The promotional drumbeat has begun for Anderson Cooper's foray into daytime TV this fall, which means we're already getting to see a different side to the CNN anchor. Say this much for the guy: he knows his image as a serious newsman is not going to help him much when it comes to attracting the soccer moms.

So Cooper is showing his softer, sillier side these days, as he did in a Wednesday appearance at the PromaxBDA conference where he drew a bright line between what he does on CNN and what he'll do on "Anderson."

Cooper dished on his TV guilty pleasures, which apparently includes everything from Bravo's "Real Housewives of Atlanta" to OWN's "Finding Sarah." Oh, and let's not forget A&E's "Hoarders"--"I love me some 'Hoarders,'" said Cooper, showcasing an informal grammatical style heretofore unseen on CNN.

And if you think he'll be interviewing Timothy Geithner on "Anderson," forget about that. "I'm not going to talk to any of those people," he told the Promax crowd, referring to the newsmakers on his nightly program.

What else should Cooper do to shake up his image? Let us know in the comments.

 

UPDATED: An earlier version of this article said that the FEC had determined that the press exemption included donations to Colbert's super PAC from his show's parent company, Viacom. This is not the case.

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Stephen Colbert's super PAC has - seriously, now - been approved by the Federal Election Commission. Again: a political satirist who tried to run for president not long ago, basically as a gag, and was shot down by the FEC, now has a working and legal political action committee, also basically as a gag.

For those of you who have not been keeping up with the intricacies of campaign finance law and the hilarious comedy surrounding it (I had the flu. What's your excuse?), this is a pretty big deal, although its full effects are maybe not going to be so awesome.

Colbert is set to address the FEC's decision this evening on his show.

Backstory: In 2010, the Supreme Court made a landmark (and IMHO, awful) decision in favor of a group called Citizens United, saying, in essence, that any independent group - meaning not directly affiliated with a party or candidate - is allowed to spend as much money as it wants in order to promote or smear any political entity. Candidate, party, ballot initiative, whatever. And - this is extremely important - it will not have to disclose its sources of funding. Many states had laws on the books at the time prohibiting independent funding of campaign ads, and with good reason - most commonly, large and powerful entities like corporations and unions were prevented from trying to sway elections in their favor, through third party shell organizations or otherwise. It was understood that part of preventing this was keeping campaigners of all stripes honest by requiring that they disclose their sources of funding, whether or not they described themselves as "independent." That made sure no one created a company advocating for corporations that hid its motivations behind privacy protections intended for individuals. This demand for transparency, in fact, was part of Federal legislation for many years, under the Taft-Hartley Act (1947). After "Citizens United vs. the FEC," which ruled that Citizens United would not have to tell anyone who had paid for its anti-Hillary Clinton ad, a new type of nonprofit corporation was created: the 501(c)4, which is exactly that kind of shell company.

Colbert exists, professionally, to point out the flaws in the political process, which he seems to regard as some kind of extreme sport - here he is giving one of the most uncomfortable speeches in the history of political commentary to George W. Bush and a poker-faced D.C. press corps at the White House Correspondents dinner. When he tells the audience that he's here "to celebrate this president," you can just feel the temperature in the room drop. It is brilliant and almost superhumanly ballsy.

 

"Citizens United vs. the FEC" presents a huge target to a prank-prone wonk like Colbert - so, you're saying ANYONE can form a PAC? Well, what about me, a comedian obviously backed a huge media corporation like Comedy Central parent Viacom? Ha!

There are a couple of hiccups: Viacom has to disclose PAC-related activity that doesn't have to do with Colbert's show, including admin support. But if they want to, everyone at the company can make an individual donation funding PSAs supporting, say, a ballot initiative that would allow them to buy their biggest compeititor in every ad break on "The Colbert Report" without having to reveal their involvement (presumably they wouldn't do that, and Colbert wouldn't do it, either, but you get the point).

The problem with this particular stunt is that it proves what critics of the decision originally said of "Citizens United vs. the FEC" - that it grants vastly powerful corporations unfettered First Amendment rights. The good it does is this: If sole employees of MSNBC, for example, or Fox News Channel are called on the carpet about their super PACs, Sarah Palin and Karl Rove will have some 'splainin' to do because of the way the rules have been publicly debated and defined today.

Colbert got both special allowances and special restrictions for his super PAC because of what is known as a "press exemption." Advocacy group Public Citizen explains it thusly: "The press exemption has long been a staple of campaign finance laws. It is critical for the freedom of the press to allow media outlets to pay for any costs associated with 'covering or carrying any news story, commentary or editorial.' Such media expenses are exempt from reporting requirements. As always, however, this press exemption means allowing media companies to pay for expenses in the course of its 'legitimate press function,' not a blanket exemption allowing such companies to finance political campaigns generally." (quotes-within-quotes are from the actual statute)

It's been determined that the press exemption DOES NOT allow media companies to finance political campaigns. It DOES, however, allow candidates to promote their own super PACs on-air, using their companies' resources. Colbert told Politico today that he expected flowers from Rove and Palin, if the pair stay at Fox News. It may be too much to put the blame for that particular hiccup at Colbert's feet - with the FEC already slapped down by the Supreme Court, it's unlikely they were spoiling for another fight. Still, they might have put one up if the applicant had been less cuddly.

"Sixty days ago today, on this very spot, a young man petitioned the FEC for permission to form a super PAC, to raise unlimited monies and use those monies to determine the winners of the 2012 elections," Colbert said today at a short conference after getting the official stamp of approval from the FEC.

Well, now's his chance.

It's hard to imagine that Colbert didn't hope his application would get shut down a little harder than it did. Had that happened, it would have set precedent and caused the FEC to pull back the reins on anonymous funding of ads that advocate for the wealthy at the expense of the poor, shedding on campaign finance, rather than less. The approval of his PAC may call attention to the problem, but it has also set precedent in both directions at once. (and feel free to donate here, by all means - Colbert being a quasi-journalist himself who obviously likes exposing greed and self-interest, hopefully the money will go to legislating the thing out of existence).

Perhaps the man himself said it best:

"Knock knock?"

"Who's there?" said the crowd.

"Unlimited union and corporate campaign contributions."

"Unlimited union and corporate campaign contributions who?" the crowd asked him.

"That's the thing, I don't think I should have to tell you."

Get it?

Former "CHiPs" star Erik Estrada gathered "with real motorcycle police officers" to remind Southern California residents to stay off the freeways because of the closure of the San Diego Freeway between the Santa Monica and Ventura freeways the weekend of July 16-17.

More at L.A. Observed and The Source.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

Whoops.

Mark Halperin has been suspended indefinitely from MSNBC for calling president Obama "a dick" on "Morning Joe today."

"We apologize to the President, the White House and all of our viewers," the Peacock news cabler said in an unattributed statement on Thursday morning. "We strive for a high level of disclosure and comments like these have no place on our air."

Although presumably "a high level of disclosure" is at least partly the problem here...

MSNBC has developed a rep for being tough on pundit infractions, famously with Keith Olbermann (whose suspension over political donations appeared to have been one of the factors in his leaving the network) and "Joe" host Joe Scarborough, who got the same treatment for behavior similar to Olbermann's.

A more analogous example, though, might be David Shuster, who asked if it seemed "like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out" during Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in February 2008. For the crack, Shuster was suspended for two weeks (later, he was suspended until the end of his contract after MSNBC learned that he'd shot a pilot for CNN without informing his bosses. He's now joined Olbermann at Current TV).

Halperin, at least, has been quick to apologize: "I completely agree with everything in MSNBC’s statement about my remark," he said in an emailed statement. "I believe that the step they are taking in response is totally appropriate. Again, I want to offer a heartfelt and profound apology to the President, to my MSNBC colleagues, and to the viewers. My remark was unacceptable, and I deeply regret it."

Hopefully for Halperin, the apology will get him some leniency with his bosses, and perhaps president Obama will give him a mulligan.

This must be some kind of land speed record for gaffe-to-suspension. Three-and-a-half hours!

