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."

Bonnie Hammer's footprint at NBC Universal continues to grow.

News that caught many in town by surprise out of the Peacock today is that in order to keep Hammer in the fold for a new multi-year pact, NBC Universal has given her oversight of scripted cable production -- cutting Universal Media Studios in half, basically -- and as well as oversight of a bunch of its fledgling networks like Sleuth, Chiller and Universal HD. She exchanges the mouthful of a title of prexy USA Network/Sci Fi Channel for the slightly streamlined prexy, Cable Entertainment and Cable Studio, as reported by Variety's Michael Schneider (news first broke on the L.A. Times' website).

Rewarding Hammer with more turf comes as no surprise; her USA Network and Sci Fi Channel are among the brightest jewel's in NBC U's crown. She's highly regarded by NBC U topper Jeff Zucker. We know she's been on short lists to conquer other fields within the conglom. What is a little surprising is that her gain this time around would come partly at the expense of NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chairmen Marc Graboff and Ben Silverman and Universal Media Studios prexy Katherine Pope. Not that those three don't have their hands full with the ongoing rehab of NBC proper (two words: "Bionic Woman"), but as we all know, execs tend to get fussy about losing turf.

Another immediate question is if Hammer's bump could have a ripple-effect within USA Network. In January, Sci Fi channel marketing guru Dave Howe was boosted from exec vp and general manager to prexy of Sci Fi Channel. There's already insta-speculation that a similar promotion could be in the works for one of Hammer's hard-working lieutenants at USA.

(Pictured above: Bonnie Hammer in December at the L.A. premiere of Sci Fi miniseries "Tin Man," with a new-model Toto.)

It's hard to not feel a little melancholy when you're working on a year-end obit package.

Assembling a list of notables who died during a 12-month time span is like taking stock of how much the world you once knew is disappearing. Although I don't often admit it in the company of non-journos, I (usually) like working on obits. It's challenging work, usually against a tight deadline, and I feel a certain responsibility to do right by the person. I often hear Mrs. Loman's famous command in my head: "Attention must be paid."

In that spirit, here is an electronic chronicle of those who left their mark on the TV biz. 2007 saw the  passing of industry titans the likes of Jack Valenti, Merv Griffin, Tom Snyder  and Roger King; influential hyphenates including Sidney Sheldon, Mel Shavelson, Martin Manulis, Mel Tolkin and Bob Carroll, Jr.; and a local TV news icon in Hal Fishman.

It was a tough year for "Match Game" fans, with Charles Nelson Reilly and Brett Somers heading in to the blank hereafter. And no obit in the pages of Variety this year was more heartbreaking than that of Cartoon Network exec Jennifer Davidson, 38, who was a charter member of the cabler's staff and a mother of three.

(Here's the link to part one if you're just joining us.)

AUGUST

Hal Fishman, 75, news anchor who was a fixture of L.A.'s airwaves for 40 years, primarily on KTLA-TV. Fishman was known for his rat-tat-tat delivery style, his occasional conservative-leaning editorials and his interest in aviation. Here's the tribute to Fishman that ran on KTLA's 10 p.m. newscast on the day Fishman died, Aug. 7.

Merv Griffin, 82, multihyphenate who began as a band singer and died a billionaire real estate mogul. In between, Griffin hosted a popular syndicated talk show for more than 20 years and created two of the most successful shows in history in "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy." Merv, as he was known to all, was one of those ubiquitous entertainers who was seemingly everywhere when I was a kid, as I waxed on about in this remembrance. And here's a fun clip of Merv and Don Rickles going at it on "The Merv Griffin Show" in 1985.

Melville Shavelson, 90, prolific film and TV scribe whose credits include "The Danny Thomas Show." Also a three-time prexy of WGA West. Here's a link to part 1 of his nine-part Archive of American Television interview from 1999.

SEPTEMBER

Alice Ghostley, 81, actress, a Tony-winner best known for her nervous-housewife persona exemplified by her role as the ditsy Aunt Esmerelda on "Bewitched."

Martin Manulis, 92, producer, creative steward of CBS' "Playhouse 90" who was responsible for such landmark TV drama productions as "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and "The Miracle Worker." Manulis was a guy Rod Serling respected, and that's saying something. Here's a link to part one of his 11-part Archive of American Television interview.

Brett Somers, 83, stage actress known for her long stint on "Match Game." She played Oscar Madison's ex on "The Odd Couple" and was Mrs. Jack Klugman for a time in real-life too. Here's a representative clip featuring Somers parrying with "Match Game" host Gene Rayburn.

OCTOBER

Joey Bishop, 89, the stone-faced, cool cat comic who was the last surviving member of the Rat Pack. Bishop made a number of stabs at TV, including a domestic comedy and a bid to challenge Johnny Carson's dominance of latenight with show that ran on ABC from 1967-69. Below are two great clips, and more Nehru jackets than you can shake your love beads at, from the latenight "Joey Bishop Show."

In the first, Sammy Davis Jr. tries to teach Joey to tap dance. The second is a nice long monologue clip that also features Bishop's sidekick, Regis Philbin.

Gary Franklin, 79, L.A. TV reporter and film reviewer for KABC-TV Los Angeles and KCBS-TV Los Angeles, who was known for rating films on his "Franklin scale of 1-10, 10 being best."

NOVEMBER

Mel Tolkin, 94, writer-producer who had the formidable job as head writer on Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows." He was a guy who could make Caesar laugh, and corral a room that featured such wits as Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Larry Gelbert, Lucille Kallen and Woody Allen. Here's a link to part one of his eight-party Archive of American Television interview from 1997.

Verity Lambert, 71, pioneering femme British TV exec and producer. Lambert was the first female and youngest exec to work for the BBC in the early 1960s. She also was the first producer of the worldwide cult fave "Dr. Who." Here's a fan video tribute that hits the highlights of her remarkable career.

DECEMBER

Jennifer Davidson, 38, who was one of the first 15 people hired at Cartoon Network in the early 1990w, rising to senior veep of programming and scheduling. She was part of the team that spearheaded the launch of Adult Swim in 2001. Here's a link to a story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution featuring remembrances from family and friends.

Roger King, 63, leader of King World Prods. and one of the most successful entrepreneurs in TV history. King World prospered with enduring hits, "Wheel of Fortune," "Jeopardy" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show," that spurred the growth of the first-run syndie biz in the 1980s and '90s. As King World grew, so did Roger's reputation as a master salesman with an encyclopedic knowledge of TV stations and local markets. Here's a link to part one of his three-part Archive of American Television interview, and here are links to the remembrances posted here in the days after his death. 

Stu Nahan, 81, longtime broadcaster and sports reporter for various L.A. outlets who earned the nickname "Skipper Stu" after hosting a kidvid show of the same name early on in his career.

