Michael Phelps was pretty well doomed as host of the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live because he had to follow the opening, with Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton and the much-hoped-for appearance by Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. Good, good bit. Educational, too; who knew there was such a word as "flurge"? Even if Phelps had been as good a host as Peyton Manning, which he wasn't, he would have had a hard time measuring up to the opener. And even if you discount Phelps, the show wasn't that great.

"I got a hit, Schumacher, and Ruddy doesn't count any more."*

– Since I was the guy who asked NBC's Ben Silverman to explain how "My Name Is Earl" and "30 Rock" qualified as family-hour shows, it was with great amusement that I read a New York Times piece with an NBC executive admitting that the 8-9 p.m. slot isn't all that family on Thursdays. The exec told the Times that:

… the family-hour designation should be seen as offering "direction for program development," not "black-and-white expectations" for the audience.

"'It was not to be construed as a return to a strictly defined family hour," he said, featuring wholesome shows like “Little House on the Prairie,” a hit on NBC in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

By the way, the Times story managed to discuss the "MILF Island" episode without ever using the acronym "MILF." Although it did offer an explanation of the term: "referring to a teenager’s crude designation of someone’s sexy mother."

– "American Idol" has announced the finalists in its songwriting contest. The details are after the jump, but just looking at the song titles makes me think I've heard enough before I've heard anything. Examples: "Believe," "You Believe in Me," "You Believed in Me" (because past tense makes all the difference), "All You Will Need," "You Can Do Anything," "Dream Big."

– Is it just me, or was "Saturday Night Live" a humongous snore on Saturday? I'm usually willing to at least sit through sketches, but I found myself muttering "well, I can see where this is going" and hitting fast-forward.

– CBS has announced that the next season of "Survivor" will be shot in high-definition. Oh, goodie. Extra clarity for bug bites, skin tight over ribs and, of course, the pixels needed when swimsuits slip.

*I know, it's not from "30 Rock." It's from "Network," and it seemed to go nicely with this pic and with the "MILF Island" episode generally.

Here's the "Idol" song list:

Simon Fuller has announced the Top 20 finalists for the AMERICAN IDOL Songwriting Competition. Fans can listen to each submission and their cast their vote for the next AMERICAN IDOL hit single at www.AmericanIdol.com.

ALIGN – Written by James Smithson
ALL YOU WILL NEED – Written by Lauren Dion and Phil Minardi
BELIEVE – Written by John Buchanan
DREAM BIG – Written by Emily Shackelton
FAITH – Written by Zach Ziskin
FLY ME AWAY – Written by Scott Sheets
HERE I AM – Written by Tom Kitt, Matt Zarley, and Andy Zulla
IN THIS MOMENT – Written by Ryan Gillmor
NO TURNING BACK – Written by Luke Ebbin and Curt Schneider
ONLY LOVE – Written by Ken Stacey, Windy Wagner and David Walsh
OVERCOME – Written by Mark Holman
SOMETHING LIKE HEAVEN – Written by Aaron Sidwell
STRONGER – Written by Jason Phelps and Mendy Shaw
THANK YOU WHATEVER COMES – Written by Fran Lucci, Danny Powers and Dara Stewart
THE TIME OF MY LIFE – Written by Regie Hamm
WE’RE GONNA MAKE IT – Writen by Noel Cohen, Hugh Colocott and Amber Rhodes
WHEN YOU COME FROM NOTHING – Written by Will Hopkins
YOU BELIEVE IN ME – Written by David Barrett, Kurt Schreitmueller and Dan Yessian
YOU BELIEVED IN ME – Written by Perry Smith
YOU CAN DO ANYTHING – Written by Gail Farrell, Mark Gasbarro and Larry Kenton

Busy weekend with only a little TV, but some comments on "SNL," "Reaper," "The Bachelor" and the local digital-cable overhaul, after the jump …

Today the bride and I mark our fourth wedding anniversary, and a fine marriage it is. We celebrated with an overnight getaway on Friday night. A somewhat challenging getaway, as it turned out. For one thing, it was a dreary, wet, foggy night. And we had actually made reservations for Saturday, but somehow got Friday in our heads and so showed up a day early. Were able to get a room, though. Then, by the time we went out to dinner, it was pretty late for a Friday and every restaurant we stopped by was packed. Since the University of Akron was playing in the MAC semifinals, we decided to get takeout from Swenson's, go back to the room and watch the game on TV. The Swenson's part went as planned, but the hotel TV system didn't have the game. We ended up listening on the radio instead. And still, on balance, had a nice little batch of time together.

