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Thursday, November 22, 2007

Tube Talk Girl gives thanks

by Jennifer Squires Biller

Happy Thanksgiving! (Or as Marshall from How I Met Your Mother would say, “Happy Slapsgiving.")

As you sit down today with your turkey, stuffing and dysfunctional family members, don’t forget to take a moment to give thanks for all the blessings in your life. As your TV maven, I’m counting my TV blessings. Here’s a quick rundown of what I’m thankful for.

The DVR
Whether you’ve got a TiVo or a FauxVo, let’s take time to be thankful for this technological wizard. The ability to pause, rewind and fast forward live television is the best invention to hit the television world in the last decade. Don’t believe me? You try watching the Dancing With the Stars results show without the fast forward button.

TV writers
As much as I nitpick show plot points and am sometimes too quick to criticize scripted shows, the reality is, TV writing is still top notch. Try watching an episode of The Bachelor or any other reality show, and you’ll be sending a thank you card to the Writers Guild of America, too.

TV romances
I love a good romance, and TV has plenty of them. From Pam and Jim, to Derek and Meredith, to Betty and Henry, I’m thankful that the TV landscape still gives us a little love. (Or in Meredith’s case, a lot of love. She can’t seem to stay out of the on-call room for her booty calls.)

TV on DVD
The mere fact that I no longer have to record my favorite TV shows on ancient VHS tapes is reason enough for TV on DVD to be on this list. Add in the fact that most TV DVD collections provide episode commentary from the actors, deleted scenes, and blooper reels, and it’s no wonder my VHS tape collection has gone the way of the dodo bird. Really, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen bloopers such as Smallville’s Lex Luthor passing gas in a pivotal scene.

Original programming
Copycat shows are all over the TV dial. It’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between any of the myriad procedural crime dramas or medical dramas. So, we must rejoice when networks take chances on original shows that aren’t copycats of what we’ve seen before. Pushing Daisies is this year’s best example. (A pie maker who can bring dead things back to life definitely qualifies as original.) So does Scrubs, a medical show with a fantasy element. Only Scrubs could pull off a musical number called “Everything Comes Down to Poo.”

Tube Talk Readers – I’ve been writing this column now for three years. Some of you found me through the newspaper, while others found me on the Web. Readers all over the world stop by the site on a daily basis, and I’m thankful for each and every one of you who share my love of the television genre. I especially love those of you who leave comments, even when it’s “Tube Talk Girl, you’re an idiot."

Happy Thanksgiving, Tubers! Go easy on the turkey.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Happy Thanksgiving Jen, love ya!

tube talk girl said...

You too, Bec!

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful for this column every day. ( I read it at work, but don't tell my boss!)

Anonymous said...

Count me in as thankful for DVR and Tube Talk. I read it on my afternoon break every day with my Diet Coke and peanuts!

Anonymous said...

You're not an idiot, TTG. I love your column. It's the first place I come when I get on the web. ---Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Anonymous said...

I'm a worldwide reader from Rome, Italy. Ciao!

Anonymous said...

Is this the part where we all hold hands and sing "Kumbaya"? Or do I say, "God bless us every one"? No...wait...that's Christmas.

I'd like to say that I'm thankful for Tom Selleck and Joshua Jackson. Without them, Tube Talk Girl would probably have some ginormous crush on me and I'd have to get a restraining order. It would all be so inconvenient. Thankfully, there are others to shoulder the burden.

In all sincerity, I'm thankful to have this site to read. It's informative and enetertaining for all of us who love the fantasy world of television. I can list three or four shows that I enjoy that I wouldn't even be watching had I not read about them here.

Oh, one more thing. Tube Tak Girl, you're an idiot.

Anonymous said...

I'll join hands for Kumbaya! Love Tube Talk here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!

I'm thankful for the hotties, too. I enjoy the double Josh cocktail, too!

Anonymous said...

A group of us here in Dubai, United Arab Emirates checking in to say we're thankful for Tube Talk.

We love your coverage and writing, Jennifer. Keep up the good work.

Like Tim, I found several shows by reading your column: Veronica Mars, Bones, and Grey's Anatomy.

Anonymous said...

I'll play! Hi from Dallas, Texas.

I'm thankful for Josh Duhamel on Vegas and the yummy pics you run of him here sometimes. (Plus even though I'm in my 20s, I share your insane crush on Tom Selleck.) I'm addicted to the Magnum reruns. Man is that dude fine.

Anonymous said...