Floyd Red Crow Westerman, 71, actor and activist, Westerman was a passionate advocate of Native American causes and filmmakers and recognized for his work on "Dances with Wolves" and "Northern Exposure," among many other movies and TV skeins. Here's a video interview with Westerman from 2004 that illustrates the depth of his intelligence and dedication to advancing the cause of Native Americans in all fields.

It may have taken them a little longer to get there than most shows, but Fox's unsinkable "Family Guy" is prepping a 100th episode party for Oct. 29 at the ever-fashionable Social Hollywood. Seth MacFarlane and his crew are known to know how to celebrate their "freakin' sweet" milestones. This bash might lend itself to some TMZ moments, if Stewie gets out of hand...

There might be some TMZ action coming out of next week's Hollywood Radio and Television Society gathering of the heads of the five network families. The selection of Barry Sonnenfeld, helmer and exec producer of ABC's "Pushing Daisies," as moderator of the Oct. 16 luncheon has raised some eyebrows among rival nets. It's a head-scratcher for others, given that Sonnenfeld isn't exactly known for his emcee-ing skills. But for those of us who've complained about milquetoast HRTS moderators in the past, we've got to give Barry the benefit of the doubt. It outta be a lively sesh, anyway, with ABC's Steve McPherson, CBS' Nina Tassler, CW's Dawn Ostroff, Fox's Kevin Reilly and NBC's Ben Silverman...

The milestone-episode parties continue on Nov. 3 with Warner Bros. Television's celebration of "ER's" 300th at Hollywood's Cabana Club. Hard to believe it was 13 years ago that George Clooney did such an effective job of playing the tipsy Dr. Doug Ross in the famously good two-hour "ER" pilot. NBC skein has had its ups and downs since then but it has earned its place in the pantheon of primetime's longest-running series, and casting history. This party outta be a classy affair to remember, especially if it attracts a full (or even pretty full) complement of thesp, writer and producer alums....

And from the good-cause department, Zimmer Children's Museum will fete Fox talent relations exec Missy Halperin (pictured left) and PBS' kidvid programming exec Linda Simensky (pictured right) at its 7th annual Discovery Award dinner on Nov. 8 at Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel. Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher, the battling spouses of Fox sitcom "'Til Death" will emcee. Zimmer org is focused on teaching small fry about ethics, community involvement and cultural sensivity through interactive and roll-up-your-sleeves exhibits at its museum on the Miracle Mile.

The fall season is well underway and so is the fall leg of panel-confab-Q&A madness. The Hollywood Radio and Television Society's annual network chiefs sesh outta be lively this year, what with ABC's Steve McPherson, NBC's Ben Silverman and Fox's Kevin Reilly on the same stage. (Quick quiz: Which net prexy said "Be a man" during the summer Television Critics Assn. press tour about which prexy in regards to the firing of another prexy?) All I can say is, CBS' Nina Tassler and CW's Dawn Ostroff probably shouldn't wear anything they really love to the luncheon, set for Oct. 16 at the Bev Hilton Hotel...

The night before the HRTS soiree, a group of industry vets who remember a time when a panel of entertainment chiefs featured only three male execs, will gather at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences HQ in North Hollywood to celebrate the release of an industry memoir from Ralph Baruch, founder of Viacom. Event will include a "how-to" Q&A with Baruch, who telegraphs just how much he's seen in his many years in the biz with the title of his tome: "Television Tightrope: How I Escaped Hitler, Survived CBS and Fathered Viacom"...

And for further schooling in smallscreen history, head on over to the Fine Arts Theater in Bev Hills for a conversation among TV publicists who've been through the wars (and then some). The Entertainment Publicists Professional Society panel dubbed "Legends of Television Publicity" will include network and studio vets Cliff Dektar (who was always a gentleman and a friend to me during his days with the Lippin Group), Michael Casey, Doug Duitsman, Hank Reiger, Gene Walsh and Murray Weissman...

OK, this one's kind of a stretch in terms of a TV connection, but I've always loved Raymond Chandler and this event sounds like fun. (And come to think of it there was a "Philip Marlowe" gumshoe skein on ABC in  1959-60. Powers Boothe also played the tough-talking sleuth in a mid-1980s HBO series.) Hollywood Heritage cultural org is offering a three-hour guided tour of "Raymond Chandler's Hollywood on Oct. 20 and Oct. 21. (Think "The Big Sleep," "Murder, My Sweet," Dick Powell and Humphrey Bogart in really great suits.) Tour promises to take the curious to various homes, apartment buildings, streets, hotels and dives where Chandler (pictured right) and his lit alter ego Philip Marlowe hung out in the 1930s and '40s. Hard to tell where the line between fact and fiction is drawn here but it still sounds like good, clean, noir-y fun. For more info high-tail it to http://www.hollywoodheritage.org/.

POSTED BY JOSEF ADALIAN

Yes, that was Mark Itkin walking around the corridors of CAA Thursday night. But no, the William Morris Agency’s dean of unscripted programming isn’t defecting.

Itkin made a trip to what he called “enemy territory” in order to appear on a CAA/BAFTA-sponsored panel dubbed “Another British Invasion.” Powwow brought together six of the biggest names in the reality biz, ostensibly to discuss the past and future of Blighty-produced TV in the States.

Night actually turned into a broader discussion encompassing the history of the biz and the challenges it faces, with “American Idol” showrunner Nigel Lythgoe (pictured left) moderating a lively hourlong-plus conversation.

Panel also included CAA reality chief Michael Camacho, unscripted superlawyer Jeanne Newman, Fox alternative prexy Mike Darnell, CBS reality guru Ghen Maynard and Lifetime supremo Andrea Wong (who until recently headed up unscripted programming for ABC).

Group of Six repped a sort of Mt. Rushmore of the modern reality age, collectively repping some sort of involvement in just about every major unscripted skein since “The Real World” kicked off the alternative boom.

Itkin talked about putting together the deal for “Real World” (MTV wanted a soap but didn’t have the coin to pay for actors), while Newman (pictured right)outlined how she got all the major nets to bid on “Big Brother.”

“We had a true bidding war, not like the ones we make up,” Newman quipped.

Congrats to Michele Ganeless, who's been upped to prexy of Comedy Central, making her the first femme prexy in the cabler's illustrious 16-year history. Like every other exec in TV, Ganeless has a mandate to expand Comedy Central's footprint in the digital realm, per her boss, MTV Networks Entertainment Group prexy Doug Herzog.

Ganeless is on her third tour of duty at the channel, having worked there in the early 1990s, just after its merger with HBO's erstwhile Ha channel, and again from 1996-2001 when she helped shepherd two of Comedy Central's most enduring franchises, "The Daily Show" (remember Craig Kilborn?) and "South Park." She spent the early part of this decade at USA Network, where her path crossed again with Herzog, who had been her boss at Comedy Central, and then again in 2004 when Herzog returned to the Viacom/Comedy Central orbit and so did Ganeless, this time as exec veepee and general manager. Got it? There'll be a quiz later.

