Remember that "self-potato" contestant in the Wheel of Fortune clip we posted the other day? Remember how we all laughed and laughed at her unfortunate brain fart on national syndicated television?

Well, who's laughing now? Technically, still some of us since it's pretty funny.

Nevertheless, the contestant, Lolita McAuley, has become an Internet meme of her own thanks to that memorable clip. She talked to the New York Times about how she scored a spot on the show, her reaction to the momentary loss of her cognitive abilities and the wave of funny it has created on the Internet.

Do you ever wonder why TV networks spend so much time and money updating old TV shows for the modern times, even though they are almost always doomed to fail? No, it's not due to some clinical mental illness.

It's simple: they attract attention, according to an article by The New York Times' Bill Carter.

The nostalgia angle alone makes it a self-marketing giant. It's no wonder that CBS has a Hawaii Five-O rehash, NBC has a new Rockford Files and ABC is bringing Charlie's Angels back from the dead. The only problem? They usually suck.

So is there a chance any of the aforementioned might work?

It seems the never-ending feud between Keith Olbermann and Bill O'Reilly has become a kangaroo boxing match. The worst thing you can do is get in the middle of it.

That's exactly what the parent owners of Fox News and MSNBC tried to do when they arranged a "cease-fire" between them and their top-tier shows' "lieutenants."

The cease-fire, however, didn't last long. It's another case of the ol' Rufus T. Firefly conundrum for peace. Either side might be willing to do whatever it takes to end this war, but they've already paid two months' rent on the battlefield.

There's a fantastic story in yesterday's New York Times Magazine about AMC's Mad Men. It's actually the cover story (you don't see many cover stories in the NYT Mag about a TV show) and is one of the best articles I've read about a TV show in a very long time.

Besides interviewing creator/producer/writer Matthew Weiner at length, writer Alex Witchel also sits in on auditioning sessions and script meetings for the second season, interviews advertising icons (George Lois, Jerry Della Femina, William Bernbach) about the show, and gets choice quotes from cast members such as Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Elisabeth Moss, and January Jones. It's a beautifully written piece, really getting behind the scenes of the show, and includes this great paragraph to explain the show quite nicely.

Tomorrow's edition of The New York Times Magazine has an interesting profile of Meredith Vieira, who's about a month away from taking the Today anchor chair vacated by Katie Couric. In the article, written by Lisa Belkin, we get a picture of Vieira that isn't far off from what she showed on The View for nine years; a little goofy, dedicated to her work, but very family-oriented. That devotion to her husband, suffering from multiple sclerosis, and her three children is most of the reason why she left 60 Minutes fifteen years ago and turned down every high-profile news gig since. The article also goes into what made her change her mind when NBC came calling earlier this year.

But what I find the most intriguing part of the article is how inquisitive she is with some fellow pet store customers (she was buying a scratching post for her new kittens). It's the same inquisitiveness and curiosity that I see every time I watch her on Millionaire. For that reason, and the fact that she's going to let things fly that Katie never would, I'm really looking forward to seeing her with Matt, Ann, and Al this fall.

The New York Times Magazine has a regular feature called Domains, where they take a look at a famous person's home and ask them a series of questions. This week: Alias/Lost creator and Mission: Impossible 3 director J. J. Abrams.

Abrams explains why Rod Serling is his personal hero (mine too), what he keeps in his refrigerator at all times, hobbies he does with his kids, his obsession with boxes and Macs, his writing routine, what talent he wishes he had, even his favorite sandwich (turkey, cranberry sauce ...and cole slaw?!) Lots of interesting stuff in here.