Fall TV preview: TVB on NPR

I joined Mo Ryan and Syracuse U's Bob Thompson for a pretty good roundtable chat about the fall season on Boston's nationally syndicated show "On Point." The callers were good, too, except for the guy who's decided that all television after "The Sopranos" is so much derivative nothing. All right, fella, good luck with that approach. (d/l)

Diane Sawyer's dream deferred

At long last, ABC News has given Diane Sawyer her wish - the anchor's chair for "World News Tonight." On KTRS Radio in St. Louis I told Paul Harris why I thought this put more pressure on Katie Couric than it did on Diane. And some other things.

Laboring on Labor Day...Beck's revenge, Merriman's wild weekend

Chip Franklin and I did our best to get through a Labor Day morning on KOGO Radio. (d/l)

Why we'll never know if Michael Vick is really sorry

Chip Franklin and I discussed the NFL quarterback's media rehab assignment this morning on KOGO Radio. We also talked about the new seasons of "Mad Men" and "Project Runway." I'm on every Monday with Chip on San Diego's news-talk powerhouse. (d/l)

Harry Shearer on the unplanned "Unwigged" DVD, the "shocking" cease-and-desist letter from Lego and his musical influences

You may have heard that the trio who starred in and created the music for two of the best mockumentaries ever, "This Is Spinal Tap" and "A Mighty Wind," reunited for a recent low-budget tour of the U.S. minus their getups.

On Friday I spoke with Harry Shearer, one third of the "Unwigged and Unplugged" tour, in anticipation of the concert DVD being released Sept. 1. (Speaking as a resident of a city where the tour did not play, may I just say: highly anticipated.)

And now I can pass along the story about how this well-received concert tour got preserved for all time.

The challenge of community radio, and my thoughts on KKFI

Mark Manning, host of the Wednesday edition of KKFI's Midday Medley program, was good enough to have me on this week to discuss my magazine story about the troubles at KKFI along with former KKFI manager Donna Ross and Rob Lorei of WMNF Radio in Tampa. The discussion was a wide-ranging one, covering the history of community radio, why community radio stations across the country had to change to be more responsive to audiences, why I think KKFI needs to change, and what the future holds for community radio when people have more entertainment and information options than ever. It's a half hour and I've tightened it in a couple of places because I know 30 minutes is a long time to have to listen to anything. (d/l)

"True Blood" and other shows that improve with time

LaDona Harvey filled in for Chip Franklin on KOGO Radio this morning and we reminisced about Comic-Con -- oh for those heady days of two weeks ago! -- and about TV shows that take a while to hit their groove. (d/l)

Gitmo detainees to Leavenworth: Not a big deal?

In my weekly chat with Chip Franklin -- with the lovely LaDona Harvey playing the part of Chip -- on San Diego's KOGO Radio, we opened with a discussion of whether shipping Guantanamo Bay terrorist suspects to the infamous Kansas federal prison, as the Obama Administration has proposed, is a good idea. LaDona wasn't so sure, but I reminded her that there are a lot of bad people behind bars in America, and we can't even say with certainty that most Gitmo detainees are actually guilty of anything.  As for whether Leavenworth (not "Fort Leavenworth," my bad) is the place, it's not like foreign enemies haven't been put up there before. Here are pictures I took of the foreign POW gravestones during a visit to Leavenworth. 

Then we turned the page and talked about things I saw last week at TV critics' press tour, which I'm attending in L.A., and my belief that "Limbaugh Karaoke" is the first brilliant comedy bit Jimmy Fallon has cooked up. (d/l)

Comic-Con 2009 wrapup: Why fans are great, why Ray Bradbury rocks, why the Con should stay in SD

Chip Franklin and I spent some time Monday morning reviewing Comic-Con 2009 on KOGO Radio in San Diego this morning. We talked about why Comic-Con is SOOOOO not Sundance. We talk about what Ray Bradbury had to say about the illustrated word. We talked about what Comic-Con would be like in LA or Vegas. And I told Chip what the big dud of Comic-Con was. (d/l)

Chip and I chat every Monday. To subscribe to the podcast, or follow me on Twitter, click here!

Why the Jakarta bombing won't seem so horrible in a few months...

Chip Franklin and I talked about the weekend news, including the death of Walter Cronkite (here's my obituary which discusses Cronkite's local roots) and Tom Watson's run for the Claret Jug, or whatever it's called, this morning on KOGO Radio in San Diego. I'll be in studio with Chip during the 8 a.m. hour (10 a.m. CT) on Friday, when I visit SD for Comic-Con 2009. (d/l)

Emmy 2009: 12 categories, exactly 11 changes (AUDIO)

Wow. I know Emmy voters are conservative. I know many of them don't even watch much televsion. But oh my word, how stale and predictable were this year's Emmy nominations??

Click on the audio and you will hear an edited version of this morning's announcement by Jim Parsons (Big Bang Theory) and Chandra Wilson (Grey's Anatomy), followed by my commentary on KNX Newsradio.

