Whew! Detox is a rough business! :) Special thanks to Glenn11523 for initiating this effort. One suggestion to Glenn- lighten up! Your latest blog sounds a little general. Not as in not specific, but as in a Little General! Everyone participating has been good little soldiers. But free spirits can have problems taking orders! On to The List.

Some of these suggestions will fall into categories, rather than a single suggestion. My activity on tv.com mostly involves blogging and checking out the House forums. I know there's a lot more to tv.com, so I look forward to reading my other Friends' suggestions. I'll probably learn a lot more about tv.com!

1. Fix The Bugs
Sounds simple enough. But I know they're out there, and they haven't been fixed! One that comes to mind is the blog comments section. If there's more than one page of comments, I can't go to the next page! Also, when I reply to Friends' comments, all my text runs together! I can't break my replies into separate comment paragraphs. A hard return doesn't do it. I'm sure there's an html code to make it happen, but I'm not an html kind of guy!

2. Make the text easier to read
In my experience, this applies to discussion threads and reviews. And to blogs, but I'll get back to that in a moment. Basically, the text needs to be about one-third larger, and the line length about one-quarter less in width. It will make everything much easier to read. There's also the bright white background, and grayness of the text. It might be my imagination, but it seems the text has been darkened a bit. But if you could enlarge the text and reduce the line width, it would make a huge difference.

3. Give typography control back to the blogger
Before the redesign, bloggers had great control over how their blogs were presented. Currently, we don't have that luxury. You can still use the control panel to set type size, color, typeface, etc., but it doesn't show up the way it used to! As an example, look at a blog on tv.com, then look at the same blog on movietome.com. That's worth a thousand words!

4. Bring Common Sense Back to the Profile Page
There's many things in this category. First and foremost, show me more of my Friends Blogs that I'm tracking! There used to be around twelve, now there's four! That means I can easily miss blogs as they're rotated. Also, just show the current blog on a profile page. Not this partial blog intro, which runs together and can be a pain to read. I never read it, I just go to their full blog. Wait, that gives you an extra page view! Stop playing games. Think User Friendly. On a Vanity Note, the image in the "About Me" section, it's really distorted, stretched wide. Fix it! Also, my "page views" has been stuck for a long time, since before the redesign. But that's a personal problem!

5. Put a comments section in the User Reviews
Just like in blogs. It could open up some intriguing conversation! Ideally, the person making the review could have comments open or closed. I have friends who make reviews but don't blog. It would be nice if they could have the comments feature.

Also... wait, that's it! As a bartender once said, "I think you've had your limit!" But I bet I could throw back a few more! :)

In closing, I would like to thank all my Friends (and strangers) who rallied together with blogs and banners to make this blackout happen. And others who didn't trumpet the protest, but still took part without any fanfare or rah-rah. And there are those who didn't observe the protest. For them, I've only one thing to say:

There's only three kinds of people in this world:
Those who can count, and those who can't!

:)
TG

Work In Progress...

As most of my Friends know, I'm a big fan of House and Hugh Laurie. Every year, we agonize when he doesn't get the Emmy for Best Actor In A Drama Series, or something like that.

This year, he lost for a good reason. It was because of this guy:

His name is Bryan Cranston. He's an actor. Some of you might know him from a show called Malcolm In The Middle. Never watched it.

He won Hugh's Emmy for a role he plays in a series called Breaking Bad, on the AMC Network. I had never heard of it until they started showing reruns of the first season, a few weeks ago. For those not familiar with it, here's a quick synopsis.

Walter White is a high school chemistry teacher in Albuquerque, NM. He provides for his family, which includes a disabled son. He works extra jobs to make ends meet. He has a brother-in-law who is a DEA agent.

Walter gets some bad news from his doctor. He has inoperable lung cancer, and not long to live. His immediate concern is for his family, and how they will survive without him. While watching a methamphetamine lab bust on the local news, he's amazed by the amount of money confiscated. Thousands upon thousands of dollars.

