The first TV network on the agenda is also the most troubled one, a malady continuing to plague the NBC TV network, even with new leadership at the helm.

This past summer, Bob Greenblatt arrived at his first conference as the newest NBC Entertainment chairman, telling the assembled scribes that he was “very excited and bullish” about the fall season.

It seemed like just yesterday that “The Playboy Club,” attempting to cash in on the swinging Sixties vibe generated by “Mad Men,” would result in success. Yet, the show was canceled faster than Hugh Hefner’s last engagement to a centerfold model.

So Chairman Greenblatt confessed that his network had “a really bad fall,” and admitted that it was “worse than I’d hoped for.” He must hope his bosses are patient.

In any case, the NBC executive, admitting that developing new shows is “a bit of a crapshoot,” appears to be staking much of his reputation, if not career, on a big musical drama that will premiere the day after NBC televises the Super Bowl.

“Smash” celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have the common desire of delivering a smash production.

The series centers on the process of creating a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, not an entirely far-fetched notion.

Debra Messing stars as a partner in a successful songwriting duo with Christian Borle, while Anjelica Huston jumps on board as a tenacious Broadway producer.

A rivalry soon forms during the audition process for the lead role between youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty Karen (Katherine McPhee, “American Idol”) and stage veteran Ivy Bell (Megan Hilty), who’s determined the leave the chorus line for a big break.

“Smash,” though it is executive produced by Steven Spielberg,” looks very much like an insider show that may not have mass appeal. Maybe this is why Greenblatt claimed that it is not “a make-or-break” show for his network.

The verdict on NBC’s mid-season moves may come swiftly with the launch of two new series that are on the verge of a debut as this column is being written.

“The Firm” may have the advantage of being a well-known product, as it is based on John Grisham’s best-selling novel which in turn became a Tom Cruise movie.

Stepping into the Cruise role of attorney Mitch McDeere is Josh Lucas, who picks up the role of the former associate of the Memphis law firm 10 years later.

“The Firm” opens with an intriguing conspiratorial tone, with Mitch running for his life through the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial.

Apparently, after a decade in Witness Protection, Mitch and his family settle in Washington, D.C., where he starts up a law office with Juliette Lewis, the feisty receptionist, and Callum Keith Rennie, playing his volatile older brother, an unorthodox investigator.

The standard-issue plot points that are familiar to any number of other legal dramas may undermine this show. More importantly, for a supposedly brilliant lawyer, Mitch seems too easily outsmarted by another big firm.

Chelsea Handler is a snarky late-night talk show host who has penned a few books, including “Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea.”

This literary endeavor has inspired a new comedy series called “Are You There, Chelsea?,” which stars Laura Prepon in the titular role of a 20-something cocktail waitress, who is opinionated, sexually active and hard-drinking.

Chelsea Handler appears in a recurring role as her own older sister, a born-again Christian named Sloane, married and a new mom who has little in common with her sibling.

“Are You There, Chelsea?” thrives on the humor of the wild party lifestyle and one-night stands, the combination of which may work better for a late-night cable show.

Fans of Chelsea Handler may want to catch this show in the early going before she has to answer “no” to the show’s title question.

Waiting in the wings for a spot on the schedule is an intriguing drama about a detective who discovers he is leading an arduous double life that defies reality.

Following a tragic car accident, detective Michael Britten (Jason Isaacs), starring in “Awake,” finds he’s awake in two separate realities: one where his teen son died in the crash and his wife survived; and another where the outcome is switched.

To regain a semblance of normalcy, the detective returns to solving crimes in both worlds. But then memories of the accident begin to haunt him, and “Awake” will seek to untangle his dual existence.

“Bent” is a romantic comedy about a womanizing, surfer dude contractor and his beautiful, no-nonsense, Type-A client, both of whom become tangled up in a remodeling job that involves more than just a lot of wood and plaster.

On the surface, Alex (Amanda Peet) and Pete (David Walton) could not be more different. Alex hires Pete to do remodeling work that looks to never end with ongoing change orders.

Though Alex is outwardly hostile to Pete, it’s painfully obvious that there is inevitable romance brewing. Contrary to its name, “Bent” is on the straight path to traditional sitcom fate.

“Project Runway” has made its mark on the Lifetime Channel, but NBC wants to channel the same type of designer reality competition in “Fashion Star.”

