[In a mild surprise, Tony Shalhoub was honored as best actor in a musical or comedy TV series for his title role in] Monk. ... God bless the planet earth.

I was reluctant to take the TV role, ... How does a TV series follow a classic Broadway comedy?

I decided to do this TV series because what I do as a musician and songwriter is connect to an audience, so why not take that to another level,

I did a TV series for the British History Channel a few years ago and for a few weeks afterwards I was accosted by folk in Britain wanting to talk, which was flattering, but the memory faded and blessed anonymity returned.

Honestly, I think shows wear out their welcome. I don't want to be on (American TV series) Seventh Heaven - on for 20 years and no one's really watching and it's hanging on by a thread.

Incredibly, Apple has persuaded Disney, which owns ABC, to make available all episodes of five TV series, including 'Lost,' 'Desperate Housewives' and 'That’s So Raven.' Each show costs $1.99 — an easy impulse buy if you missed an episode. They play back beautifully, with no network logo in the corner, no yearlong wait for the DVD, and no commercials. (One 43-minute 'hour' of TV takes 12 minutes to download with my cable modem, and about two minutes to transfer to the iPod over its U.S.B. 2.0 cable.) ...That Mr. Jobs persuaded Disney to dip its pinky toe into these waters is an impressive development — and a very promising sign.