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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Pop-up ads</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/" rel="tag">Reality-Free</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/jane-after-dark/" rel="tag">Jane After Dark</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="261" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2009/11/old_tv.jpg" alt="tv_rabbit_ears" />When <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/03/19/lewis-black-the-tv-squad-interview/">Lewis Black</a> went off at the Emmys a couple of years ago about TV becoming obnoxious with the amount of information splayed on the screen, he hit the nail right on the head. Sad to say, things have not gotten better since that rant. In fact, they're worse. I don't know what's worse, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091117/ap_on_bi_ge/us_tv_pop_up_invaders;_ylt=AuxYW0lY_0_iKcL5vGrHnwq2GL8C;_ylu=X3oDMTFhcGJjcWMwBHBvcwMyBHNlYwN5bl9wcm9tb3NfdG9wX2JhcgRzbGsDcG9wLXVwcGFpbg--">the annoying pop-up ads on the television screen</a> or the annoying pop-up ads on the computer screen. At least in the case of the latter, it's the equivalent of a commercial and -- somewhat -- understandable. <br />
<br />
But when you're watching a television show and have to ignore the bug in the corner, then be subjected to a variety of pop-up promotions and reminders for shows you may or may not be interested in watching it's enough to make you turn off the set. I'd say it's enough to make you switch channels, but where can you go to avoid the intrusion? PBS?<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Pop-up ads</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/19244357/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/11/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-pop-up-ads/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>bugs</category><category>CNN</category><category>Emmys</category><category>ESPN</category><category>Lewis Black</category><category>LewisBlack</category><category>pop up ads</category><category>PopUpAds</category><category>promotions</category><category>screens</category><dc:creator>Allison Waldman</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:29:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Six things that annoy me about the baseball playoffs</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/six-things-that-annoy-me-about-the-baseball-playoffs/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/six-things-that-annoy-me-about-the-baseball-playoffs/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/six-things-that-annoy-me-about-the-baseball-playoffs/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Sports</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/commercials/" rel="tag">Commercials</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/celebrities/" rel="tag">Celebrities</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/lists/" rel="tag">TV Squad Lists</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/" rel="tag">Reality-Free</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="296" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2009/10/hudsonangelsyanks200.jpg" alt="Kate Hudson watching A-Rod at the Yankees-Angels ALCS Game 3" />No, this is not going to be another post about the <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/10/21/2009-10-21_couple_of_new_york_yankees_not_as_far_off_base_as_los_angeles_angels_manager_.html">shoddy umpiring</a> or <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/275837-on-mariano-rivera">spittle analysis</a> or any of the other on-field matters that have been going on in baseball since the playoffs began. No, we're on a TV blog, so I'm going to just talk about the things that have annoyed me about FOX's and TBS's coverage of the ALCS and the NLCS. In no particular order:<br />
<br />
<strong>1. The Fidelity-sponsored Fox Trak.</strong> The pitching tracker, which shows if a pitch actually hit the strike zone or not, has been around for years. But, the flight of the ball has been to this point represented by a red streak and a dot. Now that Fidelity Investments is sponsoring the tracker, the red streak/dot combo has been replaced by a green streak/green arrow combo that mimics <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7atn5Zj5hY&amp;feature=related">Fidelity's "stay on the line" series of ads</a>. What financial guidance has to do with balls and strikes, I'll never know.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/six-things-that-annoy-me-about-the-baseball-playoffs/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Six things that annoy me about the baseball playoffs</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/six-things-that-annoy-me-about-the-baseball-playoffs/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/19204506/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/10/21/six-things-that-annoy-me-about-the-baseball-playoffs/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>A-Rod</category><category>ALCS</category><category>alex rodriguez</category><category>AlexRodriguez</category><category>american league championship series</category><category>AmericanLeagueChampionshipSeries</category><category>angels</category><category>annoying</category><category>black eyed peas</category><category>BlackEyedPeas</category><category>directv</category><category>dodgers</category><category>Dodgers - Phillies</category><category>Dodgers-Phillies</category><category>kate hudson</category><category>KateHudson</category><category>national league championship series</category><category>NationalLeagueChampionshipSeries</category><category>NLCS</category><category>phillies</category><category>will.i.am</category><category>yankees</category><category>Yankees - Angels</category><category>Yankees-Angels</category><dc:creator>Joel Keller</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:02:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: "online web sites"</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/27/things-i-hate-about-tv-online-web-sites/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/27/things-i-hate-about-tv-online-web-sites/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/27/things-i-hate-about-tv-online-web-sites/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/commercials/" rel="tag">Commercials</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/" rel="tag">Reality-Free</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="214" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2009/08/internet96logo.jpg" alt="Internet '96" />There are many phrases I hear on the news and in commercials that I find annoying, painful, and simply illogical. This is one of the worst offenders.