Congrats to WMA's Mark Itkin (pictured) on his appointment as chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame selection committee. Mark's a good guy who loves television, which is a good thing given that his day job is serving as WMA exec veep and worldwide co-head of television. He's been a top agent in the syndication/reality/non-fiction TV biz for a long time, and he's been involved with ATAS for years, so he ought to bring some interesting ideas to the table as to worthy inductees. As On the Air readers already know, there's a very determined woman in Watertown, N.Y. who wants to see the late Bill Bixby get his long-overdue due from the TV Acad (click here if you concur). The most recent batch of names getting the bust-and-plaque treatment from the Hall of Fame last year were Tom Brokaw, James Burrows, Leonard Goldberg, Regis Philbin and William Shatner. Acad plans to sit out this year but come back at it with a spiffed-up event in 2008.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Fox is one Sanjaya away from bringing "American Idol" back to its former glory.

That's not to say that "Idol" has fallen off the map and is barely breathing. It remains the 800-lb. gorilla that other networks fear when Fox puts it on the schedule every January. It grabs headlines, magazine covers, gossip columns and gobs of Internet chatter.

But, no matter how you spin it, ratings were down last season from the Taylor Hicks-Katharine McPhee season before that, and the finale in which Jordin Sparks was crowned champ, especially, took a big dip in both numbers and viewer engagement.

Fox entertainment chairman Peter Liguori said at TCA the viewer totals weren't as bad when you account for those who watched the finale on TiVo, and that the right contestant -- a heartthrob, hottie, troublemaker or anyone that can rally the masses in either a love/hate way -- can draw huge attention can spike the ratings in a big way.

"We're one watercooler contestant away from another surge," Liguori said. "There's still a feeling about an upcoming 'Idol' season."

Fox needs "Idol" to continue to dominate. Dating back to January, the network has now won 24 straight weeks in the 18-49 demo and is about to break a 25-week record set by NBC in 1996, but October through December has always been problematic for the network -- shows either being interrupted by the baseball playoffs and/or not connecting at all. "Prison Break" and "Bones" have come out of the game strong but even "House" started slow and needed the post-"Idol" timeslot to give it a kickstart.

"We have to do better in the fourth quarter," Liguori said bluntly. "We have the biggest show on TV and have to take advantage of that."

The beginning of 2008 should be huge for Fox, with "Idol" and "24" starting up, but, as if they needed it, the nework will air the NFC championship game in January and Super Bowl in February, with "House" landing the plum-Super Bowl slot.

Whether the Kelsey Grammer-Patricia Heaton comedy "Back to You" or Anthony Anderson New Orleans-based "K-Ville" catch on remain to be seen, but at some point Fox will have to find other shows to give it year-round consistency, rather than just relying on "Idol" adulation.

-- Stuart Levine

Kevin Reilly came to the Beverly Hilton on Sunday, tanned, ready and relaxed -- and refusing to engage in any major NBC bashing. Goodness knows, Fox's new entertainment prexy (pictured left) was given plenty of chances by the questioning during the opening exec Q&A sesh with Peter Liguori, who was upped to Fox Entertainment chairman earlier this month to make room for Reilly's arrival. "You're just picking at that scab aren't you," Liguori (pictured right) quipped as TCA-ers tried to lure Reilly into some snark about NBC, or the "previous place," as Reilly put it, where he was unceremoniously squeezed out with the arrival of Ben Silverman as NBC Entertainment chairman in early June.

The closest thing Reilly allowed was a little skepticism about NBC's decision to revamp its fall Tuesday sked to include new reality series "The Singing Bee," given that the decision was made after the show had one promising airing and then "shluffed off" in the second week. But that was it -- at one point Reilly even stuttered and stammered and made a joke about how hard it was for him to answer such leading questions. He was classy and high-road guy all the way, the characteristic's we've always appreciated about him.

All in all Fox's TCA sesh felt like it was 2001 all over again, the days when Liguori and Reilly where in the same roles they are now except at FX sted the big-leagues of Fox Broadcasting Co. The two looked comfortable together, and even wardrobe coordinated in casual blazer-and-jeans set up. Pressed to reflect on his recent tumultuous experience, Reilly firmly kept the focus on the future, reiterating his appreciation for the "restless" Fox corporate culture and News Corp.'s entrepreneurial DNA. Reilly made it clear that he hasn't blown on to the Fox lot with an "everyone back up, I'm here to fix things'" mentality," he said. "The cheapest advice anyone gives you when you do into these jobs is 'Go with your instincts, stick what you believe in'. I feel like at a certain point during my (NBC) run I was not playing that game, and it was not right for me, and it didn't work for the network. So that's what I'm taking in the door with me" in settling in at Fox.

POSTED BY JOSEF ADALIAN

Jeff Zucker didn't feel the need to check out Ben Silverman's TCA debut Monday. But Leslie Moonves managed to lend CBS Entertainment prexy Nina Tassler (pictured left) some moral support today by catching her session with reporters -- most of whom had no idea Moonves was in the house.

Moonves apparently waited until the house lights dimmed before sneaking into the back of the BevHills Hilton ballroom where Tassler met the assembled scribes Wednesday morning. And just as quietly as he arrived, Moonves was gone a few minutes after Tassler wrapped up her controversy- and blunder-free appearance.

Despite his elevated role, the Eye supremo still feels obligated to schmooze the nation's TV press. He's expected to be at the net's all-star party Thursday night. We're hoping wife Julie Chen will be there, too, with some fresh "Big Brother 8" gossip.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The hot topic at the Nina Tassler panel at TCA on Wednesday was Mandy Patinkin's mysterious exiting of "Criminal Minds." Questions came in different forms but CBS Entertainment prexy Tassler stayed on point, saying only that Patinkin (pictured left) "came to me and asked to be released for personal issues."

Is it that Patinkin wanted out to work on another project? Was it health-related? Does he get just tired of the series grind and decides enough's enough?

Tassler wouldn't budge. She said several times that she hoped that Patinkin would come out in the near future to tell his version of events, but it doesn't seem likely. What's in it for him by explaining why he wanted out?

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

When CBS entertainment topper Nina Tassler went for a checkup a few months ago and the doc handed her a bag of peanuts instead of test results, she knew it was time to give "Jericho" its second-season pickup.

The Skeet Ulrich series started out well in the ratings last fall but soon began to fade. Then when it went on a three-month hiatus from November to February, pretty much any momentum the show might've had left was quickly evaporated.

