Martin Short as Jiminy Glick

RAVE

"Glick" in 2002!

Call me crazy--many have--but Comedy Central's decision last week to renew Primetime Glick in 2002 comes as very, very good news. The series, starring Martin Short as fictitious, overweight talk show host Jiminy Glick, deftly skewers the late-night talk show genre, poking fun at such conventions as ethnic bandleaders, hosts who know nothing about their guests, and guests who know even less about the host. Mix in brilliant commercial spoofs, a deranged "storytime" break for children and a monologue that veers off into the utterly twisted, and you're left with a gem of a show that cleverly finds a way to insult just about everybody. Good stuff.

RANT

CNN: Where's the newscaster?

Perhaps you've tuned in to CNN's Headline News recently. You certainly got a ton of information, but could you even see the anchor? The network's recent decision to throw every scrap of information on the screen has backfired, without question. Sure, you get stock quotes, flashing headlines, weather updates, sports scores, logos and other tidbits, but half the screen is taken up. It's like hearing the news from Wilson on Home Improvement. Knock it off, guys. A scrolling headline telling us who grew the biggest eggplant in Idaho this year really isn't essential news. And WNBA scores? Now that's ridiculous.

RAVE

"Fear Factor"'s No. 1

After two months of tearing up the Nielsens, NBC's Fear Factor finally reached the No. 1 spot in the rankings last week. It's about time. This is certainly the best new show of the summer season (but then again, the summer's been limp with quality new content). Audiences seem to have latched on the idea of overconfident twentysomethings puking up earthworms. Very good. And the everyman quality of host Joe Rogan is quite comforting--none of the "I'm Batman!" cheesiness of Survivor's Jeff Probst.

RANT

Gayheart sued...finally

Why should it come as a surprise that actress Rebecca Gayheart's being sued for wrongful death? She reportedly hit and killed a kid with an SUV last month. Gayheart has not been criminally charged, nor is she expected to, and the child's family sued the former Beverly Hills 90210 actress seeking unspecified damages plus medical and funeral expenses. If that had been you or me in that Jeep--gabbing away on a cell phone, as Gayheart allegedly was--we'd be sent to the slammer in a heartbeat.

RAVE

"Emeril" cooking/sleeping with the fishes

Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore (who played mobster Big Pussy) will return to the small screen in the fall on NBC's new sitcom Emeril. Producers on the show are getting it right. While the sitcom originally started out as a sticky sweet family comedy, modifications to the show seem to be making it much, much more appealing than first conceived. Pastore will be playing himself in an early episode.

RANT

TBS: Bye, bye, Bond

After recently interviewing TBS execs, I unfortunately learned that the Turner network will not be continuing its annual 30 Days of Bond marathon, which usually airs in October. Instead, they'll be airing a Clint Eastwood marathon in November. Nothing wrong with the Eastwood stint, but it's too bad viewers who've not been introduced to classic James Bond fare will be deprived of cool gadgets and decent womanizing.