<br /><br />I was watching a commercial today for a bank and the woman in the commercial said that the bank was "the number one online banking web site." Which got me wondering: what's the number one banking web site that's not online?<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/27/things-i-hate-about-tv-online-web-sites/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: "online web sites"</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/27/things-i-hate-about-tv-online-web-sites/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/19142885/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/27/things-i-hate-about-tv-online-web-sites/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>ads</category><category>bad phrases</category><category>internet web sites</category><category>news channels</category><category>online web sites</category><category>things i hate about television</category><category>things i hate about tv</category><category>tv commercials</category><dc:creator>Bob Sassone</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:10:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Counting Americans in a tragedy</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/06/02/things-i-hate-about-tv-counting-americans-in-a-tragedy/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/06/02/things-i-hate-about-tv-counting-americans-in-a-tragedy/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/06/02/things-i-hate-about-tv-counting-americans-in-a-tragedy/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/watercooler-talk/" rel="tag">Watercooler Talk</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/" rel="tag">Reality-Free</a></p><img hspace="4" height="143" border="0" align="right" width="200" vspace="4" alt="Air France disaster" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2009/06/airfrance200.jpg" />I'm sure most of you are glued to your TVs for news of what happened to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124394381881876429.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">Air France flight 447</a>, which disappeared over the Atlantic yesterday while en route from <strike>Buenos Aires</strike> Rio to Paris. Not only is any major accident like that a fascinating, newsworthy event, but the added mystery of the plane's disappearance makes the story even more compelling.<br /><br />Some of you reading this may have friends or family among the 228 people on the flight, which makes this a personal tragedy for a lot of people. But if you listen to the news media, it seems like most of the people who have been potentially lost on the flight aren't such a big deal. After all, "<a href="http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&amp;ct2=us%2F0_0_s_0_0_t&amp;usg=AFQjCNEVyXZEdLyx7Xu3ctoYN_C-M3QVIA&amp;cid=1253868984&amp;ei=llElSrCuFcWdlQf907j6AQ&amp;rt=STORY&amp;vm=STANDARD&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freep.com%2Farticle%2F20090602%2FBLOG20%2F90602042">there were two Americans</a>" on that flight, you see, and, as far as the U.S. media is concerned, their loss is more of a tragedy than the loss of any of the others.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/06/02/things-i-hate-about-tv-counting-americans-in-a-tragedy/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Counting Americans in a tragedy</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/06/02/things-i-hate-about-tv-counting-americans-in-a-tragedy/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/19055138/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/06/02/things-i-hate-about-tv-counting-americans-in-a-tragedy/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>air france</category><category>AirFrance</category><category>americans</category><category>buenos aires</category><category>BuenosAires</category><category>counting americans</category><category>CountingAmericans</category><category>disappearance</category><category>including xx americans</category><category>IncludingXxAmericans</category><category>paris</category><category>things i hate about tv</category><category>ThingsIHateAboutTv</category><category>tragedy</category><dc:creator>Joel Keller</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:31:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV:  ABC's Lost previews</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/26/things-i-hate-about-tv-abcs-lost-previews/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/26/things-i-hate-about-tv-abcs-lost-previews/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/26/things-i-hate-about-tv-abcs-lost-previews/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/drama/" rel="tag">Other Drama Shows</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/abc/" rel="tag">ABC</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/lost/" rel="tag">Lost</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="315" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2007/02/e-mitchell-022507.jpg" alt="Elizabeth Mitchell, Lost" />Whoever creates the promos for <em>Lost</em> needs to start coordinating things with the show's writers, or at least start <strong>watching</strong> the show. The last few <em>Lost </em>previews have made so many empty promises that I am considering hitting the Mute button on my remote when the ads come on. It should not be possible to over-dramatize the events on a show about plane crash survivors on a bizarre island, but ABC has achieved that feat.</p>
