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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Tube Talk on hiatus


Photo: Parker Donovan Biller

by Jennifer Squires Biller

Hello, Tubers. Long time, no talk.

To say it’s been slow here for the past year is like saying Grey’s Anatomy has no behind-the-scenes drama. (Have you heard the latest about Eric Dane’s naughty video? Tsk. Tsk.)

I’m sorry I haven’t blogged much during the past year, but as some of you know my personal life has taken a dramatic turn that has left me with little time to watch television, let alone write about it.

My days are now spent changing diapers, singing songs, dancing silly, reading stories, building forts, chasing bubbles, exploring the outdoors and, well, smooching the most adorable blue-eyed blonde since Brad Pitt. (See the above photo for evidence.)

I’ve tried to keep Tube Talk up and running, thinking that tomorrow I’ll have time to write a witty column or review one of the new fall shows. But sadly, when tomorrow comes, that time never becomes a reality. So, I’ve decided to put Tube Talk on hiatus until my little one gets a bit older, and I will actually have time to watch and discuss television again.

During Tube Talk’s most fruitful years, I spent 8-10 hours per day reviewing shows, doing interviews and research, and writing. I simply don’t have that kind of time anymore, or frankly, passion for the genre, considering how disappointing television has become. I pray this fall we’ll see a new Freaks and Geeks, Felicity, The West Wing, Friends, or Seinfeld, but I’m not holding my breath.

I’d like to thank all of my loyal readers who have supported me since the days this column was in print at The Exponent Telegram newspaper for 20,000 readers. Tube Talk was born out of my love for television and grew to be one of the Web’s most popular TV sites, with readers in more than 50 countries all over the world. I just checked my Sitemeter this morning, and people were reading Tube Talk in Austria, France, Spain, Germany, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Turkey, Portugal and more. It still amazes me after all these years. The power of the Internet is incredible. Tube Talk was named one of the Web’s best TV blogs, next to TV Guide, E!Online and Zap2It, and is a proud member of the TV Blog Coalition, a pretty cool accomplishment, considering at the time I had a staff of one - me. (Don’t cue the orchestra yet, please, I have a few more folks to thank.)

First, a big thank you to my dedicated columnist Ashley Gouveia, who has loyally written Commentary with a Co-Ed every Friday for the past couple years, and literally kept the site alive when I was deathly ill during my pregnancy. Next, but certainly not second in any field, is my good friend radio host Jack Logar, at WWLW 106.5. Jack, thank you for making me laugh each Tuesday, when we do our morning-show segment about the latest news in the world of television. You’ll never know how much I appreciate you for being a fellow “geek,“ for your encouragement through the years, and for your impressive SAT vocabulary skills. (Although, you’re still the whitest man I’ve ever met, literally. but you’ve got great hair to go with that albino complexion, so don‘t sweat it.) Also, I’d like to thank Becky and Bethany, who provided some great American Idol commentary through the years here at Tube Talk, and believe it or not, actually got me to watch reality TV for a few hours one year.

Finally, thank you to all the networks that have worked with me through the years by sending screeners, arranging interviews with the stars, and running contests for me here at Tube Talk. FOX, NBC, USA, FX, CW and TNT were especially kind to me when I first started out and did not discriminate because I was a blogger. And thank you to the celebrities who have given me a few minutes of their time to chat. My favorite interviews have been with the Scrubs crew Zach Braff and Bill Lawrence and the Psych boys James Roday and Dule Hill, as well as John Schneider and Kelly Carlson. Thank you all.

As for this fall’s TV crop, I’m excited to see Glee, the new V, Cougartown, and Vampire Diaries, and I may check out Melrose Place just for curiosity’s sake. If I find something I can’t live without on my DVR, don’t worry, I’ll pop on here and tell you all about it. Thanks again, Tubers. Hopefully, we’ll talk again soon.

2 comments:

Belinda said...

Just like Thurs on NBC used to be 'must see tv', your Tube Talk was my 'must read about tv'. You introduced me to the world of blogging and the great content out here on the net written by everyday folks with something to say, even when not employed by a big corp or company, even by people I know and love - You! I know you loved sharing your work as much as we loved reading your work. Go enjoy your life as a mom with that wonderful boy and we’ll see you on here when time and energy once again permits. TV will still be here and we’ll all still be looking for a fun and interesting voice to tell us all about it.

Love,
B

tube talk girl said...

Thank you, Belinda for your kind words. It's a tough decision, but I don't want to do something half way, and time simply doesn't permit me to watch much TV anymore! Thank you for posting and for your support through the years.

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