Last year's introductory season of HBO's "True Blood" established the characters, and the swampy Louisiana setting, of the Sookie Stackhouse novels written by Charlaine Harris. "Six Feet Under" creator Alan Ball, adapting the vampire novels for television, amped up the sex and the wit, making it a fun summer TV ride...

2009

Jun

TV RATINGS TELL MANY COMPELLING STORIES: CONAN IS SLIPPING, "HARPER'S ISLAND" IS SINKING, "DAISIES" WIPES OUT, BUT "WIPEOUT" DOESN'T By David Bianculli

Audience figures for current shows are telling some surprising stories, from a late-night turnaround to some obvious summer losers and winners. Dave has caught "Conan," "Wipeout" is doing surprisingly well, and so is Obama...

2009

Jun

NEIL PATRICK HARRIS SLAM-DUNKS CBS TONY AWARDS WITH NAUGHTY MUSICAL FINALE By David Bianculli

Completing my book left me a day behind, so watching and reacting to the CBS Tony Awards is a day tardy. But I have to do it anyway, because the closing number by Neil Patrick Harris, as wickedly funny as anything served up by a real musical in years, deserves praise, annotation, and a revisit...

2009

Jun

FROZEN HELL! FLYING PIGS! PEACEFUL MIDDLE EAST! MY SMOTHERS BROTHERS BOOK IS DONE!! By David Bianculli

It's been 15 years since I conducted my first interview for my book on the Smothers Brothers, and over a year -- May 1, 2008 -- since my 100-page proposal sold the idea to Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, for a book to be published this November. This morning I emailed the final chapter to my astoundingly patient, but understandably nervous, editor...

2009

Jun

TV WORTH WATCHING HAS A FATHER'S DAY TREAT, IF YOU'RE SHOPPING FOR DAD (OR ARE ONE) By David Bianculli

Thanks to Diane Werts (thanks, Diane Werts!), TV WORTH WATCHING is presenting its latest holiday page gift guide. This time -- JUST in time -- it's for Father's Day. Need a gift suggestion or two for what to get dad, at a good price, that will bring a smile? Diane has assembled a whole page of suggestions old and new, with direct links to discount sales on Amazon...

2009

Jun

ON THE SAME NIGHT, NBC GLIDES WITH CONAN, BUT NOT BEFORE CRASHING WITH "I'M A CELEBRITY" By David Bianculli

NBC honored its history and tradition Monday night by presenting a polished premiere of "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien." A few hours earlier, it betrayed that history and tradition by presenting a wretched revival of a six-year-old ABC disaster, "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!"...

2009

Jun

NBC: "I USED TO BE A NETWORK... GET ME OUT OF HERE!" By David Bianculli

In late-night this evening, "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" premieres, continuing a proud NBC tradition that goes back to 1954. But before that, NBC fills two hours of prime time with "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!," reviving a vile ABC tradition that should have stayed buried in 2003...

2009

May

JAY LENO LEAVES "TONIGHT," "PUSHING DAISIES" RETURNS, AND ALAN ALDA DROPS A "M*A*S*H" NOTE By David Bianculli

Looking ahead to the weekend, and back to what may be the season's most obscure in-joke TV Extra: Between Jay Leno leaving "The Tonight Show," "Pushing Daisies" returning to ABC and Alan Alda making a "M*A*S*H" joke on 30 Rock, there's a lot to cover. So let's get right to it...

2009

May

CONAN'S PROPER APPROACH TO NBC'S "TONIGHT SHOW": REVERENT IRREVERENCE By David Bianculli

Conan O'Brien participated in a conference call with TV reporters, critics and bloggers yesterday, and one thing stood out above all else. He described talking to designers about the new "Tonight Show" set he envisioned when he takes over as host next week, and he distilled his concept down to one word: "Elegant." That, right there, says NBC's "Tonight Show" is in good hands...

2009

May

FOX GETS BUOYANT HEAD START ON FALL SCHEDULE, WITH "GLEE" By David Bianculli

More people will be watching tonight's performance final of "American Idol" than almost any TV offering shown this year. Here's hoping they keep their TV sets tuned to Fox immediately afterward, because tonight's advance taste of "Glee," one of its new fall series, isn't just a sneak peek. It's a sneak peak...

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