The most recent (and next to last) vidcast about this season's "Dancing With the Stars" is here. You will note my delight about Joanna Krupa's departure.

As I said, I spent part of today with Corbin Bernsen, who was in Akron to check out the All-American Soap Box Derby, which he would like to make a movie about. An account of my conversation with him is here.

I keep looking at Oprah Winfrey's announcement that she is ending her syndicated talk show in 2011 and having two thoughts. First, that 2011 is still more than a year away, and her mind may change. Second, that even if she leaves daytime broadcast TV, I don't see her giving up a bully pulpit entirely, especially not when she is launching her own cable net in '11. Consider this statement re her future, from the head of Discovery Communications, a partner in her network:

“There is no bigger brand in media than Oprah Winfrey. She has changed the broadcast landscape and how people consume television. Along the way, she impacted our culture and touched us all. We congratulate her and our friends at Harpo for their many achievements, and their years of creating truly ground-breaking television. Discovery Communications has a tremendous partner in Oprah, and we look forward to bringing her and her creative vision, programming and unique voice to approximately 80 million homes on OWN, as well as online through the award-winning Oprah.com.”

Since noting that, I have watched her at the end of today's show. I will take her at her word that she is done with the syndicated program, and that the next 18 months will be quite a ride, especially in the 25th and apparently final season. On the other hand, when she refers to "conjecture" and "speculation" about what she will do next, I am happy to jump aboard — if only to say she can end the show as currently presented and titled, and still go on to something similar. (Was there a difference, really, between "Late Night With David Letterman" and "Late Show With David Letterman"?) I mentioned before her "bully pulpit," as in Theodore Roosevelt's declaring the presidency "a bully pulpit for preaching." And Winfrey has certainly used her, including for the movie "Precious," discussed below. I think she will want to continue to have such a pulpit, and a daily show is a good one.

Notes about the film, which has arrived on area screens, after the jump.

I had certain expectations about "Precious" before I saw it Thursday night. I expected it to be good, and I was right. I expected it to be graphic and painful to watch, and was only partly right.

Although there are a couple of graphically horrifying scenes in "Precious," its agony is not as visual as, say, Lori Petty's "The Poker House," which has some of the same issues and themes as "Precious." Instead, much of the pain in "Precious" is verbally generated, both from the words that people say to each other and from the struggles by characters, including Precious and her mother, to use language. (One of the nicer touches in the film is to show the credits as Precious might have written them at that point, words dropped, others barely spelled out.)

It is not only that we want to hear Precious talk about her agony (and her dreams), so that she can deal with them. We also want to hear her mother talk about the horrors she visited on Precious, both at her own hands and by her complicity in the abuse by Precious's father. Especially in the way "Precious" involves its title character's gaining the power to speak, the film recalls Laurie Halse Anderson's influential adolescent novel "Speak," where a girl's rape leads her into silence before she, like Precious, finds her voice again.

And the words probably burn more than a scene depicting the actions would have. They are searing, especially coming from Mo'Nique, marvelously playing Precious's mother, whether she is pouring venom on Precious or trying to rationalize what she has done. There has been Oscar talk about Mo'Nique, and it is deserved.

Still, working with Geoffrey Fletcher's script (from Sapphire's novel) and Lee Daniels's direction, there are other actors doing good work — Mariah Carey is surprisingly effective in a supporting role, and Gabourey Sidibe as Precious delivers a touching, textured and uncompromising performance.

Precious makes great progress in the movie, but Sidibe keeps the transformation tightly reined; at the end, we can hope that Precious will be all right but — as she walks, with two small children and an eighth-grade reading level — we are forced to recognize that she is taking our hopes into a difficult, rawly real world. For that reason, I cannot call the movie optimistic. But for that same reason, I can call it smart but hopeful. I carried its torments with me long after the movie was over, but I also carried a belief that, with help (and Precious gets a great deal of it) and with determination (which Precious gains), people sometimes get through the worst that life throws at them.

Very good movie. Difficult parts. Worth seeing.

Spent part of the morning at Derby Downs with Corbin Bernsen — and how often do you get to write a line like that? — then wrote my video column and my Bernsen story, while researching a couple of other things along the way. And Oprah has just said she'll make her announcement at the END of her show today. So I haven't gotten to quite a few other things, from viewing the NBC Thursday comedies (saw "The Office" so far and that's it) to writing up my promised "Precious" notes. Sometime tonight, I expect. Still, here are a couple of items of interest that crossed the desk . . .

Netflix and IFC have made a new deal to stream some independent films. The word:

In a move designed to increase the reach of independent cinema, IFC Entertainment, one of the leading distributors of independent and foreign films, and Netflix, the world’s largest online movie rental service, today announced a partnership that gives Netflix U.S. rights to 53 unique titles from IFC Entertainment. Through this agreement select titles from IFC Entertainment’s eclectic library of independent films will become available to be streamed instantly to televisions and computers via the Netflix service. . . .

In addition, some of the most celebrated foreign language titles of recent years can be instantly streamed from Netflix, including Susanne Bier's BROTHERS, Patrice Chereau's GABRIELLE, Hirokazu Kore-Eda's Cannes prize winner NOBODY KNOWS, Lukas Moodysson's TOGETHER, Christophe Honoré’s DANS PARIS, Catherine Breillat SEX IS COMEDY, Alfonso Cuaron SOLO CON TU PAREJA, Kristian Levring THE INTENDED and Hou Hsiao Hsien’s THREE TIMES.

A reader asked not long ago when "Boondock Saints II" would be available in local theaters. Here's the skinny:

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints will be opening in Akron and Cleveland this Wednesday (November 25th) at some area theaters including Regal Montrose, University Plaza 10 and Cinemark Valley View. The film has opened to great numbers in other cities and is now expanding wider on 11/25.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day is the much-anticipated sequel to the indie cult classic, The Boondock Saints. The film is the continuation of writer/director Troy Duffy’s tough, stylized cutting edge saga of the MacManus brothers (Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery). The two have been in deep hiding with their father, Il Duce (Billy Connolly), in the quiet valleys of Ireland, far removed from their former vigilante lives. When word comes that a beloved priest has been killed by sinister forces from deep within the mob, the brothers return to Boston to mount a violent and bloody crusade to bring justice to those responsible. With a new partner in crime (Clifton Collins Jr., Star Trek) and a sexy FBI operative (Julie Benz, TV's “Dexter”) hot on their trail…the Saints are back.

I mentioned on FB and Twitter that I would be posting more thoughts here about "Precious," but it is unlikely I will post them before Friday, and probably not before later in the day.

