Monthly Airings & Scoreboard Update

Today I added 538 more records to the historical TV schedule search for the most recent four weeks (ending 4/22/2007), bringing the grand total to 127,519 records. There were no changes to the Total Tube Time top 10 lists, but "L&O: SVU" is poised to move up to the #9 spot on the drama list in the next udpate. Also, "American Idol" continues its meteoric rise and it'll be in the top 20 next year.

I also updated the scoreboard of vital stats at the bottom of the right sidebar. During the past six weeks I've added 1,629 new series to the trivialTV database and have confirmed preem dates for 302 of these series.

You'll also find that the weddings/births/deaths feature is more complete than it was last week. I added over 300 events to the database and will continue to add more occasions over the next few weeks.

Later this week I'll finally update the Ep Vid Finder. It's been a while.

Enjoy the updates!

Familiarity Breeds Concert

About 18 months ago I talked about how you might one day use your remote to download music while it's playing during your fave TV show. I'm kicking myself for not recognizing that concert tickets should have also been an option.

And I didn't even realized I missed it until I read a patent application (20070094688) from Tangital, Inc. for "a network system whereby a digital event ticketing marketplace is created via a television channel."

The USPTO published the patent app yesterday, but the Tangital website says it was "developed over the course of three years." If the screen image is correct, someday you'll be able to test drive the new product at ticketchannel.tv.

The Money Shot

Wow! The title of this new TV series won't confuse people at all.

First, let me tell you what it's NOT:

• It has nothing to do with the adult film industry.
• It's not Bravo's new show, "Money Shot." This new competition show is still in development, but it will pit aspiring photographers against each other in various competitions. I'm kind of surprised Bravo doesn't call it "Top Photog" or "Project Photo Shoot."
• It's not a TV version of Steve Daly's Money Shot column at EW.com. Steve periodically writes about key scenes, effects and characters in theatrical films, such as Pan's Labyrinth.

Yes, this list could continue ad nauseum. So what IS it?

How 'bout a Fox News "television program featuring business and financial news."

That's right. That's a quote directly from Fox News' trademark filing on April 20, 2007.

I sent an e-mail requesting additional information about "The Money Shot", but I received no reply.

Alliteriplets: Alliterative Triplets

Yesterday's post was supposed to be about triplets born on TV series, but I simply couldn't find that many children:

• Frank Jr. Jr., Leslie and Chandler on "Friends" (NBC, 10/8/1998)
• Steve, Charley and Robbie, Jr. Douglas on "My Three Sons" (CBS, 11/16/1968)

That's it. I expected many more, especially for daytime soaps.

I guess it makes some sense though. With child labor laws on the set, it's difficult and expensive to film. Probably beyond the financial and logistical means for a daily story. Twins make a lot more sense, and you'll find Geminis everywhere. But that's a post for a different day.

Now you see why I planned alliterative triplets for today's post. I was going with a theme of three...until it didn't work.

I defined an alliterative triplet as any phrase with three different words, all with the same first letter. The word 'and' can be explicitly stated (four total words) or implied through the use of a comma (only three words). Why different words? You'd be shocked how often ep titles just repeat a single word three times, such as: Nag, Nag, Nag (''The Partridge Family,'' 12/8/1972).

Without further ado, here's the list of ep titles that are alliterative triplets. I only included one title for each letter. Of course, not all letters are represented:

• A: Aches, Allergies, Acupuncture (''K9 Karma'')


• B: Becky, Beds and Boys (''Roseanne,'' 10/23/1990)


• C: Cowgirls, Combines & Commandos (''CMT Small Town Secrets'')


• D: Death, Debt & Dating (''Ed,'' 10/22/2003)


• F: Favre, Friends and Frolicking (''The Daly Planet,'' 2/15/2006)


• G: Grips, Grunts and Groans (''The Three Stooges'')


• K: Kind, Kompassionate and Karing (''Nurses,'' 11/2/1991)


• L: Love, Lust and Lies (''Road Rules,'' 7/24/2000)


