From the press release: “Brandon, a Florida native, discusses “Arkansas” with host Tommy Sanders. The book follows criminals whose shaky circumstances and bad decisions send them spiraling into the most desperate situations, elaborate deceptions and wrong turns.”

Sounds interesting enough. Oh, and this reminds us, did anyone see John Brandon at Nightbird Books back in April?

If I recall correctly, there was only one Arkansas football game (vs. Tennessee) that aired on LFS last year. That might have been because there were four ESPN/ESPN2 games (thanks, DMac) so maybe a couple of more Raycom games will get picked up this year? So far, the only games with solid TV time are the Texas (ABC) and LSU (CBS) games which will both be offered in HD.

As for basketball, Raycom picked up a total of 9 games last season. Here’s hoping that some of those select “tilts” will include a few Hog games.

Apparently that’s as far as his luck took him, though, because he did not advance to the Showcase Showdown. It’s unfortunate too, because as host Drew Carey pointed out, the surfboards probably won’t be of much use here in Arkansas. Cardwell says he plans to “probably sell most of it on eBay” but we think he should at least see if Applebee’s or maybe Zaxby’s on 6th Street needs any more ironic crap to put on their walls first.

One prize is staying in Fayetteville, though.

I’m gonna definitely keep the waterfall thing and be puttin’ that in the new apartment because when people walk in and see that it will be a good opportunity to tell the story.”

Congratulations, Brad. It’s too bad your wheel spinning skills weren’t up to par, though. That Reinell 18′ ski boat would’ve been way more fun on Beaver Lake than a couple of surfboards.

[Via KFSM]

All 12 channels that were originally announced via some tiny copy blocks in the local newspapers (and then by EngadgetHD), were sitting there waiting for me when I skeptically clicked the GUIDE button last night.

As promised, we now have Food HD, Travel Channel HD, Animal Planet HD, CNN HD, TBS HD, TLC HD, Science HD, Discovery HD and HGTV HD.

Most of the channels look great except for HGTV HD which looks awful due to the fact that it has been stretched out to appear as though it’s in widescreen.

For those who subscribe to the Sports & Information tier, you can now enjoy NFL Network HD and Versus / Golf HD. Also, for those of you who enjoy a little late night butts-n-boobies, Cinemax HD is waiting for you…in a silk robe…with a bowl of strawberries…and melted chocolate…and beautifully feathered hair.

This morning we noticed that Engadget HD officially posted about it and now we feel like we should do the same since a) it’s Monday and we’re desperately trying not to start working yet and b) there is no “b.”

According to somebody named Dwight who lives around here, a letter was sent out to Cox HD customers (all 11 of them, sans us) explaining that NW Arkansas would be receiving a dozen new HD channels sometime this month including: Versus / Golf HD, Food HD, Travel Channel HD, Cinemax HD, Animal Planet HD, Science HD, CNN HD, TBS HD, TLC HD, Discovery HD, HGTV HD and NFL Network HD.

Of course, you’ll have to be a Skinemax subscriber to get your HD soft porn-on and we assume you’ll need the Sports & Information tier if you wanna see NFL Network in HD but still, this is good news since we’re currently sitting around with only about 15 HD channels as it is while the satellite providers are seemingly competing to see who can get to the 100 mark first.

PS- If you’ve been waiting for HD TVs to get a little less expensive before taking the plunge, next month might be your chance to get a nice Sony for “stupid cheap”.

Guttenberg continues on his path to glory and will undoubtedly annihilate any and all that stand in his way.

Still remaining on The Gut’s dance card of destruction: radio host Adam Carolla, pro football player Jason Taylor, Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi, R&B singer Mario, and actors Shannon Elizabeth, Christian de la Fuente, Marlee Matlin, Priscilla Presley and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

Kristi Yamaguchi ain’t shit.

When combined with Russian dance powerhouse, Anna Trebunskaya, the two become unstoppable, both on the dance floor and off.

Together, they fight crime.

They’re like Voltron, only tougher. And less robot like. And they don’t have the ability to attach to each other and become a larger, even more powerful dance robot… yet.

My prediction for this season of Dancing with the Stars: Through a series of mind-boggling and earth-shattering performances, The Gut will secure his championship. It will be an uncontested, landslide victory. Despite a massive, Guttenberg-related, ratings spike, the show will be cancelled after this season because there will never be another champ like Steve “The Gut” Guttenberg…. And America knows it.