"Maybe it wasn't good for the show and maybe it had an impact," Tassler said of the hiatus. You think, Nina?

Once CBS decided not to renew, the emails from outraged viewers came flooding into the exec's offices on Beverly Boulevard. I wonder if the Eye IT guys were able to install a "Jericho" spam filter to allow Tassler and Leslie Moonves to view non-"Jericho" messages in a more timely manner?

Though she wasn't convinced enough the series was viable enough to be put on the fall schedule, Tassler decided "Jericho" was worthy of a midseason slot. CBS has ordered seven new episodes, as Variety reported last month.

"The emails had reached a certain pitch and I thought that maybe this show needs a second chance," said Tassler (pictured left). "I went on the message boards and read the emails. It seemed like a segment of the population felt they weren't being counted."

Certainly "Jericho" fans aren't the first group to sound howls of protest when their favorite shows are canceled. If viewers voices were always heard by network schedulers, "Freaks and Geeks," "Veronica Mars" and "Deadwood" would still be on the air.

Whether the "Jericho" renewal begins a new trend on how much viewer reaction will play into the decision-making process for renewals remains to be seen, but its nice to realize that voices are being heard.

In the first episode back, Tassler said Stanley (Brad Beyer) would be getting engaged.

(Pictured above: Shaun Daily, a Nevada disc jockey who led one of the many fan-fueled "Save 'Jericho'" campaigns.)

-- Stuart Levine

Big panel, big show, big challenges.

The "Friday Night Lights" cast and crew were well-received by the TCA-ers in the show's sesh on Tuesday. The crix weren't overly gushy but there was a general consensus that this Peabody-winning show is a fine example of quality triumphing over anemic ratings. Getting a wider audience to appreciate the show had become something of a mission for the previous steward of NBC Entertainment, before Kevin Reilly hustled out of Burbank in June following the Ben Silverman shakeup.

To Ben's credit, in the eyes of "FNL" fans, he's vowed to support the show and one of his first bulletins on Monday in his exec Q&A was a time slot switch for the show that at least takes it out of the vortex of 10 p.m. Friday (where only CBS has found the right mathematical equation to get a decent number lately with "Numbers"). Now "FNL" is due to get a little hammock support at 9 p.m. on its namesake night between "Deal or No Deal" and "Las Vegas." And Silverman's co-topper, Marc Graboff, praised the show for being "efficiently produced," which was another thing that helped it survive for a second season.

POSTED BY MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

(Updated Friday morning with fresh comment from Steven Moffat, see below)

Never mind the bollocks, "Coupling" creator Steven Moffat (left) may have to explain a few things the next time he rings Ben Silverman.

Back in his pre-NBC days, Silverman helped Moffat bring the hit BBC comedy over to the States -- where the U.S. "Coupling" promptly fizzled.

Why did the Yankee "Coupling" fail? (For one thing, see the image to the right: It was promoted as a sex-drenched romp, rather than a plain ol' funny show, as the BBC version was.) Moffat offered up his own hypothesis last week during BBC America's TCA session (where he was promoting his new BBC series "Jekyll"):

“I can answer it with three letters: N-B-C. Very, very good writing team. Very, very good cast. The network fucked it up because they intervened endlessly. If you really want a job to work, don’t get Jeff Zucker’s team to come help you because they’re not funny …I can say that because I don’t care about working for NBC. The way in which NBC slagged off the creative team on American “Coupling” after its failure was disgraceful and traitorous. So I enjoy slagging them off. That’s the end of my career in L.A.”

Hmm... that's what makes this part awkward: According to Silverman -- now co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios -- Moffat has been in contact about, yes, doing something for him at the Peacock!

"I find that a little hypocritical," Silverman said. "(Moffat and "Coupling" exec producer Beryl Vertue) have called me a number of times about doing a show."

The lesson?

"Never say never," Silverman added.

-- Michael Schneider

Friday morning update:

Just a few comments, if I may (and I'm assuming Ben's been quoted correctly.)

1.  I have NEVER been contact with NBC about making a show.  Not once.

2.  I have NEVER said I won't work for NBC, I just assumed they wouldn't want me (and I wouldn't blame them, really!)

3.  At the time of American Coupling, Ben Silverman was the producer of the show, not chairman of NBC - it was HIS work, and his team's work that suffered so badly from network interference.  It was, in effect, Ben I was defending.  Oh, the irony!

4.  I know and like Ben, but I've seen him type on his Blackberry, and realise he might have been trying to say something else entirely.

Steven Moffat

POSTED BY MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

The most-anticipated session in all of this summer's TV Critics Association press tour happens tomorrow. Monday, 9 a.m., the Beverly Hilton: It's Ben Silverman, along with partner Marc Graboff.

To quote NBC circa 1984: "Be there!"

To paraphrase NBC circa 1996: "It's must-see TCA!"

To whet our palate, Graboff made a brief appearance at the tour Friday, to discuss the state of Guild negotiations and labor questions (along side Warner Bros.' Bruce Rosenblum and AMPTP's Nick Counter).

When asked about the Peacock's strike contingency plans, Graboff scored a few chuckles with this quote:

"I'm not going to get into the details of what our schedule will look like just for competitive reasons. We are committed to providing quality entertainment programming. You are not going to see a test pattern, although maybe on NBC a test pattern in some cases would be OK."

NBC has traditionally (and I've always found this unusual) been the most self-deprecating of the broadcast networks. Even when it was top-rated, the Peacock would open its Upfront presentations with some sort of comedy routine or video that mocked the web -- be it Triumph the Insult Comic Dog or a video starring the entertainment president of the moment. Now that it's in fourth place, those jokes may hit a little too close to the bone -- but expect at least a few moments of gallows humor at Monday's executive session.

-- Michael Schneider

Mr. T says, "Be there, fool!"

POSTED BY STEVEN ZEITCHIK

Showtime is a step closer to airing a series from Steven Spielberg.

POSTED BY STUART LEVINE

HBO may have lost "Sex and the City," but its still feeling frisky.

Cable will launch "Tell Me You Love Me" on Sept. 9, a nine-episode Sunday night series that focuses on the relationship of three couples -- in their 20s, 30s and 40s. From creator Cynthia Mort, skein moves from the therapist office to the bedroom, and doesn't shy away from showing the inner sanctum of each.

In other words, there's lots of screaming, crying and sex.

"We're not porn stars, we're actors," said actress Michelle Borth to the TCA throngs who were definitely more interested in the authenticity and realism of the sex scenes than they were on the credentials of Jane Alexander, who plays the show's therapist.

Added actress Sonya Walger: "It's uncomfortable. These scenes have no dialogue but each has a lot to say."

"Our decision wasn't to push the envelope but be honest about the intimacy," said HBO programming topper Carolyn Strauss. You can't tell the story about intimacy without having sex in your tool kit. If you want to do it honestly, you have to tell that story."