Saturday was house-cleaning day, and Sunday involved a couple of small but long-delayed projects, such as rehanging some pictures that had been taken down during a room rearrangement. But we managed to watch Akron in the MAC finals. (They lost, reprising some playing flaws we had seen in earlier games, but at least managed to get an NIT berth.)

Also on the TV side, I am not pleased with the way Time Warner is overhauling its channels lineup. At least where I live, the process is quite gradual — a channel here, a channel there — and so far consists of dropping channels and then making people wait for replacements, if any is coming. For instance, TWC has moved GAC out of the analog tier but has yet to put TV One on in its place. The HD version of Showtime West is gone for good, but Starz HD has not appeared yet. (Nor have the other promised new HD channels.) HBO West's HD feed is also gone, although that's supposed to be temporary.

This all strikes me as really stupid tactically. If you're trying to minimize the irritation that channel changing causes, you should at least have replacements up and running when you peel things out. Instead, I see channels dropped and wonder if TWC is trying to save a few bucks by cutting things out and then delaying the replacement. And it's annoying to have to keep track of a few little changes when I know that I'm going to have to relearn a lot more once the massive overhaul takes place.

As for things I cold watch, I recorded "Saturday Night Live" — Jonah Hill hosting, Mariah Carey the musical guest, a late replacement for an ailing Janet Jackson — and watched it piecemeal on Sunday. Hill makes me laugh, and he did that more than once on the show, notably in "What's Youu Situation?" and as an abrasive 6-year-old dining out with his father. But neither of those sketches had a good ending, and the show overall was flat. A couple of good gags in "Weekend Update" but nothing that I was dying to replay. And Carey's vocals looked, to me at least, as if they had been prerecorded.

Finally caught up with Thursday's telecast of "Reaper" on Sunday. Was glad to have the show back. It's uneven, especially considering its promising premiere, but I have found enough good in it to keep coming back. (Ray Wise alone is worth the hour.) And the romance with the devil's daughter still has possibilities. But I wasn't knocked out by the episode — and I have never been a Jamie Kennedy fan, although he was relatively subdued here.

Watched a preview of tonight's "The Bachelor" and have to say that the bachelorettes seem to include more extreme cases every go-round. Has someone at ABC decided that, oh, "Flavor of Love" has changed the rules on courtship shows? When one bachelorette stuffs her underwear into the bachelor's pocket on tonight's show, it was definitely a step beyond the arm-wrestling and singing.

I should feel terrible about "The Wire" but I can't shake some exhilaration, since the finale was so good and so right. But hasn't "The Wire" always been about grand art made from despair? …

I caught up with the finale this morning via HBO On Demand. More about why in a bit. But it was a fine piece, content to show us the future (bleak though that future may be), comfortable in letting so many of the bad guys win (drug dealers, politicians, a conscienceless reporter and editors), leaving us with some questions. What will McNulty do now, for one? And is Marlo really out of the life, or does he love the blood on the streets too much?

And yet, in the middle of all that, "The Wire" allowed, if not victories, at least the idea that people are still trying to improve themselves and the world around them. Choked up when Bubbles finally got out of the basement. McNulty is still a do-gooder, even if he has lost his old pulpit. Bunk and Kima are still on the job. And Haynes can still look at his newsroom — or at some distant county beat — and know that people are still able and willing to do good, honest work.

So, yeah, the scum floats on top. But the world is not quite lost yet. The greatest sadness is that we have lost "The Wire," but it was able to last a long time with minimal compromise and lovely accomplishment. The finale was loaded with lines that should be inscribed somewhere, like the McNulty "eulogy" and the one about the absence of nostalgia (with an ensuing, non-nostalgic payoff). And the story is so dense, the characters so many, that — like a big, beloved book — I can see myself going back to this thing again.

Not that I would object to a "Wire" movie in a couple of years. Wouldn't want to lose track of McNulty.

