What's working for me...

1. Season's end. Finally, I get to start working down my DVR backlog. And I'll bet you will, too.

2. "Law & Order's" end. Next Monday's finale offers compelling proof of how uncompelling this warhorse has become. Goodbye to Van Buren and all the rest.

3. Russell loses again on "Survivor." I love how he claims there is "a flaw in the game" that keeps idiots like him from winning. Wasn't he the guy who watched tape of every single "Survivor"? If anyone could work around that "flaw," it's him.

... and what's not

1. Bum rush for ABC comedies. Of course I love "Modern Family" and am glad it's coming back. But "Better off Ted" isn't, and "Scrubs" is getting next to no sendoff after nine years.

2. Another medical show from Shonda Rhimes. Shouldn't she be required to fix "Private Practice" first?

3. Fridays. Why do networks put brand-new shows on the notorious "night of death" anymore? Friday is the new Saturday — a night to park reruns and shows going to seed.

What's working for me...

1. Backlash against the “Downfall” takedown. Artists are using their fair-use rights en masse to protest the German film studio that demanded Google kick their Hitler parodies off YouTube.

2. “Greensburg.” The now-completed docuseries about the Kansas town's rebuilding effort was remarkably true to the drama there. It reairs this weekend on Planet Green.

3. Betty White fever. She hosts “SNL” this weekend, and I can't recall this kind of hoopla for an octogenarian since Nelson Mandela was in power.

… and what's not

1. Jay Leno recycled “Tonight Show” jokes at the White House dinner. For a guy who's known as comedy's volume dealer, couldn't he have at least brought something fresh for the president?

2. 3D TV. The heads of CBS and Fox's parent companies both say they're not so sure about this watching prime time with funny glasses thing.

3. Shania Twain's “This Man of Mine.” Kudos to the “American Idol” viewer who pointed out this song has now killed off two finalists (Siobhan Magnus last week and Mandisa back in 2006).

What's working for me...

1. Conan O'Brien to TBS. He'll be on 35 minutes earlier, doing edgier material than he ever did at NBC. He'll be out of the late-night wars -- Colbert and Stewart are more like cohorts than competitors. Best of all, he'll be back on TV, where the tickets to see him are free.

2. Dialing down expectations. Remember the NBC executive who called Conan an “astounding failure” because 2 million middle-aged folks had stopped watching “The Tonight Show”? At TBS Conan's audience will be even smaller -- but because it will be almost entirely made up of young people, it'll be called an astounding success.

3. George Lopez. By graciously giving his time slot to Conan, he not only sealed the deal but reminded people that he's still doing a talk show on TBS.

... AND WHAT'S NOT

1. Jay-Z the musical guest for Betty White's 'SNL' show May 8. Nothing against Jay-Z; I'm just imagining the seduction sketch someone's going to write for those two.

2. Four 'Law & Orders' this fall. That's the early forecast, with Original Recipe hanging on another year and a new LA-based version joining the NBC lineup.

3. Blaming the affiliates. Fox said it couldn't do a deal with Conan because the local affiliates had “issues.” And who owns the Fox affiliate in 14 of the 20 largest cities? Why, that mom-n-pop shop known as ... Fox Television.

What's working for me...

1. New Orleans. A long weekend spent in America's comeback city proved to me two things: Americans are unbelievably resilient and we need New Orleans.

2. HBO's "Treme." Was a TV series launch ever more timely than David Simon's multi-layered, character-rich love letter to New Orleans? "Treme" broke with HBO tradition and asserted itself immediately as a show to be reckoned with. Next week's episode is even better.

3. "Saved on the Strip" gets greenlighted. Local reality queen Sharon Liese has her third series pickup with a look at Annie Lobert, a Vegas prostitute who now proselytizes the gospel to working gals.

... AND WHAT'S NOT

1. CBS's Masters coverage. Not to rain on Phil Mickelson's richly-deserved parade, but had anyone else but you-know-who won the tournament, wouldn't it have been "a win for the family" anyway?

2. Constant Conan handicapping. The Fox lot may or may not be the best place for Team CoCo to park their late-night bus. But we won't know for weeks or months whether the two sides can do a deal. So can we just shut up about it until then? (UPDATE: Prescient!)

3. Game shows that won't die. CBS last week renewed "Wheel of Fortune" and Jeopardy" through 2014, then announced it was looking to revive the hollow corpse of "The $25,000 Pyramid."

