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King calling it quits with CNN interview program; Boogie Man, newly on DVD, is well worth having

Perhaps heeding unclebarky.com's recent admonition that he not stay too long at the party -- yeah, right -- Larry King announced Tuesday on CNN that he'll be quitting his interview show sometime in the fall. Our complete account is here. Also, just in time for the down-and-dirty mid-term elections, here's Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. Newly on DVD, it's won several awards and was featured at the 2008 Dallas Video Festival. Our review is here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are in.
Ed Bark

Unlucky Louie spikes FX with dangerously funny comedy

Back in play with his second comedy series after a disastrous one on HBO, Louis C.K. gets it a lot more right this time around. But if you're easily offended or repulsed, definitely skip Tuesday night's second half-hour of Louie. Then again, you'll really be missing one hell of an envelope-pusher. Our review is here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings crown The Bachelorette as Monday's undisputed ratings queen, particularly among coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. And on my home away from home, locatetv.com, see how CBS has de-programmed women from leading roles in its new fall lineup after entertaining generations with the likes of Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett.
Ed Bark

New Huge could be -- huge -- in times when both plus-sized people and ABC Family are hotsy

ABC Family's Huge, co-created by the mind behind My So-Called Life, launches Monday night in tandem with the channel's already hot Secret Life of the American Teenager. Our review is here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are a boon for Saturday's otherwise deflating U.S. loss to Ghana in soccer's World Cup. Plus, CBS is giving Alex O'Loughlin a third chance in four years this fall with its re-do of Hawaii Five-O. Sometimes it takes a while to find just the right show. George Clooney, Tom Selleck, etc. are prime examples of that, as you'll see on my home away from home, locatetv.com.
Ed Bark

Mmm mmm good? Dallas-bred Pavelka co-hosts GMT on heels of tongue-wagging Bachelor bust-up

WFAA8's homegrown Good Morning Texas on the face of it had quite a coup Friday when local boy Jake Pavelka co-hosted. Don't worry, though. Nothing came of it because the reliably buttery show agreeably avoided any give-and-take about his ongoing Bachelor breakup scandal. Not that Pavelka's been reluctant to blab about it elsewhere. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Public lewdness charges dropped against former WFAA8 anchor/reporter

The Dallas district attorney's office has declined to prosecute a police charge of public lewdness against Brad Hawkins, a former WFAA8 anchor/reporter who left the station in December 2008 to take a media position with Southwest Airlines. Hawkins' attorney confirmed the action Friday. Our story is here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show one of two new Thursday night ABC series getting off to a solid start.
Ed Bark

Boston Med gives ABC a believable, real-life hospital drama

Boston Med, complete with references to Dr. McDreamy, is another summertime booster shot from docu-filmmaker Terence Wrong. Our review is here. Also, we reprise video of Tracy Rowlett's sermonette on CBS11 during his first newscast for the station. It happened more than a decade ago and he's now been off the air nearly two years. Time moves like a bullet train, and times have dramatically changed during both interims. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are in.
Ed Bark

Still hate those horns, but love that go-o-o-o-oal!!!

Wednesday morning perked up considerably in the U.S. when Landon Donovan scored a spine-tingling goal near the very end of a matchup with Algeria that otherwise would have ended in a 0-0 tie. That also would have eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup's final field of 16. But Donovan saved the day with a score worthy of a "Do You Believe In Miracles?" sequel from venerable Al Michaels. Such drama. Here's how it looked:
Ed Bark

ABC premieres Rookie Blue; Spitzer washes ashore on CNN

ABC's third new scripted series of the summer, Rookie Blue, launches on Thursday night. Better title: Rookie Blah. See our review here. Also, CNN hires defrocked former NY governor Eliot Spitzer without ever mentioning his past in the all-news network's official announcement. CNN does take a shot at rivals Fox News Channel and MSNB, though. Get our take on the TV Bulletin Board page. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show a return to form for America's Got Talent and a ratings plunge for ABC's new Downfall.
Ed Bark

Dallas-bred palooka Pavelka splits with Bachelor fiancee Vienna in another grim reality fairy tale

Gosh, it's splitsville for D-FW's very own Jake Pavelka and the woman he loved like no other -- for a few months. Get the laughable details here. Also, check out the video of KDFW-TV's weekend news team from two decades ago, and see where they are now. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show a few encouraging signs -- locally at least -- for Fox's made-in-Dallas The Good Guys.
Ed Bark

