It's TV tour time

Staring out at rows of semi-interest, the young British comedian seemed surprised.

"This is so weird," James Corden said. "(I'm) sitting on a white, leather sofa, watching everyone check their E-mail."

That's a quirk of the evolving Television Critics Association tour. This one started today in Beverly Hills and will continue for 15 days. I'll send blogs daily (at least), in addition to writing newspaper stories.

In the old days, reporters showed up at these interview sessions with nothing but pencils and notebooks. I've actually sent some TV-tour stories by mail; they were not breaking news.

Now, however, many people bring their computers into the interview rooms and hook up to wi-fi. If anyone says something newsy -- it's possible, you know -- that can be sent instantly.

The reporters can also use those computers to check background info. Or, as Corden speculated, they can go to MySpace or check on baseball scores or chat with family and friends. It's a new world.

A lot happens during one of these, though. Some glimpses of the first and slowest day:

1) One large chunk of my day was spent simply getting here. That included a never-ending airport terminal in Minnesota. I'm pretty sure that my arrival gate was in Minneapolis and the departure gate was in St. Paul.

2) When I finally reached California, Alex Black was at his first press session. He's 19 and plays Ed Asner's grandson in "Generation Gap," a Hallmark Channel movie; he granted that, prior to the role, he didn't know who Asner was. That's reasonable enough: Asner won all seven of his Emmys (five of them for playing Lou Grant on two different shows) before Black was born.

3) Next was HD Net; you had to admire Mark Cuban, the network's owner. Here is a mega-millionaire who does his own introductions (usually the duty of a public-relations type), wears jeans, talks directly and loves movies and basketball. I think I like the guy.

4) Next came BBC America, which is roughly the best network people forget to watch. We were soon talking with political reporters (including Ted Koppel) and the stars of two dramas -- one involving terrorism and one involving stampeding dinosaurs. We were also talking to Corden. If his "Gavin & Stacey" (arriving Aug. 26) is half as funny as he is in person, it will be a fine show.

5) And no, this tour isn't all silliness. Tonight, I was sitting next to the remarkable Malinda Edwards, now of Cincinnati. She was 5 when her father died, in 1957 Alabama. At 12, she learned he had been murdered. At 25, she saw the alleged killers go to trial -- and be acquitted. At 45, following a confession, she saw the case re-opened; so far, there hasn't been a conviction.

That story and others will be probed in a series on TV One, a cable channel aimed at black viewers. In a dizzying leap between generations, TV One will note the nomination of a black man for president -- and the deaths of many black men who were simply seeking the right to vote.

Comments

[Scott H]

Hopefully you have not been too busy to follow the developments in the NFC North and NL Central divisions.

I think the Packers should go with Rodgers at QB. He is not just a long-term upgrade, but I think gives a better chance to win this year. Favre may be a better regular season QB, but if I need someone to win three or four consecutive playoff games, I want a solid, dependable quarterback, not a gun slinger who is trying desperately to get into the history books as a QB with multiple NFL titles.

2. Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin will make a big difference on the Cubs, and it is a great counter-move to the CC Sabathia trade.

P.S. Networks put reality shows on in the summer not to save money, but to improve the quality of their programming. My personal favorite: "America's Favorite Closed-Circuit Footage of Loading Docks."