What's working for me...

1. Tiger’s unscripted press conference. I’m with Whitlock on this — if you’re neither a fan nor a hater of Tiger Woods, his Monday Masters presser has to push the needle his way for you. Glad to hear he’s going to cut out the “negative outbursts” during play.

2. S. Epatha Merkerson ankling “L&O.” The actor whose name has appeared in “Law & Order’s” opening credits longer than anyone else gets while the gettin’s good. She deserves her own separate farewell.

3. “Treme” is tremendous. So find a friend who can still afford HBO and watch this music-infused New Orleans post-Katrina drama. A full review is in this Sunday’s A&E.

... AND WHAT’S NOT

1. “The Marriage Ref” renewed by NBC. This actually tells me less about Jerry Seinfeld’s mean-spirited game show than it does about the network desperate enough to keep it on.

2. ESPN’s East Coast bias. The Worldwide Leader said no men’s team had appeared in a Final Four in their home city since the ’70s. Then they said none had appeared in one in their home state since the ’70s. Technically true, but c’mon — Kemper Arena? KU? 1988?

3. David Mills, RIP. The frequent collaborator of David Simon on “The Wire,” “Homicide” and “The Corner” died of a brain aneurysm while on the set of “Treme,” the show he was co-executive producing with Simon in New Orleans (it debuts Sunday on HBO).

What's working for me...

1. “24” calls it a day. The show many consider TV’s best thriller ever won’t come back for a ninth season. You know what that means — start the countdown for the “24” movie!

2. “Justified.” Is he McCloud or Rockford? The debate rages, but fans agree Timothy Olyphant’s FX character is endlessly watchable.

3. The Conan-hosting-the-Tonys rumor. Unlike Martin and Baldwin at the Oscars, Conan could make fun of Broadway all night long and it would be great TV.

... AND WHAT’S NOT

1. Fields of 65. Let’s go back to an NCAA tournament with 32 teams. Life was better then.

2. The Tiger in the room. CBS’s incessant promos for The Masters avoid mentioning its most famous entrant and favorite to win.

3. Networks to honor TV Turn-Off Day. I can’t believe that CBS, ABC, and other networks are going to cut off their shows for one day. I thought this was supposed to be a voluntar … oh, what’s that? April first, you say?

What's working for me...

1. C-SPAN. Insofar as watching sausage getting made can be a pleasurable activity, it was certainly more enjoyable watching the live feed of Sunday’s health-care debate than having Wolf Blitzer or Bret Baier yammering in my ear.

2. MSNBC. The 24/5 news channel actually broke into its usual weekend “Lockup” marathon to carry the health-care bill’s passage, albeit with second-stringers like David Shuster and Luke Russert.

3. “Justified.” The best show you’re not DVR-ing is airing 9 p.m. CT Tuesdays on FX — but you can catch a repeat of this week’s excellent fugitive episode at 10 p.m. Friday.

...AND WHAT’S NOT

1. ESPN’s worthless Tiger Woods interview. Perhaps that’s because the Worldwide Leader sent a guy to do the Q-and-A. Golf Channel sent Kelly Tilghman, whose brains-beauty combo seemed to knock Tiger off his game. ESPN should’ve sent Erin Andrews.

2. Broadcasters carping about the weather. As The Star reported, this was one of those rare winters that did what it was supposed to — kill bugs and keep shoots down until spring.

3. “The Marriage Ref” wins its time slot. I don’t care if it was up against token opposition (reruns and NCAA hoops) ... this must never happen again.

What's working for me...

1. Roger Ebert. Of all the wonderful things I learned during recent media coverage of his post-speaking life, this detail stood out: He wants to do another TV show, presumably using his new personalized computer voice. Roger that.

2. Elinor Burkett. On a very boring Oscars night, I admit I got a kick out of seeing the Zimbabwean who's been feuding with Roger Ross Williams over the film “Music by Prudence” leap onto stage and Kanye his acceptance speech. I am woman, hear me roar!

I swear, I wrote this piece BEFORE The Onion put up this video! (full NSFW vsn)

3. Local TV stations. For obliterating Monday's nightly newscasts to carry a high-speed car chase, you reminded me to check out iTunes, where I found free podcasts of the same network newscasts for my new iPod. Thanks, broadcasters!

