Live Q&As

It does not mean it's on the bubble -- it means CBS is toying with the idea of moving it to Friday nights and wants to see how it performs there... Every year at this time, you see networks tinkering with their schedules like this in advance of the meetings they have to assess their weak spots, figure out what to move where, what to cancel and what pilots to pick up and where to schedule them....

This week's performance show clocked nearly 19 million viewers -- a hefty week-to-week increase, though I'm guessing that was in part due to the "Whitney tunes"-ness of the episode. It will be the week's most watched program. And Last night's results show hung on to 17 million according to early estimates, which will make it the second most watched show of the week, behind only the performance night ("NCIS" and "NCIS: LA" were repeats this week). So it was a good week for "Idol". But I agree it's about time they livened up the results show ... and you saw some of that last night when Seacrest started suddenly telling people, willy nilly, that they were safe without all the pomp and circumstance of light dimming, etc. However,  I think his comment about how he warned us anything could happen on the results show -- and it just did! was sort of overstating the baby steps they were taking. Also,  having the judges decide who ultimately got whacked last night suggests the producers know the results show needs to be re-thought. 

Well, this might explain the raucous 3 a.m. activity in the hotel room next to mine at  Winter Press Tour when PBS was at the tour to present, among other things, a Q&A session with the cast of  "Great Expectations"...ah, young lust...I still maintain he's prettier than she is, and doubt Dickens would have approved.

Maybe when they wake up and realize the whole thing is hooey they are forced to leave...

And others from the south insist there are no such women.... It does seem to cause extreme reactions which, based on my acquaintance with ABC's programming chief Paul Lee, is just what they were looking for.

Dueting with Kelly Clarkson is an act of pure courage. She has such a powerful voice....In the trailer one of the celeb singers mentions something about mentoring for "a month" which I'm hoping means this show has a short run each season. That could be fun-ish...

I'm confused. Is the duckling less attractive than the goose? Isn't the goose fatter? And older? Have I mentioned I have a soft spot for geese -- have an antique one in my house. Wouldn't that mean they sent home the better looking person (duckling) to keep the better singer (goose)  who didn't look as hot? My head hurts....but thank you for noticing I put on a dress and put a comb through my hair today -- and Winkie sends his regards....

Or because they discovered the skits they had for the show weren't, you know, funny?...No, that would never happen. No, I had not noticed.

"Episodes" on Showtime... It's the best skewering of Hollywood in ages...

Can't you just keep a shoot-em-up episode in your DVR and watch the shoot-out to get your fix on nights when they have a shoot-free episode? I'm frankly mystified why they wouldn't have him shoot someone every week, given that it's his greatest talent. That's like having Placido Domingo on, and not letting him sing... It's like having Ann Curry on, and not letting her lean forward so her beautiful hair brushes her cheeks and look at you earnestly....really, I'm utterly baffled.

We're just going to have to agree to disagree on McPhee. She has a lovely voice, I'll grant you that, but not a Marilyn voice. And -- can't dance. At. All. And her character can't figure out how to text her boyfriend to let him know she has to stay to "rehearse" with the director when she's supposed to be at big dinner with boyfriend -- in my book, that's a dump-able offense. On the bright side, we are in complete agreement on "The Voice." I have always wished the judges never saw the competitors and it was entirely about their voices.. Only I'd like them to not see them in a different way each week. One week it would be the hideous pleather chairs. The next week the mentors would have to wear shrouds that covered their whole head. The next week the singers would only appear as silhouettes behind a screen. And so on.... I wonder if this explains why the head of reality TV at NBC always gets this sort of frightened look on his face when he sees me approaching.

