TVSquad

"Indecision 2008": In an incredibly awkward blunder, one of John McCain's top advisers, Charlie Black, told Fortune magazine that another terrorist attack on America would be "a big advantage" to McCain. Also, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto apparently saved McCain's struggling campaign back in December. Dude. There is no way to fix the sense that your campaign thrives on death and destruction, apart from some panicked back-pedaling and angry refusal by the candidate himself. Jon Stewart broke down the situation in simple mathematic terms and -- Ahh, nevermind.

Somebody give Ed McMahon a job, please! There are more stories emerging about the famous TV sidekick's financial woes, and it's just sad that he's in such dire straits.

Granted, he's not alone in these tough times -- and, yes, he has had millions in his time -- but the revelations that the former Tonight Show star and Star Search host is in money trouble strikes me as really unfortunate. And apparently that help from Jay Leno is slow in materializing. Why isn't Publisher's Clearinghouse giving him a gig?

The latest news is that Citibank is suing McMahon for $200,000, a loan they extended to Ed. In a lawsuit filed in L.A. Superior court on June 9, the bank is seeking $179,687 in damages, plus legal fees. This is on top of the potential foreclosure on his Beverly Hills home.

Lately, the only Katie Couric most people have been seeing is the one that's depicted in the picture to the right: serious, sober, possessing whatever gravitas she can muster in her role as anchor of the CBS Evening News. But where can you see the goofy Katie, the one that people came to know -- and some got sick of -- for fifteen years on the Today show?

Why, on YouTube, of course! In fact, Katie has her very own page on the leading video sharing site, where she posts extended Evening News interviews and behind-the-scene footage. The behind-the-scenes stuff is where you see Katie at her most impish, doing things like snapping Larry King's suspenders as he leads her to the set of his show, singing with Bette Midler, and meeting with mommy bloggers in her office (check out the huge Warhol-esque portrait of herself she has hanging near her desk!).

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Ed McMahon tells Larry King about his financial problems.
• CBS' Early Show gets a new look next week. Here's a sneak peek.
• Nikki Finke has new info on the SAG vs. AFTRA mess.
• Michael Ian Black isn't happy about Doritos.
• Mary McCormack's In Plain Sight character will make an appearance on Law and Order: CI.
• This Late Night with Conan O'Brien researcher isn't happy with NBC's A-List Award ads.
• Sharon Osbourne quits The X Factor.

Doesn't it seem like Larry King is aging at about five times the normal rate? I keep thinking he must be in his 90s, but in reality, he's only 74. And it looks like he'll be around a while.

According to a TVNewser report, CNN and King have agreed on a contract that will keep the suspender-clad one with the network through June 2011. For the record, he'll be 77 -- but he'll probably seem like he's 153.

A recent New York Times story speculated that ratings-challenged CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric might be eyeing King's CNN slot. "Couric discussed several things she might do if she left the anchor post, according to the executives, including a daily talk show to be syndicated by CBS, or replacing Larry King in a prime-time position on CNN," notes the Times story. Not so, a CNN spokesperson told TVNewser. "Larry is the best there is. He'll be here for a long time."

So, AOL TV did a poll about America's favorite talk show hosts and 1.3 million people made their feelings known. Interesting results. I didn't agree with some of them, like who I like waking up with. Diane Sawyer was the top choice, but I'd go for the second place finisher, Matt Lauer. As for whom to go to bed with -- TV talk show wise, that is -- I can't believe most of the people chose Jay Leno. Is he really that popular? I prefer David Letterman; I'm a sucker for the Top Ten lists.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• TruTV has picked up six episodes of Man vs. Cartoon, which is sort of like Mythbusters, only for old cartoons.
• Gary Busey follows up his Oscar red carpet antics with this.
• The first Burn Notice novel comes out in August.
• More info on NBC's plan for a 52-week TV season.
• The Late Show with David Letterman announces the end of the writers strike.
• No, Paula Abdul's new video has not been rejected by MTV.
• And finally, video of Larry King dancing with Janet Jackson.

Like a lot of writers, I have an idea folder (it's manila, but I have it covered in puffy rainbow and unicorn stickers, so it's beautiful). As each week progresses, I jot down all my ideas -- for columns, for stand-up bits, for ransom notes -- and at the end of that week, I take stock of my creative output.

This week, I noticed that there were a lot of ideas that I wanted to share, but that weren't quite big enough for a full TV 101 column. I attached them to the end of my last column in a section called "Dribs and Drabs." It was a good thought, except that it took an already bloated piece (my writing makes the Unabomber's manifesto look like a dream of concise thought) and puffed it up into a 3000 word monstrosity. My editor suggested I break up the Dribs and Drabs section into its own piece, and that, dear readers, is what I did. Dribs and Drabs, after the jump...

