kapgar

Girls on film (got your picture)...

Aye, aye, aye... another tough one.

If you recall my inner turmoil yesterday, I have come to a resolution with regard to it.  If the film wasn't in theaters in my area until 2005 but was in limited release in 2004, I will count it as a 2005 film.  I'm going by Academy rules on this one to make it easier.  The reason behind this decision is because foreign films really muck it up a bit.  For example, a film like Hero, which came out in the States in 2004, was actually released in its native China in 2002 and was on the festival circuit throughout 2003.  That should still be considered a 2004 film, in my mind.

If you don't agree, take it up with management (management says, "tough luck," by the way).

Here you go...

1. Million Dollar Baby
Yes, this was a limited release film at the end of 2004, but I wasn't afforded the opportunity to see it until 2005.  An absolutely brilliantly acted, written, photographed, and directed film about an aging boxing trainer and the young woman who wants him to train her.  As usual, Morgan Freeman is great in the "voice of reason" sort of role he typically takes.  But the big kudos go to Hilary Swank and Clint Eastwood for their heartwrenching portrayals.  This film deserved every Oscar it won.

2. Batman Begins
The Bat is back!  Just when everyone thought the franchise was dead (thank you, Joel Schumacher!), Director Christopher Nolan gives the Caped Crusader a breath of fresh air by returning him to the gritty, vengeance-laden vision that Frank Miller dreamed up in the Dark Knight comic series.  Combine that with spectacular casting in Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne and a supporting cast that includes Morgan Freeman (hmm, wonder if I can get him in any more of the top films of the year?), Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Gary Oldman and you've got a great film in the works.  The film is dark, depressing, violent, and oh-so daring.  I can't wait for the next two films.  Oh yes, there are two more being penned.

3. Elektra
Just kidding!  Wanted to see if you were paying attention.

3. (for real this time) Star Wars, Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith
At the heart of it all, I'm a geek.  And Star Wars is my Bible.  After being disappointed by the first movie in the prequel trilogy (The Phantom Menace), I was picked up a bit by Attack of the Clones. This film continued the heightening streak of the trilogy.  I loved it.  Yes, it was heavy on CGI, but the writing was a bit better (not too terribly much) and there was much greater emotion being doled out by a couple of the actors, particularly Ewan MacGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.  At least they ended the films on a high note.  The series is over, isn't it?

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry and his friends are starting to get up there in years and the writers and directors of these last two films are finally exploring the characters' emotional depth and allowing the actors to really "let it all out," per se.  It's about time, too.  While not as good as 2004's Prisoner of Azkaban, it is still a damn fine film in its own right.  I'm like a little kid as I sit in the theater and let the magic unfold around me.  Oh, why couldn't these books and films have come out when I really was a little kid?

5. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
It's the film that started the tabloid uproar and ended a beloved modern movie marriage.  But, once you get past all that, you find a film about a bored married couple who both happen to be government assassins and don't realize this fact about each other.  It's a really fun film with some serious ass kicking going on.  I could watch Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie whomping on each other for hours on end, it was that cool.

I know, I know. These are pretty mainstream films. I realize that.  However, there are no good arthouse theaters in my immediate area.  The one good one in St. Charles closed down at the beginning of the year.  So I have to wait for many of the smaller, independent films to come out on DVD before I can watch them.  And there are several of these movies that I think could've potentially made this list based on what I've read and heard from others. This list would include Millions (sitting at home waiting to be watched); A History of Violence; Good Night, and Good Luck; Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; Green Street Hooligans; and Syriana.

The best, the best, the best of you...

This is the time of year when most people do their recaps of the year (see the Xtine Files for examples).  Seems like an appropriate time, wouldn't you say?  The problem is that I'm having some trouble figuring out my lists. 

You would think that, being me, the natch approach would be something like:

• Top 5 books
• Top 5 movies
• Top 5 albums
• Top 5 TV shows

Or something like that, right?

Well, for me, it doesn't work out quite that easily. 

When it comes to TV shows, many of you already know I award the Kapgar.com Primetime TV Awards in the spring (usually the beginning of April or May) simply because I like to do it when most networks are in the rerun season or close to it.  Just makes sense to me.  I like to be able to consider midseason replacements in there as well.  If I do it at the end of the calendar year and not the programming season, I will likely forget the midseason replacements from the season before.  I still mourn you, Eyes.

