AP - Are the TV writers still on strike?

AP - "The Given Day" (William Morrow, 704 pages, $27.95), by Dennis Lehane: It's the fall of 1918, and the nation is in chaos.

Reuters - I've watched "Worst Week" three times, and I've laughed through each viewing. That makes me nervous. Can any show that cleverly plotted, written, directed and performed -- and especially one adapted from the Brits -- sustain that high a level of humor week after week?

Reuters - Finally, a cop show for skeptics.

AP - The fall TV season officially starts Monday, and NBC will pop the cork with its returning "Heroes" (a two-hour opener airs Monday at 9 p.m. EDT). CBS is ringing in the new year with "The Mentalist" (premiering 9 p.m. EDT Tuesday) and "Gary Unmarried" (8:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday). NBC hits the road with its new-model 'Knight Rider' (8 p.m. EDT Wednesday).

AP - And so begins the finale.

Reuters - Apparently operating under the assumption that Broadway will be bereft without a French Revolution musical, "A Tale of Two Cities" has arrived to fill the void left by the recent closing of the "Les Miserables" revival. (And before the mail comes pouring in, yes, we are aware that "Les Miz" actually is about the student revolt).

AP - Haven't we been here before? And in much better crafted company?

AP - In the Classic Stage Company's eloquent new production of "The Tempest," a storm at sea creates a brief cacophony of noise, confusion and shouting. The storm tosses a small ship's passengers and crew onto a deceptively peaceful, sandy island, where the sorcerer Prospero and his daughter, Miranda, have watched the proceedings with interest.

Reuters - Finally, a cop show for skeptics.

AP - The final curtain will come down Jan. 15 for the annual musical joy that is "Forbidden Broadway," but this long-running production is exiting on a triumphant note with "Forbidden Broadway Goes to Rehab," now on view at off-Broadway's 47th Street Theatre.

AP - Wayne Brady, "A Long Time Coming" (Peak Records)

AP - Nicky Silver's "Three Changes" is an unpleasant play about unpleasant people.