The ABC announcement:

ABC announces the premiere of the sixth and final season of “Lost,” with a special all-night event on Tuesday, February 2. A recap special will kick off the night from 8:00-9:00 p.m., ET, followed by the much anticipated two-hour premiere from 9:00-11:00 p.m.

“Lost” stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Nestor Carbonell as Richard Alpert, Emilie de Ravin as Claire, Michael Emerson as Ben, Jeff Fahey as Frank Lapidus, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Ken Leung as Miles, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Terry O’Quinn as Locke and Zuleikha Robinson as Ilana.

No big stars in them, but they might amuse. And they start online after tonight's "Grey's." Full announcement after the jump.

Dedicated to expanding its network and channel brands across multiple platforms and connecting viewers with their favorite shows anytime and anywhere, Disney/ABC Television Group announced the debut of a new “Grey’s Anatomy” webisode series entitled “Seattle Grace: On Call.” Sponsored by Bertolli, the new online series consists of six individual webisodes, each four to five minutes in length, as well as a special behind-the-scenes episode which chronicles the making of “Seattle Grace: On Call.” The first webisode will be available online tonight, November 19, beginning at 10:00 p.m., ET, following the broadcast airing of the latest episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”

“Grey's Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Katherine Heigl as Isobel “Izzie” Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie

Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey, Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt and Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins.

“Grey's Anatomy” was created and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes (“Introducing Dorothy Dandridge”). Betsy Beers (“Casanova”), Mark Gordon (“Saving Private Ryan”), Krista Vernoff (“Law & Order”), Rob Corn (“Chicago Hope”), Mark Wilding (“Jake: 2.0”) and Allan Heinberg (“The O.C.) are executive producers. “Grey’s Anatomy” is an ABC Studios production.

Media Contacts:
ABC.com – Karen Hobson – (818) 569-7789, Karen.Hobson@disney.com
“Grey’s Anatomy” – Amy Astley – (818) 460-7952, Amy.Astley@abc.com

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Looking at new TV, old TV, movies, home-video releases, books, music and just plain weird things landing on my desk.

TCM is making a big to-do over its airings and the DVD release of "Remember the Night," a Fred MacMurray-Barbara Stanwyck holiday film that has apparently been overlooked. From the network:

It’s going to be a very special holiday for movie fans this year as Turner Classic Movies (TCM) presents the rarely seen gem Remember the Night during a December packed with holiday favorites. The critically acclaimed 1940 classic – starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray and scripted by the great Preston Sturges – will air several times throughout the month, most notably on Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. (ET). Beginning Nov. 20, the film will also be available on DVD for the first time ever as part of a partnership between TCM and Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE).

More about the TCM/DVD version after the jump, along with TCM's list of its holiday programming. But before we get to that, here's some of what the authoritative The Movie Guide said about "Remember the Night":

You'd have to be a grump not to like this funny, sentimental blend of pathos, drama and zaniness. … Sturges had a way of designing a picture so that it could get right to the brink of syrup, then pull back with an hysterical comedy sequence. … It could have been maudlin and dreary in many other hands but [director Mitchell] Leisen and Sturges have made this a wonderful Yuletide movie that's good watching any time of year.

And so to the jump.

Continuing the TCM announcement:

“It’s one of those quirky twists of fate that a film as exceptional as Remember the Night has been so overlooked when it comes to great Christmas movies,” said TCM host Robert Osborne. “It’s our hope at TCM that our special Christmas Eve showing of this holiday gem, now fully remastered, will help give it a much-deserved new life.”

8:15 a.m. – 3 Godfathers (1948), starring John Wayne, Pedro Armindáriz, Harry Carey Jr. and Ward Bond.

So I was watching the latest episode of "Friday Night Lights" on my little laptop, via the press feed from DirecTV, with less than perfect video and a big DirecTV logo on the screen much of the time. And I was so drawn into it and touched by it that I said I small thank-you to DirecTV for helping to keep the show going.

But even more I was thinking, how effing stupid is NBC that it has not put this show on during the fall, in the regular season, and promoted the living daylights out of it, and made it a crown jewel in its schedule. The mass broadcast audience ought to see this, people deserve to see this, and it's a great great show, and so much better than something like "Mercy" or "Trauma" or five hours of Jay freakin' Leno every week. And the fact that the network has not done that should tell you all you need to know about how idiotic the management at NBC is.

After the jump, some notes about the episode.

In what's been a good season so far, this, the fourth episode, may be the best. The news about Saracen's dad felt a little like piling on in a telecast that had been fine up to that point, but it was also a real punch in the gut. (Also, as I was finished watching it, I got a CNN e-mail about the latest U.S. deaths in Afghanistan.)

And it came after we had already had the effective moments with Tami being badgered on the radio, and the pep rally, and Landry and Jess (and Jurnee Smollett just lights up the screen, but we already knew that), and dinner at the Taylors, and the Riggins-Saracen fireside conversation.

And we know that even though Vince and Luke are going to have to deal with each other, that story's not done; we have already seen that Vince's peer group is going to make it difficult for him to go his own way, and this episode showed us that Luke is still running with the West Dillon guys and they're not going to make his life any easier. (Although I would have thought they would have hung around when the police came to the fight, to back up whatever story Luke told.)

Jess's dad, of course, is another story that we're moving slowly into, and Steve Harris is making full use of his glower. But the stuff with him is a reminder of how well "FNL" does with what people do not say — him talking to Eric at the barbecue place, for instance, or Buddy's face at the pep rally, or the way Riggins and Saracen were forced to say to each other what they haven't said to anyone else, or Julie's conversation with the assistant coach. (And couldn't you tell how much he loved saying "assistant coach" when he said it at the Taylor house.) I half expected Tami to call in to the radio station, or even to go there, to face the complainers, but that was too tidy for "FNL." The chocolate was a much better moment.

Still on not talking, Eric obviously had a nice little talk for the East Dillon alumni, but was cut off — and the cutoff was completely appropriate to the moment. And I just loved everything that was going on at the pep rally. And Landry kissing Jess — for those of us who have been with the show from the beginning, that was a moment when the show demonstrated how much Landry has grown and changed over the course of the show. (Smiled, too, when he at first declined to be the chauffeur, and reminded us that he had played that part before.)

And I know, I am bouncing all over the place, but that's because my head is jumbled with thoughts and feelings from the episode, because it moved me. And that, again, makes me think how stupid NBC is.

After the jump, notes on last night's "Glee" and "Modern Family," Monday's "How I Met Your Mother" and on last week's "Parks and Recreation" and "30 Rock."

This week's mailbag is here.