It's not entirely fair to turn to "Canterbury's Law," which premieres on Fox tonight, after contemplating the splendor of "The Wire." Where the latter show is one of television's all-time greats, "Canterbury's Law" is, on first viewing, a watchable if less than extraordinary legal show, and one that owes a considerable debt to "The Practice." Well, at least to "The Practice" before it went completely nuts.

On the plus side is Julianna Margulies as Elizabeth Canterbury, a no-holds-barred lawyer with a messy personal life. I know, we've seen that sort before. (Anyone want to reminisce about "The Trials of O'Brien," with Peter Falk? Or "Shannon's Deal," with Jamey Sheridan?) But Margulies makes Canterbury more intriguing than what's on the page — sexy, smart, even a little unpredictable emotionally. What's a little too predictable is the plotting, which in the series premiere leads to a courtroom confrontation that is long before telegraphed, and surprising only in its forcefulness.

On the plus side, this is a decent character piece, not only because of Canterbury. There's also Russell Kraus, an associate of Canterbury's played with chilly, I-don't-care-if-you-like-me authority by Ben Shenkman. And "Oz's" Terry Kinney has a fine turn in the premiere as a prosecutor rival of Canterbury. There's a scene with him and Shenkman that almost sings.

As I said, it's not a great show but it's watchable. In fact, Fox sent out a disc with the pilot and with a second episode that airs well down the line. Since it was clear from the opening of the second episode that a lot will happen in telecasts between the premiere and that latter show, I decided not to watch the later program. I'd rather see how the show gets to that point first.

The sun was out again this morning, as it was on Sunday, and I'm beginning to feel as if there's a world out there. Or I will as soon as they plow my street enough that it's not like riding on bumpy concrete.

But Saturday was madness. By afternoon we had given up trying to stay even with the snow (16.5 inches high in the front yard by then), and had settled into the house for indoor chores and some relaxation. ("The Italian Job" on Blu-ray, very nice looking indeed. And an enjoyable movie even on repeat viewing.)

Recorded "Saturday Night Live" for viewing Sunday, and was not thrilled. Would have expected better material for Amy Adams, who is a fine and funny actress, but it was a flat show full of jokes that were weak on their face, or sketches that had no real ending. Even the digital short's direction was obvious, the only redeeming funny lying in how very, very many times the superhero was punched. As the show wore on, found myself fast-forwarding through far too much. The one thing I did like: Kenan Thompson's insanely apt, French variation on "Def Comedy Jam."

By Sunday evening the roads were passable enough for us to get to the Akron-Kent State men's basketball game. In one respect, it was meaningless, since the MAC has a championship tournament and this just wrapped up the regular season. But it was also a chance for Akron to show it could play with Kent, and that the tournament was up for grabs.

Akron lost, and trailed badly through most of the game, then put on a rally that briefly put the outcome in doubt. (Had they celebrated a little less after tying the game, they might have stopped Kent State's winning score.) But it was interesting to go home and watch the end of the game on TV, since I had also recorded the FSN telecast. And as dramatic-seeming as it was on TV, it wasn't anywhere near what it felt like in the arena. It wasn't as loud, for one thing. And no TV is going to make you feel how hard the seats are shaking from the crowd on its feet.

Of the presidential debate. "Moment of Truth," "Las Vegas," a field trip and other topics. …

Good times this morning. I went down to North Canton Hoover High School to chat with student Joey Manuselis for a film project he was working with, and the dialogue with Joey and a couple of other students continued long after the cameras stopped. Always fun to talk to people who are excited and informed about something — in this case, movies. So thanks for the invitation. And, in case you're checking here, the book I alluded to is Simon Winder's "The Man Who Saved Britain: A Personal Journey into the Disturbing World of James Bond."

I haven't said anything so far about Tuesday's presidential debate, mostly because I know whom I am voting for next week and my thoughts are tied up with whom I'm backing.

