Hump Day Update

Hey gang! Brother bear got to blog last night which means I am full of things I missed from yesterday. We missed the hump day update, but let's just call it that for old times sake. This will be the last one for edubTV 1.0. Single tear.

• It's Thursday which means The Office is on. Last week's episode wasn't that amazing but the deleted scenes were brillz! (Yes, I'm very big on abbrevs this week.) Check out some of the most cringe-worthy scenes in Office history.
  

• Former Queer as Folk star and current Desperate Housewives man-candy Gale Harold is in critical condition after a motorcycle accident a few days ago. Reports show he is steadily improving but he is far from out of the woods. Harold's character has a large role in an upcoming episode involving a nightclub fire. The ep is being shot this week and EP Marc Cherry said it will need to be changed a bit. Hopefully he'll have a speedy recovery.
  

• Have you taken the NY Post Television Aptitude tests? I scored perfect on the comedy edition and did just-ok on the drama. Feel free to leave your score in the comments.
  

• Finally those Gossip Girl kids get something right. This faux-PSA about the election starring Blake Lively and Penn Badgely is right on the money. It's executed much better than that whole "Don't Vote" mumbo-jumbo.
  

• Diablo Cody, Steven Spielberg, Toni Collette and John Corbett teamed up to make a TV show. The result? What looks like another hit for Showtime. The first look is finally available online. And sidenote, boy am I glad John Corbett is back on TV. He is one charming fella.
  

• Whitney Matheson of PopCandy interviewed the Ed Asner. Awesomeness ensued.
  

• And finally, my two favorite websites of late involve Barack-O-Lanterns and Upside-down Dogs. My taste is nothing if not refined.

Reminder: Set your phasers to stun and set your bookmarks for edubTV.com.

Things That Made Me Smile Today

• Tina Fey threatened to move to outer space if John McCain and Sarah Palin win this election
• Speaking of which, the rest of the TV public (lead by the New York Times no less) is finally as outraged as I am that 30 Rock isn't starting for another two and a half weeks.
  
• This Friday, October 17, there will be an entire Jeopardy category devoted to Mad Men. You can practice your skills online right now with an online edition of Mad Men Jeopardy right now though.
• Best new feature ever: An addictionary for all things The Office on NBC.com. Fans can add their own entries which means some are much funnier than others. I'm glad someone else remembered this.
• Gawker ran a wonderful piece today by a guy who tried out for America's Got Talent. Oh the shit they put you through.

Photo: http://www.examiner.com/

A Special Announcement From edubTV:
edubTV is moving! Yes, we'll be leaving Blogger and moving into a bigger house with a backyard over at Wordpress. What does this mean for you? If you are one of the five people who follow us, you need to update your bookmarks, feed readers, brains, etc and starting accessing our site by going to edubTV.com and NOT edubtv.blogspot.com. Soon, edubTV.com will be the only way to find us. I'll post this announcement at the end of every post for the next few days to remind you but the shift will probably take place by the end of the week. As far as housewarming gifts go, we enjoy fine liquors and elegant floral arrangements.

Obama Takes Over Your TV

Barack Obama shelled out some major bucks and purchased a half hour of airtime on CBS and NBC to run a half-hour infomercial on his campaign, his life, etc. The special will run on Wednesday, October 29.

This is a really expensive venture (each slot costs about $2 Mil) and rumor has it he may have enough money in the coffer to buy time on Fox and ABC too.

But the best news of the night? Obama's special will pre-empt Jay Mohr's latest shitshow Gary Unmarried. Womp, Womp.

Photo: http://www.rockunion.ie/

Palin Bingo Makes Debate Even Better!

TV goes on hold for the night for the one and only Vice-Presidential debate.

If for nothing else, it's probably worth tuning in so you'll understand the jokes on this week's SNL. If there is a debate sketch, rumor has it Queen Latifah's been tapped to play moderator Gwen Ifill.

But if you're not a politico, debates can be a little tedious. Lucky for you I stumbled on a link to Palin Bingo! There are four cards available so you and your friends can play along. I doubt it will take too long to get a "media blackout" as some of the tiles are things like "Gee," "Earmarks," and "Lipstick."

We may not get to watch The Office this week, but this a comedy night done right of a different color.