<p>Consider the commercials for last week's episode, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/22/lost-stranger-in-a-strange-land/">"Stranger in a Strange Land."</a> Viewers were told (in all caps and bold lettering, no less) that three big mysteries would be revealed during the episode. Did the show deliver on ABC's promise? Sure, if the meaning behind Jack's tattoos is a big mystery. If kinda, sorta finding out what happened the Cindy and the kids is a big mystery. I am not even sure if there was a third mystery; that's how inaccurate the promo was. </p>
<p> </p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/26/things-i-hate-about-tv-abcs-lost-previews/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV:  ABC's Lost previews</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/26/things-i-hate-about-tv-abcs-lost-previews/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/839900/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/26/things-i-hate-about-tv-abcs-lost-previews/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>ABC</category><category>Lost ads</category><category>Lost commericals</category><category>Lost episode previews</category><category>Lost promos</category><category>LostPromos</category><dc:creator>Erin Martell</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:42:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate about TV: People who claim not to watch it</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/11/things-i-hate-about-tv-people-who-claim-not-to-watch-it/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/11/things-i-hate-about-tv-people-who-claim-not-to-watch-it/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/11/things-i-hate-about-tv-people-who-claim-not-to-watch-it/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/watercooler-talk/" rel="tag">Watercooler Talk</a></p><img width="199" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="147" border="0" align="right" alt="Hey! Look at me! I'm an Grad Student!" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2007/01/man_sledge_hammer_350.jpg" />(Writers Note: This post is not about something I hate ON the television, it's about a particular type of person I hate that is caused by the existence of television. It was hard picking a category for it, so I went with the one I did.)<br /><br />I was an English major in college. If you ever get the chance to be an English major, do it! It opens so many doors to your future: with your English degree you can teach English! Or, also, starve! <br /> <br /> Being an English major, though, brought along with it one major annoyance: wannabe intellectual types who felt that since they read Keats or whatever, they were somehow better than the civilians who enjoyed <span style="font-style: italic;">Melrose Place</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">The X-Files</span>.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/11/things-i-hate-about-tv-people-who-claim-not-to-watch-it/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate about TV: People who claim not to watch it</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/11/things-i-hate-about-tv-people-who-claim-not-to-watch-it/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/733646/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/11/things-i-hate-about-tv-people-who-claim-not-to-watch-it/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>culture</category><category>stupid</category><category>tv turnoff week</category><category>TvTurnoffWeek</category><category>wannabe</category><dc:creator>Jay Black</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jan 2007 15:09:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: "At the end of the day..."</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-at-the-end-of-the-day/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-at-the-end-of-the-day/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-at-the-end-of-the-day/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Sports</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/tv-sports/" rel="tag">TV Sports</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="134" border="0" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/12/sportscenter.jpg" />As a red-blooded American male who has trouble relating to his father, I watch a lot of sports. That means I also watch a lot of sports related television. <em>PTI</em>, <em>Around the Horn</em>, <em>Inside the NFL</em>, <em>The Sports Reporters</em>, <em>NFL Live</em>, <em>NFL Prime Time</em>, <em>Sportscenter</em>, and even <em>Jim Rome is Burning</em> (but only when my wife is out of earshot - for some reason the sound of Rome's voice makes my wife very angry. She doesn't follow sports; I think it's just a gut reaction to smugness.) Thanks to TiVo, I watch them all, fast-forwarding past all the topics that don't interest me.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-at-the-end-of-the-day/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: "At the end of the day..."</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-at-the-end-of-the-day/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/726884/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-at-the-end-of-the-day/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>espn</category><category>football</category><category>jim rome</category><category>JimRome</category><category>nfl</category><category>pardon the interruption</category><category>PardonTheInterruption</category><category>sports center</category><category>SportsCenter</category><dc:creator>Jay Black</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2007 09:02:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Workaholics in Christmas specials</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-workaholics-in-christmas-specials/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-workaholics-in-christmas-specials/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-workaholics-in-christmas-specials/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/watercooler-talk/" rel="tag">Watercooler Talk</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/festivus/" rel="tag">Festivus</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/tnt/" rel="tag">TNT</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="249" border="0" align="right" alt="Thanks, Mr. Dickens for spawning 9 million hacks of your Christmas creation." src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/12/scrooge_mcduck_small.jpg" />I had trouble sleeping the other night (there were sugar plums dancing through my head - angry, murderous sugar plums), so I turned to the best TV option I had available to me: TNT HD's replay of <em>A Perfect Day</em> starring Rob Lowe.