TV Sirens: A Tantalizing Look at Prime Time's Fabulous Females

A television critic for Rolling Stone, McWilliams offers sharp, concise appraisals of female TV and movie personalities, ranging from Barbara Stanwyck and Judy Garland to Barbara Walters and Madonna. Divided by categories such as ""Miniseries Mavens,'' ``Soap Stars'' and ``Reformed Bimbos,'' the author's gems of observation include the following: regarding Lily Tomlin``She's less concerned with the punch line than with the comedy of human behavior''; Joan Rivers``She's the only TV diva who wreaks revenge on other TV divas''; Jane Curtin``While her wilder Saturday Night Live cohorts bomb in one kiddie-pic after another, Curtin wins Emmys for the most hilarious portrait of yuppette insecurity in prime time.'' Another astute comment: ``If Ordinary People had had any guts, it would've ended with the father and son trying to figure out how to work the washing machine.'' McWilliams has assembled an illuminating, on-target assessment of his subjects. (April)