I'll list three shows too that I wouldn't be watching if it weren't for Tube Talk Girl's hounding, oops, I mean recomendations:

1. Friday Night Lights
2. Pushing Daisies
3. Ugly Betty

Maybe I shouldn't be thankful, TTG. I'd have way more free time on my hands if I weren't sucked in to these shows.

Chelsea, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Anonymous said...

Hey from Singapore! Love the Tube Talk Girl...more photos of Kristen Bell please. :)

Anonymous said...

Flushing New York here..."kumbaya" my Lord, Kumbaya"

I'm thankful for my TiVo. I don't know how we lived without it.

God bless us all the Tube Talk readers.

Anonymous said...

Prochowice, Poland checking in.

You sucked me in to Nip/Tuck. On second thought, I'm not sure I should be thanking you. :) Christian's naked ass is getting tiresome. :)

Anonymous said...

wait a minute, where are all the u.s. readers???? Come on yanks, step up. This is an American holiday after all!

I'll add that I'm thankful for Kristen Bell being back on TV and for Scrubs getting a final season!

JC
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Anonymous said...

Fresno, California shout out!

USA, USA!!!

I'm thankful that you call reality TV a crapfest and don't promote it here. (With the exception of your Dancing With the Stars obsession that I haven't quite figured out yet.)


Thanks for always giving me a laugh, no matter how crappy my day.

Anonymous said...

Coming out of lurker mode to say i'm thankful for all the things you listed plus,your obession with Tom Selleck, Kristen Bell,Josh Jackson, Josh Duhamel, Eddie Cibrian, Scrubs, and Kyle Chandler.

I also love the Commentary With a Co-Ed column.

Bayonne, New Jersey

Anonymous said...

Don't listen to the DWTS bashers, TTG. I love that damned show, too!

Nebraska joining in here, too. "Kumbaya"

Anonymous said...

I'm thankful that talks will resume Monday for the strike.

Anonymous said...

Canberra, Australia here, where we can NEVER get enough of our native Julian McMahon's arse!

G'day Mates. Aussies love Tube Talk too.

Anonymous said...

You know I'm a regular reader. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, Tube Talk Girl, and all the rest of your readers too.

Los Angeles, CA

Anonymous said...

Boston, Mass, in the house!!

Love the site. Could we request more Moonlight coverage?

Anonymous said...

I got my DVR after reading your column about how it changed your life. (Cracked me up by the way!) You were right. I don't know who I lived without it. I even tape the news now, so I can FF through the weather or whatever stories I'm not interested in.

Maria
Pittsburgh, PA

Anonymous said...

Hey Maria, where in Pittsburgh are you? I'm in Bridgeville.

Go Steelers!!!!!

Anonymous said...

What I'm thankful for:

1. Ugly Betty's Marc and Amanda
2. Turkey and stuffing combo
3. Grey's Anatomy McDreamy and McSteamy combo
4. That I found this Web site through Reuters news

You rock, Jen.

Oahu, Hawaii --- Aloha!

Anonymous said...

You're an idiot. (Just teasing.) I hate to add any more sugar to this toothache-inducing lovefest, but damn if Tube Talk isn't my crack. I check this site like 8 times a day for updates. Yeah, so that's what I'm thankful for, Tube Talk updates. (Don't tell my boss I'm checking your site like 8 times a day.)

Anonymous said...

Hey, you forgot your love for Allison Mack. I'm thankful for that. Love her.

tube talk girl said...

Roll call? Awww, you guys are the best. This is why you made the list. (Actually, it was either you guys or the crab-stuffed mushrooms at Oliverios.)

As for my obsessions, gee, I sound a little crazy now that Tim, Cady and Karen so kindly pointed out a few of my celebrity crushes. Thanks, guys!

But, if you want to truly paint me as the celeb-seduced idiot that I am, don't forgot Harry Connick, Jr., Dean Cain, Patrick Dempsey, Tom Welling, David Boreanaz, Kate Walsh, Keri Russell, Dylan McDermott...yeah, OK, I only have so much space.

Kumbaya...

Anonymous said...

yummm...crab-stuffed mushrooms.

Anonymous said...

I'm with whoever said they wanted more Kristen Bell photos!

And I'm thankful that nobody pointed out that I spelled 'entertaining' incorrectly in my first comment.

Tube Talk Girl, it looks like I'm the idiot...lol.

Kumbaya!

Anonymous said...

Tim, you're an idiot. :)

Love my TiVo, Pam and Jim and Tube Talk.

Kristen (not Bell)
Soho

Anonymous said...

Jen, you always make my day. I read your column every day. Thanks for writing just like you talk in person.

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