I'll take potpourri for $7,200, Alex

Time for some links of note:

7 Great Movie Endings Demolished by Test Audiences.

SFX looks at the Top 20 hottest names working in sci-fi now.

Empire looked at the possibilities of fictional bands playing the Glastonbury music festival.

12 great sci-fi speeches. (Note: if you're catching up on Buffy or BSG, beware SPOILERS). Also, they don't like the "Why I hate X-mas" speech in Gremlins? That's brilliant.

I live in one of the best places to live, apparently. I'll remember that when I'm flying "home" to Georgia every weekend in the fall.

8-Bit Trek. I really need this on a t-shirt. So fucking adorable.

Speaking of Trek, here are "14 things you didn't know about Star Trek." (I knew 10).

Paste lists their Top 10 sci-fi and fantasy shows of all time. And also their Top 11 most villainous sci-fi species.

SFX published the results of their Top 200. Lots of great geeky lists there.

It's rare that I agree with Glenn Beck, but yep, he's right. (Bonus points for the Jefferson quote which nicely sums up my political philosophy).

As you know, Torchwood is coming to US TV via Starz. (WooHoo!). And they've got a writing staff that resembles the '27 Yankees.

FINALLY, Coach and Mrs. Coach get a little Emmy love. About damned time. And the actors are just as adorable as you'd think they'd be.

Fun photo mashups: Firefly crew as original Trek, and Mad Men as Trek:TNG.

I'll take potpourri for $7,000, Alex

It's been a while since the last potpourri roundup, hasn't it? Here are few items worth perusal:

Interesting observations about "when" Amy came from in the new Doctor Who (which is really fabulous, y'all, and very easy thus far for newbies who want to jump in).

Blunt and informative Q&A with Steven S. DeKnight (a Whedon alum, and producer of the increasingly entertaining Spartacus: Blood & Sand).

Ken Levine offers appreciation for an all-timer: Elizabeth Montgomery. (Much like the "Mary Anne or Ginger" debate, there was also a question of "Jeannie or Samantha." I was firmly behind Samantha Stevens. Wait, that didn't sound right. Wait, yes it did).

Mythbusters Adam Savage offers some brilliance. (Why doesn't everyone think this way?)

TV Credits that break the show's normal pattern.

Good list of the 25 Best Movie Remakes of All Time.

25 Awesome geeky t-shirts.

Choosing Battlestar Galactica over a boyfriend. (Hey Ladies: sometimes you don't have to choose. Thanks. The Editor).

More cool t-shirts. SHINY.

The importance of the FUCK YEAH moment.

I'd like to see this Rom-com.

"Lesbian Spank Inferno" makes you realize how wasted Jack Davenport is on FlashForward.

Great video essay on everyone's favorite Vulcan.

I'll take potpourri for $6,400, Alex

Top 10 Reasons why Trek is suddenly cool. (And none of those have anything to do with "Spock's Brain.")

Frak my life. Just read it and giggle.

Rating Woody Allen's films, from 1 - 40. Nice rankings, though personally, I'd put Annie Hall at #1. And probably have Bullets Over Broadway and Vicky Christina Barcelona higher. And Stardust Memories lower. Related: 10 Woody Allen proxies. Yeah, Celebrity was not up to snuff, but damn if Branagh didn't perfectly channel the Woodman.

I clipped this story about John Ensign and his hypocrisy on the whole ridiculous "defense of marriage" bullshit last week. And that was before another married with kids bible thumping nutjob jetted off Argentina to schtup his mistress. Yes, Sanford rejected the "stimulus package" because he was already getting his package stimulated. Haaaay-yooo.

Star Trek cakes. How cool are those? Here's an expanded look.

Are these the best sci-fi cliffhangers?

Hysterical! Michael Bay's keyboard.

Novel idea for sneaking booze into a ballgame.

The Madden ratings for the Atlanta Falcons.

Another TNRLM twitter suggestion shows up in the wild.

Interview with the delightful Julie Benz. I didn't realize she originally also read for "Deb" on Dexter.

Fantastic gallery of spaceships on io9.

Count down the Top 70 Marvel Comics covers ever. Definitely worth a look if you're a comic geek.

I know he was from Florida, and went to college at Tennessee, but somewhere along the way, didn't Travis Henry ever learn about condoms? Hell, the "pull out" method would seem to be more successful.

Highlights from the recent Bear McCreary BSG concert. Awesome.

Pop Quiz, Hotshot: famous TV homes. (I got 80%, BTW).


Great article on how the "standard" MLB camera angle is so misleading. Yes, the "off center" approach composes a better picture, especially in the widescreen era, but dead center certainly gives you a better idea about the pitches.

Did anyone else know there was a "University of Andy" web supplement to Weeds? Here Andy explains how to hold your liquor.

Are these the 10 most polarizing films of the last decade? Certainly a solid list, and think I wind up on the "pro" side of most of these.

Interview with Hope Davis, who was so mesmerizing on In Treatment this year.

IFC put together a list of the 50 greatest movie trailers of all time (with clips). Also, while I couldn't find a link to the actual list with clips, preeminent movie magazine Empire also assembled a similar list a while back.

Did Ayn Rand want Farrah to play Dagny Taggert? (Still waiting on an Atlas Shrugged flick, and I think Angelina or Rachel Weisz would make a great Dagny).

The dangers of quitting smoking.

Supernatural casts their Lucifer. Great choice, but I wonder what this means for Lost?

Doctor Who returns tonight! Alan Sepinwall talks to Russell Davies, and Mo Ryan chats with David Tennant.

Reconsidered: "Spock's Brain"

For more about "Reconsidered," see this.

"Spock's Brain," the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series third and final season, is universally recognized as the worst episode of the show ever produced. Is it? Let's reconsider...

