I just read today on both the E Online and the TV Guide websites that the actress Shannon Doherty will be joining the 90210 spinoff due on the CW network this fall. The actress will be bringing the character of Brenda Walsh back for multiple episodes as an actress and director coming to Beverly Hills to direct a student production. At the rate that members of the original cast are coming to the new show there will need to be some digital signage over the Peach Pit saying “young and old, all are welcome here”.

I don’t subscribe to the TV Guide, or any other printed tv schedules. I have DirecTV and have always been pleased with their online guide. But not all people have an online guide. If I didn’t have an online guide I’d go to TVGuide.com, which is the online version of the TV Guide and more. This colorful website offers easy navigation by category. It contains schedules, information about tv shows and the characters in them, news, photos, video clips and reviews. The site even contains information on movies going onto dvd and entering theaters. How do you find out what’s on tv?

I know there’s other people out there like me that don’t like to start watching a movie they’ve never seen before once it’s already started. Well, I have a semi related quirk about tv series as well. I don’t usually start watching a tv series if it’s more than one or two episodes old. I always feel that I’ve missed too much back story and plot details to appreciate the current storyline. Take Desperate Housewives, for example. When the series began Desperate Housewives aired at the same time as another two shows we watch, so I had no way to watch or record it. Now I read on MSNBC this week that Desperate Housewives may be finished in two years. I’ve only seen a handful of their episodes, and I enjoyed what I saw. But there’s just so much I don’t know. I saw the tornado aftermath episode, but have no idea what happened leading up to the tornado. I’ve seen the neighborhood association vote episode but have no idea if the two men with the statue were on the show before that or after. I saw part of an episode where Bree went with some of the others to look at bridesmaid dresses but have no idea what odd bridesmaid gifts she might have given them. What I really need is for a network to start broadcasting reruns of Desperate Housewives so I can start from the beginning and catch up.

Have you ever wanted to know something about a movie and went on the internet to find the answer? Thought an actor looked familiar but didn’t know from where? Chances are good if you found an answer it came from the imdb website. IMDB stands for Internet Movie Database. The IMDB website contains almost anything you could want to know about a movie and then some. The site contains biographies, reviews, news, trailers, tv schedules, movie schedules, box office sales/ money charts, quotes, upcoming releases, pictures, and lots more. You can even register for a free personal account there, which will let you rate and review movies, chat on message boards, catalog your movie collection, check movie schedules and vote in polls.

Here in New Jersey every once in a while I see commercials for lawyers on television. Most of the time they’re targeting people that are being charged with dui or people with a specific medical condition including mesothelioma. What I’m surprised I haven’t seen are commercials for lawyers for workers compensation cases. Many people that are laid up due to sickness and injury end up watching tv because other activities are so limited. Do you see many legal commercials in your area?

Another new reality show is on its way. Jingles will feature contestants competing to write and perform jingles on a wide range of subject matter. the winner at the end of the season will receive $100,000 and an advertising contract. Jingles will be produced by Mark Burnett. Judges are said to include Gene Simmons of Kiss and advertising executives Linda Kaplan Thaler and Julie Roehm. Jingles will be broadcast by CBS.

I’ve mentioned them before. The cavemen. I don’t like the cavemen. I didn’t like them when they were in the Geico commercials and I didn’t like them when they got their own television show. After a couple of very pleasant and enjoyable cavemen free months, I was subjected to some more torture this past week when another cavemen commercial for Geico appeared on television. Can’t Geico come up with anything more interesting or more amusing then cavemen to get people to request an auto insurance quote? Are people really applying with Geico just because of these silly cavemen?

AMC Theatres is offering a nationwide Summer Movie Camp program. The program began 06/25/08 and runs through 08/06/08. Select theatres will be offering a family friendly movies for the price of $1 each Wednesday morning at 10 am. All proceeds from AMC Summer MovieCamp will benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity and the Will Rogers Institute.  AMC has even made a special snack deal for these movies, which is great because we all know how expensive snacks at the movies is. The movies remaining in the season include July 23 - Bee Movie, July 30 - Surf’s Up and August 6 - TMNT. This program is open to everyone, families and schools alike. What better way to beat the heat then to go catch a movie with the kids!

Did you ever notice that for a month before Mother’s Day there are lots of jewelry commercials on television? Now think about the very next month. Are you realizing that for the month before Father’s Day we don’t see a bunch of commercials promoting gifts for fathers? Why don’t we see commercials for men’s jewelry in the month before Father’s Day? My parents are equally important and I spend about the same amount on both. It’s as important to remember one as it is the other. So what’s with the Mom favoritism? Why aren’t there more Father’s Day commercials?

I was catching up on some tv today, I have four hours each of three soaps on the tivo. All My Children came on and I noticed that quite a few of the people that appear in the shows intro aren’t even on the show any more. With turnover and casting changes being what they are for soaps, I don’t think characters should be shown during the intro at all. What do you think?