<br /><br />Here's the plot: lower middle class guy writes a book that becomes a best seller. As he climbs the economic ladder, he becomes a workaholic and is thus estranged from his family. A mysterious stranger then appears and helps him to realize that true happiness doesn't come from work and success, but rather from spending time with his wife and his improbably named daughter, Carson.<br /><br />I watched the whole thing for the same reason I play with hangnails and follow Philadelphia sports teams - I secretly hate myself.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-workaholics-in-christmas-specials/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Workaholics in Christmas specials</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-workaholics-in-christmas-specials/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/723739/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-workaholics-in-christmas-specials/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>alec baldwin</category><category>AlecBaldwin</category><category>christmas</category><category>christmas movies</category><category>ChristmasMovies</category><category>david hasslehoff</category><category>DavidHasslehoff</category><category>rob lowe</category><category>RobLowe</category><category>rush limbaugh</category><category>RushLimbaugh</category><dc:creator>Jay Black</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 22 Dec 2006 19:05:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Blowing news stories out of proportion</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-blowing-news-stories-out-of-proportion/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-blowing-news-stories-out-of-proportion/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-blowing-news-stories-out-of-proportion/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/watercooler-talk/" rel="tag">Watercooler Talk</a></p><img width="250" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="175" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/12/mthood250.jpg" alt="Mt Hood" />Three mountain climbers go up on Mt. Hood. They get in trouble, socked in by a storm. They call for help. There's a search party. One's found dead; the others are still missing.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong; it's a sad story. I feel for the families of the men trapped on the mountain. But this doesn't feel like news to me.<br /><br />Since climbing during any time of the year, much less winter, isn't exactly a risk-free activity, I'd imagine that one or two climbers get trapped on the mountain every year. So why has this incident been the <em>top story</em> on all the local and network news broadcasts for the last five days?<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-blowing-news-stories-out-of-proportion/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Blowing news stories out of proportion</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-blowing-news-stories-out-of-proportion/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/720784/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/18/things-i-hate-about-tv-blowing-news-stories-out-of-proportion/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>blowing news stories out of proportion</category><category>climbers</category><category>mt hood</category><category>MtHood</category><category>trapped</category><category>why is this such a big story</category><dc:creator>Joel Keller</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:05:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: The woo-hoo</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/01/things-i-hate-about-tv-the-woo-hoo/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/01/things-i-hate-about-tv-the-woo-hoo/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/01/things-i-hate-about-tv-the-woo-hoo/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/" rel="tag">Programming</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><p><img id="vimage_1" height="195" alt="Oprah" hspace="4" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/12/oprah.jpg" width="150" align="right" vspace="4" border="0" />I've never been much a joiner. I wasn't on any sports teams in high school and I don't belong to many clubs or organizations. But I would join The Nancy Grace Fan Club and proudly wear their pin on my lapel before I ever "woo-hooed." (I think I've done it a couple of times in print, but only in a comical way.)</p>
<p>The woo-hoo. It's everywhere. It's not enough that Al Roker is standing in front of a crowd outside of <em>The Today Show</em>, the crowd actually has to do that long "wooooooooo-hoooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" every time the camera is even remotely pointed in their direction. The same with the daytime and late night shows. Whether it's <em>The Tonight Show</em> or <em>The View</em> or (especially) <em>Oprah</em>, the crowd goes crazy when the star comes out or a guest comes on. I mean, they even do it on <em>Emeril Live</em>, whenever he throws in garlic or hot stuff. And they <em>applaud</em> on Emeril's show and he has a band, which I think is bizarre too, but that's a whole other rant.</p>
