Walter Cronkite's funeral was held today at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Manhattan. A classy affair for a class act. Broadcasting & Cable's Marissa Guthrie has a thorough report.

From Cronkite's son Chip:

"I admired my Dad. He was just a reporter, he’d say. He just ended up reporting bigger and bigger stories. He was fast too. I liked watching him swivel around and rewrite stories during the commercial breaks."

Walter Cronkite is gone. Long live his legacy of great journalism.

I can't possibly describe what Cronkite meant to broadcasting and to American culture better than Brian Lowry has on his BLTV blog, so click right here for Brian's spot-on appreciation.

On a deeply personal level, this is one of those passings that really feels like a member of the family -- that was Cronkite's gift, after all. Another piece of the world as it was when I was a kid has died, and I cherish my idealized memories of that time enough to mourn for that reason alone.

"The CBS Evening News" was "the news" when I was growing up. To this day, my mom and dad are CBS News loyalists. They watch local KCBS-TV (KNXT to us old-timers) news in the late afternoon and on through the "CBS Evening News." Sure, they flip around to CNN and MSNBC now and then (Dad has crush on Rachel Maddow) but when it's time for them to watch "the news," they head on over to channel 2.

So that's a long-winded way of saying that Cronkite's voice was part of the soundtrack of my childhood. He came on right after dinner like clockwork. And his was the voice of the god of truth in current events as far as my family was concerned. If Cronkite reported it, it was the gospel.

When I first started working for UPI and learned that Cronkite had been a Unipresser (actually he worked for United Press, before it acquired the "I"), I was proud to be even remotely part of the same organization that schooled young Walter (that was before I'd worked there very long).

We knew his death was imminent -- last month Cronkite's family released a statement saying that he was gravely ill and unlikely to recuperate (reporting accurately and diligently to the end). But it was still a jolt when I heard the news break on the radio (a CBS-owned station) while driving with my daughter this evening.

I agree with George Clooney, who observed: "He was the most important voice in our lives for thirty years. And that voice made people reach for the stars. I hate the world without Walter Cronkite."

-30-

Here's a great vid of Walter Cronkite from his 1998 interview with the TV Acad's Archive of American Television

Finally, pilot screeners are starting to land on my desk. Here's my first impressions of CBS drama "The Good Wife."

(I emphasize that these are first impressions, not a full-fledged review nor a hit-or-miss prediction. Most pilots at this stage of the game are very much works in progress.)

Pro: Julianna Margulies, a very original premise, sharp writing from creators/exec producers Robert King and Michelle King

Con: There's not much to not like here. It's not ground-breaking or mind-blowing TV, but it's very well crafted.

I liked "Good Wife" far more than I thought I would. The premise is such a natural. What happens to the political wife after she's humiliated at the press conference where she serves as a prop for a philandering husband confessing his sins. This is a show for everyone who watched former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's press conference last year and asked out loud how his wife, Silda, could stand to be up there with him.

Margulies plays a political wife, Alicia Florrick, who's not only humiliated but pressed to return to the workforce to be the breadwinner for her two kids after her worse half gets sent to the clink post-scandal. She deals with issues of ageism -- fighting younger hot-shots in the law firm where she's brought on as a junior associate -- and the lingering political fallout from her husband's transgressions, and his political enemies.

I suspected "Good Wife" would be a show with a lot of lofty speechifying from Margulies' character. Happily, it is not -- not at all. Margulies plays her vulnerability and insecurity and anger at her husband just right in the pilot, even as, of course, she comes in with the eleventh-hour "Perry Mason" save on her first case. The show is greatly enhanced by a solid supporting cast: Chris Noth, Christine Baranski, Matt Czuchry, Josh Charles and a new face to me, Archie Panjabi (a femme), who plays the law firm's wily in-house investigator.

I felt like I got to know Alicia in the pilot, and she's someone I'd check in with again for sure.

I think the first powwow between CBS execs and Emmy telecast exec producer Don Mischer was held today on the question of who will host the kudocast. After last year's debacle with the painfully un-funny reality-group approach, this year's emcee had better be good -- damn good.

I vote for Craig Ferguson. For one, he's in the CBS family, and I think he'd bring just the right folksy-funny charm to the evening, as he does most every weeknight on "The Late Late Show" in his observational-conversational monologue. And here's a thought -- why not deputize Ricky Gervais to serve as the night's sole award presenter? Now that would be fun.

Hearing that CBS is still eyeing another drama pickup for midseason -- even after loading up with "The Good Wife," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Three Rivers" for the fall and "The Bridge" and "Miami Trauma" for midseason.

Word is that CBS TV Studios' untitled U.S. Attorneys drama from scribe Frank Military and helmer Mimi Leder is still the top contender. But don't count out the drawing power of the freshman class of the House, or the "House Rules," the ABC Studios pilot from scribe Michael Seitzman and the prolific Mark Gordon.

On the half-hour side, I'm told it's unlikely that CBS is taking a second look at any of its pilots....but never say never.

CBS gets casting kudos from me for planting some of my favorite thesps in supporting roles in new shows.

For starters, I'm glad to see that the swinging couple Tom and Trina, dearly departed of "Swingtown," have found work. Grant Show (pictured right) has landed on Jenna Elfman's "Accidentally on Purpose." She's a film critic at a newspaper (there's a disappearing breed, eh?), and he plays her charming boss who's trying to rekindle their relationship. Bet he's not so charming when the review comes in half-hour late and 20 inches too long...

Lana Parrilla (pictured left) has traded Trina's sexy frocks for the scrubs of "Miami Trauma," where she plays a brilliant, workaholic surgeon. During the Paley Festival "Swingtown" sesh Parrilla commented on how distressed she was about having such a bland wardrobe on "Trauma" compared to "Swingtown."

(It's been a good pilot season for the core "Swingtown" troupe: the other two male leads, Josh Hopkins and Jack Davenport, wound up on ABC's "Cougar Town" and "Flash Forward," respectively. Michael Rady, who played the hgh school teacher who had an affair with his teenage student, is on CW's "Melrose Place." Britt Robertson, who played the daughter of the coke-head mom, is the lead of CW's midseason drama "Parental Discretion Advised." Molly Parker is on board the HBO pilot "The Wonderful Maladays." And Miriam Shor has her hands full with her very own production, due to arrive in late summer.)

A thesp who first impressed me some years ago on "Gilmore Girls," Matt Czuchry (pictured right), is going to be vying for power and position at the "Good Wife" law firm where Julianna Margulies will be working this fall. Czuchry (pronounced Zoo-cree) was great in his brief run in "Friday Night Lights" two seasons ago. I've never seen him give a sub-par perf. Here's hoping this is the role that puts him over.

And finally, Julia Ormond (pictured left), a classy actress of notable range, is now the head of transplant surgery on "Three Rivers."

The predictions were true! CBS' hot-shot drama "The Mentalist" is bound for the post-"CSI" berth on Thursday. That should make things interesting on the night. ("Mentalist" star Simon Baker and CBS boss Leslie Moonves pictured above.)

Another big move that I surely didn't see coming was the shift of my fave comedy "The Big Bang Theory" to Monday 9:30 p.m. behind "Two and a Half Men." Just call it Chuck Lorre's hour of power.

I didn't think CBS would move "Big Bang" because it's been such a stronger starter for the night at 8 p.m. But rock on with your bad selves, Chuck, Bill Prady, Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, et al. Not only is the "Big Bang" mob the best cast and creatives in sitcomville, they're also the nicest bunch of folks you'd ever want to meet (or conduct a panel sesh with).

