and full of self. Certainly like Penelope, but she's acting like her shiny little thing is a Nobel for discovering the cure to cancer.

8:56: Best Original Screen play: Every year the Academy DESPERATELY tries to breath life in this award, make if friendly to audiences who don't read. Make it funny, they demand. That way the morons will pay attention! And it nevet ever works. Nor does this one. Steve and Tina - just...bot...happening...' This award is best given quickly, and without any fuss. A fine award..but people want stars, not writers. (Which is probably why no one reads live blogs...) "Milk" gets it. The movie that a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of the national audience has seen, but which plays big with a tiny, tiny crowd inside the Kodak... Followed by Best Adapted..."Slumdog..."

9:03: Jen and Jack: Did I just say people "want the stars..." The pain, the pain...Just a half hour in and this is already turning into a deeply annoying broadcast. How can the Academy take something like best animated and turn into something akin to the scraping of fingernails across the chalkboard. But they did just that. "Wall E" gets it - a sad throwaway award for a movie that shoulda been nominated for best movie.

9:17: Art direction. I'm sure this is an important category, but am terribly sorry to say that - year after year (after year) the Oscars try to bring meaning and relevance to this one, and fail badly. We can understand "direction" but append that word "art" and I'm lost at sea...Costume design...that makes sense. "The Duchess" scores here and rightly so.

9:36: Well, praise be we got the Joaquin Phoenix jokes out of the way, quickly and harmlessly, relatively speaking.

9:46: Snark at the Oscars - been around forever and it's the industry's way of defusing its self-importance, and pretensions, while telling the world that it really doesn't take all this nonsense seriously..and that...and that...and hat's why God invented James Franco/Seth Rogen. But no one, no one, believes them when they make fun of themselves and the most important (and self-important) awards telecast on the planet . That's why long sketches like this one are so deadly.

9:49: I'm thinking, for no reason at all, that this is shaping up to be a pretty forgettable broadcast. Is redemption around the corner - or just after t his far more intriguing and adsorbing commercial about something?

9:55: Beyonce, Zac Efron, and Hugh - this is the set-piece of the night, and it's terrifically old-fashioned. Aspiring for elegance and pulling ancient rabbits out of tattered top hats. Baz Luhrmann created, but Busby Berkeley might just as well. This broadcast doesn't know what it is, or what it wants to be - something modern or something old, something forward-looking, or something desperately looking to a past that richer, deeper and more socially relevant. A Depression-era-type number for a Depression-type-era? Are we supposed to feel - what? - like Fred and Ginger?

10:02: Well, yeah, this is sure a big moment. The Heath Ledger Memorial Award, AKA, best supporting actor. Surprise! Heath won! The family, dad and mother and sister ascend...they speak..they are somber..here is the one soundbite that will be replayed endlessly tomorrow...and yet...and yet...it seems so anticlimactic. The single great drama of this awards season - a brilliant acting performance and tragic death and it all ends, more or less, in this cold and oddly emotionless moment. That Maysles film plays, then Maher: "Everyone's crying and now I have to go on." Oh shut up.

10:17: Short Documentary Award Subject: Has it occurred to anyone on the planet besides myself that this award category should be dropped for all eternity?

10:24: Another intensely grating tribute...to action films, as some sort of ridiculous pretext for the special effects award. Some good, some execrable movies. And a clip job that's all bad. And of course, "Ben Button" wins, which had nothing to do with hard action flicks at all. What gibberish this whole thing has become.

10:29: And I now see "The Dark Night" won for some small award - reminding everyone at home and at the Kodak about- what-might-have-been.

10:39: Watching and enjoying another commercial, and am about to make a prediction that has just occurred to me: This WILL be the lowest-rated Oscars telecast in history. I can hardly wait for the Jerry Lewis tribute...

10:44: Wow, Jerry looks pretty darn good. Considering every conceivable health ailment he's gone through. His speech is short and dignified. Finally, a not-bad moment in The Lowest-Rated-Oscars-Telecast-in-All-Human-History (Recorded or Otherwise.)

10:55: Bollywood has come to Hollywood. I'm liking all the Slumdoggers; they have have managed to turn this, at least moments of this, into something no one quite expected, I imagine, which is something slightly exotic.I can only guess the reaction of the rest of America to this - which is most probably an insatiable urge to go to bed early, like right now.

11:03: Well, you've already gone to bed, but I do think the A.R.Rahman number from "Slumdog" was probably a high-point in a broadcast brimming with low ones. But again...a small movie adds up to small TV numbers. But I suppose we'll all just have to get used to it - this industry, and this academy, has looked to distant shores for growth and profit. An under-watched Oscars is the the consequence. But this show has many more problems than simply that.

11:15: The death march. A standard of the Oscars show, and it is always an effort to avoid morbidity, and I suppose Queen Latifah handled it adequately. But that brief and inadequate capper featuring Paul Newman? Yet another misfire in this awards show - a genuine legend in this industry dies - a figure who helped define what we all (once) loved about it, and he gets a quick, five-second "so long Paul!" What a joke.

11:24: Danny Boyle wins best director. The sense of inevitable builds...

11:26: The best actress posse is up there now. Is anyone loving this new routine? I find it strangely cold and insincere (imagine something cold and insincere at the Oscars.) Honestly though, most viewers haven't seen most of these movies - they have no idea what these people are saying, and why they're saying it. Much, much better just to show the clip and be DONE with it.

11:38: Well, lucky De Niro gets Sean. He gets tonight's winner. How did he draw that card? That's Bobby, for you. Plus, a few good lines, too. I guess this proves that this new process isn't entirely a flounder. But still, people, clips next time. Clips. We in the viewing audience ask nothing more (other than a watchable broadcast.) And Sean has the single best line of the night. The only good line of the night: "I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me, often." And then he has the worst - telling those who voted against gay marriage ban, that he hopes their grandchildren see the shame in their eyes. Oh what bull. Is this an acting award or an ideological one? I'm lost here.

11:48: The best movie. Lemme guess...lemme guess....Slum...slum...slum...slum...slum...Oh what a surprise. This is probably deserved, but it was so completely expected that to have bet against it would have been foolish indeed.
So that's it, friends. Thanks for hanging around. Check back here tomorrow for the numbers, and they will be disappointing.

So long...for now.

Hey, kids, why wait for tomorrow's paper when you can get Uncle Verne's review of Friday's finale right now!

In a word, the show was boffo...

[Oh man, a smart and well informed reader has just told me that Conan will actually originate "TS" from Universal City; I guess I knew that but I just can't bring myself to say "Beautiful Downtown Universal City." So, I'll just leave this the way it is. Thanks anyway, Rick.]

"Warm, funny, gracious, emotional and even muted, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" ended a very good and very long run Friday night. Next stop for the host: Beautiful Downtown Burbank.

As far as fans were concerned, the finale was all they could have hoped for while audience members even left with a memento - chunks of the set which was demolished by the host himself. As there have been all week, clips of classic bits were shown, including one described by O'Brien as his personal favorite - a day of old-time baseball at Old Bethpage Village. Special guests stopped by - they always do at these sorts of things - including Will Ferrell reprising a certain former commander-in-chief; longtime sidekick Andy Richter, who observed, "I TOLD you that you would never last without me;" and the White Stripes singing their old hit, "We’re Going to Be Friends."

You don’t get much more muted than that. David Letterman's last musical guest on "Late Night" was Bruce Springsteen.

Especially gratifying to fans, however, was this promise: "We're going on to this next gig and sometimes people have said, 'it's time [for me] to grow up, and I assure you, that's just not going to happen. This is who I am for better or worse."

What was best, however, about this finale was just how clearly it demonstrated to fans - and a few million doubting Thomases still out there as well - why a relative nobody and former TV scribe with about as much on-air experience as YOU was picked so long ago to replace a legend.

The whole last week of "special" shows also demonstrated how the once-implausible had somehow morphed into the once-unthinkable: On June 1, O'Brien becomes host of the most famous franchise on all of television. How in heaven's name did something like THIS happen? Simply put, he's a nice guy who just happens to be immensely talented and funny. The latter is a given in this job, but the former is not necessarily. On Friday O'Brien offered a long and gracious post-script to the many staffers, band members, on-air support, NBC execs - even his brother Neil - who made "Late Night" such a success over sixteen seasons. Such valedictories are common-place in TV farewells, but not ones that stretch for eight minutes and which thank everyone - up to and including the parents - for Making All This Possible.

Conan even teared up when thanking the brilliant if somewhat imperious TV legend Lorne Michaels for choosing him to replace Letterman, and it seems almost redundant to point out that few have ever choked up when thanking Lorne.

But Friday's finale served primarily a reminder, and a bittersweet one at that. New York television has just lost a unique and indelible talent. Let's hope Burbank appreciates the new guy as much as we did."

(Pix: AP)

If you haven't seen his final show last night (I've posted a couple of clips below) you should know that he cited his favorite piece of all time - or at least of the last sixteen years.

And it was his "old time baseball" remote from Old Bethpage...

