Have you heard of Twitter? All the techies are doing it. It's a cell phone or IM tool that allows you to update your friends on what you are doing. It's basically text messaging a whole bunch of people at the same time. The idea is to send out a line or two about what you're up to.One of the writers on My Name is Earl is a friend of the Twitter creators and so he's incorporating the technology into tonight's show. During the west coast feed (woo! West Coast!), writer Mike Pennie will send 'extras' to accompany the show. Think of it as real simple DVD extras but in real-time on your cell phone. That means you're going to have to watch Earl live tonight from beginning to end if you want the messages to make any sense.
To get messages from Mike Pennie during Earl, join his network here. (By the way, his latest message says they're working on an upcoming script for Norm MacDonald to appear on Earl)
Yet another in a long line of multi-platform series is being whipped up, this time by NBC. The new daytime show, iVillage Live, will debut on NBC on December 4 at noon. iVillage is an online site for women that was acquired by NBC. The show will take place at the Universal Orlando Resort and will cover the usual daytime talk show stuff like family, parenting, health, beauty, etc. The series will also air on Bravo and on the iVillage.com Web site. In order to bring the online and televised aspects together, people will be able to chat online during the show and have the text displayed on a scroll at the bottom of the television screen. They can also text questions to the show on their mobile phones. Basically, it sounds like TRL, but for adult women. Episodes will also be archived on the Web site.
We've all been there. It's late at night, and you're totally wired and all you want to do is watch something on television that you normally wouldn't find entertaining, but at this particular moment your brain is just slightly out to lunch so it's willing to view something below your usual acceptance level. TBS apparently hopes to tap into the bored insomniac market with a new viewer participation game show called Midnight Money Madness, which kicks off at midnight (natch) on August 28. The show will have two versions, one East coast and one West coast, and will allow the people at home to play the games by calling in, or text messaging, or whatever. There will also be occasional comedians and man-on-the street segments. That doesn't sound even remotely interesting to me, but that's because it's only early evening as I type this. Tonight when I'm still awake and bored with watching Betty Boop cartoons on my video iPod, the show may actually be the only thing saving me from absolute boredom. This is either a really dumb idea or an ingenious one, I haven't figured out which.
Well, maybe. Apparently the ratings for The Apprentice 5
haven't been that great, so NBC is trying to lure more viewers to the show with the possibility of a $10,000 prize each
week. Turning the show into a kind of American Idol experience, viewers will be able to participate in the show
and vote for who they think should be fired. So really, it'll be much more like real life. I remember when I was
eighteen and applied at McDonald's but the manager wouldn't hire me until he asked fifty complete strangers on the
street whether I should work there or not. It all makes perfect sense. Winners from all three time zones will be chosen
each week. You can learn more about the contest over on 
I'm curious about who out there actually participates
in the vote. Or, do you just sit back to watch the performances and wait to see who gets booted? During the first
season of American Idol, I was a passive viewer. I didn't vote once. Not even for Kelly Clarkson in the
finale. During the second season, however, I voted for Clay Aiken like a mad woman. Season 3 didn't really turn my
crank but I did vote regularly during Season 4 for both Carrie and Bo.
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