I Am A TV Junkie

I'm Ba-a-a-a-a-ck! Happy New Year!

Hey, it's your "I watch TV and write about it on the internet" pal Joe, and it's New Years. So of course I'm completely wasted.

Okay, not wasted, I'm writing this in advance of the big countdown. I thought I should start the year with something new posted here, after all it's been a while. I just got, you know, sick of staring at the screen wondering what to say.

Then, in the middle of my hiatus I had the biggest single day readership in the history of this blog. And I hadn't written or posted anything new. That was discouraging. I mean sure, it's great to see your stats rise but when you're actually doing absolutely nothing to make it happen and it happens ... well that sucks.

After that of course I figured I should continue to do nothing and see what went on. And unusual numbers of readers continued to show up for a few days before it finally died down.

Anyhow the holidays are just about done and life should get back to normal and I think I have been away long enough from this that I might actually care again. I'm planning for the time being to post at least one thing a day.

Of course this is all subject to change. We'll see how it goes.

Excuse Me While I Watch Some TV

My friends are waiting for me, see?

Seriously, I really need to catch up on some TV watching. I can't write about shows without watching them. Well, I could but that would be cheating.

Back tomorrow. It's raining and overcast today here, a perfect day for the pup and I to curl up with my DVR.

Enjoy your day!

Quickly, About My Absence ... Possbily Pneumonia Related

So, I'm sick.

Really sick. I hate being sick.

Won't be hitting the Con, again. I'm starting to think that I'm either allergic to July or some strange force is preventing me from attending from above ... you know, like Magneto or Doc Ock.

And yes I'm remarkably disappointed, especially since I was gonna pick up my new sonic screwdriver.

Anyhow, gotta get back to bed.

Just one note from my ordeal ... the intake person at my urgent care facility at my medical provider was taking down my symptoms and I saw over her shoulder that she typed the word G-A-S-E.

I asked her what that was, and she looked at my and incredulously and said, "Didn't you say you had gas?"

"Sure, but what's the E for?"

"Well, it's not the same kind of gas that you put in your car you know?"

Yes, a triage attendant at one of the nation's highest rated medical facilities thought that intestinal gas must be spelled different because it doesn't come out of a tank.

How this woman got a job doing anything is beyond me.

Note to Readers: Proselytizing = Spam, Will Be Deleted

For example ... if you're defending the act of a 21-year-old pop singer and LDS church member writing a memoir by sending me links to the Deseret News which is wholy-owned by that church, you are proseltytizing and I'm not gonna spread your word, not on my dime and especially not after that church spent scads of cash denying me the right to marry.

Your comments will be deleted and you will be blocked.

And I approve every comment on the site so as they say, "My ball, my rules."

Bye. Keep having a wonderful Memorial Day everyone!

Shopping for New Hardware, Any Advice?

So my desktop machine decided to start frying for good yesterday ... I have multiple issues going on with purportedly corrupted Kaspersky files and cursors that don't move and Firefox bailing every other time I start it and I'm ... done.

Thinking about replacing my desktop machine from the category of laptops that they now call desktop replacements.

Of course, I did just also buy a huge 23" Acer monitor and a video card for the old desktop machine. I think it might have been the stress from the video card that started to fry the motherboard.

So, quandry presented. Anyone have a good idea for me? I'm planning a trip the afternoon to see what's out there at Best Buy and Fry's. Once again I find myself also thinking about a Mac (I know Jennifer would be thrilled, right Jen?) and thinking that it's an awful lot of money to go that way, especially considering all the new software I'd have to buy.

So, that's what I'll be doing today. Blogging more tomorrow, maybe on a new computer.

I Will Be Back Tomorrow, and In the Meantime ...

You can click any of the links to the right of this main column and read a bunch of TV posts from my online pals.

I am bidding adieu to the last of my relatives who have come from New York to help us say goodbye to my mom, which we did in a lovely memorial service this past Saturday.

And it's been great seeing everyone, but it's time to get back to trying to find "the new normal" for us and rebuild.

You know, as much as you realize that it's part of the course and scope of life to outlive your parents, when the first one leaves you you're never ready for the way it makes you feel.

If I'm not back tomorrow, it's because today I'm installing a new graphics card and ... it might not go well.

I have these huge hands that don't do these installations well.

See you tomorrow.

