TVSquad

(S07E03) So far this season, Two and a Half Men has been sailing along, continuing to provide plenty of laughs and just enough vulgarity to keep its crown as a raunchy pleasure. Tonight, however, they hit an iceberg. Too bad really, but half the show -- no pun intended -- was spot on. If only the other half had been as good.

For some reason, the writers have this idea that Alan as the object of affection to older women is funny. No, not really. It didn't work when Carol Kane guested as the mother of a girl Alan was dating and it didn't work tonight with Annie Potts as Judith's mother, Lenore.

If it weren't for public service announcements, kids everywhere would be drinking Liquid Plumber and throwing themselves in front of trains.

You know what I mean: those PSAs you watched as a kid told you how to be safe, avoid abduction, deal with bullies, eat the right foods, and seventeen ways to kill a man with a paper clip. I'd say, in most respects, TV raised you better than your parents ever could.

Anyway, here's a few old PSAs. Two come from Concerned Children's Advertisers in Canada, the last one from the American Lung Association.

(S02E22) I need to pay more attention to the opening credits, because I had no idea Kelsey Grammer directed this episode. You can see a video of Grammer talking about it here.

First of all, I loved how Chris' dad thinks everything can be fixed with duct tape. Who knew Julius and Red Green had something in common?

This episode had me, and then it lost me. When Chris decides to final exact revenge on Caruso, I was all set up. This was going to be yet another great episode of a series that never relies to heavily on sitcom conventions for its humor, but by the end, that's exactly what the episode had done. I'm sure a bunch of cats being turned loose in a school might work on a lesser show, but it's an idea that seems way too "sitcom-y" for a show like Chris. Also, isn't the show supposed to be based, at least somewhat, on Chris Rock's real childhood? What school did he attend that would allow him the ample time he needed to set up such an elaborate prank?

Eight critics of Russia's Vladimir Putin have recently died, causing some speculation that the causes of the deaths were not completely accidental. Kremlin Bureau Chief John Oliver reported on the situation. Aw, nuts. Looks like The Daily Show only managed to go two episodes without succumbing to the British charms of John Oliver. As much as I love to see Mr. Oliver, I feel as though TDS is over-using him. Give him a break before I build up a tolerance, yeah?

(S02E04) Although I am a big fan of this show, I was never high on the Randy character. Except for a few moments here and there, I thought his non-sequitors and otherwise sheer "dumbness" brought each episode down or notch or two. That is, until last night's episode, where Randy shined like the noonday sun.

I mentioned in an earlier post where I expected to see more character development this season, and we're already seeing it with a good chunk of time devoted to Joy and Catalina. However, last night we saw the spotlight on Randy, and we learned that despite his "Baby Huey" persona on the outside, he really is a sensitive soul looking for love and respect. (Aren't we all, on some level?)

The lovely and hilarious Amy Sedaris will be playing a role on the October 12 episode of My Name if Earl as a love interest for Randy. Amy will play Judy, a woman who loves cats. This turns out to be somewhat of an obstacle for Randy because he's allergic to felines. Meanwhile, Earl tries to return a prize cat to Judy after sabotaging a cat show to help Joy. I personally never watch My Name is Earl, though I did watch it a bit when it first aired, and even though network sitcoms ain't m' thang I'll contend it was better than most of what's out there. Being an Amy fan, though, I just might have to tune in for this episode. Who knows, maybe I'll get drawn back into the show again.

You know, I really don't like reality programming, but I'll consider a reality series that's only three-minutes long and features a house full of cats but no humans an agreeable compromise. Well, actually, it's not a "reality series" per se, it's more like a three-minute promotion for Meow Mix catfood on Animal Planet, but hey, let's not split (cat) hairs. The series, called Meow Mix House, debuts on June 16 during the 9 p.m. EST hour and will focus on a house filled with cats from animal shelters in New York and Los Angeles. They'll take part in competitions, and those who are voted off will be placed in a permanent home and receive a year's supply of Meow Mix. The winner, however, wil be given an executive job at Meow Mix. So yeah, it's essentially a commercial for Meow Mix, but it also reveals the importance of pet adoption. The cats will be given personalities, as well, through voiceovers. It should be both cuddly and adorable. The series will run for ten weeks, though it may not always run in the same timeslot.