We open as the Enterprise encounters an unusual looking ship being powered by an ion drive. Before contact can be established, a mysterious woman beams aboard the Enterprise, presses a button on her wristband, and renders all 400+ crewmen aboard the ship unconscious. When they start to wake up, Kirk realizes Spock isn't on the bridge, and the captain is called to sickbay by McCoy. Spock is on a on bed in sickbay, and the good doctor tells Kirk:



Hammy acting that would embarrass day players in a telenovela ensues, and Kirk decides to high tail it around the universe looking for Spock's brain. McCoy helpfully explains that due to Vulcan physiology, Spock can survive without his brain (!) for 24 hours. The crew follows ion trails around for 16 hours, before coming to a system with three class M planets. Kirk holds an informal staff meeting.

First Officer's Brain is Missing Agenda:

1. Review agenda items
2. Give overcooked voiceover about time remaining before Spock's body can no longer function without its brain.
3. Discuss implications of ion trailing and excessive voiceovering only leaving crew with time to visit one planet.
4. Give Uhura something to do (which helpfully, is a suggestion that the least developed planet is emanating strange energy pulses).
5. Play hunch on which planet to visit.
6. Review meeting notes (which includes "develop Starfleet procedures for stolen brains" and "how to not look embarrassed in front of the camera when discussing stolen brains")
7. Adjourn.

Kirk and a landing party beam down, and get attacked by some primitive local inhabitants. Kirk questions one, and because he's Kirk, instantly starts asking where the chicks are. The local doesn't seem to understand the concept of a "mate," (much to the chagrin of the bulge in Kirk's pants) and runs off. Chekov finds a cave, which leads to a buried city. Kirk calls McCoy, who beams down, with Spock, wearing a headset, which allows McCoy to, no shit, move him around by remote control like a Vulcan Roomba.

In the city, they encounter "the others," a bunch of hot chicks in miniskirts and thigh high boots, who have the mentality of small children. Spock's disembodied brain reaches Kirk and company via communicator, but the gal who originally beamed on the Enterprise shows up and renders everyone unconscious (again). When the gang wakes up, they are fitted with silver belts that cause pain when those wearing them don't do what they're told. Kirk asks the hot chick in charge about Spock's brain, and she responds:

"Brain and brain, what is brain?"

It turns out, Spock's brain has been put into a "controller," which is used to regulate the planet's systems, since the race of dimwits here has forgotten how to take care of themselves. And just how did these morons remove a brain? Glad you asked. There's a spiky helmet called "the teacher," which grants the wearer enough temporary brilliance to quickly remove a brain, without leaving a scar or disturbing the haircut. Our heroes make their way to the control room where Spock's brain is being kept, but are stopped by the hot chick in charge, who activates their pain belts. The crew melodramatically rolls around some, but Kirk activates the Vulcan Roomba, and Vegetable Spock grabs the chick's control bracelet, presses a button, and the belts fall off. Hot chick explains the brain removal process, and dons the spiky hat to prove it. Suddenly, she doesn't sound a functionally retarded cast member of "The Real Housewives of Sigma Draconis VI," and points a phaser, (set to kill!) at Kirk. Kirk tries to reason with her, but she's having none of it. Then Scotty pretends to faint -- faint! -- and evidently, the spiky hat only grants so much intelligence, because she falls for it, and Kirk grabs the phaser. She won't restore Spock's brain to the Vulcan Roomba, so McCoy dons the spiky hat and will do the surgery himself. Oddly, someone who was a trained Starfleet doctor before the knowledge transfer can't do the transplant as quickly as a miniskirted rutabaga, and McCoy starts to panic. Fortunately, Spock's vocal cords are connected, so he walks McCoy through the final steps of the procedure, and sits up, instantly healed. Spock then gives a lecture on the history of the planet, and how their genders separated. Kirk tells the hot chick they'll have to tough it out without a brain in the controller, and suggests they go to the surface of the planet to get laid (and take turns using the spiky hat so they're not all morons). Then, he tries to turn Spock "off" using the remote control, and everyone laughs. End.

So, does "Spock's Brain" deserve its reputation? Oh, lord yes it does. Not only is it by far the worst episode of Trek, it may be one of the worst episodes of television I've ever seen. The problem's with Trek's third season were legion. The budget, already tight to begin with, was cut even further. The show was moved to the Friday night "death slot." Because of the late renewal, scripts weren't prepared in advance. (Though to be fair, there were still some outstanding eps produced in this season, even as it was hit and miss overall, and "Spock's Brain" was first out of the gate, leaving little time for developing a quality script). Gene Roddenberry knew that this would be the last season of the show, and basically checked out entirely, leaving things to a new producer. Cast divisions were growing, and some of the series longstanding writers departed for greener pastures. Still, given all that, there's no way something this awful should have even been filmed.

There are some interesting sci-fi concepts here, superficially. A society so run down and used to not thinking for itself that it becomes populated with brain atrophied imbeciles. Gender division that causes a breakdown in planetary growth. A Starfleet officer kidnapped and used for his expertise and mental prowess to save a diminished civilization. But the merging of the three ideas is so haphazard and stupefyingly pasted together that it's an incoherent mess, baked with terrible dialogue and frosted with unnecessarily (even for Trek) overwrought performances. And the resolution? Yes, they get Spock's brain neatly back into his head, and he hops up seconds later with no ill effects. They share a laugh, and basically tell the planet that they are fucked and leave. (Not that brain kidnappers truly deserve any special Starfleet considerations, but still, tonally, it's terrible).

Other than pure camp value, and to see just how bad a legendary and groundbreaking show can be at its rock bottom worst, there is absolutely nothing to recommend here.