That’s right, BattleBots is back!

First, American Gladiators, now this? Life (at least the part of it that involves sitting on my couch, drinking beer and watching stupid tv shows when I don’t have anything else to do and am not playing Call of Duty 4) is good.

BattleBots CEO (not sure how he got this title) Trey Roski has announced that the show will most likely be airing this November on ESPN 8 “The Ocho” ESPN2. It was slated to begin in June, but thanks to the massive amount of interest from college campuses around the US (possibly up to 150 schools participating), the show looks to be much bigger than originally anticipated.

As a fan of the original show, I’ll be the first to admit that it could drag at times thanks, mainly, to the boring, albeit clever “wedge” bots. The “wedge” bots would usually avoid the destructive/cool aspect of the show (chainsaws, pneumatic spikes, sledgehammers, etc) and would simply focus on (lamely) wedging itself between the other (tougher, more rad) robot and the ground and flipping it on its back. Who wants to see that? No one. And thankfully, it sounds like Mr. Roski got the hint: “I’m not going to allow wedgers,” he says. Thank God. By removing the lame-o wedgers, the show can focus more on what makes BattleBots awesome: Robots destroying other robots with various implements of destruction.

Awesome.

In addition to doing away with “wedge” bots, the show is going to focus more on the engineering aspect of the competition. In other words, after a match is over they will show the teams racing the clock in order to repair their bot for the next match. This will show us just what it takes to keep a bot up and running after taking a beating from, say, a 250 lb. bot with a chainsaw. The move should serve to add an extra layer of drama to the mix.

I’m really looking forward to the return of BattleBots. If you haven’t had the good fortune to watch the show in the past, you’re in for a real treat come November.

On a sidenote: I’d like to see these guys duke it out on the show.

I was first introduced to “Three Sheets” a year and a half ago when I subscribed to Cox’s HD service. I was basking in the glory of High Definition cable programming when I just happened to catch an episode. I was instantly hooked. Not only is the show informative, it’s also really, really funny. I quickly set the DVR to record any and all showings of “Three Sheets” and immersed myself in some quality television. The show has quickly become one of my favorites and I’ll be ordering the first two seasons on DVD soon. If you haven’t had a chance to watch, I highly recommend that you get your ass in gear and check it out.

After watching an episode after work the other day I decided to take a shot in the dark and see if I could get a hold of Zane. I was hoping that he’d be willing to answer a few questions about the show and himself. I put the odds of him responding at around 1:100. Yet, despite what I thought was a longshot, I fired a few questions his way. To my surprise and as a testament to his coolness, Zane Lamprey actually responded.

Awesome.

Anyway, without further ado, here it is: The Fayetteville Flyer’s Quick Q&A with Zane Lamprey.

Fayetteville Flyer - You drink a lot… at least, you drink a lot for you job as host of Three Sheets. What’s the worst drink you’ve ever consumed?

Zane Lamprey - Absinthe in Prague, Viper Rum in Belize or Snake Blood in Taipei. And the winner is “Vipe Rum”. Man that stuff was nasty. It tasted like what a dead snake smells like… Ew.

FF - Just how did you land what many would consider to be the best job ever?

ZL - I’ve been hosting for a while: MTV, VH1, TV Guide. I just stayed with it and was at the right place at the right time. I was hired to host the pilot and MOJO picked it up. The rest is history.

FF - Do you ever wake up after a long night of filming and wish that you had a desk job?

ZL - A desk job, “no”. But I do sometimes wish that I didn’t have to drink so much. I keep telling myself that I’m going to cut back while shooting, but I want to do the best job. Sometimes I’m in a situation that if I stopped drinking, my interviewee would stop giving me good material.

FF - How many times have you sworn that you’d “Never drink again?”

ZL - I’ve done 40 episodes…. So maybe, 20.

FF - Do you enjoy not having to get shit-faced for your new show, Have Fork, Will Travel?

ZL - Yeah, I do. But then I have to eat a lot. Three Sheets made me put on about 10 pounds, and Have Fork was responsible for about 10 more. If I had to choose though, I’d pick Three Sheets. It’s more fun. Way more fun.

FF - Since you travel to exotic locales for both Have Fork, Will Travel and Three Sheets, do you ever film episodes for each show back-to-back?

ZL - We have. We did that in Bangkok and in France (Cognac then Marseilles).

FF - How does your wife feel about you traveling around the world? Does she ever go with you or do you always fly solo?