<p>I can't even understand how people do it <em>physically</em>. I can't imagine any situation where I would be puckering my mouth and making this loud "woo-hoo" noise with a bunch of other people, or alone. I would think that a real, deserved "woo-hoo" is a rare thing, and should be used in very few circumstances. </p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/01/things-i-hate-about-tv-the-woo-hoo/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/711100/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/12/01/things-i-hate-about-tv-the-woo-hoo/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>al roker</category><category>applauding</category><category>audience</category><category>emeril</category><category>jay leno</category><category>late night shows</category><category>oprah</category><category>the view</category><category>today show</category><dc:creator>Bob Sassone</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2006 13:32:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Promise rings</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/28/things-i-hate-about-tv-promise-rings/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/28/things-i-hate-about-tv-promise-rings/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/28/things-i-hate-about-tv-promise-rings/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality/" rel="tag">Other Reality Shows</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/abc/" rel="tag">ABC</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="228" border="0" align="right" alt="The Bachelor" id="vimage_2" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/11/promiser.gif" />My wife made me tune into the big finale of ABC's <em>The Bachelor</em> last night. I tried desperately to talk her out of it (something about the resulting dip in testosterone from being exposed to the show might harm our chances at conceiving), but she persisted.<br /><br />Like Jesse Palmer, and (inexplicably popular) Bob Guiney before him, last night's "Prince" Lorenzo (a man who has less claim to actually being a prince than the musician Prince does) decided to opt out of going through with proposing to his choice. He did give her a ring, but called it a "family ring" instead of an engagement ring. This takes even more guts than the other Bachelors who went with the more promising "promise" ring nomenclature.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/28/things-i-hate-about-tv-promise-rings/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Promise rings</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/28/things-i-hate-about-tv-promise-rings/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/709010/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/11/28/things-i-hate-about-tv-promise-rings/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>Bachelor</category><category>engagement</category><category>promise rings</category><category>PromiseRings</category><category>season finale</category><category>SeasonFinale</category><dc:creator>Jay Black</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:16:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: When Stewart and Colbert are on vacation</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/23/things-i-hate-about-tv-when-stewart-and-colbert-are-on-vacation/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/23/things-i-hate-about-tv-when-stewart-and-colbert-are-on-vacation/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/23/things-i-hate-about-tv-when-stewart-and-colbert-are-on-vacation/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/comedy/" rel="tag">Other Comedy Shows</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/the-daily-show/" rel="tag">The Daily Show</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/the-colbert-report/" rel="tag">The Colbert Report</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/comedy-central/" rel="tag">Comedy Central</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/talk-show/" rel="tag">Talk Show</a></p><img width="250" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="197" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/10/dailycolbert250.jpg" id="vimage_1" alt="The Daily Show and The Colbert Report logos" />Don't get me wrong... I think everyone is entitled to a vacation, especially the hard-working folks at the comedy factories known as <em>The Daily Show</em> and <em>The Colbert Report</em>. But it sucks when I tune into Comedy Central to get my late night fix and I see reruns. This is the situation I'll find myself in this week, as both shows are on vacation.<br /><br />I can tell right away that <em>TDS</em> is a rerun; if the intro to the show doesn't show the date, it's a repeat. From there, there's a 95% chance that <em>Colbert</em> is also a rerun, so the entire 11 PM - 12 AM block is now available to me. <br /><br />It's a weird feeling; without <em>TDS/Colbert</em>, I feel kind of adrift.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/23/things-i-hate-about-tv-when-stewart-and-colbert-are-on-vacation/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: When Stewart and Colbert are on vacation</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/23/things-i-hate-about-tv-when-stewart-and-colbert-are-on-vacation/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/689311/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/23/things-i-hate-about-tv-when-stewart-and-colbert-are-on-vacation/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>feel adrift</category><category>goof on the news</category><category>jon stewart</category><category>JonStewart</category><category>stephen colbert</category><category>vacation</category><dc:creator>Joel Keller</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2006 15:33:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Weather teasers</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-weather-teasers/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-weather-teasers/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-weather-teasers/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="150" border="1" align="right" id="vimage_1" alt="fozzie" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/10/fozweat.jpg" />I don't know if it's the same in other local markets, but here in the Twin Cities promos for the upcoming local news broadcasts always include some teaser about the weather forecast that goes something like this:</p>
<p><strong>Anchor:</strong> <em>Just how cold is it going to get? And will we see any snow over the weekend? Tune in at ten and find out.</em></p>