Another good "Glee" in musical terms — especially liked the mashup of "Young Girl" and "Don't Stand So Close to Me" — but iffy in storytelling. Quinn's parents may be slow on the uptake (and quick with the highball glass) but it's still implausible that they had been in the dark about her pregnancy for so long. I know, Mom (Charlotte Ross) supposedly knew but had said nothing, but Dad (Gregg Henry, slimy as ever) seems like someone who would be wired in the community, and who would have had more questions about Quinn leaving the Cheerios. And Puck's role as the secret baby daddy gets less and less secret, so you would think word would have reached Finn by now.

Considering this show is set in Ohio (nice Ohio Stadium poster in Finn's room), I would have expected more of a nod to the Pretenders' NE Ohio roots. And "Lean on Me," though reasonably well done, is a cliche — which, I guess, you could defend because these are kids who wouldn't see it as cliched — and one that could have used more Club Nouveau in the mix.

Also, in one of those moments where it seems as if writers are all drinking the same water, this week's "Two and a Half Men" also used the device of character-thought-voiceovers during dialogue, and in fact used it somewhat better. (Puck, though, would fit right in over at "Men.")

On the other hand, the Rachel-crush storyline made me laugh more than once, especially in the uneasiness running through the "Endless Love" performance. And the payoff to the Quinn-Finn story was pretty well done.

All that being said, "Modern Family" completely ruled. What more can I say about the joys of a show that in half an hour offers "True," "The Gunfighter," Edward Norton, Elizabeth Banks, the creepy-funny baby-jealousy plot, and a super performance by Ed O'Neill? Even if other, less-known actors could have done just as well as the promotable Banks and Norton, both played their parts to the hilt, and Banks once again shows how you can be funny and terrifying simultaneously. Loving this show.

I wanted to go back to the CBS Monday comedies for several reasons. I mentioned the "Men"-"Glee" connection. And in my weekly vidcast, I paid homage to Kaley Cuoco of "Big Bang Theory" for the very good work she is doing in a show that focuses more on the guys; this week, her interaction with Sheldon was far more entertaining than the — talk about a cliche — accidental-stoner plot (although that had some laughs, too).

But I especially wanted to key in on "How I Met Your Mother" because I found the payoff to the episode so unpleasant. The whole business with the Playbook was funny, yes. But when it becomes clear that Robin is unhappy over Barney's renewed womanizing, it takes something away from Barney to have that just be part of his total scam. Barney plays the jerk, but he's not really one, and the idea that he would carefreely hurt Robin is wrong. And having her get a thrill from her new co-anchor doesn't mitigate that.

Going back to last Thursday, I've already noted my enjoyment of "The Office" and "Community." "30 Rock" and "Parks and Recreation" did just fine, too. I like the way there's an emotional current in Jack-Liz, and that Jack's zapping Liz was not so much about business as about his feelings being hurt, without that being pounded into our heads; it looks as if they could have more fun with the new "TGS" cast member, and I was very amused by the new hints that Kenneth is Not That He Seems. (And we now know that his hometown is not entirely What It Seemed.) "Parks and Recreation" is on a nice roll, although the shoeshine story was much funnier than the "murinal" one.

"Precious," the acclaimed movie, will add several theaters in Northeast Ohio on Friday, including Cedar Lee, Valley View, Regal Richmond and Regal Severance.

My latest vidcast is here. Notes on 50th anniversary of "Porgy & Bess" movie, Kaley Cuoco, Nick Offerman, the book "Dear Old Love," DVD of "My One and Only," Aqua Teen Hunger Force holiday CD, and a look at a famous "Breaking Bad" promotional …. apron.

"Melrose Place" got a ratings bump from the return of La Locklear, but I wouldn't say it was a big one; still only about 1.5 million viewers . From The CW: "With Heather Locklear’s return, MELROSE PLACE delivered its best women 18-34 (1.6/4), women 18-49 (1.1/3) and total viewers (1.54mil) in 6 weeks (since Oct. 6), according to preliminary live plus same day Nielsen ratings for Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009. MELROSE PLACE improved over last week by 33% in women 18-34, 38% in adults 18-34 (1.1/3), 22% in women 18-49 and 20% in total viewers."

ABC Family says "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" and "Make It or Break It" will be back on Jan. 4, and "Greek" on Jan. 25.

I yelled happily when it was announced …

that Joanna was going home and Kelly was staying. It was not a result I expected — I thought Donny might go — and we still don't know what the votes looked like, since the show said Kelly/Joanna was not necessarily the bottom two.

Not for a second will I claim Kelly was a better dancer than Joanna, although I might argue that — this week — she was better than Donny. But Kelly has proven a much better "journey" for the show, improving by, uh, leaps and bounds over the course of the program. She seems genuinely grateful for kind words from the judges and votes from the public. She has been, pure and simple (or, pure and simple and tattooed), a sweetheart and people have come to like her. (As I said before, I have met her and liked her long before this.)

And I have not liked Joanna, or Joanna & Derek, who have seemed arrogant and showy, and appeared to be getting a free ride from the judges at times — favorable comments for posing instead of dancing, reprising predictable moves and being praised for it. And, as Lynne and I discussed in last week's video, this is also a popularity contest. And the only way I would have complained about Kelly surviving would have been if Mya had been voted off. Because Mya is a better dancer, AND I like her.

"The Limits of Control," the latest film by Northeast Ohio's Jim Jarmusch, arrives on DVD today. After the jump, my review of the film when it appeared in theaters.

I can't say that I was ever bored by The Limits of Control, the latest film from writer-director Jim Jarmusch. He makes real movies, ones that make you watch closely, that draw your eye to different corners of the frame, that don't fall back on dialogue and exposition because that would take away from the pictures slowly unfolding across the screen.

But Jarmusch, who grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, does make me restless. He tells his stories at his own, often deliberate pace. And while that creates a sense of tension that is agonizing in The Limits of Control, it also made me long repeatedly for the clarity of a more conventional and straightforward film.

Jarmusch does not feel the need to be a crowd-pleaser. He will go with an untidy ending, as was the case in his previous film, Broken Flowers. In The Limits of Control, he makes few concessions to explanation, sending the audience along with his characters and making you figure it out — if you can — as the movie goes along.

The Limits of Control sends us out with the Lone Man (Isaach De Bankol, recently seen on 24 as Ule Matobo, and a veteran of three previous Jarmusch movies). He is given an assignment by two other men, one that sends him across Spain, to a series of meetings with other people of mystery, to the exchange of objects, and eventually to the final job he has been given.