I read scant few books this year compared to past years simply because it's hard to read for fun while you're reading for classes (damn MBA program).  Plus, I think I may have only read one or two that were actually published during calendar year 2005.  So I don't feel like I would be doing the publishing world any justice by giving them a top 5.

I also have trouble with my top movies of the year because of the controversy surrounding when they were actually released.  For example, the brilliant film Million Dollar Baby with Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman.  That movie officially came out on December 15, 2004. However, this was a limited release in just New York City and L.A. intended to get the film out in the marketplace for Oscar consideration by their cutoff.  To me, and most of the rest of the U.S., this movie came out on January 28, 2005, because that's when it went into wide release.  Does this count as a 2004 or a 2005 release (I could care less what AMPAS says)?  For me, that would be one of my top films of the year.  Easily.

And then there's music.  Ah sweet music.  Much like books, though, I don't necessarily wind up picking up CDs in the year they were released.  So I've got to do some mining to find the actual release dates to make sure I pick legitimate 2005 albums.

It's such a headache.

But I think I'll try anyway.

And to start, I'll run with Kapgar.com's Albums of the Year.

After much deliberation and release date lookup, here is what I have for you (I actually posted this already in a comment on Xtine's site, but she said I can steal it for my blog as well)...

1. Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
I think any release by the Foo Fighters would wind up on a best-of-the-year list of mine in any given year in which it's released.  That's just the depth of my love for this band.  And this was a two-disc set, to boot; the first of which is the heavier stuff while the second disc is a bit slower with some acoustic numbers.  Some of the better tracks include "D.O.A.," "The Last Song," and "Cold Day in the Sun" which never ceases to remind me of the KISS classic "Hard Luck Woman."

2. Bob Mould - Body of Song
I have loved Bob Mould for some time.  His recordings with both Husker Du and Sugar remain on my regular rotation.  This, however, is one of his first solo efforts I have purchased.  I really don't know why I picked this album up.  There was nothing that really triggered my searching for it.  But I did and it was worth every penny.  Check out "Underneath Days," "(Shine Your) Light Love Hope," and "Gauze of Friendship."

3. Coldplay - X&Y
In all honesty, I loved the first track, "Speed of Sound," but only about the first dozen or so times the radio played it.  I had to go on Coldplay hiatus for about two months before I finally picked up the whole album.  Glad I finally did.  The rest of the album makes up for the fact that "SoS" was so overplayed.  Check out "White Shadows," "Fix You," and "Hardest Part."

4. John Hiatt - Master of Disaster
This is one of those albums I just happened to pick up at the library not realizing that it was a new release at the time.  Spectacular album from a spectacular artist.  If you've ever been a fan of tunes from the likes of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Steve Earle, you have to check this, and his plethora of other albums, out.  Give a spin to "Master of Disaster," "Thunderbird," and "Find You At Last."

5. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
This is one of the many albums that my friend Eric turned me on to.  I love having friends with eclectic tastes in music.  I learn so much and discover so many albums I never would otherwise.  This is one such album.  I really have no idea how to describe it.  You pretty much have to take a listen yourself and see if it suits your tastes.  Just remember, everyone's different.  You've been warned.  Lend your ear to "Pioneers," "Luno," and "Price of Gas."

Tomorrow: Kapgar.com's Movies of the Year...

Grandma got run over by a reindeer...

I did something a bit strange today.  It's somewhat shocking and appalling.  You might want to sit down for this.

I listened to the radio.

I know, I know.  It's a terrible piece of news, isn't it?  I did not listen to doPi.

It stems back to Katie telling me the other day that I seem to be a bit behind on current events and that I should occasionally try tuning in to the radio to get my daily fill of what's going on in the world. 

To some degree, I suppose I can agree with her.  For weeks upon weeks that seem to be turning into months upon months, I've done nothing but plug in my trusty iPod and listen to music or podcasts.  It's just so nice to not have to deal with the plethora of commercials that lay waste to the airwaves.  There's no quicker way to make me lose interest in a radio station than by playing an unceasing chain of commercials.

But, on the other hand, I'm not completely out of the loop on current events.  I do work on the Web all day, after all.  I'm sitting in front of one of the timeliest (if not unreliable) sources of news in the modern world.  I get the current events insofar as the top three headlines on my Yahoo startpage are concerned.  Okay, that may not be the most comprehensive source of news out there.

So, this morning, I tuned in and I'm glad I did.

