[Yancy] Butler, heroine of TNT's supernatural drama, voluntarily checked herself into rehab for alcohol abuse this spring, causing a halt in the show's production.

I don't think it worked.

posted at 1:26 PM | link |

For whatever reason, I thought of the TV show "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" today. Oh, how I loved that show. I missed it during its first run from 1968-1970 (I was only 4 years old, for crying out loud); I watched the show in re-runs on Channel 38 (WSBK) out of Boston. I remember getting home from school and turning the TV on at around 4:00 every day. I think the Captain was one of my first crushes. I hadn't realized until today that the show only ran for 2 seasons. Or that Hope Lange won 2 Emmys. Or that Gull Cottage is a real place. God I wanted to live there.

Feel like reminiscing? Never heard of the show? Try these sites:

The G&MM Multimedia Collection
Macwombat's G&MM page
The G&MM Homepage

Now you'll have to excuse me. I have to go satisfy the sappy romantic in me as I browse through image galleries and episode lists.

posted at 10:10 AM | link |

I'm sure most of you have been following the case of missing person Laci Peterson. Have you heard the latest? The husband was reportedly having an affair.

posted at 9:07 AM | link |

For Your Consideration.

posted at 1:11 PM | link |

Quite possibly the best description given to the police, ever. LOL

posted at 12:24 PM | link |

He may have loved his old man, but I'm sorry, this is downright ghoulish.

posted at 12:18 PM | link |

The ever-shifting shape of child abuse.

posted at 12:13 PM | link |

Scared yet?

posted at 12:04 PM | link |

24

Goddamn, this show just keeps getting better, every week. It has the power to make me cry - George Mason and his son, President Palmer telling Nina she can kill Jack Bauer - even while it's keeping me on the edge of my seat. And last night's revelations regarding our villains was s-w-e-e-t. I nearly choked when I heard the announcer say the show would be back with new episodes in three weeks. Nooo!

posted at 11:36 AM | link |

Does anyone have or know anyone who has DirecTV? I was just browsing their site to see if they were a reasonable alternative to cable, and their deal seems just too good to be true. Our current setup includes about 65 channels, including local channels, plus HBO, HBO2 and Cinemax. Our service does not include BBC America or Turner Classic Movies, for example, channels that we would love to have. The cost per month: around $75.00.

Now, DirecTV. If we were to sign up now, we would get the system (antenna, receiver and remote) for free (special offer). The Total Choice package (the base package) has 110 channels, including BBC America, TCM, Independent Film Channel and a host of others I would watch. Price: $31.99/mo. If I want local channels added (and I can add them since I checked and they are available for my zip code): $6.00/mo. Do I want HBO (7 HBOs, that is)? Price: $12.00/mo. Total cost per month: $49.00/mo.

Has anyone heard anything about DirecTV? Any horror stories? Like I said, it just seems too good to be true.

posted at 11:24 AM | link |

Good news for us West Wing fans:

The General Electric Co. -owned network is near a deal with Warner Bros. Television to renew "The West Wing for roughly triple the $2 million it currently pays per episode, sources close to the show said on Tuesday.

The licensing pact, which is expected to be completed in the next few days, would keep the Emmy-winning White House drama on NBC's prime-time schedule for two or three more years beyond its fourth season, which ends in May, the sources said. (source: yahoo)

It feels like forever since I've seen a new episode of this show. Have I been missing them?

posted at 10:38 AM | link |

Here's a nice story: All a young autistic boy wanted was a set of traffic lights in his yard, and he got them. People can be really cool sometimes.

(thanks, fark)

posted at 4:49 PM | link |

Adult Film Title of the Week: Pocahotass Part 6

posted at 2:14 PM | link |

My God, can you blame her for crying?

posted at 1:45 PM | link |

A Flak magazine opinion piece on the fight to save Farscape and the plight of the TV fan.

posted at 1:25 PM | link |

A vampire with soul, and cheekbones. I haven't read the article yet since I don't want to be spoiled (possibly) for last week's episode, but why should all you Spike-lovers be denied?

posted at 1:02 PM | link |

Maurice Gibb, of the BeeGees, died this weekend at age 53 from a heart attack suffered prior to intestinal surgery. He made some wonderful music with his brothers and will be sorely missed. I may need to put on our BeeGees Greatest Hits CD.

posted at 12:19 PM | link |

Farscape

The final 11 episodes started airing this past Friday. I want to ask a favor. I would like to ask you to watch these episodes. If you like what you see, spread the word. There is still hope left that SciFi will pick up the show for another season, but only if the numbers are there. The Save Farscape folks have worked incredibly hard to keep this fight alive. I am going to occasionally post some of their to-do lists over the next several weeks. Please try to join in when you can. Here are some suggestions for what you can do (from savefarscape.com):

OPERATION SCHMOOZE SCI-FI

How many new viewers have Nielsen boxes is out of our hands. You're not a Nielsen family? Fine. Get yourself counted.

