Channel surfing with your local television editor. . . .
- So, are you sick of all the coverage of O.J. Simpson?Apparently, many American viewers are not.
The top-rated show in prime time last week was a special edition of the ABC news magazine "Turning Point" - which dealt exclusively with Simpson and the murder of his ex-wife.
Not to mention that "20/20" was No. 5, "PrimeTime Live" was No. 8, "Dateline NBC" was No. 12 and "Eye to Eye With Connie Chung" was No. 16 - and all of those dealt largely or exclusively with the same topic.
And then there's CNN, which is still seeing increased ratings since its coverage of O.J. began.
It goes on and on - we may be sick of it, but we're still watching it.
- Maybe all the big stars in Hollywood saw what happened to Roy Scheider on Steven Spielberg's "seaQuest."
Spielberg's new sci-fi series on NBC, "Earth 2," has just announced its cast. And there isn't a big-name star anywhere in sight.
NBC's official announcement is headlined by three stars you've probably never heard of - Debrah Farentino, who stared in two failed TV shows; Clancy Brown, whose biggest claim to fame was an NBC miniseries a couple of years ago; and Antonio Sabato Jr., whom only "General Hospital" fans will recognize.
The rest of the cast is less recognizable than these three.
"Earth 2" is about a group of space colonists who crash land on a new planet and have to build a new civilization from scratch.
- Here's something to look forward to if you're a Showtime subscriber - the divine Miss Julie Brown, who so wonderfully skewered Madonna on her last cable special, is taking on a couple of new targets.
In "Attack of the 5-foot-2 Woman," Brown will portray Tonya Hardly, a figure skater "with an ego as big as her behind," who takes on rival Nancy Cardigan.
In Part 2, Brown will portray Lenora Babbitt, whose problems with husband Juan Wayne Babbitt make her a media sensation.
Can't wait.
- Next week, NBC will prove that it can air something worse that "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."
Reruns of "Late Night With Conan O'Brien."
- Continuing rumors have ABC pondering a strategic move that would circumvent a "Roseanne" vs. "Frasier" battle in the fall.
NBC made headlines when it moved "Frasier," last season's biggest hit, opposite longtime Tuesday champ "Roseanne" on its fall schedule.
Well, these unconfirmed rumors have ABC programmers thinking about flopping "Roseanne" and last season's top-rated show, "Home Improvement." "Home," a relatively young show at the peak of its ratings performance, would deal with "Frasier."
And "Roseanne," which is still a huge hit but has slipped a bit recently, would face no appreciable competition on Wednesdays.
We'll wait and see what happens.
- Mel Brooks' 1993 movie "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" makes its TV debut Saturday on HBO.
But Brooks has already sent up the Robin Hood legend on television. He did it first - and better - in the very funny 1975 TV series "When Things Were Rotten."
"Men in Tights" is sort of a second-rate rehash.