#Caprica Video -- How Jane Espenson Helped Me Start to Heal With a Tauron Funeral Ritual

Some acknowledgements need to be made before I move on, and here is where I'm doing it. Thank you, everyone who send their kindest words my way on the occasion of my mother's recent death. It was very much appreciated.

Comfort comes from expected and unexpected places these days. On of the things I have to do is get back to the business of the things I do regularly and one of those things is this blog.

Unexpectedly, I found this moment clipped out below from a recent episode of Caprica on Syfy made me feel much better. I'm sure it's something that keys into my Catholic upbringing and how rituals can provide a sense of closure. In any event, I thought I'd thank show creator Jane Espenson and episode writer Kath Lingenfelter for that.

Watch it below. I'll be back tomorrow.

Posting Will Be Light, Bear With Me

Sorry, readers, I have some other issues that require my attention right now, but I will try to get to this space with new stuff as time allows.

In the meantime, it's not like there's a lack of people writing about TV on the Internet ...

Thanks.

Breaking on Twitter -- @ThatKevinSmith v. @SouthwestAirlines (I Picked the Wrong Day to Return to Twitter)

I'm not going to be able to help myself here since I've had worries in this area. And, I apparently can't help but share personal stories.

So, hours back at Twitter and of course I'm following Kevin Smith because I'm a fan, and his stream has erupted (hehehe, stream has erupted, call me Victor Mature) with his running commentary of a situation with Southwest Airlines from his trip last night from Oakland into Burbank.

Quickly (per the tweets) ... Smith buys two seats (as he usually does on Southwest per their PR) for himself from Oakland to Burbank. Decides he wants to leave earlier, so he queues up for standby and there's only one spot left, which the airline offers and he takes, though it's one seat only. He sits, fits himself within the armrests, belts up ... but apparently the Captain of the flight on his inspection has decided Smitty doesn't fit well enough and asks attendants to remove him from the plane.

Yes, after many people had ID'd the big guy as Kevin Smith.

Commence the walk of shame, but ... there's only shame if you let there be and I guess Kevin decided to take control of the event and in turn take to Twitter. 

And his followers pelted Southwest with retweets ..."and they told two friends and they told two friends and so on and so on" ... 

Southwest responded. Click here for an apology from them, which is also at their site's blog, but those servers have been overrun.

And good for him, because I've had a fear of said walk of shame in the past. Good for him not really for using his Twitter army (but not a Robot Skeleton Army) though that is clever, but for standing up for the rest of us.

Because I would let the fat issue get in the way of my being vocal about the matter.

More after the jumperoni.

I Have Reluctantly Returned to Twitter @ThatTVBlogger

Reluctantly indeed. I couldn't get my old username back and after typing a panoply of variations on TV and Bl0g and Addict and Junkie and ... well, you get the idea.

The last time I did this Typepad didn't have facility to synch up with the service, which is the only reason I'm returning. Now I won't have to retweet every post, it will just happen on its own, which saves time but also allows me to be on Twitter without actually having to click over to Twitter.

And that's exactly what I was looking for. Still reluctant, though, mostly 'cause it's just another thing that needs updating and checking and servicing.

So, I probably won't spend a lot of time there, still best to contact me at the email addresses in the right hand column.

If you decide to follow my Twitter feed (@ThatTVBlogger), thanks.

I'm Taking the Weekend Off, Talk Amongst Yourselves

Have a lovely weekend, weather be damned! For me it's a lovely blue-sky and temps in the 60s but I know there's been, um, issues weatherwise across the country.

I spent a few moments yesterday lifting a large stone on the front lawn. Shouldn't have, paying for it now. I should have called Fred and Barney.

I'm gonna lay down and heal this weekend, you do whatever it is that helps you to heal from last week, too. There's plenty of Olympics action to keep one occupied or it might be time for you to take a bite out of that DVR of yours.

Whatever it is enjoy it and we'll meet back here Monday.

Sad News, a Former CBS Colleague of Mine Has Passed

I landed at CBS in the mid 80s thanks to some college connections and my willingness to do anything to get in the doors at TV City. And it was grunt work, the entire first year I was there all I did was walk through the adjacent tourist trap the Farmer's Market on Fairfax and Third Streets looking for unsuspecting tourists to drag inside to have them watch a pilot for a series and then tell us what they thought about it.

One of the people I was dragging them in to see was a very nice guy named Bob Rado who went about the business then of explaining the process and making sure you understood what difference between the red and the green buttons were, what the network was looking for on the questionnaire and then he'd lead a bit of a focus group, the tourists would all get pens with the "eye" on them and they'd be released into the wild again.