… and what's not

1. The FCC. Despite setbacks in court and total indifference to the issue outside a few religious groups, the agency is going to start into its million-plus backlog of indecency complaints.

2. Richard Fatherley, RIP. No one did more to burnish Kansas City's place in radio history -- and no one in the business who got some of his “fatherly advice” forgot it.

3. Bob Wormington, RIP. The first general manager of Channel 41, its only GM for 23 years, presided over one of America's great indie stations. An early protégé of his, Mike Vrabac, took over as GM on Monday.

What's working for me...

1. Anderson Cooper to CBS. The Internet went wild about a report of a network exec lunching with the CNN star. And why not? He'd be a perfect “Evening News” anchor after CBS declines to renew its contract with Katie Couric in 2011.

2. Channel 41's new GM. Mike Vrabac worked at Channel 41 before ... in the 1970s, when it was KBMA, the proud independent and home of the Royals. Now he's running the joint — how cool is that?

3. “Boondocks” returning May 2. Not the comic strip — the Adult Swim show has new episodes for the first time in more than two years.

… AND WHAT'S NOT

1. Jerry Seinfeld. Did NBC really think we were so stupid that we wouldn't immediately figure out Jerry wasn't “The Marriage Ref”? And that just being on the show didn't make it good?

2. “Two and a Half Men.” Between Charlie Sheen's bust and Jon Cryer's bizarro deal with his ex-wife (whose other ex reportedly ordered a hit on Cryer), the “E! True Hollywood Story” about this show has a brighter future than the show itself.

3. Andrew Koenig, RIP. The “Growing Pains” star, and son of “Star Trek's” Walter Koenig, worked on one of the best podcasts around, “Never Not Funny,” until his tragic suicide last week in Vancouver.

What's working for me...

1. Betty White for “SNL” host. The post-Super Bowl Facebook campaign might pay off for the 88-year-old legend. So what if she’ll share the duties with Tina Fey? Wouldn’t you like to hear what Sue Ann thinks about Sarah Palin?

2. “Archer” renewed for season two. That’s more work for local firm Trinity Animation. “Archer” is far from FX’s most-watched show — just its funniest.

3. Metro Sports 2 and Metro Sports HD coming in March. For those of you without cable, this may not be working for you as much.

... and what’s not

1. “Better off Ted” dead. Jay Harrington just signed up to do an NBC pilot, meaning the terrific ABC comedy is getting a pink slip.

2. NBC behind the puck. With no warning, it broke into Olympic coverage Sunday night to carry the last 30 seconds of the U.S.-Canada hockey upset. Waiting until the Americans were assured victory made NBC look both slow and jingoistic.

3. Tiger’s anger at the media. Hey, you know how to keep the paparazzi from following your wife and kids around? Don’t cheat!

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What's working for me...

1. Oprah, Leno. Leno, Oprah. A pitch-perfect sequel to the 2007 “Late Show” promo becomes the Super Bowl’s most talked-about commercial.

2. The big reveal. CBS kept the ad’s existence a secret for five days, aided by Leno’s sneaking into New York to do it. Of course, “The Jay Leno Show” proved he knows how to hide in plain sight.

3. Another Super Bowl thriller. It’s been half a generation since the Buffalo Bills blowouts marked the end of the unexciting-game era.

... AND WHAT’S NOT

1. Griping about advocacy ads. The Tim Tebow spot had every right to air on the Super Bowl, and CBS indicated it will be happy to accept other groups’ money in the future, so long as they accept creative input.

2. “Hooters” CEO becomes an “Undercover Boss.” And let the double entendres begin.

3. Blizzard of Olympics hype. Apparently having the world’s best Winter Games team is supposed to make up for a sorry economy and broken political system.

What's working for me...

1. Haiti story not going away. Another telethon this week and continual news coverage are what a story this big needs and deserves.

2. The president and his critics. Republicans are grumbling that Obama got a “win” last week when he sparred with House GOP members on live TV. In fact, it was a win for everyone, including viewers, who finally got to see the two parties talking in paragraphs instead of half-sentences.

3. Adult Swim orders 40 more “Robot Chickens.” I don't have a punchline here. I just like to say “40 more Robot Chickens.”

