TGIF TV: ABC has its own lesser form of "Must See TV," namely TGIF (Thank God/Goodness It's Friday) that consists of light, often family friendly (or predictable) comedies, which ones included "Family Matters" and "Full House." The 9 o'clock hour is of some interest to me ... Hope & Faith (co-starring Faith Ford of "Murphy Brown) starts the hour. It is a formulaic comedy involving a self-centered soap star who goes to live with her more prim and proper (but still deep down a bit wild) married with children sister, after she loses her role. The television buff would be intrigued since Ted McGinley actually is in the show from its beginning. Many know of the "McGinley Effect," which involves Ted coming into a series late in its run, a sure sign it is going downhill (Happy Days, The Love Boat, and Married ... with Children). The show was mildly amusing and Kelly Ripa and Faith Ford are quite likeable, so maybe his presence won't taint things.

First, there was the 8 o'clock hour. I took NBC and watched Miss Match, which is sort of like Clueless: 10 Years Later ... Alicia Silverstone is a young divorce lawyer (she works at her father's firm) who has this gift of match making, but is a bit less lucky in love herself. It got mixed reviews, but I enjoyed it as light entertainment with a great lead and some pleasing supporting characters. The other show to watch is Joan of Arcadia (CBS), which I caught a taste of during a commercial (usually, it seems like every show, including professional sports, have commercials at the exact same time) as well as at the very end. It seems promising, but with the potential to be a bit heavyhanded (struggling family, teen who meets God, older brother paralyzed in an accident, younger smarty pants brother ... how couldn't it be??)

Life with Bonnie is a good fit in the TGIF lineup, moving in at 9:30 ... typical light comedy that is carried by Bonnie Hunt's own individual comic vision. I don't always care for the result, which seems a bit too precious (especially the annoyingly cute son), but I respect the effort. Along with The Handler at 10, Fridays have more to offer than one might think. On the hand, more people are home than one might think.

Do Not Call Registry: Congress and the FTC seemed to have a good idea on its hands: a registry that allows people to block telemarketers from calling your house. Congress rushed to pass legislation directly giving the FTC a right to do this, after a federal judge questioned if previously law could be read so broadly. Then, another judge held that singling out telemarketers was a violation of the First Amendment, since commercial speech was wrongly targeted. These rulings had their share of ridicule, though some lawyer types argued the judge had a point. I think so too ... okay, so you think the law is great because it protects your privacy. How many equally are ignored when charities, poll takers, or politicians call you up? It is like being annoyed on subways ... begger or homeless organization ... either way it bothers my attempt to read or sleep.

True privacy protection would be across the board, right? Of course, this would affect the people who write the laws, even though legislation that allows you to pick who you want to block would be the most honest and/or fully inclusive protection of privacy they can offer. Is not privacy what we are aiming for here? Some ridicule the concern for telemarketing jobs (surely not a trivial concern, methinks) ... if we are going to ignore that, let's at least be consistent. Selling things (heck, sometimes, like for bank services or whatever, you actually buy it) are as much a part of our society than donating to charities and hearing pitches to vote for someone you either was going to vote for already, don't care about, or will vote against. And if they interrupt your supper, will you be that much less annoyed?