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.

After the jump, spoiler-laden notes on Wednesday's "Friday Night Lights" telecast (only on DirecTV) and, briefly, "Modern Family."

Today's mailbag column is here. Topics include the banjo-playing kid in "Deliverance."

After a somewhat rocky start a week ago, "Friday Night Lights" rebounded very well with its second fourth-season episode, "After the Fall."

To be sure, there are only so many things you can do with a sports narrative, and the team deserting after the forfeit was reminiscent of, among other things, the original "Bad News Bears" movie, and the one-by-one reuniting of the team is a device in a lot of movies. (The jersey scene in "Rudy" comes to mind.) And the genius-artist teaching a rough lesson also feels like a million other movies.
But with these actors and characters, the lunchroom scene with Landy and the team-reuniting scene still both worked. I was moved by the reunion scene in spite of myself.

I also like that Eric really doesn't quite know what to do, and that Luke is a decent kid who realizes he has done wrong and wants to be decent.
And it's fine that we are seeing another part of Dillon — that the students and families who have dominated the show up to now are actually from the better-off parts of town — although the show should have given us a closer look at those neighborhoods before now.
Also good that, as we have seen before, while Joe McCoy has a certain cunning and a brutal power in town, he's not half as clever as he thinks he is — as Tami pointed out when she observed that his opening the fake-address issue would tick off far more of the town than her moving one player. And she didn't even have to remind everyone about the Voodoo Tatum scandal, and what that had jeopardized.

On the other hand, did anyone else who watched find the timing of the last few scenes a bit off? Eric's special practice was on Saturday night, and seemed to be part of the same day as the pep rally. But the rally looked as if it was taking place on a school day, and before a game, so that would be a Friday, yes? Or did both East and West Dillon somehow have a bye week?

Yet I still pretty much loved the episode.

"Modern Family" continues to be a half-hour family dramedy, willing to put aside farce in favor of plausible personal portraits, such as the brother-and-sister issues in this one. And the reactions to the story of Manny's competition were great — although, like my buddy Sepinwall, I kept waiting for it to turn out that her nurse was trying a scam to win with. Having Manny proceed to victory, and a humiliating one at that, was a far more effective note for the show to hit. Loving this show.

I have a column about the new DVD box of 65 years of World Series highlight films here.

With Rihanna sitting down for an extended chat with Diane Sawyer, Chris Brown is taking to the airwaves as well. Here's the word from MTV:

Nothing is off limits as Chris Brown talks to MTV News to give viewers the most revealing and candid interview yet, as “Chris Brown: The Interview” premieres on Friday, November 6th at 6pm ET/PT on MTV. In this 30-minute special, the R&B artist finally answers questions people have been asking and opens up about the aftermath of his assault on his former girlfriend Rihanna in Los Angeles last February. Sitting down in a Virginia recording studio with MTV News' Sway, Chris speaks openly about his widely criticized Larry King interview, the public's perception of him and how he has poured his emotions into his new album.

ABC has set the date for the new "Bachelor." In brief:

Jake Pavelka is out to prove that nice guys don’t always finish last in love. The handsome commercial pilot from Dallas—and America’s most hopeful romantic—begins his own bid for true love, choosing from among 25 bachelorettes, when “The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love” premieres MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2010 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. This will be the 14th edition of ABC’s hit romance reality series and, for the first time in the history of the series, “The Bachelor” will be broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC’s selected HDTV format, with stereo sound.

Meanwhile, Barbara Walters has snagged Sarah Palin:

Barbara Walters will sit down with former Vice Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for a five-part series of ABC News interviews to begin airing on “Good Morning America” November 17, the morning her highly anticipated book, Going Rogue: An American Life, is released. The wide-ranging interview will cover her public life as Governor of Alaska and her Vice Presidential run in 2008, as well as her private life. This is Walters’ first interview with the political figure. Portions of the interview will also air on “Nightline” on November 17, again on “Good Morning America” on November 18 and on “20/20” on November 20.

On other notes, I hope at some point to transcribe Marshall's monologue about being a good husband/boyfriend from Monday's "How I Met Your Mother." Words to live by.

And, after the jump, the official release about the new Adam Lambert recording.

With his out-of-this-world vocal range and unique musical style, Adam Lambert is the ultra-glam, rock superstar that has America hooked. On Monday, Nov 23, Adam will unleash one of the most highly anticipated debut albums, “For Your Entertainment,” on 19 Recordings/RCA. The record garnered contributions from such innovative artists as Lady Gaga, P!nk, Muse, Justin Hawkins formerly of The Darkness and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer.

1. MUSIC AGAIN: Writer – Justin Hawkins, Producer – Rob Cavallo
2. FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT: Writers – Claude Kelly/Dr. Luke, Producer: Dr. Luke
3. WHATAYA WANT FROM ME: Writers: Pink, Max Martin, Johan Shellbeck, Producers: Max Martin & Johan Shellback
4. STRUT: Writers: Adam Lambert, Kara DioGuardi, Greg Wells, Producer: Greg Wells
5. SOAKED: Writer: Matthew Bellamy (MUSE), Producer: Rob Cavallo
6. SURE FIRE WINNERS: Writers: David Gamson, Alexander James, Oliver Lieber, Producer: Rob Cavallo
7. A LOADED SMILE: Writer/Producer – Linda Perry
8, IF I HAD YOU: Writers- Max Martin, Johan Shellback, Savan Kotecha, Producers: Max Martin & Johan Shellback Borows
9. PICK U UP: Writers- Rivers Cuomo, Greg Wells, Adam Lambert. Producer – Greg Wells
10. FEVER: Writers – Lady Gaga, Jeff Bhasker, Producer- Jeff Bhasker
11. SLEEPWALKER: Writers – Ryan Tedder, Aimee Mayo, Chris Lindsey, Producer- Ryan Tedder
12. AFTERMATH: Writers- Adam Lambert, Alisan Porter, Ferras, Ely Rise. Producer- Howard Benson
13. BROKEN OPEN: Writers- Greg Wells, Adam Lambert, Evan Bogart. Producer- Greg Wells
BONUS TRACK:
14. TIME FOR MIRACLES: Writers – Alain Johannes, Natasha Shneider. Producer- Rob Cavallo

I have been doing this long enough to have previewed the original "V" miniseries back in 1983. Even though that preview tape was missing the special effects — leading to lots of shots of awestruck people pointing toward an empty sky — it was still a moderately amusing piece of cheese. In a sequel and then a weekly series, Nazi symbolism combined with heavily made-up, wicked vixens like Jane Badler, left, who were common in prime-time soaps of that period.