<p>I can understand doing such a teaser if the station has an exclusive story or just scooped some recent event that none of the other stations have, but it's not like they're the only place where you can get weather information. There's the Weather Channel, there's the newspaper, and there's the freakin' internet, for crying out loud.<br /></p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-weather-teasers/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Weather teasers</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-weather-teasers/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/688757/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/22/things-i-hate-about-tv-weather-teasers/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>annoying</category><category>local</category><category>meteorologist</category><category>news</category><category>up next</category><category>weather</category><category>weathermen</category><dc:creator>Adam Finley</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 22 Oct 2006 08:05:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: It's just like a movie!</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/16/things-i-hate-about-tv-its-just-like-a-movie/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/16/things-i-hate-about-tv-its-just-like-a-movie/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/16/things-i-hate-about-tv-its-just-like-a-movie/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/" rel="tag">Programming</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="278" border="1" align="right" alt="Smith" id="vimage_2" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/10/smith3.jpg" />I hate it when a network, a star, or a producer refers to a TV show that "looks like a movie." Is this supposed to impress me? I don't really care if a TV show "looks like a movie," because I look for the actual content of the show (writing, stars, direction, etc) before I look at how it looks. Give me a good script that looks terrible and I'll take it over a formula show that looks fantastic any day.<br /><br />Take <em>Smith</em>. The network (and more than a few TV critics and fans) kept saying it looked like watching a movie only on our TV sets. Um, yeah, only I think what people meant by this is that the cinematography in the pilot was good and it had some good explosions. Not a terrible show, but really, that's what it came down to.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/16/things-i-hate-about-tv-its-just-like-a-movie/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: It's just like a movie!</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/16/things-i-hate-about-tv-its-just-like-a-movie/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/685518/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/16/things-i-hate-about-tv-its-just-like-a-movie/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>cinematography</category><category>dramas</category><category>lost</category><category>pi</category><category>sitcoms</category><category>south park</category><category>special effects</category><category>tv shows that look like movies</category><category>TvShowsThatLookLikeMovies</category><dc:creator>Bob Sassone</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Oct 2006 10:35:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Video on the web</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/08/things-i-hate-about-tv-video-on-the-web/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/08/things-i-hate-about-tv-video-on-the-web/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/08/things-i-hate-about-tv-video-on-the-web/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/web/" rel="tag">Web</a></p><img width="425" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="102" border="1" alt="Microsoft failure to play" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/10/microsoft.jpg" /><br />I'd imagine that, for most of you, I don't even really need to go into details on this one. Just reading the phrase 'video on the web' probably conjures plenty of your own experiences fighting with technology to get your dander up. Why? Why does it have to be so damned complicated to put a video file on the internet? <br /><br />Now, part of my frustration with this comes from the fact that I'm one of 'those guys.' I loathe Windows. I could go on and on about the evils of Bill and the Gang, but that is probably a post for another site. It does bring up one of the most frustrating things we run into when we link to content from the various networks. Requirements to play. You need Windows XP, or Media Player 10, or Flash 6, or IE, or Quicktime, or to stand on your head and chant the namshub of Enki. Good grief, it doesn't need to be that hard.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/08/things-i-hate-about-tv-video-on-the-web/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Video on the web</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/08/things-i-hate-about-tv-video-on-the-web/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/681196/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/10/08/things-i-hate-about-tv-video-on-the-web/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>broadband</category><category>flash</category><category>linux</category><category>mac</category><category>media player</category><category>MediaPlayer</category><category>piracy</category><category>quicktime</category><category>streaming</category><category>veronica mars</category><category>VeronicaMars</category><category>windows</category><dc:creator>Brett Love</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 08 Oct 2006 13:44:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Calling actors by their character names</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/05/things-i-hate-about-tv-calling-actors-by-their-character-names/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/05/things-i-hate-about-tv-calling-actors-by-their-character-names/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/05/things-i-hate-about-tv-calling-actors-by-their-character-names/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/talent/" rel="tag">Talent</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/syndicated/" rel="tag">Syndicated</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/celebrities/" rel="tag">Celebrities</a></p><p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="259" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/09/maryhart.jpg" alt="Mary Hart" id="vimage_1" />The infotainment shows (<em>The Insider</em>, <em>Entertainment Tonight</em>, <em>Access Hollywood</em>, etc) are all moronic. Studies have shown that you actually lose brain cells when you watch them. That's no secret. But do they have to be so <em>outrageously</em> moronic?</p>