Here's the sked. New series descriptions and links to clips after the jump.

(N means new show; NT means new time period)

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM              HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (NT)

8:30-9:00 PM              ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (N)

9:00-9:30 PM              TWO AND A HALF MEN

9:30-10:00 PM            THE BIG BANG THEORY (NT)

10:00-11:00 PM          CSI: MIAMI

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM              NCIS

9:00-10:00 PM            NCIS: LOS ANGELES (N)

10:00-11:00 PM          THE GOOD WIFE (N)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-8:30 PM              THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE

8:30-9:00 PM              GARY UNMARRIED

9:00-10:00 PM            CRIMINAL MINDS

10:00-11:00 PM          CSI: NY

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM              SURVIVOR

9:00-10:00 PM            CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION

10:00-11:00 PM          THE MENTALIST (NT)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM              GHOST WHISPERER

9:00-10:00 PM            MEDIUM

10:00-11:00 PM          NUMB3RS

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM              CRIMETIME SATURDAY

9:00-10:00 PM            CRIMETIME SATURDAY

10:00-11:00 PM          48 HOURS MYSTERY

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM              60 MINUTES

8:00-9:00 PM              THE AMAZING RACE

9:00-10:00 PM            THREE RIVERS (N)

10:00-11:00 PM          COLD CASE (NT)

Buzz is building that CBS' hot-shot frosh drama "The Mentalist" could be bound for the post-"CSI" Thursday 10 p.m. slot.

The Simon Baker starrer took off in the Tuesday 9 p.m. slot behind "NCIS" this season but imagine what it would do with a "CSI" lead-in. It would bolster CBS' Thursday fortunes for sure.

CBS has settled on its new series pickups, spreading the good word to producers Monday morning on orders for four dramas, a comedy and a reality skein for the 2009-10 season.

Dramas getting the nod from the Eye include three from CBS TV Studios: “The Good Wife,” starring Julianna Margulies as a legal eagle; Alex O’Loughlin starrer “Three Rivers,” a medical-themed drama about organ transplants from the eyes of donors and recipient; and the spinoff of “NCIS” starring LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell.

Warner Bros. TV’s fast-paced medical drama “Miami Trauma,” from Bruckheimer Television, also got the nod.

It looks like the lone new laffer on CBS fall 2009 slate will be Jenna Elfman starrer “Accidentally on Purpose,” from CBS TV Studios and BermanBraun. It revolves around a film critic in San Francisco who gets knocked up from a fling with a younger man.

The reality skein in the works at the eye is workplace-centric “Undercover Boss,” from All 3 Media, involving a top exec who goes undercover in an entry-level job at his or her own company.

Although Eye’s pickups are already drama-heavy, there was chatter that two more drama projects were still in contention for midseason orders: the untitled U.S. Attorneys drama from scribe Frank Military and “House Rules,” which would follow a freshman class of politicos in Congress.

CBS unveils its 2009-10 sked on Wednesday.

Here’s a news flash: “Lost” is a hit online. But so is CW’s “Privileged.”

For the first time, Nielsen Online has released rankings for online streaming of episodes and clips.
“Lost” tops the chart for the month of December with 1.4 million unique viewers, followed by NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” with 1.1 million.

By the yardstick of the total time viewers spent with a show online, the surprise leader in December was CW’s “Privileged.” The rating-challenged dramedy drew only 29,000 unique viewers, but those that did tune in stuck around for an average of 214.6 minutes.

There’s a big caveat to these rankings, however, in that they don’t include shows streamed via Hulu because Hulu won’t breakout its numbers to Nielsen (at least if I'm reading Nielsen-ese right. A Nielsen Online rep would only say that Hulu is "not available in our syndication service.")

Nielsen’s survey includes the websites of Hulu partners NBC and Fox, as well as ABC, CBS and CW. But by all accounts, Hulu's vid streaming traffic has outpaced that of the Peacock and Fox nets' individual websites. The survey captures clips that are embedded on other websites and blogs, as long as the streams come from the network's proprietary player (but not Hulu's player).

Craig Ferguson knows the water very well in which Jimmy Fallon is about to swim or sink, and he urged writers at Wednesday’s TCA session to be kind to his upcoming 12:30 a.m. rival.

“Give Jimmy a month before you review him,” Ferguson asked. “That would be fair. I would’ve given me a couple weeks. I think you should give him a chance.” 

Certainly, Ferguson, (flanked by producer Michael Nadius, left, and exec producer Peter Lassally), who recently became a U.S. citizen and just got married a few weeks ago, has made the most of his chance when he started his post-midnight shift three years ago. He is arguably the hottest latenight host, according to both critics and the burgeoning ratings.

Ferguson’s trademark has become his unstructured opening monologue, which is a sort of free-form rant on what’s on his mind that night. It can offer anything from the typical potshots at celebrities, a cerebral look at the political issues of the day or, as was the case a few weeks ago, a catharsis on the death of his mom.

As for that particular show in which he talked about his mother, Ferguson recalled: “I didn’t concern myself with what the audience wanted to hear. What I try to do — and what I try to do 99 out of 100 nights — is amuse you before you go to sleep. That night, though, I didn’t feel like that. I try to be as truthful as possible. That’s why I approached it that way.”

His sense of humor, Ferguson said, comes from a very dark place.

“I think if you’re happy as a person it would be impossible to do comedy at all,” he explained. “My psychiatrist said — and this is true — that I have reserves of unhappiness equal to Saudi Arabia’s reserves of oil.”

Certainly, and Ferguson isthe first to acknowledge this, the show has greatly benefited from having talkshow veteran Lassally at its side. The classy Lassally, who spent decades with Johnny Carson, acts as a stabilizing force and voice of reason.

When asked about his thoughts of Jay Leno taking his show five nights a week at 10 p.m. on NBC, Lassally offered up this insight:

“It’s very brave of NBC but a big gamble. If Jay succeeds at 10 p.m., my concern is will people go to sleep after that? NBC affiliates would be very unhappy for the 11 o’clock news ratings to slip, and what would it do for the 11:30 and 12:30 shows?

“It could shake things up tremendously. Competition on latenights shows isn’t the opposition, but sleep. Audiences will have to decide whether they want to stay through the next show or not. Also, there will be five latenight shows in L.A. all going after the same guests. It’s quite a change this year.”

— Stuart Levine

Nina Tassler took the stage at TCA Wednesday morning in a position of great strength.

The network’s entertainment topper arrived at the podium with the Eye seeing an increase in both total viewers and demos from a year ago. It’s an impressive feat in the continuing defragmentation of viewers moving away from broadcast to cable and the Internet.

“Network TV still works. Ad dollars are being put into network TV. It’s the most efficient buy for a mass audience,” Tassler said. “Twenty-eight million people watched the Olympics and 30 million watched ‘American Idol’ last night. You don’t see these numbers on cable or any other medium. Good content and storytelling make great business.”

Network rival NBC has clearly given up on storytelling in the 10 o’clock hour with its move of bringing in Jay Leno five nights a week. Business-wise it might make sense but writers, actors and agents are, obviously, unhappy. Her thoughts on a primetime talkshow? And would that effect what CBS airs in the hour?

‘My first reaction was to say thank you. Our 10 o’clock programs do extremely well. It’s a coveted time period. The creative community was shocked. So many top tier talents vie for that time period,” she said, while adding that she didn’t see the need to rebuild the hour’s template because of the Peacock’s past errors. “Why should one network’s failure in development redirect an entire schedule strategy?”