• M: Minerva, Mayhem and Millionaires (''Batman,'' 3/14/1968)


• P: Patriotism, Pepper and Professionalism (''Mr. Show with Bob and David,'' 12/28/1998)


• R: Readin', Ritin', and Rudy (''Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids'')


• S: Sword, Sai and Shuriken (''Conan: The Adventurer'')


• T: Turtles, Ties, and Toreadors (''The Dick Van Dyke Show,'' 12/4/1963)


• U: Uncut, Uncensored & Untalented (''American Idol,'' 3/1/2004)


• V: Veni, Vidi, Vicki (''Women in Prison,'' 12/26/1987)


• W: Wine, Women and War (''The Six Million Dollar Man,'' 10/20/1973)

Sweeps Ain't Over 'til the Fat Lady Gives Birth

Births. Deaths. Weddings. All gimmicks to attract more viewers.

What can we expect over the next four weeks or so? A few weddings on "Desperate Housewives." A few babies (twins) on "Brothers & Sisters" and one more newborn on "Notes from the Underbelly." And your TV may even emit cadaverine with so many deaths planned.

But one of these events isn't enough for a single show anymore. Hasn't been for a while.

Double weddings date back at least to 19 September 1979 when Janet MacArthur & David Bradford and Susan Bradford & Merle Stockwell all exchanged vows on "Eight Is Enough." This practice probably goes back much further, especially on daytime soaps. Dual vows were everwhere in the '90s. "Empty Nest" (4/29/1995). "Picket Fences" (4/24/1996). "Just Shoot Me" (5/25/1999)

Two deaths. Too much? Hardly. Especially for a series finale — just think "Alias." Or the "Desperate Housewives" sweeps-stunt supermarket shootout on 5 November 2006. And "Grey's Anatomy" put its own take on the dual-death ep when Denny Duquette and Doc (the dog) both died last May. And "Lost" just seems to kill people off in pairs these days.

Can't picture a wedding and death in the same ep? Especially if one of the newlyweds passes on? Maybe you forgot about the two-hour opener for the 14th and final season of "Bonanza." Way back on 12 September 1972 Alice Harper married Joe Cartwright and then she tragically died before the night was over. For you late thirtysomethings, think about Cecil Colby's death on "Dynasty" after he married Alexis on 20 October 1982.

Having a birth and a wedding in the same episode is just too easy. Just have an expectant mother plan her wedding anywhere close to her due date, and you're bound to get two life-changing events on the same day. Often with comedic consequences, like the series finale of "The Drew Carey Show."

Birth and death. The cycle of life. Makes sense that these events are coupled. Here are some recent examples:

• "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 12 Feb 2006)
  • born: William George Bailey Jones
  • died: Dylan Young
• "Lost" (ABC, 6 Apr 2005)
• born: Aaron Littleton
• died: Boone Carlisle
• "Scrubs" (NBC, 5 Apr 2007)
• born: Jennifer Dylan Cox
• died: Laverne Roberts
• "The X-Files" (Fox, 20 May 2001)
• born: William Scully
• died: Alex Krycek

I'm waiting for the first show to have a three-in-one. All three events in the same episode. It might even go something like this.

A regular female character plans her wedding for the season finale — a month before her due date — so she can get married, enjoy her honeymoon and then come home and give birth at the beginning of the next season. The finale opens with the joyous wedding ceremony. At the reception, she goes into premature labor and by mid-ep she and her baby are in medical danger. At the 3/4-mark, both mother and child are recovering just fine. Just as the season closes, the mother has complications and dies. That would send the viewer through a rollercoaster of emotions.

Monthly Awards Update

I added 978 more records to the trivialTV Awards database. You now search 56,490 records when looking for awards for your fave show!