Um...I'm really not sure what to make of this video from CNN. It's not Dancing with the Stars exactly, but there is dancing and there are stars.

It shows the new Fab Four - Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, Lou Dobbs, and Larry King, with Cooper definitely the "Paul" of the group - dressed as Christmas elves (complete with funny hats, green suits, red and white stockings) and doing a bizarre dance to the tune of "Jingle Bells." OK, obviously, it's just their heads pasted on top of elf bodies. I wonder if they had to get the permission of the four anchors to do this or if it's just something CNN decided to do on their own. I can't imagine Dobbs being thrilled with it but I can see the other three laughing at it. Oh, I'd pay money to see Dobbs or Blitzer do their shows in those outfits.

You can "Elf yourself" at Office Max's elfyourself.com.

Readers, our long national nightmare is over.

Can the nation please now get back to talking about something else? This was a show where celebrities danced (not even for charity or money) and it consumed the media for weeks. Who would have thought that the most important celebrity on ABC in 2007 would be Marie Osmond? (I can't wait until Bobby Sherman captures the nation's heart on next season's House Painting with the Stars.)

Sure, sure, The Closer has received many accolades during its three seasons on the air, and star Kyra Sedgwick has won and been nominated for several awards. However, can you really say that the show has made it into the television pantheon? Well, now that Larry King is appearing you can definitely shout out a resounding 'YES'.

It's true, folks. Larry will guest-star on the season finale of The Closer, which will air September 10th on TNT.

• At 8, ABC has a new The Next Best Thing, then new episodes of American Inventor and Traveler.
• FOX has a new So You Think You Can Dance at 8, followed by the premiere of Don't Forget The Lyrics!
• At 9, NBC has a new America's Got Talent, then a new Last Comic Standing.
• There's a new American Masters on PBS at 9, on Les Paul.
• Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, talks to Larry King on CNN at 9. Should be surreal.
• Sci-Fi has a new Ghost Hunters at 9, followed by a new Destination Truth.
• VH-1 has The World Series of Pop Culture at 9.
• There's a new Footballer's Wives at 9 on BBC America.
• More stuff at 9: G4 has two new episodes of Code Monkeys.
• At 10, FX has a new Rescue Me.
• Discovery has two new episodes of Cash Cab at 10.
• Also at 10: Bravo has a new Top Chef.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 8, ABC has a new The Next Best Thing, then new episodes of American Inventor and Traveler.
• FOX has a new, two-hour So You Think You Can Dance at 8.
• The CW has two new episodes of Hidden Palms starting at 8.
• Also at 8: Patton Oswalt guests on Emeril Live, on Food Network.
• At 9, NBC has a new Last Comic Standing, followed by a new Dateline.
• Paris Hilton talks to Larry King at 9 on CNN.
• TBS has two new episodes of Tyler Perry's House of Payne at 9.
• The Travel Channel has a new World Poker Tour at 9.
• BBC America has a new Footballers at 9.
• At 10, History Channel has a new Modern Marvels.
• There's a new Top Chef on Bravo at 10.
• FX has a new Rescue Me at 10.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has a new Lil' Bush.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Yes, more news about Isaiah Washington! As if we had not published enough articles about him yet (just look at the amount of links in this article alone). Michael Ausiello from TV Guide reports that the ex-Grey's Anatomy actor will sit down for a chat with CNN's Larry King on Larry King Live on Monday, July 2. This will be the actor's first TV interview since being fired.

Expect the interview to cover the too much publicized incidents with T.R. Knight and Patrick Dempsey as well as what happened at the Golden Globes, the rehab, the PSA, the fact that Washington got fired, that potential law suit against ABC and the media frenzy!

• At 8, ABC has a new episode of The Next Best Thing, followed by a new American Inventor and a new Traveler.
• CBS has a new Creature Comforts at 8.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 8, then the season premiere of Last Comic Standing.
• There's a new, two-hour So You Think You Can Dance on FOX at 8.
• TCM has The Big Combo at 8, with Cornel Wilde, then Suddenly, Last Summer, with Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift.
• At 9 on CNN, Larry King talks to Regis Philbin.
• There's a new Mythbusters on Discovery at 9.
• BBC America has a new Footballer's Wives at 9.
• Also at 9: the Travel Channel has a new "Fathers and Sons" World Poker Tour.
• At 10, FX has the season premiere of Rescue Me.
• Bravo has the season premiere of Top Chef at 10.
• At 10:30, Comedy Central has the series premiere of Lil' Bush.

Check your local TV listings for more.