I hope you have a great bday and don't forget... next year... It's a Logan's Run bash for you...

Now as folks have probably noticed from various earlier postings - I'm a fan of TV. I watch a lot of it (or more to the point, I have it on in the background pretty much continuously while I'm working in the evenings). There's a reason I've got three ReplayTVs (a competitor to Tivo, a bit dated, unless you have more than one in a house, then it's by far the better brand) - to keep up with the evenings when there's multi-way scheduling conflicts. Anyway, the point is that with the writer's strike currently ongoing, what is on is getting dangerously thin.



NBC plugging the return of American Gladiator for God's Sake. CBS is looking and bringing in some of the Showtime series that've already been airing (though I can't imagine how they'll cut down Californication to something that can be shown on network tv while still making any sense at all (not that it was very good, anyway, would rather dig up an old Red Shoe episode). Ancient Leno episodes will be coming back to NBC (personally if they're going to use classic material, they should use something that's truly classic and drag out Carson and maybe a few of the older variety shows).



In the end, it's true that the shows that were facing immediate extinction have gotten a reprieve during this (FNL was all but set to be shown to the locker room), but because their ordered episodes were all in the can, they're in a position to do better than some of the other shows that only are going to have something like 8 episodes for the season - and when a new show is trying to get traction (like Chuck), this long of a hiatus may well be the death of it. After all, few series have fans as bewilderingly patient as Soprano's fans when it comes to waiting 18 months to 2 years to get a paltry handful of new episodes (the sad notion the cable networks have of 9-13 episodes constituting a full season).



There's some hope that some of the European import reality shows might come this way - and I'd like to see some crossover examples of how the Brits handle survivor (Shipwrecked - a show where there's no prize, just 20 people dropped on an island with nothing but their clothes, and left there to see how they fair). Or if the US screen could handle Big Brother in the Italian or German fashion (ok, about all of the other BBs have had some in-house trists on screen).



Anyone seen anything decent domestic or imported of late? (Other than Razor, which was of course awsome as ever, but we'll save a BSG discussion for another time).

You Are the Thumb

You're unique and flexible. And you defy any category. Mentally strong and agile, you do things your own way. And you do them well. You are a natural leader... but also truly a loner. You inspire many but connect with few. You get along well with: The Middle Finger Stay away from: The Pinky

30 Rock: Ten episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are three left.



Aliens in America: Seventeen episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are eight left.



Back to You: Nine episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are two left.



The Big Bang Theory: Eight episodes were produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are zero left.



Bionic Woman: Eight episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there is zero left.



Bones: Twelve episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.



Boston Legal: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are six left.



Brothers & Sisters: Twelve episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.



Carpoolers: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are seven left.



Cavemen: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Six episodes have aired, so there are seven left.



Chuck: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there are two left.



Criminal Minds: Roughly twelve episodes will be produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there is roughly one left.



CSI: Eleven episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are three left.



CSI: NY: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are four left.



Desperate Housewives: Ten episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there is one left.



Dirty Sexy Money: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are three left.



ER: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are five left.



Friday Night Lights: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are seven left.



Gossip Girl: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are three left.



Greek: Eight new episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are eight left.



Grey's Anatomy: Eleven episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are two left.



Heroes: Eleven episodes will be produced. Eleven episodes have aired, so there is zero left.



House: Twelve episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are three left.



How I Met Your Mother: Eleven episodes will be produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there is one left.



Jericho: Seven episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are seven episodes left.



Las Vegas: Nineteen episodes will be produced. Ten have aired, so there are nine left.



Law & Order: SVU: Fourteen episodes will be produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are four left.



Life is Wild: Twelve episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are four left.



Lost: Eight episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are eight episodes left.



Medium: Nine episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are nine episodes left.



Men in Trees: Nineteen episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are 12 left.



My Name is Earl: Thirteen episodes will be produced (that includes two one-hour eps, which count double). Eleven episodes have aired, so there are two left.



The New Adventures of Old Christine: Eight episodes have been produced. No episodes have aired, so there are eight left.



Numbers: Twelve episodes will be produced. Nine have aired, so there are three left.



The Office: Twelve half-hour episodes will be produced. Twelve half-hour episodes have aired, so there are zero half-hour episodes left.



One Tree Hill: Twelve episodes will be produced. None have aired yet, so there are twelve episodes left.



Prison Break: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are five left. (On hiatus 'til Jan. 14)



Private Practice: Ten episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there is one left.



Pushing Daisies: Nine episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there is one left.



Reaper: Twelve episodes will be produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there are two left.



Samantha Who?: Twelve episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are four left.



Scrubs: Eleven episodes will be produced. Five episodes have aired, so there are six left.



Shark: Eleven episodes will be produced. Ten episodes have aired, so there is one left.



The Shield: All 13 season-seven episodes will be completed. None have aired (the final season gets underway in '08), so there are 13 left.



Smallville: Fifteen episodes will be produced. Eight episodes have aired, so there are seven left.



Supernatural: Ten to 12 episodes will be produced. Seven episodes have aired, so there are three to five left.



Ugly Betty: Thirteen episodes will be produced. Nine episodes have aired, so there are four left.

So, It'd been pointed out to me that I really do use LJ for venting, ranting, and generally bitching a lot - that and posting various and sundry images/movies/and memes. I'd been asked if I ever have any good times, and why didn't I ever write about them. I suppose a good deal of it has to do with when I'm in a good mood I'm less driven to need to let it out. But perhaps I'll try to work on that - I really do have positives going on as well as all the downsides.



Over the past week I've had a great number of well wishes for the bday yesterday, and thanks to everyone - from the MySpace comments to the WebCards to even the snail mail cards (I have to wonder how much the 'Net has decimated the USPS volume over the past decade).



To those who I've owed emails, calls, dinners, etc, that I haven't done so for, I apologize profusely. Like I'd noted earlier bdays are generally rough, but it's past, I lived (so much for those who never thought I'd make it to 35), and now time to get cracking.



Look for emails soon.



Thanks for the Bday dinner at Red Lobster, it was a lovely time, and you all for once got to see me actually get blitzed. Leave it to me to get snuck up on by some lil ol waitress with a full tumbler in her hand. Jeebus, you could have at least warned me... gawds. No, I didn't get sick, but I did get the distinct sensation that the world was made up of packed cotton. I now leave the drinking to the rest of you... it's sooo not my thing, I'll just stick with my random glasses of port and absinthe.