( OBV patrons know what this is, and here's the description from the site:

"One of Old Bethpage Village Restoration's most popular attractions is our old time baseball league. The Village sponsors two vintage baseball leagues: 1864 Rules and 1887 Rules. Each features teams recreated from actual baseball clubs that played on Long Island. In all, there are ten teams in the program. The 1864 league is made up of the Knickerbocker BBC, Mineola Washingtons, Hempstead Eurekas, and Brooklyn Excelsiors. The 1887 league consists of the Glenhead Zig Zags, Hicksville Ozones, Bellmore Seminoles, and the Seacliff Idlewilds. In addition to the eight regular season teams, the league has its own traveling squad, the New York Mutuals, who represent Old Bethpage at various tournaments and whenever other traveling clubs come to town.")

Heeeeeere's Conan's clip, again...

Conan's last night was (ummm) last night and...

Hey! Wait a minute. Why read about it when you can watch this?

I've posted a couple of clips that NBC's hard-working Dot Com crew has put together, and if you want to see the full episode, head on over to NBC.com for the full show.

Suffice it to say, this will be 42 well-spent minutes this cold Saturday morning...

Ooooh, boy. Where to begin? All these years - that went by far too quickly - and tonight it all comes to an end.

"Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

Conan, of course, continues. "Late Night" continues. But the specific show that he improbably hosted for sixteen seasons and which made him into one of the great late night talk show hosts ends in about twelve hours.

There's been a ton of press on this ending, but in a strange way, it's been an amazingly muted departure. We all remember the Letterman exit tour, accompanied by a giddy press spasm of gossip, speculation, rumor-mongering and (on occasion) actual reporting. Covering Leno/Letterman was like covering a war - a Marx Brothers war, to be sure, but a war nonetheless. Imagine! Front page stories, week after week, on "will David go," or "will Jay stay?" Yes, it did happen, and yes, it was a terribly silly and innocent time (wasn't it? )

In contrast, Conan leaves and hardly anyone pays any attention at all, relatively speaking. Why is this so? There are many reasons. NBC, a mess in so many other ways, long ago learned how to handle late night transitions. This one almost blew up in its face, but by virtue of the fact that this also played out over so many years, the network actually had the time to adjust. By contract, Letterman/Leno played out over months, even weeks, complicated further by the fact that no one running the company had a clue what CARSON intended to do, until the moment he stood on the Carnegie Hall stage and told a thousand advertisers that he was going. (Bill Carter's fine book on all of this, "The Late Shift," even became an HBO MOVIE; there will be no movie this time.)

And in a way, the trend-setting part of pop culture - that mega-sharp tip of the spear that restlessly, relentlessly seeks out that which is HOT - long ago moved past Conan. Who knows why this happens, but it's to Conan's enormous benefit. One does not aspire to "hotness" when one assumes the role of "Tonight Show" host. This role is the anti-thesis of hotness; it is a slightly chilled role. The "Tonight" host is a bread-basket persona. The ideal host is someone who appeals to a middle-aged white person in Lincoln, Nebraska, who works hard all day, and wants to go to bed forgetting about everything that happened over the previous twelve hours. The perfect "Tonight" host - Allen, Leno, and of course Carson - allow them to do this. (Paar was probably too hot.)

Finally, there's Conan. He's a fundamentally decent guy - smart, talented, funny, and all that. But fundamentally decent. Yeah, sure, Jay and Dave are as well, but they are also insane. Conan is not: A balanced person who wanted something badly (this show) and didn't blow it because his head swelled or he started to believe his press clips or he became a raving, ranting a-hole.

Honestly, it's very very easy to become Larry Sanders. The great ones - from Carson to Conan - do not.

Enough. I've said my piece. Now, quickly, let's pull just four little clips from the years past. They're not necessarily representative of this remarkable run but they are funny.

The last one: I've posted the first nine minutes of very first show. (Pay close attention, and you'll see that Conan gets his revenge on John Tesh in the "satellite survey" clip...) In these first few minutes you instantly realized, this will be a long and splendid run. It was.

The Shatner Funk. Do not adjust your computer.

Wise-arse Finnish Kids

Satellite Channel Survey

September, 13, 1993...

(Pix: NBC)

Continue reading "Adios, Conan O'Brien" »

"20/20" tomorrow night has a somewhat interesting (read: somewhat self-serving) interview with Lillo Brancato - convicted in January for his role in the murder of off-duty NYPD cop Daniel Enchautegui. The onetime "Sopranos" actor tells Chris Connelly that he was "noticably dopesick" the night of Enchautegui's murder and that "The crack cocaine was eating the heroin to the point where I...felt every ache and pain."

"I needed a fix."

(The accomplice, Steven Armento, 48, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole; Brancato got ten years for attempted burglary; he's already served three at Riker's.)

I've posted the full story from ABC on the jump. There's a lot of stuff here, including some quotes from "A Bronx Tale" co-star Chazz Palminteri, who says of Brancato's talent, "It was unbelievable. I mean, the kid just was a natural. I said, 'Listen to me right now. What you are given right now is an incredible opportunity. You have been hit by lightning.' I said, 'What happened to you is more rare than winning the Lotto. Do you understand that?"

Brancato admits that he was high during the filming of "A Bronx Tale" and during "The Sopranos;" you probably remember his character Matt Bevilaqua, who ran that pump and dump scheme for Christopha; Tony later shot him 21 times...

(Pix: David Greene, AP)

Continue reading "Lillo Brancato Speaks to ABC" »

Very good group interview with Jimmy Fallon, now on-going, and I thought you might care to learn of some highlights:

What about the show?

"We're different in the fact that we're younger, we're into tech stuff, gadgets, video games - we'll treat video game premieres like a movie premiere..I want to be honest with what I like. Not going to hide the fact that people are on the Internet all day. Most kids come home from school, don't go to the TV but go to the Internet...then they watch TV; other people work all day, 9 to 5, watch clips [on the Web]...I'm like that and I'm not going to hide that fact. We're going to try and be as interactive with our fans as possible. On flickr and digg...tape at 5:30 and ask people to tweet us..."

Hey Jimbo [I'm kidding - no one called him Jimbo, but how long before someone DOES?], what about those great guests you got coming up - De Niro, Van Morrison, Tina Fey...?

"De Niro, just the quintessential New Yorker and legendary actor. I worked with him once - we're not friends per se, but we like each other...He is just so cool and a really nice guy to work with. He also comes off as a tough interview, and it's kinda good to have my first guest a tough interview. It might be terrible, it might be awful, but he represents New York more than anyone.He's the king...

"Van is performing the full album of 'Astral Weeks' [really??!!] Thats' a phenomenal record. I also grew up an Irish kid and he comes on your iPod in your brain when you're born. One of my favorites of all time so the fact he was in town was pure luck...Tina? I figured I'd call in my favors early....I love her. She's just the nicest person...she said she'd do anything for me..."

D'ya worry about all those failed talk shows, like Magic's and Chevy's Etc.?

"This is a hundred percent what I'm doing...I'm putting everything into this. It's not like I was in twenty great comedy movies before this, not a legendary NBA basketball star, though I get mistaken for that a lot. I really wanna be around a long time time, and I'm really focused..."

Will you do remotes?

"Yes, more than shows in the past. New York is a huge playground. We'll be more New York centric than the show in the past..."

Conan give you any advice?

"Said you just gotta do it. Just keep doing it. Get up there and start swinging and you'll figure it out...It's good advice. You can prepare, and get great writers, directors, but if you don't get these interviews right down, it can get weird. Even a writer can't save you. The more I do it, the more comfortable I'll be..."

Anybody else give you advice?

Leno, and "Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen DeGeneres, Garry Shandling...they were great to me. But Colbert told me something that Conan gave to [him] that Carson gave to Conan...In the show you'll use everything you know. That's the truth. You'll use everything you've ever known."

(Pix: Peter Kramer, AP)

All this endless chatter about poor Conan and how difficult life will be for him at "The Tonight Show" (see below) has bored me so deeply that - honestly - if I see one more story about how difficult life will be for Conan at "The Tonight Show" I will reach through the computer screen and strangle the pixels.

(Unless, of course, I write one of these stories, in which case I will feign interest.)

Let's all get this straight: Poor Conan will do just fine.

But there IS one very interesting development in late night and it's gotten virtually NO ATTENTION, but I'll rectify that right now: The Roots.

Did you know that his very fine Philly band is going to be Jimmy Fallon's late night backup? Lucky Jimmy. He barely even needs to talk with this act as his wingman. They are a veteran Philly band, and I guess they're usually referred to as "hip-hop," but it seems to me that their sound is broader, deeper and more eclectic than that.

But what the heck do I know?

What are theirs names? Unforgettable: Black Thought (Tariq Trotter) and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (drums), Owen Biddle (bass), Kamal Gray (keyboard), Frank “Frankie Knuckles” Walker (percussion), Kirk “Captain Kirk” Douglas (guitar) and Damen “Tuba Gooding Jr.” Bryson (saxophone).

