You've seen every Mythbusters episode the world has to offer. You have them all on a series of categorically detailed DVDs. You once turned down an opportunity to go out with Keira Knightley because you couldn't wait until the morning after to learn if a cannon-fired frozen chicken can penetrate a plane's cockpit window. But how well do you have them memorized?
Mental_Floss magazine puts your knowledge of the Mythbusters' mythbusting to the ultimate test with their "Myth...Busted?" quiz. Be warned. I scored an 8 out of 10 and the shame of defeat drove me to down an entire bottle of whiskey, disproving the myth that alcohol can't solve all of life's failures.
It'll be a feast for the eyes for anyone who loves to watch doughy, puffed up, bombastic old men when Rush Limbaugh sits down with William Shatner on the Biography Channel series, Raw Nerve.
Airing this Sunday after taping last summer, the Shatner Vs. Limbaugh clash touches on everything from family background to health care. But the exchange looks like a couple aging members of a country club debating stock tips at the 19th hole.
I have no interest in the inevitable political jibber-jabber headed our way Sunday. But, I'd love to see these two square off over who gets the last piece of lasagna. The fatty grunts alone would blow out your TV speakers.
Joel already posted about the controversy surrounding the new MTV reality show Jersey Shore. Is it insulting to Italians? To people who live in New Jersey? To anyone with good taste? I think I'm more offended that we have yet another lame show about young people living in a house (though the use of the word "Guido" is bizarre to me - I'm from a huge Italian family and I've never heard anyone use that term - and equating being Italian with tanning and the use of hair gel).
It premiered last night. What did you think? Here's the episode if you missed it.
TV viewers who only know Kitchen Nightmares from the FOX version might be surprised by the original UK version. Sure, he gets ticked off and swears in the UK version (and some of the swears are unbleeped!), but it's also a quieter, more serious show than the FOX version. Ramsay narrates himself, unlike the FOX version which uses a Hell's Kitchen-like narrator and approach that is more loud and abrasive.
Last night was the season premiereon BBC America. What did you think?
Some of this list is going to be very predictable and some of it is going to surprise you.
The Hollywood Reporter has the list of the ten most-watched TV episodes of the past ten years. Now, you know that shows like American Idol (season six premiere), Survivor (first season finale), and Friends (series finale) would be on the list, but how about the series finale of Spin City? Maybe it's because I never got into that show but I never really thought it would make the top ten (of the decade anyway). The ER episode where Lucy died is also in the top ten, as is the Grey's Anatomy episode that aired after the Super Bowl in 2006. The number three episode? Well, that just surprises and depresses the hell out of me.
Any episodes not make it that you thought would be on such a list?
So I'm about to give Meredith Baxter a call and see if she wants to go out sometime, but first I wanted to post this story about Simon Cowell. He tells GQ that he's going to bring the hit British show The X Factor to the U.S. and set it in Las Vegas. But wait, there's more! He also wants to stream the show over the web as a pay-per-view event! He expects to get 30 million people to watch every week.
If you've ever watched The Soup or Community, you know what a (hot) genius Joel McHale is. But while his scruffy mug tends to get all of the credit for the funny that The Soup constantly brings, I've got to give it up for the video editors on staff for this one.
Now that Jon and Kate is off the air, TLC is scrambling to figure out what mildly offensive reality concept it's going to use to win over America once again. Instead of coming up with an entirely new concept (because, let's face it: ideas are hard), The Soup posits that TLC is just going to combine all of their already successful shows into one.
TLC has decided to build their success on little people, tattoos, pageant kids, cake shows and folks who have way too many babies, so let's just cut the crap and give the people what they want. In this case, the people want Fertile Little Tattooed Pageant Parents Who Enjoy Baking.
I'm the perfect Criss Angel Mindfreak viewer, because I have no idea how he does all those stunts and tricks. I'd like to, though!
And while Criss seems just plain freaky, he's always the perfect gentleman when dealing with people. Except for times when he does something completely freaky and you'd think the people involved would have a heart attack.
In one episode, I watched a guy who seemed like he was actually having his head cut off by a guillotine. It seemed so real, because Criss was running around telling people to call 911 and whatnot, and the guy's wife was nearly having a stroke. Unless they were in on it, that was way too cruel a trick to play on anyone.
In this clip from our sister site SlashControl, Criss trains with champion aerialist and world record jump holder Trigger Gunn to jump a 60-foot long, 20-foot high ramp at 50 mph. Apparently, Criss is a longtime fan of motorcycle jump legend Evel Knieval.
