Dick Clark has been recovering from a stroke and, as he noted at the beginning of "New Year's Rockin' Eve," he is still re-learning how to speak. It was difficult to listen to someone so famous for being smooth and professional as he struggled with some words. I even wondered if he might have prerecorded some of his segments to make it easier, but Clark said he was broadcasting live — and you would think prerecording would have prevented his botching of the countdown to 2006.

For all that, you could still detect the old Clark's enthusiasm as he spoke. And his presence was a reminder to people that a stroke may slow you down, but it doesn't necessarily stop you. Nor does it remove your joy and your humor. Kirk Douglas has been carrying that message to the public for some time, and now Clark has underscored it — and used a big annual party as the occasion to do so.

I was far more bothered by what seemed like very short segments, and a lot of breaks (for commercials and local cut-ins), in the first half-hour of the telecast. While I know that a lot of TV sets were going to get turned off right after midnight, ABC aggressively milked the time leading up to the new year. Of course, when it comes to making money, why would a simple change in the calendar have any impact on network thinking?

I don't usually do a best-of at the end of the year. They're inevitably arbitrary, and I usually end up leaving out something that I really liked — especially if it aired early in the year. But I do write a list of reasons why TV made me happy this year. While it was scheduled for Sunday's Beacon Journal, it has already popped up on ohio.com and you can find it here:

Heldenfels Gets Happy Feet.

This year, I had so much TV stuff to write about, I ended up citing 20 things instead of 10, making room for the extra items by keeping a lot of my comments short.  Even so, the list felt unfinished to me. I wish, for instance, I had had a chance to look more closely at some of the newer TV technology, to see if it merited inclusion. And there were shows that, while I liked what I saw, I didn't stick with as loyally as I did the shows in the list. "Viva Blackpool," "Slings and Arrows" and "Over There" were shows that went into my see-more pile — only I didn't get around to seeing them.

And just sticking to programming I watched, the list was a work in progress right up to the point when I left for vacation. While on break, I considered going into the office to make at least one more change. (I think it was to add "Entourage," since I didn't miss an episode, although I don't know what I would have removed from the list to make room.)

I also thought about throwing in a list of disappointments, but I was so overloaded with good things that I didn't see a great need to be a bummer. People who watch TV with any regularity find plenty of reasons to be unhappy without my reminding them.

It's better, I think, to reflect on all the good stuff we have had this year, and not only the things on my list. Other critics, and other viewers, undoubtedly have their own favorites. I hope you had plenty, too.

… but the following note from a music company just arrived, and it may be of use to people who want to get a jump on their holiday tunes for next year. (The Hampton String Quartet, by the way, popped up in one of my Christmas-music ruminations for its playing of holiday standards in the style of classical composers. I have the old RCA cassette mentioned in the note.) Here's the news:

I saw  your article re: "More  Music For Christmas."  Thank you so much for mentioning The Hampton String Quartet. 

Joan Didion has done a remarkable thing with her book, something many authors long to accomplish. She has described a universal experience by sticking to specific, personal details.

As I noted in the last post, "The Year of Magical Thinking" describes what Didion went through following the death of her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, on Dec. 30, 2003. His sudden, unexpected death was not the only burden Didion had to shoulder, as it came while their daughter, Quintana, was in an extended battle against life-threatening illness.

Someone who turns to writers for solace and explanation, Didion quotes often from poetry and research studies as she tries to get through these paired trials. But she also takes us deeply into her own reflection, despair, angry, confusion and search for understanding and explanation of what has happened. Time and again, what I read echoed in what I felt after my first wife's death, whether it was in Didion's wondering if she could have done something more to save her husband, or her seeking signs in their pasts, or her expecting to discuss something with Dunne — only to remember that he was dead.

She even went through seemingly contradictory behaviors: on the one hand being unwilling to get rid of some of his belongings (out of the belief that he might yet return and need them) and avoiding things that reminded her too much of their being together.

Been there, done that, I thought more than once. And I felt it more forcefully than I have from other books I have read about loss and grieving. Didion gets to those been-there/done-that moments for everyone by avoiding the grand statement. She is not interested in telling us how everyone else will feel. She is interested in telling us what she felt, and how she thought her way through it, and the grandeur comes in our recognition of her pain.

I read the book somewhat slowly, because I had to set it aside now and then to absorb what it said, or to think about the parallels to other lives, including my own. I expect to read it again.

Of course, Didion is a writer I have gone back to before, rereading essays in "Slouching Toward Bethelehem," say, or "The White Album," just because I liked her writing and her point of view. (My first wife was also a Didion fan. I still have two copies of "Slouching," one that was hers, and one that she gave me.) I have also read, and reread, a lot of Dunne's work. But this book is one that I know I will revisit for more than just the writing, and the story of two writers I admire. It's a magnificent piece.

The "Firefly" marathon proved somewhat brief, although it did last long enough that my wife wants to watch the rest of the series on our DVD set. We celebrated Target Demo's birthday with dinner last night, then relaxed and watched other odds and ends: "Greg the Bunny," "Knowing Me Knowing You With Alan Partridge." Laughter accompanied. Today, TD has headed home, dogs in tow, and the house is eerily quiet.