WLUP, 97.9 FM "The Loop" here in Chicago, recently welcomed Jonathon Brandmeier (fondly known around the city as "Johnny B." -- sorry, Johnny C, but he's got you by a letter) back to the Chitown airwaves.  The man is a legend in Chicago and had been on the air for as long as I could remember.  But he left several years ago for the West Coast.  Now, he's back and I missed him.

This morning on the Loop Morning Show, Johnny B. interviewed Dr. Elmo, the genius behind the modern Christmas classic "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."  The interview was hilarious as Dr. Elmo described the creation of the song and its inspiration (can you believe the song is only 26 years old?).  He also talked about how his goal was to give people an alternative to Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" so he revels in the knowledge that his song is one of the top sellers each holiday season.  He also soaked up the news from Johnny B. that, in his many years of radio work, he never once had a request for Crosby but always hears people clamoring for "Grandma."

Then, Dr. Elmo played his classic live on the air.  I had forgotten just how long that song really is.  It seems to go on forever, which, to me, is a testament to his creative spirit.  To come up with that many lyrics in what is pretty much a spoof song is just incredible.

But the best part, to me, was when he played a song dedicated to Johnny sung to the tune of "Grandma"...

Johnny got run over on the West Coast
Working out in Malibu by the sea.
Now he's back in ol' Sweet Home Chicago
Playing songs on W-L-U-P.

That made my morning.

Okay, so this doesn't exactly constitute "current events," per se.  But I'm still attempting to nurture the holiday spirit that seems to be running through me.  And do you really think that news about the NYC transit strike or Saddam Hussein branding the White House a bunch of liars (though I do tend to agree with some of his points) is really the best way to help me in this regard?

So, let's review: Kevin wants to stay in the holiday mood, should we, 1) listen to an interview with Dr. Elmo, or, 2) read news about children sleeping in cages?

Yeah, I think I know which one I prefer. 

I'll return to hard news next week.

A perfect lie (and) a perfect lie (and) a perfect lie...

Now see if you can keep up with me here regarding last night's season finale of Nip/Tuck and the Great Carver Reveal...

I was right...

But I was also wrong...

And Katie was right...

But she was also wrong...

Did you get all that?  It may seem a bit confusing.  However, if you watched the season finale, you might understand what I'm trying to convey here. 

It was twist after twist after twist.  My lord, I was spinning and it wouldn't stop.  They arrested and questioned practically half the regular cast on suspicion of being The Carver (yeah, The Carver has a MySpace account) all within the course of a single two-hour episode.  It was insane.

And horrifically twisted as well.  There were some moments in this episode where I could feel my insides binding up in disgust.  About a half hour in, I just wanted it all to end so I could sleep without having to worry about nightmares in which I'm attacked by breast implants and severed appendages.

The funny thing is that I was guessing everything as it happened.  I would turn to Katie and say, "wouldn't it be funny if so-and-so was arrested as The Carver?" and (doing my best Emeril impersonation) BAM, it would happen.  I was nailing it.

There was one particular detail that I was spot-on with and I'm not particularly sure I'm proud that I got that fact right.  If you go back and read my old post regarding The Carver's identity and check out #4 in the second bulleted list, you'll see I was right about implementation, per se.  Not the "who," just the "how."  Yet I wish I was wrong.

In a non-Carver plotline, I would like to say that for as much as I have always hated the character of Matt (John Hensley) on that show, I was quite proud of him last night.  He redeemed himself and his prickish tendencies in a big way.

The thing we haven't decided yet is whether or not we'll tune in next season.  We both loved the first and second seasons immensely.  But this third season was just weird.  I wish I could come up with a better word to use to describe it.  Something more artistic or inspired.  Yet, "weird" just strikes me as the best available word.  I think the only reason we finished it was the hope that we would actually be rewarded with The Carver's identity.  Thankfully, unlike how things usually work in Lost, the writers of Nip/Tuck did resolve a storyline... well, to some degree.

It's gettin' hot in here...

If there's one thing I cannot help, it's looking at other people when I'm driving.  It's a compulsion.  I like to see who's around me. 

Even if they give me that "stop looking at me" look, I keep on watching.

I really can't explain why I do this; I just do.  Am I trying to determine what makes other people tick?  Do I use this as a chance to examine the proverbial human condition?

But, once in a while, you discover a little gem... something that makes you happy you are an ogler of your fellow human being... that one thing that makes all the dirty looks worthwhile.