Twelve categories were announced (here's the full list of nominees). I counted a total of 11 changes in those 12 categories between last year and this year: Parsons got a nod (why are these presenters always surprised? the Emmy nomination presenters ALWAYS get nominated for something). So did "US of Tara" (my rave), "Flight of the Conchords" (two major nominations; here's my rave), Sarah Silverman, Elizabeth Ross (Mad Men), "Family Guy," "HIMYM," "Big Love," "Breaking Bad" and "Weeds."

That's it. Twelve categories, exactly 11 changes from last year. And a couple of them were shoehorned in as sixth entries in previously five-entry fields.

The fact that Julia-Louis Dreyfus got nominated again, to me, says it all.

Emmys air Sept. 20 on CBS, if you care. Watch it for Doogie.

P.S. To clarify something from the KNX segment: "True Blood" wasn't nominated. Look for it to get in next year, because it's actually having a better second season; and besides, it's obvious HBO this year threw its PR weight behind "Big Love." (audio d/l)

Take me out to the ballgame (and pull me away from the nonstop Sotomayor coverage...)

Chip Franklin and I spent more time reviewing tonight's Home Run Derby than we did today's Supreme Court hearings. This podcast was broadcast on KOGO radio in San Diego earlier today. d/l

AUDIO: The fate of Bubbles the Chimp

And other news from Michael Jackson Media Circus week 2 as Chip Franklin and I anticipated the funeral at the Staples Center. We were on KOGO Radio. d/l

AUDIO: Putting the Jackson media coverage in perspective

Paul Harris and I talked about the Michael Jackson coverage just after the four-day media bonanza immediately following his death. And I answered the existential question: How did 10 million people know to tune to the "BET Awards"?? Paul was filling in at KTRS Radio in St. Louis. d/l

AUDIO: Understanding the Jackson media circus

Chip Franklin and I talked television, especially the Michael Jackson media craze, on a recent chat on KOGO Radio. d/l

AUDIO: My fearless "Jon + Kate + 8" prediction!

On San Diego's KOGO Radio this morning, Chip Franklin and I talked about baseball, then golf, then something that mattered to the female half of our audience: the very special episode tonight of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" airing on TLC.

I wagered a wild guess what might happen tonight. We also talked about why the fascination with the show. (d/l)

If you want to get all my audiocasts, or alerts of same, you just have to follow me.

Letterman-Palin: There are no (a) winners (b) losers here

This morning on San Diego's KOGO Radio, Chip Franklin and I discussed the no-harm-no-foul tempest stirred up last week by David Letterman's on-air typo. But before that, we talked about what San Diego would look like without an NFL franchise.

Remember, you can follow me on iTunes, Twitter and Facebook. (d/l)

Were Laura Ling and Euna Lee "irresponsible"?

KOGO Radio's morning man, Chip Franklin, has been arguing with me for over a decade. I wait for his producer's call every Monday morning, never quite sure where we're going to go.

We were wrapping up today's show, talking about shows that jumped the shark, when I abruptly changed the subject to the sentencing of Euna Lee and Laura Ling overnight to 12 years of hard labor by a North Korea court.

As I tried to express my outrage at their sentencing, Chip interrupted to say that Ling and Lee were "irresponsible" and had "put 300 million people ... at risk" by daring to go anywhere near Kim Jong-Il country. I told him, in so many words, that he was an idiot.

Click to listen

Here's the audio. If you are listening to my weekly podcast with Chip for the first time, be aware that he's a good guy, and even holds a few non-reprehensible viewpoints. Some listeners may be upset that we sandwiched a discussion about two journalists whose lives are in peril between discussions of "Freaks and Geeks" and "Royal Pains." But that's just the nature of the beast that is talk radio. My feeling is that we need to be talking about Laura and Euna every chance we get. (d/l mp3)

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Bye, Jay. Heeeeeere's Conan!

AUDIO: I talked about Jay Leno's final shows with KMBZ Radio this morning. (d/l) I'm also being taped by CBS Radio News tonight for use in their weekend and Monday coverage.

In his final appearance in February as the most dangerous guest on “Late Night with Conan O'Brien,” Norm Macdonald described Jay Leno's decision to stay at NBC as only he can.

“He outfoxed you again!” Macdonald told the host as O'Brien winced. “Your agent's like, 'There's good news and bad news. You are doing the “Tonight Show.” It's true. But -- remember that discussion we had where you said, “I'll never have to f---ing follow Leno again?”'”

Leave it to a former fake newscaster to invent a fictional scene that rang oh-so-true. Macdonald's joke certainly speaks to the anxiety many people feel about Conan O'Brien's move into the “Tonight” throne after nearly a 16-year wait.

The Sotomayor pick: What's it mean?

Chip Franklin and I debated President Obama's Supreme Court choice this morning on KOGO Radio. Chip played an old video clip that he thought would be the first piece of evidence used against her. Chip even used the word "Bork," which I smacked down as nonsense. We also debated whether justices could make policy or not.

After the break, we talked about Jay Leno's last week on "The Tonight Show" and what it means to NBC, and I gave my picks for "See It Or Skip It." (d/l)

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