It did not get off to a great start. 7.6 million viewers -- which isn't even as good as its leadin, the limping towards death "Desperate Housewives."  "DH" logged 8.2 million viewers that night.  Even more troubling for ABC, "GCB" only got a 2.2 rating in 18-49 year old demo -- barely ahead of CBS's "CSI: Miami" in the timeslot. If "GCB" can't even attract a lot more viewers than David Caruso, it's in trouble. Here too, "DH" beat it, with a 2.5 rating... I'm assuming ABC debuted "CGB" on Sundays in hopes it's the new "DH."  Only, turns out, not so much.

I know this will sound like I'm contradicting the answer I just gave about "GCB" but "Awake" opened with about 6.3 people watching and that's good. The reason that's good is because it's leadin, "Up All Night" only logged 3.4 million viewers so "Awake" had to "self start." Now, "Awake" was carefully scheduled to debut against weak competition -- ABC's rerun of its Jimmy Kimmel late night post-Oscar show which only attracted 3 million viewers, and a rerun "The Mentalist" which logged around 9 million.  And, more important to NBC, "Awake" won the Thursday 10 p.m. hour among 18-49 year olds....

Oh, paleeze... if I had a buck for every star who did a lame job on "SNL" and got caught desperately looking at the cue cards I'd be a rich chick....that's all just par for the course.. I think she did just fine for "SNL" -- which is setting the bar very low I know.... And I also think that many TV critics who said she tanked had written their leads in their heads before the show even started to air...But, I'm old enough to remember when Robert Downey Jr. was "done" -- and look at him now....

thank you-- I will!

She showed up, and delivered some lines. Mission Accomplished.

Of course it should....but who's going to walk away from these ratings, if what you say is true... That said, Fellowes is a fine writer and I'm sure a fifth season of "Downton Abbey" would be better than many other series in their fifth season.

Among other things, they're seeing the same storylines over and over and over -- and over...the song covers, however, are great...

Not. Not.  Early next year.

It's doing very well. ABC's second most watched show of Wednesday night last week, behind only "Modern Family"...

All of the above -- and add: network sales department being knicker-knotted...yes, it's silly.

The network gathers all of those numbers -- including some numbers to which I do not have immediate access -- and then makes its call... for the most part, by far the most viewers of a  show episode watch the network broadcast of the episode, up to seven days after that broadcast on their DVR (that's called the live+7 stat), though viewing in other forms grows a little every year.

It's doing okay -- not a home run, particularly in the demo. I wish they'd write something into the show that acknowledges how like a college freshman she looks -- could have some fun with it -- rather than just pretend they don't notice...

The Ellis character needs to die a terrible, funny, death...any suggestions?

her too....

you could stop that sentence at "moralizing"....I find the whole show annoying....and I love the cast.

also true...

she was not particularly good the other times she hosted "SNL" either... I think you're setting the bar too high. The goal here was to show up.

perfect!

It stands that chance... But I'm guessing they've insured against that by casting Maks with the former head of the Screen Actors Guild...

like Hitchcock?

I cannot answer that question. Oh wait! Yes I can: $

also great....

I, clearly, would like to see Lindsay Lohan play Estella....

I'm with you....

absolutely. ABC execs happy with the show.

this one's easy: because of the very popular book of same name -- and the bajillion dollars worth of GCB merchandise out there -- T-shirts, bags, etc...

I just don't think McPhee has the oomph you need to play Marilyn... and did I mention she can't dance? I'd love to see her cast in something else...or, play the actress who did not get the part because she was not right for the part -- instead of everyone on the show insisting she's perfect for Marilyn....

about 4 million viewer-ish..which is sad, because it's one of my new guilty pleasures...

you are in good company -- many people say the same thing...

None. ABC just jumped into the game... It's never been hotter... you have my sympathy. But why were you forced in third grade to lip sync "Delta Dawn" -- or any song for that matter. Why couldn't you sing?

It's even worse than you think -- she's doing a bad imitation of Helena Bonham Carter in the production. I'd much rather watch Helena Bonham Carter in the role....

I confess I had not noticed but that's probably because I'm paying such close attention to the costumes and the room settings, with which I am obsessed...