-- Stuart Levine

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, Katie Couric was charming the crowds at TCA, preparing for her history-making entry into the "Evening News" scene. CBS brass surely would've never predicted they'd be in such damage control mode, but Katie's candid interview with New York magazine continues to reverberate around media circles. So much so that the AP today moves a "nothing's happening, really" story quoting CBS News and Sports prexy Sean McManus trying to counter the rumors to the contrary and asserting that the Eye expects to still have Katie in the anchor chair by the time the news division is plotting its coverage of the 2010 mid-term elections.

Craig Erwich was a loyal soldier to Fox Broadcasting Co. for a dozen years, through the programming regimes of John Matoian, Peter Roth, Doug Herzog, Gail Berman and finally, Peter Liguori. On Monday, amid the news of the arrival of Kevin Reilly as entertainment president and Liguori's promotion to Fox Entertainment chairman, Erwich (pictured left) decided it was time to move on (though he may yet stay within the News Corp. family, as Variety reports).
In the last four years of his tenure at the network, friends and colleagues say Erwich handled the always-tricky job of serving as No. 2 to the head of programming with great skill and good humor.
Ask anyone who's served in the executive vp programming role (or its equivalent) at a major network. You're in charge of development, but....credit has a way of flowing upward in success, while blame and tsk-tsking trickles down when things go wrong. But those who know him well say Erwich played an important role in bringing to fruition most of Fox's scripted successes during the past few years, particularly "24," "House" and "Prison Break."

"He's an incredibly good executive. He's smart, responsive and always very clear about his point of view," says Imagine TV prexy David Nevins, who worked closely with Erwich at Fox when Nevins was in the exec vp role and Erwich was head of drama development. It was Nevins and Erwich who first took the pitch from Joel Surnow and Bob Cochran on their unconventional idea for a drama thriller series that would unfold in real time, one hour at a time, during the course of a season. He rode the "24" thrill ride all the way to its Emmy win for drama series last year.
Before joining Fox in 1995 as director of current programming, Erwich worked at Stephen J. Cannell Prods. and as an assistant at CAA.

The rumors about Kevin Reilly (pictured left) heading to Fox started before he'd cleaned out his office at NBC, and apparently the talks have picked up steam in the past few days, as Variety reports. We could be in for a reunion of the team that made FX cool in the early part of this decade. Peter Liguori (pictured right) and Reilly always did seem like a good team, with complementary skills and simpatico personalities. Here's hoping there's a win-win scenario in this for two classy execs...

Good piece today by the Associated Press' Lynn Elber on this week's relaunch of Ovation TV. It bodes well for the channel that former Bravo and Trio exec Kris Slava is running the ship. He was intimately involved in Trio's "Brilliant but Canceled" series and thus knows and thing or two about too-cool TV. Ovation is sticking with its arts and culture milieu, but instead of a string of short clips of opera and classical music performances, there'll be much more of a cohesive programming flow to the primetime sked. Weeknights will be skedded according to broad themes, with Mondays devoted to performance, particularly dance and theater; Tuesdays is all about artistes, with profiles, docs and features about painters, sculptors and the like; etc. etc., as laid out in Elber's story. This week's relaunch is anchored by a series dubbed "American Revolutionaries," a look at mavericks and trailblazers ranging from Frank Lloyd Wright to Kurt Cobain.

Wow, this is a really good, well-rounded view of Rupert Murdoch -- the man, the mogul, the dealmaking machine, by Time magazine's Eric Pooley. It feels like an objective take on a guy who is unfairly demonized at times, overly lionized at others. It's clearly Rupe's PR antidote to the New York Times series that rean earlier this week, and it's surely a much more interesting read.

"We're very proud of what we do at all our papers," (Murdoch) says on another day, in another mood. "And we just feel insulted by the coverage. We've got more than 50,000 people [in News Corp.]." We're sitting in his New York City office on a June afternoon. "We make mistakes here and there. But there's nothing wrong with the Post — most people would prefer to read it before they go to the Times. There's such a thing as a popular newspaper and an unpopular élite newspaper. They play different roles. We have both kinds. Just like we have the Fox network with American Idol and 24, and we also have the National Geographic Channel. It's hard for outsiders to understand that."

Interesting that Variety's Peter Bart and the New York Times' David Carr (Carpetbagger no more) had much the same take on the recent restructuring at HBO that saw five executives expand their domains in the wake of Chris Albrecht's hasty departure as CEO.

Says Carr:

Still, the co-presidency seems far more like a Hollywood sort of solution, where titles are handed out like bonbons, than an effort to maintain a network’s reputation for artistic and commercial decisiveness. In a telephone interview on Friday afternoon, Mr. Bewkes seemed amazed that people who watch the company would assign so much meaning to titles.

Says Bart:

I have nothing against teamwork, but I worry about the consequences of group-think in businesses that are dependent on risk-taking. Tastes are changing, technology is shifting and the gambles on movies and TV shows are becoming exponentially more expensive. Doesn't that suggest that bold leaders are needed to make tough decisions? Or does it suggest the exact opposite: The only way to survive in corporate Hollywood is to hunker down amid a thicket of committees so that no single individual takes the heat for bad decisions? Or, more probably, for indecision.

I'm in entirely too snarky of a mood right now to go anywhere near penning a jokey item about the announcement from NBC today that it has picked up the rights to a Colombian telenovela "Without Breasts There is No Paradise." Keeping tongue-in-cheekiness in check, the deal is interesting for what it says about the global-mindedness of the biz these days. NBC Universal is snapping up rights to a property that was a smash hit in Colombia, and will develop it in English for the Peacock and in Spanish (with a separate cast and production team) for Telemundo. And NBC's newly minted programming chief Ben Silverman deserves all the credit in the world for being smart enough to look beyond Hollywood's ethnocentric snobbery to ferret out creative ideas and concepts that originate beyond U.S. borders, as he did with another Colombian novela hit, which became ABC's fair-haired "Ugly Betty." Still, I had to chuckle at some of the Ben-speak in the press release, as reported by Variety's Joe Adalian.

Here's hoping Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff didn't get their new business cards and letter head yet.
NBC Universal Television Studio is no more, per the news released this a.m. by the Peacock. The studio arm is being renamed Universal Media Studios, doing away with the mouthful of a moniker (and its unfortunate acronym, NUTS) that emerged after the formal merger of NBC and U in May 2004. (UMS may sound like a bank or something but at least it's harder to make fun of.) So now Silverman and Graboff are co-chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. The NBC-free name may also be more conducive to the studio producing for non-NBC U outlets, though with NBC, USA, Sci Fi, Bravo and a growing number of digital platforms to feed it would seem that studio prexy Katherine Pope and her team have plenty to do in-house. Or as Ben says with characteristic modesty:  "NBC Universal is the premier content company on the planet and this name change reflects our TV studio's natural evolution as digital distribution expands and more platforms need premier ideas and programming."

