With the Writers Strike pretty much at an end, the question on most peoples’ minds is, “When the hell can I have TV again?!” The New York Times has a pretty comprehensive list of shows and how they’ll be affected in the long run. Most notably, Lost will finish its season with 13 episodes instead of the 16 they originally wanted. Executive Producer Carlton Cuse says the writers will, “accelerate the storytelling” so that they’ll still hit the ending they wanted for the season.

“It’s a little bit like driving cross country to Boston. If the goal is to get there two days earlier, we will have to take more interstates and fewer rural byways.”

Also, 24 probably won’t be back until early 2009. Sorry Jack Bauer fans.

[New York Times and USA Today]

A funny thing happened yesterday. Steve wrote an awesome article about some fun drinking games, one of which involves watching the show 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland. Last night, as I perused some news headlines, I found this:

Keifer Clocks in to Jail
Barely two hours after being formally sentenced to 48 days in jail in connection with his September arrest for driving under the influence, the Emmy winner reported to Glendale City Jail to start serving his time, E! Online has confirmed.

I can only hope he was under the influence after playing “The Jack Bauer Power Hour.”

[E! Online]

Everyone’s played a drinking game at some point in his or her life, and I’m willing to bet at least half of us have done it legally. Most of the time they revolve around cards, ping pong balls, large groups of people, and fraternity bullshit, but what do you do if it’s just you and your roommate(s) that want to drink? These are some games that the Average Dude can play and have a pretty damned good time doing so, and they don’t even require much in the way of set up. Just plenty of duct tape. And really, Average Dudes should have at least three rolls around the house at all times. (more…)

Yes. This is not the plot of this years 24 but a real story from Korea. A man was found dead at work with his cellphone in his shirt pocket exploded.

“When I was going up the stony hill to set dynamite, I found a man lying down beside an electronic shovel,” said a coworker identified as Kwon. “He was already bleeding from the nose. He had a mobile phone with a melted battery in his left shirt pocket. His shirt had soot on it in the shape of the phone.” Prof. Kim Hoon at Chungbuk National University, who examined the body, presumed the death was caused by a phone battery explosion.

Yes, dying from a cellphone is a tragic thing, but I’m more impressed with the electric shovel. We, Americans, have to slave away digging ditches with stupid manual shovels while Korea has handy-dandy electric shovels.

A crying shame.

PS. Don’t buy an LG phone.

[Telecoms Korea]

TV is heading down a dark and ugly road and there is nothing we can do about it. That’s right, all of the shows you may have gotten into this season, like The Office and Heroes, and shows you were looking forward to, like 24 and Lost, may come to a screeching halt this January. The WGA is on strike. The Writers Guild of America is pissed off right now. What could drive such anger? …Money. (more…)