This latest update includes award info for:

• Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award: 1986-2007 winners
  
• ALMA Award: 2007 noms
  
• American Latino TV Awards: 2007 noms
  
• Annie Award: 1972-1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985 winners
  
• ASCAP Film & TV Music Award: 2007 winners
  
• BAFTA TV Award: 2007 noms for International Program
  
• Banff World Television Award: 2007 noms
  
• Calvin Award: 2006, 2007 winners
  
• Chainsaw Award: 2006 noms & winners
  
• Chicago International Film Festival: 2007 winners
  
• Clarion Award: 2005, 2006 winners
  
• Gabriel Award: 1965, 1966, 1969-1971, 1973 winners
  
• Genesis Award: 2007 noms & winners
  
• George Polk Award: 1955-2007 winners
  
• GLAAD Media Award: 2007 winners (partial)
  
• Hugo Award: 2007 noms
  
• Kids Choice Award: 2007 winners
  
• Media Access Award: 1985 winners
  
• Monte Carlo Television Festival: 2007 noms
  
• NAMIC Vision Award: 2007 winners
  
• Nosotros Golden Eagle Award: 1979, 1981, 1983-1985 winners
  
• PanCAN Excellence in Media Award: 2005 winner
  
• PASS Award: 2007 winners
  
• PATSY Award: noms & winners: 1958, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1972, 1973, 1975
  
• PATSY Award: winners only: 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1971, 1985
  
• PRISM Award: 2007 noms
  
• PATSY Award: noms only: 1960, 1970
  
• Publicists Guild: 1985 winner
  
• Peabody Award: 2007 winners
  
• Reality Remix Reality Award: 2006 noms & winners
  
• Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award: 2003-2007 winners
  
• Spacey Award: 2007 noms
  
• Urban Music Awards USA: 2007 noms for best TV show
  
• Western Heritage Award: 2007 winners

Enjoy!

Pilot Academy

We're in the middle of pilot season and a majority of these new shows will never see the light of day. In the past I've talked about doing audience tests for pilots on planes. But, regardless of the process, some quality shows won't be picked up.

Then what?

Why don't the Emmy Awards embrace these failures and use the chance to engage TV viewers? The Academy can use a panel to select the top five failed pilots, post them online and then let viewers vote on them. The winning show gets a 13-ep order from "The CW" or a cable station.

Seems odd that a failed pilot might win an award, but there is a precedent. Joanne Ostrow wrote about "Dear Diary" in the Denver Post on Oct 27, 1997. Here's an excerpt:

Bebe Neuwirth ("Cheers") stars in a witty comedy based on a woman's diary entries in which she muses on her life as a mom, a wife, a magazine art director, an introspective 40-year-old in Manhattan. The casting is terrific, the tone is urbane, the direction is fast-paced and clever. "Dear Diary" is a must-see comedy.

But you won't see it on the small screen. It's too good for television.

"Dear Diary" was rejected by all the TV networks, only to receive the 1997 Academy Award for live-action short film. The film was showcased at the Denver International Film Festival this weekend, and producer Barry Jossen was present to talk about the project.

"At the test screening, people complained they couldn't go into the kitchen for a beer during the show and still follow it," Jossen said last week. ABC, which had commissioned the pilot, found it "too dense with information." The lack of a laugh track, the fact that it was "too New York," "too upscale" and "too sophisticated" weighed against it.

The intent of Jossen and writer-director David Frankel was to do an O. Henry-like show of small stories, illustrating the interconnectedness of people's lives.

The network's first suggestion was to make the lead character 20-something. ABC also wanted Neuwirth's character to be "warmer, funnier," with a less monotone voice-over, and they worried that Lilith the intellectual would be detected in Neuwirth, the actress who had played her. In short, they wanted nothing to do with "Dear Diary."

The failure of Oscar-winning "Dear Diary" to gain admittance to prime time illustrates the narrow thinking in TV. In the scramble for ratings and ad dollars, lowest-common-denominator programming still rules. The networks want "accessible" programming, and that usually means familiar, unthreatening and predictable clones.

Sounds like "Dear Diary" may have found a home on FX today. The show was only ten years ahead of its time.