Journey!?!

Not Tony Bennett? Not The Voice? Not Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons? Not Bruce Springsteen, or even Bon Jovi? Journey!?!

Oh well, maybe that was the point. Mundane. Typical. Pedestrian, even. Maybe it's just right that the series that was so often over-hyped as the best thing television has ever produced would go out on a this-could-be-anyone's-family-gathering-at-a-neighborhood-joint note.

David Chase clearly had fun messing with our minds in building all of the Hitchcock-ian tension into the final scene in the restaurant, as we waited for any one of the suspicious-looking characters that seemed to be circling Tony Soprano's nuclear family (remember what they looked like in season one, as pictured below) to erupt with violence or something that felt finale-ish and fate-sealing. But no, it was a typical family scene, typical, that is, if dad's a New Jersey crime boss on the downside of his career and mom's an overprotective but ruthless enabler. And let's face it, parallel parking is a bitch, no matter who your daddy is.

The instant chatter in the blogosphere on the (not so) fateful episode No. 86 of "The Sopranos" seemed to tilt toward the negative, with many remarking that the abruptly cut-to-black ending first made them think their cable/satellite had gone out just at the money-moment. But perhaps those who were angered or unhappy with the closer were just more motivated to run to their computers to blast away at David Chase, HBO, and anyone else they could think of. There was a lot of insta-speculation that the deliberately-vague ending was motivated by a greedy desire to tee up a "Sopranos" feature film down the road. (Some were even pegging the release date as spring 2009! Everybody wants to play Exhibitor Relations these days.) I've got to believe that David Chase has more creativity integrity than that. If not, somebody show him "The X-Files" feature, quick.

It may sound a stretch but perhaps Chase came to something like the same conclusion that Phil Rosenthal did two years ago with the "Everybody Loves Raymond" finale. The best way to honor a beloved series and the fans who made it so is not with pyrotechnics or gimmicks beyond belief but a tribute to the core character relationships that make or break any TV series. (Then again, there's the "Newhart" ending to beat all endings, which could be called gimmicky, but c'mon...) Appropriately enough, nobody has ever gotten "The Sopranos" better than Alan Sepinwall, the hard-working, hell-of-a-nice-guy TV critic from the Newark Star-Ledger, and he had a smart take on the finale posted barely an hour after it aired. Variety's Phil Gallo also did a good job of sizing up the finale, from a reasoned, not fanboy, perspective.

Furthermore, as On the Air's significant other astutely pointed out, it could have been a whole lot worse. David Chase was at the helm of "Northern Exposure" when that once-great series bowed out in mid-1995 with a finale episode, co-written by future "Sopranos" soldiers Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess (along with Jeff Melvoin). We'll never forgive any of them for the worst-plot-twist-ever in having Janine Turner's Maggie and John Corbett's Chris "suddenly" discover that they're soul mates and destined to be together....yeeecchh! (Having that happen is worse than the public-domain music NBC Universal has put in the modern-day DVD sets of NoEx seasons to save money on licensing.)

So aside from the use of "Don't Stop Believin'" in the closing moments, Chase redeemed himself tonight with this finale that he wrote and directed. Despite the level of over-praising that "The Sopranos" has endured during its eight-year run (give or take a few loooong hiatuses), there's no denying the impact it has had, on pop culture, on television, on writers and on what networks and studios are willing to accept in the way of anti-heroes, less than tidy endings, etc. etc. I'll never forget attending an HBO-sponsored screening of the first two episodes (either it was the first two segs or it was a two from early in the first season) at the DGA theater in Hollywood. When the screening was over and the DGA lobby filled with industry cognizati, the buzz was positively electric. People literally could not stop talking about how good -- how different -- the show was.

No one can claim more credit for this than David Chase, for sticking to his vision and his derring-do, and for assembling the company of talented scribes, directors, actors and producers he enlisted to tell his tales. There aren't enough adjectives in the dictionary to express how well James Gandolfini and Edie Falco (oh boy, did she shine this season?!) embodied their alter-egos in a way that ....well, again, not enough superlatives or time to give them their proper due....

By now, the story of how Chase struggled for years to get his baby on the air is well documented. But it bears repeating the names of a few of the suits and such who helped the show along before it found a welcoming home at HBO -- particularly one exec in particular who just faced his own real-life whacking (albeit with no lethal consequences), Kevin Reilly, late of NBC who was a "Sopranos" booster during his time as head of Brillstein-Grey Television. Lloyd Braun, late of ABC, Yahoo and now of NBC Universal-based BermanBraun, was also pivotal in the series' development during his tenure at Brillstein-Grey. Also meriting a shout-out are Robert Greenblatt and Danielle Gelber, now of Showtime but formerly with Fox Broadcasting Co. during "The Sopranos'" time in development-hell there, and of course, Peter Benedek, Chase's loyal rep at United Talent Agency.

Salute.

Still don't know what to make of what's going on at ION TV, the erstwhile Pax TV, and haven't for a while now. The West Palm Beach, Fla.-based company seems to have been held in limbo by payments it owed to NBC Universal that the former Paxson Communications couldn't possibly have paid back. (Back in 1998 NBC struck a doozy of a deal that called for Paxson to essentially reimburse NBC for its minority-interest investment in a few years if the Peacock wasn't happy with the company's progress.) Now it's being bought out and taken private by a Chicago-based investor group, Citadel Investment Group, but they're still giving NBC U a chit to buy back its stake in ION at a later date. Another investor group with the funny name of Contrarian Capital Management was also trying to bid for the company in May but were beaten back without much of a fight, apparently, given that Citadel and NBC U are friendly partners in their transaction. The latest press release on this buyout process is comical for its sheer confused-ness, take a look. A lot of the convolutedness in NBC U's dealings with the company has to do with station ownership limits -- NBC U would be over the FCC's 39% national household reach limit if it took full control of ION too (considering that the Peacock already has NBC and Telemundo O&Os). It's just always struck me as strange that a station group with 60-odd outlets with decent signals in top markets can't make a go of itself as a network, or even an ad-hoc group of stations doing interesting things on the local level. I suppose it is all about the programming, local, national or whatever. So we'll see what the rest of this year brings for the company. Until then, if you're looking for less-than-stellar prints of repeats of "Kojak," "Green Acres," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Mama's Family," you know where to turn. (Besides, now I have an excuse to have a "Kojak" shot on my blog.)