Clearly, CBS has found success in delivering crime procedurals, and it makes no apologies in sticking with the format. “CSI,” “Without a Trace,” “NCIS” and now the season’s top-rated new show, “The Mentalist,” have all worked because they don’t stray far from what they promise on a weekly basis: Delivering a singular star – be it Anthony La Paglia, Mark Harmon, and now Laurence Fishburne replacing William Petersen -- who helps catch the bad guys.

Not to say everything the Eye does is perfect. When the network leaves its comfort zone – aka no murders in an episode – shows can flop. Despite a likeable star in Elizabeth Reaser, “The Ex List” was a bust.

“It failed in its execution,” Tassler admitted. “People liked the concept but it didn’t find its pulse.”

And “Swingtown,” about sexually liberated couples of the ‘70s, was certainly a better show than “The Ex List” but never caught on either. Maybe it was the time slot or the concept, but "Swingtown" didn’t make it and isn’t coming back.

“We were extremely proud of the execution and are happy to report that it ended up on over a half-dozen top 10 lists in 2008,” Tassler said. “In many regards, that was a victim of the writers strike. It was a risk and we’re proud of it, and we would do it again.”

As for what’s ahead, Tassler said plans for a “NCIS” spinoff are continuing and should be ready for fall, musician John Mayer is working on a variety show that could either be a special or series, and she’s not sure how or if David Letterman will tweak his show when Conan O’Brien takes over “The Tonight Show.”

As for recent transitions, Tassler said she was “thrilled” with how Drew Carey has taken over daytime staple “The Price Is Right” -- despite falling ratings and some fan unhappiness -- and didn’t anticipate any changes on the gameshow.

-- Stuart Levine

Emerging from my December blog hibernation, I'm much more inclined to look forward to what the small screen has in store for '09 than reassessing '08. Fortunately, my Variety colleague Stuart Levine was motivated to muse on his highs and lows for '08 (posted after the jump).

There's not a whole lot that I've penciled into my must-see sked for the first quarter. Of course, the Big Event is the Jan. 21 return of "Lost" for its high-five season (more on that later). The final two "Friday Night Lights" segs of the season (maybe forever) on DirecTV Jan. 7-14, will be three-hanky affairs, for sure, according to sources who have already screened them. And there'll be more multicamera hijinks to enjoy from "The Big Bang Theory" ensemble, my fave comedy troupe on the tube these days, hands down.

As for new material, I was very impressed by what I saw on the four-episode screener of Showtime's "The United States of Tara." Toni Collette is amazing as a suburban mother and artist who grapples with three distinct personalities who also inhabit Tara's corporeal being. The supporting cast is also strong, with John Corbett playing Tara's husband in an understated way, and the always-engaging Rosemarie DeWitt as Tara's sister. Brie Larson impresses as the older of Tara's two teenage kids.

"Tara," which as everyone knows was conceived by Steven Spielberg and birthed by Diablo Cody, bows Jan. 18.

Tuesday afternoon update:

Here the vid of the monologue. In this era of 'reality' TV, nothing remains more compelling than a thoughtful, intelligent person showing genuine, unscripted emotion in front of a live camera.

Craig confessed at the start "I want to run a million miles from talking to you about this...But I can't."

With all the hubbub over the new Jay Leno deal, the bloodbath of executive layoffs at NBC and the latest round of drama to sock the Tribune Co., a moment of great television may be overlooked tonight on CBS' "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."

Ferguson's mother, Janet, died last week in Scotland. Ferguson was there all of last week, as "Late Late Show" was already skedded for a dark week. Tonight, Craig is set to talk about his mother, her life and her influence on his life. Judging by the humble, humorous, earthy eloquence of the 16-minute eulogy he delivered nearly three years ago after the passing of his father, Robert Ferguson, this will be a can't-miss monologue.

Here's a (low-quality) clip of Janet Ferguson doing a vid bit with Wu-tang Clan's RZA, for her son's show in February 2005:

No surprise here: The Obama interview pulled huge numbers for "60 Minutes" last night. The final figures are still being crunched, because CBS had a roughly 30-minute football overrun in East Coast markets.

But it looks like about 24.5 million people tuned in to Steve Kroft's sit-down with Barack and Michelle Obama, which amounts to the highest score for "60 Minutes" since January 1999.

The Obamas came off as remarkably relaxed, given everything that's transpired in the past two weeks. As always, Barack and Michelle exude love and respect for each other and their family in a way that is inspiring, touching and comforting. You want these qualities in a first family.

The seg, which was devoted to the interview other than the Andy Rooney bit at the end, had a healthy adults 18-49 aud (6.4 rating/16 share) and adults 25-54 (8.2/19), although those numbers are also subject to revision once the finals come in tomorrow.

For "60 Minutes," as important as the ratings harvest is the prestige that the Obamas have conferred by granting this coveted first major interview to the venerable granddaddy of TV newsmags. You can't go wrong by going with the Rolls-Royce of TV news, of course, but Kroft has also clearly earned the trust of the Obamas. He's covered Barack Obama extensively during the past few years, and he did an insightful profile of the then looooooong-shot candidate shortly after Obama announced his presidential bid in January 2007.

Click here for a glimpse of our first couple-in-waiting, from "60 Minutes," which is the envy of all news orgs this weekend for landing the first post-election sit-down with President-elect Obama and Michelle Obama.

They're young, whip-smart, good-looking and they have a sense of humor. What's not to love?

CBS won't let us grab the vid to embed just yet, but they did provide a handy transcript of the clip from the interview conducted today by "60 Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft.

STEVE KROFT: When did it sink in?

MICHELLE OBAMA:  I remember, we were watching the returns and, on one of the stations, Barack's picture came up and it said, "President-Elect Barack Obama." And I looked at him and said, ‘You are the 44th president of the United States of America. Wow. What a country we live in.” 

BARACK OBAMA: How about that?

MICHELLE OBAMA: Yeah.

BARACK OBAMA: Yeah. Yeah. And then she said "Are you going take the girls to school in the morning?" (LAUGHTER)

MICHELLE OBAMA: I did not. (LAUGHTER) I didn't say that.

Lookie here, CBS is giving Jay Mohr's "Gary Unmarried" a test-drive in the post-"Two and a Half Men" slot next week.

When the Mohr show came out of nowhere as a hot pilot for CBS in the pre-upfront frenzy in May, I figured it had to be bound for the post-"Men" slot: Charlie Sheen, Mohr, guy's guy humor, etc. Just made sense. It was a surprise when "Worst Week" landed there after some hardball negotiating by producer Universal Media Studios after the pilot tested through the roof.

"Worst Week" has had trouble hanging on to "Men's" coattails, though the show has held steady in recent weeks at a 3.0-ish demo rating out of a 5.0-ish lead-in from "Men." But in that time slot, CBS' concern is always about the handicap that a squishy lead-in presents to 10 p.m.'s "CSI: Miami."

So, Jay Mohr, come on down. CBS will air a repeat of the "Gary" pilot behind a repeat of "Men," but it will still give the Eye's programmers a sense of whether "Gary" might be a better friend to "Men" and "Miami" in that slot. Stay tuned.

Here's more evidence that there's just not enough time in the day to watch everything that you should.

Readers of this blog know I'm a mega-fan of Craig Ferguson and of "The Big Bang Theory," and so I'm sorry to say that I'm just now catching up with the appearance by "Big Bang" co-star Jim Parsons (pictured right) on the Oct. 1 edition of CBS' "The Late Late Show."

It's Parsons' first-ever latenight TV appearance, as he notes right off the bat, getting the audience on his side (as if they could resist him anyway).

