THE FRIDAY FIVE | Indispensable TV sites

I’ve been obsessed with television for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been using the Internet to fuel my obsession for as long as I’ve had access to it (roughly 1997). I’ve learned quite a bit about the business over the years, and I’ve seen a lot of great TV websites come and go, or evolve into something less entertaining/useful (which is a whole different Friday Five).

There are a few, though, that have quietly gone about their business, and established themselves as reliable go-to sources for information about television. They don’t seem as concerned with trends or flashy technology as they are with fulfilling their niches in the online television news realm. These sites are my go-to resources and I thought you should know about them.

TVtattle.com
If I have time to check just one TV site in a day, it’s TVtattle. Billed as “a weblog of TV news and criticism,” TVtattle was in the aggregating business long before it was cool. Since 2000, the site has compiled a daily digest of industry news headlines, reviews, and reactions about every show under the sun. TVtattle is updated almost every weekday, and when it’s not (for example, on holidays), a note at the top of the sidebar informs readers when to expect a new installment. Updates are appended to original items. Each new day’s postings push a previous day’s links into oblivion. There are no official archives, which makes sense given that the stories TVtattle links to at other sites, papers, and magazines, are likely to expire or be moved after a period of time. The site keeps things sweet and simple: there’s no RSS feed, and the site design and logo remain unchanged since my first visit.

The Ausiello Files
Spoiler hound Michael Ausiello knows a sinking ship when he’s aboard one. After honing his craft at TV Guide, Ausiello recently moved to Entertainment Weekly. He likes his blind items, casting rumors, and spoiler hints, all of which seem to rile up his readers. This is easily the newest site on the list, having come together within the last year, since the name on Ausiello’s paychecks changed. If you like your TV experience as pure as possible, you’ll want to avoid this site; but insider dish abounds for those seeking such things.

The Futon Critic
This site is a living encyclopaedia of television. It features a broadcast calendar of almost every show on almost every network. Network press releases have their own section and RSS feed. You can track any show individually to find out about casting, scheduling, and such. Prime time schedules at a glance are available by season (spring and summer are currently posted). Wanna know when Weeds returns or how many episodes are left in this season of Grey’s Anatomy? The answers to these and countless other questions lie at The Futon Critic.

epguides.com
Along similar lines as The Futon Critic, but with a much more limited focus, epguides.com is just what its name suggests: episode guides for thousands of series. It provides title and airdate information for current and former shows. Most of the episode titles are links to additional information at TV.com, which despite being a larger and more extensive site is littered with corporate ads, social media strings, and other unnecessary distractions. When you need to count a thirteen-episode order quick and dirty, epguides.com has you covered. (P.S. Know the name of the show you want? Just punch in epguides.com/(show name). Keep in mind that the site drops articles, so the guide for The Mentalist would be found at epguides.com/mentalist.)

TV Shows on DVD
Each week in my DVD Wish List, I link to information about a particular show’s DVD releases at this handy site. Ever wonder what happened to the Boy Meets World DVDs after the first few seasons? If there’s even a nugget of information about subsequent releases, TV Shows on DVD will have it. You can customize the site to your liking, and set up email alerts for shows you want to keep tabs on.

These are my must-read sites. Feel free to share yours in the comments.

Are the words “Grey’s Anatomy shocker” just part of Ausiello’s blog post template? Should he maybe change the blog’s name to that? I believe I’ve finally been pushed into the welcoming, overfull arms of those with Grey’s gossip fatigue.

GREY’S | One more for the road

As usual, it’s been a tumultuous season behind the scenes at ABC’s stalwart medical franchise. Tonight’s installment, “All By Myself,” is the show’s last original episode in 2008. As we go into the holiday hiatus, I have so many questions. Will George finally have a purpose again? What in Shonda’s name is up with Dead Denny? And, as I’ve noticed they’re letting another male writer’s room virgin pen tonight’s episode, will it be as awkward as “Rise Up,” with its schizophrenic whiplash style?

Since I have no answers, allow me to point you in the direction of more questions. Some blind items appearing online this week suggest that Brooke Smith (Erica Hahn) isn’t the only regular bound for a sudden exit at Seattle Grace.

BB9 | “Illuminating ourselves”

Jacob, a TWoP recapper, posted some insightful preseason meditations on the value of Big Brother at his blog, Knees Up (scroll down past the stuff about Friday Night Lights). A preview:

But to me, a couple of hours of Big Brother is equal to a day watching The History Channel is equal to four episodes of Laguna Beach (seasons one and two). It’s what we were promised, and what we were given, in the early days of The Real World, when my obsession and yours with watching normal people do normal things first gained its glamour.

META | Check me out

I’m a finalist in this semester’s Cynopsis Weekender College Edition. You can read my essay along with essays from the three other finalists. The essays are here; mine is the third one on the page, “Strike Strategies Take Center Stage as Everyone Settles in for The Long Haul.”

STRIKE WATCH | It’s on

Personal issues are keeping me away from the Manifesto for the next few days, but Nikki Finke is the go-to girl for all your strike news.

Hopefully things will return to normal on the blog soon. My apologies.

STRIKE WATCH | Waiting and wondering

The WGA’s contract expired at 12:01 a.m./PT today. A writers strike could come at any time; picketing could begin as early as tomorrow.

If (or, I guess, when) the writers strike, it’ll be their second work stoppage in my lifetime. In 1988, I was three years old, and while I already loved television, my toddler brain had no concept of the strike. It’ll be a new — and slightly terrifying — experience for me.

For thorough, up-to-date strike coverage, I recommend Deadline Hollywood Daily.

NEED A RECAP? | Here’s all of Nikki Finke’s coverage through the expiration date this morning

BB8 | It’s over!

• MSNBC contributor Andy Dehnart looks back at some of the most questionable manipulations of the season and how Dick made it to F2
• The finale was Tuesday night’s top-rated show. Variety says the reality veteran had a higher season average this summer than during last year’s All Stars edition
• Google News has more season-end analysis, interviews, and Donato love/hate
• It’s not too early to apply for Big Brother 9
  

EMMYS ‘07 | The winners

• A recap of the night (AP via Google News)
• The list of winners (PDF)

TALK | Slate rips ‘Star Jones’ a new one

What’s left of Star Jones is now hosting a cable talk show, as you may have heard. The recently gastric bypassed Jones took Dustin Diamond (Screech from Saved by the Bell) to task for making a sex tape for attention. Not like that whole year of Jones-Reynolds wedding infomercials you did on The View. Or the surgery and the new talk show. Props to Dahlia Lithwick for an insightful review.