I bring all this up because the new "V," premiering tonight and pictured to the right, wants to be taken much more seriously than its predecessor — to be use the "V" mythology the way "Battlestar Galactica" used its old-TV origins as the basis for something considerably more ambitious and impressive. As for whether it succeeds, let's continue after the jump.

UPDATE: The series has hired a new showrunner.

Tonight's premiere of "V" is heavy on atmosphere and moderately suspenseful, and the storytelling is much more comprehensible than in "FlashForward." Elizabeth Mitchell, who was so good as Juliet on "Lost," is on hand as are a couple of "Firefly"/"Serenity" veterans (Alan Tudyk as a cop and, more prominently, Morena Baccarin
as the representative of the alien Visitors). Baccarin does charming-chilly very well, especially in a confrontation with an ambitious TV newsman played by "Party of Five's" Scott Wolf, although I kept thinking that the part had been designed for Tamara Taylor. Currently on "Bones," she is also of the "Firefly" crowd, co-starred on "Party of Five" and does charming-chilly even better than Baccarin.

And, while the show is brooding, it's also slow. The opening effects are well executed but things we have seen before in other productions. The good-aliens-who-are-really-bad story has many antecedents, perhaps most significantly "To Serve Man," one of the great episodes (and punchlines) on "The Twilight Zone." A couple of the plot twists in the new "V" will be evident from miles off. And there's nothing in the premiere as boldly nutty as the original miniseries' first demonstration of what the Visitors were really like underneath their human skin.

Because the material is so familiar, I also wonder if the show has anywhere interesting to go; the older version had to huff and puff to keep its concept moving, and still didn't do it very well. So I expect to be back for at least one more episode, though I'm not so engaged as to watch it in real time. Schedule depending, it may be a placeholder on the DVR while I watch things that interest me more.

(You could pronounce that as "suffocation," if you'd like.)

Readers here have heard me complain before about at least one of the changes in the Weather Channel: the addition of the jokey, jarring "Wake Up With Al" in the early morning. Since that's the time when I am awake and checking the weather — and since I like to do it while getting dressed, instead of going to the computer — I have found "Wake Up" unavoidable, to my continuing irritation.

If that was the only thing bothering me, I could live with that. Even if that and the removal or moving of some of the anchors were the only things, I might get by. But it's not. As even a commentator on NPR observed, the Weather Channel turned over some prime-time hours to an airing of "The Perfect Storm," the nine-year-old movie starring George Clooney. And here we get to the larger trend from NBC Universal, which now owns The Weather Channel. It's turning the network into Syfy.

In other words, it is taking a channel with a clearly defined mission, aiming at a specific audience, and throwing out the precise definition in favor of something that is more vague — and therefore, theoretically, more broadly appealing.

Syfy used to be the Sci Fi Channel. And it was a place for science fiction and fantasy programming. It still is, in some respects, through shows like "Warehouse 13," not to mention the various incarnations of "Battlestar Galactica." But it is also not so much that; the death toll for the Sci Fi Channel as we knew it most likely came with the introduction of wrestling to its lineup. By that time, Sci Fi/Syfy was redefining itself as a channel appealing to the imagination — which, after all, is what any entertainment channel does.

It's not unreasonable for a channel to want to expand its audience, but why kill a decent concept to do so? And NBC U has a history of that tactic; remember when Bravo was a cultural channel? (To be fair, A&E, which is not an NBC property, has also wandered far from its roots. And The Nashville Network went through some odd permutations before its concept was dropped entirely.)

Now, you might argue that the Sci Fi situation is galling to its hard-core old fans because that audience was singularly passionate in its admiration of what it considered appropriate programming, as opposed to what the folks from NBC U thought. (Need I remind you of the nuanced and detailed debates about content and tone that accompany just about anything in the S/F realm?) But as low-key as The Weather Channel presented itself on the air, I was pretty passionate about it, too; I rarely traveled without watching it in the days leading up to the trip, and during the trip itself. I lived by "Local on the 8s." Yes, I got to know the personalities, and to have judgments about them, but it was as a source of information that I was drawn to it and to its online companion, weather.com.

I still use weather.com, and I still turn on TWC first thing in the morning. But, as I said, I do so with considerable annoyance because if I cared what Vivica A. Fox had to say at that time of the morning, I would be watching E! or waiting for the "Today" show or "GMA." Same thing if I wanted to hear tired jokes and unconvincingly hearty banter. I began watching TWC because I didn't want that sort of thing. I wanted the weather. And now I worry that I am going to wake up one morning to wrestling — wrestling in a hurricane, maybe, but still not what I had come to like.

When one team is playing very badly, I am usually ready to write them off — always underestimating other players' ability to mess up. …

So it was tonight, when I thought sure that Ericka and Brian were toast, based on her struggle to count bells. And, if that wasn't enough, there was the missing of the bicycles. Between those two gaffes, they should have gone home. And I would not have been sorry to see them go, since Ericka's whining is driving me up the wall.

But, as I said, there is always the chance that someone else will be even worse and on tonight's show that was Maria and Tiffany, the poker players. (On a side note, am I the only one wondering if M&T are a couple? Interesting the way the camera turned to them when Sam & Dan came out to the other players.)

They were not only bad, they were spectacularly bad. In the dance/golf challenge, they changed course three different times, starting with the striker & dance, then to golf, then back to the striker, then back to golf. No wonder they were exhausted. And, apparently, had no basic knowledge of things like leverage for hitting an object and aiming your golf ball AT THE HOLE. Pitiful. Haven't been thrilled with them, either, and their terrible play and indecision made me content to see them go. Well, almost content. A double elimination that also took out Brian & Ericka would have been even more satisfying.

On the other hand, we are getting down to an amiable group with four teams I wouldn't mind winning: Sam & Dan, the Globetrotters, the father and son, Meghan & Cheyne. And that's when I most like "The Amazing Race," when the villains and crybabies have been cast aside and you can feel good regardless of who crosses the finish line first.

Notes on the next to last episode of the third season of "Mad Men," after the jump.

