Some thoughts
In order to avoid going on a Bruce Drennan inspired rant about the Cavaliers, I will again hold off on thoughts until they win again. That technically could be until October, but then, I'm sure I'll need to write something depending on what LeBron James decides.

- The Indians' attendance means something. I imagine it means most fans are angry with the Dolans for destroying the franchise, angry with Mark Shapiro for spinning the ineptitude, and angry at Manny Acta because Eric Wedge was fired, and is not available for criticism.

The Tribe is 11-18. The most discouraging thing is that their best player is Austin Kearns. Matt LaPorta is looking like Luis Medina without the power. Luis Valbuena also looks lost out there.

What happens now? Probably more losing.

- V returns tonight. It's still a must-see show, though I may be the only one who feels that way.

John May Lives, Georgie dies, and I hate being right sometimes
Talking about V to people who don't watch it is difficult. The draw of this show, for me, is not the story of spaceships and aliens, but the characters and the performances that drive them.

A week ago, I wrote that I thought that Georgie (played brilliantly by David Richmond-Peck) would die and die soon. It disappointed me, because I thought his character was the most interesting.

But Georgie's sendoff was outstanding, as he essentially gives his life to protect the resistance movement. When he asks for Father Jack, and tells Ryan it's over, it was a powerful scene.

So where does V go now?

Erika's son now has turned on her for not telling him his father may not be his father. If this meansI won't have to watch scenes with Tyler anymore, well, it's a tradeoff I'm willing to make. Nothing against Logan Huffman's perfomance; I just don't care for Tyler's character.

-Val (Lourdes Benedicto) is challenging Elizabeth Mitchell for the Queen of the Facial Expressions. She found out that Ryan was not who he said he was. Whether she knows he's a V isn't clear yet. But she does know something's up with her pregnancy, so, well, the plot thickens there.

-No real Jack (Joel Gretsch)-and-Erika moments this week, aside from her confiding in him about the Tyler-thing. Not too much for Jack to do this week -- I think he was in the room with Ryan (Morris Chestnut) talking to John May's son, that they just wanted to make sure they gave him something else to do since he wasn't forgotten about completely.

-With Georgie gone, the top performance might go to Charles Mesure as Kyle Hobbes. Pretty cool mercenary.

Too much stuff going on to list it all. But I think this was the biggest example of a show I just didn't want to end.

Bones
Sometimes TV shows remind you of moments in your life. Tonight's Bones was a very good episode, especially for the last five minutes, when Booth finally told Brennan how he felt. He even kissed her.

The show often runs hot and cold for me, but tonight's show was big, because it reminded me of a time in my life when I should have taken a chance. There were plenty of reasons not to, just as there were plenty of reasons for Brennan to say no when Booth told her he wanted to date her.

But in the end, Brennan's logic won out. In my situation, logic won out as well. I didn't take the chance.

In TV, the scripts get written, the characters placed together. Booth and Brennan will be together eventually, if only because Sweeps will dictate it.

In real life, there is usually one moment, one chance to get it right. Sometimes asking for a girl's number blows up, because once a line is crossed, you can never go back.

But if you never step outside of what you perceive to be safe, you'll be left with questions, which in some ways are worse than the initial frustration of something failing.

Just to soften this up a little bit, let's go realistic with other TV shows:

The Office: Pam lets Jim leave after denying him after the kiss at the end of season 2. Jim goes on to another girl and never, ever returns to Scranton. This would have meant Jim and Pam never would have gotten together, which would have meant I'd still be watching The Office today instead of avoiding it because I can't take another "Jim and Pam are the love of the century" subplot.

Saved By The Bell: Slater refuses to ever speak to Kelly after she picks Zack for the prom. But Slater does resurface to rough up Jeff's pretty face after Zack recruits him to beat up Jeff as revenge after Kelly breaks up with him. Meanwhile, Jessie and Kelly stop talking after Jessie goes out with Slater. And Lisa finally files a restraining order on Screech.

Friends: Rachel decides she's way too attractive for Ross. Ross goes on to be boring in new and unexciting ways.

Cheers : Speaking of boring, Sam decides to fire Diane, sell the bar and become an angry doctor on a show that only gets good ratings because it's after Raymond.