"Spock's Brain" Reconsidered: F

Summer reading for nerds

With all the renewed interest in Star Trek these days, thanks to JJ Abrams marvelous and entertaining reboot of the franchise on the big screen, I've been rewatching some of the original series episodes on TV. Yes, I'm a huge Trekkie (or Trekker, to be politically correct in the geek world) and have seen every episode of every Trek series, multiple times. But it's amazing how well many of the original episodes hold up, particularly when you consider the state of sci-fi on television at the time (it was consider a ghetto of kids programming), and the challenges of bringing an ambitious program like this to the air at all.

I was at the library the other day, and picked up "Inside Star Trek, The Real Story" by Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman, who worked for Desilu, the production company (owned by Lucille Ball) that produced Trek. There is a lot of myth and legend now about the show, but this is a clear eyed, fairly objective retelling of the story of how Trek came to be, told by people who were on the inside of the production. It's a great look behind the curtain, and details the difficulties of producing a TV show and keeping it on the air in the late 60s.

Just a few of the interesting tidbits covered in the book:

• The weekly budget to produce the show was, on average, around $185,000.
• Gene Roddenberry's legendary womanizing, and how we have him to thank for all the cast's short skirts and diaphanous gowns.
• The inherent problems in developing shootable scripts.
• How the cast handled the instant embrace of the Spock character as a cultural icon. (Originally, Shatner made $5,000 per episode and Nimoy $1,500, others much less).
• Roddenberry created the Chekov character in response to an article about Trek in Pravda, and the popularity of Davy Jones on The Monkees.
• Nimoy wanted to renegotiate his contract after the first season, and based on a misunderstanding about how much the leads of Mission: Impossible (another Desilu production) made, his agent overplayed his hand asked for way too much money. In response, producers developed a short list of actors to take over the Spock ears and replace Nimoy. The list included Mark Lenard (who had already played a Romulan, and would go on to play Spock's father later), Larry Montaigne (who would play a Vulcan in "Amok Time") and even David Carradine!
• Trek's relationship with prominent sci-fi authors of the day, including Isaac Asimov and the notorious Harlan Ellison.
• The real contributions of other Trek vets, including Matt Jeffries, Gene Coon and "D.C." (Dorothy) Fontana.
• Roddenberry's clandestine involvement in the fan campaign by Bjo Trimble to keep the show on the air.

If you're a Trek fan, it's a fascinating read and well worth picking up for some insight on how the iconic show came to be and struggled to say alive during its original run on NBC. A-

I'll take potpourri for $6,100, Alex

Good Saturday morning everyone. Grab some java and settle in for a fun grab bag of links and miscellany!

Does anyone know where I can buy some good old fashioned lye? I need to bleach my eyeballs.

In which people refer to Jesus, and yet prove, by their very existence and notoriety, that he can't possibly exist as a figure who has mankind's best interests in mind (from EW):

ABC unveils some fun looking new promos for the fall television season. (Will Jack kill everyone on Wisteria Lane because he misses Kate?)

Speaking of Lost, this t-shirt TV Guide's Matt Mittovich is wearing sums up my feelings quite well:

The 11 Worst College Football Coaching Performances of the 21st Century.

Empire magazine looks at the Best and Worst eppys of each Trek series.

Extensive look (with clips!) of the Best and Worst death scenes from movies.

9 Resons why Dollhouse Season Two is a good thing.

The Daily Beast looks at 14 TV shows they want back.

i09 chats with Supernatural producer/writer Sera Gamble about whether the show, recently focused on an apocalyptic struggle between angels, demons and Lucifer, works for atheists. (Speaking as one, yeah, it does).

Between Lost, Terminator and Trek, there's a whole lotta time travel going on in pop fiction lately. Here's a scientific "primer." Also, Discover Magazine offers "rules" for time travel. How Stuff Works also has some goodies on time travel.

TWOP's Best and Worst of season finales.

Mike Vick to Seattle? Uh, don't think so. But wasn't Jim Mora Vick's coach - and supporter - in Atlanta? Seems he was a little disingenuous about his belief in the dog murdering QB back in the day. Yeah, thanks for that Jim.

Captain Kirk, NOOOOOOO! You're better off making out with a Horta. (although, add a "w" and it's about the same)

Dark UFO has started their season ending polls on all things Lost. Interesting and fun results.

Televisionary reviews (with spoilers, so beware) the pilot of V. Can't frakkin' wait for this to air.

Are these the 10 worst team names?

TV Crunch lists the 25 worst sitcoms ever.

Also, the 25 worst dramas ever. (Not sure I agree with all their choices, and surely there are some more fitting candidates, but I like their venom for the do-goody schmaltz).

LA Times chats with Dan Aykroyd about a potential Ghostbusters 3, with a younger generation picking up the proton packs. Both Eliza Dushku and Alyssa Milano are referenced (though both later denied any knowledge of it via twitter). If they're looking for a younger cast, how about:

• Alan Tudyk
• John Krasinski
• Craig Robinson
• Ryan Reynolds
• Alyson Hannigan
• Anne Hathaway

Any other suggestions?

Oh, professional athletes, how I love your fauxpieocity (faux + piety + hypocricy). Check out this awesome commentary from Deadspin about Dwight Howard:

Dwight Howard. Congratulations to the Magic center for securing himself a solid spot in the alpha dog upper echelon of NBA superstars: His obligatory cash advances from fake-nutritious colored water products are already on the way, I'm sure. Howard's one of those guys who is difficult to figure out. On one hand, he makes a big show of being a devout Christian — going so far as claiming he only listens to gospel music, which I highly, highly doubt — and on the other, he had a baby with a team dancer (seriously, a team dancer) and leaves tickets for porn stars. I have no specific problem with this, of course — who would?! — but when the spotlight focuses on him a little more, you wonder if roaches might sneak around when someone flips the switch. But man, I hope not. Considering the Magic are likely to be down 3-0 by the time the next one of these columns run, I won't stick around long enough to find out, I promise.