... and what's not

1. Soft-hitting Haiti news stories. While news outlets focus on adoption stories and rescues by their medical correspondent, the Haiti disaster is crying out for some honest reporting about the country's broken economic and political systems.

2. Jay Leno. I doubt it will hurt his ratings when he takes over “The Tonight Show” again, but Leno's self-serving defense on “Oprah” (which I've picked apart, lie by lie) will only increase support for Conan, wherever he goes.

3. PETA doubles down on dumb. In two days, the animal fringe took on Groundhog Day (saying Phil should be replaced by a robot) and Big Bird (the Egg Board should be barred from sponsoring “Sesame Street”).

What's working for me...

1. Conan's farewell. As Dennis Miller's and Jon Stewart's syndicated shows proved in the 1990s, there's something about imminent cancellation that injects a devil-may-care attitude into everything. Conan O'Brien has never been funnier or more popular than he was last week -- here's hoping he can bottle some of that and take it to Fox.

2. Letterman piling on. Jay Leno's longtime rival keeps telling his audience he shouldn't comment on the NBC mess … “but I just can't help myself.” Dave's image of Leno sitting out in the NBC lobby, waiting for the network to offer him the “Tonight Show” job again, was priceless.

3. Fox developing “Torchwood.” One of Britain's best fantasy franchises is getting an American treatment. How does John Barrowman, Scotch-Midwestern star of the British version, not get the lead?

… and what's not

1. Leno back at the “Tonight Show.” Sorry. Fooled me once, shame on me.

2. Supreme Court OK's binge spending on political ads. Don't bother contributing to your favorite candidate -- you can't come close to what corporate America can spend thanks to last week's ruling.

3. TMZ. The Hollywood scoopsters pride themselves on showing favor to none, but TMZ's one-sided, pro-NBC reporting of the Leno-Conan showdown sullied that image. Next time, guys, stick to celebrity crackups; network crackups are obviously over your head.

What's working for me...

1. “I just want to say to the kids out there...” “You can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too.”

2. Jimmy Kimmel. For having the nerve to go onto Leno’s show and trash-talk him about the Conan mess. (Of course, as Kimmel said, no one was watching anyway.)

3. Bill Neely’s reporting from Haiti. Stories of suffering and of amazing rescues, told so well by ITN’s French-speaking reporter.

... and what’s not

1. Chaos 700 miles from Miami. Unacceptable delays and primitive medical care marked the first week of the Haitian “relief” effort.

2. Conan off the air again. His show is going dark until September, on top of last year’s long hiatus. Johnny Carson didn’t get this much vacation time.

3. Dick “Astounding Failure” Ebersol. The NBC exec who just announced he’ll lose $200 million because he overpaid for the Winter Games should keep his thoughts about Conan to himself.

What's working for me...

1. Leno back to 10:35 (Central). Regardless of what you think about Jay Leno's comedic stylings, he's more valuable to NBC after the news than before the news.

(This WAS working for me, until Jay started whining to his bosses at NBC and pointing fingers at Conan. Now I hope Jay fails miserably.)

2. Simon Cowell to create American "X Factor." Just as "NCIS" spawned "NCIS: LA" and those "Real Housewives" spawn more offshoots than kids, it made sense to bring the "American Idol" judge's other British hit show to the States.

3. Howie replacing the Hoff. "America's Got Talent" (another Cowell creation) lost David Hasselhoff, and NBC whisked in the more appealing Howie Mandel.

...and what's not

1. Conan to 11:05. The four words the "Tonight Show" host never thought he would hear again: "Stay tuned for Conan."

2. Simon Cowell to leave "American Idol." Speaking on behalf of all wavering fans, I don't think he'll be the only one saying sayanora.

3. Wendall Anschutz, RIP. Kansas City's top news anchor in the 1980s respected his viewers' intelligence and the potential of television as a way to create an informed citizenry.

What's working for me...

1. College bowl mania. I like the fact that 34 colleges can declare themselves the winner of a bowl game. Isn't that the spirit of the season -- sharing the joy?

2. “Chuck's” last chance. NBC is betting big on the third season of critics' favorite spy show, which was barely renewed last year. An all-day marathon Sunday on sister station SyFy is followed by two episodes at 8 p.m. on KSHB and another hour at 7 p.m. Monday -- its permanent time slot, one hopes, for years to come.

