Lawsuit accuses Alan Ball of stealing idea for "Six Feet Under" (Update: lawsuit dropped)

New technology is helping the blind better hear TV

Critic: "Barbarians" who sabotaged Bozo the Clown are also exploiting his Saturday farewell

"Soprano" maid nearly killed by berserk neighbor

Besides radio, "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "NewsRadio" have a lot in common

Report: CBS is looking to grab the NBA from NBC

Critic: A reality TV tragedy is destined to happen

Four "West Wing"-ers, all just nominated for Emmys, are demanding a pay hike

Diet reality show canceled in Germany over lack of interest

Cable TV's many crime documentaries helped inspire "CSI"

TV Guide tricks subscribers with store-only "Star Trek" cover (2nd item)

Elvira says her many gay fans have a different kind of appreciation for her

Italy embarks on TV campaign to teach manners

Australian critic describes "Dawson's Creek" as "cheesy American drama at its creamiest"

Rick Schroder's advice to "NYPD Blue" replacement Mark-Paul Gosselaar: "Do as you're told"

TV scholar Horace Newcomb, author of the "Encyclopedia of Television, departs Texas to run the Peabodys

As part of a shift toward original programming, ESPN will announce its first made-for-TV movie

Conan O'Brien gets engaged (last item)

Rupert Murdoch wants to create a Fox News-related financial network

Unlike the Emmys, TV critics give awards for "worst of"

Shannen Doherty: "I think my passion for my work was too overwhelming" (3rd item)

Star of "Office Space" gets "Practice" role

Mr. Potato Head, the comic strip, to debut on Monday

Critic: Now it's fair to describe Lifetime as "one-stop shopping for women"

Colombian TV show "Ugly Betty" may come to the U.S.

Why is Al Roker sporting a beard these days?

Host of new late-night show promises: "This won't be some old white guy in a suit telling Monica Lewinsky jokes"

Critic: "thirtysomething" holds up 14 years later

Don Johnson faces lawsuit over alleged SF groping incident

"Absolutely Fabulous" coming back for six more episodes

Dick Clark recalls advice he gave Carson Daly

Lorne Michaels signs deal to produce syndicated talk show

Anthony Michael Hall can't wait to see his midseason replacement get a timeslot

Is Tom Brokaw staying or going?

Nick's "Invader Zim" described as "mysterious and disturbing in a kind of elemental, icky way"

"Frasier" star Jane Leeves complains that "Ally McBeal" is too skinny

Los Angeles celebrates Superman Week

David Letterman may have trouble borrowing NBC's "Late Night" clips when he celebrates his 20th anniversary

Americanized "Iron Chef" maintain its campiness thanks to William Shatner

"Survivor" Colby named "the last old-fashioned Texas man"

Poking fun at Americans proves popular on Canadian TV

This fall, four shows will call Seattle home

A writer describes spending eight-hours straight watching the Food Network

CBS watchdog sent to monitor "Survivor: Africa"

Robert Iler's "Soprano" parents come to his defense; Plus: He has an alibi, says his lawyer

"Meadow Soprano" Jamie-Lynn Sigler drops out of "Cinderella"

Casino slot machines feature the voice and likeness of "Price is Right" announcer Rod Roddy

Is Paula Poundstone's career ruined?

Critic: Certain Emmy categories need major shakeups

Jay Leno to debut "Tonight Show" set makeover on Monday

Confessions of a "Millionaire" junkie

Will "Big Brother" fans shell out $19.95 for the live web feed?

To many fans, "Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell is an "as-seen-on-TV" attraction

Kim Cattrall's "Sex and the City" character "finally gets some shading" in an upcoming episode

"Simpsons," David Letterman top list of paper's TV-favorites poll

Columnist: Why haven't the number of Latinos on TV increased since Desi Arnaz's days?

Success of "Six Feet Under" has changed the lives of two actors

Critic: Semi-annual TV press tour is all TV, all the time; Plus: Some predictions

Carrot Top's real name is Scott Thompson

Critic: New CNN CEO needs to jazz up the channel without damaging its journalistic reputation

Dennis Hopper to get own TV show

"Fear Factor's" Joe Rogan: Hey, we're not as bad as "Temptation Island"!