ZL - My wife and I miss each other. She goes with me when she can (Venice, Belize, France, Rio) but we just had a son, so she had to stop for a while. Now he’s about 5 months old, so they’re going to start traveling with me. I do better when they’re there because then I have everything I love in one place, and I’m happiest. Then I can concentrate on just having fun and being the “crazy” Three Sheets guy.

FF - It must be difficult traveling the world for your job. How often do you feel like an absolute, ignorant, American ass? I feel like that all the time w/o even leaving the country.

ZL - I’m low-key when I’m actually traveling. So I don’t ever feel out-of-place. But if I do hear some loud person at the airport, it’s most often an American. I wish that wasn’t the case… But that’s been my experience.

FF - What advice, if any, do you have for someone who wants to travel and take in local culture? You’re probably an expert by now.

ZL - Blend.

FF - Finally, have you ever been to Arkansas? If so, what did you think of the ‘Natural State’? If not, what do I need to do to convince you to make a pit stop? We’ll buy you a drink…

ZL - I’ve been there. It’s a beautiful state. America is a beautiful country. We have so many different places. Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Arkansas– They are all so different an each so beautiful in their own right. As much as I love seeing the world, I love coming home. Some of us don’t know how amazingly wonderful our country is. There’s no place like home.

Hat’s off to you, Mr. Lamprey for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar… and a really funny dude. We here at the Fayetteville Flyer wish you much continued success.

You can catch Zane on “Three Sheets” which airs on MOJO HD. He’s also got a new show “Have Fork, Will Travel” that airs on the Food Network. Check ‘em out. They’re both top notch.

Well, after watching the trailer, I must say I’m considerably less enthused than I was just 1 minute and 30 seconds before. It looked pretty lame and they’ve royally screwed up THE ONE THING that makes the show cool; the car.

You see, KITT, the cool Pontiac Trans Am from the original Kinght Rider is now a freaking Ford Mustang in the new series!!! WTF!?! I understand that there’s no new Pontiac Trans Am out there to use. Fine. I get it. But, of all the cars to choose from, why the Mustang? It’s the most boring, widely owned, newer “muscle car” out there right now and I think someone made an awful call when casting the ’stang. Why not just get a Toyota Corolla, slap a red light on front and be done with it? The Ford Mustang is to muscle cars as the Toyota Corolla is to cars in general; They’re LAME. If the Creative directors (and I hesitate to use the word “Creative”) had been using their heads, they would have done what (I hate using him as an example of something good) Michael Bay did in Transformers and replace the old car (Bumblebee, a VW Bug) with a newer, cooler, not yet widely available vehicle (Chevy Camaro). For Knight Rider, the new Dodge Challenger would have been perfect.

One other, albeit minor, issue is the voice of KITT. I was a little pissed when I heard KITT talk and it wasn’t William Daniels, the original KITT voice. However, I quickly realized that the voice coming out of that stupid-ass Mustang was none other than Will Arnett. While I wish they could have stuck with the original voice, I have to say that Will Arnett makes a solid second choice.

I’ll give the new show a go and post a follow-up letting you know whether or not the show sucked it. Until then, what do you think about KITT as a Mustang?

This time American Gladiators is not a stand alone show. It’s based on a bracket system where competitors must win several times in order to win the grand prize of $100,000, a brand new SUV and to become the next American Gladiator.

Like many of you, I grew watching the original Gladiators such as Nitro, Zap, Gemini, Malibu and Blazer beat the ever-living piss out of the contestants and loved it. Wait. Blazer was a character on Dodgeball. Pretend I said Blaze of Laser instead of Blazer, ok? Anyway, some of the new characters weren’t quite as cool as the originals, but I do have a new favorite. If you watched the premiere you know who I’m talking about, none other than the howling, over-groomed facial haired badass himself, “Wolf.” The dude’s only real gimmick, outside of (kinda sorta maybe) looking like a human wolf, is that he howls at any given opportunity… and you know what? That rules! For example, when the ref (who if you look carefully, you’ll notice is Al Kaplon, the ref from Dodgeball) asks the gladiators if they’re ready, “Wolf” just howls and grunts “yeeeeeaaaah!”. Perfect. All of the others are pretty lame, especially “Titan” and “Toa,” which must stand for super-lame in Samoan. On a side note, “Toa” is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s way less cooler cousin. Not that you care.

