'Wipeout'- can't look, can't look away

On a day critics are still marveling over the creative talent represented at the Emmys, we come back to reality with the two most-watched hits of this summer - "Wipeout" and "America's Got Talent."

Oh shameless viewers, your continued support of "Wipeout" (ABC has ordered a fourth season) affirms American journalist H.L. Mencken's famous line: "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

Based on a Japanese game show, "Wipeout" has ordinary folks trying to run an almost impossible obstacle course consisting of giant balls, swirling discs, swinging gongs and other objects that resemble giant Tinkertoys designed to knock contestants on their heads, bellies and keisters.

Yes, it's an hour of pratfalls augmented by semi-amusing mocking commentary from hosts John Anderson and John Henson. It's painfully mindless and yet somehow amazingly mesmerizing. Once you start watching you can't turn away. It's like video popcorn or potato chips. You can't stop yourself from staring and laughing at out-of-shape people in Spandex making fools of themselves.

At least on "America's Got Talent" you learn something: that it doesn't take much to qualify as "talent" in this country.

EVENT VOTE: Tampa has moved up to 12th place in an online vote to find the top five cities for a preview screening of NBC's "The Event."

Petersburg, Va., Oklahoma City, New York and Los Angeles appear to have a lock on the top four spots but the fifth slot is still up for grabs. Voting at www.eventful.com continues until 4 p.m. Friday.

"The Event" is a conspiracy thriller that follows a young man (Jason Ritter) who is searching for his missing fiancee and discovers the biggest cover-up in U.S history. It debuts Sept. 20 and the preview screening would be in a movie theater the week before.

SPORTS NOTE: The Bright House Sports Network is now carried in High Definition on Channel 1147. And the Friday high school game of the week will be in HD beginning with Hillsborough at Jefferson this week.

Also in HD on Saturday: the SEC game of Jacksonville State at Mississippi at 3:30 p.m. and Stony Brook at University of South Florida at 7 p.m.

ESPN FLAP: Couch spuds can rest a little easier now that the ESPN Networks and Bright House Networks have stopped rattling their swords and appear close to a fee agreement.

On Monday, both suspended their campaigns to sway public support. Disney-owned ESPN tried scare college football fans with the threat that if a deal weren't cut by Thursday, Bright House might not carry the college season kick-off game. This would have deprived subscribers from seeing Erin Andrews return to the sidelines after her stint on "Dancing With the Stars."

Meanwhile, Bright House had been airing "not to worry" commercials suggesting that these threats seldom result in the loss of a network. The thing to really worry about is whether the deal causes a rate increase down the road.

EMMYS SCORE: NBC did well with a star-studded Emmy telecast and a very funny host in Jimmy Fallon. The three-hour event Sunday night drew 13.5 million viewers, the biggest audience in four years.