TV

Well, we now have our first "shocking elimination" of the season. Michael Johns hasn't ever been in the bottom three until tonight, and now he's gone. Poof!
It just doesn't seem right. Nor did this, from Ryan: "That means Michael has the lowest number of votes this week. Last year during Idol Gives Back, we didn't eliminate anybody at this stage of the competition. Tonight (long pause)...... we're gonna say goodbye to Michael Johns. It's the end of the road for Michael Johns."
I'm not a huge fan of Ryan right now. Does he think up ways to be cruel to people on his own, or does he get help from others? That was just low.
I also thought the judges comments about the outcome were interesting. Randy said he has a big, bright future ahead of him; and Paula said, "It's time to get on with your career; there are people that are dying to hear from you." In other words, they were putting things into perspective. But Simon looked backward, berating him for picking the "wrong" song and saying, "You have to learn a lesson from this."
I think he'll do fine on his own.

On tonight's results show, Ms. Sparks returned to the stage to sing "No Air" with Chris Brown. Then Ryan trotted out three awards for her, including one for her CD going gold. "I think the message here is ... Idol works!" Ryan said.
Wow. Really, that's the message? That it's all about you? That didn't seem very polite to their guest singer, who deserves at least a little credit for her own success.

How do I know? Am I watching? I am not. John Adams is on HBO.

But my own mother just practically hung up on me because the bottom three were seconds away from being chosen.

So yeah. That's how I know.

Texas Country Reporter Bob Phillips (who used to be at WFAA-Channel 8, and still works out of a Dallas studio) got a nice write-up in The New York Times today.

What's more, there's big news for him on the horizon:

The Texas Country Reporter plans to go fully national in January with a second show called "On the Road with Bob Phillips." Shooting starts next month. One of his first stories? "The person whose sole job is to fill the cracks in Mount Rushmore."

CBS' new reality talent show, Secret Talents of the Stars, has been axed after just one episode aired.

Apparently only 4.6 million people tuned in to see celebs like George Takei (of Star Trek and Heroes fame), and the show lost audience as it aired.

What, you didn't want to see Mr. Sulu singing "On the Road Again"? Or Clint Black doing stand-up? Have you people got no sense of humor?

Less than halfway through her five-year contract to anchor the CBS Evening News, Katie Couric is a woman on the verge of newsdesk breakdown. The Wall Street Journal reports that Ms. Couric may be out as soon as the next president is inaugurated.

Citing unnamed sources, in the form of "both CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric," WSJ says that CBS executives are under pressure to make a change. Apparently, there's some feeling within the company that around $15 million a year -- Ms. Couric's salary -- is a bit too steep a price tag for a move that has yielded record-low ratings and sinking profits for the network's evening news broadcast..

Tonight marks the return of the biggest shows to Thursday night, the biggest TV watching night of the week. Read what Media Critic Tom Maurstad has to say about the shows that he is looking forward to coming back.