Reality fan Diane Sawyer wouldn't mind appearing on "Fear Factor"

Critic: "Fear Factor" doesn't mean the end of civilization

Ex-"Practice" star Anna Deveare Smith to teach at NYU law school

MTV finds that Key West has the most personality

MTV tops 100 million homes in Europe

Competing movie scripts try to capture life of "Hogan's Heroes" star Bob Crane

Three life-sized set reproductions dominate traveling "I Love Lucy" exhibit

"Brady Bunch" writer, who had a keen understanding of the human condition, dies

Complaint: NBC's NASCAR coverage was sappy, lacked depth

What's wrong with local news?

Critic: There should be a special Emmy category for shows like "The Beast"

Paranormal skeptic: Psychic shows like "Crossing Over" provide a false sense of comfort

BBC will make a "Buffy" spinoff

New 5-foot plasma TV goes for sale at nearly $28,000

An argument for public TV

There are many differences between pay-per-view and video-on-demand services

Kevin James says "King of Queens" will dig deeper into its characters next season

"SpongeBob SquarePants" called "the most charming toon on television, and one of the weirdest"

Intruders break into British "Big Brother" house

Actors' strike averted

Viewers wince at Levi's singing belly buttons ad (sung by "Meadow Soprano")

Egypt's highest religious authority condemns "Millionaire," calling it sinful

CBS denies reports that "Survivor 3" crew members were ambushed in Kenya

Australian music company sues "Survivor"

Critic: "It appears that viewers are in the right frame of mind for silly games and shenanigans on long summer nights"

Traveling "I Love Lucy" exhibit allows fans to re-enact chocolate conveyor belt scene

Increasingly, big-name movie directors are filming TV ads

Use of AOL on "Sex and the City" raises synergy concerns

Oprah workshop attendees say they made a wise investment

PBS, celebs help celebrate Fourth of July

"Once and Again" wins screenwriting award

Two separate organizations that hand out Emmys may become one after an exec's death

Martin Short on "Glick": "There's a shallowness and craziness to him that fits show business"

Three families are participating in PBS' "Frontier House" reality series

Nothing to watch?Check out classic TV productions from the library

TCM special recalls "Wizard of Oz"; Plus: "Oz" munchkin has no problem with "midget"

TNT pays tribute to Beach Boy Brian Wilson

With X-rated acquisition, Playboy Channel is dramatically changing its image

Sam Donaldson wants to do radio

Emmy snubs highlighted with the WB's zero
In Emmy fashion, Phil Rosenthal categorizes the worst of the snubs. He wonders, for instance, how "Three Sisters" and the "Survivor" reunion each garnered an Emmy nomination while "Buffy" and "Gilmore Girls" were left with nothing. In the network category, the WB got the worst of the snubs, netting not one single nomination. "Let's see," says Rosenthal. "E! Entertainment Television got a nomination. USA Network got a nomination. The History Channel, Animal Planet and something called Tech TV each got nominations. But the WB? Skunked. Zip. Zero. Zilch."
Even "Judy Garland" topped the WB with 13. "All more than The WB managed as an entire network," says Rich Heldenfels. "Now, we all know the Emmy process is screwy."

The WB network exec blames zero Emmy nominations on "reverse ageism"

Drama category especially disappointing: "There was a logjam of engaging dramas this year, but you'd never know it by looking at the best drama category, which is a duplicate of the year before," says Ken Parish Perkins. "It shouldn't be. 'ER' and 'Law & Order' remain well-crafted dramas, but like too many other contenders, they received nominations by rote."

Close to mark: Sure there were disappointments, says Matthew Gilbert. But the academy is increasingly getting it right. "The Emmy Awards continued its exceedingly slow, but sure, slouch toward relevance," he says.

Lacking a youthful vision: "It's the fact that the demographic of the TV Academy voters is so mature ‹ it's 45-plus," says Emmy historian Thomas O'Neil. "They're just not watching those shows."

Will the Emmys ever recognize "Buffy"? Most likely not. . . (Plus: In writing and directing drama categories, "Sopranos" and "West Wing" are the only contenders.)

Emmy picks show TV's state of bore: "Maybe TV is in a deep creative rut, so there isn't much else to nominate," says Adam Buckman.

"Retirement seemed to be the only way to open new spots on a ballot. Frankie Muniz ('Malcolm in the Middle') got an invite primarily because Michael J. Fox left 'Spin City,'" says Neal Justin.

Did any new series really deserve to bump an established hit?

