I'm not going to argue with Mr. Klosterman. I admire him so much that for a short while, I thought he was my own Tyler Durden (all the ways I wish I could be -- that's Chuck). If we are, however, to take Klosterman's argument as truth -- that Puck and Pedro realizing the cameras were on them was the TV equivalent of Skynet becoming self-aware and destroying humanity -- we must then look to the second season of the show as the moment when Miles Dyson started working for Cyberdyne. That is, the seeds for television's unraveling were sown not during the third season of The Real World, but during the second. As 2008 is the 15th anniversary of The Real World: Los Angeles, I thought it might be a good idea to take a look back at how it managed to ruin everything...

I have a love/hate feeling about Chuck Klosterman. I think a lot of his ideas are clever and interesting, but he just gets so many things wrong in his columns that it makes you tear your hair out a little bit (and I don't have that much to tear out anymore). And his tone is one of superiority when he's actually off quite a bit in what he says.

For example, his latest Esquire column is about how TV networks "feel" and "look." How ABC looks a certain way, how NBC looks a certain way, and you can tell what channel you're watching, even if you can't figure out why or how you know, you do (even if you're not watching a show that you know is on a certain network). It's something I actually noticed 20 years ago, and I'm a little freaked out that someone else brought it up.

In case you've missed it -- perhaps you were busy trying to find that windbreaker you ditched last May -- here are some highlights from the last week at TV Squad:



We're at the New York Television Festival

• Read our coverage, with reviews of the pilot entries.
• I have a quick Q&A with Mitch Hurwitz.
  

Breaking News

• Pablos Santos dies at 19.
• Project Runway's top four collections revealed.
• Pat Corley of Murphy Brown dead at 76.
• Lonelygirl15 spills it; she's a talent agency creation.
• Extras done after two seasons.
• Dog the Bounty Hunter and son arrested in Hawaii.
• Houston and Brown split.
• Somehow, the BSG webisodes only play in the U.S.
• NBC to stream all new shows online.
• Driver in DeGeneres accident charged with DUI.
• Charges could be filed in death of Anna Nicole Smith's son.
• The Wire renewed for a fifth and final season.
• Real corpse found on the set of CSI:NY.
• TV's Supernova loses lawsuit over band name.
• Big surprise: Rosie's being a pain in the ass on The View.
• James Cromwell cast as Jack Bauer's dad on 24.
• Earl to shy away from "the list" this year.
• Brent Spiner rules out playing Data in Trek movie.
• All 48 original Simpsons shorts are available for download.
• Anna Nicole Smith's 20-year-old son found dead.
  

Discussions

• Our own Tom Biro is being solicited to be the next Bachelor.
• I'm extending the Couric sign-off contest to Tuesday.
• Brett recognizes this Survivor contestant.
• Which new show are you most looking forward to?
• Would you watch a fake news show with Norm MacDonald?
• Contest: Invent a TV condition, win stuff, thanks to the folks at Scrubs.
• You'd never guess who this girl is.
  

The Five

• Rich's random TV thoughts.
• Weird Al interviews with music legends.
• WB shows we forgot.
• Life lessons learned from AFV.

Opinions

• Bob has an early review of Studio 60.
• Ketih looks at the first two episodes of Veronica Mars season three.
• Bob think Chuck Klosterman is wrong about Lost.
• Chris thinks new WB digital distribution deal will kill the networks.
• Mike C. has an early review of Shark.
• Rich talks about one of his all-time favorite shows, The Monkees.
• Anna thinks Nancy Grace should be taken off the air.
• Keith gets up early to watch Vieira's debut on Today.
• I have an early review of The Class.
• Bob's early review of Jericho.
  

Episode Reviews

• Stargate SG-1: "Company of Thieves"
• Celebrity Duets: Six perform
• Survivor: Cook Islands: Season Premiere
• Dancing with the Stars: Results show
• Blade: "Conclave"
• Justice: "Behind the Orange Curtain"
• Rock Star: Supernova: Finale
• Bones: "The Boy in the Shroud"
• Eureka: "Primal"
• Men In Trees: Pilot
• Nip/Tuck: "Blu Mondae"
• House: "Cane and Able"
• Prison Break: "First Down"
• The Wire: "Boys of Summer"