<p>I'm watching a repeat of yesterday's <em>The Insider</em> this morning, and they kept teasing an upcoming story about "Doctor McDreamy." They must have said the name at least five times, before the damn story even ran, later in the show. </p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/05/things-i-hate-about-tv-calling-actors-by-their-character-names/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: Calling actors by their character names</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/05/things-i-hate-about-tv-calling-actors-by-their-character-names/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/663982/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/09/05/things-i-hate-about-tv-calling-actors-by-their-character-names/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>access hollywood</category><category>celebs</category><category>entertainment news</category><category>entertainment tonight</category><category>EntertainmentTonight</category><category>gossip</category><category>hollywood</category><category>the insider</category><dc:creator>Bob Sassone</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 05 Sep 2006 13:06:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: If you change leagues, your stats go to zero</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/12/things-i-hate-about-tv-if-you-change-leagues-your-stats-go-to/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/12/things-i-hate-about-tv-if-you-change-leagues-your-stats-go-to/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/12/things-i-hate-about-tv-if-you-change-leagues-your-stats-go-to/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Sports</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/tv-sports/" rel="tag">TV Sports</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="157" border="1" align="right" alt="Bobby Abreu" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/08/abreu200.jpg" />Bobby Abreu (right) is batting for the Yankees, less than two weeks after his July 31 trade from the Phillies. You vaguely know his stats, but are curious to see how they've changed since the trade. So you look up while watching the game and see on the TV screen that Abreu is hitting .378 with one home run and five RBIs.<br /><br />Whaaa? What happened to all the homers and RBIs he had with the Phillies?<br /><br />Well, they're still there. But, because Abreu went from the National League to the American League, the channel that you're watching has decided that the stats he compiled in "the other league" don't apply anymore, and just showed his stats since the switch. It's something they've been doing since baseball's been on television, when the two leagues were distinct and the players from each never played each other outside the World Series and the All-Star Game. <br /><br />But it doesn't make any sense anymore.<p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/12/things-i-hate-about-tv-if-you-change-leagues-your-stats-go-to/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>Things I Hate About TV: If you change leagues, your stats go to zero</em></a></p><p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/12/things-i-hate-about-tv-if-you-change-leagues-your-stats-go-to/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/653897/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/12/things-i-hate-about-tv-if-you-change-leagues-your-stats-go-to/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>american league</category><category>bobby abreu</category><category>national league</category><category>obsolete</category><category>switching leagues</category><category>yankees</category><category>zeroed stats</category><category>ZeroedStats</category><dc:creator>Joel Keller</dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 12 Aug 2006 19:43:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: News stories about food</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/06/things-i-hate-about-tv-news-stories-about-food/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/06/things-i-hate-about-tv-news-stories-about-food/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/06/things-i-hate-about-tv-news-stories-about-food/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/cable/" rel="tag">Cable</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a></p><img width="250" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="204" border="1" align="right" alt="hot dog contest" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/08/eating.jpg" />What is the deal with news stations and food? Are the employees not fed enough? Everyone, from national cable outlets to local news affiliates, loves to run stories about eating contests or giant versions of regular food. It's disgusting to see a bunch of people shoveling hot dogs, <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/more/08/05/kobayshi.bratwursts.ap/index.html">bratwursts</a>, and whatever else in their mouths in a race against the clock. It's also embarrassing that there are so many food eating contests in this country. It seems like we're showing off that we're fat and we have a lot of food to spare. I also hate the stories about giant foods. Giant Oreos! Giant Moon Pies! Gross, gross, gross. What a waste of time and resources.