It's been a little while since we have discussed the happenings on television, so let's catch up so we're all on the same page. For those of you who watch television consistently, you already know how entertaining an experience it can be. You can literally stare at the screen for hours, flipping through the channels for the programs you enjoy most. For people that enjoy educational programming, there are tons of choices. Tune into the Discovery Channel and you will find science programs which feature animals and plant life both above and below the water. Discovery is also the feature channel for one of my favorite programs, MythBusters.

If you are more into following along with the lives of the Hollywood stars, you can check out E! for plenty to fulfill your needs. Shows like The Soup hosted by Joel McHale poke fun at the current events that celebrities are involved in, so you can get informed and entertained at the same time. E! is also famous for perfecting the reality-TV show format, rolling out classic shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Holly's World, and Kim & Khloe Take Miami.

Of course, the king of reality TV programming at the moment is MTV's world famous Jersey Shore. Interestingly enough, the upcoming season of Jersey Shore will take place nowhere near New Jersey. In fact, Snooki, Situation, and the rest of the gang are hitting the country of Italy for a nice change of pace from the American culture. It will definitely be worth watching so make sure that you tune in.

The beauty of television is that there is something for everyone to watch. With hundreds of channels available to the public these days, all you have to do is keep clicking until you find what you like. Then, remember to come back the next week to watch it again. Before you know it, you might find one of your new favorite TV shows where you never thought it was going to exist!

Of all the media sources to cover the Charlie Sheen story, there is only one channel that has not focused on it yet - MotivatorsTV, of course. Charlie Sheen has been all over the news since his series of radio and television interviews a couple of weeks ago, so it is definitely worth saying a few words. Is he really as crazy as he is making himself out to be? An unpredictable, bi-polar (he would argue he is bi-winning) unemployed actor, teetering on the border of relapse? Or, is he playing the part of a character, hyping up the shenanigans in an attempt to draw as much attention to himself as possible? Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: whether it's an act or not, all eyes are currently on Charlie Sheen.

When Sheen gave his now-classic interviews to ABC News and the Alex Jones Show, a new lexicon of catchphrases was born. Most well-known is Sheen's motto, "Winning", though he has rolled out such other lines as, "I'm an F-18 bro" and "I'm on a new drug...it's called Charlie Sheen".

Once Sheen realized that his story was generating such massive amounts of attention, he did what anyone with potential to go viral would do: he started a Twitter account. Signing onto Twitter @CharlieSheen, the once Two and a Half Men star became the fastest in history to reach 1 million followers (under 24 hours). As this is being written, Sheen has exactly 2,593,719 Twitter followers, and growing. Of course when you have that much exposure, the potential for advertising is pretty extraordinary - that's exactly what Charlie is trying to take advantage of.

His latest creation is Sheen's Korner, a video webcast which features Charlie Sheen and a production team chatting about various stories in the news. This program is Sheen's attempt to monetize his publicity in some way, in order to fill the void of the $2 million per episode that he was receiving before being fired from Two and a Half Men.

Who knows what's in store now for the star of Wall Street and cast member of famous films like Platoon and Major League? A new television show? Maybe a movie? The public can only hope that he maintains his sobriety and mental health, while continuing to entertain and do what he does best.

Winning!

This season there are some pretty great shows on television. Whether you are a fan of drama or comedy, you can be sure that flipping through the channels you'll find something to watch. Of the most popular shows, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Grey's Anatomy seem to have some of the most compelling story lines and heartfelt characters.

People tune in during these primetime hours with their families and friends to make sure that they stay up on all the action. Watching these programs becomes a social experience that helps people enjoy it even more.

If you are in for some of the lighter reality stuff, then Jersey Shore is where it's at. The show has exploded in the past three seasons, completely changing the way people view reality TV. Jersey Shore has just been renewed for a fourth season which is set to take place in Italy. It should be extremely interesting as the Situation, Snookie, Pauly D, and the rest of the gang have fun partying it up in the old country.

While some of the most popular shows are listed above, these types of programs are featured on the big networks. This means that the writers have some restrictions on what they can include in the creation of the episodes. If you are tuning into HBO on the other hand, you won't see that problem.

HBO has recently rolled out some hits like Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound and Down, and Bored to Death, which attract large audiences because of their realistic dialogue, graphic nature, and ability to relate to people on a personal level.

