By A Twist Of Fate Rather Than

If The Networks Can Get Audiences To Tolerate Pop-up Promos By The Dozens, Maybe They'll Start Selling Pop-up Commercials, Too.

Jimmy Kimmel Still Comes Across Like A Guy Who Crashed A Party And Got Caught At It, Yet Adamantly Refuses To Leave.

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.

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.

In The Realm Of Pop Celebrity, The Bar Has Been Lowered So Far That There Is No Bar. People Can Be Famous For Being Famous, Famous For Being Infamous, Famous For Having Once Been Famous And, Thanks Largely To The Internet, Famous For Not Being Famous At All.