UPDATE 09/02/11: It's been announced that President Obama will deliver his speech at 7PM ET on Thursday Sept. 8.

With all the lockout drama off the field over the summer, in recent days NFL fans have been sitting back and taking a few easy breaths as they await next week's season opener.

Now, however, comes news of a possible TV scheduling conflict: President Obama vs. football.

The president had planned to deliver a televised address on jobs and the economy to a joint session of Congress at 8PM ET on Sept. 7. However, that's when the Republican party is holding its televised Presidential Debate in Simi Valley, Calif.

After Speaker of the House John Boehner balked at Obama's request for an address on the 7th, the president yesterday agreed to move the speech to 8PM ET on the 8th. Unfortunately, that's led to a potential conflict with the Saints-Packers game on NBC, which kicks off at 8:30PM ET.

The White House is said to have been keen to avoid such a conflict, so what to do?

Bob Costas is a broadcasting legend and rightfully so. He has a commanding presence and an intellectual curiosity that can never be fed. He has conducted probing and thoughtful interviews with just about everyone who ever meant anything to the news and sports world. But now, he will be forever remembered for uttering a phrase that united the world.



Costas uttered this now immortal phrase during the closing ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics last night, and it set the Internet afire with its "beaver" and "inflatable" Google keyword alerts. It not only appeared all over Twitter, but it now has its own Facebook page with 1,500 members and growing. Someone out there, a lucky businessman, is putting it on a T-shirt, and the world will become just a little bit better for it.

As 2009 draws to a close, the world has exactly what it needs -- another massive media conglomerate.

On Dec. 3, cable giant Comcast justified a long-standing industry rumor and completed an $8 billion deal to acquire a controlling 51% of NBC Universal stock from former owner General Electric.

Huge companies gobbling up big (but not as huge) companies is nothing new in any business, especially broadcasting. All of the major networks are owned by parent companies. Disney owns ABC. Newscorp owns Fox. Westinghouse owns CBS. Now, Comcast possesses NBC -- as Conan O'Brien celebrates in this clip.

(S02E12) "The cell is mightier than the sword, or the very large knife." -- Chuck

There were some funny bits in this episode of Chuck. There were also some good bits of plot development. Still, for what was being promoted as a spotlight show, including the novelty of 3-D, it's hard for me to sing the praises of tonight's episode. It just left a lot to be desired. What it did leave me with is a headache.

Before getting into the particulars, let's get the 3-D thing out of the way. It was terrible. Joel wrote about this a few days ago, and he was right. The 3-D glasses were cumbersome and lame. They also seemed too dark because instead of the effects popping, they just seemed murky and dim. I give NBC credit for trying to think outside the box, but 3-D is not the answer for how to make TV viewing more exciting. Compared to high-def, 3-D is not awesome, just annoying.

When it comes to the blue and gold, NBC is enduringly loyal. The network has agreed to a new five year deal with The University of Notre Dame to televise the college football games from the venerable college team, even though the Fighting Irish have not been a winning powerhouse for the past few years.

In fact, the Irish have been getting its butt kicked by the likes of USC, Michigan, Ohio State and the entire SEC regularly of late. Nevertheless, when it comes to Nielsen ratings, pleasing the advertisers and making the legion of Notre Dame fans happy, NBC steps up.

The new five-year agreement will give NBC the rights to televise all Irish home games through 2015. That's seven from Notre Dame Stadium and an extra home game not from the ND Stadium to air in primetime.