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I assume many, many people, tuned in to the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams tonight to see what they would air of the “multimedia manifesto” sent to the network by Cho Seung-Hui, the man who murdered 32 people at Virginia Tech on Monday. I was one of the people who watched.

I’m no ethicist, but it seems journalistically irresponsible to air the ravings of a madman. Yes, even if the video is delivered to your doorstep. Would NBC (or any network, really) air a tape if it was sent to them from Osama bin Laden? Actually, they probably would.

I guess that’s the big question. At what point is a news organization providing legitimate information and at what point are they giving a platform to someone who absolutely doesn’t deserve it?

I’m of the opinion that in the current climate of “all media all the time,” everything should – and eventually will – be released for public consumption. That being said the platform has become more important than ever. I’m not saying that NBC shouldn’t release this content, but television is the widest possible audience and is a closed format. The viewer doesn’t have the choice of to what they’re being exposed. They either watch or don’t. Releasing the content on the web, however, gives the viewers and users alike the option of seeking out the information that they want without giving the creator of that content the satisfaction of knowing that the message was carried out as planned.

The thing is, there is certainly news in this story. The fact that those two hours between the first shooting and the second are now accounted for is worth broadcasting the story. But that story can be told without, in essence, giving a murderer an audience of twelve million people.

I’m curious what the newscasts would have looked like if the package was sent to all three major networks? Would some have taken the stance that they wouldn’t air the photos and videos?

Decide for yourself if you want to read (and see) more at MSNBC.com

Last week NBC brought in the lowest ratings for a week of television the network has seen in nearly 20 years averaging just 6.8 million viewers. The only two programs to appear in the Nielsen top 30 were the unbearably stupid Deal or No Deal and the decomposing ER. The good news is that the network’s one true hit, Heroes, was still on an epic hiatus (if you can’t really consider that good news).

The problems are evident: 1) NBC has several great shows that no one watches, and 2) the American populace is chalk full of idiots with remote controls.

So what can NBC possibly do? Faced with a similar decline in audience last year, the network naively thought it could attract viewers by classing the place up a bit. Friday Night Lights, Studio 60 and 30 Rock, The Black Donnellys – all high profile shows that completely failed to attract a wide audience (though it should be noted that if any of these shows were on cable and brought in similar ratings they’d be crowned as unmitigated achievements). What I find interesting is that none of these series focused on cops, lawyers, or doctors (though having two set around an SNL-like program should have been a red flag earlier than it was). More after the jump…

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Anyone game for a midnight screening of ”Moonquest: Quest for the Moon”?

Like this week’s Office, 30 Rock was good, but paled in comparison to last week’s extravaganza of comedic joy. Still, there were laughs to be had. My personal fav’s being Jack’s new lady friend (yes, I remember you!) who suffers from “Avian Bone Disease” and shudders with pain at the slightest touch.

Perhaps most of my disappointment lies with the trailer for Tracy Jordan’s “Jefferson” which never reached the levels of absurdity I was hoping that it would (outside of the line, “From Source Awards Presenter…”).

Anyone else think Jason Sudeikis is a way better on this show than he is on SNL?

I wasn’t loving this episode. Actually, I felt that both of my Thursday night favorites were a bit flat this week, but there were still jokes to be had.

All of the “safety training” stuff after the warehouse scene came off as a little labored, though I’m loving Darryl’s increased presence in the show (or at least in these last two episodes) as he’s the only character who calls Michael out on his complete obliviousness (he also was responsible for talking Michael off the ledge, a moment that was both triumphant and strikingly depressing).

The fun of the episode was the betting storyline. No moment was funnier than Creed taking a frickin’ huge bite out of that potato. It wasn’t so much what he was doing as how he did it — that man commits.

Speaking of Creed I also loved the blatant silliness of him pointing out the giant Hippity-Hop castle behind the trees (after, maybe, peeing on it), and then having the camera pan up to reveal two huge inflatable spires.

Andy’s (Drew’s?) return to the office created a kind of funny Dwightism (unshunned!), though he had little impact on the episode as a whole.

I feel like all comments about this episode have to be filtered through the result of whatever happens next year. If the show gets cancelled, last night’s episode means something completely different than if the show gets picked up for a second season.

