I sometimes look around the internet and am amazed by the sheer volume of content. People can write about almost anything -- especially when they're obsessed with a specific topic. And a lot of people seem to be specifically obsessed with television.

Not that I can judge. I'm TV addict who writes for TV Squad. But I sometimes wonder if it all really matters. Is anyone listening to any of us? And more importantly, do we have any influence on the television world at large with our opinions and criticisms?

As a devoted TV addict, I headed out last week to cover the New York Television Festival (NYTVF) and listened in on a panel discussion which looked at the explosion of blogs and TV fan sites and questioned their impact (if any) on the industry.

If you've been following my posts from the New York Television Festival, you may remember my mentioning that I'd post details of the Chuck premiere the festival was going to hold on Friday. Well, that didn't really turn out as planned. The "premiere" turned out to be just a screening: no red carpet, no panel, no one involved with the show attending. So I decided to skip posting about that (though I enjoyed the pilot, which is one of the few I haven't seen) and move right along to the premiere for Pushing Daisies, which was held on Saturday night.

You've already read a little about it, as I had director Barry Sonnenfeld address stories about cost overruns on the show. But, as I also said, that wasn't the only thing I asked him that peeved him a little bit. More on that after the jump.

I know what you're thinking. Who would want to work on daytime soaps? They're cheesy and lame. And they're not "real" TV shows. So why would anyone waste their time checking out the NYTVF's panel on "Breaking into Daytime Drama?"

Well, I would. And I'm glad I did. As a writer trying to break into television, I like to know all about potential employers. Besides, it's not like TV shows grow on trees out here in NYC. Us actors, writers, and other creative types have to take what we can get where we can get it.

And as I found out Saturday at the Daytime Drama panel, I'd be darn lucky to land a job on a soap.

I entered the NYTVF panel discussion about advertising with some trepidation. After all, I love TV, but I hate commercials. In fact, I'm in love with my DVR because it allows me to fast forward through all that garbage. And I really love watching my shows on DVD because I don't have to worry about about commercials at all.

However, I also realize that much of my beloved television programming (and now) internet content wouldn't be possible without the support of its sponsors. Advertising is an unfortunate necessary evil. For bloggers it means the difference between getting paid (like here at TV Squad) or diligently toiling away without any compensation with the unselfish commitment of a Harry Potter house elf.

Last Wednesday, Kim Masters of Slate.com wrote an interesting article about Pushing Daisies, one of the most highly-anticipated new fall shows. In the article, Masters reports that not only is the first post-pilot episode of Daisies over-budget, but the director of both the pilot and the first episode, Barry Sonnenfeld, has been punished for it; his "role as director was curtailed," as Masters put it.

When I was at the premiere for Daisies at the New York Television Festival last night, my main purpose on the event's red carpet (pictures of and text about the event will be posted on Tuesday) was to ask Sonnenfeld to reply to that article. Luckily, the director of Get Shorty, Men In Black, and The Addams Family wasn't reluctant to respond. "You know, the writer of the piece hasn't written a lot about Hollywood, I think," said Sonnenfeld. "Almost every show after the pilot is over-budget, whether it's Bionic Woman, Chuck, last year's Ugly Betty... I suspect they're all over-budget." More after the jump.

The third annual New York Television Festival is now taking place in the Big Apple. As we did last year, we will review each of the pilots in competition there. This is the sixth and last set of those reviews.

We finally come down to the last set of shows to review -- those in the educational/reality category. Last year there were many more entries geared towards an all-ages audience. This year's entries are definitely more niched in what they cover.

In general, most of them had very good production values and touched on topics that certain audiences would enjoy. There was only one show that I just couldn't watch entirely, and another that made me question if it was a reality show at all. My thoughts on the five entries can be found after the jump. You can also review the entries on your own at MSN to see if I was right or wrong about these shows.

The third annual New York Television Festival is now taking place in the Big Apple. As we did last year, we will review each of the pilots in competition there. This is the fifth set of those reviews.

Last year at about this time I reviewed the children's and educational entries submitted to the NYTVF. Some were good, some were bad, and some where 'how the hell did this get nominated?'. This year, since there were so many comedy DVDs available, I assailed myself with a copy. Because I'm also a masochistic I also decided to pick up the reality/education DVD as well. Needless to say, my head is swimming.

The entries on the comedy DVD that I was sent weren't too bad. Out of the five that were presented, there was only one that I just had to turn off mid-way because it was just that bad. Otherwise, they ranged from funny to just white noise. You can see what I thought after the jump (and you can view the pilots on our own at MSN)

While Joel was covering the New Amsterdam premiere at the New York Television Festival on Thursday night, I decided to check out NBC's Comedy Short Cuts showcase. According to a press release, seven cast members (including Tracy Morgan) from 30 Rock were scheduled to appear at the event. It was also noted on the press release that "All Talent Subject to Change."

