Happy New Year!!! (before I head West again)

12/31/10 10:55 AM

Here's to a fun, fine and prosperous 2011 for all.

Meanwhile, I'll be heading to presumably sunny Southern California again for the annual January network TV "press tour," which runs from Jan. 5-15.
During that time, all dispatches will be filed for my home away from home, locatetv.com. Starting Jan. 5th, you can find the complete, ongoing collection here. I hope you'll take a look.

Unclebarky.com otherwise is well-stocked with early reviews of significant new series that will premiere during the 11 days of show-and-tell in Pasadena. They're all on our Network News & Reviews page, where you can scroll to and fro. But specifically . . .

***The review of NBC's The Cape is here.
***The review of Fox's Bob's Burgers is here.
***The twin reviews of Showtime's Episodes and Shameless are here.
***The review of FX's Lights Out is here.

Unclebarky.com will resume posting the week of Jan. 16th. Until then, check out locatetv.com for the continuing saga from out West.
Ed Bark

Merry Christmas to one and all

12/24/10 10:54 AM

Christmas 2010 at unclebarky.com corporate HQ. Photo: Ed Bark
Have a terrific holiday season, everybody. And thanks for your continued readership and support!

We've also included Darlene Love's 2006 performance of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home") on Late Show with David Letterman. I still think it's her best ever.

Merry merry.
Ed Bark

Presenting 2010's top 10 national TV developments

12/23/10 02:52 PM

As the year winds down, unclebarky.com looks back at 2010's top national headliners. You'll find our annual countdown on the "Making a List" page. Plus, Wednesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings are in.
Ed Bark

CBS announces new midseason schedule

12/22/10 10:57 AM

No. 1 CBS will be ringing in the New Year with a handful of significant changes, including the eventual banishment of William Shatner's pain-in-the-ass-to-type sitcom. Also, the red-hot Dallas Mavericks drummed up some local interest in Tuesday's D-FW Nielsen ratings.
Ed Bark

Hello, they must be going: our annual look at the year in D-FW television news departures

12/21/10 04:26 PM

Some left by choice, others not so much. But all made their marks in some ways. Click here for our 2010 list of on-camera news personalities who now are no longer with Fox4, NBC5, WFAA8, CBS11/TXA21 or CW33. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show the Mavs are still having a hard time making much of a dent, even with Monday night's big road win over LeBron's Miami Heat.
Ed Bark

Injured Romo completes big pass anyway

12/17/10 07:00 PM

CW33 is really downplaying (hah!) the engagement of its own beauteous Candice Crawford to the Dallas Cowboys' resident gentleman who prefers blondes.
Ed Bark

King abdicates amid a gaggle of A-list well-wishers and a side order of malaprops

12/17/10 06:01 PM

More than a quarter-century after its inception, Larry King let go of Larry King Live Thursday night. A lot of biggies wished him well, including fellow "zipper club" member Bill Clinton. That took a little extra explaining. Our review is here.

Plus, we remember late, great pitcher Bob Feller via a vintage "Back Channels" story that found him as ringmaster of a traveling Hall of Fame exhibit at a Hurst shopping mall. And the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings also are in the house.
Ed Bark

Another hoot: Newt again wants a big-money donation from Dallas gentlemen's club

12/16/10 01:22 PM

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's conservative American Solutions organization is hitting up The Lodge for money again. The Dallas-based gentlemen's club has responded by gifting him with a lifetime VIP card. For all the bare essentials, go here.

Plus, Major League Baseball's official World Series film is newly available. Um, the Rangers still lose, but it still makes for a nice little gift. Our review is here. The latest D-FW Nielsen ratings also are in.
Ed Bark

Aguilar vs. Fox: a final post-mortem

12/15/10 04:35 PM

I've put together some closing thoughts on what it was like to cover the Rebecca Aguilar vs. Fox trial and how I feel about the unanimous verdict against her. If you'd like to take one last dip, you'll find it here. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are in. And at my home away from home, locatetv.com, I've got a little discourse on Larry King's impending farewell.
Ed Bark

Showtime rises up to best HBO in Golden Globes noms for TV series; former CW33 anchor Tom Crespo finds new home with his old boss

12/14/10 10:53 AM

The latest Golden Globe nominations are a huge boost for Showtime, which for the first time bested HBO in the weekly series TV categories. Also, former CW33 anchor Tom Crespo has a new TV desk job after nearly two years out of the biz.
Ed Bark

Day 6: Judgment day in Aguilar vs. Fox trial is a big win for her former employer

12/13/10 06:29 PM

A 12-member jury ruled unanimously and quickly Monday in favor of Fox's defense against former reporter Rebecca Aguilar's civil suit charging wrongful termination based on racial discrimination and retaliation. Our exclusive and compete account is here.
Ed Bark

HBO's Lombardi documentary looks at legendary Green Bay coach while mostly leaving out his two big cheeses

12/11/10 02:43 PM

As a native Wisconsinite who grew up during the Green Bay Packers' glory years, I eagerly anticipated HBO's Lombardi documentary. It's quite good, but could have been great. And at least two key players are largely missing in action. Our review is here.
Ed Bark

Day 5: Testimony ends in Aguilar vs. Fox with Clarice Tinsley as last witness

12/10/10 06:01 PM

Jurors in the Aguilar vs. Fox wrongful termination trial got some last-minute star power Friday when the dean of D-FW news anchors, Clarice Tinsley, became the last witness to testify. But which side brought her in? Our complete coverage of Day 5 is here, with attorneys' closing arguments scheduled for Monday.