While these shows are all pretty great, word-of-mouth isn't the only way that they get the word out. There are huge budgets involved in print and television advertisements, as well as all different types of promotional products which are used extensively. Without the use of different gimmicks, toys, standard items like imprinted T-shirts, these shows could not expect to enjoy the impressive viewership that they currently receive.

Keep on the lookout for some of these great products, and you will start to notice that the shows with the best marketing campaigns also receive some of the highest ratings.

If there is one television that dominates entertainment news, its the Jersey Shore on MTV. It took people by surprise in the first season, stepped up the drama in season two, and now its back for a third time around. When last we left our orange-tinted heroes, they were leaving Miami to head back to the beaches of New Jersey for the summer. Mike, Vinny, and Pauly created their 3-man wrecking crew, "M.V.P.", Sammi and JWoww were throwing 'bows, Angelina left the house in disgrace, and Snooki was catching heat for talking behind the backs of people in the house. The vibe of the house was very uncertain in the finale of last season, and no one was sure how the cast would react towards each other this time around.

The wait was finally over last Thursday. The old gang found themselves back in the same shore house, scrambling to be the first one in the house so that they could get the best room. One of the major changes was Vinny being roommates with Pauly instead of Mike, and The Situation was not very pleased (he was last to arrive, so he got stuck in a triple with Sammi and Ron). Jenny and Sam despise each other so much that they did not even speak to one another at their first encounter.

In place of Angelina this year is a new girl, Snooki's friend Deena. Deena is basically the same person that Snooki is: under 5' tall, full of spunk, and ready to party. She quickly becomes acquainted with everyone in the house, and they all like her - except for Sammi. Since Snooki and Jenny took to writing an anonymous letter about Ron's infidelities last season, she has not forgiven them. Rather than be appreciative, she chose to stay together with Ron and has acted cold to the other girls in the house. Things were destined to reach a boiling point, though it happened faster than most expected.

What started as a small argument between Sammi and Deena turned into a full-fledged screaming battle, with Snooki cursing out Sammi for her cold-hearted demeanor and unwillingness to accept Deena as the new member of the gang. Once JWoww got involved, things took a turn for the worst: Jenny told Sammi that they obviously wanted to fight each other, so Sammi should take a swing. When Sam clenched her fist and made the first motion towards throwing a punch, JWoww put up her dukes and landed a few good shots on Sammi before the fight was broken up.

Tonight is the second episode of this season of Jersey Shore, and no one know where it will go from here. One thing is for sure - there will be more punches thrown, more partying done, and plenty of shenanigans and drama to follow. Stay tuned throughout the course of this season of Jersey Shore as we follow the progress of the show and make predications as to what will be seen in the future.

With Christmas only two days away, the holiday spirit is in full effect. Everyone is celebrating by attending their holiday parties, shopping for gifts, and getting together for dinners and social events. While these types of things are the tradition for every holiday season, there is a tradition on television as well. Each year, there are several shows and movies which are aired around Christmas and New Year's time. Families just love to get together and watch the programs to keep the tradition alive. Let's check out some of these shows now, and find out what is so great about them.

It's a Wonderful Life. This movie is probably the most famous to be aired around the Christmas season. The 1946 drama stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a man who is down on his luck and contemplating suicide. He is rescued by Clarence, his guardian angel who shows George all the lives he has touched and the contributions he's made to the community. In the end George realizes that his life really is important, and he and his family live happily ever after. The movie is appropriate for Christmas as it takes place on Christmas Eve. It was a huge success, and it has become tradition for the movie to air every Christmas.

A Christmas Story. A more recent flick to become popular during Christmas, this movie follows Ralphie Parker around his town in Indiana as he searches for the only thing he wants for Christmas: a Red Ryder BB Gun. Ralphie gets into various predicaments throughout the movie, including fighting the school bully and getting his tongue stuck to a metal flagpole in the cold. The movie is a feel-good film for the whole family to enjoy, and it has a much lighter plot than the more metaphysical nature of It's a Wonderful Life.

The Honeymooners. One of the most famous shows of all time, The Honeymooners airs a New Year's Day marathon every year. The classic comedy stars Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden, along with Audrey Meadows and Art Carney as the wife and best friend. The show was filmed in the 1950's, and is set primarily in the New York apartment of Ralph and Alice Kramden. This show set the standard for the half hour sitcom format that would become popular in later years, and focuses on Ralph Kramden as he gets himself into different situations and makes rants about everything from society to his dissatisfaction with his wife. He really does love Alice Kramden though, even if he does yell, "One of these days Alice, straight to the moon!".