For what it's worth, Scarborough assures Halperin that the seven-second delay will catch his uncensored opinion... and then it totally doesn't. (Scarborough: "I was joking! Don't do that! Did we delay that?" Somebody Named Alex, presumably e.p. Alex Korson: "I hit it, I hope it worked!" Not so much, dude.)

It's all in the first minute of the segment above. Here's Halperin eating crow:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As a fun gimmick to help pave the way for the arrival of telepic "Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension," Disney's online arm has enabled you to create your own "Phineas and Ferb" avatar. Above, you'll see how I looked after my journey to the 2D world, where I put on an amusingly mismatched outfit, took a decade or two off my age and met Phineas himself.

The online activity recalls the "Mad Men" avatars that became a cult online craze for fans of the AMC series — with the added bonus that you get to venture right into the Tristate world of "Phineas."

Disney Channel will premiere the "Phineas" TV movie on August 5.

In an effort to keep things light at the beginning of the week, MTV has set two new comedy series for Monday nights, starting Aug. 29: comedian Rob Drydek’s viral video commentary skein “Ridiculousness” and horror-humor scripted show “Death Valley,” set for 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., respectively.

The “Ridiculousness” model has worked once already for MTV Networks - Comedy Central’s “Tosh.0” earns consistently high ratings for the net with similar subject matter. Production entity dickhouse, best known for “Jackass” and its spinooffs, will produce. 

“Death Valley” is a concept that has been tried somewhat less frequently - a single-cam comedy with a “Cops”-style framework set in a zombie-, vampire- and werewolf-infested San Ferndando Valley. The series stars Tania Raymonde, Bryan Callen, Caity Lotz, Bryce Johnson, Texas Battle, and Charlie Sanders. Spider One co-exec produces.

Fans of the AMC series "Breaking Bad" know the series isn't for the faint of heart, but the fourth-season premiere really put a live audience to the test at its premiere Tuesday night at Los Angeles' Chinese 6 Theaters.

A gory scene near the end of the episode in which--no spoilers here--someone is relieved of a considerable amount of blood prompted "Bad" star Bryan Cranston's teenage daughter, Taylor, to faint in her seat inside the theater.

Few in attendance knew just what was happening when the screening was suddenly interrupted and the lights in the theater came on, but an audible appeal for a doctor from someone in the crowd spread concern and confusion.

Thankfully, AMC chief Charlie Collier took control of the situation and kept everyone calm. Taylor Cranston was quickly attended to and the screening resumed minutes later; she is said to be doing fine.

It will be interesting to see whether AMC will, ahem, re-cut the scene in light of the incident. But given this show's track record for artfully depicted mayhem, don't bet on it. 

Comedy Central has greenlit two sketch comedy series, one starring Nick Kroll of "The League." Kroll will frontline "The Nick Show Kroll" (yes, that's the title), which he is exec producing with John Levenstein ("Arrested Development") and Jonathan Krisel ("Portlandia").

In addition, Keegan-Michael Key ("Just Go with It," "Gary Unmarried") and Jordan Peele ("Little Fockers") will appear in an untitled series (perhaps they're still figuring out how to scramble the words) that they are exec producing with Ian Roberts and Jay Martel.

Head of original programming and production Kent Alterman offered this reveletory quote: "I haven't seen either pilot yet, but I think so highly of the talent involved, I can't imagine the shows won't be great."

In Sports Illustrated's oral history of the making of "Major League" — a great read if you're a fan of the movie — former "Two and a Half Men" star Charlie Sheen said that, among other things, he took steroids for six to eight weeks to boost his fastball.

Sheen noted, in his defense, that he was being worked to the bone on the shoot.

"When Wild Thing comes in to get that final out, it's one of the great sports entrances of all time," Sheen said. "It was four in the morning, and I had been in the bullpen nodding off. This is pre-opiates—just good old-fashioned fatigue. I had to throw 150 pitches in a night and turn it around the next day. I was like, "Guys, do you know why they have a five-man rotation? So you can heal!" They said, "Look, we've only got the stadium for four nights with the fans." I would stop at the doctor's on the way to work for cortisone shots and anti-inflammatories."

The film featured several once and future TV stars, including "24" president Dennis Haysbert, who played slugger Pedro Cerrano and recalls when he hit a legit home run.

"That's my favorite scene," he said, "when I said my little bit to Jobu: 'F--- you, Jobu!' I hit it out of Milwaukee County Stadium. It was 315 feet down that line in left. I think it hit the top of the wall. I was stoked."

Writer-director David S. Ward also noted that Jeremy Piven ("Entourage") had a role in the movie as a bench jockey that ended up entirely on the cutting room floor.

Even if you're not a fan of "True Blood," there's a bright side to the series' return to air: HBO has released a ton of teasers over the past few days for the other series that will be premiering later in the year because the popularity of "Blood" makes it a good promotional platform.

Above, take a look at the teaser for the final season of "Entourage," which will hopefully not be as ponderous. Jeez, HBO, it's still a comedy, right? Given the way the seventh season left off, with Vince in legal trouble due to drugs, you'd half expect "Entourage" to switch genres. But something tells me there will be plenty more laughs in the eight remaining episodes.

Here's some other teasers to check out:

"Boardwalk Empire" (season 2, September)

"Hung" (season 3, October)

"How To Make It In America" (season 2, October)

"Luck" (season 1, TBD; technically not a teaser but an "in production cutdown")

R.I. P. Peter Falk, a man who was every bit as unusual and talented as his on-screen alter ego, Lt. Columbo.

I learned this first-hand one day in January 2003 when I did a phone interview with Falk in connection with what proved to be the final episode of the "Columbo" series (sadly, it didn't go out on a high note). The conversation drifted to his passion for sketching and painting. He got so charged up that right after the interview he drove from his home in Beverly Hills to my Wilshire Boulevard office to show me photographs of some of the artworks he'd been describing.

You can imagine my surprise when the receptionist called to tell me that "Mr. Falk" was waiting for me in the lobby. And you can imagine the double-takes my co-workers did as they walked by my office and saw Falk sitting across from me, gesticulating wildly with enthusiasm about art, "Columbo" and pretty much anything else that crossed his mind. I've loved Falk in everything I've ever seen him in -- from his early TV roles (those that I've been able to see) to the joy of "The In-Laws" to his signature role in the ratty raincoat, so needless to say I was entranced. (I even stuck it out through the unsettling "A Woman Under the Influence" once out of respect for Falk, John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands.)

In all my years of interviews, I've never had anyone near Falk's stature do something that impulsive, that unrestrained and unscripted by handlers. I realized that day that, no kidding, Falk really was Lt. Columbo -- sui generis. ("What's the name of that guy? The one who did the soup cans? It's kind of like that," Falk explained to me of his art style as he showed me a favorite self-portrait.)

Falk and I also bonded over our mutual admiration for Patrick McGoohan, of "Prisoner" and "Danger Man" fame. Of course, Falk was very close friends with McGoohan, the iconoclastic British hyphenate, while I only knew McGoohan's work, including his fab turns as an actor in and director of "Columbo" segs. Falk later gave me a great quote for a column I wrote on McGoohan, and he even helped me try to persuade McGoohan to do an "Evening with" Q&A sesh at the Paley Center. McGoohan would have none of it, but I was grateful that Falk was willing to pick up the phone and try.

(Falk told me a funny story about having to cajole the stubborn McGoohan to sign the paperwork necessary to submit himself for an Emmy Award for his acting work in "Columbo." Whatever Falk did, it worked, because McGoohan won two Emmys for the show.)

I was heartbroken when McGoohan died in 2009, and I'm heartbroken tonight after working most of the day on the obit for Falk, who died Thursday night at 83. My husband and I pulled a random "Columbo" episode off the shelf this evening after dinner -- turned out to be the one where Jackie Cooper plays an amoral politician who kills his campaign manager -- and marveled once again at the greatness of Falk.

Just one more thing, Lieutenant -- we will surely miss you. 

-- Cynthia Littleton

What to do when you have a ratings-challenged TV series with heavily serialized storylines that make it tough for viewers to join in mid-run?  

For TNT, it's making the bold move of putting all 20 previous episodes of struggling drama "Men of a Certain Age" online for free in hopes that enough viewers will want to wade through that many hours to catch up. 