Today, while shopping for some gifts for Katie after work, I was about to exit my truck in the parking lot at the Geneva Commons.  However, I was unable to open my door as someone decided to pull into the empty spot next to me.  It was a Yukon-esque SUV and, when I looked through the front passenger window, I saw a guy probably about 20 with a big fro (yes, he was white) and goofy Jack Osbourne-like glasses. 

Upon closer inspection of the interior of his car, I saw a small, five-inch video screen mounted in his dashboard.  Since there was no one else in his vehicle, I'm assuming that the video that was airing was for his own enjoyment (safety first, people). 

And, as I stepped out of my truck and looked closer at the video screen, I saw he was watching porn.

That's right... two naked women on one naked man.  And I would almost swear I saw a Santa Claus hat.  A right festive orgy, indeed.

I was in shock.  I was speechless.  I was a bit numb (and not just because it was -5 degrees F with windchill).  And, despite the cold, I didn't want to pull myself away.  Not necessarily because it was porn, but I wanted to know what this kid's reaction would be if he knew someone was hip to his dirty, little secret.

Okay, maybe a little bit of the reason was because it was porn.  But just a little bit.  I swear.

But I did the responsible, adult thing and moved on to commence with my shopping.

And, thinking back, I now understand why it was taking him so long to get out of his truck.  And it's not because it was cold outside.

Elephant Walk.

One of the most interesting things about the holiday season is the inevitable "white elephant" gift exchange.  To the person who conceived of the idea of unloading your old, tacky junk on a fellow human being as a viable gift-giving format, my heartfelt thanks and envy.  There's nothing quite like sifting through crap and wrapping it up to give to someone else.  Wish I'd thought of it.

But, what makes this exchange infinitely cooler is all the stuff you uncover in your place when you're searching around for an item to get rid of.

I figured the best place to start would be our office.  The desk and shelves in the closet are so loaded with stuff that we rarely ever access, that there had to be something white-elephant worthy in there.

I was right... but I also found a bunch of other cool stuff that I'd completely forgotten about.  Check this list out...

A roll of duct tape.  Sweet!  I was going to buy a roll because I didn't think we owned any.  Now we do!  Everyone can use a roll of duct tape.  It's the universal fix-all.

A box containing about 50-75 comic books.  The list includes Roman Dirge's The Monsters in My Tummy; Sock Monkey #1 & 2; Marvel Knight's Kevin Smith Daredevil arc including an alternate cover of issue 1 signed by Kev (I met him way back when); Daredevil #200 - the near-death of Bullseye (or one of many, actually); Amazing Spider-Man special wedding issue with the people on the cover (as opposed to the more common cover with the bad guys in the background and Peter dressed as Spidey), #238 - the birth of Hobgoblin, #240 - "The Kid Who Loved Spider-Man" (one of only two comic books that has reduced me to a blubbering puddle of tears), and #400 - the death of Aunt May (the other one that did; one of the most beautiful speeches I've ever read by Peter to his Aunt); Spawn #1; Frank Miller's 300 miniseries about the Persian-Greco wars; Miller's Sin City - "Just Another Saturday Night"; G.I. Joe #26 & 27 - "The Origin of Snake Eyes"; and Superman - his death at the hands of Doomsday still sealed in the black bag.  I know I still have two long boxes of comics in my parents' crawl space.  But these were considered by me to be some of my most valuable, both in terms of nostalgic appeal and monetary value.

But, mixed in with this box was a killer find in Neil Gaiman's Guest of Honor... a self-published collection of two-page vignettes from some pretty major comic artists including Todd McFarlane and Eddie Campbell, among many others.  This piece is hand numbered 336/2500 (or, at least, it looks hand numbered) and is signed by Neil in silver paint pen.  I forgot I had this.  Wow.  Nice find.

Also mixed in this comic box was "Atari Force" #5.  C'mon!  You gotta remember back in the days of the Atari 2600 and 7200 when they released mini comic books with some of the games, don't you?  Well, I still have one of them and it's in nearly perfect condition.  I read it.  Complete cheese.

Lastly, in this comic box was a series of about 19 old National Geographic maps.  I loved those.  They were my favorite thing about having a subscription to that mag (aside from some killer pictures).  I wish I had a place to hang all these maps.  Framing is completely out of the question as it would be far too costly, but they are certainly frame worthy.

