You've probably seen the latest news about O.J. — that he's a suspect in a burglary case in Las Vegas. He says he's innocent. Been there, heard that. When does he launch the search for the real burglars?

Simpson in Earlier Times

But here's the paragraph I found most interesting in the AP story:

The Palace Station, an aging property just west of the Las Vegas Strip, is one of several Station Casinos-owned resorts that cater to locals. The 1,000-room hotel-casino, with a 21-story tower and adjacent buildings, opened in 1976.

O.J. apparently can't even get into the best casinos. When every semi-star under 30 is able to hang out in the exclusive joints, Simpson's legendary football status has long since been overshadowed by the suspected-killer tag.

Gail Davis as TV's Annie Oakley. If you've seen the episode, you know why.
More after the jump …

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So that's the defense for this off-kilter, badly paced, erratic season?

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Premieres Monday on Fox

Anthony Anderson

I've got a list of books to write sometime. My long-unfinished mystery novel, "Death Wore a Name Tag." A trilogy about a journalist in deep space. (I'm intrigued by the idea of an instant-news mentality facing the time lag that would come with space exploration.) There used to be one called "Those Awful Beatle Wives," but it's out of date now.

Then there's "When Bad Shows Happen to Good People," a collection of series disasters starring fine actors. (Suggestions welcome.) If I do that one, Anthony Anderson will probably get a chapter, and it will have to touch on "K-Ville."

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Premieres Friday on Fox.

Musician Chuck Wicks

Thirty-two years ago, Robert Altman made a movie called "Nashville" that used the country-music capital for a rumination on politics, alienation and American society in the '70s. Now Fox has made a series called "Nashville" that uses the country-music capital for a rumination on romance and hooking up.

Need I be more explicit about which one most deserves your attention?

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So says Warner Bros., in an announcement proclaiming that the "Harry Potter" movies in total have now grossed more worldwide than any other film franchise, including "Star Wars" and James Bond. (Potter still trails top-ranked "Star Wars" and Bond at the North American box office, according to Box Office Mojo.

Warner gleefully notes there are still two Potter movies to come. Of course, there can still be more Bond movies — generations of them, casting permitting.

Detailed announcement after the jump …

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Spoilers and thoughts, after the jump…

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CBS has ordered six more episodes of "Power of 10" for telecast at mid-season, in addition to Drew's hosting "The Price Is Right." The reason: Decent numbers.

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Today's official announcement is after the jump. But I'm wondering about Barbara Walters' statement that she is looking forward to "a wonderful" year with Shepherd and Whoopi Goldberg. Is "The View" now accepting that it will change hosts the way "Law & Order" changes casts?

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The Fall 2007 issue of Teen magazine hit newsstands on Sept. 4 but just landed on my desk today. The cover story is about Vanessa Hudgens ("her first-ever solo magazine cover," says a press release) with the cover line, "A girl's gotta have her secrets."

But how's this for an eerily prescient beginning to a story:

Imagine you're hanging otu with your boyfriend, laughing, having fun and doing totally couple-y things. Now picture yourself waking up a week later to find photos of this seemingly normal day plastered all over the Internet and tabloids. Your privacy has been completely invaded. Of course, it wouldn't occur to the average teenager to think a photographer was following her every move, which is why the public pics were such a shock to Vanessa, even despite her success with "High School Musical." But there they were. …
"It's still weird to me," she admits. "It's weird to think people would take pictures of you as you're eating or doing something random."

Imagine how weird is is NOW. But here's one more unintentionally ironic comment from the article:

"I want to let my fans get to know a little about me," she says. "I'm very thankful for everything they've done for me so, of course, I'm going to let them into my world a little bit. But I really am a very private person, and I love keeping my life to myself."

I checked out Brit's much-hyped performance at the VMAs tonight. The Britney silhouettes on the background screen certainly conveyed some rude imagery. But the only way she could have looked less interested would have been to chew gum throughout. Obviously unprepared, empty-eyed. She committed the worst sin for her: She was dull.

I said in the previous post that I planned to add more notes about our foray into Buckeye Central. I have now added those notes to the "Booing Big Ten Network" post. But here's why they were long delayed.

At about 6:15 Saturday, the bride and I were finishing up dinner in a Bob Evans on Olentangy River Road in Columbus — when the power went out. The waitress was apologetic, but we were done, paid cash for our bill and walked down to the University Plaza Hotel, where we were staying.