Maybe the selling point is that “Fashion Star” stars Elle Macpherson as the host, along with celebrity mentors Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos.

“Fashion Star” also ups the ante with one designer taking a prize of $6 million in orders for collections in Macy’s, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue stores.

Let’s see how things go for NBC, but Chairman Greenblatt may want to remind the corporate brass that successful TV programming is indeed a “crapshoot.”

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Delta bluesman Kenny Neal will jam with Mike Wilhelm and Hired Guns at the Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake, Calif., on Monday, January 16, 2012. Courtesy photo.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The great delta bluesman Kenny Neal will come by the Blue Wing Saloon restaurant in Upper Lake this Monday, Jan. 16, to jam with guitarist Mike Wilhelm and Hired Guns at the regularly scheduled Blue Wing Monday Blues from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge, Kenny Neal began playing the blues guitar and harmonica at a young age, learning the basics from his father, singer and blues harmonica legend Raful Neal.

Neal is known as a modern swamp-blues master and multi-instrumentalist who draws musically from the sizzling sounds of his native Louisiana.

In 2009, Neal was named Monterey Bay Blues Artist of the Year and last year he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

He travels widely around the world with his family band and is headed to Florida next week to headline the annual Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise of the Caribbean.

There is no cover as always at the Blue Wing, but dinner reservations are suggested at 707-275-2233. If the tables are full, Blue Wing patrons are encouraged to come by for a drink and a dance.

Guitarist Mike Wilhelm and his Hired Guns will perform at the Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake, Calif., on Monday, January 16, 2012. Photo by Rick Washburn.

Liebe will demonstrate the process and each participant will paint and take home a hand painted silk scarf.

Liebe is a former art teacher at both the high school and college levels, and actively teaches art workshops around the county.

Cost of class is a $15 materials fee and space is limited to 12 persons.

For reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-275-8030, 707-293-8752 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LCWS is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake.

Here’s an experience that I’d guess most of the men who read this column have had, getting into a rental tuxedo.

Bill Trowbridge, a poet from Missouri, does a fine job of picturing that particular initiation rite.

Rental Tux

It chafed like some new skin we’d grown,

or feathers, the cummerbund and starched collar

pinching us to show how real this transformation

into princes was, how powerful we’d grown

by getting drivers’ licenses, how tall and total

our new perspective, above that rusty keyhole

parents squinted through. We’d found the key:

that nothing really counts except a romance

bright as Technicolor, wide as Cinerama,

and this could be the night. No lie.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2006 by William Trowbridge, from his most recent book of poems, Ship of Fool, Red Hen Press, 2011. Introduction copyright © 2012 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Scottish singer Jim Malcolm will return to Lake County, Calif., for a concert on Friday, January 27, 2012. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – KPFZ 88.1 FM will host a benefit concert on Friday, Jan. 27, at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave. in Lakeport with Scottish singer and songwriter Jim Malcolm performing.

Malcolm is a world renowned performer and the winner of the 2004 BBC Scots Traditional Music Award for “Songwriter of the Year.”

Malcolm sings songs steeped in Scottish history and tradition by such famous writers as Robert Burns and Hamish Henderson.

He has toured throughout the United States, Europe and Great Britain to sold out audiences.

Malcolm will perform songs from his latest CD “Sparkling Flash.”

Malcolm is sure to sing some Robert Burns songs in honor of the Bard’s 253rd birthday on Jan. 24. Of course, Malcolm also will perform his well known favorites.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; the concert starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets are only $20 for general admission and $18 for KPFZ members.

Proceeds will benefit KPFZ, Lake County Community Radio.

Tickets are available at Watershed Books, 305 N. Main St. in Lakeport, and the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave.

For more information call 707-262-0525 or 707-263-3640.

This free public workshop is held at the Main Street Art Gallery, 325 N. Main St., at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.

The Lake County Arts Council sponsors the workshop, and former Lake County Poet Laureate Mary McMillan facilitates it.

The grant comes from Poets and Writers Inc., through a grant it has received from the James Irvine Foundation.

Many Lake County residents who are just starting to write memoirs, fiction, essays or poems come to the Writers Circle.

They join with more seasoned writers to get feedback on their work, build their skills and find new ideas.

From all over the county, residents aged 19 to 90 have benefited from the opportunity to listen to other writers and share their own work.

Some people come only one or two times, and others show up every month.

For more information about the Writers Circle, contact Mary McMillan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..