This morning I gave a second listen to Madeleine Peyroux's "Careless Love" CD, which I like quite a lot. I came to Peyroux in a roundabout way. Earlier this season, her music was used on "Nip/Tuck," notably her cover of Leonard Cohen's "Dance Me to the End of Love." I got a note or two from readers wanting to know whose music it was, and found out for them, and then became curious myself. Found Peyroux's "Dreamland" CD at the library, and enjoyed it — and so it and "Careless Love" ended up on the Christmas list, and now I am enjoying them all over again.

Books were also under the tree, and I have just recently realized that I asked for a lot of print despair.

I have read Jeannette Walls's "The Glass Castle," about the MSNBC.com columnist's upbringing and her difficult parents, which has invited comparisons to Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes."

"Glass Castle" was impressive in parts, but I preferred McCourt's account of his childhood, where the most horrible moments could still be laced with laugh-out-loud humor. Also in my book stack is McCourt's latest, "Teacher Man"; I have sampled the fine, funny introductory segments (after "Angela's," McCourt notes, he became known as "an authority on misery of all kinds") and am looking forward to the rest of the memoir. And right now, I am reading Joan Didion's "The Year of Magical Thinking," which describes her dealing with the sudden death of her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, on Dec. 30, 2003.

I went for these books for different reasons. "Glass Castle" just sounded good. I have read McCourt's other two memoirs and wanted to continue the journey. And I have been reading both Didion and Dunne for 30 years or so, so I had an interest in them as well as in the subject matter. I expect to have more to say about it here when I finish it. I know that it feels powerful and true, bringing up the memories of the death of my first wife, and describing emotions that are still familiar and raw.

Target Demo turns 30 today and is celebrating the occasion with a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake (traditional favorite), a dinner involving beef tonight and, at the moment, a "Firefly" marathon, courtesy of her birthday-gift DVD. Depending on how long that lasts, it will be followed by the "Serenity" DVD, also a birthday goodie. (A later note: The marathon has intrigued TD's mother, so there will probably be more "Firefly" viewing in the House of Heldenfels.)

I, meanwhile, have finally caught up with the "Lazy Sunday" video, watching it three times this morning and giggling every time. If you have missed it, go here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=HNKE4Fr03jU&search=lazy%20sunday

My wife kindly offered to watch some TV pilots tonight, since there is a pile of January stuff and she is still full of the Christmas spirit. We gave a try to "Four Kings," the NBC comedy premiering Jan. 5, about four childhood friends who are still hanging out together.

The wife and I had watched the pilot last summer, and didn't think much of it. This time, Target Demo — AKA my almost-30-year-old stepdaughter — joined as we watched the pilot (which appeared to have been retooled some since the original version) and a second episode. Unanimous verdict: Still not good.

The verdict comes with extenuating circumstances in the form of Seth Green, who plays one of the four friends. He is funny. He is the only regular worth remembering by name. He tries mightily to make this show far funnier than the scripts. Even so, there are scenes he cannot save. So he is not enough of a reason to sit through a half-hour of the show. But he might be enough reason to record it, so you can fast-forward to the scenes where he is center stage. I'd say he needs to find a series where the comedic material is as good as he can be, except he already came close to that with "Greg the Bunny." You can find that on DVD.

This e-mail arrived this afternoon, during the Motor City Bowl. (I know, I'm on vacation. I told you I couldn't stay away.) Here's the e-mail:

I wanted to pass along the text of an email I sent to ESPN's viewer ombudsman, George Solomon.

I am rather dismayed that ESPN in their pregame coverage of the Motor City Bowl appeared to show an bias towards Memphis and spent little if any time on the Zips.  Here's the text of my email to Mr. Solomon:

<<beginning of my email to ESPN>>

I thought there was a pronounced bias towards Memphis in the pregame show and the opening introduction to ESPN's coverage of the Motor City Bowl on December 26.  If one watched the coverage leading up to the kickoff of the game, Memphis got a lot of airtime in terms of features
and discussion and Akron got almost no airtime.

I realize that an important angle to cover leading into the Motor City Bowl was the stellar career of Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams. ESPN would have been remiss had they not spent time on his awesome collegiate career and his nearing an NCAA record for career 100+ yard games.  But I think in the pregame coverage, ESPN covered Memphis almost to the exclusion of covering Akron.

I think ESPN's lack of pregame airtime regarding Akron was unfair to the Zips. I'm an alumnus of their arch-rival, Kent State; and even I notice the disparity here.

Thanks for your time — and hearing me out.

<<end of my email to ESPN>>
(end of e-mailer's note)

I was on the road during the pregame show, so I can't say if the coverage was as blatantly Memphis-tilted as this viewer thought. But during the game itself, there's certainly been a lot of talk about Memphis, even if they trailed early in the game. (As I wrote most of this, UA trailed 10-3, with the score 13-3 at the half.)