He's intrigued, because he knows how to make meth. Good meth. He's a chemistry teacher! Walter asks his DEA friend if he can tag along on a drug bust. He can, but he has to stay in the car. During the raid, he sees one of his students escape out of a window! Desperate Walter approaches his student about starting a lab of their own. They go into business together.

That's my synopsis! And that's all set up in the first episode. I just finished watching the third episode, I think. It comes on Sunday nights. This is the kind of series where you need to watch every episode. They get into some very dark situations, some that might put you out of your comfort zone! But it's well written, in both plot and character development.

While I was very surprised Cranston got the Emmy, I can see why. From what I've seen so far, he earned it.

I was going to wait till after Tuesday to blog about this show. But they announced tonight that Breaking Bad will be showing this Wednesday on AMC. The entire first season in a marathon! Mr. Cranston might have had something to do with that! :) If you don't get AMC, you can probably find it on the internets. Just make sure you start with the first episode!

So that's a head's up, for anyone who hasn't checked it out yet. Oh, and after House on Tuesdays, check out The Mentalist on CBS! I swear, I'm not shilling for tv.com!

:)
TG

I wanted to give some final thoughts about tv.com on Tuesday, September 30, 2008.

There's been an inspiring effort for tv.com users to "go dark" on this date. It means don't go to the site this Tuesday. I'll be participating.

It's a great protest, because it's a legitimate cause. But there's a flipside to the coin. If there wasn't, it wouldn't be a coin. It would be a black hole. Okay, it could be a coin superglued to somebody's butt. Who wants to see the other side of that? Butt, I want to show it. :)

There's many, many people who don't want to be associated with protests. There's many people who think protests are worthless. That doesn't mean they don't believe in the cause. And I have something to say to them, even if they'll never read it! :)

It's okay. You don't have to change your avatar, you don't need to put up a special banner. You shouldn't even feel compelled to show your support. Believe me, I understand! I'm not speaking for anyone else. All I ask is, if you see problems with tv.com that need to be addressed, just don't show up Tuesday. That's all. If you feel inspired the next day, on Wednesday, make a blog with five ways "they" could improve tv.com.

You don't have to be part of a movement. Just do nothing. On Tuesday. Thank you for your time!

:)

TG

I'm making this blog from movietome.com! Hope it works!
Time to give my update on my experiences with the tv.com redesign!

The latest is, and this is important. Though I've been here around two years, I consider myself a newbie. For the first time today, one of my Friends had a blog that suggested a one day boycott of tv.com. That would be Tuesday, September 30, 2008. Twenty-four hours, pick your timezone.

I'm supporting it, but I'm not gonna repost the blog itself. You guys know there's problems. And protests are such unique events! Do you repost the spam blog? Do you not speak out, but maybe observe the boycott? I know, 24 hours without tv.com is a sacrifice. I haven't participated in anything like this since I tried to go on a diet! It didn't last 24 hours. :) Bottom line, if you think it's a worthy cause, remember this Tuesday!

I Have A Question

Maybe some of my Friends know the answer. My Friends have been using alternative sites in increasing numbers. (no scientific surveys here) Seems that gamespot.com, mp3.com, and movietome.com are the moe, larry and curly. Wait, tv.com should be moe. :) Okay, Larry, Curly and Shemp. Does CBS now own all the stooges? I don't know.

I like to predicate most things I blog about with an undeniable fact: I'm an idiot. We all are, just in degrees. :) Where was I?

Other than the bugs, I don't expect the new tv.com to change much. And I'm on a mac, so some things might not get fixed for me for a while! We'll see. Macs get neglected. Lonely Are The Brave. :) That's a great movie, by the way.

The reason I asked that question, about whether the stooges are slaves, it's important. Because movietome is doing just fine for me! If I can make blogs with the typography I want, and link pics, etc., I have no problems with this place! And most of my friends' avatars are this screaming, scared... person. :) Like mine, at the moment!

The way it's going right now, I'm not abandoning tv.com, just using it to keep up with the House forum, mostly. Which reminds me. I clicked on a House thread tonight, and a gamespot survey window came up! Seriously. It offered to put me in a drawing for five hundred bucks if I gave my opinion on gamespot! I passed. Just a warning, times they are a changing!

