T Dog’s Grab Bag: Jim, Tom, and the two Bobs

WLS-AM’s Jim Johnson calls it a career; Bob Newhart hits out of the park;  Bob’s Burgers sold in off-network to Adult swim – Jim Johnson is calling it a career: after 45 amazing years as a newsman for WLS-AM, Johnson announced his retirement earlier this week, officially departing when his contract expires in June. Johnson joined The Big 89 in […]

“Dallas”, “Jeannie” star Larry Hagman dies at 81

Larry Hagman, known for his roles as Tony Nelson on I Dream Of Jeannie and J.R. Ewing on Dallas died Friday night in a Dallas hospital of complications from cancer, which he had been battling for the past year. He was 81. Born in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in nearby Weatherford, Hagman’s acting career started after he left the […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: “Closer” finale draws 9.1 million able bodies

We’ve got items on The Closer, NBC’s ratings results for its fall preview shows, and more: – According to Chicagoland Radio & Media, WJYS-TV’s new late night talk show strip Seven On Ridge has now nailed down a temporary location while it searches for a permanent home in the downtown Chicago area – the Genesis Convention Center in Gary, Ind. […]

“Dallas” looking to ride high in the saddle again

Look who’s riding back into town after 21 years… and look who’s he brought back from the gutter with him… J.R. Ewing – whose seedy antics made even superhero villains look good by comparison, is coming back to television this Wednesday night in a revival of the popular 1978-91 CBS primetime serial Dallas for TNT, which features the dealings of […]

Reboot Fever… Catch It!

Marvel is hoping Hulk can smash the competition in 2011 like he did in the late ’70’s. (Image: SciFiplanet.com) Get ready for another reboot… this time of The Incredible Hulk. The revival of the classic 1978-82 CBS series with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno – also notable for its wonderful closing theme song –  is one of the projects Marvel […]

TCA: Fox leaves "American Idol" questions unanswered

Fox’s 2010 TCA Presentation won’t be remembered for its three new shows (in fact, they’re quite forgettable), but for the questions it didn’t answer… Fox execs Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice talked about a lot of things pertaining to their network, but disappointed many at the press tour by refusing to answer any questions related to American Idol, especially on […]

The Grab Bag: Bill Gamble out at CBS Radio

…and other local media items of note – Chicago radio veteran Bill Gamble is out of  another radio job. He was canned as program director of CBS’ WCFS-FM (Fresh FM) and country WUSN-FM (US 99) on Tuesday, lasting a little over eight months. While US 99 continued to chug along nicely at the station, it was the troubles of Adult […]

Can you tell them apart?

Cartman and J.R. Ewing. Separated at birth? Television has a rich history of evil TV characters fans love to hate. From J.R. Ewing to Montgomery Burns, their scheming ways have made memorable storylines. So what happens when you combine J.R. and Burns and toss in a little Archie Bunker, and what do you get? The perfect heel character in Eric […]