Parsons seems to go in and out of playing himself and his "Big Bang" geekster character Sheldon in this 10-minute seg, but no matter. It makes for engaging live (to tape) TV because you can see some genuine nervousness on Parsons' part, but his natural wit and charm carries him through just fine.

Ferguson isn't easy on him -- it's nothing like a typical plug-the-show/where-you-from chatshow interview (for one thing, a few coffee cups go flying) -- but the tangents he takes give Parsons more opportunities to score.

TV's Craig Ferguson has reason to be feeling a little feisty these days. He's enjoying a slight ratings bounce so far this season. "Late Late Show" won the week ended Oct. 10 and is essentially tied with NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" for season-to-date bragging rights in the 12:35-1:35 a.m. time slot.

Ferguson's uptick is fueled in part by CBS' solid momentum in primetime, and NBC's lack thereof. But I like to think that talent, as evidenced by the Parsons clip, has something to do with it too.

Interesting to see the networks getting more aggressive about reporting their DVR numbers.

ABC today is touting "Grey's Anatomy" (pictured above) retaining its crown as the most-DVR'd show of the season so far. The medical drama's Sept. 25 season preem numbers (18.5 million viewers, 7.4 in 18-49) don't look so soft when you add in 2.7 million viewers and 1.3 demo rating points from DVR playback viewing in the week after the premiere telecast. (The premiere ratings are based on the new industry standard of Live-Plus-Same Day, which means the aud for the initial telecast plus those that watched it on the same day of the preem.)

ABC also reports that "Desperate Housewives," "Boston Legal" and "Brothers and Sisters" added 1 million viewers or more to their preem numbers through DVR viewing. "Grey's," "Boston Legal," "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers and Sisters" registered gains of 10% or more in the demo derby too, according to ABC.

CBS also sent out a bunch of info on its premiere week DVR ratings. "CSI: Miami," "NCIS," "The Mentalist" (pictured right), "Without a Trace," "Criminal Minds" and "Two and a Half Men" all padded their opening-night numbers by 1 million or more viewers.

The lag time in getting the DVR numbers out seems so incongruous in this era of non-stop, insta-information. But it's also true that success breeds success. A show that performs poorly in the old-fashioned overnights is not likely to turn the corner when the DVR numbers are factored in. But strong shows look even stronger when the ratings yardstick is stretched out to include the DVR aud.

Oh, to be in Nashville on Sunday.

CBS News' Bob Schieffer will be taking the stage at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time with his band, Honky Tonk Confidential. The Opry is hosting a special show Sunday evening in honor of the presidential debate to be held Tuesday at Nashville's Belmont U. That one will be moderated by NBC News' Tom Brokaw.

Schieffer gets his turn as a debate moderator on the third and final encounter between Barack Obama and John McCain on Oct. 15 at Hofstra U. in Hempstead, N.Y. On Sunday, Schieffer will be in good company on the Opry stage. He's landed the 8:10-8:15 p.m. slot, sandwiched between perfs by Tricia Yearwood and Brad Paisley.

Meanwhile, McCain and Obama will have their hands full trying to match the perf of their No. 2s last night. The Joe Biden-Sarah Palin debate drew a whopping 70 million viewers across the Big Four, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Fox News, BBC America and Telemundo. It also out-drew the first McCain-Obama match (52.4 million) by nearly 20 million.

The Biden-Palin aud included 35.7 million femmes and 30.4 million men of voting age, according to Nielsen. (Among the Big Three, ABC grabbed the most with 13.1 million, followed by 12.8 million on NBC and 11.1 million on CBS. Fox News registered its most-watched telecast ever with 11.1 million.)

The Biden-Palin bout easily out-rated the previous most-watched veep debate, Geraldine Ferraro-George Bush in 1984 (56.7 million), and the 2004 contest between John Edwards and Dick Cheney (43.6 million).

Happy to see that CBS had traction again on Tuesday with "The Mentalist."

No question about it, the show is holding fast to its "NCIS" lead-in and it was very competitive in the 9 p.m. hour with ABC's "Dancing With the Stars." In its second outing, "Mentalist" matched its opening week numbers with an average of 15.3 million viewers and 3.5 rating/9 share in the adults 18-49 demo, per prelim Nielsens. Variety's ratings guru Rick Kissell has all the details on Tuesday night right here.

"Mentalist" is shaping up to be a win for the good guys. People who work with Simon Baker always rave about what a good guy he is (not to mention being easy on the eyes), and I'm told that "Mentalist" creator/exec producer Bruno Heller is getting great reviews as a showrunner from CBS, Warner Bros. TV and, perhaps most importantly, his staff.

Brainstorm! "The Mentalist" looked sharp for CBS in its debut Tuesday. If this keeps up, CBS might get a little relief on a night that has been tricky for the Eye in recent years.

"Mentalist," starring the ever-charming Simon Baker, opened to 15.5 million viewers and 3.5 rating/9 share in the adults 18-49 demo, per prelim Nielsens. The procedural from Warner Bros. TV and former "Rome" scribe Bruno Heller proved a thoughtful fit with 8 p.m.'s "NCIS." "Mentalist" held the bulk of of its "NCIS" lead-in (17.9 mil, 3.5/10) and hung tough against Fox's competing "Fringe" (9.7 mil, 4.2/10) in the demo.

The story wasn't so good at 10 p.m. for the debut of "Without a Trace" in its new time slot. "Trace" (11.4 mil, 2.8/7) let a lot of its "Mentalist" lead-in slip away, as the second hour of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" picked up steam. "Dancing" finished out with 18.2 mil and 4.7/12 in the demo.

Fox won the night in 18-49 on the strength of 8 p.m.'s "House" (12.1 mil, 4.9/14), which nonetheless is off its game from last season, but it may just be a case of the show settling into its new earlier time slot.

At the top of the night, ABC's new unscripted reality-game show "Opportunity Knocks" (6.6 mil, 1.8/5) was sluggish out of the gate, although viewership and its demo score picked up at the half-hour mark.

I'm very glad to welcome "The Big Bang Theory" back to my Monday night routine.

CBS laffer's sophomore season opener, "The Bad Fish Paradigm," took a few minutes to get going with the yucks, but when Jim Parsons' Sheldon started folding, and re-folding his laundry in the scene with Kaley Cuoco's Penny, all was right with the show.

The seg really took off for me in the scene with Sheldon as he tries to bunk for the night with Simon Helberg's Wolowitz. (Helberg was very funny in his brief role in "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." Hopefully we'll see more of Moist in the sequel.)

The rapid-fire riffing on Sheldon's favorite Catwomen (No. 1: Julie Newmar; No. 2: Michelle Pfeiffer; No. 3: Eartha Kitt: No. 4: Lee Meriwether; No. 5: Halle Berry) and his "X-Men" character preferences reflected the oddball side of the show that grew on me like a fungus last season.

All in all, a fun, if not uproarious, opener penned by scribes Dave Goetsch and Steve Molaro (from story by co-creator/exec producer Bill Prady), and helmer Mark Cendrowski.

Welcome back, boys. And I say that as a Pasadena City College alum -- no kidding.

Craig Ferguson was in fine form on Wednesday's edition of CBS' "The Late Late Show."

He's never better than when he's fired up about some great big only-in-America topic, and tonight he was just that -- worked up about the state of the presidential horse race and the media coverage of it hath wrought.

Ferguson was so worked up his rant spilled over from the monologue into the first post-commercial segment. There were jokes squeezed in here and there, but you can see it in his eyes -- this newly minted U.S. citizen is seriously upset about the state of the discourse in the campaign and how much of a turn-off it is for so many eligible voters.

