Kristen Wiig says good-bye (sort of)

mike — Sat, 19 May 2012 22:39:12 -0700

In a classy move, "Saturday Night Live" acknowledged (sort of) that Kristen Wiig is leaving.

Lorne Michaels, the show's producer, has said nothing would be decided until after the season. Still, the May 19 season-finale had a closing scene in which Wiig played someone who was graduating from school after seven years; she danced briefly with all the show's guys and more, including Steve Martin.

"Common Law" brings Friday fun

mike — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:21:44 -0700

In the previous blogs, I was ranting about "American Idol" and the new fall line-ups. Let's pause for a moment, howeever, and visit "Common Law," which has its second episode tonight (May 18).

No, the USA Network shouldn't be debuting shows during the overcrowded final two weeks of the season. That may be why you haven't heard much about it.

Still, this is a fun show (in the USA tradition), worth hearing about. Here's the story I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

Joshua leaves; despair arrives

mike — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:21:59 -0700

What is true stardom like? How should an "American Idol" winner sound and feel?

Tonight, we saw two splendid examples. Alas, neither will be an "Idol" champion.

First was Adam Lambert, the most talented male the show has ever had. He finished second (to Kris Allen, likable and forgettable) in 2009. His guest performance tonight was sensational, as usual.

Then was Joshua Ledet, the second-most-talented male the show has had. We now learn that he's merely finishing third to Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips.

A quick look at CBS and Idol

mike — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:58:03 -0700

This has been a busy day, so let me rush through two things:

-- After some bold moves by the other networks (see previous blogs), CBS had only a couple surprises.

-- And for "American Idol," I see a Joshua-Phillip finale. Details:

1) CBS' big surprise involves nudging "Two and a Half Men" over to Thursdays, where a better show ("Big Bang Theory") can boost it. That makes room for one new comedy (from the "Will & Grace" guys) on Mondays, with "2 Broke Girls" at th crucial 9 p.m. slot.

ABC goes epic for the fall

mike — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:24:49 -0700

Earlier, I sent an overview of ABC's fall schedule. (See previous blog.) Since then, the network has had its "upfront" presentation to advertisers -- and has left me quite optimistic. Here's the new version I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

TV viewers tend to shrug when a new
network programming chief arrives.