Thanks for your comments, Tim! I agree that the humanity Shelley Long brought to the role of Diane is what makes the early seasons of Cheers hold up so well 30 years later.

Rolando, you'd be more aware of this than I am, but do these artists do their own marketing, or do they work with PR firms and graphic artists? Maybe the better marketing is the result of feedback, revision, and collaboration, while the show itself is not given the same treatment. Of course, so many bad shows are the result of writing by committee, so more meddling hands may not always be the answer.

Thanks, Jim! Alas, it's tough to get WKRP episodes because only the first season was released on DVD (because of music rights). We need a Kickstarter campaign to get the entire series released in its original form. Probably not going to happen.

I think HBO and Dunham can live with the description "induced mental depravity" if it brings in viewers.

No, just the few minutes. I don't know German. I was fascinated by the laugh track, which seems more like a "I think this is funny, maybe?" track. I've heard the same on French re-dubs of American sitcoms. I guess Europeans think we laugh too heartily.

And another test comment.

A list of great scenes in OK episodes is a very good idea. Some series, like "The Dick Van Dyke Show," were of such high quality that episodes with weak stories often had stand-out scenes. There is a probably a long list of episodes with hidden pregnancies. Elaine refusing to take off a bulky coat in "Seinfeld" comes to mind. On "WKRP in Cincinnati," there was a running gag in which Les appeared with bandages on different parts of his body, without any explanation.

Corrine's baby was funny, I'll grant you that.

Thanks, Chief!

Too late, I got better. Still need the shrink, do doubt.

It also helps that Mary Tyler Moore promoted its supporting cast more than any sitcom had before. Five of Mary's co-stars won Emmys (Ed Asner, Ted Knight, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman, and Betty White). Only Cheers had so many different winners, but it ran four years longer. Mary's generosity in giving her co-stars screen time -- unlike, say, Lucille Ball -- must have made her popular with the rank and file in Hollywood.

An April poll by the Washington Post found that "72 percent said they support tax increases on people with incomes of more than $250,000" (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/53455.html), and I've seen similar findings elsewhere. So, no, I don't think the GOP is reflecting the mood of the country, but the party is reflecting the wishes of its major contributors.

I'm sure Obama and the Democrats are doing all they can to make the GOP look ridiculous, but if it's too blatant, it will backfire. (Watch out for open microphones, Mr. President, and don't crow about crazy candidates getting all the press.) As for Trump, I don't think he'll make it far, but this won't discourage him. The angriest people of all right now are the conspiracy theorists who finally accept the validity of the long form birth certificate. They will never vote for Obama under any circumstance, and Trump is busily giving them alternate reasons ("affirmative action"!) to hate the president.

Patrick, I'm sorry your family has had to go through this. The point I was making is that it's insensitive and inhumane to make judgments about "real" people when we know only bits of information (which may not even be true) about their lives. I had to use a real example here, and the Herald story and reader comments struck me as particularly callous. I do NOT agree with the reader comments, and I think the rest of the post makes clear that I don't take what the reporter wrote at face value.

Maybe urban planners should take advantage of anti-French animosity among American conservatives. "Keep our major cities affordable, or we'll end up like Paris!"

Yes, it can be more work! Mainly because I'm always "on the clock" and feel guilty about doing stuff that isn't related to employment or writing projects.

It's really a matter of budgeting time. I try to (eventually) sample everything that gets positive reviews, no matter what the subject, but I can't do a thorough watching of them all. If "Buffy" still holds its reputation in a few years, I might go back to the beginning.

Well, we don't yet know how Palin and Bachmann would do, so I wouldn't write off experienced candidates yet. I don't think Barbour's record as governor hurts him as much as his seeming indifference about the state's Jim Crow days.

Good. That means I get your table!

According to this week's Boston Globe poll, a slim plurality of voters in Massachusetts (43-36) support the current bill: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/01/10/senate_poll_coakley_up_15_points/?page=2 I don't think theres any question, however, that a Brown victory would be a repudiation of Ted Kennedy's record in the US Senate and Kennedys support for universal health care coverage. That would be quite a turnaround in public sentiment in this state.

Or it could just be that a bad economy makes people nervous about anything new.

I'm trying to send blog posts to my Twitter account. Doesn't work in the new design (except when the post is never saved as a draft, a rule that eliminates ALL of the posts). So I'm checking to see whether it works with the old design.

Same as Vallejo Nocturno's comment. My text toolbar vanished and was replaced by "Text Editing Tools," followed by gibberish.

Brad Woodhouse needs to hire someone who can write tongue-in-cheek.