In case the topic didn't tip you off, I have never blogged before in my life. So if I get this wrong, feel free to rant and rave at me. Since my chosen category is TV I suppose I should start with that, huh? Okay, here I go. TV has gone into the toilet. Really. As much as I love television, I send it cards on mother's and father's days, as it did raise me properly, so it pains me to say this. But since the beginning of reality television I have watched my once beloved parent figure develop a terrible disease. It has become the idiot box that my actual parentalunit once accused it of being. The Amazing Race, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Survivor, all of them are a plague on my television. How did a show become the number one rated program in it's time slot by having a washed up soap star do the tango? How is it that millions of people can tune in every week just to watch some talentless wannabe humiliate themselves trying to sing Celine Dion for Simon Cowell? I know I sound like a screech owl, so I keep it to myself. How is it that these people can wear their lack of talent like a badge of honour? While shows like these thrive, even spreading their stink to other countries, good shows go underappreciated or even canceled. Sleeper Cell would be a good example. It was an amazing show, that maybe ten people actually watched. The premise was this: an undercover FBI agent infiltrated a home grown terrorist cell in Los Angeles. Sounds like a common premise, yes? No. What made this different was the realism. Unlike 24, which also deals with terrorism in Los Angeles, this wasn't about some nameless, faceless evil doer. It humanized the terrorists without ever advocating their beliefs. It made you care about them, gave them families and emotional scars and motivations that you could empathize with. It showed how easily people can be manipulated into doing almost anything if you properly prod the deepest wounds. In a way it held a mirrorup to society and showed us things that we may not have wanted to see. But that's notmy point,my point was this: it was a show that made people think. People don't want to think anymore. If we do, then we have to face what a mess thiscountry has become. So we bury our heads in our"reality" programming.If we wanted true reality television, we'd be addicted to CNN and Court TV. Now, there is a writer's strike. Does anyone care if I cry? This can only mean one of two things: endless reruns or the next round of writerless shows, reality shows. It was bad enough that my preferred programming was down to three shows a week, but now they've all gone to reruns. Thank God for DVDs and the British. Now I can actually catch up on my British shows without having to worry about missing a new episode of my network favourites. So, if you'll excuse me there are two discs of Waking the Dead Series 1, with my name on them.