It's not unprecedented. Just a few weeks ago, AMC put 11 episodes of "The Killing" up on its own website to gin up interest in the season finale that aired this past Sunday. Whether that helped is hard to say, given "Killing" managed to approximately match its season average of 2.3 million viewers for the finale episode.

But "Age" faces more dire circumstances. Its never-quite-stellar ratings have continued to tail off as it lumbers toward its second-season finale on July 6. Given its critical acclaim and a big name like Ray Romano attached as star, TNT is likely looking for any way possible to move the needle on the ratings in order to justify a third-season order.

Could adding the entire "Age" catalog do the trick? Probably not this late in the game, but in addition to pulling off a potential miracle, Turner could study how such a stunt works in case it wants to try it in the future. No doubt execs are weighing whether what they're doing here essentially cannibalizes DVD or streaming revenues they could be earning down the line, but in that respect it's probably a worthy gambit: The more people you get watching up front, the more people you have out there evangelizing the show. For "Age," it could use every new fan possible--like now.

Farewell to one of our most likable actors ...

"Futurama," which returns this evening on Comedy Central, is not a show for nerds.

Well, okay, it is a show for nerds, but it is not JUST for nerds.

And certainly not for just one type of nerd. But one specific type of nerd owes the how a great debt: the lowly math nerd. "When we do these obscure math jokes, we try to put them in the background or have them fly by quickly so that the people who notice them will feel like they have a little bonus," showrunner David X. Cohen cautions. "We have not even a single (verbal) joke depending on math."

The reason he sounds apologetic is that the math jokes in Futurama are many, varied, and complex, with this evening's ep "Benderama" hinging on a non-convergent equation... THAT JUST MIGHT END THE WORLD.

 

 

 

See? Math can be exciting.

Math can be so exciting for the Futurama team, in fact, that one running gag includes regular recurrences of the Hardy–Ramanujan number (see how many 1729s you can spot throughout the series), and series writer Ken Keeler (one of three PhD's on the show's writing staff) actually wrote and proved a theorem that has contributed to a subsection of mathematical studies called group theory in order to solve the plot of last season's "Prisoner of Benda."

"It's probably the only television comedy in the history of the medium in which a mathematical theorem saves the day," Cohen says of the now-famous episode. "We had all these characters switching brains with a one-way brain switching machine (meaning that the characters couldn't just switch back without a third person to switch into) and we said, 'We don't know if there's any way for these characters to get their brains back!' Ken proved that if you can find two more people, you can switch all the brains back."

And there you have it, folks - real-world application.

Among the numerical intelligentsia (who cherry-picked the mathematical proof off the blackboard by freezing the frame so they could check the math, by the way), this is known - no kidding - as the Futurama Theorem. "It would be great if we can force 'Futurama' into textbooks," Cohen chuckles. "Then the kids would have to buy the DVDs. We don't care if we make sales against people's will."

In fact, nearly every integer or fractional or decimal you see in "Futurama" has some sort of double  
meaning. "Most of the time if you see a number in the background, it does mean something," Cohen says. "Sometimes we use a book called 'Interesting Numbers.' Other times we pick something random." When frequent guest star Al Gore, whose daughter Kristin wrote for the series, shows up as a hybrid taxi driver (the taxi is a hybrid. Gore, like all Futurama celebs, is a head in a jar) in direct-to-DVD pic "Bender's Big Score," the number of his cab is "50999897" - the number of votes by which he won the popular vote in the 2000 election.

Obscure? You betcha. That's why fans dig it - even if you're not a mathematician, the signs on storefronts and restaurants are full of puns like "Petunia's Self-Service Bee Farm - Mine Your Own Beeswax" and "Ay! Cantina Turner" (say it out loud).

Of course, there's plenty of super-specific, non-math-related gags to come - the series is set to go several odd new places in the season that starts tonight. "In one episode, we have the whole Planet Express crew reincarnated three times," Cohen says. "We have 30's-style Fleischer animation versions, and anime animation and pixelated 80's (videogame) animation.

"People really will not get their money's worth out of their HD TV screens on that last one."

But for Cohen, numbers have always been lucky - and, if pop psychology is any indication, always will be. "Once at a 'Simpsons' party many years ago, they had a handwriting analyst sort of as a party favor - you could go get your handwriting tested and they would tell you things about yourself," he says. "And they told me what my lucky number, my power number was based on my handwriting.

"It was 1."

For its glossy aspiring blockbuster, "Terra Nova" (which has been given a Sept. 26 premiere date for its two-hour launch), Fox has put together some gritty and offbeat but nonetheless arresting promotional posters. The campaign launches imminently.

 

Irreverent new series "Feherty" gave Golf Channel its most-watched premiere in the cabler's 16-year history with 569,000 viewers Monday.

Featuring longtime golf analyst David Feherty, the series topped the 527,000 viewers who tuned in for the 2009 premiere of “The Haney Project: Charles Barkley.”

The “Feherty” milestone came just after Golf Channel’s U.S. Open coverage showed a 7% year-over-year increase — 62% in primetime (thanks in part to the Open being on the East Coast this year, allowing Golf Channel to come on the air with its after-event coverage sooner.).

"Feherty" is Golf Channel’s first original series created since becoming part of the NBC Sports Group. The premiere featured an interview with Hall of Famer Lee Trevino. Barkley will appear on a future episode, as will Tom Watson and Don Cheadle.

Lifetime will premiere the ninth season of "Project Runway" on July 28, with guests this season including Christina Ricci, Zoe Saldana, Malin Akerman and Kim Kardashian.

The season will open with a twist: with 20 designers making their case to Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia for why they deserve one of 16 designer spots on the show.

Kyle Richards, one of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” has signed a pact with publisher HarperOne to write a lifestyle tome.

Untitled book will have Richards offering advice, sharing secrets for creating a happy marriage and what it takes to be a responsible parent.

“I plan to focus on how I manage my crazy, busy life and will write about all my passions: My husband, family, work and the joy of juggling it all,” said Richards, “I’m excited to share my favorite tips with fans.”

A part-time actress and full-time aunt to Paris Hilton, Richards will appear on the second season of “Housewives,” which began filming in March.

I don't think Tiki Barber is being truthful in the latest installment of HBO's "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" about the demise of his TV career, but that's actually kind of a compliment.

"Sports" correspondent Armen Keteyian has a fascinating interview with the former NFL star-turned-NBC anchor, which may be as much a testament to Barber as it is Keteyian. Barber comes off as a sympathetic figure, despite a reputation tarnished by his leaving his pregnant wife to take up with an NBC intern, among other missteps.

Among the revelations that come forth in the segment is Barber's admission that he was in way over his head at NBC, where he was installed with much fanfare in 2007 in a prominent on-air role contributing to everything from "Today" to "Sunday Night Football." He concedes he lacked the "skill set" to function as a journalist and fessed up to feeling ill-equipped to conduct interviews with newsmakers. His contract was not renewed and he exited NBC in 2010.

It's rare to hear that kind of refreshingly self-effacing honesty, but therein lies the problem: I don't buy it.

And here's where the backhanded compliment comes in: It's difficult to accept the image Barber projects of himself as a bumbling anchor because he displays too much intelligence to convince me he's too stupid to be a journalist. There's way too many stupid people gainfully employed in the TV news business to fool anyone into thinking he lacked the "skill set."

So what really killed his TV career? The more obvious reason is that the tabloid nightmare that became Barber's life made for such a distraction that whatever natural ability he had in front of the camera no longer mattered. And Keteyian also suggests that people working alongside Barber at NBC didn't get along with him, which isn't hard to believe.

Is Barber conscious of those factors or is he putting up a self-effacing front? Again, what makes it so hard to believe he couldn't hack it as a journalist is the man in this interview is a very thoughtful, telegenic invidual--so much so that it's hard not to suspect he was presenting Keteyian a version of his persona calculated to accomplish some much-needed image rehabilitation.

Or maybe Barber's Achilles heel is that  he's incapable of being honest with himself. He can't see what ruined his TV career for the same reason he professed in the interview to not understanding why the tabloid frenzy ruined his reputation, a denial his agent refers to as a "self-induced coma."

