TVSquad

Father's Day has always been a weird holiday for me. I never knew my father, as he died when I was only a year old in the '60s, so to me Father's Day has never been anything more than just another day to me. I sometimes wonder how I would be if I had known my father growing up.

(Wait, did I just get serious there for a moment? Quick, say something snarky! Moment of Truth sucks! OK, back to the post.)

This Sunday, June 15, GSN will celebrate Father's Day with a poker-filled marathon. Actually, the celebrating starts tomorrow, Friday, at noon. World Poker Tour host Vince Van Patten will join his father Dick on an episode of GSN Live, which will be followed by episodes of game shows that the elder Van Patten appeared in. Then on Sunday at 3pm, the network will have a six hour marathon of classic World Poker Tour matches, followed by the two hour premiere of the 5th Annual Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure tournament, hosted by A.J. Benza and Daniel Negreanu.

Father's Day is this Sunday, June 15, and in celebration TiVo conducted a poll to find out which TV shows that dads say they hate but they secretly love. This is like looking into the secret diaries (you know, the ones with those flimsy little locks on them?) of dads around the country, but here are the results:

1. Dancing with the Stars
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Access Hollywood
5. TMZ

I think this poll has revealed one thing: most dads in the United States are...women?

It's Father's Day! Your wife and kids let you sleep late, and then presented you with a lovely breakfast. You took a leisurely shower, read an entire issue of Maxim on 'the throne' (you know what I mean!) and now you're comfortably snug in the recliner that faces your new 50-inch plasma television, with built in HDTV digital recorder. That's the one that your wife bought with the change she saved from the grocery money (no wonder you were eating tofu burgers the last few months).

So, what are you watching? Perhaps you're tuned into the U.S. Open or maybe the World Cup Championships. Or, you may be watching your favorite baseball team play on FOX, ESPN, or one of your digital cable (or satellite) channels. If you're not into sports, you may be watching a favorite show or DVD, such as Father Knows Best, Bachelor Father, Father Murphy, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, Wait Till Your Father Gets Home or Make Room For Daddy or Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy. Then again, if the family is out of the house, you may be watching porn.

So, let us know what's on your moving picture machine.  And, if you did get a 50-inch HDTV plasma television, please let us know; we at TV Squad would like to come over, friend.

Not all television dads are the epitome of fatherhood. There are plenty of dads out there in TV land who, frankly, would rather be somewhere else. So, in the fine tradition of opposing viewpoints, we present the five worst TV dads.

Aaron Echolls (Veronica Mars):  Sure, to the movie-watching public he was known as a class-A actor who was kind to his fans. But, to his family, he was known as an adulterer with a violent temper who beat on his son Logan. Oh, he also murdered Veronica Mars' best friend Lilly and the abusing boyfriend of his daughter Trina (Update: well, almost). On the bright side, he has a really nice head of hair for someone his age.

All right everybody, get those crappy ties and self-made cards ready. It's time once again for the forgotten holiday known as Father's Day. Yes, the bastard cousin to the extremely popular Mother's Day. The one that people forget is the third Sunday in the month of June, not the second. The holiday where your loving family wants to fill your day with special events when all you really want to do is have some privacy to write your damn TV Squad articles!

Ahem. So, in the fine tradition of tomorrow's holiday, where you usually pay for your own dinner out, we present the five television dads who would be grateful if they received a wallet made out of dried macaroni.