35 DAYS

I'm back from the Turkey Day holiday my minions--did you miss me?

Thirty-five days...that's all that's left in 2007. Can you believe it? I can't, but then again I've been busy enough this year. To recap: I got married, went on a honeymoon, quit my job, moved halfway across the country, moved into a new apartment less than three months after moving across the country, got a new job and all of this before Labor Day. I'm not patting myself on the back--all of this together isn't as hard as performing a heart transplant or finding and disabling mines and booby traps outside the Green Zone--but a little calm for 2008 would be nice.

The next few weeks will also give me a chance to provide perspective on 2007, on matters sublime (the emerging Presidential race, Iraq), mundane (the best of the year in TV, movies and music) and ridiculous (Britney, Paris Hilton and Larry Craig-gate). But for now, as a weekend of tryptophan and wine still works its way out of my system, I'll ease into it all with a few "Scott Shots" and hopefully I'll be able to develop some more interesting posts later as this year winds to a close.

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Comeback of the Year: Open Racism

Did you notice it too? Whether it was "Dog" The Bounty Hunter or Eddie Griffin's public use of the "N" word, Don Imus' thoughtless on-air potrayal of the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy headed ho's" or Rep. Tom Tancredo [R-Colo] and his anti-illegal immigrant (read: Mexican) presidential campaign, racial attitudes seemed to get a little uglier and more openly hostile this year than they've been in a while. The reason? Fueled by the Internet and "viral video" revolution, there is more talk about everything all of the time. Turn up the volume that much and a lot of what you're bound to hear isn't going to be too thoughtful or progressive. Unlike this blog...you DO have it bookmarked, don't you?

More Good News from the "War on Terror"

Thanks to the U.S.-led coalition's defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan (a good thing--these were the most backward and unenlightened people to lead a modern nation since the fall of Pol Pot in Kampuchea in the early 80's), Afghanistan's poor farmers, having to deal with a ravaged economy and a shortage of arable land made even more acute by the effects of war, have once again turned to cultivation of opium poppies for quick cash to feed their families and eke out a living (a very bad thing). Now, 90% of the world's heroin originates in Afghanistan and it is more potent and easier to obtain than ever before (a very bad thing). War's great isn't it? Even on those rare occasions when we actually are on the side of right, it still turns out very badly. And somewhere, Osama bin Laden is still laughing at us. Which reminds me...

Politically Incorrect Quote of the Week

From comedian/social commentator Paul Mooney: "Osama bin Laden is an old, seven-foot-four diabetic...how in the world are we not able to find THAT motherf----r?!"

R's DVR Guide to Better TV Viewing

Instead of going through a whole long (and cliched) list of the year's Top Ten Television Shows like I usually do, I've adapted my list for the current television age. It's simple--out of what I've watched (and in some cases, what my wife has watched, if we haven't watched it together) what are the shows most worth watching, what shows can wait to be viewed/fast-forwarded on your DVR or Tivo and what should be avoided? Wonder no more! Use this simple guide below. Besides, if the corrupt cable companies make you pay for tiers, why not classify television that way?

With the Writer's Strike and holiday reruns looming, there's not going to be anything new coming on likely to drastically alter this list, so it's good to review the year that was. Note: if a show aired in the first half of the year but wasn't renewed, it is not on this list. If it's not "now", it ain't "wow":

APPOINTMENT TELEVISION OR WORTH WATCHING WHILE IT AIRS: Mad Men, Weeds, Grey's Anatomy, The Wire, The Office, 30 Rock (sorry Z), Damages, The Shield, Battlestar Galactica, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Pushing Daisies.

PROGRAM YOUR DVR (BUT YOU CAN MISS AN EPISODE OR TWO & FAST FORWARD THROUGH THE OCCASIONAL SLOW SPOTS): 24, Heroes, House, Brotherhood, How I Met Your Mother, Saving Grace, The Amazing Race.

CHECK IT OUT WHEN YOU CAN, BUT DON'T GET TOO INTO IT: the late night talk shows, South Park, King of the Hill, The Soup, America's Next Top Model (and several of it's copycat shows), Back To You, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Private Practice, Cane, Shark, ER, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck, Dexter, Iron Chef America, My Name Is Earl, the Law & Order shows, 60 Minutes.

SO BAD, IT'S SOMETIMES GOOD (BUT DON'T TELL ANYONE YOU WATCH IT AND DON'T WASTE DVR SPACE ON IT): The Hills, The Bachelor, CSI: Miami, The Big Bang Theory.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS: pretty much everything else.

MY SHOW OF THE YEAR: Mad Men (AMC) Get Season 1 on DVD when it comes out.

WORST SHOW OF THE YEAR (maybe of all time): Viva Laughlin (CBS) with Cavemen (ABC) a close second. It's a wonder that either of these shows made it out of development status without it's creators being laughed out of town.

That's enough for one night...until I blog again--

PEACE.