This isn't some random thought I suddenly had this morning, it's actually in response to AOL Television's list of the 40 best TV shows of the 1970s. The Odd Couple, one of the great, laugh-out-loud comedies of all-time, comes in at number 21, while The Brady Bunch comes in at number 15. Sometimes shows can't be judged the same (for example, comedy vs. drama or drama vs. animated), but come on, The Brady Bunch so far ahead of The Odd Couple?

I don't think I'm giving anything away by revealing that shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H, and All in the Family are at the top, but there are a few entries that you and your friends can argue about.

This Wednesday, CBS will make its official announcement for the 2008-09 season, but word has already leaked out that there will be three new drama series in CBS's new schedule. The NCIS spinoff, which I would have nixed, is in there, as well as a Julianna Margulies show called The Good Wife, and an Alex O'Loughlin vehicle set in the medical field and dealing with organ donors called Three Rivers. The latter may not have the sex appeal of Moonlight, but how much you want to bet the O'Loughlin fans will be tuning in?

All three of these shows are one-hour dramas, so that means the rumors about Without A Trace, Cold Case and The Unit all being on the bubble were true. Cold Case had a strong finish with a two-parter that performed very well in the ratings, so it could be safe, but the other two are likely to be ending their runs.

Yup, it's that time of year again, the week when we're supposed to shut off our TVs (and computers, I assume) and go outside and get some fresh air, maybe eat a salad.

I mention this every year, and it has gotten to the point where it would be ridiculous to give the opposing viewpoints yet again (but you can read them here and here). Suffice to say, we think you should leave your TV on this week (and in September - there's a TV Turn-Off Week then, too - when the new fall season starts!). If you don't, you're going to miss some cool stuff.

I'm going to assume that one of the big reasons why you can now watch full episodes of various TV shows on YouTube is because of the success of sites like Hulu and AOL Video. There have been a lot of TV shows and movies uploaded to YouTube, often in hard-to-navigate "parts," with bad sound. But YouTube has made deals with several networks/studios, including Sony, CBS, Showtime, and Discovery to show full length, legal copies of many TV shows.

It's a fair collection, including current shows like Harper's Island, Jimmy Kimmel Live, As The World Turns, Man vs. Wild, Mythbusters, along with classic shows like Bewitched, MacGyver, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Barney Miller, I Spy, I Dream of Jeannie, and many others. It's not the selection you'll find on Hulu, but it's OK (and I'm sure the list will grow). I just wonder if it's enough to get people to drift away from other video sites.

It's not glitch-free, however. Take a look at this and this and tell me what the heck they have to do with The Dick Van Dyke Show. Only five episodes of the show on there and two of them aren't even from the show.

So, the holidays are over and here we are at the beginning of a new year and a return to the TV season. No more Rudolph, no more Miracle on 34th Street, no more Santa comin' to town or anywhere else (I hear the elves don't even get a break in their work - they're already at work today getting ready for Christmas 2009). Now we have to get ready for the return of all of our favorites and some new and returning shows that haven't even come back yet. There's a lot of stuff coming this month.

But I bet you had no idea that there were 71 shows bowing this month. That's right, 71.

As we've told you before, this is the 60th anniversary of the Emmy Awards. The September 21 show, telecast on ABC, will not only celebrate the Best Actresses and Best Dramas of the current prime time lineup, it will also celebrate the many stars and characters and shows of 10, 20, 40, 60 years ago.

ABC has created an ad that features a lot of those stars. A lot of the stars are easy to find and it's a no-brainer that they were included (Marge and Homer, Rod Serling, Dick Van Dyke, Stewie, the South Park guys, etc), but I'm happy to also see some people I didn't think would be in such an ad: Guy Williams as Zorro, Robert Culp from I Spy, Mike Connors from Mannix, Tim Daly from Wings, Wally Cox from Mr. Peepers, among others.

We're used to reading all of the lists that rank the best and worst TV shows of all-time, now ABC is getting even more specific than that. What are the top moments in television history?