Dolly's Dixie Diner

When I first saw the phrase I thought we were going to see Dolly Parton's unaired sitcom from 1994, "Heavens to Betsy" get resurrected. (The working title of "Heavens to Betsy" was "Dixie's Diner.") Then I thought maybe Dolly was going to remake Jimmy Buffet's song, Dixie Diner. I even thought that maybe she bought Dixie Diner, a manufacturer of health foods.

All I had to do was click and read to find that Dolly might be cookin' 9 to 5.

That's right. Dolly is developing her own cooking show. On April 12, 2007 Ms. Parton filed documents with the US Patent & Trademark office to protect the phrase Dolly's Dixie Diner for:

Educational and entertainment services in the nature of a series of cooking shows, and single cooking shows, broadcast over television, satellite, radio and by means of other audio and video media.

And of course the related media:

Pre-recorded video tapes, phonographic records, video discs, audio tapes, compact discs, DVDs, laser discs, CD-ROMs featuring cooking instructions and techniques, food preparation, recipes, dietary and health information, and food storage and preservation instructions and techniques.

Tax Is Stranger Than Fiction

I love watching the 11PM news the night that taxes are due; so I loved the newscast last night. Lines and lines of people waiting to mail their forms at the post office. Even with the two extra days and e-filing, people will always wait until the last minute.

And that's today's topic for fun episode titles — taxes.

Of course you have all the series that use the phrase death & taxes. Nearly 20 different shows used that phrase for an ep title. Not so interesting. But a few shows used a variation of that phrase:

• Death and Taxis (''Tattinger's,'' 12/7/1988)


• Death or Taxes (''The Tall Man,'' 5/27/1961)


• Debt and Taxes (''Uncommon Knowledge'')


• Dick and Taxes (''3rd Rock from the Sun,'' 2/2/1999)


• Life and Taxes (''Kraft Television Theater,'' 6/9/1955)


• Love and Taxes (''Hothouse,'' 8/25/1988)


• Sex & Taxes (''CSI: Miami,'' 4/11/2005)

And then you commentaries on income tax and taxation:

• Only Schmucks Pay Income Tax (''NYPD Blue,'' 11/25/2003)


• Pinkcome Tax (''The Pink Panther,'' )


• Taxation With Bad Representation (''Eye for an Eye'')


• Taxation Without Celebration (''The Bob Newhart Show,'' 2/19/1977)

Finally, you can use taxes in place of Texas:

• Deep in the Heart of Taxes (''He & She,'' 11/22/1967)


• Don't Mess with Taxes (''Reba,'' 1/27/2006)

Hospit-All Roads Lead to Los Angeles

If you've been following the development of the potential "Grey's Anatomy" spinoff, you'll know that Addison will likely join the Oceanside Wellness Group in Santa Monica if she leaves Grace Memorial.

I wonder whether she'll have a dual appointment over at the Family Practice Center in Lang Memorial Hospital on the other side of San Mo? Maybe even cross paths with Dr. Welby's legacy?

Probably not.

While Addison is in the LA area, what other TV-land hospitals might she visit? And which characters might she encounter? Find out by matching each series with the hospital where it took place? And, yes, two different series revolved around LA-area hospitals with the same name.

Series Name		Hospital or Medical Center
1.	"The Bob Crane Show" (1975, NBC)	a.	Angels of Mercy Hospital
2.	"Breaking Point" (1963, ABC)	b.	City General Hospital
3.	"City of Angels" (2000, CBS)	c.	Community General Hospital
4.	"Diagnosis Murder" (1993, CBS)	d.	Eastman Medical Center
5.	"Doctors' Hospital" (1975, NBC)	e.	Lowell Memorial Hospital
6.	"Doogie Howser, M.D." (1989, NBC)	f.	McKee General Hospital Trauma Center
7.	"Emergency!" (1972, NBC)	g.	New North Hospital
8.	"The Interns" (1970, CBS)	h.	Rampart Hospital
9.	"Medical Center" (1969, CBS)	i.	University Hospital
10.	"Nightingales" (1989, NBC)	j.	University Medical Center
11.	"Rafferty" (1977, CBS)	k.	Wilshire Memorial Hospital
12.	"Ryan's Four" (1983, ABC)	l.	York Hospital
13.	"Trauma Center" (1983, ABC)

