Live Q&As

You had me until " 'Girls' is actually better than 'Sex in the City' "-- you're clearly not taking into account the wardrobe and boyfriends. But we'll let that go and focus on the bigger picture, to which my response is "you betcha!" Like I said last week,  the newsrooms in Ben Hecht's "The Front Page" and "Nothing Sacred" bear virtually no resemblance to how people really talk in newsrooms, but both are considered classics.  Do people  actually think hookers in Deadwood in the 19th century spoke in iambic pentameter? I'm frankly baffled by some of the criticism of some shows these days...

Because NBC has research that show's viewers like him... Networks don't make these calls without looking at piles of focus group testing.. Meanwhile, did everyone see the marvelous moment making the rounds recently in which Al Roker was with Savannah and Matt and the rest of the gang and the swim team said their tradition after a competition is to throw one of their own into the river and Al added that "Today" show's tradition is to throw one of their own under the bus....suddenly I'm seeing Al Roker in a whole new light. So much more than a weatherman!

I will watch anything with Crystal in it. I intend to watch every epsiode. She's my new Meryl Streep. I'd even watch her star in a remake of "Mama Mia!"

except the women aren't arrested....or are they? I wish I had a searing retort, but I just don't -- and the  popularity of shows in which women pound on each other makes me question the notion that Man is Nature's Final Word..

Well, "L.A. Law" was hugely popular, ratings-wise, in its day, where as "The Good Wife"  is hardly what you'd call a ratings hit... but yes, it's a legal ensemble in which many storylines are woven in amongst each other -- that sort of short-attention-span writing style that became industry standard during the "LA Law" era...

Just use the photo of Crystal -- she's much cuter...

You're showing your age if you stil think TLC is The Learning Channel... that marching order went out the window more than a decade ago... They just kept the letters because they were too cheap to throw out the stationery....In much the same way A&E in no way is the Arts & Entertainment network -- there was a time when TV critics were suggesting there was no need for PBS any more, now that A&E was beating it out in bidding for crunchy gravel dramas -- the Colin Firth version of "Pride and Prejudice" aired on A&E -- not PBS. Ditto that great adaptation of "Vanity Fair."  Now it's the network of "Storage Wars" and "American Hoggers." Meanwhile, AMC used to be an all-movie channel -- hence the "M" and the "C" -- and was considered hot competition to TCM -- which still stands for Turner Classic Movies even today...

Pookie, pookie. Here's the first question to ask in any discussion of Closing Ceremony: When the the Olympics Closing Ceremony become such a bloated, lumbering orgy of commerce? Some faded pop star is peeved because NBC cut his performance of his new single? We don't get to see What's Left of The Who until late night?  NBC had said days, if not weeks, before that it would air "Animal Practice" that night, in primetime. In fact, NBC waited until primetime was nearly over to "interrupt" the Ceremony That Would Not End, in order to try to get its important new franchise sampled... NBC paid the equivalent of several third world country's GNP for broadcast rights to the Games and NBC has to find a way to make it worth its while financially. And one of the things that makes it worthwhile for a broadcast network to shell out this obscene amount of money is if the Closing Ceremony drives millions of viewers to the launch of one of its new series. It's a business -- not a public service and it is not our right as tax paying citizens to see the entirety of the Closing Ceremony in its entirety.  I am sorry to have to disagree,  but I do. NBC telecast more than 5,000 hours of the Olympics this time -- twice as much as the previous record.

It's no better or worse than the rest of morning infotainment TV... maybe that's its problem...

I hated some of the human characters, and the writing was the usual NBC too-hip-to-live snark,  but adored the animals. On the bright side, even if the show does not survive, Crystal has a brilliant career ahead of her, and I will watch every week to see her performance. Plus the turtle racing.

I hope he focuses on promoting the show and on his performances. The public has little patience for whining...

No. It did not open with numbers that are any great shakes, despite all the Games promotion.. It's a solid little performer for a network that's in a rebuilding mode, so it will be around for a while, but it's not the big breakout hit NBC so desperately needs....

..and driving PETA crazy.. they've already begun sending notices to reporters about the downside of starring a capuchin monkey on a primetime TV show. I take their point -- thousands of Dalmations were purchased, and then given up because they aren't necessarily great family dogs, after the remake of "101 Dalmations," etc...

In case any of you are not aware, August is TCM's Summer of Stars month -- I know I'm getting the marketing name wrong, but anyway it something like that -- in which they run, nonstop, the films of one star for 24 hours... The other day was Jimmy Cagney day. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and jump in the last few days of this month, and don't forget it next year... It's DVR heaven...

no -- I'm not that creative....it's in clips from an interview....

the mind reels... I sense this chat is sliding downhill fast.. Quick, someone -- a question about  world peace or something, to bring out average up....

