I've posted from press tour about being in nifty places, and dropped some names of the people I've talked to. Those are fun things and, as I have said before, I have a cool job. But when I tell those stories, what may get lost is that the cool stuff can lead to something of value to readers.

When you're at these things, you get to see how people's minds work. Sure, there's a big load of nonsense tossed around at press conferences — answers that are pat or evasive or flat-out untrue. But almost as often, you can get at a real emotion, and have a  feel for what the people in television do. And, outside of those press conferences, you may get a chance to ask other questions in a more casual setting, and get a little deeper into how people think and feel.

Last night, for example, I stood and talked with John Madden about his going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I had expected a few quick questions and answers. But Madden is really excited about going into the hall; he offered a wonderful description of what it was like when he was waiting for the news — and how thrilled he was when he finally got it.

That — or sitting for an hour with Ray Wise, and hearing him explain how important "Good Night and Good Luck" was to him — gets you into people's hearts. Then, tonight I sat at a table with Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment, and talked to him about the issues in a couple of projects I'm working on. (I'll save the specifics for closer to when the stories run.) We talked somewhat about his shows, but there were bigger issues to kick around as well, and he was more than willing to do some kicking.

The odds are a lot longer that, sitting in Akron, I could pick up a phone and talk to Reilly. And even if I did, it wouldn't be the same as sitting a couple of feet from him, watching him wrestle with an issue that should be interesting, if not important, for readers.

It was a good moment. It wasn't the only good moment of the night; on an entirely different plane, I had a nice chat with three of the models from "Deal or No Deal." But my conversation with them will probably intrigue some readers, too, and make them look at TV in a little different way. Which is, after all, what this job is about: talking about TV, and thinking about it, and wanting it to be better, and trying to see if there are better ways to look at it. And I wouldn't spend this much time away from my family if this didn't make me do a better job.

Because of the heat in Pasadena, NBC's evening event was delayed for an hour, which gave me a chance to take a longer-than-at-first planned nap from which I have just emerged. I don't think I'm alone in feeling dragged either. Even during press conferences for shows a lot of people like, the pace has felt slower, the undercurrent of crankiness a little stronger.

Still, the potential argument over the Emmys was less intense than it might have been, say, the day after the nominations were announced. Not that people didn't care. More that any admission of real wrongdoing on the Emmy people's part — let alone contrition — was obviously not going to happen. The TV academy has a system that bases nominations on a small sample of what a show or actor has actually done, and then offers those choices to viewers and critics who have spent far more hours following a show, often for an entire season.

The key dialogue went like this:

Reporter: "Do you honestly believe that the Emmy nominations represent the best of television
last season?"

Emmy Mouthpiece: "I believe that the Emmy nominations really represent the best works that were submitted (for Emmy consideration) … for last season."

The producers and stars of "Nobody's Watching" came around at lunch, and I confess to gushing a smidge over how good their pilot was. And I'm even more pumped as they talk about the new Webisodes (which they're hoping to have online Sept. 1) and the series beyond that. Especially exciting is the way the show is going to bend reality even more, by putting some of the adventures from the making of "Nobody's Watching" INTO "Nobody's Watching." As in, the pilot doesn't get picked up and the two stars have to figure out other ways to get by in L.A., or the pilot is posted on YouTube and what happens then, or NBC decides to pick up the show and the executive the guys dealt with at The WB is now the top guy at NBC. Expect to see the show's fictional guys at real events, too.

Very close to the bone stuff. Bill Lawrence, the "Scrubs" mastermind and "Nobody's Watching" co-creator, said he can't believe NBC is giving him money for this.

I hope to post more on this later today or tomorrow.

Just finished the session with Keith Olbermann. I had expected more laughs. But, while Olbermann is quick on his feet, he also feels like a very writerly guy — one who is most proud of the line he has taken time to shape and polish.