I feel like the writers did a good job of making a resolute ending and yet leaving enough room to stretch things out into another season. Given that, I have to admit that this wasn’t my favorite episode. Of any time this season, last night’s finale seemed to fall into the standard TV traps: enemies become friends, the team wins the big game, the coach realizes he made a mistake and decides to stay in the small town and live amongst the people who love him… and slow claps (at least two of them). More after the break…

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In the category of “least surprising news this century,” NBC’s moderately loved and low-performing Andy Barker P.I. has been canceled by the network. The show is being replaced this Thursday by the ubiquitous Scrubs and whose last episodes will be burned off Saturday night at 8pm.

I could get all bent out of shape on this and yell and scream about the injustices on network television but honestly, I’m not all that upset. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Andy Barker P.I. but of all the good shows that met an early demise, this is the one that actually seemed to make the most sense. The fact of the matter is you simply can’t market DRY. You can’t build a promo around something is intentionally flat. Is it fair? Not really, but it actually makes sense in this case (Arrested Development, on the other hand, was packed with so many jokes the promos almost wrote themselves — or in at least once case, were written into the top of an episode).

We should only be expecting ONE good drama each season and ONE good comedy each season that get picked up for another batch of episodes, and since 30 Rock was renewed, it’s kind of hard to complain about the fate of Mr. Richter.

Someday that man will find a medium that can showcase his talents. I just won’t be holding my breath.

Watch all the episodes while you can at NBC.com

When they said the phrase “Hosted by David Alan Grier” my body had one of those physical “Wuh-oh” reactions. Not that David Alan Grier isn’t funny, but… he isn’t. Luckily, David Alan Grier isn’t the star of the show. Dave Foley, on the other hand, is funny, but is given very little to do. Luckily, I guess, Dave Foley isn’t the star of the show either. The stars are the four “celebrities” who will be acting their way out of paper bad during a ten-minute scene.

Thank God You’re Here will certainly have fans. It’s an easy show to jump into and chances are you won’t have a bad time. It’s low-stakes comedy that in the high-stakes world of network television will certainly bring in enough rewards to justify its existence.

Not that I’m an expert — far from it — but the real problem I see with Thank God You’re Here is that the improv just isn’t very good. Unlike Whose Line Is It Anyway, only one person is winging it on TGYH. Good improv needs a group so that there is give and take. In this show the guest star does the heavy lifting but doesn’t get the reenforcement of the cast. They’re too busy directing the action to their next set-piece. It seems too ridged for something that is suppose to be sloppy, comedic fun.

Still, it has to be better than more Deal or No Deal. It just has to.

“Oh what’s that? MC Lite just murdered Danny Bonaduce?! Oh, thanks phone!”

You absolutely have to love the “gravely-voice-off” between Alec Baldwin and G.O.B. Will Arnett. It’s also hard not to love (or at least appreciate) any network comedy that ends an episode will the allusion to Manhattan buildings exploding — and still makes it funny.

30 Rock is on a roll (get it! Rock and roll! Bwahahahah!!… … yeah), which is saying something since it hadn’t aired in over a month. Last night’s episode had the perfect split of Jack’s megalomania (fireworks shaped like cowboy hats), Tracy Jordan’s insanity (”Thomas Jefferson: you are the father!”), Kenneth’s naiveté (gay bait for Devon Banks) and Liz Lemon’s neurosis (”…and I lied. I have had five donuts today).

In a way I think the real secret to this show (or any good show with a large cast) is dividing up the screen time equally. In the case of 30 Rock, Jack, Liz, Tracy and Kenneth come off as having no greater importance than any other. It keeps each of the characters present in the show and guarantees that their time on screen is used as efficiently as possible. It hard to keep characters fresh if one eats up most of the face time.

So good to have The Office back, right? Last night when I sat down in front of the picture box, my DVR was chalk full of comedies. It was kind of comforting, really.