Chuck: In real life, Casey'd have killed Chuck after the second episode.

Bones: After Bones broke his heart, Booth would have realized the error of his ways and gone back to ask out Buffy.

V
After the pilot episode, I was hooked on V. I've never been a huge fan of sci-fi, but the performances and the characters in the ABC series got me into it.

The first four episodes were excellent, but then the show went off the air for five months.

Since the return, I've come to a few conclusions about the show:

1. After six episodes, I really think David Richmond-Peck's performance as the desperate and unstable Georgie to be the best of the series. Richmond-Peck isn't even listed as a main actor on the show's Wikipedia page, and after tonight, I'm not certain Georgie will live to see the eighth episode. Too bad.

2. Father Jack and Erika have a romantic tension that in some episodes is obvious, and in others not even hinted at. I think Joel Gretsch is very good in this role, much better than he was a villain in Burn Notice. Then again, I saw V before I saw that episode, so that's probably why I didn't like that turn. Elizabeth Mitchell has outstanding facial expressions, and the appearance of Erika's ex should provide some interesting moments with Jack. Of course, Jack being a priest would complicate any romance. But it's TV, so who cares.

3. I've met many people in my line of work who remind me of Chad Decker (Scott Wolf). When I heard the Party of Five actor was in this series, I was less than excited. But Wolf has performed his role with gusto, and it has worked. The problem of balancing your integrity with a big break is a real battle in the news-industry.

4. Some have seen some connections between the character of Anna (Morena Baccarin) and President Barack Obama. They were way more noticable in the first two episodes, and I believe there was an intention early on to satire him. Of course, I would argue than Anna has proved WAY more competent than the president, but that may just be the right-winger in me talking. And joking, of course.

5. My brother made this point to me, and I think he's right on. The character of Tyler is very much like Kim Bauer in the early seasons of 24. I see the value and importance of Tyler's (Logan Huffman's) character, but I don't care much about him.

6. Morris Chestnut represents one of the main differences between this series and the original 1983 show, and it's an important difference. In the old versions, the aliens came to earth at once, and their voices made them easy to detect. In this version, V's gradually snuck into the world, posing as humans. In this series, aren't able to tell who is a V and who is not. Chestnut's Ryan is key to this, because he, more than any other character, represents prospects for a final peace in the show. He's been very good.

V has surpassed Chuck as my favorite show. Maybe that's because I feel Chuck is destined to be canceled. Ah well, it's been a good run.

But if V gets axed, I'm down to Castle.

B-W Please
Not to knock the restaurant B-W 3's; I spent many hours there watching football and wrestling pay-per views when I was in college.

But the commercials that are playing endlessly during the NCAA Tournament are an insult to everyone's intelligence.

In the commercials, the rowdy crowd at a B-W 3's is enjoying a game too much, and wants it to continue. So a guy at the bar pages someone at the game to create a scenerio that will send the game into overtime.

The crowd at the restaurant is overjoyed.

But there are some majors issues with this:

How many people watch a game without a rooting interest? Even if you aren't a fan, there's a good chance (if you're at a sports bar with the game package) that you have some money on said game. And if BW-3's had such power, wouldn't a fan (or a compulsive gambler) want to use it to DECIDE the outcome, not prolong the contest?

Sorry, but these ads have been bugging me for months.

10 things I think
1. The Colts will beat the Saints in the Super Bowl. Pointless to give a score since I have only seen one person guess correctly in the history of my watching football. That was back in 1994, when Joe Gibbs picked the Browns to beat the Colts 21-14 on and NBC pregame show, and then the Browns did. I know the idea of the Browns beating the Colts sounds more shocking than anything.

2. Best Super Bowl? Giants-Patriots, 2007 season.

3. Worst Super Bowl ever? Tie between the last two Steelers' wins and the Ravens winning for 2000.

4. Art Modell didn't make the Hall again. I've forgiven Art for the move, since it isn't healthy to hold grudges in general, let alone sports. But I will always ask this question to those who want him in: If he wasn't good enough before the move, why would he be after?

5. Two of the four members of The Who does not constitute a Who halftime performance.

6. Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and Prince were the best halftime performances.