The journey is a slow one, with the Lone Man often spending time waiting for his next meeting, each of which includes a monologue — on film, or science, or art — by the person he is meeting. There is a woman who shows up in his room, naked, and stays with him, but the Lone Man has no interest in sex — not, at least, while he is working.

Much of Limits of Control is built like a puzzle, with many lines repeated in different contexts, with changing meanings. (Jarmusch took the film's title from a William S. Burroughs essay which, Jarmusch has said, "is mostly about language as a control mechanism.")

The director also has noted the influence of the Lee Marvin film Point Blank — later retooled for Mel Gibson as Payback — and De Bankol's performance is full of echoes of Marvin's laconic, terrifyingly focused character; at one point it even seems as if they have worn matching suits.

But Point Blank is still an action film, with more happening in its early minutes than The Limits of Control manages in its entire length. Jarmusch also has mentioned that director Michelangelo Antonioni "looms large in my subconscious," and I saw a lot of Antonioni in The Limits of Control. Unfortunately, what I saw was what also drives me crazy in Antonioni, particularly the taking of a very slow road to a place that remains unclear.

As I said, The Limits of Control made me very restless. But also endlessly curious, and more than a little anxious, as the tension built. The movie has moments of great humor, and its revisiting of certain phrases makes us rethink their meaning. De Bankol says little but demands our attention with the authority and the subtle shifts in emotion in his face.

That doesn't feel like enough for me to want to sit through the movie again. But I can imagine lingering over frames of it, like the Lone Man studying museum paintings during one of his long waits for his next meeting. Jarmusch makes interesting pictures, even if the motion picture around them is less of a delight.

It will begin airing it on various channels in 2011. The Michael Jackson movie, which I very much enjoyed, is still in theaters. The DVD and Blu-ray are being presold but without a fixed release date; reports have it hitting stores in early 2010, and the MTV release confirms that while noting the nets will help peddle it.

Here's the MTV announcement:

MTV Networks (a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), has acquired the exclusive United States television rights to air one of the most anticipated films of the year — Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

THIS IS IT, premiered nationwide on October 28, earning the #1 box office spot for the weekend and offering Jackson fans and music lovers everywhere a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out, historic comeback concerts that would have kicked off this past summer at London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling from March through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind the scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing numerous songs for the show. Audiences are given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he was never before seen. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson’s This Is It is the last documentation of Michael Jackson at work, capturing the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work.

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Warner Home Video is offering a consumers a chance to upgrade their CDs to Blu-ray. Here's the announcement:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group today launched “DVD2Blu.com,” a site that allows consumers to upgrade the movies they already own on DVD to Blu-Ray Disc, the absolute best way to watch movies at home. Consumers can select from over 50 of Warner Home Video’s most sought-after titles to upgrade including “Body of Lies,” “A Christmas Story” and “Michael Clayton.”

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group is proud to be a leader in environmental stewardship and is committed to recycling the DVDs that consumers send in as part of the DVD2Blu program. The intellectual property is fully destroyed and all of the physical components are reused or recycled. For more information on Warner Bros. environmental initiatives, please visit http://wbenvironmental.warnerbros.com/.

The host of the classic game show "Remote Control" has died. Obit here. I was a pretty devoted fan of "Remote Control," the pop-culture quiz airing on MTV. (How devoted? Enough not only to be aware of Kari Wurher, but to argue that the show declined when she left.) The show had a smart-alecky quality that appealed, and Ober managed both to fit that attitude but to be likable at the same time, so the show did not feel mean. I vaguely remember meeting Ober once after the end of "Remote Control," and he was a good guy — and happy that people still fondly recalled his work on the show. Very sorry about his passing. He was only 52.

Local folks should have noticed that WJW is carrying the Browns-Ravens game tonight (which makes me shudder just to think about). Fox's new episodes of "House" and "Lie to Me" have been moved to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. (I am double-checking on the exact start time, since "House" usually runs an extra minute on Mondays. UPDATE: A station rep tells me "House" will be at 7. But my DVR guide has 6:59. You may want to adjust your recorders for the earlier time to be safe.)

"Equalizer" and "Hot Fuzz" star Edward Woodward has died. Obit here. List of his credits is here. Like many Americans, I first noticed him in "Breaker Morant" (which was also a breakthrough for Bryan Brown). I watched him on "The Equalizer" from time to time but it wasn't a great series. Smiled, though, when he showed up in "Hot Fuzz," as if running into an old friend.

After the jump, notes on recent telecasts of "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "The Office," "Community," the January Jones-hosted "Saturday Night Live," "Bones," "House," "Lie to Me," "The Amazing Race, "Survivor" and whatever else I can remember watching the last few days.

But first, in addition to TV watching and schoolwork, I spent a good bit of time at sports events, including two U of Akron men's soccer games and a U of Akron football game. The soccer team is now 20-0 and ranked number one in national polls. But its playing area is an embarrassment, especially with the new football stadium looming nearby. We regularly encounter newcomers to Akron soccer, including at Sunday's MAC final, and they are very surprised by the small venue, with bleachers on just one side of the field, a light pole blocking pretty much every seat's sightlines to the field, and a flagpole that most people can't even see during the National Anthem.

I am fond of UA, where I am a grad student and my wife works. Much is said about its vision for the future. I would like to think that vision would include better digs for the soccer team, which includes students who achieve academically and are a perennial national power.

And now on to the viewing ….

I'll miss the father-son team on "The Amazing Race" — would have sent home Miss America first — but they did not play well enough to survive. That's how it works sometimes. And we still have at least two likable teams in play. But the thing most people seem to want to talk about was the pixeling of Sam & Dan's crotches. As one of my friends asked it, "Was that peekaboo underwear or were they really excited"? I would just guess that the underwear was very tight, leaving little to the imagination. But it was quite a sizable area being pixeled.

While I'm on reality shows, could I just plead for someone to take out Russell on "Survivor"? It is frightening how single-mindedly successful he is in finding immunity idols, and cunning enough to keep going in the game. I hope he doesn't win, but on some level this is reminding me of the women's-alliance season, when a man ended up winning against all odds because no one else could put together, and keep together, a good enough group to beat him.

"Saturday Night Live" had a good night when Taylor Swift hosted, not so much with January Jones. It wasn't just her, although she seemed to be having a lot of trouble with cue cards (and with laughing at other people). The "Kathie Lee" sketches are played out, as are the Jon Bovi ones. But they keep trying to slam them home. I got to the end with fondness for three things: the party-planning film, some of the Kim Kardashian bit during "Weekend Update" (good impression, but the joke went on too long) and Fred Armisen's "I like Peggy" during the "Mad Men" Betty-fans bit in the opening monologue. (For those of you tuning in late, Armisen is married to Elisabeth Moss, who plays Peggy.)

