I cannot wait for you guys to see SMASH Monday at 10 p.m. on NBC. I've seen the first four episodes and I love, love, love this show. Going behind the scenes to see what it takes to make a Broadway show is absolutely fascinating. There's a great cast, good writing and tons of musical numbers. I had a few problems with the third episode, but they were right back on track with the fourth one. Watch this show!

THE RIVER, which premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. on ABC, is an interesting experiment in horror for television. Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) is missing somewhere on the Amazon and his family, along with a mixed bag of crew members, is on the hunt for him. I've only seen the pilot, so I'm not comfortable reviewing it. But I am interested in seeing more. One thing that I hope they fix as they go on, is that none of the characters seem likeable. You need a hero/heroine you can relate to in a show like this. It's definitely worth checking out.

I don't like to comment on celebs. We all have lives. We all make mistakes. But as a mother, I feel like I have to say something about Demi Moore and her recent troubles. We all go through adversity, it's how we handle it that makes who we are. And when you have children, you need to suck it up and be a good example for them. So your heart gets broken, get over it. You don't starve yourself and do drugs. You pull out the Ben & Jerry's, whine to your friends and then go shopping. No man is worth killing yourself. And doing drugs, especially with your kids around, is just wrong.

That's it for me. If you're interested in writing a book or need to clean the one you wrote up, check out my class that begins Monday.
http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/workshops/

Hey Gang,
I've had a lot of emails about my Comprehensive Writing Course and thought it would be easier to answer everything here. 

1. Everything takes place in a yahoogroup and you work at your own pace. 
2. The class is six weeks long, and we'll be covering the entire writing process. 
3. We begin with the creative process and how your's works, and go through brainstorming, character development, plotting for non-plotters, fast draft, revision hell, polishing to perfection, pitching, submitting to agents and editors, query letters and those are just a few of our many topics. 
4. At the end of the six weeks, I will read your first 10 pages if you so desire.
5. There are beginners to professionals in the class. As I said before, everyone works at their own pace. Some of you may have a finished novel and want to clean it up. Others may be beginning their first novel. 
6. Questions are asked and answered on the yahoogroup. 
7. This class will help you with the big picture that is your novel and help you look at all the components. 

When I say comprehensive, I mean it. And you can ask questions about any aspect of the writing process or business and I'll answer them. Sign up here: http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/workshops/

Hey Gang,
What a week it has been. I'm still trying to recoup from L.A. and I'm not quite there yet.

I have good news and sad news.

I'll start with the sad news. It's the end of CHUCK and it breaks my heart. I know it's time for the show to go, but it's always been one of my favorites. I love me some Zach Levy, and come one that's one friggin' amazing cast. I will tell you the ending is bittersweet and I cried like a big 'ole baby. I'm not ashamed to say it. The show goes out on a high note, and harkens back to its early days with a great mix of funny and sweet, with a bit of drama and spy stuff. And hello, this show had one of the best love stories on TV. Oh, I'm getting teary again, so enough of that.

There are some new series coming up that you should check out. First is Key & Peel starring Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele. The show is a mix of standup and skits. I talked with them on the phone a month or so ago and they made me laugh so hard I couldn't breathe. Same thing happened two weeks ago when they were at TCA. Check them out on Comedy Central Wed., Jan 31 at 10:30 Eastern. I was so excited about Luck (Sunday, HBO) with the lovely Dustin Hoffman. It's by David Milch, who did Deadwood and NYPD Blue, and will appeal to a great many people. I'm not one of them. I have trouble with shows where all the characters are either unlikable, stupid or mean. I did like Hoffman but he's kind of doing a riff on his Rainman days. Spartacus Vengeance begins tonight (Friday) on Starz. Same folks, same kind of stories. But who doesn't like some naked gladiators? I mean, really.

On the good news side, I have a new book deal with Harlequin Blaze. I'm going to do two more Marine books in the vein of Model Marine. In fact, Rafe from Model Marine gets his own story. All I can tell you about that one is that it is set in Fiji. And you know how I love me some tropical heat!

And I've started to work on the first Southern Steampunk novel with Maisy. You guys, if you loved my Bronwyn books, I swear you will love Maisy. She's so tough and kick butt, but she makes me laugh. The novel comes out in October 2012, but there's a novella in a steampunk anthology which will debut July 2012. I can't wait for you guys to read her story. Think Sherlock Holmes meets Supernatural meets Wild Wild West. :)

NBC and its cable partners took over the last two days. The first day began with the lovely Betty White and her new series Betty White's Off Their Rockers. She is an inspiration. She has Hot in Cleveland, the new reality series and her book. "I'm the luckiest old broad on two feet, I promise you, and I don't take it for granted one single minute," says White. 

Next up was Fashion Star with Nicole Richie, Jessica Simpson, Elle Macpherson and John Varatos. Two things that stood out for me. Nicole Richie needs to eat a hamburger, and there were lots of pretty shoes. Josh Lucas, Juliette Lewis, Molly Parker and Callum Keith Rennie were here for the new NBC s The Firm. Josh is pretty to look at, so this is one law show I might watch. I am not a fan of Are You There, Chelsea? At all. I'm a fan of Laura Prepon, who plays Chelsea, but even she can't save this awful show. On the other hand Bent with Amanda Peet and David Walton has promise. Cute chemistry between those two, and several fun secondary characters. 

I've made no secret of my love for Smash. Anjelica Huston, Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPee and Megan Hilty star in this Broadway behind-the-scenes drama. Viewers have a chance to see what it takes to get a musical to Broadway. Amazing music and dance numbers, along with some great drama and comedy. Love, love love this show! 