7. Bob Dylan's Don't Think Twice might be my favorite recording of his.

8. Not really believing that Global Warming thing anymore. I never really did, actually.

9. Burn Notice is a great show I only recently discovered.

10. Everyone needs to watch Chuck.

Wanda Sykes
She does a commercial complaining about someone saying "that's so gay."

"That's insulting," she says.

Of course, in front of the President of the United States, Sykes says she hopes Rush Limbaugh's kidneys fail.

Be sensitive. Selectively.

Letterman apology
Good for him. Hopefully this closes the matter.

Letterman's insult
David Letterman's tasteless jokes about Sarah Palin actually have been going on since she became this country's most prominent conservative woman.

The insults to her were so mean that the place I work at agreed to stop watching him and shift to Jay Leno at 11:30 p.m.

"Why did we wait so long?" my co-worker asked.

This time, though, Letterman went so far that even responsible liberals are taking him to task. He made a joke that involved Palin's daughter getting "knocked up" by Alex Rodriguez.

Of course, Palin's daughter, the one that was traveling with her to New York, is 14. Letterman later said he meant to insult Palin's 18-year old daughter. Wow. That makes it so much better.

Conservative women have always frightened members of the left. Margaret Thatcher was ridiculed for years because some thought she wasn't feminine enough. Palin is attractive, so she must be a bimbo.

Playboy took the issues past all barriers of taste, creating a "hate-f***" list of women who were conservative.

In a different way, Hillary Clinton has dealt with the same kind of sexism. There are plenty of reasons not to like her, and I don't. But some of the criticism she has dealt with in the past (many times from the right) is simply because she's a strong, independent woman.

Clinton took heat from the left, too, especially when she went up against President Obama in the Democratic primaries.

But people like Letterman seem to think that everything's a joke. He even had the nerve to invite Palin on his show.

There's no real sense of remorse here. Palin means ratings to him, and that's it.

Letterman is facing a backlash. Thank goodness.

10 things I think
1. The Indians ought to release David Dellucci. He never plays, and when he does, it's a trainwreck.

2. The Cavaliers are just ridiculous. LeBron James scores 42 points, Mo Williams scores 30, and the team goes 3-1 on the road trip.

3. I agree with Michael Steele. Rush Limbaugh IS an entertainer. He should not have apologized.

4. The Reds probably won't compete in the NL Central They've had the gear stuck on "mediocre" for more than a decade.

5. I'm still not sure how Jimmy Fallon got Van Morrison to do his show, but I'm glad he did.

6. My early feelings on the new Browns regime are not positive.

7. I'm starting to think Randy Lerner only changes coaches to cover for his own incompetence as a football executive.

8. I think the Indians will go about .500.

9. I also picked the Indians to win the World Series in '05. Just saying.

10. More people should DVR Chuck. It's an actual funny show on NBC not named the Office.

Ten things
1. LeBron James' first buzzer-beating shot tonight at Golden State? He's just ridiculous. This is the year.

2. Why haven't the Browns hired a GM yet?

3. Jon Gruden. Herm Edwards. Both were not unemployed when owner Randy Lerner pulled the trigger on Eric Mangini. Both would have been better choices, in my estimation.

4. Barack Obama is president. I won't get on him too much for a while. He needs time to formulate his ideas. Jumping on every one less than a week in strikes me as counterproductive.

5. I hope the Indians at least call Manny Ramirez.

6. Haven't seen The Wrestler yet, but I want to.

7. I never got Joni Mitchell music.

8. John Anderson's Semonole Wind is still one of my favorite songs.

9. Why do people always forget the first 150 years of this nation when discussing the worst president ever?

10. Favorite TV show right now? Chuck.

The next time someone tries to take Bill Maher seriously
Remind them of the time he had Ashton Kutcher on as a panelist on Real Time.

Bernie Mac dies
A clever, charismatic and interesting performer. His death is a shock, simply because he seemed so full of energy.

The saddest thing about Mac's death (from the audience's perspective, anyway) is that he seemed to be capable of so much, and would have probably entertained for years to come.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Rest in peace.

The Moment of Truth
I don't know what I find more troubling. The fact that Fox's Moment of Truth did so well in the ratings, or that I, finding nothing else worth while on TV, watched it.

Probably the latter.