The Twilight Zone. Definitely from a different genre than the shows and movies highlighted above, The Twilight Zone is a sci-fi program that has a different story with different characters in every episode. Each episode of the show focuses on some type of strange occurrence, bizarre scenario, or unexplainable premise. Usually the shows involve twists and turns, surprise endings, and theater-type devices which let the audience know that the main character is not crazy though everyone else believes they are. The show was created and narrated by Rod Serling, and became so popular that it now airs as part of a marathon every New Year's Day.

Make sure to tune in to some of these TV traditions this holiday season so that you can enjoy it all with family and friends. These shows are a staple of American entertainment and should definitely be watched by anyone who appreciates good television and cinema.

The break room at Motivators is a common place to hang out and eat lunch, but the best part is that we have a television. Most daytime TV is limited to game shows and soap operas, which is usually enough to keep Motivators employees entertained. While we eat our sandwiches and sit around the table, we enjoy yelling at the people on Family Feud when they don't get the right answer, or laugh at the jokes told on silly sitcoms like According to Jim and King of Queens.

Recently however, I started taking a much later lunch and no one else is in the break room at that time. I am free to explore whatever channels that I want, and the usual game show entertainment just wasn't cutting it anymore. I decided it would be best to surf the channels, when I came across something on PBS that I had all but forgotten about. It was Bob Ross's old television program, The Joy of Painting.

As I watched Bob Ross paint on his easel, all the memories came flooding back of how I used to sit on the floor in front of the television and marvel at how easy he made it look. I was only 9 years old when the show ended due to Ross's passing away, but the show still had an impact on me. 15 years later as I watched, his soft strokes and soothing voice relaxed me the same way it used to.

The greatest thing about Bob Ross's show was the fact that he always maintained the notion that anyone watching could paint the same painting that he did if they just practiced and followed along. Of course, I know that is not true (I have tried painting along with him in the past, and though I consider myself extremely challenged in the art of painting I would imagine that most other novices would not be able to keep up either), but I always respected him for including the audience as part of the painting process. He made people feel like they were contributing something to the painting as it unfolded before your eyes.

At first his paintings would appear to be very basic, and the big picture would not come to life right away. He would say things like, "...and we'll just put a little green dab here, and another quick stroke here, and now you have your trees...happy little trees", but you couldn't see them yet. Then, he would make one or two more quick strokes and out of nowhere the most intricate-looking shrubs and bushes would magically emerge as if they had been there all along.

Bob Ross concentrated on painting images in nature without having to look at a photograph. He would just imagine serene mountain views and rocky stormy skies and seas, and that image would pass from his mind directly onto the canvas. It was almost as if the painter himself was just a vessel for which the art could be created, and he really was not putting much conscious thought into it at all.

I will continue to watch Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting as much as I can in the future, so that I can enjoy the beauty of his work while I eat my lunch. And maybe if I'm lucky, they will even let me set up an easel next to the vending machine so I can take another shot at painting some happy little trees.

For those of you who do not watch the popular show MythBusters on the Discovery Channel, you really should. MythBusters has become one of the most popular television shows in a primetime slot, airing Wednesday nights at 9PM EST. The premise of the show focuses on testing the validity of traditional myths and folklore with science experiments and physical tests. At the conclusion of each set of experiments, the myth at hand is then either deemed "busted", "plausible", or "confirmed". The show is enhanced by its nerdy science humor and playful banter between the MythBusters team.

The "MythBusters" are made up of the two hosts, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, along with Tory Belleci, Kari Byron, and Grant Imahara. Jamie and Adam lead the charge of the main experiments as they have several decades worth of experience in science and theater effects. While the show has been a hit for people of all ages, nothing has compared to the special guest appearance that they received on last night's show.

In a special episode, the MythBusters traveled to the White House to meet with President Obama, who had a bone to pick with them. Obama claimed that they had not tested a myth sufficiently in one of their previous episodes, and presented them with the task of retesting the myth and reporting back to him. The myth as the president explained was one in which the Greek scientist Archimedes was rumored to have created a solar death ray by organizing giant mirrors to reflect sunlight towards a fleet of Roman warships who were attacking them in 212 BC. The combined rays were said to have created such a focused ray of heat that it set the sails of the ships on fire, thus rendering them immobile and useless in battle. Jamie chimed in that while they had previously "busted" this myth, that what they had not considered was the use of manpower to focus each individual mirror on the same target.