<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/06/things-i-hate-about-tv-news-stories-about-food/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/651341/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/06/things-i-hate-about-tv-news-stories-about-food/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>cnn</category><category>eating contest</category><category>EatingContest</category><category>food</category><dc:creator>Anna Johns</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 06 Aug 2006 15:29:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: That stupid new Today Show promo</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/04/things-i-hate-about-tv-that-stupid-new-today-show-promo/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/04/things-i-hate-about-tv-that-stupid-new-today-show-promo/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/04/things-i-hate-about-tv-that-stupid-new-today-show-promo/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/nbc/" rel="tag">NBC</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/daytime/" rel="tag">Daytime</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/commercials/" rel="tag">Commercials</a></p><img width="251" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="241" border="0" align="right" alt="matt and meredith" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/08/matt-meredith.jpg" />I think I'm living some kind of weird Rip Van Winkle life lately. Suddenly, without warning, there are these bizarre promos running during the breaks on the <em>Today Show</em> showing Matt, Al, Ann and Meredith laughing, goofing and dancing together as if they'd been on the air for ten years with Meredith. Who are they trying to fool? Who are these people? What is going on here?!<br /><br />Maybe they did an excellent video editing job and stuck Meredith's head on Katie's body, and this is an old goofy video they're using. And even then, when I say the promo's goofy, I mean GOOFY. I'm trying to imagine what the director was saying while trying to get the team to feel all chummy together, as if we're supposed to believe they're really that pally with Meredith: "OK now Al, you do a little hop and shuffle, then eat a beignet. Matt, you stick out your tongue, slap Ann on the ass and dip Meredith. No, on the ass, Matt. Meredith, you flex your biceps while Ann laughs hysterically in the background. No Ann, laugh. Like this 'hahaha.' There you go."<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/04/things-i-hate-about-tv-that-stupid-new-today-show-promo/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/650573/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/04/things-i-hate-about-tv-that-stupid-new-today-show-promo/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>al roker</category><category>AlRoker</category><category>ann cury</category><category>AnnCury</category><category>matt lauer</category><category>MattLauer</category><category>meredith viera</category><category>MeredithViera</category><category>today show</category><category>TodayShow</category><dc:creator>Keith McDuffee</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:28:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Things I Hate About TV: Everybody thinks they can host a talk show</title><link>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-everybody-thinks-they-can-host-a-talk-sho/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-everybody-thinks-they-can-host-a-talk-sho/</guid><comments>http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-everybody-thinks-they-can-host-a-talk-sho/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/industry/" rel="tag">Industry</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/oped/" rel="tag">OpEd</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/daytime/" rel="tag">Daytime</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/things-i-hate-about-tv/" rel="tag">Things I Hate About TV</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/syndicated/" rel="tag">Syndicated</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/celebrities/" rel="tag">Celebrities</a>, <a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/category/talk-show/" rel="tag">Talk Show</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="215" border="1" align="right" alt="Vivica A. Fox" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/08/vivicaafox200.jpg" />Think about the number of daytime talk shows that have lasted more than a couple of years. You've got self-help shows like <em>Oprah</em> and <em>Dr. Phil</em>, "You're my baby's daddy" shows like <em>Maury</em> and <em>Jerry Springer</em>, and one or two celebrity-hosted shows, like <em>Ellen</em> and the old <em>Rosie O'Donnell</em> <em>Show</em>. The formula for daytime talk show success is very nebulous, so nebulous that it has chewed up and spit out celebrities as diverse as Jane Pauley, Tempestt Bledsoe, Tony Danza and David Letterman.<br /><br />So why, why, WHY do celebrities whosse star power has fallen a little bit keep thinking they can forge a second career as a talk show host? And who are these studio execs who think creating these shows is a good idea? That's what I thought when I read that <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060803/tv_nm/vivica_dc;_ylt=Ar8iJh6YFRvblXmvaNSSX2tpMhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--">Vivica A. Fox</a> is now talking to studios about hosting a daytime talk show. <em>Sigh.</em> I mean, Vivica's a nice actress. But what insight can she give to a daytime talk show, especially one that isn't celebrity-driven? We already have Tyra Banks talking about her dolphin phobia; do we need <em>another</em> beautiful celebrity trying to relate to everyday folks?<p style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;">&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-everybody-thinks-they-can-host-a-talk-sho/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/650272/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/08/03/things-i-hate-about-tv-everybody-thinks-they-can-host-a-talk-sho/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a></p>]]></description><category>daytime talk show</category><category>everyone wants to be a talk show host</category><category>EveryoneWantsToBeATalkShowHost</category><category>in talks</category><category>sigh</category><category>vivica a fox</category><category>VivicaAFox</category><dc:creator>Joel Keller</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Aug 2006 14:11:00 EST</pubDate></item></channel></rss>