In the middle of closing something for TIME’s second special issue within a week (a wedding and a funeral! it’s like a Hugh Grant comedy up in here!) so no time for a lengthy review of last night’s How I Met Your Mother, though I don’t think “The Perfect Cocktail” would have borne one out anyway. It’s not unusual for an HIMYM episode to …
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Bin Laden's Death, Reported By a Media His Attacks Shaped
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When Osama bin Laden sponsored the attacks against America in 2001, there was no YouTube, blogs were just rising as a medium, and TV was shaped by the aftermath of the mass killings. But the news of his death was broken last night on Twitter, a medium that didn’t exist on 9/11. Keith …
Dead Tree Alert: When Judges Won't Judge; Plus, Last Night's Idol-imination
My column in this week’s paper-and-iPad TIME is about the success of American Idol‘s new judging panel, which has done a 180 from the Simon Cowell era by abandoning meanness—and, pretty much, any other form of criticism. Idol’s ratings are up (if slightly) for the first time in a few years, but we now have a panel composed …
Will and Kate Colonize American TV, for a Morning
Maybe the best weddings to be invited to are those thrown by distant but rich acquaintances. You get to attend the bash and enjoy the digs, but without the family drama or personal investment. Just so, the attraction of a British royal wedding, for an American audience, is that it’s a freebie. It may be the international celebration of …
The Office Watch: Leaving On a Jet Plane
Spoilers for Steve Carell’s last episode of The Office:
“The people you work with are people you were just thrown together with. I mean, you don’t know them, it wasn’t your choice. And yet you spend more time with them than you do your friends or your family. But probably all you have in common is the fact that you walk around on the …
The Morning After: A Bite of Apple
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It’s going to be interesting seeing how the 15th season of South Park plays out, now that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are Broadway stars with The Book of Mormon. As it was, the past season or so have felt off, with …
Justified Watch: Family Feud
Spoilers for last night’s Justified follow:
In a recent Justified post, I noted how the show had developed its cast so well that it can hold my attention even without Raylan Givens. Last night’s “Reckoning” didn’t change that opinion—much of it, especially Jeremy Davies’ work, only underscored it. But it also emphasized, undeniably, …
Judging American Idol: The Final 6
It was Carole King week, as the half-dozen finalists sang the work of the song-scribe and recording artist whom, I assume, their grandparents once told them about. Who made the Earth move? Who made us want to go so far away? Click on the pix for my reviews:
Glee Watch: Turning Lebanese
Spoilers for last night’s Glee follow:
“Born This Way” was something different for Glee: a 90-minute episode (even if a lot of that extra time was for commercials). And in another it was something absolutely ordinary for Glee: a return to its default theme of difference and acceptance. The former fact made the episode a little weird …
The Morning After: Hundred Grand
Last night, I went to the TIME 100 gala at the Time Warner Center’s Live at Lincoln Center, which means I can answer the question you’re all dying to know about: yes, Blake Lively‘s hair is red now! The late night (I know, I know, cry me a river) means I’ll be behind in my blogging for a while this morning. But in the meantime, some …
It's Official: Katie Couric Leaving CBS Evening News
The Great Katie Experiment is over: Katie Couric has announced, via an interview with TIME sibling People magazine, that she is leaving CBS as evening news anchor.
CBS brought Couric on in 2006 to bring in star power, generate buzz and grow the audience. She accomplished the first two. About her third-place struggle at the House of …
Donald Trump Would Like You To Just Take His Word About the Missing Birth Certificate
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Donald Trump, the reality-show judge who is not running for President but would very much like you to believe that he is—see my colleague Alex Altman’s explanation as to why—went on Anderson Cooper 360 last night to enable America to pay attention to him on TV. The show had done a yet-again …
TIME 100, the TV Edition
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