A fantastic look at the "moebius" theory of time travel on Lost.

Joss's comments on the Dollhouse renewal.

Trek scribes talk address some of the issues surrounding the plot. Also, they have a nice Q&A with fans at TrekMovie. And they also had a part 2.

I'll take potpourri for $6,000, Alex

The Lost finale is still cooking my noodle, and I'll have more on that next week. However, here's an overstuffed basket of potpourri for your Saturday morning enjoyment:

Need a quick way to identify which Trek movie you're watching? Here's a handy chart.

How does Spock's mom stay so young looking? Big gulps of water, apparently. (Plus, any chance to indulge my lifelong crush on Winona Ryder is always welcome).

How big is the new Enterprise? Pretty fucking big.

i09's 5 favorite Trek ripoffs (and you really have to click the video for the "Phoenix 5.")

Here's a great podcast about movie scores. You'll find at the top of the list a episode about the music of Trek. Good stuff.

More Trek! Here's the wallpaper on my CrackBerry:

io9 has compiled a great collection of Trek Top 10 lists.

More Trek goodies, including a trivia quiz administered by "Q." (Yeah, I scored 20 out of 20).

Great set of annotations to the new Trek movie.

Can you tell that I FLOVED the new Trek film? Okay, on to other things...

This is AWESOME. The "world's three best visual illusions."

Flat screen TV's are now an apparent danger to children. Here's a solution: keep your fucking kids away from the TV. Here's another: get your priorities in line. TVs are much more important; don't spawn in the first place.

One man's take on why Fringe is attracting more viewers than Dollhouse.

Speaking of Fringe, how about that fantastic finale? Here's a closeup of a newspaper from the other dimension. JFK is still alive! (Does Oliver Stone have no career in this other dimension?) Len Bias still alive, and leading the Celts to a title! Stock market closed! White House rebuilt!

Michael Emerson chats with the AV Club.

Joss Whedon's "7 Things I Love About Sci-Fi."

io9 posits that Dollhouse is Joss's "greatest work." (I don't agree, but it's an interesting read nonetheless).

The gorgeous Juliet Landau talks about writing Drusilla for the Buffy comics.

Nathan Fillion Q&A with EW about Castle (which also got renewed, along with Better Off Ted. Yippee!). More Nathan here.

An oldie but a goodie from PJ O'Rourke, "I agree with me."

This cracks me up: the "history of everything" in timeline form. Which option makes more sense?

Asteroids couldn't have killed the dinosaurs. Wait, all this happened in 6,000 years?

Oh yeah. Marriage equality leads to bestiality, pedophilia and polygamy. Keep talking, Pat. It makes everyone else look smarter.

Thoughts on Joss's script for Alien Resurrection, and what happened as it was translated by the director.

Nice Interview with Jim Beaver, from Supernatural. (And damn, was I glad Bobby lived through that kickass finale).

Wizard Universe lists the "TV Greatest Sci-Fi Shows Ever."

How cool is this? The Tarantino Mixtape:

The Tarantino Mixtape from Eclectic Method on Vimeo.

Today in Idiocy: I watch the Weather Channel occasionally, but didn't realize there was a type of "wind" that would only blow in the direction of nipples, while leaving the hair unmoved.

Quickies

Short takes:

Last week's Lost was a great "set up" eppy for the season finale tomorrow. (Although I wish someone would explain the "origin" of the compass, that seems to be caught in a time loop paradox). I'm completely unspoiled, and have no idea what to expect.

Dollhouse finished STRONG, creatively, although the ratings were down again. I have no faith in Nielsen viewers. If this is it for the show (and I hope it isn't), at least it went out firing on all cylinders.

The new Star Trek movie is all that it's purported to be, and then some. Simply amazing. It gets by on casting, acting, characterization, momentum, score, direction and effects, despite some plot holes you could fly V'Ger through. I'm anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Speaking of which, I fell prey to the "FauxMax" charade. (See more about this from Aziz Ansari here). Was the sound and picture quality outstanding? Yeah. But the screen was about the same size as a "regular" screen. Fortunately, I didn't pay the full ride for the ticket, but I have to admit, I was disappointed once I saw the size of the screen in my supposed "Imax" theatre. I saw various Matrix and LOTR flicks back in GA on a huge Imax set up, and there was no comparison with what I just witnessed. Sad.

Why aren't Better Off Ted and Party Down getting more attention? Damn, these are funny shows.

Darmok and Gokey at the Aerosmith

Remember that classic Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Darmok," where Picard is stranded on a planet with a member of an alien race, and the universal translator will not work with the alien's language? It's an insightful meditation on interplanetary diplomacy, and more importantly, about "communication," since the language of the alien is made up entirely of metaphor (such as "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra") rather than individual words and phrases.

So, if I ever met a Tamarian, and wanted to communicate the idea of "off key screeching that causes insidious pain to the human ear," I might use something like this:

"Gokey and Aerosmith at the Rock Night"



Or, if I was trying to get the alien to understand the concept of "contemptible, smug, self-satisfied, asshatted, douchbaggery," I might say something along the lines of:

"Gokey with Ryan before the Judges Table."

I think y'all speak the language I'm putting down, right?

PLEASE, America, do the right thing tonight.

Dammit, Jim, it's a BlackBerry, not a Tricorder.

Nerd that I am, I recently adopted the pattern below as the wallpaper for my phone.

I also have patterns like that in blue and red, but frankly, I'm a little afraid to use the red one. Either the phone or I might die within 44 minutes.

Good news for nerds!

