So, I'm going to do something here that I haven't done for a while (besides update) and give you some thoughts on some of the teevee I've been watching lately.

The O.C. - Last night, for the first time, I watched the better part of an episode. I never really watched one all the way through before. Goddamn, was I bored. What is the big deal about this show? I mean, the Seth kid is cute and clever and fun to watch, but otherwise: Who cares? I kept waiting to be interested, but all I saw were a bunch of half-attractive Californians. I pass.

Desperate Housewives - I'm trying not to confuse the fact that I enjoy this show with the quality of the show. Just because I like it doesn't mean it's good. It's become a lot better since the first two episodes. It's not quite as corny, and the stuff that I could see coming before is being overtaken by better and more interesting choices.

What's still terrible about the show? Teri Hatcher's daughter. I try to imagine the creator in the pitch meeting: "OK, get this: it's crazy, but bear with me: Teri Hatcher is the mess and her daughter is the voice of wisdom! It's almost as if her DAUGHTER is raising HER! Eh? Eh?� Jesus Christ, are you serious? When I was in school, I saw sophomore writing majors conceive and reject fresher ideas than this.

The idea of the precocious kid raising the adult somehow manages to be both predictable and unlikely. Terrible. On the plus side, the redheaded Martha Stewart type on the show is a sexy lizard woman. I shall continue to watch.

The Apprentice - Last night's episode. I don't like Ivana, but I think she was kind of unfairly judged for the stripping. I tend to agree with the old man. She took a risk and did something desperate when her team desperately needed something done. It was just the logical extension of what Jen and whatshername were doing.

You poor women are just damned if you do, and damned if you don't: if you don't use your sexuality, you're running the risk of being branded as ugly or sexless or bitches, and if you do, you're sluts.

But for this show, and this set of judges, Ivana screwed up. Academically, one can justify the stripping, but Trump and his cohorts weren't going to listen to academics. As soon as she dropped her skirt, she was done.