There's plenty of athletes who make ill-advised transitions into the broadcast booth despite little experience as an on-air personality, but that wasn't the case with Barber, who got plenty of experience as a broadcaster before his gig at NBC precisely because he was plotting his career switch long before he made it.

Again, it's part of what makes Barber endearing. Unlike most athletes, he had broader interests than the sports world even though he excelled there. And he didn't think he could breeze through his TV gig with a sense of entitlement and understood he needed to work at it in order to master it.

To some degree, Barber's decision to leave football behind while still in his prime brought to mind Michael Jordan's foray into golf. It's as if he's a man who is trying to understand his own greatness, or prove it to himself, by transplanting himself in a different environment to see if he can excel all over again.

And that's what may be driving Barber at the age of 36 to see if he can make it in the NFL for the second time. Or something more cynical is at play here; he's looking to recover some goodwill in the sport that once made him a beloved figure in the first place. Barber could very well eke out another season or two, and from there, who knows: Don't be surprised if he ends up in the broadcast booth yet again. Just not at NBC.

 
(Clearly this has nothing to do with television, but wanted to share. Thanks for indulging me.)

Hopefully, this decades-old recollection of my fleeting but never forgotten moment with Clarence Clemons offers a smidge of the breeziness and joie de vivre of a Bruce Springsteen concert fable. And I tell it with as much joy as Bruce always did in those early years.

Bruce, with the Big Man at his side, was always the master of telling tall tales in front of a captive audience. Whether it was about coming face to face with Peter Pan on a deserted rooftop or encountering a Little Melvin and the Invaders alien space ship, the man knew how to tell a story.

This story has the innocence of most Bruce yarns, but is actually true.

My brother and I were bopping around Manhattan in the winter of 1982. Just hanging out, walking up and down Fifth Avenue and debating whether to purchase Rangers and Knicks memorabilia at Gerry Cosby’s next to the Garden, all the while searching for the biggest pretzel at any number of umbrella stands around town.

It was about 5 p.m. and we were headed to an early dinner in midtown, and then maybe a movie. However, before any of that we decided we needed to head to 51 W. 52nd St.

That was the home of CBS Records, the place where much of Springsteen’s brain trust was housed. We were enormous Springsteen fans and felt that, outside his recording studio and a trip down the Jersey Shore to Asbury Park — a journey we were about to make soon after — this was another Bruce landmark that needed to be seen in person.

Just as we arrived, we found ourselves in one of those moments that can never be planned, but was a perfect convergence of good luck and impeccable timing. Literally, as we turned the corner to reach the building, Clarence Clemons walked from the street through the building’s revolving front door, disappearing into the concrete abyss.

We looked at each other as if we’d seen a ghost. But Clarence, with his hulking presence, was clearly no paranormal activity.

So what to do now? We couldn’t follow him inside. The security guard wasn’t going to buy a “We just want to say hi to the Big Man” explanation and let us follow him in an elevator. So despite our nighttime plans, we camped outside the building, waiting for him to come out.

And we waited. And then waited more. For all we knew, he could’ve camped out up there for days, but how many chances do you get to bump into one of your heroes on a busy Gotham street? We weren’t going anywhere.

Finally, a few hours later — and with dinner and movie plans now long passed by — he walked out of the building. Though I was always shy, unlike my brother who had no trepidation about chatting with complete strangers, we sprinted toward him, saying how much we were fans of his and the band’s. There was probably some blabbering about what Springsteen’s music meant to our lives and then finally we got around to asking if we could take a picture to record the moment. (Incredibly, we had a camera with us at the time.)

Wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jacket, he put his giant paws around us. He couldn’t have been nicer, listening with intent and giving us one of those smiles that felt more genuine that obligatory, even though he had done it hundreds of times before with other fans. We were in the presence of greatness, but he made us feel special.

For 29 years I’ve carried that photo around with me. It reminds me of one of the happiest days of my life. As a lifelong Springsteen fan, his music has long brought me joy — whether it’s been from the 120-plus shows I’ve seen in concert, to singing in the shower, to listening to live shows in my car, or engaging with a group of like-minded fans — some of whom have become my closest friends.

I can’t say the news of his death Saturday was a surprise, considering the massive stroke he suffered only six days previously. But, somehow, you thought the Big Man would pull through. Sort of like the same way he came through on stage, night after night.

Clarence went through severe physical pain in the last few years of his life. He had bad hips, spinal surgeries and needed a chair on stage because standing for three hours was far too painful. But, actually, that chair felt more like a throne.

He was the soul of the E Street Band, the guy who never ceased having fun. Whether it was in those early days of “Rosalita,” when Bruce would chase him around the stage, or “Thunder Road,” when he and Bruce shared a soul kiss. Oh, and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” during those winter concerts. That was a always a blast too.

And then there were his saxophone solos in such staples as “The Promised Land,” “Badlands” and, of course, “Jungleland,” the latter being his signature moment. His sound just filled a room — whether it was the intimate Roxy Theater or massive Giants Stadium.

He’s gone now and following the death of Danny Federici a few years ago, another piece of E Street is gone. It’s a devastating loss and a sad realization that nothing lasts forever.

On Twitter Saturday night, when his death was being spread quickly through social media, somebody tweeted that he was shocked that Clarence’s death was the top of the news on CNN. Was it really that big a deal, he asked?

Only the biggest.

Whether or not you're infuriated by last night's finale of "The Killing," you've got to give the AMC series its due. The cable network has another success on its hands, one strong enough to have earned a second-series order before the first season was even completed.

That's impressive considering "Killing" was a creative risk given the kind of show it is. Let's call it a "slo-cedural" because that's essentially what it is: a slow procedural.

The latter term is given to the popular type of storyline--particularly on CBS--that focuses on an investigation. But while procedurals like "CSI" or "Criminal Minds" wrap up the storyline in the course of one hour, slo-cedurals like "Killing" stretch a single investigation over the course of an entire season of episodes.

Done right, the slo-cedural is like a tantric form of TV, extending an experience that ordinarily finishes rather quickly for maximum, um, pleasure.

But slo-cedurals are not easy for TV networks to maintain, which probably explains why there's been so few of them over the years. The most famous instance may be Steven Bochco's "Murder One," which aired on ABC in 1995. After sticking to just one case its entire first season, "One" eked out a second season by breaking the second season into three different investigations.

There's been more receptivity to slo-cedurals in the U.K., where series like "Five Days" and "Luther" have had critically aclclaimed runs, but both shows got little attention in U.S. runs on HBO and BBC America, respectively.

And then there is "Damages," the FX slo-cedural that ran for three seasons before moving to DirecTV, which will air the upcoming fourth season starting July 11th. Despite considerable critical acclaim in its first year thanks to star Glenn Close, it was the slo-cedural nature of the show that ultimately prompted FX president John Landgraf to cut it loose. At a HRTS luncheon earlier this year, Landgraf explained that the heavily serialized nature of "Damages" made it vulnerable to piracy and DVR usage that made it economically difficult to support.

And therein lies the rub on slo-cedurals. Though the procedural can be TV's most lucrative kind of show because each episode's standalone storyline makes it very syndication-friendly, the slo-cedural has the opposite effect. Without back-end profits through sales to stations or other cable networks, the slo-cedural is a real financial risk.

But a lot can change very quickly in the TV business, and you can bet "Killing" will reap the benefits. The market conditions Landgraf decried just four months ago have already changed, and for that "Killing" has its fellow AMC series "Mad Men" to thank.

Last month, Netflix announced it had bought exclusive rights to "Mad" for an astonishing estimated $1 million per episode. While that number may not seem like much in comparison to the $2 million-plus sums procedurals like "CSI" can fetch in TV syndication, the fact "Mad" sold for anything above pennies spoke to the emergence of a major new buyer for the kind of heavily serialized shows that would once be consigned to the TV-industry remainder bin.

Because Netflix and other digital buyers don't have to worry about scheduling episodes in conventional time slots, the heavily serialized TV shows that are kryptonite to the usual suspects in the syndication business have become newly valuable. While "Killing" may not be anything like "Mad" creatively speaking, that one attribute they share--serialized storylines--will likely mean it too will reap the kind of syndication revenues that will make the slo-cedural less of a financial risk.