TNT's Memphis Beat tries to give us Jason Lee without a Hickey

Jason Lee's followup to My Name Is Earl is TNT's new Memphis Beat, in which his name is Dwight Hendricks. But can we buy him as a hard-charging detective this soon? Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Izaguirre vs. garage door ends in split decision

Cynthia Izaguirre, co-anchor of Dallas-based WFAA8's Daybreak, is on the mend from a garage door that got the best of her nose early Friday morning. She gives the blow-by-blow to unclebarky.com. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings include the first verdicts on ABC's two new Sunday night dramas.
Ed Bark

ABC's The Gates and Scoundrels may give viewers and broadcast networks reasons to believe in new scripted summer programming (plus much more)

It's a busy Father's Day on the new programming front. ABC is striving to make summer Sundays come alive with two new, intriguing and heavily promoted serial dramas, The Gates and Scoundrels. Our reviews are here.

Also, Syfy is presenting its new four-hour version of The Phantom in one big Sunday gulp. Go here for our review. Showtime's rather markedly chaste The Real L Word also debuts Sunday. Unclebarky.com has an app for that, too. And although I haven't had enough time to review it, National Geographic Channel's five-hour How The Earth Changed History will be running Sunday through Tuesday. It looks like a worthy endeavor, so here's a link to the official website.

Plus, CW33 news finally states the very obvious in a new ad with an unprecedented slogan. Check it out here. And of course we also have some suggested slogans of our own.

Furthermore, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show you how big the numbers got for Thursday night's Game 7 of the NBA Finals. And nationally, TV Land is basking in robust ratings for the premiere of its Hot In Cleveland sitcom while Dave is gaining on Jay. See our TV Bulletin Board page for the particulars. Puff-puff.
Ed Bark

CBS11 news photographer involved in fatal poker game shooting that police say was self-defense

CBS11 found itself reporting on one of its own when a poker game shootout involved one of its staff photographers. Further details are here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show NBC's America's Got Talent and CW33's sex-spiked 9 p.m. newscasts asserting themselves.
Ed Bark

The Real L Word arrives without a certain key ingredient; new Cambio website detours around mainstream media middlemen

Showtime's sequel to The L Word, an unscripted soap/saga of six real-life lesbians, arrives Sunday night without any real sex. So whatever your sexuality, why watch? Our review is here. Also, the brand new and heavily financed Cambio website celebrates The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato and other teen/'tween idols without filtering them through the usual channels. We take a first look on our Web Browser page. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings come up big for hoops despite Tuesday's never-in-doubt outcome.
Ed Bark

Farm fresh? Planet Green channel aims for a gay Green Acres

Still a new player amid a bumper crop of cable networks, Planet Green hopes to attract attention with a new down-on-the-farm reality series titled The Fabulous Beekman Boys. Premiering Wednesday, it spotlights a gay male couple experiencing newfound acres and pains. Our review is here. Also, Fox's Dallas-made The Good Guys had a bad time in the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Ed Bark

Hot In Cleveland takes the TV Land stage

Four sitcom pros, most notably Betty White, are the marquee players in TV Land's new Hot In Cleveland, premiering Wednesday. We take its temperature here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show big weekend returns for NBA basketball and World Cup soccer.
Ed Bark

True Blood adds horror staple in third season

HBO launches the third season of True Blood Sunday. And its many-splendored vampires aren't the only ones with bite. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

CW33's boob tube news strikes again

CW33 news director David Duitch continues to treat his 9 p.m. edition as a sex toy in a growingly desperate effort to get noticed. Unfortunately his beaten-down staff has to play along because jobs in the TV news biz are not exactly plentiful. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings again are bullish on the NBA Finals. And we plug WFAA8 sports anchor Dale Hansen's midsummer night's charity event at his Waxahachie spread.
Ed Bark

Sean Hayes hosting the Tonys and so far staying out of Newsweek controversy

Sean Hayes came out as a gay man several months ago, just in time for a Newsweek columnist to question his suitability for playing a straight lead in Broadway's revival of Promises, Promises. Hayes since been nominated for a Tony and will host the 64th annual awards ceremony this Sunday on CBS. So what's he got to say? Check out his surprising reticence and his carefree approach to hosting on my home away from home, locatetv.com.