Well, most of my thoughts. I did want to say something about Clinton's reference to "Saturday Night Live," and not only because it was not the smoothest introduction of a pop-culture reference into a discussion. (Nowhere close, for instance, to Ronald Reagan's use of "Go ahead, make my day.") It was also a reference that was lost on a lot of people in the viewing audience who had not watched the "Saturday Night Live" sketch about reporters fawning over Obama in a televised debate. If you did miss it, here is a piece of it:

You can also use that to judge Fred Armisen's Obama. Beyond that, though, there's a point that was made by my colleague Julia Keller of the Chicago Tribune when we were chatting today. That is, when a notion (such as the media being unfair to Clinton), has become grist for "SNL," then it's accepted by the culture at large. And if that's the case, then Clinton didn't need to bring it up. People have already accepted it. So, I would argue, she miscalculated in bringing it up — she was stating what was to many people obvious, and so seemed like a complainer when she did.

I've been behind on writing about Monday's "Moment of Truth" telecast, where a woman admitted to being unfaithful to her husband, as one step toward a big payday. Unfortunately for her, she later lost the money she had won, while still leaving her marriage in tatters. (Here's a New York Post story, which I found thanks to TV Tattle.)

I watched it late, because I was at a movie screening on Monday night. But I still watched, in part because I was convinced that Fox's ads for the show had done a Frankenbite, putting together a question and her answer to a different one. I was right about the promos. I also watched because I could not believe that someone would air that much dirty laundry in prime time.

In fact, the woman showed off even more dirty laundry than the promos implied, and I felt more than a little ashamed for watching. But the promo indicated a train wreck, and I couldn't help but tune in. And no amount of self-righteousness by the show — with its warnings during the telecast that this was a serious relationship issue — took away from the tawdriness of it. And still I watched.

I've already gotten e-mail from bereft "Las Vegas" fans organizing to either save the show or at least complete the two-part episode of which only the first part was made and aired. So there's a hunger for the show, although it's not my hunger, and here's a link to a TV Guide online story indicating where things now stand. Which isn't anywhere good right now.

And, via Romenesko, I saw this piece on the legendary Pittsburgh broadcaster Myron Cope. I knew him only as an extraordinarily irritating voice during Steelers games; to my bride's annoyance, I would occasionally lapse into a Cope impression that was even more bothersome than the real thing.

But the piece I linked to makes clear that he was far more than that voice. It's a variation on what happened with, oh, Phil Rizzuto or Herb Score, guys who had considerable accomplishments before they sat behind a microphone, only to — however inadvertently — create new images for themselves by what they did on the air.

And that brings to mind a story about the now-deceased William F. Buckley, but I'll save that for another post.

Well, Oscar night also meant the debut of Jimmy Kimmel's answer to the video by his girlfriend, Sarah Silverman. Here's one link to it. (Some adult content.)

(You can also find it over at http://www.abc.go.com, but I didn't see an embed on that version.) …

The Kimmel video wasn't quite as giddily funny as Silverman's, in part because Silverman got there first, in part because she's a better performer than Kimmel. But the Kimmel piece made comic sense; it was over the top, with more celebs (Brad Pitt, Robin Williams and so on), because a scorned Kimmel would have wanted to top Silverman's video. And it had its amusing bits, none more than hearing Josh Groban — yes, Josh Groban — sing about what Kimmel is doing with Affleck. And the rest of Sunday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," with Affleck the guest and Kimmel determined to keep the gag going, was even funnier than the video.

Saturday, meanwhile, brought the return of "Saturday Night Live," with host Tina Fey, which I watched a little on Saturday and more on a Sunday replay. And Happy Birthday, Don Pardo!

Fred Armisen gets to play Barack Obama opposite Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton. Armisen's Obama has a lot of the vocal inflections and gestures of Obama but I'm not sure he has his impression all the way down yet; also, Poehler's Hillary is perfectly tuned, which may have added to the sense of tentativeness around Armisen's Obama. (It also didn't help that here in Ohio, "SNL" was preceded by an ad for the real Obama.)

Anyway, both of them were put to use in a funny, mean sketch about how much some news folks have gone over to Obama. Promising start. But Fey's bit with Steve Martin wasn't great. Annuale commercial: OK joke, but too long. The "Rock of Love" parody also dragged.

The Digital Short was more of a sketch, but an idea that played pretty well. Especially liked telling grandpa about the off button, and "That phone's in the movie, Grandpa, that's not your phone." The game-show sketch had no real payoff although, like a lot of the show, it gave the women in the cast another chance to show their considerable skills.