Red Sox win the World Series
Jimmy Kimmel probably sums up my feelings best.

Conan O'Brien vs. Cleveland
Conan O'Brien's monologue Tuesday night began with a joke that went something like this: (Paraphrasing):

The Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees were upset because their season is over. The Indians are upset because they have to go back to Cleveland.

Here's the thing. I could care less if Conan O'Brien chooses to joke about my hometown. David Letterman used to do it all the time. And I can appreciate a good Cleveland joke.

Sadly, this was not a good Cleveland joke. I have heard it about 100 times, the first time in 1990, when the Browns played the Broncos on Monday Night Football. They had a cut-in of the cast of Coach watching the game. Hayden commented to his buddies that the games were always close, but the Broncos always seemed to pull it out. Luther Van Damm (his assistant) responded that no matter what the outcome was, the Browns always lose because they have to go back to Cleveland.

It was barely funny then. Still, I encourage Conan to keep trying. It's not like our city hasn't given him a lot to go on. Our rivers and our Mayor's hair have caught on fire. We can't win in sports. Our top athlete wears a Yankees hat at an Indians playoff game.

Come on Conan, you can do better. Really go for it. Stop stealing Luther Van Damm's material.

Besides, Cleveland fans should take heart. In the game where Van Damm made the joke, the Browns rallied to win. And who are the Indians playing in the ALCS? The Red Sox. O'Brien's favorite team.

Maybe it's a good sign.

Cavs swept
I just got done watching the first season of Denis Leary's Rescue Me on DVD. After being unable to turn it off an blowing through 13 episodes in three days, it's probably not a great idea for me to write too much about the Cavaliers tonight.
My concern is going off like Leary, ranting and raving about how my team let me down.
But I don't want to be mad at a team that gave me such a thrill over the last month. The ending was an epilogue which, hopefully, will be forgotten. The end of the movie is last Friday's game against Detroit.
As for the finals, the better team destroyed. Hats off to San Antonio. Though I was nauseated watching Eva Longoria hold up a Spurs banner, then look around late in the game to see if it was OK to come on the court, the team itself is a classy group.
Maybe there's something to be written about the Cleveland Curse, but I don't want to rehash that. In my opinion, the OIC curse is dead. Cleveland has LeBron James, a first-place Indians team and a Browns' squad with an offensive line that's competent.
It's time to feel good about Cleveland sports.
The sweep hurts. But four years ago, the thought of the Cavs (or the Indians, for that matter) in the playoffs was laughable. And let San Antonio enjoy their NBA title. At least Cleveland has sports all year long.
Sorry San Antonio, couldn't resist a sore-loser shot.
I feel bad about the Cavs losing, but good about where the city's sports are going.
Raise your glass to LeBron and the Cavaliers. Great season. Great last month.
Raise your glass to Cleveland. Great year.
To better ones to come.

24
This season is jumping the shark. The twists and turns are becoming way too obvious. We've seen the "authorities leave an important suspect/witness unattended so supposed loving family member can kill them" before.
In season one, it was in a hospital. That alone was hard to believe, with the security and agent Jack Bauer outside.
This year, Mr. Bauer asks for five minutes with the most crucial witness in American history. With no surveillance, no guards within earshot.
Sure.
I just don't buy Wayne Palmer as President. I know I've written that before, but it becomes more and more clear each week that a major character every year -- the president -- is a weak character without any actual depth.
It's becoming a cartoon.

SNL does a brilliant sketch
Does Jim Downey still work at Saturday Night Live? Vivek told me about this sketch, but I didn't see it. I used to be a huge fan of SNL when I was younger; one of my ambitions was to be on the show as a cast member or host. But I took a different path, and besides, I have never been able to write comedy (You should see the movie script I wrote in college).
Anyway, my interest in the show has dropped in recent years, mainly because I never found Will Ferrell all that funny (though I loved Anchorman).
But the show can still be brilliant, and unlike so many in comedy today, can take on both sides. A sketch last year with Bill Frist and Dick Cheney on the run from the law (with Cheney shooting jackrabbits) was hilarious.
But this sketch sounds even better, on multiple levels.
I mention Jim Downey because he's a long time writer, and was labeled by Dana Carvey as a republican.