Also, TXA21 has a Coach marathon this weekend, with guest shots by the likes of Jerry Jones and Troy Aikman plus a quartet of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders as hosts. And Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings put the clinching Stanley Cup game on ice while it has a hockey mountain high nationwide.
Ed Bark

Don't stay too long at the party (alas, Helen Thomas did)

One age doesn't fit all, and some people should retire sooner than others. The trick is to know your own expiration date, and some still haven't mastered that knack. Such as Helen Thomas. We name other names here while also putting your friendly content provider to the test of life beyond this website.
Ed Bark

Anchor Mike Snyder ending three-decade career at NBC5

NBC5 anchor Mike Snyder will be leaving the Fort Worth-based station on July 1st after a 30-year-career. All the details and his Wednesday morning phone interview with unclebarky.com can be found here. Also, the latest D-FW ratings highlight Tuesday night's 8 p.m. battle between the season finale of Glee and the first hour of the potent NBA Finals.
Ed Bark

Struggling re-start for Dallas-made Good Guys

Fox's Dallas-made The Good Guys had its time slot premiere Monday. Ratings were so-so locally and pretty dreadful nationally. Not a good sign. All the particulars are here. Also, at my home away from home, locatetv.com, we look at the good, bad and ugly of the many TV series made into feature films. The latest, The A-Team, opens Friday.
Ed Bark

The cad stays in the picture -- but famed paparazzo Ron Galella is wearing better with age

Ron Galella's point-and-shoot brand of celebrity photography often had his subjects raising their hands in defense -- when they weren't suing or punching him. A fascinating new HBO documentary, Smash His Camera, remembers the way he was -- and pretty much still is. Our review is here.

Also, the NBA Finals slam dunk the NHL's competing Stanley Cup showcase in Sunday night's D-FW Nielsens. And in case you haven't heard yet, Monday is officially "Good Guys Day" in Dallas. Plus, I've seen the worst new series of the year -- by far. You can find the particulars here.
Ed Bark

Dallas-made Good Guys re-rolls into view in regular summertime slot

Sneak-previewed last month, Fox's made-in-Dallas The Good Guys returns Monday night in its regular romping grounds. We review the proceedings here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are in the house.
Ed Bark

R.I.P. David Dillon

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David Dillon, a former Dallas Morning News colleague and an architecture critic of national stature, has died of a heart attack at age 68.

David passed away at his home in Massachusetts. He left the DMN in September 2006, taking a buyout along with more than 100 other staffers, including yours truly.

David was a kind and serious-minded man, but with a terrific sense of humor to match his gravitas on buildings gone awry. He wrote from the heart and from a wealth of knowledge, never worrying about offending big-time developers if he thought they merited his wrath.

He was constructive, too, enjoying the beauty of well-laid blueprints that became pleasures to behold.

David will always be the DMN's signature architecture critic. His legacy in North Texas is a quarter-century of well-considered reviews of structures large, small, beauteous and ugly. R.I.P., my friend. It was a privilege to both know you and read you.
Ed Bark

So You Think You Can Dance does Dallas

Thursday's two-hour edition of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance will include the mid-March auditions held at SMU's McFarlin Auditorium. Get more details here, plus a look at Good Day reporter Fiona Gorostiza in action.

Also, we have video and commentary on that incredible blown call that cost a Detroit Tigers pitcher a perfect game Wednesday night. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show a tepid response to Wednesday's America's Got Talent edition from Dallas. You also can check out a pair of mid-1990s promos for the KXAS-TV weather and sports teams. Only one member remains at the Fort Worth-based station.
Ed Bark

CBS/Fox split end of season spoils

As the summer season starts in earnest, we look back on the official 2009-'10 festivities to see which networks and shows were tops in Nielsen's two major ratings food groups. Plus, Tuesday's D-FW numbers show who won the big two-hour faceoff between NBC's America's Got Talent and ABC's Wipeout.
Ed Bark

TBS makes it a threesome -- on the "urban" sitcom front -- with Are We There Yet?

Just one network is investing today in predominantly black, so-called "urban" comedies. TBS' latest, Are We There Yet?, joins the prime-time lineup Wednesday night. Our review is here. Also, the holiday weekend D-FW Nielsen ratings are in.
Ed Bark