"Grey's Anatomy" was also better a week ago — with the children-in-jeopardy story — than this past Thursday. As I have said before, the show has been stronger of late with the greater focus on the medical cases, and that was certainly the case a week ago. Yes, making the cases about kids is a pretty blatant way to jerk tears, but the show still made it work for me. That said, this past week's show was way too much melodrama — the return of Izzie (bleh), the issues with the Chief (although the payoff that he is drinking again, and has been for some time, was pretty good), the new surgeon having a thing for Owen. Especially displeased with that last note. It was bad enough that we were dragged through her (and her, you may know, is Kim Raver) not being up on all the current medical procedures, because you knew she would get a redemptive moment before the hour was done. Then they had to add a romantic complication. Couldn't she just be an interesting surgeon without all the pot-stirring (see also Alex and the newbie, and the youngblood eyeing Yang).

But, you know, a happy Meredith is a more enjoyable Meredith.

I could ramble on at great length, but this post already feels out of control. So: Good "The Office," especially when it became clear that things are quite bad for Dunder Mifflin. Another good "Community," although the potential romance was kind of creepy when you consider the apparent age difference. I watched only the last part of the "CSI" "trilogy," but it was well done, with one of Fisburne's best performances on the show to date. OK "Bones," and certainly one that is moving along the Bones-Booth romance, or at least the acknowledgment of the romance. "House" did its flipping between fun and seriousness reasonably well, although the core case didn't really keep my interest; the House-Cuddy-Wilson stuff was much better, and I liked House's confession about his not wooing Cuddy years ago. "Lie to Me" continues down dark and twisted roads, and this one was all right until the end — when the bar scene went far too easily and tied it up too neatly. But always nice to see Alicia Coppola.

And now a new week of TV viewing looms.

A meditation on reinvention of previous pop culture, like "The Prisoner" and "Star Trek," is here.

The weekly DVD/BD column is here. Includes "The Exiles," "Farscape: The Complete Series" (which is not completely complete), "Margaret Cho: Beautiful," "Andy Barker, P.I."

Because "Star Trek" will be out on BD/DVD on Tuesday, and I have not yet gotten a copy to review, after the jump I have re-posted my review of the movie from its big-screen premiere.

The review:

Let's keep it simple: The new, big-screen Star Trek is the best
movie in the long series of films, and a distinguished, enthralling addition to the encyclopedic mass of Star Trek lore.

The movie is designed to appeal to old fans of the TV series and its movie successors; many in the audience will nod at the arrival of Christopher Pike or at the film's extensive use of the Kobayashi Maru battle scenario. No doubt there will be purists who object to some rewriting of Star Trek, but the many incarnations of the show and its successors have led to so much bending and twisting of the canon that the little heresies here seem quite forgivable.

Still, even someone who comes to the film with just a general sense of the old characters should find plenty of appealing action, drama and even some comedy. Aside from a brief flagging of pace late in the film, it's a solid piece of work; director J.J. Abrams has long since established his action cred with Mission: Impossible III, Alias and Lost. (And some of the themes in Lost also echo in Star Trek.)

Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the new Star Trek takes us back to the beginning of the crew of the Enterprise — literally, since it starts with the birth of James T. Kirk (played as an adult by Chris Pine). Early parts of the film give us glimpses of the childhood and early adulthood of both Kirk and Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the paths that take them to Starfleet Academy.

As the movie unfolds, there are a crisis in space (and time), the introduction of the younger versions of other characters, the return of an old favorite (Leonard Nimoy), and numerous nods to Star Trek past. Pike (Bruce Greenwood), a mentor to Kirk, was the Enterprise captain in the original series' pilot; the Kobayashi Maru was pivotal to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Beyond some odd cameos — Tyler Perry as a judge, Winona Ryder as Spock's mother — the movie is superbly cast. Pine is a serviceable Kirk, especially when it comes to the hotheadedness that often marked William Shatner's Kirk. Quinto is even better as the young Spock, a tough role made even more challenging because of Nimoy being in the film. Zoe Saldana brings out the sexiness of Uhura, and Karl Urban's Dr. McCoy is a delight.

The look is mostly modern — the action scenes up to modern standards, the sets massive. Unlike the recent Star Trek parody on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, the new film does not embrace the sometimes cheesy sets and lighting of the old show. But it never forgets to acknowledge the past in other ways, such as the retro costumes.

The pace is strong save for one unnecessary action sequence used to set up the appearance of a major character. Beyond that, though, the movie offers a great time. I was thinking about seeing it a second time even before the first time was done. More than once an overpowering sentimental feeling took hold because it was all just so cool.

I used to think that Wrath of Khan was the best Star Trek movie ever (although some of its emotional impact was diminished when Paramount opted for Star Trek III). But I went back and looked at Wrath of Khan again after seeing the new film, and the new film is better. You may want to argue for Star Trek IV or VI, or one of the Next Generation movies. I still argue for the new film. It is at once grand and down to earth. Bring on the sequel.

My regular Saturday column seems to be taking the slow boat to online, so I have pasted in the text, with "Sue Thomas" DVD news and an authorial conflict over a new LeBron James book, after the jump.

