Note to self: Don't call your editor a 'martyr' during a meeting.

Here's some of the stuff I do on our Thursday entertainment page. I have a TV column and this week printed feedback I've received. Man oh man did I clean them up and correct mistakes. Seriously -- if you're going to send a letter to a newspaper or other publication, at least run spell check, people.

November 2, 2006

They're sharpening the ax:
Word has it that "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," despite receiving an order last week for three more scripts, will be cancelled. The script ordering was probably due to contractual issues, according to Entertainment Weekly, rather than a sign of hope from NBC in the show. NBC is disputing the rabid rumors, but who knows how long the show will actually last. "Friday Night Lights" ran in its place Monday, drawing a larger crowd than its showing the previous week and beating "Studio's" ratings as well.

This saddens me. The show that criticizes the state of TV by having its own show go against the network grain by being "controversial" and in turn receiving high ratings is in reality suffering from low ratings and the expected ax from its network. Now that's irony.
One reader disagreed with my open letter to Aaron Sorkin, "Studio 60's" creator, two weeks ago. Read on to see what she had to say, as well as my response.

Backtalk

Feedback for Oct. 19 column (An open letter to Aaron Sorkin)
Dear Sarah,
I have been reading your reviews in the new Life sections, and I have to say we are of two very different minds. I love "Heroes" and am not a comic book fan, but a 34-year-old mother of three. I like "Smith," and thought it was not really given a chance. And I like "Studio 60." I think you may have missed the first episode. The producer went crazy or if you ask me, he went sane! His rant about television was right on. I don't think "Studio" is meant to funny, but meant to be introspective. If you want funny, watch "30 Rock." You will find funny, or somewhat funny -- I can't really decide yet. I guess we will have to agree to disagree. I just hope that maybe, just maybe TV networks will hold on to the good shows that need some ... time.
Thank You,
Amy

Amy,
I think we're more like-minded than you assert. I like "Studio 60" and agree about the sorry state of TV (and yes, I saw the pilot, and wrote about it here). But I maintain the show-within-the-show's comedic sketches needed to be just that: comedic. The heavy-handed, preachy plotlines are wearing everyone down, and what could have been an amazing show is buckling under its own self-importance.
Also, I never said "Smith" was bad; I just said that it was cancelled. I never watched an episode. And I have to disagree with millions of people out there about "Heroes." I may give it another shot out of boredom, but it's just not great.
Sarah

Feedback for Oct. 26 column ("The Class" isn't funny)
To Sarah:
"The Class" is not as funny as I would have hoped it would be. However, there are funny shows on TV. I laugh out loud every time I watch "According to Jim" and "Two and a Half Men." Both are hilarious. Why are they not getting more recognition? Instead, "The Office" gets all the awards. "The Office" is one of the most stupidest shows I've almost sat through. No one I know watches it either.
Linda

Linda,
You cut me deep by calling "The Office" stupid. It gets all the awards because it's one of the smartest comedies on TV, claiming the title now that the brilliant "Arrested Development" is off the air. These aren't sitcoms; they're witty and eccentric, which makes it harder for these shows to gain an audience. I'll have to take your word on "According to Jim" and "Two and a Half Men" -- I just can't bring myself to watch them.
Sarah