You can vote for them at the ABC site and your answers will be revealed on the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards, which will be broadcast on Sunday, September 21. There are two categories, comedy and drama (sorry fans of game shows and reality shows). No, you can't write in your own vote, you have to pick from the finalists that they've already chosen for you, so right off the bat you know there's going to be a lot of "but what about..." and "why did they include..." talk.

As the WGA strike continues, it's not only Letterman and Leno who won't be getting paid. Many shows are already in hiatus or laying off staffers due to production shutdowns.

Show fans are searching high and low trying to find out the status of their favorite shows. Search no more. I researched the web and have compiled the most complete list I can at this time to let you know where your favorite show stands.

I hate it when a network, a star, or a producer refers to a TV show that "looks like a movie." Is this supposed to impress me? I don't really care if a TV show "looks like a movie," because I look for the actual content of the show (writing, stars, direction, etc) before I look at how it looks. Give me a good script that looks terrible and I'll take it over a formula show that looks fantastic any day.

Take Smith. The network (and more than a few TV critics and fans) kept saying it looked like watching a movie only on our TV sets. Um, yeah, only I think what people meant by this is that the cinematography in the pilot was good and it had some good explosions. Not a terrible show, but really, that's what it came down to.

What's in this week's issue of America's favorite TV mag?

• Lost isn't on the cover, and neither is Desperate Housewives. So it must be Grey's Anatomy.
• How the new season stands so far, the winners and the losers.
• As The World Turns is finally going to deal with the death of soap vet Benjamin Hendrickson, who committed suicide earlier this year. His character Hal Munson will also die on the show.
• Matt Roush likes 1 vs. 100.
• An interview with horror master Wes Craven.
• Will Saxondale be another Brit comedy hit for NBC?
• In the print edition: a look at Ugly Betty (a surprising hit for ABC in the Thursday 8pm slot), and yet another damn article about Dancing with the Stars.

There's always something great to read at Ken Levine's blog, and this past week was no exception. He has a really funny (and really useful) list of situations and scenes that aspiring writers should never include in their TV scripts. My favorite:

Don't hinge your show on stunt casting. I read a "Becker" where former President Jimmy Carter came in for a check-up and offered dating advice. Yeah, President Carter gets his physicals in the Bronx. And yeah, President Carter is always available to guest on a sitcom and advise a character to say whatever is necessary to get laid.

Of course, we've all seen even worse things actually make it on the air, but this is a great list.

The Emmy nominations were just announced in L.A. Here are the major nominations:

Best Drama

Grey's Anatomy
House
The Sopranos
24
The West Wing

Best Comedy

Arrested Development
Scrubs
Two and a Half Men
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Office

Lead Actor, Drama

Peter Krause, Six Feet Under
Denis Leary, Rescue Me
Christopher Meloni, Law and Order: SVU
Martin Sheen, The West Wing
Keifer Sutherland, 24

Lead Actress, Drama

Francis Conroy, Six Feet Under
Geena Davis, Commander-in-Chief
Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order: SVU
Allison Janney, The West Wing
Krya Sedgwick, The Closer

Lead Actor, Comedy

Steve Carell, The Office
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Kevin James, The King of Queens
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Lead Actress, Comedy

Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Stockard Channing, Out of Practice
Debra Messing, Will and Grace
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine

Supporting Actor, Comedy

Will Arnet, Arrested Development
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Sean Hayes, Will and Grace

Supporting Actress, Comedy

Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives
Jamie Pressly, My Name Is Earl
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds
Megan Mullally, Will and Grace

Supporting Actor, Drama

William Shatner, Boston Legal
Oliver Platt, Huff
Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos
Gregory Itzin, 24
Alan Alda, The West Wing

Supporting Actress, Drama

Candice Bergan, Boston Legal
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy
Blythe Daner, Huff
Jean Smart, 24

Quick thoughts: No major noms for Lost or Desperate Housewives? Good to see The West Wing noticed for a good last season. Kevin James and Stockard Channing nominated in the comedy category?

Here's the full list.