DVD News. Sue Thomas, F.B. Eye, the dramatic series inspired by the life of former Youngstown resident Sue Thomas, has found its way to DVD.
Former Stow resident Joan Considine Johnson, who is also married to Sue Thomas co-creator Gary Johnson, shared the news in a recent e-message.
‘‘The DVDs are not in stores,’’ she said. Instead, you order them online via http://www.suethomasdvd.com. The first set has 11 episodes from the first season, including the two-hour premiere, along with bonus footage and a commentary track.
And, Joan happily said, ‘‘It's in widescreen — never been seen like that before.’’
The set costs $19.95, plus $5.95 shipping. If it sells well, more releases will follow.
Sue Thomas originally aired on the old Pax network from 2002 to 2006. It starred deaf actress Deanne Bray, more recently of Heroes, as a deaf woman whose lip-reading skills proved useful to FBI surveillance. It is now in rerun on Gospel Music Channel, as is Doc, the Billy Ray Cyrus drama from the same producers. You can find out more at http://www.gospelmusicchannel.com. …
Close Connections. Regrettheerror.com recently noted the Washington Post's belated admission of ties between a reviewer and the reviewed. Meaning this:
‘‘A review of LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger's book Shooting Stars in the Nov. 1 Outlook section should have disclosed that a book by the reviewer, Allen Barra, had been reviewed by Bissinger in another publication.’’
Bissinger gave a decidedly mixed review to Barra's The Last Coach in the New York Times in 2005. While praising parts, he said, ‘‘what is missing from the book, and it's a regrettable omission, is any sustained vitality.’’
Barra's review in turn was mixed, concluding: ‘‘One roots for Shooting Stars to be better than it is because James is so engaging and Bissinger has produced some great books, but ultimately this book is an air ball that doesn't do well by either man.’'
Gosselin Update. Latest in the Jon/Kate/TLC war, according to People.com: Jon ‘‘has filed a $5 million claim against the network, saying its representatives damaged his reputation and career by preventing him from working with other media outlets.’’
Adds the site: ‘‘Gosselin's lawsuit — a counterclaim against a lawsuit that TLC has filed against him — also claims the network breached its own contract with Gosselin and owes him $175,000 for shows that already aired.’’
Meanwhile, according to Usmagazine.com, Jon's representative is denying a National Enquirer report ‘‘claiming that the reality star's bodyguard saw him snort cocaine and make a sex tape.’’
Dobbs for President? With Lou Dobbs departing CNN for jobs unknown, Salon.com's Joe Conason wonders whether Dobbs has a bigger pulpit in mind.
‘‘Having observed the former CNN anchor for many years Gelip I suspect that he may well nurture ambitions to run for president, as reported in the [TV] trade press ` and could mount a formidable campaign drawing upon the same resentful remnant that Republicans hope to mobilize in 2012.’’
But Conason notes that Dobbs' positions are often at odds with Republican orthodoxy. And, on Allyourtv.com, Rick Ellis wrote: ‘‘Dobbs apparently now feels that a run for president — perhaps as an independent — is a real possibility. And associates expect that in the upcoming weeks, Dobbs will be making a number of speeches in front of friendly crowds, in an effort to judge the public's reaction to his political ambitions."

After the jump, a sneak peek of my review of the new version of "The Prisoner," beginning Sunday night on AMC.

I will add links to a companion piece on the reinvention of old pop-culture concepts; Saturday's print Heldenfiles (with items involving Sue Thomas and LeBron James), and my usual Sunday DVD column, once they are online.

Busy weekend so far. Friday night was another sports double-header, UAkron men's soccer (a MAC tournament win in the second overtime) followed by an ugly loss by the UAkron football team (leading by 10 early, then losing by 39). We were there until the end of the soccer, gone from football after the first half (when Akron was trailing by 18). And today is a Saturday shift at work.

The latest vidcast about "Dancing With the Stars" is here.

And on to "The Prisoner."

When The Prisoner first aired on American television in 1968, it quickly became a cult favorite with its blend of spy games and sheer spaciness.
‘‘I am not a number, I am a free man,’’ became a catchphrase for fans of the show (or at least for those who heard it in many CBS promotional spots). Patrick McGoohan, already blessed with a following thanks to his work on the Secret Agent series, became even more admired both for his performance and his writing for The Prisoner. And the show has endured, with the entire series recently released in a beautifully remastered Blu-ray package.
So, of course, someone was bound to try a remake. Or updating. Or ‘‘reimagining,’’ to use a more recent buzzword for the reworking of old concepts. …
The new The Prisoner premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday on AMC, with two hours airing each night through Tuesday.
I could carp about the changes from the original, which was about three times as long as the new one as well as being clearer in the early storytelling and much odder at the end. But the basic point is that you do not need to have seen the original to watch the new version. It's not all that interesting either way.
Jim Caviezel stars as the man known as Number Six, who awakens one day to find himself in a mysterious, isolated community called the Village. Everyone in the Village has a number for a name, with the leader (Ian McKellen) being Number Two.
Number Six has lost large portions of memory of his life before the Village, but he knows that he wants out. But the Village, or at least Number Two, wants something from Number Six. A convoluted cat-and-mouse game ensues. At times, it involves other people in the Village (such as 313, a doctor, and 147, a taxi driver, played respectively by Ruth Wilson and Lennie James). At times it involves flashbacks to bits of the past that Number Six can recollect.
All of this is presented with plenty of atmosphere: the seemingly merry trappings of the Village contrasted with the grim surroundings that make it inescapable, people speaking in shadow, ominous music and Caviezel's being in what appears to be a perpetual sweat — a nervous contrast to McGoohan's cool.
The cool one here is McKellen, once again blending the charm and menace in a way that makes him somewhat likable, even though you suspect he is up to no good. His performance makes The Prisoner more watchable than its narrative schemes. They all feel like variations on a common theme — and I don't mean the flourishes taken from the original. Where the '60s series was a departure from the television of its day, the new version lives in a world with other deliberately obscure and confusing shows like Lost and FlashForward.

Today is theoretically a day off for me since I have to work a Saturday shift. But you can go over to my shiny new Ohio.com page and find links to this week's mailbag and to a review of "Pirate Radio." A few more notes, including about "Glee" and "V," follow the jump.

I am not sure I conveyed entirely my ambivalence about "Pirate Radio." As I have said before, "Love Actually" — also from writer-director Richard Curtis — is one of my favorite movies. "Pirate Radio" is not. I saw all sorts of flaws in it. You can see the big finish from miles off, and it includes a moment that Curtis at his more sensible might not have embraced. Yet, for all that, the movie drew me in with its characters, and made me laugh loudly, and had me smiling at the end. So I may be more forgiving of its weak parts than I should be. Oh, well.

I have duly touted this week's "Glee," in my weekly video, on Twitter and on Facebook, and now I should explain a bit more why I liked it so much. First, it gave us a closer look at Artie, and in a way that reminded us that the students on this show are, well, kids. They prove thoroughly selfish when Artie's wheelchair is getting in the way of their trip, and Artie's reaction to Tina's confession is not just hurt and understandable (and refreshingly unforgiving) but somewhat self-righteous.

I was also impressed by the handling of the Kurt story, and especially the scenes between Kurt and his father; Mike O'Malley, who plays Kurt's dad, is doing some of the best work I've ever seen by the sitcom vet. And their relationship (written, as was all the episode, by series creator Ryan Murphy) steers away from some obvious notes in how they approach the phone call.

On the other hand, one would have thought that such phone calls had come before — say, when he went out for the football team. And the Quinn-Finn-Puck story was bore; you would think Quinn would have wised up by now, and the resolution of his need for a job was hasty and implausible. And giving Sue a Down Syndrome sister continues the attempt to make Sue more sympathetic (following the swing-dancing story in a previous episode), and I think it continues the misuse of her; she was most interesting when unapologetically mean and sparingly used.