I don’t know what this says about me as a man, but it wasn’t until a good two-thirds of the way through the episode (a super-sized episode!) that I was able to fully understand what made that a woman’s suit. The pocketless pants definitely pushed the idea a bit more tenaciously. Perhaps this is because I used to have to winter coat that had the zipper on the other side. I was told that’s where the zippers are in Europe, but maybe all this time I was just wearing a woman’s coat — judge for yourself. Either way, I felt Michael Scott’s pain.

Elsewhere in the episode we were shown Ray getting a face full of mace (and Creed remembering it as a can of hairspray and a lighter), Darrell getting Michael to *cough* man-up and ask for a raise, and Kelly deciding that it isn’t crazy to name your child “Usher Jennifer Hudson Kapoor.” I also enjoyed the Jan/Michael back and forth at the negotiation table, though they are always great together (at least in terms of comic potential if not for their very strange two-way attraction).

One questions: what the hell happened to Jim’s hair?

Okay. Full disclosure. I just spent 20 minutes making the above graphic, and now I’m not so certain there actually is a difference (aside, from maybe Jim’s need to condition). Though he’s definitely getting some fly-aways toward the back.

Wow. Time to stop.

Thoughts?

Hey, how ’bout Saracen sleeping with the coach’s daughter! … … …

This is it sports fans. One week until the big game! Possibly the last game of our career, not just of our season. So let’s just take a moment, clear our heads, and thank the lord on high that this week’s episode was so damn good. Of course, they’re all good.

Again Tami Taylor proves she’s the pants wearer of the Taylor family (and Connie Britton proves that she’s the best actress on television). The way that speech was delivered during the football banquet was a thing of beauty. Beauty in the writing, the acting, and especially in the emotional resonance the viewer takes away having seen the character in such an intense argument with her husband for much of the episode.

Add that to Landry’s surprisingly heart-felt, honest scenes with both Tyra and Saracen, and the unbelievably hilarious dialogue double-team with Coach Taylor and Jason Street berating Saracen about having to jump off a cliff, and brother… you got yourself a stew going on.

Look, the show could be coming to a close and I’ve been writing about it for 21 weeks, basically screaming that its the best thing on network television and presenting my case that YES! this is something you should be watching, this is why television is great medium, why good narrative story-telling needs hours upon hours to unfold, so if you’re reading this now and you’re not watching this show, I have to say, television might not be a form for you… … either that or you’re soulless. Probably one or the other.

One week to go!

The winners of the 2006 Peabody Awards have been anounced, highlighting the best of television and radio from the previous year. As the Emmy voters continues to prove how out of touch they are with what is actually great on television, the Peabodys have established themselves as the true symbol of greatness (though it should be noted that The Wire did not win this year, but has in the past [2003]).

Here are some of the highlights:

When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts — Spike Lee’s remarkable poem of rage about Hurricane Katrina and the governement’s negligence in protecting its citizens. I can’t think of piece of television I watched last year that was more powerful and elicited such an emotional reaction. This one was a no-brainer for the Peabody committee.

Boondocks: Return of the King — One of the biggest surprises on the list, Boondocks is one of those absolutely fantastic series that you completely forget about once the season ends. Perhaps that statement is more damning to the viewers than the series itself. “Return of the King” is an episode that imagines Martin Luther King Jr. waking up from a 30 year coma and seeing what his American Dream had actually accomplished. It’s a pretty bold half-hour of television, especially for a time-slot that often houses a talking piece of meat. Bully for you Aaron McGruder.

Friday Night Lights — In what I hope to be the first of many awards (and the first in a series of justifications for bringing the show back in the fall), Friday Night Lights was recognized for accurately portraying a reality shared by most people in America. Sadly, most people in America still don’t know this is even a television show. Hopefully this award can convince a few more people to tune in (its a shame advertisers aren’t particularly interested in the 25-42 year old television critic demographic. If they were Friday Night Lights would easily be a top-ten show).

Other highlights in the entertainment category include the category defyinging Ugly Betty, The Office for a season in which it really came into its own and separated itself from its British counterpart (which was also a Peabody winner), Showtime’s Brotherhood, a series I have never seen, but now would like to, and Scrubs, for what I have to assume is a recognition of their last good season.