From what I wrote at the guest book attached to his San Diego Union-Tribune obituary:

I immediately felt shock but then was just flooded with all these great memories of that time, my early days in Southern California and this great guy that made all the long hours of grunt work at Television City in Hollywood a much less demeaning experience. He created an esprit de corps that got us through two pilot seasons together.

I hadn't seen Bob since, but according the the U-T he spent the rest of his career in the food and beverage industry here in the San Diego area at The Charthouse chain of restaurants to the legendary Hotel Del Coronado to the University of San Diego.

He's survived by his wife, Karen, two stepdaughters, two other daughters and two sons with Karen, and two brothers and sisters of his own.

And countless friends.

There's a funeral mass tomorrow at 11 in Ocean Beach, CA (San Diego area), details by clicking the obit link above.

Bob was the kind of guy who made sure the new guy in the group felt like he belonged, and I will always appreciate that.

Okay Gang, You're On Your Own For a While -- I'm On The Road

 

Not going too far, just up to my old OC stomping grounds to spend some quality time with Janet before she leaves to meet her hubby Jim in Arkansas for the family Christmas celebration.

He drove. I can't imagine driving alone to Arkansas.

In the meantime, there's plenty here to read, and as always, check out everyone on my blogroll here on the site and, of course, there's always TV to watch.

Haven't watched Jersey Shore yet, hopefully Janet will have recorded it and I can watch there. I'll have some blogging time while J is at a party tonight, then I'm pretty much offline all weekend.

Get any shopping done? Me, neither.

Typepad is Fixed! I Can Blog Again!

And I will as soon as I come back from Stater Bros. Market in Bressi Ranch.

Anyone need anything?

So, I'm Off to Get My Bifocals -- Ugh!

Damn. Those years just went by like ... (snapped my fingers once).

For the last few months I've been taking off my glasses and holding the paper very close to my face ... because they are obviously printing things in a small typeface lately.

They are printing things in smaller typefaces, right? Right? RIGHT?

I know, I'm just kidding myself. Hey, maybe I'll start reading again. Maybe I'll start a new blog, "I Am A Book Junkie."

Okay, let's not go too far here.

Still, it makes me thing about demographics and how, as David Goyer from FlashForward and the Batman reboot said to me, I "don't matter." And that really pisses me off, like I'm not aware enough or mentally or emotionally pliable enough to adopt to new products or program concepts.

(And they're  right in one regard ... I certainly haven't taken to unscripted crap like the Real Housewives Who Do No Housework or Keeping Up With the Girl With the Big Ass and the Sex Tape, but I just chalk that up to my love for traditional dramas and comedies being on the tube and, frankly, intelligence. And to a large extent my distaste with knowing too much personal business about people I don't know.)

Let me ask you this, and keep the "Tiffany Network" particularly  in mind when I ask this ... Isn't the onus on CBS to convince advertisers that what they have to sell (inventory) is valuable, just like Christian Audigier convinces douchebags to wear Ed Hardy shirts? If they did that maybe I wouldn't feel so ghettoized by my not-so-advancing age?

Well, thanks once again for letting my spout. More later, after the optometrist. And I won't be getting the frames illustrated above, those were Ben Franklin's. I've been looking forever for the glasses Patton Oswalt wore when he played the Clark Rockefeller doppelganger on Reno 911 but no luck yet.

I Am Almost Ready to Return to TV Blogging, Just One More Day!

Hi, it's your "I Watch TV and Write About It On the Web" pal Joe.

Moving has been an arduous task. It's just about over, though, and starting tomorrow I'll be back with all the usual yada-yada. And yes, I just looked for an image of Jason Alexander and Suzanne Cryer from that Seinfeld episode and came up empty.

You'll have to close your eyes and imagine them sitting in Monk's.

Your homework tonight is to watch Castle at 10 on ABC, if only for the rugged handsomeness of Nathan Fillion and the discreet yet faaaaabulous charms of Susan Sullivan, a personal favorite of mine.

G'night.

Video -- Tonight's FlashForward Preview, And My Last Post Before Moving

Blue hand. Just keep thinking about the blue hand.

And, I'll by offline until Tuesday (possibly) or Wednesday (more than likely).

In the meantime, the clip widget thingy from ABC.com is after the jump and I'll see you on the back end of my move.

I Know, I Said "Light Posting," Not "No Posting"

Sorry, I've let the packing and moving get in the way of ... everything.

