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Why Shatner Stole Nimoy's Bicycle

On December 6, 1991, Leonard Nimoy tried to demonstrate to a roomful of people that William Shatner was a mean human being. What was Shatner's offense? He stole Nimoy's bike. A representative exchange: Nimoy: "He hurt me, badly. I want you to know that. Is this being taped? Is somebody taping this? I want it on record!" Shatner: [Kisses Nimoy's ear] "I wouldn't hurt you for the world, Leonard, but the problem was, every time they called 'Lunch,' you'd get on your bike and bicycle down to... READ ON

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Essential Knowledge About Graboids (Landsharks)

Graboids are the fictional creatures featured in the movie Tremors (and its many sequels). In the movie, the graboid is apparently based on the cryptid Mongolian Death Worm, though the short film below proves that graboids are actually landsharks, another dangerous cryptid with mysterious abilities. Let's learn about their habits in the wild: Monstrous Wildlife from Frank Robnik on Vimeo. Of course, we all know the real landshark dates back to the... READ ON

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Airing Tonight: "The Colony" on Discovery

Set your DVRs: tonight (July 27) on the Discovery Channel, The Colony airs at 10pm. Read on for a first look! What separates good reality TV from bad reality TV? For me, good reality TV raises questions -- most importantly, what would you do if you were the person living in the "reality" of the show? In bad reality TV, nobody cares -- it's pure entertainment, watching people goof around and make fools of themselves. But in good reality TV, like Discovery's The Colony, we are repeatedly confronted... READ ON

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Battlestar Galactica at the U.N.: So Say We All

So this actually happened: on March 17, 2009, the United Nations sponsored a panel discussion that "explored some of the themes that are of importance to both the United Nations and the critically acclaimed television show: human rights; terrorism; children and armed conflict; and reconciliation and dialogue among civilizations and faiths." Yes, that's right, a sci-fi show generated high-level dialog within the U.N. The panel was moderated by Whoopi Goldberg, and the panel members included Edward James... READ ON

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Why Do Soap Operas Look Different From Other TV Shows?

Soap operas, "soaps" or "my stories," as many a grandmother has called them, are dramas presented in a serial format on daytime television or radio. Their name comes from a time when old serial dramas broadcast on radio had soap manufacturers (Procter & Gamble and Lever Brothers, to name a few) as sponsors and/or producers. They also, you might have noticed, look really really crappy. There are two main reasons for this lack of visual quality, both of which are rooted in the problem of soap operas'... READ ON

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How One Man Gamed "The Price is Right"

Have you seen The Price is Right? I watch it at the gym, during the day, because I don't need to hear the sound to figure out what's going on. On the show, people guess prices for merchandise and play little games and eventually win or lose the merchandise. But one man, Terry Kneiss, watched a lot of The Price is Right. And he noticed something: many of the same products were used over and over. So he did his homework, and, in collaboration with his wife, memorized the values of as many items as he... READ ON

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Happy Belated Captain Picard Day!

I'm embarrassed to admit that I missed this year's Captain Picard Day -- it was one week ago today, on June 16. According to Geeks are Sexy, "Captain Picard Day is celebrated on June 16th because it is the equivalent date to Stardate 47457.1, mentioned in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode entitled The Pegasus. In that episode, Captain Picard Day is an occasion for the Enterprise to host schoolchildren and show them what Starfleet is like." Although Stardate experts disagree on the June 16th... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Japanese Game Shows

In the US, there are game shows and there are variety shows. In Japan, the two are often blurred, as the goal is entertaining the audience more than winning a competition. Even the coolest celebrities are not afraid to look silly. Visuals are very important, which is great for those of us who don't understand the language. You don't need to know what people are saying to enjoy these classic TV clips. The Bug Race Just in case the tasks aren't funny enough, these guys have to dress in funny insect... READ ON

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Bart Simpson's Blackboard

In the opening credits of The Simpsons, Bart is usually (but not always) shown writing something on a blackboard at school, presumably a punishment for his schoolboy antics. What Bart writes changes from episode to episode. In twenty-one seasons, this adds up to a heck of a lot of blackboards. Wouldn't you know it -- there's a blog for that. Bart's Blackboard is an exhaustive archive of every blackboard shown on The Simpsons opening sequences. It's a weird thing to see all these disconnected moments... READ ON

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The Quick 10: Most-Watched Series Finales Ever

I know we have some pretty serious Lost fans out there (are you reading Allison's Televangelist column? I highly recommend). With the series finale just around the corner, things are starting to get pretty exciting. At least, I think they are "“ I know there's a contingent of Losties out there who have been unimpressed with the season just far. I happen to think the series finale is going to go down in history as one of the most-watched ever, joining the ranks of these 10 popular... READ ON