Do you know what bothers me is every election year you get the voter registration drives aimed at the young people. “Rock the Vote” or “The Vote is Crackalackin” or “Think the Vote,” “Music the Vote," “The Vote, The Vote, The Vote!”

Are we so lost we have to be sold our own democratic right? What the hell is wrong with us?  What is going on? We have to sexy-up the vote for young people?  ...

Listen, here is what I am saying to you, if you don’t vote, you’re moron. “Not voting is a vote” – no it isn’t!! Not voting is just being stupid.

Voting is not sexy.  Voting is not hip. It is not fashionable.  It is not a movie.  It is not a videogame, all the kids are doing it. Frankly, voting is a pain in the ass. But here is a word, look it up, it’s your duty to vote!

The foundation in this democracy is based on free people making free choices. So young people if you can’t take your hand out of your bag of Cheetos long enough to fill out a form, then you can’t complain when we wind up with President Sanjaya.

I agree with almost everything he had to say -- save for a bit of blanket media bashing that I can't subscribe to  -- but his underlying point was something that anyone who cares about this country can get behind. Get out and vote. No excuses, just make up your mind and vote on Nov. 4.

Ferguson pushed this point so hard on what he called "the grumpy political edition of the show" that held up a voter registration card on air and promised to give one to every member of the studio audience on their way out of the door.

It is kinda your IQ form on whether you can vote. All you have to do is fill in some pretty tough questions – names, address, when you were born, telephone – if you have a phone.

You can put, “I decline to state a political party.” I would do that if I were you, you know why? Just to be ornery. And then you just sign it and send it away and you get to be a part of the democracy that we live in....What I am saying is, please do me the honor of being my fellow Americans and vote.

With an invitation like this, from a charming Scotsman who is head over heels in love with his adopted home, how could anyone say no?

** Spoiler alert ** Don't read this if you're a "Swingtown" fan and haven't seen the finale.

Kudos to "Swingtown's" creative stewards for wrapping up the series last week in a satisfying a way. Instead of the pulling out the old trick of "let's leave 'em on a cliffhanger so the fans will raise a ruckus for renewal," exec producers Mike Kelley, Alan Poul and Carol Barbee gave us conclusions for the show's three central couples: Susan and Bruce Miller, Janet and Roger Thompson and the fun-loving Trina and Tom Decker.

So the real cliffhanger for viewers is: Does "Swingtown" go down as a 13-part miniseries -- beach reading for the summer of '08 -- or does it get an eleventh-hour renewal?

(Read another take on "Swingtown" from Brian Cochrane on Variety's Season Pass blog.)

Very classy. With Laura Ziskin at the helm, ABC, CBS and NBC pulled off a historic simultaneous telecast devoted to raising money for cancer research and awareness among viewers of the importance of early-detection tests for the disease that claims 550,000 Americans every year.

"Stand Up to Cancer" was part telethon and part tribute to the millions of famous and ordinary folks who have battled cancer in its many forms. The hourlong, commercial-free special, originating from Hollywood's Kodak Theater, was notable for featuring a joint-emcee appearance by the Big Three news anchors -- Charlie Gibson, Katie Couric and Brian Williams -- and appearances by a gaggle of celebs. Presidential contenders John McCain and Barack Obama sent in vids, as did producers of "The Simpsons."

All in all, an uplifting hour that harnessed the awesome power of the medium on behalf of a most worthy cause. Kudos to Ziskin (pictured below with Ellen DeGeneres), a cancer survivor herself, for joining with Sherry Lansing, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and other organizers to make it happen.

(More pics after the jump. Below right: Jennifer Garner, Evan Handler and Scarlett Johansson)

I have a really high tolerance for legal briefs and wonky ruminations on First Amendment issues and broadcast indecency policy -- I love reading the raw legal rationale for justifying or barring government-imposed curbs on free speech.

It was exciting to learn on Monday that the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals had vacated the FCC's decision to fine CBS $550,000 for the Boob Flash of Destiny by Janet Jackson during her duet with Justin Timberlake during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. The fine was voided and the case remanded back to the FCC for a new review in light of the appeals court's lengthy guidelines provided in Monday's ruling, as Variety's William Triplett reports. (It's gonna be a big year for indecency policy geeks. Another case will be heard at the Supreme Court during its 2008-09 sesh.)

The Jackson-Timberlake incident turbo-charged what was already a mounting crusade in Washington, at the FCC and from self-appointed media watchdogs (the Parents Television Council by any other name) that has been politically motivated. It's been a red herring to push the buttons of certain voting blocs and a way to distract from the more substantial media policy questions facing the FCC (ownership limits, anyone?).

But even I found the 102-page decision on the Jackson fine impenetrable. (Read it here for yourself.) The case for the legal precedent and factors considered in the appellate review of the FCC's ruling on Nipplegate were rendered in mind-numbing detail in the opinion penned by Chief Judge Anthony Scirica

The basic argument boiled down to the FCC being out of line ("arbitrary and capricious" in the court's words) for taking a major departure from its past policy on indecency cases involving a "fleeting" instance of something untoward being said or shown on screen. The FCC was free to make a major change in its indecency policy, but it had to give broadcasters plenty of advance warning that it was doing so, the court reasoned.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Here's the biggest mystery the "CSI" team will have to uncover: What's up with the new guy?

CBS entertainment topper Nina Tassler dished out a few hints about the character who will be taking over the team when William Petersen leaves the show.

"It's about an outsider coming in. He comes in with a genetic profile the same as a serial killer. He knows this about himself and it's a journey to discover who this character will become. ... He doesn't come in at the beginning. He'll work his way up to become the head of the team."

Nobody else will know he has this weird medical condition, and it will take time for the team to find out.

Tassler, who said they haven't casted an actor yet for the role but are actively in discussions, wasn't caught by surprise to hear Petersen wanted out

"We've been talking about it since last year," she said. "You don't replace a guy like Billy, but add elements that invigorate and add alchemy to the show where it is today."

Petersen's character will depart after the upcoming season's 10th episode. He will remain an exec producer and stay committed to the series.

"Billy's an extraordinary guy," she continued. "Lets not forget his roots. He was originally in the theater and is now off to do a play. It's the artist's choice to change his life right now."

Nothing says TCA like stars in awkward situations. (See pic at left of "House" star Hugh Laurie in a bumper car at Fox's TCA party on the Santa Monica pier last summer.)

Yep, the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour is upon us, starting Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The January TCA gathering was scuttled by the writers strike, so undoubtedly there will be pent-up excitement (agitation? irritation? ultra-obnoxious lines of questioning?) than usual among the scribes, execs and stars who make TCA go 'round.

As we did last year, On the Air will offer team coverage of this fortnight of frothing about shows to come and the strike-interrupted season that just was, and any other issues that crop up between Tuesday and July 22. Variety's Stuart Levine plans to park himself at the BevHilton for the duration, while our TV leader, Michael Schneider, reporter Daniel Frankel and myself will also be availing ourselves of the hotel's free Wi-Fi to cover the events...and drink. I'm guessing it's a safe bet that the tradition of TCA bingo (in which attendees track the over-use of buzz words by panelists) will include the phrase "writers strike" this year.

It all starts Tuesday with a heavy rotation of cable presentations, including Hallmark Channel, HD Net, BBC America and E! nets.