Image: PalinBingo.com

Celebrities of the Corn

Frankly, I don't which corn tribute I am more offended by:

Vice-Presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin:

Or American Idol runner-up David Archuleta:

Scary! And a-maize-ing!

Photos: www.accessatlanta.com, www.scandalist.com

No 'Bama Tonight

Barack Obama will not appear on SNL tonight as planned due to Hurricane Ike. His camp doesn't think shilling for laughs and the late night vote would be too appropriate given the devastation in Texas.

Don't worry, Lil Wayne and Michael Phelps will still be on tonight...and Tina Fey will probably be there too.

Photo: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/

Get 'Em While They're Relevant...Too Late

Did you guys pick up your "Anderson Cooper, you're not my boo" t-shirts yet? No?

Have no clue what I'm talking about? I need to start blogging in the morning.

Take a gander here and see what all the fuss is about.



Here's hoping this hubbub puts Usher's underrated duet with Alicia Keys, My Boo, back on heavy rotation. That was my jam!

Yes She Can!

Set your Tivos folks: Michelle Obama, wife of presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama, is guest hosting The View on June 18.

She was originally offered to come on as a guest but she insisted on serving as a co-host just like Cindy McCain did in April.

No guests are scheduled just yet. Michelle is kind of a fashion plate so I'd like to see a fun designer or a successful model. Heidi Klum might be a good match. Since Project Runway returns to the airwaves in a few weeks, her appearance would be pretty timely.

It might also be fun to do a teaching segment. Let's see her cook something, make a craft with her kids, or salsa dance. She seems like a carefree lady and that might be a good piece that shows she can still cut loose....in case that dap she gave her husband last night didn't convince everybody.

Remembering "The Puerto Rican Day Parade"

The Puerto Rican Presidential Primary is today, and Hillary Clinton likened her campaign experience there to "..one big Puerto Rican Day Parade." All of the commotion around PR, the primary made me think of a now infamous episode of Seinfeld.

The episode featured the gang trying to get home after a Mets game. Because of the traffic from the Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade and an abrasive driver in a Maroon VW Golf, Elaine, Jerry, George, and Kramer split up. Hilarity ensues for the entire cast, but the comedy was short lived.

In one scene, Kramer accidentally sets a Puerto Rican flag on fire with a sparkler then attempted to put it out by stomping on it. An angry mob chased Kramer and ended up throwing Jerry's car down a flight of stairs. Jerry quipped, "It's like this everyday in Puerto Rico."

Leaders in the Puerto Rican community called on NBC to apologize, as the scene blurred the lines between comedy and racism. NBC made an official statement and apologized. They promised to never aired the episode again (though it was the second to last episode of the show ever) and they originally removed it from the syndication package. However, the episode re-appeared in 2002 with the flag burning scene.

Just a little Seinfeld history for you on this Sunday afternoon.

McCain on Ellen

John McCain's been making his rounds on the fluffier talk shows lately. He shined on Regis And Kelly and the Daily Show but Ellen Degeneres gave him a run for his money on her show yesterday.

Finally! It's about time McCain started getting worked up and challenged again. The Dems are still feeling the heat in every direction but since he's the presumptive nominee, McCain's been kind of worry free for awhile. No more buddy! Especially on an issue vital to so many people.

Watch Ellen go for the gusto below:



Ellen & Portia's wedding is going to be gorgeous and star-studded. I can't wait to see the pictures.

McCain/Shrute: Dream Ticket!

John McCain appeared on The Daily Show last night. He can go wherever he wants, easy to do when you're not locked in a ridiculous, futile contest. I digress.

McCain sat down with Jon Stewart to talk politics, the secret service, Mao, and general old man hilarity.

You can watch the whole thing here and here but the part of interest came when McCain quipped that his running mate should be none other than Dwight Shrute, assistant to the Regional Manager of Dunder-Mifflin Scranton...and fictional.

His staffers probably don't want to tell him it's not really a documentary.

I kid. McCain seems like a funny guy. The fact that he likes The Office gives him points. Too bad we disagree on every issue except how awesome soup is and how much we love America.

No More MTV For You McCain!

Heidi Montag, she-villian of The Hills, endorsed John McCain today. Worse? McCain's PR machine gave credence to the comment by churning out this statement:

"I never miss an episode of 'The Hills,' especially since the new season started."