I'm taking a moment off to thank you all for the birthday wishes (it's today).

I still have so much stuff to do before moving day, but I have spent some time catching up on my DVR before I have to return it to Time Warner and I must say that there was some good stuff there. I caught up with Eastwick, Castle, Durham County and Stargate: Universe while letting my body heal from days of abuse (packing is hard!) and enjoyed all of it.

It helps that baseball is cutting into my Fox shows and that both Ferguson and The Daily Show were in repeats last week. Gave me enough time to clear the queue before judgment day.

Anyhoo, thanks gang for the birthday wishes.

Also wanted you to know that the Mary Tyler Moore Show DVD contest is over and winners should be getting their DVDs in the mail presently. Thanks everyone for playing.

Now, back to the work of putting my life in boxes. Cheers, all!

Sorry 'bout the Light Posting, I'm In the Process of Moving

Posting will be light and scattered until ... Thanksgiving, unfortunately.

Will do my best, this happened just at the wrong time, but it has to be done.

Me? I'm Taking the Day Off, This is Your What You're Watching Open Thread

Not because it's Columbus Day, though I could embrace my Italian roots today and, I dunno ... eat some lasagna?

All these years on the left coast have just stripped me of ethnicity.

Back tomorrow. Watch some TV, tell me how it is below, and I'll be back tomorrow.

Welcome (?!?) My New Advertiser

Now, I have no idea why a company called Easy-Hookup.com, which is clearly geared toward straight guys looking for women who apparently don't have people in their lives to take photos of them (so they use their phone's cameras and a mirror) would want to specifically buy space on this site.

But they did.

And I'm watching to make sure the images in the ad don't get too weird or demeaning to women or ... well, you know what my issues are.

If you see anything there that offends you, send me a note.

If you see anything you like? Click the ad.

Thanks.

New FTC Rules on Blogger Gifting, Celebrity Endorsers on Paid TV Appearances

First off, starting December 1 I'm supposed to tell you whenever I get some swag or a DVD and then write something about it.

I already do that. We're good, right? Thank you.

The other rule is a great one -- I have noticed especially in the pharmaceutical sector that their celeb endorsers often make appearances on talk shows talking about their medical conditions and how the product they endorse has helped them.

The two instances I can think of right now are both female figure skaters, Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill. They've both made the rounds to talk about the products they use.

Ira Tenowitz at TheWrap.com:

Besides requiring celebrities to reveal any advertiser payments when they tout a product outside of traditional commercials, the new guidelines require that celebrities be able to justify any claims they make about the quality of the products they hype.

No longer acceptable is the excuse that they're just reading a script -- they have to actually use the product or have a reason for making any claims that product works.

The guideline also makes clear that celebrity endorsers have to be careful about what they say. Along with advertisers, they would be held liable for false and unsubstantiated claims.

That's a great thing in my opinion. They shouldn't be out there on the stump for those products, anyway. I would like to see a rollback on prescription pharmaceutical ads on TV as a whole.

Email/Facebook Money Scam: To My Readers, Facebook Friends and Email Buddies ...

I have not sent you any emails about being in London or anywhere else and that I need money to get home.

Your other friends probably haven't either.

I mean, what are the chances? Think, people, THINK! Or at least make a phone call to verify!

Please consider these email scams with due dilligence. Watch the Today show clip below and act accordingly.

LINK

I've Been Sleeping Off Some Oral Surgery

And that's why I haven't written anything today.

Though I did have a dream while I was asleep where I recruited my readers (particularly Toby for some reason, including a phone call)  into participating in a project where I build a website photographically documenting the changes in their local community's shopping districts over the years.

(Must be all those pics I looked at yesterday of me marching in jr. high and high school Memorial Day parades, trudging up and down Rockaway Ave. in Valley Stream, NY with the mouthpiece of a baritone horn slamming against my mouth ... I was never much of a marching-while-playing guy, especially with carrying a big twisted piece of brass in front of me.)

Which brings us back around to the oral surgery.

Anyway, part of that dream actually saw me walking into the local church where I was confirmed ... oh the things we do when we don't know better, huh?

Back later with something more on-topic.

Guess Where I Am, Just Guess!

I'm at the dentist. Talk amongst yourselves. Want a topic?

Dentistry has nothing to do with dens or dents. Discuss.

Wow! How lame was that?

Later.