(+/-)answers

1-i, 2-l, 3-a, 4-c, 5-e, 6-d, 7-h, 8-g, 9-j, 10-k, 11-b, 12-k, 13-f

Black Screen of Torture

This morning I came across yet another patent application (20070081560; 'Method and system for fast channel change in a communication device') that addresses ways to reduce the duration of the black screen when you change TV channels.

I'm shocked that Scientific Atlanta hasn't already used Bayesian probability and a sensor to solve this problem.

The only way to really eliminate the black screen is to have the selected channel spooled and ready to go before you select it. That usually means using additional memory or bandwith in the set-top box to stream multiple channels simultaneously. The goal is to accomplish this task using the smallest memory and bandwith possible.

Let's look at the role of the sensor in the remote. You can't change the channel using the remote unless you touch it; so an embedded proximity sensor determines whether you are about to touch a button or if you are holding the remote. Once the sensor detects your presence, the remote sends a signal to the set-top box to start streaming since you're likely to change channels.

Good. We've minimized the time that the set-top box streams, now let's see if we can reduce the bandwith by pre-selecting the likely channels based on past viewing habits.

You can only change channels a few different ways using your remote:

• channel up/down
• last
• favorite
• enter channel directly
• 'Select' channel using electronic program guide

Since each of us uses these buttons in a different way and with different frequencies, the set-top box should be able to learn how you use the remote and be able to guess which method you'll most likely use.

That's fine if you usually press channel up/down, last or favorite. All of those buttons have preset operations (with associated channels) and the set-top box can stream these channels. But what if you enter the channels directly?

Actually, it's not too much of a problem.

You probably already know about these research results that were published two weeks ago:

According to a new report from NeilsenMedia, The number of television channels that the average U.S. home receives has reached a record high of 104.2 TV channels, an increase of almost eight channels since 2005. In 2006, the average household tuned to 15.7, or 15.1% of the 104.2 channels available for at least 10 minutes per week.

That's good news since it means the set-top box doesn't need to stream every channel.

But we can do better than that. Let's say you that you usually watch 16 channels. I'm sure you don't watch them equally. You might watch HBO more than Food Network. At the very least the set-top box should be able to track these difference in probabilities for overall viewing. If this probability is above a certain threshold — you're more than 20% likely to enter the channel — then the set-top box streams that channel.

That's just the first step. If there really is a need and the method works, the set-top box can use joint probabilities to include the effects of time of day and which show is currently airing on that particular channel. Maybe you watch "Scrubs" at 7PM and "The Daily Show" at 11PM most days on Comedy Central but no other Comedy Central shows. Your set-top box should know this and do everything it can to make the transition seamless when you change channels.

Lifetime Has Trust Issues

Or at least it appears that way.

Trolling through new trademark filings, I came across two new ones for Lifetime from April 5, 2007. Not for TV titles though. For taglines.

Lifetime trademarked two new slogans:

• Can You Handle the Truth Thursdays
• Who Can You Trust?

These phrases will be used predominantly in TV interstitials and other on-air ads.

I waited until later this morning to publish this post to give Lifetime an extra day to respond to by request for information. I sent an e-mail to Rhonda Hilario-Caguiat (senior editor, LifetimeTV.com), but I received no reply. I was really hoping to learn what shows these new taglines reference because I don't even have a good guess.

Donut Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

At least I'm amused when donut is used that way.

I was entering ep names for children's shows yesterday I came across a title that used donut instead of don't. Thought it was clever and assumed others thought so too. That's the story about why today's list is donut-related.