Two Emmy nods for "West Wing"-"Malcolm" household

With a grand total of 100 nominations, "ER" surpasses "Hill Street Blues" as the most nominated show in history

Why "The West Wing's" season finale and Christmas episode weren't nominated (2nd to last item). Also: Why "Freaks and Geeks" received a nomination

Read reactions from the stars themselves

Emmys nods by the numbers

With new cast, "Big Brother" has gone from comically bad to unwatchable
At least last year's cast consisted of normal human beings you could identify with, says Jon Carroll. This time, he says, "they found the most dreadful collection of humans in America, or perhaps they merely instructed them to be dreadful. I mean, intolerable. Unwatchable. I know: I tried." Carroll adds that "Big Brother" neglected a basic rule of reality TV: Humans must be able to identify! "Trash sells, but it has to be good trash," he says. "You have to understand the rigid demands of the trash formula. In good trashy reality TV, the viewers must be able to ask themselves, 'What would I do?'"
Knife-wielding houseguest: If you think I'm violent, you're an "idiot"
Critic complains of CBS's use of "pornographic slow motion" to show knife incident
As "Big Brother" becomes sexually-charged, more and more of the "adult fun" can't be broadcast
No mention was made of Mike exposing himself, asking Autumn for oral sex. Or the banana incident.
"Big Brother" mom evicted
Critic: This year, it "feels like a 1980s prime-time soap"

Emmys are in reruns with this year's nominations
The drama and comedy categories look virtually identical to last year's. "The Sopranos" topped the list with 22 Emmy nods while rival "West Wing" received 18 nominations (last year, they tied at 18 apiece). Acclaimed series that were overlooked include "Buffy" and "Gilmore Girls." Also, "Survivor" received an Emmy nomination — in a category that won't be televised. "Yes, things change slowly at the television academy as it continues its long march toward irrelevance," Lisa de Moraes says of the academy's treatment of one of the most-watched series.
"It was the same old song, played one more time," says Mike Duffy
It's hard to forget: Last year, the Emmys went to the right people
Read a complete list of major and minor categories

CBS to broadcast eviction of knife-wielding "Big Brother 2" contestant
It is unclear, though, whether the network will show Justin holding a kitchen knife to Krista's throat, which led to his expulsion early Wednesday. (To see an image of the incident, click on the above link.)

When it comes to "Big Brother 2," was boring better?
The new cast may be more attractive than last year's batch, but "they have absolutely nothing to say," according to Marc Allan. "The current crop of contestants is a self-absorbed and stupid bunch who seem to have been coached to be controversial and titillating. They knew they were expected to be nearly naked and argumentative, and they're all too eager to comply."
The ratings are picking up

Theories on finale of "The Sopranos" suspended with reports the show may stick around
According to the Hollywood Reporter, show creator David Chase is about to sign on for a fifth season, and possibly a sixth. Earlier, Chase had indicated he would wrap "The Sopranos" up after its fourth season — departing while it's on top. But if the report is confirmed, then all theories about how the show will end will just have to wait to be played out. "The way I had it figured was that, when the fourth season airs next year, it would go out with a bang," says Antonia Zerbisias.

Competitor: CBS seems to want "Big Brother 2" buried
An unnamed executive wonders why the reality show is broadcast in timeslots where there's a lot of competition, especially on Thursday nights when it competes against "Friends" and "Spy TV." So far, "Big Brother's" ratings haven't been stellar.
"Big Brother" contestant's boyfriend is worried she'll hook up with the doctor

Line between network, syndicated shows has disappeared
"Now a show like 'Spy TV,' which a couple of seasons ago would have been the perfect syndicated show — an ugly 'Candid Camera' for the new millennium — garners decent prime time ratings on NBC," says Bill Goodykoontz.

Two men shot, one dies, in real shooting near Chicago's "Real World"
Off-duty cops working security for the next installment of the MTV show were called to the scene just blocks away. "They got a little more real world than they expected,'' says a Chicago police sergeant.

Aaron Sorkin makes up with ex-"West Wing" writer on Web message board
In a recent posting to Mighty Big TV, Sorkin downplayed the contribution of his co-writer on the drama's Emmy-winning Christmas episode. "The West Wing" creator (pictured left) said the writer, Rick Cleveland, didn't really add much to that particular script, adding that he was later fired "for lack of performance." Cleveland, who now works on "Six Feet Under," swiftly responded on the message board, challenging Sorkin's comments. Days later, Sorkin, writing under the name "Benjamin," apologized to Cleveland: "I'm remarkably and stupidly naive about the internet, and never imagined my response to a poster would be picked up by Slate or anyone else. The episode we did together remains one of the proudest moments of this series and of my career. I enjoyed every day of the year we worked together."
To read Sorkin's original post (as "Benjamin"), scroll to June 26, 9:06:04 PM EST
To read Cleveland's response, scroll to July 6, 8:54:59 PM EST
To read Sorkin's apology, scroll to July 08, 7:37:21 PM EST
And finally, for Cleveland's response to Sorkin's apology, go to July 08 8:51:26 PM EST
Critic: This shows the "awesome wonders of technological progress"

