In my early days of reporting, I was assigned a story about the 10th anniversary of "60 Minutes"...then anchored by Mike Wallace. I will never forget that kindness or how generous Wallace was with his time...

2011

Aug

'BURIED TREASURE' - OR JUST MORE TV JUNK? By Ronnie Gill

Wow! When I first heard about Fox's new "Buried Treasure" (Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET), I thought: I'm going to love this show. It's Antiques Roadshow coming to houses like mine and justifying all those years of going to garage, church and yard sales. It's about everyday people picking up something for a dollar or a dime that is going to make them -- well, a millionaire...

2011

May

YOU GOTTA HEAR 'THE VOICE'! By Ronnie Gill

As American Idol dwindles down to its final five finalists, it seems to lose momentum week by week. Gone is the promise that the Top 13 (well, at least the Top 11) contestants held. Fortunately, as my interest wanes in that chestnut, a new show debuted last week that looks as if it might present Idol's first real competition in the vocal talent genre. If you missed the premiere of NBC's "The Voice," check it out. I consider it a return to must-see TV on NBC...

2011

Mar

CASEY HAS NOT STRUCK OUT - OR HOW 'AMERICAN IDOL' GOT ITS GROOVE BACK By Ronnie Gill

If this season's "American Idol" is turning into a circus, then we have to assume that Nigel Lythgoe is its ringmaster. It is easy to say, without hyperbole, that Thursday night's results show was the most bizarrely fascinating in Idol's 10-season history. A foreteller of the evening's events was Lythgoe's late-morning tweet...

2011

Feb

'PAWN STARS' IS GOOD STUFF By Ronnie Gill

Blame it on the economy or conspicuous consumption. Whatever the reason, TV these days is brimming with shows about people buying, selling, appraising or pawning their stuff. "Stuff" encompasses a lot of territory, from a rusted gas station sign on "American Pickers" or evidence from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping on "Pawn Stars"...

2011

Jan

'AMERICAN IDOL' SEASON 10: NEW JUDGES, FALSE HOPES By Ronnie Gill

Living in the Northeast, I hate winter. I really do. But for nearly a decade, one of the things that made winter a little more tolerable was the arrival of "American Idol" in January. I am an unabashed fan of this wacky and wonderful series. Or at least I used to be...

2011

Jan

GOLDEN GLOBES 2011: GOOD, BAD, RICKY By Ronnie Gill

What's more real (or unreal, for that matter) than awards ceremonies? So Altered Reality is tackling Sunday night's Golden Globe Awards..Although we thought Ricky Gervais was pretty funny, we have to assume he'll be persona non grata at next year's event because of his unrelenting comic attacks on everything and everyone. Few survived unscathed...

2011

Jan

PAULA ABDUL'S 'LIVE TO DANCE' WEARS SPANDEX By Ronnie Gill

If passion about dance equaled excellence, Paula Abdul's new CBS series, "Live to Dance," would score an A. Unfortunately it doesn't. The show -- which had an unbearably long two-hour premiere on Tuesday, and claims, unrealistically, to be looking for America's best dance performance -- left more than a lot to be desired...

2010

Oct

BRAVO: CHANGING THE PATTERN By Ronnie Gill

If you watched Bravo during its early days, you found foreign and independent films, jazz, ballet and stage productions. Who could have guessed when it was created by Cablevision in 1980 as ''the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts'' that Bravo would become the creative cauldron of reality TV?...

2010

Oct

THIS GUNN IS A STRAIGHT SHOOTER By Ronnie Gill

"Project Runway's" dapper mentor Tim Gunn is one of my heroes. Not only is he whip smart, he usually conforms to a high standard of propriety -- a true gentleman as well as a gentle man. Some might argue that Gunn steps out of character when he feels compelled to be a truth teller -- not me. It is just another facet of him that I admire...

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Ronnie Gill

Ronnie Gill is a features desk editor for Newsday and a longtime former editor of its weekly guide to TV. A latecomer to reality TV, once she joined the party she has rarely stopped to catch her breath. She loves shows where contestants have to prove they have actual talent, rather than shows awarded to individuals for being able to date, mate, procreate or survive.

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