After the marvelous episode a week ago, "The Grown-Ups" was a mild disappointment, trying so hard not only to use the JFK assassination but also to blend it thematically with the characters' lives. We begin, after all, with a little assassination — the seeming end of Pete's rise through the ranks (although, with Sterling Cooper for sale, who knows what the future holds?). And near the end we have the dual death of Don's dream life and of the foundation of his marriage, when Betty declares that she does not love him. Granted that Don has set the stage with his secrecy and infidelity, he has nonetheless tried to keep the dream alive, as was clear in his getting up with the baby. It is also Don who believes that everything we will be all right eventually — his explanation about the assassination, that we will be sad for awhile and then go on, is also an apt summation of his feelings about the impact of his confession on the marriage, and is the kind of thinking that Trudy brings to Pete's not getting promoted.

That's a lot to fit into one episode, and that's not even all of it, since there's the issue of the marriage of Roger's daughter, disastrously taking place the day after the assassination. And that event serves to remind us that Roger has realized he has made a dual mistake in his own marriage: that Mona, whom he honors at the wedding reception, was a good partner, and that Joan, whom he calls while sitting next to his passed-out bride, is the one woman who understands him in all his flaws, and who might have been the best match for him.

Everything is not going to be all right for Roger, then. Or for Don, who is both shattered at home and battered at work, where he can't even get a new art director while the penny-pinching Brits are making SC look as profitable as possible for potential buyers. Life can't look good for Betty, either. And Peggy? The most brilliant stroke of the episode was probably Duck's unplugging the TV, so as not to risk interruption of his Me Time with Peggy; that certainly gives us an idea of his priorities regarding her, which are not professional, not emotional, but based in the idea of an easy nooner.

Although, if he failed to deliver, he had the excuse of being distracted by the assassination news.

So there were good things in the episode, also including Don and Peggy as the only people coming to work on Monday, the brinksmanship about whether Roger's wife would be at the wedding, Don after Betty says she does not love him, the way Don's daughter watches everyone and everything and most likely understands more than the "grown-ups." But it still felt as if it did not quite measure up to its ambition, as enormous as that ambition was.

When I was still paying attention to "24," one of the pleasures was watching Gregory Itzin as the evil VP and later President Charles Logan. And he will be back in the new season, per Fox:

The anticipation for Season Eight of 24 continues to surge with Gregory Itzin reprising his acclaimed role as CHARLES LOGAN. The Emmy Award-winning drama starring Kiefer Sutherland returns for its next astonishing day with a two-night, four-hour premiere event Sunday, Jan. 17 (9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT) and Monday, Jan. 18 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Season Eight resets in New York City where a retired JACK BAUER (Sutherland) is unwillingly drawn back into the intense action after learning of a plot to assassinate Middle Eastern peace-keeping leader OMAR HASSAN (Anil Kapoor). Meanwhile, RENEE WALKER (Annie Wersching) and CHLOE O’BRIAN (Mary Lynn Rajskub) return alongside CTU newcomers DANA WALSH (Katee Sackhoff), BRIAN HASTINGS (Mykelti Williamson) and COLE ORTIZ (Freddie Prinze Jr.).

TNT has completed an expected deal to televise "Southland," both the episodes that aired on NBC and those made for a second season but left on the shelf when NBC decided to drop the show. The official word:

TNT has picked up the critically acclaimed series SOUTHLAND, closing a deal with Warner Bros. Television that will bring the drama from Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (ER, The West Wing) to the network in January. TNT has obtained exclusive rights to air all six episodes that have been shot for the second season, as well as the seven episodes from the series’ first season. SOUTHLAND will air on TNT Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning with the first episode of the series on Jan. 12.

Above, the "Male Prima Donna" video. Three minutes of "Office" merriment. After the jump, notes on "The Office," "30 Rock," "Grey's Anatomy," "Survivor: Samoa" and "CSI." And, before we get there, you can find my latest chat with Lynne Sherwin about "Dancing With the Stars" here.

So-so "The Office"; the "Male Prima Donna" video, part of a new bunch of webisodes, was better than the episode. This was one of those too-real-to-be-funny ones, and not even the idea of Michael falling into the koi pond was all that great. So good character pieces — including yet another reminder how much Michael has suffered post-Jan — but not a sustained episode.

Also wasn't knocked out by "30 Rock," another case of an idea made into, well, not much more than some kind of Afterschool-Special-Meets-Andy-Griffith message about Southerners and our collective differences. I am wondering if the presence of other strong comedies, including "Modern Family" and "Community," is either making me hold "30 Rock" and "The Office" to a higher standard — or just meaning that I'm getting my laughs elsewhere and so less in need of amusement by 9 p.m. on Thursday.

"Grey's Anatomy" has been of considerable interest the last couple of weeks — I caught up with last week's just before watching last night's — although it has me thinking that there's serious caffeine overload in the writers' room. The multiangled death-in-the-ER from a week ago moved constantly, but the bride and I noticed early on that the doctor had failed to check the patient's throat, so everything else was just a matter of waiting for all the investigating to come back to that moment. The inoperable-tumor story last night was suitably tense, and I like that we have gone two weeks where medical stories are of greater importance than domestic drama among the staff. Still, both episodes included some of the ongoing personality issues, but integrated them into the medical stories. Not bad at all.

"Survivor: Samoa" remains something I watch, but I can't say I am enjoying it. The Good Russell medical ouster a week ago was harrowing — far removed from the escapism in which the show usually operates, even during previous crises — and Evil Russell's crowd is just so awful at everything that it is indeed, as Jeff noted, one of the worst tribes ever. Not the worst, of course, but down there. Still, I'm not invested enough in any character to bring much passion to my viewing.

I like "CSI" but it, too, was lacking something — or at minimum didn't have enough to drag part of my attention away from FarmVille. Good confession scene at the end, and an interesting blending of cases, but just not great.

Any comments?

More notes from the mail, including the announcement of a "Chuck" set with the 3-D telecast:

The government’s most vital secret agent is back, and this time he’s got a pocket protector full of new tricks when Warner Home Video releases Chuck: The Complete Second Season on DVD and Blu-ray on January 5, 2010. Executive producers Josh Schwartz (The O.C., Gossip Girl), McG (Supernatural, Charlie’s Angels), Chris Fedak and Scott Rosenbaum (The Shield) bring you more action and espionage than ever before. This six-disc set contains all 22 episodes including the never-to-be aired again 3-D episode and hours of amazing extras, with brand-new featurettes, a gag reel, and “declassified” scenes. …

For a limited time, the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Chuck: The Complete Second Season will also include the never-to-be-aired-again 3-D version of the episode “Chuck Versus the Third Dimension,” plus two pairs of 3-D glasses.