Multiple sources are reporting that Leonard Nimoy, who got to know JJ Abrams during the production of the new (and awesome looking) Trek reboot, will be guesting on Fringe as the long referenced yet never seen William Bell, the founder of Massive Dynamics and former playmate of Walter Bishop.

I was wondering where they were going to go with casting this role, as it has been built up for some time. Couldn't ask for a better choice.

I'll take potpourri for $5,600, Alex

How much of Lost has now been affected by a sandwich?

DirecTV will be showing some canceled series. (I loved Eyes, which I thought deserved a much longer run).

The Blade Runner ending. Deckard? Yep, Replicant.

50 great "finishing moves" from the movies.

A Lego, musical version of Silence of the Lambs? Of course. It puts the lotion in the fucking basket!!

Interview with Nathan Fillion.

Talk about a narrow built in audience. I think I'm one of the only people on the planet who remembers, and actually had and played with, this toy now becoming a movie.

A chat with Jane Espenson.

TWOP looks at BSG's unanswered questions.

The best DSLs in Hollywood. (And no, that doesn't have anything to do with an internet connection).

You know, this explains a LOT.

Matt Stafford's parents got a divorce when he was a kid. And I'm sure that led to Georgia Tech rushing for 700 yards in the second half, too.

The Suicide Girls weren't particularly enamored with the BSG finale.

10 Sexiest "Damsels in Distress?" MJ hotter than Princess Leia? And even though Spider-Man 3 blew chunks, Gwen Stacy was hotter than MJ. There's really a lot to disagree with in this list.

Still can't get enough Battlestar?

• Six of the best BSG moments.
• Top 10 BSG episodes.
• BSG composer Bear McCreary's epic blog post about the music for "Daybreak."
• Ron Moore took to the Skiffy forums to answer some post-"Daybreak" questions.

The ShamWow dude is arrested for beating a hooker. The conflict probably started when both of them realized they weren't getting what was advertised.

An in-depth analysis of and conversation about, a very underrated sci-fi remake, Solaris. I unashamedly love this movie.

Not sure I agree with the choices, but here's a list of the 25 Best and Worst TV episode titles.

Pure concentrated awesome: Vintage Dharma Ads.

The lovely and talented Alicia Witt will guest on The Mentalist. (I actually watched a painful majority of 88 Minutes on a movie channel the other day because she had a significant role. Truly a terrible, terrible flick).

io9 looks at crazy space racists!

Ron Moore's script for The Thing prequel is getting shelved. Now, the alien no longer appears on Earth to kill and maim an Antarctic expedition because "God wanted it to."

Photos probably forthcoming from Columbus, GA.

io9 tries to sort out Terminator timelines. Get migraine meds ready.

Pajiba checks back in on Dollhouse, and finds it lacking. (Personally, I thought the last couple of episodes, particularly "Man on the Street," were terrific).

The "reboot" hasn't even premiered yet, and the writers are signed for a Trek sequel.

Noted comedy writer Ken Levine has found a letter Lost's Juliet has written to her sister back home.

Economic times are tough, and people are "trading down" on spirits. Is there any difference between the vodkas? (Personally, I keep a bottle of Ketel One for dry martinis, and some cheap stuff for everything else. You absolutely, no pun intended, can't tell the difference in vodkas in Bloody Marys and Screwdrivers).

I'll take potpourri for $5,500, Alex

Someone has attempted a BSG timeline.

LA Times chats with Ron Moore.

TWOP's 10 Reasons BSG is leaving at the right time.

IF Magazine talks to Tahmoh Penikett about BSG and Dollhouse.

Move The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party to Atlanta? In a dome? Uh, NO. Antiseptic atmosphere. Tailgating with the homeless. Diminished south Georgia and Florida recruiting. Fewer available tickets. "Neutral site" games should have a singular location for tradition and history. College football in a dome sucks.

Stafford has a good pro day workout.

Alan Sepinwall's favorite BSG episodes.

Richt doesn't have a problem with Spurrier or Urban Meyer. I'll just pretend I didn't read this, and that they are both still gaping assholes.

RDM talks about the "Daniel fiasco." I still think it would have made sense.

AfterEllen chats with Jane Espenson about Buffy, Caprica, Dollhouse and BSG.

Highlights from Joss's recent conference call.

Fun look at the history of Batman logos.

Video Q&A with Kate Vernon (aka Ellen Tigh). Gods, she's adorable.

More with Kate and Michael Hogan. Who wouldn't want a happy hour with the Tighs? (Though apparently, if you can't keep up with the Tighs shot for shot, you wind up in an alley puking on yourself, Adama).

Yeah, I need some new furniture.

TV Guide chats with Elizabeth Mitchell.

10 guys you're allowed to have a man-crush on.

io9 thinks about 10 great sci-fi endings.

Interesting chat with the guy in control of Batman's film rights.

Lost's Damon Lindelof chats about Watchmen.

Sarah Silverman sums up how to think about "divas."

Rivals looks at 2009 UGA.

When TV shows change their DNA.

A history of Trek Movie titles.

80s sitcom intros. Ahhhh, my eyes!

Annoying habits of a geeky spouse.

The things to say during sex flowchart.

I'll take potpourri for $5,400, Alex

Here's a great add on for your Firefox browser: FoxyTunes. It adds controls for iTunes right into your browser, saving the laziest among us from having to (gasp!) toggle back and forth between two programs if you listen while you surf. (h/t T-Recs)

Still haven't gotten your fill of Watchmen? How about a movie podcast with Kevin Smith discussing the film? It's long, but awesome. (And the podcast was interesting enough that I went back and subscribed to the /film podcast. Lots of good geekery in there).

Dollhouse and Sarah Connor show ratings improvement! Both shows are also showing plot and content improvement, but will it be enough to get more seasons?