Does that mean it will suddenly begin raining new slo-cedurals on TV networks big and small? No, but I'll bet you will see a cable channel or two--and yes, maybe even a broadcaster--experiment with this kind of show because "Killing" proved it could get a lot of attention in the first-run window while still earning a pretty penny on the back-end.

Leave it to a show called "The Killing" to breathe new life into a slumbering genre.

To those who are angry about the way "The Killing" concluded its season tonight, such as Alan Sepinwall of HitFix.com and Maureen Ryan of AOL TV, all I can say (which I think they already know) is that this was a show that lived off red herrings and logic flaws all season. I understand why they expected something different from the finale, but I'm not sure that expectation was realistic.

My beef with this show has been long-running and stands on three main points – a slow-to-develop lead character, the all-too familiar formula (from a showrunner, Veena Sud, who claims to be anti-formula) of making a character into a suspect when the audience knows that's not going to pan out, and story points both big and small that made no sense. From the pairing of Det. Linden (Mireille Enos) with a fiance with whom she had less than zero chemistry at the outset of the show, through the multiple instances where Linden would inexplicably undermine her own police work for no other reason than to create dramatic conflict, "The Killing" has been beset by these flaws, which we saw again in the finale, capped (but not at all limited to) when Det. Holder (Joel Kinnaman) turns out to be working a major scam.

While Sud says this was the plan from the start, I'm not going to be easily convinced that Holder's actions throught the 13 episodes were the actions of someone who was double-crossing the police investigation, any more than I'm convinced by her other shortcuts (such as the wife of Bennet Ahmed having no idea she was standing face to face with the man who was formally charged in court with the widely publicized beating of her husband). As recently as last week, Holder is stunned that he has been led to a series of posters that point to the man he has been framing, Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), as the suspect.  Holder is alone when this scene takes place. Who is he doing this act for?  Can he be that genuinely surprised that the Beau Soleil investigation path led to Richmond – clearly, he's known since before the murder of Rosie Larsen that RIchmond had a connection there. This seemed to be one of the top moments of the season a week ago; now we see that it's fraudulent. If not outright dishonest, it at best doesn't have a hundreth of the meaning we were manipulated into thinking it did.

In short, I don't think things add up, and even if they somehow do, the math is so obtuse that it doesn't seem worth the effort.

Some are upset that we didn't learn who killed Rosie Larsen tonight. To me, that's kind of the least of the problems with "The Killing." I didn't hate the show and I still don't – there were parts I enjoyed along the way, and in some respects I thought the finale was its best episode - but it's been problematic from the start, so I don't see why it shouldn't be at the finish.

Veena Sud, creator and showrunner for AMC's "The Killing," had a nice chat with On the Air about what happened in the season finale and also discussed the show is more expansive terms.

There are spoilers revealed in this Q&A, so if you haven't seen the last episode and don't want to know what happened, watch the episode first.

Question: The ending leaves open whether Richmond is really the killer. Why did you close the season like this so open-ended, rather than having the Linden and Holder feel good about solving the case?

VS: Several reasons. First off the original series, "Forbydelsen," went for 20 episodes their first season and there was material there I was potentially interested in exploring. But since our first season is only 13 episodes, I didn't have enough real estate this season to do it, thus the desire to have more time.

Second, from the very beginning I was striving to avoid any sort of "formulaic" approach, really turn the genre — and expectations of the genre as we've come to know it — on its head. Clearly, I knew we wouldn't be doing a crime an episode, but then I started to wonder if we do a crime every season, isn't that a sort of cliche and formula and aren't we then simply re-creating tropes albeit on a broader canvas and over a longer timeframe?

So I, and my writers,  tossed out every notion of "when this investigation will end" and let it play out in an organic manner, without a set timeline for solving the case.

 Lastly, please remember that every episode is one day in the investigation. This is a high-profile murder involving the city's highest political players. High-profile murders like this usually don't get solved in 13 days (Chandra Levy, etc.) I wanted to strive for authenticity as much as I possibly could within the framework of a fictionalized TV show and solving this murder in 13 days didn't feel very real or true.

Q: Holder obviously created evidence to help put away Richmond. Was he a good cop during the investigation and went bad in the waning moments of trying to make a case against Richmond out of frustration, or do you think he was a bad cop all along?

VS: We will find out during season two.

Q: Mitch had to deal with a lot of issues following Rosie's death and decides she needs to get away from her family. What exactly is she wrestling with that is weighing so heavily on her?

VS: Mitch had big dreams before she got pregnant and found herself, 17 years later, a hard-working housewife and business owner. Now everything she has built her life on for the last two decades — her daughter, her marriage — is gone or crumbling beneath her feet.

She is also shaken to the core by the knowledge that maybe she knew nothing about Rosie and maybe she forced her daughter to keep secrets from her and maybe that's what got her killed. So much is going on for her right now, in these last two weeks, everything she has known stripped away. And being in the house where her daughter so recently lived is killing her, as she says "Every piece of this place hurts me."

She has gone into a part of herself that is remote and untouchable and deeply isolated in her grieving.That is why she's leaving, she doesn't know how to stay.


Q: What your biggest challenges story-wise for the first season?

VS: Juggling a season-long (and now longer) investigation with all its twists and turns, balancing three intersecting worlds and storylines with all their subplots and various character-fueled detours, creating basically a very precarious yet breathtaking house of cards and hoping it doesn't collapse!

Q: Thoughts on the second season?
VS: See above, TBD

Q: Can you talk about the performances a bit? A handful of these actors were relatively unknown to U.S. audiences. How did they enhance the characters you and the writers had envisioned? 

VS: We were fortunate to have such a wildly talented cast and great casting directors who helped us find them.

Joel was a true international find. He's a Swedish actor who had just moved to Los Angeles months earlier. He was back in Oslo and had put himself on tape. The minute I saw him with his tattoos and his awesome accent, I knew I had found Holder.

Had to fight for him a bit since he was so different from anyone we've ever seen on TV, but he was just that perfect Pacific Northwest wannabe banger white boy I had imagined for Holder -- a kid who'd grown up on the streets and blended perfectly into undercover work. He wasn't acting a part, he was the part.
Mireille came into the room toward the end — she and others had read a few times for the role and we were down to the wire — and there was literally this moment when she was reading Sarah's lines and I could see her in that field in Discovery Park. Her eyes, her hair, her skin, I could hear her voice and I knew we had found our Sarah.

This role was so difficult to cast — the character has so much depth and range and guarded intensity and this hidden compulsion and need. We needed an actress who could perform at this depth and in a very internal way -- a rare quality to find. We found it in Mireille in spades.

There's that moment where you're casting, you're in the room and you've lived with these characters for months and months. And all of a sudden an actor, like Mireille or Brent, steps into the characters shoes and you just know they are the one. It's almost like falling in love. You just know.

It's phenomenal to be able to cast the way we did — looking for the best actors out there who best embody the roles instead of trying to force a "name" into a role that ultimately they don't have the chops to deliver on. Our cast is truly the cream of the crop and because of this the audience steps right into their world and believes they are who they are in the first second, the first frame of film.

Q: Were you trying to say anything about our win-at-all-costs political system, considering everything that Richmond went through to win the election?

VS: Absolutely, I'm fascinated by politics and the myriad compromises one must make since so much of it is a team sport, a finding of consensus among so many warring interests.

I was fascinated by the ascendancy of someone like Barack Obama, who stood for such ideals and aspirations at a time when our country was in desperate need of hope and vision — to see a man as formidable as he having to make so many compromises along the way.

At what point do you stop standing for what you believe in anymore? At what point have you sold out? What is the moral core of someone like Darren Richmond and as that core is chipped away at, does it disappear eventually? Inevitably? Is it possible for good men and good women to preserve their character in our political system? To preserve who, ultimately, they are and what they stand for?

We'll see....

Showtime is trying to eradicate cancer while, simultaneously, launching the second season of “The Big C.”

Laura Linney starrer begins anew June 27 and for every DirecTV customer who opts to subscribe to the pay cabler, the satcaster will give them either a $25 prepaid debit card, or the option to donate that $25 to the American Cancer Society.

