meet the press

Tim Russert, the chief political reporter for NBC and host of the long-running Meet The Press, died of a heart attack this afternoon. Russert was recording voiceovers for Meet The Press and collapsed.

This is obviously sad and odd because he was young, but it's also crazy because we're in the middle of an election year, and Russert was one of the faces of NBC and MSNBC when it comes to politics. He was an unabashed political junkie and was front and center in this year's election, being involved in all of the primary coverage and even participated in debates along with colleague Brian Williams.

Russert worked in for Democratic Senator Daniel Moynihan's campaign in the mid 70s and in the early 80s worked on Mario Cuomo's campaign for Governor of New York. He joined NBC in 1984 and became moderator of Meet The Press in 1991. He also wrote two books.

Today marks the 60th birthday of NBC's Sunday morning news program, Meet The Press. It's the longest running TV show in history.*

It's funny because when Meet The Press started, there weren't that many TV news shows on the air. Now one could argue that there are too many. Meet The Press isn't really that special anymore. Past hosts have included Lawrence Spivak (who also created and produced the show), Ned Brooks, Bill Monroe, Marvin Kalb, Roger Mudd, Chris Wallace, Garrick Utley, and current host Tim Russert. Some people have said that the show isn't the same anymore because Russert has on guests like Stephen Colbert. I think that's ridiculous, because they've had comics on before. Though I do think the way that Russert conducted most of the interview, faux serious and trying to be jokey too, was odd.

* Longest running show period? Guiding Light, which debuted on radio in 1937 and then switched to TV in 1952.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Not too many people like Viva Laughlin.
• Download a DVD box screen saver similar to the one seen on The Office.
• Bill Cosby? Stephen Colbert? Some are asking what the heck is going on at Meet The Press.
• Are there more cast members leaving CSI besides Jorja Fox?
• EW's PopWatch blog agrees with me about those Bee Movie ads on NBC.
• The behind the scenes story on how Charles Emerson Winchester came to be on M*A*S*H.
• Tim Goodman is not a fan of Tuesday night TV.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes.
• NBC has a new, two-hour Dateline at 7.
• CNN has a debate between all the Democrati candidates for President at 7.
• At 8, The CW repeats the pilot episode of Hidden Palms.
• Lifetime has the new movie Write & Wrong, with Kirstie Alley at 8, followed by the series premiere of Army Wives.
• MTV has the (live) MTV Movie Awards at 8 (repeated at 10).
• At 9, PBS has a new Mystery!
• There's a new Gene Simmons' Family Jewels on A&E at 9.
• HBO has a new Sopranos at 9, then the season finale of Entourage.
• Also at 9: Food Network has two new episodes of The Next Food Network Star.
• At 10, MSNBC repeats this morning's Meet The Press, if you missed it.
• HGTV has a new Bought & Sold at 10, then a new My First Place.
• E! has a new Simple Life Goes To Camp at 10, followed by a new Sunset Tan.
• Showtime has a new ep of The Tudors at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by the season finale/live reunion of Survivor.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• NBC has a new Dateline at 7.
• At 7:30, FOX has a new King of the Hill.
• At 8, The CW has the series finale of 7th Heaven.
• At 9, FOX has a new Family Guy, then a new American Dad.
• Emeril goes food shopping on a new Emeril Live, at 9 on Food Network.
• TNT has an NBA playoff game at 9, the Jazz vs. the Warriors.
• HBO has a new ep of The Sopranos at 9, then a new Entourage.
• At 10, Lifetime has a new episode of Blood Ties.
• MSNBC has this morning's Meet the Press at 10, if you missed it.
• Comedy Central has a new Mind of Mencia at 10, then a new Reno 911.
• Showtime has a new episode of The Tudors at 10.
• Also at 10: FOX News has a new episode of The 1/2 Hour News Hour.

Check your local TV listings for more.

I'm not exactly sure what they mean by "powerful" whenever these lists come out. Does it mean influence? Does it mean the most-watched? Probably a mish-mash of both, since the list includes anchors and network executives. Here's the list, according to TV Week. Last year's rank is in parentheses.

