Yes, My Opionion Matters

Matt and my students may not agree, but, according to Nielsen Media Research, I am a much-needed demographic! A lady from Nielsen called for Matt a few weeks ago, and I intercepted the call. She told me that she'd send me forms to fill out (I do love form-filling), along with $30 cash and a small TV diary. Add to that sales pitch the fact that I grew up listening to my parents talk about how they saved Cheers via Nielsen ratings, and I was on board.

Now I get to spend the next week diligently recording every program that our household watches. It's a bit confusing, and I'm a bit overwhelmed by the complicated diaries. She didn't tell me that I'd have to complete a separate diary for each TV and that I'd have to record both Matt's and my viewing habits, not to mention everything we record with the DVR. But if it means saving 30 Rock and my Frasier reruns, I'm up for the challenge.

Of course, that $30 cash from Nielsen will go quickly. I'm willing to help you save your favorites, too, for a price.

So long, Conan

Conan O'Brien left the airwaves last week. He'll be back in June as host of The Tonight Show, but I just don't think it'll be the same.

Who else includes a grammar bit in a "best of" montage?



And for the record:
Usage Note: Snuck is an Americanism first introduced in the 19th century as a nonstandard regional variant of sneaked. Widespread use of snuck has become more common with every generation. It is now used by educated speakers in all regions. Formal written English is more conservative than other varieties, of course, and here snuck still meets with much resistance. Many writers and editors have a lingering unease about the form, particularly if they recall its nonstandard origins. And 67 percent of the Usage Panel disapproved of snuck in our 1988 survey. Nevertheless, an examination of recent sources shows that snuck is sneaking up on sneaked. Snuck was almost 20 percent more common in newspaper articles published in 1995 than it was in 1985.

And Conan's favorite clip is absolutely hilarious:



Can you make a play for a potential Civil War widow on national television before Midnight? I don't think so.