If viewers choose the latter, both Showtime and DirecTV will each contribute $25, making it a $75 donation.

Showtime is also engaged with the “C Yourself” campaign, where it encourages viewers to go on Facebook and make a “C” with their arms, hands or any way they see fit. For every photo uploaded and shared, Showtime will donate $5 for the American Cancer Society.

  Why keep that ongoing ranking in your head of contestants at Sunday's Miss USA pageant on NBC when there's an app that can do it for you--and share it with your friends on social networks? Download the app powered by the iPowow Live-and-in-the-Now real-time scoring system. Plus you can get ahead of the festivities by voting one contestant into the semifinal at the pageant, which is produced by Miss Universe Organization with Dick Clark Prods.

 

In beautiful Banff, Alberta, this week for the annual TV festival, I was fortunate enough to moderate a panel with comedy's greatest director, Jim Burrows.

Over the course of our conversation, Burrows said "Taxi" was one of the funniest shows he ever worked on, and he recalled that the following scene made him laugh so hard that when he read it on a plane, the flight attendant asked if he was feeling OK.

Such memories here: The recent loss of Jeff Conaway, the classiness of Judd Hirsch, and, as Burroughs pointed out, Tony Danza was a boxer pre-"Taxi" and Marilu Henner was a dancer.

It all worked, though, and in this gem the amazing Christopher Lloyd is in his element in the role of Rev. Jim Ignatowski

It would be only fitting if Marilu Henner could give Danny DeVito his Icon Award at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards, but I guess Rob McElhenney will do.

DeVito will forever to me be Louie De Palma, and Henner his punching bag Nardo from their “Taxi” days of the late ’70s-early ’80s. More recently, of course, DeVito is well known to comedy viewers — certainly younger ones — for his turn as Frank Reynolds on FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

Hardware will be given away June 20 at the inaugural CCTA kudocast, which will be shown two days later on ReelzChannel. Awards are voted by the Broadcast Television Journalists Assn., and the show is produced by Bob Bain.

Jersey guy DeVito, also a producer, has been acting for more than 40 years. His big break was as the crazy dice-eating Martini in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and other bigscreen roles include “Twins,” “Tin Men” and “Romancing the Stone.”

What a difference a week makes for Tracy Morgan.

Just a few days ago, the "30 Rock" star seemed on the verge of ruin after making homophobic remarks in a stand-up comedy appearance in Nashville, Tenn, triggering various and sundry condemnations and apologies. In this space on Sunday, I wrung my hands so dramatically over the fate of his career you would have thought he'd deliberately driven a bus of disabled children off a steep cliff.

That said, I still think Morgan could have permanently destroyed his reputation had he played his cards wrong in the days after his ill-advised rant. It just so happened that the actor has handled himself so impeccably ever since that he should adorn the cover of crisis-management textbooks (should such a tome exist).

From the second this unfortunate story broke, Morgan has reacted so swiftly and emphatically to clean up the damage that once this is all over he may just end up grand marshal in whichever city hosts the next gay-pride parade.

He issued an apology immediately after the incident. He elaborated on the apology the following day in an interview with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons (why him I have no idea, but it allowed him to control the message). He agreed to participate in a GLAAD public-service announcement decrying anti-gay bullying and welcomed the opportunity to meet with victims of anti-gay violence in New York AND Nashville, the city where this powder-keg ignited.

Respected comedians as varied as Joan Rivers and Louis CK have issued impassioned defenses of his remarks. The man who brought Morgan's comments to light on his Facebook page has even forgiven him as well.

Never mind that Morgan hasn't actually explained WHY he made the comments he made; he or his reps realize that would only dig him in deeper doo-doo because no explanation would suffice. Short of encasing himself in a pinata and handing bats out to everyone in the Nashville auditorium where he first misspoke, there's not much else he can do.

Maybe Morgan isn't entirely out of the woods yet--all it takes is one more foot-in-mouth incident to land him back in the dog house. But the likes of Charlie Sheen and Anthony Weiner should watch Morgan in action. They could learn a thing or two about avoiding how to turn a mess into a total fiasco.

 

 

 

Melissa McCarthy (“Mike & Molly”) and Joshua Jackson (“Fringe”) will get the early morning wakeup call to announce this year's Primetime Emmy nominations with TV Academy chairman and CEO John Shaffner, July 14 at 5:40 a.m.

Douglass M. Stewart, Jr. will produce the announcement for the 20th time.

The Emmys themselves are set for Sept. 18 on Fox at 5 p.m. Pacific, with Mark Burnett producing and Jane Lynch hosting.

Whether it's a negotiation ploy or the natural progression of an entertainer's incredibly busy life, Jennifer Lopez expressed doubt about her return to "American Idol" as a judge next season.

"This is the question of the hour," Lopez told Scott Mills of BBC Radio. "I don't know. I don't know. I haven't been forced to make a decision, and I'm glad about that because honestly, I'm very kind of on the fence about it. I had an amazing time doing it, and I loved it, but I have a lot of other things happening, and it’s gonna come down to making a choice of really what I want to do for the next year.

“We’re not at the breaking point of like ‘You have to make a decision right now!’ So I’m not. I’m really enjoying the time of just waiting and seeing.”

Lopez's decision might not come in a vacuum — for example, she is a potential exec producer with former "Ugly Betty" showrunner Silvio Horta on a dramedy project (Variety, June 10), as well as on a reality show with husband Marc Antony and "Idol" honcho Simon Fuller.

Andrew Wallenstein of Variety reported in May that Lopez needed to be re-signed, but quoted Fox Networks Group entertainment chairman Peter Rice as saying "our hope and expectation is that she'll return."

Players are emerging from the post-Oprah syndie landscape with "Dr. Phil" in the lead - ratings for the first week after Oprah Winfrey's syndicated show ended production show are in, and Phil McGraw's yakker is at the top of the chart with a 2.6. "Live with Regis & Kelly" trails with a 2.4 share, although the jury is out on this one with Regis leaving at the end of the year. Interestingly, though, while "The Oprah Winfrey Show" aired reruns and dropped, as expected, to 3.04 million total viewers and wasn't even carried in some markets, it still topped "Maury," "Dr. Oz" (which hit a season low), and "Ellen." Behold:

#1 - "Dr. Phil" - 2.6 share, 3.439 million total viewers, up 8%

#2 - "Live with Regis & Kelly" - 2.4 share, 3.185 million total viewers, up 4%

#3 - "Oprah Winfrey" - 2.3 share, 3.038 million total viewers, off 36%

#4 - "Maury" - 2.0 share, 3.081 million total viewers, even

#5 - "Dr Oz" - 2.0 share, 2.670 million total viewers, off 5%

#6 - "Ellen" - 1.8 share, 2.530 million total viewers, off 10%

“Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America,” a 240-page book from the point of view of Amy Poehler’s “Parks and Recreation” lead character Leslie Knope, will be published Oct. 4 by NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group and Hyperion Publishing.

The book will focus on the fictional town’s history, expanding on and adding to events alluded to on the show, such as its long list of ridiculous town slogans and ongoing racoon infestation.

“The ever-expanding town of Pawnee has become its own character in our show, and we're thrilled that we got to accelerate that expansion in one giant, goofy 240-page comedy book,” said exec producer Mike Schur, who might have had a hand or three in writing the tome.

Added Poehler: "Mike Schur asked me to contribute to this book. I missed the deadline. I am regretting that now."

 

This could be the week that determines the rest of Tracy Morgan's career.

Since the "30 Rock" actor was quoted making numerous homophobic remarks during a stand-up appearance in Tennessee last week, he's been blasted by gay advocacy groups including GLAAD. But Morgan moved quickly to issue an apology, which triggered statements from "30 Rock" star/executive producer Tina Fey and NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt that criticized him but essentially offered absolution as well.

Having both of your bosses--one who happens to be an openly gay network chief, the other one of the country's most beloved comediennes--in your corner may be enough to make the hubbub die down. And yet as Rep. Anthony Weiner is learning the hard way these days, media-driven controversies can take some unpredictable twists and turns--the kind that could ultimately cost Morgan his job if he's not careful about his next moves.