Vanderbilt is happily curled up at my feet and Winkie is shoring on his bed....thank you for asking.,, Summer TV is not so blah if you look closely -- see TCM question, earlier, and add "Political Animals," "Newsroom," "The Closer" finale, "Breaking Bad," the long-overdue final season of "Damages" (thank you, god), original episodes of  "The Daily Show" and "Colbert Report," the Summer Olympics-palooza, "Anger Management," Russell Brand's new late night show... I'm exhausted from all the Must See TV...maybe we're all just getting spoiled...

It is not inconceivable that the Olympics will wind up being telecast entirely on cable in the future...

"Mockingbird Lane" as the remake is being called, is being developed by NBC, which also did the "Wonder Woman" remake that never aired... I'm sensing desperation... campy desperation....

The last Emmy he won was in 2006. He won the Globe recently for his "Boss" work but, of course, those trophies are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press, so his politics would not matter -- if you take his suggestion seriously...

and yet, they watch... and changing TLC from a "learning channel" to it's current programning strategy has greatly increased its ratings performance -- it's considered one of the bigger success stories in the TV industry -- and made shareholders very happy...

The premiere of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" averaged 2.2 million viewers. That's a good TLC launch. See -- you've Learned something...

Grammer has won five Primetime Emmy Awards -- four for playing Frasier and one for his "The Simpsons" voiceover work. He said on Leno's show that he became a member of the GOP after his last win, which was back in 2006 -- but then he giggled, as if to signal,  "I'm kidding -- but not really."

I believe Patricia Heaton, whose conservative views are well known, received multiple Emmy nominations, and a couple wins, for her work on "Raymond" nonetheless.

Whether you think Grammer deserves an Emmy nom for his "Boss" role, his wanting to talk about having been snubbed (questions are pre-set on late night talkers almost all the time, during "pre-interviews" conducted by show producers, which probably explains why the Leno "chat" looked so scripted) leaves him looking petulant and I hope he stops. I've seen do it twice already, and it didn't get any better the second time around.

For those of you who missed it, Grammer went on Leno's show the other day, and Leno asked why he won a Golden Globe for his starring role in Starz’s “Boss,” but not an Emmy.

“I don’t know.. it’s a question that will remain one for me throughout the ages,” Grammer responded, then added, “It may have to do with several things honestly, but I think it’s possible --  I am a declared out of the closet republican in Hollywood. Do I believe it’s possible some young person… or older voting member [of TV academy] would sit there and go,  ‘I hear that’s great performance but ooh, I hate everything he stands for.’ I don’t’ believe that’s possible!” Grammer said, looking out at the audience and laughing – translation, “consider it possible.”

Then Leno noted Grammer’s five Emmys and Grammer joked he became a Republican after getting the last one (that would be in 2006). Closing out the discussion, he said, “No, it’s nothing personal. Obviously,  I’ve been overlooked because the work is not up to standard,” laughed and looked at Leno and the audience, as if to tell them that was their cue to express their disagreement 

This had worked well for him during his Q&A at Summer TV Press Tour 2012, where he was also asked about not getting an Emmy nom. That time, however, he cued up the show's other Q&A participants:

"I didn’t get a SAG nomination, so I figured a lot of the same people were probably voting for the Emmy, and to me, I kind of thought I wouldn’t get one, honestly, because it didn’t happen the first time. Why would it happen next? For some reason, my peers don’t seem to think this is worth recognizing."

SANAA LATHAN: I don’t think it’s that.

DEE JOHNSON: I don’t think it’s that, Kelsey.

KELSEY GRAMMER: Well, it’s happened twice now.

I don't think they've said. But yes, it was a hilarious episode and I should have added that to my "summer TV is not blah" answer...

thank you!

no -- sorry...

Isn't Jonah Hill available. He's putting some of that weight back on, though I'm not sure I file him under "funny".... anyway, there's no end to them,  they keep getting movie deals every day.. If that's your taste in guys, you've hit the motherlode.

thank you for making me laugh out loud...

Then I take it you're not a fan of "Community" which, as one critic noted, is eerily similar to "Go On"?

well, yes, okay, that includes about 1,000 hours of ads, but still....

New episodes of the "Upstairs/Downstairs 2.0" in the fall, and the third season of  "Downton" in January...

 Wasn't the question about the ratings. Meanwhile,  no more caffeine today, k?

It didn't get harder -- it got easier... I think the real problem for NBC these days is that, what with "the internets" and the streaming, and everyone having access to the BBC, Americans can now see very very clearly how the sausage is being made -- "sausage" being Olympics coverage on a broadcast network... We're suffering from Too Much Information Anger....