3. Seven days until “Archer.” FX's animated spy series, from the creators of “Frisky Dingo,” debuts Jan. 14. And there's a local connection; see my cover story in next week's FYI Preview.

...and what's not

1. Murdoch's latest threat. Fox's henhouse-watcher made another of his regular public bloviations, warning that free TV won't be free much longer, mainly because he insists on paying top dollar for NFL football.

2. Fox's “Our Little Genius.” Gee, that wouldn't be exactly like the Fox series of a few years back called “Battle of the Child Geniuses” or “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” airing on … Fox?

3. Payola Airlines. To its credit, NBC fully disclosed that it paid for a luxury charter flight for its reporter covering the David Goldman custody case -- and that Goldman and son happened to hitch a ride home on it. That doesn't mean Brian Williams should not be ashamed and aghast at the arrangement.

What's working for me...

1. Spy guys. Twenty-ten gets off to a great start when Agent Charles Bartowski returns for another season of “Chuck” this month, followed by Sterling Archer in the even sillier spy spoof “Archer” on FX.

2. C-SPAN’s coverage of the health care debate. The antidote for a bad case of partisanship is hearing people on both sides in their own words, minus all the spin.

3. No-repeat seasons. It’s not great for writers seeking residuals, but “Lost,” “24,” and “Chuck” all debuting in January means nonstop appointment TV until May.

... AND WHAT'S NOT

1. Yet another Time Warner standoff. This year’s December drama has the cable company pitted against Fox, with dire warnings about “American Idol” going away (not true locally, by the way). Quit insulting our intelligence, guys, and bring in an arbitrator. A pox on both your houses.

2. New York Mag says we’ll still be talking about “Sex and the City” in 2020. No we won’t. But we will be looking back at “The Wire” and asking why TV can’t do something like that anymore.

3. Serena Williams and Tiger Woods win athletes of year/decade. Pro sports needs a congeniality award.

What's working for me...

1. Goodbye, aughts! I'm reluctant to add one more to the pile of "good riddance" pieces that have been appearing in the media. Then again, this decade began with my being diagnosed with cancer and ended with the country wracked by two unending wars, a wobbly world economy and toxic politics. If the Double-Ohs were a person, I'd say: Don't let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you.

2. "Dangerously Funny." David Bianculli's new history of the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" is a great read, a nostalgic look-back you didn't have to be there the first time to appreciate and a reminder that a network once took a popular show off the air because it had something to say.

3. "The Wire." Best show of the decade. Share it with a friend this holiday season, won't you?

...and what's not

1. Ben Bernanke, Time's "Person of the Year"? Really? At least he has a job, which is more than the millions of people displaced (in part) by his earlier misbegotten monetary policies can say. They're the ones that should be on a magazine cover.

2. HBO renews "Life and Times of Tim." This, following on the news that "Flight of the Conchords" was ending, is the kind of move that makes you reach for your cable bill and ask, "How much am I paying for this?"

3. "The Apprentice." Not just for what it was -- a reality show that went from middling to dreadful -- but for its celebration of Wall Street values, shameless product flogging and obnoxious host, this was the worst show of the decade.

What's working for me...

1. Goodbye, aughts! I'm reluctant to add one more to the pile of "good riddance" pieces that have been appearing in the media. Then again, this decade began with my being diagnosed with cancer and ended with the country wracked by two unending wars, a wobbly world economy and toxic politics. If the Double-Ohs were a person, I'd say: Don't let the door hit you where the Good Lord split you.

2. "Dangerously Funny." David Bianculli's new history of the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" is a great read, a nostalgic look-back you didn't have to be there the first time to appreciate and a reminder that a network once took a popular show off the air because it had something to say.

3. "The Wire." Best show of the decade. Share it with a friend this holiday season, won't you?

...and what's not

1. Ben Bernanke, Time's "Person of the Year"? Really? At least he has a job, which is more than the millions of people displaced (in part) by his earlier misbegotten monetary policies can say. They're the ones that should be on a magazine cover.

2. HBO renews "Life and Times of Tim." This, following on the news that "Flight of the Conchords" was ending, is the kind of move that makes you reach for your cable bill and ask, "How much am I paying for this?"

3. "The Apprentice." Not just for what it was -- a reality show that went from middling to dreadful -- but for its celebration of Wall Street values, shameless product flogging and obnoxious host, this was the worst show of the decade.