Ravenweb Blog

I love The Big Bang Theory and think it's hands-down the funniest show on television, but there's one thing about it that puzzles and bothers me. The characters frequently use plastic water bottles and other consumables (paper cups, take-out cartons, etc). Given the intelligence of the main characters (Penny gets a pass) and their affiliations with the sciences, you would think at least one of them would have enough conviction about climate change and sustainability to try out a metal water bottle, order from restaurants with less packaging (and no styrofoam), and maybe even experiment with composting. I understand the show is a comedy and is not pursuing a cause or seeking to change the world. But Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj are scientists and uber nerds and the show does a fabulous job showing all the painful and obsessive details -- you just expect reusability and recycling to come up more than it does.

Of all the Christmas specials for children, in my opinion, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the best. Funny and ultimately affirming for both kids and adults, A Charlie Brown Christmas achieves what few specials can match: it manages to keep a balanced perspective about Christmas, even admitting to the commercialism of the holiday with a healthy cynicism. But as it teeters toward becoming something more jaded, the story turns and we learn that one of the reasons Christmas is so special is that it's one of the few days when people really come together, when your nemesis doesn't pull the football away before you can kick it, and when a little love and caring go a long way, to dress up a scraggly looking tree and to comfort and cheer each other. Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown! This is part of my  25 Days of Christmas  blog series.

You don't often think of Santa Claus as a defiant Robin Hood outlaw constantly on the run from a mean-spirited despot. Or as a young man who falls in love. In Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town , though, we get the origin story of Santa Claus and learn how he came of age as Kris Kringle and how several Christmas traditions came to be. I really enjoyed the special as a child, and always thought it felt unique as Santa-fare went. The Burgermeister and Sombertown, in particular, overlayed speculative and serious elements to traditional Christmas tropes that bolstered the story and Santa mythology. Santa as a merry toymaker who gives presents to boys and girls is one thing, but the legend looms even larger when we learn he grew into this role while resisting a dictator. This is part of my  25 Days of Christmas  blog series.

As I began formulating this Christmas blog series, I quickly realized that I was interested in doing at least one post highlighting famous Christmas-themed sitcom episodes. At the time, I thought it would be easy to pick and prune from existing lists, but I didn't find as many out there as I thought. So, I've cobbled together my own. Call it my seven favorite TV sitcom Christmas episodes. Friends - "The One With Christmas in Tulsa" Season 9 - December 12, 2002 In this episode, Chandler is miserably spending Christmas working in Tulsa, while the rest of the group is celebrating the holiday back in New York. The episode memorably ends with the gang in NY opening presents, when Chandler opens the door and announces he's quit his job. I always liked the ending of this one, and its the one and only Friends Christmas episode I remember. Frasier - "Frasier Grinch" Season 3 - December 19, 1995 Determined to buy his son Frederick only high-end educ...

Frosty the Snowman is another one of those classic holiday TV specials from the 60s/70s that I loved as a kid. What I always found interesting about the Frosty story (more so than other favorites like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town) was the emphasis on the seasons and cycles and the implication that you really need to appreciate things while they are here. Frosty, after all, like Christmas, like Santa, and like winter, only comes around for a brief time each year. So, enjoy him and enjoy the moment when you can. Frosty vivimus, vivamus. This is part of my  25 Days of Christmas  blog series.

At this point, the television show Scrubs is very much like one of my kids. It doesn't matter how bad the show gets, or how much it may have jumped the shark, or even who's starring in it anymore. I'll always watch it and will support until the end. So, since its something of an ongoing Christmas Miracle that Scrubs is still on the air, I thought it fitting to reset this great video featuring the cast of Scrubs voicing and re-imagining the classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas". As the story goes, the cast made this video for a Christmas party and it has since found its way onto the web. Link to video on YouTube This is part of my  25 Days of Christmas  blog series.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas classic, and, like millions of other children, I loved it when I was a child. The story couldn't be more timeless: a misfit runs away after having been mocked mercilessly by his peers. After some time away and self-discovery, he returns and ultimately gains acceptance. Watching it for the first time in years last week, I found that the story still resonated, though this time I was more attuned to how much of a jerk Santa was to Rudolph in the beginning. Credit the writers for imbuing Santa with some real failings. Still, Rudolph seemed a little too magnanimous when he returns. Yes, he gets to save the day, but it would have been fun if he pelted Fireball with some snowballs or made Santa grovel a little before he agreed to guide his sleigh. This is part of my  25 Days of Christmas  blog series.

My daughter has become a big fan of Dr. Seuss books, which sets the stage nicely for How the Grinch Stole Christmas! This was always one of my favorites as a kid, and I still remember sympathizing with the poor Whos in Whoville and holding out hope that it wasn't too late for the Grinch. This probably the second-best Christmas redemption arc ever. Great stuff. This is part of my  25 Days of Christmas  blog series.

I sure loved this as a kid. Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas is a holiday special that imparts valuable lessons about life as Emmet Otter and his mom both try to win a cash prize in a Christmas musical talent contest. I first saw this when it was airing on HBO in the 1980s. I can't wait until my daughter is old enough so I can watch this with her. This is part of my 25 Days of Christmas blog series.

Here's the official poster for Season 9 (lifted from the Scrubs Facebook page).

