Critics, who needs 'em?

Well, the movie studios. They need us so much for blurbs that they inflate some guy in Tucson, Arizona to an "ABC critic" when they stick his words in ads. When it comes to TV, I've usually found that the networks don't much care what you write about their shows as long as you write something. (Though I did once get a memorable email from Chris Fleming, the host of the Biography Channel's silly seance show Dead Famous, after I suggested that the ghost of Jim Morrison's dog could beat him at checkers.) But according to Variety's Brian Lowry, it's a little bit different if you're working in Los Angeles where you run into TV people at parties. By the way, Brian says he reviews shows while dressed only his underwear. Casual Fridays at the Herald haven't quite reached that stage yet.