THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 1, 1995 TAG: 9511010039
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
NOBODY asked me, but . . .
If I were David Letterman, and my ratings were dropping faster than a bungee jumper, I'd bring back Mujibur and Sirajul to the ``Late Show.'' Mom, too.
I guess I'm not the macho sports guy I thought I was. When the World Series aired on ABC the other night, I passed on it for a rerun of ``ER'' on NBC.
``Star Trek: Voyager'' is inferior to ``Star Trek: The Next Generation,'' but I watch anyway because I like the cast, particularly Neelix and Kes.
If you expected CNN's ratings to tumble after the O.J. Simpson verdict, you were so right. CNN's viewership is down 80 percent since the jury came in.
Norfolk actor Stephen Furst can't be feeling too good about the future of his Fox sitcom, ``Misery Loves Company.'' The network won't run it all during the November sweeps.
I'm about ready to come out of the closet and admit I never miss a minute of ``Central Park West'' on CBS.
On ``Monday Night Football,'' three men in the broadcast booth have always been one too many, even when the third man was a curiosity named Howard Cosell. Now that Dan Dierdorf is the third man, the telecast is insufferable.
I'm weakening. The next time I see the commercial for Magic Mop, I'm buying.
The people who vote for the Emmys should be ashamed of themselves for never giving one to Rip Torn. In his supporting role as Arthur on ``The Larry Sanders Show Starring Garry Shandling,'' he's marvelous.
If visitors from outer space watched ``Beverly Hills 90210'' and ``Melrose Place'' but no other shows on Earth, they would assume that only white people live in America.
All the ``yes, sirs'' and ``no, sirs'' on the NBC show ``JAG'' drive me nuts. Since when did Navy ensigns start treating lieutenants junior grade like they were four-star admirals?
I've got to get a life. The highlight of my week was staying up late to watch the Dr. Madblood movie Saturday night on WTVZ. It's on at 1:30 a.m.
This must be ``Hire the Young, Inexperienced Reporter With Little or No Camera Presence Year'' in local TV news. I have a hunch they work cheap.
If you doubt that police officers are overworked and underpaid, catch a few episodes of ``Cops.''
The sketch comedy on ``Mad TV,'' seen on Fox Saturdays at 11 p.m., is just as abysmal as that on ``Saturday Night Live.'' But there is a difference. ``Mad TV'' is more crude and tasteless. Example: the skit about phone sex involving mother and son.
You know it's been a tough year for CBS when ``60 Minutes'' finishes 22nd in the ratings.
I'll be disappointed if the producers of ``ER'' never explain why the much despised Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) walks with a crutch and limp.
I'll bet that Roseanne is mad as hell at CBS for ripping off the British sitcom ``Absolutely Fabulous'' in a new series (``High Society'') starring Jean Smart. Roseanne is developing an ``AbFab'' clone for ABC.
The $1.86 increase in my monthly cable bill won't break me, but I'm griping about it because it's my duty as a cable subscriber to do so.
It took long enough for righteous members of Congress to pounce on the producers of daytime TV's talk-show sleazefests. What was the last straw? Was it when people who took part in one-night stands were reunited on ``Carnie''?
I'm still hooked on ``Beverly Hills 90210,'' but I liked the show better when Brandon's parents (Carol Potter and James Eckhouse) were still around to settle down the cast.
Is it my imagination or has Pat Robertson visited every talk show except ``Real Personal'' to promote the novel he wrote in a month or so?
(Your comments on this column or any other are welcome. Call Infoline at 640-5555, Category 3333). by CNB