Wednesday's lineup includes: AMC and WE; MTV Networks; A&E Networks

Thursday: Discovery Networks; ESPN; Sundance Channel; HBO

Friday: Turner Broadcasting; Fox Reality Channel; Starz; Lifetime

Saturday-Sunday: PBS -- whose talent roster includes none other than Sir George Martin, plugging his series "On Record: The Soundtrack of Our Lives."

To my surprise, I have made a point of keeping up with "Swingtown" during the past few weeks.

The characters in CBS' retro tale of suburban angst in the summer of '76 have grown on me. "Swingtown" benefits enormously from its solid cast, anchored by Molly Parker (pictured far left with costars Miriam Shor and Lana Parrilla) as Susan, a mother and housewife who is starting to come out of her hausfrau shell. Parker is one of those thesps who is engaging on screen in a very natural way. At her best, she makes you feel like you can read her character's thoughts.

Another big part of "Swingtown's" charm is the 'remember-when' aspect. For those of us old enough to remember all the the Bicentennial ballyhoo (and if you were remotely conscious, you can't forget it), the hubbub over Nadia Comaneci and her perfect 10s at the Montreal summer Olympics and Carter vs. Ford at the polls that year, "Swingtown" is an immediate fix of nostalgia for a bygone era that, of course, seems rosier in memory that it was in real time. That sentimental feeling increased by a factor of 100 for me in this past week's seg, "Go Your Own Way," which involved Susan defying her husband Bruce's wishes by attending a fundraiser for the legal defense of the star of "Deep Throat."

To make up her mind, Susan goes to see "Deep Throat," and the location used for the theater was none other than South Pasadena's (once) majestic Rialto Theater. Oh, the movies I saw there when it was a Landmark-owned revival house. This was in an interesting transitional period for showbiz -- only a few years after the time frame of "Swingtown," and only a few years before video cassette players became a household appliance, allowing film buffs to indulge in a whole new way.

Hot off the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences nomination vote-tallying machine, here are the top 10 finalists for Emmy noms in the comedy and drama series heats. The final noms will be announced on Thursday, July 17.

(My 2 cents on the list follows after the jump)

COMEDY

Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
Weeds

DRAMA

Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Lost
Mad Men
The Tudors
The Wire

Shannon C. Barry of Trabuco Canyon, Calif. (near Mission Viejo in Orange County) is not a self-appointed media watchdog, or an activist by nature.

She's a wife and mother of three who works as a waitress and a professional horse rider, and as a "taxi driver" for her kids. She doesn't have much spare time to watch TV, though she makes a point to "never miss an episode of 'American Idol.'"

But Barry was incensed and spurred to take action after getting a glimpse of CBS' "Swingtown." Last weekend she emailed a letter of complaint urging CBS affiliates to yank the show that revolves around the lives of three married couples and their spouse-swapping, Quaalude-dropping adventures in the summer of '76.

"Basically, it's defiling marriage," Barry said in a telephone interview Thursday. "The more we put things like this on the air, the more the public is exposed to things like that, it becomes OK. But it's not OK to represent marriage that way."

Barry first heard about "Swingtown" through an item in People magazine. A look back at the era of sex, drugs and spouse-swapping didn't sound like anything that belonged on broadcast TV, in Barry's opinion.

Her instinct was confirmed after she saw a promo spot for the show on CBS. Then she went on the CBS website and watched a trailer "that showed three people in bed together," Barry said. "It definitely really rubbed me wrong."

We certainly could've predicted this. The Parents Television Council-driven complaints about CBS' "Swingtown" are starting to roll in, as detailed in this post on Season Pass.

The "How I Met Your Mother" mob went to Gotham earlier this week to host a special event for Academy of Television Arts and Sciences members (read: Emmy voters) at the bar that inspired the fictional watering hole MacLaren's on the New York-set CBS comedy.

"HIMYM" creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays hung out at McGee's Bar and Grill during their early days as staff scribes on "The Late Show with David Letterman."

On Tuesday Thomas, Bays and four out of five "HIMYM" core cast members -- Cobe Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan and Josh Radnor (Jason Segal was off shooting a pic) -- gathered at McGee's for a screening and Q&A sesh, moderated by the astute Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star-Ledger. Also in the house were "HIMYM" exec producer-helmer Pam Fryman and Dana Walden, chairman of "HIMYM" studio 20th Century Fox TV chairman. Event and afterparty were SRO with more than 200 attendees, according to reliable sources.

(Pictured below, Pam Fryman, 20th Century Fox TV chairman Dana Walden and Carter Bays.)

Betty White alert! The first lady of television will grace CBS' air as a contestant on the June 12 edition of "Million Dollar Password."

White, of course, was married to Mr. Password, Allen Ludden, for many years and logged plenty of appearances on the show in its 1960s and '70s, Goodson-Todman heyday. Ludden had such a graceful way of handing the cards to contestants on the original show, with its pop-up toaster clues.

In this Regis Philbin-hosted primetime incarnation of the show, White will be paired with "Curb Your Enthusiasm's" Susie Essman. Oughta be fun -- but be forewarned, contestants: White is a heck of a "Password" player.

(From years of watching vintage "Password" reruns, my husband and I have determined that the all-time greatest "Password" player was Peter Lawford. He put so much into it. Carol Burnett runs a close second.)

More first impressions** on the new crop for 2008-09, starting with CBS because they were the first to get their pilots out post-upfront -- probably because they had more completed pilots than any other net.

(Click here for the previous First Impressions post on "Ex List," "Project Gary" and "Worst Week.")

The Mentalist

PRO:

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Snappy writing makes it a cut above the patented CBS procedural drama, this time focusing on one-time purported psychic whose wife and child were slaughtered by a serial killer. Reformed sham artist now uses his keen powers of observation to help a team from the California Bureau of Investigation solve really hairy and heinous crimes. Think "Monk" without the neuroses, played with depth by Baker.

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Simon Baker

Great scene with the investigative team members discussing the case at seafood restaurant gives us a lot of interesting character traits in a short amount of time without clubbing us over the head with exposition.

Nice direction by David "pilot zen master" Nutter.

CON:

A little CBS-formulaic in its execution in parts, starting with Robin Tunney's tough-as-nails team leader character.

Who's ever heard of the California Bureau of Investigation?

Character name of the cute rookie member of the investigative team, Grace Van Pelt (played by Amanda Righetti), makes us think of Lucy Van Pelt and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

**Once again, these are first impressions, and not meant to be a review or hit-or-miss declaration. At this stage of the game, pilots for new fall series are still very much works in progress.

Some interesting tidbits in today's SEC filings from CBS Corp. and CNET Networks on the commencement of CBS Corp.'s tender offer to buy CNET Networks for about $1.8 billion.

Most interesting is the detail offered in the backgrounder on the negotiations, which only reinforces how astounding it is that not one whiff of CBS' pursuit of CNET got out in the press prior to the deal announcement on May 15.

CBS Corp. boss Leslie Moonves and CBS chief financial offer Fredric Reynolds made several treks during the past year to CNET's San Francisco HQ to meet with their counterparts, CNET CEO Neil Ashe and CFO Zander Lurie. Ashe and Lurie also spent a lot of quality time at Black Rock meeting with CBS brass. We also now know that May 14 was a marathon workday for Moonves. Not only was it the day of the Eye's upfront presentation at Carnegie Hall, but the final-final the paperwork on the CNET deal was hammered out that day and night and into the wee hours of May 15 prior to the PR execs for both companies pushing the "send" button on the press release that morning.

The big question now, of course, is whether another suitor will come forth with a higher offer for CNET during the next month or so during the tender offer period. Some have suggested that CBS overpaid in agreeing to a deal that gives CNET a 45% premium over where its stock price was before the deal was announced.