Joss talks to TV Guide about next week's pivotal episode.

The Live Feed chats with Ron Moore about the BSG finale.

EW has a fantastic slideshow walk through the history of BSG.

Buddy TV's list of the top 25 eps of BSG.

Carla Gugino's 5 favorite films (and cool that it includes 12 Monkeys).

Because no one can see enough Christina Hendricks pictures.

SI's Andy Staples looks at the SEC.

A funny comic for fans of the Watchmen graphic novel.

Just in case there's a gift giving occasion coming up.

Does this mean that Michael Vick's salary will be paid by taxes on the successful?

Scans of TV Guide (print version) feature on BSG.

Want a close up look at Chuck's chart from the back of the Tron poster? Look here. More on Chuck here.

What if Stan Lee wrote Watchmen?

Could there possibly be 10 defenses for the Howard the Duck movie?

These anti-bay marriage people are really lunatics. And I totally want to marry a robot.

SFX talks to the guy that's showing up on every TV show I watch, Mark Sheppard.

Interview with Nathan Fillion.

Patton Oswalt geeks out about Watchmen, Dollhouse (he's on Friday's ep), BSG and Burn Notice.

They're doing a "reimagining" of V, the childhood mini-series about alien lizard people invading Earth. And the iconic role of the hot alien leader will be played by Morena Baccarin.

I'll take potpourri for $5,000, Alex

If Dollhouse continues, someone is obviously going to die, since Joss just loves killing. :-) Here are "his" 16 most painful deaths.

BSG composer Bear McCreary interviews four of the final five Cylons. (And holy frak! What a mind-blowing expositionarama last night with "No Exit." I'm still wrapping my noodle around the Cylon history lesson).

Sam Tyler may have a Life on Mars, but it looks like he won't have much of one on our TVs, if these ratings are any indication. Damn.

E!s Kristin chats with real life couple Michael Emerson and Carrie Preston. More here with Ben. And Juliet, too.

More thoughts on science and religion, and how the twain shan't meet. Related: "Oh, it's a miracle! Oh...that one, not so much."

I don't get into hockey, but some of these "goal" calls crack me up.

TV Gal isn't panicking about Dollhouse (quality-wise).

If Emily Blunt can't be Natasha Romanoff, then Eliza wants in. How's her Russian? Or maybe ScarJo?

A peek at Watchmen's "Tales of the Black Freighter."

A chat with the Ellen Tigh herself, Kate Vernon.

Matt Stafford the top rated QB in one scout's eyes.

To any gals excited about this, I'm ready to beam up.

Put your money where your mouth is, when it comes to Octomom.

Dragging down the collective IQ of the country.

I don't have any stories about him being a bad tipper, but I did have my own brief Michael Stipe encounter. In college, I made a late night trip to Kinko's to make copies of a paper I was writing, and there he was hanging out. (Why "hang out" in a Kinko's at 2 in the morning? No clue). But to call him "disheveled" would do in injustice to hobos. And I don't think I've ever been in proximity to someone who smelled quite so bad. Either he was living out of a dumpster in those days, or had decided to roll around in a compost heap with a sack full of dead mackerels before making a few copies. Ahhh, the exciting life of a rock star.

A chat with dear, departed Charlotte Staples Lewis.

A profile in asshattery. If your first impressions where that this guy was a douchenozzle, then read on.

The geek worlds collide. Summer Glau on Big Bang Theory? AWESOME. Just as awesome? Felicia Day on Dollhouse!

Awwwwww.

Klingon night school.

An interesting profile of Herschel Walker, from Jeff Pearlman's blog (he wrote the recent Cowboys book, "Boys Will Be Boys."). Pearlman also worked at ESPN for a while, and here are his top 10 things that irk him about the WWL.

Baseball Prospectus looks at the 2009 season. Braves with a winning record, and tied with the Phillies for the Wild Card? Wonder how the season series with the World Champs turns out?

If this program was used in Columbus, GA, I think the application would require all the geopbytes of all the internet storage in all the world.

Every single filthy fucking thing said on The Sopranos. EVER.

Did Peter Bishop want to be Captain Kirk?

Richard Hatch "defends" Tom Zarek.

Guess I'm not going to retire (or even buy some Whiskey and Ramen Noodles) doing this here blogging thing.

Does the brain make up the need for god?

AOL's "Best Shows of the 90s." Some highlights: Star Trek: TNG 29, SportsNight 19, South Park 16, Northern Exposure 15, Frasier 14, Law & Order 11, The Sopranos 10, The X-Files 6, Buffy 4, The Simpsons 3, Seinfeld 1. You look through that list, other than what I've noted, and realize there was a lot of crap on in the 90s.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! (Amazon is offering Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" as a FREE download today!)

I'll take potpourri for $4,800, Alex

ESPN went through one of their typically hyperbolic "ranking" processes, though this one got less pub than their "Mt. Rushmore" or "Who's Now" nonsense, to determine the "Prestige Rankings" of various college football programs. According to their system, UGA ranked 14th.

TWOP has a good recount of the comedies and dramadies that were cancelled way before their time. A sad list.

The NYT has a nice look at Adam Baldwin (Chuck's Casey, Firefly's Jayne).

JJ Abrams talks to the LA Times about the new Trek. Part 1 here, Part 2 here.

Ray Lewis says his free agency plans are in the hands of god now. No word on whether or not the big guy upstairs will chat with afterlife denizens Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar to get their take on the particulars of the LB's contract negotiations.

A question from Bill Simmons latest ESPN chat:

Tommy Hawk (Crozet, VA): Is it just me or have Juliet's "hoo-ha's" gotten bigger through these seasons of Lost? If this is a side-effect of time travel, then there are going to be a lot of women risking the nose bleeds and finding themselves a "constant" to get on this island!

