TVSquad

I am older than Sesame Street.

That's the first thing that went through my head when I saw that the show starts its 39th season today on PBS (check local listings for time). This means that I must have started watching the show when I was around four years old, which seems strange to me, but I've learned never to argue with Bert & Ernie.

The new season of Sesame Street is right around the corner and, while I normally wouldn't give it a second thought, I am unusually excited right now. No, this isn't a snarky rant about how I've been driven to children's TV because of the sorry state of grown-up programming. Sesame Street's 39th season, starting August 11th, looks like it has a lot of fun lined up not only for the pre-schoolers but parents as well. I already posted Feist's upcoming special take on "1 2 3 4", but I had no idea how many amazing guest appearances were coming. Just check out this star-filled highlight reel after the jump.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

• Earth - The Biography
• L.A. Ink - Season 1
• Las Vegas - Season 5
• Masters of Horror - Season 2 (Boxed Set)
• The Mummy - Seasons 1, 2, and 3 (animated)
• Robot Chicken - Star Wars
• Sesame Street - Count On Sports
• Spaced - Complete Series
• Transformers - Cybertron
• TV Funhouse - TV Funhouse

Man, oh man. I love counting. Sometimes I do it just to do it. I know I'm often alienating some of my less-educated friends (toddlers) when I start spitting those numbers, but I can't help it! Counting is wonderful.

In fact, the only thing I love more than counting is the sound of a breathy Canadian singer. Imagine my delight when I was sent this video of Feist singing a special version of her famous "1 2 3 4" (aka "That song from the iPod commercial where there's a chick in something blue and sparkly") with some lovable faces on Sesame Street (as we mentioned a few months ago).

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• Dody Goodman: She was a comic and character actress who appeared on several TV shows, including Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, The Tonight Show, St. Elsewhere, Diff'rent Strokes, Murder, She Wrote, The Phil Silvers Show, Punky Brewster, Alvin & The Chipmunks, and The Love Boat, and was in movies such as Grease and Splash. She died at age 92.

"Baracknophobia": The irrational fear of hope is spreading, even among Barack Obama's own people. Obama campaign staffers sent away two women with head scarves because they didn't want to remind people at the photo op about the rumors of Obama being Muslim. Not as bad as the baby-punching, I must say, and at least he apologized.

"Guantanamo Baywatch": The Supreme Court ruled that prisoners in Guantanamo Bay can contest their detention before a judge. Some folks aren't too happy about this, what with their poor Mexican topiary managers having fewer rights and all. The managers are Mexican, by the way, not the topiaries. Senior Imprisoned Correspondent, Gitmo, stopped by to share his thoughts. Man, Jon Stewart is really no good with puppets. Every voice he does sounds like South Park's Jennifer "Taco-Flavored Kisses" Lopez.

"Guantanamo Baywatch": Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other plotters of 9/11 have appeared at a military tribunal, at which Khalid Sheikh Mohammed represented himself. Somehow, the Daily Show writers managed to work in an entire "Elmo with a beard equals 'Gitmo'" joke that ran way too long. I'll admit that's the first time that I've ever laughed out loud at someone getting waterboarded, though. The best part was when Jon Stewart used Gitmo to wipe up the waterboard mess right before the commercial break.

Can you tell me how to get, how to get a pair of the New Balance Sesame Street sneakers?

That's right, the long-running PBS children's show has made a mega-deal with the shoe company to create a line of sneakers for infants and grade school kids. The infant sneakers will cost $43 (cough) and the grade school sneakers will be $65. The shoes will be available in major chain retail stores and the shoes will also be pushed during episodes of Sesame Street.

As if we haven't heard this song a bajillion times already...

According to Pitchfork, Feist has recorded a special version of "1234" to air on an upcoming episode of Sesame Street. Someone want to explain this to me? Is it simply because the lyrics have numbers in them and by default it must be educational for small children? One quick glance at the words and it seems like the song is all about teenage love and how much it sucks. Is this really a song you want your toddler bopping around to?

Although, I suppose it doesn't really matter. That Apple iPod commercial that popularized the tune was on TV, oh I dunno, only every 4.3 seconds. I'm sure Steve Jobs is salivating at this news, armed with a business plan to release the brand new iPod Jr. around the same time. I hear it comes with a built in sippy cup!

[via Pop Candy]

This question comes up at least once a year: do we still need PBS?

Of course, I think the real question people want an answer to is, do we still need to fund PBS? Charles McGrath looks at both sides of the issue in this New York Times piece.

The Bush administration (and let's face it, more than a few citizens) want to slice the annual budget for PBS in half. They've been trying for several years (there was even a West Wing episode where this was one of the plots), but every year they get their money. The main arguments against funding are twofold: 1.) is PBS really necessary in this age of 150 channels, and 2.) should we keep funding PBS since they do their own fund raising every year and also make money on the stuff they sell? The network pulls in less viewers now (though the viewers that remain are loyal and help save the network every year). So what should happen?

A roundup of TV people from in front of the camera and behind the scenes who have passed away.

• John McWethy: He was a veteran journalist who was the chief national security and Pentagon reporter for ABC News from 1979 to 2004. He reported on everything from foreign affairs, the military, and the Oklahoma bombing to 9/11. He died while skiing in Keystone, CO. He was 60. ABC News President David Westin released this statement.

I'm feeling a little melancholy today. This past Friday, a friend of mine lost two daughters in a senseless automobile accident. They were thirteen and eighteen; one having just started college and the other just entering the magical teen years. It was so sudden and insane that I can't really wrap my brain around it. As a parent, I can only begin to understand what he and the girls' mother are going through, but even then I'm sure it pales in comparison to the reality.

As I thought about this blog and things to post on television, I was struck by how death can have a dramatic and instant impact on a fictional show as well. Sometimes when an actor dies, the show is able to move on with relative smoothness, but other times there is an irreplaceable hole that just never seems to be filled.

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow. It's a complete series extravaganza!

• The Andy Williams Show - Best Of
• The Bob Hope Show - The Ultimate Collection
• The Captain and Tennille - TV Specials
• The Colbert Report - Best Of
• The Cosby Show - Season 5 and 6
• Doctor Who - Series 3, Story #123 and 124
• Flight of the Conchords - Season 1
• Full House - Complete Series and Season 8
• Gilligan's Island - Complete Series
• House of Venus - Season 1
• King of Queens - Complete Series
• Martin - Season 3
• McLeod's Daughters - Season 4
• The Munsters - Scary Little Christmas
• The Pink Panther Show - A Pink Christmas
• Project Runway - Season 3
• Seinfeld - Complete Series and Season 9
• Sesame Street - Old School Vol. 2
• The Tonight Show - Heeere's Johnny: The Definitive DVD Collection
• Wildfire - Season 2
• Wings - Season 5
• Wonder Woman - Complete Collection
• The X-Files - Complete Collection Edition

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Relax, Sesame Street isn't welcoming Britney Spears as their next celebrity guest.
  
• Too much information: Ryan Seacrest opens up about his own special style of dating.
  
• Stephen Colbert's presidential campaign is hitting some legal snags.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can subscribe to this podcast via our feed. Plus, you can also download the file directly.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Rumor is, Jay Leno doesn't want to make way for Conan in 2009.
  
• CNN's Anderson Cooper guest starred today on Sesame Street.
  
• Prepare to be bombarded with public service announcements: analogue television is going extinct in 2009.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can subscribe to this podcast via our feed. Plus, you can also download the file directly.