These guys are terrific, and if you don't believe me, go to the jump for a 'tube clip of an old Letterman performance... And more stuff about the roots of the Roots...

Continue reading ""Late Night:" The Roots" »

No one seems able to push Conan off his line that the move to "Tonight" will be un-marred and uncomplicated by his "terrific...friend...and that splendid...late night...genuis...who I really love and admire," Jay Leno.

Leno, as you know, goes to 10, while Co goes to the middle of the night, so to speak, at 11:35...

This morning, Matt Lauer asked - again! - about what must be Conan's deep ambivalence about this state of affairs.

Said Co:

"They told me five years ago, would you like to host the Tonight Show at 11:35, and I said I would very much like that. Nothing has changed. This is the Tonight Show at 11:30. I like Jay ...He's a terrific guy. The fact that he stays is good for me. No one knows what's happening in television - it's changing quickly as you know. Will there be unforeseen circumstances? Possibly, but we'll work them out...I can pick up the phone to Jay to work them out."

I noticed that some unidentified exec in the Times' wrap this morning noted how he almost "felt sorry" for Conan. Feel sorry!! Only in television...can you become the host of one of the great franchises in television history...make 15 million a year...have your every whim catered to...and still have someone out there feel sorry for you.

Good Lord.

Next week's front-runner?

Yup, that seems like a big number, I guess. Most of 'em went for Gokey and Alexis, I imagine.

Total number of votes for Tatiana Del Toro? Eighteen.

I'm just kidding. But I couldn't help myself.

BTW, if you missed that quick list of next week's semi-finalists, here it is again. (And don't ask me who'll come out on top, because honestly, I have no clue, though I suppose Matt Giraud would be considered one of the front-runners...He also sang Gavin Degraw's "I Don't Wanna Be" in his aud...)

Wednesday: 8-10: Kris Allen, Matt Breitzke, Megan Joy Corkrey, Matt Giraud, Mishavonna Henson, Allison Iraheta, Kai Kalama, Adam Lambert, Jesse Langseth, Nick Mitchell, Jasmine Murray and Jeanine Vailes.

Thursday: Results, 8-9.

And probably keeps his house in Jersey close by Bruce.

(How will he accomplish all of this? Teleportation is my guess.)

Yes, this is the big news tonight, and thanks to the ever-vigilant TVtattle.com for breaking this.

Here's the scoop from NBC's "Late Nite Insider Blog:"

"Up top, I've got some great news: Max and the band will be joining us out in LA!!! That's right, baby! You know what that means: GET READY FOR SOME SWEET LA MW7 ACTION!! With all that sun, LaBamba is gonna have to wear TWO hats!!"

Max had debated staying in New York, but the loss would have been considerable: He's not only a great band leader but essential to Conan's act, and he has been for years. Honestly, I can't imagine one without the other (Andy Richter? Imagining him gone was easy; Max, never.)

Why is Max essential?

1.) As mentioned, he's a first-rate musician - the Buddy Rich of his generation.

2.) He gets Conan Bruce Tix.

3.) His schtick plays off of Conan pretty effortlessly - he's dry and smart.

So...to summarize: This is a huge break for Conan O'Brien as he embarks on this next big adventure.

Danny Gokey.

Michael Sarver.

No surprises.

But here's the question I lay before you as these "Idol" finalist rounds continue: Doesn't it make sense that the best person who DIDN'T make the voter cut get pulled back into the game by the judges when the Wild Card round ends all this next month?

If so, then that logically means just ONE person gets picked from each of these three weeks - which, if my addition is correct, means a total of FOUR per week will actually be chosen. Of course, a couple extra could be chosen one week, but I suspect that "Idol" producers have structured these rounds the way they have so that WON'T happen.

So who will make the wild card from last night's edition?

Here's my emphatic and obvious choice:

Anoop Desai.

This!

Yeah, and why not?

(From Lil'-Crazed "Talkshow with Spike Feresten..."

Years and years ago - even before I was born, but that would be a lie - there was a TV show on WNET/13 called "Soul!" It aired back in the days when people actually used words like "cool, daddio," and "hepcat" (no relation to the ska band so named) and maybe even "groovy."

What was probably good about this show was that it really was cool (daddio) and the hep-cats that starred were really fine, even great (I wouldn't insult them or anyone with the adjective "groovy.") This was New York's hip alternate universe show to "The Ed Sullivan Show." It featured musicians from New York's soul music underground and above-ground, and premiered in September, 1968. Here's the website...

Anyway, it's back - the whole thing, on WNET's website. It's an amazing thing, this reinterred TV show from yesteryear, and I suggest you watch at your leisure. (This is one of the splendors of the web - a place where late great shows can come back in revival which you can then watch at your leisure.)

Here, for example, is a link to the Oct. 4, 1972 edition, featuring Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Other editions star Max Roach...EW&F...Ashford; & Simpson...Tito Puente...and many others were featured.

Press release announcing the original series is on the jump...

Pix of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, ca. 1970s is from the Ellis Haizlip Collection, Archive Center, Anacostia Museum (CAAHC), Smithsonian Institution

Continue reading ""Soul!" Back on Channel Thirteen, Sort Of" »

I leave for a few days and come back to this: a world gone mad over Octomom.

In truth, the world has been Octomad for a couple weeks now, but it seems to be reaching a boiling point in the culture at large. There's an Octo-story a day; this morning, it was all about which talent agency is or is not repping her ... then, the nice if rather ferocious woman who used to flack TMZ with such abandon, now has a new client (momlogic) which of course has suggested six or seven serio-comic ideas for octo-reality shows.

Meanwhile, everyone is denying they're in bed with Nadya Suleman - which doesn't sound quite right, but I'm certain you know what I mean. TLC, for example, sent out its obligatory "we are not doing a deal with Octomom" press release not too long ago. I'm expecting the same from CBS, ABC and the Discovery Channel any minute now.

NBC? I'm not so sure.

In any event, for those among us who can't get enough of Octomom - which is essentially all of us - I've put together a handy compilation of Octo-references, Octo-parodies and Octo-oddities from TV (and in a couple instances, the Web).

This is a perfect way to waste a half hour of your afternoon. Go the jump, and there you too will immerse yourself in all-things-Octomom. If you're not down on your Octo-speak, or need to catch up fast on Octo-gossip, or felt humiliated when all your buds were talking about Octo-rap and didn't know what the hell they were babbling about...click on!

It's all here! I'll add to this gorgeous panoply of Octo-trivia as the day and week continues...

And I think I speak for all of us Octo-freaks, when I say: You go, Octo-girl!

Continue reading "Octomom! Octo-Trivia! Octo-fun! " »

Easy early leader.

I'm back, gang.

And let's start with the obvious. Last night's "American Idol."

Please head over to Newsday's exemplary "Idol" blog at noon or thereabouts to get a fix on our resident expert picks. But last night was terrifically obvious, don't you think?

These wheat-from-chaff rounds before the final 12 tend to offer their own charms and surprises, but not last night. Many fell and refused to get up - the night of a thousand knives that dispatched the most annoying (Tatiana), most unknown (Rick Braddy), most intriguing ('Noop Dog Desai), most Long Island (Jackie Tohn), most likely-to-replace-Bikini-Girl (Casey Carlson), most likely to forget the lyrics (Stephen Fowler), most likely to be a Kara stalker (Anne Marie Boscovich), and most likely to tell Simon where to get off (Brett Keith.)

They're all gone!

Or will be in a few hours. I thought last night was a genuinely terrible edition - flatter than Kansas and older than Solomon. I am sure that at some point, Simon thought to himself: "This season could be a bloody unmitigated disaster...how did we let these through?...I'm not going to be the one calling Dr. Evil with the news...maybe I can get Kara to..."

What a mess.

Only three will advance.

You know who they are:

Alexis Grace: A genuine surprise.

Michael Sarver: Not great, but likable.

Danny Gokey: Front-runner di tutti front-runners.

Please head to the jump for a classic - as in bad - "Idol" massacre.

Continue reading "'American Idol': The Night of a Thousand Knives" »

Outa here for the next few days or so, but before I do...time to play catching up with the news...

Gov. Paterson took a poke at "SNL's" Fred Armisen skit again. When asked about it at a town hall meet at Morrisville State College yesterday, he said - to paraphrase - that the parody hurt people not in a position to fight back. I wonder how he'll react to last night's "30 Rock" (another Lorne Michaels prod, of course) which featured a blind character who gets tripped up by Tracy Jordan, who then romances her - for Kenneth.

Sherry Stringfield's back to "ER" now. That's what TVGuide.com is reporting, and I believe 'em, absolutely. How could she NOT be back...Susan Lewis, gone after only two memorable seasons (I think she was gone by '96, citing the grueling hours and a need to get back to NYC to be with her boyfriend, if memory serves....) She was very good on the job - a big loss, but the show did go on, I hear.

"Rescue Me" got a sixth season order yesterday - but a shortened one, it appears. The fifth kicks off April 7, with 22 episodes. I believe "Broadcasting & Cable" says the new order is only for 16 or 17.