And here's the "True" word:

Nickelodeon’s hit comedy series True Jackson, VP kicks-off its second season on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) with lots of laughs and special celebrity appearances by 15-year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber and rock trio Care Bears on Fire. Bieber, in his acting debut, performs his hit song “One Time” and saves the day when True (Keke Palmer) books him as the musical act for her school’s fundraiser. The guest-star cameos continue with the premiere of “Flirting with Fame,” the one-hour primetime True Jackson, VP movie, on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT), featuring music superstar Natasha Bedingfield and Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris) as True’s new love interest. The new season will follow True as she juggles the growing demands of high school with her job responsibilities at Mad Style. True Jackson, VP airs regularly on Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

In the one-hour primetime movie “Flirting with Fame,” True’s crushing on a new boy at school named Justin (Tyler James Williams), but when she finally gets the courage to ask him out, he turns her down. True and Lulu suspect he’s dating someone until True discovers his big secret. In an attempt to show True his romantic side, Justin enlists the help of superstar Natasha Bedingfield to perform “These Words” for the duo. Back at the office, Mr. Madigan (Greg Proops) takes casual dress day too far and Amanda can't handle it. Meanwhile, a statistics class has uncovered a special connection between Mikey J and Kelsey (Jordan Monaghan) that has Lulu and Ryan seething with jealousy.

The Deschanel sisters team up for "Bones," "Glee" goes gold, more love from me for "Modern Family," a link to the mailbag and a video for the folks at the Beacon Journal, all after the jump. And, what did you think of the new "Friday Night Lights"?

From Fox:

Zooey Deschanel, star of the romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer” and sister of BONES’ Emily Deschanel, will guest-star in “The Goop on the Girl,” a special holiday-themed episode of BONES airing Thursday, Dec. 10 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

In this first-ever on-screen pairing of the Deschanel sisters, Zooey Deschanel plays MARGARET WHITESELL, a distant relative of DR. TEMPERANCE BRENNAN (Emily Deschanel). When Brennan’s father, MAX KEENAN (guest star Ryan O’Neal), makes contact with Margaret, he invites her to spend Christmas with him and his daughter. Meanwhile, Brennan and BOOTH (David Boreanaz) investigate the death of a man dressed as Santa Claus who was blown up after a botched bank robbery.

I am a fan of both women, and it will be fun to see them together.

Good episode of "Community" on NBC tonight, with a Halloween theme.

Excellent "Modern Family" last night, and a demonstration of how confident the show has become. Was more than willing to work little serious moments into the comedy, and to go for a fairly serious ending — although it went for a big, nutty laugh afterward. Am just loving this show. And vow never to dress a baby like Diana Ross in the RCA years.

Today's mailbag is now online. Questions about "Trouble," "Huff," "Ally McBeal," Lloyd Bridges and "The World According to Garp." You can find it here.

If you chanced to see the fourth-season premiere of "Friday Night Lights" on DirecTV last night, I welcome your comments. You can find my review in a previous post.

The following is for my co-workers today (and I note there are women in black in the video, too).

And, on another musical note, this news about "Glee" from Fox:

In yet another sign that Glee has gone from smash comedy hit to cultural phenomenon, the cast’s rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’“ has just been certified Gold for digital sales in excess of 500,000 downloads, and to date, over two million Glee songs have been purchased online. Seven songs from Glee now occupy spots in the top 200 of iTunes’ Top Songs chart and Newsweek recently observed that the FOX series’ “rabid online fanbase has given the show’s music a life of its own.” It’s this fervor for the music that prompted the New York Times to say “from ‘Cabaret’ to Kanye, Songs of ‘Glee’ are a hit” and the Los Angeles Times to add “this comedy has become music to our ears.”

“Don’t Stop Believin’”
“Can’t Fight This Feeling”
“Gold Digger”
“Take a Bow”
“Bust Your Windows”
“Taking Chances”
“Alone”
“Maybe This Time”
“Somebody to Love”
“Hate On Me”
“No Air”
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
“Keep Holding On”
“Bust a Move”
“Sweet Caroline”
“Dancing with Myself”
“Defying Gravity”

I have previously mentioned my admiration for Warner Bros.' offering many titles on a made-to-order basis. Now Universal, with TCM, is jumping a little ways into the game. Details after the jump.

From TCM:

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and Universal Studios Home Entertainment (USHE) have entered into an extensive new partnership to offer classic movie fans rare vintage films, all digitally remastered, on DVD on a made-to-order basis. The TCM Vault Collection Presented by Universal marks USHE’s first foray into the manufactured-on-demand (MOD) arena. TCM began offering MOD featuring lost titles from the RKO library.

Future Universal collections and titles for rollout on DVD and TCM include vintage films from Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert, Deanna Durbin, director Douglas Sirk and many more.

Details after the jump.

The announcement:

On December 29, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) will introduce the first movie/game demo hybrid Blu-ray in the US with the release of the critically-acclaimed sci-fi thriller District 9. The Blu-ray will feature a playable game demo of the PlayStation®3 system (PS3™) exclusive, God of War® III – one of the most anticipated video games of 2010. After successfully completing the game demo, the consumer will be able to unlock an exclusive making-of featurette about the game. With more than 8.7 million units sold, the God of War franchise has set the bar for the action-adventure genre with numerous Editor’s Choice and Game of the Year awards given by some of the video game industry’s key media outlets, such as Game Informer, IGN, and GamePro, to name a few.

District 9 has a running time of approximately 112 minutes and is rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language.

I liked "District 9" on its own, and I'm not a gamer, so this is all superfluous to me. But if it gets more people to see "D9," then OK.

Black Keys, above; Moore, below

91.3 The Summit is proud to support "The Wild World of Alfred McMoore: a Multimedia Retrospective to Benefit Community Support Services featuring the Black Keys" on Friday, November 27th at Musica, in downtown Akron, at 6:00 p.m. Guests will have an opportunity to view outsider artist Alfred McMoore's unusual drawings and see Akron's own Black Keys in an intimate club setting, all while benefiting Community Support Services.