Weekend Update: Mike Huckabee was all right, although my favorite piece was probably Seth Meyers' Matthew McConaughey impression. Tina Fey sure misses being at the anchor desk, but I don't know that her return added anything.

Loved the running shot at NBC's prime-time lineup in the "Celebrity Apprentice" sketch (and Casey Wilson was a fine Rachael Ray). Terrific Day-Lewis impression by Bill Hader in the milkshake sketch but even the "No Country" addendum didn't go anywhere. Like the hot-air-balloon ad, but I think Kristen Wiig is good in just about anything. More stuff followed, none of it very memorable. So-so show in total, then, but I don't regret its return.

"Saturday Night Live" will reportedly resume new broadcasts on Feb. 23. Before then, though, it will rerun the show with LeBron James hosting and Kanye West as the musical guest on Feb. 16. The show first aired on Sept. 24. You can read my comments from its original telecast here.

So, do you think there was no digital short this week because of the problems with "Iran So Far"? Other notes (and a little bit of adult humor) after the jump …

In the glory days of "The Carol Burnett Show," its biggest flaw was that sketches would start hilariously but had nowhere to go. They'd just be funny for awhile, then stop, and I never thought the show was as great as some observers did because of those lame endings.

"Saturday Night Live" has long had the same problem: Setups are easy, endings are hard. A somewhat funny piece like the "Douchebag of the Year" sketch in last night's show didn't have an ending; in fact, it felt a lot like a middle — since we hear but don't see the talent portion of the competition. (And didn't you want to see Rogen with the cellphone?)

That said, even in the "Douchebag" sketch — and you cannot imagine how much fun it is to write the word "douchebag" over and over — there was some marvelous stuff. Amy Poehler's Sharon Osbourne made me laugh a lot, and Fred Armisen — currently the show's performing MVP — nailed Gene Simmons.

The high-definition ultrasound: Very funny. The cast as Muppets: a great photo op, even though — again — it didn't go anywhere, and the song choice ("Beyond the Sea") seemed arbitrary and uninteresting. Couple of good lines in Darrell Hammond's Fred Thompson monologue — and there was Armisen again, capturing the squeaky histrionics of Sam Waterston's "Law & Order" speeches. Good Samberg-as-Federline open. Some good stuff in the "Stonetown" sketch, and it was a nice fit with Seth Rogen. In fact, Rogen was a model host for the show, more than ready to do anything, however ridiculous; a little too much cue-card watching, especially in the Tennessee Williams parody with Maya Rudolph (and how great is she, even when given something like the thermos lines to say?), but he was able — and far more relaxed than LeBron James a week ago.

Oh, and in my scribbled notes I had a positive reference to "Meyers-convent" that, since I've now seen a transcript, referred to this line: "A convent in Italy was shut down after three of its nuns got into a fight. Said God, 'Ladies relax, there's enough of Me to go around.' "

Overall, in fact, the show felt like an improvement over last week's season opener. Could be Rogen. Could just be that they've got the first show of the season behind them. But while the show is uneven as all get out (as it has often been over its long history), there are things worth a laugh. Rogen and Kristen Wiig as those kids!

Which brings me, alas to Chevy Chase. In what felt terribly like some kind of ancient favor repaid by Lorne Michaels, Chase did a political roundup. My buddy Alan Sepinwall was at the dress rehearsal and thought seeing Chase was cool. I thought his bit was hammy, slow, forced and mostly not funny, an attempt to recapture something that lost its freshness about 30 years ago.

But I'm still seeing enough to record the show.

And, a final douchebag note: As I mentioned over on Sepinwall's blog, the use of the word "douchebag" has some "SNL" tradition behind it. In the fifth-season finale in May 1980, a cast looking at life after the show did a sketch that involved, among others, Lord and Lady Douchebag. Buck Henry was in it. It was a shocker, but it was also deadly funny. (A transcript is here. One line: "Douchebag, how are you? I haven't seen you in the House of Lords in ages! Don't tell me for the first time in memory we are going to have a House of Parliament without a Douchebag?")

"Douchebag" is timeless, and Chevy's not.

