Richard Hatch, the first winner of CBS's "Survivor," plead guilty today with failing to report the million dollar prize money that won on the show. In addition, Hatch is also charged with failing to report $321,000 paid to him in 2001 by a Boston radio station.

Hatch could have faced a maximum of five years in prison for each count and could be hit with a $250,000 fine, but since he agreed to plead guilty, prosecuters have said that they'll recommend a "reduced sentence" as long as he doesn't change his plea.

My inital thought was, "How stupid could this guy be?" I mean, c'mon... he didn't claim the million dollars that he won on National TV? And then failed to claim over a quarter of a million dollars in income the following year?

Yeah, I was going to say that Richard Hatch must be just plain stupid.

Then I found out that by Hatch pleading guilty [which he obviously must be if he didn't claim the cash], he'll get a greaty reduced sentence.

Let me get this staight.

Hatch tried to cheat the government out of well over a million bucks. Then when he was caught he was able to work out a deal for a reduced sentence by admitting he was guilty.... which the government already knew.

Man... maybe he's not so stupid after all.

Now that the "new" tv season has gotten underway, three shows have managed to work their way on to my "Must-See" TV list.

Medium stars Patricia Arquette as a young wife and mother who is just now coming to terms with the fact that she has, since childhood, been able to commnicate with the dead.

The cast is excellent. Arquette is believable as the woman who speaks to the dead but can't control when or where it will happen. Supporting Arquette are the equally talented Jake Weber [as her husband] and Miguel Sandoval [as her new boss].

The writing is not only intelligent but rings true. This is what it WOULD BE LIKE, if you had the power. Medium can be found at 10 PM EST on NBC on Monday's.

Tilt is ESPN's second series [the first was the highly praised Playmakers], and although Tilt is nowhere near as good, it definitely has it's allure.

Set in the world of professional poker, it stars Michael Madsen as "The Matador." He's the poker player that everyone wants to take down. And that's where things start to get interesting...

Three young hotshot players have been brought together by a mysterious backer who has a plan to get even with The Matador. The three players had all faced the Matador before and he broke them all. Now they want their revenge. Especially when they learn that the Matador may have been cheating. Add to this mix an over-the-edge small town cop who just lost over $20,000 to the Matador in a crooked game and you've got...

Well, I'm not sure what you've got. It's not a great show, but one I definitely want to watch... so yeah, deal me in Thursdays at 9 PM EST on ESPN.

Jonny Zero, much like Tilt, isn't a great show... still it does have me wanting to go back for more. Franky G [yeah, no last name, just an initial] stars as Jonny Zero, an ex-con back on the streets trying to stay out of trouble. The only problem is the FBI wants him as an informant and his old gang wants him back.

What's an ex-con to do?

This show could go either way. It could become the next Wise Guy [a show I really loved -- for when it was good, it was great... and when it was bad, well... it was bad]. GQ [again with the initials] plays Jonny's new friend Random and provided the right amount of comic relief.

You can see Jonny Zero on FOX, Friday nights at 9 PM EST.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these shows or others.

For years Paul Gulacy was my favorite comic book artist. His work on Master of Kung Fu [I know, dumb title, but what a really great comic!] made his reputation, but that was just his start.

Sabre was Paul's next claim to fame and it raised the bar even higher. [Not only was it the best art Gulacy had created up to that point, but Sabre was also the first graphic novel created for the direct market!]

I used to talk to Paul on a fairly regular basis back in the late 70's and early 80's. I loved those conversations. Paul was not only a quick wit but also had the uncanny ability to impersonate famous voices. He did a killer Brando and Clint Eastwood as well as many, many others.

At that time I was collecting and dealing in original comic art and of course Paul was my favorite artist. In 1980 I commissioned Paul to do a Stallone piece for me [and it was the only piece that I kept when I stopped collecting art back in 1983]. When I finally got to meet Paul [at a comic convention in Atlanta] I found him to be the same charming man in person that he was on the phone. Paul invited me to sit and talk with him as he sketched for the fans. So there I was, this kid of 19 or 20 sitting at a table that consisted of some of the biggest names in comics... Paul Gulacy, Michaael Kaluta, Mike Grell... At one point a kid was walking down the line getting autographs. He asked me who I as he handed me his autograph book. I replied, "Oh, I'm nobody." Paul quickly spoke up, saying, "This is Craig Zablo. He's a friend of mine." Wow! Even now, nearly 25 years later, I still smile when I think about that.

Sadly, Paul and I lost touch over the years. I drifted away from collecting art and Paul was doing less and less comic book work. Still, I always kept my eye out for the rare Gulacy cover or story that would pop up from time to time.

The Art of Paul Gulacy is now available for pre-order. It's scheduled for shipping on April 1st [No fooling! The same day that Sin City is going to open at theaters!].

It's funny, but in the last few years, Paul has started doing comic art regularly again, and I've started collecting Stallone-themed sketches. And to think that the Paul Gulacy piece started it all!