Slipped into the dead TV week between Christmas and New Year's is one reliable annual treat: The CBS Kennedy Center Honors, which salutes, each year, a quintet of powerful performers from various arenas in the arts. It's always one one of my favorite TV shows of the year -- and tonight, with its amazing list of honorees and artists, it's the best Kennedy Center Honors presentation in years...

2009

Dec

MORE "FRESH AIR" TODAY, WITH MY YEAR-END TOP 10 LIST -- BUT HERE'S A PREVIEW, AND AN EXCLUSIVE BONUS, MY BOTTOM 5 By David Bianculli

Today on NPR's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross", Terry will interview me for the second time in a month. Last time it was for the launch of my book, and today it's to recap the year in television -- including my Top 10 List for 2009, which I'll share here -- and my Bottom 5, which will be presented here exclusively...

2009

Dec

TODAY, "FRESH AIR"... TOMORROW, "FRESH AIR" AGAIN, MAYBE... TWO CHATS, WITH TWO DIFFERENT TERRYS By David Bianculli

It's a busy week for us here at TV WORTH WATCHING. Today I interview Terry Gilliam, whose new movie, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, is the final film to star Heath Ledger -- in a role that was completed by Johnny Depp and others...

2009

Dec

ONLY FOUR SHOPPING -- AND VIEWING -- DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS By David Bianculli

Here's one more blatant plug, or plea, for you to pick up a copy -- or more, if you're the radiantly generous sort -- of my newly published Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Go forth and view, and shop, and be merry...

2009

Dec

PERFECT TIMING: SMOTHERS BROTHERS POP UP ON "THE SIMPSONS," AND ARE DREAMY By David Bianculli

When I interviewed Matt Groening for my book "Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," about how strongly Tom and Dick Smothers had influenced his sense of comedy, Groening told me, almost in passing, that he was about to record the siblings for an upcoming episode of "The Simpsons". So I knew their animated appearance was coming...

2009

Dec

TV PRESENTS A FULL-SCALE PUPPET SHOW: THE 1,000TH EPISODE OF "LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON" ON CBS By David Bianculli

Tonight, to celebrate the 1,000th installment of his CBS talk show "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," the host is taking the night off -- and turning over the program to his popular alter ego puppet, Wavy the crocodile or alligator. (Even Wavy isn't sure which.) As a TV concept, it's a blast from TV's most distant past -- but also a clear indication why Ferguson, in late-night TV terms, is the wave of the future...

2009

Dec

"DANGEROUSLY FUNNY," WEEK 3: FUN, PIVOTAL, SCARY THRILL RIDE By David Bianculli

Today ends the first two weeks of publication of my "Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." Tomorrow begins week three -- or, as I try not to think of it very often, the really, really scary week...

2009

Dec

AND THE SMOTHERS STUFF JUST KEEPS ON COMING... NOW, NEW WEB PAGES AT A NEW WEBSITE By David Bianculli

My dual web gurus, Eric Gould and Rich Baniewicz, have done it again: This time they've added new pages to my Smothers Brothers book website, where you can find not only the latest reviews, but the full chapter-by-chapter detailed notes...

2009

Dec

"DANGEROUSLY FUNNY" UPDATE, BUT ALSO BACK TO BUSINESS: WATCH TNT'S "MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE" By David Bianculli

I'm back from L.A., trying to get back to basics -- so today's blog will be a mixed bag, with some news about my Smothers Brothers book, but also pointing out some TV worth watching: Ray Romano's original, very entertaining new TNT series...

2009

Dec

"DANGEROUSLY FUNNY" WEEK: WHAT A WHIRLWIND, PART 2: FERGUSON AND SKIRBALL By David Bianculli

I'm here in Los Angeles, and I survived. Thursday night I gave my first public reading lecture for "Dangerously Funny," at the Skirball Cultural Center -- and also taped my appearance on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," which will be shown Friday night (early Saturday) at 12:35 a.m. ET on CBS...

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