Good for "Jericho" fans. It's great to see fan-dom pull some "Cagney and Lacey" muscle and make a network do an about-face. CBS' decision to pickup seven more episodes also comes as a sweet victory to many at the show's studio home, CBS Paramount Network TV, where there was a ton of love for the show and mega-disappointment when it was axed. Here's CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler's open letter to "Jericho" fans, posted today on CBS' press Web site.

Good-bye Museum of Television and Radio, hello Paley Center for Media. It's no secret the NY- and LA-based institution has faced some hard times of late, like many a non-profit these days. (Full disclosure: I have a soft spot for the erstwhile MT&R, an org that has always been gracious to me in terms of offering me classy panel-moderating gigs, my pick of Paley Festival sessions, etc.) The MT&R has always had support from the industry's top movers and shakers -- just take a look at its board of directors -- but nonetheless the handful of major media giants that rule the biz can only write so many checks a year. So I suppose the donor base will be greatly enlarged under the larger Center for Media umbrella. MT&R founder William Paley, who was a businessman through and through (he formed the institution in 1975 as the Museum of Broadcasting), no doubt would have approved. Besides, his name's on the door now.

Let's just make sure they keep up the MT&R's one-of-a-kind program archives. I mean, it's always comforting to know that somewhere in the world, someone has a climate-controlled vault preserving rarities like "You're In the Picture," the Jackie Gleason hosted game show from 1961 that was so bad that the Great One apologized to viewers in its second airing for "that bomb," bagged the game show format and turned it into a talk show that ran a few more weeks on CBS under the "Jackie Gleason Show" moniker.

(pictured above, L-R: Queen Noor of Jordan, CBS Corp. CEO and Paley Center board member Leslie Moonves and Paley Center prexy Pat Mitchell were on hand to toast the name-change Tuesday evening at a reception at the Paley Center's Gotham HQ.)

"If we can't restrict the use of the words 'fuck' and 'shit' during primetime, Hollywood will be able to say anything they want, whenever they want" -- so says Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin (pictured left) in a heated statement released today after the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals completely and totally smacked down the FCC's hyper-protective policy on four-letter words uttered on TV.

The decision in question stems from the FCC's ruling that the use of "fuck" and "shit" by Cher and Nicole Richie, respectively, during Fox's telecast of the Billboard Music Awards in 2002 and '03 constituted an indecency violation. But it's part and parcel of the FCC's scarily-groundbreaking decision that the use of "fuck" in any context, in any circumstance during the 6 a.m.-10 p.m. time frame is an indecent, fine-able offense -- unless of course it's in a patriotic war movie a la "Saving Private Ryan," in which case the commish will relent.

I'm wading through the 53-page decision right now, looking for the money quotes from the ruling applying appropriate scrutiny of what broadcasters have decried as the FCC's nonsensical and arbitrary application of its indecency rules. Variety's William Triplett does a fine job explaining the ins and outs of what it all means. I just had to poke some fun here at the line above from Martin's reaction statement. What part of the First Amendment does the commish not get? Of course, the notion that "Hollywood" can now run amok with salty language is laughable. Television networks are private, for-profit businesses, equipped with standards and practices departments. "Hollywood" can only go as far as its advertisers and viewers will allow -- that's the wonderfully democratic part of the invisible hand that guides free-market capitalism, remember?

But Martin, who's said to have aspirations to run for elected office, seems bent on framing the defeat he was just handed as a case of evil urban centers sending the children of heartland-America down the road to ruin with...dirty words on B-grade awards shows! In his statement Martin notes that he finds it "hard to believe that a New York court would tell American families that 'shit' and 'fuck' are find to say on broadcast television during the hours when children are most likely to be in the audience."

It's almost official. Katherine Pope is expected to say with NBC but get her wish to move back over to the studio side, this time as president of NBC Universal TV Studio, as Variety's Joe Adalian reports.

Not a bad turnaround for someone who reportedly wasn't sure what her next move was going to be this time last week. But it's not unexpected. She's known to be well-regarded by NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker. Her rise at NBC during the past few years has been impressive, from joining the network as an entry-level development exec during the waning months of Garth Ancier's tenure as NBC Entertainment chief, to serving as No. 2 in development to freshly ousted NBC Entertainment prexy Kevin Reilly for the past 18 months. For about 18 months before that, Pope served on the studio side in a hands-on development role that she clearly preferred. Shows that have been touched by the hand of Pope during the past few years include, of course, this year's breakout "Heroes," "Friday Night Lights," "Medium," "Boomtown," "Crossing Jordan," Sci Fi's "Battlestar Galactica" and USA Network's "Psych."

Like the rest of the Peacock's senior management, Pope's got her work cut out for her in leading the studio operation under newly anointed co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff. But by all accounts Pope is whip-smart, and she had to have moxie to get where she is already in her career. In the new world order at NBC U, Pope's talents and skills will be even more valuable to her new bosses who don't have nearly as deep of a background in the nitty gritty of development. And good development is the one thing, some would say only thing other than losta luck, that NBC needs most of all in order to pull out of its fourth-place trench.

If it's the post-season, it must be executive shuffle time in TV land. This year the turnstiles are moving faster than ever with a host of gigs open and/or up in the air at major webs.
For starters, there's NBC where the new regime of Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff might make major changes -- or they might not. The situation with NBC Entertainment exec veep Katherine Pope (pictured), who served as No. 2 to the now-departed entertainment prexy Kevin Reilly, is said to be fluid, though the new regime has made it clear they'd like her to stay.

No doubt about it, Marc Graboff is a big winner in the shuffle unveiled today at NBC. Sure, he already had a big job and plenty of responsibility, and perhaps most importantly he's long had the consiglieri-level trust of NBC Universal boss Jeff Zucker, but still, there's something about the co-chairman title that he now shares with Ben Silverman that has a certain ring to it. It solidifies his role at the Peacock as being much more than a numbers and bottom-line guy, even though the NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal TV Studio arms already had reported into him. Indeed, NBC U brass are saying they're aiming for a Bob Daly/Terry Semel-esque partnership, as Variety's Joe Adalian reports in today's now-it's-really-official version of the story.

Graboff, previously NBC West Coast president, is a lawyer by training. He's known as a tough negotiator, which sometimes grates on creative types (and their agents), but he's also respected as a straight shooter. He joined NBC in November 2000 as executive veep, NBC West Coast, from CBS, where he was a biz affairs maven. Graboff expanded his domain following the NBC-Universal merger in 2004, and was most recently upped to prexy, NBC West Coast in January 2006.

It appears that the scepter at NBC is about to be handed to Ben Silverman, the agent-cum-producer who's made a name for himself in recent years as the packaging force behind NBC's "The Office" and "The Biggest Loser," ABC's "Ugly Betty," Showtime's "The Tudors," among others.
The whirlwind of activity at the Peacock and its studio arm, NBC Universal TV Studio, during the past few weeks has been surprising to outsiders and Burbank insiders alike, as Variety's Joe Adalian details in his latest report. (No rest for the NBC U beat reporter this Memorial Day weekend.) Official word of Ben's arrival and the departure of NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly is expected as early as tomorrow.