Joanna Pacitti? We haven't heard the last of her, I am reasonably certain. TMZ claims she refused to quit when "Idol" bosses told her to. One can only guess the conversation - "...but my close personal friends at 19 said I had a good chance of winning, and Dr. Evil said I was exactly what he was looking for...YOU CAN"T DO THIS!!!" Of course, that's completely fabricated dialogue. So who knows...

And we leave you with Wacky Joaquim. Real or fake? The debate continues to rage. "Two Lovers" director James Gray isn't certain either whether the "Late Show" outing was a simple debacle or a highly-skilled post-modern attempt at method comedy to mock the world and all its manifest follies. He told Nikki Finke of Deadlinehhollywood.com that "I don't know what to say." Don't worry, James. No one else does either!

OK, friends, it's getting to be mid-afternoon and by now, we've all enjoyed the clip of clips - Joaquin and Dave.

We've heard all the theories, or most of 'em - that he's on drugs, or doing a Kaufman, or gathering string for some sort of mockumentary he's producing with brother-in-law Casey Affleck.

(I'm still sticking with the Wacky Joaquin theory.)

Anyway, here's another! Maybe he's contemplating a biopic of Dylan.

Of course. That's it. And he's channeling one of the classic press conferences in pop culture history... Let the 1965 tape roll!

Dave is sure making the news - crazy Joaquin and now this. U2 for a full week.

First week of March.

Per AP, "U2's new album, 'No Line on the Horizon,' is to be released that week. The band played its first single, "Get on Your Boots," to kick off the Grammy Awards on Sunday.

The band last appeared on the "Late Show" in October 2001."

This is, of course, a huge deal, as Dave sets the ground work to become the top-rated show in late night, when Conan takes over "Tonight" this summer.

(Pix: Kevin Mazur, WireImage.)

Finally, what we've all been expecting - a real "Idol" surprise.

The show disqualified Joanna Pacitti after last night's 36-winner show. This has - as if you need to be told - never happened before (although, of course, other contestants, like Frenchie, got cleaved for other reasons.)

What happened here?

The editor's note at the bottom of the Fox release this morning:

EDITOR’S NOTE: It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition. AMERICAN IDOL contestant Felicia Barton has replaced Ms. Pacitti as part of the Top 36.

"Ineligible?" Whaaaa? Go to the jump for a possible explanation, courtesy Star Mag... It reports that Former Ms. Pro also had close ties to executives at 19 Entertainment. If true, this is a pretty big scandal for the show, for ask yourself this - why didn't Simon know this?

Are you telling me that "Idol" just NOW, of all TIMES, decided that her professional career was somehow in conflict with this - an amateur competition?

Fans have complained for weeks about Pac due to her record deal - though the assumption that, like Carly Smithson's before, she was another unlucky wouldbe pro who couldn't cut it, and tried to get one more break on the world's biggest show.

Pac has been unlucky before though - she was ALSO DISQUALIFIED from the old Broadway production of "Annie." Her parents sued, and the producers settled out of court.

I wonder if the lawyers have been called again?

-Click here to see photos of the updated 36 American Idol semifinalists

Continue reading ""American Idol" Shocker: Pacitti Disqualified" »

Watch this video.

Watch it now.

Drop whatever you're doing.

I don't care what your doing.

Just drop it.

And watch this video.

It is a "Late Show" classic for the ages -- Joaquin Phoenix as truly the strangest guest in Letterman history. Stranger than Farrah Fawcett. Though you be the judge. I posted that right below Joaquin . . . Suffice it to say, this is a disaster. (See photos of Joaquin Phoenix)

You may ask yourself: Is this an Andy Kaufman-esque put-on or true meltdown? I'm going with the latter . . .

But you may want to read this email from a reader, too:

"Come on, before you write a blog and profess it was a meltdown, do a tad bit of research. Joaquin is shooting a mockumentary with his brother in law Casey Affleck, and its all about how they can get the press to fall for anything. He is pretending to be a rapper, while at the same time pretending to be all strung out on drugs. Get some facts before you call this a classic Letterman appearance. It would have been classic, if only it was real. Good try though."

I'm still going with "meltdown." Would Phoenix use "Late Show" to promote his mockumentary when he shoulda been promoting "Two Lovers?" Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest? Or would the studio give him its blessing? (Hey, any publicity is good pub, right?)

I dunno. I love the clip under any circumstances, and if you've got nine minutes, go to the jump for the full and unexpurgated interview; thanks to Shar for sending...)

(Oh, and meanwhile, a reader with a great memory recalls the memorable Crispin Glover encounter -- "interview" seems not the right word -- from "Late Night" days . . . I've posted on the jump for your evaluation ... Plus, Andy Kaufman! For the weirdest interview ever.)

-(See photos of Joaquin Phoenix)

-Click here to see photos of vintage Letterman, and some memorable guests

Continue reading "Letterman: Joaquin Phoenix, Weirdo or Fake-o? " »

Femme Fatal?

This just in!

Or rather, in two or three hours ago on E!'s "The Awful Truth."

Edie Britt is gone from "Desperate Housewives." Or soon gone. She will be killed by someone, or will be in a car wreck. Or Dave will do it.

I didn't pay close attention to the details because Edie is the Cat Working on her Fourth Life. She has been killed off before, and again, before that. Nicollette Sheridan's characters are always killed off multiple times- until they come back again.

You don't believe me, do you?

Let's go to the videotape:

Paige Matheson in "Knots Landing:" Staged her own death...killed Peter ...then was shot...but not quite killed by Pierce...but she was still paralyzed...and not in good shape...and could have died...if the producers had wanted her too...And then...she moved to New York. I think the series was finally canceled after that.

Now..."DH:" Edie is nearly killed by wasps, a swarm off em, in the second season...she then commits suicide in the third...But she's back again in the fourth...and then she and Gab are fighting over a folder in the fourth, when Edie is nearly sucked up by the tornado...and she's kicked out of Wisteria Lane...forever!...but returns five years later...with Dave, a homicidal maniac...who is going to now apparently kill her...unless the car does...or a swarm of bees return...or Peter from "Knots" comes back to exact his revenge...

One of these days, Edie's dead.

(Pix: ABC, Randee St. Nicholas)

Votefortheworst.com posted this a couple of weeks ago, but it looks like there have been a few minor adjustments, here and there, suggesting that this is...really...truly...your final 36.

Most names are familiar - a few mysterious - and two (Tatiana del Toro and Nick Mitchell) suggest that the judges wanted to throw some comedic light onto the otherwise grim march to the final 12.

As you know, two full hours of "Idol" tonight to tell you what you already know.

Adam Lambert
Alexander Wagner-Trugman
Alexis Grace
Allison Iraheta
Ann Marie Boskovich
Anoop Desai
Arianna Ayesha Afsar
Brent Keith
Casey Carlson
Danny Gokey
Jackie Tohn
Jasmine Murray
Jeanine Vailes
Jessica Langseth
Joanna Pacitti
Jorge Nunez
Junot Joyner
Kai Kalama
Kendall Beard
Kristen McNamara
Kris Allen
Lil Rounds
Matt Breitzke
Matt Giraud
Megan Corkrey
Michael Sarver
Mishavonna Henson
Nathaniel Marshall
Nick Mitchell
Ricky Braddy
Scott MacIntyre
Stephen Fowler
Stevie Wright
Taylor Vaifanua
Tatiana Del Toro
Von Smith

I've seen a lot of reality TV but I'm comfortably certain that I've never ever - ever - seen anything quite like "T.I.'s Road to Redemption." This show - MTV, tonight at 9 - needs a catchphrase, or a tag that gets you right into the spirit of this enterprise. So here goes: "rapper superstar-meets-"A-Christmas-Carol."

A simple yet bizarre pretext unfolds herein: A month and fifteen days before he's sentenced on a gun charge, T.I. will save seven kids, as part of a court-ordered 1,000 hour community service sentence earlier imposed. Somehow - and don't ask me how, as intricacies of American jurisprudence continue to astound and amaze me - he convinced a judge somewhere to let him do all this on TV.

MTV, to be exact. Right square in front of his target audience.

In other words, as T.I. does community service, he sells albums.

THIS guy's a genius.

Now, it's easy to be cynical, and there's probably a basis for that, but here's a little bit more about the show before you pass judgment. Tonight T.I. takes Pee-Wee , an Atlanta street hustler, on a tour of his own ghosts-of-T.I.'s Christmas past: A cold hard jail cell and a morgue, where a real-life, now real-dead, hustler is laid out in a coffin.

"There are more hustlers dead than hustlers living." When T.I. says this - pure hyperbole given all the Wall Street hustlers and the sub-prime mortgage market hustlers and ... - you'll find yourself nodding in silent agreement. Poor Pee-Wee can barely draw himself up straight to look down at the cold slab before him.

Will T.I. reform Pee-Wee? Will he reform six others who are currently on the road to hell? Will his next album go platinum? (That would be "Paper Trail" and it may already have...)

I don't know the answers to any of this stuff. But I do know that "T.I.'s Road to Redemption" has a raw authenticity that will chill you to the bone.

