Jeez, seems like they're ripping off the plot off Live Free or Die Hard.

Let's mix things up a bit today and go with a video download spotlight. My first pick: Lost.

I gotta tell ya... when Lost first aired with through the roof ratings and a tremendous amount of hype, I was mostly put-off.  I watched the first few episodes and it never really hooked me.   Gilligan's Island meets The Twilight Zone.  Whatever.

Three years go by and I don't watch even one more episode.

This summer the wife and I get bored and decide to give it one more shot on DVD, and, to cut to the chase, we ended up watching all three seasons in about a month. 

That's about 66 hours of television my friends.

Granted, the show takes a while to really get moving, but once you slide into seasons two and three things really take some mind-bending turns---all leading up to the mother of all "holy sh%t, what the hell is going on" cliffhangers at the end of season three.

Seasons 1 and 2 are available on DVD (and can be rented via Netflix).  Seasons 3 is only available for downloading via iTunes.    Click the following link for Lost on iTunes:

Lost returns to ABC this February for a full season of 16 consecutive episodes (no repeats).

Any other Lost fans out there?

 

Yahoo! just put up an article on the most popular shows that have yet to air.

Their reasoning is that if you put a shows name into the search box for 3 seconds, you will then in turn spend 30 - 60 minutes of your life watching it every week.  I like that logic.

Here's what you'll be watching in the Fall in most searched order:

1.  Kid Nation - CBS decided to have cameras follow 40 kids who they threw into a ghost town.  These kids are then forced to make their own society.  Lord of Flies meets Nanny 911 seriously, who thinks of this?

2.  Bionic Woman - I'll give you one reason I won't watch this one:  That wanananana sound effect is gone.  Isn't that the only memorable thing from the original series?

3.  Gossip Girl - If you're reading Mets websites and then going home to watch Gossip Girl on CW, I think you need to take a close look at the direction of your life.

4.  The Big Bang Theory - Its about 2 nerdy guys who can't get girls.  But guess who moves RIGHT NEXT DOOR?   A good looking single girl.  Comedy ensues on CBS.

5.  Reaper - About a 20-something kid who's parents sold his soul to the devil.  He now is in charge of doing the Devils work.  He'll be doing so on the CW.  This one actually might be funny.

6.  Moonlinght - A drama about Vampires that doesn't have Sarah Michelle Gellar in it.  CBS you've done it again!

7.  Cane- Yahoo informed me I should check out the star studded cast let by Jimmy Smits.  I laughed because there's no such thing as a star studded cast led by Jimmy Smits.

8.  Chuck - A kid's e-mail implants government secrets into his head.  I did not just make this one up.

9.  Private Practice - Greys Anatomy spin off.  They're really hoping to live up to NBC's last spin off, Joey.....wait.

10.  Cavemen - ABC made a tv show about a commecial.  This show got greenlighted?  I'm pretty sure we could have all put our heads together and got a pilot through ABC this year.

Any predictions as to which shows make it through the season?  I'm going with Kid Nation and Private Practice.

I’m not sure how much this ESPN Original Drama appeals to most Met fans, but I am thoroughly enjoying it so far.  All in all, the show is done very well.  I’m enjoying the show much more than Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam” and John Turturro is amazing as Billy Martin.  However, there are a couple of things that have jumped out at me through three weeks:

Fran Healy.  Did anybody know that former Mets announcer (quite possibly the least beloved long-time sports announcer in the history of television) played such an integral part in the Reggie Jackson saga.  I know I didn’t.  Fran Healy shows up all the time in this series and last night talked Reggie Jackson out of having a physical altercation with Billy Martin.  Is this the same Fran Healy who put Mets fans to sleep for over 21 years?  (Can of corn?)  Maybe if Fran Healy would have shadowed Reggie Jackson his entire career, Reggie could have been prevented from trying to kill the queen of England in “The Naked Gun” (“I must kill the queen”)

Mickey Rivers.  I’m only 28 years old so I’m not very versed in the history of the 1977 Yankees.  With that being said, I’m pretty sure Mickey Rivers wasn’t “Willie Mays” Hayes from "Major League".  Even Willie Randolph said that this depiction of Mickey Rivers isn’t accurate.  Just for the record, when does Willie Randolph have time to be watching “Bronx is Burning”?    

The Theme.  I know it’s a show that takes place in 1977, but every time I hear the main title theme from “Bronx is Burning” I can’t help thinking that it’s something ripped off from a porno.