If TV Watching Were the Olympics, I'd Be ...

a) Michael Phelps -- totally baked but slicing through the water with the speed I fast forward through commercials.

b) One of the drummers from the Beijing opening ceremonies -- just one person, but a powerful statement when seen among my peers.

c) Nadia Comeneci -- scoring perfect 10s and Bart Conner.

Okay, I'm not Nadia.

(However, very true and very humbling story ... during the '72 Munich games -- I was 12 -- I took to getting up on the armrest of our plaid couch on Fairview Avenue on my knees, doing a tumble across the three couch cushions and landing square on the opposite armrest. I took to calling myself Olga -- as in Korbut -- for a while after. Yes, I know ...)

I watched so much new Fall TV yesterday it prompted this post. I'm going to try and write about all I watched today, but I have some out of home business to deal with this morning.

Back later. There's plenty to read here in the meantime.

You Can Now Subscribe to My Feed Via Email, and If You Do ...

... you will be eligible to be entered into a drawing to receive some of the Fall season swag that I've gotten from the networks.

(Don't worry networks, I'm not giving away the DVDs, they are for my eyes only. Understood.)

Of course, publicists, network contacts and anyone who has a static link here on my homepage will be ineligible, and I think that's just about everyone who currently subscribes in a reader of some kind. You can get the newsletter if it's more convenient but the swag giveaway is for those who don't have access to network swag.

And, I know who you all are, so don't try anything (Roco).

Nah, I'm just kidding you, Roco. Go visit his site by clicking above.

The subscription form is at the top far right of the page. Or, click the big envelope at the top of the post.

More on the giveaway at the end of the week.

I've got great stuff from Fox, Showtime, TBS and more.

Burger King is Freaking Me Out

First it was this ...

Now it's this ...

What ever happened to a multi-ethnic cast making Mmmmm sounds?

This tiny hands thing makes me want to go into my long tirade of male porn stars and the critical "hand size to organ size ratio," but I just don't have the time.

Video -- Sorry About the Light Posting, Check These ABC Fall Show Clips While I'm Gone

I am attending to family matters.

(Couldn't resist posting some Urkel above. Get it? Family Matters? See what I did there? And another thing, and I know I harp on this a lot, but ... is Urkel all that Jaleel White gets to do? Why are we penalizing Jaleel White to obscurity unless he's Urkel? He created an iconic comedy character when he was just a kid, just a kid, and we're gonna banish him to the sidelines because of the whole omnipresence thing? It just doesn't seem fair.)

If you've emailed me I'm just getting to the mail. Hold on and I'll be with ya.

In the meantime, watch some of the stuff after the jump, it's a bunch of ABC Fall Preview clips. Check out the NBC Fall Preview show hosted by Joel McHale at this link.

Thanks, Hulu.

My Guest Top Ten List at Blogs.com

I was asked to do a guest Top Ten list at Blogs.com.

I created a list of unaffiliated independent TV blogs (just people like me working at home, not affiliated with a network or a major website or newspaper) and came up with what's at this link.

Please click over there, if only because I want them to think I have some friends.

Thanks.

Talk Amongst Yourselves

It is hot & sticky.

The sun is beating down on So Cal.

And my motivation has left the building

I think I'll just goof off today. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll make some calls, see if I can track down my motivation.

Homer (above) is feeling the heat too. Muttered something about dog days on his way to laying down.

In Which I, a Middle-Aged Man, Am Recruited By the New York Jets

This story is just about as believable as Bill O'Reilly's claim that he got a tryout with the Mets in the early 70s.

But, my cousin Anne-Marie (by marriage, she looks nothing like me -- she's stunning!), one of the Jets Flight Crew, is in the clip and you can watch it at this link.

Sorry, no embed codes.

Anne-Marie's the captivating brunette you see talking with her colleague, on the left, when you get to that segment.

Please Excuse the Misleading, Lying, Manipulative Ads On This Homepage

Apparently Google AdSense is serving them up because I went kind of heavy on the healthcare reform posts today.

No, Obama isn't a Socialist. If he is then every Republican who voted for the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit is one as well.

And, all you people who use Medicare, I guess you're Socialists too.

Which is a hoot when you consider that all these crazy yeahoots taking their marching orders from Dick Armey and Freedomworks are all happy to accept Medicare and Social Security, which are both social programs.

These idiots use the words Socialist, Nazi, Communist and Marxist interchangeably because they have no idea what any of them mean. Because when they went to school (public school, another social program folks!) they weren't listening or they just didn't get it.

