Are you a cynic from watching too much TV? Please say Men in Trees will be back. I miss my weekly excursion to the land of snow and moose! Now Sarah Palin could stop in for a beer at the Chieftain. This is a fun show with quirky characters and a writer's self-reflection, which I've always found thought-provoking. — L.V., Boca Raton

Do you want me to be a liar as well as a cynic? That's what I will be if I say Men in Trees will be back. If it's any consolation, while the series isn't continuing, Anne Heche and James Tupper are. She left her husband for him and they are expecting a child.

It isn't only watching TV that contributes to cynicism. I have to deal with the people in the business. Let me give you an example. Ted Harbert, a fun guy I like very much, is a former president of ABC Entertainment. After he was fired from that position, he went to work for NBC as head of its production studio. At his first press session with critics in the new role, he was asked the biggest difference between the two jobs. "I don't have to lie as much to you guys" was his unashamed response.

I watched the finale of The Amazing Race and I noticed that at the winner's circle they showed all the teams except the mother/son pair. Did the fact that they lost their passports in Moscow have anything to do with them not being with the others? — J.H., Plantation

The lost passports were the problem for Dallas and Toni. However, they were turned in to the U.S. consulate and mother and son have made it back to the States. In fact, Dallas and Starr Spangler (is that a great name or what?), who won the competition with her brother Nick, have become a serious romantic couple.

Could you please tell me when Law & Order: Criminal Intent is going to be on? — R.D., e-mail

USA's original schedule had the new season premiering in November. This has changed to early 2009. I have a suspicion that with all the failures on NBC, the mothership network is thinking about bringing it back, as was done during the writers' strike.

Do you know what happened to Stan Major from WINZ and WIOD radio? Are rumors of his death true or untrue? — M.R., e-mail

Stan is still around. I hear from him from time to time. He's made a few proposals to return to local radio but so far, no takers.

It has been a long time since Battlestar Galactica has been on the Sci Fi Channel. Has it slipped into a black hole (gotten canceled)? — R.G., Hollywood

Battlestar Galactica will launch its final season on Jan. 16.

When I was a child in the early '50s, Howdy Doody first came to TV. I clearly remember that his original face was different. It was more rectangular. Then his face changed. He appeared in several episodes with bandages on his face. When they finally unveiled Howdy's new face, it was the now familiar rounded face with freckles. Can you verify that my memory is correct? No one else seems to remember this. — M.M., e-mail

I had one of the first TVs on my block and was in the living room peanut gallery every afternoon. However, I have memory of only one Howdy. Your recall is superior, although your time frame is off. There was a Howdy Doody puppet before the one that became an icon, according to the Museum of Broadcasting Communications. The designer of the original took it back in 1948 in what is said to have been a licensing dispute. That puppet was replaced by the familiar Howdy.

Write to Tom

Send your questions to Tom Jicha, TV/Radio Writer, Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293 or tjicha@SunSentinel.com. Personal replies are not possible. Please do not send self-addressed stamped envelopes.

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