The local audience had a pro-UA alternative: the radio. That's where I heard pregame coverage, with the Zips' radio team, and you shouldn't be surprise to know that it had more to say about UA. The touted Memphis running game was downplayed as one-dimensional, to the point that it seemed high praise when someone (I think it was the UA coach) argued that in fact it was TWO-dimensional: the quarterbacked handed off to Williams, or the quarterback kept it.

Still, the local coverage actually managed to underscore why people get so unhappy when they feel slighted by a national game. I can't tell you who won the Motor City Bowl last year, or any year before that. But, as the radio pregame pointed out, when you get in a bowl game, you don't just show off your team, you show off your conference — and you show future bowl organizers that you can both put up an impressive performance and you can bring out your fans. (Hence the importance of all those buses carrying UA supporters to the Motor City Bowl.) You want to make the most of that showcase, so it's frustrating when announcers make less of you.

Of course, whatever Memphis does in the stats column, UA could make more noise just by winning this thing.

Update: Memphis leads 38-17 with about three minutes to go. Needless to say, their story is dominating the TV commentary now. I've heard a couple of kind things said about UA, although it has some of the feel of the end of the "Bad News Bears" — you know, when the Yankees sneeringly say the Bears put up a good fight. (Speaking of which, as much as I liked Billy Bob Thornton in the remake, the original movie is still better.) A good fight pales next to a good win. It would have been sweet for UA if Williams's record-breaking performance had to be listed as coming while UA won…

Then again, it's now 38-24, and UA just got the ball, so maybe the game isn't over yet…

Update 2: And now it's 38-31. Could Kelly Leak be QB?…

Well, since UA fell just a little short of a miracle, maybe Kelly was there in spirit. I hope they also have a Tanner Boyle…

We finished that Alan Rickman Christmas double feature on Christmas Eve with a big dose of "Die Hard" and successfully fought the urge to watch "Love Actually" again. Caught a little of the Browns-Steelers, but it's not easy to stay interested in a game once it's 20-0 and feels much worse than that sounds.

Church service that evening, which turned out a bit differently than I expected. I had agreed to help out a little, but found that I had been enlisted as the balcony usher, and so had my own little flock — about 15 people — to tend to. Also unexpected: How protective I felt about them during the service. But it's still a challenge to navigate steps in the dark while carrying a large, lit candle.

Not much TV on Christmas Day. The one big viewing was of "Tommy Boy." Not a Christmas movie, but still a very funny one.

And now it's Monday. Vacation continues, but I am starting to get ready for the rest of the year. Just packed up the Christmas CDs and cassettes, for instance. After relaxing for a couple of days, I feel as if I should be doing something, and I suspect there will be lots of viewing today.

The Motor City Bowl, with the University of Akron playing, is on the list, and I've set the recorder for Monday Night Football. It's the last telecast of the season, and for now ABC's last regular-season game (since that the NBC/ESPN deal kicks in next year). So it is a milestone of sorts.

But how deeply has anyone cared about MNF since the Cosell/Meredith/Gifford era ended? As more than one person has noted, in those days, it didn't matter if the game was good or bad, because you were intriqued by the announcers; for the last many years, the game was paramount.

Besides, I have to think that at some point ABC will try to get back in the game, and not just by having the deal for its corporate sibling, ESPN. CBS lost its old football deal to Fox, then grabbed NBC's share of the pie. NBC made a lot of noise about not wanting football, then grabbed a package of prime-time Sunday games beginning next season. And in doing so, it got the NFL to agree to flexible scheduling, letting NBC have some playoff-significant games late in the season instead of sticking it with whatever the preseason schedule determined; the latter approach was the one ABC had to accept, and it did not accept it happily. Now that flexible scheduling is agreed to for prime time, who's to say ABC won't chase it the next time a football package is available?

And suddenly all that thinking feels too much like work. Let me get back to fun. Go Zips. Fear the Roo.

My TV watching today consisted of some of the Cavs game (which they have won after a late scare) and the DVD of "Love Actually," which felt appropriate to the occasion. I figure it's going to steadily climb the list of all-time great holiday movies. Maybe not as great as "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story," but high in the standings nonetheless.

For a little bit, we considered an Alan-Rickman-Christmas-movie double feature, by following "Love Actually" with "Die Hard." But it was getting late in the evening, and we — meaning me, wife, son, stepdaughter — were all pretty tired by then. The dogs and cats still had plenty of energy, but they don't decide when the lights go out.

It's a funny feeling, being tired when you have taken a day off. But not going to the office is not the same as being idle. There was a round of errands to run, including some last-minute gift shopping and grocery gathering (with the grocery store providing the closest thing to a madhouse today). I hit some dead ends along the way, and retraced a few steps, although everything worked out eventually. I had been searching the big stores for a couple of CDs but finally found them at Time Traveler. Should have gone there in the first place (and had to take my younger son's suggestion to go there.), since the folks are nice, the selection is good — and one of the guys reads my blog, so we talked "Nip/Tuck" for a bit.

The best part of the day, though, came when we could finally sit, and relax, and talk, and joke. Family time at its best, and something that our various busy schedules haven't allowed for. Glad to have it now, and glad to anticipate more of it.

And, by the way, my stepdaughter — whom I am renaming Target Demo — gives a big thumbs up to "Book of Daniel," too.