For those who don't know the meaning of the term "dork age" (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DorkAge):

There's a very strange relationship between character/plot development and maintaining the status quo. Changing said status, if done poorly, may result in a Dork Age. A Dork Age is a period in a franchise, especially Long Runners, where there was a dramatic change of concept or execution, usually to stay current, and it simply did not work.

It could be an ill-advised "new direction". Or a costume change that was dated the instant it premiered. Maybe it's a timely gimmick that was dated five months before it premiered. Perhaps the character lost their trademark powers and went through a run of very different ones. Or there was a Retcon that revealed something that didn't quite gel, or attached a completely new mythos that came off as completely at odds with a character's history and overall mood. Sudden Genre Shifts. Clones. Scrappies. Many and unsubtle are the forms of the Dork Age.

While this trope is most readily associated with fictional characters, note that musicians and other performers can enter Dork Ages as well. Especially when they try (and fail) to form a new and radically different onstage persona, experiment with a very different genre, or attempt to dramatically alter their entire image permanently, or a band loses a key member. You know a band is in its Dork Age if you, as a fan, are wholly unaware that they're still around and releasing albums.

This fundamental change is often an attempt to attract new fans. Unfortunately, that usually does not work. Worse, the change does not go over well with the established fans. Generally, the more dramatically something diverts from its basics, the more likely it's the beginning of a Dork Age.

Examples of TV networks or channels that went through "dork ages":
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DorkAge/TelevisionNetworks

http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/290674

Q: I got 3 questions for you:
1.) When was NBC in worst shape? Now, or in the late 70s/early 80s when even the stars on their network were making fun of them?

2.) Every now or then, an actor/actress will direct themselves in a movie. How do they do this? There has to be someone behind the camera while they are in front of it, so is that technically them directing?

3.) Also, I find that some movies will have a an actor/actress listed as a "guest star" or something similar, even if the role is more than a simple cameo. Why not just list them as part of the cast?
Thanks.
King JLA

A: Let's answer your questions one at a time.

1) By all counts and the various articles I've read, NBC is/has been in worse shape now than they were in the 70's and 80's. They have been in or near last place for the major networks for the last 8 or so years. Many of their established shows have sunk in ratings, breaking records for the network in terms of how low they go. Here is a Huffing Post article from earlier this year detailing how NBC's ratings continue to drop: click here (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/12/nbc-ratings-lowest-ever_n_2862714.html). The years when NBC is not in last place is usually when the NFL or The Voice are strong enough to give it a small boost. There were hopes a couple years ago that when Comcast bought NBC Universal that it would revive the struggling network, but that didn't happen. NBC has struggled to find a new hit and the shows people do watch fail to have consistently strong ratings. Earlier in 2013 they famously finished behind Univision (http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/nbc-sweeps-ratings-lastloses-to-univision/), the Spanish-language channel. Here are other links that discuss NBC's decreasing ratings: click here (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/business/media/nbc-struggles-for-its-footing.html?pagewanted=all) & here (http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2013/02/nbc-falls-to-5th/).

2) Keep in mind that there is more to directing than standing behind the camera. They are storytellers. You often see photos of famous directors peering through a camera, but they often have camera operators, cinematographers and the like doing this work for them. They must create and set the tone of a picture, not to mention concentrate on everyone else doing their jobs correctly such as framing, editing, acting and more. If you pop in a DVD where the director is also the star and it has behind-the-scenes special features, you'll be able to see how the process works. Most of the time the director will be on set, giving instructions to the rest of the cast and will then shout "Action!" on their own and indicate that the cameraman can begin rolling. I suppose many stars who do this feel it easier to act themselves as they obviously know themselves. If it's a small role, it could be to quickly fill a part or a specially designed cameo (like Hitchcock). Most stars who sporadically try their hand at directing always talk fondly about it. If they are people who have a good long-standing relationship with a studio, they will be allowed to give it a shot and see how it goes. Many stars work within a "I'll do one for you if you do one for me" motif. Wikipedia gives us a full list of directors who appear or star in their own films: click here. Metacritic rates the best and worst examples: click here. The one everybody will list is Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. My personal favorite is Charlie Chaplin in City Lights.

3) I answered a question similar to this in a previous issue of Ask 411 Movies. This normally happens with TV shows, but whether it is a series or a movie, whenever you see a "Guest star" credit it is meant to bring special attention to a certain actor. Agents fervently negotiate this nowadays so their clients get the most notoriety they can. They could be just thrown in with the cast, but then you might not notice their names in the credits. This battle for recognition can get silly sometimes. For my in-depth answer, here is the link to that previous column: click here.
Read more at http://www.411mania.com/movies/columns/290674#9hwre78TmHHeY81W.99

CBS in 1995 when they had their identity crisis and tried to ape FOX.. Remember their 'You're On' campaign, utter disaster. I was actually very fond of the on-air look, but it definitely reeked of desperation. This was after CBS lost football and they panicked and try to go young.

They moved Murder She Wrote to Thursdays to die quietly against Friends. They had their 'Married With Children' ripoff with 'Bless This House' starring 'the Dice Man'. Also, Central Park West which was supposed to be their answer to FOX's 'Melrose Place'

They jettisoned their longtime 'This is CBS.' line from their indents, replaced them with (mostly) live-action actor headlined indents. The following year they tried to re-embrace their traditionally older audience with the appropriately titled 'Welcome Home' campaign.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111216221103/logopedia/images/7/76/CBS_Productions_1995.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/logopedia/images/b/ba/Cbs1995.jpg

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130308054459/logopedia/images/thumb/3/39/Your_on.jpg/620px-Your_on.jpg