A limited number of tickets will be available at different price tiers that include signed CDs, t-shirts, and a post-show meet and greet with the Black Keys. Go to akronmusica.com for details.

I have linked to Jim Carney's story about McMoore on his name, above. You may know that Jim is also the father of the Black Keys' Patrick Carney.

This week's video: memories of Soupy Sales, a few thoughts about "Friday Night Lights," some new DVD, a couple of books and a Wanda Sykes bobblehead!

… because there might have been so much more. After the jump, notes about a film which marvelously promotes a concert and tour that will never happen.

NOTE: The material after the jump was written soon after I watched the movie on Tuesday night. A revised and expanded version, done for the Beacon Journal print editions, has been posted on Ohio.com and can be found here.

"Purity" is not a word I often associate with Michael Jackson, but it came to mind more than once tonight as I watched "This Is It" at the Cinemark Valley View. Because there was a purity, and a joy, at many points as Michael stepped from behind the carefully constructed and controlled facades he has had for years to sing and dance, unfettered, unpressured, with a delight and a skill that was a marvel to behold. It was in those moments that I put aside, at least briefly, all my concerns about Michael as a person, and admired the performer. Here was someone who at various points was Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Jimi Hendrix but was above all else Michael, a powerful stage presence, a memorable vocalist — if not the king of pop, then at least a legend.

As has been reported, the film — recorded during rehearsals for what was claimed to be his farewell tour — has excised any footage which might reflect badly on Michael. Remaining are promises, both in his stagecraft and in the prepared video segments, of an extraordinary, enormous show covering his career from his Jackson 5 days through his great solo hits, with an awesome band and formidable dancers supporting him.

Remaining, too, is the image of someone who watched over every detail of the stage production, whose exacting standards extended to instrumental tempos, individual hand gestures, where a light might hit. Sometimes his instructions are not immediately clear, as when he talks about "The Way You Make Me Feel" having to "simmer." Other times they are crystal: "I want it the way I wrote it." Although he offers the spotlight to others at times, and punctuates his comments with "God bless you," he is still the man in charge — and even director Kenny Ortega waits for Michael's approval.

Michael's attention is impressive but it is also cautionary. Because it is that very care, and his long history of trying to control how he is seen, that give pause to my wishing that this tour could have happened, and that I could have been at one of the concerts. I fear that Michael would have taken out, or over-polished, those moments onstage when he simply cuts loose — for instance on "Billie Jean," the film's climax. That his urge for control would have overwhelmed his more pure love of music, and turned the shows into something grand but mechanical. And it is at those moments when I prefer the rehearsals we have to the concert that might have been.

So what, in the end, do we have here? We have a rather spectacular view of a Michael Jackson who was little seen in his final years, and a sense of tragedy not only because he is dead but because there was so much greatness obscured even when he was alive. Thinking back on this film a little over an hour after I have finished watching it, I dream not only of Michael back onstage, but Michael on a bare stage, with a microphone, a powerful band and his songbook, mining each tune for the happiness that he had when he first discovered, or sang, one of his tunes. The stagecraft is impressive, but it is nothing without the man in the middle.

After the jump, in case you missed it, is my Beacon Journal column tied to the fourth-season premiere, on DirecTV on Wednesday…

Never the kind of show that sat near the top of the ratings, Friday Night Lights has scratched to survive.
In its third and now its fourth season, it has done a mere 13 episodes. And it has survived not so much through the good graces of NBC, where it began, as from the help of satellite service DirecTV, which began underwriting the show for its third season.
But the price of DirecTV's participation has been that it gets the first run of new episodes. So, while NBC has indicated that it will carry the fourth season of Friday Night Lights in the late spring or summer of 2010, DirecTV will begin airing the new episodes at 9 p.m. Wednesday on its 101 Network channel.
Regardless of where it airs, I am glad to have a chance to see the show again. And the fourth season starts promisingly, with an array of new dramatic issues for its characters.
Fans of the drama about life in and around a Texas high school football program will recall that the third season ended with considerable uncertainty. Many of the student characters graduated. And Dillon High football coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) was let go after a power play by an influential parent (D.W. Moffett), and forced to start over as the coach at the reopening East Dillon High.
The fourth Friday Night Lights season begins the following August, with Eric learning in great detail what it means to start from scratch, and with few resources. His wife, Tami (Connie Britton), remains principal of Dillon High — now known as West Dillon — but that involves animosities remaining from Eric's ouster and from the assigning of some students to East Dillon.
Former Dillon stars like Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford) and Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) still have ties to the community, but not nearly the connection they had in high school. Saracen in particular has had to defer dreams to care for his ailing grandmother.
The season premiere does not always work. Eric's relationship with his new football team is often wrapped in the cliches of many previous football stories. But other times, the show is its usual compelling self. Its characters are still written with an understandable if sometimes unpredictable blend of good and bad qualities. History, and old wounds from previous seasons, are not forgotten. And it has actors like Chandler and Britton to carry moments when the writing needs help.
As I said, I am glad to see it. And anxious for more.

If you are thinking about being on "The Amazing Race," please take a close look at this picture. Commit it to memory. The show likes to challenge contestants. If you are afraid of heights, there's a pretty good chance you will face a situation where you have to deal with heights. If you hate the water, there's a chance you will find yourself on or in the water. If you're a picky eater … well, you know where this is going. See me after the jump.

I don't know how familiar Mika and Canaan were with "TAR" before they signed up, or if they somehow thought that the stunts they saw on TV would not be as intimidating in real life, or what. But Mika's meltdown, with the race on the line, was sad (because she was so very frightened) and dramatic. Canaan was trying not to force her to jump — which could have been disastrous if she was off-balance or panicky on the way down — but came very close the line between forcing and strong persuasion. Then you add in the Globetrotters' arrival, and that excitement, as well as the potential controversy in their behavior. (I, frankly, thought they were rough but still in the spirit of the game. If it had been a matter of who finished fourth and who fifth, say, then you might argue about the situation. But this was about who might be going home.) And yet it was all a bit depressing, too, because Mika should have known long before this that winning the show would mean facing up to some if not all of her fears.

Good show. Not only for the diving, but for things like the hookah challenge, where Ericka went so wrong, both in thinking that details were unimportant and in her ranting instead of trying to solve their problem. To be fair, though, Ericka has more than once noted her glossy-diva side, including on last night's telecast, so it's not as if she has hidden herself up to now.