When I heard that Steven Seagal had a new A&E series coming out called Steven Seagal: Lawman, I thought, oh great, another cop show starring an aging movie star. But that's not what it is at all! Ok, I'll qualify that. Yes, it IS a cop show starring an aging movie star, but probably not what you think.
Turns out that Steven Seagal, best known for his action movies like Above the Law, Hard to Kill, and Under Siege, has been quietly working under the radar for the past 20 years as a real-life deputy with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. Part of his duties there include instructing the other officers on weapons skills and martial arts.
Generally speaking, there's little on Million Dollar Listing that strikes me as edifying or illuminating television. Mostly, I've watched this Bravo reality/unscripted show about three Los Angeles real estate brokers – Josh Flagg, Chad Rogers and Madison Hildebrand -- who are young, ambitious and seemingly very spoiled, with a weird fascination.
Would Chad's hair stylist convince him to try a buzz cut? No. Could Madison succumb to the come-on of a sexy female client? No. Was Josh seriously concerned about his health? Yes.
However, I caught up with the show this week and saw a sequence that got to me on a very emotional level. Josh Flagg, in an effort to learn more about his grandmother Edith's life -- in particular, how she survived the Holocaust -- went to Amsterdam with her to visit the places she remembers.
Call it a sign of a successful show or the end of an unmitigated disaster, but the reign of Jon & Kate is officially over and joy has replaced tyranny in the universe.
In short, TLC's newest reality hit Cake Boss has officially taken over the coveted 9 p.m. slot on Mondays vacated by Satan's favorite show, Jon & Kate Plus 8.
For those of you who have not left your cave in the last month, Jon & Kateofficially left the airwaves last Monday thereby stitching the hole that its pure evilness created in the annals of time and space and staving off the unholy apocalypse. And in case your wondering, no, I never liked the show.
A couple of weeks ago, I alerted you folks to the premiere of MTV's Jersey Shore, an eye-rolling show that promotes itself as a collection of the shore's "hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos." It's enough to make a Jersey guy like me nauseous.
In a shocking development, it seems like a national Italian-American group has a bit of an issue with this show. UNICO has asked MTV to pull Jersey Shore even before it airs, calling it "trash television" that unfairly depicts Italian-Americans.
Ya think? Wonder if it was the fist-pumping that set them off? Or the drunkenness? Or the fourth-grade-level sentence structure the participants use? Or, maybe -- just maybe -- it was MTV's use of the term "Guido" in the friggin' promo that got them upset. Not sure if I can put my finger on it.
It's strange that not only is it almost 2010 but it's the end of the decade.
The end of a year also means that it's time for the midseason shows to make their appearance. We already know that Chuck and Lost are coming back (January and February, respectively) and now FOX has announced their midseason schedule. After the jump, full details on when we'll see the return of Jack Bauer, Simon Cowell, Gordon Ramsay, reality shows, new shows, and special episodes of your favorites.
Last night was the series finale of Jon and Kate Plus 8 and the show ended as if it was any season finale. The family went on their two last adventures while Kate and Jon narrated how they will be good parents. TLC tried their best to put Jon in a negative light, but Jon's media training forced him to make diplomatic statements.
With the divorce, Jon and Kate Plus 8 was cut short. The dynamic between the parents was something to watch, but the real focus was eight children learning about the world and each other in the process. Each started gaining true personalities and by the end, I finally was able to distinguish between Alexis and Leah.
So last night was the big battle between Chef Garces and Chef Mehta, the two finalists on Food Network's Next Iron Chef with two very different cooking styles. I didn't watch much of this season, but judging from last night's episode I wish I had. Jeffrey Steingarten is one of my favorite judges, and it's interesting to see other iron chefs in the judging chairs.
You've seen every Mythbusters episode the world has to offer. You have them all on a series of categorically detailed DVDs. You once turned down an opportunity to go out with Keira Knightley because you couldn't wait until the morning after to learn if a cannon-fired frozen chicken can penetrate a plane's cockpit window. But how well do you have them memorized? 
It'll be a feast for the eyes for anyone who loves to watch doughy, puffed up, bombastic old men when Rush Limbaugh sits down with William Shatner on the Biography Channel series, Raw Nerve.
TV viewers who only know 
Some of this list is going to be very predictable and some of it is going to surprise you.
So I'm about to give 
Generally speaking, there's little on 
Call it a sign of a successful show or the end of an unmitigated disaster, but the reign of Jon & Kate is officially over and joy has replaced tyranny in the universe. 
So last night was the big battle between Chef Garces and Chef Mehta, the two finalists on Food Network's 
Have any questions for Rich Sommer of Mad Men? Ask them here!
Syfy's Alice -- An early look
The TV Squad Podcast: Surprising shows, decade-end lists, and the Commenter of the Week!