But the CBS response is pretty persuasive. CNET is no Internet pipe dream. It's a real company and web pioneer that survived the first dot-bomb meltdown. For 2008, CNET is forecasting nearly $93 million in earnings on revenues of $446 million. Those are numbers that even a $14 billion company like CBS can't sniff at.

As recounted in this SEC filing (the interesting stuff starts on page 15) Reynolds, intrepid CBS Interactive prexy Quincy Smith and two other CBS execs made the first fact-finding mission to CNET's offices in April 2007. Then Moonves and Ashe made a point of having dinner in July during investment banker titan Herbert Allen's annual moguls' retreat in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Allen & Co. wound up becoming an adviser to CNET on the deal.)

(Pictured above: Leslive Moonves on stage at Carnegie Hall during the Eye's May 14 upfront presentation. He headed back Black Rock later in the day to monitor the last lap of the CNET negotiations.)

First impressions** from the first batch of pilots to land on my desk (thanks CBS):

The Ex List

PRO:

There's a lot to dine on here in the single-woman's fantasy story of finding Mr. Right at the direction of storefront psychic who tells her to revisit all of her old boyfriends to find the One, within a year or she's outta luck. Cast is uniformly good, particularly lead Elizabeth Reaser as Bella, Anne Bedian as the psychic, Rachel Boston as Bella's sister Daphne and Alex Breckenridge as friend Vivian.

Writing is peppy, very conversational and of-the-moment in its references and meter.

Premise, based on an Israeli series, feels fresh, as does the setting, in a fictional seaside community. The fairy tale-ish element in the premise makes the idyllic-hamlet backdrop work just fine, and helps explain why the femme characters are clad mostly in barely-there sun dresses and itsy-bitsy bikinis.

CON:

Dialogue is a tad breathless here and there, but it's nothing that can't be tapered back.

Characters are uniformly sex-obsessed and ultra vain, which could wear thin.

Reaser and Boston appear to have not eaten for at least five years.

**Once again, these are broad-strokes first impressions, not reviews or hit-or-miss declarations. At this time of year, pilots picked up for the fall are still very much works in progress.

It wasn't a total loss. This is a contrarian view on the season that will go down in the Nielsen annals as the lowest rated on record for the Big Four nets, but there was some good news to be found here and there, amid the wreckage.

For sure, the season-long stats on the 2007-08 campaign are pretty darn ugly, as Variety ratings guru Rick Kissell smartly and soberly details in this season wrap. But in actuality we didn't have a season, we had two abbreviated seasons -- pre- and post-strike. Writers Guild of America leaders were as strategic as Eisenhower and Marshall carving up the European theater in triggering the work stoppage to begin on Nov. 5, to ensure maximum impact on current production and pilot development.

Of course, most everything the WGA was fighting for in its 100 Days War has been at work in force  -- on steroids -- in this topsy-turvy season: the increasing popularity of web streaming of programming and DVR time-shifted viewing, the increasing use of digital extensions of traditional programs to drive traffic to network-affiliated websites and to generate new revenue streams for our half-dozen favorite media congloms.

Beyond the fairness issue and the wonky oh-my-god-younger-generations-will-never-watch-TV-the-same-way-again considerations, let's look at what the nets have to show for themselves program-wise out of the fall and spring mini seasons of '07-'08.

Lots of TV-centric goings-on around town in the next few weeks. CBS Paramount Network TV gets into the swing of summer with a "block party" on the CBS Radford lot on Tuesday night to herald the June 5 debut of CBS drama "Swingtown," about fun-loving, Quaalude-downing, partner-swapping couples in the summer of '76. It's so nice to see "Swingtown" costar Molly Parker all cleaned up and dusted off from her "Deadwood" days...

...Speaking of CBS dramas, a clutch of "Moonlight" fans are descending on L.A. this weekend for what's billed as the first fan-generated confab on the show, "MoonlightCon," at the Westin hotel out by LAX. Undoubtedly these folks will cook up some stunt to draw attention to their cries for another network to pick up their fave rave, which CBS dropped last week. (That's the hint in an email message today from a "devoted Moonlight fan" who promised me that "the fat lady ain't sung yet!") It doesn't appear that their immortal, series star Alex O'Loughlin, is skedded to stop by, but they will be taking a "Moonlight"-centric tour of the Warner Bros. lot on Friday...

...Some of those "Moonlight" fanatics might want to hop a bus to Culver City on Saturday morning, where Sony Pictures TV is holding open auditions for its revival of "The Gong Show" for Comedy Central. The cattle call will be held at a site near (but not on) the Sony Pictures lot on West Washington Boulevard. Click here for the specifics...

...Finally, the upcoming event we're most excited about is the June 4 party to celebrate the opening of Gordon Ramsay's new eatery at the London West Hollywood. The restaurant's moniker is already a mouthful: Gordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood. Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen" is having a nice hot run behind "American Idol" on Tuesdays in the last lap of the 2007-08 season. He ought to be in a good mood, and for once he won't be able to yell at anyone (but himself) about the food.

CBS has cozied up to the web heads behind "Lonelygirl15" and the popular Brit web serial "KateModern" to handle the online bells and whistles for its network programs.

The agreement calls for CBS to get a first-look peek at concepts developed by L.A.- and London-based Eqal. Eye and its new online friend are promising that Eqal's creatives will work closely with CBS' scribes and helmers to develop online narratives that tie in directly with the series ongoing storylines.

CBS must've been mightily impressed with Eqal's capabilities because under the deal, Eqal will "build and provide the entire technology infrastructure to host the online show components." That seems like a significant chunk of business to hand over to an outside company, but I suppose if they can do a better job, why not.

Maybe Eqal can help CBS to get its online vid player stop freezing up every few seconds when you're trying to web-stream an episode. It really screws up the timing on "The Big Bang Theory," that's for sure.

Unless Fox pulls out something at the last minute, it looks like CBS' "Eleventh Hour" wins the prize for the most exec producers on a new show this year.

The Jerry Bruckheimer Television/Warner Bros. TV drama, based on a British miniseries of the same name, has a whopping seven e.p.'s credited: Bruckheimer (natch), Jonathan Littman (head of Bruckheimer TV), Danny Cannon (who helmed the pilot), Cyrus Voris, Ethan Reiff, Mick Davis (who penned the pilot) and Paul Buccieri (head of programming for the U.S. arm of Granada, which produced the original Brit mini). NBC's Canadian import, "The Listener," set for a summer '09 run, is a close runner-up with six exec producers listed. Thursday ayem update: Fox also comes close with two series that have six exec producers: comedy "Do Not Disturb" and drama "Fringe."

Funnily enough, "Eleventh Hour" also boasts the smallest cast, at least at this point. CBS' press release info on the show only lists star Rufus Sewell. Sewell plays brilliant biophysicist and government advisor Jacob Hood, who's tasked with investigating "scientific crises and oddities" for the government. (Patrick Stewart tackled the role in the original version.) Hood's often called in "at the eleventh hour," hence the title.

Wonder if Hood will ever run in to the brilliant scientist and plucky FBI investigator from Fox's "Fringe," which mines a similar vein. The social circle for egghead gumshoes following in Scully and Mulder's footsteps can't be that big, can it?

CBS is looking for laughs next season, expanding its comedy presence to Wednesday nights with a new block anchored by "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and newcomer "Project Gary," starring Jay Mohr.

