You can practically hear the brainstorming session that went on inside the bigwig offices over at the alphabet network.

“Hey, everybody’s doing vampires. We need something with vampires. That Stephanie-something chick has made them hot again with those books of hers.”
“Okay, vampires. Check. So who should we market it to?”
“Hm. Well, Thirtysomething was a good hit for us years ago, and Cougar Town is hot right now — how about something in between? But… wait for it… with vampires!”
“I smell ratings gold!”

And so now we have The Gates. It’s a soapydrama hourlong about “a gated community full of secrets” — only these secrets will bite your neck and suck your blood. Don’t you just love the utter lack of genuine creativity?

Anyhoo, if your “guilty pleasure” curiosity is piqued (and hey, I won’t judge you if it is — we all have to unwind somehow), here’s the first 17 minutes of the pilot episode. Just lower your expectations and you’ll be fine.

According to DirecTV’s Twitter feed, the company was having some kind of mass outage for users with HD-DVRs. Most users were unable to reach technical support for help; I tried calling tech support myself and was hung up on five times in a row by the automated answering system.

Service at this time has been restored, but if you are a DirecTV subscriber, and you can’t access your receiver, it’s recommended that you unplug your unit from the wall, wait at least 15 seconds, and then plug it back in. And you may need to repeat this process at least once before it works.

DirecTV has released no statement yet regarding what caused the outage.

Want to catch up on missed episodes of Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Dancing With the Stars, or any other ABC show? Just download the free ABC app and tap on the show you want to watch. You’ll have to watch some limited commercials — just like if you stream ABC’s shows in your computer’s browser — but the content is entirely free.

It’s kind of surprising that Apple would approve an app that competes directly with its own iTunes store. After all, ABC’s entire catalog of shows and episodes is available to purchase on the iTunes store, and this clever ABC app circumvents that entirely. Granted, you don’t get to download and keep the eps you watch, but why would you need to if you can stream them anytime for free?

No other networks have jumped on the iPad bandwagon yet, which is disappointing, though Hulu is reportedly working on an iPad app, which will bring lots more free, streaming TV shows to the “revolutionary and magical” new device.

HDTV and HD Ready TVs can both display high-definition picture. The main difference between HDTVs and HD Ready TVs is the fact that HDTVs can readily get HD signals without having to hook up a special tuner. In short, you can get local channels that are broadcast in HD and view it in HD just by using an OTA (over the air antenna). Remember though that while all broadcasts are now digital in the US not all of them are in HD. With HD Ready TVs you will need a special tuner of box-set to watch the HD broadcasts in high-definition. Now what this means when it comes to choosing your TV is that if you are subscribed to a cable or satellite TV service, you don’t really need an HDTV since the service provide will provide the tuner/box-set that will allow you to view picture in high def on your HD Ready TV. However, note that these service providers usually charge extra for HD equipment and channels. In terms of tv programming pricing it will be the same for HDTV and HD Ready since you will still need to use the HD equipment and subscribe to the HD channels, whatever kind of TV you use. The only reason you will still want to buy an HDTV rather than HD Ready one is the resolution.

In terms of the resolution or number of pixels on the screen you should look at each TVs specifications because it varies per TV. TV sets with 1080i and 1080p are those with highest resolutions. HDTVs have these resolutions but most HD Ready TVs only have 720i or 720p. So if you want the TV with the highest resolution then stick to HDTVs.

Anyway, I find myself getting realy into the 3D experience. I remember when we saw Beowulf and my dad said he couldn’t wait till the characters appeared more realistic. So I’m taking him to see Avatar. We also daydreamed a bit about having 3D TVs but agreed that it’ll probably at least a decade more before we see that becoming reality. So I’m really glad to be proved wrong this time.

Sony announced that it had been accelerating its efforts to allow us to watch 3D movies and play 3D games in our homes. In fact, they’re dead set on getting things done by next year – 2010. In their press release last September Sony said that they’ll be developing 3D compatible Bravia LCD TVs. In additiona to this they “will also develop 3D compatibility into many more of its devices, such as Blu-ray Disc products, VAIO and PlayStation®3, to provide a multitude of ways in which 3D content – from 3D movies to stereoscopic 3D games – can be enjoyed in the home.”

