I have a confession to make. Last week, I got satellite TV.

Yeah, you read it right. Last week.

Before that, I was subsisting on what my antenna and my wireless internet could bring into the house, and running up a large bill at the local video store. (Seriously - it's what some people spend on groceries.) And I call myself a TV columnist. What a fraud.

Here's the truth about me - I'm cheap. I'll spend hundreds of dollars on a handbag (or DVD rentals), but I've always balked at the monthly fees for a decent cable or satellite package. Because that's the catch, right? Satellite isn't all that expensive, but good satellite costs a fortune, with all those picky packages. If I want to watch 'Dexter' as it airs, I'd have to get pregnant, make sure it was a boy, gestate for nine months, and then hand him over. Am I right, people?

There's an odd little rumor spreading around the internet today, that Friends star Matthew Perry will appear in the season finale of Lost. Is it true or not?

Answer: very not. ABC and Perry's publicist says that there's no truth to the rumor whatsoever. Perry did express a desire to appear in the show, which he loves, but it's not going to happen. How did it start? Well, the IMDb is an awesome web site, but when you can join and pretty much add any info that you want, things like this are going to happen (see also: Wikipedia). His name is still up there though, playing a character named "George Hobbes."

While Joel was covering the New Amsterdam premiere at the New York Television Festival on Thursday night, I decided to check out NBC's Comedy Short Cuts showcase. According to a press release, seven cast members (including Tracy Morgan) from 30 Rock were scheduled to appear at the event. It was also noted on the press release that "All Talent Subject to Change."

And change it did. Tracy was a no show unable to attend due to scheduling changes (as were Judah Friedlander, Scott Adsit, and Jack McBrayer). But Lonny Ross, Katrina Bowden, and Keith Powell were present and seemed happy to pose for a TV Squad photo. So now they're my favorites. (But don't worry guys, I still love all of you).

The "30 Rockers" were on hand not only to create a photo-op for NBC and the NYTVF, but to introduce eight independent short comedy films made by culturally diverse production teams and casts. NBC Universal produces this showcase in order to uncover diverse talent suitable for future development deals.

Comcast has launched a new online media portal by the name of Fancast. it's sort of like IMDb with way more multimedia and an interface that is generally less useful.

The site provides all sorts of detailed information about actors, movies, TV shows, directors, and so on. You can type in a name and Fancast will pull up a biography, photos, and videos. You can also check out "six degrees" and see related projects or order movie tickets through Comcast-owned Fandango. Eventually Comcast plans to add full length TV episodes and movies to the site.

But while the site has far more multimedia content than IMDB, it's somehow less useful. Like Craigslist, IMDb thrives on simplicity. Sure, there are links to photos, videos, and external web sites with more information. But at its most basic level, IMDb lets you do things like find out every movie or TV show an actor was ever in at a glance. And the way Fancast is laid out makes that task much more difficult.

[via paidContent]

One of our regular readers, Mack Swift, sent us an interesting tip yesterday:

As he was cruising through IMDb, he found this listing for the much anticipated direct-to-DVD Futurama movie. According to the listing, the movie is going to be called Futurama: Bender's Big Score, and is tentatively coming out around Christmas 2007. Here's what the listing says the plot is going to be: "Planet Express sees a hostile takeover and Bender falls into the hands of criminals where he is used to fulfill their schemes." The movie is in post-production , with voice recording completed.

Now, all this information comes with the caveat that IMDb, while good, always has changing information. So take what I just gave you with whatever appropriate skepticism that you apply to IMDb stuff. But, if this is correct, it'll be a nice way for fans to get their Futurama fix before the show starts new episodes on Comedy Central in 2008.

This is interesting: seems like Seth MacFarlane and company snuck the phrase "so fucking funny" into last night's episode of Family Guy, and FOX didn't catch it until it was too late. As you can hear in the clip (courtesy of the fine folks at Cartoons for Grown-Ups), the word is said pretty clearly, in a cutaway scene where Brian wonders what kind of jerk drives a Hummer. I was watching the show last night, and didn't notice the F-word, so I guess the standards guys at my local station were on top of things. But, as IMDb reported, the word indeed went through in a few markets.

Like I said, see for yourself after the jump. It's worth it just to watch the scene, which is pretty funny even without the f-word.

Our friends at Whedonesque have pointed out an interesting addition to everyone's favorite reference site, IMDb: ratings!

Yes, I'm talking about the ubiquitous user ratings, which is one of the most popular parts of the site, but now they're applying them to TV series and episodes. And the fun part? You can see them grouped any way you want. Want to see the ratings achieved by every episode of every show Joss Whedon ever produced, for instance? Just click on the "by ratings" link in his profile, which gives you these results. Want to know which Jennifer Aniston project was the most popular among the users? You've got it (it's interesting that every Friends episode is rated higher than any of her movies).

It's a weighted system, whose formula can be viewed at the bottom of any ratings listing. I like it; any new way to kill time at work is aces in my book.

One thing that had always frustrated me about IMDb was the lack of episode-specific information. When viewing an actor's television credits, the episode they appeared in would be listed next to a link to the show. However, if you wanted to see details of just that episode, including what other special guests may have appeared, you were out of luck.

It seems that IMDb has finally made some changes to their television show listings, now providing season and episodal information. Here's an example for Family Guy; note the links to seasons. Definitely a welcome addition!

[via Digg]

Anyone with an eye for detail knows that the Internet Movie Database isn't always accurate in its bio or trivia sections. This isn't so much the fault of the site as it the fault of people who submit information, but in the case of My Name is Earl creator Gregory Thomas Garcia, he has only himself to blame. It seems that Garcia actually submitted some information about himself for his IMDb page which stated he was the grandson of Cantinflas, a Mexican comedian who passed away over ten years ago. The thing is, it's not true. Garcia was just having a bit of fun, but that little tidbit has made it's way into a few news stories about him. I've always found the truth to be overrated, anyway.

[via TV Barn]

As anyone who reads IMDb knows, many of the titles listed as "in development" or even "announced" have to be taken with a grain of salt. So when you see the entry for a He-Man movie being directed by none other than John Woo, you have to ask yourself, "OK, who posted this crap? And if it's not crap, dear gods why are they making this?" Kryptonsite got news from the person listed to play Skeletor, John Glover (of Smallville), and he knows nothing about this movie. In any case, I hope the studios remember the first time such a task was attempted. Ugh.

[via JoBlo]

Everybody knows you can't take "upcoming" entries on IMDb seriously, but the readers over on Digg are either extremely hopeful or are in utter denial. A recent(?) entry on IMDb shows a Futurama show coming to be, sometime in 2007, though most likely straight-to-video. So, if this is the real deal, what would you rather see of the movie: a kick-off for the renewed series, or a nice wrap-up of the series?

Cinematical wrote on the "confirmation" of this movie long ago.

[via Digg]