I was pretty critical of the Scrubs finale , so I thought it only fair that I put up and describe the Scrubs series finale I hope to see next season, when the show finishes its run on ABC . Here are the major elements I think the finale has to capture: The finale has to bookend the pilot, "My First Day", when Dr. John Dorian (J.D.) clocked in for his first day at Sacred Heart Hospital. Fittingly, the final episode should be titled "My Last Day" and feature J.D. working his final shift. The daydream sequences should include riffs on finales from other shows, like M*A*S*H, Seinfeld, and Cheers. The finale should combine the show's signature broad comedy elements with at least one serious arc. Perhaps the final act on the show should be Bob Kelso (now retired) getting rushed in after a medical emergency and the Sacred Heart doctors scrambling to try and save his life. The soundtrack has to be strong and representative of the pop and indie montages the show has feat...

Ten years ago, on May 14, 1998, the last episode of Seinfeld aired. Can you believe it's been that long already? In honor of the show on this date, I've dug up some old Seinfeld trivia questions that used to live in a survey on one of my old websites that (like Seinfeld itself) has since passed on. Enjoy. Seinfeld Questions ( scroll down for the answers) 1. What is George's middle name? [ ] Buck [ ] Louis [ ] Paco [ ] Stephenson 2. On which television show did Kramer appear? [ ] The Tonight Show [ ] The Bold and the Beautiful [ ] Cheers [ ] Murphy Brown 3. What is Elaine's favorite baseball team? [ ] The Mets [ ] The Orioles [ ] The Yankees [ ] The Mud Hens 4. Who won "the contest"? [ ] Elaine [ ] George [ ] Jerry [ ] Kramer 5. Is Joe DiMaggio a dunker? [ ] Yes [ ] No 6. What was the name of the Bizarro Kramer? [ ] Feldman [ ] Michael [ ] Ernie [ ] Ice 7. From what type of macaroni did Kramer make a miniature figurine of Jerry? [ ] Rigatoni [ ] Fusilli [ ] Zit...

I sure hope the episode that aired tonight -- "My Princess" -- was only the season and not the series finale of Scrubs. If so, it was a bad way to go. First, the episode was out of sequence with the rest of the season 7 episodes and it was definitely a concept effort and not an episode that wrapped up the show or captured the essence of what's made Scrubs great these past seven years. I wasn't feeling it and hope we get a proper Scrubs send-off. Related: My Scrubs Finale

Hooray! We finally get Scrubs back. Sadly, tonight's episode also marks the countdown to the end of the show, as this is the seventh and final season. I guess we can enjoy it while it lasts. On the topic, I stumbled across a link to a Scrubs production blog . Lots of production videos here.

It's been a unique fall viewing season for me this year in that there's a lot of time now where I'm restricted in my movements because of the baby. However, this has unexpectedly given me much more time to watch TV and try out new shows. Below is a list of the new shows I've watched and my initial reactions. Mondays Chuck is an entertaining but flawed spy / nerdboy mashup about a computer tech who ends up with a database of government secrets downloaded into his brain. I like the casting and setup and am interested in watching at least through mid-season, but I have a problem with the show's uneven tone. At times, it tips toward campiness and humor (which is fine given the implausible storyline), but then at others it steers back toward dramatic realism, with faraway looks, contemplation, and musical scores. It's a tough line to walk, and I wonder if Chuck can pull it off for an extended run. Tuesdays I initially thought CW's Reaper was the most promising ...

Big props to Scrubs for going with a musical episode ( "My Musical" ) last night. The episode was hilarious and provided an irreverent pastiche of Broadway musicals while staying within the familiar tone of the show. "Guy Love" and "Everything Comes Down to Poo" were the best songs, with the latter number going to show that fart and crap jokes are always funny if done right. Let's hope this musical episode is a sign of better things to come for Scrubs this year. Season six prior to this episode has been a disappointment with too much focus on the baby story lines and not enough crazy stuff like this. See also: Scrubs' takes a turn for the better with musical by Matthew Gilbert (The Boston Globe) Why You Must "Tune" In to the Scrubs Musical! by Matt Mitovich (TV Guide)

I'm not sure how old this is or how it hit the net, but here's a link to a great YouTube video featuring the cast of Scrubs voicing and re-imagining the classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas". According to some blogs, the cast made this video for a Christmas party and it has since found it’s way onto the net. Lucky for us!

For those of you who haven't heard, Scrubs will be back on NBC this season. The latest news from NBC is that the show will begin airing on November 30 and then thereafter every Thursday night, in the 9:00 - 9:30 (EST) time slot. If you haven't watched Scrubs in a while and need to get back in the mood of the show, you can catch it now on Comedy Central , where it airs Monday through Saturday, two or four episodes per day, depending on the day. If you need more Scrubs , check out this expansive Scrubs fan portal , where you will find everything from news and faqs about the show, a listing of songs that aired in the episodes, and links to other Scrubs websites. While you're there, be sure and take the Scrubs Personality Test to see which Scrubs character you most resemble.

This column was inspired by true events and the NBC television show "My Name Is Earl", and is about being delayed at the airport and the powerful influence of karma.

Now this is an offbeat and funny sitcom. In " My Name Is Earl ", Jason Lee plays a lowlife redneck who loses a lottery ticket and becomes convinced that his luck won't change until he makes amends for all his bad deeds. If the show's premiere is any indication, this promises to be one of the funniest and decidedly different comedies on television. It will also be interesting to watch Jason Lee over the course of an entire television season.