Eye's other new comedy pickup, "Worst Week" (pictured above), nabs the coveted post-"Two and a Half Men" launch pad Monday at 9:30 p.m. Overall, CBS has slotted five new skeins on its fall 2008, with murder mystery drama "Harper's Island" on the bench for midseason.

Beyond the comedies, the other big move on the fall sked is the slotting of new Jerry Bruckheimer drama "Eleventh Hour" into the post "CSI" slot on Thursday, while "Without a Trace" heads to Tuesday 10 p.m. Much talked-about new drama "The Ex List," (fka "Mythological Ex"), has landed on Friday in the 9 p.m. sandwich slot between "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numbers."

Variety's man at the upfronts, Michael Schneider, has all the details in this dispatch from CBS' ayem press briefing.

MONDAY:

8: The Big Bang Theory
8:30: How I Met Your Mother
9: Two and a Half Men
9:30: Worst Week (new)
10: CSI: Miami

TUESDAY:

8: NCIS
9: The Mentalist (new)
10: Without a Trace

WEDNESDAY:

8: The New Adventures of Old Christine
8:30: Project Gary (new) pictured above right
9: Criminal Minds
10: CSI: NY

THURSDAY:

8: Survivor
9: CSI
10: Eleventh Hour (new) pictured right

FRIDAY:

8: Ghost Whisperer
9: The Ex List (new) pictured below
10: Numbers

SATURDAY:

8: Drama repeats
9: Drama repeats
10: 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY:

7: 60 Minutes
8: The Amazing Race
9: Cold Case
10: The Unit

New show descriptions after the jump:

That's the word on CBS' frosh vampire drama starring Alex O'Loughlin (and his pecs, pictured left).

There's no official confirmation yet of "Moonlight's" fate, but those in the know say Eye execs were not impressed with the show creatively -- it had quite a bit of behind-the-scenes drama among scribes and producers -- and the ratings in its post-strike return were just not strong enough to warrant a renewal. Also, there was a long-running fight between the network and Warner Bros. TV on money issues for the show (meaning that CBS wanted the studio to spend more and the studio wanted CBS to pony up some too.)

In the real world, "Moonlight," which also starred Shannyn Sossamon (pictured right) was not immortal.

And yes, CBS brass are girding for the wrath of the show's small but loyal cadre of bloodthirsty fans. There's always a chance that it could land at another network, but that might be a tough sell with this particular show.

Now it's really just down to the fate of "Moonlight," because CBS has made it official on pickups for drama "The Unit" and comedies "How I Met Your Mother" and "Rules of Engagement."

"Mother" renewal was never really in doubt, but "Unit" seemed very much on the bubble until the last 72 hours or so and "Rules" was not exactly a slam dunk. Second-year drama "Shark" was the other lingering hold out, but as of last week it was pretty clear that a renewal was not in the cards for James Woods and Co.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

First off, I'm a huge champion of "How I Met Your Mother." The cast is terrific, the writing consistently funny and the direction by Pam Fryman is stellar. So speaking from a fan's perspective, last night's episode left me disappointed.

The first time Britney Spears appeared on the show a few weeks back, it was a great piece of stunt casting as showrunners Carter Bays and Craig Thomas integrated her character just enough so that we knew it was Britney but it didn't interfere with how smoothly the rest of the actors work together and it didn't take anything away from the storyline.

Not so much last night. It wasn't that Britney's character -- a young woman who has a crush on Ted but sleeps with Barney to get even -- was involved too much in the episode but, rather, Britney just plain can't act. Period. She looked stilted and foolish in scenes with TV pros such as Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Radnor.

Ratings for "Mother" shot up for Britney's first appearance, and for a show this good that has never received the high ratings it should — series just got the OK from CBS for another season, yeah! — any way to push the Nielsen meter is smart, but last night's episode felt to me as if it had crossed a line in pimping to get viewers.

From Britney's perspective, coming on as a guest star is a smart move. By working on "Mother's" tight sitcom schedule, it helps keep her life straight -- or straighter than usual -- and makes her seem a bit more like a "normal" person and not just tabloid fodder.

But her exposure and rehab felt like it came at the expense of "Mother." I'm hoping it doesn't happen again next season.

She made it! Word is that CBS has given a full-season pickup to Julia Louis-Dreyfus starrer "The New Adventures of Old Christine." Pickup of the Warner Bros. TV comedy for a fourth season lends more credence to the notion that the Eye intends to open up a new comedy block next season. The betting is on Tuesday or Wednesday nights from 8-9 p.m.

Meanwhile, another Warner Bros. TV show on the bubble at CBS, vampire drama "Moonlight," is still awaiting the final word on its primetime mortality.

CBS is rolling the dice on another multi-generational comedy, giving the pickup nod to  "Worst Week," based on the Beeb's "Worst Week of My Life."

Laffer, penned by Matt Tarses and helmed by Adam Bernstein, revolves around a young couple in pre-wedding mode navigating the idiosyncracies of their soon-to-be in laws. Series stars Kyle Bornheimer and Erin Hayes as the couple, and "That '70s Show's" Kurtwood Smith (pictured left) and "New Adventures of Old Christine's" Nancy Lenehan (pictured right) as the bride-to-be's mom and dad. (Sorry, I couldn't readily put my hands on pics of Bornheimer and Hayes.)

"Worst Week," from U.K. production powerhouse Hat Trick, has had strong buzz for a while at CBS. Sometimes getting too hot too early can hurt a pilot's chances, but it obviously wasn't a problem this time around.

"Worst Week" was one of two comedy pickups CBS dispensed today. The other went to "Project Gary," the Jay Mohr starrer that had been kinda low-profile but came on strong last week after the pilot screenings.

Word is that CBS has just made it official on its hot drama pilot "The Ex List" (fka "Mythological Ex"), from 20th Century Fox TV and scribe Diane Ruggiero.

Series is based on an Israeli series about a woman who's told by a tarot card reader that she needs to get married by year's end, and that the man of her dreams is someone she's already known in her life, which of course sends her on a journey through her past. Buzz is that CBS supremo Leslie Moonves in particular sparked to the pilot -- it's believed to be the one he was talking up to investors as his favorite on CBS' earnings conference call earlier this month.

U.S. rendition stars Elizabeth Reaser (pictured in center), Rachel Boston, Alexandra Breckeridge and Adam Rothenberg. Timothy Busfield helmed the pilot. Ruggiero and Jonathan Levin are exec producers.

Meanwhile, the other no-brainers dramas pilots picked up by CBS are Jerry Bruckheimer's "Eleventh Hour" (which is said to have formally been picked up a week or so ago but kept under wraps so as to not bruise any other egos)l Simon Baker starrer "The Mentalist," both from Warner Bros. TV. Also ordered is "Harper's Island," a murder mystery from CBS Paramount Network TV and Jon Turteltaub's Junction Entertainment (the one-time home of "Jericho").

There's chatter that the "X-Files"-esque "Eleventh Hour" could be bound for the post "CSI" berth on Thursdays.

Frosh CBS drama "Moonlight" may be facing "Jericho" syndrome. The vampire drama starring Alex O'Loughlin has its rabid fans, but not quite enough of them to make it a slam-dunk pickup for season two.

The Warner Bros. TV drama seemed to be about 50-50 for a renewal during the weekend, but those odds are getting longer, insiders say. CBS is high on a bunch of its drama pilots this year (no surprise there) and thus, there may not be room on the Eye's sked for more "Moonlight" next season.

Speculation is that "The Unit," another bubble drama that is expected to secure a renewal, may move into "Moonlight's" Friday 9 p.m. berth in the fall.