Check out the trailer...

(Photo: MTV)

Okay, this time Us Magazine means it.

If you haven't caught up with the sensational mag's sensational story on Kat Heigl and longtime pal, T.R. Knight, we'll throw it your way right now.

They're gone. That's what Us reports, after button-holing James Pickens Jr. - "Chief" - at a recent NAACP luncheon. "Wherever Katherine goes, I wish her nothing but the best." Of George, he says: "He just wanted to pursue other career paths."

Now, not known for carefully contextualizing the tidbits that get thrown its way, Us gives no indication about timing here. We all KNOW they're going...SOMEday. We all KNOW they've been unhappy. We all KNOW they're pals who like to bitch and moan about their career-making show and how it's frakked up their characters with insipid plotlines and outrageous stories about frisky and libidinous ghosts.

What we don't know is WHEN.

TVZone to Us Mag: Please go back to the luncheon, see if you can find Chief, and ask him, ..."ummm, when are they going?"

I've got an email into ABC; as soon as I get the "we don't comment on rumors or innuendos" statement, I'll relay immediately.

OK! I'm back. Just got the statement: "Neither the network or studio are confirming" the report.

What means this? Nothing! As I've said, we need a time frame here. We don't have that, we don't have a story.

(Pix: ABC, Scott Garfield, from Us.)

Viewers of this morning's "Today" show may have mused about this comment by Matt Lauer, after a story on Alex Rodriguez's admission of 'roid use back during his Ranger days...

"The problem is," said Matt, "is that in an interview last year" A-Rod said he didn't do drugs.

"An interview," Matt? It was - as the whole world now knows - the one conducted by Katie Couric. "An interview?" Couldn't bring yourself to identify it as the interview done by your longtime "Today" co-anchor, who scooped you so badly on the Sully interview - which you couldn't even bring yourself to acknowledge on yesterday's program...?

Bitter...?

Just asking....

Seriously mad? I doubt it very much, but that was part of Letterman's gag last night when he unveiled the new "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue (swimsuits? I don't get it; do guys who actually read this magazine buy swimsuits? I'm confused...)

Dave claimed Mayor Bloomberg didn't want him to do this dramatic unveiling. Dave did it anyway. Here's the clip - worth a minute and 54 seconds of your day, I believe. (And don't forget - Sully is on tonight...)

Suddenly, "America's Got Talent" - let's face it, kind of a hokey-pokey schtick-fest, with ol' Jerry Springer at the helm - is about to become a very different show.

Nick Cannon has been named host!

I add the "!" because it's kind of impossible to think of NC without a "!"

(Hey, you marry Mariah Carey, and you get a "!" too.)

Here are the quotes from NBC:

"This is just the first of multiple projects we are looking to do with Nick at NBC," said Ben "I Can Party Hardier than Nick" Silverman, co-chair of NBC and Universal Media Studios. "He's a true triple threat, a multi-talented producer, actor and musician. We are excited to welcome him to the NBC family."

"I'm thrilled to be with working with NBC," said Nick "I Can Out-Party Ben Any Day" Cannon. "Ben Silverman understands my vision as not only an entertainer but as a creative show producer. I look forward to working with the network and their executive team on 'America's Got Talent' and other shows to come."

OK, we need a clip. Let's go with MTV's "Wild 'n Out"..." And take it away...!!!!

..."The Today Show."

Or almost.

The morning leader - spurned by the Sully camp three weeks ago for a much bigger fish, "60 Minutes" - barely acknowledged the Hero of the Hudson on this morning's show.

Natalie Morales finally got around to it around 7:19 - a near eternity of morning show dismissal. When she threw to Meredith and Matt, Mere talked about what an incredible hero the guy is. Matt? He just kind of nodded.

Why the "who's Sully?" shrug of the shoulders, on the very morning when he gets the keys to the city, and hours after one of the most amazing interviews in "60 Minutes" history? Because..."Today" is still furious after getting dumped by his camp. It had the chance to interview him this morning, but effectively said - no way.

"GMA," instead, is doing all-Sully at the moment, as is "The Early Show." (Funny, light moment on "GMA" - he went over to some in-studio display and corrects the spelling of "Yosemite.)

Free advice from TVZone to "The Today Show:" Grow up, people! Time to move on.

Now, let's say you somehow missed last night, or wanted to see it in print...You have come to the right place. Go to the jump for the full transcript...

Continue reading "Sully, Sully Everywhere, Except..." »

Well, Len - YOU gonna criticize this guy's footwork?

Yes dance fans, here's the list.

And - no - dance fans. Stevie Wonder isn't on it.

Yeah, bummer. The biggest - by farrrrrrr - name in "DWTS" history woulda been him. But not to be.

Here's my story, as appearing in Monday's Newsday...And away we go!!

Number 56 is in.

Lawrence Taylor, probably the greatest outside linebacker in Giants history, will be on the eighth season of "Dancing with the Stars."

Don't snicker (and certainly don't snicker in from of LT). Other famed grid stars have probably made it safe for big men to waltz - or jive, or samba, or Mambo, Rumba, Jitterbug or (umm) cha-cha-cha. Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith was 2006 champion, while veteran defensive tackle Warren Sapp came perilously close to winning last season. Now, the charter member of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew's turn.

And in a "DWTS" first, a famous husband/wife team will compete: Jewel, and Ty Murray, a rodeo champion.

Taylor - a partner of Fla.-based Exfuse, a health beverage company - was not the most unusual name dropped last night, in ABC's "Name Drop Night" for "DWTS."

Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder, is on board.

So is Steve O, stunt man on shows like "Jackass" and "Wildboyz," O has been arrested numerous times for narcotics possession, and probably his best-known stunt is something called "the Butterfly" - which will almost certainly NOT be described to viewers of the ABC program.

Other names announced early in the evening:

- David Alan Grier, affectionately known as "DAG" to fans of "In Living Color," currently host of Comedy Central's "Chocolate News."

- Shawn Johnson, the 2008 Olympic women's balance beam gold medalist with the big sunny smile who got almost (but not quite) as much attention as Michael Phelps in the recent Olympics.

- Country music singer Chuck Wicks

- Belinda Carlisle, of '80s new-wave group, the Go-Gos.

- Gilles Marini, or Dante, who lived next door to Samantha (Kim Cattrall) in "Sex and the City" movie.

- Denise Richards, actress, model and Charlie Sheen ex.

- Lil' Kim, top rapper ("The Naked Truth," remember?)

- Nancy O'Dell, co-host (with Billy Bush) of "Access Hollywood.")

Show starts March 9.

Not Stevie, but at least catchy outfit...

(Above, Lil' Kim from Wallpaperbase.com.)

(And...Jewel pix, courtesy of the Valory Music Co.)

As we get ready for tonight's unusual "Dancing with the Stars'" cast reveals, here's the one name out of any and all that would be a jaw-dropper.

Stevie Wonder.

That's right.

Stevie Wonder.

Cast announcements will take place tonight during a series of "interstitials" - short programs - on ABC's primetime, as a gimmick to keep viewers from wandering over to the Grammys (where they might stay.)

And the one name, the biggest name, that just might keep people glued is this one: Wonder. After all, he has won something like two dozen Grammys, so maybe this is what's behind ABC's gimmick. They've got Stevie on board.

Other rumored contestants: Jewel, Lawrence Taylor, Denise Richards, Heidi Klum...

Wonder rumors first surfaced last December, and they were more than rumors - they were essentially confirmed by Wonder himself. He didn't actually say that he was joining this season's cast, but that he had been approached, and that the idea appealed to him.

"It'd be fun, it'd be fun," Wonder told Steve Valentine, host of LA radio show, "Valentine in the Morning." "I've watched it before - no really - I've checked it out before. But I've heard some talk of us possibly doing that, so we might."

We might. Wow.

Wonder would arguably be the biggest star in "DWTS's" history - perhaps unknown to a younger generation more familiar with T.I. - but a household name, and a treasured one, to many millions of others.

Blindness? It'd certainly be a challenge, but any pro he's matched with could function as a pair of "eyes." He'd do very well - a finalist even perhaps.

Pix: Getty

Conan last night officially retired some of his better-known bits of "Late Night" as he gets ready to split for "Tonight."

Among the casualties: The Bear which pleasures itself; the gator with gaydar; the cat in a maze; and the Hasid robot.

You can go to the clip below to watch the entire "state of the show" address.

So ... I have some questions. Does this mean the following will be showing up on the West Coast this June...? Please go to the jump to see clips of these (ummmm) splendors ... But I warn you - if you are under 18, TVzone will automatically refuse to let you proceed. (Don't ask me how we know how old you are. We just do.)

- Vomiting Kermit ... the Kermit with regurgitation issues.

- Horny Manatee ... Conan bought the Web site Hornymanatee.com, after mentioning it on the air a couple years ago. Ownership is good for 10 years.

- If they Mated ... a collage of mated pairs.

Triumph ... Needs no introduction.