The team went to work by trying to solve the main problem associated with the myth - that it was too difficult for every person to be able to focus the ray from their mirror on the same location. Adam figured out that the solution to this problem was to put a net directly in front of the people shining the mirrors (500 college students) that could be used as a reference point to control the direction of the beam. The net was extremely effective in helping each of the students isolate their target, so that a very small and accurate focal point was created on the sail of the ship.

While the participants were able to generate a temperature of about 260º F, it was still not nearly close to be able to generate enough heat for ignition. The MythBusters even cheated by bringing the ship extremely close to the shore, much closer than the ships got in the original myth before they were exposed to the solar death ray.

Jamie and Adam had to return to the White House to deliver the bad news to President Obama, but he seemed to take the failure well. Jamie explained that the fact that the experiment had failed was perfectly fine, and offered the hypothesis that the distracting and intimidating spectacle of hundreds of mirrors shining along the coast may have deterred an attacker from sailing too close to the guarded territory.

If you are at all interested in the power of science as it is applied to common myths and fables, then you should definitely tune in to MythBusters the next time that it airs. The hour-long program is usually filled with tons of cool experiments, high explosives, and cutting-edge technology that will make you a fan instantly. And as President Obama said, it is a great way for children to learn about math and science in an entertaining way that encourages them to continue their learning outside of the classroom.

The drama steadily unfolded on last night's episode of the Jersey Shore on MTV as most of the show focused on the shenanigans of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. The Situation has proclaimed himself as the leader of the crew of seven cast members who all live in a house together in Miami Beach. Last week, certain problems began to develop between Situation and Snooki while in a South Beach night club. Specifically, while Snooki's best friend was down in South Florida visiting, Situation embarrassed her by trying to round up everyone to leave for the night. Snooki did not want to leave, and some chaos ensued.

This week, the bad blood carried over between the two. Situation realized that he had disrupted the bond between himself and Snooki, so he chose to apologize. While Snooki accepted his apology, the make-up seemed to be bittersweet. The antics did not stop there however as the Situation began to rub off in a negative way on other members in the house, including his partner-in-crime Pauly D. Several times throughout the episode, Situation proved to be a burden for Pauly D as he was attempting to get cozy with several female counterparts featured in the show. Though Pauly resented the Situation for his blatant disregard for the well-being of the other members the house, his non-confrontational personality prevented him from perpetuating an ongoing conflict.

Last night's episode of Jersey Shore also painted the Situation in a negative light with regards to his seeming disinterest of traffic laws and parking signs throughout the city of Miami. Earlier in the episode, he boasted to Pauly D about how he does not pay attention to "No Parking" signs, and that he will continue to park his Cadillac Escalade wherever he pleases. Later in the episode, while in the middle of a tanning session with fellow house member Vinny, the Situation exits the tanning salon to discover that his beloved truck has been towed. I guess the Situation cannot park wherever he wants after all. $175 later, the two boys are back on the road ready to tear up the streets of Miami once again.

In one final unfavorable incident for the Situation highlighted in the episode, he starts off the Sunday evening by cooking a giant feast for every member of the house. While this seems to be a good-hearted gesture (unlike many of his other actions throughout the season), he commits a major cooking faux pas by putting a hot pan underneath a faucet of running water. As a result, large amounts of steam and smoke rise to the ceiling which sets off the fire alarms in the house. The Miami fire department ends up on the scene, and they don't seem too pleased.

Next Thursday is the season finale of the Jersey Shore. It will be very interesting to see how the characters on the show end up parting with each other before the third season airs. The final episode preview shows the cast taking part in an escapade through the Everglades, a series of swamps and backwoods that Florida is famous for. The gang wants to spend their last day by trying out some of the Everglades cuisine, and fried frog legs are one of the foods. The reaction of Ronnie and Snooki is priceless, and should provide some good entertainment for anyone who tunes in.

One of my favorite shows on television right now is Bored to Death. HBO really is the best channel around for entertainment, and this is obviously due to the fact that they are much less restricted with their creative license than the other networks. From the Sopranos to the Wire, and now Eastbound and Down and Bored to Death, HBO keeps me wanting more.

