The best part SURVIVOR last night was the commercials for THE UNIT. Whenever I saw them fast-forwarding across my TiVo, I quickly rewound back to them.

THE UNIT is the new series starting on March 7th from David Mamet and Shawn Ryan, creator of THE SHIELD. It stars 24’s President Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) in a more Jack Bauer-ish role, along with Agent Doggett from X-FILES, Robert Patrick. Scott Foley is also in it, but I won’t make any PARTY OF FIVE jokes. LOST is doing just fine with one of their cast-offs.

This is the series I’ve been most looking forward to all season. It just stinks that it’ll be on the same night as new episodes of THE SHIELD, AMERICAN IDOL, SCRUBS, and THE AMAZING RACE.

March 7th. 9:00 p.m. CBS. THE UNIT. Don’t miss it. At least, TiVo it.

(Update: I got “Scott Wolf” confused with “Scott Foley.” Nevermind the PARTY OF FIVE reference above.)

We’re back to the Survivors getting physical. Maybe it’s a sign of my maturity (or just plain old age), but I can’t help but cringe at any challenge that involves people fighting each other. It’s just a needless call for graphic wounding or painful misery. I don’t even want to watch the screen as people get kicked, thrown to the ground, pulled by the shirt, or otherwise yanked around.

I’m trying to talk around spoilers here, but I did find it funny that the one person I pointed to in the first half of the episode as one who could win the whole thing turned out to be the one getting voted off. I’m a jinx.

Feel free to unleash the spoilers in your comments below.

mtv.com - News - Canadian Record Label Blasts RIAA Over File-Sharing Lawsuits

The Recording Industry Association of America has drawn plenty of fire from the thousands of consumers it has sued for illegally downloading music. But on Thursday, a record label threw its hat in the ring, speaking out strongly against the RIAA’s actions and offering to pay the legal fees and fines for one family that has been sued.

Nettwerk Music Group, the Canadian record label and artist-management company that is home to Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies and Sum 41, is taking on the RIAA on behalf of Elisa Greubel, a 15-year-old Texan whose father was sued by the recording industry trade group in August 2005 for owning a computer that allegedly shared more than 600 music files.

The family being sued had downloaded Lavigne’s “Sk8ter Boi.”

Business buzzword hall of fame

In her August column, Kimberly McCall asked readers to submit their nominations for those business buzzwords and jargon-filled phrases that have completely lost — or never had — any meaning.

We’ve pared down the list of submissions, and now is your chance to vote on the most irritating “new economy” buzzspeak that ought to be sent permanently packing to the “burst bubble hall of fame.”

There’s bound to be a new one or two in the list for you to enjoy. “Low hanging fruit” is common enough around here, but “upskill” and “digitalwise” are new to me.

Before Tuesday night comes, I’ll post my guesses on who the Final 12 will be, before any of them sing a note directly to America.

But, for now, the Brittenum twins are gone (good riddance), and a whole slew of soon-to-be-recognizable names are at the forefront. I have a couple of favorites, and a couple I wouldn’t mind seeing leave tomorrow. And, my, but aren’t the women a good looking bunch this year?

What do you think? Spoilers in the comments!

TiVo.com | TiVo Desktop

TiVo Desktop 2.2 is an easy to use application that lets you publish and share digital music, photos, and TiVo recordings between your networked TiVo Series2 DVR and your computer. Digital Music & Photos and the TiVoToGo feature are included with your regular paid subscription to the TiVo Service.

And, more importantly, it allows you to transfer TV shows off the TiVo and onto your computer. If you have an iPod with video, of course, this is key.

The Mac version was updated this week to v1.9.2. I know what I plan on downloading this weekend. . .

(Via the PVR Blog)

Update I’m getting my versions confused. The Mac version is still below v2, which means you won’t get TiVoToGo functions on it. No transferring shows to your computer. Crap. Sorry ’bout that.

* Ten programming tips to ignore.

* Wow, Jeeves has been fired. Is nothing from the 90s world wide web sacred anymore?

* A complete list of Web 2.0 services, from G-Mail and Digg down to HipCal (calendar app) and Findory.

* Only for the Geeky and UNIX-knowledgeable: The vim Assistant

* Nintendo Revolution to be demoed at E3. And is this the final design?

JMSNews

Just over a year ago, Andreas Katsulas — who loved smoking with a passion that cannot be described — was diagnosed with lung cancer, which by then had already spread to other areas. He quit smoking at once and went on a healthy diet and vitamin program, but there was little hope of a good resolution even though the new regimen was very good for him. When we spoke about it, he laughed, and said, “Now that I’m dying I’ve never felt better!”

His spirits were always up and positive, putting everyone at ease about his condition, because…well, that’s the kind of person he was.

But here’s the cool part, and the part I want to remember when my time comes:

A couple of months ago, he and his wife convened a dinner with me, Doug, and Peter Jurasik, which was filled with laughter and stories and good food. He wanted to know all the stories we never told him because, as he said, “Who am I going to tell?” So we did. Because we knew we were saying goodbye, and there would not be a second chance.

More at the link.

* One machine to wash, dry, and iron your clothes. Sounds like a taste slice of heaven’t, doesn’t it?