At the same time, though, he does listen to people — and hears things not even the speaker may have noticed. I asked him whether the cross-pollination of his show and so-called progressive radio (Stephanie Miller, Air America) was a factor in his ratings improvement, creating a "rising tide." He seized on the reference to "rising tide" — and other water metaphors — as a subconscious allusion to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. And he thinks that was the moment when skepticism about the government became all right again, after years of post-9/11 benefits of the doubt.

It wasn't exactly an answer to my question. It was better.

Friday turned into an almost civilized day by press tour standards. In the afternoon, I chatted with John Lithlgow (who lived in Akron for a couple of years in his youth) about his TV work, his recent stagecraft and the pronunciation of his name. (Most people make it like cow, but it's like go.)

I managed a decent walk to pick up some laundry — realizing only after I had started walking that people hadn't been kidding about the temperature hitting triple digits. In the early evening, I had a good talk with John Madden, a little about going to NBC, more about going into the Hall of Fame. He is obviously moved by the experience, and moving when he talks about it. Then, dinner with a couple of colleagues, followed by a bit of work and even some TV-watching for pleasure.

In fact, I stayed up later than I should, watching more episodes of "Life on Mars," about a modern-day police detective who finds himself back in 1973 — but still a cop. BBC America starts airing it next week and, even though it has been edited for U.S. television, it's still entertaining.

I've also slid in some TV this morning, the British Open. The work day includes Keith Olbermann, NBC's football broadcast team, "30 Rock," the Emmys (possibly a blood-letting given how unhappy many of us are about the nominations) and "Friday Night Lights," which, as I've said, is my favorite pilot of the fall. And tonight holds NBC's party for its new and returning stars.

I expect to be posting a number of times over the weekend, about tour events and about some upcoming shows. So watch this space.

"Law & Order" impresario Dick Wolf is here today, which gave me a chance to clear up some cast departures that you folks have been asking about.

Annie Parisse ("L&O") asked out because she was becoming frustrated over having to turn down movie roles. Wolf called her "one of the role models of how to leave a show." Alana De La Garza ("CSI: Miami") will be a new ADA on the show.

Jamey Sheridan ("Criminal Intent"), as I've reported before, wanted to spend more time in California, where his family is. Eric Bogosian will succeed him.

Courtney B. Vance ("Criminal Intent") was at the end of his contract and the writers felt they had done all they could with his character. Nona Gaye — actress and daughter of Marvin Gaye — is coming in as a new ADA. (UPDATE: Gaye has reportedly left the series, with Theresa Randle replacing her.)

Annabella Sciorra ("CI") left by mutual agreement with the show, Wolf said, without elaboration. Julianne Nicholson (from Wolf's "Conviction") will play the new partner for Chris Noth.

As for speculation that Sam Waterston is leaving the original "L&O," Wolf called it "totally, totally fallacious. … Sam is back for all 22 episodes this year."

And, in case you missed it, Connie Nielsen will fill in for Mariska Hargitay on "Special Victims Unit"  while Hargitay is on maternity leave.

Score one for YouTube: NBC is going to make webisodes and develop new TV scripts for "Nobody's Watching," the Bill Lawrence-backed comedy originally planned for The WB. The hope is to start it as a prime-time series later in the 2006-07 season. (You can find the complete announcement here.)

As I mentioned in this blog (see the late-June post "Hurry…") and in the Beacon Journal, The WB did not pick up the series but the pilot ended up on YouTube, where it gained a lot of fans, with almost 400,000 views of the first part of the pilot as of this morning. Based on that buzz, Lawrence began talking to reporters, including me, and the show once again caught the networks' attention. Which is good news, because the pilot  — about two guys from Ohio given a chance to make their own TV comedy — was hilarious.

The webisodes should start within a month, says NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly. The guys from the show are already out and about in Hollywood, Reilly said, and may pop up at all sorts of show-biz events in the days ahead.

Here's the skinny, announced this morning. And think about what it says re NBC's fortunes that "Deal or No Deal" is the best lead-in it has for "Studio 60's" premiere. ("Deal," by the way, will air FOUR times the week of Sept. 18.

