In previous recent posts, we detailed the last-minute pulling of a musical cold open for a Doctor Who-themed installment of CBS's "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson", and how angry he was to have rehearsed the production number for two days, and written special lyrics to the instrumental Doctor Who theme, only to have CBS yank the bit because music rights hadn't been secured.

2010

Dec

HEY, LOOK! OUR CONTRIBUTORS REACT TO CBS'S MORNING SHIFT AND LESLIE NIELSEN'S DEATH -- TODAY ON "FRESH AIR," I TALK MARK TWAIN By David Bianculli

I'm very, very proud to point out what's going on around here. Our TV WORTH WATCHING contributors are on top of breaking news. Tom Brinkmoeller, in his latest "RAISED ON MTM" column, puts the latest scheduled CBS morning-show shift in a context that's both impressive and depressing. Bill Brioux, in his latest "TV FEEDS MY FAMILY" report, salutes Leslie Nielsen, who died Sunday, and recounts his memorable interviews with the playful actor.

2010

Nov

"GOD, THAT'S GOOD!": PBS PRESENTS BRILLIANT SONDHEIM BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION By David Bianculli

Wednesday night, the PBS "Great Performances" series presents a two-hour concert that lives up to that series' title from start to finish. Taped March 15-16 at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, "Sondheim! The Birthday Concert" celebrates Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday, and it's an absolute, start-to-finish delight...

2010

Nov

ALL I AM SAYING, IS GIVE "LENNONYC" A CHANCE... By David Bianculli

Tonight at 9 ET, the invaluable PBS arts documentary series American Masters presents its latest offering: "LennoNYC", an examination of John Lennon's final, New York City years. It's not comprehensive, but it does contain some rarities and solid insights -- and whether or not you're a diehard Beatles fan, it's well worth watching. And hearing. Especially hearing, because the outtakes and acoustic versions of Lennon songs are treasures in themselves...

2010

Nov

UPDATE: STILL NO FERGUSON "DOCTOR WHO" MUSICAL NUMBER POSTED ON THE NET -- BUT AT LEAST THERE'S THIS... By David Bianculli

Several days after the last-second scrubbing of Craig Ferguson's much-rehearsed, much-anticipated musical opening to his Doctor Who special edition of CBS's "The Late Late Show", it still hasn't shown up on the Internet....TV WORTH WATCHING would be HAPPY to post the original number, by the way, if there's any way we could obtain it...

2010

Nov

LATE-NIGHT SURPRISES: SPRINGSTEEN SINGS, FERGUSON DOESN'T By David Bianculli

Tuesday night on late-night television, Craig Ferguson didn't sing, as he had promised to, on CBS -- but over on NBC, as Jimmy Fallon's guest, Bruce Springsteen did. Both the singing and the non-singing, as it turned out, involved a surprise...

2010

Nov

WHEN IS A TV REVIEW OF A MOVIE WORSE THAN THE MOVIE COULD POSSIBLY BE? WHEN IT'S ON ABC "WORLD NEWS NOW" By David Bianculli

One of the bad things about being a television critic is having to work odd hours -- so little time, so much TV. Another of the bad things, an occupational hazard, is stumbling upon late-night horrors few people are awake to endure. I dealt with one this morning, on a super-late, or super-early, film review on ABC's World News Now...

2010

Nov

STUDENT BLOG #6: THE APPEAL OF ZOMBIES, PRE-"WALKING DEAD" By David Bianculli

AMC has cancelled "Rubicon", its intellectual thriller about global conspiracies, but ordered a second season of "The Walking Dead", its other freshman series, which continues Sunday night at 10 ET. Why are spies executed, but zombies allowed to, uh, live? Our Rowan University student correspondent, Rich Greenhalgh, looks at "zombie appeal"...

2010

Nov

SEEING TV DIFFERENTLY, THROUGH THE EYES OF COLLEGE STUDENTS By David Bianculli

Most of the time, when I teach TV History and Appreciation to my students at New Jersey's Rowan University, one goal is to get them to imagine watching old television when it was new. But every once in a while, comparisons to TV old and new have me looking at today's television through THEIR eyes. It's a very different experience -- and recently, NBC's 30 Rockgave me that chance...

2010

Nov

"CONAN," NIGHT 2: A MARKED, NECESSARY IMPROVEMENT By David Bianculli

Just a quick follow-up to the new Conan O'Brien TBS talk show status. Had the show he delivered Tuesday night run instead as the Monday back-to-TV premiere, my review would have been substantially more positive...

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David Bianculli

Founder / Editor

David Bianculli has been a TV critic since 1975, including a 14-year stint at the New York Daily News, and sees no reason to stop now. Currently, he's TV critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, and is an occasional substitute host for that show. He's also an author and teaches TV and film history at New Jersey's Rowan University. His 2009 Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour', has been purchased for film rights. His latest, The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific, is an effusive guidebook that plots the path from the 1950s’ Golden Age to today’s era of quality TV.

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