Gimmicks Come And Go; The Cop Show

By A Twist Of Fate Rather Than Anything Approaching Journalistic Enterprise, I Did The Last Major Interview With Johnny Carson.

Obviously Neither 'american Idol' Nor 'dancing With The Stars' Is A Variety Show In The Classic Sense, But The Way They Incorporate Elements Of Drama, Comedy And Suspense Is Moderately Ingenious.

Perhaps Western Civilization Is In A Post-decline Phase, Or Maybe The Decline Is Just Taking A Really Long Time, Like The Roman Empire's Did. The Romans Had Gladiators And Christian-hungry Lions And That Sort Of Thing. We Have Mtv.

The Once Inviolate Frame Within Which Programs Or Commercials Were Displayed On Television - Always Separately - Has Been Violated To A Pulp. Program Content Is Seen Increasingly As A Mere Backdrop On Which Ads Are Posted Like Billboards On A Fence.

Crime Dramas Will Never Go Away As Long As People Turn To Television For, Among Other Things, Reassurance And Comfort.