By A Twist Of Fate

Technically, 'kukla, Fran And Ollie' Was A Kids' Show, But Adults Watched Almost Religiously - And We're Talking Adult Adults, Celebrated Adults - Including James Thurber, Orson Welles, John Steinbeck, Adlai E. Stevenson And Lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

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.

Late-night Television Is Like The Cereal Aisle In The Supermarket: Too Many Choices. Also, Too Many 'different' Brands That Really Aren't Different At All.

Somewhere Around The Turn Of The Century, It Stopped Being Hip To Say You Never Watched Tv. Adults Are Much More Likely To Find Something To Engage Them On Television Than They Are At The Local Multiplex. Edges Are Being Cut On Television All The Time, But At The Movies Only Now And Then.

Gimmicks Come And Go; The Cop Show Seems One Genre That Will Never Leave - Not As Long As People Like To Sit At Home In The Suburbs And See What Awful Things Go On In The Cities.