Turns out that whole donut-don't substitution? Not so popular. Here's a list of fun ep titles that use the word donut anyways:

• Dawn of the Donuts (''!Mucha Lucha!,'' 10/2/2004)


• Donut Let It Bring You Down (''The Big Comfy Couch'')


• An Epic Tale of Heroes and Donuts (''!Mucha Lucha!,'' 5/1/2004)


• Slam Dunkin Donuts (''DiResta,'' 3/1/1999)


• Take Two Donuts and Call Me in the Morning (''The Louie Show,'' 1/31/1996)


• War of the Donuts (''!Mucha Lucha!,'' 11/29/2003)


• When a Man Loves a Donut (''Wings,'' 11/28/1995)


• Where the Donuts Are Good, Not Great (''The Jeff Foxworthy Show,'' 9/23/1996)


• Zeros to Donuts (''Curious George,'' 9/6/2006)

When You Say Dysfunctional, You've Said It All

I was watching "The War at Home" recently online and wondered whether Dave Gold has a fave beer.

In "The Bitter Pill to Swallow" (ep 21), Dave drank Dos Equis Amber. Consistently. He had the same brand on three different days in this ep; so I thought maybe XX was his drink of choice.

Then I watched "The Battle of the Golds" (ep 20) where Dave drank a magical beer. It definitely wasn't Dos Equis. Why was it magical? It wasn't on the kitchen table when Dave first walked in the door, and even though nobody went to the fridge, the beer appeared in a later shot. In the first shot of the brew, it's unopened, but the bottle cap vaporizes into thin air in the next shot. While Dave was drinking the beer, I watched the bottle cap closely — it jumped around the placemat like Hiro was moving it. Regardless, the bottle's label was hidden from the camera, but it definitely was not Dos Equis. Later in the same ep, Dave grabbed a can from the fridge and his third beer looked like a Heineken.

I think it's safe to say that Dave doesn't have a signature brand of beer. Almost looks like the crew goes to Ralph's and buys whatever beer is on sale.

But what about other heads of dysfunctional families? Do they have fave beers?

• Alamo Beer: Hank Hill on "King of the Hill"


• Big Top Beer: Mama on "Mama's Family"


• Duff Beer: Homer Simpson on "The Simpsons"


• Girlie Girl Beer: Al Bundy on "Married...with Children"


• Pawtucket Patriot Ale: Peter Griffin on "Family Guy"

I'm surprised nobody for "The War at Home" took a page from Apollo Candy ("Lost") or Rome Wine ("Rome") and developed a fictional brand of beer for Dave Gold solely for marketing purposes. Feature it prominently on the show and sell it at the local BevMo. The tagline for Doug's beer? How 'bout the famous Archie Bunker quote: "You can't buy beer, you just rent it."

Ask and You Shall Receive...TV Through Your Mouse

I wish I were more creative — especially for new gadgets.

This morning I was looking through new patent applications, and I came across a newly-published US Patent Application (20070075973) for a 'mouse having a digital television receiving function.'

Brilliant!

Trump TV Next?

Can't get enough of Donald Trump? Hotels, high rises and golf courses. "The Apprentice." WWF.

He just isn't getting enough exposure these days. Or at least he doesn't think so. That must be why he applied for trademark protection for Trump Ocean Club.

I know what you're thinking. That's just the name of a new real estate project. And you're partly correct. According to Diane Wedner (LA Times; March 11,2007):

In Panama, also known as the "new Costa Rica," the town of Boquete has condos starting at $260,000. Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower in Panama City, to open in late 2009, will feature 68 stories of hotel rooms and condos, with a yacht club, casino and business center. Condo-hotel prices start at $375,000 for a studio.

It's gotta stop there, right?

If we were only so lucky.

That trademark app (S/N 77144553) for Trump Ocean Club was filed specifically for "Television programs in the field of drama." Yes, a drama.

The only way the Donald will get more exposure is if he has his own TV channel. Lugo! Maybe I just gave him the idea.