If you don't watch the show, Bored to Death follows the story of a struggling writer in Brooklyn who moonlights as an unlicensed private detective to make ends meet. The show is a comedy, and the main character Jonathan Ames gets himself into a variety of hilarious and sticky situations. In the supporting roles are two very talented actors. One is Ted Danson, from the long-running sitcom Cheers. Danson plays a wealthy publishing executive who pals around with Ames (played by Jonathan Schwartzman) in a futile attempt to retain his youth. The other member of their group is comedian/actor Zach Galifianakis, one of the most talented and funny actors around. He plays a self-loathing artist who is similarly having financial struggles.

The first season of the show was decent, entertaining enough to keep my attention but not enough to say it was great. This year, this show has really picked up. In only two episodes, I have laughed out loud several times in response to the witty one-liners and uncomfortable social situations created on the show. Just as one example: in the last episode Jonathan was hired by George's (Danson) arch-enemy (played by Oliver Platt) to spy on his wife while he is out. He suspects her of cheating on him, so he asks Jonathan to hide in his closet before the wife gets home.

To Jonathan's surprise, the other man in this love triangle turns out to be George. The result is a huge wave of tension that can be both seen and felt on the screen. Of course, some comic relief is provided at the end of the episode, and the credits roll with the audience waiting to see what happens next week. That is the sign of a good show.

I am excited to tune in for next week's episode as there will be a guest appearance by one of my favorite comedians of all-time: Jim Norton. I have no idea what type of character he is going to be playing, but I sure that it will be extra creepy and strange, just because that's the type o' guy that Jim is. As the season progresses, I will provide another review of the show to see if the quality remains.

A new episode of the Jersey Shore is on MTV tonight, and I will be watching. The only problem is...I don't know why. Clearly, everything about the show is completely ridiculous. The characters are shallow and unlikable; the situations they get themselves into are melodramatic and predictable. Yet, for some reason I am drawn to the set every Thursday night.

I think the rest of the country is with me on this one. We all know that the Jersey Shore in no way enriches the quality of our lives (in fact, it probably makes us dumber), but as a culture we are obsessed with the premise of watching these people from afar as they get themselves involved in a bunch of shenanigans. Watching the Jersey Shore is sort of the same as "rubber necking" an accident on the highway - you just have to look. With that being said, I can indulge in my guilty pleasure by recapping what has taken place on the show this season.

Now for those of you who don't know, Jersey Shore is currently in its second season and the cast has signed on to do a third. The first season actually took place at the New Jersey shore, but MTV needed to figure out a way to film during the winter. The solution was to take the show to South Beach, Miami, and it was a great idea.

The eight members of the show live in a gorgeous party house in South Florida where the majority of the action takes place. So far, we have gotten to know the personalities of the characters a bit better, and compare how they have evolved from last season. Some of the characters have pretty much stayed the same. Mike "The Situation" and Pauly D were the ladies' man tag-team from last season, but now they are trying to take Vinny under their wing. This new coalition has combined to form M.V.P. (Mike, Vinny, Pauly/Most Valuable Player). The result has found the guys getting themselves into some interesting situations with the girls of South Beach.

Ronnie is a different story. Last year, he spent the entire season in a relationship with Sammie while the other guys went out to party. This time around, he wants to have fun. Ron has taken things to the max in this regard, by constantly fighting with Sammie and staying out all night to drink and get crazy. This has resulted in several intense arguments between Ron and Sam, several break-ups and make-ups, and some great television drama.

Snooki and JWoww (Jenni) have become best friends in the new season, and lately they are up to no good. Since they know that Ronnie has been cheating on Sam they feel compelled to write an anonymous letter that exposes Ron's mistakes. They plant the letter in Sammie's drawer, and when she finds it she is not happy. This creates a tremendous amount of tension between the girls in the house, and Sam and JWoww eventually get into a physical confrontation where punches are thrown. Again, great television drama.

Angelina is the black sheep of the crew. She left the shore house early last season, and was rumored to be talking behind everyone's back afterwards. The other members of the house despise her and did not even expect her to show up in Miami. Since she did, she has gotten into verbal arguments with every single member of the house, usually with only herself to blame.

Now that the drama has been built up, there is no telling what will happen in tonight's episode. I can't say that I am proud of my affinity for the show, but there is no doubt that I will be watching. I will post another entry about the Jersey Shore next week to stay up-to-date with the antics that these crazy kids get themselves into.