Well, last night saw LeBron James take the stage of "Saturday Night Live." I'd give him a C plus, but part of that has to do with it being a C minus show overall. Decent digital short, nods to Akron and to St. V, couple of laughs but there wasn't a "Box" song or, to look at sports figures and "SNL," a Peyton Manning/United Way bit. LeBron didn't do himself any harm, but he didn't advance his offcourt performing cause, either.

Sketch by sketch notes after the jump ball …

LeBron bits first:

– Opening monologue: Niiiiice suit. Needs to remember to pause for applause between lines. Claims that, for people who don't watch basketball, the Cavs swept the Spurs in the NBA finals. And for those who do, "Be cool. Shut up." Shout-out to "my family back in Akron." Seemingly teary about them not being there. Then a cut to pretape of his commercial characters watching the show. He does these guys fairly well, but — aside from an Eddie Murphy reference — not very funny. Then back to the set, where he's finishing a blackboard diagram on "how you fix our health care system."

– First sketch: Charity organization with LeBron auctioning off a night with him. He plays straight man to Kristen Wiig for most of it. When he has to do the gag lines, he's a little stiff. And the sketch is lame.

– "High School Musical 3" promo parody with LeBron as a new kid trying out for the basketball tea. Andy Samberg as Zac, Maya Rudolph as Vanessa (naked in the skit). Not much of a sketch, but LeBron handles his fragment of singing well.

– LeBron tapes a "Read to Achieve" PSA, with a hyper-sensitive stagehand. Escalating funny, and LeBron does losing his temper well. Funniest LeBron sketch so far.

– "The Lyle Kane Show." Goofy white guy (Will Forte) hosting a talk show on "Black ET," as he keeps calling it. LeBron as his first guest, Tim, just as goofy as Lyle — although you can see early on that LeBron is fighting to keep from laughing. Also gets to mime playing the flute, to great applause. Nothing sketch, though.

– LeBron as a "Solid Gold" dancer. OK, just a laugh to see him in the outfit. And for his expression during the "interview" segment. The silliest dancing is left to the other performers, but he's still playing along.

– Brief appearance at the end of the Kanye West/106 & Park sketch. Kanye is asked to defend his behavior at awards shows, with "clips" of him complaining at the Kids' Choice awards, the Nobel Prizes, Thistledown County Fair best-pumpkin contest and … "Saturday Night Live" (for not being host). LeBron and Lorne Michaels mildly amusing about Kanye's rant, but it's not much of a sketch. If Kanye himself wasn't doing it, wouldn't be of any interest at all.

–"Great Moments in Guidance Counseling." A counselor at ST. V! Advising LeBron, who wants to go to college instead of the NBA. The counselor talks him into the NBA. Once again, LeBron is fighting laughter at times, and a little more obvious about looking at cue cards. But the sketch just fizzles.

– And goodnight.

As for bits not involving LeBron:

– Show opened with Darrell Hammond's Bill Clinton and Amy Poehler's Hillary, as she declared victory in next week's election — bashing other Democrats along the way. While Hammond and Poehler are dead-on funny, the sketch was slow and too long. But the smiling vitriol re John Edwards was amusing, as was the description of our own Dennis Kuchinich: "My sweet, teeny-tiny, itsy-bitsy, miniature friend."

– Commercial parody. "Angry Dog" food, with Michael Vick on the bag. Ho hum.

– Digital short. Samberg's ode to the president of Iran. "Like a very hairy Jake Gyllenhaal to me." Not the "box" song, or "Lazy Sunday," but it's making me laugh. And I like the appearance by Adam Levine of Maroon 5. (NBC has the video online this morning.)

– Kanye West performs twice. Love the glow-in-the-dark stripes on the jacket. Audio drops noticeable. Liked the first song better.

– "Weekend Update." Unfortunate Poehler hair. Good joke about a man proposing marriage in a crossword. Kenan Thompson is funny, but his OJ bit isn't well written. Fred Armisen as the president of Iran (again, since he was also in the digital short), with Maya Rudolph as his translator; probably better on paper. Very good joke about a swastika handbag/Columbia University. But too much dead air overall.

– "Ambiguously Gay Duo." Attempt to out them using the Minneapolis airport undercover pollce. Not a fan.

The "Saturday Night Live" announcement follows the jump.