Know the difference, be a better person. Learn something.

I can't control the AdSense content, but I can dispute the ads and take their money at the same time.

Which is a winning formula for me.

Does ANYONE Have BBC America in HD Yet?

Can we do a quick roll call on the question? In the comment section?

If you could leave a comment with your general location (nothing specific), your cable or satellite system and when you got the HD channel it would be very instructive for me and others who are trying to get their providers to get with the programme (notice the UK spelling).

It's almost a month since the day one of Torchwood Children of Earth, and I still don't have BBCA in HD.

Which is just criminal.

What Happens When You Have No Web Access All Day?

I for one go nuts.

Then I calm down and just decide to do other things.

After writing about Glenn Beck my internet service went down. My theory? The internet tried to spit Glenn Beck out and crashed.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

More tomorrow.

-Your TV Junkie

Today I Am Rula Lenska: Welcome Deb and Roberta from Basket of Kisses

Not really Rula, per se. She was showing friends around Europe while her hair stayed perfect thanks to Alberto VO5 hairspray.

I'm showing friends around downtown Los Angeles while my hair stays perfect thanks to Axe Hair Spiked-Up Look putty.

The world has changed.

But I loved Rula's fab shoulderpads, didn't you? She was probably storing her friends' souvenirs in there. That's why I'm bringing my codpiece, in fact.

Today the lovely Deb and Roberta Lipp from the Basket of Kisses Mad Men blog are arriving at LAX, I pick them up at 1 pm and then we're off for a day of ... maybe the Grammy Museum, maybe Little Tokyo, maybe a little Cuidad by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger for dinner, and then the season premiere of their favorite show with a few select guests at a downtown hotel.

Then the next day they visit the set of the show. I'll make sure to let you in on all the set visit dish as they reveal it at their site.

I'm very excited. I was supposed to meet them a year ago when I went east but I ended up laying in bed with a horrible cold for days and missed them.

So, make nice among yourselves, readers and get ready for a big night of TV.

My Regrets to the Nice People at Fox Entertainment

Sorry, and sorry to readers. Not at the Fox event, woke up at 5 with a raging headache, went back to sleep.

Enjoy all the banked Craig Ferguson clips that are running today. I gotta put my head down.

My Shame -- Why Can't I Stop Watching 27 Dresses?

(I've been thinking that for a blog called I Am A TV Junkie, I don't spend a lot of time discussing my own viewing habits. I thought I'd get on that with something that's happening right now.)

Sometimes you cruise around the pay channel grid on the guide just because you think you should, especially in those days after you get the bill and realize how much you're paying for them and how few movies you actually watch on cable anymore.

At least I do. Sure, I've chosen TV as my beat, so to speak, but that should include any experience I have with the thing that hangs off my wall, that monster with the retractible swing arm. Or to be more poetic, that electronic window through which a see a world real and imagined.

Okay, somewhere in the middle is probably the truth.

Thirty-seven minutes into it, I find myself still watching 27 Dresses. On Cinemax. And not even in HD. And I don't wanna stop, even though I know it's crap and the plot points are so telegraphed that Samuel Morse himself gets a "Special Thanks" in the closing credits.

Yet I seem perfectly content to sit there in front of it, at least until I thought about writing about it. It's a shanda, I know. I think what I'm doing right now, this public confession, is my penance. Wait, I'm mixing religions, I think. Whatev, the guilt sent me to the 'puter.

I have a couple thoughts on the movie, though, that I really want to share:

Malin Akerman has a knack for showing up in movies that involve a wedding coming off sooner than expected (this one and The Proposal).

I enjoy seeing characters played by Katherine Heigl experience emotional pain, for reasons completely outside the scope of whatever movie she's in. Does that make me a bad guy?

I imagine that when Howard Dean was young he had a smile like James Marsden's.

In fact, I think the images below will illustrate this pretty well.

Young Howard Dean

Reasonably current James Marsden

Freaky, huh?

What really kills me is I know what's going to happen and I'm still watching. My remote control is working and I'm still watching.

I'm drenched in self-loathing and still ...

... I'm still watching.

Strangely, I think it's that I know what's going to happen that keeps me glued here. It's Sunday, you don't wanna work at all at anything, even figuring out a narrative, and I dunno if I have the energy to be excited. About anything.

This is my shame.

Hey, Sorry About That!

Sorry there's nothing else new here today.