1. Roger Ailes - Chairman and CEO of FOX News (1)

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and Without A Trace.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7, then new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• NBC has a new Dateline at 7, then new episodes of Grease: You're The One That I Want, Deal Or No Deal, and The Apprentice.
• At 7:30, FOX has a new ep of The War At Home, then a new Simpsons, the premiere of The Winner, a new Family Guy, then another new ep of The Winner.
• Starting at 8, TLC has a David Blaine magic marathon.
• The Food Network has a new Emeril Live at 8 (shrimp recipes, ugh), then new episodes of Iron Chef America and Challenge.
• Discovery Times has The Lost Tomb of Jesus at 8.
• At 9, Lifetime has the new movie My Baby Is Missing.
• Sci-Fi has a new Dresden Files at 9, then a new Battlestar Galactica.
• Also at 9: BBC America has a new ep of Gordon Ramsay's The F Word.
• At 10, MSNBC repeats this morning's Meet The Press, if you missed it.
• VH-1 has two new eps of Dice: Undisputed. They start at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of The Amazing Race, Cold Case, and Without A Trace.
• ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos at 7, then new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• NBC has a new Deal Or No Deal at 7, then new episodes of Grease: You're The One That I Want, The Apprentice, and Crossing Jordan.
• There's a new one hour Reba on The CW at 7, then a new 7th Heaven.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then new eps of King of the Hill, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• PBS has a new Nature at 8.
• At 8:30, TNT has the 2007 NBA All-Star Game.
• At 9, Lifetime has the new movie Like Mother, Like Daughter.
• ESPN2 has two new episodes of the U.S. Poker Championships, starting at 9.
• Sci-Fi has a new Dresden Files at 9, then a new Battlestar Galactica.
• Also at 9: HBO has a new Rome, followed by a new Extras.
• At 10, MSNBC repeats this morning's Meet The Press.
• Showtime has a new ep of The L Word at 10.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, followed by a new episode of The Amazing Race and the movie Candles on Bay Street.
• NBC has a new Football Night In America at 7, then it's the Eagles vs. the Colts.
• There's a repeat Reba on The CW at 7, then a new episode, then a new 7th Heaven and a repeat America's Next Top Model.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, followed by new eps of American Dad, Family Guy, and The War At Home.
• Emeril cooks up some "Christmas Recipes" on Food Network at 8.
• At 9, Lifetime has the movie Her Sister's Keeper.
• At 10, MSNBC repeats this morning's Meet the Press.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 10, with teams competing to make the best cakes.
• HBO has a new ep of The Wire at 10, while Showtime has a new Dexter.

• At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, while CBS has new and repeat segments on 60 Minutes (including Stephen Colbert).
• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother: All-Stars.
• There's a new Three Moons Over Milford on ABC Family at 8.
• Also at 8: TNT has Matthew Perry in The Ron Clark Story (repeated at 10).
• At 9, USA has a new episode of The 4400, followed by a new Dead Zone.
• HBO has a new Deadwood at 9, followed by new eps of Entourage and Lucky Louie.
• AMC has Back to the Future at 9.
• At 10, MSNBC has a repeat of this morning's Meet The Press.
• Showtime has a new Brotherhood at 10 (repeated at 11).
• Lifetime has a new Angela's Eyes at 10.

• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother: All-Stars.
• At 9, HBO has a new Deadwood, followed by new episodes of Entourage and Lucky Louie.
• USA has a new episode of The 4400 at 9, followed by a new episode of The Dead Zone.
• MTV has a new The Girls Next Door at 9, as the girls celebrate Hef's 80th birthday.
• At 10, Food Network has a new Iron Chef America, while HGTV has a new Design Star.
• Lifetime has a new Angela's Eyes at 10.
• Also at 10: MSNBC repeats this morning's Meet The Press, if you missed it.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by a new episode of Big Brother: All-Stars.
• NBC has a new, two hour Dateline at 7.
• At 8, OLN has stage 14 of the Tour de France.
• At 9, HBO has a new Deadwood, followed by new episodes of Entourage and Lucky Louie.
• There's a new episode of The 4400 on USA at 9, followed by a new Dead Zone.
• STARZ has The Brothers Grimm at 9.
• Also at 9: Food Network has a new Iron Chef America.
• At 10, MSNBC repeats this morning's Meet The Press.
• Showtime has a new Brotherhood, also at 10.

• At 6, TCM has one of the great film noirs, Kiss Me Deadly.
• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, while NBC has a new two hour Dateline.
• At 8, TBS has American Pie: Band Camp.
• OLN has stage 8 of the Tour de France at 8.
• At 9, USA has a new The 4400, followed by a new episode of The Dead Zone.
• Also at 9: HBO has a new Deadwood, followed by new episodes of Entourage and Lucky Louie.
• At 10, MSNBC has Meet The Press from this morning, which was interrupted by Wimbledon.

I have a job for you. I know that it's Sunday, and you're probably sitting in your pajamas watching the hilarious antics of Meet the Press, and I know you're tired after Adam asked you to count all of the remotes on Saturday (I have about 10 in total). However, this is important. I want you to count the number of televisions in your house, apartment, or yurt.

Personally, we have four televisions at Keller Steading; one in the family room, one in the playroom, one in our bedroom and one in the room that used be my home office but has now become my (soon to be) three-year-old daughter's room. This was to avoid any murder between her and my 5-year-old daughter, whom she previously shared a room with.

The TV's in the family room and the playroom get used fairly frequently, although the one in the playroom is used mostly to play DVD's and videos of The Wiggles and Lazytown for the kids. The bedroom TV used to be run frequently until our twins were born last month. The least used television was the one in my home office, which was used on occasion to watch DVD's and play video games.

Add to that my desktop and laptop computers, which can be used to play DVD's and downloadable television shows from places like iTunes, and I have a total of six 'television screens' in total. This is coming from a person who had two televisions in his house when he was growing up:  the big floor model that only had 13 channels and the black-and-white portable with the rabbit ears that was used when a storm hit and the cable went out.

So, how many televisions do you have, and do you think that it's too many? Include your computer monitors and laptops if you use them to view DVD's or downloaded television shows. Go ahead, I'll wait.