We've managed to keep a small stream of letters going until now, but to support the ratings -- whatever they are -- we're going to need to show some serious presence. This is as important now as it was in the days just after the cancellation. We need to go back to a constant, huge barrage, and not let up until 422 airs.

Remember, there's a new Head of Programming at SFC now, and he hasn't seen what this fandom can do. So let's show him. If all 4,660 of you that filled out the demographics survey do just this much every week, that's a veritable mountain of mail.

From now until 422, we're going to ask you to set aside one day of each week. Pick whatever day suits you best, it doesn't have to be Monday. On that day, do the following things:

1) Write two letters by hand (it can be the same) and send one to
Bonnie Hammer and one to Mark Stern. A short, positive review of the
ep you just saw is a great subject for this. Be encouraging, be
positive, be supportive. Schmooze. Say thanks. Remember: WE LOVE SCI-
FI. They funded Farscape for four seasons, and if they think there's
money to be made, they *will* fund a fifth.
2) Email a copy of the letter to each address below
3) Call SFC until you get through, even if it's just to leave a
message.
4) Fax, if you have one available, one of the handwritten letters to
each number below.

Bonnie Hammer, President
bhammer@usanetworks.com

Mark Stern, Head of Programming
mstern@usanetworks.com

Mailing address:
The SCI-FI Channel
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Phones:
Switchboard: 212-413-5000
Extensions = the first letters/numbers of the last name
Programming Phone: (212) 413-5821
Comment Line: (212) 413-5577
New Comment Line: 212-413-5679

Faxes:
212-413-6531
212-413-6522
212-413-6503

Other Email addresses:
scifiweekly @ scifi.com
program @ www.scifi.com
feedback @ www.scifi.com
series @ usanetwork.com


We'd also like to ask everyone to start throwing some pennies into a jar and plan on sending at least one telegramme, after 422 airs. With the cliff they're bound to leave us hanging from, we don't think you're going to need a lot of prompting to tell SFC how badly you want to know the end.

To give you something lovely to write your letters on, Maayan has made watermark stationery of six main characters: John, Aeryn, Chiana, D'Argo, Rygel and Scorpius. The logo at the bottom says "I'm not Nielsen, I am Farscape." We strongly encourage you to use these. They're downloadable as PDFs at: http://the-janissary.com/SaveFarscape/FSWatermarks.html. Right-click to download, and don't worry if you don't see the image on your screen. It looks great printed, even in draft.

Above all, WATCH FARSCAPE. Tell your friends, your family, your co-workers to watch the show. Post about it to all the non-FS lists and boards you frequent (and don't hesitate to ask them to write letters as well -- some of them will!) Wear your Farscape pins, your t-shirts, drive around with your Farscape bumper stickers and car
wraps. It's a great show, be proud to be a fan.

posted at 11:57 AM | link |

I've finally seen The Two Towers! The film lived up to all of my expectations. I could not believe it when the movie ended - not only did it not seem 3 hours long, it didn't even seem to be as long as The Fellowship. There was so much about the movie that I liked, but I can't really express it coherently right now; it's all a blur and I want to see it again before I comment on it. I promise that I will have more to say about the movie. Suffice to say, for now, that I loved it.

And I want Aragorn to be my boyfriend.

posted at 11:42 AM | link |

A week! It's been a week?! Oops.

How about we start things off with a light topic, say, capital punishment? I'll say right off that my stance on capital punishment is a bit shaky. I believe it is inherently wrong to take another life no matter what side of the law you are on; there are some people, however, whose crimes are so hideous that the only solution that seems appropriate is to remove them from existence altogether. Even then, I question the motive behind a death sentence. Are we killing them to punish them, because we don't know what else to do with them, or is it that we would prefer to be rid of them and not to be reminded of how despicable a human being can be?

I applaud Illinois Governor George Ryan's decision to clear out his state's death row; not because I think these people deserve a second chance - I don't know a thing about their cases. I credit the Governor for making a landmark and controversial decision based not on politics (his career was already over) but on conscience and what he thought was the right thing to do.

Let the slings and arrows begin! ;)

posted at 11:33 AM | link |