We've got (at least) 6 season finales tonight. Speaking of finales of sorts, CNET was bought by CBS for $1.8 billion. In a day where the old school dinosaurs have been shedding their digital assets, it's pretty remarkable that CNET's management pulled off a sale, especially for that amount, for a property that has regressed to not much more than a newsfeed, and product review site. Also, if you remember, CNET actually had original TV... [continue]

Artist: Cryptacize Album: Dig That Treasure Label: Asthmatic Kitty Records Release Date: 02/18/2008 Listen to "Cosmic Sing-a-long":Powered by Podbean.com Cryptacize is a trio from Crockett, CA up in NorCal and Dig That Treasure is their debut album. The trio has interesting instrumentation: drums, harmonica, guitar, autoharp, and strings. The last time I saw an autoharp was in 6th grade music class and the music produced by Cryptacize has a kind of childlike and rough finish... [continue]

Clear Channel is going private according to the NYTimes - what does it mean? Well who knows, but as a private company Clear Channel will not have to be as transparent about their investments and strategy and that could mean trouble for media markets that they target resulting in (even) less choice for consumers. Another slow night tonight but late night TV looks good - Jungle Jack Hanna on Letterman will be a blast as... [continue]

Hey Dish Network customers, there was a drop of almost 90% in new subscribers to your service last quarter showing that the telcos are becoming even more competitive in the digital TV/broadband space. The company is recording higher profits though so all is not lost if they regroup and get their act together. TV options tonight are pretty poor, even on the premium networks. If the SAG and studios don't get their acts together, nighttimes... [continue]

Earthquakes in China, cyclones in Burma, "The Hills" season finale - these are the end days my friends. Quadruple Emmy winner Rob Kutner has written for "Dennis Miller Live", "The Daily Show", contributed to America (the Book), and has now issued a compendium of advice, Apocalypse How: Turn the End-Times into the Best of Times!, for how to survive and succeed in the impending apocalypse. An animated overview is on YouTube. Several scenarios of doom... [continue]

It's official, for better or worse, Jimmy Fallon will host NBC's "Late Night" show after Conan O'Brien shifts to "The Tonight Show" next year. Despite being a fan of SNL alumni, I wish I felt more positive about this appointment. While it's true that Conan O'Brien was a relative unknown before taking the reins, he was a prolific writer for SNL and "The Simpsons" for years -- the point being that hosting one of these... [continue]

Artist: Sonantes Album: Sonantes Label: Six Degrees Records Release Date: May 20th, 2008 Listen to "Quilombo te Espera": Sonantes is a musical collaborative from Sao Paulo - the result of which is greater than the sum of its parts. The parts in this case are: CéU, members of Brazilian groups Nação Zumbi and Instituto, as well as guest stars including Siba, Lucio Maia, Beto Villares, and Apollo 9. Last year LAist reviewed CéU's excellent and... [continue]

This American Life: Season 2 Animation A really great animated piece by Chris Ware & John Kuramoto from Season 2 of "This American Life" (Showtime).... [continue]

DVD: The Passion of Greg the Bunny: Best of the Film Parodies Volume 2 Release Date: May 6th, 2008 While you may not have to be a dedicated Greg the Bunny aficionado to love The Passion of Greg the Bunny: Best of the Film Parodies Volume 2 you at least have to appreciate dirty puppet humor. It's been a year and a half since the Film Parodies Volume 1 release so hardcore fans must be... [continue]

Hey hipsters, did you catch the "30 Rock" season finale last night? If you didn't, be happy and secure in knowing that NBC has formatted it (along with "The Office") for streaming on your iPhone - they're not waiting for Apple on this one. It looks like a lot is on TV but it's slim pickins - shockingly no decent oldie movie selections on TCM this weekend. Tonight 9:00pm Man vs. Wild DISCOVERY - Bear... [continue]

Bye-bye Robert Redford - Sundance Channel is being bought by Cablevision. Why "bye-bye"? Because even though Redford will remain "involved", he will not have an ownership stake and without ownership Redford will essentially be a figurehead. Hey, you thought you could move to a Caribbean island and join a start-up engaging in shady media practices like Valence Media's TorrentSpy and think you could get away with it indefinitely? TorrentSpy was one of those "we don't... [continue]

Artist: We Are Scientists Album: Brain Thrust Mastery Label: Astralwerks Release Dates: May 13th, 2008 Listen to "After Hours": We Are Scientists is Keith Murray on guitar and lead vocals, Chris Cain on bass guitar and backing vocals. Keith and Chris were supposed to have first gotten the band together in Pomona but they disabused me of that misinformation in the below interview. Their full length album, Brain Thrust Mastery, comes out next week on... [continue]

Looks like the SAG and studios have dropped negotiations without reaching a deal so look for a bunch more DVD reviews from me in the next few weeks because it's time to stock up for the summer. It's still springtime and finally my young-man's fancy is turning to love just in time to check out "The Love Boat" reruns on Joost - I can't get enough soft-focus of B and C list celebrities from 25... [continue]

Iron Man - Man on the Street Reviews on FunnyOrDie.com You think Iron Man is all that hype? See what "average folks" think (I felt superior almost immediately, but then again I am that insecure).... [continue]

Fans of "Project Runway" might want to know more details about its move/death to the Lifetime Networks as reported by the Wall Street Journal. Some fans might say, "Oh no, 'Runway' is going to totally make it on Lifetime - I'm still going to have viewing parties at my house, etc." Be aware that the producers that created the show, Weinstein Co., are not moving with the show to Lifetime - can one safely assume... [continue]

Jewno on FunnyOrDie.com What if Juno was Jewish? One of the entrants in the 2008 MTV Movie Awards spoof contest.... [continue]

Hope everyone had a great weekend with or without your TVs. Not much industry stuff of note today other than Variety pounding on the drums for the SAG contracts to move towards resolution. The two parties have met 17 times so far and still the June 30th date gets closer. Can you imagine meeting 17 times with someone and not having reached some kind of compromise? 7:30pm The Assassination of Richard Nixon IFC - (2004)... [continue]

Artist: Soul Patch Album: Sooner or Later Label: Toothless Monkey Music Release Date: 02/14/2008 Listen to "Greyboy": Sooner or Later is Soul Patch's sophomore effort following a long break from their first album, Summers In Rangoon, released in 2001. Soul Patch is a quartet collective with its primary membership split between Boulder, CO and the SF Bay Area - on Sooner or Later, several guest musicans are on board, including LA-based session keyboardist, Kevin McCourt,... [continue]

Comedy-rich LA has a lot to choose from. Here are some highlights for the month of May: [While I'd like to tell you what's happening at the Laugh Factory, I can't since the calendar part of their website hasn't been working for at least a week.] May 4th (TONIGHT) @ 7:30pm - Janeane Garofolo @ the Hollywood Improv May 4th (TONIGHT) - Tommy Chong & Shelby @ the Brea Improv - Do you think there... [continue]

100 Hamburgers! from Invisible Engine on Vimeo. This is perfect since G4 is holding an "Unbeatable Banzuke" marathon on Sunday starting at 8:00pm... [continue]