A case of 15 antique audio recordings -- they were recorded on what I believe they once called "audio cassettes."  There is some classic stuff here, too.  A deuce of Bob Rivers & Twisted Christmas albums, some Van Halen and AC/DC, Denis Leary's "No Cure For Cancer," and an old album from a band featuring two guys I went to high school with. The band was called Midian and it was classic heavy metal that broke on the cusp of the grunge revolution.  This was good stuff that I loved listening to when I actually owned a tape player (in my case, a Sony Sport Walkman).  However, I no longer own a tape deck and am looking for a way to transfer this tape to MP3 so I can put it on my iPod.  Any ideas?

Oh, and if you're interested, I wound up with an old DIY stress-relief set including a book, bath oil and salts, and a massage sponge.  I was so close to having a Magic 8 Ball, but someone took it from me with the last pick.  Dangit!  And I gave away a year's subscription to Wired magazine.  No, not a year in the future, but, a year's worth of back issues.  I wasn't going to read them again anytime soon.

Get Lost...

A couple weeks ago, I forgot to tape the new episode of Lost that was on TV.  Actually, I didn't forget to record it so much as I forgot to leave the TV on the proper channel. 

It wasn't all that big a deal, initially, because, as I've said, the show isn't nearly as good this year as it was last year.  But it has been picking up a bit.  Thankfully.  And, when some friends told me how good that particular episode was, I became a bit upset that I had missed it.

Then I remembered...

Lost is one of the shows that they sell individual episodes of on iTunes!  And I now have a new iMac with OS X.4 and Quicktime 7 (two of the required pieces of software to view videos purchased at iTMS).

I had read on some sites that the videos purchased on iTMS, since they are intended for the new iPod, are not that great when viewed on a computer screen.  But I wanted to see this episode.  And the desire to do so was rapidly building.

Yep, it was time to dish out my first $1.99 for a TV show on the Web.

Let me tell you, it was worth it.  No, you cannot blow the video up to full screen.  That becomes a bit pixellated to say the very least.  But I was able, after playing around with different sizes, to get the episode to fill about one-third of my monitor.  And, that's perfect.  I'm sitting right in front of the thing.  It doesn't need to be larger than life and in my face.

Here are some screen caps (I've shrunken them a bit to minimize loading time)...

Okay, so maybe they're not the most flattering shots of Evangeline Lilly and Michelle Rodriguez.  But, they'll do.

I could keep watching some shows this way.  And since iTMS has expanded its offerings to include some stuff I really want to see like Monk, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Office, I might really get into it.

Sorry, I'm not much into torrents and other forms of illegal downloading.  I once was a huge aficionado of services like the original Napster and Limewire after that.  But, when the place I work blocked out all gnutella clients and I was still on dial-up at home, I gave up.  And I just haven't gone back.  I guess that makes me an RIAA and MPAA posterboy... nah, not really  ;-) 

I don't look down on those that do use it, I simply don't have the patience to wade through all the crap out there in hopes that it will be a viable version of what I want and not some crap-quality rip or a recording of Madonna yelling "STOP STEALING MY MUSIC!" (yeah, she did something like that at one point).

Now, if only iTMS could get classic Twilight Zone...

My kind of town...

I know it may not sound like much of a vacation, but from December 22-24, Katie and I are "getting away from it all" by heading into Chicago and getting a hotel.  The hope is that we'll be done with Christmas shopping by that time (we're almost there!) so that we can just relax and walk around, get some food and drinks, hit up a couple of museums, etc.

Well, we booked the hotel a couple weeks ago and, this morning, I received an itinerary e-mail from Travelocity regarding our stay.  For the most part, it was your standard e-mail (if you've ever booked travel through Travelocity, Expedia, et al) and contained several ads for complementary services as well as ideas for activities.

But then I saw the coolest damn thing in the world... it was what Travelocity termed their "Travel Goody Bag" and contained a link to "Tunes For Chicago."

Being the music nut I am, I just had to click on it, regardless of the spam potential inherent in clicking on random e-mail links.  Thankfully, the resulting page is actually hosted by Travelocity, so I needn't worry about additional e-mails at least.

Here is a screen cap of part of what I saw on the site...

This was just too cool!  I love the idea that you can download songs about a place to which you are traveling, but having the travel company actually give you ideas!?!  That's awesome!  And the list has some standards plus a few others to consider.  I never would have thought about Wilco or Groove Armada when developing a list of "songs about Chicago."  Would you?

