holidash

Thanksgiving is more than a time when families force members to tolerate each other for a few hours to get through a meal with minimal bloodshed. Oh, no. It's so much more: Thanksgiving is when TV Squad does these nifty lists of what we bloggers are thankful for in the TV world. My list will never be complete, because far into the new year, I will continue to think of the thousands of tiny things that should belong here. Of course, I don't have the time, space, or energy to make a thousand-item list, so an 8-point piece will have to do.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving Day, you wonderful people, and don't forget your stretchy pants.

Let me be honest here...I got thanks coming out of the wazoo. I have a wonderful family, a good job, food on the table, clothes on my back, and a roof over my head. Plus, I am dashingly handsome, which allowed me to obtain the wonderful family, the good job, etc. But, since this isn't Slashfood or ParentDish I'm really not going to list why I am thankful for the items I listed.

No, this is a list describing why I am thankful for the most important piece of my life: television (Uh, don't tell my wonderful family about that). I mean, without television I would probably be an incredibly literate scholar of 17th century mathematics who is a hit at social gatherings. And, that would pretty much suck, wouldn't it? Television is where it's at, baby, and here are some reasons why I'm thankful for it.

Several of my colleagues here at TV Squad have listed personal video recorders as one of the things they're most thankful for this holiday season.

I wholeheartedly agree with them and think the list could even be extended a little bit further.

We live in an age where our televisions, computers, cellphones, PDAs, PMPs, video game consoles, and a myriad of other products can all communicate with other devices wirelessly and at broadband speeds - all in the pursuit of making the TV watching experience as convenient as possible.

From a technology perspective, it's never been a better time to be a fan of watching TV. Here is a list of the TV related items I'm most thankful for this holiday season.

'Tis the season to be thankful and, more particularly, to perform an inventory of what we are thankful for. The list can be a bit overwhelming, so I'm happy to parse it down to what I am thankful about television-- and not just what's on the air now (which is fortunate, considering the current WGA strike).

In contemplating the issue, I've found seven things that I'm thankful for relating to the television medium. There could be more in the future, but these are the ones I've come up with at this time.

As I get older I begin to realize the crap what is the entertainment industry and getting ready for my journey to decrepitness, old age and senility, I am fully prepared to give vicious criticism and back-handed compliments now to avoid the rush. I'm sort of like those vindictive commenters you see on Internet message boards, except I give my real name.

Ah, Thanksgiving. My second favorite holiday after Christmas. So much to be thankful for, and they all sound like cliches: family, friends, health, happiness, pizza. But what about the stuff that we really can't do without, television? Below are a half dozen things about TV that I'm truly thankful for this year.

1. A second season of Mad Men: You know how it usually goes. You love a TV show like it's your wife or husband, and then the show is canceled after its first season because of low ratings or some other reason involving numbers. But that's not the case with AMC's Mad Men. I'm not completely surprised it was renewed, because when you have a period piece drama on one of the niche cable channels, there's a hell of a better chance of it getting renewed than if it was on NBC, Mondays at 10. Most times when a show is called "adult" that just means there's a lot of violence or a lot of sex or it's on cable so they can swear a lot. Mad Men is adult in the truest meaning of the word: intelligent, well written, well-acted, and focusing on adult themes of relationships, society, and the workplace.

I'm talking about the famous "Turkey Drop" scene from WKRP in Cincinnati, of course. The reason why it is the best is not what we actually saw, but what was implied by reporter Les Nessman. If anything, the way the scene played out hearkened back to the golden days of radio and the "theater of the mind".

In this episode, entitled "Turkeys Away" and originally broadcast back in October of 1978, Mr. Carlson believes that the station needs a Thanksgiving promotion. So, he decides to have turkeys dropped from a helicopter flying above a shopping mall. What he doesn't realize is that turkeys aren't the greatest fliers, especially while being dropped from 2000 feet in the air. What results is a disaster. Nothing worse to ruin your holiday than a 20 or 30 pound turkey crashing into your car windshield from several thousand feet up.

There's so much on television for which to be thankful: the returning favorites, the new obsessions, the comedic, and the dramatic. Fresh faces work with old pros to bring us shows ranging from artistic masterpieces to guilty pleasures. On a basic level, I'm thankful that I had some difficulty choosing only five things on TV to praise. Specifically, the five things that I chose have given me hours of thought-provoking, laughter-inducing entertainment.

Another brilliant season of Ugly Betty: There's nothing worse than watching your favorite new show lose its touch in the second season. Like all Ugly Betty fans, I'm thankful that the sweetest comedy on television has avoided the sophomore slump. The best elements from the first season--clever one-liners, heartwarming moments, and top-notch performances from the ensemble cast--have remained intact.

There's plenty of things to be thankful for every year. A semi-safe roof over your head. People who pretend to love you. That boil that finally disappeared. But enough about our intimate personal lives. This is TV Squad, so we're going to tell you what we're thankful for as related to all-things television; our families should be so proud.

From now through Thanksgiving day, a slew of TV Squad writers will be presenting their lists of what they're thankful for when it comes to what earns them the big bucks here: TV. Don't be surprised if a few of them suck up to us while they're at it.

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving! (even if you're not here celebrating.)

"The Indians in the Lobby"
Originally aired on November 21, 2001

There are so many ridiculously great episodes of The West Wing, trying to pick one out is like trying to pick out the best note in a piece by Mozart. But since it's November, I figured I'd choose the best of the show's Thanksgiving Day episodes, "The Indians in the Lobby" (and yes, fans of "Shibboleth," I love that one too, but this one has just a little bit more.)

It's Thanksgiving, and President Bartlet is making the stuffing ...

TiVo is offering up a few pre-holiday specials. First up, if you buy a new TiVo between now and Feb 2, you get a discount on monthly or annual subscriptions:

• The $16.95 monthly fee drops to $12.95
• Get a year of service for $129 instead of $179
• Pay $249 for two years instead of $279
• A 3 year service contract will cost you $299, which is the same price the company's charging now

If you're already a TiVo customer, you don't qualify for any of those discounts. But the company is bringing back product lifetime service option. $399 will get you all the electronic program guide updates you could want. You know, until you decide to upgrade to the TiVo Series4.

[via Crave]

Not even Christmas is safe from reality show producers.

The people who brought you Dancing with the Stars have another show up their sleeves: Clash of the Choirs. It will pit five celebrity singers who will go back to their hometowns and try to build a choir. Once the choirs are built and perform live, viewers will vote for them via phone (of course). The winner gets to pick a prize for their hometown (I suggest maybe passing a law that says no reality shows can be filmed in their hometowns). The four episode show will run just before Christmas, December 17-20.