Also, the jointly operated CBS11/TXA21 stations have a new weekend anchor, which meant an exit Friday for three-year vet Nerissa Knight. Get the details here.
Ed Bark

Day 4: Aguilar takes stand -- for probable last stand against Fox4

12/09/10 08:08 PM

Former Fox4 reporter Rebecca Aguilar testified on her behalf for much of Thursday's Day 4 of her wrongful termination suit against Fox4. Lead defense attorney Michael Shaunessy then peppered her with verbal punches. Our detailed "exclusive" coverage -- there, I said it -- is right here.
Ed Bark

Defense amasses evidence against Aguilar in Day 3 of trial

12/09/10 06:18 AM

The defense hardly rested Wednesday. Instead, attorneys for Dallas-based Fox4 guided news director Maria Barrs through her series of decidedly mixed performance evaluations of former reporter Rebecca Aguilar. They dated to 1998, Barrs' first year as news director. Aguilar, who is suing Fox4 for wrongful termination, testified for a few minutes at the end of the trial's Day 3. She'll get a full day in court on Thursday. Our latest full-day's coverage is here.
Ed Bark

Day 2: Aguilar vs. Fox

12/08/10 06:39 AM

Tuesday brought another full day of testimony in the wrongful termination civil suit filed by former Fox4 reporter Rebecca Aguilar against her previous employers. Your friendly content provider again stayed the course to provide another detailed account of the day's proceedings in a downtown Dallas courtroom. Why? Because it affords a prime opportunity to get a look at the inner workings of a big-time local television news provider in times when virtually all media companies are increasingly secretive about how and why they do what they do. Our detailed report is here.

Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show how two big made-for-TV songfests fared against each other Monday night.
Ed Bark

Hard punches thrown on Day 1 of Aguilar-Fox court battle

12/07/10 06:50 AM

Former Fox4 reporter Rebecca Aguilar's wrongful termination suit against her previous employers began Monday in Dallas with jury selection and some barbed opening statements by opposing attorneys. Our complete coverage is here.

Also, CBS11/TXA21 sports anchor-reporter Gina Miller announces her marriage in a big way. And the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings show that viewers are warming up again to the belatedly resurgent Dallas Cowboys.

P.S. The new design you're seeing on some pages is not entirely by design. In other words, it's complicated. But we're working to restore the ads, etc. Meanwhile, the content continues apace.
Ed Bark

Still no car chases or body bags: TNT's Men of a Certain Age returns for Season 2

12/03/10 11:53 AM

Imagine a prime-time TV drama series in which no one gets arrested, solves a crime, prosecutes a case, fires a gun or wields a scalpel. That would be TNT's still finely rendered Men of a Certain Age, which returns for a second season on Monday. Our review is here. Plus, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings give CBS reruns a point differential over rivals' new menus.
Ed Bark

Bing Crosby ( or Bing Who? to readers of a certain age) has new collection of old Christmas specials

12/02/10 02:24 PM

Bing Crosby, the "White Christmas" dude, stars in a newly released two-disc DVD collection of several Christmas specials. It includes the last one, which had that against-all-odds "Little Drummer Boy" duet with David Bowie. Our full-blown review is here. Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings are boffo for Fox and Fox4.
Ed Bark

A little night music (and for KXAS/Ch.5 that used to mean lots of sax appeal)

12/02/10 01:04 AM

November has rolled over into the archives on the most heavily posted unclebarky.com pages. We begin December with a look back at a still fairly stylish 1988 "Night Team" promo for Fort Worth-based KXAS-TV before it became NBC5 under the thumb of network ownership.

Also, the latest D-FW Nielsen ratings chart the numbers for Monday's trio of competing evergreen Christmas specials. And on the Network News & Reviews page, ABC touts "One Night, One Big Event." Hint: Barbara Walters is heavily involved.

We'll also issue our monthly reminder to amazon.com shoppers. You can send a few pennies worth of commission into the unclebarky.com piggy bank if you first click on one of the amazon ads on any of our pages before making your purchases. We greatly appreciate those readers who already make this part of their amazon shopping routine. Every penny helps to keep this website both free of charge and completely independent when it comes to reporting on both local and national TV.

Thanks as always for your continued readership and support.
Ed Bark

Above the Fold

So tell us what you really think about what you see on TV