The female gladiators were all pretty butch and gross as per everyone’s expectation. The best (least worst) looking one was, by far, “Crush.” And the grossest gladiator award goes to: (drumroll) It’s a tie! “Fury” and “Hellga” are both equally gross in my book. Congrats, you two!

Onto the games!

I was glad to see them bring back some of the classic gladiator games such as Joust, Hang Tough, Assault and the Wall. Strangely absent from the two-hour premiere was, at least in my opinion, one of the best events to ever grace the gladiator arena: Atlasphere. Instead of letting us enjoy watching the contestants roll around in human-sized hamster balls, we were “treated” to a new game, Earthquake, in which the contestant and gladiator wrestle on a circular platform for 60 seconds or until one or both of the wrestlers are thrown or fall off the edge. It was a super-weak game at best. I hope they drop it soon in favor of Atlasphere.

Finally, there’s the Eliminator, the last and most difficult challenge; The one that pushes the contestants to the limit. They’ve re-vamped the course by mixing up the order, dropping a few elements and adding a few new ones. They start by climbing an 8-foot wall and then they must dive into a pool of “fire” and swim beneath the flames to the cargo net. They climb the net to the top and then roll back down to the ground by holding onto some large, padded cylinders. Then it’s onto the Hand Bike that seems to kick everyone’s ass. After the bike they run down a balance beam and then climb “The Pyramid.” Once on top of the pyramid they fly down the zip line and then ascend the infamous “Travelator.” Finally, they crash through a wall of foam to complete the course. They made lots of changes, but were able to retain the eliminator’s badassness.

At the end of the show, I was left wanting more, which is good because there’s another airing tonight. I’ll be watching LSU stomp Ohio State instead, but you can bet my DVR will be set to record. If you’re a fan of the original, you won’t be disappointed by American Gladiators 2.0.

Fayetteville Flyer Rating: 3.5 Human Growth Hormone shots out of 5. Not too shabby.

American Gladiators airs Mondays at 8/7 Central on NBC.

David Letterman’s company World Wide Pants, which owns both the Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson has reached a deal with the Writers Guild of America and will therefore be the only two late-night shows that won’t suck butts next week. The other talk shows are returning sans-writers which should be…well…interesting? awful.

All across Hollywood last night, big-budget filmmakers enjoyed a gigantic sigh of relief now that they finally have a late-night medium to promote their films. It’s unknown just how much of an effect the late-night silence has had on opening night movie sales over the last two weeks, however, what else could possibly be behind the record-LOW $384 (no joke) that Jessica Simpson’s new movie brought in?

I want my, I want my MTV HDTV.

Lame. Sorry. Anyway….

I know what you’re thinking. And yes, there are bigger issues in the world and I probably do watch too much TV. Not having a bazillion HD channels to choose from isn’t exactly the worst thing on earth… and all those “bigger issues in the world?” Well, I want to hear about them from some British broad(caster) on BBCHD.

We’ve discussed switching to Dish Network which has over 70 HD channels (rule!). However, some folks have had some bad experiences in making the switch to Dish Network and that’s seriously made us question that option.

I remember hearing quite a bit about AT&T U-Verse wanting to set up shop in Fayetteville earlier this year. They’ve got 45 HD channels to choose from! However, I could hardly find a thing about it when doing a Google search.

For now it looks like we’re stuck with Cox. Curious about whether or not Cox is planning on drastically upping their HD offerings, I sent them an inquiry through their website, asking about when and if Cox will offer more HD channels in my area (F-Ville). To their benefit, they responded fairly quickly, even though it was with this:

“Dear Valued Cox Customer:

Cox Communications Online Customer Care Team”

You can tell they spend a lot of time crafting their emails to ensure their responses are detailed and informative and leave you with that warm, fuzzy feeling… Good jorb, Cox. Good jorb…

From their response I now know that they have up to and including several HD channels and that we may get some additional HD channels at some point in the near to far future. Thanks Cox Communications Online Customer Care Team for thoroughly and thoughtfully answering my questions! Geez.

What am I going to do? Well, I guess we’ll just sit tight for now and hope that Cox comes through… which is doubtful, at least in the short-run. It’s really disappointing that they are adopting HD programming at such a slow rate although I understand that they’re facing some serious technical hurdles.

Do I have any other options? Apparently not. For now, it’s looking like my only other choice is buying an HD video camera and making my own shows a la Be Kind Rewind.