OH, GET A CLUE

Long-time last-place network NBC underwent a major shake-up in the ranks of its upper-level brass this year, in the hopes of pulling itself out of last place. One of the new major players is a man by the name of Ben Silverman, who is best known for co-producing hits like The Office and Ugly Betty... and some But his first few moves since taking over have been iffy, at best:

*He resurrected The Apprentice, which was canceled after a meteoric fall in the ratings.

*He stated one of his main goals as, "bringing sexy back." (This is a quote from a Justin Timberlake song... and a bad one at that.)

*He is responsible for the removal of a major creative player at NBC, only days before the shows this man worked on garnered a slew of Emmy nominations... shows the network was going cancel, under Silverman's guidance. (He has since denied firing the creative team member, saying it was simply a matter of timing.)

*He hired Isaiah Washington for The Bionic Woman remake, slated for NBC this fall, after he was fired from ABC. He said he, "didn't understand" why Washington had been let go, and that it "didn't make sense" to him - a move ABC executives labeled as a sign that Silverman was either, "clueless or just plain stupid." (Which would be a little more palatable, had it come from a network not trying to launch a sitcom based on the Geico cavemen.)

Overall, the new schedule at NBC hasn't even been screened yet, and it seems doomed. Don't get me wrong: Silverman had very little to do with the shows NBC will roll out this fall. But if these past few weeks are any indication of the quality of leadership Silverman will bring to the once, former-proud peacock network... they're going to stay in last place.