As a TV critic, it is my solemn duty to provide the news from the entertainment world that will assist you in deciding how you’ll spend your time in front of that box in your living room.
Today, with that in mind, I’m heading for the TV Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles, where I’ll spend two weeks hobnobbing with celebrities, writers, producers, directors and network bigwigs who will present their plans for the fall TV season.
For you, I will stay at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pasadena, Calif., for two weeks and endure all the catered meals, free drinks and red-carpet parties this thing can throw at me.
It’s all for you.
Starting Thursday, I’ll be dishing daily on what’s happening in TV land, what you should expect this fall from your favorite returning shows and what you can hope for from new ones.
If you haven’t noticed, TV is good again.
Big hits such as “My Name is Earl,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Prison Break” were among those that we discussed at last year’s press tour.
We also talked about big flops that no one remembers now. Does Fox’s “Head Cases” ring any bells? How about “Reunion” or “Surface” or “Emily’s Reasons Why Not”?
They were all there, and we knew they all stunk. (OK, I thought “Emily’s Reasons” had a shot, but you can’t win ‘em all.)
We don’t always like the decisions TV executives make, and this is our chance to question them, face-to-face, on anything our readers want to know about.
Are you upset that “Commander in Chief” was booted? Are you still bitter over “Arrested Development”? Are you unsure of your favorite show’s future?
Send me your questions and I’ll get you answers.
Beyond that, I’ll provide the news of the day in the pages of The Herald and online with regular updates to my blog at Heraldnet.com. I’ll also check in on the radio, continuing my weekly chats on “The Pat Cashman Show” from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays on KRKO (1380 AM).
Some events planned for the next couple of weeks include visits to the sets of FX’s “The Shield” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” (Yes, ladies, I’ll likely bump into “Dr. McDreamy.” Please forward any messages or photos you’d like me to pass along.)
Today, I’ll be catching up with the guys from HBO’s “Entourage” and hearing from Spike Lee about his upcoming HBO documentary on Hurricane Katrina, “When the Levees Broke.”
Over the weekend, I’ll get to grill Katie Couric about her new gig at “CBS Evening News” and next week we’ll see what the future holds for “Gilmore Girls,” which is entering its final season without creator and executive producer Amy Sherman-Palladino at the helm.
I’ll talk to Ted Danson about his new sitcom on ABC, hear from Aaron Sorkin about his highly anticipated new NBC show, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and I’ll clear up all that mess about The WB and UPN merger into “The CW” and find out what MyNetworkTV is all about.
And that’s just the start.
Sit tight. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Columnist Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
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