Continue reading "Conan O'Brien: Well, what about that manatee? " »

As "CSI:Miami" fans know, Diddy stars in this Monday's episode as a defense attorney who knocks heads with Horatio. CBS posted the "first look" clip last night, and here you go ... It's reasonably rare to see him on-screen - other than the starring role in "A Raisin in the Sun," this may be his only other TV outing (yes, a handful of movie roles, but TV - rare).

With the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show taking place this week (Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. on USA), it seems like the right time to take a closer look at one of TV’s most memorable pooches. We’re talking about Eddie from “Frasier,” the scene-stealing Jack Russell terrier owned by Martin Crane (John Mahoney) whose stare often freaked out Frasier. Here are five things you need to know about Eddie.

For the show’s first nine seasons, Eddie was played by Moose, with Moose’s son Enzo taking over for the final two seasons of the show’s run.

To make Eddie nuzzle the actors, liver pate was placed behind their ears to get the proper response.

When Eddie had to lick a performer’s face, sardine oil was applied on the actor.

Enzo was one of a few puppies bred specifically as possible replacements for Eddie when it became apparent that “Frasier” was a hit and would remain on the air for a long time.

The only character who seemed to rattle Eddie was Frasier’s ex-wife, Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth).

Watch Eddie and Frasier here

Bit by bit, or perhaps word by word, CBS is leaking out Hudson hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger's interview with Katie Couric. Airs Sunday with outtakes tomorrow night on "Evening News," then Sunday on the big "60."

Here's the latest, directly from the network: On Jan. 15, less than two minutes after taking off from LaGuardia Airport en route to Charlotte, N.C., the Airbus A320 struck a flock of large birds and lost power in both engines. An eerie silence and a disturbing smell followed. It was a moment like no other for the aircraft’s captain. “It was the worst sickening, pit-of-your-stomach, falling-through-the-floor feeling I’ve ever felt in my life,” Sullenberger tells Couric. “I knew immediately it was very bad.”

“Did you think, ‘How are we going to get ourselves out of this?’” Couric asks. Sullenberger replies, “No. My initial reaction was one of disbelief.”

And more...

Sullenberger then took control of the aircraft from First Officer Jeff Skiles and began to make the decisions and maneuvers that resulted in an emergency landing the world is still talking about. The moment the birds entered his screen, the noises they made on impact, the thoughts running through his head, the distance to reach an airport, the river below – he recalls all of them for Couric in an interview that relives one of the major events in aviation history.

Crewmembers Skiles, flight attendants Donna Dent, Sheila Dail and Doreen Welsh all relay their experiences in their first group interview. Skiles conveys his perspective while doing his duties in the cockpit and the attendants provide a breathtaking account of what they heard, saw and felt in the aircraft’s cabin with 150 passengers who were told to “brace for impact” as the jetliner angled down toward the Hudson River, relying only on gravity and Sullenberger’s skills to prevent their deaths.

Finally, and memorably, this: Sully tells Couric what he thinks of the people who came to their rescue:

"Thank you seems totally inadequate. I have a debt of gratitude that I fear I may never be able to repay.”

Biiiig get for Ann Curry. "Today" just announced that she'll interview Nadya Suleman,the California woman who just gave birth to octuplets. The interview will air on both "Dateline" and "TTS" "in the coming days." And I'd bet on "Nightly" too.

"Today" has actually done a pretty good job covering this story, and so has Michael Okwu for "Nightly" so I'm not surprised this went to Curry; in addition, Ann's carved quite a rep for herself in multiple birth stories - did the Chandler quints, for example, just last spring, and the McCaughey septuplets story ten years ago.

Suleman has emerged as an unlikely lightning rod for those who think fertility treatments have run amok...

Please head to the jump for those quotes from the interview...which, you can bet the car, will be on "Today" tomorrow...

Continue reading "Ann Curry's Got the Octs Mom; We've Got the Quotes" »

Here's how the press works, sometimes.

A famous person is spotted having an intense conversation with another famous person at a famous restaurant, and the next thing you know, this meeting is in a million papers and on a million websites. And because the press has no idea what these famous people were talking about, the story has no legs, or a "nut" graph. So, they make something up.

That's what happened recently with Caroline Kennedy and Lorne Michaels. On Jan. 29, they were spotted at Morandi's on Waverley Place. One of the few facts: That they were in "intense conversation" to the exclusion of the other guests at the table.

The resulting nut graph in countless stories - that they were plotting an appearance on "SNL" to rehabilitate her image.

That nut graph was a complete fabrication. No one really knows if she's going to go on the show, or why she would use this venue to "rehabilitate" her image. Or whether her very famous image even needed "rehabilitating." Honestly, it doesn't.

So, two can play at this game. And here's MY nut graph: What if they were meeting that night to plot revenge? To go after a governor who had betrayed her, humiliated her - publicly.

What if this meeting was about...payback?

Do I have your attention? Good, then head on to the jump, if you want to read more of MY theory… Meanwhile, I've gotta run to watch "Oprah." Love ya..!

Continue reading "Did "SNL" Attack Paterson as Payback for Caroline? " »

Nice interview with Joe Torre last night on "Letterman" - somewhat different in tone than the Blago one on Tuesday - though Joe does look like he's sticking to his story: There was nothing wrong or disrespectful or disreputable with writing a book on the Yankees (although he didn't write it, he tells Dave.)

The clip:

And just like that, the It Bikini of the 2009 season is gone. She had all the makings to be the Next Sanjaya - except the talent (see below) and personality and hair. Now she's' Gone-jaya. What an episode last night. Is there any team during the group grope edition that "Idol" producers focused on which DIDN'T have a meltdown? I counted exactly zero. Bikini - Katrina Darrell - was there as a gimmick in the first place: To incite that "men vs. women" dynamic on the judge panel. And it worked. But it probably wasn't exactly fair to the other three people on her team. So be it. Onward...

You know who I'm 'talkin 'bout: "Bikini Girl".

AKA Katrina Darrell.

She's this season's It Person.

She's this season's Sanjaya.

That's the observation of someone who should know - Justin Guarini.

Justin: Runner-up to Kelly Clarkson, who launched a career of his own after the first season, though ultimately became a man of many talents, notably as an on-air commentator for the TV Guide Channel, and "Idol" blogger extraordinaire for Fancast.com. (Check it out - his post is at the bottom of the Fancast page.)

In a pleasant chat, just concluded, he says: "She's to season 8 what Sanjaya was to season 7; she might be a nice person - Sanjaya's a nice person - but everyone and his mother, except his mother, didn't expect him to win and the same with her. What's she on the show for? She doesn't have the voice to get her into the top twelve, but she's there to create buzz. She gets under Kara's skin and she gets under Paula's skin, and Randy and Simon are having a ball with it. The producers know you and I are talking about it and know everyone else is too. They need some gimmick, some trick to help [ratings.]"

And for the moment: that's Bikini Girl!

Honestly, I don't think she's got a bad voice at all. But then, I didn't think Sanjaya did either.

Congress has postponed digital conversion until June 12 - when finally, TV stations will have to dump their age-old analog signals and put in place their snazzy new digital ones. It's a good thing because I didn't know what I was going to do...

TV people, meanwhile, are happy! (The people who were poised to buy the analog portion of the broadcast spectrum? Maybe less so!)

Here's News Corp.'s statement:

"News Corporation is pleased that, through the actions of Congress and the Obama Administration, American consumers will be given additional time to prepare for the digital television transition. We will work diligently toward ensuring that the new transition date of June 12, 2009 is a successful one."

Meanwhile, this gives Mae LaBorde some time to figure this out too. You know Mae - she's an Internet star, thanks to "Talkshow with Spike Feresten." Here's her clip...

It's the Batman, versus Bill!

Do want to laugh harder than you've laughed all day? Maybe since...last night's Blago/Dave interview?

Do you want to laugh till tears pour down your cheeks, and your co-workers come over to see what the matter with you is?

Do you want to laugh so hard that your boss will come over and ask you to leave the premises?

Then, I direct you to Gawker. Right now. Go here. To this link. Don't take my word for it. Just do it. There are other versions floating around on the web, but this one is perfect.

Now, I'd post this myself, and bypass Gawker altogether (but of course give them credit for finding this gem.) But there's a word used here...umm, you know the word - it's the one that Gordo Ramsey uses in front of every noun, and the one we all yell at the TV set whenever A-Fraud strikes out in the ninth inning with three men on base.

I just checked the Newsday profanity manual, and it says I can't post this - but DAMN, you gotta see it anyway.

Thanks, Gawker.

Joe Torre, just on "Live," and I wish to heck I had a clip to show you, but honestly, nothing much here that he hasn't said in the various media interviews.

Re the "A- Fraud" biz that got so much play, he said: "It bothered me [the suggestions he was violating some sort of club house omerta]. Am I saying people aren't going to take exception" to some of the things he said in the book? "But in my code, that didn't violate any kind of activity in the club house. I put a lot of time into this book, to make it honest as I could without making it sensational. I wanted people to be informed by the book, not necessarily shocked."