I haven't paid much attention to Meghan and Cheyne up to this point, probably because they're not dramatic enough to have merited a lot of screen time when other contestants offered TV-appealing nuttiness. But they were really adept players on last night's show, and are clearly a threat to win it all. Sam and Dan — smart to bring a calculator but come on, you don't know how to divide numbers? I still like Gary and Matt, though, because they seem like good guys, and capable players.

Items from new and backlogged e-mail,after the jump, including DVD news about "Glee" and "Julie & Julia," and some grim kids-TV news from Nielsen.

American children aged 2-11 are watching more and more television than they have in years. New findings from The Nielsen Company show kids aged 2-5 now spend more than 32 hours a week on average in front of a TV screen. The older segment of that group (ages 6-11) spend a little less time, about 28 hours per week watching TV, due in part that they are more likely to be attending school for longer hours.

You can find more details here.

The first 13 episodes of "Glee" will be on DVD just before the end of '09 (and after they have all aired). From the official word:

Give a cheer for TV’s hottest, funniest and most talked-about new series when “Glee” Season 1: Road To Sectionals debuts on DVD December 29 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. …

“Glee” Season 1: Road To Sectionals DVD will also include the Director’s cut of the pilot episode; exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes; audition videos from the talented cast and the hit music topping the charts at iTunes such as cast versions of Queen’s “Somebody To Love,” Heart’s “Alone,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Céline Dion’s “Taking Chances,” Rihanna’s “Take A Bow,” Carrie Underwood’s “Last Name,” Jazmine Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows,” Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” and REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”. “Glee” Season 1: Road To Sectionals will be available on DVD for the suggested retail price of $39.98 U.S/$49.98 Canada. Prebook date is December 2.
"Julie & Julia," which I still think of as half a good movie, will be on DVD and Blu-ray in December. The announcement:

Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, and Chris Messina star in the delightfully delicious hit comedy Julie & Julia coming to Blu-ray™ and DVD December 8 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. …

Julie & Julia will be available on Blu-ray™ for $39.95 SRP and DVD for $28.96 SRP.

Notes on a couple of intense episodes, after the jump.

I have had occasional doubts about "Mad Men" during the current season's tenth and eleventh episodes, the latter of which aired on Sunday night. Last night's show had several bits of dialogue which seemed too soapy, including that involving Don and Suzanne. But the show has a gift for making you think about things that aren't even on the screen at that moment; any scene with Joan and her husband, for instance, carries a threat of violence. And all of last night's episode played out with us knowing what Betty had found in Don's desk, and waiting to see how she would react — and what he would do in response.

And what a response it was. With his carefully constructed disguise — his Halloween costume, in fact — in tatters, he finally shed the taciturn, dominatiing Don for the frightened and uncertain Dick Whitman within. As we saw in the hitchhiker-mugging of Don, and in his reaction to Italy relative to Betty's, the yokel Don has never been that far below the surface. And it came out, with Don speaking more honestly to Betty about everything, including his brother's suicide, than we have ever seen him be with another character. And even as all that was going on, the tension was even more marked because his current lover was outside, waiting in the car.

Of course, we were expected to wonder what Suzanne might do, only to be reminded at the end that she had no choice — that her job was at risk from scandal, so she needed to get away. As dangerous as she was for Don, being so close to home, she was in that one respect perfect for him, too, since she needed to keep their relationship secret. (I know, we have had hints of that before, for instance when she would rush him inside the house. But just the way this episode clarified the terror inside Don, it made more specific that Suzanne is not without fear, either.)

I trust Jon Hamm as put his confession scene aside for use at Emmy time.

Elsewhere in the episode, Roger's reunion with Annabelle Mathis (onetime sitcom mainstay Mary Page Keller) was interesting for showing us how bruised Roger is, and once again what a sentimentalist rests inside; much the way he wrecked his marriage for an idealized notion of romance, he still carries a torch for Annabelle. And I wonder if his refusal to bed Annabelle was just about his being married, but also about his memories of Joan, and how not casual that relationship has proven to be for him, emotionally. And in an episode that was so much about people's masks and disguises, how fascinating to see that Roger's mask hides a much better person.

Then again, it appears that Don's hidden self may be better than his facade — that his opening up to Betty will make an enormous difference in their relationship, and Don's with his family. He now can publicly recognize how much he loves the life he has built, as his morning-after affection for his wife and children indicated. Has Don been freed as a person — and does that freedom come just as he has become more chained to his job?

Because, of course, he is now under contract. And over all this hangs the future of Sterling Cooper, which we learned a week ago is up for sale. Two episodes left to the season, and many issues up in the air, and I already hate the idea that there's not much more to go in this season.

The above is a rather cool-looking building in Sugar Loaf,  NY, where we spent part of a long weekend of traveling and visiting two of our three children. The trip took us from Ohio to Claryville, NY, then to Butler, NJ, with part of a day in Chester, NY, and Sugar Loaf, shopping near Paramus and finally back to Butler and, on Sunday, home. Rainy on Saturday (buckets in the evening) but a gorgeous, sunny drive back on Sunday, with lots of beautiful landscapes along the way.

Some recommended locations: Thatcher McGhee's, a nice Irish pub/restaurant, where bagpipers strolled and played as we dined on Saturday night, and Exposures, a fine photo studio featuring the work of Nick Zungoli (example below), and Frost Valley YMCA, a splendid, out-of-the-way camp with very nice accommodations.

Of course, all this traveling has put me in a Wednesday-Sunday cone of silence for everything except last night's "Amazing Race" and "Mad Men" and Thursday's "Community" so far. Not sure when I will catch up, but I will.

Lynne Sherwin and I talk about Natalie, the wacky judges and other topics ….

You can read about a new documentary on the Ghoulardi era in Cleveland TV here.

The latest mailbag is here.

By the way, I have been busy with some personal projects and so have not had the time to post much. No crisis, just time-consuming activities. And they will continue for the next few days, so posts will be erratic at best during that time.

Join me as I talk about the return of Sharona to "Monk," some new DVDs and Los Lobos going Disney.

Couple of DVD accounts in today's Beacon Journal. A discussion of a new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame set is here. As I indicated, the set is something of a nightmare organizationally. But it is full of cool stuff, and what I thought would be brief checks of this or that disc usually turned into prolonged visits to different items. My weekly DVD column, which includes a "Transformers" box set and a "Vega$" collection, is here. I'll be talking about some other DVD titles in my weekly online video on Tuesday.