Is TV presenting an unrealistic view of marriage?
The fruitless search for the perfect mate has become a common part of TV shows such as "Sex and the City" and "Frasier." Experts worry that these shows are contributing to an unrealistic expectation that one needs a soul mate in order to marry. "The trend is a reflection of two realities," says Terry Jackson. "The vast majority of TV writers are young and single, and it's an axiom of writing that it's easier to write about what you know. Also, television is mostly about simple concepts and conflicts. Perpetual dating in search of true love is the simplest of plots to exploit."

Even sophisticated viewers crave TV formulas
"In TV land, vagueness, subtlety and gray areas almost never happen — particularly on network television," complains Tim Goodman. He's worried that many viewers prefer the same old formula over effective story lines that require thinking. "I would like more subtlety," he says. "I would like the responsibility to catch or not catch allusions, to have nontraditional storytelling."

Critic: These shows should be gone by this time next year
Mark McGuire's list includes "Friends," "Frasier," "Dawson's Creek," "NYPD Blue" and "The X-Files." He writes: "There are more than a handful of great television shows on now that are trudging if not stumbling in their twilight ('Friends'). I don't want to mention any names (like 'Friends'), but some should just go away after one last season. (We're talking about 'Friends' here, people.)"

How TV became better than film
"For decades, conventional wisdom maintained that cinema offers the rich themes, the realistic characters and the artful storytelling, while television is hopelessly compromised and a pale shadow," says Curt Holman. "But 2001 may be the second straight year during which the best of television has been more bold, substantive and relevant than the best of film." Besides HBO's stable of film-like quality programs, Holman points to network shows like "ER," "West Wing" and "Buffy" as also having cinematic elements.

Single-camera sitcoms free writers from confinement of office, apartment settings
The success of "Malcolm in the Middle" has spawned a new generation of comedies that reject the standard 3-camera format. "Creatively, it's the difference between being at the kids' table and the grown-ups' table," says Peter Tolan, who writes and directs ABC's "The Job." "In a single-camera half-hour you're not encumbered by that joke-and-set-up rhythm in most half-hours. You can sort of take your time with stories."

What does it take to go from TV to movies?
"George Clooney has it, Matt LeBlanc doesn't. Matthew Perry might have it. John Travolta had it and cashed in big-time. Tom Selleck had it but blew it," says Diane Holloway. So, why do some TV actors fail on the big screen, while others succeed? "A great deal of it is audience perception," says "ET's" Leonard Maltin. "We tend to take TV people for granted. We're used to seeing them in a small box for free, so we just don't take kindly or easily to blowing them up. I don't know exactly why this is, but it seems to be true.

Life appears to imitate art for "Soprano" son
The recent season finale of "The Sopranos" focused on troubled Anthony Soprano Jr., as his parents worried that the expelled student was headed down a path where he'd either wind up dead or in jail. Less than two months after that episode aired, the actor who plays Tony Soprano's son, Robert Iler, 16, is facing 15 years in prison for alleged strong-arm robbery.
While in prison, Iler "joked like a wiseguy

For "West Wing" extra, 16 hours of work equals no screen time
Andrea Sachs worked as an extra for the season finale's funeral scene. Out of the 16 hours it took to film, only about 15 minutes was used. "In that short sequence, with my nose pressed to the screen, I could have sworn that the shadowy figure in the background was I," she says of that last episode. "If only the president had moved a little to the left, you would have seen me, too."

Aaron Sorkin uses TV web site's message board to defend "West Wing"
The drama's creator/producer/writer recently logged on to Mighty Big TV as "Benjamin" to downplay a New York Times story that said "The West Wing" is shortchanging its writers, reports Mickey Kaus. "How weird is it that a big celebrity macher like Sorkin bothers to defend himself on what is basically a fan site?" says Kaus. (To read Sorkin's posting, click here and look for "Benjamin.")

Mrs. Rogers reveals what it's really like in "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"
Joanne Rogers, Fred's wife of 49 years, says her husband prefers a bathrobe or a workman's jumpsuit to the cardigan sweaters he is famous for. "That's a TV thing," she says. Mrs. Rogers also admits her husband's celebrity does, at times, seem awkward. "Well, sometimes I do feel like the odd man out," she says of her husband's encounters with fans.