From a public-relations standpoint, the problem is Morgan is at a damned-if-he-does-or-doesn't juncture. The smartest thing the comedian could do right now is nothing; perhaps his silence will help the whole episode blow over and become just another misstep in his already checkered career.

But wishing this all away may not be so easy given GLAAD has recommended he meet with the victims of violence against gays to gain the kind of perspective that would make him think twice before making such ill-advised remarks. Inaction on his part could prompt additional pressure from the groups already criticizing him, which could foment further outrage by those in the public that he offended--and suddenly this will go from a minor headache for Morgan to a migraine.

No doubt Morgan's handlers may be contemplating putting Morgan out in front of the public again to clarify his actions, perhaps in an interview on a news program. The wisdom of doing this rests entirely in how well Morgan can handle himself in such a scenario. As we've seen with Weiner, saying more can just dig a person in deeper, and the damage doesn't have to come from words alone. If he seems insincere, no matter what he said specifically, it won't matter.

Of course, whether Morgan's rant will continue to haunt him isn't entirely up to him, either. As we've already seen, the debate over whether Morgan crossed the line or not has drawn fellow celebrities to either his defense (CNN's Roland Martin) or criticism (Wanda Sykes). In one notable case, Morgan got both: Chris Rock tweeted a defense of Morgan, only to follow up with more comments that were interpreted as a retraction of that defense. 

All it takes is one prominent figure to call for Morgan's dismissal, and the media will run with that in a way that could paint NBC or Fey into the kind of corner where making Morgan go away is the only solution. 

Another way gasoline could pour onto this fire is if additional instances of Morgan's comments come to light. This isn't the first time Morgan has been quoted making homophobic remarks--the more a pattern of misbehavior is established, the worse it looks for him.

Morgan should be thankful there was no recording of the comments he made, which would have made this scandal the kind of viral phenomenon that dogged "Seinfeld" star Michael Richards when he launched into a racist tirade during a stand-up comedy act back in 2006. And yet the absence of video evidence didn't matter for former "Grey's Anatomy" star Isaiah Washington, who saw his own career derailed by uttering a homophobic slur on the set of his series.

It's worth noting that the trouble Morgan is in comes from the memory of one man in attendance at the Tennessee performance, who posted his recollection of the remarks on his Facebook page. Even if he somehow managed to get down what the comedian said word for word, it can't convey the tone of his remarks.

To which many would respond that tone doesn't matter when the words Morgan uttered were so vile that they are reprehensible in any context. It's a fascinating issue, one that will no doubt serve as fodder for Fey to turn into a great "30 Rock" episode. Whether Morgan will be around to be a part of it depends on how he handles himself going forward.

After "Big Love," what role do you reach for next? For Chloe Sevigny, you head to the U.K. for a starring role as a pre-op transsexual contract killer in "Hit and Miss," a six-part drama from Paul Abbott ("Shameless"). Steve Clarke of Variety has details.

Kelsey Grammer's upcoming Starz drama, "Boss," will premiere on Oct. 21 (as first reported by Maureen Ryan at AOL TV). Above is a teaser for the show, which has Gus Van Sant directing the pilot.

Has one of TV's most fun rivalries been reignited?

NBC announced Wednesday that it planned to add to its summer schedule "It's Worth What?", a reality series featuring Cedric the Entertainer hosting a "game show that taps into America’s curiosity for cost and value, from the hidden gems found in one's attic to some of the most exotic valuables from around the globe," according to the Peacock's release.

Just hours before NBC disclosed "Worth" was coming July 12 (Tuesdays, 8-9 p.m.), Fox issued its own release rearranging its summer schedule, slotting for Aug. 24 (Wednesdays, 8-9 p.m.) "Buried Treasure," "in which identical twin brothers Leigh and Leslie Keno (“Antiques Roadshow”) travel across the country to help ordinary people discover the unknown treasures in their homes," according to the network's release.

Is this a coincidence or did NBC sense an opening once Fox put "Treasure" on the schedule? And did Fox greenlight "Treasure" only after NBC signaled back in March its pickup of "Worth"?

Neither NBC or Fox will comment, but that may be because this is sensitive territory for these networks, which share a rich history of dueling copycat reality shows.

Back in 2004, the rivals took a battle over a pair of boxing-themed reality series, NBC's "The Contender" and Fox's "The Next Great Champ," to court, with NBC ultimately unsuccessful in its attempt to get an injunction to block the Fox show.

That same year, Fox and NBC did some jawing over the similarities between "The Apprentice" and "The Billionaire," respectively. Which isn't to say that the copycat accusations didn't flow both ways: NBC's "For Love Or Money" bore an unmistakable resemblance to Fox's short-lived sensation "Joe Millionaire." And in 2007, Fox rushed "Don't Forget The Lyrics" to air to get ahead of NBC's "The Singing Bee."

It's worth noting that the formats for "Worth"/"Treasure" aren't entirely the same: While both are centered on assessing overlooked household gems, "Worth" is a game show, unlike "Treasure." But NBC is putting Fox at a disadvantage if viewers who see "Treasure" find it stale in light of "Worth" getting on air first.

Then again, the truth is NBC and Fox aren't so much borrowing from each other but from the cornucopia of antique-themed shows elsewhere on the dial. Besides the grandaddy of them all, PBS' "Antiques Roadshow," take your pick: History's "Pawn Stars" and "American Pickers," TruTV's "Hardcore Pawn," HGTV's "Cash and Cari," TLC's "What the Sell!?" Spike's "Auction Hunters," etc.

It's worth questioning why either broadcaster hasn't considered that America's seemingly insatiable demand to watch old junk fetch new dollars has already been satiated.

At least it's fitting that antiquing has become the most over-recycled programming concept on TV.

Variety Road to the Emmys coverage continues today with the dramatic drama of TV drama.

-- David Kronke looks at how masterfully some series have incorporated new characters.

-- Paula Hendrickson shows how cop and crime shows keep from becoming played out.

-- Robert Koehler explores whether sci-fi, fantasy and horror shows like "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" will make a play at this year's Emmys.

-- Glenn Whipp pays tribute to dramas that bid farewell this season, such as "Big Love," "In Treatment" and "Friday Night Lights."

-- Plus, we highlight some of the best moments in drama this year, while offering capsule summaries on contending veterans and rookies.

 

It's become common practice in recent years for networks to make an episode or two available online to stream for free shortly before or after a series premiere in order to maximize audience sampling opportunities. But cable channel AMC really raised the stakes today by putting all 11 episodes that have aired so far of its latest original series "The Killing" on its website (as well as the VOD and online platforms of cable operators).

Can't say for sure whether a cable network has ever allowed this extensive a collection of episodes of a current series be freely available, but logic would dictate this is bad business for a channel: Why would a consumer buy the cow that is a basic-cable subscription when you can get the milk for free (although you do have to pay for a broadband connection).

On the other hand, AMC wants to drive as many viewers as possible to check out "Killing"; some ratings growth would help the network decide whether to order a second season. As a serialized procedural, "Killing" is not the kind of series a viewer can just check out midway through its run and understand the complexities of the criminal investigation that is its main storyline. Consequently, the only way to get new viewers in the door at this late stage is to allow them to start at the beginning.

But act fast if you want to get acquainted with "Killing"; the available episodes will all be removed by June 20, just in time for its 13th episode, the season finale. But AMC will also add its 12th episode next week after it airs on TV (where the network is also promoting this cache of catch-up episodes).

Don't expect AMC to do this with every series--companies like Netflix pay top dollar for series like "Mad Men" to allow for just this kind of binge-watching.

As part of today's latest installment of Variety Road to the Emmys coverage, we have this exceedingly savvy piece by Abed Nadir, film major at Greendale Community College. Thanks to "Community" showrunner Dan Harmon for sending Abed's analysis our way.

In addition, continuing our series of behind-the-scenes stories is this report out of a table read for "The Big Bang Theory."

Also:

-- Robert Abele writes about how, while it was largely a disappointing year for freshman comedies (we're not talking about you, "Louie"), there are several second- and third-year series still looking to make an impression at the Emmys.

-- Shawna Malcom writes about the effect grim-coms such as "Nurse Jackie" and "The Big C" have on the Emmy race.