After getting through the grocery shopping and a few other things, the wearying previous week and the damp weather caught up with the bride and me. Quiet afternoon indoors, with some pizza and a lot of football, including two local losses — Ohio State to Purdue, and Akron to Buffalo — and the thrill-packed ending to the USC-Notre Dame game. Also, some reading of Edith Wharton, "The House of Mirth," which is for a class but quite enjoyable.

Have also been catching up on some viewing in recent days, including "Lie to Me," "The Good Wife," "Bones" and three previous episodes of "House," which I had been letting pile up. Some notes after the jump.

I had not seen a "House" episode since the season premiere, so I came anew to his reunion with the team, and to what appears to be quite a little casting purge — shedding the remains of the new team and refocusing on the old team. Can't say I object, either. The dynamics, especially of having Foreman as the leader, have been more than entertaining, and Hugh Laurie is bringing his skill to fresh ground in House's reformed (albeit still obnoxious) self. I am concerned that killing the dictator (ably played by James Earl Jones) is a swamp from which they can't escape just through tidied-up paperwork. But the show feels comfortable and confident, and I am enjoying it.

"The Good Wife," which I like but don't love, intrigued me just enough with the maneuvering around the jailed ex-husband — especially with the casting of Joe Morton, who is very well playing the notes of nice guy/not-to-be-trusted guy with a seeming openness which makes me all the more suspicious of him. I am still not sold on the court cases, although the medical lawsuit had some decent twists and a satisfying ending, both in who was doing the bribing and how the firm handled it.

"Lie to Me" was a lot of fun with the scenes where Lightman spied on his office (and turned on the sprinklers). I liked the use of the father-daughter relationship within the episode, and am happy that it did not get all Nancy Drew. On the other hand, the twin investigations seemed very linear, a straight line of people all too willing to confess their errors on the way to resolution.

"Bones" entertainingly let Emily Deschanel play some different emotions by having Brennan get all giddy. But here's my question: Was she giddy purely because of the ancient-artifacts, or because she was getting a little heated up by her attraction to Booth's boss? Also, why do they insistent on having such an awful look for Carla Gallo?

Finally, it is nice to be cleaning out the DVRs, especially with a new week around the corner. And I expect to be reducing the amount of stuff recorded; the fact that I haven't felt any great urge to watch either "Grey's Anatomy" or "Private Practice" indicates that they're on the verge of DVR-unworthy.

(Just realized I never changed this from draft status to publishing. Erps. Here it is now.) Another video of me and Lynne Sherwin talking "Dancing With the Stars" is here. After the jump, thoughts re Thursday's "The Office," "Community" and "CSI."

"The Office" made me snort with laughter, starting with the idea of an "upper decker." (As a friend of mine said, "I'm not saying I've never left one. But never intentionally.") While the premise wasn't hugely interesting, it kept having these silly/squirmy "Office" moments that amused, like Andy with the tire wrench or Oscar's call to Jim, or all the things Kevin did in Jim's office.

"Community," as I have mentioned elsewhere, completed the odd-sitcom-song trifecta of the week with what we heard of the new Greendale Community College song being added to "In the Moonlight" on "Modern Family" and "It Was the Best Night Ever" on "How I Met Your Mother." And the hearing by the pool was painfully funny — a worthy college-trial successor to "I'm not going to stand here while you put down the United States of America!" "Glee" is still my favorite new show, but it has had some awkward spots lately, so the race is tight with "Modern Family" and "Community."

"CSI" not only had an interesting case, it worked well with the idea of racial perceptions, and did so without a lot of obvious taking of sides or dividing the characters along racial lines. (That was "Glee.") Instead, the characters had a job to do, and did it, and race become a point to consider when it directly affected the case. Unsettling, especially at the end, and that may just fuel some viewers' sense that this isn't the old "CSI." But it was smart television. On the other hand, some of the scenes involving dead bodies seemed gross even by "CSI" standards.

After the jump is my Beacon Journal column from Sunday about "30 Rock." As I mentioned in my most recent "Talking television" video, I'm not thrilled with the beginning of the new season. The column offers some details.

Does anyone else find this sponsorship deal as funny as I do:

The Under Armour All-America Selection Tour announced today that Right Guard will be the presenting partner for the inaugural 10-city tour beginning Oct. 15 in West Chester, Ohio at Lakota West High School. The Selection Tour will visit 10 high schools across the nation, during the months of October and November, to honor the next generation of football players that have been selected to participate in the 2010 Under Armour All-America Game.

Given Al Roker's waistline battles, I am also wondering if this is a good promotional idea:

The Weather Channel and Dunkin’ Donuts have teamed up to give consumers two great ways to start the day. Watch Wake Up with Al, featuring Al Roker and co-host Stephanie Abrams, weekdays at 6 a.m. ET on The Weather Channel and visit www.weather.com/wakeup to enter for a daily chance to win a $100 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card from Oct. 7-Nov. 24.

Of course, I am fixated on weight and eating these days. And donuts.

Finally, some Monty Python news:
SIRIUS XM Radio … will launch Monty Python Radio, a 24/7 channel devoted to, and hosted by, the iconic British comedy troupe.

The 24/7 channel will showcase comedic bits from Monty Python’s Flying Circus television show, including the legendary segments “Spam,” ”Nudge Nudge,” “Killer Joke,” “Argument Clinic,” “Cheese Shop” and unexpected skits like “The Spanish Inquisition,” and tracks from the troupe’s various albums, including Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album, Matching Tie and Handkerchief, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life and Monty Python Sings.

And, if you've missed it, IFC is going Pythonic:
The Independent Film Channel (IFC) announced today that Python fans across the U.S. will be able to enjoy the long-awaited reunion of the legendary Monty Python comedy troupe LIVE on IFC.com and PythOnline.com. The invitation-only event, held October 15 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, will celebrate the group's 40th anniversary and premiere the original IFC documentary, "Monty Python: Almost the Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)."

IFC will air the full six-hour version of "Monty Python: Almost The Truth (The Lawyer's Cut)" during the network's six day "Python-a-thon" October 18th through 23rd at 9 PM Eastern/8 PM Central. The first part of the documentary premiers on Sunday, October 18, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. After each episode, IFC will air a classic Python film and an episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus.