I have stuff going on. Things to do. Details. Deadlines.

Stuff.

More tomorrow. Promise.

I owe the universe a ton of Craig Ferguson clips, at least one per day since the last time I posted one. I'll get on that.

Soon.

Later.

Yes, I Work at Sterling Cooper, I'm the Guy With the Coffee

I'm not even much for martoonies after dinner, let along before. And that thing in my right hand isn't a bag of weed, it's a newspaper.

Want something like this? Click here.

G'night.

Hello, CNN.com Readers!

Thanks for coming over from this link at CNN.com. Click this link to subscribe to the blog by feed, and please bookmark the site so you can come back, over and over again, every day, without fail ... okay, whenever you get the chance will be just fine.

This is a place for TV talk with a certain flair, that flair being both mine (and not the same flair as Jennifer Aniston's character in Office Space wears on her waitress uniform) and yours.

Have a great time, respect people's opinions and join the party.

You are welcome.

Never seen Office Space? Well, you can at least see the scene where her character quits her crummy theme restaurant gig at this link.

Like other clips I post here, you maybe don't wanna watch this at work or with your kids.

More recent posts below, scroll down for all the tasty goodness.

Video -- BSG: The Plan Premiere Will Be in Your Own Home on DVD (Before Syfy Airing November 1)

You know that means uncensored DVD release before airdate. That means more money for Syfy and it also means that the ratings of the Syfy version on cable at satellite on Nov. 1 (the beginning of sweeps) will be hampered.

So, you gotta wonder why. And I have an answer for you ... Caprica's DVD sales were apparently good enough to encourage the same process for this TV movie.

Here's a quote from the press release from friend of friend of the blog Jane Espenson about the additional footage:

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan's executive producer and writer Jane Espenson added, "Edward James Olmos was our director on the movie, and he did an amazing job. He also shot some great footage that we are not able to show on TV, so I'm thrilled that viewers can experience it uncut as our director envisioned it."

Now, since he knew with was a movie for the cable network from the get go, why did he shoot stuff that they aren't allowed to show on TV? Because they asked him to shoot stuff that they aren't allowed to show on TV. Okay, I don't have independent verification of that, but c'mon, we all know the score.

(Like the bare breasts and violence in Caprica's DVD release were ever meant for Syfy prime time? Please. And, btw, if you don't see them those bare breasts and the violence in the virtual nightclub scenes in Caprica you aren't missing anything more than a ramping up of your adrenaline response. If you need that, buy the DVD like I did. Of course, my purchase was because I just had to have it. I got it the day it went on sale. I've seen female breasts. I like a more muscular, somewhat hairy chest.)

Nice way to generate DVD sales, but it reeks of disingenuity.

Hell, I'm buying it anyway. It's part of my BSG collection. Gotta have it.

How 'bout you? If you click the icon below to pre-order at Amazon I can collect said funds kicked back from Amazon and try and buy back from the Universe the awkward moment after I told Tricia Helfer that I would go straight for the chance to be with her. True story. Not really such an awkward moment, though, I'm sure she gets that a lot.

         

Teaser trailer for this DVD/Blu-Ray/digital download in a clip after the jump. No iTunes link. Yet. If you buy it on iTunes you have to promise me you'll find a way to watch it on something bigger than your iPod.

Time Warner Cable -- Continuing Discussions with BBC America for HD Channel

I got a call back from a Time Warner exec in NYC. Me, a guy with an only-reasonably popular blog (at least for now). I though that was pretty cool.

Maureen Huff, Senior Director of Integrated Communications at Time Warner Cable called today and indicated to me that discussions are continuing between them and BBC America, of who Ms. Huff said they had "a positive working relationship" with to bring the hi-def channel to their cable systems nationwide.

She also asked me if I had heard from anyone at BBC America, which I have not. I should inform you about my attempts there. I haven't heard from my press rep on the issue (though I never really did address him personally with the question, I will today with this post) and my attempts to reach BBC America chairman Garth Ancier through Facebook (he's a Facebook friend of an actual friend) have gone for naught.

Ms. Huff also indicated that there was "no set deadline" for the two parties reaching an agreement to slot the HD presence of the channel. I explained that the huge BBC America push online, in the press, to bloggers and on the air was what was fueling some of the subscriber upset over the channel not being there yesterday morning, Torchwood Children of Earth day.

So, there's no date and, for the time being at least, no reason to call your Time Warner customer service rep and bug them.

