TVSquad

If there is one thing in this crazy, mixed-up world that all human beings have in common, it's that we are creatures of habit. There are just some things that we do on a daily basis in order to maintain continuity and stay somewhat sane. It may be a certain morning routine, something you do at the beginning of each work day, or a particular domesticated animal that you burn during your sacrifice to the god Nomchakatu. No matter what it is, your day can go askew if you don't indulge in your particular habit or ritual.

One of these habits, which has been ingrained into many of us, is watching a particular show or shows right before we go to bed. Since the first grainy, black and white image was broadcast into the first home, millions have tuned into one show or another as a calming ritual before they go to sleep. In the very beginning, it may have been their local newscast or The Tonight Show. Now, with so many choices, what viewers watch before they pull the covers over their heads is nearly endless.

There are few things in life more satisfying than when something goes wrong during a live broadcast. I mean, sure there are weddings and births and all that crap, but those things happen all the time. Seeing broadcasters -- especially anchormen, what with their sensible hair and their authoritative voices -- lose their cool is as rare and special as seeing Brigadoon (the magical Scottish town, not the boring Broadway musical).

Breitbart.tv has posted what might be one of the best on-air bust-ups of all time: a minivan crashing into the studio of Chicago's ABC affiliate, WLS, during a live broadcast. The video after the jump...

I know, you're probably thinking, isn't the TV Squad blog just a series of random thoughts about television already? Yes and no. Sure, the thoughts are often random, but we put them in very specific posts, whether it's a review, an essay, or an op-ed piece.

The random thoughts below are just things I've been thinking about lately. They could possibly end up in some future post about a specific show or star, but I'm putting them here for now. (And thanks to Rich for starting this.)

1. Why do weather forecasters and anchorpersons always freak out over cool temperatures? When October comes around and the temps drop to the 50s, you'd think the world was ending by the way the local news stations act. It's not 10 below zero folks, it's 55, and it happens every single fall. And it's comfortable! Newscasters always seem to bemoan the start of fall, almost to the point of apologizing to viewers, because summer is over. Folks, I have news for you: humid, 90 degree weather is terrible; fall is the best season.

I was watching Larry King Live last night (oh, come on, like you didn't tune in to see what the hell's going on with Elizabeth Taylor), and Larry calls Liz's priceless jewelry "costume," and she's stunned. Larry tries to laugh it off that he was just needling her, that he can't tell the difference between real and costume, and then he goes to a break and throws it to Anderson Cooper to see what's coming up at the top of the hour on 360, and he says something like "Anderson, get me out of this will you?" as Larry and Liz laugh, and since he has put him on the spot, Anderson has to muster up a semi-joking "I can't tell the difference either Larry ...coming up, more violence and bloodshed in Iraq."

Why do they always do this, joke about something and then throw it to the news to get some witty, light comment when there's serious news to report? The worse is the local news, when they'll come out of the weather forecast, laughing about "oh, where did summer go? It's so cool out!", and they're all laughing and shaking their heads, and then they'll put on their frowns suddenly and say something like, "we'll be right back with that update on the child who died in the car accident today."

Mixing the serious and the humorous is a very tricky thing. People like Olbermann and Stewart can do it, but their shows are built like that and since they're just one anchor controlling the show, they can make the segues easier. But on most news shows ...ugh, it's horrible.

Oh, YouTube! Where were you back in the day when the wrong graphic appeared next to a Portland news anchor's head? It was a photo of a man with the caption, 'Arm Amputated', and he said, "With this tight economy, everybody's making cutbacks." Classic.

YouTube is quickly becoming a great place for local news bloopers. A friend alerted me to this one the other day. The anchor's slip-up about a Mount Everest climber just defies explanation. I don't want to ruin it for you, just check it out.

And, Lost Remote brought two other clips to my attention. One is a rapping traffic report. By a white girl. With blonde hair. And she's rapping about morning commute traffic. In North Carolina. The other clip is of the Terre Haute, Indiana weather wars promos featured prominently on The Daily Show.