Is there a "Seinfeld" curse? First it was Michael Richards, now Jason Alexander is suffering his own sitcom growing pains. "Are the supporting 'Seinfeld'-ers too weak to carry their own series?" asks Gail Shister. "Are they too typecast to be accepted in other roles? Or, is the whole thing just a curse?"

In its 10th incarnation, "The Real World" feels too familiar
"Ten years into 'The Real World,' there's not much room for accident, discovery, or surprise; it has become a soapumentary factory," says Matthew Gilbert. "If the show is still a fishbowl that we peer into, then it's a fishbowl filled with a bunch of attractive, savvy, and well-coifed sharks. Which doesn't mean I won't watch it, if the cast doesn't become too annoying (see: Melissa, New Orleans) and if the pleasure doesn't become too guilty."

"The one-hour start of "Real World X . . . boasts the best cast in years," says David Bianculli. "In the first hour alone, five of the seven young people, ages 18 to 23, leap out of the screen. Fasten your seat belts — this is bound to be one bumpy ride."

"'The Real World' is like candy," says Tim Goodman. "You just pop another episode in your mouth and then, one hour later, forget about it. Then you watch the marathons. On and on it's gone like this. Even when we should know that the show is just wasting our time, not to mention cutting into hundreds of videos, there's no turning it off."

"The cast members ... know that they'll become famous, if just for a moment," says Andy Denhart. "And so the seven strangers come on 'The Real World' to let the tape construct their lives — not to have their lives taped."

"It's not that 'The Real World' doesn't occasionally have something valuable to reveal about the generation it claims to depict, it's just that those little gems are usually few and far between," says Chuck Barney.

Malik: "It was like thousands of dollars worth of therapy for free"

Nicole may be black, but don't call her "the black chick"

Mike on himself: "It looks like a whole 'nother person to me"

More Mike: "That first show makes me look like idiot"

Bunim and Murray were heavily influenced by PBS' 1973 documentary "An American Family"

"Real World," by the numbers

Critic: Flawed NOW report lauds "size-0" actresses, blasts shows with smart female characters
In its Feminist Primetime Report, the National Organization for Women gave low marks to "Weakest Link" (including host Anne Robinson), "CSI" and "Dark Angel." Meanwhile, the report praised "Felicity," "Popstars" and "Sabrina" as being among the most feminist-friendly. Lisa de Moraes wonders why "CSI," with two intelligent female characters who apprehend criminals, is considered bad for women: "'CSI' lost points with NOW because it shows dead bodies, the organization said. Was I asleep when dead bodies in a crime drama became an anti-woman thing?"

How "Larry Sanders" changed TV storytelling
The HBO series was the first since "Miami Vice" to create a new visual and comic style just for TV, says Matt Zoller Seitz. Shows that apparently imitated the "Larry Sanders" style include "West Wing" and "ER." "They all contain echoes of 'Sanders': agile, gliding camera work that combines Hollywood glamour and documentary spontaneity; crisp, naturalistic acting that suggests real people caught on camera; a willingness to delve deeply into pain, embarrassment and regret; a suspicion of old-fashioned boundaries between genres, and a resistance to prime-time cliches," he says.

Primetime landscape seems desolate during summer's lazy days
Even with a bunch of new summer shows, there's not much to perk up viewers' interest, says James Endrst. "So I think about last season and maybe tuning in some of the shows I missed, now that they are in their official rerun cycle," he says. "And I realize I'm not highly motivated."
Remembering "The $treet" and other losers from last season

Call "Sex and the City" formulaic, but don't dismiss it as predictable, says critic
Despite complaints that the focus on sex is too repetitive, "Sex and the City's" should be praised for its realistic view of relationships, says Manuel Mendoza. In its fourth season, the HBO comedy has evolved, "running the gamut from fooling around to settling down," he says. "So a fun and sassy show that touched on real issues has become a show about the nitty-gritty, day-to-day drives behind those issues."
Thanks to "Sex," female-only TV-watching parties have become a national phenomenon
Columnist: Why do women want to emulate the "sad" characters on "Sex and the City"?
"Sex" appearance may boost sales of nipple enhancers
Cynthia Nixon on Miranda: "I'm not like her in that she seems dissatisfied a lot of the time"
Kim Cattrall's sex book is too explicit to print (7th item)