I do think, though, that it might be a good idea for everyone who wants the channel in HD to make yourselves known to your cable and satellite provider, and you can do that in your monthly bill, should you still be using snail mail to pay it, or you could send an email.

At the major cable and satellite systems, I have links for you, and because there's no reason to reinvent the wheel, some of these links are to other blogs that have found this info:

• Time Warner
• DirecTV
• Dish Network
• Comcast
• Cox
• Cablevision
• Charter Communications
• AT&T U-Verse
• Verizon FIOS

And, if yours is not one of these you're on your own. Sorry. I gotta move on.

Letting them know you want the HD channel is the most important part, you need to give your company reason to get moving on this.

And, when everything is actually is place (and I'm miffed at BBC America for not making sure it was ahead of time) they should run Torchwood Children of Earth again. Maybe in one fell swoop on a Sunday afternoon instead of finding the next Joseph or Maria or ... Berger from Hair.

Actually, if they were to do a show (with Graham Norton and Barrowman, but get the producers of Hair instead of Lloyd-Webber, natch) to cast Berger in Hair, I'd totally watch it.

World Exclusive -- This Just In From Moe's Books in Berkeley

From my friend Jeff Greenstein ...

It's not me, of course, though I would love to have my name plastered all over bookstores across America. I like to think that I represent "the lives of both the revered and the marginalized, the heroes and the underdogs" of MY time, also.

More on the art of Justin Bua at this link.

Visit Moe's Books online at this link.

Video -- Pick Me Craig Ferguson, I'll Be Your Sidekick

I'm practicing saying "I Know!" just the right way in case you email. Email link above, use it, Craig!

I even have my own leather harness. Though no one needs to see me wearing it or leather shorts. My prime for that kind of thing has passed, sadly.

Yet another One Craig Ferguson Clip a Day Until You Start Watching post, and even after you start watching, what the hell.

LINK

Yes, There Might Be a Scientology Ad on This Site

It's part of the rotation from Google AdSense.

I'm not suggesting that you have to click it just because it's there. You know how I feel about the whole Xenu thing.

However, if you do, drop me a line and let me know what their sales pitch is, I'm always interested in the ways organized religion, even those that have to do with aliens and placing humans around a volcano in some sort of human sacrifice, pitch their product.

The email address is above. In fact, for all blog biz I'm gonna start moving over to this new Gmail account. It'll happen in stages.

Two Three Things I'm Asking For From the Universe -- Please Help!

Okay, I want three things. I thought it was just two but I realized it's three.

1) I would love it if there was someone out there in my world, from the blog or my friends in the industry or wherever who could get me five or ten minutes on the phone with Neil Patrick Harris before he hosts the Emmys in September, just to do a little preview interview and maybe ask a question or two about Barney and Robin's future on HIMYM.

2) Joan Rivers was the first person who ever paid me to write. I was a sophomore in college  (1979-80) and my pal Jim Renehan and I used to sell one-liners to her. She's being roasted by Comedy Central this year with host Kathy Griffin. I would like to be there. I'll even bring my own chair if I must. If there's food I promise to eat first. I'll even do all my breathing ahead of time so that the stars can be properly oxygenated.

3) This isn't just something for me, this is for all of us ... I want Time Warner Cable to make some sort of announcement about picking up BBC America in HD. Actually, I just want them to do it, NOW!!! What up with not telling my friendly cable TV customer service rep what's going on? You could save a bunch of sci fi fans serious worry if you'd just ... I dunno, send us all an email to the effect? Or something like that.

If you can help or guide me in the proper direction, write to me at the address above.

Thanks.

My Yahoo! Email in Down, See Alternative Email Address Below

I Am Not In Argentina With My Mistress, Just Otherwise Engaged

Hey, I thought I might pop onto the blog for the regulars and give you a heads up.

I'm moving! The exclamation point indicates that this is a good thing. It's not happening quite now, but soon, and I have stuff to do to get ready.

It's gonna be rather hit and miss for the next few weeks and I can't guarantee that I'll be posting every day.

So, I thought you should know.

And, I'll be back when I can.

Watch Virtuality tonight at 8 on Fox. You'll be happy you did, even if it is a pilot that will probably never get picked up.

Virtuality trailer after the jump.

Busy Busy Busy!

I am.

Sorry I'm otherwise involved today. I may be back later in the day.

Don't bank of that, though.

Stuff happening. Things to do. Gotta run.

Back atcha ASAP.