-- Steve Heisler reminds us of how veteran comedies began with a recap of their first-ever scenes.

-- Plus, capsules on top veteran and rookie Emmy comedy contenders.

The original TV movie “Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension” will officially premiere Aug. 5 on the Disney Channel. Above is a first-look trailer for the movie.

Based on the most-watched animated series for kids 6-11 and 9-14, “Across the 2nd Dimension” will be available on-demand to Cablevision, Time Warner, Verizon and AT&T customers August 1. Subsequently, the telepic will air Aug. 13 on Disney XD and Aug. 20 on ABC.

A related videogame will be released this summer. Disney will also promote the film and series with a coast-to-coast “Perry the Platy-bus” tour, starting July 11 in New York with a stop at San Diego’s Comic-Con July 21-24, and a previously announced live stage tour will bow beginning Aug. 21.

In addition, “Phineas and Ferb” spinoff shortform series “Take Two with Phineas and Ferb” has booked live-action guests including David Beckham, Selena Gomez, Larry King, Howie Mandel, Jason Segel and Shawn White for upcoming episodes.

The Florence, Italy-set fourth season of "Jersey Shore" will premiere on MTV on Aug. 4, the network announced. The previous week, on July 28, MTV will air an hourlong special recapping the show's history.

MTV also said that production on season five of the hit unscripted series will begin this month, back in New Jersey.

If the thought of waiting until September to see Ashton Kutcher deploy his comedic chops on "Two and a Half Men" is just too much to bear, take heart. The actor is offering a primetime preview of sorts in new commercials (see video here) out this week from Nikon USA, where he's pitchman for products like  the new D5100-DSLR.

He's pretty hammy in these spot spoofing the James Bond movies that it makes you wonder whether Chuck Lorre actually saw Kutcher's Nikon work before betting the future of his billion-dollar sitcom on the actor. Let's hope Kutcher takes a more sophisticated tack when he makes his CBS debut.

It's not his first work for Nikon; these spots for another the company's Coolpix cameras are a few years old. See below...

 

 

It's crazy to me that inside of two years ago, I was still explaining to some people who Jane Lynch was. And now she's hosting this year's Primetime Emmys.

Lynch's credits date back to the 1980s, so she had been at this performing thing for more than a decade before she firmly came on my radar in Christopher Guest's 2000 mockumentary "Best in Show." From that moment on, I was consciously recognizing her and looking forward to what she would do next — which was considerable, and (though she can certainly play drama) usually hilarious.

Still, even with her movie and TV success over the past 10 years, this talented actress was still somehow waiting for a role that would make her a household name. That came (at the expense of "Party Down," unfortunately) with "Glee." Two seasons later, look at her now. It's really a triumph of talent.

FX drama "Rescue Me" will launch its seventh and final season with a 10 p.m. July 13 premiere, with the show airing on Wednesdays this year. The season finale is expected to air Sept. 7, within days of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Day 2 of Variety Road to the Emmys coverage brings a focus on the director, highlighted by:

-- Neal Justin's look at the delicate balance between in-house and freelance directors, plus a sidebar that offers a sample of 10 directors who leave their mark.

-- Steve Heisler had a day anyone would be jealous of – he shadowed "Daily Show with Jon Stewart" director Chuck O'Neil (pictured) and then told the tale.

-- Robert Koehler asked directors what they look for in their colleagues work at Emmy voting time.

 
It was rare to see the cops patrolling the mean streets of L.A. actually smiling and having a good time, but the cast of “Southland” clearly had something to be happy about at Tuesday night’s panel at the BevHills Paley Center for Media.

The actors — Michael Cudlitz, Ben McKenzie, Regina King and Shawn Hatosy — along with exec producers and “ER” vets Christopher Chulack and John Wells were telling a sold-out crowd they’re all as proud of “Southland” as anything they’ve ever done.

The theme of the night was that Wells and Co. are finally getting a chance to create the show that was originally pitched to NBC. The Peacock, after telling the press how proud they were of the show’s early success, continually asked Wells to tinker with the show’s creative evolution and eventually dropped the series to the dismay of many.

Then, in a rare example of one network canceling a show and another picking it back up, TNT gave “Southland” a cable spin.

“This was the first year we made the show we wanted to make,” Wells told moderator-Variety deputy editor Cynthia Littleton. Added Chulack, “We put on the show that TNT bought.”

Writers will gather to brainstorm new ideas in late August. Filming for the next 10 new episodes will commence in October for what will likely be another January launch.

In talking about season-three highlights, the final episode in which McKenzie is both chasing and fighting a suspect was mentioned often, as was his brutally honest conversation with Cudlitz in the same episode — the two have been LAPD partners since Day One — about how the latter’s drug addiction was adversely affecting his ability to protect and serve.

Also receiving high marks was Hatosy’s season-long emotional roller coaster, precipitated by the death of his partner, played by Kevin Alejandro. Hatosy was asked to assess what the loss on the set meant to him.

He intimated — only half-kidding — that Alejandro’s demise was emotionally crushing, but it ultimately meant more screen time for him. That answer sent both his colleagues and those in attendance howling with laughter.

It's going to be interesting to see what kind of impact the new book "Primetime Propaganda: The True Story Of How the Left Took Over Your TV" has on the entertainment business.

Author Ben Shapiro quotes some pretty big names in the TV industry describing what he interprets as intentionally promoting a liberal bias in the TV programming they created. He's not only got them talking on the record, but he's even starting to post audio clips of their testimony on his website.

No doubt it's going to be a provocative read, there's one instance of liberal bias he cites that's already got me scratching my head. Shapiro cites PBS institution "Sesame Street" as one of the worst offenders, and one of the instances noted is a skit featuring Neil Patrick Harris "on the show playing the subtly-named 'fairy shoeperson.'"

Shapiro is referring to a 2008 cameo the "How I Met Your Mother" star made on "Street" (see above) in which he does a song-and-dance routine on the otherwise prosaic subject of footwear.

By my own estimation my 3-year-old has seen this skit about 400 times, which leaves me in a state of panic: Is my son going to be liberal and/or gay as a result of this repeated exposure?

I kid, but how seriously can this book be taken given the patently absurd notion that Harris' routine promotes any agenda beyond shoe diversity?

Even if there was some kind of intentional pun in "Street" referring to Harris, who has identified himself as gay, as a "fairy"--something that never occurred to me in the 400 times I've watched with my son--would a preschooler really somehow be influenced in any way.

Shapiro is only undercutting himself by including such a bizarre example, no matter how small a point he's making within the context of his work.

To borrow from Freud: Sometimes a shoe is just a shoe.

Variety kicks off its Road to the Emmys coverage for 2011 today with our opening preview section, which features the following:

-- Kate Hahn writes about how diversity in casting isn't always emulated in the stories the TV shows tell.

-- In the first of a series of behind-the-scenes pieces, Cynthia Littleton reports from a "Modern Family" table read.

-- Paige Albiniak writes about how, with a new contract to broadcast the Emmys, broadcast networks are still trying to hold off cable from awards dominance.

-- The new wheel contract is also an inspiration for Steve Heisler's piece on how the Emmys are largely prevented from bringing back a host — even a successful one like Jimmy Fallon.

-- Returning Emmy nominees eligible for 2011 honors are summarized in this verb-free chart from yours truly.

-- Susan Young writes about one-and-done series that are hoping for Emmys despite cancelation after a single season.

-- Karen Idelson writes about how product intergration has become artful enough that it doesn't damage the Emmy hopes of those who do it.

-- Finally, Stuart Levine and I have a chat about our takeaways from the 2010-11 TV season as we look ahead to this year's kudos.

This is just day one of the pre-nominations phase of coverage, which continues almost daily with 15 separate sections through June 21. Enjoy!

As you can see from this link or the video above, Jon Stewart had a special take on the controversy surrounding U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, who either tweeted a photo of a bulge in his pants or had someone hack into his Twitter account to do so. As Stewart reminded his viewers, a wiener from Weiner was right in his wheelhouse, but the fact that he and Weiner are longtime friends, dating back to college, made this a particularly interesting bit to do.