At 'Lost' Session Critics Ask ABC, What Are We, Chopped Liver?

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 25

The caterwauling of TV critics was so horrible when ABC Entertainment chief Steve McPherson blew the tops off their heads by refusing to divulge scoops about "Lost" before the next day's comics convention, his publicist finally cut short the news conference.

Afterward, out in the hallway at Summer TV Press Tour 2007, McPherson slammed new NBC Co-chairman Ben Silverman as "clueless or stupid."

Brutally honest, mercurial, great programming instincts, low hooey threshold -- McPherson is the Practically Perfect Programming Executive. But critics don't seem to like him. It's inexplicable.

Wednesday's melee started innocently enough when a TV critic -- that nice Susan Young of the Oakland Tribune -- said she'd heard "major" announcements about "Lost" would be made at the Comic-Con gathering in San Diego on Thursday. "Would you like to tell us today what that might be?" she asked nicely.

"Yeah, let me give those announcements now -- of course I don't," McPherson said, dripping sarcasm.

"Oh, come on," she said, nicely.

"They do have some announcements that they are going to be making that I think everyone will be pretty excited about," said McPherson, twisting the knife, which, in retrospect, may not have been a good call.

"Can you tell us?" she pursued.

"No," he said.

Pop! Pop! Pop! went critics' heads.