Cable

Larry the Cable Guy's done some tailgating in his day. Naturally, he's got some advice to offer. "First off," says Larry, who will be at M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday to tailgate with Ravens fans as part of a promotion for Prilosec OTC heartburn medicine, "you always wait about an hour before you lick the grill. That's always a priority. " Wise words, indeed. Anything else? Larry thinks for a moment. "You know it's a good tailgate," he offers, "when you actually miss the game.

People are angry over the slow pace of restoring power following Hurricane Irene and the snow storms last winter. But BGE employees worked 130-hour weeks, and I'm sure the phone company was just as busy. People were brought in from 12 other states to restore power to folks who obviously didn't know bad weather was on the way, and had not stocked up on pet food, prescriptions, lamp oil and other essentials. Some have since suggested that power lines be buried underground to avoid future problems.

There were a lot of eyes on Baltimore Thanksgiving night. In fact, there was a record number of eyes looking at M&T Bank Stadium and images of the surrounding city, according to Nielsen Media Research. Thursday's prime-time victory by the Baltimore Ravens over the San Francisco 49ers was the most-watched Thanksgiving program in the history of cable television, according to ratings-service data that extends back to 1994. The game, which was heavily promoted as the first match-up of NFL teams coached by brothers, was also the most-watched game in the eight-year history of the NFL Network.

Laurel police report felonies, arrests and property crimes. Anne Arundel County police report major crimes. Prince George's County police report violent crimes and property crime. Howard County police report major crimes, break-ins and car thefts. City of Laurel Baltimore Avenue , 14800 block, Nov. 9. Power tools, Nikon camera and eyeglasses stolen from truck. Greenview Drive , 14400 block, Nov. 8. Red 2008 Ford F-450 crew cab truck with Maryland tags stolen.

This year, I gave up reporting cable news ratings every month. The numbers and spin tell us about the horse race to some extent. But what they mainly do is distract us from the important moral and cultural stories of the way these channels are warping our view of the world with their ideological and show biz priorities rather than any genuine commitment to news and information. But there are ratings, and then, there are ratings. And the October numbers that just came out offer a sobering snapshot of just how badly CNN's misadventures in programming are going -- even as they cheapen their news brand identity to try and find larger audiences.

Within a half-hour of her arrival on the TV set, Kerri O'Dair was transformed from casually clad college student to the picture of a young lawyer, dressed in pearls, a black suit and high heels. While a stylist applied makeup, the 18-year-old studied her notes and prepared for her appearance on "School Court TV. " O'Dair, a student at the Community College of Baltimore County's Dundalk campus, plays the prosecutor in the latest episode of the courtroom drama, which airs this weekend on cable television at Comcast 45.2 or Fios 45.6.

I am only about 2,000 news cycles behind with this post. But I was working on another project since Monday and did not have time to write about the GOP candidates debate hosted by CNN and the Tea Party Express. I thought I would get over it, but I continue to be troubled by the criticism CNN received in some quarters for partnering with the Tea Party to bring this debate to a prime time audience. I am troubled by the ideological nature of the criticism, as well as the hypocrisy and less than stellar reporting that characterized some of it. Look, I am not going to go on and on with my explanation as to why CNN should have been commended rather than criticized for partnering with the Tea Party, but let me just offer a piece of it. One of the primary roles of the media is to bring citizens reliable information that they can use to make informed choices in their lives, and didn't CNN (with the help of the Tea Party)

There is no media process more fascinating to watch this week than the one unfolding around Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the newest GOP presidential candidate. The process involves network news and cable channels trying to take the candidate down a peg -- telling him essentially, "Hey, hot dog, this isn't the Texas League any more, this is the big show, so settle down. " Perry hit the Upper Midwest Bus and Corndog Tour that has claimed many of the very people who should now be in Washington trying to find ways to create jobs instead of barnstorming through small towns in full campaign mode talking about jobs.

Nancy Grace's reaction to the not guilty verdict in the Casey Anthony trial is one for the ages of cable TV. You could not invent a character like Grace. You might think Grace would be somewhat more even-handed after the woman she characterized as a murderer was declared not guilty. But not Grace. Take a look at this video . After priming the emotional pump with a description of members of the defense team sitting in a bar drinking a champagne toast, Grace says, "You know what?

When Glenn Beck signs off today at the end of his last Fox News cablecast, he will leave a TV legacy of reckless, divisive and ugly speech in his wake. He and Fox News should both feel some shame for the harm they have done to the national political discourse -- how they have taken an hour of dinnertime each weeknight and used it to help polarize us with paranoid and angry words. But, of course, Fox and Beck don't seem to have any shame, do they? In the case of Fox News, it thinks good ratings are all that matter.