Awake is a show that I like a great deal, but I'm not sure the general audience is going to get it. Jason Issacs plays a guy who lives in two different realities and he can't tell which is the dream and which is real. His wife and son are killed in a car crash, and his wife is alive in one world and his son in another. I cannot wait to see where this show goes, but it's one where you really have to pay attention. Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton were here for The Voice. Out of all the singing competitions, this one is a favorite. But there is one of the coaches who sets my nerves on edge. This person makes the show difficult for me to watch sometimes. 

Day two of NBC Universal began with Morning Joe from MSNBC. People got so caught up in talking about politics that no one really asked about the show, which seemed to offend one of the panelists. Bravo brought out Jeff Lewis and Jenni Poulos for their show Interior Therapy. I have a difficult time watching Jeff. He's so insincere that I just can't take it. But I do appreciate his design aesthetic. Bethenny Frankel was up for Bethenny Ever After. The show seems to be more about the problems with her marriage than anything else. I have enough of that crap at home. And again, like Jeff, she's is so insincere. They call it reality, maybe it is. but it's reality about people who aren't very likable or endearing. For those shows to work, you need to care. And I don't. However, I do enjoy Andy Cohen the host of Watch What Happens: Live, which is expanding to a daily show. He's one funny dude. And hello! A Ralph Fiennes pajama party? I'm in. 

I was surprised by how entertained I was by Syfy's new reality show Total Blackout. Contestants must compete in complete darkness. They did a live demonstrations with one of our TCA members and some of the actors here at the hotel. I laughed so hard I cried. Good stuff. The afternoon ended with a lunch from E! with Chelsea Handler, Joan Rivers, Melissa Rivers, Kelly Osbourne, Giuliana Rancic, George Kotsiopoulos, Heather McDonald, Ross Mathews, Brad Wollack and Sarah Colonna. Um, yep. I took my lunch and left. I'll leave it at that. 

Later that night we had a reception with the Directors Guild. I got some great stuff from the directors and producers from Grimm, Supernatural, Secret Circle and a couple of other series. Love talking to those guys. 

I hit the ground running on Tuesday. About 45 mins after landing in Burbank I was in Pasadena speaking on a panel to PBS publicists about how to make our tour better. It was a good exchange of ideas, and I had a great time meeting everyone. Day one began with the lovely Chef Lidia Bastianich and Yul Kwon, who was one of the guest she visits on her new wedding special. I love that she takes you into these different cultures to learn their traditions and foods. Next up was PBS Prez Paula Kerger, who is my favorite executive in the TV biz. She's honest, forthright and she tells it like it is. She is also kind, which you don't always find in network executives. We moved straight into PBS election coverage with the peeps from Frontline, Need to Know, Washington Week and PBS Newshour. 

Lunch was American Experience's Bill Clinton film. Harry Thomason, David Maraniss, Barak Goodman and Mark Samels were here to talk about the Clinton legacy and scandals. Great session and so informative. Really enjoyed Thomason's story about how Clinton ended up on The Tonight Show playing the saxaphone. Henry Louis Gates was here with his series Finding Your Roots. His subject was Branford Marsalis, who didn't seem that surprised about the reveal, even though he says he didn't know a lot about his family history beyond his grandparents. There was a clip from the series involving Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick. Her one hope was that they weren't cousins. Turns out they are distant cousins, which was kind of funny. I was shocked by what I learned in Slavery By Another Name. I had no idea this was a part of our history, and it's disturbing how few people do know what happened in the south after slavery was supposedly abolished. It's a film you should see. Michael Fienstein was here for American Songbook II, and he did a cabaret/press conference combo. Clever and talented man, that one. The day ended with a performance by the incredible B-52s who were phenomenal. 

Day two began with Frontline and The Interrupters. I was impressed by the positive changes Tio Hardiman and Ameena Matthews are making in the lives of gang members. These are people who really are on the front line. It's good we have people like them in the world. I've only seen clips from Johnny Carson: King of Late Night but I'm so in. Angie Dickinson and Drew Carey were here to talk about the man and his legacy. They had some great stories to share, and Drew credits Carson with making his, and several other comedians and actors, career. Independent Lens featured three films for Black History month. Angela Davis, Shukree Hassan Tilghman, Talib Kweli and Sharon La Cruise had through-provoking ideas and films to discuss. 

OK, so for lunch the lovely Benedict Cumberbatch was here via satellite for Sherlock II, along with his co-star Laura Pulver. That man is pretty, even with blonde early Elvis hair. I'm telling you Sherlock II looks ten shades of awesome. My friends who have seen in it across the pond say it is even better than the first season. Many of the questions focused on a particular nude scene Pulver did, which is creating crazy stuff in newspapers across the pond. That's all well and good, but in May when we're going to be writing the stories none of it will matter. And there's a really good chance PBS won't even keep that scene in. Besides they were bogarting my time with Benedict, who said all the craziness is just great publicity for the show. That man is a hoot. Endeavor is new prequel to the Inspector Morse series. I think young Shaun Evans, who plays Morse is one to watch. Gillian Anderson, Douglas Booth (very easy on the eyes) and Vanessa Kirby were here to talk about Great Expectations. I'm really looking forward to seeing that one. You guys know how l love me some Charles Dickens. 

Next up was the Koala. While they look cute and cuddly, they aren't. Still, I had a hard time paying attention during the session. They had a koala on the stage and he was so damn cute. Nova was here with their new show Hunting the Elements. I love it with science types get so passionate. Anna Deavere Smith killed with her performance from Let Me Down Easy. That is one talented chick. Great Performances brought in Tony Bennett for a performance and Q&A. That is still one sexy, talented man. Love, love, love him. And he's a great story teller. 

It's only day two of tour and I'm already exhausted. But I won't complain much, because it was a great two days.