He said the "A-Fraud" term was well-known to everyone, including A-Fraud...err, A-Rod. "He thought he had to be something different than what he really was - he was trying to be this guy that fit in. He tried too hard and I think he still tries too hard. He came over after all the World Series and in this town, you have got to be playing in October and that's the only thing that's going to get you over the hump."

Why read the whole thing when you can WATCH the whole thing?

Here are the clips of last night's pretty amazing encounter between Dave and the disgraced gov. It's Dave as prosecutor, but honestly, a fairly gentle and straightforward one. The transcripts suggests that Dave was prosecutorial, but the tone was not. The tone was more "inquisitive" - I guess that's the word... But you can also tell, Dave's not buying any of the load he's selling. Watch these before CBS pulls 'em down...(and sorry, don't have the third part of the interview.) Thanks to Throwaway 71 for posting these.

Ladies, and gentlemen...

Do you have an hour? You do! Good - then go to the jump and read a portion of tonight's "Late Show" grilling of Rod Blagovich...Best to watch rather than read...the whole thing is pretty funny, and that doesn't come across in print...

Continue reading "Blago on Letterman: The (Partial) Transcript" »

Please head over to Newsday blog, "American Idol," which has posted a look at who/what/why, as the steamroller steams it's way into Hollywood in a few short hours. There you'll get a look at the picks of Newsday's resident "Idol" experts, including Jamshid Mousavinezhad, Ronnie Gill, and Dan Bubbeo.

These guys know enough about "Idol" to write a book, and a good one at that, and they'll tell you who we should all be paying attention to. They also asked your humble servant - me - to submit my list, and here it is... But honestly, I'd check out their lists, first. These Idologists really know what they're talking 'bout...

My thoughts ...that if past is prologue, keep a close eye on those who...formerly had record contracts, been in bands, have had singing or acting careers aborted, know how to work the judges, are attractive without being drop-dead attractive, and know something - really truly know something - about music.

Which pretty much rules out most of these faces that I think I'll keep an eye on. They're intriguing...but
winners?

- Melinda Camile: The dancing nudist from Ct. Hey, why not? She's kinda local too.

- Jackie Tohn: What a name! And she's got a sure grasp of what music gig is all about. Another rocker in a field that seems ligtht on 'em this season.

- Taylor Vaifanua: Exotic, nice voice, stature. Maybe personality deficient. Gotta work on that.

- Jasmine Murray: Maybe 'cause she was stuck in a crowd of non-yellow-ticket holders, but she seems like she's got (some of) the goods. Nice clean voice.

- Joanna Pacitti: I love the fact that a former pro's in the line-up; we can all gripe about the corruption of the process, but at least enjoy the performance. I think she's good too.

- Leneshe Young: What a story. But I like her. Maybe judges/voters will too.

- Michael Sarver: As different as they come, and doubtful that a welder, or oil rigger will find fame and fortune in Hollywood. But he feels like what this show too often seems to miss - someone without any professional bearing, but a good voice.

(Pix: Joanna - from Philadelphia Mag, by Ari Michelson)

Just got off the horn with Chris Wallace - a good guy who does a fine job with Fox's Sunday morning show, "Fox News Sunday" - and he was just out of an interview with POTUS. This is, or is among, the first of many major network interviews the prez is doing to sell his economic stimulus package over the next couple hours. "I would say in his overall demeanor he seemed utterly comfortable in his job and in the Oval Office. There was a serenity about him. He did say 'we screwed up on Daschle' appointment [the wouldbe secretary of health and human services, who screwed up on his taxes and just dropped out] and seemed disappointed this had happened..."

And why all these interviews that are about to explode all over your TV screen, no matter where you turn? (CNN...CBS...ABC...NBC...and so on) Katie Couric's is on tonight, too.

"He's got a problem with the economic package and the polls indicate the public is turning against it. He's going to the bully pulpit to make the case." Any news? "That he's considering tax credits for people who buy homes and cars..."

The interview will be on FNC's air - "Special Report" - in 30 minutes... As you may recall, Wallace couldn't get Obama, the candidate, on his show for months, and ran a "countdown clock" - as, I suppose, a form of subtle persuasion.

NBC came back last night with three good and very very heavily promoted fresh episodes of three acclaimed series - oh, and did I add, a night after the Super Bowl. "Heroes," "Chuck," "Medium."

Yet together, they averaged only 8.5 million viewers. Yeah, it's a reasonably big number, but not for these three. The two-hour edition of "The Bachelor," from 8 to 10, easily beat 'em - 11 million viewers. CBS beat 'em all - an average 13.3 million last night.

The good news for NBC - this was its best outing for the night since early November. Here's the key graph from the recent release:

"NBC delivered its highest Monday primetime average in adults 18-49 (a 3.3) and total viewers (8.4 million) since November 3. NBC's 3.3 average for the night in adults 18-49 is up 22 percent versus the network's 'live plus same day' season-to-date average for Monday night (3.3 vs. 2.7)."

Interesting idea ABC has to announce this season's dancers - their names will be "dropped" throughout Sunday night. It's called: "All Night Name Drop."

Will No. 56 be one? That's the rumor, bordering on likelihood...

Tom Bergeron will host these little interstitials throughout the night - you won't know when and you won't know where, so that viewers won't be flipping back and forth to the Grammys.

Veeeerrrrrry clever. Meanwhile, the LT rumor looks to be true. Show's had a whole lotta success with former football greats. He's a logical choice. Strahan next!

(Pix: Getty)

The "Reaper" has landed. The CW just handed it Tuesdays at 8, starting March 3. (I do believe the March 3 was previously announced, but a question as to where it would go.)

And....what happens to "90210?" Moves to 9 p.m. on that night.

Please head to the jump for the full CW mid-seasoner. The other bit 'o news - the season finale of "Privileged" will air Feb. 24 - that's a Tuesday BTW.

And check out the clip...

Continue reading ""Reaper:" Tuesdays at 8...and Clip" »

...Ever.

Anyway, that's what NBC says. It just released these figures:

1. Super Bowl XLIII 151.6 million NBC 2009
2. Super Bowl XLII 148.3 million Fox 2008
3. Super Bowl XXVIII 144.4 million CBS 2004

So, what does "most viewed" mean? It's a term, honestly, that I've struggled with for eons. It's a conundrum, a riddle, a mystery - as in, what's the difference between "most viewers" and "most viewed?" Shouldn't they be one in the same?

I think it means this - that someone who kind of wandered in the room when the game was on, stuck around for fifteen minutes, then wandered out, is counted. Total viewers are those who stick around for the whole thing.

It also includes all the out of home viewers - bars, colleges, people hanging out in the electronics section of Target and so on.

I view "total viewing" numbers with some suspicion. But all the networks play this game. And for the moment, NBC is the winner.

This just in: Alec Baldwin, "SNL" regular, Lorne buddy, and star of some other NBC whose name I can't think of right at the moment, will host "SNL's" Valentine's Day show - his fourteenth turn, which I believe was just eclipsed by Steve Martin, who's done fifteen.

But perhaps of greater note: The Jonas Bros. will be on that night too. That's a first.

Bradley Cooper and TV on the Radio this Saturday. That's already been out there.

TV on the Radio? "Letterman" fans may or may not remember their memorable performance on "Late Show" last fall, when they decamped above the Hello Deli. Here's the clip...

Finally, I do believe NBC has hit on the exact combination to boost ratings and watercooler chatter for "Heroes," back last night.

1.) Partial nudity.

2.) Zeljko Ivanek

Why didn't they think of this before? As you know, Ivanek - one of the great actors of the small screen - joined last night as the hunter, the guy appointed by the president to round up any and all with special powers.

Nudity? That would involve Ali Larter...

Here's the clip from "A Clear and Present Danger," if you missed last night. It's got everything...

Oh come now, does this matter? Really? That Hudson Hero Sully Sullenberger talked to Rick Reilly before he talked to Katie Couric?

I have it on good authority that he also talked to the good people at the Danville, Ca. library. The conversation was relayed to hometown paper Contra Costa Times.

So one could argue that the CC Times scooped Rick. (Unfortunately, the CC Times story was about an overdue book. )

What was the full interview with Sully about? Here's Reilly's entire blog post on the encounter (and go to the jump for the overdue book story...this is all getting a little weird.)

"Who was standing there Saturday night - just he and his wife - in the lobby of the Marriott Waterside hotel in Tampa, but Chesley (Sully) Sullenberger, the US Air pilot who ditched safely and miraculously in the Hudson River with both engines gone. The man who saved 155 lives was about 6-2, 175 pounds with a deep radio voice and a personality that couldn't be hurried with a team of Clydesdales. He was at the Super Bowl as a guest of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but hadn't met him yet, even though Goodell was standing 15 feet away. I had to ask him, What was that like when you realized both engines were out? He thought about it for awhile and then said, slowly and deliberately, "Shocking. It was very quiet as we worked, my co-pilot and I. We were a team. But to have zero thrust coming out of those engines was shocking - the silence." How were you feeling inside? I asked. "Calm on the outside, turmoil inside." He kept calling the whole thing "surreal." His wife, Lori, said she and Sully have been opening letters every night that are so emotional, "it allows both of us to express emotion about it all. We both sit there and cry." I wanted to ask him one more question but he got swept away. It was going to be, "Do you mind emailing me the list of all your flights coming up in 2009? I'd like to be on them."