Oh yeah! Now that leaves us with only one problem. When will they make TV shows in 3D? Or will they ever find that feasible? Hopefully with 3D TVs they will be!

Anyway, here’s a quick recap of what happened in the last episode.

The contestants got their makeovers with Tim Gunn giving them tips and Tabatha Coffey doing the styling. I LOVE makeover episodes! The makeover was of course really exciting. Thank God Rudy has his beard shaved off but I think Rebecca and Allen had the best makeover. The makeover reveal was made doubly nice when they found out that their family were there to see them. Speeches were made all around with Rudy dropping a bomb by telling that his sister was diagnosed with cancer when he was fifteen.

Challenge time was as usual hard as hell and super scary for Liz who was terrified of having to pull herself across a canyon on a rope suspended hundreds of feet up in the air. Last chance workout was fascinating as ever to watch as Jillian tried to kill the contestants.

Weigh in came with contestants posting the following numbers:

Rudy: 16 lbs (-4.94%) – Biggest loser
Amanda: 9 (-4.46%)
Danny: 12 (-3.80%)
Allen:-5 (-2.06%)
Liz: 3 (-1.46%)
Rebecca: 3 (-1.44%)

As we all know Rebecca was the one who went home.

Sezmi is a startup company with a new kind of TV service. According to Sezmi’s website, their goal is “to redefine the television experience with the first-ever personal television system.” But what does Sezmi really have to offer?

Some of the features they have to offer include:

*An extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies – TV shows available include current and past seasons.
*Integrates TV and the internet – You can browse on YouTube and while watching a TV show.
*Personalized Sezmi remote – A special remote control that allows each person to set their own preferences and viewing patterns for their own profiles.
*Integrated DVR – Sezmi can automatically record shows for you on its hard drive. Can record up to 1,000 hours.

So what’s the catch?

The catch is that right now it is still in trial-mode in Los Angeles. If you live in Los Angeles and has a broadband connection at home make sure to go to their website to see if you qualify for the free 3-month trial period. If you end up not liking the Sezmi system you can return their equipment after the trial period at no cost. Participants of the free trial who end up liking the Sezmi get to keep their Sezmi system for half the introductory price.

Each Sezmi system includes an HD Media Recorder, HD TV Reception System, remote control and all the necessary cables.

According to Tim Winter, PTC’s president, “Our new research points to a disturbing trend: by depicting violence against women with increasing frequency, or as a trivial, even humorous matter, the broadcast networks may ultimately be contributing to a desensitized atmosphere in which people view aggression and violence directed at women as normative, even acceptable.”

Here are their major findings:

Violence, irrespective of gender, on television increased only 2% from 2004 to 2009, while incidents of violence against women increased 120% during that same period.

1. Every network but ABC demonstrated a significant increase in the number of storylines that included violence against women between 2004 and 2009. (Hooray for ABC!)

2. Although female victims were primarily of adult age, collectively, there was a 400% increase in the depiction of teen girls as victims across all networks from 2004 to 2009.

3. Fox stood out for using violence against women as a punch line in its comedies — in particular Family Guy and American Dad — trivializing the gravity of the issue of violence against women. (Boo to Fox!)

4. From 2004 to 2009 there was an 81% increase in incidences of intimate partner violence on television.

Read the entire study “Women in Peril” here.

TLC’s decision to boot out Jon (although they don’t call it that) is pretty logical not to mention a popular move since he’s been factoring less and less in the kids’ life. According to TLC “Kate Plus 8” is appropriate because it reflects the new “family dynamics” with Kate handling life as a single mom. As TLC President Eileen O’Neill said, “Given the recent changes in the family dynamics, it only makes sense for us to refresh and recalibrate the program to keep pace with the family. The family has evolved and we are attempting to evolve with it; we feel that Kate’s journey really resonates with our viewers.” Or maybe even they are getting tired of Jon’s bachelor antics.

In the meantime, Jon is trying to salvage things by putting the brakes on their divorce proceedings. According to Jon he wants to “restore our [his and Kate’s] relationship as cooperative parents and to open up our lines of communication. I hope that she will be as receptive and enthusiastic as I am to do what is best for our family . . . I would like to get back with Kate as a partner in parenting.” As if Kate is the one who hasn’t been trying to do what’s best for the kids!

As for the show we’ll see how better off things will be without Jon G.