The changing of the guard seems designed to shake up the Alameda Avenue status quo at a time when "reinvention" is a watchword for the TV biz. Ben has proven himself adept at spotting programming trends and cutting innovative deals for his shows. His management-leadership skills will undoubtedly be tested in his new role. He's had some traditional TV executive experience, including a stint as a creative executive at New World/Marvel during the Ron Perelman era, but not on the scale he's about to take on. Ben was known for his independence during his successful run as a TV agent at William Morris, where he championed the Brit/Euro TV format import/export biz, scoring with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Big Brother" and "The Weakest Link," among other hits. Since leaving the agency more than five years ago to found Reveille, Ben seemed to be reveling in the freedom of being his own boss at the helm of a nimble operation capable of out-maneuvering TV's big guns to make better, smarter, faster deals. Maybe it's the prospect of having more ammo at his disposal that's luring him to the other side at this point.

One call Ben might want to make when he gets settled is to the last guy named Silverman to hold a lofty post at NBC. Fred Silverman didn't have a terribly successful tenure as NBC president and CEO from 1978-1981 (Two words: "Hello, Larry"), but there are parallels to the Silvermans then and now. NBC was deep in third place in a three-network world at the time Fred came aboard, and Fred was a hot-shot coming off of a streak at CBS and ABC where he was known for scoring by bucking industry convention. Besides, he's an entertaining lunch date, and he's always got something interesting to say about the state of the network biz.

No matter what transpires at NBC, there is sure to be an outpouring of support and appreciation for the departing Reilly, who's respected far and wide as one of the good guys of the biz.

(Pictured above: Ben Silverman, left, and "Ugly Betty" co-star Eric Mabius.)

Once again, NBC Entertainment chief Kevin Reilly found himself the subject of rumor and conjecture on Friday as the latest round of "Reilly's out" rumors hit fever pitch. (Why does it always come on the Friday before a long holiday weekend?!) Variety's Joe Adalian spent all day Friday on the phone trying to separate fact from fiction, and he gives us the objective details on where things stand as of this weekend in this dispatch.

No matter what happens next week, I'll never understand why such a classy, talented, decent sort as Reilly has had to deal with such clouds of uncertainty hanging over him almost from the day he walked in to NBC in the fall of 2003. By any measure, he's done a good job bringing some watch-able programs to the Peacock. Reilly's done well during the past two years in replenishing the lineup with "My Name is Earl," "The Office," "Heroes," "Friday Night Lights" and "Deal or No Deal." He's one of the few programmers willing to go out on a limb for shows he believes in. The Peacock is better off now from Reilly going to bat for "The Office" after it's first mini season, when few others (me included) could see the promise in the show that would explode after just a few more episodes. (Reilly's pictured above with "Office" mates John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer.) It sure feels like "Friday Night Lights" is in the same idling-on-the-tarmac moment.

Some years back, when NBC was in similar straits competitively that it faces now, there was a debate among Brandon Tartikoff and other execs about whether to cancel the low-low-low rated hospital drama "St. Elsewhere," which was a favorite among the execs despite its meager audience. The Peacock's leader at the time, the great Grant Tinker, is famously said to have piped up with the obvious question, "Why are we talking about canceling a show that we all are so proud of?" NBC took a page from Tinker's play book earlier this month by going on faith and giving "Friday Night Lights" a sophomore season renewal. Let's hope the collective will is there at NBC Universal to do the same for the exec who's been fighting the good fight for the Peacock for nearly four years.

This morning brings the bittersweet news that Tim Brooks, research maven extraordinaire and TV historian without peer, is prepping his retirement from Lifetime Television at the end of this year. If Tim had a nickel for every time someone in the biz consults his indispensable, brick-sized lifesaver, "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present," he'd be richer than Murdoch, Redstone and Diller combined. He's a lovely man who always makes time for desperate journalists in need of insight or a quote from a respected, objective source of knowledge about all things television. Tim earned his research stripes at NBC, where he befriended fellow number-cruncher and "Complete Directory" co-author Earle Marsh, and then worked for ad firm NW Ayer, and then caught the cable wave at USA Network in the 1990s before segueing to Lifetime in 2000, where he'll retire as executive veepee, research.

ABC warmed the hearts of the creative community this morning with its slew of new scripted series pickups, four comedies and seven dramas, five of which hail from suppliers outside of the Mouse House's tent. The big winner of the upfront sweepstakes is Warner Bros. Television's "Big Shots" (pictured), which lands the plum post-"Grey's Anatomy" launch pad Thursdays at 10 p.m. Variety's hard-working Michael Schneider gives us the skinny on all of ABC's news in this early pre-presentation dispatch.

"Class and mass," and a little Jerry Seinfeld -- that's what NBC programming chief Kevin Reilly is promising to deliver next season.The peacock has lots of bells and whistles with its 2007-08 sked announcement this morning, perhaps most intriguingly a project with Seinfeld billed as 20 "minisodes" inspired by his work on the upcoming DreamWorks animated pic "Bee Movie," due out in November. The shorts, which promise a live-action glimpse into Seinfeld's antics during the production of the movie in which he voices a disillusioned bee, will air on the net this fall and on NBC.com, natch.

Don't you get the feeling that this good-clean-absurdist-fun moment from last week's episode of "The Office" is how NBC's Kevin Reilly and his crew must be feeling right about now with the clock ticking down to Monday afternoon's upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall. It's never easy being the first into the drink.

But at the end of the annual Monday-Thursday marathon of network dog and pony shows, NBC has kindly scheduled a treat that should help take the edge off nicely for many of us. Thursday's hourlong season finale of "Office" may or may not settle the questions of whether Michael gets the big promotion to corporate and what that might mean for the Scranton branch. But that's really beside the point (though it appears that the show will have at least six more hourlong episodes next season and shift to the brutal 9 p.m. Thursday slot). A double-length dose of "Office" antics after a grueling week of non-stop work ought to be just the tonic for those in the biz who will inevitably be questioning their career choices, at least temporarily, by the time Fox wraps up the last of the presentations on Thursday. (In a humanitarian gesture Fox has promised to keep the pace moving as fast as "American Idol's" open audition days on the road.)

Speaking of NBC season finales, it's kinda funny given Sunday's news about "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" moving over to USA Network next season (here's the low down on that and the mothership show's renewal from Variety's Michael Schneider) that the show's last final original episodes on NBC are titled "Endgame" and "Renewal." Looks like "the networks of NBC Universal," as NBC U likes to call its bouquet of broadcast and cable webs, got the hint.