TVSquad

Yet another game show premiered last night. This time, it was NBC's Amne$ia hosted by Dennis Miller. This show has a similar premise than FOX's The Moment of Truth: contestants reveal secrets and facts about themselves in order to win money. The main difference between the two: Amne$ia does it tastefully while Moment goes for the ugliest and dirtiest secrets and somewhat doesn't care that your relationships go awry after the airings.

Remember that alleged "subliminal ad" for McDonald's that popped up during an episode of Iron Chef America on the Food Network? You know, the one that some people were convinced was secretly inserted into the show to make people crave syrupy sodas and lukewarm hamburgers?

It was a glitch. Of course, myself and some thoughtful TV Squad readers knew it all along. I haven't read every blog entry about the incident, but mine was the only one I know of that didn't automatically assume McDonald's was trying some underhanded tactic to make people buy its food. The boring truth is that not everything is a conspiracy; sometimes there's a logical and simple explanation for things.

Besides, all of this attention paid to a minor glitch in the middle of a television program takes away focus from the fact that the president is breeding alien clones beneath the Pentagon and putting truth serum in our toothpaste. Let's focus on the real issues, people.

(S06E12)

Marge: Kids can be so cruel.

Bart: We can? Thanks, mom! (runs into Lisa's room and attacks her)

This episode does a great job of satirizing Freemasons, a fraternal order whose secretive membership makes it ripe for conspiracy theories and assorted rumors about its role in shaping historical events. The truth, most likely, is probably not nearly that exciting.

In this episode Homer joins a masonic-like society called the Stonecutters after stalking Lenny and Carl to find out why they're getting so many perks, such as vibrating chairs at work and great parking spaces. Since his father was a Stonecutter, Homer is automatically allowed to join, but he does have to go through a hazing ritual, which includes being paddled on the ass repeatedly and being blindfolded and pushed off a platform that's allegedly five stories off the ground, but is really just a few inches from the floor. Ironically, Homer actually falls through the floor, and the next five floors, as well.