I remember when MTV first launched, way back in 1981. I was in high school, and it instantly became THE MOST IMPORTANT TV STATION IN OUR LIVES. Looking back I guess that seems sort of silly, but when you're a teenager and you can come home from school and see your favorite songs all day long in video form, that's pretty cool.

I have no idea what MTV is like these days. I've watched it only a few times in the past several years, and even that was something like The Real World or maybe some special. People have been complaining for years that the network hasn't been showing videos like they used to. I don't know how true that is now, but if you're looking for a station completely devoted to music videos (and not reality programming), then check out MTV Music, the new web site that houses a bunch of videos old and new.

Most of my Thanksgiving memories are informed by television - the Macy's Parade, bowl games, Charlie Brown's popcorn and toast dinner, etc. With that in mind, celebrating television during the holiday season isn't as far-fetched an endeavor as I might be inclined to think. So, here's what I came up with when I counted my TV blessings instead of sheep:

Tim Gunn
Thank you, Tim Gunn, for adding a little decorum to the proceedings that are reality television. Tim Gunn is proof that you can retain your dignity and appear on television simultaneously. Gunn's ability to be critical, but not cruel is a downright anomaly in today's televised competition landscape. He's also given us a mantra that can't be beat in these days of whiny, extended adolescences - "Make it work."