An astute observation. Yet another reason to love Juliet.

Extraterrestrial Roman Empires. (As a kid, I had a hardbound copy of that "Trigan Empire" comic collection. It was pretty damned cool).

DawgSports looks at breaking out the black jerseys in the future. For the record, I voted "Only games against major rivals should be blacked out, and then only on special occasion"

Could some craptacular Gulliver's Travels movie keep the delectable Emily Blunt out of Black Widow's spandex? Noooooo!

One more reason to love the oh-so adorable Jenna Fischer. She calls the message indicator on her CrackBerry the "red light of love."

The Weather Channel founder weighs in again on the "global warming" scam.

One of TV's best shows, The Middleman, coming to DVD!

Cute! Guess the Lego movie star.

A look at the hottest women of Star Trek. Some interesting choices in there, but I don't agree with their number 1 selection (if the list isn't topped by the reason we have a President O, then the list isn't entirely valid).

Finebaum's takedown of Hello Kiffykins.

The Daily Beast talks to Joss Whedon about Dollhouse.

Mo Ryan previews Monday's 3-D Chuck. Look, I like The Office. But don't we think that several years in, it's as big as it's going to get? Wouldn't it be better to give the post Super Bowl slot to a show that's a bit of an undiscovered gem, and could use the boost? Like Chuck, for example?

Good films by supposedly bad directors.

AWESOME "chart porn" from io9 on how to create your own original Star Trek adventure.

A funny look at how to write a Super Bowl story, depending on your forum.

TV Guide's favorite Sawyer nicknames.

No matter which way you take it, I'm buying what she's selling.

Please, please spare me this drivel during the game. Does Odin care who wins the game? Does Zeus? Does Anubis? The Flying Spaghetti Monster? However, I think Garuda might be pulling for the Cardinals.

Japanese Watchmen toys. Adorable. (which is kinda funny, given the nihilistic and dark tone of the book).

More ridiculous pandering and posturing and wasting of taxpayer dollars from our elected officials. (Isn't there a little bit more to be preoccupied with now?!) To save the children!! Look, does anyone think this noise would be loud enough to actually be heard? Or that regular (non "noise making") cameras wouldn't be used for "nefarious" purposes? Or that video couldn't be used instead? Jesus Tittyfucking Christ, this kind of stuff makes me understand the terrorists.

Stewart Mandel looks back at the high school QB class of 2005. (Joe Cox was number 6, BTW).

An unbelievably fun look at 1970s sci-fi. How many do you recognize?

Are these the ugliest uniforms known to man? Even worse the the Vols, Gators or Clemson?

I'll take potpourri for $4,600, Alex

This week's roundup features and extra helping of geek. Enjoy.

RIP, Ricardo Montalban. Just for good measure. Also, 16 things you may not know about TWoK.

As well documented in the blogosphere, ESPN is increasingly populated with self-absorbed asshats with a tired schtick. However, a rare bright spot on the tube and on the radio is Scott Van Pelt. Here's a good interview with him at The Big Lead.

The Mad-Pocalypse has been averted. Matt Weiner signs for two more seasons. Everyone fuck around, have a martini and smoke up!

A Veronica Mars flick? Get me tickets and popcorn, I'm there.

The Top 50 sci-fi costumes. And here's a detailed history of one all the geeks know is on that list.

Soft-core sci-fi sex coming to Skinemax?

I consider myself a treasure trove of nerd trivia. But I never knew that EJO was offered the role of Captain Picard.

Here's another one for you. Did you realize that Nathan Fillion auditioned for the role of Crichton on Farscape (that eventually went to Ben Browder)?

I'm too old, and geographically undesirable. But seeing ads like this gives me hope for mankind.

The talented and smoking hot Emily Blunt in the Iron Man sequel, possibly as The Black Widow? Mmmmmm.

Speaking of hot and talented, an interview with Amy Acker.

Mo Ryan continues to get geektastic interviews, this time with the Lost boys. Good stuff. Wednesday! Wednesday!

After all the naysaying and hand-wringing over Dollhouse, a few reasons to be optimistic.

Good news for Mondays: Leonard's mom on BBT gets cast, as does Chuck's dad on Chuck.

A solid list of the Top 25 episodes of Angel, along with the 5 worst. (And yep, those are definitely the top 2 worst).

17 revamps that went better than expected.

Reasons to look forward to the new TV season.

Tim Tebow! Praise be to Allah!

Some insight into what's shaping up to be another great season of In Treatment.

Finebaum's SEC coaching rankings. Hard to argue with it.

I'll take potpourri for $4,400, Alex

Today's roundup is especially list-heavy, given all the year end compiling and judgments. Enjoy.

A list of the Top 15 anticipated TV events for 2009. Here's another anticipatory list from Kristin at E! And because you're dying to know what I think, here's TNRLM's list (in reverse order):

• American Idol (Top 12 Only. And please new judge, be cutting, cogent and coherent, and minimize the time devoted to "personal stories" and Randy and Paula)
• Reaper
• Big Love
• Goldblum on L&O:CI (nice to see one of the critics above give a shout out to the little watched, but compelling, Raines)
• Lie To Me
• 24
• Battlestar Galactica
• Lost
• Dollhouse

Who? The new Doctor will be revealed sometime today. Some interesting choices there, but you can't argue with the perfect casting for the last two. Whoever it is, they will have some big shoes to fill, as Tennant has been spectacular. I haven't heard his name much until this article, but the spellcheck-crippling (and mucho talented) Chiwetel Ejiofor would be an inspired selection.

This makes a lot of sense, and why should 16% of the population continually be ignored?

