The Monkees canceled several dates on their 45th anniversary tour last week, but not before Al Roker got to sit down with them and become the fourth Monkee for a segment on 'Today' (weekdays, 7AM on NBC). Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Davy Jones often tour as the Monkees without Mike Nesmith, who sticks to his own solo work. So there was an opening for Roker to join the band (at least for one show).

The three members goofed around for the cameras, as they've done since their TV show propelled them to stardom almost a half century ago. With all of the members now in their 60s, Jones joked about going from a heartthrob to a coronary. He then asked Roker to join them onstage that night, and the always-game Roker found a paisley shirt, a wig, and a knitted tuke (one of Nesmith's trademarks) and, he said, "Just like that, my childhood dreams became a reality."

Do you remember in the prehistoric days of no Internet and nothing digital? Back then, if you liked the songs you heard on MTV or -- gad! 'The Monkees' -- you would have to wait months and months for the single or album to show up in the record store. Yes, those were the days of records, even if they were tapes or 8-tracks.

Anyway, in today's wonderful world of instant gratification and super-technology, waiting is a thing of the past. Last night's performances from 'American Idol's' Top Twelve ladies will be on Apple iTunes today! Last night if you were watching and loved Lilly Scott's version of The Beatles 'Fixin' A Hole,' you could've pre-ordered it and it would be downloaded to your computer today.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, most successful TV series aired at least one Christmas show. Such seasonal events are less plentiful now, when most networks air reruns during the holidays -- but the classics of the past are gifts that keep on giving. Taking our cue from 'The 12 Days of Christmas,' we bring you a dozen holiday-themed episodes rich in tidings of comfort and joy.

On November 24, British music sensation Susan Boyle's first CD will be released, and as I wrote before, it won't be filled with just show tunes. It's been getting a lot of buzz considering that Susan has not been going on television promoting the album... till now.

Susan will appear on QVC on November 4 to launch her debut album I Dreamed a Dream. If you tune in, you'll see Susan talking about the CD -- it doesn't sound like she'll be singing live -- but they'll spin some cuts and urge you to order.

If you do, there'll be a bonus DVD of rare footage that you'll get along with the eclectic batch of songs she's recorded. How eclectic? Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," The Monkees' "Daydream Believer," Madonna's "You'll See" and, of course, from Les Miserables, "I Dreamed A Dream."

In AOL TV's continuing countdown of the best TV shows of each decade, we travel back in time to the 1960s, when viewers were entertained by wacky sitcoms like 'Green Acres,' 'Bewitched' and 'The Addams Family,' a proliferation of Westerns that featured future superstars like Clint Eastwood and Michael Landon, variety shows like 'Laugh-In' and 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' and James Bond-inspired spy shows like 'The Saint' and 'I Spy.'

Viewers were also into grittier fare like realistic cop dramas ('Ironside,' 'Adam-12') and war action series ('12 O'Clock High,' 'Combat!'), though there was plenty of classic sitcom fun on the airwaves, too, from 'The Andy Griffith Show' and 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' to 'Get Smart' and 'My Three Sons.'

Take a look at our picks of the decade's best and let us know if we got it right. -- By Kimberly Potts

(S01E11) "Now, run, rabbit." - Sock

Nothing like starting the second half of the season with a bang, even if it was only from a BB gun. I have to be honest, if Reaper wasn't already on my DVR's schedule, I probably would have forgotten to watch it. More importantly, if I hadn't been reminded by my blogging buddy Brett, I would have missed the review as well. Once again, technology has made me a better TV viewer.

I wasn't too crazy about Sock's hangup with his Mom's new husband. Am I the only one a little creeped out by the Oedipal implications? I guess that would help explain why Sock had that sex dream about Gladys a few episodes back.

A lot has been said about The Monkees since their show premiered over forty(!) years ago. The main thing, of course, is that they weren't really a band of musicians who rehearsed and played together on a regular basis. In order to refute that argument I present the following evidence.

The video you will see after the jump is from The Monkees one and only Christmas episode, which actually aired on Christmas day, 1967. The song that Peter, Mike, Davy and Micky are signing is "Riu Chiu", a 16th Century Spanish carol. Although some say that the voices on this live performance were dubbed, it sure sounds like they were performing the song right there and then, especially when you hear Davy sing a bit louder towards the end of the song.

Back before Micky Dolenz the actor played Micky Dolenz of the made-for-television band The Monkees, he was known as Mickey Braddock, child actor. Oh yes, ten years before he joined Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork in one of the most popular shows of the late 1960's, Micky had a television career of his own, starring in the series Circus Boy, where he portrayed Corky, a 12-year-old boy who's adopted by a travel ling circus. He also starred in a number of commercials, including a few for Kellogg's cereals. Who knew that, a decade later, he would be shilling for the same cereal company on The Monkees.

For your viewing enjoyment I include samples of both the younger and older versions of Micky in Kellogg's cereal adds. In the first one, filmed in 1956, he promotes the always-healthy Sugar Pops, and in the second, made 10 years later, he promotes Rice Krispies. Even though a number of years have passed between the two commercials you can definitely see older Micky's mannerisms in the younger version of himself.

You'll be able to find the videos after the jump.

One day, while sitting around the palatial TV Squad offices, a notion came to mind. What would happen if you took all of today's technology and applied it to classic television shows of yesteryear? Would The Fugitive's Richard Kimble be acquitted of his crime after the DNA evidence proved that he didn't kill his wife? Or, would The Mary Tyler Moore Show's Ted Baxter be a better anchor if he had access to all of the day's news via the Internet?

Taking that notion one step further, here are five shows that would have been vastly different if modern technology were applied to them.

The Dick Van Dyke Show: No more schlepping into the city for Rob Petrie; not when he could write his scripts from his home desktop computer. And, if he got tired sitting at his desk, he could grab his WiFi laptop and continue to write from the local Starbucks. He would still need Buddy and Sally, of course, but he could pass ideas to them via Instant Messenger. When they were all done with that week's script they could have a video conference with Alan where changes could be made via NetMeeting.

On September 12th, 1966 a debate ignited that continues even to this day. It wasn't on whether or not we should stay in Vietnam, or if there was a second shooter on the grassy knoll, or who was the cutest Beatle. No, the age old debate begun on this date was: did the Monkees actually play their own instruments?

Well, they did, but that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that the debate was initiated this particular evening because it was the night that The Monkees television show premiered on the NBC fall schedule. For the next two seasons, fifty-eight episodes, nine albums, one television special, and one major motion picture, Monkeemania swept America and the world.