I'd say the answer is "something on CW"  -- because the network used to always start its shows early so the odds of one of its shows being first cancelled -- it is CW, after all -- were high. Exceptthat wily Mark Pedowitz, who now runs CW, cleverly decided to hold off launching his shows until LATER than the other broadcast networks, foiling my foolproof  First Cancelled strategy... Emily Yahr has her money on "Guys with Kids" but she's sweet and naive and doesn't know that any show with Jimmy Fallon's name attached airing on NBC will not be the first show cancelled because it's in Lorne Michaels's contract with the network. My money's on ABC's "The Neighbors" because it's in the most high-demand timeslot -- the one after "Modern Family" where a show has got to put up or shut up very very quickly.. Ironically, I think I l isted "The Neighbors" as best new show in a recent feature in Emmy magazine. This one's about a gated community populated entirely by aliens -- from outer space. It's either the next "3rd Rock from the Sun" or the next "Work It." Either way I approve of ABC's swing for the fence on this one...

If they'd do away with the clothing, it would solve NBC's ratings problems and the network would, most certainly, air absolutely everything in its entirety and live! I think you have just solved, happily, our disagreement over NBC's broadcast of the Games... No More Clothes!

They're pretty desperate -- the switch from Ann to Savannah did not pop a number, which they had hoped and which has been the "replace the female" pattern for decades....hence the segments...

And it does go on and on. Just not on NBC when it needs to launch a new show... But why didn't you just watch it on BBC?

Thank you but I think that chatter is already a fan of craptastic TV if they're getting that worked up over Honey Boo Boo. I assume all caps means really angry. Unless it's an email from my mother, in which case it means she's accidentally hit the caps-lock button and can't find it to unlock it... I was getting all-caps emails from her for weeks. You have no idea what it does to the nervous system to sit down computer every morning to:

HOW ARE YOU. THIS IS YOUR MOTHER

I think she's been looking very pretty the past couple episodes. They'e definitely given her a bigger hair and makeup budget -- maybe that's supposed to suggest she got a raise?

That's very nice of you to say. I love the press tour. .you show up in the morning and the news just comes at your in waves.. it's like Christmas every day for three weeks...

I hear he says that comment was taken out of context - he syas he was  speaking to an Australian reporer and his comment got  "lost in translation." I love Hollywood stars -- honestly, you can't make this stuff up... Australian reporter -- lost in translation -- hahahahaha! Oh, sorry. next question!

Yes.

"The Neighbors" on ABC.

"The Mindy Project" on Fox.

"Arrow" on CW -- for the workout scenes.

"Elementary" on CBS

"Emily Owens" on CW to see Meryl Streep Jr. actually act (as opposed to her work on ABC's dreadful "Off the Map")

"666 Park Avenue" on ABC, for Harry O'Quinn and the Ansonia Hotel, which plays the Park Avenue Satanic Condo Building.

"Animal Practice" on NBC. For Crystal, so she can make that $11,000 per episode -- or, her trainer can and she presumably gets extra treats....

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot but it's a start...

You are welcome! thanks for letting me know Gayle King asked Mitt Romney about his bromance with Paul Ryan..that's very funny.

No question: Richard Hatch. He went to jail for neglecting to pay taxes on his "Surivor" winnings.. nothing tops that...

Since it was a mockumentary about London gettting ready for the London Summer Games, my guess is it's not coming back for a second season...

Yeah -- it's a sporting event -- that's why the Olympics Committee suddenly realized their was this shocking lack of chicks in bikinis playing volleyball on the "beach" and added "beach volleyball" to the competition. Not entertainment at all....

Just like Carol Channing...

The network kept calling it a "miniseries" which I think was their way of covering themselves in case it did not work. It would not be "cancelled" -- it would just "end"... so far, no word...

The ratings were up, compared to before the Games started, which isn't saying much, but I believe the ratings were down compared to "Today" during the last summer Games... I'll look into that and report back..

that was pretty hilarious, but the outfits weren't that great...

Last season, all the talk was about the retro shows "Playboy Club" and "Pan Am" but both died miserable ratings deaths... I'm not sure about the biggest surprise of last season -- maybe ABC's "The Middle" going up in the ratings in its third season. Oh, and "X Factor" being a moderately successful singing competition -- instead of The Show That Takes Down American Idol" like everyone had forecast, including creator Simon Cowell..

Ouch -- not a "Girls" fan, I take it?

thank you, but I was only stating the obvious.... I'm out of time. Thanks for joining me -- have a lovely weekend.