And change it did. Tracy was a no show unable to attend due to scheduling changes (as were Judah Friedlander, Scott Adsit, and Jack McBrayer). But Lonny Ross, Katrina Bowden, and Keith Powell were present and seemed happy to pose for a TV Squad photo. So now they're my favorites. (But don't worry guys, I still love all of you).

The "30 Rockers" were on hand not only to create a photo-op for NBC and the NYTVF, but to introduce eight independent short comedy films made by culturally diverse production teams and casts. NBC Universal produces this showcase in order to uncover diverse talent suitable for future development deals.

The third annual New York Television Festival is now taking place in the Big Apple. As we did last year, we will review each of the pilots in competition there. This is the fourth set of those reviews.

When I spoke to Eben Russell, the NYTVF's main spokesperson, about how there seemed to be a lot of comedies this year, he mentioned that they wanted to judge the pilots being sent into the festival on their own merits, instead of shoehorning them into categories, like they did the first two years. "We adopted an approach taking the most outstanding pilots, regarding of genre. We have a large amount of comedies as compared to other genres," is what he told me in an e-mail prior to the festival.

The implication is that the other categories didn't have enough quality entries to justify their own categories. Judging by the uneven quality of the following pilots, it makes me wonder what the pilots that were rejected look like (you can view the pilots at MSN).

One of the fun side benefits of covering the New York Television Festival is that you get to see a few selected fall pilots projected up on a big screen. Oh, and you also get to talk to some of that show's actors and producers, as well. FOX's New Amsterdam was the first of three network pilots to premiere at the festival; shot in New York, it's a procedural whose main character, NYPD homicide detective John Amsterdam, has lived in the city for over 400 years, searching for his one true love. If it sounds familiar, you're right.

More details and pictures after the jump.

The third annual New York Television Festival is now taking place in the Big Apple. As we did last year, we will review each of the pilots in competition there. This is the third set of those reviews.

Last year I reviewed the reality entries at the NYTVF, and this year a disc of drama pilots came my way. It's something I have been looking forward to, because while the pilots are generally very hit and miss, there is always the chance that you will find that hidden gem. While that wasn't the case with the drama pilots here, there was a nice surprise in Dear Harvard. A look at four of the NYTVF drama pilots, after the jump (you can view the pilots at MSN).

The third annual New York Television Festival is now taking place in the Big Apple. As we did last year, we will review each of the pilots in competition there. This is the second of those reviews.

When we were offered to review pilots featured in the NYTVF, I not only jumped at the chance to finally see TV products with some substance this summer (due to the channels I get here, I was stuck watching mostly reality shows over the past 3 months) but also to experience something new. I offered to review one of the comedy DVDs but didn't request a specific one since I had no idea what I was in for.

Even if I had no expectations, I wanted the comedies to at least entertain me and make me laugh at least 2 or 3 times. Sadly, the pilots I reviewed didn't deliver the goods (you can view the pilots at MSN).

The third annual New York Television Festival is now taking place in the Big Apple. As we did last year, we will review each of the pilots in competition there. This is the first of those reviews.

Last year I decided not to review any of the pilots from the New York Television Festival, but this year curiosity got the better of me and I said yes.

I decided to review one of the comedy DVDs. More specifically, the one featuring a pilot with puppets. You know what I learned, Mable? I learned that if your plot is lame and contrived, having puppets as half your cast doesn't improve things at all. Let's get into it (you can view the pilots at MSN):

If you didn't think that the creation of new programming for alternate delivery systems like the internet, cell phones, and other devices was here to stay, perhaps this announcement might turn your opinion, if only a little:

Microsoft and our friends at the New York Television Festival have struck a deal to co-sponsor a contest where contestants will create five to fifteen minute pilots suitable for the software company's Xbox Live, which allows Xbox 360 users to play online games and watch movies and TV on demand. The winner of the contest will receive $100,000 to produce six episodes, which will be made available to Xbox Live customers. Also, the pilot will be screened at the festival, which will be held from September 5-10 this year.

Animation or live-action pilots will be accepted. It will be interesting to see what will be produced for this contest, and ultimately what wins. Suffice to say, knowing the Xbox's audience, I doubt it will be something along the lines of Desperate Housewives or Ugly Betty. That is, unless those housewives or Betty are shooting down aliens or bending iron bars with their minds or something. The full press release is after the jump.

(Part 2 of 5) Leave it to the networks to take a good idea and copy it so many times, it runs the format into the ground. Remember what happened after the success of Seinfeld and Friends? We got show after show of groups of friends hanging out together, most of which were mediocre at best. The same thing happened this past fall; due to the success of 24, Lost, and Prison Break, viewers were greeted with a slew of serialized shows, supposedly playing out a single plot over a season or seasons. The shows were of every type, from comedies (Big Day) to tense kidnapping dramas (Kidnapped, Vanished).

Out of all the serialized shows that premired in 2006, only two -- Jericho and Heroes -- can be thought of as successful shows. What did the networks and the producers of these shows do wrong? I can think of a few reasons, which I'll list after the jump.