As a TV Squad contributor who, admittedly, could be considered a "niche viewer" (in that I watch few shows, but never miss an episode), I was naturally hesitant to check out Roommates on ABC Family. A friend guaranteed me that the show was not only as bad as one might expect, but that it was so utterly, bafflingly wretched that investing thirty minutes in it turned out way more entertaining than I'd expected, and not just in the so-bad-it's-funny way, either. Roommates is so atrocious, its production should be considered a criminal offense, considering that, even as a basic cable program, hundreds of thousands of dollars (at the very least) have surely been invested in the show. And that's money that could have easily gone toward refugees or food banks or, say, into the budget of ABC Family's other critically lauded programming like Greek or Secret Life of The American Teenager.
Today TiVo launched Guru Guide, a new service where editors, critics, and experts from various magazines create lists of shows about a certain topic. For example, a person from Automobile Magazine may suggest shows having to do with cars or auto racing. The service, which is not available to subscribers who got TiVo through DirecTV, will allow one to record all the shows on one of the lists, or to pick which ones they want. Right now, the lists can only be obtained through TiVo's Web site, but the company says they'll be added to the television command screen in the next few months. The idea, basically, is to utilize the single focus of magazines to create "networks." As a TiVo user, I guess I'm mildly interested in this, as it may inform me of shows I haven't heard of and might like. I couldn't imagine letting some stranger from Star Magazine choose all my shows for me, though. What do you guys think?
Last month Anna mentioned the new reality series from executive producers Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett called 
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