The whole thing would be funny if McCain hadn't made these bonehead comments about contraception and AIDS this week.

Poor old man. Now it looks like he pays more attention to semi-reality dramas than global epidemics.

PS: To make him feel better, I put up the hottest picture of McCain I could find. You were young once Johnny, but CSI is more your speed now.

SNL Is The New Black

Jonah Hill (Superbad, Knocked Up) hosted SNL last night. It was probably the funniest episode of the show since they've been back from the strike.

My favorite tidbits were both political. Darrel Hammond did a bang-up job as John McCain and Tracy Morgan had a surprisingly funny rant on Barack Obama. It was a much needed rebuttal to Tina Fey's segment on Hillary Clinton a few weeks ago.




I still have a hard time telling Tracy Morgan and the character he plays on 30 Rock apart. If you've ever seen the show, you know that's kind of sad. 90% of the time I can do it, but it's that 10% that makes me wonder whether or not I should be laughing.

Super Tuesday Showdown

My state didn't vote today but I still enjoy watching the returns from today's Super Tuesday elections. More than the data, stats, numbers, etc are the gimmicks, glossy hair cuts and power ties. Indeed, I just like watching the coverage for coverage sake. Let's break it down.

I'm devoting a few minutes to all of the major news nets and then doing a side by side comparison. Click the image to enlarge.

The victor tonight? ABC News. Who knew Diane, George and Charlie made such a great team? I guess everyone who loved Good Morning America 5 years ago.

1 Night 2 Parties: Still Kind Of Lame

They're going to be like...the coolest debates ever, like for sure! OMG Guys!

Tonight, ABC is hosting back-to back presidential debates in primetime. If that's not enough of a reason to clear your calendars, guess who the debate is sponsored by? Facebook. Everyone's favorite social networking site is presenting tonight's showdown with the GOP going on at a little after 6 and the Dems at 7:45ish.

ABC had strict rules to get into the debate, mainly that the candidate still had to be a viable contender. Dennis Kucinich didn't make the cut and he is pissed, even going as far as to file a complaint with the FCC. He's probably just mad because he has to go back to making cookies in that hollowed out tree.

No one watches TV on Saturday nights but me and every other single loner on the planet, this debate will probably not change that but ABC is trying its darndest. Next time, instead of showing the debate, may I suggest they show High School Musical. That seemed to work out well.

Huck and Leno Are Probably Besties Now

Mike Huckabee is the projected Republican winner in the Iowa caucuses tonight. I would like to think his victory is due to Chuck Norris, his strapping Tudors-inspired haircut (above) and his appearance on Leno last night.

It was the first night back for late-night talk show hosts and while Letterman boasted funny man Robin Williams, Leno came out strong with Huckabee. According to the early ratings, Leno took the numbers last night.

So who helped who more? Did his appearance on Leno help Huck to the top or vice-versa?

And more importantly: I watched CNN's coverage of the caucuses tonight and more impressive than Wolf Blitzer's blinding metallic tie was Anderson Cooper's pie chart board. He held up what looked like a piece of cardboard and a hologram of a pie chart appeared on it. Then, instead of listening to the political commentators, all I could do was watch Anderson fiddle with the board, making the graph smaller and bigger. He was like a kid with a bubble wand. It was mesmerizing.

And kudos to Barack Obama for winning the caucus for the Dems. Way to Barack The Vote Iowa!

Tough Questions For The Candidates

Someone finally asked the Presidential candidates the tough questions...TV Guide.

They surveyed the hopefuls to see what they're watching and what their favorites are. The article hits newsstands on Thursday but thanks to the Drudge Report you can see it now.

My favorite response? John McCain! The old coot picked Prison Break. The Hanoi Hilton is his 9/11. Like Giuliani, he mentions it at every opportunity. It's almost adorable that he managed to work it in here.

And in a relatively shocking selection, Hillary Clinton mentioned home makeover shows, Grey's, and Dancing With The Stars among others. Frankly, I don't see it. Could this be a strategic move to constantly attract the lady vote? I would have taken her for a 30 Rock or Mythbusters fan. Something with less drama, more cut and dry.

You know who they didn't mention? Mike Gravel. I bet he'd pick Survivorman, then spend half an hour telling you how he could've done it better.