I Love Mock & Soul

Twenty-five years ago, Joan Jett's version of I Love Rock 'N Roll was in the middle of its seven week tour at the top of the Billboard charts. #1 song. Popular artist. Even part of Guitar Hero. I reckoned that TV scribes would love naming eps after the song.

I was wrong. Again.

I love a parade. I love you. I love LA. I love this game. I love Lucy. Those phrases were all appropriately honored. But not I Love Rock 'N Roll. I couldn't even find anything like I Kinda Like Rock 'N Roll or even I Tolerate Rock 'N Roll.

So I decided to look for any amusing ep titles about rock 'n roll.

• Bedrock 'N' Roll (''The Flintstone Kids'')


• Shamrock and Roll (''!Mucha Lucha!,'' 9/11/2004)


• No Sex, Some Drugs and a Little Rock ‘n' Roll (''7th Heaven,'' 11/16/1998)


• Old Time Rocks That Roll (''Kidd Video,'' )


• Reading, Writing, and Rock & Roll (''Punky Brewster,'' 10/30/1987)


• Rock and Rolling Frankenstone (''The Frankenstones'')


• Rock Enroll (''Family Matters,'' 1/7/1994)


• Rocket n' Rollin' Raisins (''The California Raisins,'' 11/11/1989)


• Sex, Death and Rock 'n' Roll (''Swift Justice,'' 3/27/1996)


• Sex, Judge, and Rock & Roll (''My Two Dads,'' 11/15/1987)


• Sex, Rugs and Rock 'n' Roll (''Room for Two,'' 6/8/1993)


• The Rocks That Couldn't Roll (''Out of This World,'' 1/27/1990)


• The Trews about Rock & Roll (''Radio Free Roscoe,'' 5/20/2005)


• The Women of Rock and Roll (''Rock 'n' Roll: The First 25 Years,'' )


• Truth, Lies and Rock 'n' Roll (''Marker,'' 4/25/1995)


• We Built This Kitty on Rock & Roll (''Cory in the House,'' 2/2/2007)

Mr. Monk Goes to the Vinton Street Mini Mart

OK. That's not going to be the title of any episode, but "Monk" was filming a few scenes at the Vinton Street Mini Mart in Pasadena today. (Update on 4/4/2007: Of course Vinton Street is used only in Monk's world, as noted here. The actual mini mart is located here.) Thought I'd share a few pics from the shoot.



Click on any picture to see a higher-res image.

80% of Success Is Showing Up

It's that time of year when fans of bubble shows worry whether their fav show will be picked up for another season. Of course, E! is running its annual Save One Show Poll. If you're worried, go vote.

And this whole process got me thinking. I wondered which shows aired the greatest number of times without ever having an episode finish in the top 20 in the weekly Nielsen ratings. I reckoned a show that couldn't ever finish in the top 20 couldn't last very long.

I looked at shows that premiered in the last 25 years on The Big Three (ABC, CBS or NBC), and I found 13 series that aired at least 100 times without cracking the top 20. Any guesses? I only got one correct — "Profiler." Here's the list:

• 334 airings: ''Boy Meets World'' (best rank: 21)


• 171 airings: ''The Commish'' (best rank: 25)


• 170 airings: ''Sisters'' (best rank: 33)


• 149 airings: ''Hope & Faith'' (best rank: 37)


• 148 airings: ''Picket Fences'' (best rank: 22)


• 139 airings: ''Less Than Perfect'' (best rank: 26)


• 124 airings: ''West 57th'' (best rank: 34)


• 112 airings: ''Promised Land'' (best rank: 21)


• 109 airings: ''Tour of Duty'' (best rank: 35)


• 107 airings: ''The Young Riders'' (best rank: 40)


• 103 airings: ''Profiler'' (best rank: 39)


• 102 airings: ''The Office'' (best rank: 23)


• 101 airings: ''Wife Swap'' (best rank: 23)

Monthly Airings Update

Today I added the TV schedule (and Nielsen Ratings) for the five-week period from 2/18/2007 to 3/25/2007. That's 670 more records to search.

Enjoy!