So I don't overlook some of the problems facing "Glee." But, at the same time, I admire its virtues — and I haven't even gotten t this week's music, and the nice "Dancing With Myself," which is also on the first CD soundtrack. And I enjoy the daylights out of the show.

I gave "V" a second try, and am not feeling eager about going for a third. The pace was OK, but the plot holes are enormous, and some of the characters are really weak — especially the kid.

Notes on tonight's telecast on DirecTV, spoilers included, after the jump.

As much as Eric Taylor has been aware of his predicament since taking the job at East Dillon, it has been nothing compared to the slap in the face he gets early in tonight's episode. Pleading to the school principal (whom we do get to see, thankfully) for money for new uniforms, Eric is confronted not only with the embarrassment of the forfeit but with the cold fact that his being offered the job was an embarrassment he was thought too proud to take. "You wasn't ever supposed to take the job," the principal tells him. "You're the only one who didn't get the joke."

Eric, of course, isn't laughing. He just realizes that his job is that much harder and that he is going to have to beg, borrow and steal to help achieve even modest success (which, later, is measured by getting a single score against a clearly superior opponent).

Indeed, before the episode is over, he will have done all three of those things, with two of them involving his deception of Tami and leading to some of those scenes that make Eric and Tami the best married couple on television; they fight, but they're in it together. Indeed, we're shown later that just as Eric has fallen from grace in town, Tami is on the precipice, with Joe McCoy telling his entourage of boosters that he will take her down.

And the revelation of that pronouncement finally makes Buddy realize that he, too, is a joke, that McCoy has both shoved him to the margins and changed the rules so that Buddy's old notions of honor — flexible though they may be, since the mailbox was his — have become meaningless to the McCoy mob.

If that was all that was going on in "FNL," it would be enough. But we also see the latest in Saracen's work with the crazy sculptor, and Julie and Tami discussing whether Julie should go to church, and Riggins hanging around the football team, helping out, clinging to the last good thing in his life, and yet another potential romance for Landry (as well as another challenge to his sporting skills), and — because that's still not enough — another sign that East Dillon is not Taylor country when it comes to matters of race. Eric has had to face the racial divide before, during the African-American players' protest at West Dillon, but that's nothing compared to what he is in the middle of now, where the school is heavily African-American (including the principal) so any player feeling wronged is going to have a support system in place. And I don't think for a minute that that issue has been swept aside by the sheer force of Eric's coaching will.

Not all of that was successful, but much of it is. The Saracen story is a bit of a distraction from the flow of other stories, but in its own context it is working pretty well. I like better the way Riggins is just hanging around the football team, looking for his niche, and probably thinking of Street as he does so. And I am very happy with "FNL" at the moment.

In this vidcast, tonight's "Glee"; "Near Dark" on Blu-ray; box sets of Steve Coogan, Adult Swim and G.I. Joe; a Madeleine Peyroux DVD, Bob Dylan sings holiday songs and more.

I want to try to keep this brief because I am headed to Cleveland in a couple of minutes for a screening of "Pirate Radio." …

Looking forward to it because it comes from the folks behind "Love Actually," one of my favorite Christmas-or-anytime movies, and "Four Weddings and a Funeral," which I also like. You may also want to check out today's online video once it is posted at Ohio.com. It includes tomorrow's "Glee," "Near Dark," Madeleine Peyroux, Steve Coogan, big honkin' boxes of "GI Joe" and Adult Swim, "Alice" playing cards, and a little bit of Bob Dylan singing about Christmas. (You can also find an embed of it in the post above this one.)

I did want to note, as I have on Twitter and Facebook, that last night was big laughs on CBS, at least among the three shows I watch. (I decline the self-punishment of viewing "Accidentally on Purpose.") "How I Met Your Mother" did an excellent blending of old pieces (Alan Thicke returns!) with the newness of the Barney-Robin relationship. Smart not to have both of them get fat, but was NPH enjoying overeating or what? And the station-wagon scene was a gem in the great tradition of the Marx Brothers' stateroom.

While "Big Bang Theory" didn't hold up entirely, it had some very funny pieces, including the parental-style wooing of Sheldon from the comic-book store, and the whole idea of the Research Lab board game. Could we get that in stores … just in time for Christmas? Target Demo would probably like it a lot.

"Two and a Half Men" rebounded from a half-baked breast-reduction episode (saved by the scenes of Alan and his mom) with a nice bunch of interplay with Charlie and Alan; a good bar scene and the discussion between Charlie and his mom. Clowns. Strong men. Carpet King. Splendid.

Notes on "The Amazing Race," Taylor Swift's "Saturday Night Live" and a kind of crazy weekend, after the jump.

And here, a link to this week's DVD column, including "Up."

… including Saturday visits to both the U of Akron foothall game (a rare win over an obnoxiously overconfident Kent State team) and the regular-season finale of the UA men's soccer team (came from behind to complete a perfect, 18-0 run); a mammoth and time-consuming school project, and a little bit of yard work (with the bride doing even more) — all of which made it a treat to relax at last for "The Amazing Race" and "Mad Men."

My notes on the marvelous "Mad Men" season finale are in the previous post. "The Amazing Race" was entertaining enough, and a great relief when it proved to be a non-elimination leg. I like the father and son (and the brothers, and the Globetrotters), so I would have been disappointed by their ouster. And the hay-bale challenge is brutally, especially — as one of my co-workers noted — when it came on the heels of the sandbag-filling challenge. I spent a little of yesterday moving large patio blocks and was aching afterward, and I know it wasn't anywhere near what the contestants had to do.

I recorded Wanda Sykes' first talk show on Saturday, and am dubbing George Lopez's debut tonight, and hope to write something about the new late-night warriors in the days ahead. Or at least to have a few words in my weekly video.

I did get through Taylor Swift's "SNL" and she was an able host and often funny. The monologue song was especially good, and she nailed Kate Gosselin. In fact, the show overall seemed funnier than usual (with a decent Digital Short), although there were dead spots — I start fast-forwarding any time Armisen shows up as the bad comedian, or Wiig as the irritating woman, and the "Really" sketch was not good. But Swift actually got me to stay through most of "The View" parady, and I watched her through a little of the "Scared Straight" sketch before that, too, made me move on.

The center cannot hold. Things fall apart. And yet …

Is it possible, indeed likely, to view the season finale of "Mad Men" as a happy ending? As sad as it is that Don and Betty's marriage has crumbled, there was a hint of spring to the episode overall — of new beginnings, reawakenings, revived hopes. This is where we have been headed, and set up for, while some impatient viewers claimed nothing was happening.

And, of course, we've got the band back together.

