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.

I hate being scared at Halloween. I mean, scary movies and costumes are one thing, but I can't stand it when people just jump out from hiding to shock you. Such an easy, cheap way to freak out someone. It's only funny when you do it to someone, not when it's done to you.

The news anchors at KXTV in California know that feeling. At the start of a segment on the morning news the other day, they were greeted by a pack of knife and bone-wielding creatures and completely freaked out on camera. And this isn't one of those times where the anchors really knew about it ahead of time. You can tell by the screams that they were caught completely off guard. I'm also sure several viewers had to change their underwear too.

My favorite part is Melissa Crowley, who pretty much says "the hell with my friends!" and actually runs out of the studio.

Anchorwoman, the upcoming comedy/reality series from FOX that takes place at an actual news station in Tyler, Texas, will debut on Wednesday, August 22 rather than August 21 (as previously reported). It will still air at 8:00 p.m., though, kicking off with a one-hour premiere before settling into its normal half hour on Wednesday nights.

On August 21 at 8:00 p.m., FOX will debut Anchorwoman, a comedy/reality TV program focusing on a swimsuit model who moves to the quiet community of Tyler, Texas to try her hand at local news reporting.

As a twist, the series will take place in an actual newsroom, KYTX-TV, a CBS affiliate. Actual newspersons will appear on the program, which has many people in the community asking if this is such a good idea.

Joel Cheatwood, who helped develop programming at Headline News such as Showbiz Tonight and Glenn Beck and oversaw CNN's highest-rated series, Nancy Grace, is heading to Fox News to develop programming for both the news network and the upcoming Fox Business Channel.

According to Variety, Cheatwood has been tapped for Fox News because of his "tabloid sensibility" that he developed while working on local news in Miami, where he often led with crime stories in order to grab the attention of viewers. According to Cheatwood, news can be both "top-notch" and "fun to watch." Cheatwood used that approach to revamp Headline News, and hopes to do the same when Fox Business Channel launches.

What made me think of this is the news that the Today Show is expanding to a fourth hour in September.

Yeah, that's exactly what's missing from my TV schedule: another hour of Today. Hey, let's add three more hours to Good Morning, America. Maybe The View can be an all-day thing, and ABC can show All My Children at 2 in the morning?

I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for blooper shows. The ones from sitcoms and dramas where the actors screw up are OK, but the great ones are from news broadcasts, because not only are the shows live, but they're supposed to be very straightforward and serious most of the time. You can see some sort of minor blooper on almost every news broadcast, but the ones here at AOL TV aren't minor. Like the newsanchor that has a tooth fall out of his mouth while live on the air, or the college weatherman who is incredibly nervous and gives one of the worst weather forecasts you'll ever see. Or the guy who tries to stuff a dollar bill down the cleavage of a reporter and the massive slips of the tongue on a live show. And then there's something everyone will like, the prank caller who manages to get on Nancy Grace's show and call her something we'd all like to call her.

Oh, and the next time you're watching your local news, and you think that the meteorologist or the anchorperson is lame or silly, remember this weatherman from the Charlotte, NC TV station (second video down). Wow. (He was eventually fired after rehab and now works at KREX-TV in Denver.)