Some News From the Wacky, Wonderful World Of Television

Ted Koppel, of course, retired as the host of ABC's "Nightline" two weeks ago. I didn't always get to watch that show, but when I did, I could always count on thoughtful, probing reporting from Koppel, and I was never disappointed. Granted, there were some lesser moments - remember Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's appearance in 1987? - but Koppel was still a class act. The magnitude of his loss was demonstrated by ABC bringing three replacements to compensate for the loss of Koppel. I guarantee you they won't even come close.

Meanwhile, NBC is shuffling its prime time schedule faster than a kid shuffles his IPod selections. NBC has decided to move its better sitcoms to Thursday nights - putting "Joey" (remember "Joey?") on hiatus - in an effort to rebuild its Thursday night lineup and bring back the glory days of the late eighties and nineties. Come on, guys, you think the answer to your ratings woes is bringing back the past? It would be like that old hag Madonna trying to have a hit album by recreating her mid-eighties disco sound. . . . Okay, bad example! >:-(

And, oh yes, "The Simple Life" has ben picked up by the E! cable channel. We always will have Paris! :-O