The Bonds Ticker.  It was bad enough when Fox interrupted their telecast of Saturday’s Mets game to bring us out to EVERY Barry Bonds at bat (can you give me a picture-in-picture?).  During last night’s show, we were treated to a ball and strike ticker of the Bonds at bat.  Do I really need to know that Barry Bonds has worked himself a 2-1 count?  Seriously FOX, ESPN, and every other network – if Bonds hits a HR show it to me on tape – otherwise I don’t want to see Barry Bonds! 

Variety is reporting that LeBron James will host the 33rd season premiere of “Saturday Night Live."

Lorne Michaels says he expects all 11 cast members – including Kristin Wiig, Bill Hader and Andy Samberg – to return.

Who, who and ummm.. who?  Wait, we think we know who Andy Samberg is.

While we can bash on SNL just like everyone else, we still don't understand the argument that it should be canceled.  First of all, what are you doing home at 11:30 p.m. on Saturday night to begin with, and even if you are home--what would you prefer to be watching in that timeslot?  M.A.S.H. reruns?

Aint It Cool News is reporting that Conan O’Brien is still set to replace Jay Leno as “Tonight Show” host in two years and Jimmy Fallon is contracted to replace O’Brien on "Late Night" at that point.

Supposedly NBC hopes to keep Jay Leno from defecting to ABC or Fox with a role in primetime television.

Jimmy Fallon as a talk show host?  I think we all know what happened to the last SNL alum who thought he could handle a talk show gig. 

Have you ever channel surfed your way past a reality show and thought to yourself "I'd keeping watching if there was even a remote possibility of someone getting naked"...?

Well, folks... it may be time to clear some space on the TIVO.  As reported previously over at Entertainment Weekly, fans of CBS's Big Brother will now be able to take their voyeurism of the show's sequestered houseguests to an unprecedented level of creepiness. 

CBS will start airing live feeds from the house on one of its sister Showtime channels. Dubbed Big Brother, After Dark, the live action in the house will air every night from 12 p.m. to 3 a.m. on SHOTOO, a Showtime channel that airs mostly theatricals and adult flicks and is available in over 14 million homes.

It's funny... the only solace and modicum of dignity that reality show losing contestants could hold on to was the thought, "well, at least no one saw me naked."  So much for that. 

Have you ever watched one of those ubiquitous Geico "Cavemen" commercials shown about 4,000 times during each Met game, and thought to yourself, "Man, I just wish this could go on forever..."

Really? You did? Well, then today's lesson is be careful what you wish for.  ABC has picked up the Cavemen sitcom pilot for its fall 2007 prime-time schedule.  Cavemen will air Tuesday nights at 8 p.m..

Alright, the commercials are kind of funny, but 30 minutes of Cavemen once a week?   That's going to get pretty thin... sort of like an okay SNL skit they make into a feature (We're talking to you Ladies Man and It's Pat)...

While speaking to advertisers at ABC upfronts a few weeks back, ABC entertainment President Stephen McPherson took out a shovel and served up this heaping helping of Grade-A bulls#@t:

Hey Steve--you do understand that the very demographic that's going to like this show is going to have absolutely no idea what you're talking about right there...

The Metwork happens to enjoy House, M.D., but our fandom comes at the price of sending us into a new hypchondrical tailspin each week.    Another episode, another bizarre disease we're sure we're dying of. Last season we thought we had Ebola, Scurvy, Hantavirus and a surprisingly welcome (albeit concerning) case of Priapism to name just a few...

This year's season finale saw Dr. Chase (Jesse Spencer) being fired by Dr. House (Hugh Laurie), while Drs.' Foreman (Omar Epps) and Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) quit in individual acts of rebellion against the ever acerbic good-doctor. 

As usual, while House remained relatively non-plussed by the sudden lab-coat mutiny, viewers found this turn of events more unsettling.   Would Spencer, Epps and Morrison be returning next season?   If not, would the chemistry of this well-oiled show be upset? Was show creator David Shore drinking the same Kool-Aid as Sopranos creator David Chase?

Mild-Spoiler Below:

Well, suffice it to say that while David Shore likes to shake things up, he's not an idiot.  The Metwork has learned that Spencer, Epps and Morrison will all be returning for Season 4.   This report is backed up by a programming memo for Fall 2007 presumably sent out to affiliates and/or advertisers.   All of the above-referenced actors are listed as returning cast.

By the way, does anyone know what flesh-eating bacteria starts out looking like? I've got this hotspot that's really worrying me...