Read about some of the other honorees over at Aaron Barnhart’s TV Barn

In a small victory for comedy fans and television fans alike, NBC decided to do the right thing and gave 30 Rock a second season.

This pleases me greatly as 30 Rock has slowly became one of (if not the) funniest shows on television. It also proves that a show with absolutely horrible ratings can be given a second chance in this crazy business of show, making me think (perhaps wrongly) that Friday Night Lights might be returning come fall — but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

30 Rock is back on Thursday after a brief Andy Barker P.I. fueled hiatus with a “super-sized” episode. It airs from 8:40pm-9:20pm ET.

It was a flawless episode before the climax. Since I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone (especially this week), I’d like to invite you to join the rest of this post by clicking below.

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I’ve never seen an episode of LonelyGirl15. I know, I know, it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. Because of this, dedicating an entire post to the adoption of product placement into the popular web series seems kind of… um… irrelevant.

Not so, dear reader!

While the adventures Bree, Daniel and Jonas have little impact on me or anyone I know (perhaps that is because I’m friends with so few 14 year olds), product placement affects everyone I know. It’s something that has been bubbling under the surface for decades. A can of soda here, a delivered pizza there (I remember in third grade reading in my Scholastic Weekly about how the new Ninja Turtles movie was going to have Dominos pizza placed throughout the movie).

I suppose the irony of all of this is that when television was first invented the advertising was so integrated into the programming you couldn’t clearly mark where the ads ended and the show began. No one seemed to have complained.

What this recent development with Lonelygirl15 suggests is that the small, ultra-independent, television-rebelling webisodes, which have started to crop up since YouTube made video a web-necessity instead of a luxury, have realized what mainstream television shows have known for years: you have to find a way to pay the bills.

The question I have to ask is how much advertising are we willing to put up with before going somewhere else for content?

On television the answer used to be a firmly established 8 minutes for every half-hour. That seemed to be enough time to make the network money and to keep us watching. DVR kind of ruined everything. If you don’t have to watch the commercials, why would you? Now product placement is the only way a company can guarantee we’ll see what they’re selling. NBC’s The Office seems to have more product placement than any other show on television right now. It’s hard to complain because without those integrated ads, the show probably would have been canceled 18 months ago.

For me, I guess the line involves believability. If every car in 24 is a Ford, that’s OK. If Michael Scott likes to go to Chili’s, that’s OK. If Vic Mackey is lugging around a MacBook or a sack full of Gap Khakis, that’s not OK. On the web, I’m more inclined to want traditional 30-second commercials before or after the clip. Integrated advertising on web video can make a program that is all ready the size and shape of a commercial lose whatever distinguishing characteristics it once had.

What’s your line?

Read about the LonelyGirl15 deal with Hershey via Business Week

Man oh man, that Raines is one unorthodox detective!

We’re only two weeks in and my enthusiasm is waning. Don’t get me wrong, I knew for what I was signing up. This is a police procedural. No matter how good the lead may be, or what crazy spin they put on it, it’s still a police procedural. I can live with that. Still, there was no reason the first ten minutes of Thursday’s episode had to be dedicated to explaining the premise of the show. There’s a lot of morons out there watching television, and I’m sure even they were saying, “We get it! He sees dead people, but doesn’t see dead people!”

The screen might as well have just flashed THIS IS WHAT THE SHOW IS ABOUT! in bright red letters while Goldblum mumbles to himself underneath.

The show is a curiosity. The writing is funny and kind of clever and yet the actual mysteries are horribly obvious. In a way the dialogue of the show sounds just like Veronica Mars (minus that show’s greatest asset: Veronica Mars). Though unlike Veronica Mars, playing detective with Mr. Raines isn’t nearly as interesting. Of course the murdered man was his son. I didn’t need an imaginary friend to tell me that! The mysteries in Veronica Mars are always complex and rarely solved by yours truly despite repeated attempts at doing so.

And really that’s the point. Mysteries are suppose to be fun, but the lazy plotting in Raines takes out a lot of the joy in watching a show of this kind.

Still, Raines lives and dies with Goldblum. To his credit he’s good enough to keep me watching. It also helps that he’s in just about every single frame of the series.

Raines moves to Fridays at 9pm beginning next week.