NFL coverage will in effect get three premieres: the Hall of Fame game from beautiful Canton on Aug. 6, then the regular-season kickoff on Sept. 7, then the first regular-season Sunday-night game on Sept. 10.

Entertainment show dates:

Sept. 18 — "Deal or No Deal" (''special two-hour edition"), "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

Sept. 19 — "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: SVU."

Sept. 20 — "Biggest Loser," "Kidnapped."

Sept. 21 — "My Name Is Earl," "The Office," "Deal or No Deal," "ER."

Sept. 22 — "Law & Order."

Sept. 25 — "Heroes."

Oct. 3 — "Friday Night Lights."

Oct. 4 — "Twenty Good Years."

Oct. 11 — "30 Rock."

Oct. 20 — "Crossing Jordan," "Las Vegas."

Yesterday wound up with ABC's party with the stars, and I had a pretty useful time. Talked to "Lost's" Carlton Cuse for a column running tomorrow. (Highlights: the monster and polar bear are back, there will be romance — though not, as far as I know, between the monster and polar bear — new characters, a less grim tone and much to be learned about the Others). And to Thomas Kean of 9/11 commission fame, who is a consultant to ABC's "Path to 9/11" movie. And to James Pickens Jr. of "Grey's Anatomy," a local guy I always like to catch up with.

After that gathering, it was back to the hotel to transcribe some recording, refresh my brain and — because I couldn't resist — watch the fourth-season premiere of "Nip/Tuck." The season begins on Sept. 5, but there's a press conference about the show on Tuesday, so we got a sneak peek. The premiere alone includes Larry Hagman and Kathleen Turner as guest stars, as well as Brooke Shields in a capacity you've probably never seen before in her career. Such a frightening, creepy show; wait until you see what Hagman is up to.

Today it's out into the world — or into another part of the TV world, including a visit to the set of "Grey's Anatomy." In today's Beacon Journal, you can find the latest installment of the TV mailbag, a combo column on "Gilmore Girls" and "Grey's Anatomy" and my recap of the Charles Gibson press conference yesterday.

More much later.

Once again, I've been a techno-idiot. Wrote this yesterday ago but neglected to post it on the blog. So here it is. The "tonight" references refer to Tuesday, when I wrote this.

(Note: Some content may be unsuitable for younger readers.)

I have tried to put "Rescue Me" behind me. I tried to shrug off Denis Leary's comments to TV Guide, suggesting that those of us worried about the rape episode either hadn't watched the show or were just being politically correct. I even talked about the show recently with a New York City firefighter — who is a 9/11 survivor — and tried to take in his relaxed view of the show generally. (He thought it was unrealistic, but that such treatment w as hardly unique to firefighters. Police officers, he noted, have been portrayed unrealistically on TV for years.)

But when I sat down to watch a preview copy of tonight's "Rescue Me," the smoke was coming out of my ears — so much that no firefighter could have stopped it. Leary's egomania hits new highs in the episode, and its distaste for women is even more noticeable.

The issue is, simply put, foreplay. Not one but two different women in the episode are supposedly so enamored of Tommy Gavin and his, um, endowment, that they have their way with him in a briskly mechanical manner that appears to involve no warmup at all — minimal activity before coitus, and a lot of clothing kept on during the act.

You might concede that some of the covering up is intended to meet FX's content standards, but the show has pushed those limits beyond what we see here. Instead, there's an incredible self-congratulation on display, an insistence to the viewers that women find Gavin's endowment not only irresistible but all they require for sexual satisfaction. And that fits all too sadly with the rape episode, where Gavin's prowess was supposedly so great that it overwhelmed any objections his ex-wife had at first when Tommy assaulted her.

Of course, there were other plot strands in the episode. And I admit that I have been watching the show differently than I did before the rape episode. But that's what television can and does do — change how we think about characters or a series in a moment in a single telecast. And ever since that rape — I'm not falling for Leary's claims that it was something else — "Rescue Me" has felt very, very wrong.