(S05E12) Last spring, I went to hear Ira Glass give a talk about his popular NPR radio (and now TV) show This American Life. He outlined the formula for the show's success, and he also talked about House. Websites have documented the formula for every episode: Every episode is essentially the same. So, why does it work every time? Last night, I was hooked by Emmy the trainer rolling down stairs, ...

(S05E07) I always enjoy watching House, but later, when I am thinking about it to write a review, comes the true test of whether or not I really liked the episode. Or, more accurately, then comes the true test of whether the episode can stand up to scrutiny. So, the answer in last night's case is that I didn't think it was a particularly strong episode. Sometimes shows seem to put in these ...

(S05E06) Maybe it's just me, but one of the things I love best about House is that the writers often use the medical mystery as a parallel for the mini dramas occurring between House and his staff. Last week, with "Lucky Thirteen," the patient's fate actually coincided directly with Thirteen's, because the two women were lovers and were, briefly, both dying. This week, the patient(s)' symptom of ...

Product placement is everywhere, inescapable. According to Dr. Jean Kilbourne, author of Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel, Americans are exposed to approximately 3000 advertisements every single day. Kilbourne has a compelling video called Killing Us Softly that reveals how insidious advertisements are. Ads tell us that women should be thinner, quieter, nicer, ...

I was honestly surprised by the number of responses we got to the call for nominees for The Brought to You by TV Squad Awards. It turns out that a LOT of people are as irritated by blatant product placement as I am. Hurray! Is this the wave of the future? And if it is, can we get advertisers to eliminate commercials? Because if I have to endure ads tucked within my shows, then I don't want even to ...

Last summer, I was reviewing an-hour long commercial for Visa for TV Squad. It was slightly more interesting than an infomercial, though. There was this guy named Johnny Smith who could see the future or the past when he touched people, and he always made sure to use his Visa card in sticky situations that would arise from this ability. Oh wait... What's that you say? That wasn't a commercial? ...

(S04E16) "Her heart won't stop racing. No idea what's causing it." Doctor in inferior hospital. "Are you sure it wasn't the bus that landed on her?" House. The season finale of House packed a wallop. I let my Tivo get ahead of my watching it so I wouldn't have to see the commercials, and I had barely begun the episode when my next-door neighbor burst into my living room exclaiming, "Have you seen ...

(S01E16) "Leeroy Jenkins!!!!"-- Logan Griffen I deliberately chose a humorous quote to help us say farewell to Moonlight, rather than a more somber one. But other quotes in the running were: "Can my code name be Lando Calrissian?" and "It's going to be a freaking vampire apocalypse." It is not a spoiler but a fact that CBS decided earlier this week not to pick up Moonlight for a second season. ...

This is it, Moonlight fans. Vampires might be immortal, but this cult favorite is not. Today, sources at CBS have confirmed (though this is "not truly official" yet): The bubble has been popped, and the network has decided not to renew the series for a second season. You can't say the fans haven't tried to save this show, hosting nationwide blood drives and showering the network with garlic ...

(S03E14) "I am deceptively strong." Dr. Zach Addy "I'm... deceived." Dr. Cameron Saroyan This was a very lighthearted and playful episode, particularly after the gravitas of last week's trial. Not only was it a great send-up of FOX's sister show, American Idol, making light fun of the show and its contestants, but there was also a lot of joking around and funny moments, reminiscent of the best of ...