* An interview with Choe from ‘24′. She probably prefers her real life handle as “Mary Lynn Rajskub,” though. Just don’t ask me how to pronounce that.

* Rock Star: Van Halen. Will they, or won’t they? Or are their publicists just enjoying the free publicity and milking it for all its worth? (Via TV Tattle)

* An idea whose time has come: Polite cell phones. They do things like monitor the noise level in the room to adjust their volume appropriately and learn your schedule. In the meantime, I’d settle for my stupid simple cheap cell phone to have a button externally that I could adjust the ringer volume on, like my last one did. ::sigh:: Technology marches on. . .

* More on the previously-referenced Super Hybrid. Read all about the Hydraulic Accumulator that is the key component to the system. (Thanks, Adam!)

This is the 58th DVD podcast:
Listen directly to the MP3 file. (Roughly 8 minutes long, 4 MB in size.)

Subscribe via iTunes, or use this XML file for your other podcatching client of choice.

Vote for this podcast at PodcastAlley.com.

Read about this podcast in PODCASTING HACKS.

Where to find release lists:
DVDJournal’s release list
TVShowsonDVD.com - monthly release list

Where to find more information on these movies:
Internet Movie Database

E-mail me or send voice comments to AUGIEDB *at* GMAIL *dot* COM. Or leave your comments in the comments section of this message.

Now Playing Magazine

The actors who played two iconic genre characters have died this past week: Phil Brown, best known as the stern but kind Uncle Owen to Mark Hamill’s whiny Luke Skywalker, and Andreas Katsulas, a character actor who played the Narn ambassador G’Kar on Babylon 5 and appeared in many other popular TV shows and films, both passed away after long illnesses.

First, Richard Biggs, and now Andreas Katsulas.

BABYLON 5 hasn’t been off the air that long. Its cast can’t start dying like this. . .

Podcasting News: Video Podcasting Ad Breakthrough: 40K for 75 Seconds of RocketBoom

Rocketboom, a three minute daily videoblog based in New York City, has proven that there’s money to be made with video podcasting. RocketBoom successfully used eBay to auction ad space on the video podcast.

The final bid?

$40,000, by “starfinder5.”

Attention advertisers: For half that much, I’ll give you thirty seconds a week for a year. ;-)

I have new respect and appreciation for Mel Gibson now.

Mel Gibson Buys Bowling Alley in Fiji

Hollywood star and director Mel Gibson is shipping an eight-lane bowling alley to his private Pacific island in northern Fiji, a shipping company official said.

The gear is being loaded on a small local cargo ship at the port in Fiji’s capital, Suva, for delivery to Mago Island, the shipping company official said on condition of anonymity. The director of “The Passion of the Christ” and star of the “Mad Max” films purchased the 2,164-hectare Mago Island - the largest privately owned island in the Fiji archipelago - from Japan’s Tokyu Corp. for about $15 million US in late 2004.

The Fiji government approved the sale in February 2005.

It’s one thing to own your own island. It’s even cooler to install your own set of lanes on it. . .

According to TiVo, tonight’s episode is running an extra three minutes. HOUSE, I would guess, is running three minutes short.

Full list at DVDJournal.com.

The Andy Griffith Show: Season Five

Don’tcha just want to whistle when you read that?

Charles in Charge: Season One

And as much as we’d all make fun of the show, who here couldn’t hum a bar from the theme song, or even sing a verse? “Charles in Charge, of my days and my nights… I want Charles in Charge of me!” Whew.

Disney Princess Sing Along 3: Perfectly Princess

I’d be crazy for this title if I were a five year old girl.

Domino: Platinum Series (2005)

This one tanked pretty quickly last year, but it looked cool.

Gimmie a Break: Season One

Lots of first seasons are coming out this week. It must be 80s sit-com revival week in the DVD industry. Sadly, the adult half of the cast from the first season is dead now. The same might be said for the careers of the rest of the cast. . .

Goof Troop Vol. 1

I enjoyed the series when it originally aired. It lived in the shadow of superior shows like TALE SPIN and DUCKTALES, but it’s still a harmless half hour of fun. It’s no QUACK PACK, that’s for sure.

Grey’s Anatomy: Season One

The ratings on this show are exploding these days, in the wake of the post-Super Bowl episode. I still have no interest in it, but I’m sure someone reading this does.

MirrorMask (2005)

Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman Neil Gaiman. Don’t mind me — I’m just trying to boost my Google hits.

Saw II (widescreen) (2005)

No thanks.

Shaq TV: The Reality Series

That goes double for you, Shaq-Fu.

Tori Amos: The Video Collection: Fade to Red (2-disc set)

Neil Gaiman’s friend Neil Gaiman’s friend Neil Gaiman’s friend. See three DVDs ago.

Who’s That Girl? (1987)

Neil Gaiman had nothing to do with this Madonna movie.

Young Mr. Lincoln: The Criterion Collection (1939)

Sounds like a lost chapter of SANDMAN. “Young Mr. Lincoln.” Drawn, no doubt, by Rick Geary.

Next week is very exciting:

Action: The Complete Series (2-disc set)

That’s all you need to know. Everything else is secondary next week. Pre-order it now, if you want to, but ACTION is the release of the week already.