Here ended the fun part of the day …

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The best non-football thing at the Ohio State-Akron game today was the enormous, hearty booing that greeted a promotional announcement for Big Ten Network. BTN, as you know, has been playing tough with cable companies, so fans who did not have a satellite dish did not get to see the OSU-UA game. It was nice to see that the savvy Buckeye fans recognized BTN's villainy, which in addition to boos prompted cries of "Greedy!"

I will note, too, that the boos came in a stadium where fans were for the most part courteous about UA. (The game announcer asks for courtesy, and a card handed out on behalf of Bob Evans says "we cheer for a good play and respect the visiting team" and "we use pleasant language and never boo.") Which doesn't make its many getting-loud traditions any easier to bear, of course.

And, yes, there were occasional remarks, even in the section where we sat with other clusters of UA fans. But even the comments were good natured; when a Buckeye fan behind us asked if there were any Zips fans were there, the bride — who is also a Buckeye fan, but not today — raised her hand. The guy grinned and made clear he meant no harm.

So the boos about BTN were all the more telling.

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If there were going to be nude pictures of a "High School Musical" star, I would have expected to see the more aggressively career-minded Ashley Tisdale before Vanessa Hudgens. Or even Zac Efron, who seems quite ready to be a grownup. But no, we got a Hudgens photo first. And, while I thought it looked suspiciously photoshopped, Hudgens has now admitted that the photo is of her.

The picture taking, even if the photo was originally intended to be private, is a disappointment.

I have a column in Sunday's Beacon Journal about the increased sexual content of movies and TV. I made the point that, even as some audiences are drawn to the likes of "Superbad" and online porn, there is another audience that wants its entertainment squeaky-clean — and the high ratings for "High School Musical 2" demonstrate that a lot of folks are in the latter camp.But now the people who believed in the two "HSM" movies have to feel betrayed, that someone who promised them an alternative to adult fare was in fact acting far more adult than her audience ever would have wished.

You can find my review of the Russell Crowe western here. It's not a hugely enthusiastic review, and I think I've figured out why.

It's not just that the movie is merely OK. It's that it kept hinting at the possiblity that it could be something more extravagant. I am thinking of Ben Foster's performance, which would have fit more readily into "Tombstone" than "Yuma," and of the way Peter Fonda leaves the movie. …

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From ABC today:

ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross explores the tactics used by Murphy, Texas police, the citizen watchdog group Perverted Justice and "Dateline" NBC during a sting designed to apprehend alleged sexual predators in Murphy, Texas for the popular series "To Catch a Predator."

Murphy Police Chief Billy Myrick defends the operations and denies that his department ceded control to NBC or Perverted Justice. NBC News has defended its actions but declined repeated requests to have anyone appear on "20/20." Ross' three month investigation airs on "20/20's" season premiere, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The man has died. Here's one of his performances of "Nessun Dorma" to remind you why he mattered (and because it's one of the bride's faves):

And here's Pavarotti with James Brown, just because it's so insanely cool:

When I started the "My Favorite Singers" posts, I didn't expect so many months to go by between them. Oh, well. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Isaac Hayes in his early '70s heyday, and he's certainly worth a mention here, a mention that need not include either "Shaft" or his "South Park" tenure.

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The all-star video-for-a-cause is a pretty tired joke at this point. But at least this ditty for "My Name Is Earl" — which should be watchable just after 3 a.m. Eastern — offers a reminder of some of the funny characters who have passed through the show. (Note some of the video language is PG-ish.)

Free Earl Music Video

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As announced by TBS today:

Setting the stage for continued success in the original sitcoms arena, TBS has ordered a second season of 10 episodes of its hit sitcom THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW, according to an announcement by Michael Wright, senior vice president in charge of the Content Creation Group for TBS, TNT and TCM. In addition, Engvall will host BLUE COLLAR COMEDY: THE NEXT GENERATION, a special to be shot at HBO and AEG Live's The Comedy Festival (TCF) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for premiere on TBS Saturday, Nov. 17.

(The four comics, says TBS, are "Reno Collier; TBS's own Jamie Kaler, co-star of the acclaimed sitcom MY BOYS; John Caparulo; and Juston McKinney.")