Alan Sepinwall has a great interview with Ron Moore about the last part of BSG. Of particular note is his "checklist of question." And Mo Ryan has some thoughts on the next episode as well. I'm a reformed spoiler whore. I used to scour message boards and articles to find out everything I could about a show before it aired. Now? For the "major" shows (like Lost and BSG) where the surprise of the narrative is important, I try to stay as spoiler-free as possible.

Devin at CHUD is doing a very thorough and funny trek through all the original episodes and movies of Star Trek featuring the OG cast.

Speaking Trek, who knew there was Trek porn?

10 New Year's Resolutions for geeks.

I spent an inordinate amount of time going through these next 2 lists, watching video clips. It's a fascinating read. Den of Geek has assembled the Top 50 Movie Special Effects and the Top 24 Worst Movie Special Effects.

Another good cliptacular article; io9's Top 20 TV moments.

Oh fuck. Is XM Sirius in trouble next year? That would be horrific for my listening enjoyment.

Is Twitter better than SMS? Personally, I prefer SMS for "communicating" and Twitter for microblogging (when you SMS, you have to enter fewer address characters, at least on the CrackBerry, to send a message. And not all of my regular peeps are on Twitter).

A review of the Dr. Horrible DVD. (BTW, my favorite Evil League of Evil application was from Tur Moyel).

More listacular goodness -- TV.com counts down the Top 100 of everything, along with several other good listy recaps.

Pop Candy's Top 10 TV of the year.

I'll take potpourri for $4,100, Alex

For fellow comic book nerds: who were the best artists for each superhero?

More official Lost cast photos have surfaced. Does anyone else agree with me that Juliet is hotter than a thousand suns?

Speaking of hot, Kristin Bell outtakes.

Economy in trouble? Here is a brilliant way to help.

One of the writers of the new Trek film discusses science, canon and how the movie fits.

The quotable Alec Baldwin.

Let Barry light up!

Finally, proof of the Almighty.

This cracks me up. The ALL CAPS are just perfect.

A peek at plans Supernatural's new year. BTW, I was late to the party on this show. I guess it got lost in the CW ghetto for me, but I've been catching up via (simultaneously) 4th season shows on TiVo, and the 1st and 2nd seasons on DVD. And I have to say, while it's not quite to the level of Buffy and Angel, this is an tremendously entertaining and engaging genre show, with laughs, scares, arcs and most importantly, great writing and acting. If you haven't checked it out, you should.

Are these the 7 worst guitar solos of all time? And 2 of them are in completely awesome songs, too.

I have no idea what this is about, but the title alone makes me want to see it.

Here's some logic and reason I wish was more prevalent.

Christopher Nolan examines his favorite scene in The Dark Knight.

The fabulous Maura Tierney joins Rescue Me? Awesome.

Marisa Tomei has no problem getting nekkid. And we have no problem say "thanks."

Just last week, I said that Stacey Dales is my favorite sideline princess. And just like that, she's out of a job. In case I have magical powers, perhaps I should say that Lou Holtz, Emmit Smith and Mark May are my favorite analysts.

Great news on the voice of the computer for the new Trek movie.

One take on the "best 7 sci-fi remakes." I agree with most of them, including the oft-bashed and underappreciated Vanilla Sky, and one of the best flicks I've seen in the last 10 years, the Solaris remake, but Burton's Planet of the Apes? Really? Ugh.

A preview of tomorrow's Sarah Connor Chronicles, which I continue to heart with a passion.

I'll take potpourri for $3,900, Alex

Happy post-Turkey day to one and all. Hope everyone ate too much, drank too much and that your teams covered the spread. On to the random musings and linkage:

Are these the "Top 10 College Football Personalities?" You gotta love the first 3 at least. Hopefully, with all the coinage ESPN has now invested in the SEC, we'll see more of Ron Franklin, who, along with Uncle Vern, is kind of the narrator of Southern Football. (And kudos for mentioning the voice of college football Emeritus, Keith Jackson).

46 year old man "learns" to become a smoker. Welcome to da club.

Speaking of "smoking," now I know why Bella goes on and on for pages and pages about how beautiful Edward is.

Queen Amidala likes to do the dirty. A lot.

An unbelievably cool animated movie poster for Terminator: Salvation. A must see.

An Australian scientist finds out what happens when you don't buy into the global warming hysteria.

Time for Trekkies to come out of the closet? And now that there's energy in the movement, will morons in the Mormon church fund an initiative in California to ban Trekkies from getting married?

Chinese Democracy finally came out, to mixed to decent reviews. What other long rumored and gestating projects should finally see the light of day? Good news, some of these are close to fruition, and don't even need Dr. Pepper to mock them into existence. I'm particularly excited about 1, 8, 15, 17, 18, 26 and 28. But I won't hold my breath for all of them.

Go figure. Bottled water about the same as tap. I'll buy the bottles for convenience, but often at home, I'll just take an empty bottle, fill it up with tap, and stick it back in the fridge to chill. My taste buds and health haven't suffered. At least from that.

Pop culture perfection: The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade gets Rick-Rolled!

Hey, it's a new "blacksploitation" film. And it looks kinda awesome.

If you don't have it, you MUST go purchase it: The entire Buffy "Chosen" collection (that's the whole freakin' show, folks) on sale for $81.59.

Even if you are "the man," don't let "the man" keep you down. President O fights for his right to CrackBerry.

I've done this, and it's a beautiful thing: tell your TiVo what to record straight from your cell phone.

A great new blog that's been added to my google reader: Secular Right. Good conservative thinking, without all the judgmental, supernatural mumbo-jumbo.

Everyone saw "The Naked Man" on Monday's HIMYM, right? Here's a copy of Lily's "50 reasons to have sex."

And, a perfect way to end: a giant montage of different movies' "The End."