He knows comedy: LBJ at the ESPYs

Fresh off its recent Emmy wins, NBC's "Saturday Night Live" returns for its 33rd season on September 29 (11:30 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. ET) for three consecutive shows with a diverse and star-studded line-up.

Making their fifth appearance, musical guest Foo Fighters will perform from their sixth studio release "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace." Its first single "The Pretender" has garnered early praise as "explosive" (Billboard) and a "super-rock torpedo" (Rolling Stone). Foo Fighters are among an elite group of American bands in the SoundScan era (Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Green Day, Korn, System of a Down) whose first five major label studio records exceeded platinum. With "Echoes," their sixth, and most ambitious, the Foos are poised to make history.

List is here I expect to have more to say later, including about "Friday Night Lights" getting shafted … and what may be my happiest nomination of the day — for the Andy Samberg/Justin Timberlake "box" song on "Saturday Night Live," in the "outstanding original music and lyrics" category… Tell you what: Since I've been posting more notes in the comments below, comment on what you like/dislike in the nominations and I'll try to respond … if I ever get over the "FNL" oversights that is. CONNIE BRITTON! CONNIE BRITTON!

"Saturday Night Live," "Friday Night Lights" and — even without a day in its title — "Grease," after the jump …

Not sure if I'll post anything on the Grammys; Beacon Journal pop music writer Malcolm X Abram is blogging during the telecast, and you can find the link on www.ohio.com.

Has been a semi-lazy Sunday, aside from groceries and some other shopping. Felt dragged after Saturday, when I did work, including the difficult, emotional task of covering a local Navy man's funeral. Got through it, but didn't watch much TV other than Thursday's "CSI." Caught up some today.

So, notes:

"CSI" was a strange, grim episode wrapping up the tale of Grissom's fill-in (Liev Schreiber) in a way that made very sure we won't be seeing him again. Very much a departure for "CSI" in its low portion of geek science. At the same time, it could be seen as an argument in favor of the geek scientists. They may have their problems, but they're nothing compared to what the old street cops brought to the table — rape, incest, murder, corruption, a severed hand.

"Grease" is now on. Opening group sing: "Summer Lovin'." Lots of hammy rivalry and shoving for the microphone. Twist announced: The two lowest vote getters among the Sandys and the Dannys will have a sing-off for their survival. Introduction of the judges, with special guest Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Video recap of last week's show, with contestant comments. Much posturing.

Break, so let's talk "Saturday Night Live," with host Forest Whitaker. The digital short wasn't much. Whitaker was obviously a good sport, happy to do some silly business — and to sing — but also willing to let other people run the sketches. In fact, it was Maya Rudolph's night — as Whitney, as half of "Bronx Beat" with Amy Poehler, as Whitaker's duet partner. "Bronx Beat" was giggly just because Poehler and Rudolph went with it. Her Whitney was entertaining, though the sketch dragged on too long. (I'm also wondering how Whitaker felt about the Whitney-mocking considering he directed "Waiting to Exhale." Of course, that could have made him even more all right about it.)

Back to "Grease." We're doing an "Idol"-ish who's-safe thing. Kevin, Derek, Chad and Austin step forward — are all safe. That leaves Matt, Max and Jason. Max is also safe. That leaves it between Matt, the guy who was brought back by the judges, and Jason for the sing-off.

Women's turn: Ashley A, Ashley S, Laura and Kathleen are called forward. Ashley Anderson, the other judge bring-back, is in the sing-off. Ashley S, Laura and Kathleen are safe. Allie, Juliana and Kate are left; Allie gets the sing-off.

The returnees sing first. Max goes with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." Laura follows with Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" theme. Very strange choice, and only a so-so performance. Judges more enthusiastic. Next: Ashley S. and Derek. He does "Footloose," with backup dancers. Gee, you think they're trying to give him a boost? Ashley S. does "Take That Look Off Your Face," another Lloyd Webber song. She's getting better; she's gotten that screechy tendency considerably under control, except for a little trouble at the end. And she looked a little orange in the lights.

Judges: High marks from Kathleen, Lloyd Webber, Jim and Snarky Brit, although SB wanted more anger from Ashley S.

Another break, so let me finish my "SNL" thoughts. Other good stuff: Darrell Hammond's Jesse Jackson (and that whole bit, especially the end), Valentine's Day with the Cheneys. Overall, it was a show where I less inclined to fast-forward than usual.