Both renewed. "Falling Skies" back this summer. No date yet on "Alphas."

I was surprised to learn "Private Practice" was still on ABC's lineup. It is so off the radar.

Haven't yet watched this season -- tell me more.. Is he "wost" in that he's a skunk, or "worst" in that he's lame and doesn't know how to play the game?

If we maybe strapped NBC suits into chairs and made them watch every episode this season. Or, strapped Ricky Gervais into a chair and made him watch....I've run out of ideas...

Nope. It's one of those love it or hate it shows...

but wait. Isn't she four months along? Am I being too literal?

I'll read it later -- thanks for the link. But I wish in the program they'd call the magazine  Milady's Boudoir ...

I'm guessing the latter. She'd be even more ditzy than Nicole and Paula. That said, I do so hope it's true -- what delicious desperation on Cowell's part.

CBS CEO Leslie Moonves hinted recently at some investors confab, that he's looking to retire some older show on the CBS schedule next season. My money's on this one...

Delighted to be there for you....

If you send in a few words about your report, you can say you ARE working on your report, and still be chatting.... the stage is yours...

Yes. I think so.

Yes, they could find a prettier Estella... you aren't taking the position there's a shortage of pretty young women trying to make it as actresses, are you?

Viewers had no right to be annoyed --  and if they are, blame TV critics who did not pay attention when the exec producer told them at the press tour, before the first season launched, that there was a chance the killer would NOT be revealed by the end of the first season... It appears that critics not only did not convey this information to their readers, they did not even pay attention to the information as it was being told to them. I was surprised at how many critics got their undies in a bunch over the non-reveal ending. It would be lovely if people who are sent to the tour on assignment would pay more attention to what's being said to them at the press tour and less attention to the speed-tweeting competition in which so many of them engage. They might learn something.

you mean he killed his own baby and wife? Ick, ick, ick.

But "The Daily Show" and "Colbert" would then have nothing to talk about....consider carefully here.  I'm hoping it lasts months more... 

"Resurgence" you say?! Let's take a look at this past Thursday, shall we? CBS: 15 million viewers. Fox: 12 million viewers. NBC, which once owned the night: 4 million viewers. That's a great number -- for cable. Now let's look at the 18-49 year old age bracket which is NBC's currency. CBS: 3.6 rating. Fox: 3.6 rating. NBC: 1.8.....

I don't know, but whatever it is they're smoking, I want some....

Let's see, Fox has already killed "Terra Nova" and "House", so I'm guessing that with each announcement, the likelood that "Alcatraz" will survive went up about 15 percent. If "Fringe" bites the dust, as many suspect, I'd say the odds of "Alcatraz" surviving are good...

AMC does not care how viewers are watching it -- just that they are (though I love your porn analogy!) And the numbers on that second season, however lousy you think it was creatively, were very good. It will be back.

Why anyone watches "SNL" any other way than on HULU is a mystery to me. I really enjoy it when I can skip through to the good bits...

Yes, though I hear they're really cracking down....

...and guns, right? Please tell me they at least carry guns...

Reminds me of Winkie the first time he and a cricket encountered each other in my kitchen. I don't know which of them jumped higher....

well, we've known that for ages.....

so how would that work: dinosaurs and big hats?

you have my sympathy.. But we're still waiting to hear from that chatter about why that elementary school forbid actual singing....

that's funny, I loved Weaver before "Alien." ....

is baseball really that boring? What about just bringing back the fireworks show at the end?

"The Middle" -- you're going to love it. Best cast ever.

Wow -- I sooo had another take on the whole duck/goose thing...but doesn't this scenario you just spelled out reflect reality? I mean, if people made it in the music business based on actual vocal talent, there would be no Rihanna... And, having said that,  I think I'd better run for cover before rabid Rihanna fans here at The Post come to thrash me...Thanks for joining me. have a lovely weekend!