When the guys could not figure out where all the files were, I thought — hoped — that it meant they would get Joan, and when Roger said he would make a call, hope led to certainty. There has been a lot of spinning out of orbits this season — Joan leaving her job, Peggy off canoodling with Duck, Pete shoved to one side, Roger focused on his marriage — and now everyone worth caring about at Sterling Cooper has been gathered again.

Not only that, they have been gathered with a sense of purpose and adventure which they all have been missing, as the episode made clear. Don's courtship of Connie Hilton was a way of relieving the boredom and bean-counting at the office. Cooper no longer ran things, couldn't be the guru, and was reduced to naps. Roger knew that as long as he had Lucky Strike, he could draw a check. Pete had been passed over, and Peggy had discovered what she was worth and that it wasn't what she was paid. Even the bureaucratic Lane had grown weary of counting the beans and keeping the secrets.

Now they all have a good reason to go to work. To varying degrees, they own the store, new and modest a store though it may be. And with that on the line, it's probably the best time for Don's marriage to end, since now he will have to spend more time at the office — and I mean, REALLY spend more time at the office.

As for the Don-Betty marriage, even though I expected it to go along "for the sake of the children," I am relieved that Betty determined to cut it off. As painful as it is in the short term, it is a better thing for her and Don, a chance for each to start from a new, honest place. That doesn't mean I expect Betty to stay with her new beau. Any man who woos her now is going to have to meet a much higher and less superficial standard than Don did, and I don't know if this guy can. But at least Betty has a clearer idea of what she wants, and less mercy if she does not get it.

So let us look at some of the great moments:

– Don and Peggy's first conversation, in his office. It was a perfect parallel to the Don-Betty marital collapse, only this time a woman was telling Don up front what he had done wrong, before it was too late to fix it. Elisabeth Moss superbly conveyed Peggy's rage and confidence, and exhilaration — not so much as if she had been waiting to deliver that speech as that it all came together for her when Don spoke. She's done being taken for granted; I think Duck's unplugging the TV was the last straw for that.

– Lane seizing the opportunity that the rebellion provided, and knowing how to work the time zones to their advantage.

– Betty on the phone when Don said he wouldn't fight her.

– Trudy calling from the other room as Pete ponders the offer to join the rebellion.

– The return of Joan.

– The flashbacks to Don/Dick's childhood, making clear once again the agony that he carries inside about failure and a husband/father's role.

– Don's rage bursting forth when Connie gives him the news.

– The reactions from people left behind at Sterling Cooper. (I especially loved Lane leaving his assistant without explanation.)

– The little dialogue between Roger and Don as they look at the office the last time. In a way, it said that Roger is really taking the bigger gamble, because he is giving up the trappings that he so liked, while Don never cared for the trappings because they included so much baggage. (I keep thinking back to Don ranting about budget-pinching by the Brits.)

Then there are the questions for next season. Will the new agency be a success or a struggle? Will the band stay together? Will Betty be remarried? What sort of a bachelor will the single Don be? Where is Peggy headed (although I think she's done with Duck)? Will Pete come into his own? How soon before Sal becomes their art director?

Summer '10 cannot come soon enough.

A few thoughts on "Community," "Parks and Recreation," "The Office," "30 Rock." But if women are on a scale from Cleopatra to Eleanor Roosevelt, what's the comparable men-dex?

Also, I have recently been getting some additional info about the readership for this blog. So, besides my friends in the US and Canada, hello to all of you in Australia, Italy, Norway, the UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain!

I have been noting increased amusement with "Parks and Recreation" this season, but last night's episode was a breakthrough — not just funny but unapologetically insanely funny. While some of that could be credited to Megan Mullally (and this makes me feel more optimistic about her joining "Party Down"), the fun extended beyond her. The whole business with the shoeshine stand was nearly as nutty (all right, so it didn't top the diner scene), and quite funny, too. I look forward to more of the same.

But I never would have given up a bikini pic of Rashida Jones.

"30 Rock," which hasn't been great of late, rebounded last night — and helped make it Brian Williams night on NBC. (He was referred to on "Community.") Nice to see Dot Com get some air time (and backstory), and I laughed really hard at all the Cathy Geist stuff, both the pre-audition tackle and the Susan Boyle bit. The Jack's-bedbugs story wasn't as strong, at least at first, except for the nicknames — but it was all right once it became key to the audition story.

"The Office" had some very good parts, but tried to do too much in too short a time. The Andy-Dwight duel didn't pay off very well. The Michael-Pam-Jim-Helene stuff had its delights, including the scrapbook with the Shel Silverstein rip, but I would have preferred it ending either with Michael not dumping Helene, or with the episode ending on the dump. The punching part of the story felt much flatter than what had gone before. The show felt as if there had been many, many rewrites and rejected endings.

By the way, according to IMDB, Linda Purl is only 54. At least, for me "54" can be preceded by "only." And you can read more about Purl's life these days — which is pretty interesting — here.

Much as I have admired "Community," this week was not one of their best. I wondered if there was too much Abed, but that can't be it. More that the songs were simply lame instead of funny-lame. And the unrequited-love story just stumbled along. Hoping for better next week.

"Coal Country," the documentary from local producer Mari-Lynn Evans, will air on Nov. 14. From the announcement:

COAL COUNTRY, a documentary by filmmaker Phylis Geller, will have its world television debut on November 14th, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. ET as part of the Planet Green’s “Reel Impact” weekly documentary strand.

COAL COUNTRY helps viewers understand the meaning behind promises of “cheap energy” and “clean coal.” Are they achievable? And at what cost? The film explores these questions by following coal as it is mined, processed and burned for power.

From "The People's Court":

Yusuf Evans, an Akron man, brings his case to "The People's Court" on
Monday, November 9 on WBNX at 11 am. Evans claims he was smacked in the
nose at a gentleman's club by a stripper's boot. He insists he never saw
the boot coming and it broke his nose. Evans insists he has breathing
trouble and needs surgery. He wants Judge Marilyn Milian to decide the
verdict.

Judge Milian is amused when the litigants reenact the incident in the middle
of her courtroom.Joseph Wapner returns to "The People's Court" is described in this release:

On Friday, November 13, Judge Marilyn Milian welcomes Judge Joseph A. Wapner back to the bench of “The People’s Court” to litigate a special case in honor of his 90th birthday. Judge Wapner bangs the gavel on the Emmy-nominated court show that launched the entire court show genre and paved the way for a multitude of reality television shows. “The People’s Court was the original reality series featuring real litigants, real cases and real justice.

In recognition of Judge Wapner’s contributions, he will be inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star on November 12.