Still in a break, so let's talk "FNL," which I finally watched today. Solid episode, as I have come to expect from the drama. Especially impressed by its refusal to resolve the core issue in an hour, or even to have the main antagonist be genuinely regretful. What a show. I am running out of ways to explain how much I value it.

So now we can stay with "Grease." Kevin sings "Burning Love," Juliana does "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." When I listen to Kevin's Elvisness, I hear Simon Cowell saying "a little too cabaret." Definitely too Vegas. (I know, he's auditioning for a Broadway show, but even "Grease" has more hair on its chest than this.) And he's really having trouble with the melody. Got backup dancers, though.

"Evita" always makes me think of the TV ads I used to see for it during its Broadway heyday, with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin going "not much to ask for. Or something. It was 30 years ago, you know. As for Juliana, decent voice but I feel as if she's dragging out the performance. Lloyd Webber looks as if he's wincing at the end.

Snarky Brit not crazy about Kevin, and thinks Juliana is too polished. Lloyd Webber says neither has made the song their own, the way the previous performers did; seems to be taking the blame for Juliana's performance. Kathleen not crazy about Kevin, either, and unenthused about Juliana. Jim — told to answer "very quickly" — is a huge apologist for both, saying he's seen them better.

Back from a break: Lloyd Webber gives a guarded endorsement to a new "Grease," although he wishes for a more diverse range of performers. (By the way, I haven't mentioned it yet today but the enthusiastic crowd, complete with signs, is quite annoying tonight. I find it not very credible.) Then the expected ga-ga sequence of the people working with ALW, leading into a group sing of "Phantom of the Opera." Not for the first time, I think Lloyd Webber is struggling to listen politely, and to let Billy Bush make the gushy comments. I remember a show on Bravo — back when it was a cultural channel — where Stephen Sondheim worked with some singers. He felt no need to be polite, directly correcting their work, his criticism unvarnished. Let's get him for a "Grease" episode.

Right.

Chad, "My Eyes Adored You." From "Jersey Boys," we're told, as part of an ongoing attempt to use compilation shows as a pretext for considering these Broadways songs. Not great, particularly on the high notes. Kate, "Buenos Aires." She seems to be much blonder. More talky than singing, even in places she could sing harder. Not good on some high notes. Let's see how Lloyd Webber looks … Down at his notes, clapping limited. And he's first up for comment. Spares Chad, who has the flu. Jokes with Kate about investing in his new show. Then calls her a terrific singer. Other judges basically kind.

Austin, "Ease On Down the Road." Big dance routine, not impressive vocal. Kathleen, "Memory." I liked her quite a bit last week. This time, not so much. She's no Betty Buckley. They have to stop showing Lloyd Webber at the end of songs; he seems really not to enjoy himself, no matter what he says after.

And coming up … the sing-off. Videotape of reactions backstage after they were told they were at the bottom of the votes. Tears included. So how is this thing going to work? Jason and Allie were the lowest vote-getters. But the panel will decide who goes home. Song: "Tears on My Pillow," each to sing part of it — Jason followed by Matt, Allie and Ashley A., then back and forth between the two women. After hearing these fragments, I'd keep Jason and, based solely on this performance, Ashley A. even though she's been very bad before. Results after the break.

Judges — only the regular three — make their call. Jason survives. Allie survives. So the two who were brought back for a second chance, Matt and Ashley A., both go bye-bye. And Jason and Allie get to do their regular performance for audience voting. Jason takes "That'll Be the Day." Very unfortunate. Allie does "I Don't Know How to Love Him." Much better.

Recap. Then the judges pick their faves of the week. Snarky Brit goes for Austin and Laura. Kathleen has Derek and Kathleen. Jim picks Max and Laura. Lloyd Webber — who politely avoids punching Bush for once again calling him "World Wide Webber" — calls it for Derek and Laura; Laura "staggered' him. Not sure about that, but Ashley Spencer told me some time ago that she thought Laura was the toughest competition.

And that's enough for this post.

Colts. Bears. Talking lions. K-Fed. Katie. Dave and Oprah. Rainy night in Florida (and on CBS camera lenses). Prince rules. More after the jump ...