Village Vidiot: TV

And the third season finale last Sunday (Nov. 8) was as good proof as any that this show ROCKS! (Not the most sophisticated assessment, but it's true).

According to the ratings, the audience for this drama about Madison Ave. advertisers in the 1960s is growing. The final episode, which was one of the finest the show has ever had, drew 2.3 million viewers, 33 percent higher than last season's finale and second this year only to the season premiere.

Overall, the show's audience grew 20 percent. So what are you waiting for - go rent the DVDs to the first two seasons and somehow hunt down the third season from Comcast's video on demand or by illegally downloading them if you have to and absorb television writing like you've never heard before.

Fox's "Glee" is that wonderfully quirky, toe-tapping musical/drama/comedy that is taking television by storm. I also think it's one of the best new shows of this season.

The Hollywood Reporter has a story up today that talks about the "Glee" phenomenon and how it's giving a much-needed boost to the music industry.

The first soundtrack album just came out (which we here at the Tribune reviewed), and a second will be released Dec. 8.

There's also a national cast tour being talked about and more.

What I hope is it doesn't distract producers from their core series. As it stands now, though, "Glee" is a triumph.

But don't take my word for it. Here's the whole last episode for your viewing enjoyment. The show, which took a brief hiatus for the World Series, returns Wednesday (Nov. 11) at 8 p.m. on KSTU Channel 13.

It just sucks having to come back to work on a Monday.

So to make things a little more bearable, how about not working and watching something on the Interwebs.

I haven't done this in awhile, but here's a Cubicle Cinema of the Day for ya, where I embed a video of a movie or TV episode for your online enjoyment. It certainly beats doing work all day.

It's the latest episode of ABC's very funny "Modern Family," one of the best new fall shows. It's about three very different families, told through the mockumentary style of "The Office" or "Parks and Recreation." But this show happens to be the funniest of the three. Enjoy, and don't forget to click on the full screen button in the corner to fill the entire screen with video goodness. Just beware of the boss and laugh today - it's Monday for heaven's sake.

So how much is a television network worth?

If you're NBC, you're worth about $30 billion. Not bad for a network in last place.

But according to sources who talked to The Hollywood Reporter, a joint venture between Comcast and NBC Universal places the valuation of the network at that number. Comcast is planning to purchase General Electric's and Vivendi's interest in the network and own 51 percent of it.

Where did they get that kind of money?? Guess that's where our inflated cable prices are going.

Here's all the sordid details.

Ah, November sweeps. That time of the year when TV networks pull out all the stops to lure viewers (it's when advertising rates are calculated).

So ABC is turning to star power. It's having singing sensation Susan Boyle come on "Dancing With the Stars." Thankfully, she's not going to dance. She's going to sing "I Dreamed a Dream," the song that catapulted her to fame when she performed it on "Britain's Got Talent."

You'll be able to catch it Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. on KTVX Channel 4.

Honestly, I don't know how they're going to do this.

The TV Guide Network and TV Land have bought up the rights to show HBO's hilarious comedy, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which means that each episode will only be about 5 minutes long if they have to do some cutting to air them on basic cable.

I mean this show is crude - very crude. In one episode, star Larry David calls someone a certain kind of word that you just never use on someone (a "C" word) during a poker game. An episode this season is about performing a certain sexual act in a car.

"Curb" will premiere on TV Guide in February (does anyone ever watch that networka anyway - what an odd choice?) and on TV Land in 2013.

During the Halloween episode which aired last week, Steve Carell's character Michael Scott tried to scare a group of children during a haunted house tour in the warehouse by dangling from a hangman's noose.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Mental Health America, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Suicide Awareness Voices in Education are asking that the networks be more sensitive when it comes to issues of suicide.

"We try not to be zealots about this," said Robert Gebbia, the Suicide Prevention foundation's executive director. "But this one ... kind of crossed the line."

TNT announced it has bought the syndication rights to CBS' hit show, "The Mentalist,' to begin airing in 2012.

The show is now in its second season. From the press release.

THE MENTALIST will join a TNT lineup that includes many hit acquired series, along with network originals such as The Closer, Saving Grace, HawthoRNe, Leverage and the upcoming Men of a Certain Age.  TNT also recently picked up Warner Bros. Television’s Southland.

“THE MENTALIST is a terrific show that will be an ideal fit for TNT’s already strong lineup,” said Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks.  “The early success of the series also indicates THE MENTALIST has a great future.”