Bob Sassone

Thursday Random Links

Hey, Marshall Crenshaw's new album is streaming online!
J.J. Abrams talks about the magic of mystery (the new Wired mag is guest-edited by Abrams and it's fun)
Mmmmm...Chocolate Mousse.
We should all walk around on roller skates (and also wear cool hats again).

Today I'll Be Talking About TV

I'll be on TV Talk today around 6:25pm ET. Stop on by and ask me a question about Lost or Heroes or Chuck or 30 Rock or The Mentalist or something.

Sorry for the lack of updates here. I started a new thing at TV Squad which takes up a lot of my time so I haven't been able to update this site in the meaty way I want to. Also, I'm on Twitter all day! But more posts that go beyond 140 characters are coming, I promise.

And Now, Alfred Hitchcock Presents

This is one of my favorite episodes of any TV series ever, and it's finally available on Hulu. The ending is just ... perfect.

Do Not Try This At Home (Or Away From Home)

More Talking About TV

Right now I'm doing my taxes because when you have to pay it's good to wait until that last second. But I did want to tell everyone that I'll be on TV Talk tonight around 6:30pm ET.

Some Hobbits Really Love Cheese

New column up at TV Squad, focusing on stars who did commercials before they made it big. You'll see Steve Carell trying to sell fried chicken, Farrah Fawcett putting a bunch of shaving cream on Joe Namath's face, and Frodo devouring a big plate filled with broccoli and cheese.

Pictures From Vintage Supermarkets

I love these pictures from The Imaginary World: supermarkets of the 60s and 70s (click the link for more pics).

Monday Random Links

TV show sets, in diorama form!
Scott Adams buys a minivan.
Another weird ad from Burger King.

Video Of The Day: Rob And Laura Petrie Love Kent Cigarettes

The Day After April Fools

So I didn't play any April Fool's Day jokes on anyone yesterday. I know, I know, it's almost un-American, but I just didn't feel like trying to come up with some creative prank to unleash on a friend. The online world has changed April Fool's Day. Years ago we had to actually do something physical to someone: a crank phone call, putting Saran Wrap over a toilet seat, putting hot sauce in someone's Diet Pepsi, burning someone's entire house down with gasoline and an acetylene torch. OK, maybe not that last one, but we had to actually do something to pull a practical joke on someone. Nowadays there are web sites that do the work for you. You just click the prank that you want, put in your friend's e-mail address, and they're sent a fake e-mail saying that they owe money or that they've been arrested or that their name is in the newspaper that day. There's even one site that lets you put someone's name into a video and it creates a video that looks exactly like a local news report saying that you've decided to run for President. It came complete with a fake tour bus with your name on it and even a billboard. I think that's how Rudy Guliani ran his 2008 campaign.

Anyway, I skipped all that. But I did investigate two new mysteriously-named flavors of Doritos:

 

In short: the one on the right is pretty good, the one on the left tastes like an old shoebox.

To be more specific, the Late Night Last Call Jalapeno Poppers tastes odd and off-putting for about 10 seconds, and then the jalapeno flavor kicks in, but it's too little too late. I like to actually taste something good when I have chips, some flavor enjoyment. I'm not a guy who just likes the crunch. The Late Night Tacos At Midnight are better. They actually taste like all of the ingredients you might find in a taco. I'll stick with the original nacho flavored though.

Love the names though. It would be interesting to have been in the meeting where they came up with Last Call Jalapeno Popper and Late Night Tacos At Midnight. The latter seems a little redundant, but I like snacks that remind me of old New York neon street signs and film noir.