And it's fully iTunes compliant.  Even bigger props.

Okay, so it doesn't take much to please me.

If you think that's bad, wait till you see what else was on the page...

C'mon, everyone loves the gnome!

We will, we will rock you (not!)...

Kevin Apgar, known on the Bears' Blitz message boards as Peanut4President, would like to read from a prepared statement...

Although a diehard fan of the first-place Chicago Bears, I have to realize that the NFC is nothing like the AFC. Granted, the Bears are in the weakest divison in the NFL, I have learned, after watching the Steelers throttle the Bears, that we are not in the same league as the Steelers.

After the loss to the Browns earlier in the season and after the Steelers lost to the Bengals as we had, I had sure confidence that the Bears were going to once again show up against the reeling Steelers, like we did for Carolina. That's what I get for thinking.

As much as it pains me to say this, the Steelers are head and shoulders a better team than my Bears. If the Steelers were in our division, we'd be the Saints!

Lance, to you and all your Steeler listeners, congrats on a great win and may you find yourselves in the playoffs.

I'll look forward to the next time our two proud franchises meet so that I may root for the Steelers knowing that my Bears have no shot.

Congrats again.

This is the statement that I must read to the My Sports Radio Quick Take hotline and will more than likely be aired on the One for the Thumb Pittsburgh Steelers podcast.  Credit to Thumb listener Smack for coming up with the text.

All because my beloved Chicago Bears lost today to the Steelers and I had made a bet with a couple guys from the other board.  Dammit, Bears!  Of all the games you decided to lose, it had to be the one I actually bet on.  Now, because of you, I've got to read that statement.

Oh yeah, I also have to buy a Steelers hat and take a picture of myself in it and post it on both their board and my own.  That's gonna be painful.

Damn you, Bears!  The first time I actually bet on you (granted, not for some significant amount of cash or anything; mostly bragging rights), and you fail me!

No, no, no!!!

I am crying.

I don't want no Scrubs...

I was ever so excited last night as Katie and I watched our TiVosode (hey, cut me some slack, it's easier than typing "TiVo-recorded episode," right? - I think I should trademark that or offer to sell it to TiVo for the right price) of My Name is Earl.  The news that excited me so?  A commercial declaring that Scrubs is returning to NBC on Tuesday, January 3. 

We have both missed that show soooo much.  It's one of our favorites and its absence from the primetime lineup has been very noticeable.

But, it seems like NBC is making up for this hiatus.  Yep, we are getting two back-to-back episodes of Scrubs each week that it airs.  I can handle that.  One solid hour of J.D., Elliott, Turk, and Carla being hassled and harrassed by Dr. Cox, Dr. Kelso, and the Janitor?  Hells yes!

What does this mean for Earl?  Nothing terrible, it would seem.  You see, Earl is moving to NBC's meager Thursday night lineup.  NBC really wants to reclaim the "Must See" crown that they once owned that night.  So they are moving Will & Grace to 7 p.m., some new show called The Four Kings from the creators of W&G at 7:30 p.m., Earl at 8:00 p.m., and The Office at 8:30 p.m.

Notice anything?  Yeah, Joey is gone.  But only temporarily.  It should be coming back in March, or so NBC is saying.  Just a brief hiatus.  With the poor ratings that show has been receiving, it wouldn't surprise me to see it disappear entirely.  It's not horrible, mind you, just not nearly what I'd hoped for when they announced the show way back when.  It's definitely going to need some work.

I'm not sure what I think of these moves so far.  Yes, I absolutely love having double doses of Scrubs.  But I'm not sure I like seeing Earl pitted up against the CSI juggernaut.  This could be the kiss of death for Earl.  I pray it isn't, but you never know how network execs think.  If they don't have immediate results, they'll pull the plug on a show despite critical praise and Emmy wins.  Just look at Arrested Development.

I've been enjoying the heck out of My Name is Earl and I'd hate to see it go the way of the dodo because of NBC's pathetic attempt to reclaim a ratings crown they know they have no chance of grabbing.  CSI is an impossible show to beat.  There's little to no point in even trying.  Just keep Joey and Will and Grace where they are and let them die.  God knows that W&G hasn't been the same for a few years now.  It deserves to die.

Guess it's time to get that second TiVo hooked up, eh?  (No, we haven't done it yet; so sue us).