- Rather than bemoan the level of discourse in the presidential campaign, the TV talking heads might send a memo to anchors and producers, asking them to ignore the mutual potshots and only cover substance.

- Sports chatterers and scribes love the word "circus," as in the Jets' Tim Tebow circus and the Red Sox Bobby Valentine circus. Long ago, in the George-Reggie-Billy era, it was the Yankees' Bronx circus. They not only love the word "circus," they concentrate a disproportionate amount of their coverage on it, all the while disparaging it as a distraction. Again, why not concentrate on the field instead of the clubhouse?

- If you missed the first season of "Boss" with Kelsey Grammer as the ruthless mayor of Chicago, catch up quick, then check out Season 2 starting Friday night on the Starz channel.

- More good news from the world of quality TV: The new season of "Boardwalk Empire" begins later this month on HBO.

- I'll tell you more about my new favorite network sitcom - "Ben and Kate" - closer to its launch next month on Fox.

- Just as I've given up on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (I now opt for Scott Pelley on CBS), I've just about had it with the Today program on NBC. Why that show is still under the NBC News umbrella is incomprehensible most days.