I was going to address a lot of important stuff, but got to blogging! :) Oh, I'll repeat one thing, from my last blog. They could correct EVERYTHING, but if they don't make the default text size a little larger, and line length a little shorter, they're going to lose some dedicated community members. It's difficult to read. Not only that, but they need to show more of my Friends' Blogs on my home page!

Those are a couple of the Lines In The Sand. Mob Rules!

:)
TG

If you're reading this on my "profile page," you're probably reading the first few sentences of my most recent blog post! It all runs together, and is such a pitiful presentation of what I want to say!

So, rather than start this blog here, let's have a sing along! Ready? "Tutti Fruitti, on Rudy! Tutti Fruitti, on Rudy! WOOOooooOOOHHhh! Tutti Fruitti, on Rudy, ba long babah loombah, da long bam boo! Got a girl, named Sady. She almost drives me crazy! WOOOooooOOOHHhh! Got A GIRRLLll named Sady, she almost drives me crazy! Yes, she loves me, yes she does, she's the only girl I ever dream of!" Was that enough to fill the "Recent Blog Post" intro? I hope so. Special thanks to Small Dick, I mean Little Richard. Now let's get down to business.

This Blog Is Not For Everyone
Never has been. What I've been doing here was like a freak occurrence, a chemical reaction. I've been blessed to make some friends, even if it's just trading a comment or two once or twice a week. There's something to be said for brevity. I've enjoyed being kind of innocuous, while trying to be an enjoyable read. If I said what I really thought, you'd have to kill me. :)

A few of my friends are more invested in tv.com. Not monetarily, but in maintaining editorships and other activities. That doesn't interest me. And this is hard to explain. While the subject matter might not interest me, I do enjoy reading about your efforts and accomplishments! Bottom line, I hope the redesign hasn't hindered your activities in these areas.

Back To Me
For quite a while now, I've only come here to blog and read other people's blogs and contributions. The redesign has been... a challenge for folks who live by the blog. Here's a few things I've noticed.

Nothing. NOTHING is easier. Some great insights are found in Vampiredawn's and SparkleFarkle's blogs. Here's my reiteration of some of those thoughts, and hopefully some original content.

When I go to my page, There's "my tracked blogs" on the right, and "My feed" on the left. What is that "my feed" crap? It seems to be a more vague version of my tracked blogs, along with a couple of six month old news items. And on the right side, where I used to keep up with seven or eight recent blogs at a time, now they have the top four. And they don't give any comment count, much less new comments. What is it to me? Gimme a "B!" Gimme an "I!" Gimme a "T!" Gimme an "E!" Gimme a "S!"

Grassy Knoll Time!
Back to what I said earlier. Nothing is easier. You have to click more to get the same results. Introducing my Conspiracy Theory! When selling website advertising, "page views" are often touted as a website's prowess. If you have to click through two or three more hoops to accomplish what you used to do in one click, mission accomplished! Looks like a lot more activity on paper. I was going to make a House joke about Jack Ruby Tuesdays, but I'll pass. :)

Finally...
The appearance. Is it harder to read blogs on the redesign? It's more than the blinding white background and slightly gray text. More than the snowdrifts against the pale blue sky.

There's a principle in visual communications called Line Length. I learned it in print work, it's kind of a subliminal art. Basically, you don't want small text spread across a wide space. The eyes have to read from one end to another, then jump back to find the next line. The smaller the type and wider the space, the harder it is to jump down to the next line. Which can make it harder to concentrate.

That's why, in the olden days before the redesign, I would make my text larger. It was easier on the eyes. I don't have the same control over the typography now. Maybe that's another "bug" they'll fix.

That's My Redesign Rant! For Now!

:)
TG

This is the best. I'm celebrating my second anniversary on tv.com. And the official date is this Saturday!

That's great, because, as all governmental employees know, if a holiday falls on the weekend, you get an extra day off during the week! Three day weekend! YEAH!