And so to "30 Rock" …

30 Rock returns at 9:30 p.m. Thursday on NBC, and people aware of its most recent Emmy haul may wonder what the awards voters were thinking.
For those of you tuning in late, the series stars (and was created by) Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, boss of a struggling sketch-comedy series on NBC.
In the most recent Emmys, the show won for best comedy series (it wasn't — The Office was better last season). Alec Baldwin, as NBC/GE executive Jack Donaghy, won for best lead actor in a comedy. And the series won the Emmy for comedy writing, a category in which it had four of the five nominations. (Flight of the Conchords had the other.)
The show is often good, and sometimes hilarious. At least in the seasons so far. But two new episodes made available for preview were noticeably underwhelming save for the odd little gag here and there.
Of course, 30 Rock loads up with jokes — not only plot and character pieces but asides in the dialogue and even visual pieces. (One of the few things that made me laugh in these two episodes was a book-jacket cover.)
The show is Simpsons-like both in that amount of humor and in the way it sometimes comments on the world outside the show. There is, for instance, a Michael Jackson allusion followed by a comment on whether mentioning Michael Jackson is appropriate, and a blatant swipe at NBC's current prime-time schedule.
But stuffing the show to the gills with gags is hard work, and it appears to have taken away from 30 Rock's big-picture need: coming up with an amusing story to keep an episode moving from one joke to the next.
In that area, 30 Rock seems tired. Too often it offers premises that have already been mined, such as Jack's also overseeing microwave production, an old rivalry between a couple of characters and Tracy's being disconnected from the real world.
And, while a promotional video for NBC tennis coverage is amusing, it is based on the assumption that 30 Rock's NBC doesn't have pro football; the show is sharper when it pokes at the real network's numerous problems. The Olympics-tied bit in an episode last season was much more pointed and funnier.
Again, I did laugh some. But not nearly as much as the show has made me laugh in the past. And some of the laughs probably resulted from going long stretches without seeing something that was really funny. I would like to think the show will get better, but I am far from sure that it will.
By the way, Community, which has been occupying the 30 Rock slot and which already has done a couple of very funny episodes, has moved to 8 p.m. Thursday.

You can find a link to the mailbag in a previous post. My review of "Where
the Wild Things Are," which I liked, is here. My immediate reaction to the movie was "Very cool." The review tries to explain why, but probably neglects to make the "Very cool" clear.

Some Wednesday viewing notes after the jump.

I was disappointed by last night's "Glee." Too much of the fake pregnancy, which is the show's weakest element, and pushing too hard to get Sue into every scene, and the musical numbers were not as good as the show has been at times in the past. Hoping for better.

"Modern Family" was good overall, very funny and yet real in the way it dealt with how family members deal with each other through surrogates within the family, and the "mommy" and "daddy" scene was great. I had problems with Dylan proving insightful — too much Keanu in the original "Parenthood" — but you knew the song was going to go badly. On the other hand, following up the song with everyone singing it the next day wasa good touch. And I downloaded the song from ABC.com last night. Of course, ABC had spoiled some of it by including the wife/ex-wife throwdown in the promos.

"The Middle" continues to amuse, not as much as "Modern Family," but it's working for me; it's become "Malcolm in the Middle" with Lois as the central character, but that's fine.

From the folks at Major League Baseball:

For the first time ever, all 65 years worth of official World Series films will be available as a complete package in a new DVD set.

The set will hit stores on November 10, but can be pre-ordered through MLB.com.

Suggested retail price is $229 in stores, but $179 if you order it now from MLB.com. The videos vary in length; the early ones, according to an MLB rep, are newsreel-like and run about 20 minutes, while the more recent ones — which are released annually after the Series — are in the 60-90 minute range.

Also, Fox is promising earlier start times for ALCS and World Series games this year. Details after the jump.

From Fox:
FOX Sports’ exclusive coverage of two of Major League Baseball’s premier postseason events, the American League Championship Series and World Series begins this Friday, October 16th (7:30 PM ET) when the New York Yankees host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game 1 of the ALCS. This year marks the networks 14th straight as a television home for postseason baseball and the 2009 Fall Classic will be FOX’s 10th consecutive of the event and 12th overall.

This year’s ALCS and World Series games begin earlier than in recent years with coverage starting at 7:30 PM ET on most days. The last time a regularly-scheduled World Series game played during the week (Mon-Fri) started before 8:00 PM ET was 38 years ago when the Baltimore Orioles faced the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 5 of the 1971 World Series. Coverage on FOX begins with the MLB on FOX pregame show hosted by Chris Rose at 7:30 PM ET for weeknight games with first pitch scheduled for 7:57 PM ET. Rose is joined each night by analyst Eric Karros and Mark Grace from the FOX Network Center in Los Angeles. The World Series will now have the earliest start time of any U.S. major sports championship excluding the Super Bowl.

“Prime time postseason games on FOX have always been scheduled for a window that maximizes the potential audience from coast to coast,” said FOX Sports President Ed Goren. “The fact is that over the last few years, games have been ending a bit later than we’d like. This new schedule, made possible through the cooperation of our stations, affiliates and Major League Baseball, should help fans of all ages see weeknight games from start to finish.” …

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York Yankees vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Schedule Subject to Change/All Times Eastern
DATE GAME LOCATION TIME

Friday, Oct. 16 GAME 1 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY 7:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 17 GAME 2 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY 7:30 PM
Monday, Oct. 19 GAME 3 Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA 4:00 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 20 GAME 4 Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA 7:30 PM
*Thursday, Oct. 22 GAME 5 Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA 7:30 PM
**Saturday, Oct. 24 GAME 6 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY 4:00 PM
*Sunday, Oct. 25 GAME 7 Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY 8:00 PM

105th WORLD SERIES
Schedule Subject to Change/All Times Eastern
DATE GAME LOCATION TIME

Wednesday, Oct. 28 GAME 1 American League City 7:30 PM

Thursday, Oct. 29 GAME 2 American League City 7:30 PM

Saturday, Oct. 31 GAME 3 National League City 7:30 PM

Sunday, Nov. 1 GAME 4 National League City 8:00 PM

*Monday, Nov. 2 GAME 5 National League City 7:30 PM

*Wednesday, Nov. 4 GAME 6 American League City 7:30 PM

*Thursday, Nov. 5 GAME 7 American League City 7:30 PM

* If necessary

** Game moves to 7:30 PM if NLCS ends prior to or on 10/23