spongebobsquarepants

Whew! After several days of sore feet (and sore booties from sitting on the hard floor waiting for the next panel), dwindling funds, and tons of TV-related panels, San Diego Comic-Con comes to an end. That doesn't mean that all of the television folks have packed up an left in order to catch the Silver Bullet train to Los Angeles (does a train even run between San Diego and Los Angeles?) or an aeroplane to Vancouver. There are still some panels waiting for your utmost attention.

It's Kids' Day at the convention, so there are panels on a Mr. SquarePants, Phineas and Ferb, The Backyardigans, and those wacky Muppets from Fraggle Rock. For the more adult crowd there are Q&As for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Supernatural, Smallville, and another panel on cartoon voices. The final TV-related event is a rousing sing-a-long with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Once More With Feeling." After that, you can climb into your hotel bed, train berth, car seat, or nearby street corner resplendent with the fact that you had taken in everything television at the Comic-Con.

So, if you are staying just one more day, here are the television-related events for Sunday, July 27th. For a full schedule of events you can check out the official schedule on the Comic-Con website. And, for old times sake, remember that times, panelists and events can change at a moment's notice. That, and the panels are on a first-come, first-serve basis.

You know how a lot of kids will actually play with an empty box instead of the toy that came inside the box? I'm thinking something like that is going to happen tomorrow when Nickelodeon goes dark for three hours: a bunch of kids just staring at the black screen waiting for it to come back on, maybe hitting the top of their TVs, changing the batteries in the remote.

Starting at noon tomorrow, Nickelodeon will show nothing for three hours as part of a program to get kids to go outside and exercise.

I took my kids to see The Simpsons Movie this weekend. While it was their first time seeing the film, it was my second and I still enjoyed it quite a bit simply because it's a funny movie.

Because I have kids, I often go see a lot of crappy animated films based on cartoons. I've seen, Rugrats Go Wild, The Wild Thornberrys Movie and The Spongebob Squarepants Movie among others. For the most part, I enjoyed these films but they were little more than a longer version of the TV show. The Simpsons Movie, however, is much more

Welcome to TV Squad Lists, a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

When I was a kid, I learned a lot by watching TV with my parents. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was still learning.

When your favorite gets voted off, you can pick a new one.
My kids and I love to watch American Idol and America's Next Top Model together and every season they pick their favorite early on. Usually that favorite -- whether it's Jael, Chris Sligh or Antonella Barba -- ends up being sent home early on. Without missing a beat, they will turn to me and inform me of their new favorite.

It's perfectly acceptable to aspire to be a model.
I used to think being a model was a shallow aspiration but after watching America's Next Top Model with my girls I realize that there are actually some strong, smart women who vie for Tyra's top honor. It may be glorious to be a top model but getting there doesn't look glamorous at all.

1. WWE Monday Night RAW - 10pm (USA)
2. Monk (USA)
3. WWE Monday Night RAW - 9pm (USA)
4. SpongeBob SquarePants - Sat, 9:30am (Nickelodeon)
5. Fairly Odd Parents - Sat, 10am (Nickelodeon)
6. Ned Declassified (Nickelodeon)
7. That's So Raven (Disney)
8. SpongeBob SquarePants - Sat, 9am (Nickelodeon)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants - Mon, 8:30pm (Nickelodeon)
10. High School Musical (Disney)

1. Monday Night Football (ESPN)
2. SpongeBob: The Movie - Fri (Nickelodeon)
3. College Football - Thurs (ESPN)
4. SpongeBob: The Movie - Sat (Nickelodeon)
5. SpongeBob SquarePants - Fri, 7:30pm (Nickelodeon)
6. SpongeBob SquarePants - Sat, 11:30am (Nickelodeon)
7. SpongeBob SquarePants - Fri, 7pm (Nickelodeon)
8. SpongeBob SquarePants - Fri, 9:30pm (Nickelodeon)
9. SpongeBob SquarePants - Fri, 6:30pm (Nickelodeon)
10. SpongeBob SquarePants - Sat, 9:30am (Nickelodeon)

All right, you SpongeBob SquarePants fanatics! Go ahead and mark Thursday, November 9th on your calendar, clear your schedule, and make sure your DVR is absolutely empty. Nickelodeon has announced a 45-episode SpongeBob marathon that will start at 8:00 pm on Thursday and end 24 hours later with a brand new episode. And you, rabid SquarePants fans, get a chance to vote on which episodes will air.

But, that's not all! Before the new SpongeBob episode (titled "Best Day Ever") airs a new song and video based on the episode will premiere on October 26th. Shortly afterward a new SpongeBob CD will be released featuring performances by Tommy Ramone and The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. The CD will be produced by Tom Kenny, who is the voice of the lovable sponge.

So, if you want your voice to be heard this election year, go to Nickelodeon's new TurboNick website and select ten episodes you would like to see in the marathon. Then, sit back with a Krabby Patty and enjoy.

Tom Kenny... Ever seen him? Maybe not. Ever heard him? Probably. This guy isn't really a familiar face, but he's definitely a familiar voice, most notably as Spongebob Squarepants, the little sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. Some of you that were born before 1990 and lean more toward the less-animated comedies might know him as a guy from Mr. Show with Bob and David (Tom was neither Bob nor David).