All that silliness aside, I would like to acknowledge the many friends I've made here. But I can't. It wouldn't be fair. I could easily give a shout out to folks like doarpr, snyder, elke, indymom, sparkle, claudette, dawn, lau, lexi, t_f, christine, kath, fwirell, twopratt, cenina, tommy, usak... and so many more. I know I've missed many friends! That's why it wouldn't be fair. :) I know I'm going to be kicking myself for not mentioning many other friends.

And there are other friends that I haven't heard from in quite a while. Such is life. But I remember you, too.

I got on to this site because of House. So a shout out to David Shore and Hugh Laurie, aka Gregory House! If they show up for the party, please, just give them some space, okay? :)

Bring your own snacks and party favors. There's some rooms upstairs if anyone wants to cavort! But I'm spinning the tunes.

Here's a Top Twenty List of some of my favorite "C L A S S I C Rock" musical artists, and my favorite song from their repertoire!

It's tough picking one song. Tomorrow, I might feel differently. There's so much competition! But making lists is all the rage, and we need to get this party started! This is all off the cuff, free form artistic judgement!

1. The Rolling Stones. Gimme Shelter! (Please allow me to introduce themselves! :) I know, You Can't Always Get What You Want! I'm Just Waiting On A Friend!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJVkIgps_6o

2, The Beatles. A Day In The Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiFYOn1AFms

3. Led Zeppelin. Nobody's Fault But Mine (House has got to use this theme music at some point!) :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZ15n6_5JY

For me, those three bands are the foundation of "C L A S S I C Rock." Sure, there's...

4. Elvis. That's All Right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjWnkmfldB0

But we have to have our parameters. Had to give The King his due. From here on out, it's totally subjective, my list at the moment!

5. Pink Floyd. Wish You Were Here (I really do!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXdNnw99-Ic

6. The Who. Baba O'Riley (a House fan vid! :) )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yX57LvxDko&feature=related

7. Alice Cooper. No More Mr. Nice Guy ( And he's not in the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. Go figure.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di7Gq4vNPH0

8. Rod Stewart. Every Picture Tells A Story (don't it?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=womn15OkeSI

9. Van Morrison. Have I Told You Lately? (great wedding song, and no, it's not a Rod Stewart Song!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgLPw_7Y5J0

10. Robert Palmer. She Makes My Day (still getting mushy. but this is a doggie video! don't tell MP! :) )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIFeUlMswtQ

11. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Mary Jane's Last Dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2xb0gwDaaU

12. Eagles. Hotel California (this is a live video. the Eagles was the first band I saw live, so long ago. they opened with this)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcwr1nbmWLI

13. Joe Walsh. Funk 49 (c'mon Joe! Where's 50?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_qHU_6Ofc0

14. Steely Dan. Kid Charlemagne (I love Steely Dan. This was a tough choice)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d23Z-_ki_Dc

15. Eric Clapton. Layla (the original. this video was the best rendition I could find! lol)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycLbACZZhPQ

16. The Steve Miller Band. The Joker (nice audio. just close your eyes. just try!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og6q9Tzvwfk

17. Jackson Browne. The Loadout/Stay (we got richard pryor on the video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtuvXrTz8DY

18. Fleetwood Mac. Landslide (getting mushy again. slow dance!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3cGxlZjMWU

19. Cheap Trick. I Want You To Want Me (let's rock the house)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4qdb53J8Eo

20. Peter Frampton. Do You Feel Like We Do? (We're closing the show out with this one!)

Part One:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYGp5shqLZg

Part Two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPkwm8a1kBU&feature=related

I hope everyone enjoyed the festivities tonight! Special thanks to our bartenders, waiters and waitresses! Tips are always welcomed! You don't pay the rent on compliments! :) Again, I appreciate my Friends so much. Hope you enjoyed the dance down memory lane. Or, you got to hear some tunes you had only heard about! Either way, thanks for indulging me. That sounded weird. :)

Gnite, Everybody!

Okay, okay! Just one more!

21. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Our House (Is a very very very fine House!) :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDpHpbllByg

Thank You! G'nite!

:)
TG