Continue reading "Katie Scooped...By Rick Reilly" »

Of course of course of course you wanna get a first look at tonight's "Gossip Girl."

Or...perhaps you don't.

But let's hypothetically say you do...

In which case you've come to the right place. Here's a clip from the CW...hot off the, ummm, press...Head to the Jump for a couple more from tonight's episode, entitled "Carnal Knowledge" - I assume in homage to the movie...but one never knows...

Continue reading ""Gossip Girl:" Fresh Meat from Tonight" »

Here's a pix of Katie and Sully...in his kitchen. Interview took place last week....Brief outtakes on "Evening News" in just about half an hour...

NBC is taking the glass half-full approach to the Super Bowl viewership picture...

It's now saying last night's big show was the SECOND most watched SB ever. (Some web reportage this morning had last's performance somewhat disappointing, or at least in comparison to last year's barn-burner.) Here are the figures, gratis our friends at NBC:

MOST-WATCHED SUPER BOWLS (average viewers):
1. Super Bowl XLII 97.5 million Fox 2008
2. Super Bowl XLIII 95.4 million NBC 2009
3. Super Bowl XXX 94.1 million NBC 1996
4. Super Bowl XLI 93.2 million CBS 2007
5. Super Bowl XXVII 91.0 million NBC 1993

The "MASH" finale averaged 106 million viewers, making it the most-watched
television broadcast in history.

MOST-WATCHED TELEVISION BROADCASTS (average viewers):
1. "MASH" Finale 106.0 million CBS 1983
2. Super Bowl XLII 97.5 million Fox 2008
3. Super Bowl XLIII 95.4 million NBC 2009

Katie Couric, I'm told, has wrapped (or in the process of wrapping) her big Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger story down in Tampa as we speak (he was there, as you know, and was introduced at the outset of the SB). She's interviewing the crew right now....

Little while ago, "60 Minutes" sent out a release saying that Sully and Katie also wrapped an interview on Friday. But I've just learned that "Evening News" will air a snippet from that tonight, while a more substantial chunk will air on Friday's "Evening News."

He tells KC that he suffered from post-traumatic stress after the historic/heroic landing...

Here's the press release...

"Couric spent hours interviewing the veteran pilot credited with saving the lives of 155 passengers and perhaps many others when he was able to land his commercial jet on the Hudson River after colliding with a flock of Canada geese and losing all power over New York City. Sullenberger describes in detail the landing dubbed "miracle on the Hudson," revealing his thoughts and emotions during the dramatic maneuver and the days following the event, including the posttraumatic stress he suffered in the aftermath.

Couric also interviewed Sullenberger's wife, Lorrie, for a segment that will also include interviews with the entire flight crew of US Airways Fl. 1549 to be broadcast on 60 MINUTES."

The initial read on the audience of Super B looks promising - but no record breaker.

It averaged about 78.9 million viewers - let's just round that off to 79 million - which is not a formal number, BTW, but probably close to the final one, due out in a little bit.

In the so-called overnights in major cities, it got a 42 rating, per NBC. That's still two points behind last year's truly classic 'Bowl telecast... And as you can see below, New York didn't even make the top 20. That doesn't mean we slept through this game, just that there was less interest than elsewhere...

But 42 is still pretty darned good considering you had a pair of teams without major MAJOR market appeal.

Here are the figures that NBC just sent out (and as you know, a rating is a percentage of all TV households...)

But first, here's the Fox interpretation: "NBC’s Super Bowl 43 (Steelers vs. Cardinals) combined with Post-Game coverage and a special episode of The Office to deliver a 29.9/61 from 7-11p, down slightly from FOX’s Super Bowl night last year (Giant vs. Patriots followed by a special House), which delivered a 31.4/62 in the Fast Nationals before rising to a 34.8/68 in the Finals."

LAST FOUR SUPER BOWL OVERNIGHT RATINGS:

Super Bowl XLIII 42.1/65
Super Bowl XLII 44.7/66
Super Bowl XLI 42.1/62
Super Bowl XL 42.2/62

TOP 25 MARKETS FOR SUPER BOWL XLIII:

1. Pittsburgh 53.6/79
2. Norfolk 52.6/72
3. Jacksonville 50.6/71
4. Buffalo 50.4/68
5. Richmond 49.3/67
6. Tampa 49.2/70
7. Ft. Myers 48.1/68
8. Cleveland 47.7/69
9. Phoenix 47.5/80
10. Indianapolis 47.4/65
11. Nashville 47.2/66
12. Washington D.C. 46.7/70
13. Columbus 46.5/67
14. Orlando 46.4/66
15. Memphis 46.3/63
16. Philadelphia 46.2/65
17. New Orleans 45.7/63
18. Knoxville 45.2/58
19. Baltimore 45.0/63
T20. Denver 44.7/76
T20. Las Vegas 44.7/68

How 'bout that Super Bowl?

Great fourth quarter (but average-to-good preceding three quarters, which makes the overall game...pretty good. Lest you all forget - over a dozen penalties on the Cards, which cost 'em over 100 yards; that's not good at all - plus a couple of cheap hits by the Steelers too.)

In any event, no disputing Ben Roethlisberger's achievement yesterday. One of the stand-out drives in SB history, and he gets to talk about it on "Late Show with David Letterman" tonight. Just announced...

(Pix: AP)

What makes a great ad?

Does anybody really care to get an answer to this?

Not really.

But what makes a great Super Bowl ad?

That's an interesting question. The answer: Something that surprises; is beautifully produced; doesn't offend in some visceral sort of way; has a modicum of class; has reasonable payoff; may be funny (but not necessarily so); doesn't bore; makes you think (a little); feels like something you wouldn't mind seeing again; and...finally...makes you look at the product in a whole new way....

What makes a BAD Super Bowl commercial?

Just put the words "not" or "does not" in front of the adjectival clauses above.

I have just now sorted out this year's winners and losers based on the above criteria.

Please go to the jump for the losers; they deserve to be buried in the jump.

And now, the five best winners, in ascending order, with the best saved for last....

5.) Careerbuilders: A smart ad for the times...it plays with repetition, which forces you to pay closer attention. It veers to the edge of annoyance, and then...draws back. A winner.

4.) Monster.com: Clean, simple and almost funny - but also plays with the zeitgeist (that the rich have the fancy front office at the expense of all the poor schmos out there working to make a buck.) The story is told with nary a word uttered while the payoff is a mixture of bathos and pathos.

3.) Pedigree Adoption Guide: A crowd please that got considerable exposure even before original air during the 'Bowl. It sells dog food only subliminally; this one putatively asks that you consider adoption. Clever, indeed.

2.) Hulu: A personal favorite. Appearing late in the game, your mind tries to engage Alec Baldwin's odd presence here. As a result, this ad forces you to step into its topsy-turvy universe, which then forces you to accept the pay-off - that Alec's an alien who will eat your TV-reduced brain because "that's the way we roll." TV, and Hulu, making fun of their own degenerative powers? Who COULDN'T love a message like that, punctuated by the perfect tag: "Hulu - an evil plot to destroy the world. Enjoy!"

1.) Coke "Heist:" Yes, an easy victor. This ad encapsulated everything cited above. Foremost, a thing of beauty that defies description. A full movie in thirty seconds, where characters are established, motives described, plots unfold, and final resolutions established. The bugs drink. His hand reaches for the bottle, which dissolves into a flurry of wings. Gorgeous.

Continue reading "Super Bowl Ads: The Winners, and The Losers" »

First he gets impeached, and then he goes to the Letterman roast - Letterman, who has absolutely blasted the guy mercilessly for three weeks, at least.

This was just announced and here's the relevant graf (s) from the press release:

"Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich will visit the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, Tuesday, Feb. 3 (11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. This will be Blagojevich’s first late night talk show appearance since he was removed from office.

"On Thursday, Jan. 29, the Illinois State Senate voted 59-0 to convict Blagojevich of abuse of power and separately voted 59-0 to bar him from ever again holding public office in Illinois. He is the first governor in Illinois history to be impeached and the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment. Blagojevich’s removal from office comes nearly two months after his Dec. 9 arrest on federal corruption charges, which included allegations that he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama. "

(pix: UPI)

When was it? Mid-December when "SNL" offended Albany and the "sight-challenged" guy who lives at the Executive Mansion? Yes - mid-December, and when Gov. Paterson responded with some outrage over the Fred Armisen skit, the show instantly knew it was on to a good thing.

And so, the Gov was back last night. Check out his putative discussion of the Gillibrand appointment on "Weekend Update," though it's more of a deeper exploration of his profound distaste for New Jersey.

Pretty amusing.

I wonder what the Gov will say this time?

(And, as soon as I find Steve Martin's monologue, will post that too.)