TVSquad

This one just struck me as a bit odd. HBO has signed long time NY Times columnist Frank Rich on as a creative consultant. The two are tight-lipped about what projects he may or may not be working on already, but his new position is described as contributing to original program development. Apparently there will also be the opportunity for Rich to become a producer of projects that he helps with.

He's going to keep his gig at the Times while working with HBO, although he will avoid writing about the network, or their corporate overlords (and ours), Time Warner. Hiring creative consultants isn't the usual modus operandi for HBO, and programming group president Richard Plepler added that "it is not something the network is looking to do on a regular basis." Odd as it sounds on the surface, Rich did spend 13 years as the Times' chief theater critic, so he has some background for the gig. And anything that gets us closer to Jay Black, creative consultant to The CW, has to be a good thing, right?

• Charlie Rose: The cast of the play The Pajama Game, with guest host Frank Rich.
• The Daily Show: David Remnick
• The Colbert Report: Shere Hite
• The Late Show With David Letterman: Derek Jeter, Michelle Monaghan, and the Globe of Death motorcycle stunt
• Jay Leno: Ron Howard and Brad Paisley
• Jimmy Kimmel Live: Carl Reiner, Martin Fry, Ashley Tisdale, and the Royal Jelly Dancers
• Late Night With Conan O'Brien: A trip to Finland (repeat)
• The Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Denis Leary and Bo Bice
• Last Call With Carson Daly: Snoop Dogg, DPGC, and Joe Firstman (repeat)